Bring+Buddhism+Back+From+China

=**Title: Bring Buddhism back to Japan Game**=

Keywords:
Economics, Feudal Japan, China, Sects, Game, History - Japan, Exploration

Objective:
To learn about some of the issues faced by Japanese emmiseries who went to China to bring Buddhism to Japan.

Game objective:
To "win", be the first to come back with an "acceptable" form of Buddhism. This is up to what the students know about situation in Japan and about each form of Buddhism presented. It is up to the teacher to serve as the Emperor of Japan and determine if the emissary accomplished his mission. This game can be used to introduce Japanese Buddhism. It is most effective when students have some background on the earlier forms of Buddhism.

Materials:
(Attached below)
 * cards.pdf file [[file:cards.pdf]]
 * board.pdf file [[file:board.pdf]]
 * money tokens [[file:tokens.pdf]]
 * food tokens (I use go stones for both; if you would like use tokens.pdf)
 * one six sided die (you might want to use more if you have some)
 * playing pieces

Preparation:

 * Print out all cards (or more if you have more than 4 teams). It's ok to have more teams, but it will take longer to play with more people
 * Cut out all the cards and tokens. Make enough copies of the board paper. There should be one board for each team. Each team should also have a playing piece. (I use paper pieces w/ Japanese samurai crests)
 * Each team should have one board paper and one movement token. They all start out at Sakai which was a major seaport in feudal japan. They have no money or food to start.
 * Hand out the introduction (last page in cards.pdf) and read over the rules.
 * Each team chooses who rolls the die. (You may dictate this if you wish).

Turn:

 * Do not read all the rules to the players (just the Introduction).
 * At the beginning of each turn (except the first), the teams must consume one food. If they are out of food, they may buy some food at a cost of 1D (unless some Event card says otherwise). If the team run out of money and food, then they've failed. (If there is enough time, they should restart; otherwise, involve the defeated team in running the game).
 * In Japan, they may either stay at a location and get one dice (1D) worth of food and 1D worth of money. OR they may advance one space. There are no Event cards at first.
 * [OPTIONAL RULE] Also at any turn in Japan or in China, they may hire a translator for 1D.
 * After the two rounds of turns (so the students are used to the idea of staying and getting food vs moving), introduce the Event cards. They happen after paying for the food and may affect others in the area.
 * (Do not tell this rule until some players leave Japan) After leaving Japan, if you stay on land, you may request food from the local lord (1 or 2 roll on 1D) if you choose to stay. They will get 1D of food. However a 5 or 6 roll on that same roll means that you are robbed. If robbed, then 1-6 food is taken. You may pay the robbers off by paying 1-3 money. (Roll 1D/2)
 * If you stay at sea, you may run into a storm (1 on 1D) which delay you one extra turn. There is no way to get food. (Except via event cards). Storms at sea and at land apply to all in that region. (China Sea, Seoul-Manchuria-Tianjin, Main China, Japan are all regions).
 * Once you are in China (Shanghai and beyond) You may stay at one location and search for scrolls and/or priests OR You may request food from the local lord (see above). But there are no robbers.
 * Each location in China has different chance for finding either priests or scrolls. However, you must stay at the spot to do a search.
 * Shanghai has 1/6 chance of getting either priests or scrolls (Roll 1 on 1D)
 * Nanking has 2/6 chance (Roll 1 or 2 on 1D)
 * Laoyang has 3/6 chance (Roll 1, 2, 3 on 1D)
 * Xian has 5/6 chance (Roll 1, 2, 3, on 1D)
 * If you have a translator, you get an extra +1 chance at all locations. e.g. In Nanking, roll of 1-3 is successful.
 * The teams must search for scrolls and priests in two different turns.
 * Once they take a scroll and/or a priest card, take a Doctrine card. If it is false, then return the scroll or priest card.
 * In Xian, the team may buy a Scroll and/or Priest card. (separate turn). Cost is 1D. Again, if the Doctrine is false, then the scroll or priest card must be returned. If the team does not like the Doctrine, they can return it, but they must discard the accompanying scroll or priest card.
 * One the team has both a scroll and a priest card, the team must return to Sakai.
 * After they all return (or you're out of time): review the types of Buddhism that everyone brought back. Discuss how the Emperor and the court and thepeople would have received it. (If some teams do not have a type card, have them randomly select at end.)

Evaluation:
This is done when you as the Emperor of Japan decide with the others in the court if a particular form of Buddhism returned is too foreign or not and why.

Note:
There has been occasions where players decide to be "wise" and stay in Japan and hoard money and food. This actually occurred as some emissaries decided that it was more worthwhile to become semi- permanent. Of course, they were eventually punished.

Author:
Mas Nishimura, nish221@gmail.com, San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, 2007