#GM Starting Guide — Where to Start Reading

Contents

The first introductory guide for Konsei Reiyotan GMs: what to read first, what to keep open during a session, and which documents to look up later.

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#Who This Document Is For

This document is for two people.

• Someone GMing for the first time
• Someone who roughly knows the rules but is unsure where to pull what from

Konsei Reiyotan has many documents. You do not need to read everything from the beginning. Good GM operation does not start with "memorizing every rule"; it starts with finding the document you need right now.

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#The One Thing to Understand First

Konsei Reiyotan documents are broadly divided into four layers.

1. The game's promises

• Defines the game's basic philosophy.

1. Play procedures

• Explains how combat and non-combat actually run.

1. Builds and data

• Provides options such as classes, skills, schools, equipment, yoma, and squads.

1. Operation tools

• Help the GM assemble encounters, battlefields, scenarios, and campaigns.

The most common mistake first-time GMs make is starting from item 4. If you start with encounter design or balance, you can see the numbers, but the feel of what to run and how to run it becomes less clear.

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#Before the First Session, Read These 8 Documents First

#1. Grasp the Game's Identity

• About
• Core Premises

There are exactly three things to confirm here.

• This game uses 2d10.
• This game's core resources are Energy / Wounds / Domination / Cohesion.
• This game assumes zone battlefields + squad tactics, not individual brawls.

#2. Grasp the Actual Play Sequence

• Tutorial Index
• First Combat Guide
• Example of Play

For a first-time GM, it is much faster to internalize how combat actually flows than to dig into rules documents first.

In particular, check the following.

• How rounds and counts begin
• What and roughly how many things can be done inside one breath
• How Front Zone/Rear Zone/Flank Zone/Core Zone create pressure
• How squad orders and personal actions mix

#3. Read Only the Core Combat Rules

• Energy and Breaths
• Combat Flow
• Zone Tactics

At first, there is no need to read all of volume 03. Before the first session, you only need to grasp the following.

• action costs
• attack/defense/Defenseless
• ambush and leaving the battlefield
• tactical differences by zone

#4. Read Battlefield Structure Separately

• Zone Layout
• Core Zone
• Zone Gimmick Bestiary

Half of Konsei Reiyotan combat is decided by who is standing where. In particular, Narrow Path, High Ground, Spirit-Realm Interface, and Core Zone types strongly affect how the first session feels.

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#Documents to Keep Open on the Desk During the First Session

When you actually run a session, it is useful to keep the following documents open like tabs.

• Quick Reference
• Condition List
• Class Index
• Skill Index
• Yoma Bestiary
• 30 Example Battle Maps

The important principle is this.

• Quick Reference is for checking flow
• Canon text is for resolving ruling conflicts
• Data documents are for checking options

In other words, check the Quick Reference first, go up to the Canon text if something is unclear, and open detailed data documents only when needed.

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#Documents to Read After Seeing the Player Lineup

After receiving the party lineup, do not read everything. Reinforce only the axes that party actually uses.

#If There Are Many Front-Zone Warriors

• Weapon Catalog
• Unit Operations

#If There Are Many Sorcery/Exorcism Characters

• Yoma Bestiary
• Enemy Catalog

#If There Are Many Merchants, Scholars, Artisans, or Entertainers

• Balance Baseline
• Squad and Tactics Catalog

#If There Are Gaijin, Heroic Spirits, Celestials, or Hanyo

• Arsenal and Sacred Objects Catalog
• Background and Renown Title Catalog

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#How to Choose the First Scenario

For a first-time GM, the following order is recommended.

#Safest Starting Point

• First Blood

This scenario is for beginners. It shows squads, blockade, ambush, incorporeal beings, and disguised yoma at a suitable density: "things that feel like Konsei Reiyotan."

#For Starting the First Campaign

• Village of Seven Swords
• Borderkeep of the Spirit Realm

#When You Want a Particular Flavor

• Night of the Tenshukaku — negotiation over combat
• Silence of the Dragon Palace — sea battles and negotiating yoma
• Tomb of the Archfiend — extreme dungeon

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#Where to Look When Scenario Ideas Stall

Konsei Reiyotan scenario ideas usually come from five places.

#1. Regions

• Regions

#2. Factions

• Factions and Troop Types
• Relationship Map

#3. Combat Examples and Fiction

• Fiction Index

Volume 10 is not rules Canon, but a reference for tone and scenes.

#4. Campaign Seeds

• Campaign Seeds

#5. External References

When using external works as references, the following branches fit especially well.

• Sengoku war tales
• ghost stories and folk tales
• Buddhist/Daoist/Shinto legends
• commerce and seafaring stories
• tragic heroic tales

What matters is not bringing in one whole work as-is. Ideas that fit Konsei Reiyotan usually work best when you mix one "war-structure element + one yoma-strangeness element."

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#The Last Thing a First-Time GM Should Remember

You do not need to be a perfect GM from the start. In Konsei Reiyotan, the first session only needs to succeed at the following four things.

• The battlefield is clearly visible as zones
• Players can quickly choose what to do during one breath
• It is clear why the enemies and yoma are fighting
• When the session ends, a hook remains that makes people want to play again

→ Next reading: co-08-08. GM Assembly Guide — Making One Session