Published by Politically Incorrect Games

ISBN # 0-9770673-2-7
$24.95 Softcover
$9.95 PDF

From the mind of Rick Hershey

Imagine an island where tradition wars against technology. The last of the samurai have nowhere to turn, and yakuza thugs and street fighters now hold the respect of the streets. Shangti Cowboys have showed the island the power of firearms, and Mechanists have proven the triumph of machine over superstition. But the old ways linger. Kabukika, warriors of the theater and users of magic, hold onto their traditions, as do the Nikobo, who find that as the land travels farther from its traditions, its spirits grow restless...

Both humans and their gaijin cousins toil to rebuild from the last war, and the Clockwork Ronin, remnants of that era, struggle to find a home. Juunishi-po, a people born to resemble the forms of the zodiac, and keshou, distant relatives of goblins once kept as slaves, have learned to embrace the new technology and bring glory to their people. The Jinteki-Oni, half-me and half-demon, have come down from their mountain homes to learn the ways of men. Change has come quickly to the island, and these changes bring chaos, on which the demons of old still thrive.

This is the world of Rosuto-Shima, a setting for Iron Gauntlets. Introducing four new races, a host of new vocations, several new skills and styles, and four kits that combine background and vocation as a single unit, Steampunk Musha combines Asian flavor fantasy with Victorian technology to create a world of tradition, technology, and chaos. High fantasy and science fiction clash and combine in a conflict of old and new, father and son, clockwork and spiritual. The world is changing. How will you change it?

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Steampunk Musha is an alternative setting for Iron Gauntlets that features a Victoriental feudal land, torn between honoring the old traditions and embracing new technologies. It includes all new and original player races, such as clockwork ronin, the half-demon jinteki-oni, keshou (goblin cousins), and the juunishi-p'o (human-spiritual hybrids of the zodiac animals); new gimmicks, backgrounds, and vocations; two new forms of magic; new dueling, melee, and ranged weapons including firearms; and a bestiary that includes dangerous creatures, spirits, and oni.

Steampunk Musha can be used as a base setting for Iron Gauntlets, providing an overview of the world, as well as detailed information for several provinces. Plus, a sample adventure is included to help guide directors. The various elements of the setting offer lots of ideas, making this a very useful playing aid.