OOC Chat

[Togashi Saruko]

I just think it's weird that we might have like... 6(??) Imperial Families, including Shiba's, but for many clans we only have the Kami Family + one more.

Devaluing the Imperial specialness!

[Nanzi]

Is it 6 now? What are all the families?

[Togashi Saruko]

Shiba
Yuzuru
Jiyo
Chiyo
Isawa (last I heard this is going to become an Imperial family)
Ongaku (likewise, last I heard this is also going to become an Imperial family)

So... twice the amount of "canon" Imperial families. Outnumbering several clans.

[Nanzi]

I thought Ongaku was joining the Spider?

That does seem excessive.

[Jin]

I don't think the Isawa have joined the Imperials yet - just a lot of ex-Isawa. Kyosei seemed interested in maybe having them go that route but not certain it was a goal this game.

[Nozomi]

I believe there has been consideration for the Isawa joining the Spider, actually. So we will see where that susses out.

Admittedly: Otomo, Seppun, Miya, Royal Line - there were always four families in the first place. And I seem to recall at some period there was a small attendant house added on, but I cannot recall what it was.

So 5 isn't "that" unusual.

[Wu]

The Isawa are joining the Imperials

Maybe the Ongaku could be a minor clan?

[Togashi Saruko]

I believe there has been consideration for the Isawa joining the Spider, actually. So we will see where that susses out.

Admittedly: Otomo, Seppun, Miya, Royal Line - there were always four families in the first place. And I seem to recall at some period there was a small attendant house added on, but I cannot recall what it was.

So 5 isn't "that" unusual.

Six on the other hand is a lot when compared to the Clans.

Are you thinking of the Yotsu, perhaps? IIRC, they got vassal'ed by the Seppun.

[Miyako]

And I seem to recall at some period there was a small attendant house added on, but I cannot recall what it was.

The Nasu? They were the top-level family the Gozoku clans of that particular era put together to run the Imperial Bureaucracy and exert influence in their favor against the non-Gozoku clans. They outranked the other Imperial families and after the Gozoku got overthrown all the fun manipulation stuff that they developed and did became the Otomo's work, and after the overthrow they either joined the Otomo, seppuku'd, or got smuggled and hidden away as a Shiba vassal family.

Relatedly: what about Ongaku as vassal family / direct subordinates to a primary one? Small as they are already, even the Imperials had a set of even-smaller vassal families for specific purposes (the Reju under the Otomo being educators and sensei training the other Imperial Families, for instance).

[Jin]

I guess it's hardly the biggest change to canon Rokugan social structure that we've made though...

It does make sense that a lot more would try and swear fealty to the Emperor as opposed to his siblings. I guess in this Rokugan Shiba has a hard time saying no So maybe they merge as time goes by or maybe it will always be the case that the Imperial structure is larger with the Clans being more ancillary as needed instead of vice versa.

[Nozomi]

If we have 6 families, it is safe to assume that the "Shiba Family" will be infinitely smaller, just as the Hantei family was.

This might imply a much more direct hand of the Emperor and his vassals in coming generations than the Hantei were. We'll see there.

[Jiyo Sora]

Shiba- Hantei
Jiyo- Seppun
Yuzuru- Otomo
Chiyo- Miya

With the Takemori and Isawa... I could see the Isawa taking half of the Seppun's old gig, but... I'd say we've definitely found the ceiling on the Imperial Families.

[Miyako]

If they do become full Imps, do the Takemori/Ongaku change bonuses since the tribe is Awareness and already covered by Yuzuru? Just curious since with the Horiuchi mess the Unicorn had six families once upon a time and they didn't overlap family bonuses.

[Canary]

Consider this: What if Rokugan was less of a Planet of Hats than in canon? It's okay if things overlap a bit, or there are more families in one place than another. It doesn't all have to perfectly balance. It's a result of the Empire growing organically. Families might grow or shrink or merge or disappear and we'll deal with that as it comes.

[Wu]

Consider this: What if Rokugan was less of a Planet of Hats than in canon? It's okay if things overlap a bit, or there are more families in one place than another. It doesn't all have to perfectly balance. It's a result of the Empire growing organically. Families might grow or shrink or merge or disappear and we'll deal with that as it comes.

But hats are so fashionable!

[Hanzou]

*nods*

It's fine. Everything is still evolving and adapting. There are a lot of things still to sort out.

[Jiyo Sora]

Like exterminating the Crane and Lion, for example...

[Inga]

Birb's world, birbs rules!

Players want 7 imperial families Birb will work it out!

Maybe there is one for each fortune!

[Wu]

I am still on the hat thing.

[Jin]

So any hints on the timejump before that story Wu. How long does he have in the Empire?