Inspiration for Warhammer Nippon Armies – Shōgun, Ran, Seven Samurai & More

Inspiration for actual Games Workshop Asian-inspired materials was hinted at in the mid to late 1980s, but never delivered on. Nippon and the East in general is mentioned in the 3rd Edition Rulebook and had an ally section in Warhammer Armies, but it ended with the advent of 4th Edition Warhammer and the changes it entailed. It is important to note that 2nd Edition Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay did have a Nippon list that, with a few tweaks, is quite usable.

Fortunately, the world of the internet allows for this constraint to be eliminated.

In Warhammer, Nippon (Nihon) is analogous to Japan of our world. What it is not is mythical China. This can’t be overstated because all too often in Warhammer circles I hear suggestions about a Nippon army that would make it more like Cathay. If I wanted to create a fantasy Cathay army, there are a number of resources out there, but that’s not the point of this blog post.

So, in no particular order, here are two of the best inspirations for a Nippon-themed world and Nippon army that can help, in my opinion of course.

Shōgun — The book written by James Clavell and the TV series are both excellent. It is a pseudo-historical telling of the late 1500s and the unification of Japan by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun, in the form of “Toranaga.”

Shōgun is the quintessential TV mini-series of the 1980s and consists of six parts. Richard Chamberlain stars as Pilot-Major Blackthorne. Blackthorne is based on the real-life exploits of an English sailor who was shipwrecked in Japan in 1600, William Adams.

Shōgun covers nearly all aspects of late 1500s Japanese life — from the peasants to ninja, the start of the geisha, betrayal, honor, bravery, as well as romance. The ambush of bandits at night in a village, ships, ninja! The only thing it lacks is the actual Battle of Sekigahara , which it all leads up to.

The rising tension of the plot makes an excellent backdrop for Nippon vs. Nippon battles or, perhaps more likely as I do, reasons for mercenary Nippon to go and plunder the Warhammer World.

Ran (pronounced “Rahn” to our Western ears, at least mine) — the movie by the legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Ran is essentially King Lear, but far richer in the telling. Ran is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. I agree. Any Top 10 movie list in the All-Time category that doesn’t include it is no Top 10 at all.

Ran is rich in its visuals and massive in scale. I think perhaps the only true way to do it justice is to see it in a movie theater (which I never have, but would love to).

A side note is that Ran has one of the best soundtracks for any Asian-inspired game. I listen to it often when working on one of my Nippon army projects.

Ran is indispensable to a Warhammer gamer interested in a Nippon army, as it has literally all the right army units on display throughout (remember I use the 2nd Edition Nippon list for 3rd Edition Nippon armies).

Other Good Sources Include (but are not limited to):

• Oriental Adventures by Zeb Cook (1st Edition AD&D). Some folks have a hang-up about this work — tell them to pound sand. A lot of people seem to want it to be “epic China,” which it’s not. I think the rules are quite well done, especially considering the timeframe. 
• Kobu of the Two Strings. This might seem surprising, but I found this extremely well done.
• The Seven Samurai. Many people don’t realize that they have seen this movie — in the form of The Magnificent Seven. The soundtrack of The Seven Samurai is great too. Oh, and it also inspired George Lucas with the droids in the original Star Wars trilogy.
• Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire — a documentary narrated by Richard Chamberlain. It’s too short (I wish this was 40 hours long!), but it is excellent. It’s not really a secret, but meh… it’s just the title.

Endnote: This should not be taken to mean that I dislike a Cathay army or its inspirational sources — far from it. I think epic China is a fine topic, and if I ever did an army inspired by it I’d go with something like Kung Fu Panda! Panda bear warriors would be very cool. Clay warrior golems, river dragons, etc.

Let me know your thoughts! 

In Defense of the Maligned- Part II, Oriental Adventures

(Part I of this two-parter covering Unearthed Arcana is here.)

