The map is done! I’m thrilled to show off the map for Art of Wuxia! It turned out quite lovely. The map scale is similar to the Keranak Kingdoms, the default setting for BareBones Fantasy RPG by DWD Studios.

My original map for Art of Wuxia looked nice and I used it for many of my playtest campaign adventures but it had one HUGE flaw that took me much too long to notice. It didn’t contain discrete continents giving GMs the option of plunking them down in their own world, or that of the Keranak Kingdoms. So back to the drawing board, er…, computer I went.

My design goals were to create interesting landscapes that were pleasing to the eye, provide enough space for GMs to make the setting their own and have it inspire adventure wherever you look. I spent an hour and half last night just looking at the laminated poster I had printed out at OfficeMax and I can’t stop thinking of adventures and more setting ideas.

Another design choice, and a hard one, was that I decided to use English place names for the vast majority of locations. Some places are named after great heroes so retain a Chinese flavor. Older places of importance are still referred to in the Old Tongue (Chinese) within the text of the book. I also wanted players to understand that there is a North Dragon and a South Dragon fortress. Their names in the Old Tongue are Beilong and Nanlong.

My play testers got to see the map earlier this week and they want their characters to go “there” and “there” and “over there” etc. And you know, that sounds pretty awesome to me too! I hope this map inspires many hours of wuxia adventures, wherever they take you.

My next goal is to have the final chapter of the book wrapped up by the end of July.

Art of Wuxia is still alive. My progress on the game slowed significantly this past year for several professional and personal reasons but things are going well and I wanted to post an update on where things are. I’ve gotten to participate in an ongoing Art of Wuxia game as a player and the insights have been invaluable. Below are listed some of the significant hurdles of the past year of game development and what direction I’ve taken on them.

NPC Opponents: “tough” NPCs have been completely revamped. They are no longer built as player characters. Instead, a range of simplified stats and numbers of spells and kung fu techniques has been defined to greatly speed up creation of just what the GM needs to play these NPCs. In addition, that extra timesavings allows the GM to create memorable personalities and presentation of their NPCs.

The world map: there were significant problems with some map symbols that weren’t working out well. I think I’ve found some new symbols that should make the map even better. I should be able to finish it soon.

GM Guidance: Some of the book is being reorganized into a GM guidance chapter. The wuxia genre is close enough to standard fantasy that many GMs will be able to run successful campaigns right away. There are some differences though and I’m providing all the hard-learned lessons and tools I can provide to help GMs make their games really fun and feel like good wuxia material.

Adventure Scenarios: I’ve got six scenarios that I’ve been running at gaming conventions. They are all quite fun and showcase different styles of wuxia stories. I have outlines for another six. I thought long and hard about how I run published adventures in all my years of gaming and have determined that the best way I can present these adventures to other gaming groups is to write them up as one-shots. This will give GMs something they can grab, run as is or easily slot into their own game. I can’t write

adventures that capture all of the nuanced player character interactions with each other and the shared world that the players and GM create together, but I can provide some action packed plots that allow gaming groups to play them the way they want. With minimal art and layout needs, I should be able to provide several of these to help jumpstart campaigns close to publication of the game.

Finishing the Game: talk of DWD Studios doing a second edition of their BareBones Fantasy game really threw design decisions of my own game for a loop. Here we were, almost ready for large-scale public playtest and the game it was based on was about to be changed. The bottom line is, I let this interfere with progress on Art of Wuxia. A positive outcome of this is that it made me go back over every assumption of the game to-date. And you know what? This game is fun as is. We are moving forward as is. If great things come out of a second edition of the d00Lite game system, I’ll consider them for Art of Wuxia but until then our game kung fu must continue.

Gaming Conventions in 2019: not going to happen. I need the time to finish up the game and get it ready for large scale playtest. I’m sorry about that. I love running games at cons but I need to apply all my focus to finishing the game.

 

In some of my posts I’ve shown some game table props. I make a lot of use of paper minis. They are cheap, easy to create and easy to store.  Finding good images though is a bit of a challenge. Costume sites work well. Purchasable wuxia minis though are very hard to find if not non-existent.

So a little while back I contacted Arion Games, makers of many excellent RPG products and an astounding collection of paper minis. I have over 40 sets myself but found they didn’t have any classic wuxia. So I contacted them and they were very happy to make a set. They asked me what I thought should be in the set and after a few emails they released the Wuxia Set.

