Chinese Fantasy

[warellis]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

In my limited experience, most martial arts films are at least implied and often stated to be in the Qing dynasty. The costumes roughly match, tobacco and eyeglasses may be in use, and so on. Wong Fei-Hung is practically a genre unto himself. The ones which aren't tend to carry implications of a more chaotic era, probably between the Han and the Tang. The Three Kingdoms period in particular sees a significant amount of action (most of that points more or less directly at Romance of the Three Kingdoms). Despite it being something of a golden age, I don't see a lot set in the Tang era that isn't drawn from Journey to the West.

Does that mean the wuxia shows where both the men and women have long hair and are wearing robes means they take place prior to the Qing dynasty?

I remember one where my mom told me it took place during one of the Chinese invasion of Korea. When the Chinese were wearing robes and had long hair instead of that pigtail thing the Manchurians made them style their hair in.

[SolemnGolem]

Wuxia isn't a hard and strict historical timeframe, these days, so much as a cinematic and storytelling convention. It has at its heart a wandering hero archtype, often with troubled ethical or moral norms, and feats of physical or mystical ability. It arose in multiple periods, most commonly with either a time of foreign invasion or civic unrest, when tales of roving bandits and brave bands of heroes would have been feasible in the absence of a strong central government. (Or, as in the case of Xiyouji, a long way from the Imperial center, where the bandits, monsters, and demons could skulk forth and harass the hero.)

Historically, the xia themselves could even be said to have predated Qinshihuang. The assassin, Jing Ke, who famously attempted to kill Yingzheng before he became the famous First Emperor of China, has been characterized as a xia hero. And of course anybody who's familiar with the modern Chinese martial soap operas will see that "heroes of the resistance" TV dramas are often set in the safely pre-1949 movements against Qing/Manchu or against the Japanese.

I echo Fred Brackin that the actual Western-calendar dates can be safely ignored if you want to run a general wuxia campaign.

Some Martial Arts, some Chinese Elemental Magic, and some historical flavor from GURPS China (plus Low Tech and Action) would be enough to capture Sun Wukong and his hijinks.

Originally Posted by One of my more troublesome PCs

Okay, okay, which would win in a match between Sun Wukong's "As-You-Will Gold-Banded Cudgel" vs. the Highlander's Claymore? Oh, oh, oh! I know! How about against Darth Vader's lightsaber? Yeah! Yeah!

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by SolemnGolem

Some Martial Arts, some Chinese Elemental Magic, and some historical flavor from GURPS China (plus Low Tech and Action) would be enough to capture Sun Wukong and his hijinks.

I'm not actually sure that's the case. Sun Wukong often impresses me as a high-end superhero.

[hal]

Originally Posted by Tirisilex

I'm working on a Campaign based on Chinese Mythology.. I've been basing my ideas on the movies "League of Gods","Jouney to the West","The Monkey King", and "the Monkey king 2"

It'll be a High magic campaign without much technology. I'm ordering the Martial Arts book and the China book (I believe thats 3rd ed??)

I'm wondering if anyone could suggest another movie for the inspiration of this game.

You might want to look at QIN: THE WARRING STATES for background inspiration. It used to be available at RPGNOW.COM, but for some reason, isn't there that I can see. I did a search online for it, and found a reference to the QIN bundle of holding at Cubical 7.

[b-dog]

This is exactly the kind of stuff I would like to have with the new Dungeon Fantasy game, a non European setting where you have quick rules to create characters and treasures and monsters that fit the setting. A Dungeon Fantasy: Mythic China would be useful for both people who want to play high fantasy China and also the typical GURPS DF gonzo megadungeon people who would just use the treasures and monsters for new stuff to stick in their dungeons.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by whswhs

You might want to consider if you want to order GURPS Thaumatology: Chinese Elemental Powers. It has lots of extra chi-based abilities in it. . . .

I recommend this book. A lot of the powers are ridiculous (if you want subtle, quasi-plausible martial arts powers, this is not the book for you, though I should note, in fairness, that many of the Internal powers could slip into a semi-realistic martial arts game without causing too many waves), but if you want cool fantasy powers consistent with both the Daoist worldview and that, you know, feel like fantasy powers, then this is perfect. Pair it with Martial Arts, and you're good to go. I'd also add either Fantasy or Dungeon Fantasy, if I wanted to move quickly.

[sir_pudding]

House of Flying Daggers is set in the Tang Dynasty (in 859 CE).

There are a few that take place much earlier, before there technically was a China:
Little Big Soldier takes place during the Qin Conquest at the end of the Warring States period, so about 800 years before the Tang Dynasty.

Hero is in the early Qin Dynasty, with the attempted assassination in 227 BCE of the King of Qin.

[the_seeker]

This genre is a particular favorite of mine so I proffer this advice...

Basic Set and Martial Arts are your indispensable backbone, but if your goal is the truly over-the-top action of the Monkey King, I very strongly recommend you also use Powers (or, at the bare extra minimum, Thaumatology: Chinese Elemental Powers). The abilities routinely displayed by Sun Wukong and his many adversaries are vastly greater than what can be easily and accurately modeled with cinematic skills. Sun Wukong isn't a wuxia hero, he is a god, and he fought other gods in the form of various extremely powerful demons.

What you've referenced as your inspiration isn't wuxia; that genre, while certainly featuring supernatural elements, is much more "earthed" with (for lack of better words at the moment) a "dirtier/grittier" feel. What you've referenced has come to be called xianxia, and it routinely features characters with astounding (and usually very flashy) magical powers (see Ice Fantasy on Netflix for an example). Here's an easy (though not infallible) way to differentiate the two: how do you see the PCs routinely traveling around the setting? If they walk or ride almost everywhere, probably wuxia. If they vault from cloud to cloud, probably xianxia. If they teleport, definitely xianxia.

I recommend 400-point characters (the Monster Hunters baseline) though 500- and even 1,000-point characters would look and feel "normal" in-genre (again, using Sun Wukong as the measuring stick). Anything less would feel underpowered and probably be clunky to build if based on cinematic skills instead of powers.

Example: Rather than spending 44 points to get Power Blow at Will+10 so you can use it instantaneously at Will, then spending 1 point to get the "No Nuisance Rolls" perk so you don't have to roll at all at 16+, then spending another 1 point to get a "Rules Exemption" perk so you can use "No Nuisance Rolls" on a combat skill in combat (and we're not counting the 120 points you spent to get IQ 16 in the first place)... You can just spend 45 points to get Striking ST +10 with the "chi, -10%" power modifier (with GM permission, of course).

Regardless of how you get it done, I wish you much enjoyment in doing it!

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Tirisilex

I'm working on a Campaign based on Chinese Mythology.. I've been basing my ideas on the movies "League of Gods","Jouney to the West","The Monkey King", and "the Monkey king 2"

It'll be a High magic campaign without much technology. I'm ordering the Martial Arts book and the China book (I believe thats 3rd ed??)

I'm wondering if anyone could suggest another movie for the inspiration of this game.

Korean TV often has historical dramas that give what you want. A few focus on China in whole or part but more importantly tend to have an East Asian feel and have tropes like princesses, wandering heroes, and Everybody Kung Fu Fighting.

[warellis]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Korean TV often has historical dramas that give what you want. A few focus on China in whole or part but more importantly tend to have an East Asian feel and have tropes like princesses, wandering heroes, and Everybody Kung Fu Fighting.

No offense but wouldn't it be better to watch Chinese stuff about Chinese fantasy?