Unnamed Wuxia Sandbox Setting: Eastern City and Character Origins Part 3

Just a because a city looks cleaner, safer and more 'orderly' doesn't make it any less terrifying. On the opposite end of that trade road and main gateway into the Empire's more populous lands is the Eastern City. Its people love to frame themselves as more traditional, orderly, educated and less barbaric than their neighboring city but it is little more than a face, for this seemingly more quiet city is also host to great violence and cruelty. Its cruel masters fancy themselves as more loyal and patriotic to the Emperor yet ultimately possess a very selfish and self-justifying philosophy.

The East City

Art by Yujiang J

The Eastern City is clad in a veneer of civilization, compared to its westward cousin. However, in spite of looking more calm, orderly and clean it remain just as much a place of misery and poverty. Very little truly ever change across the lands, after all.

It is the place where travelling scholars, poets and artists enter the region of the sandbox. It is also where foreign goods disappear from the region forever and into Imperial lands and where soldiers and magistrate arrive when the region somewhat attract the Emperor's attention. Yet just like the West City, its people are corrupt and self-serving and have learned to navigate the politics to ensure food, money and more conveniently vanish before it ever enter the gates officially. Then bandits and the West City are blamed. Underneath their mask of being law abiding, honest and loyal the folks of the East City are increasingly hostile to the Emperor for they believe they know better and that, perhaps, the Empire would be better off under a more direct influence from their best thinkers.

Artist unknown.

The Jade Society

Skills: Martial Arts and Scholar

Style: Shower of Flowers

Virtues: 

• Piety (Legalism?)
• Xin (Honor)
• Chou (Revenge)

Officially the Jade Society is a twin-branched society, with one hand being scholars, merchants, priests and various nobles of some variety while the other hand consist of loyal and patriotic soldiers. As the counterparts to the Righteous Bulls the two overlap quite a bit in that they both frame themselves as Emperor-loyal and righteous folks. The difference is that the Righteous Bulls frame themselves as heroes of the common folk (which they harass and oppress just as much) while the Jade Society frame themselves as more noble and less willing to consort with lowlife and stranger. Both are ultimately self-serving criminal societies with martial artists. The Jade Society believe that the land and its people have gone astray and are increasingly in need of a strong, guiding hand which just so conveniently happen to be them. They are hoping to slowly convince Imperial authorities to side with them and 'reform' the Eastern City, although this reform would easily come off as extremely bloody and oppressive to anyone not in their good graces. While they may appear as kinder and more refined than the brutes of the Righteous Bulls, anyone who seriously offend the Jade Society can expect a spectacularly painful death.

While they are not as numerous as the Righteous Bulls, they boast many more gifted martial artists in their rank. The Jade Society, for all its flaws and smugness are nonetheless defenders of the people, albeit in their own way. They strongly despise bandits, raiders and sorcerers. This has put them at odds with the Bulls and the Exile clan, the latter of which they view as little more than the dangerous remains of an upstart group of corrupt would-be-bandit-kings.

• While it may not initially appear as such, the Jade Society are expected to be an antagonistic faction in their own way. Their loyalty is to themselves and their own self-proclaimed ideals and it is very likely any wandering hero-type character might take offense to their cruelty or dislike of certain practices. Someone who pick the Jade Society as Sworn Enemies is likely to be someone they have wronged in the past. In particular, a member of the Beggar Sect is an enemy of the Jade Society by default.
• Ex-members of the Jade Society are those which have fled the group, as it rarely tolerate dissent against its more orthodox teaching and ideas. Becoming a convert to Buddhism (or even worse, something even more exotic!) is also a surefire way to get kicked out of the Jade Society.
• It is possible to work as allies to the Jade Society and something akin to a 'freelancer'. However this would automatically make the character and enemy of the Righteous Bulls, Beggar Sect and Exile Clan.

Artist Unknown.

Black Claws Assassin

Skills: Detective, Scout and/or Thief

Style: The Black Claws Assassins lack any particular style of their own and simply steal and teach whatever they can!

