The Great Danjiri Race Mini-Game
The following rules can be used to let your players race their danjiri though the streets of Bijutsu Toshi at completely unsafe speeds with little or no regard for personal safety!
A Danjiri Team Sheet for use with these rules can be found here: http://pics.livejournal.com/cfsoftheweek/pic/00006xda
Warning: These rules have yet to be completely play-tested. Some modification may be necessary.
In any case, have fun!
Attributes
Because of the massive numbers of people involved in moving a danjiri float, it would be extremely time consuming to make skill rolls for each individual. Instead, the Team of people moving the danjiri are treated as a single entity, with each member contributing a small part of the full total.
A Danjiri Team has two attributes: Team Strength and Team Stamina.
Team Strength and Team Stamina are calculated in a way that is similar to how Honor, Glory, and Status are tracked. Each member of the team contributes a number of points of Team Strength equal to his or her own Strength score. Every 10 points of Team Strength equals 1 rank of Team Strength. Team Stamina is calculated in exactly the same way.
For example, Ichi, Ni, and San are members of a Danjiri Team. Ichi and Ni both have Strength ranks of 6, and San’s Strength rank is 7. This adds up to 19 total points of Team Strength, giving their danjiri a Team Strength rank of 1.
In Stamina, Ichi has a Stamina rank of 7, Ni has a Stamina rank of 6, and San has a Stamina rank of 8. They contribute a total of 21 points of Team Stamina, giving their danjiri a Team Stamina rank of 2. Even though they are a very small team, they just might have a chance (albeit a slim one) of completing the race.
When the Danjiri Team needs to make a Strength roll it uses its Team Strength rank. When the Danjiri Team needs to make a Stamina roll it uses its Team Stamina rank.
Optional Rule:
If you would like to reduce the amount of bookkeeping involved in the danjiri race, you can rule that each Team member contributes only 1 point of Team Strength and 1 point of Team Stamina, regardless of that character’s actual Strength and Stamina scores. This eliminates the need to keep track of each member’s attributes, letting players focus simply on how many active Team members they have left. However, it also means that a team of burly Hida or Akodo samurai is no more effective in the race than an equal number of peasant laborers.
Maneuvering
Any time the Danjiri Team attempts to move the danjiri they must make a Team Strength check. The TN for this check is based on the type of maneuver the team wishes to execute, and is further modified by the speed the danjiri is moving at (see below). Turning a stationary float is fairly easy, although it can be more difficult in tight quarters where there is not enough room for the float to pivot. Turning a float while it is in motion is more complex, and a float moving at high speeds can be almost impossible for an inexperienced Danjiri Team to control.
Only one maneuver can be attempted per turn.
For example, Ichi, Ni, and San attempt to turn their danjiri while moving at Medium Speed. The base TN for turning is 20, which is further increased by the +15TN speed modifier, for a total TN of 35. Their danjiri Team Strength rank is 1, so they roll 1k1. The result is 17 - they got lucky, but not lucky enough! They have an accident and suffer 18 points of damage, as explained below.
Maneuver TNs: wrote:Move Straight (at current speed rank): TN10.
Fine Maneuvers: TN10. This maneuver can only be attempted when the danjiri is Stopped or moving Very Slow. Making such slight adjustments to the danjiri’s course is usually not needed, but it can be useful in some cases.
Turn: TN20. Sharp turns may have higher TNs at GM’s discretion.
Increase Speed: TN15 to increase speed by 1 rank (such as from Very Slow to Slow). Apply speed modifiers for the float’s current speed.
Decrease Speed: TN20 to decrease speed 1 rank (such as from Fast to Medium). Apply speed modifiers for the float’s current speed.
Attack/Evade: If one Danjiri Team wishes to use its float to cause damage to another Team’s float, the two teams make a Contested Team Strength roll. Each team may apply its speed modifier as a BONUS to the total result of its roll (as moving faster makes it easier to interfere with or escape from another float). The Team that wins this roll suffers no damage. The Team that loses suffers damage equal to the difference between the two Teams’ rolls. A Danjiri Team can only attempt an attack on a float that is in the same immediate area. Note that this attack does not involve actually striking the rival float (as that would be dishonorable), but coming close enough to them to cause them difficulty in maneuvering.
Speed
There are six speeds a danjiri may move at: Stopped, Very Slow, Slow, Medium, Fast, and Very Fast.
A Stopped danjiri does not move at all. Unless it is acted upon by outside forces (such as another danjiri crashing into it), there is no way for a Stopped danjiri to have any sort of accident, but it may not make any maneuvers and will not get any closer to the finish line.
A danjiri moving at Very Slow speeds moves Team Strength Rank x 5 feet per round. Keeping up such a pace is fairly easy, and maneuvering the danjiri presents no special challenge in such conditions. The TN for any Team Strength and Team Stamina checks made at this speed are increased by +5.
