Silk Road Protection Squad

Players are Chinese soldiers sent to uncover a plot to steal the Secret of Silk from out of China. They must track down the conspirators, uncover their identities with shrewd diplomacy and engage in daring battles on horseback, in frontier town streets and on the tops of river boats using everything from unarmed martial arts to advanced gunpowder weaponry.

The goal for the system is to have something capable of emulating in PnP a Kurosawa or Woo film - action and drama with a distinct oriental feel. Combat should always have an environmental situation, eg burning grassland, horses in a dust storm, fast-moving rafts and low hanging cliff outcroppings, in a crowd of civilians etc, to provide additional factors to consider. The system is based on "resource" usage to influence actions.

Each point in the main pool appears in one of the three sub-categories, allowing you to build a character around certain archetypes.

CHARACTER SHEET
Statistics
Apportion 12 points to the six sub-skills, the total makes your available pool of Chi and Ren.

The way of the Fist
Chi (Martial skills, stamina, literally Ambition)
Power (Damage and strength)
Tempo (Speed and dodge)
Focus (Health and accuracy)

The way of the Palm
Ren (Civil skills, literally Benevolence)
Ritual (Politeness and diplomacy)
Law (Prosecution and coercion)
Tradition (Knowledge and lore)

Age: Not yet developed. The older you are, the more experience, skill and knowledge you have, but raw physicality is diminished. Aged masters of kung fu can still go toe to toe with the young and sprightly.

Combat
Weapons have the following attributes:
Speed: Determines who strikes first
Length: Overrides Speed but longer weapons become ineffective past their heads.
Damage: Type and amount, effects wounds.

Weapon Mastery
Crossbows
Foot Crossbow
Chukonu
Triple Crossbow

Firearms
Fire Lance
Three-Eyed Gun
Beehive Rocket Launcher

Polearms
Glaive
Spear
Dagger Halberd

One-handers
Dagger-Axe
Mace
Jian

Two-handers
Zhan Ma Dao (Horse-Killing Sword)


BATTLEFIELDS
Burning grassland
Horses in the desert
Riverboat under cliffs and outcrops
Showdown in town

Weather
Wind
Rain
Snow
Can put out firearms, cause fire to spread further etc

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SESSION 1

SCENE: Kaishi City Yamen (Beginning City Government House

It’s a sunny day in Kaishi Border City, the streets thronged with shoppers. Monks toss firecrackers and crash cymbals as they make a processional through the main street, Shaolin acrobats twirl and flip at the head of their column, clearing a path through merchants and nobles alike.
You have arrived here after an extended patrol through the Gobi desert, responding to an urgent summons from the local head of security, Da Gongzuo. Heading to the Yamen, the government office, you pass the Fubing Militia training grounds, where the citizens are practicing their martial arts in synchronous Chinese fashion. A battalion of gunners unfurl colourful umbrellas and ground them, nocking fire-lances and letting loose a ripple of flames and smoke, through which fearsome visages of tigers emerge, painted on the tengpai shields of leaping paidao swordsmen. A training official greets you as Maike’er Wan and asks if you would care to demonstrate for the militia after your appointment.

Receiving your answer, he bows and points you toward the office courtyard, where you walk past lines of Jingchá enforcers, hands held on angled two-handed clubs in ritual pose. Reaching the Yamen, an assistant announces your presence with a gong and beckons you in to meet Da Gongzuo.
Even sitting at court, he’s an enormous man, sweating heavily in the heat, fanning himself with two embossed bone writs.
“Welcome, welcome, esteemed members of the Protection Squad. You’re here today to take up a mission of grave import, superseding your regular duties. Some conniving gweilo merchants have stolen the secret of silk from a nearby mulberry plantation and you must track them down before our monopoly is broken! Start here, in this city. There are merchants greedy and stupid enough to aid in this crime, so check their drinking establishments and pick up the trail!”
Gongzuo throws each of you the chits he was fanning himself with, they are Silk Road Special Officer's Seals, which empower the bearer to act beyond regular legal means when necessary.
You are dismissed and let free upon the city.

Maike’er has some information for you if you can beat the Fubing at training.
Gold Mountain Inn is frequented by the poorer and unfashionable merchants who are likely to become involved in crime.
You can buy equipment at the Central Market.

Fubing Training

Shoubi
Chi 0
Power 4
Tempo 1
Focus 1

Kuaisu
Chi 5/6
Power 1
Tempo 4
Focus 1

Liuxing
Chi 6
Power 1
Tempo 1
Focus 4

Seeking Silk Sell-out

The Gold Mountain Inn is a run-down drinking establishment, the lantern sign torn and frayed, the characters faded. Inside, an elderly woman is running the place by herself, passing between customers with boat goblets of wine. There are several traders clustered around a table near the entrance but a lone figure at the rear sticks out conspicuously.