Virtues:

• Xin (Honor)
• Chou (Revenge)
• Hen (Ruthlessness)

Little more than cruel killer for hire and assassins, the Black Claws are nominally aligned very loosely with the Jade Society not out of any sense of true loyalty but simply through their connections. It was with the help of the Black Claw Assassins that the Jade Society helped accelerate the downfall of the Exile Clan and it is with their help that they can sometimes get rid of people who are a bit too loyal to the Empire. While it isn't quite the case just yet, the Black Claw Assassins hope to one day completely consume the Jade Society from the inside and rule them as their puppet master. For now they are loosely-speaking allies, although some branches fight each others here and there. They have little love for the Righteous Bulls or the Beggars either, which they see as little more than idiotic scum. They also have little love for incompetent Imperial forces or authority figures which they might deem weak and inept.

The Black Claw Assassins, for all their cruelty, are at least honorable if only by assassin standards. While the organization as a whole can be cruel and uncaring, individual members are expected to show a modicum of loyalty, respect and reciprocity to those which do help them. However given their twisted nature, most Black Claws Assassins are left to self-define how exactly this code of honor manifest. For some it simply boil down to 'You help me so I won't stab you in the back' while others go as far as to give their lives for the loved one of a fellow warrior of their sect. It is likely that its lower ranking members are more honorable than their vile superiors but, as always, loyalty is a must.

• Much like the Jade Society, the Black Claw Assassins make excellent Sworn Enemies and are well suited to an antagonist role. Being killers of all stripes, they have quite the high body count and have enacted many extermination of growing sects or schools which might upset the balance of the region. In addition, members of the Righteous Bulls and Beggar Sect are instantly enemies to the Black Claw Assassins.
• The Black Claw Assassins are an incredibly varied group and their various sub-groups can cover a variety of assassin archetypes, from brutal masked thugs to brothels secretly training its ladies to be dangerous killers. Any character could have one point been a member of the Black Claw Assassins and should this option be chosen they are going to have problems even setting foot in the East City.

The Beggar Fraternity (East City Branch)

Artist unknown.

While nominally the same faction as the Beggar Fratenity of the West City, these members navigate somewhat different local politics. The Eastern City is notoriously cruel to its beggars at the worst of days and cruelly indifferent in the best of days. The poor, the infirm and the insane are quite disliked as degenerates by the Jade Society and the Black Claw Assassins. The Righteous Bulls are somewhat easy to avoid and trick but Jade Society's dislike (and inability to get rid off) of the beggar population in the East City make things more difficult.

As a result, many of the members of the Beggar Sect in the city are part what is called the 'clean cloth' division and are members of ordinary society secretly trying to help those in need and the Beggar Sect. Many of them hide among traders, merchants and couriers who travel the countryside to and from the twin cities. Others work as woodsmen or similar outdoor jobs which invariably bring them back to the city to exchange their goods.

Unnamed Wuxia Sandbox Setting: Western City and Character Origins Part 2

It is the gateway into mysterious, unknowable lands. From it arrive strange foreign folks and untold riches which pours into Tianxia. To outsiders, it is the land of barbarians, foreigner, strange sorcerers, priests of unknown gods and more. It is the Western City, one of the twin cities and a stop in what is essentially a fictionalized segment of the silk road. In a setting heavily inspired by a faux historical China, the strange foreign ways of the odd folks from faraway lands are actually more familiar to us than it is to the characters. It is the influence of ancient India and Arabic culture, Buddhism and even Hellenism through the strange cultural pollination of Greco-Buddhism.

The West City

Art by I B0X

The West City is a place of great extreme and unique culture in the otherwise quite traditional realm of Tian Xia, thanks to its influence of strange foreign realms and culture.

It is a decently large city (by the standards of its era and region, of course) where Imperial power is mostly only symbolic. Sprawling markets cover the city where people trade all sort of goods. It is a place of great opulence and intense misery at the same time, where one's only true master is either their wits, their blade, their martial arts of whatever strange foreign sorceries they've learned. Alliances are ever-shifting in the West City and its not uncommon for a powerful group to rise only to be ousted a mere decade later. So long as said groups in power know how to negotiate with imperial authorities to ensure enough of the goods enter and leave the region through the city, they can find quite a lot of leeway in what they are allowed to do and what they are allowed to take. So far no one has dared to provoke Imperial forces directly. Many of the common folks believe its only a matter of time before the true rulers of the West City start to boast of their power to symbolically hold the emperor 'by the balls'. There aren't enough soldiers in the region for it to happen, they say.

