Saturday, March 31, 2018

WUXIA WEEKEND: THE TOURNAMENT DISCUSSION

Every Friday, the group gets together and talks about a wuxia, martial arts or related action movie for Wuxia Weekend. 

Last night, I spoke with Lady Cao Feng and Kenny about the Angela Mao movie The Tournament. Like Hapkido and When Taekwondo Strikes, it also stars Carter Wong and Sammo Hung. Made in 1974 and directed by Wong Fung, with action choreography by Sammo Hung, The Tournament is about the daughter of a martial arts school master who returns from Thailand in disgrace, after one of his students dies in a Muay Thai match. She goes to Thailand and enters the ring herself to help restore her father's name and the reputation of their school.

This is a film for people who like the fights but it also has a story about the role of face and reputation in martial arts that pits the the more open-minded Angela Mao's Lau Siu Feng against the traditionalist martial arts association. She is willing  to learn from the loss in Thailand in order to improve her Kung Fu, while the Martial Arts Association members are reluctant to examine the defeat. 

The Tournament is reminiscent of movies like Duel of Fists (an "Iron Triangle" film starring Ti Lung and David Chiang, directed by Chang Cheh) and King Boxer (an early Kung Fu craze movie with big studio distribution through Warner Brothers, featuring Lo Lieh). This movie not only has Kung Fu versus Muay Thai, there is also a rival Japanese school that uses the loss as an opportunity to take over the school. 

The fight choreography is high quality and comes in relentless waves. Early in the movie Angela Mao faces off against the students from the aforementioned Japanese School, and faces the Martial Arts Association immediately after her victory. The fight with the martial arts association is perhaps the best in the movie, beginning with a duel against Sammo Hung's character, followed by staggered battles with other members that culminates with a glorious match atop wooden posts (see above image). 

In Thailand, the boxing feels more authentic than previous films in my opinion. The matches themselves are still injected with a bit of Hong Kong cinematic style, but the fighters look like they know Muay Thai and the training includes methods you would see in a real Thai Boxing gym. 

The Thai boxing matches are an interesting change of pace, that keep the action from feeling repetitive. There is also a perilous fight in ancient Thai ruins when one of the enemy fighter's managers decides to kidnap the daughter of their contact in Thailand to recoup the money from his losses. 

The Tournament is a great demonstration of Angela Mao's talents, and it gives her a chance to showcase a character who can not only fight her way out of a problem, but think her way to victory as well. It also has stand-out performances from Carter Wong and Sammo Hung. 

You can hear our discussion of the movie on our podcast: 

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

SONS OF LADY EIGHTY SEVEN SESSION NINETEEN: MADE FROM IRON

Here is the latest session of our Sons of Lady Eighty Seven campaign. You can hear the previous session HERE. In this session the player's try to rescue Iron God Meng and encounter the terrors of the State of the Bold King. 



ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN 
Sons of Lady Eighty Seven is a campaign I am playing as I build a sandbox for the Lady Eighty Seven Supplement (HERE is where the idea originated). Lady Eighty Seven and her Eighty Seven Killers Organization control several districts in Fan Xu province as a kind of shadow empire. 

PLAYER CHARACTERS
Qin Daofeng: Brother of Wuji. Member of the Eighty Seven Killers and son of Qin the Apothecary and Saffron Tigress. Played by Steven. 

Qin Wuji: Younger brother of Daofeng. Reluctant member of Eighty Seven Killers who wants to protect Daofeng from harm. Son of Qin the Apothecary and Saffron Tigress. Played by Kenny. 

Boorish Drunken Sword: A drunken hero who married Guan Nuan, the granddaughter of Lady Eighty Seven. Played by Elliot.

Lu Ping: A beggar of Nature Loving Monk Sect who recently became the disciple of a strange creature claiming to be Sun Mai. Played by Adam. 

THE SETTING
The campaign is set in Fan Xu Prefecture, which is in the southern area of the Zhan Dao Empire and comprised of 11 districts. Each district is patrolled by a military inspector and a sheriff (not all districts are the same in this respect, with most matching the arrangement described in the rulebook). This is my personal map of the area. It is just a mock-up. In the actual book we will have a map done by Rob Conley. Fan Xu started with my Blood in Daoxu adventure, which you can find HERE. Keep in mind I made several changes to Daoxu and the adventure material for the supplement. 


