Nakahama

Suzume Hitomi wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 12:56 am Thanks for running. It's been fun seeing the direction you take the setting on your own. I can hardly believe it's been over a decade since these started! (yes, I just went to check the dates on Banner 1) Nakahama and Green Carp are really well fleshed out, and vibrant.

With so many plots to juggle, were there ones that just fell through the cracks?

Were there commission cameos in the wings that you didn't get to use? XD

Suzume Hitomi wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 1:04 am Oh, and Hitomi's going to love the thrifting windfall from that epilogue. "leaves Run-it-back barely visible under the pile of clothing being carried away"

A decade! Zounds! Admittedly, we take long breaks in between for Banner but still, wow. I'm glad you enjoyed Nakahama! To be honest, for whatever reason (RL or just personal bandwidth), my posting in Crab Clan games have been low, despite wanting to contribute more as my favourite Clan. I just had to run my own Crab Clan game instead!

Well, I think most plot beats were hit, but there potentially the road to them could have been a bit longer and fleshed out. Overall, there were supposed to be kind of four villains in this game.

1. Kuni Sumie
2. Yasuki Kaito
3. Kaiu Takeo
4. Yasuki Nagisa

Kuni Sumie's LARP thing had bits of interest with her having the most end scenes devoted to her, while having a faint trail, but she was quite elusive. I should have left more bits before the eventual discovery, maybe a bit of a Scooby Doo mask reveal. The plan was to potentially have her captured or arrested, then Junpei would forcibly let her go because she had a license to LARP.

Yasuki Kaito's thing kind of was admittedly too subtle, and I didn't play him as much as I would like. The questions on the rumours didn't quite pick up until later when Yasuki Umiko and Yasuki Nagisa picked up from Kaito's work. He was hoping to get some allies (Miya Kisha was one who quickly gravitated to) to his cause by planting some seeds of doubt.

Finally, Kaiu Takeo was originally supposed to make more than just one appearance around the island to introduce him. However, playing a rather ornery and ill-mannered man was difficult when I barely had the time to play more pleasant and in-demand characters.

Yasuki Nagisa was...an unexpected delight to RP. Really should have introduced her sooner! Honestly, this is the most Important NPCs I've tackled on at once in a game. It was quite difficult and ambitious but I don't feel I should have played less of them...actually, I wish I could clone myself to play more of them full-time.

Oh, yeah, some advantage/disadvantage triggers fell through the cracks!

On commissions...absolutely yes, haha.



I had these three portraits pre-clipped as NPCs, but couldn't fit them anywhere or with any characters. I was already at capacity with my current NPCs.

I had a good feeling that Hitomi would be one of the first to pick up items from Umiko's wardrobe! I could totally see her leaving with quite a lot!

Thank you for running another beautifully crafted game Boogie! As ever, you inspire such creativity with your own. This world was well and truly alive, and investing in it was such a joy and pleasure! Through the setting posts which each had their own identity to your characters who are ever vibrant and intriguing! Event posts which are ever exciting and thought provoking as well!!!

Now, my question for you in light of this silly "what if" mindset I've been on of late. Was there any other route that didn't happen over the course of the game you were interested by that you keep coming back to in thought?

Or, in lieu of that, what would be one New Game+ new character or feature moment you'd be most entertained by? Whether it be an NPC change, or a PC who didn't show up but you wonder what mighta happened if they did!

Yasuki Taraka wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 1:19 am Response!

I guess it is a bit amusing to suddenly think back to my beginnings, and I suppose a few people have witnessed me make the evolution. A bit fun to go on memory lane in that regard, from Banner 1 to well, now! Quite a long way!

Thank you for the event design comment! In some events, it made more sense when it was less of a competition and more just helping someone get to their goal. While it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to make it a competition, I'd like to think that the reward in the First Market is helping the children rather than trying to win everything! That said, it does favour larger delegations more, so something there might have to be tweaked slightly. The "fail this check and you're eliminated" is a real bummer in my experience, especially when you're investing your character and energy on this (short) journey they're going through dice to ultimately go 'yeah, what you did before didn't matter whatsoever'. Obviously, it makes more sense in the obstacle course, especially trying to weigh risk and reward in some parts with Time units. I'm glad that Jade Chef and Wargames were received well, as I was trepidacious about its player reception!

