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[OOC] A Wanderer's Romance - Wuxia Duelling and Tea Contests

SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
edited August 2009 in Critical Failures
Pinmei observed the scholar in his stance. She knew by his reputation that the man would be a worthy opponent but in her mind she was convinced her sword would bring a victory. Yet it was unusual for a scholar with the legendary wisdom of Jen Ma to ask so many questions before a duel. Had she been foolish to answer so plainly?
She sprung forward like a panther, sword arcing upwards in a flash. A splash of blood hit her tunic. The scholar slumped to the ground.
Such a fast defeat... this was not Jen Ma. This was a trap.


A Wanderer's Romance is a game of my own design inspired by the Wuxia genre. It's a game of skilled travellers seeking worthy contests of sword, body and mind. However, this isn't China.

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The world began as nothing but ocean before the Origins raised up a million colourful islands, anything larger than a few dozen miles being swallowed back down by the envious deep. Some of these immaterial beings chose to take a physical form and live in the varied lands they had created, eventually settling into the forms of men and beasts. Our ancestors.

The Origins that did not take physical form paid a great cost. They were left unable to affect their world directly, relying upon influencing men with words and knowledge, little more than ghosts. Their teachings led to our understanding of elemental balance, the formation of the thousand Legendary Styles and the universal code of combat that define our world today.

You are a great man or woman. An errant trained in both the noble art of combat and in contests of body and mind, both skillful and social. Drifting from one island to another for your own reasons, you have your own philosophy on life and the power to enforce it.


wuxia_knighterrant_culturee6dee69fbe7fb74f708c.jpg

The main focuses of the game are duels and contests, which could be sword against sword, a highly strategic board game or even a drinking contest. These are not as simple as they might seem. During a duel each fighter will be making use of various combat styles from a selection of over eighty, each of which will be more suited to certain opponents. The location of the duel, preparations carried out that day and previous lessons learned from friends and rivals all play a part in the outcome.

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What I'm looking for is interest from three or four players in a game of this via PbP. If there are any questions about the system or setting you can ask me here or find me in #CriticalFailures on slashnet.

You can find the full game document here.

SUPERSUGA on
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    simonwolfsimonwolf i can feel a difference today, a differenceRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I certainly enjoyed the last game of your design that I played. I'd be interested in joining in, depending on what time you decided upon for the session.

    simonwolf on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I'm pretty flexible with times at the moment, so I'll wait and see what we can work out when I know who's interested.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    Fatal3RR0RFatal3RR0R Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I'm really interested in joining, though I'm newbie to roleplaying games.

    Fatal3RR0R on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I'm sure we can ease you in gently.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    Fatal3RR0RFatal3RR0R Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Awesome.

    I'll try not to drag the game down with my newbieness. :p

    Fatal3RR0R on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    This looks very intersting, SUPERSUGA.

    IRC nature and the fact you're in Europe while I'm in Canada (and gainfully employed) makes it unlikely I could do this, though. Which is too bad- game looks awfully fun :)

    El Skid on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I could consider running this as PbP, something I've been meaning to try for a while. What are the interested folk's preferences for IRC vs PbP?

    SUPERSUGA on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Wooooooo.

    <- PbP would be the only workable option for me, as mentioned.

    El Skid on
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    Fatal3RR0RFatal3RR0R Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I'm fine with either.

    Fatal3RR0R on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Well I'm reading some guides on PbP play now to see if it could work. I think it's looking like a real possibility. I'll get thinking on a way to make duels/contests run without too much back-and-forth required.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Hmm... That actually could be an issue with this system. If the player and GM are going to be exchanging 10 or so actions in rapid succession, we'd have to figure something out something to speed things up a bit.

    Although it seems to be working okay in the Dogs in the Vineyard campaign, where there is similar amounts of back and forth. I'd be a bit worried about timezones messing that up, but if you're willing to give it a shot I can commit to being around multiple times per day.

    El Skid on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I think the back-and-forth could be mostly streamlined. A typical combat might go like this:

    1: Attacker declares their Style and describes their action, (typically Attack [make the attack roll and goto 2] or Focus [goto 3]).

    2: Defender declares their Defensive style and rolls to defend the attack. Success? Goto 3. Failure? Roll to see what Damage you take. This will either end the combat or go back to Stage 1, with the identity of the attacker depending on the damage result.

    3: The Defender starts their turn, going back to stage 1 and becoming the Attacker, while their opponent becomes the defender.

    Relatively straightforward I guess. The only problem is that it gives the Defender a slight advantage in seeing the attacker's roll before declaring their Style, but this would only really come up for characters that know a very specific set of Defensive Styles, so I might just have to suggest tweaks of characters that step into this territory.

    Screw it, let's say this is officially PbP.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    PbP :^:

    I'm itching to create a character for this- I'm thinking of making a Willow Branch Student staff-wielder type.

    El Skid on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    El Skid wrote: »
    PbP :^:

    I'm itching to create a character for this- I'm thinking of making a Willow Branch Student staff-wielder type.
    If you could get yourself in IRC some time I'd be happy to help you through it. I'm just doing the same for simonwolf now.