Artist Unknown

The Righteous Bulls

Skill: Any Warrior and/or Thief

Style: Ascending Dragon Fist, Golden Fist or any common External style

Virtues:

• Zhong (Loyalty)
• Hen (Ruthlessness)

Officially, the Righteous Bulls are either of two things: either they a group of patriots and warriors who help enforce the rule of the Emperor in a wretched hive of scum and villainy or they are a not-so-secret society of extortionist, bandits and violent thugs who are feared by the people and only tolerated by the government through the stability they help bring to the shipments to and from the city. The Righteous Bulls are the quintessential tong of the mini wuxia sandbox, although they are not necessarily the oldest by any means. The current Righteous Bulls have only been established in a recognizable state in the last generation following much conflicts and civil war between various would-be bandits, secret societies and/or ex Imperial soldiers. The whole mess more or less reformed as the modern Righteous Bull which boast one of if not the largest membership of any gang in and around the Western City.

The downside of the Righteous Bull is that despite their large amount of warriors, their kung fu is overall quite weak. The masters found in the Righteous Bulls are less mystical masters of cultivation and more glorified criminals and/or retired soldiers. The Righteous Bulls (comparatively speaking) care very little for the Jianghu beyond the direct concern of a member or if some group is directly in the way to their loose rule of the Western City. In practice they often end up starting wars with other factions when they try to 'appropriate' something which another group has eyes on or if they attack the wrong person. The eventual collapse, followed by reshaping of the Righteous Bulls is inevitable but Tian Xia has no shortage of brute, bullies, misguided patriots and would-be killers for them to ever vanish.

• Because they are primarily meant to be an antagonistic faction, the Righteous Bulls make a good choice of Sworn Enemies for a character. The list of people they have pissed off is quite large, ranging from mostly-benevolent groups wiped nearly to the last man in the expansion of their power base to former gangs and sects which used to be part of them but now aren't for a variety of reasons. It could be they were wiped out or alternatively tried to assume control of the Righteous Bulls and were expelled.
• Any character wanting to swear revenge of a group could pick the Righteous Bulls as his target, since they have a bucket list of shady things they have done, including slave-trading. However, the Righteous Bulls do sometimes display a somewhat twisted and basic code of honor and some may end up adopting the orphans they create.
• A more neutral character might be someone affiliated with the Righteous Bulls, more akin to a 'freelancer' than a proper member. However this is automatically going to make the character closer to an enemy of those who dislike the Righteous Bulls.

Blind Beggar by Thomas Kuebler

The Beggar Fraternity (West City Branch)

Skill: Any but usually Martial Arts and/or Scout

Style: Bandit-Beating Staff

Virtues:

• Zhong (Loyalty)
• Kuan (Benevolence)

The Beggar Fraternity/Sect wasn't included in the previous post despite being from all over the land for a simple reason: in the region of the Unnamed Wuxia Sandbox they are very clearly 'aligned' with the Western City, although their loyalty is peculiar and puts them at odd with the Righteous Bulls constantly. All across Tian Xia, the Beggar Fraternity is a refuge for outsiders and despite its name, it has members all across society and not just among beggars. Given their status and nature, they and the worst bullies of the Righteous Bulls have clashed time and time again. In spite of clashing with the Bulls, the Beggar Fraternity's more open minded nature has made them enemies of the Eastern City's dominant clans and sects even if in practice they can't really control the movements and membership of the Beggar Sect.

While the Beggat Fraternity has members beyond the West City folks, most of these members are far away and exist beyond the scope of the game unless needed. What's important is to understand the 'beggars' are a secret society and perhaps the most open minded toward the ideas and folks from beyond the Empire. This, however, is not always a positive.