I'm glad you got that feeling about Umiko! It was kind of the reason why I played her more than Ayame, that plant that impression, she also had a position where she was likely to do the footwork. In a perfect world, we would throw NPCs into many threads. This was naturally easier to do from Day 0 to...Day 4? But when the plot machine got started, this was admittedly harder to do, as we had to prioritize more on getting the plot across. Still, there are some fun moments here and there. I can't ever turn down a good Kuni Sumie opportunity.

Super happy about the setting reception from you and many others. Honestly, it was a challenge for me, at first. I did draw from a few real-life places, which I can fill in later (Haruhi's question). Part of me wondered if it would seem like a painted backdrop or something that felt three-dimensional. I do think I have to thank all of the players who played locals and put their business on the map, too, like honestly, so many good vibes were added seeing those player-run stores.

Yeah, I do agree on how the metagame panned out. Given the subject matter, the use of delegations, and a point system, it was unavoidable that it would be PVP-flavoured. Some people took it more PVP slanted than others. I wanted to keep the system simple without a sure "currency", I can see why people actively defaulted to offering and trading gentries as the only means. I was hoping it would be vibes, pitches, and character relationships that could come together, but money talks, as they say. I will have to refine this, both in making the tone obvious and offering some more tangibles, as well as policing.

And yes, you're more welcome, thank you!

Yoritomo Ochiba wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 2:14 am As ever Boogie, we are fortunate you spent your valuable time and resources making such a well crafted game for us.

I will echo what has been said above, I think the event design on an individual level was top notch. We enjoyed highly varied and diverse setups that tested a range of skills and were all thematically delightful. It really did feel like a fun holiday of this tropical paradise with our samurai engaging in diverse bits of local culture, sponsored by KINSENKA BREWERIES and UOMOTO CO.

The island itself was also a star, a strong sense of place right from the get go which is incredibly important to a game which is going for a vacation vibe. Generic city it was not!

PvP metagame mechanics are always extremely difficult to balance and account for, and I think a lot of games struggle immensely with them where one side is basically guaranteed a win from the start if results aren't weighted, builds carefully scrutinized, events finely tuned to be 'balanced' ect. Often PvP is used as a crutch to generate content when there actually isn't really anything going on in the game.

Nakahama didn't feel like that, and while hindsight is 20/20 (shoot the next person who asks if they can trade gentries) I wouldn't stress about it. And now you're even more powerful and wise for the future.

Thank you, hope you enjoyed it!

I feel it's been a trademark of Banner to make things varied enough, but still flavoured to the theme of the world. Really happy at how Yasuki certain events felt, while there were general Crab events...and finally some hijinks thrown in, like the Jade Chef, Racing, Fan Con, Arcades and such!

Glad Kinsenka Breweries and Uomoto Co. managed to catch on with their aggressive advertisement. They were new creations for this game and wanted them to make themselves obvious as THE Yasuki alcohol company and THE Yasuki food company. The underlying lore is that they're rivalling each other, as they are potentially overstepping their lanes is a fun bit, maybe even a foreshadowing of the sisters!

Here's hoping the next metagame finds itself stronger than ever!

Bayushi Senshuken wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 5:17 am I will simply say that this has probably been the best pbp game I've every played and kami, I have played lots of them!

It was so good that it got me back to forum rp instead of discord rp after two previous failed attempts. For a creature of habbit as myself this is very telling on how good of an experience it was! Still I'm stealing all the hats as revenge if I have difficulty returning to discord now

The events were amazing in design, the political aspect was just enough to tickle our instincts and not let us get bored and all the npcs were well thought and distinctively rped. I didn't notice any real pvp, not something that would cause trouble, at least, but still I hope that I didn't cause any issues with my character. Sometimes it is done without even knowing it, unfortunately.