    Otherwise I'd just need to see the 6d6 roll you need to do for a new character. If you trust me to not be a jerk I can do this in IRC myself and post you the results, as I don't have invisible castle set up yet.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    If the GM is going to be a jerk, there's not much I can do about that :P

    Go ahead and roll for me and we can take it from there.

    El Skid on
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    streeverstreever Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Got it.
    Two Color Shu
    Artist
    Fire 3 | Water 3 | Earth 0 | Air 0
    Balance 2
    Specialities: Painting | Calligraphy
    Philosophy: Reconcile the contradictory by acting with a clear mind.
    Weapons: None
    Armor: None
    Styles:
    Burning Calm, Student
    Balance is added to Defense. Opponents can use neither Fire nor Water unless they match.
    Equipment: Pen, ink, paper.

    Two Color Shu seeks mastery of the pen & ink. He eagerly seeks duels which end in death, with a strange caveat--if he is defeated, his opponent must not tell any one else how he was defeated.

    streever on
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    InfidelInfidel Heretic Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Oh sweet, this is going to be PbP? AKA me and Soogs can actually play some games again? :P

    Sign up my LEGENDARY FAG please.

    Infidel on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Right El Skid, you got this spread: 1,4,5,4,4,4

    That means you start with Air 1, Earth 0, Fire 0, Water 4 and have 1 point left to spend.

    Stick that point in Earth and you've got some Willow Branch potential.

    Streever: Looks good!

    SUPERSUGA on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Haha wow. That's alot of water i have there! :-0

    Yeah, that's what I'll do. I didn't need fire anyway :P

    El Skid on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Xin
    Wandering Monk
    Fire 0 | Water 4| Earth 1 | Air 1
    Balance 2
    Armour 0
    Specialities: Archery | Meditation
    Philosophy: Emotion cannot be trusted; Act and react with your mind unclouded, and you will be successful.
    Weapons: Staff, Bow
    Armor: None
    Styles:
    Willow Branch, Student
    May be used Defensively. When used Defensively choose a single ability of the attacker's style to ignore.
    Equipment: Staff, Hunting Bow

    Xin wanders the islands seeking enlightenment and tranquility. He abandoned his family quite young after years of abuse and drunken neglect, eventually being taken in by a monastary when it became clear that he was not old enough to fend for himself.

    Xin has given up all material possessions (except a staff with which to defend himself and a bow he uses for hunting) and has taken a vow never to act in anger, preferring instead quiet deliberation and reason to resolve any problems that may come up. He is, however, prepared in case others are not willing to listen to reason, and carries a stout staff which he uses to great effect on both attack and defence.

    Edit: Decided on Meditation spec instead of Survival.

    El Skid on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    All good, Skid. Will keep you guys posted on this.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    simonwolfsimonwolf i can feel a difference today, a differenceRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Here's my guy.

    Shinriki

    Master of the Invincible Snout Punch school
    Air - 1 | Earth - 1 | Fire - 3 | Water - 1
    Balance: 3 (1)
    Specialities: Husbandry, Storytelling
    Philosophy: It does not matter who is right, it matters who is left.
    Weapons: Glaive
    Armour: 2
    Styles: Leaping Viper (student)

    Shinriki is a true warrior, a student of many schools, and a master of one - the Invincible Snout Punch school. The ultimate technique, it degrades your opponent through a vicious strike on their muzzle, establishing your dominance over them entirely.

    You may have heard that Shinriki isn't actually the master of any Invincible Snout Punch school. You may have heard that the so-called "Invincible Snout Punch school" is no more than the invention of a spirited, wild-eyed young farmer, seeking to leave his peasant life behind and be a warrior unto the world. If you have heard this, then you have heard nothing but lies and slander, and there's a punch to the snout coming your way.

    simonwolf on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Guys stop posting your characters in Streever's dumb format. I've tidied them up into the reccomended format and stuck them below ;)
    Shinriki (Simonwolf)
    Air: 1
    Earth: 1
    Fire: 3
    Water: 1
    Balance: 3 (1)
    Specialities: Husbandry, Storytelling.
    Philosophy: It does not matter who is right, it matters who is left.
    Weapons: Glaive
    Armour: 2
    Styles: Leaping Viper Student

    Two-Colour Shu (Streever)
    Air: 0
    Earth: 0
    Fire 3:
    Water: 3
    Balance 2
    Specialities: Painting, Calligraphy
    Philosophy: Reconcile the contradictory by acting with a clear mind.
    Weapons: None
    Armor: 0
    Styles: Burning Calm, Student
    Equipment: Pen, ink, paper.

    Ma Daoning (Infidel)
    Air: 1
    Earth: 1
    Fire: 1
    Water: 3
    Balance: 3 (2)
    Specialities: Dance, Strategy
    Philosophy: If you are in a hurry you will never get there.
    Weapons: Curved Sword
    Armour: 1
    Styles: Dragonfly's Weave Student

    Xin, Wandering Monk (ElSkid)
    Air: 1
    Earth: 1
    Fire: 0
    Water: 4
    Balance: 2
    Specialities: Archery, Meditation
    Philosophy: Emotion cannot be trusted; Act and react with your mind unclouded, and you will be successful.
    Weapons: Staff, Bow
    Armour: 0
    Styles: Willow Branch, Student

    There, much nicer!

