Shogun: Nathanael Phillip Cole

(creation/design)

Court Artist: Rick Marcks

(visual design, cover, internal artwork)

Standard-Bearer: Jeremy Kostiew

(patch, logo, and sheet design)

Master of the Annals: Rachel Edidin (editing)

Royal Steward: Tiara Lynn Agresta (layout design)
Groundskeeper: Tracy VanTilburg (production artist)
Daimyo: Jerome Comeau, Scott Hazle,
Andy Kitkowski, Sean Koble, Jeremy Kostiew,
Michael Wight, Justin Zagaeski
(inspiration and creative support)

Migi Ude: Gregory Samford (my right hand man)

Motobushido is Copyright 2013 by Nathanael Phillip Cole, all rights reserved

 This book is dedicated to Ry and Sean, the Jacketmen.

Thanks!
THE FIRST FOUNDERS
Samantha R. Blazier, Jerome Comeau, Kyle Frazier, Joshua Kenney, Rylan Newsom, Justin Rock,
Jeremy Wagner-Kaiser, Mike Fujita Wight

My heartfelt gratitude to those whose assistance made the Kickstarter Project possible: Aaron
Clark, Dusty Eppers, Chris Faux, Jamie Jeffers, Noah Kleinman, Jake Richmond, Jared Sorenson, and
all my awesome Daimyo.
SPECIAL THANKS to Jerome Comeau for being my #1 fan; and to the Four Fine Fellows, because some
memories will never be forgotten.
PLAYTESTERS
Al BIllings, Aaron Bowman (what?), William Carson, Sean Casey, Jerome Comeau, Stephen Cranston,
Willow Darcy, Josh Destatoff, Eric Franklin, Stephanie Franklin, Scott Hazle, Natalie Heikkinen,
Ben Hsu, Mason Hunter, Sean Koble, Jonathan Korman, Ben Lehman, Zed Lopez, Erich & Sara
Mcnaughton, Ry Newsom, Jess Perez, Kyle Rakoz, Jake Richmond, Gregory Samford, Justin Smith,
Nick Smith, Deleva Stanley, Tayler Stokes, Joe Streckert, Aaron Stultz, Mike Sugarbaker, Ace
Talkingwolf, Zack Tidwell, Jeremy Wagner-Kaiser, Jeanne Winslow, Mark Wyler, Justin Zagaeski

KICKSTARTER BACKERS:
"Evil" Avi Zacherman, Aaron J. Schrader, Adam, Adam Franks, Adam Hurd, Adam Rajski, Adam W. Roy, Adrian
J George III, Al Billings, Alex DeVries, Alex Hakobian, Alex Perez, Alice, Andrew Chang, Andrew Loveridge,
Andrew Whittle, Anon, Anthony Lanese, Antoine Bertier, Austin Stanley, Bartley, Ben Bernard, Brent Millis,
Brett Easterbrook, Brian Newman, Bryan Rennekamp, Charles Boulware, Chris Bennett, Chris Chown, Chris
McCluskey, Christian A. Nord, Christopher Tang, Colin Booth, Damba Zhalsaraev, Dan Gerold, Dana Sharp
Woodrick, Daniel Gonzalez da Costa Campos, Daniele Di Rubbo, DarkMoonINC, Dave Ellingwood, David
Chervanik, David Morrison, David Saggers, Derek Cardwell, Derek Guder, Desiree Fitterer, Dexter, Dominic
Brismail, Doud, Drew Wendorf, Ed McW, Edward Saxton, Emmett Cooper, Eric Franklin, Erik H. Maier,
Evan Saft, evil bibu, Felipe Shingo, Filip 'Filon' Pawlicki, Gareth Hodges, Gary "Madu" Montgomery, Giovanni
Castelletti, Grant Chen, Gregory "The Screg" Samford, H. M. 'Dain' Lybarger, Hamish Cameron, Herman Duyker,
Hyathin, Ian Johnson, Ian Phillipchuk, Ian Z., Ignatius Montenegro, Irven "Myrkwell" Keppen, Jack Gulick, Jacob
Bissonette, Jake Richmond, Jamison Gent, Jason and Sylvia Wodicka, Jean Bond, Jeffry Morris, Jennifer Fuss,
Jeremy Kostiew, Jeremy Wagner-Kaiser, Jerome Comeau, Jesse Wolfe, Jim & Dawn B., Jim Burzelic, Jimmy Trotter,
Joe Greathead, Joe Iglesias, Johannes Ulsund, John C. Meyers, John Sureck, Jon Bristow, Jonathan "Buddha" Davis,
Jonathan A. Gillett, Jonathan C. Lemer A.K.A. Johno, Jonathan Korman, Jordan Phoenix, Joseph "UserClone"
Le May, Joseph J. Yossarian, Josh Destatoff, Joshua Beale, Joshua Kenney, Joshua Ramsey, Judd Karlman, Judd M.
Goswick, Jürgen Mayer, Justin Light, Justin Loudermilk, Justin M Phillips, Justin Rock, Justin Smith, Kaz 2-DA!,
Keith, Keith Davies, Ken Finlayson, Kenji Erb-Bashaw, Kevin Donovan, Kevin Schantz, Khoshmar, Kitagawa
Anjin, Kitty O'Neal, Kyle E. Rakoz, Kyle Frazier, Kyle Porter, Lantra, LawfulNice, Lenny "the Barbarian" Steinke,
Leri "TheAttackChef " Jacobs, Lester Ward, Luis Velasco, Lukas Myhan, Marc "ThE_MarD" Bourgoin, Mark
Levad, Mark Parker, Mark W. H. Lambe, Martin Lemser, Matt Schlotte, Matt Shortess, Matthew Coverdale,
Matthew Edwards, Meguey Baker, Mel Hall, Mendel Schmiedekamp, Mendez, Michael Feldhusen, Michael
Ostrokol, Michael Satran, Michael Stevens, Michele Gelli, Mike D., Mike Fujita Wight, Mofte, Monster Palace,
Moose, Moozers, namyisun, Olivier Darles, Pattie McNulty, Paul Echeverri, Paul MacDonald, Paul Record, Perry
the Poodle, Peter Aronson, Peter Jacob, Phillip Bailey, Rachel Kelly, Rafael Rocha, Ralph Mazza, Ray Beckmann,
Redfuji6, Rob H, Rob Hall, Rob M, Roberto Giugno, Robin Hoover, Ryan Boccuzzo-Di Spaltro, Ryan H., Ryan
Marsh, Rylan Newsom, Sam Garvey, Sam Parker, Samantha R. Blazier, Saumanahaii, Scott Vandehey, Sean
Casey, Sean Koble, Sean M. Dunstan, Seth Johnson, SHazle, Shervyn, Simon Ward, Stephen Slaby, Steve Lord,
Streamjumper, Sure, Tara R, Tayler Stokes, Theo, Thor Deacon, Tim Q and Tarrant K, Timothy Conbere, tomas
overbai, Tracy Barnett - Sand & Steam Productions, Travis Scott, Trent Kennedy, Ty (Troll) Sawyer, Tyler Walls,
Tyson of the Northwest, Valentin Scheid, victor mckamie, Victor Wyatt, Wade Rockett, Wilhelm Fitzpatrick,
wraith808, Wy, Yancy Stults Jr, Zach Brown, Zakharov "Zaksquatch" Sawyer, Zarf
 Table of Contents
SECTION 1: MOTOBUSHI 10
The True Samurai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Your First Set of Wheels:
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
And So it Begins…. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Getting the Pack Together. . . . . . . . 15
The Rider’s Salute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Rider’s Orientation:
The First Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Hitting the Roads:
The Game Proper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Setting it All Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Final Counsel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Glossary of Important Terms. . . . . . 18
At Dawn, We Ride: Pack Creation 19
Guided Creation Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Blood, Grease, and Steel:
Detailed Character Options 25
First Founding Templates . . . . . . . . . 25
Alignment Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Birth Signs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Pack Roles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Fighting Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Bikes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Deeds and Legacies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Enlightenment and Damnation:
Character [d]Evolution 48
Lessons and Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Stains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
SECTION 2: PROPER WAYS TO DIE 52
The Highway is a Harsh Mistress:
Playing the Game 55
The Unbreakable Rules of Play. . . . 55
Life on the Highway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Using Your Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Using Your Ki Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Flashback Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Managing Pack Resources . . . . . . . . . 61
Investing in Factions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Life with the Daimyo:
The Home Base Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
The Way of the Samurai
Lies in Death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Words, Swords, Engines, War:
The Rules of Conflict 67
Say what happens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Gambits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Duels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
SECTION 3: SENSEI 82
Master, Teacher, Student: Sensei 83
What Sensei Does. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
The Quick Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Your First Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
The Second Session and Beyond. . . . 89
Omens, Ripples, Waves
and Storms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Managing SCs and Factions . . . . . . . 94
Scenario Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
The Willow Ridge Scenario 97
The Pack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
The Situation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
The Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Final Words: Inspirations and Notes 105
 Greater Lessons of Life
This game is a work of fiction. Pretending to be part of a motorcycle club when you
are not is dangerous and ill-advised. Likewise, don’t screw around with swords unless
you know what you’re doing. Don’t attempt to LARP this game in public without first
alerting the local authorities.

A wealth of resources exists for anyone who might want to learn more about real-
world samurai or motorcycle clubs. For samurai facts, start with Hagakure, by Yamamoto
Tsunetomo. Samurai: The Code of the Warrior by Thomas Louis and Tommy Ito is another
good introductory text and a gateway into greater pieces. For a look into modern Japanese
motorcycle culture, check out Speed Tribes by Karl Taro Greenfeld—and listen to the music of
Guitar Wolf while you’re reading it.

For info on American motorcycle clubs, avoid Gangland and mid-century exploitation
films and go right to the source. Sonny Barger, long-time president of Hell’s Angels MC, has
written a number of informative books and interesting thematic fiction. Start with Hell’s Angel
and work outward from there.

Understand, though, that in both fact and fiction, MC and samurai culture and history
have been rife with misogyny. This is not something you are expected to include in your
games, but it needs be mentioned here. It’s impossible to source these inspirations without also
sourcing the cultural contrasts with present states of affairs. Geishas and “old ladies” are just as
much a part of those tales as swords and motorcycles, and for me to avoid mentioning them
simply for the sake of light-stepping controversy would be a disservice to the source material.
While your own stories may certainly be different, you should take the time to digest these
cultural differences, and understand their origins.

If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle, you’re missing out, my friend. Take your local
Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, get yourself a learner’s permit, and go for a ride
sometime. It will change your life. Riding a motorcycle and being a samurai have a bit in
common: both require a certain acceptance of one’s own mortality.
Rubber side down, my friends.

Nathanael Cole

Alliterated Games

2
 Author’s Note
This book is not written to be a reference manual, and I’ve done my best to avoid charts
and lists where I can, and to include page references instead of repeating text. As a reference,
Motobushido will serve you best if you read at least once from beginning to end, then refer
back to relevant sections as you need.

Ultimately, this is a game about dueling. From a mechanical point of view, it’s about
interweaving high-drama narrative and poker-like strategy. Successful play depends upon your
group’s commitment to the game and its story above your own desires for personal victory.
Improvisational skills are just as important as mechanical strategy.

In a real duel, you have to keep aware of your limits [read: know your stats and techs]. You
have to study your opponent’s moves [read: watch their choices of action]. You have to analyze
their state of exhaustion [read: keep mental note of the cards that are already in discard]. You
have to judge how far they are willing to go [read: try to goad them to escalate]. You have to
exploit their weakness [read: push their stains]. Any swordsman can tell you that there is far
more to combat than “sticking them with the pointy end.”

Similarly, in this game, you will learn to keep track of what has come before, and calculate
what may come next. A sharp player will watch the cards, while a clever player will count them.
A keen player will expect his opponent to have a better card than his own. A skilled player
will know when and how to take risks, and a wise player will know when to concede victory.
A worthy opponent will beat the snot out of you with a combination of cards and techniques
you couldn’t have possibly expected to be used in that way. And a good player will learn from
that beating.

Learning the nuances of the system can take some time. Getting into the beat and flow of
dueling will slow down the game the first handful of times you fight. That’s okay: it’s part of
the process of learning. Take your time and focus on the story. If a lack of rules mastery causes
you to stumble, agree to let narration carry you forward. Better to re-check the rules later than
to lose the momentum of a fight.

3
10
The Motobushi
SECTION ONE

11
 The True Samurai
“The Way of the Samurai is, morning after morning, the practice
of death, considering whether it will be here or be there,
imagining the most slightly way of dying, and putting one’s mind
firmly in death.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
Sensei: When your group gathers for the first time, tell them this story, and ask
how they would resolve it:
While on his way to the sutra readings in Hosakanoji, the samurai Tojin and his
younger pages had to cross the fabled Ku River via ferry. During the crossing, one
of the pages got drunk and took it upon himself to pester one of the ferry’s sailors.
By the time they reached the other side, the page had drawn his sword as an idle
drunken threat, but before he could use it the sailor struck the page on the head
with his ferry-pole, knocking him down. Upon seeing this happen, what should
the samurai Tojin do?
Allow them to discuss, and offer an answer individually or as a group. Then
explain:
Should Tojin be a true samurai, there is only one truly acceptable course of action:
He must approach the sailor and the page, apologize, and then cut them both
down where they stand.
 Seek Death
Sensei: Read the following aloud to the group.
This is a game about death. The true motobushi lives his life and
performs his tasks as if he is already dead, and thus has nothing to fear
from the spilling of his life’s blood. The mechanics of this game allow seven
possible ways for your motobushi to die, each of which you can easily
prevent, but none of which you should actively avoid.
Remember: not every death is one of the blood.
There was a war, and your side lost. Now you ride with your pack,
struggling to survive in a changing world which has rejected your ideals
- ideals you hold onto because they are all that you have left. You are the
last of a dying breed of warrior, a relic of older times that many would
rather forget. You know only the highway, the sword, and the pack, and by
following them, you ride towards an inevitable fate.
The rest of the details are up to you. The world is your playground. Define
it, embellish it, or leave it ambiguous, it is up to you and your fellows.
Whatever you choose, choose the sword. Choose otherwise, and you might
too quickly join those who have come before you, in death.

13
 Your First Set of Wheels:
Introduction
And So it Begins…
Congratulations on your acquisition of
your first set of wheels! You are now ready to
begin your journey with the Pack. The next
few pages will explain the basics of riding with
your Pack and interacting with your Sensei—
in other words, how to play a game of Mo-
tobushido. Deeper in the book you will find
more technical information, but for now, read
on and get a feel for the spirit of the game.
In this game, your group will play a pack
of motorcycle-riding samurai – motobushi –
in the days after a great war ravaged the land.
You were soldiers in that war, but your side
ultimately lost. The how and why of what
has come before are all up to you. You will
work as a group to define your own aspects
of that war, including any cross-genre story
elements your group desires. You will then
play out the lives of these motobushi as they
travel around in a world which largely rejects
their ideals, and tell the stories of their trials
and adventures, their wins and their losses,
and their inevitable grim fates.
Motobushido is a “Role-Playing Story
Engine” – using this set of structural
mechanics, you and your crew will tell the story
of your wandering samurai. You will take them
to new places, facing crisis and conundrum
along the way. One of you will take on the
role of Sensei, and weave together settings
and scenarios for the rest to explore: pages on
which the motobushi will inscribe their story.
Above all, Motobushido is about fighting
quick and bloody duels with your enemies
and using the rest of the game time to set up
and justify those duels: the story behind who
is fighting, and why. In this game, the reasons
for the duel and the narrative surrounding it
are just as important as the duel’s outcome.
15
The basic back-and-forth of all of this
is simple. Sensei could say “You’re cruising
down a back road when you come upon a
lone motobushi astride his bike, blocking
the path. What do you do?” You could then
respond with something like “I pull to a stop
twenty paces away from him, leaving my
engine running, and call out for him to clear
the path.” Sensei then might respond “He
stares you down silently, and you see him
thumb the catch on his sword free, showing
you an inch of the glinting blade.” Finally,
you might decide to counter with “That’s it. I
hit the throttle and make to run this bastard
down.” Then you’d bring out the cards and
play through a duel, and so on.
Getting the Pack Together
Assuming you’ve got this book in hand,
the first step of play is assembling your
Pack. Gather some friends—you’ll want
to assemble a solid team of players who are
good with improvisation, open to exploring
new gaming mechanics, and cool with the
core principle of “seeking death.” Find a
comfortable place to play—you’re going to be
there for at least two hours, and most likely
a few more than that. Living rooms, couches
and armchairs, dining room tables, a local
gaming store or library, take your pick. Settle
in. Get comfy.
One of you will need to be Sensei. As
owner of this book, chances are that’s you.
As Sensei, you will guide the play and keep
order amongst the ranks. You will weave
the foundations of the story, providing
background and the skeleton of narrative
for the other players to follow and branch
from. You will manage the background
mechanics and create challenges for the
Pack to overcome. You are responsible for
keeping the game flowing smoothly, although
your fellows should also do their best to
contribute to this as well.
The rest of the players will play the roles
of motobushi within the Pack. You’ll start
by exploring a critical scene in the founding
of the Pack, while also using that scene to
create details about your own fictional world
of play; later (somewhere during the middle
or end of your first session together), you
will create the individual characters you’ll
be playing throughout the game proper. You
will give your Pack some history, outline its
initial by-laws, and finally decide upon its
name and colors. At that point, you will be
ready to ride as one
The Rider’s Salute
When you’re on your bike, you are now
part of a loose brotherhood that includes
not just your Packmates, but everyone
else who chooses the free-riding lifestyle.
Motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, even
trikes speak to the choice to leave your
cages behind and roam the howling asphalt
seas. You should show each other respect
when you pass on the road, by performing
the Rider’s Salute.
To perform the salute, stand and hold
forth your left hand, arm angled down.
Extend your first two fingers toward the
ground between you and another rider (or,
if saluting as a Pack, toward the ground or
table at the center of the group), and say
the words “Rubber Side Down.” You should
open and close every session with the Salute,
showing your fellow players the respect that
you each deserve.
Rider’s Orientation:
The First Session
Before you can unleash your Pack, you’ll
need to cover a few basics. Your first session
of play will be guided by your Sensei. He has
more details in his own section of this book,
but for now, read the following for a glimpse
of what’s on the horizon.
16
The First Founding
Sensei will run you through a key mo-
ment on the road to the original founding
of your Pack. Taking place during a War in
your world’s past, this scene involves char-
acters in the military unit from which your
Pack is descended. This flashback-style
scene will set up both key details of the
world and the circumstances which ulti-
mately led to your Pack’s creation. Some of
the participants might survive, others will
die, and still others will vanish entirely from
the annals of history; regardless their fates,
the First Founders’ choices set the stage
for the story to come: the story of your
own motobushi.
Pack Creation
After the First Founding, you will create
the current members of your Pack, the
characters whose roles you will play in the
game to come. You can choose to carry on
as survivors of the first founding, or bring in
new blood instead. Either way, set the First
Founding sheets aside forever and either
grab a new character template or create your
own motobushi from scratch. Look over it,
tweak it a bit if you like. Then talk with
the rest of the group, answering Sensei’s
questions that will describe and illustrate the
Pack as it exists today.
Closing the Orientation
With Pack Creation over, it is probably
a good time to bring your first session to
a close, unless Sensei is ready to plunge on
into the first scenario. Schedule a time to
meet up for your next session. Between now
and then, Sensei will develop the outline of
a scenario for your Pack to explore, with
some story hooks based on the history of
your Pack and its members.
Stand around the table and repeat
the Salute. Henceforth, all of your game
sessions should begin and end with this
action of mutual respect and honor. The
first session is now concluded. Welcome to
the Pack.
Hitting the Roads:
The Game Proper
When you next gather around the table,
Sensei will have prepared a scenario for your
Pack to explore. In a typical scenario, you
will arrive in a town or other unexplored
setting, seeking supplies, information,
revenge, or more. It is up to you to explore
the town, find out what powers and forces
are at play, and use them to your advantage
as you attempt to fulfill your goals. Through
exploration and role-playing, you will
uncover Factions, which you can attempt to
sway to your cause in exchange for valuable
mechanical boons in your inevitable duels.
Your Pack must also keep a close watch
on its resources, including supplies, fuel,
food, and the ability to cut loose now and
then. You can barter with the locals—or
maybe you’ll just ride into town and take
your needs by force, resistance be damned.
If you linger too long, however, your
actions can draw negative attention. Enemies
will pop out of the woodwork, locals might
rise against you, and even the spirits might
grow angry. Deal with such threats as you
will—but always be prepared to stand up for
your Pack.
Duels will be inevitable. In these duels you
will call on your cards and learned techniques
to attempt to defeat your opponent. Many
duels are of the sword, but others involve
the deadly sharpness of wit or political savvy.
Regardless its field, any duel taken far enough
has the potential to end in death, intentional
or accidental. Such is the way of the duel, and
such is the way of Motobushido.
Setting it All Up
Now that you’ve read over your
introductory lesson, here’s what you need to
know about the game setup. You will need
the following materials:
TT The game rules
TT Writing utensils as needed
TT Character sheets
17
TT Two 54-card decks of playing cards
(including Jokers)
TT A collection of tokens or chips to use as Ki
(poker chips, bottle caps, dice, etc).
TT Accessory cards and errata helper sheets
printed from the website (optional)
Final Counsel
Now that you’ve gone over the basics and
tested your wheels, you’re ready to ride forth.
Below are some final bits of advice that you
should heed on your travels.
Incorporate Mechanics Narratively
Evoke the setting as often as possible.
Give it color and power above and beyond
the numerical limits of your cards and
your character sheets. When you have an
opportunity to choose between saying what’s
on a card and saying what’s in the scene, go
with the latter. For example, the Kusawake
can peek at the top cards of Sensei’s deck.
But instead of just telling the other players
those card values, she should use in-story
description, such as “I have scouted the
enemy’s position, and can confirm that they
are not ready for us.”
Seek Death
“Merit lies more in dying for one’s
lord than in striking down the
enemy.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
To re-emphasize: Death is inevitable. In this
game, it can come quickly and without warning.
In these rules, you will learn how to kill, and
how to avoid bei ng killed (in-game, of course).
But do not fear death. No, you must act like
you have already attained it, and thus have
nothing else to lose. Characters created with
this system are inherently complex and multi-
faceted, but you should not be afraid for them
to die, especially should such deaths be glorious
and well‑earned.
Cause Death
As samurai, you solve most problems with
steel and blood. When someone offends you,
kill them. When someone gets in your
way, kill them. When someone takes
something that is yours, kicks your bike,
rips you off, or wears a color you dislike, kill
them. Do not be afraid to use the sword.
But also understand that every death you
cause has the potential to bring troubles in the
future. Don’t spare the sword—but be mindful
of what it may cost you down the road.
Glossary of Important Terms
These aren’t necessary to memorize right
now, but you’ll find it useful to read over this
list before venturing too far into the rules.
Alignments: The three codes of behavior to
which a motobushi dedicates her life: Law
of the Pack, Way of the Sword, and Code
of the Highway.
Allowance: A special consequence that you
can choose to apply should you Concede in
the duel.
Deeds: Noteworthy events from your past
that you can draw power from.
Disfavor: Sensei cards invested into a Faction,
representing enmity against the Pack.
Faction: a SC which the players can sway
to their side with roleplaying and by
investing favor cards.
Favor: Player cards placed face-up on a
Faction, representing goodwill and favors
owed to the Pack.
First Founding: the game-starting flashback
scene that constitutes both tutorial and
world-crafting.
Hand: The cards that you hold, which you
use to make plays in a Duel.
Initiative: the first card revealed during
a duel.
Karmic Retribution: The character-
changing consequences of dishonor and
lack of emotional self-control. Whenever
you accrue seven Stains, you suffer a
Karmic Retribution.
Ki: A pool of tokens primarily used to
empower your fighting style techniques.
Legacy: Your collected list of Deeds.
18
Lessons: Flashbacks and in-game events
that can lead to character evolution.
Maneuver: One of a handful of set things a
player can do when it is their turn during
a duel. Also refers to Sensei actions based
in Waves and Storms.
Morale: A Pack Resource linked to vice,
entertainment, and state of contentedness.
Motobushi: The wandering motorcycle-
riding samurai.
Omens: Dark tidings of things to come, put
in play when Jokers are revealed.
Operations: A Pack Resource linked to fuel
reserves and state of vehicle repair.
Resources: Three expendable gauges of the
Pack’s general ability to function and ride.
SC: Sensei-controlled character.
Stains: The currency of negative karma,
earned through behavior unbecoming of
a samurai.
Storms: Vicious and powerful maneuvers
that Sensei can make against the players
when all four Jokers are revealed.
Strike Range: The maximum “honorable”
difference that your card can have over
your opponent’s when Countering.
Playing outside this Strike Range
represents action unbefitting a samurai,
and earns you Stains.
Stunt: A special action that uses your bike
stats in place of a card value.
Sustenance: A Pack Resource linked to
food, currency, and trade goods.
Tech(nique): A special power the motobushi
can evoke to affect Duels and other
aspects of play.
Tiers: The levels of a character’s skill. Pack,
Sword, and Highway each has its own
four-tier progression.
Waves: Actions that Sensei takes against the
players, triggered by the revelation of both
player-deck Jokers.
Wild: When a card is allowed to be played
wild, it has any legal value that its
player declares
 At Dawn, We Ride:
Pack Creation
“A samurai with no group and no steed is not a samurai at all.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
By this point, you should have already
completed your First Founding. The pages
that follow will guide you through the
process for creating your own Pack. Make
sure to have the rest of your Pack with you,
as several of the steps require the presence of
the entire group at the table.
Let the Past be the Past…
For Now
Most characters will have complicated
pasts. Many motobushi are actively fleeing
those secret histories, and it’s not necessary
for the rest of the Pack to begin the game
with foreknowledge of these secrets.
During creation, focus most upon your
motobushi’s present and future, and provide
only a handful of vague but enticing hints
into her past. The past is a huge part of
this game, but it works best if allowed to
develop and emerge on its own during later
in-game flashbacks. Don’t create a detailed
background, just tell us who your motobushi
is right now, and let the rest make itself
known gradually through play.
Incorporating
The First Founding
If you haven’t done the First Founding
yet, you should do so before engaging in the
longer process of character creation. The
rules for running a First Founding are in
Sensei’s chapter (p. 87).
Who founded the Pack?
Remember: the events of the First
Founding set the stage for the rest of the
19
Pack’s Legacy. Who survived that event, to go
on and found the Pack? Was it the majority
of the group—or a smaller breakaway
contingent? Did the Pack founders decide to
defy orders to save their lives—or are they the
sole survivors of a glorious suicide charge?
How long has passed?
How much time has passed since the
First Founding and the present day of the
game that will follow will drastically change
your character options. If 30 or more years
have passed, then there’s a good chance that
some or even all of the original founders
might no longer be around. New generations
of riders will have come and gone: some,
children of original members following in
their parents’ footsteps; others joining as
Shinmai and working their way up the ranks.
On the other hand, if your game starts
mere weeks or months after the end of the
War, then the events of the First Founding
will be very heavy within the minds of the
riders. A few other soldiers from the allied
units might have joined up—or perhaps only
those First Founding survivors still ride.
Who (if anyone) is still around?
Are any of the original founders still
around? Are any of the players going to
continue playing those founders? This is
certainly an option, regardless of the time gap
between Founding and the start of the “Game
Proper.” Maybe the youngest recruit at the
Founding is still riding with the Pack a century
later. Or maybe the old Sarge is still around
on the periphery, now acting as Daimyo (liege
lord) to a new Pack of wandering soldiers.
On the Use of Templates
By default, Character Creation is based
on quick mostly-done templates, using the
“Guided Creation” option on the next few
pages. If you’re new to the game and want
to get through this stage quickly so you can
move on to more active play, just fill out a
sheet using one of the character templates and
move through the process with your group.
Your Sensei might offer you the choice to
use the detailed system below, and allows for
significantly more customization.
If you are unsatisfied with the basic
templates, you can instead build a character
from scratch (this option will work best
for experienced players). This procedure
supplements the Guided Creation process.
You’ll need to make use of the extended
character options, starting on page 25. The
custom process is below:
Balance Your Alignment (p 26)
Within each of the three codes, divide
six points between the two stats, with a
minimum of 0 and a maximum of 6 per stat.
Choose Your Birth Sign (p 29)
Write down your choice, take note of any
special requirements, and write down
theTriggers.
Choose Your Role (p 31)
Pick one of the core Pack Roles. You get the
first-tier Tech for free.
Choose Your Fighting Style (p 39)
Pick one of the seven Core Fighting Styles.
Then pick a first-tier Common Style Tech.
Choose Your Bike (p 44)
Pick one of the seven core bikes. You get the
first tier empowerment for free.
Choose Your Evolutions (p 48)
You get to choose two Evolutions to spend
within your three trees. See evolution rules
on p. 48.
Build Your Hand
Your initial Hand size is two cards plus
any additional bonus cards you might have
acquired from investing starting evolutions
in your Style tree.
20
Pick Your Gear
Give yourself an array of sensible gear. This
is almost entirely for narrative color.
Guided Creation Flow
Step 1: Who is Leader?
One of you should be Leader, taking the
Taicho template (p. 38). This is an important
decision, and should be made before anyone
else picks their characters. It is possible to
begin a game without a Taicho, but this is
an advanced option, so check and make sure
Sensei is okay with it.
Step 2: Pick your Role Template
The Pack Roles (starting on p. 31) are
based on thematic archetypes within the
genre. Each Role has an example character
that serves as a basic character template.
Everyone else should look over them and
choose one of those templates to play.
Step 3: Tweak the Template
Each of the base templates received two
free character Evolutions (see Evolution
section page 48), which have already been
invested in the power trees of Pack, Sword,
and Highway. Should you wish to change
your Birth Sign, Fighting Style, Bike, or
Evolutions, go through the custom creation
steps above.
Make sure you understand the following
bonuses as supplied by your evolutions:
TT Hand Size +X: Your base hand of cards
is permanently increased by 1 card. The
default hand size is 2 cards.
TT Strike Range +X: This permanently
increases your base Strike Range for
Counter and Escalate actions in Duels.
TT Ki Base +X: This permanently increases
your Ki Pool by 1. The default Ki Pool
starts at 7. Ki is used primarily for
empowering duel Techs, and replenishes
via Flashbacks and Birth Signs
Step 4: Understand the Codes
Each template features three Alignment
Codes: Laws of the Pack, Way of the
Sword, and Code of the Highway. We’ll
henceforth refer to these as the Alignments
and the Codes, interchangeably. Dedication
to these codes is a crucial part of the moto-
bushi lifestyle. Each code has a Rejection
stat (re) and an Embodiment stat (em), a
related Power Tree, and a mechanical realm
of empowerment. Respectively, these are:
TT Laws of the Pack: Pack Role. Nomad
(re) vs Brotherhood (em). Empowers
bonus draws.
TT Way of the Sword: Fighting Style.
Water (re) vs Steel (em). Empowers
strike range.
TT Code of the Highway: Motorcycle.
Will (re) vs Destiny (em). Empowers Ki
recovery.
The two stats in each code must always
combine to six, and neither can ever be above
6 or below 0. See p. 26 for full details on
codes.
Step 5: The Chain of Command
The Taicho now picks one or more of the
motobushi to serve as his “High Command.”
At most one-third of the non-Leader players
can be assigned to this rank, but only one
need be chosen. It is the chosen players’ choice
to accept or not. Everyone else is either of
Masked rank in the Pack, or a Shinmai. Once
the ranks are set, have each player take note of
their special rank ability below. Rank abilities
can only be used when dueling directly against
your own Pack mates.
TT Shinmai (Prospect): Against any other
Pack Members, you can play Aces as 14s
or 1s - choose after reveal.
Step 6: Sacrifices and Deeds
Your Deeds are past exploits which
you can reflect upon during Duels and
Gambits to gain additional power. Deeds
are primarily rooted in difficult choices that
you had to make in order to pursue the
motobushi lifestyle. Your lists of Deeds are
called Legacies, and each Legacy is attached
to one of the three Alignments. The first
Deed of each Legacy is always a sacrifice.
During Pack Creation, you and your
fellow players will work together as a group
to define the initial three Deeds of each Pack
member. This is a whole-group effort that
could take some lengthy table-time: each
player will describe aloud a sacrifice for the
player to her left, the player to her right, and
finally for herself.
TT (To Your Left) Laws of the Pack: The
Brotherhood Sacrifice—Name another
member of the Pack (player at the table),
and describe how they have wronged
the samurai to your left, and how the
samurai to your left was forced to let it go.
TT (To Your right) Way of the Sword: The
Murder Sacrifice—Name one person
the mobobushi to your right has killed in
pursuit of the Pack’s goals, and why.

