WHAT IS MURAMASA?

 Usually, for me, a sentence or image is the true spark that iniate the design. When it happens, suddenly other ideias start sticking to it. This amorphous blob is what i have to 'sculpt' into some something cohesive

During the 24XX Jam, i was shuffling through Beeple portfolio, looking for a spark, When i came to this, I knew i've found it.

I started thinking about samurais, the originals not a sci-fi version. The cave made think about a search of something...hidden? forbidden? lost? What about all of the choices? Yes.

Then, the blade caught my eye. Maybe they're looking for blades? Cursed blades! YES!
That reminds me about the name Muramasa. Don't remember where i heard it before...Samurai Shodown? Wolverine comic? who knows...

Muramasa is a cool name but i didn't know anything about it. Where is muramasa? Who is Muramasa? Why is Muramasa? Research time!

Afte some time i learned that Muramasa is the name of a blacksmith in Japan (oh, really?) of the 1600s (also of a short school of blade forgers later on). Which means there many Muramasa blades, mostly different types of katanas but there were also spears and maybe others.

Later on, the blades where really banned by one of the firsts shoguns. Mainly because of relatives being wounded or killed by those blades. The blades became a symbol against the clan occupying the sgoun position at the time and many forgeries were made.

Much years later, it became pop culture that they were actually cursed an that spread to the media. Nowadays, there roughly 20 Muramasa blades kept in different collections. None are considered national treasury (many others are) and only one is considered work of art.

Myōhō Muramasa - The sublime Dharma

While I was absorving thtat, a plot was forming around the spark

• What if the blades were really cursed but only a few knew or believed? 
• What if the reason almost none are remarkable today is becasue the best works were destroyed?
• What if the players are adventures tracking the blades to kill the curses?
• What if the adventurers were wounded deeply by one of those blades?
• What if the name of the blade was sort of a representation of it's 'curse' and it fights back?

That's how most of the game took it's rough form in my head and i started typing. Since the curse was becoming strong as magicla element, I had to give the players some juice too.

Loosely inspired by concept of the 5 Rings of Miyamoto Musashi, I plugged some techniques for each player. 

As items, I also added the magic seals so player could exercise their creativity using keywords.

I'm really satisfied with game overall but i'm specially proud of the Muramasa Blades tables.

Let's create one now!

You're tracking 'the Darkest Night, a regular sized katana.

You donn't know it yet, but when confronted, a full armored samurai avatar will spill forth from the katana, wielding it against the players. You'll only see some metal reflections here and there in the armor and blades hilst. Everything else looks like a starless sky,

Hope you enjoy it! Click here to get your copy