Oppressive RPG Settings?

[mister__joshua]

Hi Playground

I find myself wanting to run a game in an oppressive setting. I read Midnight (FF's 3rd edition D&D setting) a while back. I'm not necessarily looking for fantasy though, just any setting where the world is by it's very nature oppressive to the players. I'm thinking of PC games like Wolfenstein or Homefront, or maybe a setting like Falling Skies or XCOM-2 (earth after Aliens have taken over). Zombies would work, but we've done that before. A real daily struggle for survival.

So, does anyone have any recommendations?

Cheers!

[CharonsHelper]

To go with a classic - isn't that Dark Sun's vibe?

[mister__joshua]

I considered Dark Sun, but was hoping for something more recent. I'll probably pick it up if/when there's a 5e version, but I don't intend to go back to 3rd edition.

[Lord Torath]

I considered Dark Sun, but was hoping for something more recent. I'll probably pick it up if/when there's a 5e version, but I don't intend to go back to 3rd edition.

2nd Edition (pre-revised boxed set) has the best setting. (Did they actually release anything for third? I remember hearing talk of using Goliaths instead of Hlaf-giants, but I don't remember for certain, as 3rd's never really been my thing.) It's worth checking out for the fluff, even if you're not going to use the mechanics.

Is there a particular system you're looking for? Shadowrun could work pretty well.

Has anyone ever tried a Dark Angel (James Cameron's TV show with Jessica Alba) setting? The US is reduced to a 3rd-world country when terrorists detonated a nuke in the upper atmosphere, creating an EMP pulse that turned all the Internet's ones and zeros into zeros. And the government gets all "security is more important than our citizens' personal freedoms".

[JAL_1138]

5e just doesn't have much besides FR, currently. 2e and 3e material does translate well to it though.

One thing 5th edition does have some current material for is Ravenloft. There's a season's worth of Adventurers' League adventures on DMsguild, and the Curse of Strahd hardcover. It's a gothic-horror setting that's definitely got a dark, oppressive vibe. 2nd Edition had a ton of good additional material for Ravenloft (it was a full-fledged campaign setting back then) that translates nicely to 5th without too much work, as well.

[Amphetryon]

Answering the aside: 3.5 had a Dark Sun update in an issue of Dragon magazine. I don't recall which issue number, but I owned it once upon a time.

[mister__joshua]

I enjoy D&D as much as the next geek, but I'm not overly sold on the idea of a level-based system for the sort of thing I'm after. Shadowrun was suggested, we've played that before. It has a certain corporate capitalist oppression, but not the sort of 'daily struggle' feeling I was after. For the average citizen it's just life as normal. I'm after a setting where the whole thing (world/country/whatever) is either ruled over my a tyrannical regime, or is uninhabitable due to plague or monsters etc. A setting where the life of an average citizen is a constant struggle to survive. Maybe such a setting doesn't exist, though I'd be surprised at that.

[Dragonexx]

There's also some fan updates of dark sun to 3e.
http://athas.org/products?publisher=Athas.org

[JAL_1138]

For the average citizen it's just life as normal. I'm after a setting where the whole thing (world/country/whatever) is either ruled over my a tyrannical regime, or is uninhabitable due to plague or monsters etc. A setting where the life of an average citizen is a constant struggle to survive. Maybe such a setting doesn't exist, though I'd be surprised at that.

Aside from being D&D, Ravenloft fits that bill quite well. It's set in the Demiplane of Dread, which is controlled by sadistic, malicious forces known only as the "Dark Powers," who use it as an ironic hell for their victims, the darklords. The darklords are powerful, twisted individuals who each control a realm of the Demiplane of Dread, but are cursed by the Dark Powers to exist in torment, forever denied their true desires. Strahd von Zarovich, the Darklord of Barovia, is a cruel vampiric tyrant who controls legions of vampire spawn, undead, shadows, and werewolves, and Barovia is full of spectres, hags, and other nasty critters. The land is blanketed by heavy fog and dense clouds on its brightest days, the crops wither on the vine in the blighted soil, starvation and cold kill many in the harsh winters, and his subjects live in constant terror of him and call him "the devil." The Dark Powers themselves take an active interest in corrupting people, including PCs, offering fell powers as "gifts" or bargains, that invariably come with a terrible price, whether that's an explicit exchange or more subtle corruption.

