In your games which way do you normally do it?

I can see how GM assigned giri can help in getting the story started but I can also see how it's more fun for the player to come up with it on their own.

Giri should be GM assigned, but initially talk with your player before choosing it. Otherwise it isn't a Giri?

Personal preference, obviously, you should discuss with your player to see if that is an OK/Fun giri for them to play. But if their Giri change during the course of play, their character will have to answer, not the player.

I think it should be a collaborative choice by both GM and player. The player should create a thematic motivation that the GM can use to create conflict, while the GM themselves should be open enough to allow creatively on the part of the player.

Good question to ask, BTW. It just goes to prove that role playing games really are "interactive storytelling". The GM is nominally the narrator, but the player is effectively writing the character's story with the framing of the GM.

31 minutes ago, neilcell said:

I think it should be a collaborative choice by both GM and player. The player should create a thematic motivation that the GM can use to create conflict, while the GM themselves should be open enough to allow creatively on the part of the player.

Good question to ask, BTW. It just goes to prove that role playing games really are "interactive storytelling". The GM is nominally the narrator, but the player is effectively writing the character's story with the framing of the GM.

a GM imposed Giri is really fun though, especially mid campaign!

5 hours ago, neilcell said:

I think it should be a collaborative choice by both GM and player. The player should create a thematic motivation that the GM can use to create conflict, while the GM themselves should be open enough to allow creatively on the part of the player.

Good question to ask, BTW. It just goes to prove that role playing games really are "interactive storytelling". The GM is nominally the narrator, but the player is effectively writing the character's story with the framing of the GM.

This. The 20 Questions even strongly suggest that the GM and players should work together on the giri.

Is the giri specific to the adventure and changes when the players move onto a new adventure? Or do they just make a catch all at character creation? The giri in Wedding at Kyotei Castle are very specific to the adventure.

If the characters are Emerald Magistrates, are they meant to share giri? Or do they get a common Emerald Magistrate + one specific to their lord?

4 hours ago, Seraph1m said:

Is the giri specific to the adventure and changes when the players move onto a new adventure? Or do they just make a catch all at character creation? The giri in Wedding at Kyotei Castle are very specific to the adventure.

If the characters are Emerald Magistrates, are they meant to share giri? Or do they get a common Emerald Magistrate + one specific to their lord?

The simple answer is that if the Giri gets fulfilled in an adventure, then a new one is assigned. It can be specific or more general as both the player and the GM decide. A more general one would be campaign spanning while a specific one would likely only factor into one or two stories.

As for the second part, not they do not have to share Giri. In fact, for a game focused on character driven conflict, each character having different and possibly conflicting Giri adds to the tension and the drama. Just make sure those party conflict Giri don't become too disruptive unless your players have either agreed to it or everyone has decided that this will be their last adventure together so the kid gloves are off and it is an anything goes free-for-all.

As many other have noted your Giri should ideally be something both you the player and the game master both talk about and agree on.

17 hours ago, Seraph1m said:

Is the giri specific to the adventure and changes when the players move onto a new adventure? Or do they just make a catch all at character creation? The giri in Wedding at Kyotei Castle are very specific to the adventure.

If the characters are Emerald Magistrates, are they meant to share giri? Or do they get a common Emerald Magistrate + one specific to their lord?

As giri get resolved for good or ill, new giri get assigned. Your samurai always owes you lord service/duty...unless you are a ronin. Though even ronin are usually doing something for someone if they ant to eat. When you run out of giris is when you lay down being a samurai and retire to become a monk. Each time a giri is completed you potentially get to discuss your new duty with the GM.

IME players owe giris to both their superior in the Emerald Magistrates and to their clan/lord. Getting orders from multiple superiors that seem to conflict is a staple of samurai stories.

There needs to be a bit of "pressure" in your giri.

That is why I think it should be relatively mostly GM chosen. A duty is something assigned by a lord. More or less acceptable for the player since they might simply have a good lord or enjoy their job, but it is exciting to have a giri that is not totally the character's goal in life.

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 2:46 PM, Avatar111 said:

That is why I think it should be relatively mostly GM chosen.

At the very least it needs to be a debate with the GM.

It's much like my view on like advantages and disadvantages; theoretically you could take anything, but taking something like Sworn Enemy (That One Guy I Hate) is essentially telling the GM to incorporate your foe in some way into the story (in person or indirectly), which may or may not be compatible with the story they plan to tell.

20 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

At the very least it needs to be a debate with the GM.

It's much like my view on like advantages and disadvantages; theoretically you could take anything, but taking something like Sworn Enemy (That One Guy I Hate) is essentially telling the GM to incorporate your foe in some way into the story (in person or indirectly), which may or may not be compatible with the story they plan to tell.

yes

but maybe I am an "evil" GM, but I think the Giri needs to be difficult for the players, something their characters (and or themselves) do not fully, nor easily, agree with. Just enough so that the moment they have to choose to follow their Giri instead of their Ninjo, they feel a little something, you know ?

at least, I find this is what makes this game: drama and internal conflicts within oneself.

Definitely discussion, but largely GM discretion. My party started with Topaz, and our giri was, among other things, do well at the topaz. We were tagged to be emerald magistrates, and my giri is now, bring honor upon the clan as an emerald magistrate, in order to make future tasks easier. My long term giri definitly has other elements already GM determined after talking to me about who my lord is, and what they want, but from a CHARACTER perspective, its coming a piece at a time. (long term giri is (im a unicorn shugenja, meishodo school) to be trusted enough among the other clans to be able to study with and share lore, and bring back to the Unicorn some of the names and techniques of Kami / spirit worship that were lost during the journey in the Sands. but he doesn't know that yet)

1 hour ago, Scrivener Spills said:

Definitely discussion, but largely GM discretion. My party started with Topaz, and our giri was, among other things, do well at the topaz. We were tagged to be emerald magistrates, and my giri is now, bring honor upon the clan as an emerald magistrate, in order to make future tasks easier. My long term giri definitly has other elements already GM determined after talking to me about who my lord is, and what they want, but from a CHARACTER perspective, its coming a piece at a time. (long term giri is (im a unicorn shugenja, meishodo school) to be trusted enough among the other clans to be able to study with and share lore, and bring back to the Unicorn some of the names and techniques of Kami / spirit worship that were lost during the journey in the Sands. but he doesn't know that yet)

I like how you have not just one Giri, but parsed down a short term and long term Giri. Might be wise for the rest of us to adopt that structure as it would give the DM/GM more options to create personal conflict.

16 hours ago, Avatar111 said:

but maybe I am an "evil" GM, but I think the Giri needs to be difficult for the players, something their characters (and or themselves) do not fully, nor easily, agree with. Just enough so that the moment they have to choose to follow their Giri instead of their Ninjo, they feel a little something, you know

That's not evil.

You shouldn't have to 'do' your Giri to complete any specific individual adventure, but if it's not challenging to the point that failure is credible, or doesn't force you to give something important up to achieve it, it's not an especially meaningful duty.