The game wasn't intended to convert one from the other, but I'm glad you enjoyed the game! Honestly, forums are so 2005, but I really like the option to think out my posts and take time to type out my post (correct mistakes) rather than spamming things live on a chat. We're a bit of an aging and reclusive breed, but I'm very thankful to see people both return and new players who have given us a try for the first time!

And thank you for the comment! I really pride myself in playing high-quality NPC, or at least try to do that. I probably didn't have to take on the role of playing both sisters, but I decided to tackle that challenge, especially when the plot is the conflict between them. I will respond to your character in your thread...When I get a moment later!

Kakita Haruhi wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 6:16 am This was such a fun game! Thank you thank you thank you!

The events were amazingly well-defined. I could understand how to participate, and it was always possible to participate, even if it wasn't something the character was going to be good at. And the feel and flavor was so interesting and different, day to day.

I think I managed to avoid talking to most of your NPCs (which is rare for me, as a player) but just speaks to how engaging the world was. There was stuff I wanted to do every day. PCs I wanted to talk to. Personal quests (and a big big thanks to Hatoful GM for that!)

A question from me! Was Nakahama based on Seattle? (That's where I live.) I felt like it could have been with the weather, harbor, tall building with observation deck restaurant, big ferris wheel on the harbor, etc. We even have a volcano and rainforest elsewhere in the state.

You're very welcome, thank you for joining us for the first time!

I'm really happy that the events and world delivered. I, too, will also join in thanking Hatoful GM for his vital part in that!

I did not know Seattle had that but I will put it on list to go in the future. It isn't unfortunate but since you asked, I will share my experience and vibe influences to each part of the island that I've managed to stitch together to make one whole Frankenstein island.

Shiawase Island influences as island attractions: Sao Miguel, Azores, Malta, and Cyprus.
Weather (and rain) influence: Singapore

Hanei Tower: Fukuoka Tower in Fukuoka, Japan
Azuma Beach: Honokalani Beach in Maui, Hawaii
Harbourfront: A bit of Hong Kong but probably closer to Yokohama, Japan
Golden Shotengai: There are many shopping streets in Japan but this one was inspired by the Shinsaibashi Street in Osaka, Japan
Kappa's Pond: Honestly, it was a vehicle to host turtle-shaped patries
Upper Nakahama City: Fujiyoshida in Japan
Mount Nakahama: Sakurajima in Kagoshima, Japan
Mount Jinsei: Lagoa do Fogo and Lagoa das Sete Cidades on Sao Miguel, Azores.
Tenjin Town Coast: Tai O in Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Susumu Sumiko wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 6:18 am Thank you for bringing banner back and running a wonderful game! The events are so well done and really interesting, they may be some of my favourite events ever from any pbp I've been in.

You're welcome! High praise, as you been in a lot of PBP games!

Miya Kisha wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 7:36 am I'll also join this chorus of "Damn, this was a good game!" I appreciate you having me!

I'll have to say that I appreciate how real this felt, that there was a life to the place even independent of the game's goings-on--and that there was an in-game life to it even aside from the deeper plots (of which I was only aware from outside views). It's a hell of a thing to pull off.

I do hope that, if and when you run again, that I may join you.

I appreciate you joining us!

Real, that's a high compliment, thank you! Maybe it's because I had some influences to draw from, it's definitely from the help I got from the players playing locals to lock in the vibe, the events where I try to incorporate either the community or culture, having a web of relationships between the NPCs, as well as running a few story arcs on top of each other. The layers were a handful, but I'm glad I managed to make a whole package of something! Something real?

Hatoful GM wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 9:04 am Boogie! Thank you for running a terrific game. I'm very happy to have helped to make your game a thing!

I'm not sure that anyone got the full story of Ayame and Umiko. Could you share anything that you think people missed? Anything else you wanted to see explored more?

You're welcome, and happy to have you with me!

Uhm! A few small things, I suppose!

