Subject: Re: [FFML] [FFML] [Story] Elseworlds 5- Kunou's wish
From: Scott Johnson
Date: 8/10/1996, 3:21 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com



On Sat, 10 Aug 1996, Wombat Master D wrote:

       Same here, everything except "Shogun" as favorite book.  Replace
that with "Musashi" or that other book by Eiji Yoshikawa and yes I did
consider a Musashi inspired fanfic which I thankfully never started.
Everything seems fine right up until the conquering of Japan.  Really I
don't think it's important to actually script the battles waged in proper
military fashion.  If anything use bits from the Ancient Art of War as
basic stratagem.

I never read Musashi either. Yeesh. I HAVE read the Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Honestly, I planned on using some strategem from that, (higher ground battles,
etc), but I ran out of steam around the ronin Ryouga showing up.

Another idea: there's a collectable card game out there called _Legend of
the Five Rings._  It's based very heavily on just the type of wars you're
going to be writing about.  If all else fails, you might pick up a few
starter packs, get a few friends together, and play a few games of it.
It's far from a perfect simulation of war, but you don't really need that
- the strategy, armies, terrain, etc. might be just enough to spark your
imagination.  And it might also give you a few ideas on making the
different sides and forces memorable throught their differences.  In the
game, the forces of Clan Lion are especially fierce on the attack, the
forces of Clan Unicorn are almost entirely mounted, giving them
exceptional mobility, Clan Crane is not very strong on the battlefield but
powerful in diplomacy and honor, the fallen Clan Scorpion has allied
itself with evil supernatural beings, etc...  Perhaps giving each House
that Kunou goes up against some unique reputations would be useful.
(Example: House Sanzenin's forces are lightly equipped and armored, and
are trained to be highly mobile on the field, while House Shiratori's
armies are known to loot and plunder the land of anything that catches
their eye, leaving devestated lands behind them.  Or something like that.)

Scott Johnson, who might actually do a Kodachi elseworlds-style fanfic
someday after he finishes _A Rose on the Grey_...