[CharonsHelper]

I'm after a setting where the whole thing (world/country/whatever) is either ruled over my a tyrannical regime, or is uninhabitable due to plague or monsters etc. A setting where the life of an average citizen is a constant struggle to survive. Maybe such a setting doesn't exist, though I'd be surprised at that.

What about Warhammer Fantasy and/or 40k? Especially if you push the constant threat from Chaos corruption on one side and witch-hunters/inquisitors on the other.

I've heard mixed reviews of Warhammer 3e (the most recent Warhammer Fantasy RPG), but I believe that they recently announced 4e to be upcoming if you're not in a rush. I think it's supposed to be released this year - though I haven't heard an exact date.

[Aneurin]

What about Warhammer Fantasy and/or 40k? Especially if you push the constant threat from Chaos corruption on one side and witch-hunters/inquisitors on the other.

I've heard mixed reviews of Warhammer 3e (the most recent Warhammer Fantasy RPG), but I believe that they recently announced 4e to be upcoming if you're not in a rush. I think it's supposed to be released this year - though I haven't heard an exact date.

I was about to suggest the same thing, although the RPGs are now officially out of print since the old publisher lost the license in February.

WFRP 4e is being made by a different publisher, who may or may not re-release the old versions too. WFRP 3e is fairly unpopular from everything I've heard, but 2e is pretty good.


Alternatively, there's a couple of Fallout RPGs people have made that you might want to look at. While Fallout isn't always that oppressive, it certainly could be - particularly with the Enclave around.

[CharonsHelper]

WFRP 3e is fairly unpopular from everything I've heard, but 2e is pretty good.

I think there may have been a Warhammer Fantasy 2e hack on Kickstarter not long ago. From what little I read old 2e fans liked the tweaks, but it's a massive tome which is tough for totally new players to get into. (all 2nd hand info - I never read it)

[Aneurin]

I think there may have been a Warhammer Fantasy 2e hack on Kickstarter not long ago. From what little I read old 2e fans liked the tweaks, but it's a massive tome which is tough for totally new players to get into. (all 2nd hand info - I never read it)

Oh, yeah, Zweihander - I forgot about that. Though it's more system than setting, it does do low fantasy pretty well apparently, and is at least in part inspired by the Black Company novels (which could be an interesting setting, actually) along with some others I can't bring to mind right now.

[zlefin]

oppressive actual and serious, or oppressive to a comedic degree? (still opressive, but played somewhat for laughs and overthetopness)
if the latter, Paranoia would work well.

[Calthropstu]

I second Paranoia.

[solidork]

Just how much setting are you interested in? A sourcebook similar to the kinds you get for most D&D settings, or is something evocative where you fill in the little details yourself also acceptable? Are you going to play it in whatever the "native" setting is, or use it for a different game?

I've only listened to an actual play of it, but Durance seemed pretty cool. You play as characters on a prison planet (each player has one prisoner and one civilian) that was surveyed incorrectly and so has something about it that makes living there very hard.

Heres a link to the AP:
http://www.thewalkingeye.com/?p=1720
http://www.thewalkingeye.com/?p=1724

[Cealocanth]

So, besides the already mentioned, there's Deadlands, a horror western game based around the American West slowly transforming into a literal biblical apocalyptic wasteland. Then there's Hell on Earth, the post-apocalyptic continuation of the story.

There's also Hellfrost, a fantasy setting based heavily on Norse and Celtic lore, about a world slowly freezing over as the hordes of winter slowly begin to swarm the land, bringing the world closer and closer to Ragnarok.

Mouseguard can feel pretty freaking oppressive if you play it right. It's almost entirely about struggling against the world around you.

But yeah, if you want oppression in the political sense, try Paranoia.

[Arbane]

Paranoia and Midnight have been mentioned, so both ends of the Seriousness Spectrum are covered.

Legend of the Five Rings? It's a terrible dystopia, and Hell On Earth is a short walk to the south.

Exalted, if you play as mortals.

The world in Godbound is pretty grim - turns out that trying to kill God had negative repercussions Good thing the PCs are mighty, because that's the only way they'll survive.

Any Old World of Darkness setting: The world sucks, you're a monster, monster society is eternally high school, and you're the nerds. :D

Apocalypse World.

[Knaight]

In addition to everything else that has been mentioned:
Nemesis: A modern action horror game, Nemesis pits the PCs against a secret world of monsters and cultists,
Blades in the Dark: Blades in the Dark is a game about playing a street gang in what is basically an early industrial city. The other gangs are mostly hostile, and outside of the underworld everyone is hostile - and the rules back this up.

