Challenges for GMs in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades

All game systems come with unique challenges, and Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades is no exception. In this article, I will talk about a few aspects of the game that could be difficult for a GM to deal with if they arise unexpectedly. Please note that these are my personal musings, and don't reflect the opinion of Osprey or my co-author Brendan Davis.

**

Challenge: Perfectly Matched Opponents

Background: Because of the vast number of combinations possible when it comes to Signature Abilites, Counters, Weapons, etc., and when you throw in the ramifications of Resist, its feasible for two opponents to be so evenly matched that they can't hit each other, or at least, can't damage each other. Although our primary goal for RBRB was for combat to be fast and gritty, the idea of two opponents being perfectly matched is actually a common genre trope. If you've watched or read much wuxia, you've surely encountered this classic plot element. Below is a scene from Brotherhood of Blades (2002) in which one character can't beat another because of lacking training in certain moves (keep an eye on the subtitles to pick up on that point).

Solutions: If a fight breaks out and a few rounds pass in which no one is hit or injured, and it seems likely to continue that way, have the NPC attempt to end combat and start a conversation. If the PCs refuse to allow that, allow for a "cut scene" to occur mid-combat. Either way, have the NPC issue a challenge to the player(s) to meet again for a duel at a later date (presumably allowing the NPC time to train and reach a higher level, acquire a more powerful weapon or Signature Ability, or hatch some plot to win, possibly in an underhanded way). Of course, this will also give the PCs plenty of time to prepare as well. Make sure the time and place of the duel are formally agreed upon. Maybe even have the participants swear an oath. If there were witnesses present, allow them to spread the news. Or perhaps the antagonist can announce the duel to the Jianghu; this ensures that, if the PCs renege, they will lose face and become a laughingstock. The duel could take place the following month. It could be in a year or even ten years. It all depends on the situation. This sort of challenge is commonly seen in wuxia. Not every on-screen example is perfectly analogous, but the concept can be found in films such as Magic Blade (1976), Crippled Avengers (1978), or Reign of Assassins (2000), or Jin Yong's classic novel Legend of the Condor Heroes.

**

Challenge: Uniquely Specific Signature Abilities, Counters, Weapons

Background: Many of the Signature Abilities, Counters, Weapons, etc. in the game are only useful in very specific circumstances. For instance, Meridian Transposition is only helpful when fighting opponents with Internal Arts or acupoint attacks. Engulfing Wings of the Night Sky only defends against ranged attacks. And Fan of Dragon's Breath is essentially useless unless used against multiple opponents. In all of these cases, it would be simple, intentionally or by accident, to completely nerf a player character. In a scenario in which the players infiltrate a clan that only uses External Arts, a player with Meridian Transposition would quickly be frustrated by the fact that their main character's hook is pointless. If that clan only fights with melee weapons, and the character uses Engulfing Wings of the Night Sky, they would be even more ineffective. And if the character's weapon is Fan of Dragon's Breath, and every encounter features a single opponent, they might feel so useless they would rather create a new character for the scenario. Because Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades does not allow for players to build up a huge catalog of martial arts skills, the tools at their disposal are often limited.

Solutions: There are different schools of thought in RPGs regarding how GMs should set up encounters, adventures, and campaigns. Some believe that in-game scenarios should be created without consideration for the player characters' specific talents, abilities, etc, lest the game seem contrived. Although I generally agree with this, in wuxia, there is a huge emphasis on dramatic plot twists and unexpected, exciting developments. Further, the character-driven nature of the stories usually involves the protagonist(s) having or developing some sort of unique advantage over their opponents. Because of this, my philosophy for RBRB is that GMs should cater at least somewhat to the player characters. Allow players to emulate those exciting moments from wuxia stories in which the protagonists' abilities allow them to pull off a "plot twist" on the NPCs. 