• The Beggars are enemies to the Righteous Bulls and any Beggar Fraternity character is an enemy to the Righteous Bulls as well as to a variety of factions of the East City. Fortunately for them, the beggars are difficult to spot and identify.
• A character who is a member of the Beggar Fraternity could very well be someone important in hiding/in exile. This work both as a potential character origin but is also to the detriment of the Beggars, whose ranks and wards hide many dangerous individuals from beyond the Empire.
• Because they welcome many into their ranks (sometimes without knowing), the Beggars may end as enemies to any character should said character have a rivalry toward someone who has since become a beggar.

Artist unknown.

The Exiled Clan

Skills: Martial Arts, Scout and/or Mystic

Style: Path of One Hundred Flying Eagles

Restriction: Must be related to the Exiled Clan or marry into it

Virtues:

• Piety
• Zhong (Loyalty)
• Yi (Righteousness)

Where this clan come from is a mystery when it come to determining it as a fact. The stories which are told about them are nothing but myth and hearsay. Called the Exiled Clan, the Exiled Bowmen/Archers Clan or the Foreign Princes, they are a Clan, which differs from a sect through being connected by blood. The Exiled Clan are of common blood with the folks of Tian Xia but this is because their ancestors were mongrels: legend speak of their ancestors, one foreign royalty and one a great hero of the warrior world of Tian Xia. Which one was husband and which was wife, as well as which came from where vary from retelling to retelling, with some version claiming the foreign royalty wasn't even human but some foreign supernatural being, such as the Asura and Rakshasa which is what impart the supposed great skill and beauty of this aloof clan.

In the past century the Exiled Clan was it is peak but it has since dwindled, from tragedy-to-tragedy which always seem to curse its bloodline. They have left behind many lost relics and scrolls which the clan would love nothing more than recover. Currently they have retreated to the Western City but this is only putting them at odds with the Righteous Bulls and their old rivals based in the Eastern City. When not in the city, its members travel the region a lot and usually get into trouble for it. The bow is central to their techniques. The Exiled Clan are respected as warriors and master archers as much as they are utterly despised for their unorthodox roots and culture.

• Playing a member of the Exiled Archer Clan instantly gives a player some allies and connections but it come at a steep cost. The common folks respect and loathe this clan in equal measures. In addition, the clan demands intense loyalty to its members and a member might be stuck in an arranged marriage or be put into an impossible situation at any possible time.
• A player may choose to make their character the last 'princess' of the Exile clan: there used to be a father-to-son line of succession for the core of the clan and yet it broke, leaving the last 'princess' in a precarious position within her clan. Naturally she's going to be a gifted warrior and/or mystic of some kind and blessed with unearthly beauty.
• The Exiled clans are automatically enemies to the Eastern City factions, who see them as unruly rogues tainted by foreign influence at best and cursed with unnatural blood at worst. This enmity goes back to the last century and the zenith of the Exile Clan and them slowly upsetting the balance of power and Tian Xian culture within the region.

Artist Unknown

The Foreign Sorcerers

Skills: Mystic, Scholar or Sorcerer

Style: None, uses Magic

Virtues:

• Unknown

Neither an organized clan or sect in any shape or form, the Foreign Sorcerers is what the common folks call the strangest of all foreigners: strange men and women from faraway lands with inscrutable motives and terrifying powers, They come from a variety of lands, from the Bharata Kingdoms to great deserts or even a far away sea. The Yi-Sorcerers are almost a reversal of the concept of the 'evil foreign sorcerer' in their own way given they are foreign from the point of view of Tian Xia and its warrior societies.

The Sorcerers fond in the Western City occupy a rather precarious place within the Jianghu which may somewhat explain their growing streak of ruthlessness and terror. Even the least malevolent of their kind is an outsider to Tian Xia for a variety of reasons, be it their ethnicity, their beliefs, their techniques or their religion. Even those which have found apprentices within the common folks or nobility of Tian Xia are forever marked as outsiders compared to the Daoist priests and Buddhist Monks. Others are even stranger, having once been Daoist Priests themselves but slowly developing heretical teachings and techniques. It is these corrupting teachings which has earned the ire of the puritans of the Eastern City, who fear the growing ranks of corrupt sages and heretical priests. In turn, trapped in the world of rivers and lakes, the sorcerers must find ways to survive.

