Feng Shui: How did I never read this?!

[obryn]

So right now, the Bundle of Holding has Feng Shui (http://bundleofholding.com/index/current), and like a $12 donation nets you lots of goodies.

I've heard a whole lot of good stuff about Feng Shui so I went ahead and downloaded it. And wow. This is seriously one of the best-designed games I can remember seeing. Has anyone taken this for a spin?

-O

[Grinner]

Gah! I need this!

Haven't read it, but I've heard good things about it. How's the scenario anthology?

Anyway, Robin Laws always writes good stuff. I don't know how he does it, but his games are always so damn sensibly designed. It's like he just reads a popular game and then writes a better one.

[obryn]

I'm just digging into the rulebook, and it's insanely good. The initiative seems like it might be kinda complicated, but the resolution system looks super easy. The whole game encourages over-the-top cinematic action.

The character archetypes are golden. A game where you can have a cyber-mutant, karate cop, sorcerer, and plucky kid all in the same party? Wow.

I can't speak to the scenario book yet, but if it's anywhere near as good as the rest of it...

[Amechra]

Thank you.

Thank you so very much.

I've been looking to pick this up.

Feng Shui is... is... happiness in RPG form.

[obryn]

Now I need to pick between running Feng Shui and Day After Ragnarok for our next interlude. I don't know how I'm supposed to make that choice. :smalleek:

[Amechra]

Run them both.

Hack them into one system, and run them both.

[obryn]

Run them both.

Hack them into one system, and run them both.http://i.imgur.com/TVbfjH5.jpg

[obryn]

Sorry for the double post, but continued reading has more or less confirmed my suspicion - that Feng Shui is among the best RPGs ever written. Holy cow do I want to run this.

-O

[erikun]

Would you like to give us some idea of what Feng Shui is like, what it's good at, and why you'd recommend it over other systems? It's good that you like the system, but I'd want something more than somebody liked the system as a recommendation to buy it. :smalltongue:

[obryn]

Would you like to give us some idea of what Feng Shui is like, what it's good at, and why you'd recommend it over other systems? It's good that you like the system, but I'd want something more than somebody liked the system as a recommendation to buy it. :smalltongue:
It's Big Trouble in Little China: The RPG.

Every mechanic is geared towards making the most kick-ass action movie imaginable play out at the table. No, really - it sets out to do this and succeeds in spades. It celebrates and indulges in action movie stereotypes, tropes, and cliches.

There's a collection of character classes - many of which are action movie staples - that get you gaming quickly. And awesomely. Characters can include ninjas, cyborgs, "everyman heroes", karate cops, magic cops, spunky kids, big bruisers, and fantastical creatures that have been cyborged out and turned into super-soldiers. And they all play at the table together. Smoothly.

It's a trad-game more than a narrative game, so there's tons of mechanical hooks. And yet, it stays pretty darn simple and relatively light. The GMing advice is solid and mostly geared to make everything as explosive as possible, too. Dice are a pretty simple d6-d6 system, with exploding 6's.

Finally, the setting is incredibly bad-ass, involving time-travel and quite a few competing factions. There's quite a lot of solid setting info, as you'd expect from a 90's game.

And it's written by Robin Laws; the man knows a few things about gaming. :smallsmile:

http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_24.html
http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_386.html

-O

[Kiero]

In 1996 when I first played it, Feng Shui was canned awesomeness and a breath of fresh air.

In 2013 the mechanics are really showing their age, and over time a lot of the various flaws made themselves known. Like how vitally important Action Values are (and if there's a spread of more than 1-2 points in the group, things fall apart), how completely unbalanced the archetypes are, how wonky the central dice mechanic can be and how many broken-exploitable power combos there are.

[Starsign]

I've heard a dozen great things about Feng Shui. No doubt some of the mechanics are showing their age (which is something a lot of systems do anyway) but the premise and concept it goes for sounds far too good to complain about the system itself.

I so absolutely want to give it a try. Only problem is, well, I gotta find a hard copy of the book first if I'm going to understand any of the mechanics. (I'm a little short of cash at the moment) But if I do get one then I'm all up for giving it a try. :smallbiggrin:

[Toy Killer]

I owe Feng Shui the ability to say "yes" to my players and enjoy it.

Early on in a lot of GMs careers, its easy to learn to say "no" when your player wants to do something they think is awesome. And its crippling! From then on, they aren't thinking about what they are going to do next, they are too worried you're going to say "no" when they get an awesome Idea.

Feng Shui shook that concept right out of my head. The mechanics beg Players to Light a cigarette and spurt a catch phrase before throwing a lighter on a conveniently placed pool of gasoline and blowing the BBEG's henchman to smithereens. It begs players to do something so awkward and convoluted that it just has to work. it's what the game is centered on.

Since then, all games I've played have run smoother. I still call it 'Keep Calm and Feng Shui'-ing to my new players, who claim it's OP to do fun things, when they aren't use to Fighters throwing barrel's down the stairs to inhibit the onslaught of skeletons (Or whatever), because it isn't stated in the rule book.