TT Taicho (Pack Leader): On your first

turn in a Duel that you initiated against
another Pack member, you can return
your initiative card to your hand and
play a different one, before revealing it.
TT Junshou (High Command): Once per
conflict, can force a lower-ranked Pack
Member opponent to discard their last-
played card and play another in its place.
TT Keisotsu (Masked): Against any other
Pack Members, your Concedes cannot be
countered or escalated.

21
TT (Yourself) Code of the Highway: The
Relationship Sacrifice —Name one
relationship that you have abandoned
(or one that has abandoned you) due to
your pursuit of the wandering mobobushi
lifestyle.
These should all be separate moments from
each character’s past. Write down each of
them in the related first Deed slot under that
Code’s Legacy. Keep them short and simple, so
that they can be further embellished later in
play as you call upon and flash back to them.
“I killed my brother because he was a snitch”
is a good Sacrifice, while anything with deeper
fleshing-out should probably be simplified.
Step 7: Chose Your Maxims
For each of your three Codes, you should
write a short descriptive statement that you
feel captures the current balance of your stats
in that Code. It should be a statement that
your motobushi would feasibly make while
ruminating upon the subject in private, or
when questioned while drunk by a friendly
geisha. Below are some examples, taken both
from genre inspirations (the italicized quotes)
and Motobushido playtesters.
Pack
TT “Though I am born seven times, each time I
will be born as a samurai of my Pack.”
TT “A samurai’s word is harder than metal.”
TT “Every morning one should first do reverence
to his master.”
TT “For a warrior, there is nothing other than
thinking of his master.”
TT It is unfitting that one should be ignorant
of the history and origins of his Pack and
its retainers.
TT Brothers before Lovers.
TT You have to protect what’s yours and your
Pack’s.
Sword
TT “By just one single word, martial valor can
be made apparent.”
TT “With martial valor, if one becomes like
22
a revengeful ghost and shows great
determination, though his head is cut off,
he should not die.”
TT “One should always take the attitude of
standing above others in martial valor.”
TT “In the midst of a single breath, where
perversity cannot be held, is the Way.”
TT The way of the perfect warrior lies in
knowing when to wait, when to prepare,
and when to strike.
TT The unbloodied blade must never be
sheathed.
The pen is mightier than the sword,
TT
unless your opponent has a sword.
Highway
TT “Living without mistakes is truly
impossible.”
TT “Be true to the thought of the moment, and
avoid distraction.”
TT “There is surely nothing other than the
single purpose of the present moment.”
TT “The true outlaw finds the balance between
the passion in his heart and the reason in
his mind.”
TT The law and the road are one.
TT True freedom requires sacrifice and pain.
TT The true outlaw must balance the
passion in his heart with the beer in his
belly.
Step 8: Hope, Hate, Love, and Doom
Now, state your Hope, your Hate, your
Love, and your Doom, using the following
structure:
TT For Hope, tell everyone your motobushi’s
greatest unattainable desire. “I want
nothing” is not an acceptable answer.
TT For Hate, tell everyone the most
despicable thing your motobushi has ever
done to an enemy. “I have no enemies” is
not an acceptable answer.
TT For Love, tell everyone the most
despicable thing your motobushi has ever
done to a lover. “I’ve never had a lover” is
not an acceptable answer.
TT For Doom, predict your motobushi’s
death, based on his current course in
this life.
Step 9: Pack Details
Discuss and decide on the various
elements of the Pack. All of these will be
written down in the Leader’s logbook, and
will help establish the Pack as its own entity.
The following are the most important, and
other details might also be helpful:
Masks:
Your Mask is your most important personal
article. It is the face you will show your
enemies, your Pack identity physically
manifested. What does the mask look
like—vicious oni, snarling boars, painted
tiki faces? Do you all wear the same masks,
or are they personalized to the wearer?
Under what circumstances are Pack
members required to go masked? Most
Packs favor either the mempo (full-face)
or hoate (nose-and-below) masks. What
about yours?
Hair:
How does the pack require the members’
hair to be styled? In braids or knots? Shaved
in the back? Long and flowing? Mohawks?
Command Icon:
The leader always has some icon of command,
some physical thing that designates him as
leader. It is most often an engraved baton of
some kind, which can be held aloft, worn at
the belt, or kept in a gilded case. What is your
Pack’s command icon? A badge? A baton?
A ring? A particular bike?
Taboos and Superstitions:
Come up with one to three superstitions
that your Pack follows. Are there rituals you
adhere to? Things you just refuse to do?
Examples:
TT Never touch another brother’s bike.
TT Never sleep in the same place twice.
TT Never start your engines on Tuesdays.
TT Always listen to the advice of the street
cleaners.
23
TT Always leave a town by a different route
from that on which you entered.
TT Never ride in a cage.
TT Never cause pain to a dog.
Rites of Initiation:
What is the final ritual that a Shinmai must
undergo to earn his Mask in the Pack? Must
he duel another member, maybe even kill
one? Must he contribute some great piece of
art? Must he find another Shinmai to take
his place?
Pack Name:
What do you call yourselves? What name
or names do others call you? While not
every gang of motobushi gives itself a Pack
Name, they are almost certain to have
some kind of epithet applied to them by
the inhabitants of the regions they most
frequently roam.
Pack Symbol:
What is your symbol (also known as
your mon)? Is it a flag? A banner? A gory
spear‑mounted boar’s head that’s been tarred
and painted?
The Other Guys:
It is assumed that there are other motobushi
who ride with the players’ characters, filling
out the Pack ranks. Maybe one of them
drives the Pack’s “war wagon,” carrying
their extra stuff around behind the convoy.
These riders don’t necessarily need to be
named now, but they are all assumed to
be of “Masked” rank. Future characters
in the group will most likely come from
this retinue. Until then, however, these
additional riders exist entirely as non-
mechanical color.
The Pack Legacy and First Deed:
Like the characters, your Pack itself has
its own Legacy and Deeds, which will be
created as the story progresses. For now,
write down a one-sentence summary of the
First Founding events as the first recorded
Deed on a separate "Pack History" note
sheet. This Deed is now accessible to any
Pack Member as if it were their own.
Step 10: Initial Pack Resources
There are three Pack Resources which
must be managed during play. They are:
Morale (vice, satisfaction, and general Pack
morale), Sustenance (food and money), and
Operations (gas and vehicle repair). High
levels are good, and low are bad.
To determine initial ranks, the player of
either the Shingari or Taicho (if the Shingari
is not in play) role draws three cards from
the top of the shuffled player deck, one for
each Resource. For this draw, Jacks are 11,
Queens 12, Kings 13, Aces 14, the Red Joker
is 1, and the Black Joker is 15. That player
assigns each of the three cards to one of the
three Resources, and records them on the
Pack sheet.
It is possible to have really high draws
for all three. That’s okay—it just means
that your first session or two will be fairly
low‑threat. Enjoy it while it lasts. If all three
are really low, then get ready to fight for your
dinner tonight.
The Little Details
Obviously you will have your weapon and
bike, but you should also write down any
other specific pieces of gear you feel might
be important. Consider things such as your
armor, fan, kimono, tobacco box, and so
on. Maybe you keep an arquebus in your
saddlebag, and a pair of kiridashi in your
boots. Additional gear won’t always have
a strict mechanical use in the game, but it
can be important for developing flavor and
fleshing out your character. Don’t go wild
with this part, unless Sensei and the rest of
the group are on board. Just give yourself the
items which seem reasonable for the person
you have just created.
Name your character, if you haven’t
already. Your Pack is now created and ready
to ride. Rubber side down, my friend.
Resource Ranges
0 Depleted
1–4 Threatened
5–10 Subsistence
11–14 Surplus
15+ Bountiful
Example: The Taicho Kuwei draws three
cards, getting a Jack (11), a 3, and a 7. He
assigns the Jack to the Pack’s Sustenance, the 3
to Morale, and the 7 to Operation. This means
that at the start of the game, the Pack will have
a small excess of food and money (Surplus
level), and just enough fuel and spare parts
in order to ensure nominal transportation
efficiency (Subsistence level). However, they
are in dire need of some entertainment and
break-time, and if they don’t get it soon,
they will be in for some rough times ahead
(Threatened level).
 Blood, Grease, and Steel:
Detailed Character Options
First Founding Templates
These are only used in the First Founding
scene, which will be played out at the
beginning of every brand new saga, before
actual Pack Creation occurs.
The Bakushi (The Sapper)
TT Pack: Nomad 4 / Brotherhood 2. The
unit treats you as an outsider, but you feel
them beginning to warm to you.
TT Sword: Water 2 / Steel 4. Words have
their uses, but they are no match for the
strength of a good blade.
TT Highway: Will 2 / Destiny 4. The gods
have shown me guidance and truth. I have
my doubts, but who am I to question my
place in this world?
TT Reason to Live: To die would be a waste
of my skills.
TT Reason to Die: My self-sacrifice would be
most wonderfully explosive, indeed.
The Gunsou (The Sarge)
TT Pack: Nomad 0 / Brotherhood 6. The
unit is mother and father and lifeblood,
and worth more than any one member.
TT Sword: Water 2 / Steel 4. Words have
their uses, but they are no match for the
strength of a good blade.
TT Highway: Will 3 / Destiny 3. You stand
on the cusp of decision and fate. The world
is your oyster.
TT Reason to Live: When this is over, I will
return to hit the enemy even harder.
TT Reason to Die: Orders are orders, boys!
Charge!
25
The Kohei (The Veteran)
TT Pack: Nomad 2 / Brotherhood 4. This
unit is your family, but sometimes family
can be wrong.
TT Sword: Water 0 / Steel 6. War is
violence, and anyone who says otherwise
is a fool. You are the sword. You are the
bringer of death.
TT Highway: Will 3 / Destiny 3. You stand
on the cusp of decision and fate. The world
is your oyster.
TT Reason to Live: There will be other wars
to fight, mark my words.
TT Reason to Die: Been campaigning too
long; I’m due for my moment of glory.
The Nariagari (The Glory Hound)
TT Pack: Nomad 5 / Brotherhood 1. These
duty-bound knuckleheads could benefit
from some gumption and excitement.
TT Sword: Water 2 / Steel 4. Words have
their uses, but they are no match for the
strength of a good blade.
TT Highway: Will 2 / Destiny 4. The gods
have shown me guidance and truth. I have
my doubts, but who am I to question my
place in this world?
TT Reason to Live: It would be pointless to
die for a lost cause!
TT Reason to Die: Glory! Rah!
The Sekko (Scout)
TT Pack: Nomad 3 / Brotherhood 3. The
unit is as close as your family back home.
You have to declare your loyalties, and soon.
TT Sword: Water 2 / Steel 4. Words have
their uses, but they are no match for the
strength of a good blade.
TT Highway: Will 1 / Destiny 5. The highway
calls me, and one day I will know my place
in its designs.
TT Reason to Live: They’d never find me,
never even see me leave.
TT Reason to Die: Deserters are the worst
kind of scum.
The Shimpei (The New Recruit)
TT Pack: Nomad 1 / Brotherhood 5. The
unit is better than any family you’ve
ever known. If only they would take you
more seriously.
TT Sword: Water 4 / Steel 2. Words can be
stronger than swords, sometimes. That’s
what the elders say, at least.
TT Highway: Will 5 / Destiny 1. My heart’s
desires have never let me down, no matter
the call of the Fates.
TT Reason to Live: I’ve never known the kiss
of a woman.
TT Reason to Die: I’ll never amount to much
in life.
The Shoui (The Lieutenant)
TT Pack: Nomad 2 / Brotherhood 4. This
unit is your family, but sometimes family can
be wrong.
TT Sword: Water 2 / Steel 4. Words have
their uses, but they are no match for the
strength of a good blade.
TT Highway: Will 4 / Destiny 2. I will follow
the call of my heart until Fate shows me a
truer cause.
TT Reason to Live: I’ve got a wife and kids
back home.
TT Reason to Die: This is my duty. This is my
purpose.
The Ashigaru (The Grunt)
Special Note: If there are more than seven
players, then all additional players play Ashigaru.
TT Pack: Nomad 3 / Brotherhood 3. The unit
is as close as your family back home. You have
to declare your loyalties, and soon.
TT Sword: Water 3 / Steel 3. Sharpened blade
and skillful tongue each has its place. The
skill is in knowing which to apply.
26
TT Highway: Will 3 / Destiny 3. You stand
on the cusp of decision and fate. The world
is your oyster.
TT Reason to Live: There is so much more to
life than death for a lost cause.
TT Reason to Die: The soldier’s true purpose
is to die for his leaders.
Alignment Codes
Your motobushi must strive to adhere to
three core alignments of belief and action
that together define the way of Mobobushido.
These alignments—also referred to as the
Codes—are: Laws of the Pack, Way of the
Sword, and Code of the Highway. How
best to adhere to these codes is a subject
of much debate among those who live the
lifestyle. Some believe that the true samurai
should seek to fully embody all three at once
to utmost perfection. You, of course, are free
to choose your own way.
These codes directly empower your
character. The numbers in each stat
pair determine your ability to affect the
mechanics of Duels. Balance will give you
versatility, while specialization can provide
great focus and power.
Alignment Shifts
There will come times when you are forced
to shift one or more of your alignments.
This simply involves reducing one stat in an
alignment’s pair and increasing the other. For
example, if your Pack stats were at 2/4, and
you were forced to make a one-point shift
toward Nomad, then you would change the
balance to 3/3. These changes are usually
involuntary, although you can choose to
modify alignments via the use of evolutions.
Alignment shifts that push your charac-
ter to a rank of 7 in any stat result in what is
called Alignment Death. Read more below.
On Sixes and Zeroes
Obviously, a true samurai will strive to
fully dedicate himself to all three codes.
A 0/6 balance in all three stats represents
the samurai ideal. Such a warrior would be
wholly dedicated to his Pack, and truly at
one with the wandering warrior lifestyle. He
would be the perfect weapon, confronting
death without hesitation, never questioning
his place in the world.
Unfortunately (or thankfully),
your motobushi are people and far more
complicated than that. The samurai
described above is technically possible, but
will be constantly one breath away from
his own demise. This is because 0 and 6 are
extremely dangerous stats to have.
With a six in any alignment, you are
one step away from death, one alignment
shift away from removal from the game. See
Alignment Death below for more detail on
that mechanic.
With a zero in any alignment, you lack
any innate capability to mechanically excel
(or sometimes even function) in that area.
With a zero in Nomad or Brotherhood,
you risk getting no bonus cards before
duels, severely limiting your options and
significantly increasing the odds that you’ll
be killed. With a zero in Water or Steel,
you risk great Stain accrual during Duels.
In fact, you likely won’t even be able to
challenge an opponent without taking
Stains. Finally, a zero in either Will or
Destiny will severely hamper your ability to
use and regenerate Ki.
You can work around zero-ranked stats
with both solid character bonuses and good
roleplaying, but in the long run you will
likely find them to be more of a hindrance
than is worthwhile to accommodate.
Alignment Death
A character cannot willingly shift any of
their alignment stats higher than 6 or lower
than 0. However, sometimes in-game events
and consequences will force the character to
shift a code from 6 to 7. In such an instance,
the character has reached the end of her line
in the game and must somehow be removed
from play.
When a character is pushed to 7 in one
of her Embodiment stats (Brotherhood,
Steel, or Destiny), she is “consumed” by
27
that code. Likewise, when the character is
pushed to rank 7 in one of her Rejection stats
(Nomad, Water, or Will), she “abandons” that
code. In either case, the character must be
removed from play following an appropriate
scene or two wherein this abandonment
or consumption is played out. While not
all of these must necessarily end with the
motobushi’s actual death, all outcomes involve
removing the character from play.
You can find examples of typical Alignment
Deaths in the section below. Remember: not
every death is one of the blood.
The Alignments
Laws of the Pack
Mechanical Domain: Bonus card draws at
the beginning of Duels.
Embodiment Stat: Brotherhood. High focus
on Brotherhood will give you more cards
when you act in the interest of your Pack.
Rejection Stat: Nomad. High focus on
Nomad will give you more cards when you
act in your own interests.
Pack Rejection: You decide to travel on your
own, leaving the pack to go Nomad.
Pack Consumption: Your personality is
consumed by the pack entirely, and you
become just another faceless Mask, an
unthinking tool of the Leader.
The Laws of the Pack demand your
dedication to your band of brothers with
which you ride. While each Pack will have
its own take on the letter of these laws, all
share the expectation that a motobushi be
fully committed to his crew. Your Pack is your
family, and your Taicho’s word is law.
For a Taicho, dedication to this code means
taking care of your Pack. These are your
brethren, and if you treat them accordingly
then they will follow you anywhere. Likewise,
you must also prove your worth as a leader,
and avoid letting them down. When they
step out of line, you must make them realize
the error of their ways. Lead by example, and
discipline through example.
 For the rest of the Pack, following the Laws
means respecting your brothers, acting in the
interests of the Pack before all others (including
yourself ), and following your Taicho’s
command without question. When you don
the mask and colors, you are representing your
Pack, and your actions should loudly support
the image your Pack presents. To disobey your
Taicho or to feud against your brothers is to act
against the Laws.
Remember that these laws are open to
interpretation and may well have nuances
specific to your Pack. If ever the subject
should come into question in play, consult
your Pack’s Taicho or (more likely) Shigakka.
Way of the Sword
Mechanical Domain: Strike Range in Duels
Embodiment Stat: Steel. With high Steel,
your Strike Range will be greater when you
favor directness, intimidation, and straight-
up violence.
Rejection Stat: Water. With high Water,
your Strike Range will be greater when you
favor fluidity, strategy, and resilience.
Sword Rejection: Forsaking violence
entirely, you leave the pack and give up the
motobushi lifestyle.
Sword Consumption: Consumed by the
pressures upon your soul from those you
have slain, you commit ritual suicide
(usually by cutting your stomach). Name
a Second to behead you in the final death
spasms, if you wish.
The Way of the Sword represents not
just your dedication to killing, but also your
resolve to face danger proudly and overcome
it with direct force and immediate action.
The true samurai acts purely in the moment.
There is a time to strike, and that time is
now. The blow must be sure, the results must
be permanent.
By committing yourself wholly to the
Way of the Sword, you are assuming that
your death is inevitable and should not be
dodged. By acting as if you have already
attained that death, you shed all other
28
commitments save that of defeating your
enemy with total conviction. Those who do
not fully commit themselves to the Way will
have more freedom to hesitate, plan, and
assess strategy.
Code of the Highway
Mechanical Domain: Ki recovery through
Flashbacks and Birth Sign Triggers
Embodiment Stat: Destiny. With greater
Destiny, following fate and acting on whim
will allow you to replenish more Ki.
Rejection Stat: Will. With greater Will,
deliberate planning and deeper consideration
of all of a situation’s variables will allow you
to replenish more Ki.
Highway Rejection: You leave the pack to
settle down somewhere, start a family, and
enjoy a new stage of your life.
Highway Consumption: You take the Sunset
Ride, leaving without care or notice, never to
be seen again.
The Code of the Highway represents that
call to movement that separates common
samurai from motobushi. At the core of the
Code is one primary driving maxim: The
Pack Must Ride. The most dedicated Packs
will always be in motion, never tarrying too
long in one place before returning to the
road and whatever lies beyond.
The Code of the Highway is one of
conduct while on the road, as well as a
spiritual connection to that road. Those
who ride the trails should respect others
who share the same path, for they are
of the same ilk: nomads of the highway,
wandering spirits. This Code calls to both
warrior and vagrant alike, and in the eyes
of the Highway, there are few differences
between the two.
Those who truly dedicate themselves
to the Code of the Highway will lose
themselves in the call of the road and their
destiny to heed that call. Motobushi with
a lesser commitment to this Code possess
more inward focus, and maybe even the
ability to appreciate the stability of a more
stationary life.
Birth Signs
Your chosen Birth Sign represents your
motobushi’s thematic drive. Role-playing
your Birth Sign will both progress the
narrative and grant you mechanical boons.
Mechanically, your Birth Sign can be played
to both restore Ki mid-game and earn
Lessons for later discussion and voting. Each
Birth Sign is listed with a Ki Trigger and a
Lesson Trigger. If you begin to abuse the
Triggers, your game might suffer for it, and
Sensei will likely have a talk with you.
Ki Trigger
When your Ki Trigger occurs during play,
your character is eligible to restore some
points of lost Ki. Sensei will choose between
the following:
TT Was the trigger largely caused by your
own actions and/or intentions? If so,
restore an amount of Ki equal to your
Will stat.
TT Was the trigger largely caused by
circumstance, chance, and/or
coincidence? If so, restore an amount of
Ki equal to your Destiny stat.
Lesson Trigger
When a Lesson trigger occurs, you can write
down a new potential Lesson on your sheet.
Lessons must be discussed and voted upon
at the end of the session (p. 48). Remember:
Lessons don’t count unless you learn from
them.
New Signs
The list below is far from complete. Feel
free to come up with new signs that fit your
group, and check out the Mobobushido
website for periodic supplements.
The Signs
Aesthete
All your life, you’ve been drawn to things that
possess great beauty. Your appreciation of
such wonders has led you to amass a personal
collection of artistic trophies, which you just
might value more than your own life’s blood.
Special Requirements: Declare the scope of
your chosen obsession (Attire, Weapons,
Sculpture, Implements of Tea, etc.).
29
During play, you must seek out the objects
of your obsession, and try to collect them
when possible.
Ki Trigger: You acquire a man-made object
of great beauty.
Lesson Trigger: Your appreciation of
something’s beauty causes misfortune for
you or your allies.
Alpha
You have always been the baddest guy
around. When you set your sights on the
throne at the top of the hill, people tend
to get out of your way of their own accord.
Dominance is your destiny.
Ki Trigger: You get your way by threatening
or intimidating those beneath you.
Lesson Trigger: You humiliate an ally or
underling.
Beta
Some were born to lead, but you were
destined to follow. Leadership has never
suited you, and you’ve always been more
comfortable taking direction from those
wiser and stronger. You are empowered by
being put in place by your betters.
Special Requirements: Can’t begin play as
Taicho.
Ki Trigger: You concede in a Duel.
Lesson Trigger: You concede in a Duel’s
third stage, and live.
Comedian
Some look for opportunities to amass
wealth, or cripple their foes, or lead their
allies to greatness. You, on the other hand,
are ever vigilant for the perfect opportunity
to make others laugh. Call it a gift if you like,
but your destiny lies in the amusement of
those around you.
Ki Trigger: You make an in-character joke
that gets laughed at for real.
Lesson Trigger: Your sense of humor saves
the day or gets everyone else in trouble.
Downright Bastard
You were born to step on the hopes and
dreams of those you love the most. You
can’t help it; if Fate didn’t want you to take
advantage of your friends, she wouldn’t have
put them in your path, right?
Ki Trigger: You screw over an ally so you
can get the better deal.
Lesson Trigger: Your selfishness puts your
allies in danger.
Gambler
For every action, there is an equivalent
reaction, as well as a set of odds on how that
reaction plays out. You were born to bet
those odds. Whether or not you succeed at it
is another question altogether…
Ki Trigger: You make a wager in-game that
is accepted by another character.
Lesson Trigger: You lose a wager big time
and somehow survive.
Heartbreaker
By the time the other children were learning
about romantic courtship, you were already
breaking their hearts. You probably have a
string of broken lovers in every backwater
town in the seven counties, and maybe even
some young protégés seeking to learn your
secrets of guerilla romance.
Ki Trigger: You lie your way into having sex
with another character (includes SCs).
Lesson Trigger: You ruin the life of
someone who adores you.
Lover
You are drawn to passion and romance like a
moth to flame. Your world is full of bliss and
fortune when you are infatuated, and blind
misery when that affection is rebuffed or its
object turns out to be unattainable.
Ki Trigger: Your flirtations in-game (with
PCs or SCs) are reciprocated.
Lesson Trigger: You fall in love, or your love
is forcefully taken from you.
Orator
Great words must be spoken throughout
history, and by the Fates, you will be the one
to speak them. You are always ready with a
quip and a speech, on the off chance of an
unoccupied spotlight. You are the kind of
person who always keeps a second pair of
sunglasses on their person.
30
Ki Trigger: You deliver an impromptu
one-liner which others feel is truly quote-
worthy.
Lesson Trigger: You deliver an impromptu
epic monologue that rouses your allies to
feats of honor and greatness.
Outsider
Destiny determined that you would
never quite fit in. With friends, family,
or strangers, you miss social cues and
misunderstand etiquette. Even among your
own Brothers, you lurk on the outer fringe
of the core crew.
Ki Trigger: Your lack of cultural
understanding offends someone.
Lesson Trigger: Your lack of cultural
understanding either saves the day or
ruins everything.
Prince
While some were born to be leaders, you
were born to be a constant thorn in the
side of the powerful. You flourish when you
challenge your superiors, their actions, and
their agendas. Most likely your parents were
great leaders, and you chafed against their
demanding parentage.
Special Requirements: Can’t begin play as
Taicho.
Ki Trigger: You butt heads with your
higher-ups.
Lesson Trigger: Your conflict with
higher‑ups causes misfortune to your
allies or leads to you getting your ass
handed to you.
Sidekick
Your destiny is directly linked to that of
someone greater. You are drawn to their side
to help them achieve glory and honor. While
not specifically subservient to them, you seek
to help them achieve greatness.
Special Requirements: You must name
another motobushi to be your chosen hero.
Ki Trigger: Your Buddy wins a Duel
through your help as Second.
Lesson Trigger: Your Buddy loses a Duel
despite your help as Second.
Spider
Secrets are drawn to you like flies to a dew-
covered web. Even when secrets don’t make
their way to you of their own accord, you
are unusually adept at finding them on your
own and adding them to your ever-growing
hoard.
Ki Trigger: You discover a new secret that
could really shake things up.
Lesson Trigger: A secret you’ve kept causes
misfortune to your loved ones.
Tragic Hero
You are destined to follow great causes and
fail miserably at them. You can and will
succeed at a great many things in life, but
those of the most noble importance will
always call you forth to follow and fall. You
can’t resist the call of honor and duty, even if
sometimes your only true accomplishment is
to serve as a lesson to others.
Ki Trigger: Your attempt to do good causes
misfortune in your loved ones.
Lesson Trigger: You fail misterably at a
cause that both Sensei and your Pack feel
is sufficiently noble.
Wise Mentor
Even in your youth, peers sought you out
for your keen insight and sound advice. Your
nature has always been to find someone
most in need of guidance, and lead them
along what you deem to be a “better” path.
That guidance isn’t always desired or
appreciated, but that’s usually because the
student doesn’t know any better.
Special Requirements: You must choose
another motobushi to be your student.
Ki Trigger: Your advice leads your student
to success.
Lesson Trigger: Your student exceeds even
your own capability, or succeeds despite
your warnings or advice.
Pack Roles
Your chosen Role determines your job
within the Pack, and your riding position
when the Pack travels. These core Roles
are based on a fictional merging of ancient
samurai and American motorcycle club
archetypes and folklore. This is less your
class and more your caste within the Pack;
Roles change very, very rarely, and only with
special circumstances.
Your Role gives you access to a number
of powers and techniques. Your main Role
Tech will advance in skill and versatility as
you evolve it. Your Secondary Tech serves
as a backup ability, to supplement other
areas of play. Finally, your Fratricide Tech
only applies when you’re fighting against
your own Brothers. Remember: Intra-Pack
conflict is a thing that can, should, and likely
will happen in this game.
Changing Your Role
This is technically possible, but it should
always be an extremely big deal within
the game narrative. Switching your
responsibilities within the Pack should only
happen in moments of either dire necessity
or, in the case of the elevated Shinmai, great
prestige. If the Shinmai has earned his mask,
or the old leader has passed on and it’s time
to elect a new one, play out the scenes and
rituals in-game.
When this occurs, you don’t gain a new
Role evolution tree. Instead, erase any major
tier Role abilities that you have yet to acquire
on your previous Role, and fill them in with
the abilities from the new Role, starting from
Tier 1 of that Role. So if you’ve attained tier
1 and 2 of Shingari and then switch to Migi
Ude, you keep the two Shingari techs that
you’ve already earned. When you gain your
third Pack Tier, you will instead acquire the
Tier 1 Tech of the Migi Ude.
By doing this you will miss out on
the top-tier powers of both Roles, but
you will be able to mitigate that with
mechanical versatility.
The Roles
Bosozoku, the Running Tribe
You are a full Pack member, and have gained
enough recognition to have made a name
for yourself, but either have yet to acquire a
more specialized role within the group, or
simply don’t want the responsibility. If none
of the other Pack Positions interest you, then
the Bosozoku is the default choice.
Playing the Bosozoku: When you pick
the Bosozoku, you are saying, “I want to be
part of the Pack, but I also want to avoid
major responsibilities and maintain my
individual versatility.” The Bosozoku template
in this book is an intentionally-balanced
character for those who want to just jump in
and play without worrying too much about
strategy. You start with equal ranks in all
stats, and little to no greater responsibility
within the Pack aside from the usual
requirements of loyalty and brotherhood. It’s
a good template to grab if you want to dive
in without too much thought to mechanics.
A Note to Other Players: Remember,
the Bosozoku is not a Shinmai. Do not treat
him like one. He is a full-ranked member of
the Pack, and due all respect that deserves.
Riding Position: Bosozoku fill out the
middle ranks of the convoy.
Recommended Birth Signs: Beta,
Comedian, Outsider, Sidekick
Primary Role Tech: Stamp Quickly and
Pass Through a Wall of Iron—The Strike
Range on your Initiative card is increased
additionally by your Pack Tier.
32
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 4: Your Pack Tier now increases the
Strike Range of your Escalations, as well.
Secondary Tech: When a higher-ranked
member gives you an order, you gain
+1 Strike Range for Duals and Techs
in service to that order if you act
immediately. If you ignore the order or
delay taking action, instead replenish Ki
equal to your Pack Tier.
Fratricide Tech: When you kill another
brother in combat, record a lesson and
replenish Ki equal to their social rank
within the pack: 1 for Shinmai, 2 for Keis-
otsu, 3 for Junshou, and 4 for Taicho. Then
permanently increase your Ki Pool by +1.
Takeda - The Bosozoku
Birth Sign: The Beta
Style: Sojutsu
1st Style tech: Vicious Strike
Bike: Kyosha
Codes:
• Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 3 /
Brotherhood: 3
• Way of theSword - Water: 3 /
Steel: 3
• Code of the Highway - Will: 3 /
Destiny: 3
Starting Evolutions:
• +1 Ki Pool
• +1 Cohort Bonus
Hahaoya, the Den Mother
You are the heart of the pack, counselor and
troublemaker, lover or advisor (or both) to
the Taicho. You have the leader’s ear, and
frequently use it to your advantage. You are
in many ways the other leader of the Pack.
You are possibly the leader’s “saddle lover,” or
maybe the previous leader’s, or even some
former leader so embedded in the pack’s
history that no one really remembers him.
Whatever your relationship with the
leadership, you are a force to be reckoned
with. You have some level of sway with the
Leader, and all other Pack members should
fear your wrath.
Playing the Hahaoya: When you pick
the Hahaoya, you are saying, “I want to
influence intra-Pack politics and conflict.”
The Hahaoya works best when he balances
between resolving intra-pack conflict, and
causing it. Pitting brothers against each other
and then healing those wounds is where the
Hahoya excels. He is also explicitly intended
to serve as a foil to the Taicho. Please Note:
The Hahaoya is so named based on thematic
archetypes within the source fiction. Like
all roles, this one is open to both male and
female motobushi.
Riding Position: As the “heart” of the Pack,
you ride in the center, surrounded by
the Bosozoku.
Recommended Birth Signs: Aesthete,
Downright Bastard, Prince, Spider
Primary Role Tech: Check and Mate—
The Hahaoya can always block a king
by playing a queen of the same or higher
suit. Note that a following King can still
counter your Queens.
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 2: Your Queens of any suit can
now counter Kings. State your decision
to Block or Counter when you play
your card.
TT Tier 3: Every Queen played against you
by your opponent restores a point of your
Ki the moment it is placed on the table.
TT Tier 4: Immediately after initiating
a Duel challenge, you may swap any
number of Queens from Discard with
non-Queen cards from your hand.
33
Secondary Tech: Whenever any Packmate
would take Stains in your presence, you
can take them instead, without their
consent, up to your current Pack tier.
Fratricide Tech: Whenever a Packmate kills
another Packmate in defense of your honor,
you burn Stains equal to your current Pack
Tier, and both of you record a Lesson.
Mitsuko – The Hahaoya
Birth Sign: The Spider
Style: Naginata-Jutsu
1st Style tech: Float and Sting
Bike: Hachidori
Codes:
• Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 5 /
Brotherhood: 1
• Way of the Sword - Water: 3 /
Steel: 3
• Code of the Highway - Will: 2 /
Destiny: 4
Starting Evolutions:
• +1 Hand Size
• +1 Cohort Bonus
Kusawake, the Trail Blazer
You are the forward scout, the fastest rider
in the bunch. Your keen eyes are the Pack’s
first line of defense against ambushes and
other dangers of the open road. A good
‘Blazer scouts out the battlefield in advance.
When traveling, you ride ahead of the pack,
sometimes miles in advance, sometimes just
barely within sight.
 Playing the Kusawake: When you
pick the Kusawake, you are saying, “I want Shiroichi – The Kusawake
to see what lies ahead, and warn the Pack
of impending danger.” With a Kusawake Birth Sign: The Comedian
in the group, your Pack will have a greater Style: Kyudo
understanding of the road ahead—unless 1st Style tech: The Branch
the Kusawake chooses to use his power to Overcomes the Tree
further only his own plans and ability. After
all, while the Kusawake may have the ability Bike: Kamikaze
to predict many dangers, he is by no means Codes:
required to share that foreknowledge with • Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 5 /
the rest of the group. Brotherhood: 1
• Way of the Sword - Water: 2 /
Riding Position: You ride alone, far ahead of Steel: 4
the Pack, and keep an eye out for dangers • Code of the Highway - Will: 1 /
and ambush. Destiny: 5
Recommended Birth Signs: Comedian, Starting Evolutions:
Gambler, Outsider, Prince • +1 Strike Bonus
Primary Role Tech: Far Sight—When an • +1 Ki Pool
Omen ( Joker) is revealed from the Player
Deck by any player, you can either place it Migi Ude, the Enforcer
on the bottom of the deck, or let it become
an Omen and draw a new card, which
you immediately add to your hand. This
temporarily increases your Hand size
until that Omen is reshuffled. This can be
done a number of times each session equal
to your Pack Tier. Jokers returned to the
deck in this fashion do not trigger Omens.
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 4: Far Sight can now be used on
Sensei jokers as well.
Secondary Tech: Outside of a Duel,
once per session per Pack Tier rank the
Kusawake can look at the top cards of
You are the loyal living sword of the Taicho,
Sensei’s deck, then return them to the
and follow even his most despicable orders
top of the deck in the same order. The
with enthusiasm and skill. Your ability to
number of cards he can see is equal to the
follow order without question is crucial to
Kusawake’s Role tier.
your closeness with the Pack’s leader, who
Fratricide Tech: When you kill another frequently calls upon you to perform messier
brother, record a Lesson, eliminate tasks that no one else wants to do. Your
your current Stains, and reshuffle all actions are most effective when they put you
currently-revealed Omens back into at odds with the rest of the Pack, taking the
both decks. burden of your Packmates anger so that the
leader can retain their favor.
Playing the Migi Ude: When you pick
the Migi Ude, you are saying, “I want the
Leader to give me dirty jobs, and I want
to do things that will likely anger the
34
other samurai.” The Migi Ude must walk
a fine line between proving his usefulness Haachi - The Migi Ude
to the group and pissing off the other
motobushi as much as possible. While his Birth Sign: The Prince
powers can be extremely useful to the Pack’s Style: Niten Ichi-ryu
goals, they are also specifically designed to 1st Style tech: Dazzling Display
cause problems each time he uses them.
Bike: Arashi
Riding Position: You ride near the front, Codes:
just behind the Shinmai, if any are present. • Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 1 /
Otherwise you ride immediately behind Brotherhood: 5
the Taicho • Way of the Sword - Water: 1 /
Steel: 5
Recommended Birth Signs: Alpha, Beta,
Downright Bastard, Prince • Code of the Highway - Will: 3 /
Destiny: 3
Primary Role Tech: Dirty Work—When
Starting Evolutions:
acting under direct orders from the
• +1 Hand Size
Taicho, you gain a bonus draw at the
beginning of a Duel for each other • +1 Strike Bonus
present-in-person (in-game and in-scene)
member of the Pack who disapproves of
your current course of action to the point Shigakka, the Historian
of possible retaliation.
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 2: …a bonus card draw and a
replenished point of Ki.
TT Tier 3: Should any of the brothers
initiate a Duel with you over your
offending actions, you record a Lesson.
TT Tier 4: The members no longer have to
be physically present in the scene (but
their players must still be at the table).
If they are also in the scene with your
character, their granted bonus is doubled.
Secondary Tech: When you would take
You record the annals of the Pack, help design
Stains for following the Leader’s orders,
their masks, and maintain their mon. You
you can shift them to him instead, or to any
recite Pack histories and exploits at mealtime,
other Packmate near you at the time, with
and keep the crew in good spirits. During
or without their consent. You can shift a
battle, you chant the lineages of the members
maximum number of Stains equal to your
and the exploits of the Pack to bolster the
Pack Tier per Duel or outside action.
Pack’s confidence and intimidate the enemy.
Fratricide Tech: If you do not get into a
Playing the Shigakka: When you pick
fight with a brother at least once during
the Shigakka, you are saying, “I want to
each scenario, you gain non-shiftable
support my brothers in everything they
Stains equal to your current Pack Tier.
do, and make their History known to the
When Dueling another brother, you can
world.” The Shigakka is very much a support
spend their Stains as Ki. If you lose, all of
character, but that doesn’t mean she can’t
their Stains are moved to you.
act on her own. While her Role techs focus
on enhancing her Packmates’ abilities and

