Ninja's and Samurai's

[csharp0]

Does anyone know if there are any good ninja RPG's out there? If not, would others be interested in such a game. Maybe such a game would be a good suggestion for Basilisk Games.

[getter77]

Closest I know of is Inindo for the SNES...key part there being "closest". Some people quite like the game though.

[BasiliskWrangler]

I definitely think that a martial arts RPG would be cool. There are so many branches of martial arts (i.e. "classes"), special techniques, and unique weapons- it's amazing that there hasn't been any good RPGs based on martial arts.

I'll tell you what- no promises on our part, but I'll start jotting down ideas for a basic rule set and structure. Maybe this is something Basilisk Games can look in to down the road.

[csharp0]

That would be incredibly awesome. I have been wanting such a game for years. I think you guys will be the premiere authors of an amazing game. Let me know if you want any info on the matter. I'm writing a novel about ancient Japanese clandestine groups (ninjas) and have been doing tons of research over the years. Best of luck. I'll keep my fingers crossed. And thank you for doing what you do!

[Randomizer]

We've been pestering Jeff Vogel to do one based on expanding the Monastery of Madness from Exile/Avernum 3. Fiesty slaps of pain.

[Heavy Metal Monk]

I just watched Shigurui (anime fan here, don't kill me) and was thinking about this the other day. A samurai CRPG would be wonderful.

[getter77]

Shigurui is great stuff, not surprising that it got ya thinking. There may well be something out there but not translated in English or even known about. There's swaths of Chinese RPG's that few people outside the effective area and language have even heard of for instance.

[Zeno]

Well, there's Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, and Shiren the Wanderer. They're both roguelikes for the DS, and while I've never played Izuna, I can personally attest that Shiren is wonderful. Of course, the only ninja/samurai aspect of both is the main character, and doesn't have much of an effect on gameplay, so these probably aren't what you're looking for.

Personally, I believe ninjas and samurais are better left to action games like Ninja Gaiden, simply because they seem to be more about grace and agility, something that is not very well conveyed through turn-based combat. Knights and mages fit more neatly into RPGs, in my opinion.

[Golden Monkey]

A Samurai RPG? I don't know if a game centered on working at a government office, while composing poetry on the side as well as bowing and scraping to your superiors would make a compelling game. On the other hand they could center it on the other side of samurai life with you working your but off at the government office but because of your low stipend you have to work a part time job afterwards working late into the night frantically trying to keep your wife and children fed while your samurai pride keeps you from reliquishing samurai status. Still not terribly compelling.

The sad truth is while there are alot of fringe people in the west who would enjoy this Asian themed settings don't sell enough in the west. But if you want to learn Japanese you can find a bunch of good stuff!

[getter77]

A Samurai RPG? I don't know if a game centered on working at a government office, while composing poetry on the side as well as bowing and scraping to your superiors would make a compelling game. On the other hand they could center it on the other side of samurai life with you working your but off at the government office but because of your low stipend you have to work a part time job afterwards working late into the night frantically trying to keep your wife and children fed while your samurai pride keeps you from reliquishing samurai status. Still not terribly compelling.

The sad truth is while there are alot of fringe people in the west who would enjoy this Asian themed settings don't sell enough in the west. But if you want to learn Japanese you can find a bunch of good stuff!

There WAS that Prince of Qin game that was supposed to be quite decent...