A danjiri moving at Slow speed moves Team Strength Rank x 10 feet per round. This speed is a little more difficult for the team, but not very much so. The TN for any Team Strength and Team Stamina checks made at this speed are increased by +10.
A danjiri moving at Medium speed moves Team Strength Rank x 15 feet per round. It is increasingly difficult for the team to control the danjiri and keep this speed for extended periods of time. The TN for any Team Strength and Team Stamina checks made at this speed are increased by +15.
A danjiri moving at Fast speeds moves Team Strength Rank x 20 feet per round. Controlling the danjiri at this speed is very difficult and the team will either quickly become tired or lose control of the float. The TN for any Team Strength and Team Stamina checks made at this speed are increased by +20.
A danjiri moving at Very Fast speeds moves Team Strength Rank x 25 feet per round. It is very likely that a danjiri moving at this speed will careen out of control and crash into something, topple over, or even escape from its handlers (who may not be able to move quickly enough to keep up at this speed). The TN for any Team Strength and Team Stamina checks made at this speed are increased by +25.
Exhaustion
The GM may, at certain intervals, call for a Danjiri Team to make a Team Stamina check to resist exhaustion. The base TN for this roll is 10 plus speed modifiers, but it may also be affected by factors such as terrain, morale, and whether or not the team has been maintaining a strenuous pace without any rest. If the Danjiri Team has been moving at higher speeds the GM may choose to call for Team Stamina checks more frequently.
Each time a Danjiri Team passes a Team Stamina check they manage to press on, but the TN for the next such check is increased by +5.
If the Danjiri Team fails a Team Stamina check, it suffers an amount of Attrition Damage (see below) equal to the amount by which it failed the roll. So if a Danjiri Team fails a Team Stamina check by 12 points, it suffers 12 points of Attrition Damage.
You may notice that the longer the race continues the more likely a Danjiri Team is to suffer Attrition Damage from exhaustion, losing members, lowering its Team Strength rank, and therefore making it more likely that it will have an accident. This is a deliberate design choice. Crashes and near misses are much more interesting than an uneventful race where everything goes smoothly.
Optional Rule: Terrain
While it is possible to assume that all streets in the city are even, some GMs may wish to incorporate different types of terrain into the race. Here are modifiers for traversing different types of terrain while pushing a danjiri.
Terrain Modifiers wrote:Level Ground: No modifiers.
Uphill: Danjiri automatically slows down 1 speed rank per round. Team must make a Team Stamina roll each round they attempt to move the danjiri uphill. If the Danjiri Team suffers an accident while moving uphill, the danjiri may begin to move downhill, going in the opposite direction as intended.
Downhill: Danjiri automatically speeds up 1 speed rank per round. All TNs to control the danjiri are increased by +5. This penalty can be increased (at the GM’s discretion) for particularly steep hills.
Damage
If a danjiri float fails a Team Strength check, it suffers an accident and takes damage.
The amount of damage suffered is equal to the amount by which the danjiri failed the Team Strength check. So if a Danjiri Team fails a Team Strength check by 9 points, it suffers 9 points of Attrition Damage.
There are four types of damage that a danjiri float and its team can suffer: Collateral Damage, Cosmetic Damage, Structural Damage, and Attrition Damage.
Collateral Damage has no bearing on the danjiri float itself, but reflects the damage inflicted on buildings, items, and bystanders in the area. See the section on Collateral Damage below.
Cosmetic Damage affects the danjiri float’s Decoration and makes it appear less aesthetically pleasing. See the section on Cosmetic Damage below.
Structural Damage reduces the danjiri float’s Wear and may result in the destruction of the float itself. See the section on Structural Damage below.
Attrition Damage reflects injury to members of the Danjiri Team and may result in some members being unable to continue in the race. See the section on Attrition Damage below.
When a danjiri float is in an accident the GM should roll on the Damage Table to determine what kind of damage is suffered. Whenever a danjiri suffers more than one type of damage, the amount of damage suffered is the same for each type. So if a danjiri takes 9 points of damage and it is then determined that the accident resulted in both Collateral and Cosmetic damage the danjiri would suffer 9 points of each type of damage.
Damage Table: wrote:Roll 2k2. Dice may explode on this roll. Some examples of possible accidents are given, but the GM can provide alternate scenarios as well.
2-3 = Float knocks over a merchant’s sign. Suffer Collateral Damage.
4-5 = Decorations get caught on an awning. Suffer Cosmetic Damage.
6 = Float scrapes against a building. Suffer Collateral and Cosmetic Damage.
7 = Float breaks through a fence. Suffer Collateral and Structural Damage.
8 = Float strikes a building. Suffer Cosmetic and Structural Damage.
9-10 = Float strikes a tree. Suffer Structural Damage.