35
serving as a Second in Duels, her Style techs
Codes:
and other core mechanics make her a capable
combatant in her own right as well. • Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 0 /
Brotherhood: 6
Riding Position: You ride second-to-last, • Way of the Sword - Water: 4 /
Steel: 2
just ahead of the Shingari.
• Code of the Highway - Will: 2 /
Recommended Birth Signs: Aesthete, Destiny: 4
Orator, Spider, Wise Mentor Starting Evolutions:
Primary Role Tech: Master of the Annals— • +1 Cohort Bonus
Before another Brother engages in a • +1 Ki Pool
Gambit or Duel, recite aloud an inspiring
piece of that character’s history with the
Pack. The rest of the play group must Shingari, The Tail Gunner
deem it suitably glorious, or otherwise
significant in its immediate relevance.
If a Gambit: The player’s total card ranks are
increased by your Pack Tier.
If a Duel: That player acquires a temporary
“Glory Pool” equal to your Pack Tier.
Glory Points can be spent at any time
during the Duel as if they were Ki, or
to add +1 to a single maneuver’s Strike
Range for each point spent. Glory Pool
cannot be shared, given, or stolen, and it
disappears when the Duel ends.
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 4: If you did not choose “Blood” as You are a combination of grease money and
your Demand before a Duel, then you vehicular quartermaster for the Pack, and
cannot be killed in that Duel. also their rear guard. You help keep pace at
the rear, and assist with scrapes and repairs
Secondary Tech: When you serve as
of those who fall behind. You maintain the
Second in a Duel, your Pack Tier is added
scrap and repair supplies, and keep tabs
as a bonus draw to the hand of the Duelist
on the Pack’s collective weaponry. Also
you are supporting.
known as the “road captain,” the Shingari
Fratricide Tech: When you kill another traditionally plans the travel routes and
Brother, your Ki Pool is completely makes sure everyone gets there sooner or
replenished after the Duel ends, and later. When a rider pops a flat or springs an
all other Pack members’ Ki Pools are oil leak, you’re there on the spot to fix it. You
immediately reduced to zero. are always the last one out.
Playing the Shingari: When you pick
the Shingari, you are saying, “I want to hold
Nioboyuki - The Shigakka the rear, pick up the slack, keep our Bikes in
good shape, and keep a good eye out for my
Birth Sign: The Wise Mentor
fellows.” The Shingari works best as a stra-
Style: Hou-jutsu tegic and deliberate character. Riding in the
1st Style tech: Fire from the Hip rear, he has a lot of time to observe things
before he needs to act. With careful planning
Bike: Tora
and a keen eye for Operations management,
he can be quite a formidable character.

36
Riding Position: The Shingari always rides
at the very rear to help out any stragglers Bike: Inazuma
who lag behind. Codes:
Recommended Birth Signs: Gambler, • Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 2 /
Lover, Spider, Wise Mentor Brotherhood: 4
Primary Role Tech: Salvage–You treat the • Way of the Sword - Water: 2 /
Steel: 4
Discard Pile as a Faction during Duels.
• Code of the Highway - Will: 2 /
You can only access a limited number of Destiny: 4
cards at the top of the Discard Pile, up to
your Pack Tier; and each play costs you 1 Starting Evolutions:
point of Ki. • +1 Hand Size
• +1 Cohort Bonus
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 4: When a card would normally be
flipped over and set aside during a Duel, Shinmai, the Prospect
you can spend a number of Ki equal to the
current Duel stage to send the card to the
top of the Discard Pile instead. Addition-
ally, the Sensei Discard Pile is now available
to you, with the same restrictions.
Secondary Tech: Once per session, you
can shift points between any two Pack
Resources. The maximum number of
points that can be shifted is equal to your
Pack tier.
Fratricide Tech: When you fight against
another brother, you can draw on your
superior knowledge of supplies and
engineering to spend Operations like
Both a Role and a Rank, the Shinmai is the
Ki. This represents sabotage, jury-rigged
new guy, petitioning to join the ranks of the
weapons and tools, etc. When you kill
Pack. You are frequently sent on minor and
another brother in a duel, increase Pack
potentially embarrassing errands considered
Operations by the total number of
beneath the full members. As the newest
Dots filled on their Highway diamond
candidate for membership to the Pack, you
(including the first one).
are under the heel and command of every
Special: If the Shingari is in play, he has final other Masked member.
say on any and all player uses of the Op-
You always ride fairly close behind the
erations pack resource, unless overruled
Taicho. The rest of the Pack watches you,
by the Taicho on a case-by-case basis. Ad-
observing your behavior. Over time they
ditionally, the Shingari player may never
will determine if you deserve to wear the
shuffle the discard pile.
Mask of the Pack, and become one of the
motobushi. After a trial period, the Pack
members will give their final thoughts on the
Budo – The Shingari matter to the Taicho, who will weigh their
Birth Sign: The Gambler counsel and determine whether or not you
are ready. It’s up to you to earn their respect.
Style: Zanbato-ryu
1st Style tech: Deepest Sleeves Playing the Shinmai: When you pick
Hide Secrets the Shinmai, you are saying, “I want to
perform the Pack’s errands, and earn respect
37
by climbing up from the bottom.” You’re
going to get shat upon and sent off to do Michiko - The Shinmai
stupid errands, and you’re going to love Birth Sign: The Orator
every minute of it. Being the low man on Style: Tessen-jutsu
the pole has great advantages, and chances
are, you are going to cause many problems 1st Style tech: Split the Hair
that the others will have to clean up. As a Bike: Saijin
player, if you revel in this Role and play it Codes:
for all it’s worth, the narrative rewards will
• Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 1 /
be great indeed. Brotherhood: 5
• Way of the Sword - Water: 3 /
Riding Position: Behind the Taicho, so Steel: 3
others can judge your worth. • Code of the Highway - Will: 4 /
Recommended Birth Signs: Beta, Destiny: 2
Heartbreaker, Lover, Sidekick Starting Evolutions:
Primary Role Tech: The Low Road— • +1 Strike Bonus
Being the low man on the totem pole has • +1 Ki Pool
few advantages, but sometimes there’s
hope to be found in unlikely places.
Normally, only a two can counter an ace, Taicho, the Pack Leader
but you can counter any Ace with twos
and threes.
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 2: You can counter any Ace with
twos, threes, and fours; or ignore this
evolution and immediately take the Tier
4 power instead (with unanimous Pack
approval).
TT Tier 3: ...and counter any Kings with
twos and threes; or ignore this and
immediately take the Tier 4 power
instead (with unanimous Pack approval).
TT Tier 4: You’ve earned the right to a
trial for acceptance as a fully-Masked You lead, and the rest follow. Your word is
member. Play this out in-game. If law, and a strong leader will be prepared to
successful, pick a new Role, and replace enforce that law as necessary. You are the
this tier with the first tier Tech for that rider the enemy will see first, and thus must
Role. You retain all previously-earned embody your Pack’s spirit.
Shinmai Role powers and now have the Playing the Taicho: When you pick the
rank of Masked (Keisotsu). Taicho, you are saying, “I want to give orders,
and have the other motobushi obey me
Secondary Tech: For each new game
without question.” You are in charge and you
scenario, you can ignore the first Stains
should make that apparent. Determine in
you earn, up to your current Pack tier.
advance what kind of leader you will be, and
Fratricide Tech: When you kill another play it up. Don’t waffle, don’t sit on fences.
brother in combat, you immediately earn You’ve got the techs to back up your law, but
your fourth-tier Role Tech, and the Pack mechanics will only take you so far: it takes
must immediately decide whether or not roleplaying skill to really fill out the position
you die or earn your Mask. of Taicho.
38
Riding Position: As the leader, you always
ride at the front of your convoy. Only the
Kusawake rides ahead of you, far enough
to scout out the way.
Recommended Birth Signs: Alpha, Orator,
Tragic Hero, Wise Mentor
Primary Role Tech: The Lord’s Fist—By
spending Ki equal to the current stage of
a Duel, you can Counter or Block with a
King and ignore Strike Range.
Additional Primary Evolutions:
TT Tier 2: Any time a King would be added
to the players’ discard pile, you can instead
choose to swap it with one of the cards
already invested in an existing Faction.
TT Tier 3: Your Kings can no longer be
Blocked by other Kings.
TT Tier 4: By spending Ki equal to the
current stage of the duel, you can
play any card face-down as a King of
the same suit. This can be combined
with the Tier 1 power by spending
additional Ki.
Secondary Tech: Should you ever suffer a
Karmic Retribution, everyone else in the
pack suffers one as well.
Fratricide Tech: When a brother starts a fight
with you and you slay them, remove all of
your stains and gain one free Evolution.
Haruna Tar-Face — The Taicho
Birth Sign: The Alpha
Style: Itto-ryu
1st Style tech: Relentless Assault
Bike: Tatsu
Codes:
• Laws of the Pack - Nomad: 2 /
Brotherhood: 4
• Way of the Sword - Water: 1 /
Steel: 5
• Code of the Highway - Will: 3 /
Destiny: 3
Starting Evolutions:
• +1 Hand Size
• +1 Strike Bonus
39
Fighting Styles
When you choose your motobushi’s
fighting style, you are selecting not only
your preferred weapon, but also your whole
approach to martial conflict. Your choice
of preferred fighting style is one of both
image and function. Utmost devotion to
your Style can lead to mastery of that style’s
ultimate Tech; deviation from your training
will leave it beyond your grasp forever. How
do you want your character to approach
physical combat? Which ultimate Tech do
you hope to attain? Both are important
considerations.
Style Techs
Your Techs are special techniques you gain
from mastery of your chosen Styles. At
Sword Tiers 1 through 3 you learn new
powers from the Common Style Techs (p.
41), and at Tier 4 you learn your style’s unique
Ultimate Tech (below). Unless specifically
noted, all Style Techs require Ki to activate. A
Tech’s Ki cost is equal to the Tier at which
you learned that Tech. So a Tech learned
at Tier 2 will cost 2 Ki to activate in a duel,
while your Ultimate Tech will cost 4 Ki.
Tech Combos
Each description of a core style includes
advice on what common techs combine
well with its ultimate tech. These are simple
guidelines, and far from the final word on
the options available to you. There are a
great number of effective tech combos based
on style compatibility, Alignment arrays,
Role Techs, and even Bike specialties. Play
around with different options and see what
works for you.
Core Styles and Ultimate Techs
Itto-Ryu, the Single Blade
You wield the single sword, and are adept
at fighting with your off hand empty. Some
variants of this style might involve using
your belt or robe as a countering force,
although it’s entirely a matter for narrative
color. Itto-Ryu’s ultimate Tech focuses on
striking first and striking hard, and will
benefit from supplementary techs that
increase your Strike Range.
Ultimate Technique: Iai. Activate this
when both sides are ready to play the Duel
but before any initiative cards are revealed.
In a swift single motion, draw your sword
and strike. Reveal your card and immediately
start the duel in the “Struggle” stage as if you
had won the first Stage. Your challenge card
represents your first play in this new stage,
and it earns Stains as a normal Escalation. If
your opponent Blocks this card, your Tech
is canceled and you take three Stains unless
you can prevent that Block. Successful or
not, neither side earns an Allowance through
use of this Tech.
Hou-Jutsu, the Guns
This style is largely open
to interpretation. “The
guns” in which you have
chosen to specialize
could be anything from
twin revolvers, to a Tommy gun, to mounted
artillery, to a laser pistol. In the end game,
Hou-Jutsu counts on fights where you have
guns and your opponent does not. It is most
effective when used in combination with techs
that increase your hand or decrease your
opponent’s play options.
Ultimate Technique: This is a Gunfight.
Activate when resolving initiative, and earn
no Stains during this duel if your opponent
is not also using a gun.
Kyudo, the Bow
The most ancient style known
to the samurai, the bow remains
an elegant and highly effective
weapon. Those who truly master
Kyudo can rain a hail of death
upon their foes. The bow’s
ultimate technique is particularly
effective when combined
with Techs that increase your
hand size and Ki reserves.
Ultimate Technique: Blacken
the Sky. (Cost variable.) On your
turn, spend X number of Ki to
40
force your opponent to immediately discard
that number of cards from their hand. You
must leave them with at least one card.
Naginata-Jutsu, the Pole Blade
Some may consider the naginata to be a
lesser weapon for a samurai to wield, but
those arrogant few rarely survive a martial
encounter against one. Valued most for its
ability to maintain a controlling fighting
distance, Naginata-Jutsu is a particularly
effective style when combined with Techs
that increase your versatility or decrease that
of your opponents.
Ultimate Technique: Strike at the Heel.
Activate on your turn in a Duel. Name a
card value (such as King, Three, etc.). Your
opponent may not play that value during
the rest of this conflict. You may spend 6 Ki
total to name an entire suit instead.
Niten Ichi-Ryu, the Two Swords
Practitioners of this style—named for a
legendary samurai who wielded it—use
both katana and wakizashi when they fight.
Masters of Niten Ichi-Ryu can assault their
opponent with a wall of blades, which works
especially well in combination with Techs
that lower your opponent’s hand size.
Ultimate Technique: Eight Directions.
Activate this on your turn as a special
Maneuver. Play up to 8 cards of any rank
from your hand, spreading them on the
table in front of you. Your opponent must
counter or block each card separately within
her Strike Range. Any card successfully
countered or blocked is flipped, as are the
countering and blocking cards. Each card
of yours that is undefended deals stains to
your opponent based on its suit (S/H/D/C
= 4/3/2/1). If more than one card remains,
flip all save one of your choice or leave the
highest unblocked card face-up as your
move. It is now your opponent’s turn. If your
opponent managed to block or counter every
card, their highest-played card acts as their
turn. Flip over all the rest. It is now your
turn again.
Using this Tech will not earn you any
Stains.
Sojutsu, the Spear
Specialists of this straightforward style
can deliver sudden, forceful assaults that
not even the gods themselves could defend
against. Techs that increase Ki pool and
hand size will be very useful for practitioners
of Sojutsu.
Ultimate Technique: To Pierce a God.
Your next card played is wild and cannot be
blocked.
Tessen-Jutsu,
the War Fan
The Tessen is an oft-forgotten weapon:
easily concealable and so common that
many unwary fighters would scoff at the
idea of one being used in combat. But there
are legends of entire assault squads being
defeated by a lone warrior with a will of iron
and no weapon but his war fan. The Tessen-
Jutsu style favors versatility; practitioners
will benefit from learning multiple techs of
contrasting function in order to be ready for
anything at any time.
Ultimate Technique: Not What You
Were Expecting. When you learn this tech,
pick any common Tech and write it down
as your fourth-tier tech. When you activate
it in a Duel, you can also activate another
common Tech you know for no additional
Ki cost.
Zanbato-Ryu, the Greatsword
No longer common on the battlefield, the
massive Nodachi and Zanbato can still
41
sometimes be found in the skilled hands of
wandering samurai. Wielding a greatsword
from the saddle is a feat of tremendous skill
and strength, and such warriors should not be
taken lightly. Zanbato-Ryu’s ultimate strikes
are nigh impossible to weather, especially
when combined with Techs that reduce your
opponent’s options and hand size.
Ultimate Technique: Penetrating Strike.
Your next card cannot be countered or
blocked (but it can be escalated). This tech-
nique cannot be used when Escalating a Duel.
Common Techs
The Common Techs are grouped into
three-tier sets according to theme. To learn
any of the later techs in a given group, you
must first learn those that come before it
(thus you need to learn the first Anti-Bike
Tech before you can learn the second, and
so on).
Special Note: All Techs can be used in
combination with each other, provided you
can afford the Ki costs, unless specific rules
state otherwise. Go. Play.
Anti-Bike
1. Unhorse: Activate when Blocking,
Countering, or Escalating. Opponent is
removed from their Bike. They cannot
Stunt or use any Bike powers. They can
re-seat themselves by discarding any
card from their hand during their turn.
2. Low Blow: Activate when Countering
during (or Escalating to) the Struggle
or Finishing Blow stages. Take 2 Stains.
Lower your opponent’s Bike Endurance
by your current Strike Range.
3. Spear in the Spokes: Activate when
your opponent declares use of a Bike
Stunt to cancel that Stunt. Your
opponent must still spend the Stunt’s
Ki cost.
Blocking
1. The Branch Overcomes the Tree:
Use when blocking. Your opponent’s
following action cannot be a Counter.
 2. The Tree Overcomes the Storm:
Use when blocking. Your opponent’s
following action cannot be an
Escalation.
3. Leaf in the Wind: Block your
opponent’s Counter with any card from
your hand, played face-down.
Directing the Flow
1. Relentless Assault: Your next card can
only be countered by another card of
the same suit.
2. Catch the Blade: Use immediately
after your opponent plays a Counter.
They must now flip that card over and
play another one instead. Cannot be
used during the Confrontation stage of
a Duel.
3. Reverse the Blade: Use when your
opponent Escalates. Their played card
is flipped over and the Escalation is
canceled. It is still their turn.
Your Strike Range:
1. Vicious Strike: Spend Ki up to your
current Sword Tier. Your Strike Range
for this action is increased by the
number of Ki you spent. This Tech
does not have the standard Ki cost
based on Tier.
2. Spin the Grip: Activate immediately
after the Duel questions have been
resolved. Discard any number of cards
from your hand and add that number
to your Strike Range for the rest of
the duel.
3. Strike without Sight: Your next card
will not earn you Stains if it is out of
your Strike Range.
Their Strike Range
1. Float and Sting: Discard a number
of cards up to your current Sword
Tier. Your opponent’s Strike Range
is reduced by that amount for the
remainder of the Duel.
42
2. Staggering Strike: Spend Ki up to your
current Sword Tier. Your opponent’s
Strike Range for their next Counter or
Escalation is decreased by the number
of Ki you spent. This Tech does not have
the standard Ki cost based on Tier.
3. The Mightiest Mountain Sits Upon
the Simple Earth: Activate before
Initiative cards are revealed. At the
start of each stage (including the
Confrontation), pay additional Ki equal
to the stage (1, 2, or 3). Until the next
Escalation or Concession is resolved,
your opponent cannot play outside their
Strike Range.
Your Hand
1. The Deepest Sleeves Hide Secrets:
Activate immediately after the Duel
questions have been resolved. Spend
an additional amount of Ki up to your
current Sword Tier, discard that many
cards from your hand, and immediately
re-draw that same number of cards from
the top of the deck.
2. The Darkest Secrets Hold Power:
Functions as “Deepest Sleeves,” above,
but draw two new cards for every one
you discarded.
3. Anticipated Strike: When your
opponent Counters or Escalates,
use this technique to take the card
your opponent's played and put it in
your hand. Your opponent must now
play another card. If the card is from
Sensei’s deck, return it to Sensei’s discard
pile after the Duel.
Their Hand
1. Dazzling Display: When your
opponent attempts to Counter, Block,
or Escalate, force them to return their
played card to their hand. It is still their
turn. They cannot use that card again
until their next turn. You cannot use this
against the last card in their hand.
 2. Reflections of Two Seconds from
Now: Your opponent must tell you the
lowest or highest card in their hand
(your choice). Spend an additional +1
Ki to force them to tell you both.
3. Blade-Breaker: Force your opponent
to discard a card from their hand,
chosen randomly by you. You cannot
force them to discard their final card in
this manner.
Ki-Blocking
1. Split the Hair: Your next strike cuts so
close that the only way your opponent
can counter or escalate is by spending
a point of Ki or discarding a card from
their hand.
2. Fierce Spirit: Use after your opponent
declares a technique. Spend points of
Ki up to your current Sword Tier. Your
opponent must now add the number
of Ki you spent to the regular cost of
their technique. If they can’t afford
the additional Ki or choose to cancel
the technique to avoid the additional
expenditure, they must still spend the
technique’s regular Ki cost.
4. Denial: Use this to cancel a technique
immediately after your opponent
uses it. They cannot re-try the same
maneuver during the current stage of
the duel, but they do not lose the initial
Ki spent on it.
Ranged Attacks
Special: This Tech tree can only be used
if your Core Fighting Style is a ranged one
(Hou-Jutsu or Kyudo).
1. Fire from the Hip: Spend 1 Ki to
activate this on your opponent’s turn,
immediately after they’ve played their
card. Play a card directly from the top
of the deck. If the card successfully
blocks or counters your opponent, it
constitutes your turn, ignoring Strike
Range. If card does not block or
counter, discard it, take 1 Stain, and
then take your turn as usual.
43
2. Cloud of Hornets: Activate when
Countering or Escalating. If your
opponent is not also using a ranged
weapon, double your Strike Range for
this maneuver.
3. Challenging Shot: When the Duel
has ended, but before you discard and
draw back up, fire off a final shot as
a challenge. Play a single card. Your
opponent must then play a successful
Block. If they do not, either A) you
burn off a number of Stains equal to
the final stage of the Duel, or B) they
gain a number of Stains equal to the
final stage of the Duel (your choice).
Stain Affliction
Note: Each Tech in this Tree is a
separate ability, and learning the higher
ones does not overwrite the lower. Thus if
you have both Tier 1 and Tier 2, you can
use either one on your turn for that Tier’s
associated Ki cost.
1. Imbue Strike 1: You can imbue your
strikes with the power of your battle
spirit, making them more difficult to
weather. Activate when you Block,
Counter, or Escalate. If your opponent
responds with any Maneuver other
than Concede, he takes a Stain.
2. Imbue Strike 2: At this level, the strike
inflicts three stains.
3. Imbue Strike 3: At this level, the strike
inflicts five stains.
General Empowerment
Special: This tech tree has three stages.
Each time you dedicate a Style Tier to one
of these Techs, pick one of the following:
+1 Hand, +1 Ki, +1 Strike Range, or +1
to “Effective Sword Tier” (for purposes of
determining some Style Tech effects and Ki
usage limits). These are permanent bonuses
to your character. You cannot take the same
choice more than once.
Bikes
“Our bikes are us.”
- Sonny Barger, Hell’s Angel
In Motobushido, your Bike is as much
a part of who you are as your Pack Role,
your chosen Fighting Style, and even your
very name. The Bike you choose doesn’t
just dictate the physical hardware straddled
between your legs. It determines what you
ride, how you ride, and how you respond
to the pressures of the long road ahead.
It colors the way you approach a curve in
the road, a long straightaway, or a patch of
gravel or mud. You can own and ride bikes of
different types, but your heart will only truly
belong to one.
A true motobushi is as much at one with her
Bike as she is with her Sword and her Pack.
She gets more joy from the wild ride than from
lovers and family. Her bike is always within a
few dozen strides, fueled and ready to launch.
She might go a few days without riding, but
until she returns to the road, her head will turn
every time she hears the growl of another bike
passing in the distance. That instinct will last
her the rest of her life.
There are eight core Bikes that you can
choose from, each based on real-world
motorcycles. Riding your Bike allows you to
perform special Bike Stunts to swap out the
values of cards you play in Duels with the
values of your Bike Stats (see p. 78). Using
Stain-Shifting, you can deflect Stains by
shifting them to your Bike's Endurance stat
(p. 51). Each Bike also has a unique Rider
Power (listed below).
Of course, the extent to which you can
rely on your Bike will likely be affected by the
Operations Resource of the Pack (p. 62).
Bike Stats
Each Bike has the following five core stats:
TT Tight (Terrain Stat): Used for
Stunts and Gambits in close, paved
environments, such as city streets.
TT Open (Terrain Stat): Used for Stunts
and Gambits out on the open highway.
44
TT Rugged (Terrain Stat): Used for Stunts
and Gambits when off-road.
TT Badass: Used for Stunts and some other
options.
TT Endurance: This is a meter of how
much of a beating your Bike can
take. Endurance can get lowered as
consequences of Gambits, Duels, and
even directly through some Techs. It
can also absorb Stains by “stain-shifting.”
If Endurance reaches zero, your bike is
destroyed, and you cannot access bike-
related abilities until you’ve rebuilt it. The
Operations resource can be used to repair
and rebuild damaged bikes (p. 62).
The Bikes
Arashi, the Cruiser: Two Wheels and
All the Time in the World
The freedom to explore, to roam, to see life
without a filter; asphalt blurring inches from
your boots like Satan’s own belt sander. The
cruiser is the epitome of power and freedom.
There are no limits, there is no traffic, there
is no boredom: there is only the ride.
Traits: Relaxed stance; low center of gravity;
easy to re-right; easily customized; long
hauler; terrible off-road
Stats: Tight 6, Open 10, Rugged 5, Badass
11 ( J), Endurance 8
Rider Power: If a Duel starts in Open
terrain, you gain an additional initial
bonus draw equal to your current
Highway Tier.
Hachidori, the Café Racer: Two Wheels
and Nothing Else
Messenger bags, leather gloves, and smoked
goggles. Others like the freeways and
interstates and long and winding roads; the
Cafe Racer is an Urban Dweller. Dodge
through waiting lines and sneak through red
lights, roll through the stop signs, ignore the
one-way streets. Get in there, get it done,
and grab a coffee to go on your way out.
Traits: Stripped-down; customized for
speed; lots of little bags; fashionable;
maneuverable; tight corners
Stats: Tight 11 ( J), Open 9, Rugged 5,
Badass 9, Endurance 6
Rider Power: At the beginning of all racing-
or chase-focused Duels, draw bonus cards
equal to your current Highway Tier.
Inazuma, the Touring Bike: Two
Wheels and the Kitchen Sink
It’s a Com-Fy-Man with wheels, friend. The
best Rides are those without destination—
and this is the bike you want on the best
Rides. Got something you wanna carry
along with you? This bike has a place to
store it. Need two extra sets of armor and a
full complement of artillery? Just throw ‘em
in the side bags. Bungees and straps? You
got ‘em. You want your Old Lady to ride in
style, and never to worry about saddle sores?
Covered. Want to listen to some sweet tunes
while your seat massages your glutes and
your grips keep themselves nice and heated?
You want a touring bike.
Traits: Heavy; comfortable; long hauler;
upright stance; lots of storage; huge tank
Stats: Tight 7, Open 11 ( J), Rugged 5,
Badass 5, Endurance 12
Rider Power: Whenever you would gain
Morale through your in-game actions,
increase the amount gained by your
current Highway Tier. This occurs
regardless of whether you’re astride your
bike at the time, as long as your bike is
currently in a rideable state. You’re just a
comfort-driven kind of person, after all.
Kamikaze, the Sport Bike: Two wheels
and God’s Own Engine
The feeling of speed removed from limitations,
the primal drive to go faster, faster, faster.
Nimble as a hawk, small as a kestrel, fast as
a bullet, the Sport Bike is the essence of Go.
Traffic means nothing; you dodge through
it. Speed limits mean nothing; no one can
catch you. Fear means nothing; ride well, or
die. Riding a Sport Bike is jumping out of an
airplane: the ride is so awesome, who cares if
the parachute works?
Traits: Straddling-forward stance; nimble
on curves; lower field of vision; really
damn fast; streamlined frame; battery
problems
Stats: Tight 7, Open 13 (K), Rugged 3,
Badass 12 (Q), Endurance 5
Rider Power: When Stunting in Open
terrain, your Strike Range is increased by
your current Highway Tier.
Kyosha, the Standard: Two Wheels
and No Bull
A standard can do just about everything just
about well enough. Comfortable enough, and
a large enough tank to ride to the backside of
beyond, but light enough for traffic. Enough
clearance and suspension for anything
that even remotely passes for a road. Fast Tatsu, the Chopper: Two wheels and
enough to keep a good pace, but not at the God’s Own Pipes.
expense of comfort, economy, or practicality.
Standards are understated, relentless
competence, mile after mile.
Traits: Versatile; upright stance; easy to
repair; common parts
Stats: Tight 9, Open 9, Rugged 6, Badass 8,
Endurance 8
Rider Power: Standards are easy to repair,
due to their commonplace nature and the When you own the road, who cares what else
ease of acquiring suitable parts. Reduce is out there? Loud, angry, and self-confident,
all total Operations repair costs to your the Chopper is the epitome of cool. With
Bike by your current Highway Tier, the Chopper’s big engine, wide stance, and
to a minimum of 1. Additionally, each the elbows-out handlebars, you ride with an
Flashback replenishes extra Ki equal to aura as big as the world. Anyone who isn’t
your Highway Tier. scared of the Chopper isn’t paying attention,
Saijin, the Dirt Bike: Two Wheels and and no one can even pretend not to notice
a Cloud of Dust when it rolls into town. Never mind traffic;
the Chopper is taking the back way, the
twisty, dark, scary way, and it’ll own every
mile marker.
Traits: Loud; scrap-built; custom frame;
small tanks; very loud; high handlebars;
stripped-down; relocated gear shifter;
extremely loud; zero fucks given today
Stats: Tight 6, Open 12 (Q), Rugged 3,
Anywhere you can go, I can go more. You Badass 13 (K), Endurance 6
keep your highways and your smothering
Rider Power: When you Stain-Shift to your
streets. While you’re riding down the
bike, you pay 1 Endurance to get rid of a
long trail, I’ll be jumping back and forth
number of Stains equal to your current
over you, kicking up a cloud and having a
Highway Tier plus one (so, at a Highway
blast. While you’re riding around in your
Tier of 2, each point of Endurance you
tight formations, I’m going to go ride up
burn absorbs 3 Stains).
the side of that mountain over there, just
because I can. While you’re polishing out Tora, the Dualsport: Two wheels and
your chrome, I’ll be doing flips and shit. Anywhere You Want to Go.
I’ll meet you back at camp, cool? I know
a shortcut.
Traits: Upright stance; all-terrain,
knobby tires; fairly lightweight; smaller
gas tanks
Stats: Tight 7, Open 5, Rugged 12 (Q),
Badass 6, Endurance 10
Rider Power: When Stunting in Rugged Gravel? Snow? Bombed-out stretches of
terrain, your Strike Range is increased by desolate highway covered in the corpses of
your current Highway Tier. cannibal hill-men? No problem.

