tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53416389436271187692024-03-17T23:02:34.651-04:00The Bedrock BlogFrom the palace of the Demon EmperorUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-88309845641573431092024-03-04T19:20:00.000-05:002024-03-04T19:20:03.903-05:00PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION SIX <p><span>T</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">his is a sandbox campaign for </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, operating in "Condor Heroes Mode". I used a lot of the procedures described in the </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">wuxia sandbox posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. It is a campaign with three players. Before the campaign started we spent time establishing their family connections, rolling randomly for both their mothers and fathers (normally only one parent is randomly rolled, but in this case we wanted characters with potentially scandalous backgrounds). These characters each started play with just one Kung Fu Technique. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">XIANG GUIYING: The daughter of Jade Fist of Twin Fisted Eagle sect and Pale Fox, a notorious bandit. She is seeking pelts from Pearl Tigers. She is beautiful but wears a disguise to hide this from others. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ZHENG BAO: Short and burly, he is the son of Zhang San of Bone Breaking Sect and of Reckless Storm. However San is married to Chen and has maintained the presence that Bao is Chen's son. Unfortunately due to crucial background information, Chen knows that Bao cannot be his son so is distant. Zheng Bao's uncle, Bone Breaker, is fond of him. He is seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower to please his uncle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PAN JU (MOGHA): </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The son of the Witch of Zhaoze Zhou and Nergui Mogha, Pan Ju grew up in the Kushen Basin but has returned to the Banyan and Hai'an, where he knows his mother resides. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>GUIYING COMPLETES HER TRAINING</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying finished her training with Mrs. Wu and learned the Leg Taking Sword technique. Mrs. Wu then handed a medallion with a mantis on it to Pan Ju and instructed him to go to Southern Hill sect where Yellow Mantis would teach give him martial arts training. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Meanwhile Zheng Bao was still held captive by Jade Swallow, who gave him a choice: work with her in bringing Spear Immortal Xiang Di to justice or face justice himself. He agreed to kill Spear Immortal and bring his body to the Autumn Inn. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jade Swallow fed him a fried omelet, then knocked him out. He awakened near a stream and went to the Autumn Inn and explained his situation to Guiying and Ju. They discussed all possible strategies and agreed to help by setting a trap. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zheng Bao went back to the Silver Spear School and told Spear Immortal Xiang Di about his fight with Jade Swallow and how she held him captive. He then told his master that Jade Swallow wished to have a one-on-one duel with him at a nearby bridge. Bao pleaded with Spear Immortal to take men with him but he insisted on facing her alone, with Zheng Bao as his witness. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At the bridge, Guying stood in disguise as Jade Swallow while Pan Ju hid laid in hiding. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"So Jade Swallow, you dare to offend me with you...." his words were instantly cut off as Zheng Bao impaled him from behind with his own spear technique. Pan Ju quickly finished him with a hail of daggers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They brought his body to the Autumn Inn where Mrs. Wu told them to place it in a shed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">That night they infiltrated the Silver Spear School and raided the treasury with a key taken from Spear Immortal's body. They stole his Silver Spear Manual, 16 silver taels and took a red dress with a note that said "To my daughter". </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When they were done, Zheng Bao gave the key to the most selfish and rude student, Kang, at the school and told the others he was departing as there was no point in remaining with Spear Immortal dead. But he instructed Kang to fairly distributed the contents of the treasury in the morning. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jade Swallow arrived to take the body, and also took Zheng Bao as her student, teaching him to work with axes over the course of a week, then teaching him Yin Yuan's Axe Trap. When they were finished she instructed him to meet her at the Bai Chuan Inn in a month. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With that Zheng Bao, Pan Ju and Xiang Guiying headed south to seek Southern Hill Sect so Pan Ju could learn from Yellow Mantis. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE DEATH OF TOWERING BEAUTY </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On the way to Southern Hill Fortress, they were blocked by a tall figure on a bridge. Towering Beauty Ouyang Li. Her face coated in a flaking red hand print. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"We have unsettled business Xiang Guiying!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Let us pass, we have no quarrel."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"You killed Yin Zhi and will pay the price."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"He was a cruel murderer, killing him was just."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Towering Beauty prepared drew back her sword preparing to strike. Pan Ju unleashed a swarm of daggers on Towering Beauty, which riddling her torso. Then Zheng Bao used his Immortal Spear technique and sliced her but without lethal intent, she fell in a spray of blood. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pan Ju tended to her wounds and Guiying addressed her when she awoke. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Your friend was wicked person, would you seek justice for every evil that is extinguished in Hai'an. Are you prepared to fight person after person over for ignoble filth?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Towering Beauty stared at her with som confusion. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I will spare you," Said Guiying. "Consider this grudge settled."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After a moment Towering Beauty said, "Yes, you have won."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Go live your life," said Guiying. And she and the rest of the party continued on the road towards Southern Hill Fortress. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Sister, if you come by Hening, I would like to buy more of your statues soon!" Towering Beauty shouted as they departed. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE PEARL TIGER </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As they moved through the southern bamboo forest, Pan Ju was attacked by a Pearl Tiger that leapt from the darkness. However its claws failed to land and Pan Ju killed it with his kick of the golden elephant technique. They took the pelt and butchered the meat then Zheng Bao and Xiang Guiying once again at a Pearl Tiger heart and fell into a deep sleep. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>YELLOW MANTIS AND THE SWARMING BEGGARS</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Next Day they made their way to Southern Hill Fortress where they met with Yellow Mantis and explained that Mrs. Wu had given them the mantis medallion hoping her would train Pan Ju. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Old but with the vigor of a much younger man, Yellow Mantis took Pan Ju to his hall and demonstrated a rapid hand strike without verbal instruction. They remained there for two weeks while Pan Ju observed and tried to understand, eventually mastering the basics of The Many Indignities of Yellow Mantis. Because Pan Ju did not ask to learn more after he finished his instruction and bid them farewell, Yellow Mantis asked them to stay longer so he could teach Pan Ju Clasp of the Mantis. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While she was waiting for Pan Ju to finish his training, Guiying travelled along the river with Green Mantis who instructed her in the finer arts of wilderness survival. She noticed that the monkeys that crowded the banks of the river revered him and almost treated him as a sifu, even imitating his martial arts. Noticing this, he encouraged her to work with one of his monkeys and slowly it started to imitate Xiang Guiyang's movements as she learned to handle and care for it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Before they left there was a modest New Years celebration and they departed to meet Jade Swallow at the appointed time. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Note: For this campaign I am using a freeform approach to progression where players simply increase skills or gain techniques as they learn them, with each skill simply requiring an amount of time that seems right for their level of skill and what they are learning. This means they advance in level when they learn a technique of that Qi Rank. </i></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-72460978731565766422024-02-25T23:57:00.001-05:002024-02-25T23:57:26.659-05:00WUXIA INSPIRATION: KUNG FU WONDERCHILD <p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span>This is part of a series I started when working on <a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a>, reviewing wuxia films and discussing their relevance to tabletop RPGs. </span><span>I am a little rusty on these written reviews and my last one was a little long winded, so I am going to aim for brevity on this one. </span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>If you want to bring wuxia to your RPG table, try <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades</a> or Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. </i></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Note: </b>I am writing these as a fan of the genre. I am not a movie expert or an expert in asian cinema. These are my own observations based on what I have learned by watching wuxia and kung fu movies, and by reading about them through interviews and books. But my knowledge is quite limited and I am an English speaker. So understand that my commentary comes from this perspective. </span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </span><br /><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This review contains many spoilers.</span></i></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;">KUNG FU WONDERCHILD </b></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kung Fu Wonderchild is a 1986 martial arts film directed by Lee Tso-Ham starring Lin Hsiao-Lu, Chang Shan, Jack Long Shi-Chia and Yukari Oshima. Lin Hsiao-Lu plays a male lead named Hsiu Chuen, who is a servant and the son of a cook at a taoist school, which turns out to harbor an evil sorcerer gathering souls into jars to increase his own power. With the help of his grandfather, Yukari Oshima's maiden Chiu Hse, and two rather incompetent students from the school, he must confront the taoist sorcerer to free the imprisoned spirits. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The plot here is both simple yet convoluted with a number of detours, many of which don't really pan out. In some ways this is okay, as the detours held my interest and were often amusing, but it doesn't feel like a well constructed plot. The film features many gonzo elements, lying somewhere between Miracle Fighters and The Weird Man. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5RyGa5mu2S0XF0kG57rkyPoqsWEosxTgYIBolKCuAQ3uIfVsZiZTtT6sbaKldTTy-Yicf0fx4yP65og7NB9G91FAHg3fz89WdGSZl6N5FPvF4iE8sxWxI1o8ScK7bSjmRrnRwnWZK00VyocHu0vuOOzpN1mJkyUY67q8zak9uMB7vzJ-Z47ZAlX0CaQe/s1585/MV5BOGU0ZjIwYTctYjI1ZS00ZjJiLTg4MTUtMGIxYWI5ZjMxNzNmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDUxNjc5NjY@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1585" data-original-width="1089" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5RyGa5mu2S0XF0kG57rkyPoqsWEosxTgYIBolKCuAQ3uIfVsZiZTtT6sbaKldTTy-Yicf0fx4yP65og7NB9G91FAHg3fz89WdGSZl6N5FPvF4iE8sxWxI1o8ScK7bSjmRrnRwnWZK00VyocHu0vuOOzpN1mJkyUY67q8zak9uMB7vzJ-Z47ZAlX0CaQe/s320/MV5BOGU0ZjIwYTctYjI1ZS00ZjJiLTg4MTUtMGIxYWI5ZjMxNzNmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDUxNjc5NjY@._V1_.jpg" width="220" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What works is the humor and the action. I found all the fight sequences to be tightly shot and performed. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I enjoyed the sharp and punchy action scenes. The use of reverse crank worked really well and I found the fight choreography and performances to exceed other aspects of the movie. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I especially liked Yukari Oshima and Lin-Hsiao Lu, though the cast was all impressive. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is not a movie that takes itself terribly seriously so if you enjoy weirdness and potty humor mixed with with kung fu, this may be up your alley. If you ever pondered "who punishes the master for urinating in the courtyard?" then Kung Fu Wonderchild will satisfy many of your curiosities. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In some ways it is a film more about individual moments, and has a bit of a hangout-movie feel at times. And many such moments have very little connection to the overall story, though some of them to help flesh out characters, often characters who become unimportant by the end of the movie. Still I did have fun in most of these scenes. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What the movie feels like to me is decent saturday morning martial arts viewing. I think viewed casually it is engaging and fun. But it is not a movie I would rave about. I am glad I saw it. One day I might want to see it again, but for the most part, it was a one-and-done feature for me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The version I saw seemed to have been restored, though I am not sure. But it was very brightly technicolor, which I actually kind of liked, though the technicolor tone changed inexplicably at various points in the film. I must admit if it had been more grainy like many other martial arts movies from this time, then it would not have held my attention as well because at times the visuals were all that was maintaining my interest. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The special effects do sometimes tread into old Doctor Who territory. In some places they are fine though. I liked the wirework and I liked some of the rotoscoped effects. But the practical effects for the monsters definitely fell short. There is a cartoon dragon in the final fight, which was unusual and I am still not sure how I feel about it. It was like like Pete's Dragon for a second. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The movie hand waves certain things, but I kind of liked that it did so. There were places where the handwaves helped keep the plot moving at a rapid pace. For example in one scene, after the heroes encounter the sorcerer and discover his soul-filled jars, instead of the obligatory explanation when they see grandfather, he simply informed them that he already knows and we can get back to the action. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are a lot of gonzo elements to the film. It would be impossible to list them all but to give one example we have a sequence early in the movie where Chiu Hse encounters two children who turn out to be hopping vampires looking for their father. The father, also a hopping vampire, falls face first into a pile of poo and is largely used for a bunch of slapstick as Chiu Hse tries to help his children find him. We are treated to a nice fight between her and the hopping vampire by the end of the sequence, however. There is quite a lot of this kind of thing in the movie. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I don't aggressively recommend this movie. I do think, since it is on prime with ads, if you want something a little light and you like martial arts on the weird side, it may be worth checking out. Also if you are a Yukari Oshima fan or a fan of Lin Hsiao-lu, you may want to see it for their performances. There are certainly films I would recommend in this category before getting to this one but I did enjoy it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TAKING IT TO THE TABLE</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you are looking for gameable inspiration, then I recommend this movie more than if you are just looking for a solid martial arts action film. This film oozes gameable content. If you're a game master, and you watch this movie, you will have an adventure idea by the end of it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The first element that is very easy to take to the table is the villain. A martial arts master who wields magic and is putting souls into jars to increase his power, writes itself as an RPG adventure. It also has an interesting countdown to disaster aspect because the villain is increasing his power each night by drawing on the energy of the trapped souls. I think this would be pretty impossible to screw up as an adventure concept. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are also lots of other little elements that are workable. There is a ton of magic on display and if you are looking for new kinds of magic to bring into a wuxia RPG, you will find plenty of interesting examples here. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of my favorite gameable moments of Kung Fu Wonderchild was when Hsiu Chuen is punished by the school for an offense that warrants having his eye plucked out. To avoid this fate, his grandfather agrees to have him undergo a trial by ordeal, in which he is shrunk and put into a miniature courtyard house that he must fight his way out of in 5 minutes or less to avoid death. During this sequence they freely borrow the face hugger from Alien and throw in another creature that is a little harder to describe. But this would work beautifully in an RPG. I love miniature realms, and used one recently in one of my campaigns earlier last year. Here I like the idea of a model of a house being used as a dungeon. I would probably tweak it so there is something inside the house but in order to reach it, voluntarily being shrunk is a tempting solution. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are also plenty of monsters: hopping vampires, a zombie, and ghosts. Plus the aforementioned face hugger and company. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think most GMs running wuxia campaigns or campaigns in a similar genre, will find plenty of inspiration in Kung Fu Wonderchild. So for that, I recommend it enthusiastically. However if you are just looking for some fun gonzo martial arts, maybe watch Buddha Palm and work your way down a list of better films before settling on this one. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-55869054228206494952024-02-16T21:27:00.003-05:002024-02-16T21:27:25.096-05:00OGRE GATE AND STRANGE TALES OF SONGLING REFERENCE PAGES <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These are not complete yet but want to put these reference pages for Ogre Gate and Strange Tales of Songling that Adam Baulderstone has been working on. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://candies-turn-j0h.craft.me/xz4a3janJGvMf1">STRANGE TALES OF SONGLING</a> </span></p><p><a href="https://candies-turn-j0h.craft.me/94CLfQ8Wk6DAbr"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE</span></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-10360513191513067442024-02-14T20:32:00.002-05:002024-02-14T20:32:35.230-05:00HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE SESSION FOUR<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was the fourth session of my Heavenly Fragrance Campaign, a living adventure prepared using tools and procedures discussed in the</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">Wuxia Sandbox blog posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. This campaign is intended to play as a sandbox but with more dramatic elements. It is a two player campaign where run in what I call "Condor Heroes Mode", where characters begin with only one Kung Fu technique, their family background established and connected to the setting, and using a level advancement system based on encounters with higher level masters who train them. It also makes use of a campaign Shake-Up table, rolled once each session, to manage an unfolding background situation (see</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">). I will include footnotes to explain what procedures were invoked during play. The campaign is set in Fan Xu, largely using the</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/415372/SONS-OF-LADY-87-AN-OGRE-GATE-CAMPAIGN" style="font-family: helvetica;">Sons of Lady 87 </a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">book. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bao Long: An orphaned street urchin who was adopted by Lady Eighty-Seven's son, Guan Shisu after he came to the aid of Guan Shisu's daughter, Little Guan Hua. All he knows about his background is that his mother died when he was young. Bao Long has been taught some martial arts by Lady Eighty-Four, Yuhuan. Bao Long is a bit dim-witted but tough. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua: The daughter of Guan Shisu and the disciple of Guan Nuan. Little Guan Hua is cowardly and feeble, but intelligent. </span> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE LONG LASH OF LADY PLUM BLOSSOM </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bao Long and Little Guan Hua took a carriage to Tung-On. On the road they were forced to stop when an ugly woman holding a pipa, stepped into their path about 100 paces ahead. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxSjiI3pcN1gCy31hpm1OubQ5ZCGlMvrXjC2zcunk-TVMoA9lhtGK4QRwGk0iVlALBQ3yi02e3z8hKVNMvX4eN_T6c7bLlSBeOi9n069retALGFk5zxvlkER6ExF95w5mSyXc0kGOnp_mawuWLYSVxSqk4Ku5yM9-BcSnBfWkUw93ZzLAt9P3iOdIL05L/s3898/FBaerald_TungOn_300ppi.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3898" data-original-width="2835" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxSjiI3pcN1gCy31hpm1OubQ5ZCGlMvrXjC2zcunk-TVMoA9lhtGK4QRwGk0iVlALBQ3yi02e3z8hKVNMvX4eN_T6c7bLlSBeOi9n069retALGFk5zxvlkER6ExF95w5mSyXc0kGOnp_mawuWLYSVxSqk4Ku5yM9-BcSnBfWkUw93ZzLAt9P3iOdIL05L/s320/FBaerald_TungOn_300ppi.tif" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Map by Francesca Baerald</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The woman strummed a dissonant chord and said "Bao Long and Little Guan Hua, I am Invincible Pipa and am taking you into custody on behalf of Lady Plum Blossom."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"On what grounds?" Asked Little Guan Hua.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"You have been accused of killing her disciples through sabotage. South Wind Manor has agreed to hear the case and will give you a fair trial."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua attempted to negotiate, offering to go with her if she first came with them to Tung-On. However she refused so Bao Long lunged forward and stabbed at her leaving a terrible wound. In the course of striking Invincible Pipa, he saw that she was wearing a disguise*. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Invincible Pipa struck another chord sending a blast at Bao Long who dodged as it sliced off the top of their carriage. Little Guan Hua leapt into the air and delivered a flutter of kicks, sending Invincible Pipa against the ground. Bao Long finished her off but chose to let her live. Removing her mask they saw that she was actually quite beautiful. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They tied her to a tree and waited for her to awaken. When she awoke she was in no position to negotiate. Little Guan Hua said they were going to take her to Tung-On but she would go with Invincible Pipa to South Wind Manor after. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE TALL WALL OF WAN MEI </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They put her bound in the carriage and continued on to Tung-On. As they approached the city, a messenger reached them and said their master was waiting for them and told him to inform them to meet her at a 'bloody and disused homestead."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They followed his directions and found an abandoned stone building on the outskirts of town. Little Guan Hua went in first and explained everything to her master, including that they had Invincible Pipa captive. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Delighted, Dancing Corpse said "Do you know how to work stone?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Yes teacher."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Good, we will build a wall, and seal her inside, and you will learn to play her pipa. It will be a tortuous and gruesome death. She has mastered the Passionless Heart Technique and shall die if anyone can play a song that moves her."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dancing Corpse went with Little Guan Hua to retrieve Invincible Pipa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Greetings Invincible Pipa," She said. "My student has told me you are to take her to a fair trial. I think this is marvelous news. To show our gratitude we have prepared a room for you for the night. In the morning you have my permission to take Little Guan Hua to South Wind Manor for the hearing." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Invincible Pipa went into the building and they knocked her out. Then they placed her in a stone hall and began building a wall from floor to ceiling, leaving only enough room for her to wiggle her fingers and only a small opening so she might see and be given food. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Taking her disciples into the courtyard she informed them that she intended to train them both so they could all go and kill Lady Plum Blossom. But first she wanted Little Guan Hua to master the Pipa and use it to kill Invincible Pipa. When these tasks were complete she would go into seclusion in order to achieve a breakthrough in her training, so she would be strong enough to face Fan Batu with them by her side. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For two months she trained them teaching the Unfurling Hand of Bing and improving their conditioning**</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">*This was the product of a Detect roll in which the player rolled a Total Success</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">**In this campaign I am using free form advancement. Here they learned the Unfurling Hand of Bing and each gained 1 rank in Arm Strike. Their Qi Ranks increased to Qi Rank 4. Little Guan Hua also learned Lash of the Fly Whisk and gained 1 rank in Light Melee. Bao Long learned Clutch of the Hawk and improved his Grapple by 2 ranks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-25896425571587046602024-02-12T21:05:00.004-05:002024-02-12T21:07:35.739-05:00PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION FIVE<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a sandbox campaign for </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, operating in "Condor Heroes Mode". I used a lot of the procedures described in the </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">wuxia sandbox posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. This is a campaign with three players. Before the campaign started we spent time establishing their family connections, rolling randomly for both their mothers and fathers (normally only one parent is randomly rolled, but in this case we wanted characters with potentially scandalous backgrounds). These characters each started play with just one Kung Fu Technique. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">XIANG GUIYING: The daughter of Jade Fist of Twin Fisted Eagle sect and Pale Fox, a notorious bandit. She is seeking pelts from Pearl Tigers. She is beautiful but wears a disguise to hide this from others. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ZHENG BAO: Short and burly, he is the son of Zhang San of Bone Breaking Sect and of Reckless Storm. However San is married to Chen and has maintained the presence that Bao is Chen's son. Unfortunately due to crucial background information, Chen knows that Bao cannot be his son so is distant. Zheng Bao's uncle, Bone Breaker, is fond of him. He is seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower to please his uncle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PAN JU (MOGHA): </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The son of the Witch of Zhaoze Zhou and Nergui Mogha, Pan Ju grew up in the Kushen Basin but has returned to the Banyan and Hai'an, where he knows his mother resides. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>I KILL THEREFORE I AM </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zheng Bao sent a pigeon to his uncle Bone Breaker with a brick of tea and a description of his exploits, as well as a request for training. Later that day, while he was doing line drills at the Silver Spear School, Spear Immortal Xiang Di called him aside and spoke away from prying ears. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"There is an official snooping in town and staying at the Drunken Monk Inn, asking about robberies of merchant caravans in the area. People are saying the official is Jade Swallow, a relative of the king. I want you to take Qing and Jiayin with you, eliminate this problem."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Yes Master," said Zheng Bao. "How do you want it handled."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I don't want to know the details, but ensure whatever has been discovered by this official never makes it back to the capital." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zheng Bao scoped out the area and planned an ambush. He had Qian Qing follow Jade Swallow and find a spot to stage a surprise attack. An alley near the Drunken Monk Inn was chosen. Zheng Bao and Qian Qing, who was armed with a parasol, hid themselves in crates near the inn's back entrance, while Feng Jiayin waited with a cross bow to attack when she rounded the corner. </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKP3KFKxASAzwjyV7IhQhyphenhyphena7naTudj8oPvFJ1hyDIG_TtGGsh6SlYFKu_TFWo82asaOvb6xhk4SO-CLYn4iwILQPkawMuKr6l6b3pV9fuNtPeBUJq1eYlfVo-mKHfR83xl9fsmLDFeo6ppyJXdnzKrQn6mzmzoyCCVV1-ax_dtzrZYOMvDIaNkBThpnE1/s3960/FIG09-Tattoos_and_Culture-HP.tif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="3960" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKP3KFKxASAzwjyV7IhQhyphenhyphena7naTudj8oPvFJ1hyDIG_TtGGsh6SlYFKu_TFWo82asaOvb6xhk4SO-CLYn4iwILQPkawMuKr6l6b3pV9fuNtPeBUJq1eYlfVo-mKHfR83xl9fsmLDFeo6ppyJXdnzKrQn6mzmzoyCCVV1-ax_dtzrZYOMvDIaNkBThpnE1/s320/FIG09-Tattoos_and_Culture-HP.tif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Art by Jackie Musto </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">However their attempt failed when she spotted the crossbowman and hesitated. They attacked anyways, but she easily deflected them and countered. Though Feng Jiayin managed to hit her with his bolts a couple of times, she fended off Zheng Bao's spear strike with her axe, sliding the blades down the shaft and wounding him. She quickly dispatched Qian Qing then blasted Zheng Bao with a Qi attack that sent him flying into the ground. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Feng Jiayin ducked around a corner and continued to let ricocheting arrows fly at Jade Swallow. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I will let you both live if you agree to come with me and face justice. If you do so, I will plead for the magistrate to be merciful."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zheng Bao let out a roaring refusal and attacked again with his spear. Once again, Jade Swallow trapped his spear with her Axe and slid the blades into him. Zheng Bao was passed out from the blood loss and awakened inside a cage somewhere far from Hening, near a water mill. Jade Swallow prepared a meal nearby. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> **</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the Autumn Inn, Xiang Guiying was summoned to meet with Mrs. Wu in the restaurant dining area before dawn. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I have a task for you," She said. "There is a murderous man, a tattoo artist who gets his victims drunk before performing his services, kills, then robs them. His name is Yin Zhi and he is presently staying at the The Peaceful Wind Wine Shop. I want you to go there and kill him." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Can you tell me anything more about him?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"He is known to carry a firelance." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Thank you for this opportunity Teacher," Said Guiying. "May I take Pan Ju with me on this mission?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Yes," Mrs. Wu slid a tray of silver taels across the table, worth 1,000 spades. "This is your upfront payment. You will receive another tray upon your return. Your cut of the contract."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying thanked Mrs. Wu and set out for The Peaceful Wind Wine Shop. Along the way they met some beggars who helped them find their destination. Upon arrival, they went were given seats in a dining area and ordered wine. Looking around they saw someone who met Ying Zhi's description, fretting in a corner. After about an hour he went upstairs and Guiying moved outside near the courtyard to observe him through a window. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying climbed into position and saw him painting on the wall. He was drawing a figure, a tall woman with a puzzling expression and intelligent eyes, leaning on a long stick and an ox tail thrown over her shoulder with the other hand. Guiying recognized her as Towering Beauty Ouyang Li. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Climbing quietly through the window, Guiying surprised Ying Zhi with a deadly slash of her blade. Another stroke and he was dead on the floor, his blood sprayed over the painting of Towering Beauty. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying took Ying Zhi's black axe, and then put his head in a box constructed by Pan Ju. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After the murder, Guiying and Pan Ju headed south to return to The Autumn Inn. On the way they saw a woman heading from the opposite direction. She was tall and looked like the lady Yin Zhi's painting. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She paused and greeted them then asked where they were going. They told her they were headed to Dee and she said she was meeting someone at the Peaceful Wind Wine Shop. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Towering Beauty pointed at the box carried by Guiying. "What is in that box?