Author  Message [bottom]
Larhas
 member, 9 posts
Tue 5 Nov 2019
at 17:12
 msg #1
Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Lately I've been picking up a bunch of terribly translated (*cough* Tale of Wuxia *Cough*) chinese games and I've been left with a bit of an itch to scratch.

  • If you're the kind of brave soul with the experience to run a Legends of the Wulin game, I'd really love to try it out. I read the book and it sort of clicks, but it feels like something I won't actually get until I finally try it out with someone who konws what he's doing.
  • Slightly lower on the preference scale there's Legend of the Five Rings. The feel of that game is significantly more japanese than chinese, but I have a couple of characters, possibly scorpions, that I'd like trying.
  • Lower again there's an Exalted (2.5E or 3E) game unusually focused on Martial Arts, maybe even starting (or staying) as Heroic Mortals. Now I love Exalted, but it has... problems, some of them compounded by the online format (hello, dice-fiddling mechanics of 3E)
  • Lowerer (That's a word now) still there's a good old Pathfinder game with a Wuxia coat of paint. That's not my first choice by a long shot, but it can possibly be made to work with liberal applications of Path of War and Automatic Bonus Progression. Bonus points for an unholy mixture of Wuxia and Kingmaker mechanics where you grow your own sect, but that might be The Scroll of Taiwu talking.

About me: I do work five days a week, and while I can promise to try and toss a post at the game when I get home I can't guarantee I'll succeed. I'd prefer either a game with a small-ish group, a solo game or multiple solo games with occasional intersections, depending on the effort the GM (you) is willing to put into this. I use Discord, and I'm perfectly willing to use it to coordinate things better or to get some of the quicker scenes (like pure dialogues) out of the way faster.


Totally-not-optional-optional-reading: Wulin Hero Quest
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueend...ags=Wulin+Hero+Quest
phorcys
 member, 60 posts
Tue 5 Nov 2019
at 17:17
 msg #2
Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
In reply to Larhas (msg # 1):

Posting to follow.  I've been trying to talk my out-screen game group into playing one of these, sort of mythic China and Spaghetti Western blended together, but so far they've been resistant.  I'd like to get my fix somewhere.  Mega-double +++ on the Kingmaker-esque mechanic.
Larhas
 member, 12 posts
Thu 14 Nov 2019
at 20:58
 msg #3
Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
In reply to phorcys (msg # 2):

Well, I'll give you credit: 'Spaghetti Western' is pretty far from the thing I had in mind, but yeah - the themes are not THAT dissimilar.

Also, this post was totally not just a disguised bump
phorcys
 member, 61 posts
Thu 14 Nov 2019
at 22:19
 msg #4
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Larhas:
In reply to phorcys (msg # 2):

Well, I'll give you credit: 'Spaghetti Western' is pretty far from the thing I had in mind, but yeah - the themes are not THAT dissimilar.

Also, this post was totally not just a disguised bump


It's the iconic characters that draw me, a bit of anti-hero and really interesting villains.  As it maps onto something like this, I'd look to some love-child of "Journey to the West", "Dragon Inn", and "Musa".  "Shadow" could be a fine add to the mix.  Having just finished Barry Hughart's books, it'd make me happy to have at least a veneer of the mythic added.
Larhas
 member, 13 posts
Sat 16 Nov 2019
at 12:10
 msg #5
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Fine, fine, you have a better grap on the actual sources than me!

...at least now I have a new list of stuff to check out while I wait the eternity or two needed to fish a GM out.
Larhas
 member, 15 posts
Thu 28 Nov 2019
at 11:44
 msg #6
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Annnnnnnnd bump!
Larhas
 member, 17 posts
Wed 25 Dec 2019
at 08:35
 msg #7
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Having recently re-stumbled upon "Spirit Blade Mountain" part of me would be curious about trying out something more hardcore Xianxia, with actual magic, immortals, mythical beasts and all that jazz.

System-wise, however, I have no idea what to suggest for it.

All said and done, the top of the wishlist still is Legends of the Wulin.
Larhas
 member, 18 posts
Sat 11 Jan 2020
at 08:40
 msg #8
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Still here and still looking!
AegisGame
 member, 5 posts
Mon 13 Jan 2020
at 21:46
 msg #9
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Yeah, I’d definitely be willing to play too.
Larhas
 member, 19 posts
Mon 20 Jan 2020
at 19:33
 msg #10
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Three players, ladies and gents - we're up to three players! Who offers more? Three players and one, three players and two...
jackdarkking
 member, 2 posts
Mon 20 Jan 2020
at 23:37
 msg #11
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
In reply to Larhas (msg # 10):

I might be interested in gming l5r tho I'm a newbie and have not played it but I have the core book and beginner box set if still looking. I'm on discord. Thekingchris.
RavenOfDispersion
 member, 4 posts
Tue 21 Jan 2020
at 01:50
 msg #12
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
I'm setting up a wuxia game. Initially I thought on doing it freeform, sandbox, but I changed my mind. So I'm going to use a homebrew system. The setting aims to explore how Jianghu would look like today (think The Breaker). I'm still ironing things out, but feel free to check it out and see if it's your thing. Link to the game.
Larhas
 member, 20 posts
Wed 22 Jan 2020
at 10:11
 msg #13
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
In reply to jackdarkking (msg # 11):

Messaged you

In reply to RavenOfDispersion (msg # 12):

