UltraRob

Re: WuXia Hero

Re: WuXia Hero So, given Plucky's writeup, I have been thinking... Hard/Soft Internal/External Yin/Yang How are these really different? Hard MA are focused on direct application of force, Soft MA are focussed on redirection of force. Well, internal techniques seem to affect the user, and obviously external techniques affect the outside world. Yin and Yang are different kinds of energy, Yin in the feminine, the passive, whereas Yang is the masculine, the active. So for example, a "Hard Internal Yin" technique would be one which physically affects the user's body and makes use of Yin energy. (ie Making your skin hard like Iron.) A "Soft Internal Yin" technique would be one that affects the energy balance of the user's body by making use of outside Yin energy, and makes use of Yin energy. (ie Absorbing an opponent's Qi into your own reserves.) A "Hard External Yang" technique would be one that uses Yang energy to affect the outside world in a direct way. (ie An armour piercing sword technique.) A "Soft External Yang" technique would be one which redirects outside energy and uses Yang as the basis for it's manipulations. (ie Using the force of an opponents punch to slam them into a nearby wall.) Okay, if this is true then I understand Hard/Soft and Internal/External better now. But, how would Yin/Yang fit into this? Do they act like Positive and Negative electricity? Do you have to use Yang to counter Yang and Yin to Counter Yin? Or do you need to use the opposite to cancel out the one being used? Is there some effects which only Yin energy could generate and some effects only Yang could generate? Okay, the next question is how to apply this to a game, and should we apply this to the rules or just leave it as a special effect, a story element? I think this is really up to the GM and how he wants to run his game, but for my own money I rather like simplicity, so I would probably just use it as a special effect and story element when making up the techniques and martial arts for the game. These seem mostly to be classifications rather than actual sources of techniques, whether a technique is hard/soft or internal/external has more to do with the focus of the power and style of the manipulation than the "source" of the power or way in which it's manipulated. I suppose I could use them to limit the types of powers PCs could build...For example limiting the types of powers they could build based on their Martial Art's particular focus: Hard External: Offensive attack powers. (ie Energy Blast, Killing Attacks, etc) Soft External: Defensive powers using outside foci, Pressure Point techniques, Healing Techniques. (ie Force Fields and Missile Deflection using objects and clothes, Drains and Transformations (to simulate pressure point strikes), etc.) Hard Internal: Qi powers which affect the user's body in a physical way. (ie Damage Resistance, Aids to physical stats, Self-Healing, Leaping and Running, etc) Soft Internal: Qi powers that involve the energy balance of the user's body. (ie Aids to "energy" stats like STUN and END, Transfers, Flight, Life Support, etc.) So, I suppose if players chose to study Shotokan Karate, which is a Hard External art, they would only be able to buy Qi Techniques which are offensive and external in nature because it's an Hard External martial art. If they want to buy a "Lightness of Breath Technique" to "fly" which is Soft Internal, they wouldn't be allowed to do it until they had mastered a Soft Internal martial art. (It's up to the GM to determine what "mastery" of a new Martial Art requires and means.) Of course, some Martial Arts are both External and Internal, or Hard and Soft...So can you really classify them like this? Any thoughts? Rob

Re: I need serious help!!! Alucard is perhaps one of my favorite renditions of Dracula of all time, the series kinda petered out by the end but he was so damn cool that I never missed a moment. Let Buffy try and Slay HIM! Actually, there's a Hellsing movie coming out soon, if you haven't heard. I hope it's a continuation of the series. Rob

Re: I need serious help!!! Actually, I disagree, there is a very good reason they are linked, if the base rounds can't be fired, then the magical rounds can't be fired either. Therefore the "booster" rounds should be linked to the primary rounds, and get a cost break accordingly. He's not getting a 12D6 EB, he's getting (to use your example combined with his...) 6 6D6 EB's and 7 12D6 EB's, which is definitely a limitation if I ever saw one. Although I can see why some GMs such as yourself might not consider it a significant enough limitation to be worth a cost break. Personal taste I guess. Rob

Re: WuXia Hero Nifty! I love it when Supers get bested or equalled by normals...shows them that powers aren't everything! Thanks for the info! Rob