11 = Team member trips over a bucket. Suffer Collateral and Attrition Damage.
12 = Team falls and pulls off a piece of the float. Suffer Cosmetic and Attrition Damage.
13-14 = Team members are injured keeping float upright. Suffer Attrition Damage.
15 = Float strikes wall, injuring team members. Suffer Structural and Attrition Damage.
16 = Float crashes into wall. Suffer Collateral, Cosmetic, and Structural Damage.
17 = Sides of float clipped by house. Suffer Collateral, Cosmetic, and Attrition Damage.
18 = Float tips over. Suffer Cosmetic, Structural, and Attrition Damage.
19 = Float hits noodle stand. Suffer Collateral, Structural, and Attrition Damage.
20+ = Float suffers a catastrophic accident! Apply all types of damage.
For example, in the situation above, Ichi, Ni, and San failed their Team Strength check by 18 points. The GM rolls 2k2 on the Damage Table and gets a result of 7. The danjiri goes crashing through a fence. The team suffers 18 points of Collateral Damage (which is added to their previous total) and 18 points of Structural Damage (which is subtracted from their float’s Wear).
Optional Rule:
If you don’t want to track all the different types of damage, you can eliminate Collateral Damage, Cosmetic Damage, and Decoration points from the game and focus simply on the Danjiri Team and the damage done to the float itself.
If you want a very simple game you can rule that the danjiri float itself is too solid and sturdy to be destroyed by any mundane means and keep track of Attrition Damage only. Alternately, you can keep track of Structural Damage only and assume that the number of members on each team is so large that there will always be someone available to push or pull the float.
Collateral Damage
A danjiri float begins with 0 points of Collateral Damage. Any time a danjiri takes collateral damage this number goes up. Unlike the other types of damage, there is no limit to how much Collateral Damage a danjiri team can accumulate. Most teams cause at least a small amount of incidental destruction, but devastating accidents can also occur. (In modern times people who live or work near the parade route often take out danjiri insurance.)
Any Collateral Damage the PCs’ danjiri causes will have to be compensated once the race is finished. The exact form this compensation takes and the cost required is up to the GM to determine, but 1 koku per each full rank of Collateral Damage is usually the minimum payment expected.
Cosmetic Damage
A danjiri float begins with 50 points of Decoration. Any time a danjiri takes Cosmetic Damage it loses an amount of Decoration. If a danjiri float reaches 0 points of Decoration it may still be functional but has lost all of its majesty and is no more than a wooden cart. Finishing the race with a danjiri with no remaining Decoration is commonly considered a disgrace.
Cosmetic Damage can also be inflicted through unarmed or melee weapon attacks, with each Wound inflicted counting as a point of Decoration lost. Although defacing a danjiri deliberately is frowned upon, some participants do tear ribbons or break small pieces off of rival floats.
Structural Damage
A danjiri float begins with 100 points of Wear. Any time a danjiri takes Structural Damage, it loses an amount of Wear. If a danjiri float reaches 0 points of Wear is is completely demolished and can no longer be used in the festival.
Structural Damage can also be inflicted through melee weapon attacks, with each Wound inflicted counting as a point of Wear lost. It should be noted that attacking a danjiri in this way is extremely dishonorable and will draw the wrath of the Fortunes.
Attrition Damage
The total number of members on a given Danjiri Team may vary. Some Teams have a very large number of members, while others make use of a smaller number of more physically fit individuals. The Danjiri Team can be considered to have a number of Wounds equal to the total number of Stamina ranks among its members. An easy way to think of this is to picture the Danjiri Team as having a number of Wound Ranks equal to the number of members on the Team, with each of those Wound Ranks containing a number of wounds equal to that individual member’s Stamina.
Any time a danjiri takes Attrition Damage, that damage is divided among the Danjiri Team members in any way the team leader desires. Each point of damage a Team member suffers reduces their Stamina by an equal amount. This reduction also lowers the total amount of Stamina shared by the Team, and may even result in a lowered Team Stamina rank.
For example, Ichi, Ni, and San have another accident and suffer 8 points of Attrition Damage. Ichi (the leader) decides to apply 3 points of damage each to himself and San, and 2 points to Ni. Ichi’s Stamina is reduced from 7 to 4, Ni’s Stamina is reduced from 6 to 4, and San’s Stamina is reduced from 8 to 5. They now have only 13 total points of Stamina, which lowers their Team Stamina rank from 2 to 1.
If a Team member’s Stamina reaches 0 (for any reason), they are no longer able to participate in the race, and no longer contribute any Stamina or Strength to the Team.
It takes a minimum of 10 cumulative ranks of Strength (or 1 rank of Team Strength) to move a danjiri float. As such, losing too many members may mean that the team is no longer able to compete.