For example, in the above scenario, perhaps this clan of External practitioners has hired an Internal Arts master as a bodyguard or enforcer. Maybe they have powerful weapons that target meridians, or set up some traps with flying darts. Maybe their headquarters has a room populated by sleeping guards that could result in a larger melee battle. 

This concept is key to wuxia. For instance, in the novel version of Gu Long's Heroes Shed No Tears, the protagonist's understandings of the secret function of a powerful weapon, and the antagonist's lack of understanding, plays a key role in one of the biggest twists in the novel. And in the classic One-Armed Swordsman (1967), the protagonist's new martial arts ability perfectly takes advantage of a weakness in the enemy's special weapon, allowing for a dramatic comeback in Act 3 of the movie. See below for a taste.

I'm not suggesting that GMs contrive encounters that are blatantly designed to allow specific player characters to prevail. However, having personally been in situations where my character is absolutely useless for multiple game sessions in a row, I know the pain of dealing with a GM who doesn't cater to the players in some way. And if you're a GM who intentionally refrains from including challenges that the player characters can solve using their characters, well... I'm not sure how long your game group is going to last. In any case, my biases are in favor of providing exciting and fulfilling in-game moments for the players, even if that means sacrificing a bit of "realism" behind the GM screen. Besides, a good GM should be able to make that "lack of realism" seem more like an amazing plot development that will leave players hungering to play again.

**

Challenge: Problems with Fire Deviation Eccentricities

Background: In my experience, Fire Deviations can be one of the most entertaining aspects of the game. However, a few challenges can arise with them.

The first comes with players who intentionally accumulate a lot of them. For instance, a player might put 0 points into Meditation, ensuring that they almost always fail to level up without experiencing Fire Deviation. On top of that, they can then exercise their right to intentionally experience Fire Deviation to gain additional Signature Abilities. The result can be a player with multiple Fire Deviations, (as many as 12 if my math is correct). Many times, this will result in them acquiring numerous roleplay-centric Eccentricities that are conflicting or, at the very least, difficult to manage simultaneously. For instance, what if a player who has a fear of blood develops the requirement of drinking five catties of human blood daily? What happens if the character becomes chivalrous and honor-bound, but at the same time, develops the obsession to kill an innocent person once a month? Granted, roleplaying such conflicted characters could be great fun for some people, but for others, it could be so difficult as to drain any fun out of the game.  

The second challenge is that some Fire Deviation Eccentricities require significant work on the side of the GM. For instance, to effectively include nightmares or hallucinations in a meaningful way will take even an experienced GM a good amount of forethought and preparation. And other Eccentricities that might not be in the control of the GM will require the GM to react quickly and realistically to what could be very erratic or even crazed behavior. For example, what if your campaign is intrigue-heavy and has the characters infiltrating the imperial palace, but then your party's Internal Arts expert acquires the Mental Affliction that turns them into a murderous beast if they use Internal?

Solutions: My first suggestion is to discuss this subject with your players before starting your campaign. If you're an experienced GM playing with experienced players, you might let the sky be the limit and just see what crazy characters your players end up with. But if you're a less-experienced GM with newer players, you might want to put some limitations in place. For example, you could institute a house rule that players must put at least one point into Meditation if they plan to add additional Signature Abilities by taking Fire Deviations. Or you could create limitations to how many Mental Afflictions are allowed (these are generally the ones that involve skill with roleplaying and acting). Although there is a rule to re-roll Fire Deviations that don't make sense, you might also want to define how strictly you plan to apply that rule. Regardless of the specific way you handle your in-house rules, it's best to consider the issue and come up with a plan before jumping into a campaign. 

A secondary suggestion is to arrange your sessions so that leveling up (and by extension acquisition of Eccentricities) happens at the end of game sessions, or between sessions if you want to skip the excitement of the Meditation rolls. Either way, avoid leveling up at the beginning of a session, as whatever planning your put into the game could be thrown out the window if a player acquires the right (or wrong) Fire Deviation. 