Saturday, March 24, 2018

WUXIA WEEKEND: NEW DRAGON INN DISCUSSION

This friday we talked about the 1992 New Dragon Inn film, produced by Tsui Hark and directed by Raymond Lee. It stars Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Donnie Yen. You can catch our wuxia weekend discussions every Friday at the Bedrock Podcast

Thursday, March 22, 2018

RETURN OF CONDOR HEROES SERIES DISCUSSION TWO: EPISODES 3-5

Adam and I return to talk about episodes 3-5 of the 2006 Return of Condor Heroes. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

SONS OF LADY EIGHTY SEVEN EIGHTEEN: AGAINST THE GLORIOUS EMPEROR

Here is the latest session of our Sons of Lady Eighty Seven campaign. You can hear the previous session HERE. In this session the player's discover that their ally, Iron God Meng has been captured by the emperor and someone is trying to frame them. 




ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN 
Sons of Lady Eighty Seven is a campaign I am playing as I build a sandbox for the Lady Eighty Seven Supplement (HERE is where the idea originated). Lady Eighty Seven and her Eighty Seven Killers Organization control several districts in Fan Xu province as a kind of shadow empire. 

PLAYER CHARACTERS
Qin Daofeng: Brother of Wuji. Member of the Eighty Seven Killers and son of Qin the Apothecary and Saffron Tigress. Played by Steven. 

Qin Wuji: Younger brother of Daofeng. Reluctant member of Eighty Seven Killers who wants to protect Daofeng from harm. Son of Qin the Apothecary and Saffron Tigress. Played by Kenny. 

Boorish Drunken Sword: A drunken hero who married Guan Nuan, the granddaughter of Lady Eighty Seven. Played by Elliot.

Lu Ping: A beggar of Nature Loving Monk Sect who recently became the disciple of a strange creature claiming to be Sun Mai. Played by Adam. 

THE SETTING
The campaign is set in Fan Xu Prefecture, which is in the southern area of the Zhan Dao Empire and comprised of 11 districts. Each district is patrolled by a military inspector and a sheriff (not all districts are the same in this respect, with most matching the arrangement described in the rulebook). This is my personal map of the area. It is just a mock-up. In the actual book we will have a map done by Rob Conley. Fan Xu started with my Blood in Daoxu adventure, which you can find HERE. Keep in mind I made several changes to Daoxu and the adventure material for the supplement. 


Tuesday, March 20, 2018

WUXIA WORKSHOP

We started a new show on the podcast called Wuxia Workshop where I talk with Joel Clark about wuxia RPG design, media and related topics. Here is the first episode. I think we had an interesting conversation and we covered a lot. You can listen below or check out the Bedrock Podcast channel HERE


I've also been talking with Adam about the televised adaptation of Return of Condor Heroes (2006). You can listen to that HERE

In other news, my review of What Price Honesty? is available at SHAW BROTHERS UNIVERSE


Monday, March 19, 2018

WANDERING HEROES: USING SURVIVAL SKILL TO GO COMMANDO

In my game on Saturday a situation came up where a player was effectively cleaning up after a big battle, sneaking in the nearby wilderness to pick off those who escaped. Sometimes we want to focus on the specific traps, situations, and fights in a scenario like this (as the planning and execution can be amusing). But the player character was quite powerful in comparison to the people he was attacking and there were more pressing things occupying the group's attention. So I decided to just have him make survival rolls to pick off guys. For those unfamiliar with Survival, you can find the skill on page 46-47 in the WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE rulebook. 

Here is the method I used: I had the player make Survival Rolls TN 6. On a success of 6 he killed 1d10 guys; on a success of 7 he killed 2d10 guys; on a Success of 8, he killed 3d10 guys; on a Success of 9 he killed 4d10 guys; on a Success of 10, he killed 5d10 guys (+1d10 for every additional 10 rolled). 

It worked out pretty well. I wouldn't use this for every situation though. I think it works best when its clear the player would be able to kill people in a single strike (whether that is because of their power level or some impressive stealth attack technique). 

Sunday, March 18, 2018

RETURN OF CONDOR HEROES DRAMA SERIES (2006) DISCUSSION ONE

I discussed the 2006 Return of Condor Heroes Television Series with Adam. We talk about the first two episodes. 

Saturday, March 17, 2018

YES, MADAM! DISCUSSION

We had the full crew on last night to talk about "Yes, Madam!" a 1985 Corey Yuen film starring Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, Hang Moi, Tsui Hark and John Shum Kin-Fun. 