As you approach, you become aware of a vile smell that permeates the merchant’s clothing. This can only be the night soil businessman, mocked as “Sewer Margin” by more well-to-do traders.
[interrogation sequence]


Dà Gongzuò (Big Job)
Intelligence officer who imparts the mission to the players.

Xiashuidao Bianji (Sewer Margin)
Two-bit bandit who ambushes the players.

Sun Wukong
Hairy gorilla man with a pet monkey, trickster duo.

Black Rifle Squadron
Negro mercenaries with african multi-blade swords and jezzails.

Star Signs
Prefix elements (Wood, Earth, Air, Metal, Fire, Gold)
Cockerel
Pig
Dog
Rat
Etc

Ideals
Dao
Confucianism
Legalism
Buddhism
Mohism

Skills

Martial arts
“Iron Whirlwind Murderous Fist!”
Calling out an appropriate attack name will increase the style effectiveness by one point.
Improvised weapons (Collapsible Bench, Folding Chair)
Bokko (Defencive style focused on blocking and denying attacks on other targets, best for tanks).
Drunken Style (Random and unpredictable, roll from a list of attacks, higher tier lists are unlocked the more the user drinks, but he’s not guaranteed to use them).
Fist of the North Star (“ATATATATATATATATATATA”. High speed punches with a sure-kill nerve grip finisher).
The Art Of Blowing People Up (“Hey… As long as it works”. High strength, high accuracy art centred on throwing explosives.)
Shaolin
Ninja (Openers attack from a stealthy position, focus on regaining stealth for further surprise attacks. Best for fast and accurate heroes).
Gachimuchi (“Hey buddy… You got the wrong door, the leather club’s two blocks down”. Openers can cause fear, regular attacks are centred on grapples and holds).
Jitte (Elite Japanese policeman’s art focused on disarming and capturing opponents through the use of the jitte, a cosh with a sword-capturing guard, and the hook-and-chain).
Wing Chun

Transport
The first rank allows usage, the second allows penalty-less fighting during.
Horse
Chariot
Cart

MUSIC

Mezame no Hakobune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5IIus4r-GQ

Innocence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl-34kvA5uo


Battle of Red Cliff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvGnZye9Fvs

On the Battlefield
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSJ6afXS20M

Light of the Evanescence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZRi7Z52B1k

Shadow of the Evanescence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy3q2Dc88r4

Shoot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC0VAm7Wus

Decision for Justice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgmB10JEj4U

Secret Stratagem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH3qpf3eQkE

Closing In Upon the Enemy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQpl9eugCv0

Unseen Locus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ynp8G5qt0Y

Precious One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LUFafPnyJk

Sound of Heartstrings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYmDg3n1hbs

In Loneliness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7viwS84iEbo

Beyond the River
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBUet65RMvM

Red Cliff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Fovgu6soo

Outroduction of Legend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoHpxpc84XE

River of No Return
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx_skqSGZyA

Three Kingdoms Opening Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j605YFT9dio

Three Kingdoms full OST
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syJhM_hFNM0
32 Happy 53:05
36 Suspense 57:20

Three Kingdoms Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKm89s5xOJQ
3. Dragon and Phoenix (Celebration/happy) 6:14

Jap Funk (Inns/Sewer Margin?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA9LVzuC7z4

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Tofu of the Addled Fist
Fighting Style: Drunken Master
Zodiac: Rooster
Ideals: Tao

Fist: 9
P: 2
T: 3
F: 4

Palm: 3
R: 1
L: 0
T: 2

Weapon: Improvised Weapons / Metal Drinking Flask

---------------

Ming Hu - Shining Tiger ;-)
Shaolin
Buddist
Zodiac sign: Monkey

Chi (Martial skills, stamina, literally Ambition)

Power (Damage and strength): 4
Tempo (Speed and dodge): 2
Focus (Health and accuracy): 2


Ren (Civil skills, literally Benevolence)

Ritual (Politeness and diplomacy): 1
Law (Prosecution and coercion): 2
Tradition (Knowledge and lore): 1


Pressure points and acupuncture

Retaliating

Using Chi in battle; expend one point for +2 to the next roll
Bonuses and malluses reduce by one point a round

Daoist 8 Drunken Masters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunken_boxing#Daoist_style
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_of_Death