Returning To Tenra Bansho Zero

 

Tenra Bansho Zero is one of the most influential games I have ever read. Its translated titled ("All Things Under Heaven and Earth") is literally what I named this blog after... and I have also never played a full game of it. 

We'll get back to why in a minute. 

But. 

In so many ways, this one game has defined my tastes. At one point, I gave my very nice copy to Pau Villarreal of The Warning. Well, I don't know if she got it. I sent it via the mail, and have to hope it got there. I figured she'd like the setting and it would get her imagination pumped. Hopefully I was right, but we'll never know. Ironically enough, the giving away of this book began an era of reading and investigation into the BR/OSR... which is coming to an end, as I picked up another copy. Not the fancy one. You can't find that one for a reasonable price, not anymore. Pau's got it, and I hope she's enjoying it, assuming she kept it.

The heart of TBZ is The Aiki-Kiai-Karma system. Each character has three Fates, which are these really open-ended statements of character, such as "Emotion: Hatred of Lord Kutuwara", or "My sword is the answer". Very open-ended, very simple stuff. Whenever you do something awesome with these Fates that everyone else likes, they can give you Aiki chits. You can spend Aiki, but it's not very powerful. However, if you wait until a good moment, you can convert Aiki into Kiai, which functionally does the same thing as Aiki, but you get a ton more of it. Like, 5x-6x more. Tons. If you spend Kiai, it gets marked as Karma. If you accumulate 108 Karma you became an Asura, a demon who is utterly incapable of change. And you then hand your character sheet to the GM, who then uses him to torment the other players.

It cannot be understated how much fun this one little system is. Players handing each other chits, which they then have to hoard in order to be of use, and then have to be careful about spending, is... there's nothing like it. There just isn't. People begin to lean into what the other players like, creating a feedback loop where everyone slowly gets more and more into their character. This enthusiasm transmutes into power in the game... and can lead to tragedy. There's something so layered, so genuine, so beautiful, about this loop. No other game comes close to it. Burning Wheel gets close, and Crescendo gets closer yet, but nothing beats the immediacy and depth  of Tenra Bansho Zero.

The setting book is also the single best setting book I've ever read. Ever. It is a blanket of loose ends, open spaces, unsaid things, and tragedies. There's tons of mundane details in here, all of which are just right. It is the only setting book I've ever read that justifies its existence, and we'll get back to why that is in a second, as well.

That's two grenades. Jeez.

The setting book is short, sweet, and knows exactly how much information to dole out. I could probably make scenarios out of this sucker for years.

Two and a half grenades!

Let's pull one now! Why did I give the game away? To a person who doesn't know me? Well, simply put: I couldn't figure out a way to pitch it to people! The hyper Asian setting is not something that actually appealed to my players at the time. The mechanics are great, but we had Burning Wheel, which scratches a very specific itch, and we now have Crescendo, which scratches that itch better. TBZ is not a campaign game. The mechanics aren't suited to it, period. The changes are so deliberately rapid that you shouldn't necessarily make sequels with the same characters. I didn't have anyone who needed just a quick pick-me-up.

So I gave it away. Like I said, I hoped Pau would get something out of the setting book.

After that, a funny thing happened: I started to slowly investigate the BR/NU/O-SR. I kinda figured I could find something to pick up the "adventure game" niche that TBZ so nicely filled, which Burning Wheel and Crescendo so definitely don't. And... well... I didn't, overall. I got ACKSII and 1e and Wight-Box, which is actually pretty good! Not to mention the Into the Odd family of games! I love them and will use them! But... they didn't scratch the itch. Not the very specific itch that was slowly developing: a game I could sorta pour myself into, and bring out for short bursts, with people either willing to take a chance or okay with just doing a one-shot. And, honestly, I wanted to give this incredible game another chance.

So. I picked it up again. I am just going to go and make a scenario, walk into my workplace, hand them the character sheets, and tell them they're playing. They'll play, because they're bored and we have nothing else to do at some very particular hours. And we'll play. And we'll have a blast. I know we will, because they trust my taste and are just bored enough. Just.

And then I’ll do it again.

And again.  

Maybe that’s the point. After years of circling this game—giving it away, hunting for something that could replace it, finally buying it back—I’m done waiting for the perfect table or the perfect pitch. Tenra Bansho Zero has already shaped how I think about play, about character, about the quiet tragedy of becoming something you can’t take back. Now I just want to see what happens when other people get their hands on those chits and those Fates.

I’ll throw it at my coworkers. 

I’ll throw it at my kids. And if it works even half as well as I remember it working on the page, I’ll finally stop treating this game like a secret I was never quite ready to share.

Onward!

1:1 Time With John McGowan

 

This was an amazing conversation I got to have with John McGowan! Thanks, John, for coming and talking!

The Fall of the King of Sota: Chapter Seven

 

This chapter session was a chef's kiss. It took chapter six and utterly turned it on its head. There's really not a lot more to be said, as the session really does speak for itself.

I suppose the one bit of commentary I will put in is that the role of Weaver really comes into play here. The two players are corralled back to each other, where their natural aspects naturally rub against each other.

This is a ridiculously easy game to run. Just herd the cats back into the octagon, and watch!

Chapter Seven (8/9)

The Fall of the King of Sota: Chapter Six

 

This continues to be the greatest gaming I have ever had. The last two weeks on the Discord have been some of the best and chaotic scheming I've ever seen, leading to a short but extremely climactic Chapter, where everything changed.

We are down to one mortal city: the criminal haven of Newport. And we have an entire city's worth of people at it from New Sota City.

