Rokugan or OA

[kingpaul]

I know that Rokugan is based on OA material, but which is better from a player stand-point? Do you need OA to run a game in Rokugan?

note: I don't own either.

 

[Pyske]

No, you don't have to have OA to run in Rokugan; they intentionally reprinted the main classes (samurai & shugenja). It helps and gives more options, and there may be some specialized rules explanations missing without OA (i.e. I don't recall seeing Iaijutsu rules repeated), but in general it is playable. However, I would strongly recommend having both.

Rokugan significantly raises the power level of some of the feats and classes over the PHB. It has proven to be reasonably balanced within itself, however.

Rokugan, not surprisingly, has more space and effort devoted to setting and culture than OA. OA is much more foundation / toolbox based. Having only one, Rokugan is likely to raise more mechanics questions, and OA may raise more setting questions.

From a player perspective, OA probably has more options in terms of types of characters available to play.

If you were only going to get one, I would probably recommend OA, but they are both well done and worth purchasing if you can afford it.

. . . . . . . -- Eric

 

[Xeriar]

I know that Rokugan is based on OA material, but which is better from a player stand-point? Do you need OA to run a game in Rokugan?

note: I don't own either.

OA has the basic d20 stuff for Rokugan, so you would sorta need both, but...

The Second Edition Legend of the Five Rings RPG (DM's guide and Players Guide) is a system specifically for Rokugan, which I like better for feel purposes.

 

[hammymchamham]

Rokugan is just a game setting, much as Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. Like a game setting, it provides material for the DM to use and enough freedom for the DM to make stuff up and change elements of the game world. Rokugan, much as FR or Greyhawk, has its own history, deities, and map for locations of important cities and sites.

If you want to create your own OA campaign setting, just the OA book is needed. the Rokugan d20 book just goes into more detail about the history of Rokugan and the clans. Its nearly worthless to any non-Rokugan game, unless you want to adopt some of the feats.

If you are going to DM, get both OA by WotC and the Rokugan d20 Book. I also highly recomend 'Monsters of Rokugan' for the DM, since extra monsters are always good, and it allows the DM to throw new monsters at the players, which helps cut down on some metagame thinking. I also liked the generic NPC tables at the end of the MoR book for generic Ninja etc. I'd highly recommend MoR to any DM doing an Oriental Adventure or Rokugan game. Some DM's may also want to use it in non-OA games to throw some 'weird' monsters at their group.

 

[Tsyr]

Its nearly worthless to any non-Rokugan game, unless you want to adopt some of the feats.

I couldn't disagree more.

Core class Ninja, core class Courtier, new spells, new feats (as you mentioned), new prestige classes, expanded use of Void rules... Very definetly useable outside of Rokugan.

 

[DonAdam]

Buy OA, then save your money and buy Rokugan

Rokugan is worth it for the courtier class alone.

Void Use is also an interesting take on the action dice/force points idea of a floating bonus for people to use a limited number of times that represents that extra little umph that a character might use for an important action.

 

[Buttercup]

If you were only going to get one, I would probably recommend OA, but they are both well done and worth purchasing if you can afford it.

That sums up my recommendation as well.

 

[Ranger REG]

No, you don't have to have OA to run in Rokugan;

Told you. That's why sale of OA has decreased because Rokugan book has almost everything you need, making OA an ineffective product to buy for the Asian d20 RPG genre.

Now had they used Kara-Tur, it would be an entirely different yet upbeat story.

I can hear the folks at AEG laughing themselves all the way to the bank.

 

[hammymchamham]

I couldn't disagree more.

Core class Ninja, core class Courtier, new spells, new feats (as you mentioned), new prestige classes, expanded use of Void rules... Very definetly useable outside of Rokugan.

I couldn't disagree more.

Core class Ninja, core class Courtier, new spells, new feats (as you mentioned), new prestige classes, expanded use of Void rules... Very definetly useable outside of Rokugan.

Lets try this again, my first post didn't want to show up. grr

I agree with your post, only that most of the book (some pages 85-210 or what ever) are pretty specific to Rokugan. Sure, I can adopt none, some, a lot or it all to my own Campaign, but a large chunk of that book is devoted to Rokugan...which isn't bad if I am running a game in Rokugan. But if I want a campaign that is OA but not related to Rokugan, most of that book is pretty much useless. Why do I care about the history of Rokugan, I'm developing my own. Now, its great for the Rokugan game I ran last year.

Also, the rokugan book has 3 whole monsters. As a DM, I would like a few unique baddies to through at the PCs that they have never encountered before, the Rokugan d20 book doesn't do this for me. Sure, Monsters of Rokugan does this for me beyond my wildest dreams, but the OA book has quite a few unique monsters.

I really liked the expansion of the use of Void and how Taint effects people as presented in Rokugan d20.

Now, this example is more of an extreme than the OA vs d20 Rokugan book, if I were new to DnD and joining a FR game, I'd be better off with the PHB than the FRCS book, just as both player and DM would be better off with the OA book for an OA or Rokugan adventure than the Rokugan book.

Now, I highly recommend both. Right now I am trying to develop my own OA world for use in a campaign in a few months (one the current WWII d20 game ends), and am using both heavily, though OA more, just as I used both heavily in the Rokugan game I ran a few months back, though I notice I am throwing out alot of stuff from the Rokugan d20 seeing as it doesn't fit what I want for my campaign. If I only used one, my campaign will be lacking. My players in my Rokugan game also used both heavily, using spells, taking feats and PrCs from both books equally.

Just my 1 copper, since thats all I can afford as a common laborer.


Edit: All references to 'Monsters of Rokugan' should be 'Creatures of Rokugan' I recently bought 'Monsters of Faerun' and was confusing this title with the Rokugan book.

 

[hong]

The OA book is also a lot more widely applicable than just "Oriental" campaigns. Some of the classes, prestige classes, feats and spells could be used with minor tweaks in any campaign. See my D&D page for conversions of the samurai and shaman, for example.

Not to say that Rokugan isn't useful, but OA is still good value even in the presence of AEG's products.