• The growth of heretical teachings in the region is explained by the creeping influence of foreign ideas. Picking one or more Sorcerer as Sworn Enemies for a character may very well take them outside the West City, as many of them have fled into the countryside, forest, mountains or desert.

Unnamed Wuxia Sandbox Setting: Character Origins, Part 1 (Orthodox Sects of the wider world)

While not quite in depth as a pre-made character, these Character Origins should help create some decently varied templates for players to pick and choose a character and how it integrate into the setting and the overall sandbox. The lore of these origin is a bit of a mish mash of ideas taken from both Art of Wuxia (which I intend to use as a game system) as well as other Wuxia RPG such as Legends of the Wulin and Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. In particular, the Virtues are very much taken from that exact part in Legends of the Wulin!

The focus of part 1 is on character origins which ties into larger, more powerful but distant sects who are not directly based in the region of the 'Unnamed Wuxia Sandbox' and as such draw more from pre-existing concept and archetypes rather than parts of my own creation. These come with the advantage of being from a pre-established group with the downside of their base of power being far away and unable to directly intervene.

Bowing Dragon

Artist unknown.

Skills: Martial Arts, Mystic

Style: Bowing Dragon

Restrictions: Male only

Virtues:

• Piety (Buddhism)
• Kuan (Benevolence)
• Yi (Righteousness)

You are a member of the Bowing Dragons, sometimes called the Little Forest Sect and sometimes simply reduced being called the 'Monk Sect', who draw inspiration from the fictionalized accounts of the Shaolin Monks. The Bowing Dragons are Buddhists and a strong moral code as well as inclination toward more philosophical matters are common and establish traits, although members can just as easily be cruel or inclined to certain vices nonetheless.

• The Bowing Dragons aren't based directly in the region of the 'Twin Cities', which would automatically make the character and Outsider. As an Outsider, the character is automatically not aligned with any factions in the Twin Cities and is very much akin to a wild card.
• However, in spite of this, they are well respect and established sects. They just happen to not be on good terms with any of the major players in the sandbox proper. As member of the Bowing Dragons, the reputation of your sect may very well supersede your own which can cause all manner of trouble you would rather not deal with.
• Bowing Dragons must refrain from consuming meat, alcohol and drugs. Their heads are usually shaven and they must also not engage in sexual activities and must not seek to acquire wealth. However it isn't to say a member couldn't in theory become consumed by their vices and try to hide them from the sect.
• One alternative option for a member of the Bowing Dragons is to have been a rowdy youth full of vices before becoming a Bowing Dragon. The exact nature of the events leading to such a conversion open up many possibilities.

Wudang Sect

Art by 天火 Shawn

Skills: Martial Arts, Sorcerer

Style: Wodan or Red Crane Wodan

Virtues:

• Daoism
• Kuan (Benevolence)

You are a member of the Wudang Sect, whose influence and history rival that of the Bowing Dragons. The key difference between the two is that the Wudang Sect are Taoist and are the most inclined to what could be considered the more magical aspects of Wuxia, as per the Sorcerer skill. Your Daoist techniques and the quest for balance form a massive part of your character. One option, however, is to play a secretly or not-so-secretly heretical/unorthodox Daioist priest. An 'heretical' sage does what he or she want, believing that being true to oneself and doing what they desire is the true nature of the Dao.

• The Wudang Sect isn't based directly in the region of the 'Twin Cities', which would automatically make the character an Outsider. As an Outsider, the character is automatically not aligned with any factions in the Twin Cities and is very much akin to a wild card.
• However, as ordained Daoist priests and with a reputation of delving in the more supernatural aspects, a member of the Wudang Sect might be expected to intervene in all manners of affairs which superstitious folks might consider supernatural, unnatural or cursed.
• Daoist Priest must refrain from alcohol and drugs as well as sexual relationships, unless they are an 'heretical sage' which somehow consider such things as part of their bizarre and heretical beliefs.
• For players who wish to look at the classic Orthodox sects in a manner similar to classic tabletop RPG classes and archetypes, the Wudang are definitely the 'Wizards'. While technically both they and the Bowing Dragons are of a religious bent, the Wudang have more of a direct access to openly supernatural means.