For inspiration regarding Fire Deviations, you could check the many incarnations of Jin Yong's Return of the Condor Heroes, in which the antagonist from Legend of the Condor Heroes, Ouyang Feng, returns having gone insane after practicing a powerful martial art incorrectly. Another great depiction of a psychotic martial artist is in the wuxia horror flick Human Lanterns (1982). Although the character is the antagonist, and isn't explicitly said to have gone insane because of Fire Deviation, the legendary Lo Lieh does a great job at portraying a mentally deranged wuxia masked killer. See below for a taste... if you dare.

**

If you don't have the game already, you can pick it up on Osprey's website, DriveThruRpg, Amazon, or just about anywhere else that sells books. As usual, feel free to reach out to me if you have questions or comments, my social media links are at the bottom of this page. For more information about me and my work, check out my website.

Check out the Righteous Blood Podcast!

We just celebrated the release of the tenth episode of the Righteous Blood podcast, in which we talk about the mechanics and inspiration of Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades. You can get all sorts of background information, behind-the-scenes details, easter eggs, and more in the podcast, so if you haven't checked it out, see the links below.

  

Episode 1 - Grudges, maiming, OP characters, and specialty weapons (referencing One-Armed Swordsman and Crippled Avengers).

Episode 2 - Romance, magic, and grudges (referencing Bride With White Hair and Bride With White Hair II)

Episode 3 - Top Ten Weapons and Fighters, Eccentricities, Face (referencing Human Lanterns and Magic Blade)

Episode 4 - Signature Abilities, magic, and dungeons (referencing Lady Hermit and Web of Death)

Episode 5 - Magic, escort companies, encounter tables, and more (referencing Reign of Assassins and Magnificent Bodyguards)

Episode 6 - Ruthlessness and morality, combat phases, dialects, and more (referencing Killer Clans and Dragon)

Episode 7 - Eccentric characters, romance and heartbreak, shifting loyalties, NPC networks, death and dying (referencing Jade Dagger Ninja/Shaolin Fox Conspiracy)

Episode 8 - Linear adventures for GMs, "drunken" characters, and a host of other random things (referencing The Kid with the Golden Arm)

Episode 9 - Bringing horror elements into wuxia campaigns, and other sundry topics (referencing Finger of Doom)

Episode 10 -  Destiny Paths, the nature of duels, transferring wuxia into an RPG (referencing Death Duel).

Alcohol, Wine, Baijiu, and Drinking

Some background about the cultural and genre inspiration for Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades.

The drinking of alcohol plays an important role in Chinese culture, and it has for thousands of years. It’s especially prominent in the wuxia genre. For that reason, we included mechanics governing alcohol consumption in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, including Signature Abilities related to drinking. However, the way drinking is portrayed in classic wuxia differs slightly from how it’s perceived by many in the gaming community, at least as it relates to kung fu and Chinese martial arts. Specifically, in my observation, there is a considerable emphasis on ‘drunken boxing’ or ‘drunken fist.’

‘Drunken boxing’ is a real-life type of martial art that imitates a drunk person’s movements. In my opinion, its popularity in Western media stems primarily from its portrayal in the 1992 Jackie Chan classic Drunken Master II. Of course, that was not the first time drunken boxing was portrayed on screen. Jackie Chan’s 1992 film was a loose followup to the original Drunken Master movie from 1978, and there are plenty of other movies that portray it. Although ‘drunken boxing’ does appear in other non-Chinese media before Drunken Master II (including Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho, and others), it wasn’t until the mid-1990s and later that it grew widely popular in the West. For instance, it appeared in Virtua Fighter 2 in 1994, in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance in 2002, and in Jade Empire in 2005, to name a few. And it found its way into tabletop roleplaying games. For example, you can find it in the Everway supplement Spherewalker Sourcebook from 1996 or in the 2017 DnD 5e expansion Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, in which there is a Monk subclass literally called “Way of the Drunken Master.”

