Rising Sun Campaign

Rising Sun: Adventures in the land of Mythic Nippon A Fantasy / Ninja Hero Campaign by Alan D. Kohler It is a principle of the art of war that one should simply lay down his life and strike. If one's opponent also does the same, it is an even match. Defeating one's opponent is then a matter of faith and destiny. - Yamamoto Tsunetomo

These are the tales of a handful of adventurers in the mystical land of the far east. Not the far east of our world, but one very much like ours. Like the feudal era Japan our world knew, Samurai lay down their lives for posturing Daimyo, and ninja make their trade in dealing death. However, whispered about magic wielding sorcerers and wicked spirits make their presence felt more poignantly than they ever did in our world. This is the land of Mythic Nippon.

The Rising Sun campaign is a heroic fantasy RPG campaign set in a fantasy version of east Asia during Japan's feudal era. I am using the HERO System for this purpose because of its flexibility and cinematic flavor. In addition to the HERO System Rulebook, I am using the HERO system products Fantasy Hero, Ninja Hero, and The Ultimate Martial Artist.

Other resources and sources of information were:

FGU's Bushido Game. This game, though dated, is more faithful than any other RPG I know of at replicating the authentic flavor of fuedal Japan. Much of my honor tracking system was inspired by them, as well as a bulk of the character archetypes that appear in my package deals. My monetary system is almost directly drawn from Bushido.
TSR's Oriental Adventures and Kara-Tur suppluments. These products provided a great deal of information on fantastic Japanese creatures. Elements of my honor system were derived from theirs, and the event system provided in OA is very good. The main inspiration that I drew from Kara-Tur was the numerous adventure idea appropriate to the setting.
Mark's Sengoku Campaign Page. This fellow has a very detailed camapaign. I've found his campaign material interesting and informative. I've found his material on armor, skills by social caste, and his beautiful maps of Nippon most useful.
Gold Rush Games has been kind enough to put the first few chapters of their upcoming fuzion-based setting Sengoku: Chanbara Role-Playing in Feudal Japan online for downloading. The material provides loads of information on customs, dress, and culture in feudal era Japan. I found their notes on Shinto and Buddhist sects especially enlightening. Their idea for tracking shame separate from honor was the third major influence on my honor system.
AniPike and the Japan Web Ring (and associated web sites) for the numerous graphics and quotes that helped me spruce up this branch of my site. Also a good place to poke around if you are interested in the culture and legends that are, in part, embodied by the game.

With that said we can move on to what you probably came here for: the campaign material.

Rising Sun Campaign Rules. These are the notes for adapting theHERO System material to the campaign.

Author's Musings - my droning on about infuences and intentions.
Character Creation Rules - How many points you get, and assumptions for applying HERO system skills, powers, talents, and perks to the setting.
Character Archetypes - Package deals for some major character archetypes of the setting, from Ashigaru to Yakaza
Honor System - My system for tracking personal and family honor in the campaign.
Magical Traditions - Magical powers of the Shugenga, Gakusho, and Ninja.

The Campaign Thus Far - A quick recap of our heros and what they have been up to.

"...if you are slain in battle, you should be resolved to have your corpse facing the enemy."

- Yamamoto Tsunetomo

The Stars of the Show - The Player Characters
Supporting Cast - Important NPCs
The Story Thus Far (Coming Soon)