The Sword Sisters

Art from Age of Wushu(?)

Skills: Martial Arts and Thief or Detective

Style: Peach Blossom or any common External style

Restrictions: Female only

Virtues:

• Kuan (Benevolence)
• Yi (Righteousness)

Your character is a member of the Sword Sisters. Somewhat more secretive than the other two yet widespread in their own way, the Sword Sisters, sometimes called Jianmei (or 'Emei sect' to use their direct literary inspiration) are an all-female sect, with all the historical baggage this may include. When creating a member of the Sword Sisters, you must decide how to balance out the character's fighting style and technique between soft/hard, internal/external and long range/short range. While their sect is associated with the deceptive Peach Blossom style, a sword sister could easily go the opposite direction and learn a vicious and offensive external style.

• Being far away from their land, this automatically make the character an Outsider. As an Outsider, the character is automatically not aligned with any factions in the Twin Cities and is very much akin to a wild card.
• Some Sword Sisters carry what could be called 'political ambitions' within the martial world. For some it is order or righteous reform but it is entirely possible for a Sword Sister to be driven by goals she consider self-righteous but are actually quite selfish.
• As much as it is incorrect to compare the western archetypes, it is still worth writing down in hope of easing potential players. If the Wudang are the Wizards and the Bowing Dragons/Little Forest are Warrior/Cleric, then the Sword Sisters walk a line between Warrior/Thief or possibly the Paladin archetype, as odd as it may seem to someone less familiar. Their feminine traits versus the more male world of the Jianghu plays an important part of their nature. They can embrace the more feminine traits (to the point of being deceitful, hiding their strength) as per the demure-yet-deadly Peach Blossom style or one could easily choose the 'Soaring Dragon in the Sky' or 'Spiraling Wind Storm' style and become a fierce warrior.
• While they are capable of being deceptive and hiding beneath a veneer of softness if needed, the Sword Sisters very much are expected to be self reliant and will violently defend themselves or protect others as soon as the situation call for it.

Back to Wuxia planning (the 'Unnamed Wuxia Sandbox Setting')

With (most) of Lands of Mirhne and Tellus generally in a conceptual stage where they are useable, I'm turning back some of my attention to some Wuxia game planning. I've already mentioned that, by far, Art of Wuxia might be the only Wuxia RPG that's close to my game tastes. While it isn't quite OSR and certainly not D&D-derived its generally in the style I like. I've been told that BareBones Fantasy is derived from the mechanics of an older RPG that isn't D&D but can't seem to recall which one.

The major influences on all this, RPG-wise, are:

• Art of Wuxia
• Legends of the Wulin
• Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate

Art by Daniel Jimbert Garcia

Micro Wuxia Sandbox

Large sandboxes don't actually work well the more a Wuxia game using Art of Wuxia was being planned. While one could be tempted to create a massive, sprawling world that is very loosely based off an anachronistic ancient China, the reality is that a sandbox doesn't need to be anything massive, as demonstrated by the Yakuza videogame series. Now Yakuza is obviously not a Wuxia series by any mean but there is a certain level of overlap when it come to inspiration. A small location, ruled by warring factions (in this case, martial arts sect and clans rather than Yakuza clans) and filled with ordinary people existing alongside it with this 'parallel world' not being truly hidden from the public is definitely analogous to the Jianghu.

