The Stone is a long campaign adventure for the Bushido role-playing game, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1981 (second edition) but now out of print. The campaign is designed for new characters (characters up to second level could be used, but the Gamesmaster will need to adjust some game parameters, particularly the strength and/or number of opponents in each episode). The design also asumes a party of four characters (again, the Gamesmaster will need to adjust some game parameters if there are more or less than four). The characters should be from the professions Bushi, Budoka, Shugenja or Gakusho. It is possible to use "reformed" Yakuza or Ninja in disguise, but such characters would act for almost all purposes as if they were Budoka or Bushi. By the end of the campaign new characters should have reached level three or four.

The basic idea comes from an unlikely source (the Guinness Book of Records). The idea (concerning a mysterious stone) weaves itself into the campaign which is summarised below. The stone theme shows other aspects in episodes 2 and 10.

The first section brings the Player Characters (PCs) together, gets them working together and gets them up their skill learning curves and levels so that they can tackle later scenarios.

Episode 1. The Hiring. The PCs are brought together at a "jobs fair" organised by Lord Chozo, who is trying to put together a team of trouble-shooters to solve a number of problems he has. The PCs compete in three events with other applicants of the same profession. Each profession has its own tournament.

Episode 2. The Stone. Lord Chozo sends the team to recover a valuable gemstone which was to be used in a ring for the marrage of his daughter to the Daimyo's son. Some hidden politics are at work.

The Ring

Episode 3. The Son. Lord Chozo sends the team to rescue his son from Yakuza who have kidnapped him. Also a messenger has delivered news to the Daimyo and rumours about its contents start to circulate. Most relate to happenings surrounding a mysterious stone in Osumi province.

Episode 4. Retribution. Lord Chozo sends the team to exterminate the Yakuza who store the gem and kidnapped his son. More rumours are heard, and continue to be heard through the next four episodes.

The second section concerns a long journey.

Episode 5. An Evening at the Inn of Restful Sleep. The PCs are asked by the Daimyo to investigate the rumours in Osumi province, and set out on the long (3 week) journey. On the first night they stay in the Inn of Restful Sleep (a scenario taken from the Bushido rule book (with modifications!).

Episode 6. Who Pays the Ferryman? Crossing to Kyushu by ferry, the adventurers are attacked by kappa and sharks.

Episode 7. Hyuga Province. The party encounters bandits in the mountains (thought to be a famously nasty gang). At the end of the episode the PCs arrive in Miyazaki, the capital of Hyuga, where a large army is gathering to take aid to Osumi (apparently).

The third section concerns investigation of the rumours surrounding the mysterious stone in Osumi Province.

Episode 8. Osumi Province. The PCs find a disused route into Osumi, the other roads being blocked by soldiers. Here the PCs can choose what to do next. As they travel down the Valley of the Woodpecker they can investigate a temple and see the Magician (episode 9). Or they can continue down into the Plain of Plenty and see the stone, where they can investigate a ruined town which leads them to find a cult (episode 10), or be led by a priest back to the shrine and the Magician (episode 9), or investigate smoke rising from a hill and meet bandits (episode 11), or see a ghost (episode 12), or find someone who tells them the answer (episode 13).

The Stone on the Plain of Plenty

Episode 9. The Magician. A Magician destroyed a village and the locals live in fear of him. The PCs must overcome the traps he uses to discourage visitors to find him and learn his story. Success in this and the later battles will earn any Shugenja valuable rewards.

Episode 10. The Cult. A religious cult has a base high in the mountains, and people who go to join it never return. There is more here than appears on the surface.

Episode 11. The Racket. Vicious bandits have taken over an old pearl divers shack and use it as a base for raids on travellers and local villages. The PCs must wipe them out, but the bandits are too strong to be defeated by a straight assault.

Episode 12. The Lost Soul. The ghost of a murdered teacher seeks revenge on his murderer, a former pupil. Success in this will bring the PCs valuable weapons, and lead them to Sueyoshi, the place where the invasion from Hyuga begins.

Episode 13. The Answer. The Old Pearl Diver gives the answer to the riddle of the stone.

The final section concerns stopping the invasion of Hyugan troops into Osumi Province.

Episode 14. The Siege. A large-scale battle involving the siege of Sueyoshi Fort. The PCs must help the defence.

Episode 15. The Battle. The final battle against the invading forces. Great rewards are available.