Musha Shugyo

Quick Start
After devoting your whole youth to your training,
you have finally perfected your martial techniques to
the point that your master has nothing else to teach
you. The moment has come for you to begin your
pilgrimage, the journey that will allow you to perfect
your skills and to develop your personal techniques.
You will have to find your fightin way by yourself
and create your own unique fighting style...

The booklet you are now reading is

the Musha Shugyō RPG quick start guide. It
contains all the basic rules that allow you
to play to MS basic game, with no specific
Game Mode.
MS has been developed so that it
can be played by just one person, or by
two or multiple players, according to the
Mode of your choice. If played with many
friends, Musha Shugyō can therefore be
used as a sort of board game, structured
like a fighting tournament.
Draw your inspiration from plots
similar to those of The King of Fighters,
Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter, or of movies
such as Bloodsports or Ip Man. The main
source of inspiration is the Web Series:
Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist; therefore, we
strongly suggest that you watch it in order
to get into the right atmosphere.
Many role-playing games are
devised for a group of Characters, where
there isn’t a real main character even
if the group usually has a leader. Using
Musha Shugyō’s Single Player Mode, in
contrast, your Character is the only hero
in the adventure, although there are
a lot of Multiplayer Modes too, in the
complete game.
There are many plots, in any media
and settings, in which you can find the
same thing: just think of Dragon Ball
where, in the end, it is Goku who saves
the day, or Conan the Barbarian, and Elric

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of Melniboné; even Fist of the North Star For each new Character creation, each
(Hokuto no Ken) has a similarly structured PC has 7 points to be distributed among the
plot. In these stories, we often see one or Attributes, while the SPs Earning Method:
more secondary Characters who stand
by the hero, even for a long time, but in e Combo: 1 SP every 3 Combo
the end he will have to reach the end of Points, then 1 SP per each further Combo
his journey by himself. Musha Shugyō is a Point earned in the same Attack. These SP
perfect instrument to simulate this kind Points are added to the SP Point the PC
of stories, exactly because this is Musha earns every 6 Combo Points (see fighting
Shugyō’s real meaning: The Jurney of the paragraph);
Warrior. b Damages: 1 SP every 3 Damages
inflicted in the same Attack, rounded up
REQUIRED MATERIAL to the lowest value after calculating DE
Each Player needs: absorption reduction;
• The Character’s bookmark / pre- d APs: 1 SP every AP you sacrifice to
this purpose. You have to use up your APs
filled character sheet (see specific section);
during the first or the last part of the Turn,
• A Pencil, an eraser and six-sided die;
and not while Attacking;
• A deck card to count Action a Wounds: 1 SP every 3 Damages
Points (APs) and Special Points (SPs): the suffered during the same Attack. Damages
specific Musha Shugyō special deck would absorbed through DE count as well;
be better, but any standard deck will do; c Defense: 1 SP every 3 Damages the PC
• A copy-book or a diary (for Single manages to avoid through any kind of defense
Player Mode). technique (counterattacks included). Damages
absorbed through DE do not count: it works
Check only if you manage to avoid being hit.
Throw a die each time an Oracle or
fighting Check has to be made. You can now create 3 Special Moves.
Special Moves have a standard cost of 3
The Main Character APs and have two Symbols (see further
Musha Shugyō Characters can on). Each extra Symbol costs 1 more
be created thanks to our online App AP, each removed Symbol makes the
(http://www.acchiappasogni.org/msrpg/ Technique costs 1 AP less. Any Technique
pgcreator/). Each Character has three can never cost less than 2 APs.
Attributes (to be used mainly during Super Moves are created in the
fights and action scenes), and a Special same way, but cost 3 APs and have three
Points (SPs) Earning Method. Symbols.
If you play Musha Shugyō as a Role-
At the beginning of each Turn, the PC playing Game and not as a board game,
gets as many Action Points (APs) as his it is of the utter importance to determine
Rapidity (RA) value; the Incipit, that is the Character’s personal
• The Attack (AT) value is added data and history so far, including his
to the attack Check; personality, the reason to start his journey
• The Defense (DE) value is added of the warrior, etc.
to the defense Check;
• The SPs Earning Method Symbols
determines how Special Points are earned: All the Special Moves and Super Moves
they can be used to enhance the fighting PC. can make use of the Symbols. Those are
specific effects that, in a game, express

