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5/23/2019

Age of Ravens: Forging Shinobi

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SHURIKEN IN THE DARK
This month has been about experimentation and trying out hacks. I’ve made minor mods to Things from the Flood, run The Veil as a fantasy game, and tried out Sherri Stewart’s reskin of my Neo Shinobi Vendetta setting. That’s an anime/ninja/mish-mash tech future game we’ve played previously with Fate and Action Cards. In it you’re part of a Shinobi Clan in a science-fantasy future megaplex. You discover that all the ninja clans, including your own, have been corrupted. You need to find out who did this and how to fix it while evading the attention of your peers. 

You can see an early-draft premise statement here. Forged in the Dark’s mission-based approach fits well. Sherri framed the playbooks as team roles and then allowed players to choose their Source (i.e. how their particular powers work). That choice affects their talents and traumas. We boiled the Crew mechanics down to one type, with more choices for customization. Finally we also added a new phase after Downtime—Home Life. In these scenes characters play out their day-to-day within the clan or for their cover identity.
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This is very much a 1.0 draft at this point. That's built on a Google sheet found in the Gauntlet Resources (still tracking down who made it). Sherri plans to tweak the talents—moving away from a simple reskin. We’ve enjoyed our sessions so far. You can watch session one & session two. Since the game is relatively low-prep, I poured my energy into alternate, long-term prep: creating random mission generators. I love building tables and these pay homage to two great products: Augmented Reality, the best cyberpunk supplement, and The Heist Deck, the best Blades in the Dark supplement. When we move forward with this hack I’ll probably flesh these items out but for right now they serve as useful inspiration.

Mission Types

1 Psy Ops: Neutralizers
1-1 Create Paranoia
1-2 Destroy Reputation
1-3 Gaslight
1-4 Ghost
1-5 Frame
1-6 Turn
2 Sabotage: Wreckers
2-1 Viral Payload
2-2 Key Infrastructure
2-3 Transport & Supply
2-4 Timed Demolition
2-5 Forced Shut Down
2-6 Massive Display/Site Destruction
3 Extraction : Hijackers
3-1 Key Individual
3-2 Unwilling Target
3-3 Group Extraction
3-4 Information Removal
3-5 Vital Object
3-6 Massive Device
4 Assassination: Quiets
4-1 Key Figure
4-2 Group of Targets
4-3 Non-Standard Target
4-4 Specific Method
4-5 Total Secrecy
4-6 Public Display
5 Espionage: Listeners
5-1 Observation/Assessment
5-2 Exchange/Drop/Retrieval
5-3 Bodyguard
5-4 Counter-Espionage
5-5 Pursuit/Transport
5-6 Negotiation
6 Cell's Preferred/Combination

36 Mission Twists

​11 Increased Numbers
12 Broken Coordination/Requires Coordination
13 Multiple Parties Involved
14 Absolute Secrecy
15 Fall Guy
16 Change of Objectives
21 Outdated Info
22 Ambush
23 Counter-Operations
24 Loyalty Test
25 Loved One Involvement
26 Cover for Another Operation
31 False Flag Operation
32 Target in Alternate State
33 Imposters
34 Furthers Alternate Agenda
35 Change of Route
36 Innocents Involved
41 Different Opposition
42 Countdown to Detonation
43 More Targets
44 On Site Broadcast
45 Clan Operatives Present
46 Quarantine/Contamination
51 Revolutionary Tinderbox
52 Hostages
53 Resources Removed/Destroyed
54 Amnesia
55 Incoming Storm/Natural Disaster
56 Power Drain
61 Highly Mobile Target
62 Blown Covers
63 Turncoat
64 On Site Gala
65 Raid by Authorities
66 Objective Failed, Now About Escape

Involved Parties

1 GOVERNMENT
1-1 The Mikado
1-2 The Shogunate
1-3 Daisho Governors
1-4 Judge Czars of the Doushin
1-5 Prefectural Wardens
1-6 General Nobility
2 ZAIBATSU
2-1 Arasaka (Weapons, Military, Security)
2-2 Oyamado (Food, Infrastructure)
2-3 Goda (Information, Financial)
2-4 Shiroma (Transport, Energy)
2-5 Jinrai (Entertainment, Communications)
2-6 Lesser Corporate Enclaves
3 SHINOBI
3-1 Yagyu: The First Phantoms (Memetic Overlay)
3-2 Igana: The Shadow Wolves (Chi Field)
3-3 Kogate: The Cortex Devils (Psychic)
3-4 Monomi: Shattering Silences (Cybernetics)
3-5 Zanagiri: Syndicate of Wasps (Genocolony)
3-6 Rogue Ninja
4 LOCAL: CRIMINAL
4-1 Red Yakuza: Daztavny Family
4-2 Blue Yakuza: Kazuma Family
4-3 White Yakuza: M’bendu Family
4-4 Smugglers
4-5 Anarchs
4-6 Lone Mastermind
5 LOCAL: OTHER
5-1 Council Authorities
5-2 Yazgangers
5-3 Wildlanders
5-4 Unionists
5-5 Ronin
5-6 Ordinary Citizens
6 FAITH & WEIRDNESS
6-1 Neo-Ikki Temples
6-2 Agents of the Kami
6-3 Techno-Communes
6-4 Yokai
6-5 Rogue Sources
6-6 Foreign Powers