    SUPERSUGA on
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    descdesc Goretexing to death Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    !!!!

    Printing up the rules now. Will read them after work. Very interested.

    desc on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Simply because these four characters got in first they're likely to be the four I go with. Sorry desc and Fatal. I'm sure if all goes well there'll be another chance to play, though. Feel free to knock out a character in case we have a quitter, though.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    streeverstreever Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    *insert witty comeback here*

    streever on
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    InfidelInfidel Heretic Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Ma Daoning
    Singing Sword
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Ma Daoning the LEGENDARY FAG (Infidel)
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Air: 1
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Earth: 1
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Fire: 1
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Water: 3
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Balance: 3 (2)
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Specialities: Dance, Strategy
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Philosophy: If you are in a hurry you will never get there.
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Weapons: Curved Sword
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Armour: 1
    [09:29] <@SuperSooga&gt; Styles: Dragonfly's Weave Student

    Ma Daoning is a wanderer that prefers solitude over social, nature over man. While he enjoys the company of men, be it drinks or duels, his cold indifference eventually reveals itself as he leaves for another scene. Not one to keep any relationships, he has come to appear very sociable when it suits him but disappears just as abruptly.

    When it comes to combat, he is not one of passion. Crude fighters annoy him to no end, and he often winds up in a duel simply because he cannot respect men such as those until they can prove their worth. Most men die before they do so, confirming to Ma Daoning his personal view that the undisciplined are beneath him. He travels because he seeks a new master, his previous master having been betrayed and slain. This was an inconvenience but one that is not difficult to overcome, there will be another teacher that will take him in.

    Infidel on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    That is a nicer format, SUPERSUGA- One change I'd like to make - Replace survival with Meditation. You know, being a monk and all.

    El Skid on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Done!

    SUPERSUGA on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Been doing some more prep for this and I want to give people a heads-up as to what to expect.
    • Mostly I plan a setting with situations and hooks rather than plots for you to act out. This means you can feel quite free to ignore certain hooks and go and pursue others.
    • On the other hand, this also means you should be proactive and not wait for me to shove you in the right directions. There'll be hooks, which I'll try and make appealing, but I'm not going to push you into them.
    • While duels and contests are obviously an important part of the game much of it is about developing the characters and exploring the setting as well as preparing for any duels or contests through Activities, choice of Location and earning Lesson Tokens, all of which are detailed in the game doc.
    • With regards to knowing the setting, all you need to know is presented in the boxes titled The Ocean and The Origins in the game document, as well as the section on The Code. After this you may wish for your character to know little of the world outside of their own island and its neighbours, which you can create as your fluff requires.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Okay, I'm good to go with this in a few hours. I'll have the IC thread up within the next few hours. This thread will become the OOC thread for any extended issues. OOC stuff in the IC thread such as rolls and quick questions should be spoilered.

    For rolls we'll be using Invisible Castle which I'm assuming you're all familiar with.
    The campaign name is Emerald Sea and you should use your character name, dropping any titles for simplicity. So Ma Daoning, Singing Sword will just use Ma Daoning.

    Present standard rolls as 1 roll of 2d6 plus modifiers, noting what the roll is for in the notes section. Remember if the dice match you'll have to add your balance score manually and note it in your post. So your roll should look like this.

    Carpentry Roll (2d6+2=10)

    In prepartion for the IC thread launch you should each have a reason for sharing a small passenger boat to an island you've never been to before.

    Edit: IC Thread now live!

    SUPERSUGA on
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    InfidelInfidel Heretic Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Skid, all three of us stated heading down the path so I'm not sure what you're referring to. :lol:

    Infidel on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Infidel wrote: »
    Skid, all three of us stated heading down the path so I'm not sure what you're referring to. :lol:

    I thought you headed over to the forest? Ah, I see. I guess I just misunderstood. Oh well :P

    El Skid on
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    InfidelInfidel Heretic Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    No, Ma was just trying to ignore the men he's been sadly cooped up with for hours and focus on the wild. :lol:

    Once he cleared that from his mind he set out on the path because that's where he is headed anyways of course.

    Infidel on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    It's unlikely I'll be able to get a post up until tomorrow actually, I'm being interrupted throughout the day and I need to sort a few things out. We'll get the ball rolling back at a nice pace tomorrow.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    No worries... Thanks for the heads up!

    El Skid on
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    simonwolfsimonwolf i can feel a difference today, a differenceRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Frickin' fight stealer, mumble grumble.

    simonwolf on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Feel free to get in line :P

    El Skid on
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    SUPERSUGASUPERSUGA Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    You guys save your energy till tomorrow, we're going back in for a quick pace after this day of recovery and trashtalking.

    SUPERSUGA on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited August 2009
    Having had time to go back through the rules again, I totally should have taken shroud of frost instead of the willow thing, given my stats :o

    Oh well, maybe I'll get to pick it up somewhere along the way :P

    El Skid on
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