46
The Dualsport is an all-around go-anywhere
bike for all sorts of weather and roads.
While not as hardcore and trick-happy as
the dirtbike, it’ll get you from one stretch of
asphalt to the next, without much concern
for the terrain between. What it lacks in
style it more than makes up for in versatility.
Traits: Versatile; all-terrain; upright stance;
smooth or knobbed tires; modular gear
storage
Stats: Tight 6, Open 7, Rugged 10, Badass 7,
Endurance 10
Rider Power: When you reveal your
Initiative card at the beginning of any
Duel which you begin while astride your
bike, your Strike Range for that card is
increased by your current Highway Tier.
Deeds and Legacies
Each of your three Codes has four
attached Deeds, which collectively constitute
your Legacy for that Code. Deeds are
moments from your character’s pre-game past
and ongoing exploits which he can call upon
to empower himself in the present. Whether
they were great feats of valor or terrible and
ignoble defeats, your Deeds were the defining
events that shaped you into the samurai you
are today. The past is to be learned from, and
you can evoke these powerful memories to do
great things in the here-and-now.
Mechanically, you may call upon Deeds
to empower Gambits, get new cards mid-
Duel, and trigger Flashback scenes. They are
just as crucial to your character as his Birth
Signs and Bike.
Each Legacy has four deed slots. The
first slot is always filled in by the Sacrifices
that you discussed and created for each
other during character creation (p. 21).
Beyond those initial sacrifices, you can gain
new Deeds through the acquisition and
transformation of Lessons (p. 48).
47
Using Deeds
Mechanically, Deeds can be evoked in the
following ways:
TT Use during Gambits to draw an additional
card (p. 68)
TT Use to draw bonus cards in Duels (p. 78)
TT Use to establish flashbacks, which can
replenish Ki and earn additional lessons
(p. 60)
Defining New Deeds
When a session ends, some recorded Lessons
may be voted into Deeds (p. 48). Define each
new Deed with a short sentence describing the
event in which the Lesson was acquired, and
the role you played in it. “I stormed the hill of
Veitar Roko and took his head, despite many
arrows sticking from me” is a good one. “I slew
the wretched soul-sucker who broke my heart
and betrayed me” is another—depressing deeds
make for excellent flashback fodder.
Keep it simple, and leave the details vague.
Since Deeds form the basis of flashbacks
later in the game, you need to leave them
open enough so that they can be revisited and
fleshed out during play.
The Pack Legacy
Just as every character has her own set of
Deeds, so too does the Pack as a whole. As
play goes forward, these Pack Deeds will be
added to the Pack sheet. The first Deed is
always the First Founding, and new Deeds can
be added to the sheet at the conclusion of a
game scenario. Additionally, a new Pack Deed
is added every time a Pack member achieves
her final death. Unlike individual Legacies,
the Pack has no hard limit on the number of
Deeds it can acquire, and any Pack member
can evoke Pack Deeds as they would their own.
Over time, your characters will change and
evolve, both as people within the game world
and as avatars for the game’s mechanics. The
next chapter details those changes, be they
positive progress, or the negative consequences
of circumstance and error.
Enlightenment and Damnation:
Character [d]Evolution
Lessons and Evolution
“Throughout your life advance
daily, becoming more skillful than
yesterday, more skillful than today.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
Gaining Lessons
You gain Lessons from:
• Playing your Birth Sign (p. 29)
• Completing Flashbacks (p. 59)
• Some Fratricide Techs (p. 31)
At the end of every session of play, the group
will discuss the Lessons that each character
has accrued over the course of that session.
After discussion, those Lessons will be voted
upon by the whole group, to determine if
any of them were deemed to have been
“learned” by the characters involved. Rules
for running this discussion and vote are in
the Sensei chapter (p. 82)
When your fellow motobushi vote that
Example:
you have learned a Lesson, you get to choose
one of the following:
allow you to improve your Role, Style, and
Bike over time. Each code has a “Three
Diamonds” tree of upgrades, which you
can see on the character sheet. The central
upgrades are called “Tiers” and unlocking
them will significantly enhance your
motobushi. The outer upgrades are lesser
(but still useful) enhancements to your
baselines abilities, or one-time character-
saving boons.
When you gain an Evolution, fill in a
dot connected to an already filled-in dot
on one of your diamonds. (The top dot of
each diamond is free, acquired at character
creation.) The left and right side branches
mostly contain minor bonuses to existing
stats. When you evolve within a code, you
can move down or across, but never back up.
Once you reach a new tier in an alignment
you earn that tier’s new special technique or
empowerment. However, any advancements
you passed up above are lost forever.

TT Record the events of that Lesson as a

new Deed.
TT Shift up to two total points on your
alignment codes.
TT Gain a single Evolution.
TT Exchange a previously-learned Style
Tech for a different one.

Evolutions
Over time, your motobushi can gain
power and abilities by investing Evolutions
into her three core Alignments (Pack,
Sword, and Highway). These evolutions

48
 Later in play, you may decide that a Style
Tech you had previously learned just isn’t
useful or no longer fits your character concept.
Instead of evolving a new dot on one of your
code trees, you can erase a Common Tech
you’ve learned and replace it with a different
one, provided that the tech you erased wasn’t
a requirement for another tech you know.
Law of the Pack Evolution
By investing in the Law of the Pack, you
can gain greater mastery of your Role
Techs, increase your worth in group duels,
and permanently increase your hand size
during play.
Role Technique
At each new Tier, you earn a new Role
Tech. These are detailed in the Character
Options chapter (p. 31).
Cohort Bonus
Each of the right-side branches of the
Law of the Pack tree will increase the
number of cards you can lay out when
you join a Duel as part of the Cohort (the
default bonus is zero cards; see p. 72).
Hand Size
Each of the left-side branches of the Law
of the Pack tree will earn you a permanent
+1 to your base Hand Size (the default
hand size is two cards).
49
Way of the Sword Evolution
By investing in the Way of the Sword, you
can gain additional Fighting Style Techs,
permanently increase your Strike Range, and
acquire extra means to cheat death.
Style Technique
At each new Tier, you learn a new
Fighting Style Tech. Your first three are
chosen from the Common Techs (p. 41),
while your fourth and final Tech is the
Ultimate Tech of your core Fighting Style.
Cheat Death
Each of the right-side branches of the
Way of the Sword tree grants you a new
single-use Cheat Death card. (p. 66)
Strike Range
Each of the left-side branches of the Way
of the Sword tree grants you a permanent
+1 to your Strike Range in Duels.
Code of the Highway Evolution
By investing in the Code of the Highway,
you can increase the effectiveness of your
Rider Powers, permanently raise your Bike’s
core stats, and permanently increase your
overall Ki Pool.
Your Highway Code follows the
progression tree shown on the following page:
Rider Power
With each increase to your Highway
Tier, your Bike's Rider Power becomes more
effective.
Ki Pool
Each of the left-side branches of the
Code of the Highway tree grants you a
permanent +1 to your total Ki Pool (the
default Ki Pool is 7).
Bike Mod Bonus
Each of the right-side branches of the
Code of the Highway tree grants you a
permanent +1 to any one of your Bike’s
stats. Excepting Endurance, no stat may be
increaseed above 14.
Maxing Out Your Evolutions
Given the advancement paths, it is
certainly possible to eventually fill in all of
your available evolutions. What follows is
ultimately up to you. There’s no reason not
to continue playing, after all. Your motobushi
has become significantly powerful by this
point, so the challenges you face will likely be
both tough and proportionately rewarding
when you overcome them.
At this point, you will no longer be able
to evolve your character’s abilities along the
standard diamonds, although Sensei could
decide to let you purchase additional Cheat
Deaths (we suggest a cost of two Evolutions
each). You can still use Lessons to record
new Deeds, provided you haven’t filled them
all in, and perhaps Sensei will allow you
to extend those lists even further. If Sensei
allows it, you could also acquire additional
Common Style Techs for two or three
Lessons each. Additionally, Lessons can still
be used to shift your alignments around as
you see fit, and swap out Common Techs.
Another option is to retire your current
character and bring in a new one. This is a
great opportunity to bring in a new Shinmai.
If the rest of the Pack is in a similar state of
evolution, you could also decide as a group
to pass the torch on to the new class of riders
in your Pack.
50
Stains
“A man who has never once erred is
dangerous.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
Violating the codes of the samurai will
earn you Stains. Stains can represent dis-
honor, excessive emotion, actions untrue to
oneself, and more. Stains are primarily earned
during Duels, but can also be earned through
some gambits and even from open roleplaying.
For every seven stains you earn, you
suffer a Karmic Retribution. This is an
involuntary change to your character.
Stains Follow the Player
Stains are carried by the player, not just the
motobushi. Stains earned by a player during
the First Founding carry over to that player’s
new character. Should a character die with
Stains, and the player make a new character,
all existing Stains are carried forth. Such is
the nature of the karmic cycling of souls.
Stains Earned Through Mechanics
Most Stains will be acquired via explicit
consequences of gameplay mechanics.
Playing outside your Strike Range in a
Duel will earn you a number of Stains
determined by the current Stage of the Duel.
Several Techs are built around acquiring or
imposing Stains as well.
Roleplaying Stains
Outside of explicit mechanics, Stains can
be acquired through roleplaying behaviour
unbecoming of a samurai. What this may
constitute is left open to the interpretation
of your group and your Sensei. The offending
actions can be as serious or as silly as you
like. For example, the following actions
might earn you one or more Stains:
TT Disrespecting your Taicho or Daimyo
TT Allowing your skin to touch that of
the dead
TT Too-lenient chastisement of your
misbehaving progeny
TT Too-harsh chastisement of your
misbehaving progeny
TT Not showing enough emotion at the loss Karmic Retribution
of a friend “It is difficult for a fool’s habits to
TT Breaking Pack Taboos change to selflessness.”
TT Eating the last sausage at breakfast - Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
without asking Every seven Stains earn you a Karmic
If a character’s actions seem out of sorts Retribution. Sensei will apply one of the
and untoward, chances are they will earn following negative character changes to your
him Stains. motobushi, based on the choices that have led
you to this moment.
Stain-Shifting to Endurance
If you suffer one or more Stains while TT Burn one or more points of a Resource.
astride your Bike, you can use your Bike’s TT Permanently lower a Bike stat by 1
Endurance stat to absorb some of them. Shift one of your alignments by one step.
TT
This is called “Stain-Shifting” and requires This can cause Alignment Death, if the
suitable narration of how you are deflecting crime that earned your Stains is deemed
the karmic blow to your steed. The exchange sufficiently heinous.
cost is 1 Endurance to absorb 1 Stain, and
the maximum Endurance you can burn After Sensei has chosen the form of your
this way in each conflict is set by your Karmic retribution, apply it and then erase
current Highway Tier. If your Bike has no those seven Stains.
Endurance, or you are not astride your Bike Karmic Retribution is usually immediate,
at the time that you suffer the Stain, you but if the current scene doesn’t allow for
cannot shift it. something like that to be played out, then
Example: Budo, the Shingari, has use the following scene of the story to
just won a Duel, but during the conflict showcase it.
he suffered 5 Stains, mostly by playing
outside of his Strike Range. His bike is
the Inazuma, which currently has 12
Endurance. He decides to shift as many
of those Stains as possible. His current
Highway Tier is 2, so after the Duel he
burns 2 Endurance to absorb 2 Stains.
To justify this, he states that his “large
and in charge” riding style affords him
some grace against those beneath him.
However, his chrome took some extra
beating due to his harsh use of the bike
during the fight. He now takes 3 Stains
(instead of the initial 5), and his Bike is
reduced to 10 Endurance.

51
52
 SECTION TWO

Proper Ways
to Die
53
 The Highway is a
Harsh Mistress:
Playing the Game
“Today, I teach you how to die.
If you survive, I will teach you how to kill.”
— Nameless Motobushi-Sensei
The Unbreakable Rules of Play
Many rules can be bent and broken.
These cannot. Remember them:
1. The cards are subordinate to the
story. Whenever a card is played,
drawn, discarded, or otherwise affected
in this game, for any reason and at any
time, narration must back it up.
2. There are no take-backs. If you
put down a card, you cannot then
voluntarily choose to play a different one
instead as an “oops, my bad,” unless that
card is technically not a legal play. If you
play a card, it has been played.
3. Suit Order is: Spades > Hearts >
Diamonds > Clubs (Remember: Reverse
Alphabetical). If you use a deck with
custom suits, assign the suit order before
play begins.
4. Card Rank is more important than
Suit. Suit matters when Blocking, but
for the rest of the game it is largely
inconsequential. Five of Hearts beats
Five of Clubs, but Jack of Clubs beats
Ten of Hearts.
5. Everything is Cyclical, Including the
Cards: Two is Low, and Ace is High.
Any Three beats any Two, any Jack
beats any number card, and the Ace
beats any Face, but there’s one last trick:
Twos Beat Aces. Any already-played Ace
can be beaten by a two.
55
6. Jokers take effect immediately. Jokers
are shuffled into the deck face-up. When
one reaches the top of the deck, it
immediately becomes an Omen (p. 91).
Jokers do not get “drawn” and never go
into Hands.
Life on the Highway
As motobushi, you ride the old roads on
a never-ending mission to keep your tanks
topped, your bellies full, and your way of
life intact. You follow the beliefs of the old
world, now fading or even fully antiquated
since The War. Life is not easy, battles are
hard-won, and there is no guarantee that the
next horizon will bring anything but sorrow.
The only certainty is that somewhere on the
long road ahead lies your death.
It’s All About Respect
To an outlaw, common things like food,
gas, and sake are luxuries, and the motobushi
fights to earn every plate, liter, and glass. The
most valuable of all spoils is Respect, be it
in the eyes of leader, brothers, or outsiders.
While respect is most frequently earned
through force and bloodshed, more than
one motobushi has learned the value of the
nonviolent bargain.
The Taicho (Leader)
For the Taicho, respect is something earned
through example. Ruling the pack is a
privilege, and not a right. The Taicho rules
because she earned that rank, either through
group consensus or outright force. Likewise,
keeping hold of that rule is an active focus,
and she must continually enforce her word
and law. Already at the top, she has nowhere
to go but down. She must be constantly
aware of the strength of her rule.
The Taicho must maintain absolute rule
over her cohort. She ultimately decides
everything: destination, riding order,
group actions, watch orders, who gets to
work and who gets to play. She can (and
probably should) also delegate chunks
of responsibility to her underlings. How
she chooses to enforce that rule is largely
a matter of her own personality, and the
relative blood-thirst of the pack.
In the end, it is ultimately the concession
of the junshou and keisotsu members which
keeps her in her position of power. In order
to successfully dominate, the others must be
made to submit, be that submission one of
choice or one of circumstance.
The Junshou (High Command)
Pack members who perform well in their
chosen and delegated roles can rise to the
valued junshou rank, sitting closer to the
Taicho at war councils and enjoying greater
status and recognition. The junshou are those
of the group that the Taicho has chosen to
serve as her “high command” and as such,
they have her greater respect.
A junshou should strive to maintain
that level of respect, by performing well in
his tasks and guiding the leader to victory.
Simultaneously, he must maintain the
respect of the keisotsu by excelling in his
status as a “senior” member of the cohort.
Junshou are expected to fight harder, pull
more weight, and speak with more wisdom
than those of lower Pack rank. And yet even
with that greater level of respect, the junshou
is still a follower. The particulars of personal
relationships aside, he is still subservient to
the Taicho. Overstepping the boundaries of
that relationship might be allowed in some
cases, but it’s always a risky move. Offend
the Taicho too greatly, and she might replace
you with another, sending you back down to
keisotsu rank… or lower.
56
The Keisotsu (Masked)
The majority of the Pack are those who
have earned their masks and ride along
as the “rank-and-file” of the crew. These
keisotsu have no rank or responsibility
outside of their chosen (or assigned) Pack
Roles. While that means less authoritative
power within the cohort, it also means a lot
more freedom.
In larger Packs, the keisotsu tend to care
mostly about respect from their equals.
The Taicho leads, and the junshou assist
and enforce that rule, while the masked
ranks ride and follow command. Frequently
they will be sent to fend for themselves,
and as such they will care the most about
maintaining camaraderie with the peers they
will most often be working alongside.
On the other hand, some keisotsu may
wish to attain greater prestige, and set their
eyes on the treasured junshou rank. These
warriors will seek to gain their Taicho’s
respect first and foremost, often to the
detriment of the existing junshou. Few
leaders will give any recognition to a snitch,
but should such attempts at advancement be
bolstered by martial valor, then their chances
of elevation are much greater.
The keisotsu must make certain that their
leader is qualified to ride before them, and
this responsibility is a double-edged sword.
Compliance with the Taicho’s orders is crucial,
but should she prove to be unsuited for
command, the keisotsu have a responsibility
to their brothers to give challenge. Of course,
should they lose that challenge, then their
brothers can consider them traitor, and treat
them as traitors deserve.
The Shinmai (Prospect)
Those who seek to ride with the Pack do
so for a variety of reasons, and most often
those reasons involve the desire to earn
their respect. Those whose petitions are
considered and accepted must commit
themselves wholly to the Pack. This involves
a period of time in which the Shinmai must
ride alongside his future brothers, and prove
that he is worthy of their respect.
 While different Packs will have different
laws on this, in most cases the climb up will
be arduous and humiliating. Prospects are
the lowest of the low on the roster, and are
given the most menial and aggravating of
tasks. Treated as errand boys, parts monkeys,
trash hounds, and scrap-eaters, many
prospects just give up and ride away after
getting fed up with demeaning treatment at
the hands of the motobushi.
In many cases, the Pack wants the
potential recruit to fight back against the
more humiliating tasks. In such groups, the
test is in fact whether or not the Shinmai
just accepts the Pack’s dominance or instead
stands up for himself. Again, every Pack is
different, but frequently those prospects who
show initiative, a willingness to act hard, and
a resistance toward any kind of humiliation
earn their masks with a greater level of
mutual respect.
But despite all of this, there is an
unspoken level of respect for the Shinmai.
This is especially true in long-established
Packs, in which the majority of the current
ranks were once prospects themselves. While
some may torment the prospect out of actual
cruelty, most do so because they want their
scrappy Shinmai to weather these hardships
and earn his mask. They know that the
harder-fought the ordeal, the more that
mask will mean to him once finally attained.
Shinmai who fight the hardest tend to make
for the most loyal of brothers.
The Ronin (Nomads)
There are occasionally riders who have earned
their masks, but due to “complications” they
will ride afar and away from the Pack’s convoy.
These “agents abroad” are known as the ronin,
and while they ultimately follow the Taicho’s
command, they do not otherwise fit into the
Pack’s pecking order.
The ronin will come and go, often
meeting up for brief stints of the road before
riding off on another errand, spending days,
weeks, or sometimes even months abroad.
Due to their transitory nature, those who
ride nomad tend to care little for the respect
57
of the junshou or
keisotsu members,
outside of that
necessary to maintain
functional field
relations with them.
In fact, the only other Pack members
whose respect they care about are the Taicho
and sometimes their fellow ronin. The Taicho
gives them orders, and allows them their
greater versatility. As for the latter, nomads
will sometimes see each other as competition,
and continually attempt to one-up their
“rivals” as they execute the leader’s will abroad.
The Roadies
Also known as “roadwives” and “roadboys,” or
just “the rabble,” sometimes a motobushi will
take one as a mate. While many motobushi
will have past families that they’ve left in
order to pursue this outlaw life, roadies
are specifically non-samurai lovers who
understand exactly what that lifestyle
entails. Most roadies are “claimed” by their
motobushi, who are especially protective of
their “possessions.” Sometimes they even ride
along with the pack, either two-up on the
motobushi’s own bike, or in the separate “war
wagon,” should the Pack have such a thing.
The relationship between a Pack and its
roadies is a complex one, and varies from
group to group. In fiction from the source
genres, these lovers are sometimes called “old
ladies” and take on an extremely submissive
role to their biker counterparts. In some
Packs, these roadies might be seen as group
possessions, in others the Taicho might have
“first pick” levels of dominance, and still
in others they might be entirely separate
from the group, and maintained as personal
relationships that only affect the individual
motobushi.
However, not all highway love leads to
this kind of relationship dynamic. There
is frequently intense and highly complex
romance between the members of the Pack,
taking the term “brotherly love” to entirely
different levels. And many motobushi develop
romances completely outside of the lifestyle;
frequently those romances cause strife within
the pack, and lead the motobushi away from
the road and toward a more sedentary life.
The Daimyo
Some packs will have a liege daimyo, who
must also be afforded a great amount of
respect – sometimes even more so than the
Taicho. Details on playing with the Daimyo
option are on p. 65.
The Enemy
Every Pack has enemies, and yours is no
exception. Some enmities are based on
grudges acquired on the road, some are
rooted in the individual characters’ own
pre-Pack pasts, and others go way back to
the War itself. Dealing with these enemies
will be a major component in every extended
Motobushido campaign.
Encounters will eventually lead to combat
against these forces. Blood will be spilled,
heads will be taken, and transgressions will
be avenged. But even more importantly,
respect must be earned. It is not acceptable for
the samurai to merely defeat her opponent in
combat. She must gain respect through her
victories, be it from the enemy or anyone else
who learns of her exploits.
By holding true to the core codes of
motobushido, she will not only best her
enemy but also present her actions as the
foundation for future legends. It is the dream
of every samurai to die a death of glory and
valor, and by following the codes, she can see
this dream fulfilled.
The Outsiders
To the rest of the world, the motobushi
are just a pack of brigands and miscreants
who steal, murder, and burn. When the
Pack rolls into town, doors are locked
and shutters are latched, and the kids and
women are brought inside for protection.
This is part of the lifestyle, and every
motobushi accepts it by donning the
fearsome mask of their order. To some
Packs, this kind of fearsome reaction might
be considered insulting, but to most, it is
just another way of earning the respect
58
of the greater world. Should that respect
manifest through fear, then so be it.
Occasionally, however, that fear might
actually manifest as genuine respect for
the Pack, and on such an occasion, a new
potential prospect just might come calling.
If I was wronged by anyone, in
or out of the club, I had to be
compensated by money or blood.
- John Teller, Sons of Anarchy
The way of revenge lies in simply
forcing one’s way into a place and
being cut down. There is no shame
in this.
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
Using Your Cards
Your cards are the mechanical foundation
for your actions in Gambits and Duels. Greater
details on those mechanics are explained in the
next chapter (p. 67). For now, you just need
to understand the basics of how the cards are
used across the game as a whole.
Motobushido uses two decks of cards.
You and your fellow motobushi will all play
from one shared deck, while Sensei plays
from another. Be you Player or Sensei, the
following terms apply:
TT Draw: When you are signaled to draw,
remove a card or cards from the top of
the appropriate deck and place them in
your hand without revealing them to
anyone else.
TT Discard: When you are signaled to
discard, place the card or cards to be
discarded face-up in the discard pile
next to your deck.
TT Play: When you are signaled to play a
card, place the card face-up on the table
for all to see.
TT Shuffle: When you are signaled to
shuffle the cards, take all cards from
the discard pile and mix them into the
appropriate deck, then randomly reorder
the deck.
Twos and Aces
Most of the game’s mechanics involves
beating a card with a card of higher rank.
This means that Threes beat twos, Eights
beat Threes, Jacks beat Eights, Kings beat
Jacks, and Aces beat Kings. But there’s one
special trick in Duels that you should know:
Twos beat Aces, provided the Two is
played against an already-played Ace. In
a Duel, if your opponent plays an Ace, you
can counter with a Two, and start the whole
thing from the bottom again.
Suits
Suit order is Spades > Hearts > Diamonds
> Clubs. Suit is used mostly for breaking
ties. A King always beats a Jack, but a Jack
of Hearts beats a Jack of Clubs. This most
frequently comes into play when Blocking in
a Duel (p. 74).
Jokers
Jokers are used as an important pacing
mechanic. In both the Player and Sensei
decks, Jokers are always shuffled in face-
up—that is, facing opposite the rest of the
cards. When a Joker reaches the top of the
deck, immediately remove it and place it
face-up next to the discard pile for all to see.
The Jokers represent dark Omens and
tidings of coming danger, and while in play,
they give Sensei some extra mechanical
power. When two Player Omens are
revealed, a Wave is triggered, and if both
the Sensei Omens are already on the table
when the second Player Omen is revealed,
then the Wave becomes a Storm. Sensei uses
Waves and Storms to move directly against
your Pack, as detailed in the Sensei chapter
(p. 92).
Player Jokers are not returned to the deck
until after Waves and Storms, and Sensei
Jokers return to the deck only after Storms.
Additionally, while in the same game scenario,
Omens remain in play across sessions.
Using Your Ki Pool
Your Ki Pool is a versatile personal
resource both in and out of Duels. Ki is
finite and depletes over time; it is restored
59
primarily by calling upon Flashback scenes
(see further below) and by role-playing your
Birth Sign (p. 29). You can track Ki with
tokens or other counters, or just keep a tally
with your pencil.
Ki can be used in the following ways.
TT Activate Bike Stunts during a Duel. Ki
cost = current Stage of the Duel (p. 78)
TT Add Bike’s relevant terrain rank to a
Gambit result,. Ki cost = 1 (p. 68)
TT Empower most Style Techs. Ki cost
varies (p. 29)
TT Evoke Deeds for bonus cards during
a Duel. Ki cost = current Stage of the
Duel (p. 78)
Ki can be restored in the following ways:
TT Flashbacks (see below)
TT Roleplaying your Birth Sign and
activating its Ki Trigger (p. 29)
TT Spending Morale (p 61)
Flashback Scenes
Flashbacks are good for:
• Telling more about your past
• Recovering spent Ki
• Swapping out cards in your hand
• Learning Lessons from the Past
Flashbacks are built around the viewpoint
of the motobushi whose player requested the
flashback in the first place. Any number of
other motobushi in the group can take part in
the scene, if the flashback player agrees. The
central character stands to recover Ki at the
end of the flashback, and everyone involved
can also earn valuable Lessons.
 A player can call upon a flashback at any
time outside of a Duel, provided they aren’t
usurping someone else’s spotlight. To begin
the flashback, the player nominates one
of their current Deeds to be more deeply
explored in this scene. Sensei nominates a
Guide (usually himself, but other players can
also volunteer) to run the scene. The Guide
takes over, leading the player and any others
through a scene relating to that Deed.
The scene should explore a moment from
the samurai’s past, and touch upon an event
within it that has yet to be fully detailed in
play. Deeds from before the game are easier
to use in this regard. Deeds earned through
the course of the game can be explored, but
might require some clever narration to add
details to events that everyone has already
experienced first-hand.
Eventually, the scene will come to a
conflict in three stages. The Guide will
set up a conflict that the character faced
during this moment of the past, breaking
it down into three consecutive tests. Each
test involves the Guide narrating part of
the challenge and then playing it out as a
Gambit (p. 68), with streamlined results: if
less than or equal, she failed that part of the
challenge, otherwise she won. Either way,
move on to the next stage and keep going
60
until all three stages have been resolved by
both narration and Gambit. Once resolved,
the Guide should move to bring the scene
quickly to a close.
In the end the acting motobushi regains
one point of Ki for each of the three stages of
the conflict she overcame with a “Yes, and…”
result (other involved motobushi regain none).
Sensei then asks the others in the player group:
“Did fate guide her hand in this scene, or was
she driven by her own goals and intentions?”
Everyone should answer, and Sensei breaks
ties. If the final decision is Intention, then the
player recovers additional Ki equal to their
Will stat. If the group chooses Fate, then
the additional Ki is equal to the character’s
Destiny stat.
All motobushi who participated in the
three-part conflict can write it down as a
potential Lesson (p. 48), to be discussed at
the closing of the current game session.
Before going forth to a duel
that might potentially ruin him,
Kitoshi’s player calls for a flashback
to the samurai’s past, with the
hopes of replenishing his dwindling
Ki reserve. Sensei will guide, and
the player nominates Kitoshi’s
“Victory at Sagikomaru Castle” deed
for exploration.
 Sensei leads Kitoshi through a
montage of moments of his participation
in that fabled siege. His sword flashes
left and right, blood splattering his face
and armor. His fervor in battle pushes
him toward the front lines, where he
meets the massive spike-filled moat that
surrounds the fortress.
The conflict in three parts begins
now. Sensei uses the moat itself as the
first part, asking “Does Kitoshi make
it across and meet the first charge at
the gate?” They Gambit, and Kitoshi
gets a “Yes, but…” outcome, stating
“Yes I made it across, but in the process
impaled my foot on a spike.” The
second conflict: “Does Kitoshi limp to
the gate in time to join the first breach?”
They Gambit again, Kitoshi gets a
“Yes, and…” and states “Yes, and the
adrenaline kicks in and temporarily
counters the pain of the wound.” Finally
the third part: “Does Kitoshi make it
through the press and charge forth first
through the shattered gates?” A final
Gambit, resulting in another “Yes,
but…” which the player states: “He
makes it through first, but the second
portcullis falls behind him, sealing him
in alone.”
Before Kitoshi now stands the
amassed force of the castle’s defenders.
To see how this went down, we must
flashback again sometime in the future.
The event is added to Kitoshi’s sheet
under “Recorded Lessons,” and will be
voted on at the end of the session.
Sensei asks the group if they feel
the scene was guided more by Fate or
Intention. They all agree that Fate had
a stronger role in the flow, what with
the unexpected foot impalement and
the close timing of the final portcullis.
Kitoshi regains 4 Ki for her Destiny
stat of 4, and an additional 1 Ki for the
single “Yes, and…” result during the
conflict, for a total of 5 Ki recovered.
61
Session-Openers
Every new game session will open with a
flashback featuring every present member of
the Pack, played immediately after the initial
hands of cards are dealt out. This is played
exactly like any other flashback, but any
member of the Pack can choose to step up
to any of the three conflict stages. At the end
of the action, every involved motobushi fully
replenishes their entire Ki pool, and gains a
single potential Lesson.
Managing Pack Resources
Throughout the course of your travels
and adventures, your Pack must keep close
watch over three core Resources. These
are Morale, Sustenance, and Operations.
Each Resource has an associated numerical
Resource Level, which determines how
bountiful the Pack’s reserves of that thing
are and the narrative state of that Resource
in game:
TT 0 = Depleted
TT 1-4 = Threatened (some scraps of
hardtack, high tensions, running on
fumes)
TT 5-10 = Subsistence (enough to sustain
basic Pack operation)
TT 11-14 = Surplus (more than enough
to spare, good for a night or two on the
town)
TT 15+ = Bountiful (great excess, free
spirits, money to burn)
The management and monitoring
of Resource levels is ultimately the
responsibility of the Taicho, although she
may delegate that task to someone else if
she sees fit. However, some Pack Roles may
come with special say over use of specific
Resources.
Morale
Morale is earned through vice, sex,
entertainment, and personal fulfillment.
High Morale indicates a state of greater
contentedness, while lower Morale indicates
growing restlessness. If the Pack regularly

