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/r/Ryuutama
Hello! So I've been GMing (a little sporadically) a Ryuutama game for about 6 months and we invested quite a lot of time into world building. I wanted to make a place that could be used for multiple campaigns so I put a lot of time into locations, legends, world lore and areas that could be expanded on in future.
I'm super aware not everyone wants to get this deep or maybe just wants to trial the game before diving in full-campaign so I thought I'd share it with you all here! I'll include our labelled map but also a blank one at the bottom of the post if you want to overhaul the map with whatever place names you want. Feel free to use it!
ALSO we are playing with Tsundoku Flux's homebrew races so if you read about elves in the lore... That is why!
Ok... If you're one of my players (It's me... Holly) please look away now!
The Region of Spring
The Region of Spring is generally a peaceful place, famous for it's grasslands and sprawling fields of crops. It is the location that grows the most grain and livestock and these (along with their by-products) are it's primary export.
It's culture is somewhat malleable, but at it's core the people there tend to be warm and generally well-intentioned, much like their Seasonal Dragon.
The Midori-Ryuu (the Spring Dragon) is believed to be kind and always working in their favour, breathing new life and new ideas on the wind the find the ears of the people it protects. It is common for people in this region to thank the Midori-Ryuu when good fortune comes your way.
The concept of nobility is fairly new to the Region of Spring, brought in by the long-lived elves and dwarves from the south. Because of this - it's leaders tend to be somewhat wacky by nature with a looser grasp on electoral systems than things like generational bloodlines or wealth. Such as - The oldest farmer in town is automatically the head of the town or - the fastest candidate to race up and down the mountain becomes Mayor.
Some of the main points of interest in this region are...
The Summer Dragon's Domain
The Summon domain is a region of variety. it's inhabitants have a mingling culture of travel and romance, and art thanks to the juxtaposition of desert and sea in their territory. They believe their architecture outstanding and their poets and musicians the best in the world with their main exports being ore from Fortaare's peaks, clothing, cultural exploits and luxury goods.
As so much of the territory is water, the Summer domain boasts the most diverse population because of it's vast number of ports and ferry systems. Elves, Dwarves and even Cutebolds bartering for ore are more common in the cities of this region than anywhere else.
Because of the Azure Dragon's association with love, the coast of this region is popular with young-lovers and those recently married.
That being said, it is not a region without hardship.
Following the death of the Kuro-ryuu, much of the land was flooded by what was believed to be the work of the Azure Dragon, they say that it wept for it's lover in the north until the ocean flooded the land. This wiped out their former capital and many landmarks were lost to the sea. This has somewhat dampened the cultural concept of "love" as something that is wonderful but also can come with terrible consequences. Songs of tragic lovers are now commonplace.
Because of this The Summer Dragon's Domain has been split into two rather distinct cultures.
The Crimson Kingdom
The Crimson Kingdom is combative at heart, the people there are passionate. Lovers of feasts and fine-wine and are wildly efficient in times of hardship. It's main exports are fruits, lumber and liquor.
Because of it's long history of war it has been home some of the most beloved folk-heroes and frightful conflicts in all of Mondaiyuu history. Most notably the Crimson Hero and the Golden Conflict which famously lasted 50 years.
Because of this it is functionally divided into two realms, these realms are not at-odds. Rather the Crimson Kingdom and it's Royals treats the Western half as an "unknown" portion of property. How little they truly control the west of their region is quite a public secret:
The dragon of this region "The Dragon of Bloodied Scales" is believed to make it's home on an island called The Forest of Gilded Leaves. A place of eternal autumn, where the canopy of the golden trees catch the light like flames.
Their dragon is believed to be a proud lover of heroics and treasure so it is common to make offerings of gold when asking for it's support with an upcoming hardship.
The Far North
Approximately 500 years ago a man by the name of Dwine the Dragon Slayer, born under the domain of the Dragon of Bloodied Scales, lost his family to war and famine.
He united much of the land under a banner of vengeance and sought to kill the Kuro-ryuu, his intentions were good. Dwine wished to put an end to the cruel winters that had plagued the lands during a time of war and betrayal.
Marching North, he and his party were successful and slew the Seasonal Dragon - This had never been achieved by a mortal before and as a result Dwine was proclaimed the Crimson Hero for his noble victory.