Re: WuXia Hero Dang it! You're right! That's what I get for tossing my "words list" on as an after thought at 2am because I thought there should be one. Hmm, I have always been fond of the translation "hard skill" myself, since it tends to refer to skills which are hard to learn period. But, I agree with your translations too. Good point, I should change that. Actually, I have reached the point of disatisfaction with translating "WuXia" that I prefer to use it as a term unto itself. Just like Samurai is "Samurai", and Knight is "Knight", I think WuXia should simply be "WuXia". There simply isn't a proper translation for them that I have heard and liked to date. Hmm, would those be a DCV bonus only when the attacker is trying to hit certain areas? Or in general? Probably best to just let them buy a bonus level or two, since simple is usually best. Hey, if you want to write up your thoughts on the subject, feel free to submit them to my site. I'd love to include some thoughts from a real Gong Fu practitioner since I am afraid my knowledge of martial arts is pretty much all theory and observation. Thanks for the comments! I'll work on my glossary when I get the chance! You're right, it does need some fine tuning. :-P Rob

Re: WuXia Hero Hmm...Interesting. That is what I suspected after watching people use them in movies and TV (including a few documentaries)...That makes perfect sense, though, they were practicing anti-armour techniques and ones that resulted in quick kills in what they saw as the most efficient manner. For gaming, this is one of the key things to keep in mind...I will remember this! Thank you! ^__^ Rob

Re: Character creation problems solved When I tired to run a FH campaign on Champions level points (150+100) and no NCM, I ended up with exactly that...characters that weren't even remotely human, and were more or less demi-gods/superheros. Including a dude(tte) with STR:40...So I hear where you're coming from. No sir, I didn't like it at all. (and now only run FH at 75+50) Actually a more practical solution to your problem really might be making most of the NCM Stats max out at 25 or 30 instead of 20, which is something I never thought of before, but in conjuction with 125 or 150pt characters might actually work quite well. They will have greater levels of potential, but still be at a "human" level for the most part. Actually, if the HEROs here recall, what you have done is institute what the Rolemaster RPG called the "potential stat" system. In Rolemaster you rolled twice for all your stats, the first roll was your current stat, and the second roll was how far you could go through experience, since everyone has different peaks and valleys in their natural abilities and how far they could push them. Worked well in Rolemaster. Rob

Re: I need serious help!!! V&V...Err....I know not of what you speak... heh heh Tell ya a funny story, long ago in High School I played with a group and V&V was their favorite game, and for me it was love at first sight. But, when I went to the local hobby shops, they didn't have any copies of Villains and Vigilantes at all! All they had was this game called Champions I had never heard of....(3rd Ed. to be precise)...So, rather than wait until they ordered a copy of V&V for me, I figured this game was just as good and bought it... Untold numbers of years later....Here I am still playing HERO. Mind you, and this is between you, me and the rest of humanity...I did eventually get a copy of V&V, and it remains one of my favorite Superhero games to this day. (I have every module released but one!) I even pull it out from time to time for one-shots with whatever group I am running for...I campaign with HERO, but I still play V&V. Rob

Re: I need serious help!!!

Re: WuXia Hero Oh heck yeah! Best looking girls of any Chinese TV series, ever! Actually, I heard one of them, I think it's Duan Yu's sister, is actually Chinese-American, California born and raised. Love to meet her on the street! Heh. I have about 1pt spent in my myself, but I keep trying! Sounds like I'm a little bit behind you, enough to get myself into trouble, but not understand a word of the consequences! Rob

Re: WuXia Hero Not a problem. You actually have Fox Force Five as a villian group? Rob

Re: I need serious help!!! I suggest simply you build your gun, then create a separate "booster" power linked to it that only has 7 charges. ie Power One: 3D6 RKA, OAF(Gun), 16 Charges. Power Two: +2D6 RKA, OAF(Gun), Linked to Power 1, 7 Charges. So we have a Gun that normally does 3D6 RKA and can fire 16 shots, but up to 7 times a Day it can do 5D6. Multipowers aren't necessary unless you want to have more than one type of base bullet. You can do the math for costs. Rob

Re: WuXia Hero Thanks! On it! Under the title "The Warring States of Legends", I know. I showed the first 15 mins of the 1st episode of DGSD 2003 to my gaming group last session while waiting for a late player. When they realized they weren't looking at matte scenery shots, their jaws hit the floor! Then their eyes bugged out as they were watching the action scenes and I reminded them this is a 40 episode TV series. As my one player put it..."We can't compete with THIS!!?!" Well what do you expect when they start making action TV series in China with our movie level of quality at 1/10th the production costs and the support of the Chinese government. :-P Although as it goes on, I wish they hadn't trimmed out so much story in favor of fight scenes. :-/ Indeed mi amigo. Indeed. I'm a year or so away from being conversational in Mandarin, but as for reading and writing... Rob