Yeah, I saw your game already. I've been on the fence for a bit - a modern setting is not what I was looking for, but it looks like you're putting some serious work into it.
I'll check it out more and see if I can come up with a good RTJ.
Larhas
 member, 21 posts
Sat 23 May 2020
at 18:54
 msg #14
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
After a bit of coronapanic, I return to look for games!
Already in one, but it's slow enough I can confidently join a few more. So feel free to shoot ideas.
liblarva
 member, 629 posts
Sat 23 May 2020
at 19:05
 msg #15
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Have you seen Tianxia, a Fate Core game? It’s really well done.
Larhas
 member, 22 posts
Sat 23 May 2020
at 19:16
 msg #16
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Nope, haven't checked it yet - but I DO have a fair bit of free time lately. So if you say it's good I might as well check it out.
Larhas
 member, 24 posts
Sun 31 May 2020
at 11:58
 msg #17
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Bumping this lil' thing up once again.
I actually tossed a cursory glance at Tianxia and it looks interesting. Wouldn't be my first choice (...only because a cursory glance isn't enough to play it, and I'm lazy - not for any faults I found in it), but I'd definitely play it.
Larhas
 member, 30 posts
Fri 27 Nov 2020
at 14:06
 msg #18
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
I return from seclusion!

Yeah, I've been away from rpol for a bit, but the content of this request is still valid - so feel free to prod me with ideas.
Larhas
 member, 32 posts
Sun 6 Dec 2020
at 21:03
 msg #19
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
PSA: I am a certified Cool Person and you should run me a game.
Sarge67
 member, 79 posts
Tue 29 Dec 2020
at 00:55
 msg #20
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
If you want to play an Eastern themed game, there are a lot easier systems than Legends of Wulin.   Initially LoW appears easy  if you roll 8D10 and get three threes, two sixes, one four, and two nines...you get to choose which result..the results to choose from are 33, 26, 14, and 29.  The highest score is the better result (How many dice (first number) and the result three die of threes is 33.

Then you get into contested rolls and bonuses which blows easy out the window.

If you want to run a game with just D10s, just use the OWOD game system and it will be a lot easier.

Using the D20 systems and just making an Eastern theme is probably best as this is the one system most people know.
phorcys
 member, 66 posts
Tue 29 Dec 2020
at 01:36
 msg #21
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Still here, too, and still hopeful.
Fugitive Unknown
 member, 28 posts
Tue 29 Dec 2020
at 07:58
 msg #22
Re: Seeking Wuxia/Eastern-themed games.
Hi! I've played most of these games and I have opinions :)

Larhas:
[list]
[*] If you're the kind of brave soul with the experience to run a Legends of the Wulin game, I'd really love to try it out. I read the book and it sort of clicks, but it feels like something I won't actually get until I finally try it out with someone who konws what he's doing.


Wulin is a beast, and the problem with it is that trying to explain the rules and how the game works is a NIGHTMARE. A large portion of the game is explaining lore, and there are, frankly, better games to run these days.



Larhas:
[*] Slightly lower on the preference scale there's Legend of the Five Rings. The feel of that game is significantly more japanese than chinese, but I have a couple of characters, possibly scorpions, that I'd like trying.


They do a fair bit of asian mishmashing in Five Rings with some of the clans and traditions (which is a problem on it's own) but Five Rings has an incredibly well developed worldset and a passionate fanbace. The game is still VERY much designed to emulate Japanese tropes though.

I haven't played the new FFG version, but I've used the FFG system a little, and the new books are VERY good at creating character hooks.

Larhas:
[*] Lower again there's an Exalted (2.5E or 3E) game unusually focused on Martial Arts, maybe even starting (or staying) as Heroic Mortals. Now I love Exalted, but it has... problems, some of them compounded by the online format (hello, dice-fiddling mechanics of 3E)


Exalted is god awful mechanically. I could go on for an hour why it's an awful system and another hour on why no one should support the company that makes it. I own a shelf full of first edition and chunk of second editions: I like the world and REALLY wanted this game to work, but it just kind of sucks mechanically.

I'm going to recommend a few others.

Feng Shui 2nd edition does hong kong action movies pretty well, and has a weird kitchen sink setting that justifies nearly anything. It's not the best system, but it has two huge advantages: it's fairly clean when you know what you are doing and you spend no time on character creation. One of the settings is 6th century or so China, and has rules for all sorts of martial artists, sorcerers, transformed animals, actual demons and a bunch of other classes that would work. The only problem is that its inititive rules are really janky for PBP, but this can be adapted for online play.

Fellowship would work surprisingly well, I think. The idea is that each player creates a race or group with certain traits. Each PC is one representative of that race going on a long journey to defeat "THE OVERLORD". One of it's primary sources was Avatar the Last Airbender, so I can see how that would work. I really can't recommend Fellowship enough, it's one of the best RPG's of the decade IMO.

If you want a Japanese anime game with a LOT of mythology mished together as well as cybernetics and giant robots, you might want to check out Tenra Bansho Zero. It's got a highly cinematic system that's a little hard to describe, though it's very much designed to work in it's own bizarro anime world that has magical priests who animate giant robots, so maybe not exactly what you are looking for...

Fight! isn't bad for a martial arts game where people pair off and run tournament style fights. This works as a Wuxia (weirdly) but it would require some adaptation. It would be more of a fighting game anime in ancient China, but I could see that working.

Good luck!
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