Sengoku: Revised Edition (Sengoku Roleplaying) [Paperback]

Anthony J. Bryant (Author), Mark Arsenault (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

Sengoku: Chanbara Roleplaying in Feudal Japan is a roleplaying adventure game set in 16th century Japan, the age of civil war. Sengoku is based on Japanese history and myth, and chanbara (Japanese "swordplay" films) and jidai-geki (Japanese period films).

This critically-acclaimed game continues to thrill gamers, Japanese history buffs and fans of Japanese samurai movies alike!

Sengoku includes conversion notes for the following game systems:

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition*
Bushido*
Chivalry & Sorcery Light*
GURPS*
HERO System*
Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) RPG*
Usagi Yojimbo RPG*
Instant Fuzion*

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast; used without permission. Bushido is a trademark of Fantasy Games Unlimited; used without permission. Chivalry & Sorcery Light is a trademark of Brittania Games; used with permission. GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games; used with permission. HERO System is a registered trademark of Hero Games Inc.; used with permission. Legend of the Five Rings is a trademark of Five Rings Publishing; used with permission. Usagi Yojimbo is a trademark of Usagi Studios; used with permission. Fuzion is a trademark of the Fuzion Labs Group; used under license.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ichiban desu yo! Drop whatever you are doing and go buy [Sengoku]! -- Knights of the Dinner Table #38

If you have any interest in roleplaying in this setting ... Sengoku is probably the first book you should buy. -- Pyramid Magazine, December 17, 1999

Winner, BEST HISTORICAL GAME of 1999! -- AniMail (Central Park Media)

From the Publisher

Sengoku: Chanbara Roleplaying in Feudal Japan has received the following awards and nominations!

o Best Historical Game, 1999 (AniMail / Central Park Media)
o Best Roleplaying Game Nominee (Origins Awards, 1999)
o Best Oriental RPG Book (Academy of Oriental RPGs, 2000)
o Grg D'Or Award Nominee (Guide du Roliste Galactique, 2002) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Gold Rush Games (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890305278
• ISBN-13: 978-1890305277
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,486,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of it's kind., January 14, 2002

By 

Aaron Newlands "Sithgod" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sengoku: Revised Edition (Sengoku Roleplaying) (Paperback)

Of all the Japanese style rpg's done over the years this one is the best by far. But with all the talk of Legends of the five rings and about how good it is meant to be. It can become hard to find an alternative.
But there is an alternative to the corperate heavy and rigid L5R. And that alternative offers you something that L5R does not...choice.
Sengoku is all about choice. It gives pages and pages about the Sengoku era. It gives you the choice of playing Ninja characters. Something L5R treats with distain. It gives you the choice of realistic to flying through the air styles of game. It talks about having a mixed party of Samurai and Ninja and how each style of game is different with that in mind.
The information is very well defined and laid out. Some of the rules are a little harder to understand. A little more clarity would not have gone astray here and there. But that does not ruin how good a game this is. This game is all about role play and not about having to fit within the designers idea of what is good.
Of them all I strongly recommend Sengoku. And if you find that you just can't tear yourself away from L5R then you will even find converstion notes in the back of the Sengoku book. This book is worth the money.

5.0 out of 5 stars Japanese History Comes Alive, July 21, 2008

By 

Eddie Sells (Oklahoma City) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sengoku, Revised Edition (Paperback)

This is a role-playing game but the depth of the background material is such that it could nearly be a history book on ancient and medieval Japan. The material is well organized and I have found myself reading this book simply for the enjoyment of learning the background. As a role-playing game I think Sengoku has few equals. I own dozens of RPGs and this volume is among the best in my collection.

4.0 out of 5 stars great material hampered by poor layout, July 10, 2006

By 

K. Straley (Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sengoku, Revised Edition (Paperback)

Somewhere in this great history book there's a game. The authors have definitely done their homework in studying the culture of late 16th century Japan. They've also got a great filmography and bibliography at the back. As far as content is concerned, Sengoku sets the bar quite high for historical RPGs. The actual conversion of this historical information into a playable game is, however, a bit awkward. The book is also seriously hampered by the amateurish artwork and layout reminiscent of RPGs of 30 years ago. Still, I've worn the cover off my copy of the book so its obviously a worthwhile read.