-The opinions of Clans of both sisters. Umiko definitely sides more with the current Crab Clan political dynamic and favoured the Dragon and Scorpion. She's not a fan of the Spider bloc, at all, but won't ever reveal that in public. Ayame is obviously more open, even potentially accepting of the Spider. She would totally brag about having gotten front seats at the Susumu Yakumo as one of her biggest fans.

-The reason why Ayame was chosen over Umiko. I didn't really share or provide an opening but this has to do something with Ayame's career. She likes to party and has a polycule, which is fine, but when you squad partners start to die off, then that's less fine. It began a noticeable downward trajectory with her performance and her father was alerted to this. Taking this as a sign and opportunity, Ayame was taken out of the military before anything disastrous happened and appointed governor with her father's last favours before retirement. Naturally, the nearly perfect Umiko was not pleased about this.

-The Temple of Light/Lavoie/The Way/The Trinity had a slight bit of protection from scrutiny thanks to some previous rulers, most recently in thanks to Ayame and Umiko's late mother. Generally, the family are worshipers in various degrees, although in private, with Umiko donating most of her stipend to the cause. Ayame is more traditional with a bit of polytheist, only in the way of "I guess some of their holidays are cool".

Oh, uhm....The religion, while having some real historical basis, the revival is a long-running Kolat psyop grift. The family and all people on the island were grifted. People like Yasuki Nagisa are part of the grif.

-This is more or less what Yasuki Kaito kind of wanted to hint at "these are not good people" to Yasuki Honoka based on their association with the Temple. He doesn't quite know about the Kolat part.

Tamori Kanna wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 10:01 am Thank you for the game! It was a wonderful experience, and managed to keep people engaged even at a normally dangerous time to run!

I think some of my favorite aspects, outside of the events which I've gushed about a lot before, were the commercials. Did they all have inspirations like Long-Long-Man?

Thank you! And yeah...November/December, that was indeed such a dangerous time, especially with American Thanksgiving and the upcoming Christmas, and the slimming daylight...In retrospect, it was not ideal, but I had thought I found a good opening in my schedule that made it a good time to run because of work being quiet, some extra vacation days, and a foreseeable open schedule.

So glad people stayed engaged! I would probably aim for...April or...September next time. Early October at the latest.

I wanted the Long-Long-Man commercials in spirit. All of the SHINE commercials are absolutely Hatoful GM's doing (and Kisada Krunch!). I was mostly trying to capture the retro, quirky, unapologetic, and in-your-face nature of some commercial with a bit of Crab Clan-ism sprinkled in.

Moto Shiwahime wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 10:28 am Thanks for the game!

Another feather for your hat!

You're welcome! 5 Banners! 5! Not the longest record for a game in this community, but it's something!

Bayushi Hinata wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 10:39 am This has been one hell of an introduction to Banners. Being one of the new kids I'll admit it was intimidating at first. My experience and expertise as a GM lies solely and very narrowly in the improvisation side, making stuff up on the fly and catering moment to moment to player's experiences. So imagine my surprise seeing the sheer amount of prep work put into this game!

I've rarely had the chance to be a player in an L5R game that got so much attention and opportunities to just make an impact. Running into Kaito on D0 (sorry for not following up on that!), encountering Umiko and being so generously bribed, and being stalked so relentlessly by Sumie are the biggest highlights of this game for me.

I really hope to have a chance to play with you again, in whatever capacity opportunity provides. Your work with Craw has made this an unforgettable experience.

Kami! Let's move onto something less sappy. Don't want people thinking Im lame!

When did it click for you to have Sumie stalk Hinata? I've been told she's a recurring Secret Love so I'm curious to know how does this instance differ form the previous one?

If Hinata had pursued Ayame romantically as was my original idea, how'd you think she'd have taken to the charming boy-toy? Would she had chosen him for Oshidama rather than Umiko for example? (Scandalous!)

What's Junpei's opinion on every rando-bushi that strolled up to that gunfight?

Who has the best hat in the game?

So happy to have you with us. Yay, young blood!