[AceOfFools]

Believe it or not, Exalted is actually a good fit. You just have to not play the default, over-the-top epic splat. It's particularly bleak for mortals.

There's not so much one omicidal force poised to destroy the world as 3--if not more. Heaven is bogged down by massive corruption and the leadership of the gods are all so addicted to cosmic WoW-crack that they can't be bothered to try to fix any of it.

Of the three best hopes for dealing with any of this, one is trying to erraticate the other two and is posturing to fight a civil war that seems more important than things that will wipe them out two or three years from now, another explicitly views civilization as part of the problem and is trying to push humanity back towards our hunter-gather roots, and the third literally just woke up with their powers, but none of the skills or equipment they will need--and the biggest religion in the world has "kill these on sight" as one of it's biggest tenants. Oh, and all three of these factions, as well as the people currently in charge of determining who is Destined for what, are suffering from a Curse that guarantees that they will eventually go mad in the unlikely event they succeed (if not sooner). Also, the largest non-magical

It is theorized, in-universe, that humanity was literally designed to be weak, pathetic and afraid, so they would be predisposed to pray frantically (providing food for the gods). They canonically are more delicious to the soul-and-will eating abominations that are trying to destroy reality.

And the kicker is that this is a world where reincarnation is a provable fact, so even when you die, you either go to the like-the-world-of-the-living-but-worse underworld forever as a ghost, or you get to come back and try again.

[BWR]

Legend of the Five Rings? It's a terrible dystopia, and Hell On Earth is a short walk to the south.

Only dystopic if you play a peasant. The normal game in no way plays like a dystopia. The exceptions to this rule are:
1. The Steel Chrystathemum. Rokugan's own Caligula. An entitled sociopathic brat who is emperor. Much samurai drama for trying to figure out how much abuse you can take from a horrible lord before rebelling.
2. The Thousand Years of Darkness. On the Second Day of Thunder, Fu Leng (the BBEG) won. Now starts the reign of terror with an evil god on the throne and the PCs (probably) taking the role of the resistance. A settign where survival is a force more powerful than honor, much to the dismay of the honorable.

[napoleon_in_rag]

Hi Playground

I find myself wanting to run a game in an oppressive setting. I read Midnight (FF's 3rd edition D&D setting) a while back. I'm not necessarily looking for fantasy though, just any setting where the world is by it's very nature oppressive to the players. I'm thinking of PC games like Wolfenstein or Homefront, or maybe a setting like Falling Skies or XCOM-2 (earth after Aliens have taken over). Zombies would work, but we've done that before. A real daily struggle for survival.

So, does anyone have any recommendations?

Cheers!

GURPS Fallout - What the video games are based on. http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Vault_...lear_Adventure
Dark Sun for D&D http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Vault_...lear_Adventure
Traveller For a Space Opera, just make it grittier with really harsh planets and realistic damage. Your spacesuit gets breached, you die. Radiation storm? you mutate. Out of fuel? you slowly freeze to death.

[Arbane]

Only dystopic if you play a peasant. The normal game in no way plays like a dystopia.

It's still a dystopia, the PCs just happen to be part of the enforcer caste. And there's a lot of really stupid social strictures, and a lot of gaping flaws in Rokugan society that We Just Don't Talk About. I'd argue it qualifies. (I will freely admit I'm not a fan, though I did enjoy the card-game back in The Day.)

[VoxRationis]

@Arbane: I'd argue that the dystopia seems a lot less oppressive if you're the enforcer caste. I'd be interested in hearing your take on L5R, though. I've only played a couple sessions of the RPG version.

[Arbane]

@Arbane: I'd argue that the dystopia seems a lot less oppressive if you're the enforcer caste. I'd be interested in hearing your take on L5R, though. I've only played a couple sessions of the RPG version.

I haven't read any of the books in 10+ years, so some of this might be inaccurate.

Well, it's a feudal society with a rigid caste system, a lot of ultra-formal social strictures characters are expected to adhere to ON PAIN OF DEATH, and IIRC, samurai are legally allowed to kill peasants for any reason they feel like. (Which is historically accurate, but awful.)