Optional Rule:
If you do not wish to track each member’s current Stamina each time the Danjiri Team suffers Attrition Damage, you can simply subtract the damage from the team’s total Stamina and reduce the team’s Team Stamina appropriately. This removes an element of tactics from the game, but makes bookkeeping much easier. It also means that the number of members on the Team will remain relatively unchanged no matter how much Attrition Damage is suffered. In this case, the GM will have to determine the exact effects (if any) of losing a rank of Team Stamina on the Danjiri Team’s Team Strength rank.
Optional Rule: Encouragement
Some daring individuals ride on top of danjiri floats, cheering and shouting encouragement to their teammates. Not only does this add to the excitement of the race, but it also helps the members of the Danjiri Team to focus every ounce of their energy on the task at hand.
Anyone riding on top of a danjiri float may spend a Void Point to increase the number of dice rolled on any Team Strength or Team Stamina roll the Danjiri Team makes by +1k1 per Void Point spent. Up to three people can ride on the top of a danjiri float at the same time, and all three may spend a Void Point to increase the same Team Strength or Team Stamina roll.
Staying upright on a moving danjiri float requires an Agility check at TN15 each round. This roll is increased by the appropriate speed modifiers. Characters who fail this roll may, at the GM’s discretion, be allowed to make another Agility roll at the same TN to avoid falling off the float completely. The GM may also require riders to make an Agility roll to avoid falling off whenever the danjiri suffers damage.
The effects of falling off a moving danjiri or being thrown from the danjiri in the event of a crash are up to the GM to determine.
Charting a Course
There are a number of ways to keep track of which danjiri is in the lead and how far each danjiri has left to go.
One method is to plan out a course, determining how long the route is and when turns are required. For example, one very simple route might look like this:
Sample Race Route wrote:Total Length: 1000 feet.
Straight stretch from start
250 feet from start: Right turn
325 feet from start: Left turn
650 feet from start: Left turn
850 feet from start: Right turn
Straight stretch until finish line
The various teams can all progress through this route at whatever speeds they wish, making maneuver rolls when necessary and competing to be the first to complete the race.
You can simplify this even further by simply determining how far each Danjiri Team has to go to reach the finish line and calling for Turns at random intervals. Again, teams can choose their speeds as they wish and the first to complete the required distance is the winner.
My favorite method is to let players choose their own route from start to finish. A map of Bijutsu Toshi can be found here: http://pics.livejournal.com/cfsoftheweek/pic/00005h89.
Cool Breeze and Bright Moon Park is in the upper middle, surrounding the building just left of the 東 (East) symbol. The other five locations can be placed wherever you wish. The scale is also left to individual GMs to determine for themselves. This approach lets players choose and adjust their route as they move their danjiri through the streets on the map. It can be a little more complex, but the tactical choices involved in this style of racing can add a great deal of excitement and drama.
Winning (and Losing) the Race
The first Danjiri Team to visit all five locations participating in the festival and return to the starting location in the center of Cool Breeze and Bright Moon Park is officially recognized as the “Bearers of Fortune” and rewarded with glory, adulation, free sake, and countless invitations to dinner from nobles and merchants alike.
Other Danjiri Teams are also awarded titles according to their performance.
The Danjiri Team with the most remaining Decorations on their float is named “Doji’s Majesty.” This is also a title that brings the team much glory.
The Danjiri Team with the least remaining Decorations on their float is called “Wagon Peddlers.” This title is mildly insulting, but is used only in jest.
The Danjiri Team that causes the least amount of Collateral Damage is awarded the title “Protectors of the City.” This team is commonly forgiven for any Collateral Damage it incurs during the race and does not need to help clean up after the festival.
The Danjiri Team that causes the most Collateral Damage is known as “Seppun’s Terror,” and are expected to do the most work to repair and clean up after everything is over. Failure to do so carries a very heavy social stigma.
The Danjiri Team with the most remaining Wear is awarded the title “Iron Racers.” This title does not carry as much public recognition, but those who respect strength hold it in particular esteem.
The Danjiri Team with the least remaining Wear is named “Drunken Goblins.” This is another mocking title that is used in good-natured jest.
The last Danjiri Team to complete the race is named “Stale Rice,” implying that everyone’s dinner has gone cold while they were waiting for the team to finish.
While it is not official, any Danjiri Team that fails to complete the course due to Structural Damage or Attrition Damage may find themselves being referred to as “Wayward Fortune.” Because the destruction of a danjiri float or injury of so many team members can be a sad event this title is rarely (but sometimes) used to address the team directly.
GMs are encouraged to make up titles for other achievements, such as taking the longest route to visit all five sites, causing the most damage to rival Danjiri Teams, having the most accidents, losing the most members to Attrition Damage and still managing to complete the race, or keeping the longest sustained burst of speed.
Have fun and enjoy the race!