Friday, March 16, 2018

BLOOD-STAINED ROADS TWO: YANG TUO AND THE EMERALD TURTLE

This is an entry on the Blood-Stained Roads Table. You can see the main table HERE

YANG TUO AND THE EMERALD TURTLE 
In this adventure, designed for more unorthodox parties, the players are tracked down by Yang Tuo who is attempting to ambush them and contain them inside his Emerald Turtle. If the party isn't unorthodox or evil, he may merely have been misinformed about them and come to believe they are deserving of punishment. If this is the case, he may be reluctant to believe the party should they protest, but could be persuaded. The Emerald Turtle  is a kind of karmic prison for the wicked but will work on anyone with attachments and any who have killed. He finds a good spot based on the local terrain and stands on high ground to announce his intentions to the party. They may be able to stop him before he activates the Emerald Turtle and sucks them inside of it. He will list off their known crimes or offenses, and tell them he is here to enact justice. 

YANG TUO
See Entry on page 341 on the WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE (WHOG) rulebook. 

EMERALD TURTLE PRISON
The Emerald Turtle prison looks like a small turtle made of emerald and can pull people in where they remain trapped until they free themselves of their attachments. In truth the prison is an illusion, but it is so powerful, the characters bodies become Feng Gui (WHOG, 367) and they believe themselves to be trapped inside the pagoda described below. To use the Emerald Turtle roll 4d10 against the Resolve of all within a 60 foot radius. On a Success you pull in the target. 

Laws of the Emerald Turtle Prison
These laws govern the world inside the Emerald Turtle:
  • Every hour inside the turtle is a week outside
  • If characters die inside the Emerald Turtle, they are reborn in the Pleasure Cave (area 8)
  • If characters sleep, they dream of their phoenix bodies outside
  • To escape they must meditate and cultivate until they overcome their Phoenix Spirit obstacles OR they can find the golden lamp, illuminate the shadows of their Phoenix Spirits, and take it to the bottom of the waters of Inward Reflection

Dangers
Cannot die but can be whittled down and replaced by Empty Ones 


THE EMERALD WASTES
This is a land of arid hills and tables. There are ruins scattered about and the place is inhabited by people the players have killed. Any person killed at any point by the players in their past, can appear here and attack them. 


Cave of the Golden Light
This long cave has a dim light at the end. The cave is about thirteen miles long. Every mile the players advance, the take a wound. However these wounds are just an illusion, not real. They will not die or become incapacitated from them. If they press on and continue despite feeling as though they are dying they find a golden lamp at the far end. 

The Golden Lamp
This is a lamp made from gold that radiates light which illuminates the soul. Anyone who stands in the light feels discomfort as it helps them overcome their obstacles and attachments temporarily. It takes two rounds. Each round the person feels this physically, losing 1 point of Hardiness. They also gain 1 point of resolve. If the lamp is brought to the bottom of the bottom of the Waters of Inward Reflection after this has been done, the character is restored to their body and free from the Emerald Turtle Prison. 

THE PAGODA OF THE EMERALD TURTLE
In the halls of illusion there is a 3 in 10 chance every ten minutes of having an encounter with an Empty One.

1. SHRINE OF HEN-SHI
There is a massive statue of Hen-Shi here and thousands of floating golden mercies. Anyone inside can hear a rumbling in their chest. This is Hen-Shi. She tells them “Reflect. Reflect and overcome the obstacles. Cultivate and I will release you.”

This is an invitation to meditation. It takes a long time to complete. Characters can make 1 Meditation roll a day and only advance if they get a 10. Each level is a different obstacle and can only be reached when one is finished (the stairs just go on endlessly otherwise). This area is protected from Empty Ones.

Obstacle Levels: Happiness, Anger/Rage, Sorrow, Love, Pleasure

Secret Door: Detect TN 9 every hour to see the secret door. This leads to the Hall of Illusion below.

2-3. HALL OF ILLUSION
There is a giant plaque here that reads: This is all an illusion, but all too real. There is another path, a faster path. Find the Golden Lamp, bring it here and face the obstacles within. When the lamp radiates golden light, sink with it to the bottom of the waters of reflection.

Door: This cannot be opened without the golden lamp.

4. THE VAST EMPTY
This dark chamber is cold and seems endless. Anyone who enters is attacked by Empty Ones. Once here it is hard to leave. Characters must make Meditation TN 7 rolls to find the door. 

