GLOSSARY

Action Cards

Single-use cards that provide special opportunities, bonuses, or exceptions during play. Action Cards may affect warfare, diplomacy, intelligence, governance, or other systems depending on the text of the card.

Administered Location

A Location currently managed by a clan, either directly or through vassalage. Administered Locations are the basis for taxation, construction, recruitment, and local control.

Agent

A character with the Agent tag who can perform missions, support covert operations, or maintain local networks. Agents are managed through the Sengoku Application and are part of the Intelligence and Subterfuge system.

Agent Orders

An older term for assigning agents to covert tasks. In the current game, agent activity is handled through the Mission System in the Sengoku Application.

Ashigaru

Foot soldiers or common infantry. In game terms, troop counters represent a mix of ashigaru, retainers, levies, and other military forces.

Bakufu

The military government of the Shogunate. In Sengoku, the Bakufu represents the institutions and officials of the Ashikaga Shogunate, including judicial authority, titles, proclamations, and legal recognition.

Building

Infrastructure constructed within a Location. Buildings may provide income, defense, recruitment, construction capacity, intelligence support, stability, prestige, or other special effects.

Captive

A character captured through warfare, missions, raids, rebellions, or other events. Captives are distinct from hostages. A hostage is a formal political guarantee; a captive is a prisoner or detainee created by circumstance.

Casus Belli

A recognized justification for war. Clans may attack without one, but doing so may be considered dishonorable or illegitimate. A valid casus belli may help protect a clan’s Honor and political standing.

Character Sheet

An older term for a player’s character information. In the current game, character information is accessed through the character drawer in the Sengoku Application.

Clan

A playable or non-player political faction, usually led by a Daimyo and supported by heirs, retainers, vassals, administrators, and military officers.

Clan Briefing

An older term for faction information. In the current game, clan information is accessed through the clan drawer in the Sengoku Application.

Clan Focus

A clan’s declared strategic or administrative priority. Clan Focus may appear as an application selection rather than a physical mat.

Clan Focus Mat

An older physical component used to indicate Clan Focus. In the current game, this has been replaced by an application-based selection.

Court Rank

Formal status granted through the Imperial Court. Court Rank carries prestige and may influence social precedence, political legitimacy, and how a character is received in Kyoto.

Daimyo

The ruling lord of a major clan. A Daimyo commands military, political, economic, and diplomatic authority within their clan, though military control alone does not guarantee legal legitimacy.

Dependent

A character attached to a clan household who is not necessarily an active player character. Dependents may be involved in marriage agreements, hostage agreements, succession, or political arrangements.

Document System

The application system used to create, record, and formalize treaties, alliances, declarations, transfers, marriages, hostage agreements, vassalage, and other political documents.

Emperor

The divine and ceremonial sovereign of Japan. In Sengoku, the Emperor is not usually a direct military actor, but Imperial recognition still carries immense legitimacy and prestige.

General

A player commanding an army on the Main Map. Generals issue orders, move armies, negotiate on the battlefield, conduct sieges, and resolve battles under Map Control supervision.

Heir

The designated successor to a clan or faction leader. Heirs may become important in succession, hostage agreements, marriages, and political negotiations.

History

Application records of important events. History may record treaties, transfers, missions, construction, taxation, combat, instability, titles, and other world-state changes. Some History may be public, private, hidden, delayed, or Control-only.

Honor

A measure of a clan’s reputation for legitimacy, reliability, and adherence to accepted norms. Honor may be affected by warfare, diplomacy, treaties, hostage treatment, oaths, and other actions. High Honor can improve political standing, while low Honor may damage trust and legitimacy.

Hostage

A character transferred to another clan as a formal political guarantee. Hostages are usually treated as honored dependents rather than ordinary prisoners, but their safety depends on the agreement that placed them there.

Imperial Court

The ceremonial court of the Emperor in Kyoto. Players may petition the Imperial Court for recognition, titles, rank, or support. The Imperial Court is a physical play space overseen by Control.

Intelligence Network

A covert network established at a Location. Intelligence Networks represent informants, sympathizers, scouts, bribed officials, and other local covert infrastructure. They may support future missions and counterintelligence.

Instability

A measure of disorder, unrest, corruption, resistance, or weakening authority within a Location. High Instability may reduce effectiveness, invite enemy interference, or contribute to rebellion.

Judicial Court

The Bakufu’s court for hearing disputes, accusations, and political grievances. The Judicial Court is a physical play space run by the Bakufu and moderated by Kyoto Control when needed.

Koku

A measure of rice production. In game terms, Rice abstracts large-scale agricultural wealth and food supply.

Kokushi

An ancient provincial governor title associated with the Imperial Court. In the game, these titles may appear using the province-name format, such as Kai-no-kami or Mino-no-kami.