I vaguely remember one version of L5R had a map that 'everyone' knew had all the distances wrong by a factor of 10 or so, but it was approved by the Emperor, so everyone had to make us excuses why traveling everywhere took so long. This struck me as something straight out of Paranoia.

And like I said, they've got Mordor++ on their south border, maho-users everywhere, and the Scorpion Clan. Not to mention ninja that are actually The Thing From Another World, their very own brainwashing Illuminati....

Like I said, not a big fan of the setting.

[raygun goth]

Legend of the Five Rings is oppressive even if you're in the oppressor caste.

In Rokugan, the nail that sticks up gets hammered down. You can't invent anything new or you will get slapped down. You can't innovate any systems or you will get slapped down. You can't attempt to overcome your ancestors' accomplishments or you will get slapped down. It is relentlessly conservative to the point that technology and society haven't changed for thousands of years - several clans have been literally erased from history, entire centuries have been removed, had their books burned, and the calendars altered to keep up the charade, and culture, society, and technology basically haven't changed in all that time. This is a culture where they believe that aiming a bow using your eyes causes you to miss, where basically one person is in charge of what clothing is acceptable to everyone in the country, where actually falling in love with someone is a danger to yourself and your immediate family, and where no less than three culture-enforcing groups of secret police comprise half the criminal underworld (protip: they all like to murder people and cross their names out of Imperial records for the lulz). If you do not shut up, fly straight, and serve only as a mindless extension of your daimyo's will, they will shuffle you away someplace and pretend you don't exist until you either get tired of the game and retire or choose to buckle.

Shadowrun also works, but for different reasons.

In Shadowrun, the ultra-conservative libertarians have basically won, and instead of political governments, there are corporate oligarchies. Companies with international facilities have the same rights as political governments, and they've been bogarting all the money and resources for the last few decades, choking sovereign nations and turning vast stretches of rural areas of even first-world countries into shanty towns and trying to suck everyone up into the cities. The oceans are nearly dead, and they grow genetically modified krill in huge automated silos. Oh, yeah, automation has continued to improve and now basically any job that doesn't require an education is done by machine, but wages haven't kept up to match, meaning there are basically three castes: the employed, the destitute, and the wealthy. If you get fired, you will never get another job. If you are employed, you live where the company tells you, eat what the company tells you, spend your money where the company ells you, and get accounts on company approved websites. There is no net neutrality. Data is so precious that coders and hackers launch their own satellites to hide data and websites from prying corporate hands or bury them deep underground and pay-to-play access the data havens. Companies allow what websites they want on their property or through their services. The wealth disparity is so great that it makes modern disparity look like amateur hour - ten people each own one-tenth of the planet, not just the land, but the resources and the people.

And that's not even getting into how horrible life is if you're a troll in a world made for normal-sized humans.

The Cryptomancer RPG has a rule for how aware the setting/the ruling class of cryptomancers are of your actions, and it can never go down. Once it reaches its peak, you all die.

Demon: the Descent is about hiding from the laws of reality itself, because math is sentient, hates you, and wants you to come back to the fold so you can be scrubbed of your free will.

Also, if you can find War Against the Chtorr and Reign of Steel for GURPS, those are... harsh.

[BWR]

It's still a dystopia, the PCs just happen to be part of the enforcer caste. And there's a lot of really stupid social strictures, and a lot of gaping flaws in Rokugan society that We Just Don't Talk About. I'd argue it qualifies. (I will freely admit I'm not a fan, though I did enjoy the card-game back in The Day.)

1. Since you play as the 'enforcer' caste, you don't play the game as dystopic. Frankly, you can call most any society in any RPG setting dystopic if it's 'a place that's unfair'.

2. 'Really stupid social strictures', eh? You mean like every setting with a detailed world or real life society ever?

3. Which gaping flaws would these be?

I haven't read any of the books in 10+ years, so some of this might be inaccurate.

Well, it's a feudal society with a rigid caste system, a lot of ultra-formal social strictures characters are expected to adhere to ON PAIN OF DEATH,

Grossly inaccurate. Very few gaffes require suicide. Mostly some shame or demotion is involved.

IIRC, samurai are legally allowed to kill peasants for any reason they feel like. (Which is historically accurate, but awful.)

Sort of. Peasants don't have much legal protection but without good cause, killing them is frowned upon and generally considered vandalism, which entails punishment. Of course, what is considered good cause varies. Lots of people and certain clans see it as the duty of the samurai to protect the lower castes and that includes not abusing them. Plus not every samurai is a murdering ********.

