So I've been thinking about how JSA designed the super awesome Karakuri and Su-Jian and I was wondering what other Remote Presence troops they could possibly make and much more differentiated could we have them from Yu Jing. Should JSA have their own specialized Remotes or replace all Yu Jing Remotes entirely or just supplement their ranks with another Rem Pres troop like Nomads and Aleph. It's not outside the realm of their ability obviously, but what would people like to see.
They should probably migrate to Pan-O remotes, I think, seeing they're BFF until Pan-O realises that they've funded a fascist anti-democratic dictatorship that is unfortunately starting to destabilize the region. Whodathunk... Actually, while I'm sure the Yakong and Yaopu are probably simple enough that a disrupted supply chain to Yu Jing industries won't stop production; would it make more or less sense for JSA to have the two Armbots over the two Yaoxie? Both fluff and gameplay reasons. Ashigaru... CC field work... CC being abbreviation for "Crops and Crafts" then? :p On a more serious note: maybe Sohei Ikko-ikki Project? Also has the benefit of foreshadowing an AI rebellion.
Because Ashigaru were the line soldiers of Shogunate armies. When they weren't annoyed by rice fields... >_>
Ye, but Ashigaru weren't known for their martial training, and it was primarily under Oda Nabunaga that applied proper massed conscription tactics that they came into their own, and then later during the, I think, Restoration era when they were employed in mass formations as line infantry when it was ultimately proven that many more fire arms shot in roughly the correct direction beats highly trained and no-longer-armoured-enough horse archers. Ashigaru Project sounds to me like the Kuge is investing in a more loyal foot soldier to replace the Keisotsu (ostensibly still a potential source of further uprising when the new feudal system starts chafing), where each produced soldier have all expenses spared. Basically a cheap-skates version of the Dakini that can be produced faster than a Keisotsu can be trained. Edit: what I mean to say is that it's not a bad idea and would really sell the cyberpunk samurai aesthetic further, but why not both? Both is good?
So basically robotic Shaolin monks? (I know I know, that's probably reductive) Btw, Ikko-ikki weren't exactly well equipped, Total War series were probably quite generous in describing them as having plenty of well trained warrior monks, but it's the Total War liberties with history I'm nodding towards :)
You mean another Daiyokai? Sure, it has a remote pilot like the Su Jian, or any other remote outside of Aleph and the CA's forces... but that's because there is a law that says "only ONE AI can exist, and that one is Aleph" (corolary: and its "aspects", which are part of Aleph). So it seems like you are asking for either some sor of automaton (the karakuri are not true AI), or a major breach of the Concilium Treatises that calls the full might of O-12 and Aleph (at the very least) on the offending dude... Sure, the Nomads have McDoggy's blade and Pi-Well (well, and technically Avicenna & Perseus), but those are... discreet XD Militia, or at best peasant "soldiers" equipped with cheap yaris and maybe some wooden pieces of "armor" (leather was a big no-no in their culture). So essentially a S3 pulsebot?
Karakuri are fully autonomous, are not remotely guided by humans. And no, not a Daiyokay nor a S3 pulsebot. Something that now does not exists and could take place of the poor endangered Keisotsu in the "view" of the army.
Erm... Daiyokai isn't remotely controlled, it's got a dude inside it just like a Mowang or Gamma does.
I use the PanO bots for my JSA. Not so much because of Fluff reasons, but I find them esthetically more appealing and a little bit closer to the Ghost in a shell look. If I remember correctly, there was a chapter in the uprising book about the remotes of Yu Jing and that the remotes of the other factions of the human Sphere aren't compatible with JSA tech. But I wouldn't be so strict about that.
Purely speaking in a game sense, I'd like something like a BS11 Multi Sniper Rifle with Neurocinetics. I mean, YJ got the LongYa which is a cool concept, so I can imagine something similar, but different enough for JSA. But if we don't want to give JSA a second BS11 MSR, then I'd like to see a Remote Presence with Crazykoalas... right now Yojimbo and O-yoroi have them, so it's not out of the tech that JSA has access, but seems a bit incidental, so a third mini with access to them would cement the feeling that JSA's midfield is damn tough. FD+4, Crazykoalas, the rest is whatever. Conceptually it could be like a sentry bot that sends out perimeter "defensive devices". I think these could bring some new list building challenges without taking away JSA's blatant, and by design, weaknesses.
Forward deploying Tankuki bots that throw SMOKE, have flamethrowers and an msv1. With some coalas as bodyguards. Trickster robots! Or a droptroop based on the tengu? An oni. Well that would be the Daiyokai of sorts... Warriormonks with naginatas would be Cool, but that's just shaolin( and no robots) all over again.
Yes, that was basically the gist of my suggestion. Although I'd be very hard pressed to give JSA yet another smoke source. 4 are plenty. Specially if you consider that 2 of them start in the midfield (Saito and Shinobu) and the other two get there within one order (Kuroshi and Yojimbo). They all do a bunch of classified objectives on account of being named characters and their kit, Kuroshi even accomplishes main objectives by being a Specialist Operative - with smoke! - like, what more do you want? JSA has spectacular smoke tossers. Now, if this FD Crazykoala trickster robot had White Noise/Albedo. Now that, would be interesting.
I am astounded by everything everyone has said, I mean your guys knowledge of Japanese history is dope af and all your ideas are solid. I don't know if CB would ever give JSA the ability to just outright own the Midfield with the presence of mines, koalas, REMs, Ryuken 9 in sup fire and various ninjas but I wanna mix together some of everyone's ideas and see if people like it... note, I would accept the loss of the Ruishi and the Lu Duan for this idea cause as much as those kind of fill a gap I don't like them and everyone here made me excited for something cool. So, a Tengu themed Rem S2, standard JSA short ranged weapons only contender/lsg/smg (keeping a theme/cheap price), 2 profiles FD +4" and Parachustist, lastly Koalas. This thing allows for two tactics I think, supplements JSAs board control without overdoing it by not being half way up the table already and gives JSA an edge in dealing with threats across the table, it obviously wont be great in a firefight but it can assist in forcing hard decisions in a firefight with one of JSAs gunfighters and assisting Oniwaban to put a squeeze on the enemy. This allows some flexibility like the two Ryuken profiles but different in what they do and keeps JSAs modus operandi short ranged and unique. Edit, I guess since the Lu Duan profile has deployable repeaters, make it 4 profiles one for each combination of deployment+deployable. Make these things AVA 2. To replace the AVA of the Ruishi and LuDuan. So they supplement but dont rule a list.