Artwork by Kagan McLeod

That said, the idea of a martial artist who becomes drunk and then fights in a stylistically drunken fashion is not something incredibly common in wuxia. In fact, martial arts heroes are often portrayed as having an extremely high tolerance for alcohol. While they can get drunk, that doesn’t, by definition, improve or deteriorate their fighting ability (although it can do either depending on the whim of the author). Sometimes, the characters can become completely sober at a moment’s notice, making it questionable whether they were ever really drunk to begin with. For instance, here is a passage from an unofficial translation of Gu Long’s Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword, which I edited to improve readability.

Some people say that ‘when you drink to ease distress, you only cause more distress.’ That's not entirely accurate. A small amount of wine can make one remember more of the past, including more painful memories. But when a person becomes truly drunk, then they will forget everything.

Li Xunhuan knew that, so he drank as if his life depended on it.

It’s usually not hard to get drunk. But when a man has enough problems, he will drink more often than an average person. Then, when the time comes that he absolutely needs to get drunk, he won’t be able to.

The sun had long since set, and the night was dark.

Li Xunhuan had consumed a lot of wine, but didn't show even a hint of being drunk.

He suddenly realized that no one else in the room was drunk either. Almost twenty people had been drinking this entire time, yet none of them were drunk. It was definitely unusual.

In the above passage, the consumption of alcohol is tied to past emotional trauma. But there are plenty of examples in wuxia stories where there is no negative stigma attached to drinking and getting drunk. For instance, here’s a clip from the 2008 TV drama version of Jin Yong’s classic Legend of the Condor Heroes. In this scene, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan compete with the Daoist priest Qiu Chuji in drinking.

Here is more detail from the novel, also an edited version of an unofficial translation of the story.

Seeing that even after 28 bowls of alcohol Qiu Chuji was still looking sober and normal, the Seven Freaks were quite shocked….

Quan Jinfa calculated that his side still had five participants left, each a heavy drinker who could probably drink for three or four more rounds. Their opponent couldn’t possibly hold another twenty or so drinks in his belly, or could he? Even if he really was incapable of getting drunk, his belly could only hold so much. 

To emulate this wuxia trope, characters in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades have a Drinking Limit that governs how much alcohol they can consume. If they surpass that limit, they must make a Drinking skill roll. Succeed, and they can continue to drink alcohol past their limit. If they fail, they pass out. Other related mechanics go along with alcohol consumption, including various bonuses and penalties, but I won’t detail them here. Suffice it to say, alcohol can play a significant role in the game if the GM wishes to emulate Chinese culture and the wuxia genre in that way. There are many details provided in the sourcebook regarding Chinese drinking culture and how players and GMs can use it in the game.

Of course, there is no universal rule for how alcohol works in a wuxia setting; different authors handle it differently, and even individual authors can change how they use it from novel to novel.

Something else to consider is the type of alcohol being drunk. The character for alcohol (酒) is often translated as “wine,” but that can be deceiving, as 酒 covers all types of alcohol, including beer, grape wine, distilled liquor, and a host of other alcoholic beverages, including Chinese varieties that aren’t common in the Western world. In wuxia settings, the “wine” mentioned would likely not be grape wine unless specifically said to be, as grape wine has only become a common beverage in China in recent years. In most cases, the alcohol consumed in wuxia settings would be either yellow wine or baijiu. 

In Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, we made baijiu the drink of choice for a few main reasons. First, baijiu is far and away the alcoholic beverage of choice in today's China, and we wanted to create a thematic connection to modern gamers. Second, the famous wuxia author Gu Long was a big fan of liquor, and we sought to pay homage to him. The third reason is more personal. One of the earliest contributors to the game was my cousin-in-law Guo Feng, a wuxia fanatic that I would consider an unofficial ‘wuxia expert.’ He was deeply familiar with the works of all the prominent wuxia authors, and provided a considerable amount of very helpful input. He was also an enormous fan of baijiu. Some of my fondest memories of time spent with extended family in China are of drinking baijiu with him while talking about the works of Jin Yong, Gu Long, and other famous novelists. Sadly, Guo Feng passed away in 2019, long before he could ever see Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades in print. Although I don’t mention it in the book, our collection of unique varieties of baijiu provided in the rules is also an homage to him.