I vaguely remember one version of L5R had a map that 'everyone' knew had all the distances wrong by a factor of 10 or so, but it was approved by the Emperor, so everyone had to make us excuses why traveling everywhere took so long. This struck me as something straight out of Paranoia.

Inaccurate. The official maps are off, but not by a factor of 10. Everyone knows this and everyone uses the most accurate maps unofficially while claiming to adhere to the official ones in situations where they have to be seen.

And like I said, they've got Mordor++ on their south border, maho-users everywhere, and the Scorpion Clan. Not to mention ninja that are actually The Thing From Another World, their very own brainwashing Illuminati....

These things are bad? To each their own, I guess.

Legend of the Five Rings is oppressive even if you're in the oppressor caste.

Not necessarily wrong but inaccurate to varying degrees.

In Rokugan, the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.

In the sense that anybody in any society that acts beyond the boundaries of societal expectation will be looked askance at. The setting is rife with people who do break with tradition in various ways and are still admired for their exploits.

You can't invent anything new or you will get slapped down. You can't innovate any systems or you will get slapped down. It is relentlessly conservative to the point that technology and society haven't changed for thousands of years

Mostly true, but not entirely. Refinements and small improvements happen all the time, and as for the lack of major technological or societal development, well, this is a fantasy world we are talking about; it has plenty of company in that regard.
1200 years, not thousands. And there have been changes during this time.

You can't attempt to overcome your ancestors' accomplishments or you will get slapped down.

Patently false. There are plenty of people who are considered 'the greatest of all time [so far]' that have a long line of ancestors before them. No one considers every single Crab Champion to come before Kuon as being inherently better than him because of seniority.
You must respect your ancestors and predecessors and there is a strong element of ancestor worship in the setting, which gives people a lot to live up to, but if you can perform deeds greater than those of your ancestors, then good on you.

- several clans have been literally erased from history, entire centuries have been removed, had their books burned, and the calendars altered to keep up the charade

Erased, meaning what? Been destroyed, then yes. **** happens. Just like kingdoms and other political units in any setting (or the real world) change or die. People write histories favorable to those in power and get rid of unwanted stuff. People insist on sticking to less accurate and useful standards of measurement instead of better ones. Like any of that stuff never happens anywhere but Rokugan *coughcoughImperialSystemcoughcough*

This is a culture where they believe that aiming a bow using your eyes causes you to miss,

Not exactly. And it's a fantasy world where the Rokugani way of archery actually works. Might as well complain that certain other settings allow you to punch through a mountain because you scream loud enough, or that magic exists there.

, where basically one person is in charge of what clothing is acceptable to everyone in the country

And who would this be? Answer: no one person. Like any setting you will have people who have more political and social power, and their whims tend to direct what everyone else does, which includes fashion. I wonder where I've seen this before...

where actually falling in love with someone is a danger to yourself and your immediate family

You are grossly misrepresenting something important here. Rokugan in an idealized feudal system where devotion to your lord is of paramount importance, and the concept of duty (to your lord primarily, but also to your family and society as a whole) is one of the pillars of their ethical system. When people fall in love they are inclined to put the object of their affections above other people, including their lords. When loving someone does not interfere with your duty, then it isn't a problem. When you get into situations where the two conflict, it is. Love vs. duty is a constant source of samurai drama and a significant element for many games. Rokugani history is full of cases of how people loving someone do stupid stuff that ruins not only their own lives but the lives of others. To best serve your lord and be an honorable person, it is best to not fall in love because then you do not have that very strong temptation to fail in your duty.

and where no less than three culture-enforcing groups of secret police comprise half the criminal underworld (protip: they all like to murder people and cross their names out of Imperial records for the lulz). If you do not shut up, fly straight, and serve only as a mindless extension of your daimyo's will, they will shuffle you away someplace and pretend you don't exist until you either get tired of the game and retire or choose to buckle.

And which three would these be? One of them being the Scorpion, I guess. They are not culture enforcing, they are the ones whose job it is to root out conspiracies and internal threats to the Emperor and Empire in general. This is generally accepted as a necessary and OK job in most settings. I'll answer that question myself: there aren't any Empire-wide covert organizations that function as thought police.

