Bushido is a Samurai role-playing game set in Feudal Japan, originally designed by Robert N. Charrette and Paul R. Hume and published originally by Tyr Games, then Phoenix Games, and subsequently by Fantasy Games Unlimited. The setting for the game is a land called Nippon, and characters adventure in this heroic, mythic, and fantastic analogue of Japan's past.
It is thematically based on Chanbara movies, such as those made by Akira Kurosawa, in which the heroes are modestly superhuman but not extraordinarily so.
Contents
Overview
The Bushido role-playing game was originally published in 1979 by Tyr Games (which quickly went out of business) but was more widely released in 1980 by Phoenix Games as a boxed set. This edition included a map of Nippon, a tri-fold screen, a character sheet, Book I, The Heroes of Nippon, the Players Guidebook and Book II, The Land of Nippon, the Gamesmaster's Guidebook. All illustrations in the original boxed set are copyright by Robert N. Charrette. The game is now sold as a single book in which the two original books are combined (otherwise unaltered).
Bushido players define characters with a series of attributes, skills, professions, and levels. The professions are Bushi (fighters), Budoka (martial artists), Yakuza (gangsters), Ninja, Shugenja (Taoist-style wizards) and Gakusho (priests, either Buddhist or Shinto). Character progression is implemented by both down-time training and level advancement. There are only six character levels.
Social aspects are important in the game. Each character is randomly assigned at birth to a class in the strict feudal hierarchy of Nippon - Samurai, various commoner classes, and Eta. For level advancement, honourable behaviour and loyal service to the character's social group (the local lord, the ninja clan, the temple, the gang, etc.) are as important as defeating enemies in battle.
The Bushido system is dice-based, most important rolls being made with a twenty-sided (d20) die. The gamemaster can use the various social obligations of the characters to create dilemmas which cannot necessarily be overcome by violence.
Shugenja and Gakusho can use magic. At the discretion of the gamemaster, supernatural monsters may feature in the game.
Reception
Bushido received mixed reviews, with many critics praising the body of knowledge about Japanese culture, but questioning the number-heavy game design.
In the June–July 1979 edition of Different Worlds (Issue 3), Stephen L. Lortz found the rules "well written and logically ordered." He also liked the introduction of "On points", noting that it "placed Bushido outside of the 'kill and pillage' category of RPGs [...] On encourages players to steer their characters into social and political, as well as combat situations, and does much to generate the authentic flavor of the game." He concluded, "I highly recommend Bushido to people who are interested in running a fantasy campaign based primarily on the Japanese mythos and to people who are interested in the art of RPG design."
In the February 1980 edition of Dragon (Issue 34), D. Okada was disappointed by "a horrendous amount of typographical errors in the rules... There are times when they do hamper understanding of what is supposed to be going on." Okada also noted a lack of detailed background on medieval Japan, and concluded with a guarded recommendation: "Despite these faults, the game is worth the price to the person interested in developing a more cosmopolitan outlook."
In the July 1980 edition of The Space Gamer (Issue No. 29), Forrest Johnson was unimpressed, saying, "Karate fans and samurai fans may dig this one. Serious students will just have to wait for something better."
In the March 1981 edition of Ares (Issue 7), Eric Goldberg found fault with the character generation system that determines certain aspects randomly, but then uses a point-buy system to allow a player to optimize the character. "There is a logical argument for both methods — even in conjunction — but one's purpose defeats the other." Goldberg liked the code of honor in the game, which he felt "distinguishes Bushido from most other role-playing games." But he felt that otherwise, Bushido was "unremarkable", and gave a half-hearted recommendation: "Bushido is a nice enough meld of a surrealistic and D&D-style flavor, and has a game system sturdy enough to support this impression."
In the August 1982 edition of White Dwarf magazine (Issue #32), Mike Polling rated Bushido 10 out of 10, saying that it was "maybe the best game I have ever seen... The game system is one of the most intelligent and carefully thought out I have ever seen."
Supplements published for Bushido
Bushido Gamemaster's Screen, published by Phoenix Games in 1980
Valley of the Mists by Robert N. Charrette, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1982.
Takishido's Debt by Steve Bell, published by Games of Liverpool in 1983.
A Tale of Honor Lost by Jeffrey A. O'Hare, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 2016.
Honor Bound by Stephen Dedman, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 2016.
The Path of Honor by Stephen Dedman, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 2019.
Ninja - Shadows Over Nippon, never released
Adventures in White Dwarf #47 (Kwaidan by Oliver Johnson and Dave Morris)
Articles in White Dwarf #57 (Ninjas), #85 (Entertainers)
Other East Asian-themed role-playing games
Land of the Rising Sun: a heavily modified version of Chivalry & Sorcery written by Lee Gold and published in 1980 by Fantasy Games Unlimited
Oriental Adventures: a supplement for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, written by Gary Gygax, David "Zeb" Cook, and François Marcela-Froideval and published in 1985 by Gary Gygax's TSR, Inc.
Land of Ninja: published simultaneously in 1987 in the USA by Avalon Hill and in the UK by Games Workshop (but each edition having its own cover art) Land of Ninja was a supplement for the third edition of RuneQuest, but set in a both mythological and historical Japan.
GURPS Japan: Roleplaying in the World of the Shogunate: written by Lee Gold and Hunter Johnson and published by Steve Jackson Games in 1988. An expanded 2nd edition was published in 1999.
Legend of the Five Rings: a role-playing game and accompanying collectible card game, produced in 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group.
Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game: an anthropomorphic animal samurai role-playing game written by Greg Stolze and published in 1997 by Gold Rush Games. Based on the Usagi Yojimbo comic book series by Stan Sakai.
Sengoku: produced in 1999 by Gold Rush Games.
Shinobi: Shadows of Nihon: a supplement to Sengoku written by Darren-Joe Ashmore and Mark T. Arsenault and published by Gold Rush Games in 2001.
Oriental Adventures (third edition): produced in 2001 by Wizards of the Coast.
Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game: an anthropomorphic animal samurai role-playing game written by Jason Holmgren and Pieter van Hiel and published in 2005 by Sanguine Productions. A 2nd edition of this game was published in 2019. Based on the Usagi Yojimbo comic book series by Stan Sakai.