The Unnamed Wuxia Sandbox Setting is set in 'an era that never was', which is very loosely analogous to a mishmash of the various historical periods of ancient China, even if the land it take place isn't really China. It is a romanticized facsimile at best. While I don't quite plan to use Longzhi directly, the setting from Art of Wuxia it is certainly a good starting point. More specifically, the small and self-contained region of the world where I'd set my game has the following key traits:

• It is an area set between Two Cities, and each of these cities are the only major settlements in the region safe perhaps a seaport to the south(?).  While there are myriad villages and small communities all around the area the only two major cities are these twin cities.
• The Twin Cities mark a segment of a major trade route which is roughly analogous to the likes of the silk roads. Travelers to and from the great Imperial cities tend to pass through these cities to enter and exit the region, as do merchant caravans. The region would be completely unremarkable if not for existing between these two major stops in the trade system.
• Due to a mixture of corrupt officials, incompetence and rampant banditry there is lot which can happen to the goods being transported to and from the major imperial cities and even foreign countries. The incompetence of the Emperor and his many minister, generals and others mean that many important shipments are conveniently lost between these two cities. More than one exotic, foreign treasure or holy item was conveniently 'confiscated' from the authorities.
• The West City is seen as a den of decadence by some, a place of opportunity by others and is also feared as a city where many 'evil foreign sorcerers' come and go. It is the more chaotic of the twin cities and much of this is due to the influx of foreign merchant, travelling monks and others who bring new and unusual philosophies and influences.
• The East City is smaller and pride itself on being more traditional/orthodox yet in practice is heavily infested with corruption. As a result many of the sects and groups there, despite seeing themselves as loyal to the Emperor, are often scheming to assassinate important figures. In their mind, the Empire's culture, order and history will be preserved and reinforced. It's just they might need to break a few legs in the process.
• The north of the trade routes is a dry land, with the desert encroaching upon the more fertile lands. This is inspired by the Gansu Province, which host a portion of the Gobi Desert. As a result, the landscape of this semi fictional land is more varied than just forest, rivers and hills.

Character Origins

In order to make the game and setting more approachable to players while, at the same time, reducing the level of information required, I've created some semi pre-packaged 'Origins' for characters. This isn't the same as a pre-made character, however. Taking some cues from the near-impossible-to-grasp Legends of the Wulin tabletop RPG, a character's origin is a 'package' of concept and ideas which ties their character more directly into the setting and also create this tapestry of grudges and connections between characters and NPC.

Art of Wuxia: Not Perfect, But I Like It

The book's cover.

Its a fact I've been on a serious Wuxia and Xianxia kick, even if Jeremy 'Deathblade' seriously trashed me and went into great details on why my assessment of Xianxia and D&D was somewhat inaccurate to put it mildly, as this post accidentally ended under his radar somehow with an in depth video response. This hasn't exactly completely knocked the wind out of my sail when it come to Wuxia and Xianxia but it has certainly made me want to further dig into the genre and better understand it at a deeper level. Granted initially I did say I would never write about Wuxia and tabletop RPG ever again. However since then I have gotten my hands on Art of Wuxia by DWD studio. This isn't a 'proper review' as I don't really do review. Just some thoughts on it:

• The Good: While there are much more flavorful and complex systems out there Art of Wuxia is a fairly approachable primarily d100 RPG. A lot if its clean, simple and easily refluffed or modified nature makes it very much in the same vein as the more modernized OSR games I like so much while at the same time the system isn't a clone of OD&D, which would be a poor fit for this. These are simple, easy to grasp rules which can be easily thought to players and explain. The lack of a rigid class system is also good as I think for Wuxia stuff this is a net positive.
• The Bad: There is a serious misunderstanding of Wuxia morality, which Deathblade explains further into these two video. Suffice to say, Art of Wuxia seem to prefer characters which fit more neatly into our definition of 'Good vs Evil' which doesn't accurately portray the dog-eat-dog world of Wuxia to its full, messy potential.
• The Subjective: The game's power level is, I'd argue, fairly low. A lot of it is fairly grounded and more to a level which western fantasy fans would recognize as closer to Sword & Sorcery than High Fantasy. Truly powerful and staple Wuxia abilities, such as intensive 'wire fu' or even floating around are things far beyond the reach of a starting character, who only have a few skills and a technique to start with. On the positive, this make the power level of the game easy to manage for a GM and, just as importantly, easy to grasp for a newcomer player. The lower levels of power aren't as high flying or fantastical but this isn't a bad thing by itself as it truly give a chance to meaningfully grow a character's power as they master martial arts.

That said, the game has been added to my 'must run' list and is set to likely become a staple of this blog nonetheless.