But all was not well, slaying the Kuro-ryuu brought about what became known as the long Winter. The Kuro-ryuu, now reborn, but vengeful and too young to control the seasons properly, plunged the land into a crueller season than before. It's capital city "Ouros" fell and the land is now largely uninhabited by people save a few outposts on the coast.
This error in judgement brought on what became known as the Golden Conflict - A civil war within the land of the Fall Dragon that lasted for the rest of Dwine Hamlyn's life.
Now all that is known of The Far North is...
I'm going to put the next section under a spoiler tag to REALLY hide it from my players... But if you want some lore and flavour here you go!
!Recent History!<
!Within the last 100 years, the wars waged by the Crimson Kingdom have been put to rest, turning their attention to keeping their lands safe from the encroaching Demon presence in the North. Because of the combined efforts of the mortals, border disputes have settled and the Long Winters have somewhat subsided. !<
!With the alliance between the regions agreed, it has become customary every quarter of a century to alternate the care of travellers across the land. !<
!This has been heralded as the Century of Peace!<
!Current Events!<
!Although time still passes we are currently in what has been decreed "the season of fall" meaning it is up to the Crimson Kingdom to care for travellers embarking on their journey. They have 3 years left to until the duty is handed to The Region of Spring.!<
!There is disharmony growing amid the Nobles who feel they are losing their opportunities for power. Many are seeking an alliance with a rebel group within the Crimson King's Army known as the Dragon Slayers. A group dedicated to the hunting and killing of Dragons. Their goal is to slay the Midori-Ryuu in the hope that it will create an eternal spring much like the work of Dwine the Dragon Slayer.!<
!The evil of the North is spreading south-ward. Poisoning the land and it's harvests, this is because of a growing demon presence, specifically in the Region of Spring.!<
!Within the Domain of the Summer Dragon, he has not been seen or trusted for 500 years after he flooded the land with his tears. It seems the Azure Dragon and their Ryuujin have forgotten their calling. !<
Phew! That was a lot! As I mentioned before... here is your blank map reward for making it through my very long Ryuutama World post!! A blank map! The world is yours for the taking! Thanks for reading!!
Hello, so, several years ago, I had intended to start work on a website (kind of as part of my personal portfolio) that would help organize a Ryuutama game. I have sort of dilly dallied a while now but here is sort of the demo!
https://youtu.be/g1h-LN6yh5k
As you might be able to tell, there was a lot of things I wanted to do but I got distracted and so, I decided to at least release the most basic stuff. Currently it can be used in combat and it does come with dice rolling and allow setting the weather and terrain (at least visually).
I have a lot of ideas but I might go on to organizing the travel portion of the game.
Let me know what you think. The website is using a free hosting service so it can be slow.
Hey everyone, I picked up the game over my weekend. We have created a few characters and played 2 sessions and so far have absolutely loved everything about this game.
We have had a few questions though, and I wondered what other people's take on them is. I have been searching around the internet and found very little. it's been a little jarring coming from D&D where nearly any questions that can be asked already ass 1001 different answers.
Anyways. First question.
Incantation magic, the rules say very clearly that it is possible for a magic type to lose their grimoire and the spells in it.
What isn't in the rules is how/if it is possible to regaining these lost spells if the original grimoire were to be destroyed or something.
Which goes into the next related question. Can a magic type learn inincantations outside of leveling up?
And follow up, if so, can any character, assuming they can get their hands on a suitable grimoire learn incantation magic? obviously seasonal magic is exclusively for magic type characters. But I feel like the way the translation is done at least, leaves this issue a little in the air.
Also,I was looking at the 1st supplement, well the English google.doc version. I haven't been able to find anything in the original Japanese (yet) but I don't see anything on actual stats for the different types of wagons. does anyone have something that is working for them?
Finally, for GMs experienced in other systems. How much to you actually find yourself using the ryuuin stuff. it seems like an interesting concept for new GMs to learn some semblance of balance, and to teach players reasonable expectations, but it all feels a little redundant to good GM practices.
I don't need an artifact to get my players to agree to play a certain campaign theme. I,e everyone being student/soldiers. or to agree to use more dynamic defense rules if that's the kind of game we want to play. and I certainly don't need one to communicate to my players if we are running all RAW or if we are including some amount of home brew.
Anyways I am not asking so much for a critique of they system, as much as I would just like to know how you are currently utilizing it.
Hello folks, I'm Lap (Laplace Atelier), creator of Ryuujin's Pocket Almanac.
