Hierax Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I'd like to add the feel of flavourful elements from Spaghetti Westerns and Samurai Chanbara but still maintain a strong Sword & Sorcery Fantasy feel. Suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jogger Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery I did something similar. For traveling to other cities, I banned teleport spells and had people travel on magical carts that had to be guided by special markings on the grounds called "trains". People would then travel along these trains to get to other cities. The trip was often nerve-wracking since the "thing" that was ensorcelled to run along the trains wanted to run fast and free and was quite loud. The conductor didn't have to keep the "thing" running, but had a devil of a time keeping it controlled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Emphasize over the top fights. Make sure most people abide by a gunslinger style sense of honor - even, or especially, the bad guys. A man's word should be a man's word. Gangs are loyal to each other, and everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Watch Sukiyaki Western Django. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hierax Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Actually just did a few days ago along with Django too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Don't underestimate Presence Attacks. The ability to cow people into not interfering with your actions is a powerful advantage -- especially if you can do it with just a searing look. Analyze is common to determining an opponent's style and weaknesses to use to your advantage. One-on-one duels are the ultimate way to determine ultimate victors in a scenario. Especially if the two parties are equally powerful, equally skilled and equally intimidating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Don't underestimate Presence Attacks. The ability to cow people into not interfering with your actions is a powerful advantage -- especially if you can do it with just a searing look.. Sanjuro: You're all tough, then? Gambler: What? Kill me if you can! Sanjuro: It'll hurt. Man With No Name: I don't think it's nice, you laughin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsedgamer Posted February 6, 2010 Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery This would have to be a pretty low magic world. I'm thinking Conan without as much high powered magic. That or magic is not readily available to PCs. The thing about chambara and westerns is that skill at arms and cunning decide the day. Think about it, magic would be like the pistol in Yojimbo. It was around, but there was only one of them, and it was noteworthy that it was there at all. Similarly in westerns, something like a Gatling gun, or a war wagon would provide the proper analogue. In ronin movies and spaghetti westerns, part of the the point is that you are playing the underdog. You would not be the emperor's favored retainers or the sheriff (unless that was a sucker's job). I also agree that transport would be slow, as magic is kept out of the foreground. Healing potions and the like would be sparse or less efficacious than normal. This would be a fun game to play, unless you are the type that has to play magic users all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted February 6, 2010 Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Very cool concept. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Suave Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery You could always take a more Eastern approach to the magic system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alibear Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery It'll hurt ... :slash: /arm missing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Gunslingers have such over-the-top abilities as to be easily explained as a wuxia version of gun-fu. Whoa. That sentence looks like English. Where did it go wrong? Anyway, the point is that the schtick with shooting the rifle over your shoulder to take out the sniper behind you is at least as magical as throwing lightning bolts around. It's not even subtle magic. Some kind of rule where magic lies in the perfection of technique might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery I have a file of Feng Shui Fu Schticks converted over (loosely mind you) to 6E. Some of these might work as gun stunts... if you take the word "sword" out and replace it with "firearm." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alibear Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Another thing to try is just using old Cowboy novels and movies as the basis for your plots and insert fantasy elements. Natives Americans become orcs but bandits are still bandits. A frontier lawless place where might is right is what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Why do Native Americans have to be orcs? Why not elves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawangaKid Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Why do Native Americans have to be orcs? Why not elves? Or hobbits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Or hobbits! That would be Eberron. Where they rode small dinosaurs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeper Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Why do Native Americans have to be orcs? Why not elves? Because Orcs Like it LOUD! Because Elves aren't Metal enough! They'd be Glam-Rockers at best. Seriously,though. I don't know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alibear Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Why do Native Americans have to be orcs? Why not elves? Either or.Whatever your players are happier being the generic bad guy I suppose. Spaghetti westerns wern't PC and that is the feel we're looking for isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Either or.Whatever your players are happier being the generic bad guy I suppose. Spaghetti westerns wern't PC and that is the feel we're looking for isn't it? Curiously... I can't recall a lot of Spaghetti westerns with Indian characters... at least in Sergio Leone's films. In many, the bad guys were other gunfighters, gamblers, bandits, landowners.... that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery There were a lot of Mexicans in spaghetti westerns, in my experience. Or, at least, Italian-Mexicans. For some reason, a lot of them are set either in Mexico or along the border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery For some reason' date=' a lot of them are set either in Mexico or along the border.[/quote'] I think that's because of the perception (not sure how accurate) that this area was the most lawless of the West. Outlaws seemed to believe that if they could just get across the border into Mexico that they were out of reach of American law. (Many people still believe that mistakenly, unaware that Mexico routinely sends American criminals they find back to the US). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevelon Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery This would have to be a pretty low magic world. I'm thinking Conan without as much high powered magic. That or magic is not readily available to PCs. The thing about chambara and westerns is that skill at arms and cunning decide the day. Think about it, magic would be like the pistol in Yojimbo. It was around, but there was only one of them, and it was noteworthy that it was there at all. Similarly in westerns, something like a Gatling gun, or a war wagon would provide the proper analogue. In ronin movies and spaghetti westerns, part of the the point is that you are playing the underdog. You would not be the emperor's favored retainers or the sheriff (unless that was a sucker's job). I also agree that transport would be slow, as magic is kept out of the foreground. Healing potions and the like would be sparse or less efficacious than normal. This would be a fun game to play, unless you are the type that has to play magic users all the time. I think there still is a place for magic, after all it's half of "swords and sorcery". I would restrict the lightning bolt from the fingertips stuff. Unless sorcerers are replacing gunslingers. You could be a ronin lightning-slinger, fastest spell in the outer providences. If you want the trappings of high magic, keep it at rituals and potions/magic items. A mage on the street will be cut down with a man with a sword, leaving space for spaghetti heros. But you can still have the demon summonings and other plots of the S&S genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Or wizards carry guns that fire spells instead of bullets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 Re: Western Spaghetti Samurai Frontier Feel to Fantasy Sword & Sorcery Silver bullets. Whenever I go off the beaten track of early modern history, I run into old-time magic, and guys who supposedly can only be killed by silver bullets figure fairly large. Not just werewolves, either. Prominent people like Prince Rupert (I think) and (definitely) Max Emamnuel of Bavaria were said to be immune to regular bullets. That seems to be a magic that goes with their heroic charisma, but even many of the soldiers called up in 1914 wore anti-bullet amulets. And if they work, so do the spelled bullets that beat the amulets.... And, of course, there's the Lone Ranger, who has not only silver bullets, but a lost silver mine. Lost mines are often symbols of genealogical treasure. In this case, the mask-wearing hero is clearly an avatar of Coyote, sometimes called the Grandfather of All Men. And he is fighting powerful enemies with bullets blessed by powers out of the morning of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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