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Musha Shugyo Guida Rapida
all the advantages using a Technique can ATTACK AND DEFENSE
give. Each Symbol allows one automatic In order to Attack, a Check has to be
effect, provided that the Technique hits made: its result will be added to the Attack
the target. score. The defender makes a Check,
Some Symbols have a cumulative adding it to his Defense. If the attacker’s
effect, thus they can be carried several result is higher than the defender’s, the
times by the same Technique. Attack is successful, otherwise it fails.
Find a list of the Symbols in the After the attacker’s Check, the defender
Technical Chart provided at the end of may decide to Counterattack (see the
the booklet. Technical Chart), not necessarily to
passively defend himself.
FIGHTING A normal, successful Attack inflicts a
All the fights are single fights, one Damage of AT + the result of the Attack
against one. At the beginning of the fight, Check. The Character who gets hit
each Character gets as many APs as his absorbs DE Damages (without adding the
Rapidity value, then the Player makes Defense Check result). Each Character
a Check and adds its result to his PC’s has at his disposal 30 Life Points (LP):
Rapidity. The Player who gets the higher when that value gets to zero, or below,
value strikes first. the Character is defeated. Special
A Character’s Turn is made up of three Moves inflict ATx2 + Check Damages,
stages: while Super Moves (costing 4 SPs to be
activated) inflict ATx4 + Check Damages.
• Preparation: at the beginning of Critical Check: A value of 6 obtained
each Turn, the Character gets as many in a Check is called Critical Check and it
APs as his Rapidity value, and they get is equivalent to an 8. Such a result can
added to those the Character hasn’t turn the tide, in some desperate situations.
expended in the previous Turns. Skip this
phase on the first fighting Turn. DISTANCE
• Attack: in this stage, the The opponents can be in direct contact
Character can either attack or move, or at a distance. At the beginning of the
choosing which action to perform, fight, they are usually at a distance. It is
provided that he has enough APs at his allowed to strike only opponents who are in
disposal; he can also choose to stand still contact with the Character, unless he resorts
and to get on to the next stage. to a Move carrying the Symbol: Distance.
• Conclusion: the Character gives The game features many situations in
up his Turn, either by choice or because he which you can change position or distance
lacks APs, and plays in defense. If he still the opponent from yourself.
has some APs set aside, he will keep them
and will be able to add them to those he will ACTIONS
get in the next Turn Preparation stage. It is In a fight, the opponents can perform
now his opponent’s Turn. some specific actions, but each of them
will have a cost in terms of Action
During a fight it is possible to accumulate Points. They are all listed in the attached
up to 20 APs and 6 SP Points. Technical Chart.
The Character who’s not playing his
Turn is in defense mode; as explained on Combo
the attached Technical Chart, however, Each series of consecutive successful
he can still perform some actions. Attacks executed in the same Attack Stage

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earns 1 Combo Point. As soon as the Attack Moreover, the PC can never earn
ends, either because the opponent defended more than 6 Special Points from the
himself or because the attacker’s Turn has beginning of his Turn and the beginning
ended, the Combo ends as well. Combo of his following one: it includes his Attack
points are used to obtain new SP Points. Stage and the opponent’s one. It is very
The successful Techniques with the important to keep in mind that, in this
2xCombo Symbol get 2 Combo Points time frame, the PC will never earn new
instead of 1, and they are regularly added Points after the first 6 ones, even if he
to all the other Points earned in the same spends all of them.
Attach Stage. Special Points are very important in
the game: in a fight, they can be expended
SPECIAL POINTS (SP) to obtain some advantages listed in the
Special Points are earned fighting, and attached Technical Chart.
can only be used in a fight. Opponents
can benefit from Special Points as well, LIFE POINTS (LP)
provided that they are as proficient as the Usually, each PC has a total amount
Main Character in the martial arts. Besides of 30 Life Points, but you can increase
earning SPs through his personal method, a this amount up to 60: this is up to you. In
Character will always earn 1 SP in a fight if: Single Player Mode we specifically suggest
you to stick to the standard 30.
• scores 6 in a fight Check;
• scores 6 Combo Points. THE ORACLE
In Role-playing Games, mostly in
SPs thus earned are added to those the Single Player Mode, it is not necessary
PC obtained thanks to his personal SPs to create everything from scratch,
earning method. without any reference point. During your