engages in gambling, whoring, drinking,
partying, and other diversions common to
the lifestyle, its Morale will remain steady,
and its spirits high.
Morale is depleted through work—the
no-fun tasks required to gain information
or other valuable assets: pavement-
pounding, book-scouring, hobnobbing,
work exchange, and so on. A Pack with a
depleted Morale level is almost rabid in its
need for diversion.
Spending Examples:
Research and Reconnaissance: Costs 1
TT
point of Morale per samurai per day to
learn one important fact.
TT Restore Ki: Exchange 1 point of Morale
for 1 Ki, limit once per day per samurai.
TT Stake Out: 1 point of Morale per
samurai per half-day
If Depleted: If the Pack has zero Morale,
members cannot regain any spent Ki, even
with Flashbacks and Signs. Upon restoring
even a single point of Morale, the ability to
replenish Ki will be reinstated.
Recovering: Morale is recovered through
party, play, and leisure. When the motobushi
spend a suitable amount of downtime
relaxing with drink and vice, their Morale
will rise proportionately.
Sustenance
Sustenance is a measure of the Pack’s
stores of money and food, which are often
interchangeable in this game’s settings.
Spending Sustenance is a simple matter
of eating food or paying for goods and
services. A Pack with no Sustenance is
scraping bottom, and continuing for long in
such a state will only hasten disaster.
Spending Examples:
TT A round for the Pack, 1. A round for the
House, 2.
TT A night with a geisha, 1. If she’s high-
class, 2. If he’s a full-fledged courtesan, 3.
If Depleted: When the Pack’s reserve
of Sustenance has reached zero, additional
cards must be discarded. Each time any of
the samurai would draw one or more cards,
he must also draw one additional card and
immediately discard it. This is one card per
“draw,” and not per “card drawn,” meaning
that if your draw is five cards, you only draw
and discard one additional card. You do not
get to choose which one to discard, just take
one from the deck and send it right to the
pile. Additional discards mean more chances
for Jokers, Omens, Waves, and Storms.
Recovering: Sustenance is increased
primarily through trading and looting. A
good battle with few casualties on your side
might earn you a point or two in spoils; a
night of solid pillaging, even more. Skilled
trade and negotiation are just as important,
however, and a glib tongue can be a powerful
tool for money-making. In the right time and
place, however, so can an agile tongue…
Operations
Your Operations Resource gauges your
reserve of fuel, grease, spare parts and scrap
metal. The higher your level, the greater your
supply cache, to be used in times of need.
Spending operations is largely a matter
of repairing your vehicles or gassing up for a
long ride. A Pack with zero Operations is in
a dire state indeed. Motobushi live and die by
their steeds, and without their steeds, they
are no motobushi at all.
Spending Examples:
TT Repairing your Bike: Spend 1 point
of Operations to restore 1 Endurance
(destroyed bikes can’t be repaired until
they are first rebuilt).
TT Rebuilding your destroyed Bike: Spending
7 points of Operations restores a destroyed
bike it to Endurance of 1. After this, it can
be further repaired as above.
TT Upgrading your Bike: Spend 10 points
of Operations for a permanent +1 to
a stat. Upgrades require a workshop, a
lot of time, and Sensei’s approval. Except
for Endurance, no bike stat may be
increased higher than 14.
If Depleted: Should the Operations
Resource reach zero, then Bike Stunts and
Stats cannot be used, nor does the Pack have
the fuel to leave their present location. These
functions are restored when Operations again
reaches a positive number. You can still Stain-
Shift (p. 51) while Operations is depleted, but
you’ll have no way to repair the Endurance
damage to your bike.
Recovering: Operations points are
acquired by finding gas reserves, siphoning
vehicles, and scrounging for scrap parts.
Taking enemy bikes to the chop can bring
great Operations windfall.
Other Ways to Spend Resources
In addition to those detailed above, there
are other ways in which pack members
can choose to spend their resources. The
Shingari (if present) usually has final say on
resource use, within reason. The options
below are merely examples. You can spend
resources in any other way you see fit, with
Sensei’s approval.
Exploration: Some resources can aid in
TT
simple exploration play. Coin might be
needed to first meet with the local Lord,
and favors can be exchanged for goods
and intel.
Factions: Some (but certainly not
TT
all) Factions might require resource
investment in exchange for favor. The
local crime boss might demand some
kind of financial tribute (Sustenance),
the magistrate might need to be bribed
(Sustenance), and the Farmers’ Guild
might require assistance in the form of
manual labor (Morale).
63
TT Resource Conversion: Provided the
characters are in a location where it
makes sense, Sensei might allow them
to exchange one or two points of one
resource to raise another. Money/Food
for Gas, Labor for Money/Food, Money
or Fuel for vice and booze, etc. A night
with a skilled geisha and a bottle of sake
might convert Sustenance into Morale,
for example. Resource Conversion is
usually a 2:1 exchange, unless Sensei
decrees otherwise.
Automatic Resource Attrition
In addition to the voluntary uses of
pack resources, they will also automatically
decrease through the passing of time, in the
following ways:
TT On the Road: While the Pack is
traveling, Operations depletes at a rate
of 1 per day, and Sustenance decreases at
a rate of 1 per 2 days. However, during
this same time, Morale increases at a rate
of one per day for the first two days.
On the third day, it begins to decrease
at a rate of 1 per day as well. If you
have an excess of Operations but are
low on Morale, a good two-day ride is a
relatively quick way to convert a couple
of points. Multiple rides back-to-back
won’t stack, however.
TT In a Town: Morale and Sustenance both
decrease at a rate of 1 per day, unless
the Pack makes special arrangements.
Operations will not automatically
change while the Pack is stationary.
TT Between Scenarios: It is generally
assumed that the Pack will spend some
time traveling between each scenario.
To reflect this in their Resources,
draw one card for each of the three.
A spade results in +1, a Heart in no
change, a Club in -1, and a Diamond
in -2. A Joker results in a completely
depleted Resource.
Some game effects (like waves and
storms) might result in a Resource being
raised or lowered to the next level. If you
lower a resource’s level, drop it to the
maximum rank of the next-lowest level (so
rank 6, if dropping to “Threatened” level).
If you raise a resource’s level, raise it to the
minimum rank of the next-highest level (so
rank 7, if raising to “Subsistence” level).
Notes on Recovering/Increasing
Resources
The Roleplaying Option: Resources can
be acquired through play. For example, the
Pack might arrange to acquire some extra
money or food (Sustenance) in exchange for
services rendered. Well-executed strategies
and solid battles might result in spoils,
raising one or more Resources. Random
discoveries and windfalls aren’t unheard
of, either.
The Force Option: The motobushi can
choose to go out and take what they want.
A raid allows them to instantly raise a
single Resource by one. However, they must
immediately search the player deck for the
next Joker and place it face-up on the table
as a new Omen, which may trigger a Wave
or Storm. If the group decides to increase
the amount of Resource raised, the second
point reveals a Sensei deck Joker, the third
point reveals another Sensei deck Joker,
and the fourth point reveals another Player
deck Joker. This can go on until the players
choose to stop or all four Jokers are revealed,
triggering a Storm. It may be possible to earn
additional points through clever use of the
Kusawake’s power, but be careful.
Possible ideas for how this is included in
the narrative follow:
TT Morale: The Pack goes out, gets really,
really trashed and causes a ruckus,
harassing geishas and getting thrown
out of gambling parlors, and picking
ridiculous fights with passers-by.
TT Sustenance: The Pack raids local
outlying farms and other supply
stockpiles, holds up some grocers, steals
livestock, and ransacks trash bins.
TT Operations: The Pack goes out at night
to raid the local scrapyards and siphon
gas from any and all vehicles in town.
64
Additional Resources
Most settings shouldn’t require more
than the existing three resources, but Sensei
can add story-specific resources if you feel
necessary. If your group’s motobushi have
special limited magical powers, for example,
then you might add a “Spirit” resource which
allows them to tap into the aether on a
limited basis. Determine the starting level of
additional resources as your Sensei decrees.
Investing in Factions
Much of any given scenario will revolve
around your Pack seeking out sources of
power and winning them over to your cause.
Physical entities, political coalitions, and
even spiritual forces can play major roles in
the game. These potential allies are called
Factions. Most (but not all) Factions will be
Sensei-Controlled Characters (SCs).
When developing a scenario, your
Sensei will have prepared an array of SCs
you might encounter during the course of
play. Many of those SCs (as well as other,
more conceptual forces) will manifest as
actual Factions that your Pack can petition
for favor. Should the players come into
contact with a Faction, Sensei will place a
pre-marked index card or slip of paper in
the middle of the table representing that
Faction. This lets the players know that
they have identified a potential source of
mechanical empowerment. A Faction can
be an ally, an enemy, or even something
more esoteric like a neutral spirit or source
of natural power.
At that point, it’s up to you to decide
whether and how to court the Faction.
Eventually, if you role-play and push your
Pack’s agenda, you might be lucky enough
to earn its favor. Some Factions might
require you to spend resources (p. 61)
before you can invest in them. A troop of
mercenaries might not join your cause until
you pay them, and the rich old spinster
might demand a night of Morale with your
strongest member before she gives over
valuable information.
 When you have earned the favor of a
Faction, Sensei will invite one or more of you
(based on the situation) to invest directly in
it. Invest Favor in a Faction by taking a card
from your current hand and laying it down
atop that Faction, face-up. Draw a new card
from the deck into your hand to replace the
card you invested in the Faction.
Sensei can also invest in Factions. Sensei’s
investments cultivate Disfavor, which works
against the Pack. Favor and Disfavor can
exist simultaneously on a Faction (Place
them on different ends of the card, to avoid
confusion). Further details can be found in
the Sensei chapter (p. 82).
After taking the time to help out the
stranded ronin biker on the highway,
the Pack has earned his trust, at least
temporarily. Sensei introduces him as
“Shinaga the Wanderer” and informs
the Pack that, by choosing not to rob
or kill the stranger, they have earned
enough Favor with him to invest up
to two cards total on his Faction. Two
players take that opportunity, each
playing a card face-up on him, and then
drawing from the deck to replace the
invested cards in their hands.
Any card you invest in a Faction can then
be played during a duel if you can justify
how that Faction is helping you (secret
information, spiritual guidance, direct
application of arms, etc.). Everyone in the
Pack has access to invested cards, regardless
who originally played them. This is a good
way to “save cards for later” if you think you
might need them, or to set down cards that
you think other players might find useful
(like Queens, if there’s a Hahaoya in play, or
Threes for your Shinmai).
Later during a Duel against some
bandits on the road, the Shingari plays
one of those cards on his turn. He states
that the Wanderer had briefly given
him some extra information about the
roads ahead, better preparing him for
this battle. As his Counter, he says
that such information led him to stash
65
a hidden blade in his sleeve, which he
uses to surprise attack the bandit he
now duels. Instead of playing from his
own hand, he takes the card from the
Wanderer’s Faction and plays it directly
into the duel.
A Faction cannot have more cards
on it than its Agency rank, which Sensei
knows and will probably keep secret until it
becomes relevant. You can only invest cards
when Sensei makes you the offer (or when
specific mechanics command otherwise).
If the Faction has high Agency, continued
interaction could lead to multiple offers.
Life with the Daimyo: The
Home Base Option
Not all Packs are itinerant. It is entirely
possible for your Pack to operate out of a
home base, such as a garage, a clubhouse, a
castle, or anything else suitable. However, in
a stationary game, the Pack will always have
a greater master: their Liege, better known as
the Daimyo.
The Daimyo is a SC, and should be
implemented as a Faction just like any
other, allowing both Favor and Disfavor.
The Daimyo should command a significant
amount of Agency—as high as 8 or more. If
Sensei wishes the Daimyo to be particularly
powerful (like, say, “The Government”), his
Agency should be higher still.
Home Base Dynamics
Having a Daimyo in play changes the Pack
dynamic significantly. The relationships
between the members become more
complicated, and the life of the Taicho gains
an added level of complexity. The Taicho still
leads the Pack, but the Daimyo is master to
the Taicho. As sworn vassals to the Daimyo,
the motobushi must carry out his orders and
serve his whims. Meanwhile, the Taicho must
continue to assert his dominance over the
Pack, keeping the chain of command in place.
No Daimyo is a person of simple
demands or lightly-enforced dominance.
Home Base games work best when the
tension between Daimyo and Taicho is tight
and constant, and the tension within the
Pack just as strong. Characters’ sacrifices
and personal relationships outside the Pack
will come into play more frequently. Lovers,
families, outside associates, and more will
play larger roles in the progression of the
story. If you need additional inspiration, the
television show Sons of Anarchy is a great
model for this setup.
Home Base Mechanics
All game mechanics are in full play in a Home
Base game. The acquisition and management
of Resources will still be of great importance,
especially in regards to Morale. Motobushi
who remain stationary for too long will
grow restless and agitated. The resource
management rules already account for this,
but with a Home Base game they will need to
take those long rides a bit more frequently—
or find other ways to blow off steam.
Factions will be more likely to remain
in play, but that doesn’t mean their Agency
levels have to remain steady. In a local game,
repeated Waves and Storms should have
considerably more impact than they would
in a Highway game. As wise men say, “Don’t
shit where you sleep.”
Adventuring with a Home Base
Expect conflicts to focus heavily on local
politics, but even in a local game, scenarios
may well take the Pack outside of town for
a while—if nothing else, their Daimyo will
likely need them to go on distant errands
now and again.
The Way of the Samurai Lies in
Death
“When there is a choice of dying or
not dying, it is better to die.”
– Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
In Motobushido, there are seven ways
for your character to die. The first and
most common way is through dueling,
which is covered in the next chapter (p. 67).
The remaining six deaths come through
Alignment change (p. 26).
66
What should you do when your
character’s death finally arrives? Obviously,
your first option is to accept death like a
warrior, and let your motobushi reach the end
of her line. It’s a harsh and unforgiving world
out there, especially for those who live as
hard as your Pack.
If the game continues, you can work
with the group to introduce a new character.
Perhaps a previously undifferentiated
member of the cohort can step into the light,
or maybe a distant nomad rider comes back
into the fold. You could also bring in a new
Shinmai, if you can work out a way for him
to meet up with and earn a place in the Pack.
Your Story Lives On
Whenever a player character is killed, their
memory lives on as an empowering force
within the group. At the moment of a
motobushi’s death, a new Deed is added to
the Pack Legacy. It can be drawn upon like
any other for empowerment.
But This Isn’t How I’m Supposed
to Die…
While the Way of the True Samurai lies
in death, sometimes the Way of the Happy
Player lies more in just keeping on with the
same character. To help with this, you can
unlock Cheat Death tokens on your Law of
the Pack Evolution grid. These are single-use
tokens that can pull your motobushi from
the brink of death, returning her to play
in a following scene. Your escape should
be most harrowing indeed, and played out
in-game. At Sensei’s discretion, your survival
might come at the cost of a (non-deadly)
Alignment shift, and could even be written
down as a new Lesson for future voting.
 Words, Swords,
Engines, War:
The Rules of Conflict
“All of man’s work is a bloody business.”
— Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
Three Types of Conflict
If you have a question of something your
motobushi can do, ask Sensei. If your
intention involves conflict, then there are
three ways to resolve it:
TT If the conflict is minor and simply a
question of whether your motobushi
can take a specific action, then it can be
resolved narratively. Sensei should just
say what happens, or ask you what
happens.
If the conflict is minor but has the
TT
potential for far-reaching side effects,
resolve it using a Gambit.
If the conflict is direct against another
TT
opponent or force, and the stakes are
uncertain, then a Duel is required.
Two Types of Consequences
In each of the three above resolution
methods, there are two types of outcomes.
Usually you will see a mix of both in the
final narration:
TT Mechanical consequences affect
your character’s numbers and abilities.
Examples include adding Stains,
lowering Strike Range, drawing
additional cards, and more.
TT Narrative consequences affect the
story in which you are currently playing.
You might win the friendship of your
opponent, gain entry to a secret location,
cow the will of the weather spirits,
or more.
67
Mechanical consequences will very likely
create narrative consequences, but narrative
consequences achieved on their own usually
stand apart from the mechanics, and
primarily serve to enhance the story.
Say what happens
The most frequent in-game questions are
variants of “Sensei, can I do this?” or “What
happens when I do that?”
TT “I kick in the already-broken door.
What’s on the other side?”
TT “I go back to my lodging and down three
more bottles of rotgut. How drunk do I
get?”
TT “I flip through the ragged notebook until
I find the page I’m seeking. So what does
it really say?”
Questions like these are pretty easy to
answer without actual conflict. If Sensei
has no reason to use mechanics to test
the outcome of a question, she will simply
narrate what happens and the story will
move forward without involving the cards.
Alternately, she might ask you to narrate the
answer on your own, and work with you to
deliver a suitable outcome. When in doubt,
you should take initiative and narrate both
action and resolution until such a point that
Sensei challenges that narration.
It is worth noting that most SCs in
the game can be killed off with simple
casual statement of doing so, unless the
SC happens to have mechanical Agency
within the scenario (p. 94). If you want to
know whether a particular SC has Agency,
attempt to casually narrate the SC’s death.
State aloud how you cut them down in
the street where they stand. If Sensei does
not oppose your statement, then you have
most likely just killed some worthless
peon who didn’t know their place, and got
what they deserved. But if Sensei narrates
resistance, defense, or escape, then that SC
has Agency, and you’ve probably pissed
them off.
Gambits
“If one will do it, it can be done.”
— Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
“The Way of the Samurai should
be in being aware that you do not
know what is going to happen next.”
— Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
If your character wants to try something
challenging, with an uncertain outcome, and
the situation isn’t Duel-worthy, Sensei might
call upon a Gambit.
The Gambit is the simplest use of cards
in this game. Its purpose is not to determine
success or failure of an action, but instead to
see if anything interesting occurs during the
attempt.
There is no outright failure result in a
Gambit. Samurai are men of action and
will. Their lives are interesting and fraught
with action and consequence, intended
and otherwise. In other words, they do
not “just fail.” Even when they do fail at the
intended task, failure brings with it some
further inspiration or concession. As such,
the Gambit is less a mechanic to determine
whether you succeed or fail than to determine
how that outcome shapes the narrative.
To perform a Gambit, tell Sensei your
intended course of action. Sensei will then
draw a card from the top of his deck, while
you choose a card from your own hand. You
will reveal (play) the cards simultaneously.
68
The difference in ranks of the cards
determines outcome. Subtract the value of
Sensei’s card from yours:
TT 0 or lower: = Player’s Choice:
— Unexpected Consolation: “No, but
this other beneficial thing happens to
you instead.”
Unexpected Complication: “Yes, but
—
this other detrimental thing happens
to you as well.”
TT 1 or higher = Unexpected Boon: “Yes,
and Sensei gets to add something else
(typically beneficial) that happens
as well.”
In the case of a Yes, and… outcome, Sensei
might also ask another player at the table to
add a little extra description to the action.
After you’ve played your card, you can
choose to nominate one of your existing
Deeds, and briefly explain how you believe
it to be relevant to the situation. If Sensei
approves, you can play an additional card
from the top of the deck, adding its rank to
that of your first-played card. This may be
enough change a potential No, but... or Yes,
but... into a Yes, and....
After the Gambit is resolved, draw back
up to your normal hand.
Twos and Aces
If an Ace and a Two are played against each
other, the Ace wins. Remember: Twos only
beat already-played Aces.
Gambits and Bikes
A motobushi astride her bike can choose
to add her relevant terrain rank (Open,
Tight, or Rugged) to her Gambit result after
the cards have been revealed. This costs a
single point of Ki, and suitable narration
incorporating the Bike.
Juube has decided—against better
advice—to attempt to crash the
dinner party of the Lady Nasakaru.
Since Juube is an overly loutish sort,
and given that he has specifically said
he is not going to take off his mask
during the course of this activity,
 Sensei decrees that this will require
a Gambit to see what unforeseen
circumstances arise as a result.
Sensei draws a card from his deck,
and Juube selects one from his hand.
Both reveal their cards at once: Sensei
plays a King of Clubs, and Juube
plays a Jack of Spades. Juube chooses
“No, but…” and Sensei narrates, “No
you are unable to get into the party,
but while you’re loitering outside, you
overhear someone mention that one of
Lady Nasakaru’s illicit lovers plans on
making a surprise appearance later in
the evening.”
Later in the session, Lady
Nasakaru is kidnapped by her Lord
father. While pursuing them, Juube
(who has developed one really strange
crush on the Lady) gets cut off by a
falling tree and must stop and watch his
quarry ride off beyond it. Juube declares
that he’s going to cut them off with a
shortcut through the trees, which Sensei
decides will require another Gambit.
This time Juube decides to spend a
point of Ki and add his dirt bike’s high
Rugged score to the result, easily beating
Sensei’s card. Sensei narrates, “Yes
you cut him off, and you also cause his
driver to panic and swerve, hitting a
tree. The side door pops open and Lady
Nasakaru flies out. You manage to
catch her—much to her horror.”
Here are some more examples of possible
Gambit results:
TT No, but you did manage to snip a lock of
her hair on your way out.
TT No, but at least you managed to seal the
entrance and prevent any further pursuit.
TT No, but you found a secret map detailing
a different location just as interesting as
the other.
TT Yes, but your Pack is delayed for a day
cleaning up the mess.
TT Yes, but you blow a gasket (or a tire) and
need to spend Resources to repair it.
69
TT Yes, but you have alerted the Purple
Blossoms to your presence.
TT Yes, and his followers all drop to their
knees and yield their weapons.
TT Yes, and you’ve also impressed the
nearby authorities who were watching.
You can now choose to invest a favor
card in their Faction.
TT Yes, and you salvaged enough extra scrap
to significantly boost your supplies (add
Resources).
Multi-Player Gambits
Players can work together in a Gambit, by
adding the Ranks of their cards together, if
they are assisting one another with a simple
task. Every player involved in such a gambit
should also be involved in narrating the
outcome.
Gambits and Omens
When Omens are in play, Sensei draws
and plays additional cards for Gambits (p.
68). Their ranks are added together before
comparing to the players’ cards.
Gambits and Stains
Gambits can cause Stains, at Sensei’s
discretion. After all, sustaining injury outside
of combat is not befitting of a samurai. He
might overcome physical pain with gritted
teeth and a grunt, but dishonor could linger
much longer. If Sensei decrees, the low-end
results of a Gambit can cause one or more
Stains, depending on the situation. For
example, if the Pack is charging into a place
and they spring a grenade trap, have each
present samurai participate in a multi-player
Gambit. No, but... outcomes will result in
character incapacitation or disablement (a
narrative complication), while Yes, but...
outcomes might deal one or more Stains.
Yes, and... outcomes will of course overcome
the challenge, and then some.
Gambits after Duels
Gambits can be a useful tool for quick conflict
resolution without losing momentum or
dramatic tension, or to “catch up” the rest of
the group after one character takes lead in a
duel. For example, when Budo attempted to
leap his bike across Dragon’s Mouth Chasm,
he Dueled against it and won, proving it could
be done. Rather than run each other samurai
through the same duel, Sensei chose to speed
up the flow and use a whole-group Gambit
to see how they all fared in the crossing, by
having each other player simultaneously play
separate Gambits against a single card from
Sensei’s deck. This will make more sense after
reading the section immediately following.
Duels
“On the fringe, blood and bullets
are the rule of law and if you’re a
man with convictions violence is
inevitable.”
— John Teller, Sons of Anarchy
Important Terms
Allowance: A special consequence that
you can choose to apply should you
Concede in the duel.
Card Draw: The number of additional
cards you draw and add to your current
hand. Directly modified by Role.Your
Hand must last you the entire Duel, so
use your cards wisely!
Hand: The cards that you hold, which you
use to make plays in a Duel.
Karmic Retribution: Negative charac-
ter change after gaining 7 Stains
Ki: A pool of tokens primarily used to
empower your fighting style techniques
Maneuver: One of a handful of set
things you can do when it is your turn
Stains: The currency of negative karma
Strike Range: The maximum “honor-
able” difference that your card can have
over your opponent’s when Countering.
You can play outside this Strike Range,
but to do so represents action unbefit-
ting a samurai, and earns you Stains.
Stunt: A special action that uses your
bike stats in place of a card value.
Tech(nique): A special power the
motobushi can evoke to affect Duels and
other aspects of play.
70
The Basics of Dueling
Dueling is the heart of Motobushido.
Here’s how it works.
Player vs Player, Player vs Sensei…
The following set of rules applies to
player-vs.-player duels. When players
face off against Sensei characters or other
challenges, there are minor differences,
which are detailed here when the
differences are worth noting.
Not All Duels Involve Swords
The Duel mechanics aren’t just for clashes
involving weapons. They can be used for
important debates, poetry battles, fisticuffs,
bike races, and even epic challenges pitting
man against nature. You can turn just about
any big important conflict into a duel—all
it takes is adapting the stakes and terms to
the new situation. See the “advanced dueling
options” section for more options (p. 81).
Flow of a Duel
1. Challenge
2. Selection of Seconds
3. Questions
4. The Duel:
— Stage 1: Confrontation (take turns
until Concession or Escalation)
— Stage 2: Struggle (take turns until
Concession or Escalation)
— Stage 3: Finishing Blow (take turns
until Concession)
5. Consequences
The Challenge: Initiating the Duel
“The way of the samurai lies in
immediacy, and it is best to dash in
headlong.”
– Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
In Motobushido, it pays to act first. There
is much strategic value in being able to set up
the duel parameters in your favor. By calling
out your opponent before he has time to
move against you, you get the chance to set
the stage to your benefit.
 To start a duel with a SC or a fellow
motobushi, take a card from your hand,
slam it face-down on the table, and narrate
how your character is challenging your
opponent. This card is interchangeably
called your Challenge Card or your
Initiative Card. Your challenge should
involve insults, intimidation, flash, threats,
and maybe even brandishing of weapons, but
not actual physical attacks just yet.
Once you’ve thrown down the
proverbial gauntlet, it’s on. And remember:
No Take-Backs
Sensei Action: To challenge a player to a
Duel, play a card face-down from the top of
your deck.
Extended Example (Beginning):
The Engines of War and their rivals, the
War Pigs, have met under a banner of
parley to discuss a temporary cease-
fire for the coming winter months. The
deliberations getting them nowhere,
Haruna Tar-Face – Taicho of the
Engines – decides to break out the
cards. Her player slams down a card,
challenging the Sensei to a duel of cards.
Sensei accepts, playing one face-down
from his deck. Haruna’s player cannot
re-draw until the duel is resolved.
Remember Strike Range!
Strike Range does count for your Initiative
card, so you’ll want to play a low one, unless
you just don’t care.
Now, or Later?
As challenger you can decide whether the
duel happens now or at an agreed-upon time
in the near future. Either way, the card you
have played remains on the table until it is
finally revealed at the beginning of a duel,
and you do not get to draw a new one to
replace it in the meantime.
Accepting a Challenge
Accept a challenge by likewise taking a
card from your own hand and slamming
it face-down on the table, firing back your
own narration. This card remains on the
table until the duel begins, and you do not
71
get to draw a new one to replace it in the
meantime. Like the challenger, this card is
your Initiative card.
Sensei Action: To accept a player’s
challenge, play a card face-down from the
top of your deck.
But I don’t Want to Fight…
No true samurai would ever back down
from a challenge, although it is technically
possible. Refusing a challenge can earn you
a lot of Stains. Skipping out on your own
challenge can earn you even more. If you are
challenged to a duel and you decline, you will
gain a number of Stains equal to the rank
on the challenge card, which is flipped over
face-up upon your statement of refusal. Your
opponent then discards the card, and draws
another into their hand.
If you are challenged to a scheduled duel,
and your opponent shows but you do not,
you accrue a number of Stains equal to the
value of the challenge. If a challenger doesn’t
show for their own duel, they gain stains
equal to the value of both initiative cards.
When the challenge is officially decreed
unfulfilled, both sides discard the played
cards and draw back up.
If you refuse an immediate challenge, and
your opponent then presses the duel anyway,
you both gain Stains equal to the value of the
challenge card. In this case, you must duel,
Stains or no, and pray for victory.
Being on Bikes at the time of Challenge
can increase the amount of Stains. If you
refuse and your Bike is less Badass than your
opponent’s, increase the amount of Stains you
would take by the difference in Badass scores.
Some Notes
It pays to plan your battles and set up their
fields in advance. Play to your strengths: if
you are strong in Water and your opponent
is not, challenge him to a battle of verse or
doctrine. If your opponent is weak-willed,
back him into a corner where he will be
forced to act on his own. If your opponent is
nothing without his bike, then duel him in a
place where bikes cannot go.
 By practicing patience and observation
and issuing the challenge on your own
initiative, you can gain the upper hand while
still behaving honorably. Your opponent
might not agree to the terms of the duel,
but to reject them risks dishonor. Of course,
when your opponent is a dishonorable man,
all bets are off...
Choosing Your Second
Your Second is an ally who helps you out
during the duel. Before continuing the duel
further, you can choose a Second, either by
asking an ally or by accepting an ally’s offer to
fill the position. Being a Second is a position
of trust and brotherhood, and a true and loyal
Second should never take their duties lightly.
But it is also a risky position, as the Second
will be exposed to the potential consequences
of the duel along with her ally.
When the fighters finally meet for the
actual duel, each Second must pass her
respective duelist her entire current hand of
cards, which the duelist will add to his own.
Then, the duelist gives the Second back the
same number of cards from their combined
hand. Your Second gets no additional cards.
On any of your turns during the duel,
your Second can volunteer to act by saying
“I got this” or the equivalent. If you allow it,
they then act in your stead, playing a card
from their own hand. During the Duel, your
Second’s Strike Range is determined by your
answers to the initial duel establishment
questions, applied to their stats. Should they
use techniques, they spend their own Ki.
Your Second must be physically present
in-game at the time of the duel, but need
not necessarily be directly involved in the
physical action. Even should this be a strictly
one-on-one duel, Seconds can still provide
active inspiration just by being present. The
choice of narrative must somehow affirm
this, without breaking any established terms
of the fight.
When the duel ends, the Second can
and should be included in the narration
of consequences.
72
Sensei Action: You do not use Seconds.
Instead, when SCs cooperate during a duel,
combine their Agencies.
Extended Example: Haruna imme-
diately asks her Shigakka, Nioboyuki,
to stand as her Second, and Nioboyuki’s
player accepts. He passes her his current
hand, which she adds to her own. She
looks over the combined cards, picks
three and slides them back to Nioboyuki.
Additional Participants: The Cohort
Involving additional participants beyond
the duelist and her Second can hinder the
pacing and mechanical balance of the Duel.
However, sometimes it just makes sense for
everyone to jump in, as in duels representing
greater battles, sieges, and other large-scale
conflict. In such cases, we refer to these
additional motobushi as “The Cohort.”
For the Cohort to participate in a Duel,
the situation must be able to support
those other characters’ direct, hands-on
involvement. It doesn’t make sense for others
to physically join in a one-on-one duel
between two samurai, as that could violate
codes of dueling ethics. On the other hand,
the involvement of the Cohort would make
perfect sense in a full-on battle.
In these cases, each additional involved
player can choose to place a number of cards
from their hand face-up on the table in front
of them, up to the number of evolutions they
have spent on Cohort Bonus in their Pack
tree. When acting normally, the primary
Duelist or Second can choose to play a
Cohort card as if it was a Faction, allowing
the contributing player to narrate how their
motobushi is providing assistance. Regardless
of whether or not the duelist chooses to
draw from their cards, characters in the
Cohort are now considered Seconds for all
purposes of determining Consequences.
This can place them in significant danger,
should the Duel be lost.
At the end of the Duel, any unused
Cohort cards get discarded, and each player
draws back up to their base hand size.

