Sengoku - Development Diary #10 - Honour

[Johan]

Welcome back to another development diary about Sengoku. This week, I'm back at posting it. During the next few weeks you'll see handson previews appearing, as we've given out preview copies to the press.

Today we'll talk about the important concept of honour.

In Europe we have chivalry and Japan they had the way of the warrior, Bushido. A code of honour and duty that spelt out how a samurai was supposed to live. However, like European chivalry the violence of the Sengoku era forced interesting interpretations on the code of Bushido. The era is filled with betrayals, how Togugawa went from being most loyal guardian of Hideyoshi’s son and heir to Shogun was rather creative interpretation.

Our solution is to make honour a currency in Sengoku. Actions that are considered bad, like attacking your evil neighbours, which in reality means advances your chances to win, the game cost honour. The honour cost for declaring war on someone depends on your relationship to them. Attacking someone you dislike is not as bad as attacking your best friend. While things are considered good, like giving out land to worthless good for nothing retainers, which sort of slow you down, gain you honour.

If you go below zero honour, it is an automatical game-over. If you are low on honour and want to restore some, and have some heirs, you can always commit seppuku, which will restore some honor to your family.

 

[King]

What do you mean - game over? What if I reload as an another clan?

It is like if you are about to get annexed in EU3 and then reload as another country

 

[King]

i dont like this... not only its hardly logical(it was quite usual that if daimyo commits seppuku, so does his heirs), but probably can be used as expliot: dont like your daimyo? kill him and get his son to power...

Assuming he actually agrees to it. If he doesn't then well he won't like you much and you have even more problems.

 

[Darkrenown]

I think you can player as a lesser land holder in the family, too. Perhaps that is what King is referring too? In which case, does that imply we can ask our overlord to kill himself for the good of the clan? That just screams of exploits, unless it's nigh impossible except in direst need.

No, but you can ask your vassal Daimyos to.

 

[King]

I think you underestimate the your vassals. I have serious problems sometimes convincing my vassals to back my first born for Clan leader. So yes I could top myself, get some honour for my eldest son and he gets my lands. However, the clan leadership is gone for the time being.

 

[King]

Although to be honest ther are times when I wish you could use the Seppuko option more. I was a small clan with two vassals. My son and a random guy. I naturally backed my son for clan leadership, random guy backed himself. My son decided to back random guy. Talk about dishonouring your father, the shame I tell you. So I am going to have to get Birken to have a long talk with the AI about sons and their duty to their fathers.