A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Katanas and Kimonos

Katanas and Kimonos by Jacob DC Ross is a role playing game supplement published by Thunderegg Productions. This is the core book for Katanas and Kimonos, which is based on Lasers & Feelings and is covered by the CC BY 4.0 license.

The supplement is available as a four-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $2.99 but was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. The PDF comes in four versions, two regular and two stated to be for mobile; the only other differences is that one version for each has a red background and one a gold one.

The premise is that the characters are the last surviving retainers of Clan Matsuoka after its lord was killed by his supposed allies, and they need to find a way of avenging their fallen lord.

Character creation involves choosing a Path, with five given, each with two specialities. Next is Training, with six different types of combat. A Number between 2 and 5 means that they are more proficient in Katanas with a higher number, which is combat, passion and aggression, or Kimonos, which is social interaction, logic and grace. Their possessions are primarily a weapon related to their training, they have a player goal and a PC goal. After creating characters, the players create a band with two strengths and one weakness.

Four d6 tables create the enemy and its goal.

Rolling the Dice is how to play. One d6 is rolled, one extra one if prepared and another if an expert. The dice are rolled and each die result is compared to the number for Katanas or Kimonos; roll under for Katanas, roll over for Kimonos. No successes means it goes wrong. One success means the task is barely managed. Two means it went well. Three is a critical success. When the die shows the exact number, it is a success and you may ask a question about the situation, your opponent or someone else present.

Risk Dice add complications to the game; they can be added to a roll to give an extra chance to succeed, but when rolled as poorly as possible, this is a Botch, which reduces all countdown clocks by one segment.

Curse Dice are similar to Risk dice, but they never add a chance of success, only of a botch, and are inflicted by circumstances or enemies.

Consequences have a means of tracking what happens to a PC; a circle divided into quadrants is shaded in as consequences are received, and a fully shaded circle means the character is out of action.

Clocks and Countdowns keep track of tasks and events. Clocks represent progress towards completion and countdowns show how close a dramatic even is to unfolding. These are represented by drawing circles and dividing them into segments as they progress.

NPCs get few statistics, one being a clock representing how many successes are needed to take them down. Powerful opponents may have risk dice, inflict curse dice and have other abilities.

Character Advancement has options for allowing characters to advance.

Duels are a way of resolving a combat between two opponents with a single dice roll; every die in the roll is a risk die.

Fantasy and Wonder explains the game is about wonderful realism more than high fantasy.

Ronin, Not Samurai explains the difference, looks at adding creatures and how magical artefacts are rare.

Story Threads has ways of making the world more real, with a table that can be filled in for support NPCs.

Player Agency is about allowing the players to help the world grow.

Finally, Flight from Castle Matsuoka is an introductory adventure with the characters escaping the events of the betrayal.

Katanas and Kimonos in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and with only four pages of content doesn’t need them. Navigation is fine. The text maintains a four-column landscape format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a few stock images. Presentation is fine.

Being based on Lasers & Feelings, this is a very simple system that is more narrative in nature than mechanical; much of what happens may well be determined more by roleplaying than rolling. It is also a simple system to pick up. There are also a number of additional supplements available that can be used to expand the game. Katanas and Kimonos is a decent hack of Lasers & Feelings and it can be found by clicking here.