EMPTY ONES 
Empty Ones are the embodiment of nothingness and absorb to become real. Initially they have no form. As they absorb they take on form, eventually replacing those they take from. They can only be fended off with magic, or attacked when they take form.

Defenses: Hardiness 0, Evade 0 (10 Formless), Parry 0 (10 Formless), Stealth 0, Wits 0, Resolve 0

Key Skills: Attack: 1d10

Max Wounds: 1+1 for every Absorb.

Powers
Absorb: Every Successful attack they drain a skill of their choice, taking the knowledge that reflects from the target.

5. CHAMBER OF SORROW
This room is filled with draping vines and flooded with water. The stone floor is uneven.

THE SORROW CLUSTRATION
This is a creature created by a combination of the party’s sorrow. It looks like a three-headed creature in white robes. Its face is hideous, black hair wrapping around impossibly large features, a wide mouth filled with giant teeth.

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 7, Parry 7, Stealth 8, Wits 4, Resolve 9

Key Skills: Bite: 2d10 (2d10 Open Damage and Special), Arm Strike: 1d10 (Damage 2d10), Grapple: 2d10, Speed: 3d10, Detect: 2d10, Muscle: 2d10

Max Wounds: 7

Powers

Teeth of Fatigue: When the creature bites, it leaves a large dagger like tooth behind. This weighs down the person until removed (Muscle TN 8). When weighed down the person must make a Speed roll just to move (TN 7). 

6. CHAMBER OF RAGE
This chamber literally is steaming with rage. There are numerous vents that sporadically issue plumes of burning heat. Each round Roll 1d10 against Evade. Those hit take 2d10 fire damage.

THE HATEFUL ANGER AMALGAMATION 
This is a creature created by a combination of the party’s rage and hatred. This entity is massive, the size of an entire wall. It blends in with the stone perfectly but as it appears, it looks like a vaguely humanoid being cut from frayed and burned wood. It is a tangle of features and it sends flaming balls of death at all it sees. 

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 7, Parry 7, Stealth 8, Wits 4, Resolve 9

Key Skills: Arm Strike: 1d10 (Damage 8d10), Grapple: 2d10, Speed: 3d10, Detect: 2d10, Muscle: 8d10

Max Wounds: 7

Powers
Burn: With a wail, it can throw gobs of flame at people. Roll against Evade. On a success does 4d10 fire damage.

7. THE LOVER’S CHAMBER
This chamber is filled with burning incense, curtains, partitioned chambers with assorted food items. The entity here does not try to kill, rather it attempts to imprison. Supplying people with anything they desire. It lies hidden through a translucent jade ceiling high above.

8. PLEASURE
This room is filled with music. The music comes from the walls. The dripping of water is like fingers tapping notes on an instrument. The entity here appears as a tall luminous woman who glides and sings.

THE PLEASURE SPIRIT
Appears as a tall woman with ghuzeng strings for hair and fine red robes. Strikiing her hurts the attacker.

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 7, Parry 7, Stealth 8, Wits 4, Resolve 9

Key Skills: Hair Whipping: 3d10, Arm Strike: 1d10 (Damage 5d10), Grapple: 2d10, Speed: 3d10, Detect: 2d10, Muscle: 5d10, Talents (All): 4d10

Max Wounds: 7

Powers 

Hair Whip: The metallic hair of the pleasure spirit cuts for 3d10 open damage and can hit everyone in a 60 foot area. It slices so fine it doesn’t hurt, and is almost pleasing.

Sing: The song of the Pleasure Spirit Heals

Reflect: Anyone wounds a person inflicts on her, they take.

9. HAPPINESS
There is a falls here and an island with a small house. An abundance of fruits grow in trees despite the lack of natural sunlight.

THE HAPPINESS BLEND
This appears as a round person with a long smile and beaming eyes. It drinks blood, which brings it joy. It is friendly as it attacks, often engaging in seemingly unrelated conversation, as if it is doing no harm to the person.

Defenses: Hardiness 7, Evade 7, Parry 7, Stealth 8, Wits 4, Resolve 9

Key Skills: Bite: 3d10, Arm Strike: 1d10 (Damage 5d10), Grapple: 2d10, Speed: 3d10, Detect: 2d10, Muscle: 5d10, Talents (All): 4d10

Max Wounds: 7

Powers
Bite and Feast: When it bites a target and does damage, it inflicts 2d10 Open Damage and drains 1 points of Hardiness (that comes back at a rate of 1 point per day).