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Old 05-25-2023, 10:14 PM   #1
Toptomcat
 
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Default What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy characters?

If I'm in an Infinite Worlds game and I want to play a super, a centurion out of time, a steampunk inventor, or several different kinds of combat robot, I have a fair number of worldlines to root them in.

If I want to play a cultivator, super-ninja, or other superhuman martial-arts expert from a place where martial-arts schools, sects and temples are powerful and influential organizations which play a seriously important role in world politics- or at least have more cultural cachet than stip-mall McDojos- is there a ready-made worldline or GURPS setting I can claim that they're from and use to fill out their background, or do I have to work from scratch?
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Old 05-25-2023, 11:25 PM   #2
Mark Skarr
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Go look a the White Wolf Street Fighter game (actually, watch Mr. Welch's review of it). Claim you're from there.
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Old 05-26-2023, 12:31 AM   #3
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toptomcat View Post
If I'm in an Infinite Worlds game and I want to play a super, a centurion out of time, a steampunk inventor, or several different kinds of combat robot, I have a fair number of worldlines to root them in.

If I want to play a cultivator, super-ninja, or other superhuman martial-arts expert from a place where martial-arts schools, sects and temples are powerful and influential organizations which play a seriously important role in world politics- or at least have more cultural cachet than stip-mall McDojos- is there a ready-made worldline or GURPS setting I can claim that they're from and use to fill out their background, or do I have to work from scratch?
Martial Arts Adventures: Pawns of the Clonemasters. It's set in a world where 250 point martial artists fight the creations of evil scientific overlords.

Last edited by David Johnston2; 05-26-2023 at 01:32 AM.
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Old 05-26-2023, 05:26 AM   #4
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

Arguably, a campaign based around Wanshijieshan (IW, p.80) meets your criteria. You could have the monks take a more proactive role in policing the worlds that connect through their mountains -- or at least the people who use those connections.

Historically, martial arts flourish when people are oppressed and denied more conventional weaponry, or where individual prowess with hand weapons (read: dueling) is a valuable social tool. Schools and temples become powerful (openly or in secret) in opposition to repressive mainstream political organizations. You could probably pick any of the worlds that have been / are being taken over by Centrum or Reich 5 and give them a martial arts based Resistance. Bonus points if that world allows superpowers or magic.
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Old 05-26-2023, 05:53 AM   #5
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

Maybe Ming-3 (AE2, p.32-49)? Playing with Wuxia-style game is presented as a possibility.
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Old 05-26-2023, 06:13 AM   #6
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

Ming-3 also has the option to have the martial artists be Europeans, as with the Irish Triads and Si Lei Li (AE2 pp. 38-39). Chi powers are mentioned on p. 40.
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Old 05-26-2023, 08:18 AM   #7
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
Martial Arts Adventures: Pawns of the Clonemasters. It's set in a world where 250 point martial artists fight the creations of evil scientific overlords.
Note that this was a 3e adventure and you'd want to up the pts for 4e. There was an Art that taught TBAM and pretty much all the TBAM Skills.

There was even a skill (the notorious Mountain Heart) that didn't make it into 4e. You'd replace it with some Regeneration.
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Old 05-31-2023, 06:37 AM   #8
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

Shikaku-Mon, of course. Can't have Cyberpunk Japan without cool martial artists (and Gun-Fu!). In fact, any Cyberpunk world, as aggressive self-empowerment is integral to the reality (as are Secret Societies in the origial novels).

GURPS Voodoo, again a natural. It's halfway to wuxia already with Secret Lodges and mystical lore.

Technomancer specifically mentions the martial art of Spellboxing, although there's no write-up. And a supernatural world is more likely to have Old Masters.

Conspiracy X, with it's secret agents and shadow wars.
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Old 05-31-2023, 11:48 PM   #9
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

There's a pyramid article that crossbreeds Monster Hunters with Chinese Sorcery. That's a setting that would fit.
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Old 06-01-2023, 03:45 PM   #10
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Default Re: What Infinite Worlds worldlines or GURPS setting work for martial-artsy character

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Originally Posted by Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 View Post
Technomancer specifically mentions the martial art of Spellboxing, although there's no write-up. And a supernatural world is more likely to have Old Masters.
Spellboxing is nonlethal wizard spell dueling, not a martial art.

Technomancer, however, does have a timeline entry as follows...
Quote:
1950. China invades Tibet, encounters resistance at certain monasteries whose ancient disciplines prove unusually effective.
...and then on p.75 says you can include the 3e Esoteric Skills (which included a number of skills with Trained By A Master prereqs) in the setting.
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