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Musha Shugyo Guida Rapida

adventure, whenever you wish, you can 4. You can make it, making a huge
“consult the Oracle”. Just see it as your effort, but it will require a commitment, a
narrative compass: you will interpret its sacrifice, or more generally a cost on your
answers your own way, embellishing them part. Or somebody will ask you a favor...
any way you want, and giving free rein to 5. It can be done, it works,
your imagination. affirmative. It won’t bring immediate
In any circumstances, in order to results, and perhaps you will have to turn
consult the Oracle you must ask yourself to somebody, to find something first, but
a question regarding one of the events the solution is behind the corner.
the Main Character is living through, 6. Yes, sure, there is no problem.
and then make a Check. The result of the The situation will easily work itself out.
Check will determine the answer: You had a stroke of luck or somebody was
very kind to you.
1. Not good at all: absolutely negative
result. You must not even think about it, it According to the situation the PC
is simply impossible, wrong place, nobody was in when you made the Check, you
knows anything, it’s a total failure. will then have to interpret the answer,
2. Negative. The thing won’t describing the turn events will take. Your
work and there are problems. There is Character will then be able to decide
a rather big hurdle to ride over. Somebody how to behave in order to go on with
you have to face, maybe? his adventures. If the question requires a
3. Negative. But some things simple yes/no answer, then it is no from 1
might go partially well, or – in order to 3, and it is yes from 4 upward.
to succeed – you could have to look for
something you are lacking, or somebody EXPERIENCE
might help you. You just have to persuade People learn more from defeat than
him... by fair means or foul. from victory. Each time the Character is

6
defeated, he gets 3 Experience Points. Each without a guide (in short, either in Arcade
time the PC wins, he gets 1 Experience Mode or Story Mode).
Point. Once a day, while describing a
scene where your Character is training, he SINGLE PLAYER MODE
gets 1 Experience Point. • Diary Mode: day after day, the
Experience can be used in the Player writes down on his Diary about
following ways: his Character’s adventures, taking source
from the Incipit and the Character’s
• To raise of one level RA, AT or personal data. The Diary Mode is not a
DE. Cost: 20 Experience Points. passive experience game mode; it is more
• To obtain a new Special similar to a “reverse gamebook”: the
Move, up to a maximum of 5. Cost: 10 Character’s experiences will be always
Experience Points. new and unpredictable thanks to the
• To obtain a new Super Move, Oracle suggestions and the Achievements
up to a maximum of 2. Cost: 20 Experience tips. In fights you play your opponent as
Points. well, and represent them through stick
men drawings (as shown in the Playing
You can learn new Moves through Handbook and in the card deck in the
a description of your PC’s training, his basic Musha Shugyō set);
efforts to improve, the way he managed to • Tournament Mode: face one
create his personal fighting style. opponent after another. Will you be able
to win the tournament?
ACHIEVEMENTS • Kumite Mode: face all the
There are some key events which give opponents, one after another, in this
new experience and new drive to your legendary tournament, never recovering
Character, a sort of milestones in his the whole amount of your LPs. How
journey toward perfection. many opponents will you be able to defeat
You get one Experience Point for each before being knocked out yourself?
Achievement obtained. Achievements • Challenge Mode: it is useful
can also be used as landmarks on which to to learn playing. This Mode has you
build your story, they can be your starting face some starting situations and gives
points. Therefore, they are useful in any you goals to reach, like inflicting a given
play Mode. It is not necessary to achieve amount of Damages, or obtaining a
them all: on the contrary, some have been Combo of a determined value, each time
devised for good, righteous heroes, while starting from different conditions, just
others are for really evil guys! like a riddle.
In every Guided Adventure Mode,
the Guide can create new custom TWO PLAYERS MODE
Achievements, as long as they represent • Random Encounter: no Guide,
key events in the lives of Playing just two Players depicting one another
Characters. In fact, many Achievements the Scenes in alternating Turns, and
can exist only in specific settings or exchanging suggestions on the adventure
adventures. continuity based on the Oracle answers.
The Players, as their Characters, may split
GAME MODES up to live solo adventures in Diary Mode,
Just like a fighting game, Musha to then reunite on the first occasion.
Shugyō can be played in many different • Guided Adventure: one Player
ways: alone or with other people, with or will act as the Guide, while the other will

