#Cross-Volume Reference and Authority

Contents

Summary. This document organizes what the ex3 author draws from each volume and what to avoid.

#Scent — A New Seal on Old Books

Strange Tales of Edo does not overwrite what the earlier volumes wrote. Over the wars, yoma, and classes already recorded, it presses the shogunate's seal, Edo's censorship, and the city's rumors as a new overlay. The same gate of the Spirit Realm — only the way of speaking of those who stand before it has changed.

#Law — Authority Handling

Existing co laws and data take precedence. ex3 adds only era application and exception data.
ex1, ex2, and fc01–fc05 are reference sources for material and operational examples.
When conflict arises, the default ruling is "maintain the base law; ex3 provides the Edo interpretation."

#Scene Commentary — A Law That Does Not Overturn the Code

A compatibility document looks dry, but it is a safety device that prevents a campaign from drifting. When working with an Edo setting, the temptation to create new rank rules, new public-order rules, and new class restrictions is easy to fall into. But the purpose of ex3 is not to add laws — it is to show how the same laws read in a different society.

In a duel scene, for example, the check is rolled exactly as co specifies. What changes is what comes after the duel. Whether the dojo's signboard comes down, whether the domain's honor crumbles, how the shogunate handles a permission to take revenge, whether the Hundred-Tale Society grows that story into a ghost tale — those are ex3's territory.

When conflict arises, judge in the following order.

For numbers and procedure, look to co first.
For material and era interpretation, refer to the relevant fc or ex volume.
For the current-era faction structure in Edo, follow ex3.

#Session Application — Turning Conflict into a Scene

First scene: The player brings a character built with existing co laws; the GM asks what rank and affiliation that character appears to hold in Edo.
The twist: The moment existing data and the Edo interpretation diverge, keep the numbers unchanged and change only the social interpretation.
Final question: What is needed now — a new law, or a lens for reading the existing law as an Edo-style scene?

#Authority Priority

Situation	Priority
Basic checks · combat · units · classes	`co`
Optional modules	`ex2`
Campaign structure reference	`ex1`
Sacred · ritual	`fc01`
Era-climate description	`fc02`
Swordmasters · dojos · duels	`fc03`
Era-application guide format	`fc04`
Named blades · smiths · ownership relations	`fc05`
Edo-exclusive worldbuilding · adversaries	`ex3`

#Reference Matrix

Source	What to take	What to avoid
`co`	Gate of the Spirit Realm, factions, base 18 classes, unit grades, zone combat, adversary format	Overwriting base laws with Edo-exclusive laws
`ex1`	Long-term campaign loops, regional incidents, stronghold pressure	Duplicating a new campaign system
`ex2`	Swordsmanship schools, tournaments, house-rule philosophy, optional module guidance	Mass reprint of schools and special abilities
`fc01`	Shrines, sacred precincts, sacred objects, rituals, local deities	Converting all divine beings into adversary data
`fc02`	Era-climate description, the perspective of yoma as beings within society	Writing Edo as a repetition of the Sengoku climate
`fc03`	Swordmasters, dojos, duels, revenge dramas	Reprinting swordmaster data
`fc04`	Era-specific Spirit Realm models, class-application guide format	Transposing Heian court structure directly into Edo
`fc05`	Named blades, owner bonds, curses, smiths	Duplicating weapon numbers

#Conflict-Prevention Principles

First, co is always the standard for law. The adversary data of Strange Tales of Edo also follows the co format of Wounds, Defense, Energy, ability scores, techniques, special abilities, and Domination.

Second, ex1 and ex2 are optional references. If a specific campaign wants more schools or tournament structure, open ex2. The body text of Strange Tales of Edo, however, must be playable with co alone.

Third, the fc volumes are a warehouse of material and commentary. The swordmasters of fc03 and the famous blades of fc05 connect directly to Edo sword drama, but their data is not rewritten here. This volume explains "how to use them in Edo."

#The Independent Authority of Strange Tales of Edo

What Strange Tales of Edo defines on its own authority is the present tense of the Edo period. How the shogunate conceals the Spirit Gate, how Nurarihyon's Hundred-Tale Society controls the urban yoma, and how the Black-Tag Office, Hidden Hannya, and the Black-Tag Gang operate as human conspiratorial factions — these are this volume's Canon.

However, that Canon does not abolish the premises of co. The gate of the Spirit Realm continues as before, and the base 18 classes exist as before. What changes is the name by which the era calls them.

"New authority does not erase old law. It only defines the name by which that law is called in Edo."