Just been thinking about how knights, which are a class associated with medieval Europe, appear in Japanese RPGs, yet I'm not aware with as many cases of the Samurai, a class associated with Japan, appearing in WRPGs. In fact, the only example I can think of is the Wizardry series.

Any others?

Nethack has a samurai class, IIRC.

And of course, Throne of Darkness has samurais, but then again, it is set in a feudal Japan setting.

This is actually something that interests me. I'd love to see a western RPG (maybe something along the lines of The Witcher 3) where you can play as a samurai. I'd say Ghost of Tsushima but unfortunately, it's console exclusive (*pukes*) meaning I probably will never get the chance to play it.

I'm not thinking of too many.

Nioh 1 is mostly in Japan, but it starts and ends in England. (The story is fictionalization based on William Adams.) But this is a Japanese-made game. It fits the topic though. (Also, Shogun by Clavell is one of my favorite novels ever. The only one I've read more than thrice.)

ttRPG: Samurai class is available in D&D 3.5 [though introduced in the Oriental Adventures book, can be used anywhere] and Pathfinder RPG [where it's a variant of Cavalier]. Shadowrun was already brought up.

This is something less common for a few reasons, I suspect.

* jRPGs are often more class-based or "Character is what we want it to be".
* Knight more easily fits into the Japanese culture than Samurai into Western culture.
* The structure of WRPGs don't allow for them... Both mechanically (being more skills-based and 'open', even earlier on in game history) and for character and story.
* Much of being a samurai is "character" that's hard to fit where WRPGs are "the player takes the role or strongly identifies with the main character in the story" vs jRPGs where characters are on their own as characters in a story of multiple characters.
* W: "Realilsm" (even in fantasy"). J: "Whatever we want!"
* Japan gave had Samurai, etc, in their society much more recently than the west had much other than professional/conscripted soldiers. (Purchased commissions exempted...)
* There was the whole period where Japan was occupied by the West and forced to learn our history and culture. The reverse isn't true.
* Blame the stupid "Holy Trinity". Samurai is harder to fit in there.

Thats a really really wobbly stance for a host of factors. May want to read up on history there. Quite a lot in fact.

Or Cyberpunk in general for that matter. That setting always had a strong Eastern influence.

Neverwinter Nights has the Kensai, which is a Mage that specializes in a sword to the exclusion of everything else —— think Dak'kon from Planescape Torment. (Which is, I suppose, technically another.) Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn allows one to play a monk (which is a Buddhist archetype, not specifically a Samurai) but the 2e ruleset allows the Monk to become proficient in any one-handed weapon available to the rogue class, specifically the Katana (and long- & short-swords, daggers, darts and slings, but not bows or crossbows, obviously).

edit: added Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn.

That's not a class in the original game (not sure about NWN2, but I don't recall it from that either). Maybe you're thinking of a specific module or mod?

Hmm. You're right, I can't find it in the creation options for the original BG2 nor NwN, nor the NwN Enhanced, yet I know I've played it in one of them. Or maybe I was trying to emulate Dak'kon? I'm pretty sure I did it in BG2, I can remember abandoning it because it just wasn't fun to play. And I was certain it was an option for a Wizard in NwN, but I can't see how, now. I wonder where I did it? I'll have a look in the manual. (Jump in anyone who knows about Kensai class.)

Edit: I think I remember now; I think I was trying to create a Dak'kon character. (It was in Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn) but that doesn't explain why I know there is a class called the Kensai. That must have come from the manual, somewhere. Hmmm. More thinking required. To be continued ./..


OT: There is a Cyberninja in StarCrawlers.

You do remember it correctly, it's a class kit for Fighters in BG2 and was retroactively added into BG1 remake since it used BG 2's system. And BG2 remake has it as well, of course.

https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Kensai

Yep, I have just been playing a new one (lost the old one when I accidentally knocked my external harddrive off the table, along with all my other saves, like a BG1 Paladin in the city, and I-don't-remember-what-else-off-top-of-my-head).

It may require one of the mods generally available, but there is the option to buy a version of Dak'kon's blade (a longsword+2 sold by Deidre in the Adventurer's Mart that grants an extra 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th level spell) but it is not cheap —— costs 26600gp if Jaheira is negotiating with her rank of 15 in Charisma (so I hadn't generated enough cash to purchase it back during my old play-through) and I was just a Grand Master in longsword. (If one dual-classes from the start of BG2 the character is close to achieving the prerequisite 8th level by the time the party exeunt from the first Irenicus dungeon.) Interestingly, this time, I have opted for a generalist fighter preparation, instead. (I'm not sure of the wisdom of this strategy, yet.)

But, back to the OP, it is quite reasonable to, say, take three or four ranks in Katana and a pip in Schimitar to be proficient with the other Asian swords, the Wakizashi (which a Katana proficiency will provide access to, anyway) and Ninja-To. (It would chiefly be for roleplaying, though, since the whole point of the Kensai is to specialize on one single-handed weapon, to the exclusion of all else. )

Once the character reaches the Kensai level-plus-one, the dual-class (Mage, if you're imitating Dak'kon, but conceivably any class you wish to play with a Samurai base) will have full access to these exotic weapons.

More realistically, I suppose, one would dual-class a Kensai with a cleric, but that is practically a Paladin without two-handed weapons.

Great book indeed. The TV series with Richard Chamberlain is also a very good adaption.

Hello dtgreene!

The first example of a western roleplaying game with the "Samurai" class that came to my mind is "Spirit of Adventure" the predecessor of the German "Realms of Arkania" trilogy ("Die Nordlandtrilogie" in German).

According to Guido Henkel, one of the developers, they were heavily inspired by "The Bard's Tale" and wanted to create a very similar experience specifically for the German market. Later on, they got the licence to the German pen & paper roleplaying system "The Dark Eye" ("Das Schwarze Auge" in German) and build on their game engine and experience of "Spirit of Adventure" for the "Realms of Arkania" series. (That is why the first one "Blade of Destiny" shares a lot of similarities in how the game world is being depicted on screen, down to reuse of some art assets.)

In "Spirit of Adventure" the "Samurai" class (male one, or "Banshee" female one, classes come in gender pairs) is the only one that can equip two weapons (e.g. two swords), he is quite fast and from time to time can perform a second attack.

I have attached some pictures from the Atari ST and Amiga version showing the character generation screen where you can select the "Samurai" class, an exemplary "Samurai" class character status screen, and the German cover images. (see also "Spirit of Adventure on Mobygames" or "on LemonAmiga")

Kind regards,
foxgog

[Edit: added the links]

I want to see a western CRPG with a Samurai class character in it, as both CRPGs and JRPGs are my favorite RPG genre! Imagine a Kingmaker/BG/Divinity game with Samurai!