I might be missing something, but what exactly would be the point of rolling for "hex exit direction"? I mean, there's a hex grid map to explore. Rolling for movement feels somehow forced, and in fact, it isn't really different from moving freely.
Also, do terrain types have any specific purpose other than just being thematic / cosmetic flavours? Upon reading the file, I couldn't find anything about such features, or perhaps I just missed it...
Apparently, 3 years ago, a translation was in progress. Any news on that, perhaps? That would certainly generate more interest in this project. I guess it could be done by machine translation as well. Online tools like DeepL are producing quite decent results, and any errors could be corrected manually.
I'm just curious, really. For reference, in D&D, STR is called Kinryoku (筋力) and DEX is Binshouryoku / Binshōryoku (敏捷力); while in CoC, STR is also called Kinryoku (筋力) likewise, and DEX is Binshousei / Binshōsei (敏捷性), etc.
Oh, and what about Ryu as a currency? Is it perhaps supposed to be a fictional version of the original Ryou / Ryō (両)?
May I ask where that Kibin (機敏) for Dexterity / Agility comes from? I mean, Chikara (力) for Strength / Power is sort of all right in this context, and so is Kiai (気合) for Willpower / Fighting Spirit; but I am wondering about using Kibin (機敏) here. Is there a specific reason behind choosing that certain word?
Here is some for the other 3:
・Farmer: Nouka / Nōka (農家); also called Noumin / Nōmin (農民), Hyakushou / Hyakushō (百姓)
・Mountain Ascetic: Yamabushi (山伏); also called Nobushi (野臥 or 野伏)
・Tea Master: Sajin or Chajin (茶人); also called Sadouka / Sadōka (茶道家), Cha-no-Shisou / Cha-no-Shishō (茶の師匠), O-Tsume (御詰)
Indeed, when transliterated, that word for hunter (猟師) and fisherman (漁師) would be the very same. Well, in fact there are many words for both, and I’m not entirely sure which ones would be the most proper (chronologically speaking), but here is a few:
・Hunter: Karyuudo / Karyūdo (狩人 or 猟人), Karibito (also 狩人 or 猟人), Shuryousha / Shuryōsha (狩猟者)
・Fisherman: Gyofu (漁夫 or 漁父), Gyomin (漁民), Gyogyousha / Gyogyōsha (漁業者), Gyosen’in (漁船員)
Alternatively, you could keep Ryoushi / Ryōshi for just one of them (I would advise for the Fisherman), and use some of the above for the other.
Just 2 minor remarks:
・On pages 10, 15 and 113 (4), the Japanese word for Hunter is Yakuzaishi (meaning Herbalist), while that for the actual Herbalist is Kusushi. Now, both words mean Herbalist, and it is up to you which one to keep, but the word for Hunter should be fixed. As a reference, on page 18 and 19, the Japanese word for Herbalist is Yakuzaishi (could be Kusushi as well), while that for Hunter is Ryoshi. This is correct, although the proper transliteration of Ryoshi (猟師) would be either Ryoushi or Ryōshi. (Speaking of which, as I mentioned previously, for the so-called Romanisation of Japanese words, I would strongly advise choosing a single transliteration method and sticking to it consistently.)
・On pages 10, 15, 115 (2) and 116 (5), the Japanese word for Performer has a typo. That Gwinoujin should be Geinoujin (芸能人), as it is correctly on page 21.
A piece of linguistic advice, if I may: Choose a single transliteration method and stick to that consistently. As you might be aware, there are several methods for the so-called romanisation of Japanese words. For example, depending on the method, the word 浪人 can be transcribed as rounin (literally), rōnin, ronin or even as rohnin; much like the word 妖怪 can be transcribed as youkai (literally), yōkai, yokai or yohkai as well. Now, once you picked one, whichever it may be, you should apply that one for each and every word, accordingly. For example, if you choose to use the rōnin, ryōshi, kōfu, etc. format, then yatou should be yatō and sougiya should be sōgiya too; and vice versa (speaking of which, among the Human NPC’s, rōnin is ronin instead). Similarly, words like sohei, wako, shakujo or bo should be sōhei / souhei, wakō / wakou, shakujō / shakujou and bō / bou, respectively. (Well, personally, I would not endorse using letters with macron and/or circumflex diacritics, and highly prefer the literal transliteration instead.)
Also, some cultural remarks on certain words:
・Bandit (Yatou): yatō / yatou (野盗) does mean bandit or brigand, indeed (literally, “plains robber” or “field thief”), but I would suggest considering sanzoku (山賊) instead.
・Cleric (Shinshoku): shinshoku (神職) is a specific term, referring to Shintō Priesthood; while the Cleric’s weapon, the shakujō (錫杖), is a traditional Buddhist weapon (khakkhara, in Sanskrit). For Cleric, consider using some other words like seishokusha (聖職者), sōryo / souryo (僧侶), shisai (司祭), etc. instead. Note: Since the game is supposed to be set in the Japan’s feudal period (during the 12th to 19th centuries, that is), both religions as well as their various syncretic forms can be relevant.
・Gambler (Bakuchiuchi): bakuchiuchi (博奕打ち) is a professional gambler, expressively. Also, consider some other words like tobakushi (賭博師), etc. instead.
・Herbalist (Kusushi): kusushi (医師 / 薬師) is simply an obsolete word for doctor or healer (including herbal medicine). Also, consider some other words like honzōgakusha / honzougakusha (本草学者), honzōka / honzouka (本草家), kanpōi / kanpoui (漢方医), yakuzaishi (薬剤師), etc. instead.
・Merchant (Shāngrén): shāngrén is the Chinese reading of the word 商人, of which the Japanese reading is shōnin / shounin. Also, consider some other words like gyōsha / gyousha (業者), chōnin / chounin (町人), etc. instead.
・Performer (Sarugaku): sarugaku (猿楽) is a specific term, referring to the Noh Theatre of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (especially during the 11th to 14th centuries), while the game is supposed to be set in the Japan’s feudal era (during the 12th to 19th centuries, that is). Consider some other words like geinōjin / geinoujin (芸能人), engisha (演技者), etc. instead.
・Servant (Meshitsukai): meshitsukai (召使) does mean servant or menial, indeed; although such words might imply different nuances than their equivalents in certain cultures. Also, consider some other words like shimobe (下部), kerai (家来), etc. instead.
・Undertaker (Sougiya): Although funerals and graves do exist in Japan, Western-style burials employing funeral directors and morticians are relatively modern inventions (compared to the game’s supposed setting). Sougiya (葬儀屋) is a specific term, referring to the latter; which seems to be confirmed by the character’s weapon: a Shovel. I would suggest considering some other words like onbō / onbou (隠亡) [cemetery guard / crematorium worker], hakamori (墓守り) [gravekeeper], hakahori (墓掘り) [gravedigger], etc. instead.
・Tetsu Katana (Iron Sword): This sounds like a weirdly awkward combination of words; plus if you use tekkō (鉄甲) for iron knuckles and tessen (鉄扇) for iron fan, then for iron sword, tekken (鉄剣) would be the most obvious and proper choice.
・Ō-yoroi Armor: ō-yoroi (大鎧) means “great armour” or “big armour”; yoroi (鎧) might suffice in itself.
Please note that I have no intention to criticise or nit-pick here. On the contrary, I would fully understand if you are not interested in such details, but since I do like the basic idea, I just thought I would comment on this particular aspect of it.