As for Gu Long, he would even mention specific brands of alcohol in his works. For example, here’s a passage from Dragon King with Seven Stars.

Four more beautiful women, dressed like the others, came in carrying a leopard skin stretched between two bamboo poles. On the leopard skin was a jug of alcohol.

The loud, clear voice again called out: “Twenty-year-old Guizhou Maotai!”

Smiling, the four women placed the Maotai down in front of Ingot.

Guizhou Maotai is arguably the most famous baijiu brand in modern China, albeit somewhat of a modern one. In Dragon King with Seven Stars, Gu Long mentions several other brands of baijiu, as well as some specific types of yellow wine and even imported beverages such as Persian wine.

Technically speaking, the inclusion of baijiu could be anachronistic, depending on the time period of your campaign or adventure in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades. Some sources indicate that alcohol was being distilled as far back as two thousand years ago in China. However, it probably wasn’t until about a thousand years later in the Song Dynasty that baijiu became a common beverage. And it probably wasn’t until hundreds of years later that distillation technology reached the point of producing beverages like those consumed today, with a high percentage of alcohol by volume. In other words, if you want your game to take place in a specific historical setting, you might want to do further research to maintain accuracy. A historically accurate campaign set in the Tang or Han dynasties, or the Three Kingdoms or Warring States periods, might not have baijiu in the setting at all.

That said, we encourage a more anachronistic approach in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, which is intended to fit any time period in Chinese history, and any general region within China. And historically, anachronisms are common in wuxia novels and movies, so gamers shouldn’t feel compelled to focus too much on accuracy.

In keeping with the anachronistic flair of wuxia, we include a collection of extraordinary and fictional types of alcohol in the sourcebook. For groups wishing to have historically accurate games, some additional research will go a long way in making that happen. And for those groups who don’t care about historical accuracy, you will have a great time just picking up the game and running with it.

As usual, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me via the social media links listed at the bottom of the page. For more information about me, check out my website. And if you haven't already, make sure to preorder the game now!

For those of you who have read to this point, I will leave you with a great clip from the wuxia cult favorite Kid with the Golden Arm, featuring one of the greatest ‘drunken’ wuxia heroes of all time, the imperial constable Hai Tao.

Is AI translation feasible for Chinese fantasy genres?

I was interviewed for this great article from the South China Morning Post. Check it out here.

Leveling up, meditation, and Fire Deviations

Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades is a darkly themed wuxia roleplaying game. Our vision for the game was for both NPCs and player characters to be able to emulate the unique and eccentric characters that often appear in the wuxia genre, especially the works of Gu Long. He creates heroes and villains who stand out from the crowd and make an impression in the reader's mind. For instance, check out the following character introduction from his novel The Eleventh Son. Despite having read this novel about fifteen years ago, I've always remembered this particular character, who is actually just a minor villain.

When [the fourth man] emerged, everyone was taken aback. His appearance was bizarre. He was less than five feet tall, but he had a massive head with disheveled hair. His shaggy eyebrows were so thick they almost merged. His left eye glistened like a bright star, but his right eye was as ashen as a dead fish's. His bushy mustache covered a blood-red mouth. His right arm was severed at the shoulder, but his left arm was so long it almost touched his toes....

Some of the spectators had guessed the identity of this man. [He was]... the One-Armed Hawk King!

To encourage players to create unique and eccentric characters, we included an Eccentricities phase during character creation. For the most part, the initial Eccentricities are for flavor purposes and don’t affect the characters mechanically. In this way, players can create classic wuxia trope characters such as a one-armed swordsman or a blind beggar without having to worry about being hamstrung mechanically. However, it is also possible to acquire eccentric characteristics during gameplay, which do have mechanical weight or roleplaying implications. It can happen because of being maimed in combat, or by intentionally pushing beyond one's limits to learn more martial arts than is considered safe and healthy.