Running a game with the GM ratio is 10+++ per GM requires a lot of forward prep to make it possible. Generally, I like to measure things in bandwidth or 'spoons'. The more you spare yourself from working on something later means you can definitely spare your attention on working on something now. Even with the amount of prep, there were so many things to be done around the game, and there is never going to be a shortage of things to do.

I highly advise anyone running a PBP game with players reaching in the double digits to self-automate anything you can. I know that TT GMing have taught us that preparation is a bit unnecessary and improvisational is king, but prep is highly required when running these games and you're still improvising a lot. Do not worry about missing those improvisational opportunities. They will find their way to you in these games and you can flex those muscles.

Thank you for being Sumie's target! I did my best to make it more comical than creepy and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Aha, Sumie stalking Hinata was the plan from day zero. I was just trying to juggle time to make it possible. When I saw a story opening with Umiko's blackmail, I dove right in with her. I feel she has an unexplained type, often the sort who are not fond of her. Maybe she's after Earth 2 bushi. She subscribes to collecting partners for her pre-Empire Beetle Tribe commune relationship dynamic that you've probably never heard of, ugh! She's still collecting, she hasn't gotten one yet, but she's still out there...collecting...

Hinata might tip over to the side of lameness for Sumie if he liked Ayame. That said, that just might mean that she'll have to stalk him harder to rescue him!

Aha, Kuni Junpei hadn't met most of them until that day! They're all lousy rule-breakers that he would have written up if it weren't for the fact that they were helpful. Excessive force from Yoritomo Ochiba. Too much dramatics from Hinata. Very unfortunate of Shiwahime. They could also be less flashy. Normal plainclothes Agasha Sorato has his approval. Everyone else was seemingly here for an RPG party of sorts!

Yasuki Nagisa absolutely has the best hat all game! Yasuki Umiko is in close second if she wore more of them IC!

Kitsuki Ichitaiyo wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 11:36 am Also, because I didn't on my first questions, I am so glad I came across you guys, and the work you put in here Boogie has been amazing. I wish the detective work had been smoother, but between time press and discording timezones, we did a great damn job, thanks for bearing with me every step of the way!

I loved all the events, and I adored how they always put characters on the off-foot, eliciting some great unexpected reactions!

I gotta ask, I got the feeling part some of the events had an internal feeling of "Damn, I dislike it when people just dump Perception", because damn I lucked out with Ichitaiyo's build on that context, given it was a frequent skill roll I had available lol

You're welcome! I was pretty busy too in RL, and I kind of sprung this on you near the late of the game, where we're quite close to the scheduled climax, so my bad on that front! Glad we managed to hammer it out in the end! Thank you for participating!

Thank you! A personal victory is when events provide character-building and narrative moments. I really enjoyed the First Market to see how their characters would approach it and the sort of kiddo they found themselves paired with.

I feel the Perception-based decision is more because they're associated with commerce and therefore more Yasuki Courter favoured. I do like the Perception trait, Commerce, Hunting and Investigation are important skills!

Yasuki Taraka wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 2:52 pm So did Yasuki Kaito's death from stupidly exploding dice throw off any of your plots, or were you going, "Yeah, this idiot is not surviving this death course"? Was there a plot reason he got kidnapped, or was it a more of, "Yeah, I just wanna punish samurai, and he's a good little bag of wounds to soak for players?" What would have changed storywise had he survived the encounter, beyond no need for a morgue thread?

Kaito wasn't destined to stay in the game for long and was supposed to make a stage right exit after being outed as the villain in the second arc, either way. The exploding dice were unexpected, to be honest. Yes, the plot reason was that, despite his anti-Spider Clan content, it was merely for show business. His past is kind of having him being akin to being one of those obnoxious travelling trouble-maker influencers. The end scene was highlighting that, bragging that he was fighting against Spider samurai...when he was just cowardly poking trouble with heimen. Kaiu Jigsaw Takeo didn't like that.

He filled in the role of "terrible jerk who is still a terrible jerk in a bad situation" well. But yes, he was also a body!

If he survived, we would have aired more laundry about the ruling family before promptly kicking him off the island and sending him back to Gakko Island, if Ayame was feeling kind.