Much like Part I, this is not a straight review of the product itself, but more of a high-level discussion around the particulars of the time, and the how and why it came about.

The biggest gripe that makes me shake my head? “It’s too much Shōgun and not enough Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!”

Usually a lot of the ire also revolves around some of the things Oriental Adventures (OA) featured — namely non-weapon proficiencies. As we all know, NWPs (“non-weapon proficiencies”) were included because those things are from the spawn of Satan and any game that has them can’t be good. More on that below.

Did it ever occur to these same people that some folks actually like Shōgun?

Consider the timeframe. James Clavell’s Shōgun was written in 1975, and the miniseries aired in the early 1980s. It was very much in the national consciousness and a contemporary of Dungeons & Dragons. It seems completely natural to me that Oriental Adventures would come about.

Before I get going, on a completely random note: I really like the cover of the book. Samurai, ninja, a Japan/Nippon-style castle in the background, and those pastel colors invoking the Far East? Damn skippy. Pack it with samurai riding a foo creature? Good to go.

Oriental Adventures (at least to me) was part of the "ninja craze" that gripped the USA in the middle 1980s. There were awesome/bad movies like American Ninja, GI Joe had ninjas, Hell go back to the 1960s with James Bond and ninjas show up in "You Only Live Twice". Point being that the inclusion of was building long before the publication of Oriental Adventurers. Couple that with the point above about Shogun? Works for me.

The Messy Production History of Oriental Adventures

Now onto some of the particulars about OA which aren’t really in dispute:

1. Oriental Adventures started as an idea by Gary Gygax and François Marcela-Froideval. Apparently François’ manuscript was only about 30 pages, double-spaced… obviously not enough to fill a major hardcover book.
2. Gary turned to Zeb Cook to finish it on a tight four-month deadline.
3. Given that TSR needed hardcovers out the door because of their shaky financial position (due to mismanagement by the Blumes), getting the book published was critical.
4. Gary was tied up with the fight against the Blumes, hence him tapping Zeb to finish the product.
5. Cook did the work.

After that, the story of Oriental Adventures gets as sordid as a soap opera. Note that Gary’s name is on it — this is hardly a revelation — but it doesn’t say “By Gary Gygax.” There’s a whole twisted tale here that outlines Mike Berrault’s work with Zeb regarding the situation around 2nd Edition and touches on the timing of Oriental Adventures. (Warning: it’s long and full of grognardiness.) It also shows some interesting tidbits regarding Gary’s maneuvering to regain copyright.

Then there’s the whole angle of Gary’s later distaste for the product after he had left TSR. I’m not going to delve into Gary’s musings, but the legend of François Marcela-Froideval’s “Lost Manuscript” just won’t seem to die. There seems to be a faction of people that believes this lost piece of gamer lore, as originally presented, is “the holy grail, the font of knowledge, etc.” (I’m aware of the samurai class as presented by François, but not much more past that.)

With no slight intended to Mr. Marcela-Froideval, if it had been up to par in Gary’s estimation, then how come there wasn’t more? How come it didn’t form the book? Partisans on either side will point fingers, saying the other side is self-serving on this point of contention: just how much there was to become an actual rulebook. By Cook’s estimation there wasn’t nearly enough. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, that’s where it stands. The burden isn’t on Zeb’s work to prove it doesn’t belong; it actually got produced. The burden of proof is on those who believe François’ work was/would have been better.

Another angle to consider is to look at Zeb’s output compared to François’. François was (and apparently still is) active in the realm of comic books/graphic novels. I have no objection to that. In the realm of gaming, Zeb had a lot more output of gaming material — and depending on which side of the partisan divide one is on, the quality of it. For me, Zeb’s place is assured. 2nd Edition AD&D is excellent, and he produced such gems as X1: Isle of Dread, I1: Dwellers of the Forbidden City, BH2: Lost Conquistador Mine, Planescape , and many more. Usually the objections I hear are that a lot of his stuff is uneven — again, depending on which side of the divide you’re on. Ironically, the works of his that garner the most praise in old-school gamer circles (I2) is one of the things I like the least. And in newer circles Planescape garners a lot of praise but again is not my favorite.