Since playing Feng Shui, it really taught me that being a DM is about doing what isn't in the rule book to entertain a group of friends.

[obryn]

Since playing Feng Shui, it really taught me that being a DM is about doing what isn't in the rule book to entertain a group of friends.
That is simply awesome. I've had little time to read it recently, but yeah - even from this jaded RPG veteran, there's stuff in it that seems fresh and new despite being 15+ years old. :smallsmile:

-O

[Kiero]

If anyone is thinking of playing in the next few weeks (before 31st October), you can take part in the playtest (http://atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/fs_alphaplaytest.pdf)for the new edition. All it requires is that you run Baptism of Fire, the canned adventure in the back of the book and record your experiences.

[GamorreanHC]

Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic, but I have to agree that this was one of my favorite systems ever. Every time I meet up with the old highschool crew even years later, if we have the time we pull out the old system and play an evening. We've ran Baptism of Fire about 20 times, never the same as we don't really pull out the book to reference it for the session, so it always becomes a game of half remembered craziness with zombie ninjas and chainsaw wielding flying sharks.

I think I just shed a tear.

[obryn]

zombie ninjas ... chainsaw wielding flying sharks.
Yes, this is my next game.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Yes, this is my next game.

They have to be vampire ninjas.

Well, actually, they don't. It depends on whether you want a Phineas and Ferb reference (vampires) or a The Gamers: Dorkness Rising reference (zombies).

Speaking of Phineas and Ferb references, now I want to make a character whose initial hook is that one of the important bad guys took his goldfish... :smalltongue:

[Thrudd]

So right now, the Bundle of Holding has Feng Shui (http://bundleofholding.com/index/current), and like a $12 donation nets you lots of goodies.

I've heard a whole lot of good stuff about Feng Shui so I went ahead and downloaded it. And wow. This is seriously one of the best-designed games I can remember seeing. Has anyone taken this for a spin?

-O

One of my favorite games, if not The favorite. It's a pretty easy one to introduce people new to RPG's, great for one-shots, rules are simple. Full of built-in humor that lets everyone at the table have lots of laughs. Everyone has seen action movies, everyone can grasp the premise very easily. And it is very clever in how it brings all the action movie genres together in a single setting if you want to use it.
Yes, the archetypes are unbalanced. As GM, you have a couple options, either house-rule everyone to the same starting AV for their primary skill, or let the stunts and roleplaying make up for any lack in the dice. I don't care what you roll, if you describe something cool enough it is going to succeed and take out at least a mook or two (unless it is funnier if you don't). The good thing is, characters are resilient enough that you can afford to try all sorts of things and fail at a lot of them, it is really hard to take out a PC. As long as everyone feels useful in some way, they don't all need to be able to fight the evil kung fu master one on one. In fact, take "Big Trouble" for example...Jack Burton can barely touch the bad guy martial artists in the movie. But he still gets some sh** done...and a lucky roll at the end with a bunch of 6's probably let him take out Lo Pan. lol One of my players, a big bruiser, did almost exactly the same thing. I don't remember what ungodly number of 6's he rolled in a row, but he threw a knife at a the helicopter that the bad guy was getting away in as it was taking off, from a good distance, and killed the pilot through the open side window, sending the whole thing crashing into the ocean.

I have run "Baptism of Fire" more than once, myself, and expanded it into "Baptism of Fire 2", with a plot line that involved a set of triplet martial arts masters and a trip through the underworld to 69 AD to find the evil sorcerer in his haunted fortress.

[Amidus Drexel]

So right now, the Bundle of Holding has Feng Shui (http://bundleofholding.com/index/current), and like a $12 donation nets you lots of goodies.

I've heard a whole lot of good stuff about Feng Shui so I went ahead and downloaded it. And wow. This is seriously one of the best-designed games I can remember seeing. Has anyone taken this for a spin?

-O

LaZodiac is GMing a PbP game of it here on the boards that I'm a player in - I can't say I'm incredibly familiar with how things work, but I'd be willing to answer any questions you have about how it runs, to the best of my ability. (from a PbP perspective, of course). On that note, she'd probably be a good person to ask, too.

I will say that initiative isn't nearly as complicated as it looks, although it does get hung up on large groups of enemies. (as it would with any other system that I've played).

[Thrudd]

LaZodiac is GMing a PbP game of it here on the boards that I'm a player in - I can't say I'm incredibly familiar with how things work, but I'd be willing to answer any questions you have about how it runs, to the best of my ability. (from a PbP perspective, of course). On that note, she'd probably be a good person to ask, too.

I will say that initiative isn't nearly as complicated as it looks, although it does get hung up on large groups of enemies. (as it would with any other system that I've played).

Usually large groups of enemies are going to be unnamed mooks, and I'd lump them all together on one initiative. Only named characters get their own initiative rolls.

Also, make sure you get "The Golden Comback" players guide if you don't have it already. It is full of more good character types, rules for running awesome car chases, and extra shticks to flesh out some of the character types from the core book, like the super spy and techie. This is the only book besides the core that I think really adds a lot to the game. The other faction books are nice and have some cool stuff in them to run things in different time periods, but none of them add as much value as Golden Comeback.