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Musha Shugyo Guida Rapida
manage the Hero, the Main Character. It is Musha Shugyō Downloads
the Guide’s task to create the opponents,
a plot outline, and to develop, together
with the other Player, the adventure in an
unpredictable and dynamic way based on
the Oracle answers.

MULTIPLAYER MODE https://goo.gl/yFRJ4a

• Multiplayer Guided Mode: the
rules are the same as in the Two Players Musha Shugyō RPG Fans
Guided Mode, but quite close to a classic
role-playing game: you need a Guide, a
plot outline and few Players, each one
with his own Character.
• Multiplayer Tournament
Mode: the Players’ Characters fight
against each other, two by two, in a https://mushashugyofans.wordpress.com/
tournament. Each Player chooses one of
the pre-generated Characters or creates
his own ad hoc Character following the Let’s Fight!
instructions in the Musha Shugyō manual. Musha Shugyō world does not end
This Mode is to played only with basic, here! Through the years, in cooperation
unexperienced Characters. Who will be with the fan community on Facebook and
the champion in this game? blog groups, Acchiappasogni managed to
release several MS-related supplements
FREE DOWNLOAD and settings, altogether with a reviewed
Extend your Musha Shugyō RPG and expanded version of the Role-playing
experience with loads of free downloads: Game system. Here follows a list of all the
Musha Shugyō Characters Sheets, a Musha Shugyō-related releases.
fighting example, the Hyper Armor and
Advanced Roleplay Modules, etc. Do
not miss the Musha Shugyō RPG Fans
webpage, the MS community that, every
day, makes available tons of new extra
material.
Join our community, subscribing
on our websites and Facebook groups:
you will find many friends to share your
passion for RPG with.

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 Musha Shugyō basic set containing:
1 Handbook, including playing rules,
a detailed explanation of all the Symbols,
the Game Modes and the Character
Creation;
• 2 six-sided dice;
• 1 0 bookmarks/pre-filled
Character sheets for Musha Shugyō Playing
Characters + 2 Technical Charts;
• 55 illustrated cards
with Musha Shugyō Characters
special moves patterns;
• 24 yellow tokens for
Combo Points and 60 red
tokens for Life Points.

Agon WWII is not merely a MS

setting: a martial arts tournament called
forth by aliens during World War II.
This Musha Shugyō masterpiece firstly
introduced the following new mechanics:
Interpretation, Mind Attributes,
Bonus Dice, Roles and Ascesis. These
same mechanics have been then largely
used and developed in many other projects.
A must-have for all MS, RPG, Arcade, good
games lovers.

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Catalogo Acchiappasogni

Darkmoor RPG is the first stand-alone RPG born

from Musha Shugyō. It is inspired by the popular
Android and iPhone games Maximus and Blackmoor by
Mooff Games. Darkmoor is a cheeky, slapstick fantasy
with a free for all ambience. It switches between a general
easy-going attitude to exciting fights, and includes many
pre-generated NPCs and hints for the Guide to be used.
Darkmoor RPG has been reviewed and perfectioned for
a whole year and represents, at this stage, the ultimate
Musha Shugyō version in terms of mechanics, fighting
dynamics and interpretation. It contains 17 new
Symbols, the Adventures Creator and lots
of ready-to-use monsters for all your
adventures. For Darkmoor we
have released also:
• Once upon a
time there was a Swamp:
the first official Adventure,
made of investigation, merciless
foes, brave toads and cruel red fishes
in the Cloudy Lands.
• The Black Book Deck: a 52 card
deck illustrated with Darkmoor RPG monsters,
useful both for the Players and the Guide.