Again, you are getting things wrong. People are people and Rokugan knows this. They don't expect mindless obedience more than most strictly hierarchical system. They expect obedience and loyalty, and they expect sacrifices to be made in the name of your lord. Mindless obedience is only a good thing if your subordinate has no mind to speak of. Any vassal who shows intelligence, competence and initiative in addition to loyalty is highly prized. If someone can fulfill his duty to his lord in a way that pleases her, that individual can have quite a lot of freedom for creatively interpreting orders. For instance you have the case of Doji Reju who managed to loyally serve two different lords in two different clans (complicated backstory) while not dishonoring either. That kind of stuff is admired in Rokugan, though rarely encouraged if for no other reason than it can so easily fail and cause a real mess - better to stick to the normal ways that have a higher chance of succeeding.

People are allowed to relax. Entertainment is a big deal in Rokugan and some of social norms are relaxed when in private gatherings or in certain areas, like geisha houses. The very strict and formal behavioral rules are mostly for on-the-job situations. In court and in public people expect certain forms of behavior. While the details of the behavior vary, the fact that there are such expectations is universal, in every setting and in real life. You don't want someone to act disgracefully because they shame not only themselves but their family and clan. Group identity is a lot stronger in Rokugan than we are used to in the West IRL and pride in the group's accomplishments are shame for their failings is a very real thing to Rokugani. If you think having [insert politician you don't like] is embarrassing for your country, magnify that feeling by a hundred for Rokugan.

No one is saying you have to like L5R, but get your facts straight and don't distort things, please.

[JustIgnoreMe]

Seconding War Against the Chtorr and Reign of Steel. GURPS OGRE is worth a look too.

[Faily]

Just to follow up on BWR's responses here:

Well, it's a feudal society with a rigid caste system, a lot of ultra-formal social strictures characters are expected to adhere to ON PAIN OF DEATH

Inaccurate. Even all the way back to 1st edition's GM's Survival Guide up to 4th Edition's Corebook and Emerald Empire, samurai aren't expected to die over every little mistake. As the source-material points out, raising and training a samurai is a *very* expensive investment, and while your lord can be a bloody idiot and demand your life over a stupid little thing, most won't throw away a valuable asset over small mistakes.

IIRC, samurai are legally allowed to kill peasants for any reason they feel like. (Which is historically accurate, but awful.)

Can, and yes, it's historically accurate... but peasants are considered useful tools who fulfill a vital role in society and killing one can lead to minor punishement (brief house arrest or minor fine). Killing peasants for no good reason is usually treated as vandalism, at best, and if done in another clan's territory, it can lead to potential problems.

Not to mention ninja that are actually The Thing From Another World, their very own brainwashing Illuminati....

Not all ninja are part of the Lying Darkness (that was a small sub-group of Scorpion ninja). Calling Kolat Illuminati... eh, bit of a stretch, I'd say. They've certainly had their ups and downs in how powerful and influental they are, but they're not exactly the "true world order" or anything.

You can't invent anything new or you will get slapped down. You can't innovate any systems or you will get slapped down. It is relentlessly conservative to the point that technology and society haven't changed for thousands of years

Except Rokugani society isn't even thousands of years old...? :P
True, Rokugan develops very slowly, but it's not even by far the biggest sinner in fantasy-worlds that have remained unchanged for generations. And there has been change, albeit slow:
- Adopting the Koku as a currency in 243, officially moving on to using a representative currency. While it's worth is variable as it is linked to a year's harvest, it is still a change that happened.
- Multi-element magic, introcuded in the 1100s, which went against all the previously established theories on how the elements and the kami worked.
- Gunpowder. While illegal (though allowed to be used for simple things like fireworks), it was still used, most notably by the Crane, Tortoise and Mantis. IIRC, the Tortoise and Mantis also had cannons because of gunpowder, though it's not something they used against other Rokugani considering it would be an Imperial crime to be caught doing it.
- Proper saddle with stirrups, courtesy of the Unicorn (from the Ujik-Hai who joined them during their Exodus).
- Clockwork mechanics (Way of the Crab).

You can't attempt to overcome your ancestors' accomplishments or you will get slapped down.

