Sengoku, Revised Edition Paperback – May 30, 2002

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

Character creation seems needlessly complex to little tangible gain. The Legend of the Five Rings is more straight forward, but less flexible. The historic value of the book is surprisingly quite high. The artwork is meh. Haven't played to compare to L5R yet.

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

a great game, if you loved the old FGU Bushido or want your RPG experience to be rooted firmly in a more realistic mythic Japan this is for you. The system is easy master and the background contains a level of detail that i think eavn Stephen Turnbull would appreciate .