I',m looking for a good set of rules to use for a modern high end martial arts focused game. The feel would be similar to the anime and manga inspired by Street Fighter, Tekken and Virtua Fighter: semi realistic unarmed fighting arts backed and enhanced to superhuman levels with supernatural attacks, maneuvers and abilities as secret techniques utilized by masters.

I want something fairly crunchy where characters and their fighting styles are distinguished mechanically and tactical choices (like what move to use) in combat have importance and aren't hust fluff and color. I'd prefer a random initiative determination (I prefer that for martial arts/duel oriented games) and I'd like skill/agility to be more important that brute strength. The "Dex as good stat" issue isn't a concern.

My usual go to Hero System doesn't feel quite specific enough for this though it could work with some house rules. Fight! could work but its close emulation of video game physics and feel isn't quite what I'd like. I want the game to feel like its happening the world of the manga and anime inspired by these game not such much in the game themselves. 1st Edition Thrash is the closest I've seen to what I'd like but it had its problems and was a work in progress that would really require too much work to whip into full playability and the 2nd edition wasn't too my liking.

Any suggestions?

Have you looked at Fight! The Fighting Game RPG?

Quote from: Nexus;648597Hero System doesn't feel quite specific enough for this

O.o

Even with the 5th/6th Edition Martial Arts books? Yikes.

I highly suggest Ninjas & Superspies by Palladium Books, even if you just use the book to yank ideas. For me, it does what you are talking about.

Quote from: Spinachcat;648682I highly suggest Ninjas & Superspies by Palladium Books, even if you just use the book to yank ideas. For me, it does what you are talking about.

Yeah, and whenever you use N&S, make sure you grab Mystic China too.

You could use RuneQuest 6 and limit the available special effects to certain schools/styles, or better still, make resisting some of these effects (Trip, Disarm, Stun Location and so on) more difficult to resist by including them into the school's combat style trait.

It fits your other requirements, since STR based damage bonuses don't come into play unless you manage to actually slip past the opponent's parry; and in fact the fight is more likely to be won by the application of a special effect rather than damage inflicted. Thus you don't need to kill foes to 'win' the fight.

For the supernatural stuff, simply use the Mysticism rules and you have instant wushu/anime.

Quote from: Pete Nash;648699You could use RuneQuest 6 and limit the available special effects to certain schools/styles, or better still, make resisting some of these effects (Trip, Disarm, Stun Location and so on) more difficult to resist by including them into the school's combat style trait.

You planning on putting out some martial arts styles Pete?  I figure you must have some.

Quote from: CRKrueger;648700You planning on putting out some martial arts styles Pete?  I figure you must have some.

I will do, but I'm pretty swamped at the moment. I have to write a magazine article about using RQ6 for the Spy genre, a combat seminar for EternalCon next month and start setting out the Mycenaean Greece supplement.

When I get around to it, I'll probably do a free download covering a few of the more commonplace real-world and fantasy styles, so that people can use it as a framework for their own campaign settings. As ever, these things are pretty straightforward, but most people don't have the time or energy to throw one together for themselves...

Quote from: Pete Nash;648708I will do, but I'm pretty swamped at the moment. I have to write a magazine article about using RQ6 for the Spy genre, a combat seminar for EternalCon next month and start setting out the Mycenaean Greece supplement.

When I get around to it, I'll probably do a free download covering a few of the more commonplace real-world and fantasy styles, so that people can use it as a framework for their own campaign settings. As ever, these things are pretty straightforward, but most people don't have the time or energy to throw one together for themselves...

Woohoo! As a card-carrying member of the Pete Nash fan club, I'm excited to see this

Thrash! is available free online and is one of the most detailed (as far as background material) amateur games I've seen on any one genre (fighting games), with a fun system descended from the 90s streetfighter RPG. I highly recommend it.

Quote from: Sigmund;648765Woohoo! As a card-carrying member of the Pete Nash fan club, I'm excited to see this

Yeah I like to see what a designer does with his own tools.

Quote from: Spinachcat;648682I highly suggest Ninjas & Superspies by Palladium Books, even if you just use the book to yank ideas. For me, it does what you are talking about.

Do allow me to second and expand upon this recommendation.

The Palladium combat system is similar to, but much less abstracted than, D&D combat. Roll initiative; roll to strike; roll a defense (parry or dodge). If the hit lands, you can also "roll" with it to reduce damage. Repeat several times depending on each attacker's number of attacks per round.

Martial Arts styles in Ninjas & Superspies are handled like all Palladium Hand-to-Hand Combat skills: each additional character level grants you bonuses to different combat rolls, and every now and then you pick a new move such as body throws, flying kicks and the feared Death Blow (auto-kill with a natural 20).

Additionally, some (but not all) martial arts styles grant Mystic Martial Arts abilities, such as preternaturally powerful punches and kicks, superhuman resilience, and even life-draining negative Chi touches. No hadoukens to speak of, but the base system is there if you want to do it; and plugging in magic and/or psionics from Beyond The Supernatural, Nightbane and specially Mystic China is easy as pie.

There's also cybernetic implants, gadgets and vehicles, owing to the "Superspies" half of the title, and some rules on setting up espionage agencies and criminal organizations.

Now, the Palladium system is really badly written and laid out. You'll have to houserule some things, e.g. just exactly how many attacks do people get per round at the start. Nevertheless, it's one of my favorite games, and I feel it does hit on plenty of the things you've mentioned in the OP.

ditto for Ninjas and Superspies, as well as the suggestion to pick up the awesome, awesome Mystic China book.

RPGPundit

I've never been a big fan of the Palladium house system. Is the incarnation in Ninjas and Supespies very different from the other versions?

I actually ran a near future game called Sensei's and Dojos using the Seventh sea system I modified.

you have sword schools to imulate martial arts disciplines and karma die to do weird cool stuff or to fuel supernatural / hyper trained/ chi abilities.

It worked well and I was happy with it let people be weapons users, gun fu and even one detective who didn't even like martial arts.

The initiative system is pretty flexible as well.