III. Player Factions

There are three major playable factions in Sengoku: the Clans, the Sects, and the Bakufu. Each represents a competing vision for the future of Japan during the chaos of the Sengoku era.

The Clans seek to expand their military and political influence through conquest, diplomacy, and alliances. Powerful clans may eventually attempt to dominate Kyoto and claim the office of Shogun for themselves.

The Sects seek to preserve their independence, religious authority, and economic power amidst the growing ambitions of the warlords. While many sects prefer a weak and divided political order, others seek to shape the future of the country through faith, popular support, and military force.

The Bakufu seeks to restore the authority of the Shogunate and preserve social order through law, legitimacy, and political influence. Though weakened, the institutions of the Bakufu still carry significant authority in the eyes of many throughout Japan.

Each faction possesses unique abilities, political constraints, and methods of exercising power. The number of teams in play depends on the total number of participants.

Faction Themes

Clans

Clans are the dominant military and territorial powers of Sengoku Japan. They compete to expand their domains, strengthen their economies, secure political legitimacy, and elevate their standing within the wider political order.

Clan gameplay emphasizes:

• military campaigning,

• territorial expansion,

• diplomacy and alliance-building,

• succession and legitimacy,

• and long-term strategic governance.

Powerful clans may eventually seek to dominate Kyoto and claim the title of Shogun.

Sects

The Buddhist sects of Sengoku are religious institutions, economic powers, and military organizations in their own right. Though often defensive in nature, the sects possess immense social influence and can mobilize popular unrest through faith and ideology.

Sect gameplay emphasizes:

• defensive warfare,

• religious legitimacy,

• covert influence,

• popular uprisings,

• and economic resilience.

Most sects oppose the rise of an overly powerful central military authority, fearing the loss of their autonomy and privileges.

Bakufu

The Bakufu represents the institutions of the Ashikaga Shogunate: the legal, administrative, and political framework that once governed all Japan.

Though militarily weak, the Bakufu retains immense symbolic legitimacy. Its decrees, titles, judgments, and recognition continue to shape political life throughout the realm.

Bakufu gameplay emphasizes:

• political legitimacy,

• legal authority,

• diplomacy and arbitration,

• management of national stability,

• and control of succession and recognition.

The Bakufu cannot easily enforce its will through military force alone, but clans that openly defy the Shogunate risk political isolation and declarations of rebellion.

See:

• Bakufu

• Bakufu Judiciary