July 24-August 7

People were going back and forth in the DMs for the longest time. But it all came down to this one short statement:

A high-stakes propaganda war between King Julian, Father Laurentius, Arriquard , and Lady Marie played out. King Julian and his helpers began to spread news of Lady Marie's debauched evil, and how cruelly she had used him. Against all expectations, Lady Marie pre-empted them with propaganda of how much help she had actually done for the rice farmers and the city, and her adopted daughter was much talked about in terms of her generosity. 

Arriquard successfully began raising an army for King Lucian's church, which was being set up against Mother Elise.

BUT ON AUGUST 4TH

Were-crocodiles, an entire army of them, invaded from Montport. Turns out they had totally taken over that city! And they showed up out of the blue! However, thanks to Arriquard's efforts in the previous five days, there just so happened to be a standing army that was forming.

The fighting was intense, and many died. However, New Sota City prevailed, and the were-crocodiles were driven away.

It all came down to one problem: when were the were-crocodiles showing up? It took some time to figure out exactly how it worked out... but it just so happened to occur just when everyone else was at enough of a critical mass to where it didn't turn into a total slaughter. And then the defenders rolled really high.

Chapter Six: August 7th

The fallout of this Chapter Session cannot be understated. Two of the most chaotic characters in the whole game are dead, and to save everyone else. New Sota City has been abandoned. There's an entire train of people heading to the worst city of the old world... which happens to be the last one.

What could go wrong?

Read-Thru of Wight-Box: Book One, Heroes

 

Okay, look, we gotta talk really quick.

Coz I screwed up.

I backed this day one. Was really excited for it. Went through all three books. And went, "Meh, I'll look at this later."

If the Basic Expert reads this, yeah, I slept on this.

Okay, crow's been eaten. Onward.

So, after a few months of just not looking at these three little booklets, I just picked 'em up on random. I'd not given up on the game, just it had been sitting there for an opportune moment. Well, this was that moment. I sat down, followed the directions, and made a character in... ten minutes. Like, a fully formed character. Ready to go. And a good amount of detail for something so fast, too!

That's absolutely crazy.

Some of the directions (like with elves) could have been clearer, but a quick internet search and pinging B/XE's Discord server answered them. It is essential to mention that they're friendly bunch, who put up with me pretty well! So, I was able to get my answers pretty quickly. One could argue that I shouldn't have to do that, but I've written enough rulebooks to know that is always going to be a thing, so you may as well have your community be friendly while you're at it.

For some reason, what was an otherwise unremarkable book stuck at out me this time. I've found that I have plenty of stuff where I have to put some intensive effort into setting up. I generally prefer it this way, to be honest. I like having some set up, because I like having thematic coherence; I find it fun. 

However, there's something just so incredibly pleasing about being able to sit down, roll 3d6 six times, and then make the best of it. It is a fundamentally different experience, but I am a glutton for collecting experiences, so, I am beginning to find that Wight-Box is scratching an itch that I didn't know I could have... with a bit of crunch and depth. Which Wight-Box has.

But no thieves, kthx.

And honestly? That’s fine. Because what Wight-Box delivers in return is something I didn’t realize I was missing: pure, unfiltered play. No sixty-page character backstory required. No session zero spreadsheet. Just roll your stats, pick a class, and go be a murderhobo (or a noble defender of the realm, whatever floats your boat). There’s a beautiful honesty to it.

I’ve spent years chasing elaborate campaigns, and thanks to Crescendo they my track record of successful launches are getting higher and higher. And that's great! But Wight-Box just hands you a little sailboat and says “the wind’s already blowing.” 

Ten minutes later you’re actually playing the damn game. 

And that's pretty nice.

The Fall of the King of Sota: Storystein 1 (1-5)

 

Last night the players saw the full scope of Crescendo 0e. The Storystein is a capstone event designed with one view in mind: force players to change their status quo. Players turtle and never really get their goals done, and it shouldn't be up to the Weaver to make them do it. And yet, turtling is really bad for gameplay and stories. So, what does the Storystein do? Force consequences. You either get what you want, or you don't, but stop pussyfooting around and move on.

This forcing of consequences then coalesces the narrative as you are playing, as opposed to after the conclusion of the campaign.

The set up is simple. Players provide a written case for why their case should be the only one to win. Their arguments are rated and given dice. After rolling initiative, the players begin to roll to see who gets what they want, one a time. The first person to succeed automatically makes everyone else lose.

Storystein 1 (Oikoya 23)

The status quo change is pretty profound. I am hooked. Let's do this. I can't wait for the next one!

The Fall of the King of Sota: Chapter Five

 

One of the things that is hard to communicate about Crescendo is not only how different each session feels, but how the game absolutely refuses to go according to your expectations. You absolutely cannot follow the rules as intended and not be surprised each session. There is nothing quite like the sheer level of tonal variety that Crescendo provides.

And this session showcases that reality really well.

The players and I thought this session would be an absolute bloodbath: the elf who keeps the evil within Cleft Mountain sealed away and the monstrous Abbadon, together in a session! That should not have worked out.

And yet.

This session brings out tech that I didn't even think may be necessary anymore: the direct challenging of Beliefs by the Weaver. Turns out, sometimes the players do manage to pull it together, and the Weaver has to be ready to make up situations that subvert and challenge their Beliefs/Debts.

ALSO: apparently I have a lot of homework. The players walked in with lore based off of what I had presented in the Setting Bible, in the first session, it turns out I may have more homework coming up. This was fantastic! People are understanding the bones of the setting well enough to riff of it and tell me what the setting does.

Chapter Five: Oikaya 19