Blood of the Yakuza
Encyclopedia
Blood of the Yakuza is a module in the Oriental Adventures
subset of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms
product line.
. The module describes the Japan
ese-style island of Wa and the port of Nakamura, detailing the history, politics, districts, architecture, and important personalities of the Tokugawa
-era town. The module contains information on the rival Yakuza gangs and the political machinations of the important families and temples, as well as background on the major NPCs of the city, plus lists of names, occupations, and personalities for detailing minor non-player character
s. Narratives are provided, rather than presenting the adventures as straightforward encounter plots, and depending on their character classes and backgrounds, the player character
s can interact with the stories in many different ways.
As the module was based on the Kara Tur boxed set, its information is older than the information about Wa found in such product lines as the Spelljammer
series.
, with a cover by Jim Holloway
, and was published by TSR in 1987 as a forty-eight page book and a sixteen page book, with a large color map and an outer folder.
magazine No. 134. Bambra felt that the island of Wa "draws its inspiration from the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan and presents a more centralized and less war-torn period". He concluded that Blood of the Yakuza is another excellent addition to the Oriental line.
Oriental Adventures
Oriental Adventures is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
subset of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
product line.
Plot summary
Blood of the Yakuza is a campaign setting and scenario package for use with Oriental AdventuresOriental Adventures
Oriental Adventures is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
. The module describes the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-style island of Wa and the port of Nakamura, detailing the history, politics, districts, architecture, and important personalities of the Tokugawa
Tokugawa
Tokugawa may refer to:*Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan**Tokugawa Ieyasu, the most notable member of the Tokugawa clan and founder of its shogunate*Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan...
-era town. The module contains information on the rival Yakuza gangs and the political machinations of the important families and temples, as well as background on the major NPCs of the city, plus lists of names, occupations, and personalities for detailing minor non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s. Narratives are provided, rather than presenting the adventures as straightforward encounter plots, and depending on their character classes and backgrounds, the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s can interact with the stories in many different ways.
As the module was based on the Kara Tur boxed set, its information is older than the information about Wa found in such product lines as the Spelljammer
Spelljammer
Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
series.
Publication history
Blood of the Yakuza was written by David "Zeb" CookDavid Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
, with a cover by Jim Holloway
Jim Holloway (artist)
-Background:Jim Holloway was self taught in illustration, although he was able to study some oil paintings by his father.-Works:Jim Holloway has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1981, as well as cover art for The Land Beyond the...
, and was published by TSR in 1987 as a forty-eight page book and a sixteen page book, with a large color map and an outer folder.
Reception
Jim Bambra reviewed Blood of the Yakuza for DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine No. 134. Bambra felt that the island of Wa "draws its inspiration from the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan and presents a more centralized and less war-torn period". He concluded that Blood of the Yakuza is another excellent addition to the Oriental line.