Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Passionate feud between clans of flee soldierlike artists , tragical lovers from rival sects , Quaker bust apart by their code of pureness ; these are the earmark of the Chinese Wuxia music genre learn in stories such asCrouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon , stories that tabletop gamers can hearten usingHearts Of Wulinor other Wuxia RPGs . These tabletop biz scheme feature combat rule for recreating the physics - defying warlike fight the Wuxia genre is famous for , and social rules for recreating the romances , rivalries , and charge commitment equally iconic to this unambiguously Chinese style of fiction .
Wuxia , a lynchpin of popular Taiwanese fable for C , achieved literary fame thanks to works like theCondor HeroesTrilogy by Jin Yong , and popularized internationally byTV and movie adaptationslikeCrouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon(originally a 1930s novel by author Wang Dulu ) . Wuxia fiction is often viewed by American fan as the Chinese equivalent of Western fantasies likeThe Lord Of The Ringsby J.R.R. Tolkien . Culturally , however , Wuxia is more consanguineal to Wild West paperback and superhero comic book .
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Like the American Western music genre , Wuxia ( 武侠 , meaning " Martial Chivalry " or " Martial Heroes " ) takes place in a romanticized interpretation of the past , a pre - modern China with a secret underground of knightly Cuban sandwich , bandits , and sequestered sects visit the " Jianghu " ( 江湖 , imply " The Rivers and Lakes " ) or the " Wulin " ( 武林 , meaning " Warrior ’s timberland " ) . UnlikeWild West gunslingers , the friend of Wuxia stories are capable of superhuman feats thanks to their esoteric soldierly arts , correction that let them glide through the strain , paralyse masses with a tinge , or shatter Harlan Fiske Stone with a medallion strike . Just like superheroes , these " Youxia " ( 游侠 , meaning " wandering heroes " ) habituate their abilities to protect the frail , punish corrupt officials , and struggle off army of clod .
Many phantasy tabletop RPGs are influenced by the Wuxia genre in one form or another . The"Monk " course of study fromDungeons & Dragonshas many of the iconic power seen in Wuxia fiction – leaping vast space , paralyzing foes with unarmed strikes , etc . mythical fantasy RPGs likeExaltedorLegend Of The Five Ringsfrequently blend the soldierlike arts natural action seen in Wuxia fiction with the worlds of gods , demon , and thaumaturge seen in Chinese fantasize likeJourney To The West . That being said , Wuxia is more than just a aggregation superhuman warriorlike arts battles ; it ’s also a genre about passionate individuals who suffer for not conforming to custom , patriots frustrated by the corruption in their dwelling house countries , lover torn apart by their clashing family , and fond friendship break by awful secrets . In short , Wuxia is very melodramatic , and the following RPGs espouse this melodrama in their rules and premises .
Tabletop RPG: Hearts Of Wulin
Hearts Of Wulinis a lately released Wuxia - genre tabletop RPG published byThe Gauntlet Gaming Community , build around the narrative - focused"Powered By The Apocalypse " organisation . place in a timeless version of historical China filled with rambling Hero of Alexandria and knightly martial artists , Hearts Of Wulinuses special " Playbooks " to represent Wuxia character archetypes and particular rules called " motion " to address the perils and and riddle ordinarily realize in Wuxia narration .
part attributes are themed around the five classical Taiwanese component ( Earth , Fire , Water , Metal , Wood ) , any of which can be used to assail an enemy depending on the tactics or martial art technique used . eye Of Wulin ’s playbook , with name like the " Aware , " " The Bravo , " or " The Student " are themed around personalities such as the tranquil salvia , the playful trickster , or the loyal prentice ; each Playbook has Entanglements that reflect the complicated , conflict - generating bonds between PCs and NPC in the cause .
Tabletop RPG: Legends Of The Wulin
Legends Of The Wulin , write by Eos Press , is a spiritual heir to theirWeapons Of The GodsRPG , an official version of the eponymic Wuxia " Manhua " comic . Players of this RPG take on the role of wandering heroes wandering the " Rivers and Lakes " of Shenzhou , caught up in conflict between good and evil , orthodox martial artwork vs. heretical warlike arts , and social responsibilities vs. individual desires .
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persona creation inLegends Of The Wulinis centered around choosing a fiber social class such as Warrior , Priest , Doctor , Scholar or Courtier , then mix an external and home martial artistic creation discipline into singular fighting style . The fighting automobile mechanic forLegends Of The Wulin , centered aroundrolling dice pool of D10sand matter up matching numbers racket , are designed to conclude physical , genial and societal affaire d’honneur , letting player damage their enemy ’s flesh , disrupt their chi , introduce doubt into their psyche , or inflame their rage .
Tabletop RPG - Tianxia: Blood, Silk & Jade
Tianxia : Blood , Silk & Jade(“天下 , ” meaning " All Under Heaven " ) is a fairly light - hearted Wuxia RPGpublished by Vigilance Press , construct aroundthe open - author destiny systemcreated by Evil Hat Productions . Players in this biz are heroic outlaw , monks , soldiers , magistrates , and physicians who use their martial arts to protect the innocent and punish the unrighteous in their home province of Jiangzhou .
InTianxia : Blood , Silk & Jade , the relationships between players quality and NPC are represented by narrative description called " Aspects , " while signature martial arts are created by choose dissimilar " Stunts " from ability lists theme around elemental force and beast ( a PC with one " Stone " Stunt and one " Crane " Stunt practice " Stone Crane Style " ) .
Tabletop RPG: Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades
Righteous Blood , Ruthless Blades , a Wuxia RPGdesigned by Jeremy Baiand Brendan Davis , is specifically modeled after the fiction of Gu Long , an writer from Taiwan famous for his concise writing stylus and gamey , noir go up to the Wuxia genre .
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PC inRighteous Blood , Ruthless Bladescan be customise to an intricate arcdegree thanks to the lists of occupations , signature abilities , accomplishment , and eccentricity players can pick out from , and skill checks are loosely resolve by roll a pool of D10 dice and comparing the highest answer to a target number .
A middling monition : the narratives ofRighteous Blood , Ruthless Bladescampaignstend to be blooming and black compared toWuxia pic likeCrouching Tiger , Hidden Dragonand other RPGs in this clause , thanks to mechanics that search vices such as gaming and intoxication , along with societal auto-mechanic focalise around score , rivalries , and revenge .
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Source : Jeremy Bai.com , Vigilance Press , The Gauntlet , Drivethru RPG