Step 1: The Questions
After Seconds (if any) are chosen, Sensei
will ask the following questions, which
the duelists must then answer aloud and
truthfully, in the judgment of Sensei and
Pack. The answers establish important
variables for the duel at hand.
What is the field, and what are your
weapons?
Is this a parlor-room duel of words, coin,
and paper? Is this a bedroom duel of honor
and romance? Is this a street duel of blades
and grease? Establishing the location and
weapons sets the tone for the rest of the
scene. Keep in mind that if this is a duel in
the saddle, then the playing field of course
must accommodate bikes.
What do you Demand?
Ask each acting duelist this question,
starting with the challenger. The answers
determine what the players can achieve
through victory. There are three answers:
Blood, Honor, and Influence. If you answer
Blood, you will find it easier to cause pain
and death. If you answer Honor, you will
find it easier to cause and mitigate Stains.
If you answer Influence, you will find it
easier to secure Resources and cause greater
narrative impact.
How do you seek to attain that
demand?
The duelists’ answers to this quesiton will
decide which of their two Way of the
Sword stats will be used to determine their
Strike Ranges. Answers focused more
around fluidity, strategy, and resilience will
tag Water, while those focused on direct
approach, intimidation, and straight-up
murder will tag Steel.
73
Does each duelist fight for
her own interests, or in the interest
of the Pack?
Ask this one to the other players. If they
decide the former, then her bonus Card
Draw is determined by her Nomad bonus
from the Law of the Pack. If the latter,
then she uses her Brotherhood bonus
instead. Each duelist should immediately
draw the appropriate number of cards into
their hand. This does not apply to SCs.
Results
By now you should have drawn additional
cards (if any) into your hand and established
your base Strike Range.
Sensei Action: Your Initial Draw and
your Strike Range are both equal to the
combined Agencies of the acting SCs,
plus one for each Omen in play. Should an
Omen be revealed during the duel, your
Strike Range is immediately increased
+1. If your SCs are samurai and have
techniques, you get temporary Ki equal to
their Agency.
Extended Example: Sensei
asks the questions, resulting in the
following: The battlefield is a campsite,
the weapons are words and deals.
Haruna demands Influence, and will
use threat and posturing, which calls
upon her Steel (5) as her Strike Range
for this duel. The other players agree
that she is most definitely acting in
their interests, so she draws 4 cards
into her hand (her Brotherhood score),
adding to the two already there for
a total of 6. She had 4 points of Ki
remaining before the duel, and that
amount is unchanged.
Sensei declares that Gojobu (War
Pigs leader) demands Blood. The War
Pigs’ Agency is 5, and there is already
one Omen in play, so his Strike Range
is 6, and he draws a starting hand of 6
cards. Gojobu is a samurai (although he
has no Techs), and his Ki for this duel
is 5 (Agency).
Step 2: The Duel
Each duel consists of one to three Stages
of back-and-forth action and narration,
and the stakes and danger rise as the
stages advance. The first Stage is The
Confrontation and involves back-and-
forth posturing, insults, intimidation,
showmanship, hard stares, and maybe
even a shove or punch. Weapons have not
been drawn yet! This stage is all about
establishing atmosphere, as the opponents
play out what usually amounts to the
Prelude to the actual fighting.
Once weapons enter the picture, the duel
moves into its second Stage, The Struggle.
The opponents are now physically sparring
with one another, exchanging blows, feints,
and other direct actions. No one is going for
the kill just yet! For now, strikes are aimed to
wound and maim at worst.
Finally, when either side decides to raise
the ante to mortal conflict, the duel moves
into the third stage, The Finishing Blow.
All bets are off. Each duelist is now actively
trying to kill their opponent, or at least to
inflict a fate narratively equivalent to death.
It is a very rare duel that ends with flawless
victory for one side of the fight. Many duels
can and will end in mechanical ties, and
sometimes even mutual death.
Initiative: Resolve the Initial
Challenge
Whoever issued the challenge must act first.
Flip over and reveal the face-down card.
Strike Range most definitely applies
here! Play your Initiative card as if you are
Countering against a value of Zero. Thus, if
your Strike Range is 5, then you can play a
2, 3, 4, or 5 without worry. Anything played
outside your Strike Range gains you a single
Stain. Yes, this means that a Strike Range
of 1 cannot initiate a duel without suffering
a stain!
With your initiative revealed, you are in
the lead, and it is now the other player’s turn
to react (see “Turns and Maneuvers,” below).
They can choose to reveal and play their own
74
initiative card, or instead push it aside and
take a different action. Read on.
Extended Example: Haruna starts
by flipping her Initiative card: a three
of Diamonds. It’s beneath her Strike
Range, so she takes no Stains, and she’s
in the lead. Her player says: “Gojobu,
you need to man up and do what’s best
for your pack, this offer won’t be on the
table beyond tonight.”
Turns and Maneuvers
Turns go back and forth, with each player
playing a Maneuver and narrating their
character’s actions, until one side concedes
victory to their opponent. On your turn,
you must employ one and only one of the
following Maneuvers:
Counter: Narrate your follow-up action
TT
and play a card that is higher than your
opponent’s.
TT Block: Narrate how you stop your
opponent’s last-stated action, and play
a card that is the same rank as your
opponent’s, but of an equal or higher suit
(see p. 59 for suit order).
Concede: Lay down your cards and
TT
accept that you have been beaten.
TT Escalate: Push the conflict to the next
stage, moving past words into a clash, or
pushing the clash into a mortal conflict
Additionally, before choosing to perform
this maneuver you can choose to use any
combination of the following extra actions
(explained further in the following sections,
starting on page 78):
Use one or more Role and/or
TT
Style Techs.
TT Activate one or more Deeds for
bonus cards.
TT Attempt a Bike Stunt in order to change
the card value of your Block, Counter,
or Escalation.
The Maneuvers Explained
To Counter, narrate your character’s
follow-up and play a card that beats

your opponent’s. Your goal is to have the
difference between your card and your
opponent’s be no greater than your current
Strike Range. You can certainly play and win
outside of this Strike Range, but doing so
means you are acting in a manner somehow
unbefitting a samurai. Playing outside your
Strike Range earns you Stains. After you
counter, it’s their turn again.
Remember: Aces can counter Kings, but
Twos can counter Aces and start the flow
back at the bottom again.
To Block, play a card of the exact same
numerical rank as your opponent’s, and of
the same or higher suit. Narratively, this
involves you stopping their action from
occurring. Mechanically, it negates their
last-stated Maneuver. Both cards are flipped
face-down and pushed aside. Blocks can even
prevent escalations.
However, if you successfully Block an
action that earned your opponent Stains,
those Stains remain!
To Concede, lay your cards down and
acknowledge that your opponent has bested
you. The terms of your defeat will depend
upon the current Stage of the Duel (see
Consequences, on p. 78). Knowing when to
fold is as important as pressing on towards
victory, and strategic concession is an
extremely important part of dueling strategy
in Motobushido. If you cannot counter, block,
or escalate, you must concede.
However, the Duel doesn’t end until
one side Concedes and the other side
accepts that concession.
To Escalate, push aside the already-
played cards, but do not discard them. You
concede the current Stage to your opponent
75
and give them an Allowance, and push
forward into the next Stage. Now play a new
card for the next Stage, and of course narrate
how you are pressing this engagement to the
next level of intensity. There can only be two
escalations per conflict (from Confrontation to
Struggle, and then from Struggle to Finishing
Blow). After you escalate, it is again your
opponent’s turn.
Remember: Strike Range applies to
escalation! Like with Initiative, you are
effectively Countering against a value of Zero.
This means that if you have a Strike Range of
3, then you need to play a 2 or 3 in order to
escalate without fear of Stains. You can still
most certainly play any card you wish, but if
your escalating card is outside of that range,
you gain Stains per the new escalated Stage
of the Duel. But if you don’t care about the
Stains, then feel free to Escalate with that King
in your hand.
Counter played after…
TT Initiative: If your opponent plays initiative
and you follow with a counter, then it is
now your opponent’s turn, and you’re in
the lead to win this stage.
TT Counter: If your opponent counters and
you follow with a counter, then it is now
your opponent’s turn again, and you’re in
the lead to win this stage.
TT Block: If your opponent blocks and you
follow with a counter, then it is now your
opponent’s turn again, and you’re in the
lead to win this stage.
TT Concession: You cannot counter a conces-
sion.
TT Escalation: If your opponent escalates and
you follow with a counter, you have agreed
to continue the conflict at the new stage
of intensity. You are now winning, and it is
their turn again.
Block played after…
TT Initiative: If your opponent plays initiative
and you follow with a block, flip your
blocking card and their initiative card
over and push them aside. It is now your
opponent’s turn again, and no one is in the
 lead to win. If your opponent concedes
at this point, the duel ends with
no Victor.
TT Counter: If your opponent counters
and you follow with a block, flip your
blocking card and their countering card
over and push them aside. It is now your
opponent’s turn again, and you’re in the
lead to win this stage.
TT Block: You cannot block a block.
TT Concession: You cannot block a concession.
TT Escalation: If your opponent escalates
and you follow with a block, flip your
blocking card and their escalating card
over and push them aside. The escalation
fails and you continue at the current stage
of the duel. It is now your opponent’s
turn again, and you’re in the lead to win
this stage.
Concede played after…
TT Initiative: If your opponent plays
initiative and you follow with a
concession, then your opponent has won
this stage and the conflict as a whole.
The conflict is now over and you should
determine consequences, unless your
opponent chooses to Escalate against
your concession.
TT Counter: If your opponent counters
and you follow with a concession, then
your opponent has won this stage and
the conflict as a whole. The conflict is
now over and you should determine
consequences, unless your opponent
chooses to Escalate against your
concession.
TT Block: If your opponent blocks and
you follow with a concession, then
your opponent has won this stage and
the conflict as a whole. The conflict is
now over and you should determine
consequences, unless your opponent
chooses to Escalate against your
concession.
TT Concession: This is technically impossible.
Escalation: If your opponent escalates
TT
and you follow with a concession, then
your opponent has won this new stage
76
of the conflict. The conflict is now over
and you should determine consequences,
unless your opponent chooses to
Escalate against your concession.
Escalation played after…
TT Initiative: If your opponent plays
initiative and you choose to escalate, give
your opponent an Allowance. Flip over
the Initiative cards and push them aside,
then play a new card to indicate the
escalation. The stage is now escalated, it
is your opponent’s turn again, and you’re
in the lead to win this stage.
TT Counter: If your opponent counters
and you choose to escalate, give your
opponent an Allowance. Flip over all
current-stage cards and push them aside,
then play a new card to indicate the
escalation. If the rank on your escalating
card is higher than your escalating Strike
Range, take Stains equal to the new
stage. The stage is now escalated, it is
your opponent’s turn again, and you’re in
the lead to win this stage.
TT Block: Escalating against a block works
exactly like escalating against a counter.
TT Concession: If your opponent concedes
and you choose to escalate anyway,
you will suffer great Stains. Give your
opponent an Allowance. Flip over all
current-stage cards and push them aside,
then play a new card to indicate the
escalation. When you escalate against
an opponent who has surrendered, you
automatically accrue Stains equal to the
newly-escalated stage of the conflict, in
addition to any you might accrue if the
card you played is outside of your Strike
Range. You are now in the lead of the new
stage, and it is once again your opponent’s
turn to react. This is the only way to con-
tinue a duel after one side Concedes.
TT Escalation: If your opponent escalates
and you either don’t have a card that can
beat their escalation, or you just want to
push further, you can escalate to the final
stage. Give your opponent an Allowance.
Flip over all current-stage cards and
push them aside, then play a new card
to indicate the escalation. If the rank
on your escalating card is higher than
your escalating Strike Range, take Stains
equal to the new stage. It is now your
opponent’s turn again, and you’re in the
lead to win this new stage.
Extended Example: Sensei is next.
He leaves his initiative card face-down
and plays a different card from his
hand instead: a Counter with the eight
of Diamonds. It’s within Strike Range
as well, and Sensei says “Gojobu just
scowls and spits, unimpressed by your
threat, but otherwise takes no action.”
Back to Haruna’s turn, Nioboyuki’s
player says “I got this,” and narrates:
“Gojobu, you are not blind to your own
pack’s past. You know how this will go
down if you refuse: just like every time
before, with your brothers dying before
the next morning.” He plays an eight
of Spades, Blocking Gojobu’s last play.
Both cards are flipped over and pushed
aside, leaving only Haruna’s initial
three on the table.
Sensei’s turn again, he says “Gojobu
growls, curses at you, calls you a
word-heavy coward, and dares you to
back up your threats with steel.” He
plays a King of Spades, which is ten
ranks higher than the three and thus
outside his Strike Range. His attempt
to provoke Haruna is thus deemed a
cowardly move in and of itself, earning
the War Pigs a single Stain (since
they’re only in stage 1 of the duel).
Haruna’s turn again. She doesn’t
have any Aces, and while she does have
a King it is of Diamonds, and thus of
lower suit than the King of Spades on
the table. Haruna evokes her “Did not
flinch when being burned alive” Deed,
stating that that experience has made
her infinitely more patient. She spends
1 Ki and draws another card – a Five
of Hearts. She has nothing to beat that
King, so she chooses to Escalate, which
will require suitable narration of taking
it to the next level. She narrates: “We
77
are prepared to do just that!” and Haruna
reveals the gunmen that she has hidden
around the location, with their barrels
trained on the War Pigs. She puts down her
new Five of Hearts, which is exactly within
her Strike range. This escalates the Duel and
gives Sensei 1 potential Allowance.
Back to Sensei again, “Gojobu laughs
and laughs, and suddenly you hear the howl
of engines bearing down on this location
from the highway. The War Pigs had
contacted an ally gang in advance, who
will be here any moment to back them up.”
Sensei plays a Six of Clubs as a Counter.
Haruna’s options are getting slim. She
activates her “The Lord’s Fist” Tech for a
cost of 2 Ki (current stage), allowing her to
now counter with her King of Diamonds
without Stains. She says: “It’s a good thing
we set those roadblocks in advance, then.
Accept the agreement, Gojobu, and this
won’t have to get bloody.”
Sensei laughs, and plays a King of
Diamonds as well, Blocking Haruna’s play
and flipping both over. “We dismantled the
roadblocks, you filthy whore. You relent to us
and we will agree, otherwise, this ends with
bloodshed, and most of it will be yours.”
Frustrated, Haruna’s player takes the
Four of Spades she previously invested
in the War Pigs’ Faction when she had
impressed them in combat in an earlier
duel. She uses it to escalate to the third and
final stage: “I give a signal, and one of the
Pigs – a secret ally of ours! – steps forth
and forcibly restrains Gojobu. Haruna
steps right up to him and says ‘No more
words: sign the accord or I snap your neck
here and now.” This escalates the duel a
second time, and gives Sensei another
potential Allowance.
Sensei exhales. He pauses, then sets
the King of Hearts down on the table,
assuming (correctly) from previous flow
that Haruna cannot counter. “Gojobu
quickly drops a hidden knife and guts the
man behind him. He looks at Haruna and
draws his sword.”
Additional Actions
There are some special action options
available to you to use on your turn.
Getting More Cards
Aside from specific Techs and powers, you
can get more cards mid-duel through two
methods: Evoking Deeds, and spending Favor.
Evoking Deeds
If you need more cards once the duel has
begun, you can call upon your Deeds for
inspiration. On your turn, before playing
your chosen Maneuver, you can spend
Ki equal to the current Stage (1, 2, or
3) to nominate a Deed and describe how
the events of that Deed are making you a
more capable person in this conflict. If your
justification is valid, Sensei may allow you to
draw a bonus card into your Hand.
Spending Favor
Favor currently invested in Factions can
be played as if it were cards in your hand.
Spending favor costs no Ki. Just narrate how
that Faction is assisting your character in
this moment (likely indirectly), and play the
card immediately.
Sensei Action: You use Disfavor in the
exact same fashion.
Using Techs
Every motobushi should have one or
more techs at their disposal, which can
be activated on your turn to enhance
your chosen Maneuver, or produce other
simultaneous effects. Most fighting style
Techs require expenditure of Ki to activate.
Unless otherwise noted, the cost in Ki is
equal to the Tier at which you learned the
Tech. You can activate any number of Techs
on your turn, as long as you can afford them
and they can legally be played.
Sensei Action: Some SCs might also
be samurai, with their own techniques.
When a SC samurai enters a Duel, he
has Ki equal to his Agency. That ki can
only be used in Duels, for the purpose of
empowering Techs.
78
Performing Bike Stunts
Bike Stunts are available only to duelists
who are fighting astride their Bikes. Stunting
allows you to substitute a relevant Bike Stat
(Tight, Open, Rugged, or Badass) for the
value of a card you just played, giving you
greater versatility under fire.
To attempt a Stunt, it must be your turn.
Select a card from your hand (or an invested
card from a Faction) and play it face-down,
stating the Maneuver you are performing
(Block, Counter, or Escalate). Spend an
amount of Ki equal to the current Stage of
the Duel (1, 2, or 3), and then name the Bike
stat you are using. The value of that Stat
now counts as the value of the face-down
card you just played, with a Suit of your
choosing. Note that Strike Range does still
apply when Stunting.
The stat you choose must be relevant to
the current battlefield. If you’re fighting on
the Highway, for example, then you would
use Open. You can always choose to use
Badass instead, but the narration of your
action must likewise be suitably badass.
Ending the Duel: Out of Options
The Duel does not end until one duelist
plays the Concede maneuver, and the
other duelist accepts the concession.
When you Concede, you are declaring your
opponent the Victor of the Duel. Both sides
immediately count their cards and discard or
draw back to their standard hand size. Then
set your cards down, and determine the
Consequences of the Duel (see below).
Extended Example: With no
better cards in her hand, no applicable
Deeds to evoke, and no other invested
favor on Factions. Haruna can only
concede. The duel is concluded. It’s time
to determine just how badly she lost…
Step 3: The Consequences
When one side of the duel Concedes, the
duel ends and the remaining player is declared
Victor. The outcome of the Duel is based on
the Victor’s original Demand (Blood, Honor,
or Influence) and how far the Duel went
before concession. The conceding Duelist may
also apply Allowances to the outcome, if any
were earned.
Each Duelist should look below to
determine outcome. If you conceded and
scored any Allowances, look under the
section relevant to your initial Demand
and apply that result. Otherwise, only the
Victor applies their results, based on their
Demand as written below. Allowances are
always applied before the Victor, and are
only available to the player who conceded
the Duel.
I Chose Blood
For the Victor:
I won during the Confrontation: Deliver
a single point of Stain or Bike Damage to
your opponent.
I won during the Struggle: Deliver a total
of two points of Stains and/or Bike
Damage to your opponent.
79
I won during the Finishing Blow: Deliver a
total of three points of Stains and/or Bike
Damage to your opponent, and force them
to make a one-point Alignment shift of your
choice. Alternatively, activate the Mutual
Death clause.
I won during the Finishing Blow and my
opponent scored no Allowances: Kill your
opponent, their Second, and any involved
cohort, regardless of their demand.
For the Defeated:
I have one Allowance: State a minor narrative
fact about the outcome, then deliver a single
point of Stain or Bike Damage to your
opponent.
I have two Allowances: State a minor narrative
fact about the outcome, then deliver a total
of two points of Stains and/or Bike Damage
to your opponent. Alternatively, activate the
Mutual Death clause.
The Mutual Death clause:
If both victor and defeated chose Blood, and
the defeated earned two Allowances, both
players can choose to mutually kill each other.
This death does not affect any Seconds.
I Chose Honor
For the Victor:
I won during the Confrontation: Deliver a
Stain to your Opponent, or remove one of
your own.
I won during the Struggle: Deliver two
Stain to your Opponent, or remove two of
your own, or do one of each.
I won during the Finishing Blow: A total
mix of three points of Stains delivered
and/or removed, and force your opponent
to make a one-point Alignment shift of
your choice. Alternatively, activate the
Mutual Seppuku clause.
I won during the Finishing Blow and
my opponent scored no Allowances:
You can either A) Eliminate all of your
stains and shift up to two alignment
spaces, B) Cause two alignment shifts to
your opponent and seven Stains, or C)
Demand your opponent’s suicide.
For the Defeated:
I have one Allowance: State a minor
narrative fact about the outcome, then
either deliver a Stain to your Opponent,
or remove one of your own.
I have two Allowances: State a minor
narrative fact about the outcome,
then either deliver two Stain to your
Opponent, or remove two of your own, or
do one of each. Alternatively, activate the
Mutual Seppuku clause.
The Mutual Seppuku clause:
If both victor and defeated chose Honor, and
the defeated earned two Allowances, both
players can choose to mutually demand each
other’s suicide. This death does not affect
any Seconds.
I Chose Influence
For the Victor:
I won during the Confrontation: Choose
One, narrating how it came to be: A) Gain
80
one point of a Resource (narrate how this
came to be), B) Invest once in a relevant
Faction (narrate how this came to be),
C) Remove one Disfavor from a relevant
Faction (narrate how this came to be), or
D) Eliminate one of your Stains (narrate
how this came to be)
I won during the Struggle: As above, but
choose twice.
I won during the Finishing Blow: As above,
but choose four times.
I won during the Finishing Blow and my
opponent scored no Allowances: As
above, but choose seven times.
For the Defeated:
I have one Allowance: State a minor
narrative fact about the outcome, then
Choose One, narrating how it came to be:
A) Gain one point of a Resource (narrate
how this came to be), B) Invest once in a
relevant Faction (narrate how this came
to be), C) Remove one Disfavor from a
relevant Faction (narrate how this came
to be), or D) Eliminate one of your Stains
(narrate how this came to be)
I have two Allowances: As above, but
choose twice.
Extended Example (Conclusion):
With Haruna’s concession in the
third stage, Sensei wins the Duel. If
Haruna had earned any Allowances,
she would get to apply them first. But
since she escalated both times, the only
Allowances given went to the War
Pigs, and since the Pigs won those
points are discarded. Since the War
Pigs chose Blood, this means ultimate
victory, including the final death of
both Opponent (Haruna) and Second
(Nioboyuki). Nioboyuki’s got a spare
Cheat Death on his sheet, so he uses it
afterward to narrate his survival. But
Haruna has none…
Stains
While Stains are more fully explained
elsewhere (p. 50), one rule is important here:
Stains earned during a duel are not applied
until the consequences of the duel have been
resolved. Count them as you earn them,
but don’t apply them until the duel is over.
And remember: any Stains earned while in
the saddle can be absorbed by your Bike’s
Endurance.
Invest Excess Sensei Cards
At the end of a Duel, if Sensei’s SCs are
still alive and in play, Sensei can choose to
invest any remaining of cards in his hand
as Disfavor on those SC’s Factions, up to a
limit of their Agency. Sensei then discards
the rest of his hand, and returns to a Hand
size of Zero cards.
Advanced Dueling Options
Alternate Duel Formats
As stated before, these rules are not just for
when two samurai are trying to chop each
other to pieces. The back-and-forth flow
of Dueling has been proven to work for a
much wider variety of scenarios, including
vehicular chases, epic feats of human
prowess (Man vs The Mountain), haggling,
foot races, and tea ceremonies.
Non-violent duels will require you to get
creative with your narration of counters and
escalation, but that application of creativity
is most of the fun. Remember: someone’s
death can be just as easily achieved with a
signature as with a sword.
81
Final Notes on Strategies
There is no one true way to win, but
there are some important strategies you will
learn over time. I will highlight a few here.
Strategic Concession
“Every battle is not won by advance.
Every retreat is not loss. Advance is
strategy. Retreat is also strategy.”
- Suzume-no-kumo, 1600
(Takashi Matsuoka, Cloud of Sparrows, 2002)
Knowing when to relent is crucial to
survival in this system. The urge to just
plain win can sometimes be over-strong,
but frequently you must let it go. If you can
control the rules of your loss, then in a way,
you can control the outcome of the fight.
Never forget this.
On Kings, Aces, and Twos
Like everything else, the cards are cyclical.
Kings beat everything but Aces. Aces beat
everything. Twos beat Aces. Everything beats
Twos. The circle completes and begins anew.
No cards are inherently good or bad. Do not
forget this.
82
 SECTION THREE