Another way it can happen is by making mistakes when leveling up. When characters meet the requirements to rise in level, they must meditate for a number of days equal to the level being entered. In other words, a character going into the second level would need to meditate for two days, while going into the third level takes three days, and so on. Each day, the character must make a successful Meditation skill roll to proceed to the next day. When all of the successful Meditation rolls have been made, the character rises to the next level. However, if the character fails three successive Meditation roll attempts, their session of meditation is aborted, and while they are still allowed to rise in level, they also experience Fire Deviation. 

Fire deviation (走火入魔 zouhuo rumo) is a real-life term and a complicated topic in general. In fact, I devoted an entire YouTube video to it, explaining the etymology, history, etc. There is also a rather lengthy Wikipedia article about it, although that article focuses on real-life explanations and doesn't get into how the term is portrayed in wuxia. There are different ways to translate 走火入魔, but “fire deviation” has been used in wuxia movies and novels for many years, so we chose to go with that version. In a nutshell, fire deviation is when someone makes a mistake made in meditation, martial arts, internal energy cultivation, etc. It’s something that is often mentioned in wuxia, but isn't frequently depicted on-screen or in the narrative. It’s more common to hear people talking about it after the fact, or worrying about the possibility of it happening. In some cases, people who suffer from it are described as being sick or crippled. Here’s a passage from Gu Long's 7 Killers, describing one of the most powerful martial artists in the Jianghu of the novel.

Dragon Fifth sat on the restaurant’s upper floor, in an elegant private room on a wide bench. His face was pale white, his body thin and haggard, and in his eyes, he carried unspeakable exhaustion. He looked to be not only tired, but also physically weak, even sick....

Perhaps he had some congenital condition, or perhaps he had experienced fire deviation when practicing martial arts. In any case, he’d acquired some strange illness, and it tormented him like maggots gnawing on his bones.

Sometimes, though, fire deviation is described as providing increased strength and power, or perhaps supernatural or superhuman abilities, although generally along with negative consequences. For instance, check out this scene from the 2017 Ode to Gallantry television show (based on the Jin Yong novel of the same name), in which a villain experiences fire deviation in the middle of a fight scene. Although Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades doesn't allow for fire deviation in combat, it is possible to gain enhanced abilities or powers because of it.

In Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, gaining a Fire Deviation involves both mental and physical consequences. The player will roll on a set of extensive nested tables to determine which afflictions they experience. Some have mechanical weight in gameplay. For example, on the mental side, you might be struck with amnesia and be forced to make a Reasoning skill roll to remember anything. On the physical side, your hands might turn into twisted claws that do extra combat damage. Other Fire Deviations are more geared toward roleplaying. For example, on the mental side, you might believe yourself to be an animal or inanimate object in human form. On the physical side, your throat could be damaged, forcing you to speak in a raspy voice. There are some Fire Deviations that have no weight at all, such as developing glowing eyes or having your teeth fall out.

In our playtesting, leveling up and Fire Deviation were some of the most enjoyable and entertaining aspects of the games. Making meditation attempts, and either narrowly avoiding Fire Deviation, or ultimately experiencing it, was just very fun. And of course, the process of gaining the new Eccentricities and having one’s character transform into a bizarre and unique martial arts expert can be a blast. Take a look at this artist's depiction of my own playtest group, courtesy Xiaofanchuan. These are all high-level characters, most of whom picked up at least one or two Fire Deviations along the way, and one of whom accumulated over ten. If you look closely, you can see things such as claws, veiny skin, a third eye, glowing marks, etc. And that's not to mention the mental Fire Deviations.