LOL you're kidding, right?
So you're saying that all the noteworthy heroes and progressive people in Rokugan (the Thunders, Toku, Osano-Wo, Daidoji Masashige, Akodo Ginawa, Hida Kuon, Bayushi Paneki, Bayushi Yojiro, Kuni Tokaji, Shiba Tsukimi, and the list goes on) are disapproved of, because they were awesome and became legends?

several clans have been literally erased from history, entire centuries have been removed, had their books burned, and the calendars altered to keep up the charade

No, no, no, and no.
"Several" clans have been wiped out; the Boar and the Snake. They're not erased from history. The story of the Boar is known, because they're the only minor clan to have had an Imperial Decree to end them. The Snake are also known, and their extermination is referred to as The Five Nights of Shame by historians.
For the sake of completeness, we can include the Scorpion on this list, but they were only disbanded by Imperial decree and later exiled. Not wiped out.
Entire centuries removed? ... Ok, please state your sources on this because I am *not* familiar with this at all. If you're referring to things like the Great Famine in Imperial Histories, do note that those were player-created content that won a competition hosted by AEG that would print the winners in Imperial Histories and it is mostly not considered canon, but even if we were to include it for the sake of completeness here, it's still not even an entire century!
The only book-burning that tends to happen in Rokugan is heretical (Kolat) or illegal (maho) works, and even those tend to be snatched up (by Scorpion, Crab and Phoenix, most of the time) rather than destroyed. If anything, Rokugan could probably stand to do a bit more burning of dangerous knowledge and artifacts, seeing how often these things go astray when stashed away for "study". ;)
As for calendars being altered to "keep up the charade", not really... most of it stems from conflicting source materials (like the Way of-books) and continuity-snafus in the earlier days of the game's history. Thanks to the work of people like Fred Wan and the Story Teams in later years, such mistakes were mostly fixed in more recent editions. In-setting, dates, names and other details surrounding great events varies depending on who you ask as the clans have different records and/or views of what happened. Like we've never seen that in the real world. :P
I suppose you could argue that "centuries" have been removed when you factor in the Naga and the non-human kingdoms that existed before mankind, but keep in mind that there were no records of them prior to the Tribes of Isawa (who were the first to begin recording and writing down events), and their history was not really discovered until much later.

where actually falling in love with someone is a danger to yourself and your immediate family

Wait, what?
Oh well, someone better stop worshipping Benten then! Considering she is one of the Seven MOST MAJOR gods to be worshipped in Rokugan, being the Fortune of ROMANTIC LOVE!
No, seriously, falling in love is not a danger to yourself or your immediate family. As stated in the various Corebooks, Emerald Empire, and Sword & Fan, love is, as in many other cultures and settings, something to be cherished. There are countless plays, stories, poems and songs dedicated to love. Rokugan is *full* of romantic love for both historical figures and fictional ones.
Romantic love is idolized and worshipped, but Desire is considered a Sin. Desire is more than just love, however, but it is one of its most common forms. And it is considered one of the three Great Sins, because Desire is something that causes you to act foolish, reckless, and forget your place as a samurai (which is someone who serves).
Just remember that Rokugan is a setting that values discretion and privacy, and to loudly proclaim your love for someone is considered vulgar and inappropriate.
Also keep in mind that from a narrative point of view, as often seen in samurai drama, having to choose between your loved one(s) and duty to your lord is a big driving point for the Bushido vs. What Is Right-storytelling that L5R often strives for.

and where no less than three culture-enforcing groups of secret police comprise half the criminal underworld (protip: they all like to murder people and cross their names out of Imperial records for the lulz). If you do not shut up, fly straight, and serve only as a mindless extension of your daimyo's will, they will shuffle you away someplace and pretend you don't exist until you either get tired of the game and retire or choose to buckle.

...
Ok, the Scorpion Clan are pretty much the secret police, but who are these other "culture-enforcing groups"? The Dai Li? :P
And no, the Kolat aren't a culture-enforcing group, considering how their end-goal is to *overthrow* the current culture/society.



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Sure, people can play L5R differently at their table, and trust me I've heard horror stories of what goes on with some settings, but those belong more in "crazy things my GM did" rather than "this setting is bad because of [crazy things my GM did]". Not saying people have to like L5R (I happen to like it very much myself, but I know it's not for everyone), but at least argue correctly on its faults rather than saying things that are simply not true, please. Distorting facts or falsehoods doesn't contribute anything.

[Arbane]

Unhallowed Metropolis had a pretty grim setting - a besieged, monster-infested Victorian London.

I can't recommend Cthulhutech in good conscience (bad rules, rape, railroading, blatant anime ripoffs and some of those anime are hentai), but 'Earth is being invaded by Lovecraftian aliens, and is losing' is pretty oppressive.