Yasuki Honoka wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 8:04 pm Thank you for running another beautifully crafted game Boogie! As ever, you inspire such creativity with your own. This world was well and truly alive, and investing in it was such a joy and pleasure! Through the setting posts which each had their own identity to your characters who are ever vibrant and intriguing! Event posts which are ever exciting and thought provoking as well!!!

Now, my question for you in light of this silly "what if" mindset I've been on of late. Was there any other route that didn't happen over the course of the game you were interested by that you keep coming back to in thought?

Or, in lieu of that, what would be one New Game+ new character or feature moment you'd be most entertained by? Whether it be an NPC change, or a PC who didn't show up but you wonder what mighta happened if they did!

Thank you for playing, and thank you for the kind words! I really hoped to maintain a solid NPC quality! I also like to think that the setting is a team effort with both the locals who put a part of themselves in the setting and the visitors who frequent those places! Go team!

I definitely feel I should have put Kaiu Takeo and Yasuki Nagisa more in the public. Honestly, more of the latter than the former. I was trepidatious about introducing an NPC so late in the game, but I felt she was kind of a scene-stealer in my heart. She could have potentially offered a poisoned apple to some people, but I felt that might have added a bit of complication to the gentry situation. Oh, she could have involved herself with a bit of hacking in the background. But yeah, I was stretched a little thin to be able to provide that.

Uhm! Maybe Susumu Yakumo for added start power! A fan in the governor but definitely some tension with the locals. If it were Eriko instead of Junpei as magistrate, she would have tossed the rulebook out and probably busted down the door to the temple sooner to crack this case! The True Scions would probably be on her tail fast too...

I was thinking about more past-character cameos, too! Yasuki Mayumi (previously of the Vulpine Regime games) and the Golden Shell Pharmacy.

Uhm, Miya Kimiko from Banner 2 and 4 (very briefly).

Boogiepop wrote: Fri Dec 12, 2025 3:18 pm

-The Temple of Light/Lavoie/The Way/The Trinity had a slight bit of protection from scrutiny thanks to some previous rulers, most recently in thanks to Ayame and Umiko's late mother. Generally, the family are worshipers in various degrees, although in private, with Umiko donating most of her stipend to the cause. Ayame is more traditional with a bit of polytheist, only in the way of "I guess some of their holidays are cool".

Oh, uhm....The religion, while having some real historical basis, the revival is a long-running Kolat psyop grift. The family and all people on the island were grifted. People like Yasuki Nagisa are part of the grif.

-This is more or less what Yasuki Kaito kind of wanted to hint at "these are not good people" to Yasuki Honoka based on their association with the Temple. He doesn't quite know about the Kolat part.

This makes me wonder. What's the future hold for the temple? Is it going to be chased off after all of this? Or, given all the relatively powerful people who are still in on the grift, will it find the PR it needs to pain Nagisa's crew as rogue elements and remain as a 'reformed' entity?

Suzume Hitomi wrote: Sat Dec 13, 2025 12:59 am This makes me wonder. What's the future hold for the temple? Is it going to be chased off after all of this? Or, given all the relatively powerful people who are still in on the grift, will it find the PR it needs to pain Nagisa's crew as rogue elements and remain as a 'reformed' entity?

In the immediate future, they've been more or less chased off the island, there are too many stains to ignore with criminals having dug their claws deep into its roots to launder money. Kuni Junpei is already proposing that they take the warehouse and convert it to magistrate purposes, he is absolutely not a fan. That doesn't mean there won't be lingering remnants of the religion in the shadows, but certainly less blatant than it was before. Also, as one of Umiko's last proposals, Ayame will allocate some extra attention to Tenjin Town to provide relief and fill in the gap from the religion's charity efforts.

Yasuki Haruto will be given a transfer off the island, thanks to Umiko, to another province, potentially either starting all over again or looking into himself, wondering if his faith had purposely blinded him, considering he was purposely turning a blind eye to the operations just so the religion could reap the benefits of Yasuki Nagisa's support.