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At that moment both realized there was blood dripping from the corner. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Oh that," Said Guiying. "It is a tiger's heart. We are hoping it will have some value in Dee."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"May I buy it from you? I am late for a meeting and a gift might help smooth things over."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Actually," Guiying said. "I lied. It isn't a tiger's heart, but a tiger's penis. I procured it for my father who is said that he never had a son. I thought this might be beneficial to him."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Towering Beauty seemed impressed and asked if she could buy the tiger's penis for a large sum, as it would make a good gift. Guiying said he could not part with it but Pan Ju offered to make her a scripture from nearby wood and sell that if she needed a gift. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Towering beauty Ouyang Li agreed and Pan Ju set out to sculpt. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"What would you like me to make for you?" Pan Ju asked. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Something ferocious," said Towering Beauty Ouyang Li. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pan Ju began working on the wood and produced an unrivaled sculpture of a crocodile open jaws*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Towering Beauty was so impressed she paid 8,000 spades for the sculpture and went on her way to the Peaceful Wind Wine shop. Guiying and Pan Ju continued walking to the Autumn Inn. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;">*The player rolled a 10 on their Trade (Wood) skill</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-72528683349918757242024-02-07T10:08:00.003-05:002024-02-07T10:08:16.209-05:00WUXIA SANDBOX: KUNG FU AND CHARACTERIZATION ON THE FLY <p><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is part of my Wuxia Sandbox series. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can see the previous post <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html">HERE</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. These are all primarily written with</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades</a> in mind but can be applied to most wuxia RPG campaign where sandbox is the focus. This series discusses a wide variety of methods and procedures I use. These should be regarded as tools, not as required steps in building a sandbox. I may use all, some or none for any given campaign. Every time I run a campaign, I take a slightly different approach based on what the needs of the current campaign are. </span></i></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The purpose of this blog series isn't to set up proscriptive procedures. It is simply to give people a better idea how I run my wuxia sandbox campaigns. </i></span></p><p><i style="font-family: helvetica;">My view on wuxia in RPGs is every GM has their own take on the genre, their own sensibilities about how to best bring it to the gaming table. This is true of any genre, but with wuxia it seems especially the case. Please do not take my advice as definitive in any way. Watch and read wuxia for yourself and form your own conclusions. What works for one GM, will completely miss the point for another. </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>A NOTE </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This post is advice specific to <i><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i>. It can be applied to other games but the main focus is on helping the GM come up with NPCs and kung fu techniques on the fly. Some of the preliminary principles have been covered in prior posts but I am including them here so everything is conveniently together. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>KEY NPC PRINCIPLES </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These are three principles I try to keep in mind when making NPCs and running NPCs. While they apply to all NPCs, not just those made on the fly, I wanted to go over them because they inform how I make characters live during play. Because NPCs and Kung Fu are often created hand in hand, I felt these were important to go over. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THEY LIVE! </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For me the heart of a good wuxia sandbox is less the living world and more the living characters in that world. Again this is the reason I much prefer the label living adventure to sandbox*. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What does it mean for an NPC to live? I</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">t means they have real motivations, goals, hidden layers, that they can be reasoned with, even if they are unreasonable at times or hellbent on some grand scheme of mass destruction. It also means they aren't tethered to a location. They aren't waiting for the PCs to act, they take initiative on their own and they respond when the players do act with their own actions. They act intelligently like a real person. That doesn't mean each NPC is a genius but they do have a brain and use it to make decisions. Their choices are guided by their motives and goals not by the GM's desire for a particular encounter or set-piece. They are an organic part of the setting. In game terms, they are moving pieces on the board. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THEY ARE GAMEABLE </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yes you want to make characters who live and give them understandable personalities and aims, but you aren't creating characters for a literary novel, you are making characters for your campaign. This means you need to have gameable elements. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkaC7akHpxHFDxezsRRbe_PYTIZR0_0JX9CZdtToycdXyC6-uX32zEEKRygkUo_Jn3P5fiBmH4rNmcsU7PSr8aM4wXwafbYJtvIafAgel9ljRQCEg33Zb8hBlj9xYsTVFPN7iFUBm5P8Cjoo41TR34UNizR67Yq1KcHsvROv1DUMacrGZVz5vnP96aREj/s3960/FIG27_DeflectingDance_HP.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="3960" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkaC7akHpxHFDxezsRRbe_PYTIZR0_0JX9CZdtToycdXyC6-uX32zEEKRygkUo_Jn3P5fiBmH4rNmcsU7PSr8aM4wXwafbYJtvIafAgel9ljRQCEg33Zb8hBlj9xYsTVFPN7iFUBm5P8Cjoo41TR34UNizR67Yq1KcHsvROv1DUMacrGZVz5vnP96aREj/s320/FIG27_DeflectingDance_HP.tif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Art by Jackie Musto</span> </td></tr></tbody></table>When I work on NPCs, the questions I keep asking myself is: how is this character gameable? Is there anything in the entry that makes the character more than an interesting personality to meet? What elements can the players engage? This is the difference between world building for engagement and world building for tourism. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">An easy place to start here is with stark goals. What does the NPC want most? An NPC who wants the Five Ghost Hand Manual or who wants to kill Dancing Corpse Queen Wan Mei, is instantly gameable to me when the players encounter them. This doesn't mean meeting them must lead to an adventure, but it can. Also knowing what NPCs want is the core of of a good interaction. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sometimes the line between flavor and being gameable is not clear. That is fine. You don't want your characters to feel like they are just plucked off a game board or video game to give your player's fetch quests**. But you want to get a feel for whether the character has hooks the players can work with. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>KUNG FU AND CHARACTERIZATION </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-align: center;">One of the crucial elements in a wuxia RPG is using martial arts to help characterize an NPC. Even random martial experts you make on the fly need to have something that make them stark, sets them apart in the player's minds. In a wuxia campaign an NPC isn't just backstory and personalty. Their martial arts abilities are a reflection of who they are. In any genre, capabilities like this are important, but in wuxia it is important to consider not just the martial arts style and technique of the character but things like the weapon the weapon they use. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>KUNG FU PRINCIPLES </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These are general principles I keep in mind when designing Kung Fu Techniques (whether on the fly or between sessions). </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>FLAVOR </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ogre Gate prioritizes setting and characters. So I would first advise that you think in terms of flavor, genre and what works for the character, before proceeding to mechanics, and when you get to mechanics, don't obsess about balance and don't fret of the precise Qi rank (the exact Qi rank of a technique can be adjusted over time when you are designing them on the fly). Think about what the technique does, how it works in the setting. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>BALANCE AND IMBALANCE</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</i> is not designed with a rigid sense of balance in mind for its martial arts. In fact, as stated many times here, imbalance is part of the concept. I picture the martial world evolving and changing, with periods of stability and balance and periods where a new powerful technique or suite of techniques throws the martial world into chaos (but the world responds to this imbalance and eventually as counters develop to it, as new techniques develop to contend with it, balance is restored). So think more in terms of balance over time, not balancing each technique rigidly. Also it is okay for there to be power spikes in techniques. This is part of the genre. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>FOCUS AND STRUCTURE </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I try to follow a standard structure when I make techniques. If you look at Ogre Gate, the best techniques usually have a 1-2 sentence description, followed by a concise mechanical description:</span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Make a [blank skill] roll again [blank defense]. On a Success X happens. On a Total Success Y happens. On a Failure Z happens. Cathartic: When used cathartically A occurs</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I like techniques to be three paragraphs, no more. Some have to be larger but generally this is the preferred length. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Techniques should also be focused. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Keep the concept as simple as it needs to be and make sure the flavor matches the mechanics. If there are too many concepts in a single technique this is hard to do, and it usually is a sign that instead of making one technique you need to divide it up into multiple techniques. Often this is how technique suits are born. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I wrote about these two points in a previous blog entry which you can read </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/02/focusing-your-kung-fu-design.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">HERE</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>GAUGING POWER </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One thing you need to do when making a technique is decide how powerful it is and figure out how to make it that level of power. This is more something you develop an instinct for over time, but things to look for are: how many wounds can a technique do in a single attack (is it enough to kill a PC for example), how many targets can it affect, does it have any impact on accuracy, can it weaken powerful foes, etc. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are no official rules here but we do have reference sheets we occasionally use. While I do occasionally use this rough sheet to gauge power levels, it really is more of a starting point and it isn't particularly helpful, at least to me, when making techniques on the fly. Still here is one example of such a sheet, but keep in mind, these are baseline numbers that almost never match techniques in the book exactly, don't treat them as rigid guidelines. Once you begin considering other factors, you will find you move these numbers up and down considerably. Note I have a few versions of this, with different variations. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3RSXJztzeR-Dx7P9L5xSh3s-tA-XBhedLYtwZl9ni2G5mS5-l1IB2gJTsTHMcQe1-Vxgd4YryLAwve7uIr4eBnQn0oBZcuqkfPO973DfeT5nZTeSAvpkIQqFN5i5t-Noa14lBTT4pQLlHFDrwajsI91yf1ZXvrPnD6Lp58R62SNfYmc-hbeGqZ5Xfmbw/s1528/Screenshot%202024-01-26%20at%205.07.54%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1528" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3RSXJztzeR-Dx7P9L5xSh3s-tA-XBhedLYtwZl9ni2G5mS5-l1IB2gJTsTHMcQe1-Vxgd4YryLAwve7uIr4eBnQn0oBZcuqkfPO973DfeT5nZTeSAvpkIQqFN5i5t-Noa14lBTT4pQLlHFDrwajsI91yf1ZXvrPnD6Lp58R62SNfYmc-hbeGqZ5Xfmbw/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-26%20at%205.07.54%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I do want to reiterate that I post this with reluctance. We experimented with many guidelines and formulas, techniques doing X number wounds per Qi rank, and other methods to provide a consistent level of power. These invariably made the game less exciting and less fun overall. It just made things too uniform, too predictable. So consider Qi ranks a rough horizon to shoot for when making techniques. The one thing worth considering is whether the technique can kill someone a Qi rank higher than the user (or at least a Qi rank higher than its listed Qi rank). You can exceed that if you want to, but it is a boundary to keep in mind. Basically consider the max damage it can do and compare that max damage to the max wounds of characters at different Qi ranks. </span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>MOVIE AND BOOK MARTIAL ARTS INSPIRATION</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Draw from wuxia media when designing techniques. My biggest source of inspiration is Martial arts movies. If you watch enough wuxia, you will develop a library in your head of common moves that should be easy to turn into techniques. And often you will see a technique and this will inspire you to make a new concept based off it. With books it is similar, but books often provide more in depth explanation of principles which can be helpful. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>REAL MARTIAL ARTS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-align: center;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When I first started work on Ogre Gate it was after years of trying to make a martial arts RPG system. I had been taking cracks at it forever, at one point trying to put together a fight system based on slapping down playing cards (because to me that felt like an approximation of a real exchange of blows and also how you mental library of options diminishes during a fight). But by the time I sat down to do Ogre Gate, I had moved away from trying to base it on real world martial arts and leaned more heavily into cinematic martial arts. While that is very much at the heart of the game, just like wuxia movies and kung fu movies draw on real styles, it can be useful to take real elements and bring them into the techniques. Here I would say go with what you know and are most familiar with or if you have read about something recently and feel excited by the idea of it, try turning that into a Kung Fu Technique. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>KUNG FU TECHNIQUES ON THE FLY </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These are just different ways of approaching technique creation on the fly. Most important is to not overthink and not second guess too much. You are making them in the moment, they won't always be perfect, you can revise them when you have more time. The most important thing is to write something down. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ON BALANCE</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Again, balance is not a chief consideration here, especially when making techniques on the fly but I do think when making up a technique or suite of techniques in the moment, you should consider a few important things. How dangerous do you want the user to be to be in the martial world. Don't think Qi rank. Just think about how much damage they can do in a single attack, how many people they can attack at once and if they have solid counters. Also think about how you want the technique regarded by the martial world. Is this meant to be a relatively innocuous ability or is it something special others covet? </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The chief thing to consider is: who can this kill in a single use of the technique? </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>WHOLE CLOTH AND SHORT HAND </b> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Coming up with a technique whole cloth on the fly is liberating because it can be anything you want and anything that feels right for the NPC or group you are making it for. You don't need to write out a complete technique. You just need a note about what it does, a mechanical effect, and if you can think of it, a Cathartic effect (often I assess this after). Getting it on paper is the most important thing. If you do this enough, it starts to become second nature. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Instead of seeing the time crunch to create in the moment as a limitation, try to see it as an opportunity to truly imagine a character with a distinct martial arts technique. You can untether yourself from the the pages of the rulebook and just imagine. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>MODELING FROM EXISTING TECHNIQUES ON THE FLY</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can use existing techniques as models. Often this is too difficult to do on the fly. But you can do it from memory. After running WHOG for a while you should know a number of Kung Fu Techniques and you can use these as guides for making new ones quickly. Also sometimes you will have time to look up things or think because players are engaging one another in character conversation. So if that is the case, feel free to look up a random technique or a specific one and rework it into something new that fits the NPC. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is not reskinning. Reskinning is somewhat illusionary, you want to give you techniques individual character and mechanical heft. So when you built off an existing technique it is more like taking inspiration from a song to write a new song. You can use the core idea, you can use some of the mechanics, but try to throw in enough new material that ties to your new NPC so it feels fresh and not copy and paste. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>RESKINING</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Reskinning techniques is something I do as a last resort but it works in a pinch. Just grab a technique, and use that as your foundation for the NPC and the suite of techniques. Take the mechanics but change the weapon, change the flavor, make it fit the NPC. However if you can quickly grab a random technique from the rulebook, or find one in a timely manner that matches what you need in some way, reskinning can be perfect. Also you can and should fiddle with details when you reskin once you get accustomed to this approach, so that each technique is unique. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE BEDROCK APP</b> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Bedrock-Companion-App.html">The Bedrock App</a>, available on The Bedrock Games Website, is very helpful for on the fly NPCs and Kung Fu Techniques. It has an NPC generator which is useful. But it also has the full library of Kung Fu Techniques which are searchable, so it is a good way to find models to use when you have to make them on the fly. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>MECHANICAL CHOICES </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you are an improv player in a band, you need a library in your mind that you can readily go to of chords, scales, etc. In an RPG, you need a library of mechanical widgets you can go to. When making a Kung Fu technique on the fly, think about what mechanics in the game you are comfortable sculpting into a martial ability. The work for this begins by trying to observe basic patterns in the system. For example techniques can do a wide variety of things as an effect, but common ones are adding damage dice to a roll, improving an attack roll, reducing or draining defenses such as Hardiness or Wits, turning damage rolls into open damage rolls, adding extra wounds to an attack, improving the users defenses or counters, triggering falling damage, imposing skill penalties, etc. This may seem extremely basic and obvious but it is one of the easiest things to lose sight of or overlook. And you can start to be more creative the more you master the system. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>AN EXAMPLE</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the most recent example from my own campaign. It isn't a perfect example and there are some flaws, which I will discuss, but I think that is better for demonstrating what I am talking about. In this session I drew on a lot of the methods I describe above to make a technique, an NPC and a small sect as we were playing. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">During the session I had a group of players who were adventuring in Hai'an. One of the players asked someone who trained them in techniques as a favor if there were any notable manuals in the region. This player was interested in finding and learning the techniques in them. When I looked at the list of manuals in the <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/war-of-swarming-beggars-chapter-eight.html">War of Swarming Beggars entry on the blog</a> to inform the NPCs response, I realized it was rather lean and so I added two more manuals in my notes that the NPC mentioned: The Green Raksha Manual and the Silver Spear Manual. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Both of these suggestions were fairly generic but the player wanted spear techniques and asked about the Silver Spear Manual. So I wrote in quickly thought of the Crack of the Hard Whip Technique as a model: </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovc4Rm2t7FCfyzQ5i8myF41dKI1As3d4o0Ud1MUjv7fyXqoQXcmNsGamdcK9dp-RLd2iT0z2CQiC4RN2XxOwBUuxM3uztM92eDPHcPHflv_S5kigd95X1Fou-WvKMDvma_M7A3MENc1-QczqR4_3LHrfa2MiYNTwroWrNsg2uoemO253bb32VgCgcjjY-/s732/Screenshot%202024-01-26%20at%204.32.50%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="732" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovc4Rm2t7FCfyzQ5i8myF41dKI1As3d4o0Ud1MUjv7fyXqoQXcmNsGamdcK9dp-RLd2iT0z2CQiC4RN2XxOwBUuxM3uztM92eDPHcPHflv_S5kigd95X1Fou-WvKMDvma_M7A3MENc1-QczqR4_3LHrfa2MiYNTwroWrNsg2uoemO253bb32VgCgcjjY-/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-26%20at%204.32.50%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was initially going to go by memory, but there was enough conversation happening among the players as this unfolded that I opened the entry and impulsively changed it to suit a spear, deciding to have it be more about bleeding people than stunning them or debilitating. So this is what I wrote down:</span><p></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Spear of the Immortal (Qi 3, Waijia): Spin & slit throat. Heavy melee at -1d10 against 1 target per Qi rank. Normal damage plus 2 Extra wounds. On Total Success bleeds target 1 Hardiness each round. TN 5 Medicine to stop bleeding. Cathartic: Does 3 Extra wounds, and TN 8 to stop bleeding. </i></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The player asked where the manual was and the NPC told him it was in Hening at the Silver Spear School. They then found a group of erhu musicians heading to Hening and offered their escort services for the journey. As we made rolls for the three days of travel I made a note about the Silver Spear School. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The technique seemed cruel and ferocious. But the image the Silver Spear Manual conjured was of a righteous looking school. So I wrote down: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Silver Spear School: In Hening. Led by Spear Immortal Xiang Di, Qi rank 5; sub chief Lin Wi rank 3, 30 Students. Spear Immortal Xiang Di presents as a righteous chief of a school and escort company but is really a bandit and his students are his underlings. He likes aggression and cruelty, and forms close bonds with his men through their robberies. This is also how they train in their techniques. Chief Lin is sneaky. </i></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This gave me enough information to extrapolate that if the chief was impressed by the players inititial meeting he would tell him to meet for training, but really plan to test him by taking him to rob a caravan. The other players had decided to look for Mrs. Wu of the Autumn Inn while they were in Hening, so my notes not that were minimal because she has a lot of information in the War of Swarming Beggars entry and in my own note book for the campaign. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The above has some issues. Silver Spear School is not only very, very generic, which isn't always a problem, but it is worth noting. More importantly I already have a school to the north with a similar sounding name. But you don't have time to get the perfect title. I was a lot happier with the details of Spear Immortal Xiang Di because the character was immediately clear to my mind. And his interactions with the PC worked perfectly. The technique itself also worked well in practice. The player who joined them was able to learn it, so I will see over the coming weeks how good it is. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In my other campaign (I run two a week), the players discovered that a boat bound for Mai Cun was smuggling celestial plume. When this was introduced I had to come up with the who, how and why. So I decided to lean on a technique I call shadowing. I take something a PC has done in the setting before and create a shadow of that for a new NPC (somehow I find this creates characters the players recognize or find familiar and believable even if they can't quite place it). So I determined that the boat would have been funded by a group in Jinsa led by a man named Iron Crocodile. Again you can see a theme this week of me leaning heavily on color-based named or material based names, something I wouldn't do if I had more minutes to think up the idea. But the point here is to just get something on the page, so that Iron Crocodile it was. I then decided he had two disciples, Bone Eating Monk and White Naga (another color-based name!). Iron Crocodile would be building a plume empire not for the money, but because he wanted to gain notoriety in the martial world in order to rise and challenge others in regular contests so he could prove he was the top fighter in the region (this is the shadowing part of the character). I only had time to write down a single signature technique and started with the name: Iron Tail Whip. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To mix it up, I decided to make it a pressure point kick, glanced at some dianxue stuff in the book and wrote: </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Iron Tail Whip: Spin kick hits precise point in spine, cause legs fail. Leg Strike and Medicine against Parry. Success target legs limp 1 round per rank Dianxue (if lower Qi rank). Total Success, arms limp too. Cathartic: Limp 1 week per rank Dianxue. Two Total Successes, effects permanent. </i></span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This technique also shadowed the technique of the character I had in mind when I made it (at least in terms of his overall theme. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I want to emphasize how imperfect these entries were. Sometimes I think GMs over think doing things on the fly and want everything to be perfect. But you are operating in a high pressure moment to come up with material as fast as you can to adapt to choices the players are making. While I would have loved to avoid the pattern of names like Iron Crocodile and Silver Spear, and I would have preferred to come up with a wholly original concept instead of a shadow concept of a previous PC or NPC, the purpose is to have something, anything, written down and useable, so the world and the techniques are all concrete. With techniques, you can always improve them later, and it is important not to get too hung up because a lot of kung fu you introduce on the fly will die moments later with the NPC who wields it. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*This idea</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> comes from a concept Blake Mobley called The Wandering Major Encounter in the Feast of Goblyns module, and that reflects the advice in the original Ravenloft module to "always keep in mind the motives of the vampire, how he moves about, and what his cunning plot his. You must play Strahd in the same way the players play their character." </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">**There is nothing wrong with fetch quests, I use them plenty but the point is these should feel like living characters</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-9441476369262487792024-02-05T18:51:00.002-05:002024-02-05T18:51:45.847-05:00HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE SESSION THREE <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was the third session of my Heavenly Fragrance Campaign, a living adventure prepared using tools and procedures discussed in the</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">Wuxia Sandbox blog posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. This campaign is intended to play as a sandbox but with more dramatic elements. It is a two player campaign where run in what I call "Condor Heroes Mode", where characters begin with only one Kung Fu technique, their family background established and connected to the setting, and using a level advancement system based on encounters with higher level masters who train them. It also makes use of a campaign Shake-Up table, rolled once each session, to manage an unfolding background situation (see</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">). I will include footnotes to explain what procedures were invoked during play. The campaign is set in Fan Xu, largely using the</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/415372/SONS-OF-LADY-87-AN-OGRE-GATE-CAMPAIGN" style="font-family: helvetica;">Sons of Lady 87 </a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">book. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bao Long: An orphaned street urchin who was adopted by Lady Eighty-Seven's son, Guan Shisu after he came to the aid of Guan Shisu's daughter, Little Guan Hua. All he knows about his background is that his mother died when he was young. Bao Long has been taught some martial arts by Lady Eighty-Four, Yuhuan. Bao Long is a bit dim-witted but tough. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua: The daughter of Guan Shisu and the disciple of Guan Nuan. Little Guan Hua is cowardly and feeble, but intelligent. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The players arrives in Gao Cun and found local beggars who took them to their Chief, Pei Lung. They gifted him some bath beans, which he seemed to like. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua told Chief Pei that they were hoping to obtain information about Fan Batu, especially any weaknesses he might have. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Chief Pei Lung asked them questions about their bath beads facility, and noted they were operating out of Mai Cun. They explained they did so with Lady 87's protection. He continued to try making deductions and confirming with follow-up questions then pressed them for further details about their operation. Eventually they began to negotiate a price and it was settled at 5,000 spades. Chief Pei Lung told them to give his regards to Lady 87 and that they should go to Ouyang Wine Shop where a person would meet them and provide the information they sought. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They went to the wine shop, which was more of a wine making facility, but were given a room in the back hall of the courtyard. Eventually a short woman using a spear as a cane arrived, dressed in brilliant golden robes. She told them her name was Wei Xiaoping, and she offered to tell them about Fan Batu if they would sell their business to Yu Qing Manor. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They negotiated and agreed to pay her 19,000 spades and bath beans for the information, with a promise to speak with Yu Qing Manor in the future about the possibility of letting them buy a portion of the business.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wei Xiaoping told them that Fan Batu had a master called Divine Astrologer who stopped teaching him when he foresaw that his student would bring great bloodshed to the world. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They asked where Divine Astrologer was presently and she said that he hadn't been seen in many years but that he used to teach Fan Batu near Mount Dao. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Does he have any notable weaknesses?" Asked Bao Long.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"His weaknesses are all the sins he has committed. As for his kung fu, if he has a weakness, it is overreliance on variations of his Iron Body technique."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After the meeting, as she was leaving, Wei Xiaoping said "As a token of good will, I must inform you that Chief Pei Lung has sold your information to Lady Plum Blossom and she is presently searching for you."*</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>PEI LUNG PAYS HIS DEBT</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From Gao Cun, the party went to Mai Cun and had an audience with Lady 87. Little Guan Hua told her what they done in their travels. She emphasized their dealings with Lady Plum Blossom, and informed her of Pei Lung's treachery, asking her grandmother to take his tongue as punishment. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Se_pj0soIWaYaxuTFAqN9TIg9uCkKxT-mGb5S2BbCdnCW9fpZSeZOjnrW_TO9Vj_N6fqBJ46mBSnYneuswKlVIgE-mzL8PtN7s3wnufHTFeAkSQ3IgW3V_i-dJMOmrZBFSBZaekug2pEl2A60-uTeHb7jpMaIiJVjDMHLROPWWimun8Vpk1kyjXFfFjS/s2178/singles_fig06_Lady87.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2166" data-original-width="2178" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Se_pj0soIWaYaxuTFAqN9TIg9uCkKxT-mGb5S2BbCdnCW9fpZSeZOjnrW_TO9Vj_N6fqBJ46mBSnYneuswKlVIgE-mzL8PtN7s3wnufHTFeAkSQ3IgW3V_i-dJMOmrZBFSBZaekug2pEl2A60-uTeHb7jpMaIiJVjDMHLROPWWimun8Vpk1kyjXFfFjS/s320/singles_fig06_Lady87.tif" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lady Eighty Seven was pleased with her grandchildren and had them stay at Guan Manor for a month so she could tutor them in her own techniques. She also suggested they remain students of Dancing Corpse. And she cautioned them to be wary of Lady Plum Blossom. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She also informed Little Guan Hua that she would indeed take Chief Pei Lung's tongue, provided she discover who was behind the celestial plume smuggling operation on the Wild Cricket. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua already had this information and told her grandmother that it was the dealings of a man named Iron Crocodile who had set up a martial arts school in Jinsa. Shortly after she was presented with a golden box containing the tongue of Chief Pei Lung. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While in Mai Cun, Little Guan Hua held a meeting with Wei Xiaoping to negotiate a potential deal with Yu Qing Manor. Wei Xiaoping informed her that Yu Qing was a difficult man and would accept no less than 10 percent of the business, and that he would likely consider this excessively generous on his part. Little Guan Hua told Wei Xiaoping to tell Yu Qing that 5 percent would be ideal, but she could do 10 percent, though it would pain her greatly. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>WU ZHEN</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They returned to Wu Zhen and hired staff for their shop: a shop hand named Chang Chun, a servant named Wan Lin and a woman named Lu Ping to oversee the daily activities of the shop. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They spoke with their father about training with Dancing Corpse and he told them that Lin Ragua's family sought justice. Some amount of blame was spilling onto him because people had heard that Little Guan Hua and Bao Long were training under the woman who murdered him. However Guan Shisu said they were wise to study under such a powerful master and that even if he had to make a show for the sake of justice, he supported their efforts. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While there it was announced that Iron Crocodile and White Naga were seeking an audience with Little Guan Hua and Bao Long. They spoke with them, but with their father and his men in attendance. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I have come to smooth things over between my people and the 87 Killers," Iron Crocodile said. "Please tell your grandmother, the admirable Lady 87 of the Guan Family, that I offer a contest to resolve matters. She can select a champion to send against me. Should I lose, I will swear allegiance to her and she will gain full control of my celestial plume network. Should I win, however, then she will agree to allow me to operate in peace through her territory with the understanding that I view her as an ally, not an enemy"</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua listened carefully and said "I am pleased to hear you speak in this way Iron Crocodile. I will carry this news to my grandmother, who I am sure will share your interest in avoiding conflict between our organizations."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">*As a matter of record keeping when this arose in the session, I altered the Grudge table so that Lady Plum Blossom was shifted to both the 8 and 7 slot (giving here a much greater chance of showing up as a grudge encounter) </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-35678500018048406992024-02-04T17:42:00.003-05:002024-02-04T17:42:47.896-05:00WUXIA INSPIRATION: DUEL FOR GOLD <p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span>This is part of a series I started when working on <a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a>, reviewing wuxia films and discussing their relevance to tabletop RPGs. </span><span>I am a little rusty on these written reviews and my last one was a little long winded, so I am going to aim for brevity on this one. </span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>If you want to bring wuxia to your RPG table, try <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades</a> or Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. </i></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Note: </b>I am writing these as a fan of the genre. I am not a movie expert or an expert in asian cinema. These are my own observations based on what I have learned by watching wuxia and kung fu movies, and by reading about them through interviews and books. But my knowledge is quite limited and I am an English speaker. So understand that my commentary comes from this perspective. </span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </span><br /><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This review contains many spoilers.</span></i></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">NOTE: </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I did a video review of this movie a few years ago, but wanted to give it a proper written review. If any opinions about the movie are different here it is because that was done seven or eight years ago and I have made a point of not rewatching it for this. </span></i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>DUEL FOR GOLD </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Duel for Gold</i> is a 1971 Chor Yuen film, staring Ivy Ling Po, Wang Ping, Chin Han, Chang Yi and Lo Lieh. Centered around a bank heist, the film's protagonists are all greed-driven scoundrels revealed to be more depraved as the story progresses. It features some remarkable lightness kung fu effects for the time and is also notable for its gruesome violence. Despite this gore, the movie is visually stunning and tells a great character based story.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What I like most about <i>Duel for Gold</i>, are the characters. This is one of the more cynical and jaded wuxia films, and none of the characters manage to be sympathetic in the least. That is not a criticism. I like how committed the movie is to making every single character irredeemable. The movie may give you occasional flashes of humanity, make you feel bad for a character for a moment, but then that person does something that evaporates any good will you had towards them. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOpqH_0Od1JPbHwT-3GsogdZgQGA0TVmzwE9R429eLCTLMSNT5EU4VFzvFpRP5KB1CIUp524F30VNCNOAlbf5m3bp1acQ1z-pbJ6l4vN_SpN3uQmguwn_PL_yjRAFQhxQoLAzTb-cx0ytLmSgylKPlmwXTvc_P9tNYOCCjRNz75P9doCElhBseT9aW10x/s1367/MV5BNDViMmE3YzQtMTMyOS00YzgzLTgwZmQtODAyZTEyYzBjMTAzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOpqH_0Od1JPbHwT-3GsogdZgQGA0TVmzwE9R429eLCTLMSNT5EU4VFzvFpRP5KB1CIUp524F30VNCNOAlbf5m3bp1acQ1z-pbJ6l4vN_SpN3uQmguwn_PL_yjRAFQhxQoLAzTb-cx0ytLmSgylKPlmwXTvc_P9tNYOCCjRNz75P9doCElhBseT9aW10x/s320/MV5BNDViMmE3YzQtMTMyOS00YzgzLTgwZmQtODAyZTEyYzBjMTAzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="234" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Duel for Gold </i>takes its time revealing the depths of the protagonists' immorality. Initially most of them don't seem so bad, perhaps deceptive, playful, even a little criminal, but they appear to have connections to other people, they appear to love and have desires that go beyond material wealth and self aggrandizement. As the movie advances however, the characters shed any virtue and humanity, revealing them all to be illusions. They are the opposite of a character like <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-raining-in-mountain.html">White Fox from my previous review</a>, who arguably was shedding her fetters over the course of an arduous theft. Here the thieves only become more rooted to material possessions and any connections or bonds they form are shallow, weakening in the face of enormous wealth. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The first half of the film is about a a bank robbery. This part is quite exciting. At first we think there are just two thieves: Yu Yen and Yu Ying, sister acrobats who feign being wounded so they can gain easy access to the Fu Lai Money Bureau. But soon we discover another thief eyeing the bank's gold, then another, and finally a fifth. There is something about the way in which we learn about each of the characters and their motives that works well for me. I also like that the movie dwells a bit on the details and procedures of the bank. It does a good job of establishing how impregnable this place is.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The latter portion of the film is about the conflict over the gold once it is obtained, and I think this is where the movie goes from being good to great. There is plenty of fighting, death and action, but also a lot of dialogue. The relationships between the characters are complex, but unlike some other Chor Yuen movies, it is never confusing. And even though these characters reveal themselves to be unsympathetic, we do feel for them as we puzzle through their scheming against one another. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The action is flowing, dance-like, and gory at times. If you like Chor Yuen fair, this has fights you will enjoy. The aim isn't to create distinct styles for each character, though they do each possess things that separate them from the others, but rather to create a sense of beauty through collaborative movement. I love this aspect of Chor Yuen movies, but I clarify what I mean by it here because I know some people prefer other styles of martial arts choreography.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I do like how the film punctuates the grace of many of the fights with surprising bloodshed. It isn't that the movie is excessively violent all the way through. But there are some creative death scenes that could give Friday the 13th a run for its money. And while it may seem gratuitous or for shock value, I find it is effective at hammering home just how ruthless greed has made the characters. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I also enjoy that banter plays a role in the exchanges. Chor Yuen often weaves dialogue between sword strikes effectively, where whole relationships will form over the course of a battle. Here the repartee has a nice edge to it. I particularly like when Yu Yen explains why she is called the Thousand Hands Goddess Heroine Meng after delivering a lethal blow. But there are many instances of dialogue and action flowing together perfectly. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Chor Yuen always makes gorgeous looking movies but I have a special fondness for movies from this period in his filmmaking. This and <i>Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan</i> are two of my favorite Chor Yuen movies because of how he fills the space with the actors profiles and facial features. And the look of the film making enhances a number of the themes. For example he makes a point of emphasizing the beauty of the Yu sisters in early frames of the film, and this feels like an intentional contrast with their internal ugliness. And I think viewers are meant to be lulled by this, slow to accept just how evil they are until it simply can't be denied. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In addition to the action described above, there is a great deal of emphasis on lightness kung fu, which makes sense for a film about a robbery. Not only do we get a solid opening sequence where the Yu sisters perform their acrobatics to a dazzled crowd, but we even have a makeshift bamboo forest duel in the middle of a city street when one character shoots bamboo trunks into the ground and a fight takes place atop the leaves. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TAKING IT TO THE TABLE </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While Duel for Gold is a great movie on its own, it is also a perfect film for any GM thinking of running a heist or bank robbery scenario. It also should serve nicely for NPC inspiration. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You get a real sense of the physical layout of the bank, this movie provides clear understanding of their security procedures, a sense of their organizational structure and the role of a bank in this society. Personally I found this very useful. A GM may want to do more than rely on a movie and learn about banking systems in various dynasties, but I think for most campaigns, this will give you a solid handle for presenting something like the money bureau in the film, which has lots of gaming potential. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In terms of NPCs, there is a lot to take inspiration from here. The techniques the characters use are just one avenue to explore. But also in terms of motivation, I think these types of characters will serve a GM well. Because they are ruthless and motivated by greed, they make for good NPCs that can produce conflict in a campaign. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For techniques, the ability to shoot bamboo shafts into the ground so they effectively form a bridge is a cool idea. This gave me the notion of a technique for Ogre Gate that uses the Trade (Wood) skill or Survival (Wilderness) to makeshift such objects into something useful, potentially doing damage if you hit someone in the process. A similar Signature Ability could work for Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades. In the movie it did not create a fully formed bridge, but that the characters then used lightness kung fu to walk atop the shafts, inspired me to think this way. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I also would love to explore the acrobatics at the start of the movie. I already have a lot of Qinggong abilities in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, but things like balancing in the air on the tip of a sword, with the tip of a sword, could be an interesting technique for either show or stopping damage from a fall. It also gave me the idea of a suit of Kung Fu techniques not intended for combat, but meant more for performance, stuff that would draw on things like Talent (Dance) and Athletics. I have players trying to impress important people in the martial world all the time, so even if these techniques had zero combat application, I could still see them being used often. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CONCLUSION</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Duel for Gold is definitely worth watching. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On the whole I quite recommend the movie to anyone interested in wuxia, particularly if the additional crime genre elements are intriguing to you. And it is especially good if you like movies that focus on more nefarious characters like the </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">Hateful Eight</i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. Unfortunately it is hard to find now. It is sad because I recommend this movie a lot to people but in most cases there is no way for them to see it. It is possible that there may be used copies available somewhere or that it will eventually be included in a boxed set. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-19629772565004977042024-01-30T14:45:00.001-05:002024-01-30T14:45:12.110-05:00HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE SESSION TWO <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was the second session of my Heavenly Fragrance Campaign, a living adventure prepared using tools and procedures discussed in the</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">Wuxia Sandbox blog posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. This campaign is intended to play as a sandbox but with more dramatic elements. It is a two player campaign where run in what I call "Condor Heroes Mode", where characters begin with only one Kung Fu technique, their family background established and connected to the setting, and using a level advancement system based on encounters with higher level masters who train them. It also makes use of a campaign Shake-Up table, rolled once each session, to manage an unfolding background situation (see</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">). I will include footnotes to explain what procedures were invoked during play. The campaign is set in Fan Xu, largely using the</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/415372/SONS-OF-LADY-87-AN-OGRE-GATE-CAMPAIGN" style="font-family: helvetica;">Sons of Lady 87 </a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">book. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bao Long: An orphaned street urchin who was adopted by Lady Eighty-Seven's son, Guan Shisu after he came to the aid of Guan Shisu's daughter, Little Guan Hua. All he knows about his background is that his mother died when he was young. Bao Long has been taught some martial arts by Lady Eighty-Four, Yuhuan. Bao Long is a bit dim-witted but tough. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua: The daughter of Guan Shisu and the disciple of Guan Nuan. Little Guan Hua is cowardly and feeble, but intelligent. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>A PLUM BLOSSOM SINKS IN THE RIVER </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The party finished training with their new teacher, Dancing Corpse Wan Mei, who instructed them to go and seek information on Fan Batu, then meet her in Tung-on in one month. Little Guan Hua had heard from a contact in the martial world that Fan Batu was staying at the Swallow's Nest Inn in Gao Cun, so they decided to head there. They departed and found passage on a merchant vessel called the Wild Cricket. They secured passage in exchange for Bao Long performing labor (his first task was to clean the deck of the ship). </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OxcGvacW0REL8yWtlZg1kYaXzanYZx3SXrXiSOWU3qFaZCo134-Q17zVhgqu9-QPOmgDpBoGC35oD5pK27sQKX4j2TgAjvdFirALPyPgRmk5OqmrVrs7piSN9X9EsDLMp-qv1lMhoYDb2pTZNZoFLhgLxc1MxWrowkaVDOP5bfq1Vb2cCYmXQUt7clda/s3960/FIG03LADY%20PLUM%20BLOSSOM%20AND%20LASH%20OF%20THE%20FLY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="3960" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OxcGvacW0REL8yWtlZg1kYaXzanYZx3SXrXiSOWU3qFaZCo134-Q17zVhgqu9-QPOmgDpBoGC35oD5pK27sQKX4j2TgAjvdFirALPyPgRmk5OqmrVrs7piSN9X9EsDLMp-qv1lMhoYDb2pTZNZoFLhgLxc1MxWrowkaVDOP5bfq1Vb2cCYmXQUt7clda/s320/FIG03LADY%20PLUM%20BLOSSOM%20AND%20LASH%20OF%20THE%20FLY.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Onboard they spotted a woman in purple robes with three disciples. She sat in a chair staring at the water and her disciples stood at attention. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua tried to get their attention and approached, offering them complimentary bath beans. Her conversation irked the woman who said "You are not worthy to converse with me."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Just as the lady was about to turn to go below deck, Little Guan Hua placated her with some sweet language and secured a smile. She then followed in secret to give them a gift but overheard the woman talking about Dancing Corpse Queen. She used words like 'malicious' 'cruel' and a 'menace'*. Not thinking much of it, Little Guan Hua returned to the deck, but later came back, again overhearing conversation, but this time it appeared the lady was plotting to kill Dancing Corpse Wan Mei. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Talking with Bao Long they decided to do something about it. Little Guan Hua went into the deck and searched, discovering that the real cargo was secreted celestial plume. Understanding the principles of ship building, she sabotaged the keel when the ship was briefly docked in a small town to unload some crates. Then they snuck off the ship and followed on foot to see what would happen. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Within thirty minutes the ship sank, collapsing violently into the river. Some of the crew drowned but a number escaped. The woman and one of her disciples dragged two bodies from the river. It seemed that her two other disciples had drowned. They followed as the woman and her disciple walked on foot to Fan carrying the bodies with them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From there they went to Gao Cun and arrived at the gates of the city. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*I discussed this in my post the <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-sandbox-state-of-party.html">State of the Party</a>. This session they rolled a fated encounter with Lady Plum Blossom on the shake up table so I drew on my own example. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-22217625961541025132024-01-30T00:17:00.004-05:002024-01-30T00:17:47.797-05:00WUXIA INSPIRATION: RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN <p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span>This is part of a series I started when working on <a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a>, reviewing wuxia films and discussing their relevance to tabletop RPGs. </span><span>I am a little rusty on these written reviews and my last one was a little long winded, so I am going to aim for brevity on this one. </span></i></span></p><p><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i>If you want to bring wuxia to your RPG table, try <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades</a> or Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. </i></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><i><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Note: </b>I am writing these as a fan of the genre. I am not a movie expert or an expert in asian cinema. These are my own observations based on what I have learned by watching wuxia and kung fu movies, and by reading about them through interviews and books. But my knowledge is quite limited and I am an English speaker. So understand that my commentary comes from this perspective. </span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </span><br /><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This review contains many spoilers.</span></i></span><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Raining in the Mountain</i> is a 1979 Taiwanese film directed and written by King Hu and filmed in South Korea. It is something of a companion piece to Legend of the Mountain, which was filmed in the same year and location. The movie stars Hsu Feng (White Fox), Tung Lin (Chiu Ming), Sun Yueh (Esquire Wen An), Paul Chun Pui (Hui Ssu), Shih Chun (Hui Tung), Tien Feng (General Wang), Wu Chia-Hsiang (Master Wu Wai), and Chin Chang-Ken (the Abbot). Ng Ming-Choi, who also plays Chin Suo in the movie, did the action choreography and martial arts direction. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlfk5CeQZf5HUaRA1sO4GFHhyphenhyphenlF7Yqe4euWqH3nXALJhrpIJY6p3RijA1f4qOej1bHh7IoywBG0TVNqWscRmi30rbxBVDv9Uj3O_zpHjcwYXpO86n7w65NKZQEA1XKwdsfbtSP0nq5ALPKQzzgsOvniMoyti8fiElq2HFx7bz3fNIQKTIvzDX77guI_sE/s1500/MV5BOWQ5YjRkMWMtOGY4ZS00NWZmLTkxNDAtMDI3YzFhNzFmMDVlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA4NDI1NTQx._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlfk5CeQZf5HUaRA1sO4GFHhyphenhyphenlF7Yqe4euWqH3nXALJhrpIJY6p3RijA1f4qOej1bHh7IoywBG0TVNqWscRmi30rbxBVDv9Uj3O_zpHjcwYXpO86n7w65NKZQEA1XKwdsfbtSP0nq5ALPKQzzgsOvniMoyti8fiElq2HFx7bz3fNIQKTIvzDX77guI_sE/s320/MV5BOWQ5YjRkMWMtOGY4ZS00NWZmLTkxNDAtMDI3YzFhNzFmMDVlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA4NDI1NTQx._V1_.jpg" width="216" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Raining in the Mountain</i> was not the movie I expected. Especially after seeing the King Hu films leading up to this one, I had thought it would be much heavier on the action. Instead it is much more dialogue and intrigue driven. Set in a remote temple in the mountains, the Abbot has invited three patrons (a general, a lay buddhist and a wealthy landowner) to visit prior to his retirement and help him choose a successor. But this temple houses an original copy of an ancient sutra that some of these people want for themselves. And it also is home to monks scheming for the position of head Abbot. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the Abbot's guests has brought thieves to do his dirty work and steal the sutra. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The temple setting feels very real. It strikes an interesting balance of reverence for the Buddhist ideas, but respect for making the people in the temple very earthbound and fallible. One of the delightful things about the movie is you never know quite who to root for. And you aren't ever fully invested in rooting against anyone. Different characters at different points display virtue and vice. There are certainly some characters who stand above that, but it takes time to know who they truly are and even the most nefarious characters in the movie gain our sympathy when they meet an untimely demise. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And Hu provides an interesting array of people that kept me invested. While there are lofty and virtuous characters, most of the main protagonists are scoundrels. It reminded me a bit of <i>Duel for Gold</i> in that sense. Part of this I am sure is due to the premise of a heist set in a temple. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The characters are sharply drawn and memorable. It is a movie filled with thieves, plotting monks, ex-convicts and corrupt officials. But they are also colorful. One character for example is an exemplary lay Buddhist, named Master Wu Wai, who has come to help advise the Abbot to choose his successor and one of the characters observes he is so immune to desires of the flesh that he surrounds himself with a retinue of beautiful attendants*. It is unclear initially to the viewer if he is truly so virtuous or if he is an "old lech" as White Fox suggests. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Other movies by King Hu, such as <i>A Touch of Zen</i>, get into similar Chan Buddhist themes, but <i>Raining in the Mountain</i> felt particularly focused on the subject. At times I found it to be quite moving on that level, and highly effective. In <i>A Touch of Zen</i> the spiritual theme of the film is largely conveyed through action and broad strokes of the story, here it is done primarily through the characters. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But it is also a movie about the corruption of institutions, political, social and religious. And it levels a critique at the pretensions of virtue and holiness. There is a well done scene with a large group of monks being led in meditation on a river, as the Wu Wai's attendants bathe nearby. There is sharp cutting back and forth between the women bathing themselves and the monks desperate reactions as they can't help but catch a glimpse, until they are admonished by Master Wu Wai's gaze. And this is the just the most minor and humorous aspect of the human failings taking place within the sangha. We see monks plotting against rivals, helping thieves steel a priceless sutra in exchange for a recommendation as the Abbot's successor, smuggling food into the temple, and even planning murder. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ultimately the temple is a very human place with all the pettiness and political manipulation that entails. However there are characters who stand above this and prove more in tune with the teachings the temple promotes. Because so much of the film's effectiveness rests on discovering more about the characters, I don't want to spoil that with specifics here. But there is one figure who truly rises above the others and endeared himself to me. I found this interesting because he is actually quite aspirational, but it is all done within a film that is showing us the very human failings of this institution (so you never are quite sure if he is truly this pure). I don't know if it was intentional or not, but again I found some of the spiritual features of the movie, in particular through this character, to be quite touching at times. It also made me curious about Hu's aim with the film, something I won't pretend to have an answer for here/ He simply made me want to know more about what he thought as he made Raining on the Mountain and why he made it).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And ultimately no one seems above earthly considerations. Even one of the film's most noble character is subject to the realities of monastic politics when he must consider using the sacred sutra as collateral to take out a loan in order to satisfy a rebellion of monks tormented by one of his rivals. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yet in the end, what stood out to me was the way Hu handles the theme of atonement. It felt earnest and is the aspect of Raining in the Mountain I found most emotionally powerful. It is handled poignantly through the character of Chiu Ming, a convict sentenced to serve in the army who paid for a permit to become a monk. His character embodies most of the themes of the movie as well, as his backstory involves all the corruption seen on display at the temple, but he comes to best represent the teachings of the sacred sutra the thieves are after. I loved Tung Lin's performance he as it is subtle and believable. His character undergoes the biggest transformation in the film, and the change is evident while the essence of the character remains very much the same. He is changed but unchanged as his standing in the temple shifts over time. And the actor and camera together capture this transformation perfectly. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I also felt this with the White Fox character played by Hsu Feng. She is less noble than Chiu Ming, but interesting because she is a thief who finds a certain amount of redemption. Much of the time we see her leaping and rushing through the halls of the temple seeking to steal the sutra, but every so often she sees or hears something that gives her pangs of conscience and she takes more noble actions. There seems to be an awakening of morality in the character, that restrains but never defeats her greed. In a way her story is a parallel to Chiu Ming's in that they were both once apprehended the same official, but whereas Chiu Ming is not guilty, yet reformed, she is guilty but begins a process of reformation by the end of the film. At least that was my impression of things. I think <i>Raining on the Mountain</i> is the sort of movie that lends itself well to discussion and debate about the characters and what it all meant. I could see other people having very different reads on each of the characters. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The movie does require patient viewing. It isn't as long as some other King Hu films, but it takes time to unfold the story, and much of the story is told at a leisurely pace. I rather enjoyed this aspect of it because I like Kung Hu's use the screen. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While martial arts feature into the story, it would be misleading to call this a martial arts film in the normal sense. Martial arts are involved, it takes place in a world that seems connected to the martial world, but the focus is really on an unfolding play of intrigue and awakening in a temple. Because of the location, the martial artists present must use restraint. So much of what occurs on temple grounds revolves around movement, leaping, bounding and chasing. There are also some exchanges of blows but most of these are light, with the exception of one clumsy attempt at murder. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is a wit to many of these action sequences, and their lightness makes for pleasant viewing. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Once they leave the temple, there is an extended chase-fight in the forest and here things become more grave. It makes for a more shocking transition to have most of the fights preceding this feel lower stakes, more like polite slap battles over the sutra. While the body count of this movie is low, and there are probably far more leaps and jumps than punches and kicks, it manages to be more discomforting than if there were dozens or hundreds dead by the end. Sometimes one or two deaths lends more impact to the violence. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is something gentle about King Hu movies I quite like in terms of movement. And I don't quite know how to express it clearly in words, but a lot of the movie feels processional, in a very literal sense. Characters walk a lot and move. And it isn't boring to watch them do so. It helps you get a sense of place and the flow makes for some of the more fantastic looking shots. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Raining in the Mountain</i> is a beautiful film. King Hu not only directed but did the art design and film editing. Every frame feels well composed and elements like the costuming really stand out. The costumes are remarkable not just for the color contrast they provide (there are some amazing scenes with dozens of praying monks that are captivating for this reason) but for the sense of weight and movement they create. In some of the action sequences, especially the ones involving stealth, the flow and look of the robes are so perfect and enhance everything. The whole movie just looks perfectly arranged by the director. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is probably not a movie that everyone will enjoy. If you come seeking something action packed, this probably won't be your cup of tea, but if you don't mind something a little more subdued, more focused on drama and intrigue, with action on the periphery and in the finale, then this might be a film you would like. Personally I like <i>Raining in the Mountain</i> a lot. I do recommend it. While I normally do like a lot of action, the effectiveness of the intrigue and the love I developed for the characters, made me more invested in the finale. I found I had to watch and rewatch it after seeing it, so for me that is definitive with a movie. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TAKING IT TO THE TABLE</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This movie has so much a GM can draw from, which was a surprise to me, as I usually get more broad inspiration for adventures from King Hu. But here you will find the attention to the inner workings of a temple, its politics, the thieves come to rob an ancient sutra and the manner in which the sutra is guarded and protected to all be helpful. This could very easily be turned into a scenario and done from a variety of angles. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The first thing I find useful is the physical culture of the movie. You get a real sense of how the temple scripture hall is laid out, how books are stored, how the doors are locked, guarded, etc. For any adventure involving the potential theft of a manual or sacred scripture, this provides a strong blueprint for the necessary elements and challenges. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You also get a clear impression of the temple geography. And this would be very useful I think to any GM trying to turn a map or picture of a temple into something more lived in. It also provides a sense of some of the more byzantine structures within the temple that could be used for exploration purposes. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On top of that, the movie brings the temple to life with its politics and the intrigue around the appointing of a new Abbot. This is something that could certainly be a backdrop for an adventure. I also think the emphasis on everything occurring in a sacred place where bloodshed must be avoided. It can enable characters to have conflicts with opponents where they have to rely more on deception and wits, and any fighting needs to be done bloodlessly and with care. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And of course it has the Sutra as the central object of desire. A wuxia heist adventure, or a wuxia sutra protecting adventure is certainly something you could get watching this movie. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">*I wasn't sure if these were nuns, but they are called such in the commentary track so I will use that language in this review. I am assuming they are lay nuns but I don't know enough about the topic. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-703807303055708642024-01-27T14:38:00.000-05:002024-01-27T14:38:31.089-05:00PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION FOUR <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a sandbox campaign for </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, operating in "Condor Heroes Mode". I used a lot of the procedures described in the </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">wuxia sandbox posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. This is a campaign with three players. Before the campaign started we spent time establishing their family connections, rolling randomly for both their mothers and fathers (normally only one parent is randomly rolled, but in this case we wanted characters with potentially scandalous backgrounds). These characters each started play with just one Kung Fu Technique. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">XIANG GUIYING: The daughter of Jade Fist of Twin Fisted Eagle sect and Pale Fox, a notorious bandit. She is seeking pelts from Pearl Tigers. She is beautiful but wears a disguise to hide this from others. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ZHENG BAO: Short and burly, he is the son of Zhang San of Bone Breaking Sect and of Reckless Storm. However San is married to Chen and has maintained the presence that Bao is Chen's son. Unfortunately due to crucial background information, Chen knows that Bao cannot be his son so is distant. Zheng Bao's uncle, Bone Breaker, is fond of him. He is seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower to please his uncle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PAN JU (MOGHA): </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The son of the Witch of Zhaoze Zhou and Nergui Mogha, Pan Ju grew up in the Kushen Basin but has returned to the Banyan and Hai'an, where he knows his mother resides. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>PARTING WAYS</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After weeks of training with Hero Feng the party decided to part ways. Guiying told him that she wished to travel and practice the kung fu her 'father' had taught on the road. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"But daughter," He said, "I had hoped to take you with me to confront Madame Wu."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When Guiying asked who Madame Wu was, he explained that he had a grudge with Madame Wu Dongmei, a notorious assassin and proprietor of the Autumn Inn. He had killed one of her friends, Copper Lobster, in a duel and this had led to a feud.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrHcFU-TvjcMQbGDDNH6R4_d8NbQGZ3rO_79kuSrjJNYEouVl8XqLblT_tunr5JAMxdeTs7OzaDM3pApV1kC0ZgSVOORu2lkCGItJlPK1LrwrJw_tcmwT9Bh3oTeK8QFPb18CWvq-dAUnyBdrGaZJNPyra_P-Qg-T_Ee-ezGVpDN6Ico2UdbknZde6WLk/s3960/FIG01_At-the-City-Gates_HP-2.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="3960" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrHcFU-TvjcMQbGDDNH6R4_d8NbQGZ3rO_79kuSrjJNYEouVl8XqLblT_tunr5JAMxdeTs7OzaDM3pApV1kC0ZgSVOORu2lkCGItJlPK1LrwrJw_tcmwT9Bh3oTeK8QFPb18CWvq-dAUnyBdrGaZJNPyra_P-Qg-T_Ee-ezGVpDN6Ico2UdbknZde6WLk/s320/FIG01_At-the-City-Gates_HP-2.tif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Art by Jackie Musto </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I am not ready father," Guiying said. "But I will hopefully grow in power in my travels and return here so we can take on Madame Wu together."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hero Feng agreed to this arrangement. Before leaving Zheng Bao asked him if there were any manuals of note in the region. Hero Feng told him about several he knew of, including the Silver Spear Manual, which Zheng Bao asked to learn more about. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"All I know is it is in Hening, and in the possession of the head of the the Silver Spear School, Spear Immortal Xiang Di."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The party then sought a caravans in need of protection to help them find their way to Hening. They were hired by the Silent Erhu Society who agreed to take them on as an escort. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When the party reached Hening Guiying discovered that the Autumn Inn was located in town. They decided to split, Pan Ju and Guiying would go to the Autumn Inn, while Zheng Bao would go to the Silver Spear School. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE SPEAR IMMORTAL </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At the school, Zheng Bao found the master teaching line drills to his students. He spoke to the master, Spear Immortal Xiang Di and told him he was interested in learning their techniques. When he mentioned that he was Bone Breaker's Nephew, Spear Immortal Xiang Di expressed admiration for his uncle and became very friendly. After seeing a minor demonstration of Zhang Bao's technique he told Zheng Bao to return in the morning early for training. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"We do live training drills, against fully resisting opponents, so be ready," he said. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE AUTUMN INN</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying and Ju went to the Autumn Inn where they found Madame Wu Dongmei, a stern looking woman with a scar extending from forehead to chin. Guiying approached and introduced herself saying "I am Xiang Guiying, daughter of Pale Fox and I wish to be your student Madame Wu."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Madame Wu pointed to a table. Guiying sat down and the waitresses brought tea.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I am Mrs. Wu Dongmei, and I would like to know more, before considering you. Do you follow your in your mother's footsteps?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I am loyal to my mother, and she has taught me a few things, but I do not wish to be a bandit."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mrs. Wu nodded and said "Good, because I only take on students who are righteous and only send my students to kill for righteous causes."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A waitress presented an Ox Tail Dao and Mrs. Wu retrieved it, placing it before Guiying. "This is the weapon you will use. Come with me to the courtyard where I will tell you more. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the courtyard, Mrs. Wu explained she was a former student of Lady White Blade, and a member of her elite squad, the Flying Phantoms. She would take Guiying on as a student, and train her to be one of her Autumn Killers, and teach her the Flying Phantoms slicing sword technique. She refused to take on Ju as a student, because she didn't feel her techniques were appropriate for men to learn, but she agreed to provide Ju with training in other martial arts she had learned and to take him on as a chef for the inn. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE BLOODY DRILLS OF XIAN DI </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When Zheng Bao returned to the Silver Spear School, Spear Immortal Xiang Di was waiting with some men and had black face coverings for everyone to wear and black uniforms. A carriage pulled into the courtyard and they all got inside. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"We are going to the hills just outside town," Said Xiang Di. "Conceal your face with the cloth and follow along."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the hills they waited by some rocks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"A tea caravan is passing through in the next few hours," Said Xiang Di. "I will approach them, attack on my signal."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Understanding this was a robbery, Zheng Bao followed Spear Immortal with the others when the caravan approached. It was protected by about 8 men. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Xiang Di strode directly toward the head of the caravan and said "We are the Black Spear Gang, and demand all your goods. If you don't give us what we want, we will kill you to the last man!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The soldiers protecting the caravan rushed forward and a melee ensued. Xiang Di and his men made short work of them, slitting their throats with their spear tips. Zheng Bao managed to snap the neck of a soldier with his spear shaft. When it was done they came away with several bricks of black tea and 3 bricks of Dragon Tea. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Spear Immortal was very pleased with Zheng Bao's performance and told him he could join their school. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-19659058050060607072024-01-23T10:17:00.001-05:002024-01-23T13:21:40.299-05:00WUXIA SANDBOX: PINNING IT DOWN <p><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is part of my Wuxia Sandbox series. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can see the previous post <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html">HERE</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. These are all primarily written with</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades</a> in mind but can be applied to most wuxia RPG campaign where sandbox is the focus. This series discusses a wide variety of methods and procedures I use. These should be regarded as tools, not as required steps in building a sandbox. I may use all, some or none for any given campaign. Every time I run a campaign, I take a slightly different approach based on what the needs of the current campaign are. </span></i></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The purpose of this blog series isn't to set up proscriptive procedures. It is simply to give people a better idea how I run my wuxia sandbox campaigns. </i></span></p><p><i style="font-family: helvetica;">My view on wuxia in RPGs is every GM has their own take on the genre, their own sensibilities about how to best bring it to the gaming table. This is true of any genre, but with wuxia it seems especially the case. Please do not take my advice as definitive in any way. Watch and read wuxia for yourself and form your own conclusions. What works for one GM, will completely miss the point for another. </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE ART OF PINNING IT DOWN </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the reasons I like to run sandboxes, is I want player choices to matter. I don't want the illusion of choice and I don't want a campaign that feels like I might as well just hand my players my notes so they can see what is on tap for the evening. I want a game where choices matter and choices drive the direction of the campaign. I also want a world that is always expanding beyond prepared material. One very useful tool is what I call 'pinning it down'. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj746fI23Wjev6lPURnUuF5IL0-zYsZ_hgzJ-dmEExLsoPqaj27wMHBPQWNjzbnULPKFrJZn4GweXl_tMk4jedcOTv3QpVWnAx1sYWq__5hcHJuQCK0j6ke3Np41qHvNT4pMpQUBXbwE_Qd-Jzv8yH3cv2KhfnFAUR1VDzlln8RQVHSujVmzngOwxs3Ff1a/s2880/Zhou_Wenju's_A_Literary_Garden.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="2880" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj746fI23Wjev6lPURnUuF5IL0-zYsZ_hgzJ-dmEExLsoPqaj27wMHBPQWNjzbnULPKFrJZn4GweXl_tMk4jedcOTv3QpVWnAx1sYWq__5hcHJuQCK0j6ke3Np41qHvNT4pMpQUBXbwE_Qd-Jzv8yH3cv2KhfnFAUR1VDzlln8RQVHSujVmzngOwxs3Ff1a/s320/Zhou_Wenju's_A_Literary_Garden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is nothing new, nor is it anything I invented. It is basic note taking. But it is important. Obviously you have things prepared for the setting prior to play but players always go beyond what you have planned. You may have a heavily mapped out city but if the players throw you a curve ball and ask if there is a poetry society in town, and one likely would exist, you will need to flesh that out. But this presents a fork in the road, especially if you decide there is more than one in town. So you need to pin down your details in your notes the moment there is any hint of this coming up then stick to that pin. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For example they are seeking a crazed killer and famed poet named Divine Calligrapher Zhu. He has killed several of the party's acquaintances and seems to have it in for them. And so they seek a poetry society in order to find a lead. Once they mention a desire to do this, you start making Poet Societies in your notes. These don't need to be magnificent, you just need something to grab hold of. And you want to establish the key facts prior to them arising in play. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Start by jotting down names: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Society of Bao, The Four Wonders Association, and the Crimson Moon Society.</i> </span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then you decide very quickly what any of them know. Since they are poets and you aren't trying to make things difficult you have each one know something of value. So you write down: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Society of Bao-Heard that Divine Calligrapher was staying at an inn in Mai Cun, The Four Wonders Association-Knows that Divine Calligrapher Passes the Lucky Mountain Gambling Hall for a week of drinking every fall, The Crimson Moon Society-Knows knows that Divine Calligrapher is good friends with Fox Poet Hu. </i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You then need to decide who the head of the poet society is, just a name will do with some basic motives, but importantly if any of these organizations would either obstruct the party or be difficult in handing out information. So you write: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Society of Bao is led by Poet Wan; greedy and desperate for funds.</i> </span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So not only will he require some kind of fiscal compensation he may act like he knows more than he does to get more money from the party. You then write: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Four Wonders association, led by Gao Yitai. </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>He is is a prolific poet and is always looking for inspiration</i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From this you can deduce he wants nothing more than to learn about the party so he may incorporate their exploits into his works. Next you scribble, trying something a little more nefarious: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Crimson Moon Society, led by Scarlet Dart Wuqing, Qi rank 4 Martial Expert, admires the poetry of Divine Calligrapher and wicked </i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To get information from him will take the use of force or some other form of coercion. And it is likely given his admiration and his wickedness, he </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">will try to lure the party into a trap to curry favor with the poet. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Also you make a note that once the players go somewhere, word may spread to the other poet associations. Ideally with time, you are putting all these kinds of details together in a single scribbled block in your notes the moment any organization like this comes up (the above are all written out for clarity but in my notes I take all kinds of short cuts to make things compact and fast). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The value of this is it really does make players choices matter. And it matters because you are delving deeper into he world as they probe the setting more. The GM making the setting is crucial but equally important is the players exploring unmapped places. Even places on the map have unmapped areas. You may have had the region and city mapped out but no poetry societies. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even in a relatively small location like the above where the players are simply choosing where to go, these decisions are important because who they go to first may determine if a villain like Scarlet Dart Wuqing is alerted to the presence and able to plan a trap easily, it may also matter in the above scenario because time might be a consideration when trying to find a killer (often in these kinds of scenarios the longer it takes the party to track a murderer down the more people die). And some of this information may be more accurate or current so it can impact the success of their efforts if they follow the first lead they obtain. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This also matters because it makes the locations concrete before the players arrive. You have given yourself handholds so you aren't just making it up as you go. You are improvising and making things up on the fly, but when the players arrive at the Crimson Moon Society, you will have a solid idea of what that actually is. And this is an important process of world expansion. It is one of the things that makes the difference between a static exploration of maps and GM notes and a world that is alive and unlimited. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>GENERATING SETTING ON THE FLY</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I don't know why but writing stuff down gives me more confidence than just making it up out loud. What I mean by this is if the players go into a restaurant and say they want to find the toughest looking man there. You suddenly need to know who that is. You can just say "Yes there is a tough guy by the door, drinking Emerald Phoenix Wine". And that can work. But if you note down just a few concrete details, I find it leads to better interactions and stronger sense of the world being real. This is another use of pinning it down. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And you don't need much, but you at least need a name, Qi rank, basic martial arts abilities, personality and goals. Again, this doesn't have to be brilliant. The more you do it, the better the material will get. But you should just force yourself to pick things. Write some notes like this: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Steel Fingers Yang, Qi Rank 3, Neigong 3, Waijia 1, Finger Flick, Stone Shattering Finger, Red Claw Strike (2d10 in all relevant skills, Hardiness 8); looking for his daughter Yue. In a bad mood because he learned she was kidnapped by The Ferrel Bat. </i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It might seem like this would take too long to jot down but once you formulate your own shorthand for these things and once you have practice it becomes second nature and pinning these kinds of details to the page makes the encounter so much better than if you are just coming up with those details as they arise in conversation. For me, it has become rather easy to populate a restaurant with a number of noteworthy patrons like the one above (which creates a better sense of a world inhabited by real people). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You also have everything written down so you know what to do. What I have there isn't complete character, but it is enough for me to run basic combat should that arise. I can intuit the remaining details from what I have written. Sometimes I even come up with a quick signature kung fu technique and jot that down too:</span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Steel Finger Strike: Stab fingers at -1d10 into chest. On success does 1d10 damage and 1 Extra wound. Cathartic: 3 Extra Wounds and drains 1 Hardiness for a week.</i> </span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Coming up with kung fu techniques on the fly is very important in a wuxia sandbox. Characters in the genre aren't just a personality. Characterization includes things like skillsets, which often are extensions of their personalities or even contrasts to their personalities. I may get more into this in a future post as it is quite crucial but developing a quick way to give an NPC a suite of techniques heightens everything. In some genres you can afford generic NPCs, and you will have to rely on them from time time, but in wuxia I think it is important to think of martial arts as a part of sketching a character. And these will often need to be unique to that NPC. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pinning isn't just about characters and poet societies, it also works for fleshed out places, even adventures. Pinning is really just coming up with key details on the fly and committing them to writing. Like I said, this isn't anything new. But in a sandbox, where players are going to be going off in new directions you don't expect, it is a very good reflex to develop because it honors a sandbox commitment to letting the players try anything they want, to set their own agenda. They also help you flesh out the world, because it is one thing to prepare setting material, but it doesn't really come to life until the players explore it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-54387180481543558562024-01-20T15:56:00.002-05:002024-01-20T15:56:27.249-05:00PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION THREE <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a sandbox campaign for </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, operating in "Condor Heroes Mode". I used a lot of the procedures described in the </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">wuxia sandbox posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. This is a campaign with three players. Before the campaign started we spent time establishing their family connections, rolling randomly for both their mothers and fathers (normally only one parent is randomly rolled, but in this case we wanted characters with potentially scandalous backgrounds). These characters each started play with just one Kung Fu Technique. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">XIANG GUIYING: The daughter of Jade Fist of Twin Fisted Eagle sect and Pale Fox, a notorious bandit. She is seeking pelts from Pearl Tigers. She is beautiful but wears a disguise to hide this from others. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ZHENG BAO: Short and burly, he is the son of Zhang San of Bone Breaking Sect and of Reckless Storm. However San is married to Chen and has maintained the presence that Bao is Chen's son. Unfortunately due to crucial background information, Chen knows that Bao cannot be his son so is distant. Zheng Bao's uncle, Bone Breaker, is fond of him. He is seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower to please his uncle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PAN JU (MOGHA): </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The son of the Witch of Zhaoze Zhou and Nergui Mogha, Pan Ju grew up in the Kushen Basin but has returned to the Banyan and Hai'an, where he knows his mother resides. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>PALE FOX </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The party traveled south to the Pale Hills to see Guiying's mother. As they passed through a bamboo forest they were surprised by four people in blank porcelain masks, who approached them from either side. The people did not speak, but communicated with gestures, which the party understood to be a demand for money under threat of death. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiswVLO7zx264rt8pG9weUuociQ_FsvwUV1fRzhTNCvRycGvoiOnMIms3118KtzogqWM4TbO6ZAQkWQwpKjWXd15U5idi2IzDeOFoBvYq_GPzkMn9_MsiC3xYJAlldoEHsjo-7t5s_aCMnRPuXkCMRsHQYjKdSfknfm5Jk8F8cHhMAf24sUyaN2HtQkRbx/s1600/BEGGARS%20REGION.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="1600" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiswVLO7zx264rt8pG9weUuociQ_FsvwUV1fRzhTNCvRycGvoiOnMIms3118KtzogqWM4TbO6ZAQkWQwpKjWXd15U5idi2IzDeOFoBvYq_GPzkMn9_MsiC3xYJAlldoEHsjo-7t5s_aCMnRPuXkCMRsHQYjKdSfknfm5Jk8F8cHhMAf24sUyaN2HtQkRbx/s320/BEGGARS%20REGION.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying gave them two hundred spades but said her mother, Pale Fox, would come for the interest. They continued on, and made it to the Pale Hills in time for Pale Fox's birthday on the 13th of the Turtle Moon. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying presented her mother with the Phoenix Crown and introduced her two companions. When Zheng Bao explained that he was the nephew of Bone Breaker and seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths flower as a gift for his uncle, Pale Fox praised the venture and told Guiying to learn from Zheng Bao when choosing next year's birthday present. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In private Pale Fox instructed her daughter to demonstrate her present master of martial arts. The results were quite poor and Pale Fox was irritated by her daughter's lack of talent with a range of weapons. She gave her a Jian and Axe and instructed her in a double strike technique for dealing with two opponents at once. She also trained her in some defenses and told her to work on her conditioning*.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pale Fox then agreed to teach Guiying's companion some minor Kung Fu as thanks for traveling with her daughter. Pan Ju prepared a meal and Pale Fox was so impressed she insisted that he return and make meals for her regularly. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After the meal, Pale Fox spoke with Guiying in private and said she had a task for her. She wanted her to seek a man named Hero Feng. Guiying knew who this was as it was someone who had once promised to marry her mother but abandoned her at the Singing Pavilion in an act of unbelievable cowardice. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I want you to find Hero Feng," Pale Fox said, "and tell him you are his daughter, he will not doubt this lie."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Yes Mother."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Then I want you to learn his martial arts, become his student and train. When you have mastered all of his skills and feel capable, kill him."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Yes mother, Hero Feng is a cowardly wretch who doesn't deserve to live."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"After you kill him we will find you a real sifu, someone worthy who can teach you powerful Kung Fu."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TO QING LU </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They returned north, and hunted along the way**, finding a seven foot long giant salamander. They took the meat and brought it with them to sell along the way. Guiying fashioned a good from the skin. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In He Dong they sold the meat and learned that Hero Feng had been seen going to Qing Lu. They also noticed that most of the adult villagers had no arms and learned that one of Twin Fisted Eagles sons had gone on an appendage tearing rampage years ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Qing Lu they learned from people at The Yu Vessel Restaurant that Hero Feng was staying at a brothel called the Many Banded Krait. The women there all dressed in snake skin robes and out of a sense of propriety Guiying decided to have a message sent inside telling Hero Feng his daughter would speak with him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hero Feng was initially cautious towards Guiying's upon meeting her but when she asked to learn his martial arts, he seemed pleased and acknowledged her as his daughter. He told Pan Ju and Zheng Bao that they would need to work in town to fund his daughter's training, and that he might teach them a thing or two as well for their trouble. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><i>*We are not using XP this campaign. If characters work towards a skill, it will go up with appropriate time and effort. Kung Fu Techniques are learned during a down time period of training. The session with Pale Fox was about two weeks or training time. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: xx-small;"><i>**Instead of an abstract survival roll for hunting, I had them make an inverted Survival Roll to see if they could find game, then rolled randomly on a list of local game animals </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-71548141584660677322024-01-16T11:22:00.004-05:002024-01-21T18:26:45.602-05:00WUXIA SANDBOX: THE STATE OF THE PARTY <p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUU1JpLavHCDwdYnYZBF_ytZ2OAsHViNiSgoG9tfEnbYTcvKIC_sZ9bW4XpfrCG5ZnaTbNDe4BCToqw4_62ZXQPdYKbgnqdZf3emEt8s6dE-wNJ8r79ds585eLtcWwNnt3LW4WGFqGnl3vkqhi83Vg_9GmV7tmudunKMUyL04cW5fN0IyH6aCXBaH0k3M/s1650/FIG68_EvilTech_QP.tif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUU1JpLavHCDwdYnYZBF_ytZ2OAsHViNiSgoG9tfEnbYTcvKIC_sZ9bW4XpfrCG5ZnaTbNDe4BCToqw4_62ZXQPdYKbgnqdZf3emEt8s6dE-wNJ8r79ds585eLtcWwNnt3LW4WGFqGnl3vkqhi83Vg_9GmV7tmudunKMUyL04cW5fN0IyH6aCXBaH0k3M/s320/FIG68_EvilTech_QP.tif" width="247" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Art by Jackie Musto </span></td></tr></tbody></table><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is part of my Wuxia Sandbox series. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can see the previous post <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html">HERE</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. These are all primarily written with</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades</a> in mind but can be applied to most wuxia RPG campaign where sandbox is the focus. This series discusses a wide variety of methods and procedures I use. These should be regarded as tools, not as required steps in building a sandbox. I may use all, some or none for any given campaign. Every time I run a campaign, I take a slightly different approach based on what the needs of the current campaign are. </span></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The purpose of this blog series isn't to set up proscriptive procedures. It is simply to give people a better idea how I run my wuxia sandbox campaigns. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>My view on wuxia in RPGs is every GM has their own take on the genre, their own sensibilities about how to best bring it to the gaming table. This is true of any genre, but with wuxia it seems especially the case. Please do not take my advice as definitive in any way. Watch and read wuxia for yourself and form your own conclusions. What works for one GM, will completely miss the point for another. </i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;"><b>CONNECTING THE SCENARIO TO THE PARTY</b></span></p><p></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the previous post I talked about establishing the state of the martial world, with a backstory and list of characters to reflect what is going on when the players enter the campaign. I also included some elements from that which tied to directly to the party, but much of it was simply related to an ongoing scenario they may never connect with. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I fleshed out the scenario a little more by thinking about groups connected to the party. This led me to giving the players their own entry for their immediate allies and an entry for Yu Qing Manor, an obvious trade rival. The parties entry is The Heavenly Fragrance. This is made up mostly of people from the 87 Killers, but their relationship to the PCs is very different from their relationship to Lady 87. For example they were both raised by Guan Shisu who is Lady 87's son and the Magistrate of Gan District. Putting all this into the list just gives me a better sense of the player character's social geography. These are mostly NPCs and groups with existing entries, but the purpose of this list is to organize them for the campaign at a glance. This is how the revised list looks: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">ORIOLE VILLAGE</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Dancing Corpse Wan mei </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">FAN BATU AND HIS MEN</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Fan Batu</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Oriole Orphans </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">HEN-SHI SECT</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">The Sandstone Nun</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">PURPLE CAVERN SECT</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Lady Plum Blossom </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Senior Disciples (3)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Junior Disciples (10)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">TWIN FISTED EAGLE SECT</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Ho'elen </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Yao Tu-An</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Junior Disciples 5</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">THE HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Bao Long</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Little Guan Hua </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Guan Nuan</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Guan Shisu </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Yuhuan </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Lin Ragua </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">YU QING MANOR </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Yu Qing </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Wei Xiaoping </p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Since I didn't really know what the players were going to do the first session, I prepped a single tier of my campaign shake-up table. The reason I only did one tier, was it gave me a shorter list of possibilities (which was more manageable without having any activity in the campaign yet) but it also left room for me to add things informed by their actions. After the session I made the next two tiers. I filled up every slot in the three tiers of the tables. And my aim going forward is to replace the weakest entries with things related to recent events in the campaign itself. This, in combination with Grudge Tables works quite well. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was my first Shake-Up Table for the campaign (note because it is only a single table, a result of 10 would be a re-roll: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>CAMPAIGN SHAKE-UP TABLE I</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Roll 1d10 Result</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">1 Campaign NPC goes up in level (roll NPC randomly)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">2 A new NPC becomes involved in the situation </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">3 Fan Batu learns of Li Lin’s death and goes on a rampage in a random location</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">4 Players have a fated encounter with one of the Factions, roll on Scenario Faction Table </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">5 Fan Batu sends his men to rob the players bath beans </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">6 Dancing Corpse learns that Bao Long is the son of Fan Batu </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">7 Spies from a rival sent to the players’ workshop </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">8 Rival attacks the players interests or tries to rob them </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">9 A random campaign NPC tries to recruit the players in their efforts </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">10 Roll on CAMPAIGN SHAKE-UP TABLE II</p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We had our<a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/heavenly-fragrance-session-one.html"> first session, in which the players went to open up a shop Wu Zhen</a>. I rolled on the above table and the result was<i> 6: Dancing Corpse Learns that Bao Long is the son of Fan Batu</i>. So I thought how Dancing Corpse would respond to this information. I decided that she would probably try to lure Bao Long and capture him so she could force him to give her information about Fan Batu or be used as bait. I rolled to see if she could find them, and then had her send them a message lying about someone in their organization planning to betray them and suggesting a late night meeting outside town. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They ended up having a meeting with Dancing Corpse Wan Mei in some wheat fields and Lin Ragua, the local sheriff was killed in the ensuing conflict. The players were abducted by Dancing Corpse but soon became her disciples after hearing her story and sympathizing with her plight (the events are described in more detail in the session log linked above). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This gave me enough material to start expanding the Campaign Shake-up tables. Again these are still preliminary and subject to revision (as your campaign goes on, you will get a better sense of how to refine such tables). This is what I ended up with: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>CAMPAIGN SHAKE-UP TABLE II</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Roll 1d10 Result</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">1 Someone takes the manual from Dancing Corpse Wan Mei (roll randomly from campaign NPCS)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">2 A new NPC becomes involved </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">3 Fan Batu learns Bao Long is his real son </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">4 Random NPC battles with Dancing Corpse Wan Mei (roll for outcome) </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">5 Dancing Corpse </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">6 A great master joins the pursuit of the manual </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">7 Dancing Corpse Wan Mei seeks an alliance with a random powerful NPC </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">8 A random sect or NPC switches sides in the growing conflict </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">9 New sect conflict in the local martial world, roll randomly </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">10 Roll on Table III</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>CAMPAIGN SHAKE-UP TABLE III</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Roll 1d10 Result</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">1 A rival bath bean manufacturer with backing and martial experts arises in a neighboring district</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">2 A rival bath bean manufacturer with powerful sect backing emerges in Mai Cun </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">3 Lin Ragua’s brother, Lin Yang, demands justice from Guan Shisu over his brother’s death </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">4 New sect alliance in the local martial world, roll randomly</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">5 Enemies of Dancing Corpse Wan Mei learn that the players are her students </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">6 Bandits begin attacking the player’s shipments </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">7 Fan Batu Learns that Dancing Corpse is seeking revenge and he learns that her students are the children of Guan Shisu </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">8 A random but suitable personality in the martial world or existing NPC in the scenario (50% chance of one) wants the Five Ghost Hand Manual and befriends the PCs in order to manipulate them towards this goal</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">9 Yu Qing decides hires someone to sabotage the Heavenly Fragrance </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">10 Lady 87 learns exactly how much money the players are making </p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Some of these have a more specific and active style but others are intentionally more about NPCs, what they learn, etc. Having entries like this, lets me act more through the characters themselves. I like having to think about how an NPC handles information and what they try to do about it. Try is a key word here. Anything NPCs do, may not always succeed, just like PCs. They can try to ambush the party, but they might not find them, the players might learn their plans or notice them, etc. I use a variety of methods for figuring this stuff out. If I have time I will cover those methods in a later post, though I have blogged about many already. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This all goes back to the living adventure concept where NPCs are living breathing characters. In the case of Dancing Corpse Wan Mei it was easy for me to intuit her actions. For other characters it may be harder. And because I am running this in what I call Condor Heroes Mode, I try to connect results directly to the party in some way (and if it is purely background events, then they at least hear news about it). </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">One result on the above table worth noting, that is connected to the above points, is result <i>4: Players have a fated encounter with one of the Factions, roll on Scenario Faction Table</i>. This is something that happens a lot in Condor Heroes and other wuxia. Happenstance encounters with greater significance for the overall story. In the context of a game, I use fate as an explanation. If the game were more narrative in nature, I might lean more on plot. But the aim in my campaigns is sandbox and drama so fate fits pretty well. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The Scenario Faction Table is simply a table of the factions from the list above. Here is the one for this campaign: </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i>SCENARIO FACTION TABLE</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Roll 1d10 Result</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">1 Oriole Village</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">2-3 Hen-Shi Sect</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">4-5 Purple Cavern Sect</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">6-7 Twin Fisted Eagle Sect </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">8-9 Yu Qing Manor </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">10 Fan Batu and his Men</p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Scenario Faction Table Fated encounters are not typical encounters. These often happen at a moment when the players are doing something else or attending to an important matter. And they are usually more social than combat focused, though they can easily lead to fighting. These are coincidental and a product of fate. I insert them when it feels most appropriate during the session. For example if I roll on the table and get Purple Cavern Sect and that session the party sneaks into South Wind Manor to eavesdrop on the Four Uglies, they may bump into or see Lady Plum Blossom who is visiting them to ask the whereabouts of the Five Ghost Hand Manual. It is possible they overhear her forming a plan against Dancing Corpse Wan Mei. Or perhaps they go to visit their father, Guan Shisu, and Lady Plum Blossom is visiting, but takes an interest in the PCs. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Another way to connect things to the party is rumors. And I will discuss that next post. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-5141914980068478902024-01-15T12:49:00.000-05:002024-01-15T12:49:09.498-05:00PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION TWO <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a sandbox campaign for </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, operating in "Condor Heroes Mode". I used a lot of the procedures described in the </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">wuxia sandbox posts</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. This is a campaign with three players. Before the campaign started we spent time establishing their family connections, rolling randomly for both their mothers and fathers (normally only one parent is randomly rolled, but in this case we wanted characters with potentially scandalous backgrounds). These characters each started play with just one Kung Fu Technique. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">XIANG GUIYING: The daughter of Jade Fist of Twin Fisted Eagle sect and Pale Fox, a notorious bandit. She is seeking pelts from Pearl Tigers. She is beautiful but wears a disguise to hide this from others. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ZHENG BAO: Short and burly, he is the son of Zhang San of Bone Breaking Sect and of Reckless Storm. However San is married to Chen and has maintained the presence that Bao is Chen's son. Unfortunately due to crucial background information, Chen knows that Bao cannot be his son so is distant. Zheng Bao's uncle, Bone Breaker, is fond of him. He is seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower to please his uncle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PAN JU (MOGHA): </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The son of the Witch of Zhaoze Zhou and Nergui Mogha, Pan Ju grew up in the Kushen Basin but has returned to the Banyan and Hai'an, where he knows his mother resides. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TO THE IRON TEMPLE</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The characters headed back to Lu Hai after Guiying and Bao awakened from their pearl tiger induced slumber. Along the way, perhaps jovial from the influence of the tiger heart, Bao convinced the others to all join as sworn brothers and sisters. However the heart also made them groggy and it was a difficult journey back. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They passed a group of priests and nuns from Perfect Heaven Lineage sect, who nodded to them. One of them engaged the party in a greeting. When Bao told himhe was the nephew of Bone Breaker, a nun of the sect grabbed the man's arm and told him they shouldn't be dealing with such folk. The party did little as the members of Perfect Heaven Lineage left. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Along the way they took a path lad led to a ravine and Bao fell trying to navigate the slope. Injured but alive, they returned to Lu Hai and went to a local Geomancer to trade their tiger pelt and parts. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaet8Meg7TD8KBZZnCooaln2XeXlh0dlqLi2A8DLW44WzSsc2y9zl387uaKi1rXcIZarIxf1XTDADYpIfRBfJXdBwsIBSL4Uw2ZaTNIOyyzFuqXeMtmP-F3zWs3d5TKS7e8s-Ef9zMpY3KZkRPqhm8SiDI5nJ2UPRTOsXMnOFrLemXtFxn73OFVbuAOYbW/s3960/FIG12_PureOnes_HP.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3960" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaet8Meg7TD8KBZZnCooaln2XeXlh0dlqLi2A8DLW44WzSsc2y9zl387uaKi1rXcIZarIxf1XTDADYpIfRBfJXdBwsIBSL4Uw2ZaTNIOyyzFuqXeMtmP-F3zWs3d5TKS7e8s-Ef9zMpY3KZkRPqhm8SiDI5nJ2UPRTOsXMnOFrLemXtFxn73OFVbuAOYbW/s320/FIG12_PureOnes_HP.tif" width="247" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Geomancer's name was Xiang Ju, and during the conversation Bao realized this was the person he had mistaken his companions for. He was the one that knew where to found the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Guiying and Bao traded the pelt, bone and other parts for a Phoenix Crown, 500 spades and the directions to the flower. They learned that it wasn't a literal flower but a powerful weapon. Xiang Ju also spoke of a disaster that occurred there some years ago*. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Going to the temple they found the place scorched and saw several stone Raksha statues toward the entrance. The temple itself was part of a cave complex built into a hill, but the Rakshas formed a treacherous entryway upon a stone platform, reached by narrow stone steps. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As they passed the statues, Guiying was attacked as one animated and clawed her. The statue was clearly rooted to the stone but able to reach. Ju took out tiger meat and offered it to one of the statues, which then allowed them to pass. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When they entered the temple a woman dressed as a Yen-Li nun, staggered towards them, her flesh rotting off the bone. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Come with me," She said. "You will come with me."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Where are you taking us?" Guiying asked.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"To the abbess."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They decided to follow. As they passed through the maze of stone passageways, they could hear the deep cackling of a man flowing through the halls. As they passed a pool of water the nun asked them to anoint themselves for protection, which they reluctantly did. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then they were brought to a long hall where they saw an ancient figure, a woman with taught leathering skin, seated and wearing the attire of an abbess. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As she spoke to them, it was clear she was unnatural. But she was calm and purposeful.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They told her that they came for the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower. And she informed them that it had been stolen by the Sandstone Nun. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They asked about her appearance and she said the Sandstone Nun was a nun of Hen-Shi, with a living third eye who wore the skeletal hands of Dancing Corpse Wan Mei and her two disciples around her belt.** She didn't know where the Sandstone Nun was but had heard she was roaming the southern areas. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She wanted them to help her find the Sandstone Nun or get information about her whereabouts, but when Bao asked for the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower in return, she became angry. However he calmed her by explaining it was for his Uncle Bone Breaker, and that he was simply being honest with her about his wishes. Thinking about the matter, the Abbess said she would give him three of the Raksha Guardian statues to present to his uncle as a gift if he and they brought back Thousand Painful Deaths Flower. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*Iron Temple is a location in the </span><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2018/04/war-of-swarming-beggars-introduction.html" style="font-family: helvetica;">War of Swarming Beggars</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. For part of my twenty years back story I had The Sandstone Nun (a NPC in my other campaign) go to the temple at the behest of Jade Fist and take the flower, then hide it to protect the martial world from its powers. This was in part because the timeline was set in the year 112 of the Reign of the Glorious Emperor. I wanted to update the location for that time frame. Also because some players had been to Iron Temple in prior campaigns, I wanted it to be different this time around.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">** Dancing Corpse Wan Mei is the Sifu of the characters in my other campaign (and one of the players from this game is in that one). Because that is set ten years earlier, I liked the idea of this being after a conflict with Dancing Corpse Wan Mei. I am treating these as different realities, so what happens in one campaign won't affect the other. But since one of the players is the disciple of Dancing Corpse, I thought this would be an interesting way to make the Sandstone Nun menacing. Also because of the time gap, the Sandstone Nun is much more powerful in this campaign than the other. </span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-46338709458034147802024-01-07T14:25:00.004-05:002024-01-07T14:32:01.264-05:00PATHS FROM NOWHERE SESSION ONE<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a sandbox campaign for <i><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i>, operating in "Condor Heroes Mode". I used a lot of the procedures described in the <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html">wuxia sandbox posts</a>. This is a campaign with three players. Before the campaign started we spent time establishing their family connections, rolling randomly for both their mothers and fathers (normally only one parent is randomly rolled, but in this case we wanted characters with potentially scandalous backgrounds). These characters each started play with just one Kung Fu Technique. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Note: This session was mostly figuring out background information so session itself was fairly short. </i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">XIANG GUIYING: The daughter of Jade Fist of Twin Fisted Eagle sect and Pale Fox, a notorious bandit. She is seeking pelts from Pearl Tigers. She is beautiful but wears a disguise to hide this from others. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ZHENG BAO: Short and burly, he is the son of Zhang San of Bone Breaking Sect and of Reckless Storm. However San is married to Chen and has maintained the presence that Bao is Chen's son. Unfortunately due to crucial background information, Chen knows that Bao cannot be his son so is distant. Zheng Bao's uncle, Bone Breaker, is fond of him. He is seeking the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower to please his uncle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PAN JU (MOGHA): </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The son of the Witch of Zhaoze Zhou and Nergui Mogha, Pan Ju grew up in the Kushen Basin but has returned to the Banyan and Hai'an, where he knows his mother resides. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE GOLDEN DUCK </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zheng Bao came to the Lucky Duck in Lu Hai, having heard that men named Xiang and Ju knew the location of the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower. This information was incorrect as he had actually been given the name Xiang Ju and mistook it for two people. However he was told that there was a Xiang and Ju at the Lucky Duck. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He saw two twins seated in the restaurant and approached asking if they were Xiang and Ju. They were cautious at first but eventually admitted they were. Pleased, Zheng Bao sat down to talk business, but when he explained he had no money they waved their hands and walked away**. He tried following them out of the inn but two others called him over. It turned out these were Xiang Guiyang and Pan Ju.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They would consider helping him find the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower but first wanted his aid capturing pearl tiger pelts. Zheng Bao agreed and they set out to track tigers. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The party traveled east over the hills and searched for the widely feared creatures*. On the second day they spotted one by a river and attacked. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The fight was hard and they had great difficulty subduing the beast initially. At one point, the tiger sank its teeth into Zheng Bao's shoulder. However they eventually wore it down with attacks like Kick of the Golden Elephant, Heart Smashing Palm and Spear of the Infinite Emperor (these three were the only techniques they knew). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Xiang Guiying skinned the pelt, treated it and began harvesting bone, organs, whiskers and hair. Xiang Guiying and Zheng Bao decided to both eat the heart. After consuming it, they quickly sank into a deep slumber. Pan Ju shook his head as he watched them succumb to the creatures special properties. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">*I used an <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/inverted-encounter-rolls.html">inverted encounter roll</a> for this. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">**These two are the Luo Twins, who planned on robbing Zheng Bao by pretending to show him the way to the Thousand Painful Deaths Flower so they could lure him to a remote area. When they found out he had no money, they felt he wasn't worth their time. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-23194397546627713732024-01-07T13:27:00.003-05:002024-01-26T18:46:44.027-05:00HEAVENLY FRAGRANCE SESSION ONE <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was the first session of my Heavenly Fragrance Campaign, a living adventure prepared using tools and procedures discussed in the <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html">Wuxia Sandbox blog posts</a>. This campaign is intended to play as a sandbox but with more dramatic elements. It is a two player campaign where run in what I call "Condor Heroes Mode", where characters begin with only one Kung Fu technique, their family background established and connected to the setting, and using a level advancement system based on encounters with higher level masters who train them. It also makes use of a campaign Shake-Up table, rolled once each session, to manage an unfolding background situation (see <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html">STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD</a>). I will include footnotes to explain what procedures were invoked during play. The campaign is set in Fan Xu, largely using the <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/415372/SONS-OF-LADY-87-AN-OGRE-GATE-CAMPAIGN">Sons of Lady 87 </a>book. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Bao Long: An orphaned street urchin who was adopted by Lady Eighty-Seven's son, Guan Shisu after he came to the aid of Guan Shisu's daughter, Little Guan Hua. All he knows about his background is that his mother died when he was young. Bao Long has been taught some martial arts by Lady Eighty-Four, Yuhuan. Bao Long is a bit dim-witted but tough. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua: The daughter of Guan Shisu and the disciple of Guan Nuan. Little Guan Hua is cowardly and feeble, but intelligent. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>SET-UP</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Using the wealth and connections of their family, and Little Guan Hua's business savvy, the PCs have established a bath bean manufacturing business in Mai Cun. They have three levels of quality bean they sell, and have figured out a way to grow wealth through a network of shops in the region. At the beginning of the first session, they will have a manufacturing facility, guards, etc. They are going to spend the early adventures setting up shops in different towns, which will open up sources of revenue. The name of their venture is the Heavenly Fragrance Association. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TO WU ZHEN </b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJBIjraXGSHZMrZLaS8z4SS8-wlLQ9hJFlykEF421-mw9bIOtFaaiqTlZNws4-O8Aykr1we3q3Omy7CxrH55rUV5I4ii7MeRecgfWi3G99gCC_UcabeBfZbCVzo2WGrfOevMPmn7AekjEIhx8uD9Ds172qJdLxpuuHvvwfhLjI4IwQ1zIO0xC8u1SZJ1N/s3960/FIG29_JiaJias-Happy-Family_HP.tif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="3960" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJBIjraXGSHZMrZLaS8z4SS8-wlLQ9hJFlykEF421-mw9bIOtFaaiqTlZNws4-O8Aykr1we3q3Omy7CxrH55rUV5I4ii7MeRecgfWi3G99gCC_UcabeBfZbCVzo2WGrfOevMPmn7AekjEIhx8uD9Ds172qJdLxpuuHvvwfhLjI4IwQ1zIO0xC8u1SZJ1N/s320/FIG29_JiaJias-Happy-Family_HP.tif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Art by Jackie Musto </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua went to the market and bought three jade combs for her Sifu, Guan Nuan. These were very expensive and in the likeness of a fox, an owl and a bear. Guan Nuan was pleased with the gift but concerned about her martial talents, saying she needed to train more. Little Guan Hua promised to do so. </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Having established a facility for the production of bath beans in Mai Cun, the party planned a venture to expand. Little Guan Hua and Bao Long, went with a crate of bath bean to Wu Zhen, where their father, Guan Shisu, was the magistrate. There they hoped to open a shop for the bath beans, using his political connections. They arrived safely, traveling by carriage with their body guard Chang Rong. Once there they met with Guan Shisu, he told them he would get any property they wished for their business in the city. They picked a spot and stayed the evening at their father's manor. <br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">During the night a servant brought a gourd with a message to 'Little Guan Hua'. She didn't see who sent it, but it was addressed to the magistrate's daughter. Opening the message it read: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Mr. Bao Long and Miss Guan Hua. I have news of an impending attack on your production facility. Meet me south of Wu Zhen in the southern wheat fields. You have enemies in your ranks. </i></span></p></blockquote><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Concerned they went to their father, who said he could send men to investigate the matter. However Little Guan Hua felt she needed to prove herself to her sifu and opted to go with Bao Long on their own. They chose not to take Chang Rong with them, but Guan Shisu assigned sheriff Lin Ragua and ten constables to go as protection.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Approaching the fields they saw a figure in the distance and Little Guan Hua called out to them only to be met with silence. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As she was about to speak again, a woman with wild hair and an ugly, disfigured face leapt from behind stalks of wheat and landed with a clutching hand on Sheriff Lin Ragua's head. A blaze of energy flowed from him into her body and he dropped dead to the ground*. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Little Guan Hua ran away as the woman lashed out with a fly whisk, killing all the constables in a single motion. Fearful that her brother would be killed Little Guan Hua turned and asked the woman who she was and what she wanted. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I am Wan Mei. Come with me and I will let you live."**</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Why do you want us to come with you?"</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She pointed to Bao Long. "I must find his father."</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Sure you can seek an audience with our father without all this," Little Guan Hua said. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Not Guan Shisu," Said Wan Mei. "His birth father, Fan Batu. He will help me find Fan Batu. Enough talk!"</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Fearing the woman would strike them dead, they went with her, north to an abandoned temple. There she put them in a crude cell with a water basin and food. They asked what she knew about Bao Long's father. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"He is a very bad man," She said. "He killed my husband and murdered my children. I can show you proof of his crimes if you travel south two days with me in the morning."</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They both expressed sympathy for her loss and this softened her disposition. Little Guan Hua told Wan Mei they would happily go with her to see the evidence against Fan Batu. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the morning they set out and travelled two days. Along the way they passed a merchant caravan and sent word back to their father that they were safe and would return. Wan Mei made sure they included a note that the Sheriff and his constables died due to their own foolishness. Little Guan Hua was careful to explain in the message that according to the judgement of Wan Mei, the Sheriff and the constables own actions led to their deaths. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She brought them to a ruined settlement called Oriole Village and showed them a tablet in the center of town that read: </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 1in;"><i>On this spot Fan Batu defeated Fu Fanfei and his wretched wife and fathomed the wisdom of the Yao Yun Sea. Beneath this spot Fu Fanfei and his wretched wife are buried. </i><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Wan Mei explained that she was buried with her husband Fu Fanfei and crawled from the grave. Fan Batu must have mistaken her for dead. But she wanted to use Bao Long to lure out Fan Batu. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Seeing that his father was truly cruel and wicked, Bao Long agreed to help Wan Mei. Little Guan Hua also agreed. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"I am not yet powerful enough to face Fan Batu on my own, if I teach you will you help me to defeat him?"</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They both agreed and formally kowtowed to Wan Mei as their new teacher. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She then began their training and assessed their skills. Over the course of the next month she would teach each one a new technique. She also began to work on Little Guan Hua's physical conditioning, which was pitiful in her estimation. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">*This was a surprise round. They failed their detect to see her in the wheat fields. The figure in the distance was just a crude model of a person made from metal and cloth. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">** At the start of the session I had the players roll a d10 on the Campaign Shake-up table. The result was: Dancing Corpse learns that Bao Long is the son of Fan Batu. Dancing Corpse is Wan Mei's martial nickname. I figured she would stalk the players until she found a way to intimidate them into helping her find Fan Batu. She is very powerful but it didn't seem to be a big issue as she was interested in killing Fan Batu, not harming his son. If anything turning the son against the father would please her. I didn't expect the PCs to be sympathetic to her, and was expecting they would make efforts to escape. But they believed her version of events and felt she was justified in seeking revenge. Obviously the death of Lin Ragua and his constables isn't a small matter and could become important down the road. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-77164248198191247152024-01-02T13:16:00.006-05:002024-01-08T09:34:52.123-05:00WUXIA SANDBOX: THE STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is part of my Wuxia Sandbox series. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can see the previous post <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-twenty-year-backstory.html">HERE</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. These are all primarily written with</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades</a> in mind but can be applied to most wuxia RPG campaign where sandbox is the focus. This series discusses a wide variety of methods and procedures I use. These should be regarded as tools, not as required steps in building a sandbox. Every time I run a campaign, I take a slightly different approach based on what the needs of the current campaign are. </span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What is presented in the rulebook or your campaign notes, in terms of sects and NPCs is merely a snap shot. Every time I run a new campaign, especially once I have an idea of where the players will be starting and what they are likely to be pursuing, I sift through my sects and NPCs and think of a way to assemble a current state of the martial world in that area and who the players are. This is often connected to my twenty year back story, which I <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-twenty-year-backstory.html">discussed in the last post</a>. This is a bit like assembling a list of sects and major NPCs with relevant notes on recent activities and alliances, a kind of map of the martial players. Here I will talk about creating a state of the martial world that is connected to the twenty year backstory.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For my current campaign, I wanted to take inspiration from Mei Chaofeng of The Legend of Condor Heroes and have a threat that felt like her, as well as a situation surrounding something similar to the Nine Yin Manual. At first I was going to make a new manual and make a new character, but I decided to flip through <i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/415372/SONS-OF-LADY-87-AN-OGRE-GATE-CAMPAIGN">Sons of Lady 87</a></i> and see if anything there fit the bill as a starting point. I realized Jia Jia the Laughing Freak could easily become someone like Mei Chaofeng. I also remembered that the Five Ghost Hand manual was inspired by Nine Yin Manual, so I would have her end up with it and become a menace similar to Mei Chaofeng. Also this would work because Mei Chaofeng is a widow in Condor Heroes and Jia Jia the Laughing Freak was intended to mirror One Armed Fiery Demon from the original WHOG rulebook. Creating a "twenty year" backstory where she became a widow and acquired the manual seemed like a good direction. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxp7ydSExSOc74aLiPf4cT6ToHDOv-8FpJXJtaJVq9zJcV-kN5d6Kmejifwc8q2hFV5R5bCnG61wvzDKiG0sqnnLTo9R2B_dtGf4_-osD9y4cZ0PiomXsFjWlwSOM-7vzSx_I0crUkwX4JmCeNgvO-KodWFaEMUlf3DyWq_EQdMWIKu26VStUz3ThxY-P/s3960/FIG29_JiaJias-Happy-Family_HP.tif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="3960" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxp7ydSExSOc74aLiPf4cT6ToHDOv-8FpJXJtaJVq9zJcV-kN5d6Kmejifwc8q2hFV5R5bCnG61wvzDKiG0sqnnLTo9R2B_dtGf4_-osD9y4cZ0PiomXsFjWlwSOM-7vzSx_I0crUkwX4JmCeNgvO-KodWFaEMUlf3DyWq_EQdMWIKu26VStUz3ThxY-P/s320/FIG29_JiaJias-Happy-Family_HP.tif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Art by Jackie Musto</span></td></tr></tbody></table>When I sat down to make the twenty year backstory I already had some player information, and I knew this would need to be primarily a five year backstory, which was fine (though some details would be earlier than that). One player character, Bao Long, had been raised by Guan Shisu of the 87 Killers, and was an orphan. His mother was a seamstress named Li Lin. The player knew nothing more about her. I had rolled on a personality of the martial world table to find out who the father was and the result was Fan Batu (a very powerful NPC in the<i> Sons of Lady 87</i> book). I decided to make Fan Batu the cause of Jia Jia the Laughing Freak's personal tragedy. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In <i>Sons of Lady 87</i>, Jia Jia the Laughing Freak resides in Oriole Village with her husband, Fu Fanfei and their adopted children. Fu Fanfei also possesses the Dawn Sabre of the Yao Yun Sea, something I decided Fan Batu would covet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I then the campaign five years ahead of the official starting point in the rules, in the 102nd year of the Glorious Emperor's reign. With that in mind this was the preliminary backstory I made: </span></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><b>TWENTY YEAR BACKSTORY </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Nearly twenty years ago, Fan Batu came to Fan Xu to study under Divine Astrologer. When his master inexplicably cast him out, he wandered in search of purpose and fortune. Before his master abandoned him he met a woman named Li Lin, and fell briefly in love. When his master left, he forgot about Li Lin and went on his way, not knowing she was pregnant with his child. He also did not know that she later died and the child ended up in the house of Guan Shisu as a ward. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Five years ago, Fan Batu went to Oriole Village after hearing a master there named Fu Fanfei, possessed the Dawn Sabre of the Yao Yun Sea. It seemed a worthy blade and he desired it for himself. He battled with Fu Fanfei and prolonged the fight so he could observe his enemy’s techniques and learn the Unfathomable Sabre strike. Then he delivered a killing blow to Fu Fanfei. He also struck Fu Fanfei’s wife, Jia Jia the Laughing Freak, believing it was a lethal strike, but she was only knocked out. He buried them both, erected a tablet commemorating their deaths and his victory. Then seeing their orphan children were living in squalor, took them and raised them in better conditions in an abandoned temple north of the Swallow’s Nest Inn. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Jia Jia crawled from her shallow grave and believed her husband and children had been killed. She vowed to kill Fan Batu when she was powerful enough and set out to find the Five Ghost Hand Manual. She succeeded in two years, and used its techniques on any who crossed her path, venting her grief in the process. Since then she has become a menace, and grown in power considerably under the assumed name Dancing Corpse Wan Mei. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Jia Jia’s activity and rumors of the Five Ghost Hand manual have attracted other masters to the area such as Lady Plum Blossom, Ho’elen of Twin Fisted Eagle Sect, and Sandstone Nun. Some seek the manual for themselves, some seek to stop Dancing Corpse. </p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This is tentative but it gets the ball rolling. It also gives me some characters to work with and map out. I decided that an interesting addition here would be Sandstone Nun, a new NPC I would make from the Hen-Shi Sect found in <i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/222763/Ogre-Gate-Inn-and-the-Strange-Land-of-Li-Fan">Strange Land of Li Fan and the Ogre Gate Inn</a></i>. I wanted someone who could pose a threat to any character who possesses the manual, even a PC, but also could serve as a possible ally in the right situation. I imagined her like the Blind Lama in Master of the Flying Guillotine (she wouldn't be blind like the Lama or Mei Chaofeng but she would have a terminator-like quality in her pursuit). </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">For this campaign, because I really wanted to lean into <i>Condor Heroes</i> as an inspiration, I would also make a point of having some NPCs level. In a few cases this would be based on personalty. I knew Sandstone Nun should be able to level over time, starting at Qi Rank 5 and progressing slowly into the profound levels, because she was essentially on an adventure after having been isolated at Hen-Shi sect headquarters. Others would be randomized to make things interesting, so I would create a campaign shake up table with leveling as a feature. The Campaign Shake-Up table is simply a group of d10 tables I roll on periodically to see if anything relevant to the campaign happens. It includes results like the aforementioned leveling, as well as new NPCs becoming involved, sects going after the player's interests, etc. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Once I have this I need my listing of sects and NPCs. All of this information is material I keep in an ongoing word document. So I just create a section for NPCs grouped in relevant clusters. Some will be completely new characters. Others will be updated versions of existing NPCs. While many of these may be found elsewhere in my notes or in the sourcebooks, I find it very helpful to have separate listed entries with new information for the specific campaign. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">So what I have might look something like this (obviously stat blocks and body text is present, disciple entries will also include individual names and some personality traits): </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">ORIOLE VILLAGE</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Dancing Corpse Wan mei </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">FAN BATU AND HIS MEN</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Fan Batu</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Oriole Orphans </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">HEN-SHI SECT</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">The Sandstone Nun</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">PURPLE CAVERN SECT</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Lady Plum Blossom </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Senior Disciples (3)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Junior Disciples (10)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">TWIN FISTED EAGLE SECT</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Ho'elen </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Yao Tu-An</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">Junior Disciples 5</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">This structure works well because it gives me an easy overview of the groups involved. As said, many exist already in the rulebook or other supplements, but these entires will be the updated versions for the present campaign. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">I usually do this all in a word document now (using my binder more for location maps, notes and other more map related elements). When doing so I have learned to use a table of contents with hyperlinks. This just makes the process of navigating the document that much faster. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Then I go back to my campaign shake up tables. Again these are usually two to four 1d10 tables with entries for NPCs gaining levels, aggressive actions towards the player characters and their interests, new alliances and developments, etc. I try to have some entries that intersect with the PCs in some way but most are just to track this unfolding background scenario. It is also important to restate, the players need not become involved in this at all. There are things that likely could come up. For example one entry on my shake up table is Fan Batu learning that Bao Long, a PC, is his son. Obviously that probably lead to them interacting. But there is no end game or goal. It could be something they become embroiled in, something they are peripherally involved in, or merely a backdrop. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Next I am going to talk about how I refined the above scenario and list by working out happenings that only directly relate to the PCs. This way I have a backdrop that is vaguely connected to them, but other elements hashed out that are more a part of their immediate environment. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-6000612175132891572023-12-29T10:05:00.002-05:002023-12-30T15:47:26.170-05:00WUXIA SANDBOX: THE TWENTY YEAR BACKSTORY <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is part of my Wuxia Sandbox series. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can see the previous post <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-are-players-heroes.html">HERE</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. These are all primarily written with</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and <i><a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades</a></i> in mind but can be applied to most wuxia RPG campaign where sandbox is the focus. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the <a href="https://studio2publishing.com/products/sons-of-lady-87-an-ogre-gate-campaign#:~:text=Sons%20of%20Lady%2087.,organizations%20and%20tons%20of%20NPCs.">Sons of Lady 87 book </a>I talk about The Twenty Year backstory. It is something I use in a lot of my Ogre Gate campaigns, even in the original rulebook. This isn't a literal twenty year backstory, though it can be. It is basically something that happened in the campaign setting before the player characters were born or in their early childhood. This can be one big event or something smaller scale. Often it may be something the players already have an awareness of but the players can get greater clarity about it if they speak with people who lived through it or if they find more information about it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Examples of this are the first contest on Mount Hua in Legend of Condor Heroes or in the Shadow Whip when Fang tells Kaiyun the truth about her late parents. By the same token, even though it is covered in the beginning of Legend of Condor Heroes, the backstory of Guo Jing and Yang Kang, with one of their parents being killed by the Jin and another escaping and presumed dead is also an example of this. When we learn about Mei Chaofeng's background when she encounters Guo Jing again at Wanyan Honglie's Manor, that is another example. Again this isn't unique to wuxia, nor is it essential, but it is common and it works in a gaming context very well. The contest on Mount Hua is the larger scale twenty year backstory, the background of Yang Kang and Guo Jing is the more personal one related to a PC, and Mei Chaofeng's is one applied to an NPC. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNB1P0HtPxppwkXxMhzx84s32AO9Lj10gzjZilWL3U45fWiN2hkhKFuFH9XXIonQsK99_FiY7_PiMT24ZE445Aw8iK-Q8Zo0OJ-LPLO_SPp-nDiWdUmD6mvOP_5rwz45IeFnMeOnaWJPlbEc_7sa5UhDZbmpEDD4iIU7PcnWFczwubLukdnojNa-so_4Lh/s4871/Characters.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4871" data-original-width="3906" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNB1P0HtPxppwkXxMhzx84s32AO9Lj10gzjZilWL3U45fWiN2hkhKFuFH9XXIonQsK99_FiY7_PiMT24ZE445Aw8iK-Q8Zo0OJ-LPLO_SPp-nDiWdUmD6mvOP_5rwz45IeFnMeOnaWJPlbEc_7sa5UhDZbmpEDD4iIU7PcnWFczwubLukdnojNa-so_4Lh/s320/Characters.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Divine Mathematician's History with Zhou Botong <br />is another example of the 20 year backstory<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As stated, it isn't literal. It could be 25, 20, 15 or even just 5 years. The point is to have a backstory that comes before the PCs arrival, ideally one that shed light on other characters, on the setting, on the PCs themselves. Generally this can be thought of in generational terms. The twenty year backstory is the information of the generation or a generation, prior to the PCs, which the PCs can learn from the older generation. Ideally it informs a present day situation that has potential to be relevant to game play. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Twenty Year Backstory works I think because it is quite universal. If you have ever heard the full story of something that happened in your family either when you were young or before you were born, that is a twenty year backstory. Maybe you knew half of what happened, or your parents point of view, but later you learn more details from someone else who was there. This is something that crops up in wuxia a lot and it is a technique I have used for fleshing out backstory across my campaign. It has many applications and a campaign can have multiple twenty year backstory. While it is common in a lot of movies and films (Star Wars has a twenty year backstory too), I feel that wuxia does it exceptionally well. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is also one area where I think story works in a sandbox. Story tends not to work well in the present or future, because if the GM is telling a story it thwarts player agency. But in the background material, it doesn't hurt to have a good tale. These are stories about the history of the NPCs or an event, that can come up. What is satisfying about them is the fact that they don't always emerge in play, but when they do, the players have a sense of a deeper world (especially if you are peppering a campaign with these kinds of details). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Twenty year backstories tend to be more character focused than event focused, though they can be both. And the campaign can have many, many twenty year backstories. In theory every NPC can be walking around with one. However a simple and easy way to introduce the twenty year backstory is by creating one big one that is about something larger than the players in the campaign setting (though you can tie it to them if you want) and one related more directly to the players on a smaller scale. These can even connect to a single event. Once you get used to this, you can start adding them in places where they may or may not come up in play. They are like foundations for a <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html">living adventure</a>. </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyj5SYRz66jncYNPfUsVGYEFpeH8j6KGre111IaI9CyhIej3FrzWOylt0KAkDw3giTOcX2RXVw65uBhyphenhyphenvTZMyFX_4GplAFuXXRBjBpdaM3NVp_gs406gZZ3gvvdcMojAbBfAOrb8poFf0cK5DF-DMl2Ym1udTC8_KSnEVnPWEuOHoK-RdWlJccfW6HC4n/s800/Zhuo.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="800" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyj5SYRz66jncYNPfUsVGYEFpeH8j6KGre111IaI9CyhIej3FrzWOylt0KAkDw3giTOcX2RXVw65uBhyphenhyphenvTZMyFX_4GplAFuXXRBjBpdaM3NVp_gs406gZZ3gvvdcMojAbBfAOrb8poFf0cK5DF-DMl2Ym1udTC8_KSnEVnPWEuOHoK-RdWlJccfW6HC4n/s320/Zhuo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Zhou Botong </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A good word to keep in mind when crafting a twenty year backstory is 'actually'. You can get a lot of mileage out of it. For example "Iron God Meng is a cold-hearted bully, but actually he was a kind-hearted hero before the destruction of Wan Mei temple and the death of Saffron Tigress." Or "They say Saffron Tigress perished in Wan Mei Temple. Actually, she survived, and is living under an assumed identity in Daoxu Village. And "Actually, Saffron Tigress is your mother. She changed her name before you were born and concealed her martial skills." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As you can see from the above, this can work especially well with things like family connections discussed in my <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-family.html">previous post</a>. You have to be cautious of course, you can't have every NPC there just for big reveals. But when it fits, it can work. The description above came about naturally in my original Sons of Lady 87 campaign and it was a product of things that were already in NPC entries as well as further details I worked out as I connected them to the broader world and to the events of my twenty year backstory. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One important thing is the Twenty Year backstory doesn't have to come up. It can remain something the players never unearth. While it is great when you have interesting revelations or discoveries, its primary purpose is to help you understand your NPCs motives and the motives of clusters of characters who have a shared experience. Concealing it from view as a secret backstory can be helpful because the logic of the NPCs behavior will become clear over time, even if the details of the background are not. And that makes for characters who seem more real. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You should also establish the details of the twenty year backstory at the start of the campaign and not adjust it during the campaign. You may have to rework details when your campaign begins in order to fit everything into place (for example if a player is the son of a particular NPC and the books or your notes don't provide a lot of detail, you may need to add information and connective tissue to other characters in the setting). But this is meant to be something that gives the setting the feel of a real world. If things are adjusting in the background as the players adventure it will feel like you are making it up as you go, which is the opposite of the intended purpose here. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As stated, you can have many twenty year backstories in a campaign. Once you are comfortable with having one or two, try adding several to a campaign, and try thinking of NPCs in this way as well. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You should also consider landmark events in the martial world that happen prior to the campaign.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Again, you don't want everyone to be a walking embodiment of secrets and hidden history, but when you make an NPC it can be useful to think about whether that character ought to have a secret history. Sometimes I embed this in the paragraph description of the character, sometimes I include a section in the entry marked "Secret History". It is a good way for creating layers. Even if a character is meant to be thoroughly despicable, explaining how they became who they are through a secret backstory is something that helps me figure out their soul a little. It just makes playing them easier. And in a living adventure that is central. </span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-54187228028277966982023-12-25T14:37:00.002-05:002023-12-25T14:37:39.619-05:00WUXIA SANDBOX: ARE THE PLAYERS THE HEROES ?<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is part of my Wuxia Sandbox series. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You can see the previous post <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-family.html">HERE</a></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">. These are all primarily written with</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> and <i><a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades</a></i> in mind but can be applied to most wuxia RPG campaign. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>ARE THE PLAYERS THE HEROES?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS20Phw_bOW1gIWsMHUwKXKUiKOFrcherDmoe51OWhXj3v1g3Olwvf-PeOQLKSPMaktCHttS-0tlfycQ4DaFwtfdGWr78AkJcnyxMTqlqEqpa786OdjRDMB6ai16JCkq92yZpLnBajFS_J7mEOEJaGXweB2Sdq8RFxGht0QNlYg6eEs3vtvddZhPwv3jYT/s750/heroes-shed-no-tears-1980-film-42f4dbde-ca7e-4cf7-8988-f9e13c9928c-resize-750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="750" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS20Phw_bOW1gIWsMHUwKXKUiKOFrcherDmoe51OWhXj3v1g3Olwvf-PeOQLKSPMaktCHttS-0tlfycQ4DaFwtfdGWr78AkJcnyxMTqlqEqpa786OdjRDMB6ai16JCkq92yZpLnBajFS_J7mEOEJaGXweB2Sdq8RFxGht0QNlYg6eEs3vtvddZhPwv3jYT/s320/heroes-shed-no-tears-1980-film-42f4dbde-ca7e-4cf7-8988-f9e13c9928c-resize-750.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">To be Zhou Donglai or Little Gao </span></td></tr></tbody></table>Wuxia can vary like any genre but baked into the name is the concept of being a hero. Some wuxia characters are dark, there are even wuxia stories and movies with characters who might be called anti-heroes, for the most part wuxia is about using your power to protect the weak and promote righteousness. But wuxia stories and movies feature a range of characters who aren't the protagonist, and are populated with plenty of eccentric bullies, villains and outright murderers. The question in a wuxia is sandbox is: are the players the heroes? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I take the position that it works better not to force players into a heroic role. If they want to be wandering heroes who uphold justice and protect the defenseless, that is fair, let them be Guo Jing or Little Gao but if they'd rather be Ouyang Feng or Zhou Donglai that works too. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This naturally leads to the question of power itself and how that impacts a wuxia campaign setting. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT CAMPAIGNS</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In a wuxia campaign, depending on the system of course, characters are likely to have abilities and powers normal people in the world do not. A party of martial heroes is a powerful force. But this isn't a problem, rather it is something that makes wuxia campaigns easier to manage because when players have power to affect the world they become more invested in it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, this is particularly the case. Characters with good kung fu techniques are going to be powerful and capable of taking on the powerful. And this makes it easier for characters to 'disrupt' the setting and defeat major NPCs. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Generally if the players are adhering to heroics, I find all of this is not even usually less of a concern. Heroic and good characters are largely constrained by their morality, they can be reasoned with and will use their powers in responsible ways that minimize destruction in the setting. Generally speaking. They can still use their power to radically alter the setting for righteous causes. But it is when you deal with non-heroic characters that powers can quickly have effects you may not anticipate. So if the players are not the heroes, you will want to keep this advice in mind even more. </span></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMLq9qlfFCB5CVKwmfH6kgHSQ7UgqDBJ0UPto1cSUsEihETpkCDq2nAMK3X7mFmQp65C9qfMa0YTCVlQd1yk6jQMAPy6B6GPaXsDptjUZCce3P229S3mS5yxgX-NuFE1Z6UnX2841I01iOx8SLnlY6JuqulpLknl7H3jEFJTaxAyUg8elOTzfKWe3niIy/s1200/1200x675-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMLq9qlfFCB5CVKwmfH6kgHSQ7UgqDBJ0UPto1cSUsEihETpkCDq2nAMK3X7mFmQp65C9qfMa0YTCVlQd1yk6jQMAPy6B6GPaXsDptjUZCce3P229S3mS5yxgX-NuFE1Z6UnX2841I01iOx8SLnlY6JuqulpLknl7H3jEFJTaxAyUg8elOTzfKWe3niIy/s320/1200x675-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Some players just want to join with Iron Palm Sect and cause trouble</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One strategy for dealing with powerful characters is to resist it, to try to thwart it, by fudging, by waging a competitive GM campaign against them, and by stacking the deck against the party. Another solution is to lean into it, because it actually makes running a game much easier when players use their powers in this way. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The world I make for a wuxia sandbox is meant to be toppled. This is an axiom that Robert Conley of Bat in the Attic games uses where he says in a sandbox GMs must be willing <a href="https://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2017/08/my-axioms-of-sandbox-campaigns.html">to let players trash their setting</a>. I think one habit GMs can develop that harms sandbox play is an impulse to protect or shield what they have created. But for me I view a campaign as a science experiment, it is all about the chemistry that unfolds, explosions and all, when players are introduced to the martial world of the setting. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is also another impulse that harms sandbox play. This is when the GM adopts an attitude of "but this is what is supposed to happen" or "but this is not supposed to happen". It can be a product of planning ahead (i.e. you have stuff prepared you want to occur) or it can simply be something you assume should always be or not be the case in the campaign (i.e. the players shouldn't be able to easily defeat Iron God Meng!). These kinds of thoughts need to be put aside in a sandbox, and in particular a wuxia sandbox. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You have to focus on what is happening, not on what you want to happen. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If not out of the gate, eventually the players will be powerful enough to do things that provoke the above impulses. And they will be powerful enough to assert themselves in the setting by doing things like murdering powerful martial heroes, taking over powerful sect or even wiping them out. The key is to remember is you aren't crafting a story for the party to participate in, what the PCs do, that is the story. If they arrive at the Lucky Mountain Gambling Hall and kill Iron God Meng in the first ten seconds, that is the beginning of their story. What happens is a blend of what the players try to do, what the NPCs try to do, and what the dice say. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DRk8tGWmXG3XGXUp7hNWiVKlHepf7e5WZBUcldMnKjSCXSlUno7vHaxS9rBL5mZMr4ldoeVTkRs1gzJPLiH_kIcAN7vmuqJaqyzSXQo9lk-sumF_oxFU-UDw581Ag4OutN4CKJEhc3iMonlL0knFRxmtkp-VPTFGQxFuuHgpEBeeLyJpU7BG5M9LQHvM/s1920/MV5BMTNhMDBjMmQtYWJkMS00MGEyLTg0N2QtZmRlMzRhMDgzZjIzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DRk8tGWmXG3XGXUp7hNWiVKlHepf7e5WZBUcldMnKjSCXSlUno7vHaxS9rBL5mZMr4ldoeVTkRs1gzJPLiH_kIcAN7vmuqJaqyzSXQo9lk-sumF_oxFU-UDw581Ag4OutN4CKJEhc3iMonlL0knFRxmtkp-VPTFGQxFuuHgpEBeeLyJpU7BG5M9LQHvM/s320/MV5BMTNhMDBjMmQtYWJkMS00MGEyLTg0N2QtZmRlMzRhMDgzZjIzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Boxer from Shantung </span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This often gives rise to characters who quickly establish their own sects and can challenge other powerful organizations in the masters in the region. This isn't a problem. Plenty of great wuxia and kung movies and stories are built around powerful and capable characters. In Magic Blade, Fu Hongxue dispatches his enemies with ease most of the time. The Boxer from Shantung is all about the rise and fall of a powerful martial artist as he makes his way in Shanghai. Heroes Shed No Tears is about a powerful martial hero who is taking over the martial world by absorbing and wiping out rivals. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">None of this ought to be a foregone conclusion. The players need to earn their victories through their talents and the roll of dice. But the point is to learn to see great successes like this, ones that seriously rattle and change the setting, as opportunities rather than as problems. Players who seize political power or institutional power, then have the very big challenge of maintaining and growing that power, and they have put an enormous target on their back for rivals in the process. Campaigns only get more interesting when things like this occur. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Say the players go to Sun Mai Temple and take over the sect early in the campaign. It might irk a GM because they weren't expecting such a massive change by new characters. But if the victory is truly earned, it is going to be a lot of fun exploring. Even if it wasn't well earned, if they got it through luck or cunning, that too will be interesting because enemies in the martial world will sense and exploit this. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I often call these "Boxer from Shantung Campaigns". But they could just as easily be called "Scarface campaigns". Ma Yongzheng isn't as bad as a man like Tony Montana, he is more of a criminal with a conscience, but it is a similar type of rise and fall in a harsh criminal underworld. These are campaigns about characters who are seemingly nobodies taking over powerful organizations or forming their own. In my opinion these are a lot of fun. So if they emerge in play, the best thing you can do is step out of the way and let them take off. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And campaigns of the players rising through the martial world like this are exciting because you don't know and the players don't know how it will end. Will they survive or will they fall like Ma in the Boxer from Shantung? It is fun to discover how things end. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even in campaigns that don't go this far, the ability of player characters to shake up the setting is important to honor in sandbox. No sect, no NPC, no institution or physical location is too sacred here. As a GM it helps if you stop anticipating what you think should happened, stop worrying about what think should have happened, and just focus on what is happening. What are the players doing in this moment and what foundations for future fun at the table are those actions establishing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-42123238039807558672023-12-24T14:42:00.004-05:002023-12-24T14:42:41.603-05:00WUXIA INSPIRATION: THE DEVIL'S MIRROR <p><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is part of a series I started when working on <a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a>, reviewing wuxia films and discussing their relevance to tabletop RPGs. </i><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a little rusty on these written reviews and my last one was a little long winded, so I am going to aim for brevity on this one. </i></p><p><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>If you want to bring wuxia to your RPG table, try <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades</a> or Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. </i></span></p><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><b>Note: </b>I am writing these as a fan of the genre. I am not a movie expert or an expert in asian cinema. These are my own observations based on what I have learned by watching wuxia and kung fu movies, and by reading about them through interviews and books. But my knowledge is quite limited and I am an English speaker. So understand that my commentary comes from this perspective. </i></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>This review contains many spoilers.</i></span><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE DEVIL'S MIRROR </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Devil's Mirror</i> is a 1972 Shaw Brothers wuxia film, directed by Sun Chung (<i>Human Lanterns</i>, <i>Avenging Eagle</i>, <i>The Deadly Breaking Sword</i>, etc). It stars Shu Pei-Pei (Bao Xiaofeng), Lau Dan (Wen Jianfeng), Lee Ga-Sai (Jiuxuan Witch), Wang Hsieh (Chief Bai), Tung Lin (Deputy Chief Leng) and Ching Miao (Chief Wen). I believe the title in Chinese is <i>Wind and Thunder Magic Mirror</i>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG4SdZQTT_ydFQ9B2wq47y62T_7dKXBXPO_RSNW9v1A7czTRP5cFbCsQYvESgb9AhHGnCTKqPbnf3N8NfV0eiTbxvldkH84lKvmTzsZahygQwexL6wdbcfw2bbzdMTlRbVx0i2pndcU1KZ9OjqgcGkVShMmLvZiO3wpl7Pt1JfzhjkAOsv5d7SOOi-S7l/s1487/MV5BNzE4ZTZiYmYtZGQzMy00YzdmLTlmNmQtZmZjOTE5NGU1YzU0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1487" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG4SdZQTT_ydFQ9B2wq47y62T_7dKXBXPO_RSNW9v1A7czTRP5cFbCsQYvESgb9AhHGnCTKqPbnf3N8NfV0eiTbxvldkH84lKvmTzsZahygQwexL6wdbcfw2bbzdMTlRbVx0i2pndcU1KZ9OjqgcGkVShMmLvZiO3wpl7Pt1JfzhjkAOsv5d7SOOi-S7l/s320/MV5BNzE4ZTZiYmYtZGQzMy00YzdmLTlmNmQtZmZjOTE5NGU1YzU0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="215" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Devil's Mirror kept me entertained the whole way through. I want to lead this review with saying just how much I liked the film. It is bloody, filled with great fights, and builds a world through awe-inspiring sets and characters who are all larger than life. This is also an adult wuxia movie. Not in the sense of being pornographic but in the sense of not shying away from blood, sensuality and other elements. But it never felt like it loses sight of delivering a solid adventure and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The movie starts out with a sense of urgency as men ride on horseback to a racing background melody on their way to Golden Lion Clan Headquarters. The music here works really well and was one of the things that instantly drew me in. This brings us to a great opening where the Taishan allied clans have gathered to hear Chief Wen as mourners weep in the background. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We soon learn the martial world is being terrorized by Jiuxuan Witch, head of the Bloody Ghouls Clan, who wants to steal the Thunder Magic Mirror and the Wind Magic Mirror in order to open Emperor Wu's tomb so she can obtain the Fish Intestine Sword to control the martial world and the Millenium Ganoderma to increase her longevity. Chief Bai and his daughter, and Chief Wen and his son, work to thwart her but these efforts are complicated by the presence of a spy, Deputy Chief Leng, in Chief Bai's organization at Jixian Mansion. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGQNzCkcpiD6SaucqRwk2OYQ-WtakmiaY13oqlR0kNB9_A4BnbcQEbKGyQFMKGpElpu4u4ADSkMqfjelU12qRGCm_RvbH2tNqg9LjhaMNI8OFX7giCEsBqS1KnllUcFvjbm7qVxEIbBpQjvFZVH38k2sD581sPWpJghOS1LPlR_lDo6E3TFtmdntRNOup/s1918/MV5BYmVhNDcwYzgtYmI4YS00YWQxLWIyZjgtNWEwMmRiMzY1Mzc4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1918" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGQNzCkcpiD6SaucqRwk2OYQ-WtakmiaY13oqlR0kNB9_A4BnbcQEbKGyQFMKGpElpu4u4ADSkMqfjelU12qRGCm_RvbH2tNqg9LjhaMNI8OFX7giCEsBqS1KnllUcFvjbm7qVxEIbBpQjvFZVH38k2sD581sPWpJghOS1LPlR_lDo6E3TFtmdntRNOup/s320/MV5BYmVhNDcwYzgtYmI4YS00YWQxLWIyZjgtNWEwMmRiMzY1Mzc4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Jiuxuan Witch </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jiuxuan Witch (called Nine-Souls Witch in the subtitles) is an incredible villain. Lee Ga-Sai is great here. To call her lascivious would be a polite way of phrasing things. She uses black magic and poison. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Her martial arts are exceptional, though she seems rarely to have to stoop to them.</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She also is an apex seductress, though it is a little unclear if this is natural charm or a product of magic as the soundtrack hints at supernatural elements to her captivating expressions. Her presentation is quite impressive too, with black and gold robes, an elaborate golden top-knot and a third eye on her forehead. This is cackling mad over the top wuxia villainy at its finest. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigleIoRrFt4alHs7UTpua6Uh2ihX6ofqiho0BNgSJJ7DvRF5sCxovbqgZqmqPLd8Kqgz3QhCL8XnlblA1bxEWooeIj3pzri4i9LuXgzpI7oie1xEDE_2OFkJ_ogjquUq7HQpry_RqpstLvLCzZhhyphenhyphenhk3hgKXB0vj9tsOxXmWW0XacWe3xKefSk708Jy4m/s487/DevilsMirror+1972-55-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="487" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigleIoRrFt4alHs7UTpua6Uh2ihX6ofqiho0BNgSJJ7DvRF5sCxovbqgZqmqPLd8Kqgz3QhCL8XnlblA1bxEWooeIj3pzri4i9LuXgzpI7oie1xEDE_2OFkJ_ogjquUq7HQpry_RqpstLvLCzZhhyphenhyphenhk3hgKXB0vj9tsOxXmWW0XacWe3xKefSk708Jy4m/s320/DevilsMirror+1972-55-b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chief Bai and his golden chain</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Wang Hsieh also stands out as Chief Bai. He has an enormous presence. As a righteous chief with a strident personality who is hobbled by a peg leg, he is almost as entertaining as the Jiuxuan Witch. He is the sort of hero who bellows "You're all trash!" to his own men, and a hero whose men plead not to be executed when they fail. Also through much of the movie he seems duped by his deputy chief, Leng, which makes for interesting moments down the road and adds a layer to his personality. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Shu Pei-pei and Lau Dan make a nice heroic duo. Tung Lin as the duplicitous Deputy Chief Leng was also a good fit for the role. The deputy chief is working with The Bloody Ghoul sect in secret, and seems to have Chief Bai fully convinced of his loyalty. His motivations appear to be that he is either enchanted by the Jiuxuan Witch or simply lusts after her. To me it looked like a bit of both but the end result is he is wrapped around her finger. Together they try to divide the alliance by implicating the Golden Lions in a theft of one of the mirrors at Jixian Mansion. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDxgHVhA0SU1sWS1aUn3k6MJdMR01lZQLRKn57DF7RqXzKKvd3KZCKS5Nm2kET7V-xl7dw4_tKVlOti4qHWr7syZCTefuZka0jxlgfP_bJiw3NaL7oqqkjUU5Xqd19jkz1VvCoNydjvADWTOhoqL8K22oOm29hj7lBQDty5sFSMh1S4BZu0Iq-56xcJaN/s600/devil-s-miror-lee-ga-sai-et-tung-lam-dans-le-lit_ab37cfd75f3be2879a55b33eb7c7c408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="600" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDxgHVhA0SU1sWS1aUn3k6MJdMR01lZQLRKn57DF7RqXzKKvd3KZCKS5Nm2kET7V-xl7dw4_tKVlOti4qHWr7syZCTefuZka0jxlgfP_bJiw3NaL7oqqkjUU5Xqd19jkz1VvCoNydjvADWTOhoqL8K22oOm29hj7lBQDty5sFSMh1S4BZu0Iq-56xcJaN/s320/devil-s-miror-lee-ga-sai-et-tung-lam-dans-le-lit_ab37cfd75f3be2879a55b33eb7c7c408.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jiuxuan Witch and her lover Leng</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The witch's relationship with Deputy Leng is something that I like about the movie. It doesn't shy away form what is going on. There are no subtle hints here, they are sleeping together, and I think revealing that fully for the camera works because it does make his slavish devotion more believable and it highlights aspects of her personality (where she does what she wants and doesn't care because she has the power to do so). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The fight choreography and performances are sharp throughout for the most part. Also the use of reverse crank helps maintain that energy. There is some interesting use of wire work. At one point, the Witch is spinning as she flies through the air. This looks almost unintentional but I think it was for effect and fit her wild character. For 1972 the wirework seemed quite good to me. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It also has ample gore, something Sun Chung is good at. I love his film, <i>Human Lanterns</i>, and even though this is one of his earlier films, you can see foreshadowing of it in this film. And the gore is balanced with a kind of gonzo approach. This isn't quite at the level of later movies like <i>Holy Flame of the Martial World </i>or <i>Web of Death</i>, but you can see hints of that type of gonzo wuxia here. There are moments where characters do things like cut up bits of wood and throw them into peoples faces, kick drums into their chests, smash doors open into peoples chests or slice off a head using two swords like a pair of scissors. Each such moment is punctuated with blood. In one scene a key character is stabbed from all sides and releases a startling sanguine spray. The ample gushes of blood are a core feature of the morie. The action is stretched right to the edge but always still feels violent and deadly. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You also have Chief Bai with his peg leg, using it as a weapon in combat, even impaling a someone with it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj2cy5L-Ai88HeBHXOtSeIBizgl-uBi6_gbWHsmT0WPQusKiGvLfCjzMNVkLhxj0U0a9IVhjfsLvxCF9e9EU6oRq2AcW4AKj6xpBEs3GDD1045Y_kyqv1dHlgs_bnnCct9Xci9unYMtVOCiM9TBZL2CwRkiKtKFP1O-uAyM5N516-4ivWlg4eHE0S7Twe/s600/devil-s-miror-shu-pei-pei-et-chan-shen-et-wong-hap_564b716aaf08dad532823904b1592d6e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="600" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj2cy5L-Ai88HeBHXOtSeIBizgl-uBi6_gbWHsmT0WPQusKiGvLfCjzMNVkLhxj0U0a9IVhjfsLvxCF9e9EU6oRq2AcW4AKj6xpBEs3GDD1045Y_kyqv1dHlgs_bnnCct9Xci9unYMtVOCiM9TBZL2CwRkiKtKFP1O-uAyM5N516-4ivWlg4eHE0S7Twe/s320/devil-s-miror-shu-pei-pei-et-chan-shen-et-wong-hap_564b716aaf08dad532823904b1592d6e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bai Xiaofeng and Chief Bai</span> </td></tr></tbody></table>One scene I liked especially was the first real battle where masked intruders infiltrate Jixian Mansion to steal the wind magic mirror. It is the kind of fight that wakes you up as a viewer, with rapid cutting sword strokes at an energetic pace. In another movie it would be procedural filler, especially since there aren't any major characters and any characters of note are all wearing masks, but the shots and performances are all great with a few surprising moments. And it got me excited for the rest of the movie. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>The Devil's Mirror</i> fight sequences do a good job of pairing up weapons as well. Chief Bai fights both his crutch but also a golden chain that has a distinct look and feel. The Jiuxuan Witch uses the two mirrors once she gets them in either hand, and this fits with her fending off Bai's chain and the two younger heroes swords in the finale. It is the kind of artful pairing you often see in Chor Yuen movies, where the fights feel a little more like poetry or dance than combat. I think the effect of her wielding the two mirrors was it enabled a flowing movement that felt this way. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oIEOyH7RzKshPFhG1LiFD-GViFxrNUVaMv-Dt4opxM7WQFhvIeE3sBIsKq0NquuJTt_DgWUloiqaW2Wd-67rKdaTgfAQA1pbiNuh92AT_fLEimtYImO385fYo7AQtd01xFE828Xv0wpbNCXhZqmuTeTCM2w5RhYAGwSBggmI5l_6cCCnF6FteMQLN7bn/s600/devil-s-miror-dans-l-antre-de-la-sorciere-lee-ga-sai-et-tung-lam_1318ca1da333f47dea20caa909f84b74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="600" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oIEOyH7RzKshPFhG1LiFD-GViFxrNUVaMv-Dt4opxM7WQFhvIeE3sBIsKq0NquuJTt_DgWUloiqaW2Wd-67rKdaTgfAQA1pbiNuh92AT_fLEimtYImO385fYo7AQtd01xFE828Xv0wpbNCXhZqmuTeTCM2w5RhYAGwSBggmI5l_6cCCnF6FteMQLN7bn/s320/devil-s-miror-dans-l-antre-de-la-sorciere-lee-ga-sai-et-tung-lam_1318ca1da333f47dea20caa909f84b74.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The sets are magnificent. I particularly like the underground chambers and tunnels. The finale is set in the Tomb of Emperor Wu and it doesn't disappoint. You really need to see the film to view them for yourself, as it isn't easy finding good stills of the various lairs, but they add so much to the movie. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TAKING IT TO THE TABLE</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This works well as a concept on a number of levels. Borrowing the idea of a villain hellbent on obtain vital objects that the PCs protect has a lot of potential. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedM3lR3SpKlHnOBiFKd2MHdBxsrwaENtW7LdoAjzy_YYy0DoXfzr3kX02CZD6bm_TwMo_m3by9Sr4GyfYeMfzU_DOHxhDfgxFB8k5Gdkbd0fjt5WqzI96uqabveGffnE_TzK7GpOwkPxn5BmWjTvVKDFqtUlIWGmyLbZmp_Uxsy4fcyS_XJSTsdRp8YKs/s600/devil-s-miror-lee-ga-sai-trone_67793d6f9db39771f85d929cfe0c5ec1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="600" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedM3lR3SpKlHnOBiFKd2MHdBxsrwaENtW7LdoAjzy_YYy0DoXfzr3kX02CZD6bm_TwMo_m3by9Sr4GyfYeMfzU_DOHxhDfgxFB8k5Gdkbd0fjt5WqzI96uqabveGffnE_TzK7GpOwkPxn5BmWjTvVKDFqtUlIWGmyLbZmp_Uxsy4fcyS_XJSTsdRp8YKs/s320/devil-s-miror-lee-ga-sai-trone_67793d6f9db39771f85d929cfe0c5ec1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jiuxuan Witch holding Court </span></td></tr></tbody></table>This movie also has dungeons galore. Not only is the headquarters of the Bloody Ghoul sect perfect in its own right as a dungeon, it connects to Chief Bai's headquarters through secret underground tunnels. This opens the way for a pretty sizable dungeon but one that has a very practical purpose. The sets should give any GM plenty of inspiration here. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Emperor Wu's Tomb was particularly impressive. It is based on history and folklore, so the GM can do additional research and learn more. At first I thought it was meant to be the Tomb of Emperor Wu of the Han, but looking into it further I think it is meant to be the tomb of Liao Emperor of the state of Wu, because according to folklore an assassin named Zhuan Zhu attempted to kill him with a sword smuggled in fish and came to be called Fish Intestines (the black smith who made this sword Ou Yezi is also known for making a number of legendary weapons which can provide more ideas for adventure. Whatever the historical details, I think there is a lot for the GM to work with. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Fish Intestine sword as depicted in the movie can slice through other peoples weapons. My instinct in a game like Ogre Gate or Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades is to have this provide a +1d10 to counters and to cut or break opponent's weapons on a result of 10. In folklore it has a reputation for causing the welder to be disloyal so I think having it impose an appropriate flaw could work. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The mirrors are also interesting. We don't get deep inside into what they can do but we know they work as a pair (which I think opens up the door to there being many more mirrors for increased effect). We also know that Chief Wen is concerned about its environmental effect, so there should be some potential for catastrophe using them. It appears they summon a storm when used together and can be used to concentrate a beam of energy that busts through the gate to the emperor's tomb. I think something that does enough damage to break solid rock but also break through magical seals would work here. So probably it does open damage to objects and disrupts magical effects. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>CONCLUSION </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a film I highly recommend to any fan of wuxia, and in particular to fans of darker wuxia stories or horror movie cross overs. But even though it is dark it keeps a focus on being entertaining. These are ultimately fun and engaging wuxia characters. And the action is action and atmosphere are both stellar. I was pleasantly surprised by <i>The Devil's Mirror</i>. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-58852171271557987152023-12-21T12:47:00.002-05:002023-12-21T12:47:36.473-05:00WUXIA SANDBOX: FAMILY <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is part of my Wuxia Sandbox series. You can see the first post <a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-wuxia-sandbox.html">HERE</a>. These are all primarily written with <i><a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a></i> in mind but can be applied to most wuxia RPG campaign. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Family is a topic that I discuss in the <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/415372/SONS-OF-LADY-87-AN-OGRE-GATE-CAMPAIGN">Sons of Lady 87 Campaign book</a>. Here I want to focus primarily on the starting point of family during character creation. </span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpE4sRJ_XuQWEaoBstTKKR6PkXY1ipPzqVytwpYHEDDMMOC4sgd-KUo9iSC3t8piLW2X-1BUYdiL1U6E8ogi-wOL1P-xo1RIBpLLwpheJTWFqMCMkEmYYFjyDTzJ0BbIaK9Ww0c-sIFAkb_77izoBKDnZt3-ILzbEs62WP_PLrZIk9yOmagOiCqW0_naN/s1772/Screenshot%202023-12-20%20at%205.38.31%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="1376" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpE4sRJ_XuQWEaoBstTKKR6PkXY1ipPzqVytwpYHEDDMMOC4sgd-KUo9iSC3t8piLW2X-1BUYdiL1U6E8ogi-wOL1P-xo1RIBpLLwpheJTWFqMCMkEmYYFjyDTzJ0BbIaK9Ww0c-sIFAkb_77izoBKDnZt3-ILzbEs62WP_PLrZIk9yOmagOiCqW0_naN/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-20%20at%205.38.31%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The first page of a regional Personality Table</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In wuxia Sandbox campaigns, players have the freedom to move around and engage as they wish. But they are still connected to a world around them and so they are not pure free agents. For example, all characters start with a sect or master. Players still ultimately have freedom to choose. If they belong to a sect and are asked to do something they don't want to or are expected to fight someone they consider a friend, they can defy that sect, but there will be in world consequences for that decision. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What makes a sandbox work in my experience isn't just that you have the player characters going from place to place doing what they want to do, it is that are they doing so while engaging the world and living inside a social landscape. One of the most important social elements is family. I always make a point of establishing who the PCs family are during character creation because this gives them roots in the setting. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I don't have one set method for adjudicating family for player characters, but I do always address and devise a procedure before each campaign to be used at character creation. This often is in response to what players I have at the table. Different players will respond to different approaches and different levels of depth and detail. These are my most common methods.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vfJvwcoMXsORBHhgRtCw1L71VwounAkdPz_wGwr1Xfm6ONU5UQwLf7N6jsIjD9o10chsf2ql0iUKb_iPFzZphhqvO70bPaOmMIy2ZwsF9cERxZLK-NV3t84nr0BpgdDj7yj_UpN85WDNYqJp7bbFkpJoPDS48GHYek3-UZ6fwRNdL8FKu8b0G8COiALY/s1316/Screenshot%202023-12-20%20at%206.00.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1316" data-original-width="846" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vfJvwcoMXsORBHhgRtCw1L71VwounAkdPz_wGwr1Xfm6ONU5UQwLf7N6jsIjD9o10chsf2ql0iUKb_iPFzZphhqvO70bPaOmMIy2ZwsF9cERxZLK-NV3t84nr0BpgdDj7yj_UpN85WDNYqJp7bbFkpJoPDS48GHYek3-UZ6fwRNdL8FKu8b0G8COiALY/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-20%20at%206.00.57%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="206" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A lot of times players will create family as part of character creation. This is totally fine in my opinion as long as it doesn't conflict with anything in the setting and it is not obviously intended to give a player an advantage (i.e. My mother is a rich cousin of the emperor who funds all my wanderings). But I do like to throw out the idea before players start making characters that they are free to connect their PC to existing NPCs in the setting. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If the players are receptive to this I will usually work with them to figure out who their parents might be (asking questions so I can find someone in the books or my notes who fits as their farther or mother for example). If it is unclear or we just want to keep things random we may resort to rolling on tables to find out. And sometimes a new NPC needs to be devised if no one seems to fit the bill. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rolling randomly is also helpful for balance because it opens up the possibility of connecting PCs to powerful figures in the setting but takes that choice outside anyone's control. It is a roll of the dice who you get. There are a different ways to handle this. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some sessions I simply have the players roll on my Regional Personalities Tables to see who their mother or father is and work from there. Typically selecting the one from the region closest to where the campaign is set or where the PC is from. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Other times I want to heavily randomize all these elements so draw on tables like the Occupational and Martial Arts tables above. The first one is useful for determining family occupation (in WHOG these are grouped into 4 major classes), the second is for the martial arts abilities of family members. This is a more gradient way of randomizing family power levels and I usually prefer it when I am making new NPCs whole cloth for the players. I will also make tables for personality and other traits. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Whatever method is used, I start with one or both of the parents. If they are NPCs in the books, that, I reacquaint myself with the entry and determine how it might be relevant to the PC. I also think if anything new needs to be added. If an NPC entry doesn't say clearly whether that character is married or has siblings or children, I treat it as an open question. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is also important to manage siblings. This may already be addressed in an NPC entry if the players are related to someone in the book. But as a general rule I roll a d10 to see how many siblings a PC has and flip a coin for the gender of each one. For siblings I usually only stat out the martial heroes or those who major significance to the campaign if they are new characters. </span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNCY8Z3QS08YMosQBLGjk15hF8Wl3jJVKKahq-2IBQDqHWbihD6TdAafXBQjHEBmMxwXJyQRRKuZ4YxNLy9jTJrGWg0-72OrRiem3J8oNeFhpUVUCN4bCQClcv77A8ca7Y4kASC1-ApxOc8FyLMVra8BY_21qU9wumut4BVa556duUwBdQwb1VH7bmdEL/s1774/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%2012.25.36%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="1382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNCY8Z3QS08YMosQBLGjk15hF8Wl3jJVKKahq-2IBQDqHWbihD6TdAafXBQjHEBmMxwXJyQRRKuZ4YxNLy9jTJrGWg0-72OrRiem3J8oNeFhpUVUCN4bCQClcv77A8ca7Y4kASC1-ApxOc8FyLMVra8BY_21qU9wumut4BVa556duUwBdQwb1VH7bmdEL/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-21%20at%2012.25.36%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="249" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Artwork by Jackie Musto </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Because there are usually a lot of siblings, when I make my Master List of the Living in the Dead (this will be addressed in a future post), I usually note down one key word for their personality trait next to the name so I have something to go on. <br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Other relatives, uncles and aunts for example, sworn family, etc, all can be addressed at this phase as well. Again if possible connecting PCs to people in the books or notes. You don't need every relative to be an NPC in one of the books or your campaign notes, but it is helpful if someone has an uncle who is an important member of a sect, a brother who is a known swordsman, and so on. These types of relationships create openings for players to pursue. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Something I also often like to do with family is the Twenty Year backstory. I will talk about this in a future post but the basic idea is to include some important family background the player hasn't been told about. This doesn't have to be "I am your father" levels of drama, it primarily is intended to help illustrate that the parents of the PC had lives before the present and also have their secrets. It comes up in the genre a lot as well and when done right, it can make a campaign more interesting. The example can be as simple as a player characters mother having known a now very famous hero or villain in her youth and having surprising insight into his personality, abilities, weaknesses or motives. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The methods and procedures you use are not the most important thing though. The key is connecting player characters to the setting by making sure they know who their family members are. Especially in a sandbox this is helpful because if you drop characters into a setting and they don't know anything or anyone, it is genuinely helpful for them to have family members they can go to for further information. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Family isn't just something to establish at character creation. I find even in those most killer hobo of sandbox campaigns (and personally my feeling as a GM is if players are having fun being killer hobos, let them do so), eventually, as the death toll rises and as they get more powerful they start to develop an interest in their character having a more meaningful impact or legacy. Marriage, children, building a sect, making the perfect martial arts technique, these kinds of things start to naturally come up in play. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Marriage has come up a number of times in my campaigns. Sometimes players choose to start the game with a spouse and family, but more often it comes up during the campaign. If it arises during character creation I often use the same technique as above, seeing if the PC could be married to an existing character in the setting. If there isn't anyone who seems fitting, we come up with a new NPC. If it emerges during the campaign, then that can be played out naturally. There are sections in the WHOG rulebook on marriage for this reason. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Eventually characters may have children and this can lead to a generational campaign. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In a recent campaigns one of my players had a daughter with Qixia the Candy Fruit Vendor name Li Liang, and because he and the mother had a horrible feud, he was working to build a better relationship with his daughter and guide her towards a style of martial arts that he thought was more worthy of her. And she was someone whose martial talents were of great use to him as well. I have also had campaigns where characters built a major sect alliance through marriage. And I have had many campaigns where characters use their parents homestead as a home base. Even non-martial family members will be able to support and help them in many ways. One group of players were the sons of an herbalist for example and he was often able to heal them after they had an adventure that went south. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Again, this is sandbox, not family saga, so it would be a mistake to think any of this means characters have plot immunity. But what it does mean is there are usually a lot more threads, and more 'ins' for players whose characters die and need to find a way to connect themselves back to the party. And while the aim isn't family saga, I have seen things like that emerge in campaigns. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Family aren't plot devices. They are something that connects the players to the world. They are also an important social resource. Players can obtain information and support from family. They may also have family obligations. They also tend to help me as the GM flesh out the setting more. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-20821403820268640512023-12-19T18:23:00.004-05:002024-02-07T10:09:58.329-05:00THE WUXIA SANDBOX <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HgaRKQRq1ludqRilE4hiW4HDVM089dgW9lqAHko9CjgqVHEac2Dv7L7Qb6rkSQRE7uxhkmiKX4xy-JTHbxVYkFruXMx_SS9JhgJFy9OjpKtGudeFCoxWxH4ayfkel8O1F5ff7SKMnUv2AqWp02kkAQMGRRxSz5WzrhnWoK8np-4bZFqF3lugrbi1MjDu/s1714/Screenshot%202023-12-19%20at%206.10.45%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1388" data-original-width="1714" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HgaRKQRq1ludqRilE4hiW4HDVM089dgW9lqAHko9CjgqVHEac2Dv7L7Qb6rkSQRE7uxhkmiKX4xy-JTHbxVYkFruXMx_SS9JhgJFy9OjpKtGudeFCoxWxH4ayfkel8O1F5ff7SKMnUv2AqWp02kkAQMGRRxSz5WzrhnWoK8np-4bZFqF3lugrbi1MjDu/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-19%20at%206.10.45%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I run Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate as a sandbox with dramatic elements. It was designed with sandbox play as the goal, which is why "Wandering" is the first word of the title. The aim was to have a wuxia RPG where you can drop the players into the setting and let them make their own choices about what to do. Today I want to talk about how I approach sandbox and drama in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. This will be part of a series of post and today's is just an overview of key concepts discussed in the books. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/415372/SONS-OF-LADY-87-AN-OGRE-GATE-CAMPAIGN?affiliate_id=478053">The Sons of Lady 87 Campaign book</a>*</i> is a sandbox adventure. It is also probably the best example of how I run Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate campaigns. In the introduction I label the sandbox approach I take a 'Living Adventure'. That is terminology I have been using in much of my description of running RPGs. I explain where the language comes from in the introduction. It is how I prefer to describe play, over sandbox, because 1) it is a little more poetic and dynamic, whereas sandbox feels static and dry, 2) it emphasizes the importance of characters in a sandbox, both NPCs and PCs. The interactions between the characters is what matters. It is about prioritizing the notion that NPCs aren't pinned down to a particular place, but live in the world as the PCs do, responding to them, taking initiative on their own. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I do still use the term sandbox and used it in the Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate book, and there is probably a downside with clarity when I prefer Living Adventure instead. But I think it is a better label. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For Lady 87 I really wanted to emphasize this way of running Ogre Gate. When I introduce dramatic elements, which I do it is through NPCs, rather than through dramatic events. And the NPCs must be treated as living characters. I find this creates a stronger sense of believability and underlying logic to the world.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEV12fmdBzhpExg61VEA7mGbvLJCKFCgcUN8kY0Rv6u9a2haJ4wraTYVTpVrxUyNBe6P1Qtv9vK3zOh05Erm-ex3AT4J8u98IQCZrR3t7jrIZik6KwiPy1rQEJLQqVzlM5BJ6YV0RqRcGF5t0BF2NVxgMwsxs_UdjDYZk0LEUMdV8PR-SPbmbc3xu2gFY/s1192/Screenshot%202023-12-19%20at%202.18.36%E2%80%AFPM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="580" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEV12fmdBzhpExg61VEA7mGbvLJCKFCgcUN8kY0Rv6u9a2haJ4wraTYVTpVrxUyNBe6P1Qtv9vK3zOh05Erm-ex3AT4J8u98IQCZrR3t7jrIZik6KwiPy1rQEJLQqVzlM5BJ6YV0RqRcGF5t0BF2NVxgMwsxs_UdjDYZk0LEUMdV8PR-SPbmbc3xu2gFY/w195-h400/Screenshot%202023-12-19%20at%202.18.36%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="195" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A simple example might be this. Master Yao wants to obtain the Phoenix Crown of Bao, and the one of the player's has recently acquired the phoenix crown of Bao. Learning this information, Master Yao sends his men to ambush the players and steal the crown. One could sidestep all of this and simply jump to the players being ambushed at their inn at night. But for me the point is to make Master Yao just as much a player in the game as the PCs. If he wants to ambush them, he needs to do reconnaissance and there may be opportunities for players to learn his intentions along the way. And if his efforts fail, I need to figure out how he responds to any developments. You allow for the dramatic but you don't make it a foregone conclusion. And and you don't start with a dramatic beat in mind, rather you begin with Master Yao's motivation. </span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This may seem a like a small distinction, maybe even a distinction without a difference, but it really does matter in play. It is a way to avoid the GM simply being a storyteller. Drama is about conflict, not about heavy plotting. You have the emotion and excitement of drama but not the railroad of plot. </span><br /><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Using this approach you don't imagine the villain doing anything triumphant or climactic, you simply imagine the villain and go from there. This means many of your villains will die ignoble and embarrassing deaths. Because you are playing fair with the players. The villains plans may be thwarted, the players may surprise them, they may have a series of bad dice rolls. This may seem like obvious stuff but I find it is the thing I hear most GMs having difficulty with because they feel like they owe the players a big final fight with a boss or a climactic ending of some kind with a worthy foe. But I have learned from experience that players value feeling like their actions matter. If their actions lead to the quick death of your glorious villain as he scurries away humiliated, that is fine. Eventually a villain will emerge who is more of a challenge, but that needs to happen naturally. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And the players may surprise you. I have had instances where I introduced an NPC expecting him to be an enemy of the party only to have them befriend him. This is good for you as GM because you should always be willing to adapt to the situation and you really need to learn to keep those kinds of expectations in check anyways. Plus, this is something that can happen in the genre. Unlikely friendships can form and lead to interesting results and tensions. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To be clear this isn't how Ogre Gate must be run. There is no 'must' in Ogre Gate, and this is but one way to approach Ogre Gate's Drama and Sandbox approach (see image above). But I have run many successful longterm campaigns using this approach so I thought it worth talking about. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This works particularly well in a wuxia campaign because wuxia is so character driven. It is the stark personalities of the martial world and the grudges they have that fuel so much of the genre. In an RPG, this works great because the players are free to be independent heroes on their own, forging loyalty and making enemies as they wish. Their friendships and grudges will supply an endless source of material for your campaign to have life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And it doesn't shy away from exploration. Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is world filled with strange hidden locations, manuals tucked deep inside trapped tombs and chambers, supernatural beings and esoteric masters residing in far off places. But it is also a place inhabited by people, which means eventually the roots the characters form become important. It is a very good sandbox ecosystem for long lasting campaigns. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I will go into more detail next entry but the way this typically works is I let the players make their characters and they can come up with whatever concepts they want. If I am concerned I don't have enough active players, I may provide a handful of possible starting points for the sandbox (like the starter premise in Sons of Lady 87). I then have them connect their characters to elements of the setting (this will be the next topic of the series). Finally I drop them in and ask them what they want to do. There isn't anything planned out in my head. I just see what the players do and allow the world to react. I draw on a variety of tools as well such as grudge tables, encounter tables, and other random ways of managing things. In future entries I will also talk about how I react to player actions in game and how I navigate that whole process. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here are all the posts so far on this topic:</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-family.html">FAMILY</a></span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-are-players-heroes.html">ARE THE PLAYERS HEROES</a> </span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-inspiration-state-of-martial-world.html">STATE OF THE MARTIAL WORLD</a> </span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wuxia-sandbox-twenty-year-backstory.html">THE TWENTY YEAR BACKSTORY</a> </span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-sandbox-state-of-party.html">THE STATE OF THE PARTY</a> </span></p></div><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wuxia-sandbox-pinning-it-down.html">PINNING IT DOWN</a> </span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://thebedrockblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/wuxia-sandbox-kung-fu-and.html">KUNG FU AND CHARACTERIZATION ON THE FLY </a></span></p></blockquote><div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">*While the PDF of Sons of Lady 87 is available on DrivethruRPG, you can find the print version <a href="https://studio2publishing.com/products/sons-of-lady-87-an-ogre-gate-campaign">HERE</a>.</span> <br /><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-78518910379264152132023-12-18T19:48:00.001-05:002023-12-18T19:48:57.008-05:00WUXIA INSPIRATION: THE LADY OF STEEL <p><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is part of a series I started when working on <a href="http://www.bedrockgames.net/Wandering-Heroes-of-Ogre-Gate.html">Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate</a>, reviewing wuxia films and discussing their relevance to tabletop RPGs. This entry is an installment in my Cheng Pei-pei reviews series as well. So far on this blog I have covered Come Drink with me, Brothers Five, Golden Swallow, Dragon Swamp, The Shadow Whip, Lady Hermit, Thundering Sword, The Golden Sword, Raw Courage, That Fiery Girl, Whiplash, and Kung Fu Girl. Today I write about The Jade Raksha. </i></p><p><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a little rusty on these written reviews and my last one was a little long winded, so I am going to aim for brevity on this one. </i></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>If you want to bring wuxia to your RPG table, try <a href="https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/righteous-blood-ruthless-blades-9781472839367/">Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades</a> or Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. </i></span></p><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><b>Note: </b>I am writing these as a fan of the genre. I am not a movie expert or an expert in asian cinema. These are my own observations based on what I have learned by watching wuxia and kung fu movies, and by reading about them through interviews and books. But my knowledge is quite limited and I am an English speaker. So understand that my commentary comes from this perspective. </i></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>This review contains many spoilers.</i></span><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE LADY OF STEEL </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;">Released in 1970 and directed by Ho Meng-Hua, <i>Lady of Steel</i> stars Cheng Pei-Pei, Yueh Hua, and Huang Tsung-Hsun. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8HaWpjpHHuFLvaByG_dL6QWRUMwyUebXqLEK7R9zV70woAZG1HXAFt5yqsW6TmJkDdy5Lh3h12H7hQCqEX_yLvldtPquPNOnIZt2AroOL7AaPE0MvnpuGaBBqU_tw7AVLldjWZRFjW9nE1vXwrGL0z0Bnue_PcA3-FkThifutT6zCT2uChbHebRShka4/s1439/MV5BYzUyNDUzM2UtNTBkMS00NzY1LWE3YzEtM2Q4YjU3ZjI5NDdiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8HaWpjpHHuFLvaByG_dL6QWRUMwyUebXqLEK7R9zV70woAZG1HXAFt5yqsW6TmJkDdy5Lh3h12H7hQCqEX_yLvldtPquPNOnIZt2AroOL7AaPE0MvnpuGaBBqU_tw7AVLldjWZRFjW9nE1vXwrGL0z0Bnue_PcA3-FkThifutT6zCT2uChbHebRShka4/s320/MV5BYzUyNDUzM2UtNTBkMS00NzY1LWE3YzEtM2Q4YjU3ZjI5NDdiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Lady of Steel</i> is a satisfying tale of revenge that once again teams up Cheng Pei-Pei and Yueh Hua. As in <i>Come Drink with Me</i>, Yueh Hua plays a beggar named Qin Shang Yi, and Cheng Pei-Pei plays Fang Ying Qi, a woman whose family is slaughtered when she is a child. Raised by Priest Xuan Zhen, she learns martial arts on a reclusive mountain. Priest Juan Zhen sends her to Flying Dragon Fortress when she is old enough to help Master Xia fight against the Jin invasion. Unbeknownst to them her father's killer, Han Shi Xiong, has retired from banditry and serves the Jin in secret as a spy at Flying Dragon Fortress, where he has assumed the new identity of Cai Yi. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;">When she first arrives at Flying Dragon Fortress, Ying Qi impresses them with her lightness kung fu and dart skills (which she uses to precision kill a cluster of birds). Recognizing her name, Cai Yi plots to have her killed by sending her to assassinate Wu Chang Sheng of Black Wind Fortress, a wealthy man working with the Jin in order to protect his property. Though they lay a trap for her, she escapes with the assistance of Qin Shang Yi, and manages to nab their flag. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;">Back at Flying Dragon Fortress, Cai Yi plots further when he learns about Qin and Ying Qi's relationships, intending to use it against her. She receives a letter from Qin informing her about a shipment of goods to the Jin that he doesn't have the manpower to rob. All of Flying Dragon Fortress ambushes the caravan but suffers heavy losses as the caravan is a counter ambush. Cai Yi then plants incriminating evidence in Ying Qi's room and demands it be searched, forcing her to fight her way out of Flying Dragon Fortress. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In hiding, she learns of Cai Yi's real identity through his number two, Wei Tong Ming. She also learns that Cai Yi is working with Wu Chang Sheng to stage a surprise attack on Flying Dragon Fortress, using his birthday as a pretext to ensure every member is present. Teaming up with Qin, they intercept the ambush and kill Cai Yi in a spectacular final showdown. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpO8XYCVWs7QBXHZpIXRIvkERyFtvxcqz1JB92-i8y1hnT8mv5FXLRkiOH9Nlj-IItWIgxjfsBWQQVUcuAh_omd5M91iR2I6nl9YnIjzf21Sv-BBfllK0x5zEPfHpvGGjiTiaLGpjYXP_iVaiB0sxXyoTBJXvoOMY72Snbat3xVlTa4zb4WdxhZ0pwhDx/s571/LadyofSteel+1970-141-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="571" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpO8XYCVWs7QBXHZpIXRIvkERyFtvxcqz1JB92-i8y1hnT8mv5FXLRkiOH9Nlj-IItWIgxjfsBWQQVUcuAh_omd5M91iR2I6nl9YnIjzf21Sv-BBfllK0x5zEPfHpvGGjiTiaLGpjYXP_iVaiB0sxXyoTBJXvoOMY72Snbat3xVlTa4zb4WdxhZ0pwhDx/s320/LadyofSteel+1970-141-b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the short synopsis of the film. It leaves out a number of interesting plot beats, including one where Ying Qi assumes the identity of a man named Yan Ji Jiang to infiltrate Black Wind Fortress, but that is the basic story. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are a number of things I like about this movie. The first are the visuals. It isn't overwrought but in key moments there are some startling shots and everything feels well composed to me. In particular, I loved the scene where Qing Yi confronts Wei Tong Ming, against the backdrop of the birthday celebration fireworks display. The way it cuts between the flash of the "longevity" firework and her relentless assault on Wei Tong Ming worked.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Something else I enjoyed was the depiction of kung fu, particularly lightness martial arts. This is a film made in 1970 and things are moving in a more stylized direction. There is also a great sense of mood in some of the fights. One example is when Qin faces Wu Chang Sheng in a forest. Not only does he seem to be able to appear and disappear at will to force Wu Chang Sheng into a battle, but the way Qin strides forward with his sword drawn, just pulled me into the moment. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I very much liked how the film opens, where we see the backstory of Ying Qi's family slaughtered by Cai Yi. The ruthlessness of it, and the valiance of one of her father's men struggling to save her from the carnage, gives the rest of the movie an emotional weight. It is a very dramatic way to start things off that gives a strong lead in to the title card. The physical performances in the opening ambush, which occurs at an inn, are also noticeably good. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The movie is also set against a political backdrop that gives it setting but doesn't overwhelm the personal story of Qing Yi's revenge. I liked this as early on I was a bit worried it would be a movie with way too many characters and too much intrigue. But it is fairly straight forward and there are only a few key characters. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2NMTtwZ37YThlYmBjJ-TJLV0urfb8FwCVjNVLtEAty5WHb7SuS3TvK1N-hH3IWsgfbSHnO2ZyTOrFcFYsuSL20gN1r9U6bo4cQyD4hmx5JkAA9eLfcDV4sOCL6QQ0-yVX0iRzO6cdwoU6N2lk-8LQxGLO4A0m_TFOewvOHaD8FmwrydiV8dEgB970Xnx/s959/ladyofsteel_1.jpg-2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="959" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2NMTtwZ37YThlYmBjJ-TJLV0urfb8FwCVjNVLtEAty5WHb7SuS3TvK1N-hH3IWsgfbSHnO2ZyTOrFcFYsuSL20gN1r9U6bo4cQyD4hmx5JkAA9eLfcDV4sOCL6QQ0-yVX0iRzO6cdwoU6N2lk-8LQxGLO4A0m_TFOewvOHaD8FmwrydiV8dEgB970Xnx/s320/ladyofsteel_1.jpg-2.webp" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lady of Steel features a solid Cheng Pei-Pei performance. Both her and Yueh Hua work very well together here. And her physical performance and emotional performance both work nicely.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've said before I think Ho Meng Hua is a good visual storyteller. I find I never have trouble following the plot in his films. And he knows how to be efficient too, so he doesn't over-explain, he just is capable at conveying a lot of information in a small sequence of frames. And his details are all clearly laid out. When Cai Yi recognizes Ying Qi, there is a straight line drawn from early in the film explaining how this is possible. We understand each point this information was transmitted to him and how he put that together upon her arrival at Flying Dragon Fortress. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lady of Steel would not be my first recommendation for getting into Ho Mo Meng Hua or Cheng Pei-Pei, but it is definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of either. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TAKING IT TO THE TABLE</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Most of the techniques demonstrated in the movie are ones I already have in WHOG and RBRB, but you will need to make sure you have a sufficient amount of lightness kung fu options (particularly things for leaping, for walking on trees and for appearing seemingly out of nowhere). You will also want a range of sword techniques and darts. For her dart technique, I would use something like Storming Daggers from Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate which matches it pretty well. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq2adFjKbDpj5iNnbDJ7Mq1-t1sNM4DivsA4mnIrhb0xjxWyUWn-DB6XnP910AyLqdbu79wy-n308aJ44z2DlybJ5ydT6H7RlNuFE2UoZgU2UxivUarGQnugfrXsxvXE6kiRWDrg3N7eXKbsK1cSbpmPDrLdob7ZRBvjQfogz1j20jXfghwBd6ORxxUN7/s1476/storming%20daggers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1476" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq2adFjKbDpj5iNnbDJ7Mq1-t1sNM4DivsA4mnIrhb0xjxWyUWn-DB6XnP910AyLqdbu79wy-n308aJ44z2DlybJ5ydT6H7RlNuFE2UoZgU2UxivUarGQnugfrXsxvXE6kiRWDrg3N7eXKbsK1cSbpmPDrLdob7ZRBvjQfogz1j20jXfghwBd6ORxxUN7/w400-h241/storming%20daggers.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Storming Daggers from WHOG</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another thing that features prominently in the movie are traps. I mention this a lot, but I think it bears repeating because people often seem quite resistant to the idea, but wuxia features many things we associate with classic fantasy adventure RPGs: traps, dungeons, inns and taverns, etc. Here there are ample use of things like spiked pit traps, net traps that capture and lift men from the ground up, and even spikes that shoot out of the wall when a person presses a button. A villain who is well prepared with a number of traps laid out in advance is a good idea. Again, if using Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, the core rulebook has plenty trap descriptions and mechanics in Chapter 12 from pages 525 to 427. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In terms of the characters and story, I think it is always better to not force that stuff but allow it to be present. So here, where the chief conflict is between a woman and a man in the organization she joins who secretly is the person who killed her family, I think the best option is wait until you have a player who makes a character whose family was killed in their youth (preferably by someone they wouldn't be able to recognize on sight). This comes up all the time in play in my experience (it is a pretty standard backstory to get from players now and then). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When a player does this, then you can work with them to plant the seed. Here is how I might do it to make it interesting. I would say to that player, I am going to determine who the killer is and maybe during the campaign it will come up. Then I would take all the eligible characters in the setting (anyone who seems likely to have killed a whole family for some reason), put them on a table and roll randomly to see who it is. This last part would just be for my own sense of surprise and as a bit of a creative prompt. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If it is very important and you really want the plot to come up, you can pick a random member of whatever sect the character belongs to or the member of a sect they join during the campaign.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-42260075260629555532023-12-10T17:49:00.001-05:002023-12-10T17:49:08.061-05:00WUXIA INSPIRATION: THE JADE RAKSHA <p><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is part of a series I started when working on Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate, reviewing wuxia films and discussing their relevance to tabletop RPGs. This entry is an installment in my Cheng Pei-pei reviews series as well. So far on this blog I have covered Come Drink with me, Brothers Five, Golden Swallow, Dragon Swamp, The Shadow Whip, Lady Hermit, Thundering Sword, The Golden Sword, Raw Courage, That Fiery Girl, Whiplash, and Kung Fu Girl. Today I write about The Jade Raksha. I am a little rusty on these written reviews so don't mind me if I ramble a bit. </i></p><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><b>Note: </b>I am writing these as a fan of the genre. I am not a movie expert or an expert in asian cinema. These are my own observations based on what I have learned by watching wuxia and kung fu movies, and by reading about them through interviews and books. But my knowledge is quite limited and I am an English speaker. So understand that my commentary comes from this perspective. </i></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i> </i></span><br /><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>This review contains many spoilers.</i></span><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE JADE RAKSHA</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Cheng Pei-pei and the director Ho Meng Hua are a very good combination. Cheng Pei-pei is an incredible physical performer, and was making films at a time when less of the performance was cloaked with camera work. When I see Cheng Pei-pei in a movie she brings athleticism, grace, footwork, and power to the screen in a way that I think is still unrivaled. The choreography may have been a little less stylized, but this is more interesting to me because it's a period where you can see style developing in these movies that later movies build a foundation on and there is less distraction from the physical movements of the actor. She also has a very grounded style of action that feels real. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gyaOMKnP5CWkiYs8M2n2WrqPZQjispvU9XFcpUyGwDWK1wQDlIBFiZfkJsCTWbvZRy3D_a6GUF48RSMxPZTrSB7riM5ueWTBsV_gL5z1fiJXYvccw1GGQimnOb_z7jQbIOk87ZmVzykS93LqMC4W7SEDLCvpV3tpPaJ0FEi0R-iej0G8KqggbkagUFSW/s1110/MV5BZGIxMWVhNzgtNjMxYi00YWI3LTk4ODgtYWIzYWU1ZTFmZDk2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjAyNTEwOQ@@._V1_-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="820" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gyaOMKnP5CWkiYs8M2n2WrqPZQjispvU9XFcpUyGwDWK1wQDlIBFiZfkJsCTWbvZRy3D_a6GUF48RSMxPZTrSB7riM5ueWTBsV_gL5z1fiJXYvccw1GGQimnOb_z7jQbIOk87ZmVzykS93LqMC4W7SEDLCvpV3tpPaJ0FEi0R-iej0G8KqggbkagUFSW/s320/MV5BZGIxMWVhNzgtNjMxYi00YWI3LTk4ODgtYWIzYWU1ZTFmZDk2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjAyNTEwOQ@@._V1_-2.jpg" width="236" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And Cheng Pei-pei excels at playing martial characters with strong personalities. She has star power on the screen that can carry a film, even a not so great film. She can draw you to a film with her personality, which elevates every movie she is in. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ho Meng Hua is a magnificent storyteller. His films are not only wonderful to look at, but he puts a lot of focus into telling a story that feels well crafted. He directed a number of movies but some notable ones (for me at least) are Lady Hermit, Vengeful Beauty, Black Magic, Shaolin Abbot, The Flying Guillotine, Monkey Goes West, and Cave of the Silken Web. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">By far, the best Ho Meng Hua film featuring Cheng Pei-pei, in my opinion, is Lady Hermit. The story and the choreography are both stellar. But The Jade Raksha is an interesting film as well. And one that has some very memorable elements. It is also a movie that I appreciated more on repeat viewings. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Jade Raksha is a movie about the endless cycle of revenge and violence. This is a longstanding trope in wuxia and other genres, but what matters is how the trope is handled. And Ho Meng Hua handles it exceptionally well here. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately The Jade Raksha has not been easy to find in recent years. I did a review on youtube years ago for a VCD format version. This was the only copy I could find, so I was grateful to have it, but VCD is not high resolution and has a very small aspect ratio on the screen. Recently it went up on a streaming service on Amazon and it was also released in a new Shaw Brothers boxed set. I watched the version on Amazon, which looked like a scan similar to my VCD copy but had a much better aspect ratio. So for the first time, I was able to appreciate the visuals of the film. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>LENG QIU HAN AND XU YING HAO </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The story begins with a chance meeting of Leng Qiu Han (Cheng Pei-pei) and Xu Ying Hao (Tang Ching) at an inn. She has been killing members of the Yan family because one of them slaughtered her entire household, and he is looking to kill Shi Yong Shan, a man who murdered his father.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Leng Qiu Han visits revenge upon her enemies as the Jade Raksha, a terrifying swordswoman who announces her intentions with a haunting song. Initially Leng Qiu Han regards Xu Ying Hao as an obstacle, someone who is meddling in her affairs and the she challenges him to a fight to the death. There is a lot more to it than this but the beginning ends with them on the road together, and her developing strong affection for him before they each set off on their own. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqGhuG6RvQGINv2Bf_DLWqKj6CRIxpm9pt_VpIrc_ZJVXKXpneTomvaGUWr4gPvOrWec48rJOvEGnqzo2b_Qu53gSIzc0fDIobjE6C-AFGRIIHgQMD9L2rzmDJThtk8s0_8jXUvWkTf3V2OW7OuN16pOJfBlOHJ3SW1Cz9w7pKtWD0hJ-eSMc5tU6uUO0/s640/vlcsnap-2016-02-19-17h29m24s068.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqGhuG6RvQGINv2Bf_DLWqKj6CRIxpm9pt_VpIrc_ZJVXKXpneTomvaGUWr4gPvOrWec48rJOvEGnqzo2b_Qu53gSIzc0fDIobjE6C-AFGRIIHgQMD9L2rzmDJThtk8s0_8jXUvWkTf3V2OW7OuN16pOJfBlOHJ3SW1Cz9w7pKtWD0hJ-eSMc5tU6uUO0/s320/vlcsnap-2016-02-19-17h29m24s068.png" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is where the film becomes very interesting. Leng Qiu Han is killing every member of the Yan because she doesn't know which one is responsible for the death of her family. And Xu Ying Hao appears to have a more morally righteous approach to revenge, even cautioning Leng Qiu Han to only kill the guilty and to spare the innocent. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is an incredible scene soon after their split, which highlights the core theme of the movie. Xu Ying Hao goes to a village where he has tracked down Shi Yong Shan, and there he confronts him, an aggressive and hostile man who clearly has no exceptional martial skill. At first it seems he is going to let Shi Yong Shan off because he can't even fight, but when the man attacks him as his back is turned he slices him open and this is where the magic of the scene occurs because it maintains two completely separate moods. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As Xu Ying Hao heroically sheathes his sword and boldly announces "I am Xu Ying Hao. Twenty years ago Shi Yong Shan killed my father. I am here to avenge [him]" the scene around him dissolves into something much more shaky and messy. The man's wife and son run up to him, and the other villagers look shocked. There is a sharp contrast between Xu Ying Hao's posture and the events unfolding around him. It is like he is one movie and the villagers in another. But that discord is not immediately apparent to Xu Ying Hao. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At this point he discovers he killed the wrong man. A villager tells him the man he killed was Shi Xiong Shan, and that Shi Yong Shan left twenty years ago. Then the son addresses Xu Ying Hao and vows to avenge his father when he grows up. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Disturbed that he killed an innocent man, and filled with remorse, he wraps a blue sash from his victim around the hilt of sword and swears an oath to never unsheathe it again. It is a very effective beat in the story and gives emotional weight to everything Xu Ying Hao does from that point on. It is also worth mentioning while this is just one notable scene, that the core elements of this scene are mirrored in other aspects of the story. It is the threading of all the revenge tales that really makes the movie work. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Leng Qiu Han, or Jade Raksha herself is one of Cheng Pei-pei's most interesting characters. She is more flawed and self-centered than a character like Lady Hermit. She has no problem killing countless Yan men, taking their heads and hanging them from a rope with large letters announcing that they were killed by The Jade Raksha. She is also violently possessive of Xu Ying Hao once she develops a love interest in him. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In fact, her first instinct seems to be to kill. When she first meets Xu Ying Hao, doesn't hesitate to reach for her sword when he confronts her about an incident she has with some other patrons. Later she challenges him to a fight to the death. When another woman gains Xu Ying Hao's affections, she openly attempts to kill her. Over the course of the film, Xu Ying Hao tries to restrain her killer instinct, especially regarding her ruthless quest for revenge against the Yan family, and this is particularly the case when she seeks to kill the final Yan man, which puts the two of them into direct conflict. She is a bit of an anti-hero. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jade Raksha doesn't hide behind false humility or morality, she is clear about what she wants, while at the same time capable of deception when needed. She also has a knack for sarcasm, overpraising her friend Xu Ying Hao's righteousness in order to put him in his place. There is also something about the sincerity of the character I like. When she tries to kill Jiang Yin Feng, even though it is clearly an overreaction and wrong, it's her real emotion coming to the surface. She isn't hiding her feelings. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>YAN TIAN LONG </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the things that makes this movie so enjoyable is the villain, Master Yan Tian Long, played by Yang Chi-Ching. He is one of those villains who is so evil yet so charming that he is a pleasure to watch. Master Yan is a horrible man, but presents himself as a philanthropist to the public and has learned to use charity as way of securing loyalty and recruiting men to serve him. He feeds the poor, cares for the sick, and is respected by officials. His house even has a plaque that reads "Always Be Kind", but beyond this plaque is a secret door that leads to his dungeon where he tortures, executes and stores goods gained through robbery. The blatant hypocrisy makes for a fun villain. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEcF56NKg2339nuTBKpFckig7dH1EhjMR2f-5wzK50XQs3On-C_lhgQMHwXXXWCmgZamXF9O3sTLjA1EMzl3w6tjquOpL37xUz_HjK2r4KV0ZvurDfbYosR0OzEwM4Kntach0L_NH3RDeJXF6CRCr4QSf5UD48UiWoCxuwkhL7phbXpsrcu4GopMCHRM-/s640/vlcsnap-2016-02-16-17h48m04s206.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEcF56NKg2339nuTBKpFckig7dH1EhjMR2f-5wzK50XQs3On-C_lhgQMHwXXXWCmgZamXF9O3sTLjA1EMzl3w6tjquOpL37xUz_HjK2r4KV0ZvurDfbYosR0OzEwM4Kntach0L_NH3RDeJXF6CRCr4QSf5UD48UiWoCxuwkhL7phbXpsrcu4GopMCHRM-/s320/vlcsnap-2016-02-16-17h48m04s206.png" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yan Tian Long's scheming is brilliant. He is a true chess player and can put his temper and ego aside in order to attain his goals with soft demonstrations of power. He gets the best doctors for Xu Ying Hao's mother, gives her money so she can survive while Xu Ying Hao is out seeking revenge, and he seems to be feeding everyone in town. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When he sees that Xu Ying Hao is friends with Jade Raksha, he responds by being reasonable and showing understanding, but then sends men to follow him so they can find her. He knows how to control people and how to use his mind in a fight. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He is also ruthless and cruel in order to achieve his goals. His dungeon is filled with instruments of torture and execution, including two giant guillotines. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>A LOVE TRIANGLE TIED TO THE CYCLE OF REVENGE</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Jade Raksha features a classic love triangle as well. For soon after Xu Ying Hao meets Leng Qiu Han, he returns home to his ailing mother, who has been nursed to house by the seemingly benevolent Yan Tian Long. Out of a desire for reciprocity, Xu Ying Hao agrees to be Yan's chief martial arts instructor. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Working for Master Yan, his men hear a woman singing Jade Raksha's melody and try to detain her. Xu Ying Hao orders them not to, but they disobey her, causing him to help the woman and her blind father escape. This leads to a romance between Xu Ying Hao and the daughter, Jiang Yin Feng. The father, Jiang Man Leung, approves of the relationship but when they are brought to Xu's mother's home, his mother, Mei Juan, recognizes Jiang Man Leung as the man her killed her husband, Shi Yong Shan. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The movie becomes much more emotional at this point, with a poignant scene between Mei Juan and Shi Yong Shan where he implores her to let the past go, so that their children can be happy. He then explains that he and her husband fought over her affection and that he accidentally killed him in a duel after he had been drinking. He was so guilt-ridden, he leapt off a cliff and his eyes were scratched by thorn bushes, causing him to go blind.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a good example of the kind of storytelling the movie does, where it is taking very longstanding themes and tropes, but holding back enough important information to give a large emotional impact for the viewer. And the characters make you feel for them. You share Mei Juan's profound desire to avenge her husband's death but also share her desire to let her son marry and be happy. And you feel for Shi Yong Shan, who was so remorseful he tried to commit suicide. And now all he wants is for his daughter to have a secure future. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-AhimDS5AYkD4l1dY4bXgs3BKJ8EHYD8oNIP2lPxHuyCv_HG3K4q1_a_qHAR3hTLiyJnVvlc1NLMg44YUV9I4w1yDPmLy4f3wu7Fvbenm8MI_V3t9Uah6p-2NfbUgfWlZTTE1bO8f4Sz61B5q7GcCuPkVo_EC4JGc0Hh-Xtw17x0veaRJBVEwIH68dx_/s640/vlcsnap-2016-02-19-17h28m47s693.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-AhimDS5AYkD4l1dY4bXgs3BKJ8EHYD8oNIP2lPxHuyCv_HG3K4q1_a_qHAR3hTLiyJnVvlc1NLMg44YUV9I4w1yDPmLy4f3wu7Fvbenm8MI_V3t9Uah6p-2NfbUgfWlZTTE1bO8f4Sz61B5q7GcCuPkVo_EC4JGc0Hh-Xtw17x0veaRJBVEwIH68dx_/s320/vlcsnap-2016-02-19-17h28m47s693.png" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is also cleverly woven into the cycle of revenge in the movie itself, where the characters are slowly becoming more and more interconnected by these past grudges and the need for vengeance. Every aspect of the story feels like it revolves around this theme and is mirrored elsewhere. For example, Jade Raksha's entire purpose for the whole movie, the wiping out of the Yan family, is a product of Yan Tian Long wiping out her entire family. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ultimately Mei Juan decides to keep Shi Yong Shan's secret and this leads to the love triangle between The Jade Raksha and Xu Ying Hao. It is at this point that the aforementioned attempted killings of Xu Ying Hao's love interest by the Jade Raksha occurs. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE FINALE </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Jade Raksha has a genuinely rewarding finale, with plenty of great fights, more reveals about the 20 year backstory, and a very interesting conclusion. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Still believing that Jiang Yin Feng is the Jade Raksha, Master Yan's son and his men detain her while she is out by the river. Mei Juan tries to stop them but cannot. This leads to both of them being imprisoned at Master Yan's residence, where they are kept as 'guests' to persuade them to share Jade Raksha's location. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Xu Ying Hao is forced to go to The Jade Raksha and ask for her help to rescue his mother and fiancé. Reluctantly she agrees on two conditions: the first is he must agree to never see Jiang Yin Feng again. The Jade Raksha's second condition is he must agree to marry her. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The final showdown is exciting and filled with more interesting developments to the story. Shi Yong Shan's secret is revealed when he is recognized by Master Yan, and master Yan himself, in a moment when he seems to have the upper hand, tells the full truth about why he killed Jade Raksha's entire family. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizisu7CSBQoEW0TAh3Fr5OBJ6C8Z5GmXDmEXsTDcUSRjhzuS6JMu5D6Sv5i8sfNWgPSQSGAd0tes2zctQypMuvendufXQ7ScM1OBCsc6jHWVM9OaWVi85t0apiMTabm5_GYxoGALN7wKul3e-JAzOgJQCtRgq7WDwrxpQ6h4kxUM2hOwdpk2oNLTFOrY5L/s640/vlcsnap-2016-02-14-12h34m06s039.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="640" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizisu7CSBQoEW0TAh3Fr5OBJ6C8Z5GmXDmEXsTDcUSRjhzuS6JMu5D6Sv5i8sfNWgPSQSGAd0tes2zctQypMuvendufXQ7ScM1OBCsc6jHWVM9OaWVi85t0apiMTabm5_GYxoGALN7wKul3e-JAzOgJQCtRgq7WDwrxpQ6h4kxUM2hOwdpk2oNLTFOrY5L/s320/vlcsnap-2016-02-14-12h34m06s039.png" width="320" /></a></div>He explains that the day that Shi Yong Shan and Xu Ying Hao's father fought that the three of them were all disciples of the same teacher and that he was hiding nearby. During the battle he shoved Xu Ying Hao's father into Shi Yong Shan's blade, and so was the one responsible for his death. As he was disposing of the bodies, The Jade Raksha's father happened by and saw everything, so he killed him and his entire family, though the Jade Raksha escaped. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the end Xu Ying Hao keeps his word and agrees to go off with Leng Qiu Han (The Jade Raksha), but when she sees the two lovers saying good bye she has a change of heart and departs so they can be together, leaving behind her sword bound, showing that she has kept her promise to never kill again. This is reminiscent of the ending of Lady Hermit so it feel like an idea Ho Meng Hua wants to perfect. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>THE FIGHTS </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The fight sequences are entertaining. This is more in the realm of the swashbuckling style of wuxia, so it helps to keep that in mind watching the film. Personally I love the late-60s style, it is very athletic and the sword blows have a weight to them. There is also a sense of dancing steel to the moves. I think there are Cheng Pei-pei films that have better fight choreography but this is still pretty solid, and the focus is really more on the story anyways. But there are some things that are notable.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The use of lightness kung fu is quite good for the period it was made (at least in my opinion). One technique, which I always like, is cutting shot to shot, with a character in the tree tops, to create the illusion of them moving from tree to tree. The actor literally is just shot in a single tree each time, never leaps or moves, but the camera and the cuts make your imagination fill in the gap and it has a wonderful style.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbslG4sfydhsnQFLd2IgpDusqd_EFkPWEKMJiW3K2NbswXa7C0JaLHNs5AIMI7NrJVcv4EfwhthS1xXX_F6NItM3KeG_Mxw2yb9uhBZ0p9eZC-ansUdqTnW6gq0Uhc8P8r3MIf8wiCcLZTF6cF0o-ENOWEynNqtJF92C9TiCv015YCSH9jeiQVsbwHDqj/s901/3a67b77d5d7ccb360cca08b21f0d1eab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="901" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbslG4sfydhsnQFLd2IgpDusqd_EFkPWEKMJiW3K2NbswXa7C0JaLHNs5AIMI7NrJVcv4EfwhthS1xXX_F6NItM3KeG_Mxw2yb9uhBZ0p9eZC-ansUdqTnW6gq0Uhc8P8r3MIf8wiCcLZTF6cF0o-ENOWEynNqtJF92C9TiCv015YCSH9jeiQVsbwHDqj/s320/3a67b77d5d7ccb360cca08b21f0d1eab.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is a nice tree top fight sequence as well, where the characters are standing on top of bamboo trees and having a duel. You also see characters running on water. There is even a bamboo pole vault over a burning bridge. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I quite liked the wirework and the way lightness kung fu was handled here. I do think if you are more accustomed to 90s wuxia or even late 70s wuxia, it may look less spectacular, but for a film made in 1968, I think it has some memorable lightness martial arts. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The fight sequences themselves are somewhat standard for this period but I think very entertaining. I like that there is less editing down of the fights, more complete visuals of the actors (you see their whole body moving much of the time). With Cheng Pei-pei especially I find her footwork excellent and so it is nice to be able to see the steps as well as the sword strikes. She often fights with a sword in one hand and scabbard in the other, and this allows for a twirling attack of the swords as she parries and wades into the fray. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In terms of violence, there is plenty of it. There are beheadings, people getting their eyes shot out with darts, and men being hacked to death by swords. There is plenty of red-hued Shaw Brothers blood spilled over the course of the film. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>TAKING IT TO THE TABLE</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In terms of taking inspiration from The Jade Raksha for an RPG, I think focusing on the villain would yield a lot of results for most GMs. His whole approach of using charity to gain reputation and loyalty, would work well for an antagonist in a wuxia campaign. Also his abode is riddled with traps and has a dungeon so it is something that you can fit into most campaigns, even non-wuxia settings. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In terms of an adventure I think a GM can also draw on the idea of an NPC who could be an ally or enemy and whose quest for revenge somehow intersects with the party (with the details maybe not becoming clear until more information is obtained). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another thing worth drawing on is the consequences of revenge. I don't think it's fair to always hammer this stuff home for players. But every once in a while there probably ought to be reasonable and realistic misunderstandings or mistaken identity that make pursuing revenge recklessly a little more perilous. And there is always an aftermath. When the young son of Shi Xiong Shan tells Xu Ying Hao that he will take revenge when he gets older, you know as a viewer that no matter what happy ending the film has in store for Xu, one day his peace will be shattered by a man coming to avenge his father's death. This is a reminder to GMs to take note of these kinds of details when players also get revenge. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For abilities there is a lot to draw on. In both Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate and Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades, there are many existing techniques and signature abilities that can be reskinned to fit the swashbuckling style of sword play. But I would probably to add a few new ones. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The first would be a Vengeful Blade technique, where the character gets 1 Extra Attack and does +1 Extra wounds when fulfilling a personal grudge. The other is a counter I would call Block and Slice to emulate something Cheng Pei-pei does frequently during the movie. This would be a counter that allows you to roll to block the attack, then make a sword strike against th target, but on a total success allows you to strike an additional foe in the area. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The other ability I would want to capture is Jade Raksha's haunting song. I think for a game like Righteous Blood Ruthless Blades, I would have this be a signature ability that provides a flat +1d10 to the Talking and Analysis Phase anytime you sing before combat and imposes a fear effect with a successful command roll (on a success it might give a -1d10 penalty to Speed, and on a Total Success a speed penalty and a -1d10 to combat skill rolls). For Wandering Heroes of Ogre gate it would simply be a technique that creates the fear effect mentioned above. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0