Thank you for your responses on the previous interest check. I'm happy to finally announce this project! Without further ado, and in collaboration with the Kotodama Heavy Industries community server and general Ryuutama community, I'd like to formally present "Campfire Collection ~ A Ryuutama Zine".
Campfire Collection is a collaborative non-profit zine focused on creating new material for Ryuutama: Natural Fantasy RPG created by Atsuhiro Okada. Campfire Collection aims to promote the creativity of designers and artists in the Ryuutama community, and provide a free resource for fans of Ryuutama to use in their games. Campfire Collection is not officially affiliated with Atsuhiro Okada or Kotodama Heavy Industries, and is a community-led effort.
You can find detailed information about the project here, including rules and specifications:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tKOMtio8Ns6DASCnjlPOMegQI2arOapCwE74b_P2XJ0/edit?usp=sharing
To sign up for this project, at minimum you must:
Other than these simple requirements, there are no special requirements for this zine, so whether you're a novice creator or a seasoned publisher, everyone is welcome!
If this project interests you, use this google form to sign up!
https://forms.gle/wm54bCS7QuSedSmH8
Sign ups close October 11th
Thank you for your interest,
Laplace Atelier
First time GM for Ryuutama and I wish to know how would I go about making a Map and if I can see examples of what a map should have and materials on how I can make it
To Summarize:
We've been playing a pretty combat-heavy game and it's resulted in players pushing to increase their DP as much as possible, leading to some players having a mix of Heavy Shields, light armor, and casting Round Reflection daily to get DP of 6, plus another 1 if they can cast Magematik shield before combat, for a total DP of 7. If somebody uses the Defend action, they reduce all damage by 8.
This has led to the GM needing to make every encounter have a bunch of enemies, all of which roll 1d10-1d12 for damage, to even have a chance of damaging us. There's some enemies which ignore DP but the GM dosn't want to rely on them every encounter. The GM has also started giving enemies similar stats, leading to combat being a slog of spending a really long time rolling d10s-d12s for damage and only dealing 0-4 damage per hit. And then both enemies and allies have access to healing magic, which drags things out even further.
The players agreed to stop spamming Round Reflection and Defend all the time so the enemies can breathe a little and she doesn't need to throw the strongest possible monsters at us every time to just have a chance of hurting us, but then sometimes we fight a really strong monster and suddenly we really need that spell, and we have no way of knowing when we will or won't need it, so either we go back to spamming it all the time or we don't use it and feel frustrated when we needed it but chose not to use it for OoC reasons.
The GM asked me to describe this on Reddit and ask if we're doing anything wrong. She thinks maybe Defense Points aren't supposed to stack, like if you get 3 from Round Reflection and 2 from a Heavy Shield, you just keep the highest (ie, 3) instead of totaling them (ie, 5), but she can't find a rule for that anywhere. She also can't find a rule anywhere which says that. None of the spells/armors say "your DP becomes X," they all say "you gain X DP" which sounds like it's supposed to be additive. She could always just houserule it (and maybe she should), but she'd like to know if we're doing it wrong in the first place.
Hey y’all, not really new to Ryuutama but definitely new to this sub. Something I’m always looking for is written play reports/actual plays, and would love it if you all could share with me any you’ve written or know of!
I’ve noticed people have asked similar questions in the past - I’m specifically not looking for videos or podcasts if possible, I find text to be much easier to understand and engage with! Totally understand if there’s just not much out there though, this game is pretty niche 😓
Hello folks, I'm Lap (Laplace Atelier), creator of Ryuujin's Pocket Almanac.
In collaboration with the Kotodama Heavy Industries server and general Ryuutama community, I'd like to host a collaborative, non-profit Ryuutama zine as a way to give back to the community. If you are interested in participating and contributing, please fill out this preliminary interest check! Although a formal sign-up form will be published later, given sufficient interest, there are a few general requirements for participation:
Other than these simple requirements, there are no special requirements for this zine, so whether you're a novice creator or a seasoned publisher, everyone is welcome!
https://forms.gle/DM5VYBdakRFvFLb48
Thank you for your interest,
Laplace Atelier
Hey y’all!
In a couple weeks I’ll be running a Dungeon Meshi inspired Ryuutama actual play show. I plan to implement a group mechanic to let the players create Monster Meals from defeated monsters for useful effect, with the default option being “each person participating in the meal can add half the party level/half the monster’s level (haven’t decided which, probably the monster level) to their Condition the next day.” That said, it’s been pointed out to me that having some monsters give a different effect on the meal would make things more engaging and interesting.