Kyūshū

The western island of Japan. In the game’s regional structure, Kyūshū is treated as part of the Saikaidō region.

Location

A specific point on the map tracked by the application. Locations may represent castles, towns, ports, temples, administrative centers, crossings, or resource sites. Most taxation, construction, recruitment, instability, and ownership systems operate at the Location level.

Main Map

The large physical map where armies move, battles occur, sieges are conducted, and strategic Locations are contested.

Mission System

The application system used to submit and resolve covert operations involving agents. Missions may involve espionage, smuggling, counterintelligence, sabotage, assassination, revolt, pacification, or custom plans.

Nanban

A period term for foreigners arriving from across the southern seas, especially Portuguese and other Europeans. Nanban contact may bring trade, firearms, Christianity, and political disruption.

Network

A persistent covert structure at a Location. Networks are not public by default and may represent intelligence infrastructure, smuggling rings, shrine networks, or other local hidden influence.

-no-kami

A title suffix used for provincial governorships, such as Kai-no-kami or Mino-no-kami. In game terms, it represents a prestigious provincial title associated with court recognition.

Port

A Location connected to the sea. Ports may generate income, support trade, and allow armies to embark or disembark by sea.

Province

A larger regional area containing one or more Locations. Provinces are used for political geography, regional identity, military planning, and legal claims, while most administration occurs at the Location level.

Province Mat

An older physical component used to track province information. In the current game, province information is handled through the application’s province drawer.

Resource Cards

Physical cards representing trade goods such as Fish, Iron, Stone, Horses, Cotton, Clay, Gold, Incense, or Lumber. Resource Cards can be traded, assembled into sets, or turned in to Economic Control.

Retainer

A trusted subordinate, officer, administrator, monk, agent, or important clan figure. Most non-leader and non-heir characters are treated as retainers.

Revenue Site

A Location or income source that contributes Rice, Ryo, or other economic value to a clan.

Rice

One of the main resources tracked in the application. Rice represents agricultural wealth and food supply. It is used for recruitment, upkeep, construction, and administration.

Ronin

Masterless warriors or displaced military forces. In game terms, unpaid or dispersed troops may become Ronin, mercenaries, bandits, or other unstable armed groups at Control discretion.

Ryo

One of the main resources tracked in the application. Ryo represents coinage, trade wealth, tariffs, and liquid financial assets.

Saikaidō

The game region associated with Kyūshū and Japan’s western maritime frontier.

Samurai

The warrior class associated with military service, retainer status, and clan rule. In Sengoku, most clan elites are samurai or members of samurai households, though gameplay focuses more on political authority than class simulation.

San’indō

The northern side of western Honshū along the Sea of Japan. In the game, it is one of the major regions used for organizing recent history and map context.

San’yōdō

The southern side of western Honshū along the Seto Inland Sea. In the game, it is a major region associated with the Ōuchi collapse, Sue, Mōri, and Inland Sea politics.

Sect

A playable religious faction, usually representing a powerful Buddhist institution or movement. Sects combine religious legitimacy, defensive military power, covert influence, and popular support.

Shogun

The military ruler of the Bakufu, acting in the Emperor’s name. The title carries immense legitimacy even when the Shogunate’s practical power is weak.

Shugo

A military governor appointed through Bakufu authority. A Shugo possesses recognized military and administrative authority within a Province.

Shrine Network

A covert or semi-public religious influence network established at a Location. Shrine Networks represent ties to local shrines, priests, pilgrims, patrons, and religious communities. They may support influence, intelligence gathering, stability, or other effects depending on game systems and faction abilities.

Smuggling Network

A covert economic network at a Location. Smuggling Networks may siphon resources, disrupt taxation, and create hidden economic benefits for the owning faction.

Sohei

Warrior monks or armed religious forces. In the game, Sohei are generally represented within the broader Sect faction structure.

Tōkaidō

The eastern coastal road and region linking the Kinai to the Kantō. In the game, it is associated with eastern clan politics, including the Hōjō, Imagawa, Takeda, and Oda spheres.

Tōsandō

The inland mountain road and region through central and northern Honshū. In the game, it is associated with interior conflict, mountain provinces, Shinano, and the northern approaches.

Treaty

An older general term for formal agreements. In the current game, treaties and other official agreements are handled through the Document System.

Vassal

A subordinate clan or ruler bound to a lord through agreement, necessity, protection, or political pressure. Vassalage may involve tribute, military support, diplomatic restrictions, or other obligations.

Resource Nodes

Province-level controlled resources that generate Resource Cards. A clan receives Resource Cards from Resource Nodes when it has uncontested control of the relevant area.