36 Key Items

​11 The Eightfold Lens
12 Decommissioned Cyberbrain
13 Subsurface Transit Schematics
14 Maps of a Lost District of Shanshanyon
15 Synthetic Portal Sensor
16 Hopecutter, the Hellsworn Blade
21 Lost Funds from the Embezzlement of the Jade Mikado
22 The Codified Biwa
23 Lost Poems of Lady Minish
24 Signet Seal of the Atukari Clan
25 Child from the Shogun’s Household
26 DNA Sample a Rogue Genocolony
31 Hyper-dimensional Holo-Key
32 Tea Set of Mistress Tinwan
33 Adamantium Hunter Mask
34 The Orochi’s Eye, a Legendary Jewel
35 List of Undercover Shogunate Agents
36 The White Blade, Lost Ninjato of the Arasaka
41 Brass Gong of Mount Zahndao
42 Genetic Matrix for Lost Ecosystem
43 Control Module from a P79 Illusion Sphinx Mecha
44 Blueprints for the Shogunate Carrier Methuselah
45 List of Upcoming Jinrai Vid Shows and Salary Offers
46 Cargo Manifest for the Lost Vessel Thantano
51 Spatial Resuscitator
52 Cyberlimb from Igana Ancestor
53 Hacked Multipass
54 Stabilized Isoquantum Battery
55 Disguised High-Power Microexplosives
56 Ivory Hairbrush of the Shiroma Dynasty
61 Holo-Vid of Recent Corporate Retreat
62 Diary of Head of the Blue Yakuza Clan
63 Mistress to the Jonin of the Zanagiri Clan
64 Ident Kits for the Obsidian Inquisitor’s High Guard
65 Batch of Stolen Cybereyes
66 Power Schematics for the Oyamado High Arcology

36 Key Locations

​11 Museum
12 Corporate Auction Gala
13 Dense High Story Mall
14 Underground Karaoke Arena
15 Black Market Zaibatsu HQ
16 Seed-Hacker Greenhouse
21 Toxic Dumping Yard
22 Quarantined Neighborhood
23 Gravatic Super-Carrier Crash Site
24 Orbital Elevator
25 Ikko-Ikki Temple
26 Corner Shrine
31 Honored Dojo
32 Education Processing Center (Teen)
33 Workgog Overrun Neighborhood
34 Restricted Ancestral Park
35 Deviant Sports Center
36 Arcology Atrium
​41 Housing Mega-Blok
42 Glam District
43 Prefectural Records Office
44 Collapsed Parking Facility
45 Techno-Meditative Center
46 Secure Borderpost
51 Heavy Transport Hub
52 Floating Entertainment Barge
53 Blacklight Smuggling Den
54 Sleep Cycle Hive
55 Yakuza Arcade
56 Food Grade Material Processing Plant
61 Hydroponics Enclave
62 Nano-Theater Complex
63 Steam-Tunnel Bazaar
64 Noble Household
65 Pleasure District
66 Hospital

36 Obstacles

11 Cyber-Hounds
12 Drone Swarms
13 Psychic Echoes
14 Mono-Whip Monks
15 Genocolony Plants
16 Vapor Bees
21 Primal Regression Fields
22 Intrinsic Field Scanners
23 Hyper-Dimensional Passcoding
24 Quantum Memory Recording
25 Empath Orphans
26 Psychokinetic Yojimbo
31 Gravatic Oscillators
32 Micropressure Sensor Arrays
33 Tengu Mercenaries
34 Subdermal Armaments
35 Sensor Cloaks
36 Blood-Brethren Network
​41 DNA Sniffers
42 Body Doubles
43 Battlefield Veterans
44 Phase Blade Sword Saints
45 Morphic Layout
46 Sentient Art Installation Watchers
51 Phase Trap Art Prints
52 Highly Public Spaces/Open Office Design
53 Mental Parasites
54 Chronoclamps
55 Offensive Temperature Countermeasures
56 Mindraven Flock
61 Hunter-Killer Metapedes
62 Terminal Lockdown Protocols
63 Recursive Gateways
64 Clone Staff
65 Mesmer Broadcast Stations
66 Veiled AI Environment

