Sengoku Jidai Writeup

Sengoku Jidai
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The Sengoku period in Japan (from the mid 1400's to the beginning of the 17th century) marked an age of conflict that arose as the result of the Ashikaga shogunate losing its centralized influence over the rest of the country, with local lords (daimyos), clans, and religious groups gaining power and vying against each other for control of Japan. This period is known for these conflicts, the economic, social and political upheavals the country faced, the popularization of trade with foreign powers, and the rise in use of early firearms. Additionally, this is also the period where most of our information about ninja comes from, as this was when men willing to perform tasks that the more honorable samurai would not would begin to offer their services.

Like the Age of Exploration, this is a historical period, and tends to be depicted with low fantasy in fiction. Where the supernatural does crop up, it tends to include elements of Shinto mythology and Japanese folklore, though other religious influences during the period included Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. Popularly, stories on the Sengoku period cover closer to the end of the wars, especially around the warlord Oda Nobunaga and other figures of his time.

Key Technologies and Supernatural Themes: Matchlock rifles, castles, Japanese folklore
Main Themes: Warfare, Unification, Politics, Economics, Feudalism
Examples: Pokemon Conquest, Inuyasha, Princess Mononoke, Nobunaga's Ambition, Sengoku Basara, Samurai Warriors, Onimusha

How do Pokemon Fit In?
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What might immediately spring to mind about Pokemon in this setting is that they might provide a sizable bulk of any given army within the states, though depending on the particular species of Pokemon, one might also see stronger or rarer specimens as pets of influential lords, for sale by foreign traders, or acting as yokai for the setting (maybe Sawk and Throh are oni instead of martial arts masters). Pokemon Conquest had the particular, simplistic division of making each of the warring states drawn to a single Type of Pokemon, which may or may not be suitable for a given campaign.

How to Handle...

Poke Balls: Apricorn Balls or Poke Balls may be relatively new technologies imported by foreigners like firearms (the Portugese were the ones responsible for this in real life) and would likely be severely sought after due to their ability to condense an army's size considerably. Alternately, as outlined before, there might be more mystical talismans or mirrors with entrapped spirits, though these would be less common among strict military.

PC Storage: The castle of one's home territory (or other applicable headquarters) should serve your players well as a spot for their Pokemon. Similar to the Age of Exploration suggestions, a ritual might be employed to transport recently caught Pokemon to their home castle for safekeeping.

Pokemon Centers: An army that travels without doctors to heal the wounded is sure to encounter significant losses, so for larger-scale operations, treatment should be provided. For more personal treks, various temples or local healers may provide rest and healing for the wounded, perhaps even despite affiliation.

TMs and HMs: From enchanted paintings, to mercenary training, to carefully prepared shinobi scrolls detailing strategems, there are a number of ways that Pokemon could be instructed in using moves that they normally don't possess.

As a GM, How Should I Prepare?

Whether you're using historical Japan, Ransei, or your own Sengoku-ized setting, a map will help your players visualize territories and make informed tactical decisions. They won't necessarily be aware of what faction is controlling an area at any given time (scouts can help with this), but they should at least have a strong idea of who their neighbors are and some of the more infamous names in the region. Don't be afraid to change borders every now and then as factions gain or lose influence, but be careful not to create too much work for yourself either. You should also decide ahead of time how to handle war itself - will you create your own subsystem for mass battles and have the players engage the enemy commanders in a traditional Pokemon battle? Will it all be traditional battles in subsections of the field? Will you put the larger battles in more narrative control by describing how the battle is going, and ask for the players' input in more commander-esque roles? The decision is up to you, but you should prioritize how to handle these things.