I do have a few bits of advice for GMs and players regarding leveling up. It is highly advisable for any players who do not want their characters to change physically or mentally to have a high Meditation skill. In playtesting, there were some players whose characters ended up with few or even no Fire Deviations at all, thanks to having a high Meditation skill and succeeding on their rolls when leveling up. On the other hand, players who like the idea of their character slowly becoming eccentric or even mad, much the same way characters tend to do in games like Call of Cthulhu, or developing bizarre or enhanced physical characteristics, can simply refrain from putting any points into Meditation. Because the number of successful rolls required increases by level, the chances of failure also increase. On a mechanical level, the extent to which Eccentricities are part of the game is largely up to the players.

It should be noted that some of the Fire Deviations require a higher-than-average level of skill either for the player or the GM. For example, some lead to changes in personality. And more than one involves experiencing hallucinations or delusions that are controlled by the GM. Suppose a playgroup has newer players, or perhaps players who don’t like heavy roleplay, voice acting, etc. In that case, the GM might consider letting them re-roll if their result requires extensive skill or experience in roleplaying. And a GM who does not feel comfortable managing complicated GM-involved versions should consider skipping those.

Suffice it to say, I found meditation, leveling up, and Fire Deviations to be one of the most entertaining aspects of the game. Furthermore, they provide fantastic possibilities for character growth, and can be a delight for players who enjoy playing the role of interesting, unique, and distinctive characters. As usual, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me via the social media links listed at the bottom of the page. For more information about me, check out my website. And if you haven't already, make sure to pre-order the game now!

 

Martial arts in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades

Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades is a roleplaying game inspired by wuxia, a Chinese fiction genre. I won’t go into detail about wuxia itself, as there are many online resources that you can use to learn about the genre. In a nutshell, it’s fantasy martial arts fiction. If you’re brand new to wuxia or need a refresher, I suggest diving into the countless wuxia movies and books available online. If you’d like suggestions, you can check out the recommendations page on my website, which contains links to every movie and book we cite or recommend in the Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades sourcebook.

Considering wuxia is a martial arts genre, it goes without saying that martial arts play a fundamental role in character creation and gameplay. In devising the game’s martial arts system, we drew inspiration primarily from the way kung fu is represented in the movies and novels. And because our aim was “rules-light”, we wanted something simple and easy to grasp.

We decided to group martial arts into three major skills that characters can develop: External, Internal, and Lightness martial arts. These “arts” are so common in wuxia movies and books that the terms are rarely defined in the narrative of the stories. In Chinese, they are 外功 waigong, 内功 neigong, and 轻功 qinggong. There are variations on the terms in Chinese, and there are also multiple ways to translate them into English. That said, the Chinese word for “martial arts” that commonly appears in wuxia is 武功 wugong, which tends to be associated with the fictional side of martial arts (as opposed to 武术 wushu, which is used as the general term for real-life martial arts). The character 武 wu means “martial”, and the second character 功 gong is the same character found in 功夫 (gong fu or Kung Fu). While 功 is sometimes translated as “skill” or something similar, in my opinion, the fact that “martial arts” is the standard translation for 武功 is an excellent argument to translate 功 as “arts” when used with the three skills I mentioned above. The characters 外 wai, 内 nei, and 轻 qing, can be directly translated as external, internal, and light/lightness respectively, so by adding “arts” we have the three branches of martial arts in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades. This explains the terms on a language level, but what exactly do they mean, how do they function in the genre, and how do we use them in the game?

External martial arts are related to physical force, and involve tempering one’s body and muscles. In many classic kung fu and wuxia movies, you will see martial artists training by striking their hands into pots of sand or gravel, lifting heavy weights, being struck with hard objects, stretching their limbs painfully to develop flexibility, or doing other grueling physical tasks. These are all examples of the external practice of martial arts. Here's a clip of external arts training from the 1978 classic 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

When it comes to literature, here’s a description of an expert in external arts, from my translation of 7 Killers by Gu Long.