Astounding!

I hope these find a place at your gaming table. I hope these are popular enough that we could get more kung fu action heroes and villains to play with.

Thank you Arion Games! Your kung fu is strong! You were a pleasure to work with.

If you like these paper minis consider getting a subscription to Arion games paper minis. Eighteen sets released so far this year!

There is an interesting thread on RPG.net: Power 19: 19 Questions to ask about your game II.

I’ve posted my answers there and am cross posting them here. I think these are a great exercise for any game development.

1.) What is your game about?

Art of Wuxia is an homage to ancient Chinese dramatic kung fu heroes and their stories and bringing that level of action and tropes to the game table.

 2.) What do the characters do?

Characters go on adventures to fight evil doers with sword, fist and spells.

3.) What do the players (including the GM if there is one) do?

Players and GMs create exciting and dramatic action adventure stories in a mythical China that never was.

 4.) How does your setting (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?

The setting is based on ancient Chinese stories and is full of adventure hooks that need heroes to solve. Adventure generation tables are filled with genre goodness.

5.) How does the Character Creation of your game reinforce what your game is about?

The main tropes of the wuxia genre are reinforced with character skill types, kung fu, chi abilities, equipment moral code and development of background.

 6.) What types of behaviors/styles of play does your game reward (and punish if necessary)?

Art of Wuxia promotes passionate heroic action. There is even a code that the characters need to follow if they want more points to advance.

 7.) How are behaviors and styles of play rewarded or punished in your game?

Character advancement is based on points earned during play. These points are earned by accomplishing items on a checklist each game session. These items reinforce the tropes and themes of the wuxia genre. The game embraces destruction of common objects, use of common objects and weapons and with certain chi abilities combats become very three dimensional.

 8.) How are the responsibilities of narration and credibility divided in your game?

Players role-play their heroes and attempt actions and dice rolls determine outcomes. GMs design adventures and adversaries (with lots of support material for that).

 9.) What does your game do to command the players’ attention, engagement, and participation? (i.e. What does the game do to make them care?)

From character creation, ties are formed between the characters and the setting to help with a highly motivated background for each character. Players are encouraged mechanically to describe their kung fu in detail and elaborate on the themes of their style. The press-your-luck aspect of actions raises the stakes.

 10.) What are the resolution mechanics of your game like?

Art of Wuxia uses a press-your-luck game mechanic. The higher the skill level of a character the more they can push before needing to be cautious. The more you press-your-luck the higher your chance of a critical failure.

 11.) How do the resolution mechanics reinforce what your game is about?

The critical success and failure options tie in with mechanics that the players can manipulate for truly heroic turns of events. Classic wuxia right there.

 12.) Do characters in your game advance? If so, how?

Yes! They advance by role-playing their descriptors, making skill or ability checks, following a heroic code, fulfilling meaningful vows, succeeding in combat and completing stories.

 13.) How does the character advancement (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?

The wuxia genre is filled with heroes who begin with little skill but rise in power to dominate the wulin (fighting world).

 14.) What sort of product or effect do you want your game to produce in or for the players?

I want high dramatic tension followed with shouts and cheers at the game table. I want players to enjoy their kung fu mechanics and experience the thrill of press your luck systems.

 15.) What areas of your game receive extra attention and color? Why?

At its recognizable heart the game is a fantasy RPG. But all of it is coated in wuxia tropes. Kung fu is at the heart of the game and it required and got the most attention.

 16.) Which part of your game are you most excited about or interested in? Why?

Players can really shape things once they get the hang of it. They can also risk much. It is those moments when the excitement at the table really climbs.

 17.) Where does your game take the players that other games can’t, don’t, or won’t?

This game takes players immediately to high kung fu action where they get to describe the flavor of their kung fu techniques. Rather than a long list of specific techniques, there are generic techniques that players can describe as they like. They even get in-game bonuses when doing so. This is done in a setting inspired by Chinese stories and heroes, not the more common Japanese Ninjas and Samurai.

 18.) What are your publishing goals for your game?

I want to see the game published (PDF and POD) and follow it up with support adventures. I have a publisher.

 19.) Who is your target audience?

Fans of fantasy RPGs and wuxia.