Looking at the quandary objectively and using Gary’s own words from Tim Cask's Q&A thread over at dragonsfoot: "I have nothing to add save to state that I stand on my creative works, and Mr. Arneson can do the same."

Applying that same logic: let’s take Zeb’s work and compare it to François’ in the context of AD&D. If François’ Oriental Adventures was indeed superior, would it not have seen the light of day by now? Or put another way: compare Zeb’s output to François’. It’s not even close.

Again, I’ll reiterate that I don’t know either man. I never got a chance to converse with Zeb before the rabid neckbeards ran him off from Dragonsfoot, and I’ve never corresponded with François. I am, however, interested in slaying this particular zombie as it keeps staggering back to life.

I should also note that I am not implying any rivalry between Zeb and François. I have no knowledge of that timeframe, nor do I claim to. I’m simply looking at the scant evidence presented and making logical inferences.

Gary is a somewhat unreliable source in all of this as well, as his statements are not always consistent over the years. Again, nothing is implied here. We are human, memories fade, and they vary. Add to the fact that Zeb was the lead designer of 2nd Edition and he didn’t follow Gary after he left TSR? I’m sure there was some bad blood on Gary’s side in regards to Zeb. Prior to Gary leaving there seems to have been some affection for Zeb; afterwards it ended.

From what I’ve read about Zeb, it seems clear he was aware of his own failings, took criticism (whether deserved or not), and did the best he could. He handled the situation with dignity and class in the face of unreasoning hate for something he tried his very best to do. And for the abuse hurled at him from around the web? Ridiculous.

So what am I trying to say? Just like 2nd Edition itself, people attach all sorts of crap to the rules of OA — and by extension to Zeb — that has everything to do with defending Gary and nothing to do with the rules themselves or Zeb as a game designer/writer. What does that sound like? (Yes, I’m repeating myself): 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons as a whole.

OA fits into that era to a degree — it’s a late 1st Edition product. And much like I alluded to in Part I, it also points the way that Gary may very well have been going in regards to his version of 2nd Edition.

On the negative side

I can see how people object to the land mass (which predates the inclusion of the Forgotten Realms) being more China-inspired, yet the rules being more in line with Japan. This is a fair point. By the flip side, the Kara-Tur boxed set does detail the mysterious Orient well and expands the lands in far greater detail. Taken by the book alone it’s a fair criticism perhaps, but stuff doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Added to this, if need be, OA has enough details that the Kara-Tur boxed set isn’t exactly needed.

Non-Weapon Proficiencies (NWPs) were an area of the game that was badly needed, and with their inclusion — along with the ones in the Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide and Wilderness Survival Guide — they pointed the way forward.

Now, to run a counter-line to my own thinking and tangentially related: perhaps adventuring in Wa is too boring. After all, it models feudal Japan after Tokugawa united the land following the turmoil of the 1400s. In a way it’s too orderly, with not enough action and fighting going on. Strangely enough, this is mirrored in the Forgotten Realms in the Kingdom of Cormyr. Cormyr is too orderly, too close-knit — well… boring. Despite my love of 2nd Edition, I’ve never been a fan of adventuring in Cormyr: too many rules, too much law, and the War Wizards watching everything.

While that sounds like a very safe place to live (especially if you’re a pseudo-medieval peasant), it’s an entirely boring place to be an adventurer. You even need adventuring licenses? Ugh. The best adventuring locales tend to be areas where law is the weakest — where the heroes are making their own way, whether on the frontier of the American West, the Borderlands with its eponymous Keep, or something in between. So too for the Utter East.

In summation, I’ll gladly take Shōgun. It’s what you make of it once you’re presented with it that counts.