Asian inspired games

Rick Hershey · March 09, 2007, 12:40:20 AM

Hey Folks,

I've been trying to find asian themed rpgs that are possibly out of print or no longer published, more of your older titles and hidden gems. . . but I'm not finding anything beyond some of the more popular titles (Bushido, Sengoku, etc.) Anyone have any ideas? Recomend anything? I'd be interested in any type of book; settings, equipment, adventures, whatever.

So, if you know of any- let me hear them.

thanks.

hgjs · March 09, 2007, 12:56:28 AM

These are recent, but I wouldn't call them "popular" (I haven't seen them in any gaming shop or chain bookstore):

Qin

Weapons of the Gods

Both of those are set in ancient China. The second is more over-the-top, perhaps to the point of absurdity. The first, while mystical, is less gonzo.

RPGPundit · March 09, 2007, 01:44:35 AM

Qin is awesome.

RPGPundit

Ronin · March 09, 2007, 07:15:27 AM

Quote from: Rick HersheyHey Folks,

I've been trying to find asian themed rpgs that are possibly out of print or no longer published, more of your older titles and hidden gems. . . but I'm not finding anything beyond some of the more popular titles (Bushido, Sengoku, etc.) Anyone have any ideas? Recomend anything? I'd be interested in any type of book; settings, equipment, adventures, whatever.

So, if you know of any- let me hear them.

thanks.

I always thought Usagi Yojimbo RPG would be fun. It was done by the same people that do Sengoku (Gold Rush Gqames). I do believe they are done in different systems. But I dont know for certain.
GURPS Japan is a good resource whether you place gurps or not.
The last one that come quickly to mind is Feng Shui. The Thorns of the Lotus sourcebook in peticular covers 69AD era china.

flyingmice · March 09, 2007, 10:05:27 AM

Quote from: RoninI always thought Usagi Yojimbo RPG would be fun. It was done by the same people that do Sengoku (Gold Rush Gqames). I do believe they are done in different systems. But I dont know for certain.
GURPS Japan is a good resource whether you place gurps or not.
The last one that come quickly to mind is Feng Shui. The Thorns of the Lotus sourcebook in peticular covers 69AD era china.

Usagi Yojimbo is now done by the *claw people, who have inserted the *claw system into the game, replacing the original fuzion.

So that reminds me, there's also Jade Claw. The *Claw system isn't exactly a plus for me, but you might like it. The *claw games are big favorites with furry crowd, but, like TMNT, Usagi Yojimbo comes from a simpler time, before furry was a sexual statement.

-clash

Ian Absentia · March 09, 2007, 10:46:57 AM

Quote from: flyingmiceThe *claw games are big favorites with furry crowd, but Usagi Yojimbo comes from a simpler time, before furry was a sexual statement, like TMNT.

TMNT is a sexual statement? *shudder*

!i!

flyingmice · March 09, 2007, 10:51:46 AM

Quote from: Ian AbsentiaTMNT is a sexual statement? *shudder*

!i!

Lord no! I will re-write that! Dang dangling participle!

:O

-clash

Ian Absentia · March 09, 2007, 10:58:50 AM

Well, you know, there was that whole April O'Neil angle, the hottie in the jumpsuit, so...you know...it wasn't entirely out of the question.

*shudder*

!i!

Spike · March 09, 2007, 11:20:22 AM

I got Bushido as a PDF online somewhere. Free I think, but I could be wrong. It's the grand daddy of asian RPG's from what I hear. Haven't given it a solid read yet... I hate PDF files.

Balbinus · March 09, 2007, 11:21:11 AM

Quote from: RPGPunditQin is awesome.

RPGPundit

I haven't had a chance to play it yet, but I'm coming round to this view. I've been revisiting it after some posts Pundit made and it does look much better than I had first realised, increasingly it looks to me like a really accomplished Chinese fantasy game.

Balbinus · March 09, 2007, 11:22:19 AM

Quote from: SpikeI got Bushido as a PDF online somewhere. Free I think, but I could be wrong. It's the grand daddy of asian RPG's from what I hear. Haven't given it a solid read yet... I hate PDF files.

It's a pretty good game, but the magic is of the period in that it basically is only useful in combat which is a bit of a shame.

Otherwise though it still holds up pretty well, it's very dry to read though. It's from the wargaming rules school of rpg writing.

Balbinus · March 09, 2007, 11:24:03 AM

Dragonfist was a game based on AD&D that was due for commercial release, but never was. The pdfs were legitimately available online for ages, though have now been pulled due to the possibility of a 3.5e update.

Great game, and bear in mind I really dislike AD&D when I say that so if you do too don't let that put you off, Dragonfist is simple, easy and a hell of a lot of fun. We had a blast playing it.

I have the files if anyone wants them, I think it's still legitimate to distribute them privately.

Rick Hershey · March 09, 2007, 04:14:18 PM

Thanks everyone, I was pretty much aware of all these (with the exception of Dragonfist) but I'm defintely going to check out the ones I haven't yet.

Any adventure material? Anything small press? I'm really finding a shortage of asian flavored game material in the way of support products.

Ronin · March 09, 2007, 04:43:34 PM

Palladium has reference books that can be used with any system. "Weapons and Assassins", and "Weapons and Castles of the Orient".

stu2000 · March 18, 2007, 04:12:45 AM

DragonFist was fun. Swords of the Middle Kingdom was a nice one, based on Hong Kong Action Theater! with the Studio System strained out. I like it fine, but I like the Studio system, so I just play HKAT! (1st ed)

Palladium had very nicely-researched Chinese material, though I'm not a huge fan of the system.

I thought JadeClaw was interesting, but the system is just a little dense, and sometimes it's hard to get people interested in the 'furries' angle.

Outlaws of the Water Margin was an interesting indie game. It was a free download for a while, but I can't find it now.

There's Wushu and some other downloadable indie games, but I haven't played them.