Re: Darts Yeah, "combat luck" as written is a real pain in the a**, players either want it to stack with armour or treat it as their excuse to be invulnerble to low-powered weapons like darts and knives. I can't help but think "combat luck" should be more like bonus DCV with an activation roll that they get when they're not wearing armour. After all, if you're lucky, you don't get hit at all! Actually, something just occured to me as I wrote this...Would making darts an NND(Not vs Armour 2rPD or greater) which do 1D6 STUN each work? Then they would have an "ouch" factor, but not do real damage, just cause pain. Any poisons would be a carrier attack on the darts. Hmm, I may have just answered my own question...:-P Rob

Re: WuXia Hero Really? Which novel did she complete? You're not talking about the 1st Lu XiaoFeng novel, are you? Got all of the above. ^_- D-Addicts isn't subbing those Duke episodes, though, they're capturing them off Singaporean TV, where Chinese shows air in Mandarin on TV with English subs. (Nice place to live! ) As for the ROCH anime, I have to say I like the novel a lot better...I am enjoying the anime (just watched 21+22 yesterday, in fact!) but I find it just doesn't have the same vibrant feel that the novel has. Still, it's cool to see, and not a bad way to hook people on WuXia stuff. I just wish someone would finish translating Condor Heros the first series! I would have rather read them in that order instead of reading the sequel first! Although the sequel is damn cool! ^__^ I actually just ordered "Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountains" this afternoon from an online bookstore, one of only three Jin Yong novels available officially in English. Cost me $35, but I've never read anything he wrote that I didn't love, the man is a genius! Rob

Re: WuXia Hero

Now, as some of you may or may not know, in Chinese fantasy Darts, Needles and throwing blades are a big deal. Usually thrown in 3's, they are used as distractions, warnings, and often to carry drugs or poisons to the target. And so far in my HERO experience, have proven to be utterly useless. Which is why I'm asking to see if anyone else has good ideas about how to handle them in HERO. Usually the PCs have a couple points of rPD (Darts aren't going to do more than 1pip of BODY after all.) and don't seem able to do enough stun to be noticed or even make the target say "ouch". And, of course they have to penetrate the skin before any drugs or poisons will take effect, so that kills that angle too. About the only thing I have thought of is to declare them all penetrating (or made so by use of a little Qi boost), but that does make them pretty dangerous. Up to 3 body from a single salvo of darts seems a little much, don't you think? Rob

Re: WuXia Hero Thanks, but in my own research I have found that hard/soft and external/internal seem to be used interchangably. I make no claims to be an expert, but I always thought that "hard" martial arts were focussed on outward expressions and development of Qi, whereas "soft" martial arts tended to emphasize internal focus and development of Qi. (There is even an article about my thoughts on it on my site under The WuXia Campaign.) If this is incorrect, someone is welcome to correct me, I would be curious to know how they are different. Rob

Re: WuXia Hero

Re: WuXia Hero

Re: WuXia Hero Thank you kindly. This is just the start of the page, I plan to keep expanding it and putting up articles as time allows...I really want to put up articles on Chinese culture and of course lists of Qi Techniques, Funky Weapons and Characters. UltraRob

Hi All, I just finished the core version of a page set up for my own WuXia (Chinese Fantasy) HERO campaign, and about Chinese WuXia gaming in general. If you're interested drop on by at: http://www.geocities.com/rpatersonca/WuxiaHeroIndex.html Questions and Comments are of course welcome. UltraRob

Hi All, I just finished the core version of a page set up for my own WuXia (Chinese Fantasy) HERO campaign, and about Chinese WuXia gaming in general. If you're interested drop on by at: http://www.geocities.com/rpatersonca/WuxiaHeroIndex.html Questions and Comments are of course welcome. UltraRob

Re: How do you get players to role play the genre? This is one of the areas where I think the GM has to secretly keep an eye on balance...if characters spend XP creatively, then I tend to make sure they get some of it back...in fact as one of my players pointed out...in my games players who Spend XP end up doing better in the long run. I reward agressive, active play (whether in combat or not), and tend to give fewer points to people who just sit there. (They did nothing, they get nothing.) In fact I would say about 1/2 the XPs spent in this fashion in my games are spent outside of combat anyways, but we do a lot of serious roleplaying between the fights. I can see your point, and how this would happen if your Noncoms aren't taking many risks and your Coms are spending the points like water...In this case I might put a spending point cap on things...say 2 per game....So the Coms aren't screwing themselves out of their own Enthusiasm...I guess the other point is why you are letting them do this...And what kind of game you want it to be...I did it to encourage action and creativity, and it worked pretty well with my group....But when there's a fight there are no noncoms in my group!...Everyone wants a piece of the action in some way. UltraRob