Master, Teacher,
Student: Sensei
83
What Sensei Does
“One should perceive their nature
to be one of quiet strength.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
As Sensei, your job is to give the
motobushi a place to roam, and then fill that
place with challenges.
Describe, Listen, and React
Being Sensei is almost entirely a matter of
laying forth descriptions and then reacting
to the players’ following actions and stated
intentions. Describe features of the setting
or actions of SCs, and listen and react to the
players’ responses.
Ask Questions
Use questions to push your players to flesh
out their characters. Where did you get your
current bike? Who taught you your fighting
style? How old were you when your uncle
killed your mother? When was the last
time you kissed a man? When was your last
home-cooked meal?
Keep Things Moving
The game works best if the group pushes
forward constantly, dueling opponents and
seeking their goals. You facilitate this by
giving them clear objectives and making
sure one or more potential courses of
action are apparent. Don’t play the secret-
information game with your scenarios;
give them leads to follow so they don’t get
bogged down. If they choose to ignore
those leads, that’s okay too—but it should
be their choice.
If the players start deliberating too
much, establish eye contact with either the
leader or the otherwise most influential
personality within the group, and visibly
flip over the next card of the Sensei deck
into the discard. If the player doesn’t take
the hint after a few seconds, do it again, and
again, and again, putting Omens into play
if they come up, until the players get back
on task. Later you’ll learn about Waves and
Storms (p. 91); this little trick is called a
Ripple.
84
Let the Circle Turn
Always be on the lookout for opportunities
to bring relationships and past events back
into play. The lives of the motobushi should
be exciting and full of coincidence and
portent alike. Everything they do should
come back into play, connected to the people
they meet and the places they visit. If they
kill someone, have a friend of that someone
come after them. If they help a town out in a
big way, have that make a difference in a later
encounter. Choices from the past should
affect events of the present and future, over
and over again. Using Flashbacks, you can
dig up some real juicy conflict fodder from
the Pack’s yesteryears.
When possible, connect new SCs to the
samurai, or to their past actions and con-
tacts. The tea merchant they meet in the
next town might be the cousin of the miller
they cut down in the street of the previous
town. The lord of the town could be the
Shinmai’s estranged uncle. The madam of the
geisha house could be a survivor from the
same plague that took the Shigakka’s wife so
long ago.
Follow “Yes” and “No” with “And”
or “But”
There are no simple successes or failures in
Motobushido. When the samurai succeed,
they either do so with smashing victory, or
at a steep price. Likewise, every failure is an
opportunity just waiting to be seized by the
heroes. In other words, there are no simple
“spot checks” or “climb rolls” in Motobushido.
If there is secret information to find, give
it to them without test, but make it costly.
If there is a wall to climb, either let them
climb it, or make it a Gambit and add some
extra consequence.
Make Them Feel Like Outlaws
This game is about outlaws, most of whom
will have done very bad things in their past,
and many of whom will do very bad things
in the games to come. As such, bad things
can, will, and should happen to them in
return. Karma’s a bitch, and in Motobushido,
that bitch is Inescapable.
 The Pack should have enemies every-
where. This isn’t to say that every new SC
should already hate them, but it is a good
idea to keep the players guessing. Friends
will double-cross them, allies will abandon
them, and old enemies will come looking to
settle scores. The past should catch up with
them. Take note of their previous crimes,
and bring them into play whenever possible.
In particular, flashbacks are great sources of
fodder for the present.
Make Them Feel Like Samurai
“One should constantly give
the impression that he is doing
something exceptional.”
– Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
Despite their outlaw lifestyle, the charac-
ters in Motobushido are still samurai, and you
need to reinforce that. Anyone who sees them
will instantly know who they are, and likely
cower. They are to be shunned, hated, and
most of all: respectfully feared. In other words,
the world sees them as vicious badasses and
you should not let them forget that.
Other people won’t directly mess
with the Pack unless those people either
have a death wish or consider themselves
exceptionally tough. Make it obvious to
players that SCs who elect to confront the
Pack are really brave, really capable, really
stupid, or some combination thereof.
When in Doubt, Threaten
If you are stuck in a situation and cannot
think of anything to do next, add a direct
threat to the Pack. Set fire to their camp.
Infest their food with weevils. Have bandits
salt their gas tanks, or thugs knock over
their bikes. Make the Pack’s lives consistently
difficult. Let them have sporadic moments
of victory and satisfaction, but don’t let those
moments linger too long.
Normally you can’t deplete their
resources without using Waves and Storms,
but in the above examples, no resources were
actually taken away. Weevil-filled food is still
technically edible, even if the Pack won’t eat it
unless they’re desperate. Salted tanks aren’t
85
immediately damaged, but they will sure set
the riders back as they try and fix their gear.
Threats like these raise narrative tension
without actually requiring you to take direct
mechanical action against the Pack.
Use Omens and Ripples
The players should feel that fate is conspiring
against their motobushi. Sinister portents for
the future will arise, darkening the spirits of
the samurai as Fate turns against them. This is
built into the game’s mechanics but it should
be woven into the narrative as well. During
Pack Creation, the players will have come up
with some taboos, and you should poke at
those taboos whenever possible. Don’t hesitate
to draw from classic stories and well-known
portentous tropes as well. In a pinch, even a
well-placed black cat can work wonders.
Remember Your Threes and Sevens
Everything happens in threes and sevens.
There are seven heroes that must fight the
great evil. There are three cabals in the
broken town. There are seven passions
a geisha must master. There are three
participants in every ritual suicide (the
samurai, the second, and the witness). There
are seven oaths along the path to greatness.
There are three soldiers on the patrol. There
are seven required voices in the great Song
of the Lost. There are three stages to the
duel. Seven deaths await you, each but three
breaths away. Seventy-seven steps lead up to
the lost temple, where the three hundred and
thirty-three prayers must be said if you wish
to bring your lover back from the Echoing
Plains of the After-Death.
Evoke threes and sevens whenever you
need a number. They are quite common
numbers in samurai stories and legends, as
well as many other classic hero stories. And
once you get your players used to expecting
threes and sevens, dropping in the occasional
two or six is a great way to ratchet up
the tension.
“In the words of the ancients, one
should make his decisions within
the space of seven breaths.”
– Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
The Quick Basics
Your Cards
The players have a deck of cards, and so do
you. Unlike the players, you do not carry
a hand except during a Duel. You draw
cards at the beginning of Duels, and discard
everything at the end. You make all your
Gambits and Disfavor investments directly
from the top of your Deck, drawn at random.
Like the player deck, yours has two
Jokers in it, also shuffled in face-up. When
a Joker is revealed, immediately set it aside
face-up next to the deck as a new Omen (p.
91). Your deck is not reshuffled until either
both Jokers are on the table, or you’ve run out
of cards. Jokers are not returned to the deck
until a Storm blows through.
First Session Play Flow
1. Go through the Setup Process
2. Ask The Question (p. 12)
3. Run a Quick Duel
4. Run the First Founding
5. Guide Pack Creation
6. Note any Omens in play
7. Salute and Conclude
Second Session and Beyond
1. Go through the Setup Process
2. Return Omens to the table, if Any
3. Run the First Flashback
4. Resume the Ongoing Story
5. Find a Suitable Stopping Point
6. Run the Lessons Vote
7. Salute and Conclude
Session Setup
1. The Salute: Open each session with the
Salute (p. 16).
2. Set out Basic Supplies: Character
sheets, pencils, index cards, note
paper, etc.
3. Ready Factions: Have some index
cards ready to bring your Factions
into play. Some might carry forward
86
from your last session, so restore their
investments, if applicable.
4. Set Up the Decks: At the beginning
of a game session, set up your deck by
shuffling it (with Jokers reversed) and
setting it out front. Set up the players’
deck likewise.
5. Deal the Cards: Deal each player a
number of cards from the player deck
equal to their character’s hand size
(three for the First Founding). If any get
Jokers, leave them out as game-starting
Omens.
6. Set up Ki Tokens: If you’re using Ki
tokens, give each player a number equal
to their character’s current Ki Pool.
7. Begin Play
Your First Session
When your group is together at the table
for the very first time, you should read aloud
the story and question on the very first page
of this book (p. 12). Let the players answer
on their own before you give them the
only true, acceptable answer. Then do the
following:
1.  Don’t Pre-Write the Story!
2.  Don’t Pre-Explain the rules!
3. (Optional) Run a Quick Duel
4. Run the first founding
5. Run pack creation. (p. 25)
Stop there, and take a few days to set up
a good intro scenario for the next session
(p. 95)
Don’t Pre-Write
Your job as Sensei is mostly a reactive
one. The game works best when the players
come fresh to a new campaign and are
encouraged to explore the ideas they find
most interesting. As such you should not
pre-write any story elements before the first
session. The First Founding should inform
Pack Creation, which should in turn inform
the scenarios you write. Let the players water
the seeds of the game’s basic ideas on their
own, and great stories will blossom.
Don’t Pre-Explain
If you’re running for a group of
new players, don’t overwhelm them by
frontloading the rules. Incorporate, illustrate,
and explain mechanics through action, as
they become relevant.
(Optional) Run a Quick Duel
If the players are up for it, have two of
them each grab a default character template
and go to town. This can be a lot of fun and
give your players an initial taste of the me-
chanics if they’re nervous about diving in cold.
When done, move on to the First Founding.
The First Founding Scene
Part tutorial, part world construction, the
First Founding should take place immedi-
ately before actual character creation occurs.
In this flashback scene, the group plays out
a moment from the past, right at the end of
the War. At the core of this event is a clash
of intentions and a crucial decision: Do you
follow the almost certainly suicidal orders of
your commander, or do you accept that the war
is lost and retreat to fight another day?
A good First Founding is stained with
blood and death, and this is most likely
to happen if players don’t yet know the
strategies of card-play. The conflicts are likely
to be intense and bloody, as the players keep
pushing ahead, unaware that holding back
is even an option. This is intentional: since
these aren’t necessarily their actual long-term
characters, they will be able to experiment
more readily with conflict, and personally
discover just how bloody it can be. Suicide or
retreat, survivors or slaughter, this event sets
up the legacy of the Pack that is to follow.
Rules Light!
The First Founding is intentionally “rules light”
in play. The bulk of the extended mechanics
will not come into play during this scene. The
following systems should not be used or even
mentioned during the First Founding:
TT Ki Pools and Techniques
TT Bike Stunts
TT Omens, Ripples, Waves and Storms
87
How to Run the First Founding
Set Up the Materials
You will need a single deck of cards for the
players, and one for yourself just in case
SCs should somehow get directly involved.
Remove the Jokers from both decks for now.
Set up four Faction cards (I use index
cards), and on each of them write a one of
the following: Commanding Officer, Your
Unit, The Enemy, and The Spirit of Battle.
These will enter play when you ask the
Opening Question (see below).
Quick Explanation
Read aloud the following, or at least
something like it. “Before we really begin the
game, we’re going to run the First Founding.
In this scene you will play out a flashback
from the end of the War, in the roles of
characters who served together in the same
military unit at a crucial moment of battle.
The survivors of this scene will eventually go
on to found the Pack in which your future
motobushi will ride.”
Pass Out the Templates
There are eight different “First Founding”
character templates. Their stats are listed in
the Character Creation Chapter (p. 25), and
you can find full-page sheets for them as a
free download on the Motobushido website.
If you somehow end up with more than
eight players, print out extra copies of the
Ashigaru character for the additional players
(and good luck with that crowd, my friend).
Establish Aspects of the War
Have each player state one defining feature
or incident of the War. These features will
not only provide color, but set the tone for
the entire rest of the game. Features can
include weaponry, technology, tactics, causes,
background, geography, political landscape,
and so on. Examples might include Vicious
War Beasts, Giant Steam Robots, They
Came for Our Children, Cannons, Civil
Power Struggle, Slave Revolt, War of
Attrition, Ships from the Stars, etc. Keep
players focused on features that relate to the
actual war, not just the game world.
Draw Sides
The players must now draw cards to
determine which side of an argument they
will initially take during the upcoming scene.
Don’t explain why they’re drawing just yet.
Take the number of players (not including
you) and subtract one. Then remove that
number of black cards and an equal number
of red cards from the player deck (so, if you
have four players, you should have three
black and three red cards). This ensures
that at least one player will get a different-
colored card than the others. Shuffle these
cards and then deal one to each player, face-
down. Each player may look at the card he
was dealt but should not show the card to
anyone else. Tell them to remember which
colors they drew, then get all the cards back,
and reshuffle the player deck.
Deal Initial Hands
Deal out three new cards to each player.
They’ll use these in the scene to play their
duels. For now, they can look at their own
cards but should not reveal them to each
other, or to you.
Ask the Question and Set the Stage
You will now set the scene, then allow the
players to join in and take over. Turn to
the highest-ranked character in the group
and recite something along the lines of the
following aloud, while laying down each of
the Factions as indicated:
“A courier has just arrived and passed
you a special sealed message. As he hopped
back astride his bike and sped off, you read
your final orders from your Commanding
Officer (lay down this Faction). Your orders
are to gather Your Unit (Faction) together
for your most glorious task ever: you will
be the vanguard of the entire army, leading
them into one final all-or-nothing suicide
charge in the name of the Emperor. The
Enemy (Faction) has all but routed your
forces, and everyone knows that the battle
is lost. But perhaps if you make one last
stand in the name of glory and sacrifice,
the Spirit of Battle (Faction) will ride with
you, and carve one last bloody chunk out
of the enemy. You now need to break the
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news to the rest of your unit (indicate the
other players).”
Explain to everyone else: “The cards you
were dealt earlier decide what side of this
conflict you start on. If you drew a red card,
your character is in favor of suicide and glory.
If you drew black, you are in favor of escape
and survival. Your sheets show possible
inspiration for whichever side you drew.”
Allow each player to invest one of their
cards into a Faction of their choice by taking
a card from their hand, laying it face-up next
to that base, and then drawing another card
from the deck into their hand to replace
the card invested. Explain how these can
potentially benefit the characters by being
played in the middle of duels (p. 78).
Begin Play
Explain the importance of the conflict at
hand: Will the unit charge, or will it retreat
before the full force of the enemy comes
crashing down? This scene will ultimately set
the stage for the first moment of your Pack’s
history. Is it founded in survival, or glory?
Hand the reins to the players, and let the
scene begin.
Running the Scene
You can mostly just sit back and let the
players take over. Hand it off and let them
take on the roles of the characters and play
out this deciding moment in their Pack’s
history. Encourage them to push opposing
agendas, and push the tension and drama to
its fullest.
If they start to clash in-character, play
devil’s advocate and encourage the conflict,
and be on the listen for a good moment
of tension. When it comes, offer to let the
players involved use the cards to resolve
things. If they want to bring out the cards,
tell the more aggressive of them to slam a
card down face-down and issue a challenge.
This will introduce the basic three-stage
dueling mechanic: Confrontation, Struggle,
and Finishing Blow. Explain that the
stakes start small, and get more intense
with each escalation (but don’t go into
too much detail). Re-read the Dueling
mechanics to make sure you got at least the
basic flow down, and understand how the
consequences work (p. 78).
Chances are that they will start to
murder each other. That’s okay! That is
meant to happen, and hopefully they do it
with gusto. And if they clash with SCs for
some reason, just consider everything to have
Agency of 2 for the sake of your draw.
At some point, the group will reach a
general consensus on whether or not to stay
and die. That’s when you should bring things
to a close. The decision is the most important
thing here, so don’t worry about going on
and playing through its outcome.
What if They All Agree?
This happens more often than you would
think: the players are hesitant to initiate
conflict with one another, and resolve their
issues through role-playing and negotiation
without calling on mechanics. That’s totally
fine - the players are most certainly allowed to
have their characters change their minds.
But since the First Founding is meant
to serve as both Pack establishment and
mechanics tutorial, a scene without a duel
just isn’t acceptable if you are dealing with
new players. Here are some ways to work
around consensus to initiate conflict.
Have a Plant
If one or more of your players has played
before, talk to them beforehand and ask
them to press conflicts with newer players.
Chances are that the seasoned players will be
on board.
Move the Scene and Insert New
Samurai
If the scene comes to a close with no
conflict, pick the most story-active player of
the group and move them to a new follow-
up scene. Pass the less-active players the
unused remaining templates, and set up
a scene in which the new characters must
directly confront the returning one, and
cannot take no for an answer. Turn the
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new scene over to the players again, and see
what happens.
What Would it Take For You
Guys to Scrap?
This is the last-ditch solution: just ask
the players to come up with a reason why
they would fight right now. Explain “this
scene should show you the mechanics of
conflict, so you need to come up with a
narrative justification to use them,” and
hopefully they’ll get the hint.
Just Go With It
If all your players are experienced at the
game, just move on. You don’t really need to
teach experienced players the rules, and if
they really want a bloodless Founding, let
them have it.
Concluding the First Founding
The point of this scene is for the players to
reach a decision: run and live, or charge and
die honorably. Playing out the results of that
decision is not important. Simply reaching
the decision is enough to bring the scene to
a conclusion—what happens afterward can
be embellished in later gameplay, and serve
as juicy fodder for future flashbacks. Once
the decision is reached, the First Founding
is over.
Sensei should now set all the playing
cards aside. They won’t get used again until
the beginning of the game proper, which will
likely not be until another session.
If this is the first session of what you
intend to be a multi-session story, then take
a break before moving on to the actual Pack
Creation process (p 25). Any stains earned
by players during the First Founding carry
forth to new characters!
The Second Session
and Beyond
Between the First Two Sessions
By the time the first session concludes,
you should have a fresh new Pack with some
colorful history, ready to ride forth into a
half-painted world of your collective design.
Take some time between sessions to design a
good starting scenario for the new Pack. Read
over this section and the following Scenario
Design section (p 95) during the break, and
prepare to guide the next chapters of the story.
Session Structure
After Pack Creation is complete, the basic
flow of every session should be as follows:
Salute!
Open every session with the Rider’s Salute
(p. 16).
Return Omens to Play
If this is your first session after Pack Creation,
be sure to explain how Jokers and Omens
work. If there were Omens in play at the end
of the last session, and you are continuing
the same scenario, put them back into play at
the start of the new session. If this is a new
scenario, then no Omens carry forward.
Deal Out the Cards
If you haven’t already, reshuffle the player
deck (shuffle in the Jokers face-up) and deal
each player cards equal to their character’s
Hand size. If any Jokers are revealed, leave
them in play as Omens. Yes, you can start the
game with Omens, which can make for some
really tense session kick-off.
Reshuffle the Jokers face-up into Sensei’s
deck at this point as well.
Run the First Flashback
Every new session should start with a
whole-party flashback (see p. 59). The only
difference between this Flashback and others
is that when finished, everyone’s Ki is fully
replenished, and everyone involved gains a
new Lesson.
If your players don’t mind, it might be
more narratively appropriate to involve
only a few of the characters. Regardless
of participants, everyone still fully
replenishes Ki.
Resume the Ongoing Story
If this is part of a multi-session scenario,
then pick up where you last left off. Push
90
forward with the story, give the characters
more challenges, and refer back to the “What
Sensei Does” pages (p. 84) as necessary. If
this is a new scenario, then go ahead and
kick it off with some new scenario hooks and
investment questions. Otherwise, the flow is
identical from session to session.
Find a Suitable Stopping Point
As the clock ticks down toward the end of
your session, be on the lookout for a good
place to leave things for the evening. If your
scenario isn’t complete yet, ending with a
cliffhanger is a good way to guarantee that
your next session will start with some solid
action. However, if you know you’re not
going to meet again for a few weeks, and
are concerned about losing tension during
the downtime, it might be better to end the
current session with action and deal with the
consequences next time.
Run the Lessons Vote
“It is a difficult thing to truly
know one’s own limits and weak
points.”
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
With the session of play concluded, it’s
time to discuss and vote upon the Lessons
that motobushi may have learned during play.
Provided everyone took part in the session-
opening flashback, then they should each
have at least one Lesson, in addition to any
earned during play from in-game Flashbacks
and other dramatic actions.
In addition to their own characters’
Lessons, players should be encouraged to
suggest Lessons for other motobushi based on
the events of the session. Sometime a session
may pass with no Lessons learned. This is
uncommon, but not unheard-of. If it happens,
try and make the next session more eventful.
Starting with the Shinmai (if present),
have each player read off the Lessons they
have written down that session and make
a case for each one. The group should then
discuss and decide whether or not they feel
that character learned anything important
from that Lesson. If yes, that Lesson
becomes eligible for evolution (see p. 48 for
evolution rules). If the party decides it’s too
soon to tell, leave the Lesson written down
and discuss it again after the next session
of play. Taking turns, discuss and have the
players vote on each Lesson still eligible.
Your own vote should be reserved for
breaking ties.
Sometimes it will be pretty clear that a
character did not learn anything useful from
a Lesson, or even blatantly defied it. In such
a case, cross it off the list entirely. Remind
the players that it is not necessary for every
Lesson to result in a character evolution,
and it is perfectly acceptable for them to
decide that one or more characters did not
really learn anything from their Lessons.
Remember, actions speak louder than words:
even if a player insists that their character
learned something, their actions in-game
might say otherwise.
Expanding the Pack Legacy
If the end of this session also signals the
conclusion of the current scenario, the
group must now decide upon a new Deed
to add to the Legacy of the Pack sheet. This
Deed must be based on the events of the
scenario. Individual character Lessons are
often good clues as to the most significant
events. “Defeated the Sunken Skulls at the
Battle of Black Hill Briar” is a good Pack
Deed. “Acquired the Patronage of Lord
Momokawa” is another. See the Pack Legacy
rules for more examples (p. 47).
Salute and Conclude
Repeat the salute to end each session.
Omens, Ripples, Waves and
Storms
In addition to whatever forms of direct
opposition you may throw at your players,
three major forces will be working around
and against the motobushi at all times. The
first is Chance, played out through the
use of the cards. The second is Fortune,
brought into play through dark omens and
foreshadowing of violence to come. The
third is Consequence, as the characters’ own
91
actions cause ripples and waves in the world
around them and crash back upon them
sevenfold. Most of this book is dedicated
to the mechanics of chance as expressed
via the cards, but the section below covers
Fortune and Consequence, and how
they intertwine.
Omens and Ripples
Both Omens and Ripples involve
tension and foreshadowing, but Ripples
are usually minor mechanical responses
to portentous in-game narration, while
Omens are major mechanical happenings
that require spontaneous narration of
new portents.
Whenever an entirely story-driven
portent arises during play, a Ripple occurs
as a response. Flip a card from a deck
and place it in discard. If the portent was
introduced primarily by Sensei’s narration,
use the Sensei deck. If it was introduced
through or as a reaction to player character
actions, use the player deck. The following
in-game event examples would each be
Ripple-worthy:
TT A Pack Taboo is broken inadvertently
TT Someone insults the dead.
TT A character rolls three sevens in a game
of dice.
TT Sensei Blocks three times in a row.
TT A motobushi is killed early in the
scenario.
The triggers for Ripples are entirely
spontaneous, and there is no hard science
to bringing them into play. Just be on
the lookout for strange coincidences and
unintentionally dark moments of story that
may arise, and remember your Threes and
Sevens. The primary purpose of Ripples is to
push through the cards and bring forth new
Omens more rapidly.
Omens are dark and serious portents,
a step up in intensity from Ripples. When
a Joker is revealed, an Omen enters play.
When this happens, you must immediately
narrate the nature of this unexpected
new Omen to fit the moment in which
it was drawn. Some examples of possible
Omen narration:
TT A passing cart splashes a mud puddle
upon your hakama.
TT Your sheath’s blade-catch snaps when
drawing your sword.
When your opponent charges at you, the
TT
trees suddenly begin shedding blossoms
the color of your opponent’s clan crest.
TT You see the face of your dead
brother—the one you killed—suddenly
superimposed upon that of a stranger.
Once narrated, place the Omen ( Joker)
face-up on the table next to its deck, and not
in discard. The Omen is now in play. While
in play, each Omen provides the following
constant and cumulative boons to Sensei:
One additional card flipped during
TT
Ripples
TT One additional card added to Sensei’s
Hand at the start of a new Duel
TT +1 to SCs’ Strike Ranges during a duel
TT One additional card drawn during any
Gambit, its rank added to the first.
Omens remain in play until they are re-
shuffled, which only happens after resolving
Wave and Storm Maneuvers. Read on below.
Omens and Ripples have similar thematic
feel, but there is a distinct mechanical
difference in how they enter play. What we
call Omens are mechanical responses to the
revelation of Jokers, and are accompanied by
additional reactionary narration. Ripples on
the other hand are mechanical reaction to
“ominous events” that occur spontaneously
during play, and are not reliant upon Jokers.
Waves and Storms
As the Pack explores a town and pursues
its goals, the samurai inevitably affect the
environment around them. Like drops in a still
pond, even the simplest pursuits of a single
motobushi can drastically alter the lives of those
nearby, however unintentional those alterations
may be. Sometimes, those ripples can become
waves, upsetting the entire balance of a place
and sweeping everyone up in the chaos.
92
With the Omens mechanic (described
above), the players’ deck is both the source
of players’ power and the bringer of their
potential doom. Each of the two decks
in play contains two Omens. When both
have been drawn from the Player Deck, the
Pack’s actions have disturbed the stillness
of the pond, and the town makes one of
its special maneuvers. These maneuvers are
called Waves. Sometimes they are even more
disastrous in effect—Storms, which occur
when all four Omens are on the table.
Triggering Waves and Storms
When both Omens are revealed from the
Player Deck, a Wave maneuver is triggered.
However, if both of the Sensei Omens are
already on the table when the second Player
Omen is revealed, a Storm occurs instead.
Remember: it is always the Players’
Jokers that trigger Waves and Storms—
never Sensei’s.
When a Wave or Storm is triggered,
first finish resolving the event in which the
triggering Omen was drawn, and then pick
an appropriate Maneuver from the options
below. If a Wave is triggered during the
middle of a Duel or Gambit, wait until after
the Duel or Gambit is resolved to choose
and resolve the Maneuver.
In either case, after the Maneuver is
resolved, the decks are reshuffled and the
Jokers are put back in. If it was a Wave, only
the Player deck is reshuffled. It a Storm, both
decks are reshuffled.
Wave and Storm Maneuvers
Each of the following maneuvers has a Wave
and a Storm version. Remember, there must
always be a good narrative reason to back up
any maneuver.
Bike Down
A motobushi’s bike has suffered damage. It
could be accidental, or an issue of long-term
wear, but maybe enemy forces have actually
dared to mess with another man’s bike (not
cool, man).
As a Wave: Reduce the Bike’s Endurance
by half (round up), and apply a narrative
hindrance. The Bike has suffered a minor
setback, like a flat tire or an oil leak.
Spending a point of Operations and half a
day or so of in-game time can get it running
again (fixing the narrative hindrance), and
the usual Operations costs apply to restore
lost Endurance.
As a Storm: The Bike’s Endurance is
reduced to zero. The damage is great and the
bike is out of commission for the duration of
the scenario, or until the Pack can finagle some
really skilled assistance through role-playing.
Burn Resource
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the
Pack’s Resources have taken a hit. This may
be an issue of faulty maintenance, bad roads,
or pestilence—or even sabotage.
As a Wave: Shift a Pack Resource
one rank down (Surplus, Subsistence,
Threatened, or Depleted).
As a Storm: Deplete the Pack’s highest
resource entirely.
Eliminate Faction
An avenue of information and support
within the town has been removed from play.
Perhaps an ally was murdered, or the spirit
of town was exorcised, or a few motobushi
have been involuntarily separated from the
rest of the Pack. Waves are temporary, and
the Faction may be restored. Storms result in
the Faction’s permanent removal.
As a Wave: Pick a Faction and flip
it over along with any invested Favor or
Disfavor cards. The players must now find
a way to narratively “restore” that Faction
through exploration and narrative. Those
cards remain unavailable until the Faction
is restored.
As a Storm: Using suitable narration,
remove the Faction entirely from play. This
could involve local powers moving against
each other, or even something entirely new
of which the Pack wasn’t aware. It cannot
be invested or used by players or Sensei, and
cannot be restored.
93
Shift in Power
Folks in the town are getting tired of the
presence of the motobushi, and previously-
established goodwill is quickly souring. Perhaps
a rival force is turning allies against the Pack, or
otherwise forcing their hand.
As a Wave: Take an invested Favor card
from a narratively appropriate SC Faction and
convert it to disfavor on that Base. If no favor
was already invested, then play a new card into
that Base’s disfavor instead.
As a Storm: All of the invested favor in
one Faction is converted. If there isn’t any favor
invested, immediately invest Disfavor equal to
the Faction’s agency.
Strike!
A Faction or another significant force moves
directly against one or two of the samurai,
either socially or physically. Enemies will come
seeking blood, and rivals will move politically
to lock out the Pack’s future goals. If this is a
Storm, then entire pack has been targeted by
their enemies. Perhaps the town tries to eject
the Pack, or enemy samurai set up a highway
ambush.
As a Wave: This will almost always result
in a Duel over the subject of conflict.
As a Storm: Before striking, place four new
Disfavor cards on the Faction of the acting SC.
Custom Maneuvers
You can create custom maneuvers for any
scenario, based on the story particulars in play.
For Waves, things like “the road out of town
collapses” or “local businesses all close up”
would fit some scenarios. For Storms, “The
Local Lord kills his son” would be a harsh one
(especially if the son is an ally of the Pack),
as would “Explosions cascade through the
mines.” Waves should be major inconveniences,
and their effects should not outright cripple
the Pack. On the other Hand, Storms
should be almost devastating, and change the
fundamental nature of the scenario. When
designing your scenarios, also develop a list of
Waves and Storms that might fit the particular
story and environment.
Managing SCs and Factions
Throughout the book, the terms Sensei-
Controlled Character (SC) and Faction
are used more or less interchangeably.
Pretty much any SC or group of SCs with
any relative importance to the saga will
eventually be implemented as a Faction. Any
SC that is not a Faction technically has little
to no mechanical impact on the game, but
can still certainly provide some color.
Designing SCs and Factions
Every SC should be prepared on a special
sheet or card (index cards work well for
this). Don’t reveal any of these cards until
the SCs are introduced in-game. Every SC/
Faction has the following traits and stats:
Agency: A numerical rating of the SC’s
TT
ability to affect the game mechanically
TT Favor: What actions can earn this SC’s
support and alliance.
TT Disfavor: What actions can earn this
SC’s displeasure and enmity.
TT Goal: What this SC is seeking in this
scenario.
TT Blood Price: What would he be willing
to kill for? To die for?
For examples, see the included demo
scenario “Willow Ridge,” on p. 97.
Agency
The Agency stat estimates a SC’s
mechanical sway within the scenario. Agency
is a single-number stat that determines
the SC’s card draws and Strike Ranges
during duels, maximum amount of Favor
and Disfavor that can be invested into the
SC as a Faction, and how many Stains
the SC can accrue before suffering its own
Karmic Retribution.
Agency should be set using the
following guidelines:
TT 1-2 = Minor Leaguers, just barely
significant.
TT 3-5 = Moderate Threats
TT 6-8 = Major Players
94
TT 9-10 = Masters and Warlords
TT 11+ = Legendary Allies and
Adversaries. Defeating such SCs would
be a task nigh impossible for all but the
most dedicated motobushi, and earning
their favor will signify significant changes
in the Pack’s fortunes.
Managing Disfavor
Once an SC is revealed in the game, lay
down its card for all to see. If it is revealed
in a moment of conflict, invest one or more
Disfavor cards upon it.
To invest Disfavor, draw a card from the
top of the Sensei deck and place it face-up on
the revealed Faction. You can use Disfavor
cards during Duels in the same way that
the players can use Favor cards. A SC can
have a number of Disfavor up to its Agency.
Disfavor and Favor do not cancel each other
out. To differentiate between Favor and
Disfavor cards on the same Faction, place
them at opposite ends of the Faction card.
Managing Stains
Like player characters, SCs can earn
and carry Stains. An SC’s Stain limit is
equal to her Agency. When an SC’s Stains
reach that limit, they too suffer Karmic
Retribution, albeit slightly differently than
do player characters.
The outcome of an SC’s Karmic
Retribution depends on whether the SC has
currently invested Disfavor cards or not. If
yes, then discard one Disfavor card (Players’
choice), and erase a number of Stains equal
to the SC’s Agency rating.
If no, then one of two things will happen.
If the SC is relatively minor, remove it from
play entirely, discarding any invested Favor
and Disfavor. If the SC is significant to the
current scenario, drop its agency by one and
erase a number of Stains equal to its new
Agency rating.
Chances are that removing a SC from
play will result in some pretty intense in-
game narrative and role-playing. Death by
Stains should be no light matter, and should
serve as a poignant lesson to the players: loss
of honor and face costs everything.
SC Samurai, Techniques, Bikes, and
Stunts
SCs can themselves be motobushi.
While you don’t need to worry about their
alignment codes (Agency covers those
mechanics), you should still put some time
and care into their crafting. Develop their
sacrifices and deeds, choose their techs,
and otherwise develop them as if they were
actual people within your setting. While
they shouldn’t ever steal the deeper spotlight
from the player characters, they should still
be fairly deep and interesting figures.
SC samurai must learn their techniques
in tiers, just like player characters. When
an SC with Techniques enters a Duel, he
enters with a temporary Ki Pool equal to
his Agency (but he can only use Ki within
Duels). SC motobushi can also have Bikes,
and use Stunts in the same fashion as
player characters.
Scenario Design
Before you jump right into scenario design,
you may want to skip ahead to page 97 and
read over the sample Willow Ridge scenario,
to get an idea of the final structure toward
which you’ll be working.
Design Broken Down
Designing a good scenario is a matter of
piecing the following elements together.
Lures
This is perhaps the most important part:
what is the Pack doing here in the first place?
The answer to this question serves as the
scenario’s driving goal. What has drawn
the Pack to this location? Are they seeking
revenge against an enemy who is hiding out
there? Are they in need of supplies that only
this town has?
In scenarios for new players, you should
make your lures clear and simple. Let the
players know why they’re there, and give
them both objectives to seek and leads they
95
can follow. The game works best if they keep
trying to push forward, and lures are the
major sources of that momentum.
Lures can usually be incorporated
into the answers to the Investment
Questions, below.
Repellants
What would deter them from this location?
Do they have personal connections to this
place that they’d rather avoid? Have they
heard rumors of angry spirits that murder
outsiders? Is this plague territory? The
players and characters don’t need to know
these details up front, but maybe they’ve
heard some rumors.
Like Lures, Repellants can usually
be developed through the Investment
Questions, below.
Investment Questions
The characters should have some personal
investment in the scenario and its setting.
If you don’t already know who is connected
to this place, then prepare some initial
questions to ask at the beginning of the new
scenario, such as:
TT One of you grew up here. Who?
TT One of you was once chased from here
long ago, suspected of a terrible crime.
Which one of you was it? What was the
crime? Did you actually commit it?
TT This was the location of one of your
initial character sacrifices. Which one of
you, and what sacrifice?
TT One of you was directly involved in the
battle that salted this town’s fields. What
was your involvement?
TT One of you once fathered a child here,
but that child is now dead. How did it
die?
The Local Color
Create a handful of initial SCs and Factions.
Give them Agency limits, as well as Favor
and Disfavor notes, if applicable. You should
be prepared to create others on the fly as the
game proceeds.
The Status Quo
What is the state of things when the
motobushi arrive in town? What are the
inter-resident tensions? What events are
already unfolding? Is this town a powder
keg waiting to blow, or is it just a simple,
peaceful village with no conflict, ripe for the
samurai to come along and ruin everything?
Consider the state of affairs in the town at
the moment the Pack arrives, and consider
the eventual course of the town’s future if the
Pack had never arrived in the first place.
Conflicts
What sources of conflict exist in this town?
Examples:
TT The Roadblock: Something large and
physical is complicating the Pack’s usual
methods.
TT The Black Hat: A bad guy is out for
blood.
TT The Power Struggle: Multiple factions
are trying to kill each other, and anyone
who gets between them.
TT The Ancient Evil: A horrible fate long
prophesized now looms close.
TT The Rotten Core: Corruption from
within is slowly tearing the town apart.
Contingencies
What certain predefined events can you
expect to happen, given what you know
of the scenario, the players, and their
characters? What do you think the samurai
are likely do, and how might the locals
respond? On the other hand, since players
often do things completely unexpected,
consider some things that you might not
initially expect them to do, and likewise the
town’s reaction to such events. Contingencies
usually take the form of pre-written Waves
and Storms.
Using Your Threes and Sevens
The basic scenario design process can
be condensed to making some fairly quick
lists of things to incorporate. Planning out
a beat-by-beat adventure should be avoided,
due to the intentional openness of the game.
Instead, list some important elements that
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you want to involve in this scenario, and be
prepared for the players to take things in
their own directions.
For this process, I encourage you to
remember the rule of threes and sevens (see
p. 85). Get out a planning sheet and jot
down some sets of three and seven, using the
following template:
1-3 lures and repellants (at least one
TT
should be personally connected to a
motobushi)
TT 3 Investment Questions
3 conflicts
TT
TT 3-7 Factions
TT 3 contingencies
TT 7 ways a motobushi could reasonably die
here
Balancing the Scenario’s Challenge
A really good scenario will challenge
the Pack by hitting their weaknesses with
narrative force. To best accomplish this,
you will need to be intimately familiar with
characters’ weaknesses and their countering
strengths before writing your extended
scenario outline. There is a simple math trick
you can use to help you out with this.
Before really getting to work on your
new scenario, look over all of the character
sheets and jot down their three sets (six
stats) of alignment balances. Average each
stat separately (rounding normally), so you
have an average layout for the group as a
whole. For example, if the group has three
characters, with respective Nomad scores of
1, 1, and 5, then their average Nomad score
would be 2.33, rounded off to 2. Balancing
that would be an average Brotherhood score
of 4 (5 + 5 + 1 = 11, averaged to 3.66,
rounded to 4).
The first thing all of this allows you to do
is pinpoint the Pack’s weak points. If they
are low on Water, then you can challenge
them with more non-violent Duels, and
push them to develop more strategies in
those areas. Likewise, if their Nomad scores
are fairly low, push them towards more
individual conflicts which pit the characters’
own wants and desires against those of the
Pack as a whole.
But this also lets you gauge how the rest
of the world will see the Pack. With a high
average Brotherhood score, they will gain a
reputation for working together as a fierce,
The Willow Ridge
Scenario
Following a series of rumors, the Pack
rides forth to the war-ravaged town of
Willow Ridge, seeking someone who hides
from them. Once known for its mystical hot
springs, the town was all but ruined during
the war, and now survives as a sad relic of
older, gentler times.
You should read over the entire scenario
before you proceed to run it. There are
some twists and turns, and special bits of
knowledge that you should know going
into it. There are also a lot of open areas for
you to embellish on your own. I’ve run this
scenario many times as demos and one-
shots, and the outcome is always different.
The Pack
This scenario can be used as a demo, or
as part of an ongoing campaign. The core
character templates work especially well with
the events contained herein.
Player Questions:
When the players are sitting down and ready
to play, ask them the following questions:
TT Who is this person you are chasing, and
why do they not want your Pack to find
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well-knit team of brothers. With a high Steel
score, they will be seen as violent, hard, and
dangerous. With a high Destiny, they will be
known as wanderers, vagrants, and fly-by-
nighters.
them? Which one of you has a direct
personal connection to your quarry?
TT One of you was raised in this town.
Who?
TT One of you fought in the battle in which
this town was ultimately lost to the
enemy. Who?
TT One of you once committed a great
atrocity against someone who now
resides in this town. Write down who
against and what atrocity, and pass it to
me (or just say it aloud, if that’s how your
group rolls).
The answers to these questions can
drastically alter the flow of the game. New
SCs and Factions could get created at this
point, and entire power balances might
change. As always, be prepared to improvise.
The Situation
Once a border town astride a lush river basin
between the two old states, valued for its
strategic location in the war, Willow Ridge
has fallen into decay since the War. Its fields,
salted by the conquerors, are mostly barren,
and the once-legendary hot springs all but
destroyed. Today, scarcely two hundred
souls reside in the town and the surrounding
region, working the remaining fields and
trying to rebuild the springs.
In the last few months, a gang calling
themselves The Purple Blossoms has been
harassing locals. Men of the town have
been pressed into service by the gang, and
forced to ride and terrorize along with them
or be killed. This has led to two specific
serious problems. First, the town now lives
in complete fear of and subservience to
the Purple Blossoms. Second, the Spirit of
Willow Ridge is furious.
In what seems like an age ago, the hot
springs near Willow Ridge were a popular
vacation destination for the people of this
land. It was said that visiting the springs
could change your life, and make you a new
person. These rumors were true, due to the
spirit living in the hot springs. To this spirit,
each person who came, stripped, and stepped
into the springs was offering a sacrifice of
their worries, stresses, and outer masks. The
more visitors, the more pleased the spirit
grew, and the greater the luck that befell the
residents of the town.
During the War, the Hot Springs was
reduced to a state of near rubble. Most of the
men had been conscripted into the army or
slaughtered during the battle for the region,
and so after the war was over there were
few able-bodied folk among the survivors
to rebuild. An effort was made, but it was
short-lived, as the survivors soon set to tasks
more immediately vital to their survival and
the subsistence of their own families.
Over the time the springs have lain
in ruin, the spirit has grown increasingly
morose. As such, the region has decayed, and
the town today is barely a blown-over scrap
of what it once was.
The Future
The lowly Blossoms currently reign with
violence and fear. The Spirit is half-mad
and depressed as all get-out. The few
remaining townsfolk are destitute husks of
their former selves, hostage to the gang. If
nothing changes this course of decay within
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the next few turns of season, the region will
hit one final, unyielding drought, and the
Purple Blossoms will get bored, burn the
town down, and roll out. This final act of
destruction will transform the maddened
spirit into a full Oni, and it will terrorize the
region for the rest of eternity.
The Scenario Goals
Depending on the Pack’s reasons for coming
to town, the main scenario goal might
involve seeking out a quarry or rebuilding
some supply stores before moving on. Those
who take an interest in local affairs might be
drawn into the current power struggle, and
take pity on the residents.
If the players become involved in the
local situation, then there are a few common
possible outcomes. The official “best”
outcome involves defeating the Purple
Blossoms and then getting all the men to
go rebuild the Springs. This will in time
result in the renewed favor of the Spirit
of the Springs, returning good fortunes
and prosperity to Willow Ridge. There are
a few possible variations on this, but the
crucial component to long-term renewal is
rebuilding of the springs. Without that, even
defeating the Purple Blossoms will only slow
the region’s inevitable decay.
The Details
Scenes
Below are some of the most common
scenes from previous demos of this scenario.
Do not expect all of them to go according
to these notes. Some of these might never
happen at all in your game.
The Road into Town (First Scene)
The first scene takes place at a crossroads
just outside of town, and serves to introduce
the feel of the town. If the Pack has a
Kusawake, they will meet back up on the
road just outside of town. The road cuts
across the ridge and down along it into a
basin, and at the end of the road they can
see the small town of Willow Ridge. Right
here at the split in the road, they notice a
large number of motorcycle tracks coming
in and out of this road leading to the town
(the Kusawake would have noticed this and
stopped to inform the rest of the Pack).
At this crossroads, they will notice
some kind of lettering carved into a chest-
high rock formation just that side of the
branch road. Inspection shows an old, half
moss-covered inscription advertising the
healing wonders of the world-famous hot
springs. The rock is cracked, and it looks
like a number of folks have used it for target
practice, given the number of bullet chips.
One or two are even still embedded in
the stone.
The first building the motobushi pass
on the road further into town will be a
dilapidated junk yard with a small attached
shack. See the Locations section below for
more details.
As they ride further into the town proper,
they will see a scant few actual people. Hints
of faces looking out from behind ragged
curtains and broken windows vanish as the
motobushi glance in their direction. If they
are riding at full volume, there will be more
eyes in the windows and faces peeking from
behind corners, looking to see what terrible
new gang is coming in to further terrorize
the town.
Showdown at the Tea Parlor
The Tea Parlor is a medium-sized one-
story building with sliding wooden slat
doors, a long and wide front porch, and a
simple swinging sign showing a teacup and
a sake bottle. Parked out front are four ratty
motorcycles, built from dirty scrap welded to
rusted junk. Each bike has the same emblem
painted on it: a purple flower blooming on a
circle of yellow.
If the motobushi decide to park and go in,
before they ascend the short steps up to the
porch they will hear the crashing sound of
splintering wood and shattering porcelain.
They soon see the cause: a large dirty biker
wearing the same flower emblem from the
bikes has just thrown a smaller middle-aged
man in a green smock onto a table, breaking
the table and shattering teacups and sake
99
jars. The aggressor is Daigo, one of the
lieutenants of the Purple Blossoms. He was
upset at what he felt was an insufficiently
obsequious bow from the tea shop owner,
and took it out on him by throwing him
through a table. Peeking around a corner
from a room in the back are two terrified
women, one of the same age as the owner,
one apparently teenaged. Three other Purple
Blossoms lounge near the door.
The situation here is that Kojuto and
three of his favorite lieutenants (Daigo,
Katsuro, and Yasu) have chosen this
occasion to once again drink sake on the
house at the expense of the near-destitute
tea parlor owner, Ichi. Kojuto is actually in
a fairly good mood today, and as such takes
no part in the action, but he will not stop his
underlings from belittling and threatening
Ichi and his family.
How this plays out depends on the
players, of course. The little man looks even
more terrified when the players arrive—after
all, they just look like more savage bikers
here to take what they want. The scene could
very likely end up in a duel or two. Kojuto
is a coward, but today he will put on a show
of measured indifference, turning down any
offers to duel. His lieutenants, however, will
not tolerate any insult, and will fight to first
blood before conceding and running away.
Sit back, let the players explore, and react to
their choices.
For this encounter, the Purple Blossoms
have an Agency of 4. Fighting any of them
will most certain warrant one or more cards
of invested Disfavor. (Don’t forget to put the
Purple Blossoms Faction on the table.)
If he survives, Ichi should somehow
direct the players to visit the Springs. His
daughter might have run screaming out
the back, and he knows her favorite place
to hide is the old Springs, and begs the
motobushi to bring her back safely. Or maybe
he suggests the newcomers seek guidance
with the waters there—while a shadow
of their former glory, they still contain
much wisdom.
 If the motobushi assist Ichi or are even
the least bit kind to him, he will grant them
Favor (play his Faction), and offer them his
hospitality. He can explain the basics of the
situation, insofar as he knows: the Purple
Blossoms, the press-ganged locals, the
complete lack of any real travel or trade since
the springs fell into disrepair, and the many
abductions throughout the region.
The Little Thief
At some point, the Pack might encounter
a tiny thief pilfering their saddlebags. This
could happen when they come out of the
tea shop, while they explore town, or when
they camp. The thief is Aki-chan, a girl
about eleven years of age. She is daughter to
Hotaka the Grocer, and has been living by
scrounging and stealing since he was press-
ganged by the Purple Blossoms.
If the Pack is cruel enough to outright
attempt to murder her, Ichi might try and
step in, and either beg them to hold, or
even throw himself in the way. If the Pack
shows Aki-chan mercy, and somehow proves
to her that they can be trusted (give her
food, or fight the Blossoms openly), she
can be a good source of information on the
townsfolk, her favorite hideouts, and “the sad
lady at the springs.”
Roadblock
To get to the Springs via the most direct
route, the Pack must travel directly past
the Three Corners Hotel, lair of the Purple
Blossoms. If things went particularly sour at
the Tea Shop, this could very likely lead to
another Duel,
Clever players can find alternate routes
to the Springs. A Kusawake who asks
about alternate travel will be able to do
without without even need for a Gambit, or
perhaps Aki-chan will let them know of an
overgrown hiking trail. The path is on foot
only—no bike access.
Speak with the Spirit
While exploring the Springs, the Pack will
soon run into the caretaker. She is, in fact,
the somewhat crazy spirit of the springs. She
100
will offer them tea, which she will serve up
in the pagoda. The tea is bitter and tastes of
sulfur and tears, but the spirit will not notice
any of the players’ reactions to it. She will
talk of the men that have gone away, and
the children that no longer play among the
stones like they did ”yesterday.”
The lady should not be immediately
identifiable as a spirit, but the players should
definitely get the sense that something is off
about her. She talks about ancient history
(such as the War) like it happened only a very
short while ago, and she mentions “that new
hotel they started building the other day, first
of its kind,” and so on. While fairly weather-
worn, she appears to be in her late 20s—not
nearly as old as her stories or dress imply.
It’s up to you how to portray the Spirit.
Being the Spiritual force that she is, she
has some sway over emotion. Those in
her presence will feel twinges of her state:
melancholy, as if something is on the grasp of
being lost forever, and they are powerless to
find it. If she is angered, so will they be; and if
she finds mirth, they will laugh with her.
The purpose of this encounter should
ultimately be to illustrate the greater picture
of the town’s problems. The Spirit wants the
Springs to be restored, and somehow must
express that desire to the players.
Locations
The Old Junkyard
The place consists of a small shack with a
covered workbench outside, both in a bad
state of disrepair. The yard is about an acre,
full of rusted old bikes, jalopies, and farm
equipment. The previous operator, Mukaro,
hasn’t kept the place up since he was
conscripted by the Purple Blossoms when
they first came to town. He can be found at
their hideout, the Three Corners Hotel. See
The Men of Town in the Factions section.
If the players spend a significant amount
of time (most of a day) scrounging through
the junkyard, they can find up to 3 points
of Operations worth of salvaged parts.
This salvage is hard-earned, though, as the
place is overgrown, muddy, and downright
miserable: each point of Operations earned
costs one point of Morale.
If the Players deal with the Blossoms and
return Mukaro to his livelihood, he will offer
to help them out, bettering the Operations-
Morale exchange (3 Operations for 1
Morale, up to 6 points of Operations).
Ichi’s Tea Shop
This simple tea and sake shop is operated by
Ichi and his wife Shiiko, and their teenaged
daughter Noeme. They are simple folk, who
live together in a small room attached to
the rear of the shop. The shop has enough
low long tables for twenty-four people to
sit close together. These days they rarely
seat even one customer, aside from the
Purple Blossoms, who drink too much and
rarely pay.
No matter when the players visit, the
first time they go to the tea shop they will
encounter the Purple Blossoms. Use the
Scene described further above to guide
that encounter.
Hotaka’s Grocery and General Store
Down the road from the tea shop is a
similarly-sized low building advertised as
a grocer and general store. Its windows
are smashed in, and the place has been
completely ransacked. The whole outside
lawn is covered in gravel, old crab carapaces,
broken furniture, and loose stone (a simple
alarm system for the shop’s sole, secret
resident). Unless the Pack specifically
mentions wanting to keep as quiet as
possible (requires a Gambit), then Aki-chan
will be alerted to their snooping, should she
be there.
The interior of the store has been
thoroughly trashed and picked-through. No
traces of anything usable can be found here.
There’s a cellar to the place, also completely
ransacked. Deeper inspection will find signs
of a secret room, and exploring further
without scrupulous caution will spring
a heavy crossbow trap (Gambit, possible
outcome of 4 Stains). If Aki-chan is hiding
there and not yet introduced to the players,
101
she will immediately attack with a high kiai
and a charge with her tanto, held forward
at her chest with both hands. If this starts
a Duel with them, she will Concede if they
show that they are clearly stronger than
she is.
The secret room contains a cot and
blankets, and fairly unisex clothing sized
for an adolescent. There’s an old but still
fully functional deep freezer in there, and a
small electric grill. Aki-chan has used them
to keep herself fed, but she’s almost entirely
out of the frozen fish she’s been eating.
There’s no food of worth to be found now,
but hidden behind the freezer is a pouch
containing assorted regional coinage worth
2 Sustenance.
The Three Corners Hotel
In the past, this spacious two-story building
offered modest but comfortable lodging to
travelers visiting the springs. It sits on the far
end of town, on the road that leads out to
the hot springs.
In the years since the war, the hotel has
been abandoned and fallen into near ruin.
The Purple Blossoms gang holes up here,
and there are nearly always a dozen of them
on the grounds, their ratty bikes and buggies
parked in the gravel lot out front.
There are entrances to the hotel cellar
in both the kitchen and the back yard.
Large crate-sized cages fill the cellar almost
wall-to-wall. Half of them are occupied by
near-starved people in dirty clothes, and
the whole place reeks of vomit, piss, shit,
and blood. There’s a good two dozen people
down here of all ages. A few of the occupants
are recent corpses. Each of the occupied
cages is locked with a heavy metal padlock.
These folks are either hostages from the
town or abductees from the region awaiting
a new life in slavery.
If the place is given a thorough looting
(encourage the players to describe said
looting in glorious detail), then the
Pack can acquire 3 points of Sustenance
(assorted food and stashes of tradeables)
and 3 points of Operations (scrap metal
and fuel). If the looting was particularly
spirited, give them a point or two of Morale
on top of that.
The Broken Springs
A single trail leads out of town, and up a
switch-back in the ridge to the hot springs.
In fact, from the center of town one can look
up at the ridge and see the rocks and trees
of the highest point. In the past, rickshaws
and horses would carry visitors up and down
the switchback. Now it is mostly overgrown,
and difficult passing by all but foot and good
off-road vehicles.
Arriving at the springs, there is heat,
but not much. Stepping into the grotto,
each character will immediately be hit with
a feeling of sadness as they see the decay
of what was clearly once a most wondrous
and tranquil haven. During the war, an
errant artillery shell caused a landslide of
the once-meticulously-placed rocks around
the springs, filling the pools and damming
and diverting the waters which flowed into
them. Still navigable by careful stepping,
a partially-demolished path of stones
leads up to a single-story pagoda house
overlooking the remains of the springs. The
house is occupied by the current “caretaker”
of the springs, and lightly furnished but
very dusty, as if no one has been there in
many years.
If the motobushi investigate with any
depth at all, they will meet the Spirit
of the springs, who appears as a worn-
out caretaker. She will come to them in
the pagoda house, or near the springs,
or wherever it is they take the most
immediate interest.
Factions
The Unnamed Quarry (Agency 3-7)
Developing this Faction is your first challenge.
Since its nature hinges upon the players’
answers to your initial questions, it could be
anything from a missing horse or kidnapped
baby to a renegade brother or enemy warlord.
Whatever it is, it (or someone else) doesn’t
want the Pack to find it.
102
Why is it hiding? Has it sought the
protection from a faction in town? Is it
hiding in the springs? Is it captive of the
Purple Blossoms? Have they already sold it
to scoundrels or slavers? Maybe it hides in a
hut in the deeper river basin below?
If you find that coming up with these
elements is taking too long, and you want to
run the scenario as a one-shot, then remove
this element altogether. Instead, just have
the Pack roll into town after a long time
on the road, low on resources, seeking rest,
entertainment, and fuel.
Suiyou, the Spirit of the Springs
(agency 5)
The Spirit of the Springs appears in the
guise of a worn-looking, once-pretty woman
in her late twenties, slender and pale. If asked
her name, she will say it is Suiyou. She wears
an old kimono of a style long ago gone out of
fashion, which is in a state of wear similar to
that of her own general countenance.
As described in the Scene above, the
Spirit’s emotional state will influence
anyone near her. Those who engage in active
conversation with her will feel it even more
intensely as the conversation flows and their
auras synch more closely.
Favor: Shed clothes or visibly remove masks
in her presence, step naked into the
waters, make an offering of construction
or repair, defeat the Purple Blossom gang
that poisons her, free and reunite the
workers to restore the Hot Springs.
Disfavor: Insult her, damage or desecrate
the springs, pollute the air of the grotto,
help the Purple Blossoms.
Goal: Suiyou wishes to restore the Springs
to their former glory. To her, each person
who sheds clothing and steps into the
waters is making a sacrifice of respect.
Blood Price: The spirit is not currently a
vengeful force, and as such will not kill.
Should the present course of events
continue unhindered, she will become
Oni, and at that point she will torture and
destroy anyone she finds in the region.
Ichi, the Tea Shop Owner (agency 2)
Ichi runs the tea shop and sake house in
town, and will first meet the motobushi when
they come to his shop. There, the players
can also meet Ichi’s wife Shiiko, and their
teenaged daughter Noeme. Ichi is a middle-
aged man of smaller-than-average stature,
fond of cabbage and the color green. He is
the only independent seller of tea and sake
for at least twenty or more miles in any
direction.
Ichi likes to talk. He can’t provide the
players anything more than a place to
sleep (he will let them sleep on the floor
of the shop if they protect it) and some
conversation. He will lament the town’s
situation—he’s been here since he was
born; the visitors they used to have were so
colorful; if only the Blossoms would go away,
we could rebuild the springs and get more
travelers, and people would spend more
money; and so on.
If any of the Pack seem like particularly
noble, dashing, and well-kept individuals,
he might even see this as his chance to save
his daughter, and implore them to take her
away from this horrible life. Noeme is in her
middle teens, and while not a striking beauty,
she has enough charm to make a pleasant
companion for the right-hearted samurai.
Favor: Protect him and his family from the
Purple Blossoms.
Disfavor: Threaten him or his family, help
the Purple Blossoms.
Goal: To live a nice and prosperous life with
his family, and die much later in life, in his
sleep, of natural causes. He wants to one
day see his daughter wed to a good man,
should any ever come back around. If the
Blossoms cannot be beaten, and the Pack
has gained his trust, he will implore them
to take him and his family out of this
place, at least as far as the next region.
Blood Price: He would be willing to
kill anyone who threatened his wife or
daughter. He is not a brave or physically
active man, but when pushed to their
limits, even the meek can bite.
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Aki-chan, the Grocer’s Daughter
(Agency 2)
Aki is the 11-year-old daughter of the
press-ganged grocer, Hotaka. She lives now
in a secret room in the cellar of her father’s
ransacked shop. She goes in and out at all
hours, and is quite the master of stealth. She
knows (and has even seen) the cellar where
the Purple Blossoms keep their hostages, and
she is well aware of what goes on in there.
Circumstances have aged her emotionally
ahead of her years, and she is not the silly
little girl that others might initially take her
to be.
Before being taken away, Hotaka
managed to hide his daughter in a secret
room in his cellar. He gave her his family’s
ancestral weapon, a tanto belonging to
his late mother, Matsutomo Hikari, who
was consort to a famous samurai from the
Player’s own side of the war. She carries the
weapon with her everywhere, hiding it in
a hand-sewn makeshift baldric across her
back. She knows her grandmother’s legacy
by heart and then some, and worships the
woman.
Aki has visited the Springs on multiple
occasions recently. She has had tea with “the
sad caretaker lady,” but it was pretty nasty.
She carries a tiny rock with her that the lady
let her take for luck. The lady was especially
enamored by her tanto, as it reminded her of
someone she knew.
NOTE: I’ve had multiple groups end
up taking a willing and excited Aki-chan
with them when they left town, as a possible
future Prospect. In one of those groups, one
player even decided to play her in the very
next session as a replacement to his character
who was killed in a duel with the Blossoms.
If her family is killed and the Pack treated
her with some measure of respect, she may
ask outright to join them. If her hidden
money hasn’t been found already, she could
even offer that as payment.
Favor: Treat her kindly, give her food,
protect her, fight against the Purple
Blossoms.
Disfavor: Insult her in any way, threaten her
or her father, or disrespect the memory of
her grandmother.
Goal: First and foremost, Aki-chan wants
her dad back, Second, she wants the
Purple Blossoms to all die horrible deaths.
Blood Price: She’s small and weak, but
if someone hurts her family, Aki-chan
will do her best to slit their throat
in the middle of the night, using her
grandmother’s tanto.
The Purple Blossom gang (agency 4,
Potentially 7)
The Purple Blossoms are small-time, but
they make up for their inexperience with
vicious cruelty, and the town lives in fear
of them. Led by a giant scumbag of a man
named Kojuto, the Blossoms have been
terrorizing the region for a bit over a year.
Since setting up their base of operations in
Willow Ridge, they’ve focused mainly on
protection rackets and kidnapping. Those
who oppose them are usually killed (and fed
to their dogs) or sold into slavery.
Despite their reputation, the Blossoms
are essentially just thugs with swords and
bikes. There are no true samurai among
them, although Kojuto claims to have been a
great officer in the War (he did serve in the
War—but as a foot soldier, turned deserter
and corpse looter). The Blossoms have scrap-
built bikes, grudgingly maintained by their
press-ganged mechanic, and their weapons
and armor are rusty and piecemeal.
Note that if the players act against
the entire Purple Blossoms gang without
first securing the favor of the Men of
Town (below), then the Blossoms and
the Men of the Town’s Agency scores are
added together! A little under half of the
gang consists of locals press-ganged into
service. If those locals can be swayed away,
the Purple Blossoms will be significantly
weakened.
104
Favor: Join their gang, harass the tea
shop, help them kill their enemies and
make money.
Disfavor: By arriving into town showing
different colors, the players pretty much
guarantee the disfavor of the Purple
Blossoms gang. Upsetting and taking
action against them will make it worse.
Goal: Dominance of the local area, loot and
plunder, whores and excitement.
Blood Price: They’ll murder anyone who
interferes with their action or their fun, or
even who just pisses them off.
The Men of Town (Agency 3)
When the Purple Blossoms rolled into town
last year, they conscripted the first able-
bodied men they saw, and put anyone who
resisted to the sword. In the time since, every
other able-bodied adult male in town has
been conscripted, slain, imprisoned, or sold
into slavery. Many of their families have been
threatened, if not held hostage outright.
Included in their ranks are Mukaro,
the junkman of the town, and Hotaka, the
grocer. If the Pack can win their favor, they
could be convinced to round up a few of
the other conscripts within the gang to turn
against the Purple Blossoms and help bring
them down.
Favor: Guarantee freedom from the gang,
and safety for their families.
Disfavor: Threaten their families.
Goal: To get away from this miserable life
and once again live with their families as
free folk.
Blood Price: They’ll kill anyone who
threatens their families. By proxy, they’ll
kill for the Purple Blossoms, who are
threatening their families.
 Final Words:
Inspirations and Notes
Quite obviously, the three biggest influences in creating this game were
the show Sons of Anarchy and the movies 13 Assassins and Seven Samurai.
One day on a long ride through the Columbia Gorge, the idea came to me:
if Sons of Anarchy had starred Toshirô Mifune and taken place during post-
Tokugawa Japan, it would be the most wonderful thing ever. And thus was born
Motobushido. It wasn’t until some time later, after seeing a kabuki rendition of
Titus Andronicus that everything truly began to take greater form.