With that in mind, what effects would you expect to see from eating the different monsters of Ryuutama? E.g. Charming Rafflesia grants a bonus to negotiation checks, Tumbling Nests grant a bonus to travel speed, etc.
So.. for the first time, I tried to write my own session. My players are traveling through a country based on Japan and I wanted to make them travel through an magical forest. They liked it and now that we've tried it out, why not share it?
It may seem quite short, but somehow they managed to take 4 hours to play it. This did include some traveling and journey checks, but they spent most of their time in the forest. If you're players are a bit quicker, you could use it as a short scene of their journey instead of a whole session. It's made for level 1 characters.
Hope you folks like it!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EAiCwAtsm-Z1jFQjxtgq9vpB3xDeklGh/edit
A player asked on whether there is a maximum amount of fumble points someone can have after I fumbled 3 times during this most recent session. If fumble points stack do they continue to be stockpiled indefinitely? It at the very least insinuates that you can have more than one, with the character sheet being plural, and the concentration rules specifically saying that "one fumble point can be spent", but I can't seem to find any rules on whether or not there is a max amount of fumble points.
Do y'all treat the Foxphorous as being affected by weapons, or can it only be harmed by water?
I once made a list of magical items and wondered how best to use them.
They are "small" things, like the Spindle of Arachne, which produces good quality thread, a self-filling vase or a magic wand, which casts this spring spell that makes them pretty.
(If there is a great interest, we can collect them.)
I have my first real game tomorrow with my own Ryuujin. I've only run intro games so far, hence why I'm so excited for tomorrow and curious to see how my first sandbox adventure will go.
But I need your help. I've printed out some sheets - Ryuujin Character Sheet, World and Town Creation Sheet and NPC List - and I'm not sure how to use the Journey Log.
What do I write in the "Session" field at the top? Is that the number there are?
Do I list all that occurred in terrain and weather?
I’m building out an 18x30 hexmap, with each hex being 10km (sorry, I’m Aussie - I think in kilometres!)
It’s a pretty big area, but my main question is - how regular should I make towns or settlements?
I know Ryuutama is all about the journey, but there’s gotta be pitstops along the way… so, how many days journey would you say is best for a short, medium or long journey?
Also, do you put anything else in your maps for this game? Dungeons? Bandits? Typical D&D stuff? Cheers!
Silly question - can all monsters in the Enemy Back Area attack PCs in the Front Area? I don't see specific weapons listed for any of them, no indication of whether they can do long-range or not.
Hey everyone I want to run a REALLY simple oneshot just for the players to get a little feel for the game this weekend and was looking for some ideas. I havnt seen much premade content unless im looking in the wrong places.
Hi I want to run a game inspired by monster hunter, Atelier Ryzer, Kiki's delivery service, epithet erase and Jiu-Jitsu kaizen. The setting and world will also take heavy influences from Zelda, Adventure Time, and spirited away.
Time: Wednesday 3:00 p.m. CDT
Length: an hour and 30 minutes up to 2 hours and some change
Sessions: 8
Age: minimum age 18
System: Ryuutama
Supplements: Ryuujin’s Pocket Almanac, ryuutama x princess world, Neko Goblin Field Notes, Zeldatama, and some homebrew
Dragon: Kuro-ryuu so a lot of intrigue, mysteries, questions and discoveries
Location: discord voice
The genre is cozy dark whimsical with some wacky horror here and there which might seem a little bit weird.
The idea is essentially a group of individuals known as witches with unique abilities that are basically just epithets/quirks but more magical in nature going traveling through a dark whimsical world defeating, capturing, or shattering curses which do you take on various forms. This is on top of what you already get with ryuutama so I don't take anything out.
The setting of The campaign is Eldoria. Eldoria is a magical, expansive realm filled with ancient ruins, floating islands, and diverse landscapes. It is a world where magic flows through everything and where adventure awaits at every corner. Eldoria's history is rich with legends of ancient civilizations, powerful artifacts, and enigmatic creatures.
If you want to know more please send me a message or leave a comment
When someone sets out on their Journey - which "can last a year or two, with most travelers returning home after satisfying their curiosity or otherwise completing their starting goal" - is there an implication that they have a specific, long-term destination?