[Amidus Drexel]

Usually large groups of enemies are going to be unnamed mooks, and I'd lump them all together on one initiative. Only named characters get their own initiative rolls.

Also, make sure you get "The Golden Comback" players guide if you don't have it already. It is full of more good character types, rules for running awesome car chases, and extra shticks to flesh out some of the character types from the core book, like the super spy and techie. This is the only book besides the core that I think really adds a lot to the game. The other faction books are nice and have some cool stuff in them to run things in different time periods, but none of them add as much value as Golden Comeback.

Well, the problem with that is that there are a good few ways to affect one's shot (both in an offensive and a defensive sense), and that would necessitate separating the mooks' initiatives from each other.

I don't think I have that, but I'll look it up, for sure. Thanks!

[Kiero]

Well, the problem with that is that there are a good few ways to affect one's shot (both in an offensive and a defensive sense), and that would necessitate separating the mooks' initiatives from each other.

There aren't any defensive ones; mooks never use Active Defense.

[Thrudd]

Well, the problem with that is that there are a good few ways to affect one's shot (both in an offensive and a defensive sense), and that would necessitate separating the mooks' initiatives from each other.

I don't think I have that, but I'll look it up, for sure. Thanks!

If a mook gets nailed with something that changes their shot, then just separate that one out. Like using a d10 with the number representing the number of mooks that act on that shot. If one guy defends and moves down a shot, add another die and set it to 1. I did not find that it came up very much.

[obryn]

Also, make sure you get "The Golden Comback" players guide if you don't have it already.
It was part of the Bundle of Holding! I got it. The other stuff included was Blowing Up Hong Kong (which I paged through, and it looks awesome; exactly the kind of stuff you need to know when running a game in an unfamiliar city), Friends of the Dragon, In Your Face Again, and Dragon's Heirs (like a simple collection of all published archetypes).

Man, I can't wait for the reboot. Most likely it's going to be a kickstarter, because isn't everything these days? (I love kickstarter, so I kinda hope so.) But until then, I went ahead and ordered a hardcopy of the main rulebook. Easier to play off paper than PDF, I think.

-O

[Thrudd]

It was part of the Bundle of Holding! I got it. The other stuff included was Blowing Up Hong Kong (which I paged through, and it looks awesome; exactly the kind of stuff you need to know when running a game in an unfamiliar city), Friends of the Dragon, In Your Face Again, and Dragon's Heirs (like a simple collection of all published archetypes).

Man, I can't wait for the reboot. Most likely it's going to be a kickstarter, because isn't everything these days? (I love kickstarter, so I kinda hope so.) But until then, I went ahead and ordered a hardcopy of the main rulebook. Easier to play off paper than PDF, I think.

-O

Oops, I got Golden Comeback confused with an old Daedalus supplement. Golden Comeback definately adds a lot to the game and my previous statement stands, but most of the additional archetypes I was thinking of got rolled into the core game in the Atlas edition. Dragon's Heirs is a really handy document, I took a look at it.
I know I had "In Your Face Again" as well, that's the one with a collection of adventure scenarios, right? I ran a few of those as one shots, and rolled a couple more into my campaigns. Another book I had, besides all the faction supplements, was the "Elevator to the Netherworld". Tons of good ideas and hooks in there with setting fluff. It was full of quirky NPC's from erased timelines, and lots of locations for the campaign to visit.
I am fully nostalgic about Feng Shui now. I wish I had a gaming group and infinite time again. lol

[Wraith]

If anyone is thinking of playing in the next few weeks (before 31st October), you can take part in the playtest (http://atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/fs_alphaplaytest.pdf)for the new edition. All it requires is that you run Baptism of Fire, the canned adventure in the back of the book and record your experiences.

I've run though Baptism of Fire twice - once as a Player and once a GM. It's thoroughly enjoyable and I strongly suggest that everyone who can, give it a try even if you're not going for the playtest.

Wow, so many great memories of this game; every session brought out something more hilarious than the last, from the Ninja dual-wielding gourmet lobsters after losing his nunchucks, to the Masked Vigilante using a wrecking ball as a Tarzan-style swing into a mob of goons, and to the heroic Old Master PC who went one-on-one with the Evil Old Master and (completely legitimately, as far as the dice rolled!) killed each other with simultaneous blows.

"You are not the only one who knows Kung Fu!" *rips shirt, proceeds to use the Tiger Claw technique to go "Kali-ma!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk2E1CoGe98) on the other guy* :smalltongue:

[obryn]

I would run this next week if I didn't need to get back to our regularly scheduled campaign and start guiding it towards some kind of conclusion. :smallsmile:

[Eric Tolle]

Feng Shui is one of those quietly influential games that most players haven't heard of, but designers look at and say "Huh. That's a fantastic idea. Now how can I make it work properly?" I put it right up there with Over the Edge as far as being LSD for game designers.

Also, cyberapes. Nuff said!