36 Key Persons

​11 Driss Denmaryk, Brawny Gluttonous Scrapman
12 Wave Werewolf, Charming Amateur Club Owner
13 Citadel Twentieth, Limping Famous Parkour Master
14 Brobutl Rachna, Business-like Polite Hacker
15 Patterson Ray, Golden Coarse Robostall Keeper
16 Kanak Strasburg, Articulate Profane Shinobi Sensei
21 Bali Servant, Leering Harmonies Assessor
22 Obufusa Cursed, Lurching Covetous Yoganger
23 Mië Wing, Balding Moody Ikko-Ikki Priest
24 Noriyori Esther, Innocent Cultured Yak Boss
25 Discordant Jurian, Knowing Retiring Corp Headhunter
26 Tomo Worshipping, Crazed Thick-Skinned Smith
31 Grandjean Gothic, Dirty Brazen Cyber-samurai
32 Mind Zilá, Articulate Passionate Coffin Hotel Manager
33 Lachman Azure, Talented Calm Ronin
34 Bitterness Steiger, Business-like Urban Anthropologist
35 Richy Tobin, One-Eyed Pallid Terraformer
36 Hattori Orchid, Weird-Eyed Charmless Sniper
41 Sundering Hanusa, Well-Defined Covetous Duelist
42 Dalal Praising, Husky Charismatic Lawyer
43 Asia-Asia Shobha, Colorful Sarcastic Psychic
44 Plutus Crawft, Aggro'd Strong-Willed Undercover Op
45 Mikie Ninurta, Lurking Pedantic Yojimbo
46 Tsunami Dolinski, Creamy Black Ops Ripperdoc
51 Al-Tayyeb Gerwin, Hesitant Tight-Lipped Monk
52 Takayoshi Kelly, Elderly Sacrificing Bio-hacker
53 Copper Lila, Hairless Dangerous Doppelganger
54 Mockus Ketaki, Mussed Up Moody Celebrity
55 Alias Serge, Sallow Troublesome Salaryman
56 Kanetsugu Tora, Bland Domineering Noble
61 Bodhisattva Manju, Square-Jawed Suspicious AI Spec
62 Rufus Okita, Slender Amateur Repair Artist
63 Pallavi Serpent, Stiff-Backed Clever Driver
64 Dot Faulkner, Spindly #1 Huckster
65 Sinha Kuranosuke, Greasy Shallow Cybersurgeon
66 Tanya Matsuko, Brawny Promiscuous Transporter
For the full backlog of Age of Ravens posts on Blogger see here. ​​

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  • Home
  • Blog
    • Blog Table of Contents
  • Podcasts
    • The Gauntlet Podcast
    • Discern Realities
    • +1 Forward >
      • Belonging Outside Belonging Series
      • Forged in the Dark Series
    • Fear of a Black Dragon
    • The Farrier's Bellows
    • Trophy Podcast
    • Pocket-Sized Play
    • We Hunt the Keepers!
    • Comic Strip AP
    • Podcast Indexes >
      • Gauntlet Podcast Index
      • Fear of a Black Dragon Index
      • +1 Forward Index
      • Discern Realities Index
      • Trophy Podcast Index
      • The Farrier's Bellows Index
      • Pocket-Sized Play Index
      • Comic Strip AP Index
      • We Hunt the Keepers! Index
  • Publications
    • The Between
    • Brindlewood Bay
    • Codex Magazine >
      • Codex Index
    • Hearts of Wulin
    • Trophy RPG
    • Codex Volume 1 Book
  • Online Gaming
    • Playing Online with The Gauntlet
    • Gauntlet Calendar
    • Gauntlet Community Open Gaming >
      • For GCOG Facilitators
      • For GCOG Players
    • Online Gaming Resources
    • Actual Play
    • Sign Up Best Practices
  • Community Resources
    • Community Code of Conduct
    • Gauntlet Gameway
    • Play Issues and Contact
  • Social and Stores
    • Gauntlet Forums
    • Gauntlet Twitter
    • Gauntlet Facebook Group
    • Gauntlet Videos
    • Merch Store
    • DriveThruRPG Store
  • Brindlewood Bay Writing Contest