There’s a great piece of samurai fiction you should read called Cloud of
Sparrows, written by Takashi Matsuoka. The story just moves in a way that
few others do, and it is an excellent example of well-timed narrative flashback
brought into play. You should also watch the television show Firefly for another
fantastic flashback example right at the very beginning of the very first episode
– in fact, I refer to this scene every time I run a First Founding for new players,
as it sums it up quite nicely.

For some really good duel inspirations, watch the anime Rurouni Kenshin (or
read the manga), and play the Bushido Blade video game series, if you can find
them. Battle Angel Alita is another anime/manga that probably gets referenced
more than any others during games, and usually by my players themselves, and
it’s gotten so frequent that I’m considering just making an Alita-themed playset
hack.

Two other anime series really got to me during the primary writing of
this game: The Hakkenden and Hyouge Mono. I felt that both of them really
illustrated well many of the concepts behind bushido, and the deeply emotional
sacrifices that one must make in order to follow the way of the samurai.

As for tabletop games, if it weren’t for games like The Burning Wheel and
Apocalypse World, chances are I never would have gotten to write this one. Beast
Hunters is the only other game I’ve played which features the concept of the
player salute, and it’s an action I really loved. The “rider salute” is something I
do so often when I ride that I just had to find a way to incorporate it, and the
player salute seemed perfect for it.

The music of Kodo and the Yoshida Brothers was listened to more than
anything else while writing this text. Providing counterpoint was the absolutely
perfect music of local band Federale, which can best be described as “music you
want playing while you die in a gunfight.” The soundtracks to 13 Assassins and
Red Dead Redemption were mighty inspirational, as well. And I can't deny the
inspirational power I found within the GZA's Liquid Swords album.

105
NAME: PACK:
ROLE: RANK:
STYLE: BIKE:
BIRTH SIGN: STAINS: KR

DUEL MODS NOMAD/BROTHERHOOD: /

LAW OF THE PACK

HAND: (DETERMINES BONUS CARDS)

STRIKE: YOUR MAXIM:

KI POOL:
1ST DEED:
SUIT ORDER:
2ND DEED:
3RD DEED:
BIRTH SIGN
4TH DEED:
KI
TRIGGER:

LESSON TRIGGER:
WATER/STEEL: /
WAY OF THE SWORD

(DETERMINES STRIKE RANGE)

RECORDED LESSONS
YOUR MAXIM:
1ST DEED:
2ND DEED:
3RD DEED:
4TH DEED:

WILL/DESTINY: /
CODE OF THE HIGHWAY

(DETERMINES BONUS KI)

YOUR MAXIM:
1ST DEED:
2ND DEED:
3RD DEED:
4TH DEED:
 PACK
TIER 1 TECH:
SECONDARY POWER:
+1 HAND +1 COHORT BONUS

TIER 2 TECH:

+1 HAND +1 COHORT BONUS

FRATRICIDE POWER:

TIER 3 TECH:

+1 HAND +1 COHORT BONUS

TIER 4 TECH:
BIKE:
TIGHT:
SWORD OPEN:

TIER 1 TECH: RUGGED:

BADASS:
+1 STRIKE +1 CHEAT DEATH
ENDURANCE:

RIDER POWER:
TIER 2 TECH:

+1 STRIKE +1 CHEAT DEATH

TIER 3 TECH:

+1 STRIKE +1 CHEAT DEATH

TIER 4 TECH:

HIGHWAY
EVOLVE RIDER POWER

+1 Ki +1 BIKE MOD

EVOLVE RIDER POWER

+1 Ki +1 BIKE MOD

EVOLVE RIDER POWER

+1 Ki +1 BIKE MOD

EVOLVE RIDER POWER