Hyper Armor is a free Expansion Module

for Musha Shugy RPG!

Its goal is to create a management system

for the classic Power Armors that can be found
in fictional works such as all kinds of Mangas,
Animes, Comics, or movies. Of course, you
need Musha Shugy RPG to use this book!

These rules can be applied not only to

fantasy-style Characters, but also to high-tech,
or any other kind of fictional Characters. There
are many fictional works in which Characters
wear magical or hyper-technological Armors,
which give them all sorts of special powers and
skills.

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 Tiger of Cilengkrang is a beatifully drawn
comic series drawn by Alex Irzaqi, inspired by
the tabletop Roleplaying game: Musha Shugyo
RPG! This is the first issue, available in PDF and
print on demand format. The entire serie will
count 4 episodes.

Synopsis. A dear friend of Erwanto

got himself in serious trouble. He’s in debt
with Gunawan, the most influential boss of
Bandung’s underworld. Underground fighting
is Gunawan’s main business. To save his friend,
Erwanto will have no choice but to play along ...
... He will face the monstrous champion known
by everyone as the Indestructible Damantine in
the cage . And the stakes will be very high.

The Secrets of Chi is the first MS supplement:

it was realized with the fundamental contribution
of our fan community, then checked and refined
by our authors. The Secrets of Chi introduces new
Game Modes, 12 new Symbols and new Optional
Modules to enlarge your game experience. In
addition to the aforementioned Interpretation
module, in The Secrets of Chi you will find Hyper
Armor, to manage magical or enhanced armors,
Deadly Weaponry, for a more true and
dirty real-like touch, and the amazing Aura
System, which reproduces the powers in
shōnen manga such as Dragonball Z and
Naruto, and presents for the first time the
Special Skills, a new way to customize and
enhance your PC.

11
 Symbols
A Combo The attack inflicts X Combo points.

B Fall down The opponent falls and gets 1 extra Damage.

C Distance Hits even a distant opponent.

D Powerful Add 1 to Attack before computing the Damage.

E Riflects The attack and Damage is nullified and sent back to the attacker.

F Jump OK You may use this Technique while jumping too.

G Launch The opponent is thrown in the air, being unable to defend from the next attack and then falling.

H Smash The opponent doesn’t absorb the Damage through his DE.

I Push Pushes back the opponent (distance), but doesn’t make him fall down.

L Dash The Attack hits from a distance, the attacker also moves in contact with the opponent.

M Ultra Ag Spend 1 SP to get +2 in the Check (doesn’t apply to Damage)

N Ultra Hd Spend 1 SP to inflict +2 Damage (doesn’t apply to the Check)

Actions
Attack / 1/0 AP. These costs are valid for normal Attacks / Defenses. Add 2AP to activate a cho-
Defense sen symbol but “Distance”. You can never chain more than 3 normal attacks.

1+AP of the Attack you’re using. In case of success, the oppont’s Turn is interrupted.
Counterattack
Use Defense for the Chek, Attack to compute the Damage.

2AP. Applies the Symbols Fall down and (optionally) Push (you can also activate “Fall”
Throw
only). Inflicts Damage normally, +1 since the opponent falls.
Get up 1AP. If you are downed, you can only defend, until you get up.
Jump 1AP. When performing a jump attack, add Defense to Attack prior to compute the Damage.
Shift 1AP. Move from Distance to Contact and viceversa.

Spending SP Points
Get a +1 Check and Damage Bonus. Cumulative, up to 3 SP.
Chain: spend 1SP after a successful attack. The next one will connect automatically.
To be used before using a Technique: the cost of that Technique will be reduced by 1AP (can never be zero AP).
Spend 4 SP to use a Super Move.
If you are defenseless (because of a chain or a Launch Symbol), spend 2AP to try a Defense Check.