Most of the rulebook and the Actual Plays I've been listening to seem to be framed in terms of short-term destination. To use RL geography as an example, they seem to have you setting out from York in the north of England, with your destination being Leeds, then Sheffield, then Nottingham, then Birmingham... And certainly that's how a long foot-journey would work day to day, and it makes sense to focus on these in the context of Ryuutama's interest in day-to-day travel logistics.
But that comment about Journeys lasting "a year or two" suggests to me that you set out from York and have *Rome* as your destination, with both a desire and a practical need to see lots of stops along the way.
I'm not seeing a lot of talk of Rome, as it were. Only Leeds, Sheffield, and Nottingham. Like there *is* no long-term destination.
So, from what I understand of the Artisan's crafting ability, you roll [STR+DEX] to attempt creating the intended object, and the difficulty is based on the cost of said object.
My question is, is there a limit on how many characteristics a character could put on an object? And are magical characteristics within the realm of possibility when it comes to creating said objects? RAI(rules as intended) are objects meant to be enchanted elsewhere?
Supplemental hypothetical: Say a pc wants to make a beautiful(X2), High Quality(X5), Plus One(+8000), archers glove (an accessory with 100gp cost) The total will come to 9000/2 so 4500, which is fine. But is it rules as intended?
additional info: I'm a player here, gonna ask the gm about it later but just want to know what the community thinks
This is a transfer from another post. I think it's better if this is separate. (I have no idea why the table is broken, that's why it's a list.)
Level 13
Habitat: Grassland, woods, deep forest, highlands, mountain
Season: Spring, Summer and Fall
Materials: Spider silk, High Quality Koto, High Quality Biwa
Dragonica Number: 184
HP 20
MP 16
Initiative 12
Condition 12
Abilities 4 8 8 8
Accuracy d8 d8
Damage d6
Armor 2
Description: A large black spider with yellow stripes and the body of a pretty woman on its prosoma. Masquerading as a maiden, she lures travellers, especially bachelors, into her web, which is disguised as a Minka house, with drink, food and song. At night, she wraps her victims, tranquilised with poison, in a tight cocoon to feed herself and her spider children.
Special Ability:
[SPR + INT]
target number of 16 must be overcome or the Jorōgumo reveals herself.[STR + STR]
target number of 12 is needed to free the player.Level 5
Habitat: woods, deep forest
Season: Fall
Materials: Spider silk
Dragonica Number: 046
HP 16
MP 6
Initiative 8
Condition 12
Abilities 4 6 2 4
Accuracy d8 d6
Damage d8
Armor 1
Description: These spiders are usually found near dark forests and can range in size from half a meter to a full three meters in length. Their webs are always a nuisance and villagers set fire to them when they get too close to settlements.
Special Ability:
[STR + STR]
target number of 12 is needed to free the player.[POISON: 4]
is given to that player.Note:
I would love to cook up a jorōgumo. Do you have any ideas on the best way to do this?
I didn't find a spider monster in the book.
Update: Tried to make the monster stats and possible abilities. Need to find out, how to make it more like official stuff.
Do you have some riddles/challenges/tests to overcome in a session, like I was thinking that the party was in a cave and to reach the boss they have to overcome three riddles, do you have any suggestione? (the atmosphere is Magma/lava/volcanic ecc.)
The Illness of May is a mid level summer magic spell. It inflicts [Tired: 6] on a successful cast.
The section on status effects details 6 status effects, none of which are ‘Tired.’ The closest, in terms of meaning of the words, would be Exhaustion. Exhaustion reduces SPI.
Is there any official info on whether or not this was just a typo? I’m assuming that it is supposed to be Exhaustion, but it feels weaker than other mid level spells at 4 mp if that’s the case.
Am I right in thinking that there was some new content for Ryuutama released recently? I’m a bit all over the place atm and I feel like the news got lost in the churn.
Can anyone fill me in on the recent/upcoming Ryuutama news?
Cheers!
Is it Rye-you-jin?
Or Ree-you-jin?
Recently I've been thinking about something that might be kind of dumb and I really just wanted to talk to someone about it. I've been thinking that I really want to run a Ryuutama X OSR type thing. Like run the ryuutama system with old school Renaissance type principles. I'm not sure if it would work so I just wanted to discuss it with people who might want to share their thoughts I would greatly appreciate it