The Iron Monk had ferocious-looking eyebrows and fierce eyes. His face was filled with hatred, and his eyes seethed with murderous intent....

Liu Changjie laughed. “So, you want to kill me?”

“You guessed correctly.”

“Then why haven’t you come over here to try?”

The Iron Monk was already moving forward. His body looked almost like it was sculpted from steel, and his movements resembled that of a gorilla. His footsteps were heavy and stable, and every step he took left footprints behind him in the [stone] floor. The Iron Monk’s external power was clearly exceptional.

As you can see in this passage, the Iron Monk is so physically powerful that his mere passage leaves footsteps behind him. In Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, the External Arts skill is the default for any general martial arts attack, and is intended to reflect physical skill, coordination, strength, and prowess.

What about internal martial arts? They are generally considered the opposite of external arts. They relate to the internal cultivation of energy and typically involve a set of breathing exercises and meditation, not physical training. In other words, they have nothing to do with the “external” body. In wuxia, characters can be physically weak, perhaps even sickly, and yet have an incredibly powerful command of their internal energy, and thus capable of performing extraordinary feats. Here's an example of a sword battle using internal energy, from China's 2000 wuxia summer blockbuster The Duel.

Martial artists can use internal energy for fighting purposes, but other things as well. A perfect example is from Heroes Shed No Tears by Gu Long, another novel I translated.

Little Gao took a drink of tea. However, the tea in the cup was cold, so he emptied it onto the ground and poured another. He took a sip, then emptied the second cup too. The tea in the teapot was obviously cold, yet he unexpectedly prepared to pour another cup.

Zhu Meng continued to stare at him, and then asked in a loud voice, “What are you doing?!”

“I’m drinking tea,” Little Gao said. “I’m thirsty, so I want to drink tea.”

“But you’re not actually drinking it.”

“Because the tea is cold. I never drink cold tea.” He sighed. “If I’m drinking alcohol, I don’t care. I can drink any type of alcohol, cold or hot, but I’m very picky about tea. Cold tea is absolutely undrinkable. I’d rather drink poisoned wine.”

“Don’t tell me you think you’re going to get hot tea from that pot?” Zhu Meng asked.

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Can’t you tell that the tea in the pot is completely cold?”

“I know. Of course I know.”

Zhu Meng looked at him as if he were some type of freak. “You know that the tea in the pot is cold, but you still think you can pour a cup of hot tea out of it?”

“Not just hot, but scalding hot. The hotter it is, the better the tea tastes.”

Zhu Meng suddenly laughed, then turned and looked at Cleats. “At first, I wanted to chop this kid’s head off, but now I can’t.” He laughed again. “He’s crazy, and I never chop off the heads of crazy people.”

Cleats didn’t laugh, because just now he had caught sight of something very strange.

He saw Little Gao pouring a cup of hot tea from the cold teapot. It was so hot that it bubbled and steamed.

Zhu Meng’s laughter suddenly ceased as he saw the same thing.

Not many people could laugh after seeing something like this. And not many people could control their internal force and heat to warm a pot of cold tea.

In wuxia, internal arts are often considered a more advanced and respected form of martial arts. Practitioners will cultivate their internal energy for years to reach incredibly high levels of power, and accomplish tasks that are nothing short of superhuman. It’s the same in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades. Many Signature Abilities rely on Internal Arts to replicate the fantastic feats martial artists perform in wuxia, such as Strangling Hair, in which you send long tendrils of your hair out to strangle opponents or throw items, or Grip of the Yang Divinity, in which you send destructive Yang energy into your opponent’s meridians to harm them.

What about lightness arts? Sometimes simply transliterated as qinggong, it refers to techniques used to “lighten” the body and move with greater speed. You can find qinggong training techniques in real-life martial arts, but in wuxia their use is exaggerated to superhuman proportions, allowing the characters to move faster than the eye can track, float, or even 'fly'. Many modern wuxia movies use wirework to portray these abilities, whereas older films often use trampolines or film reversal techniques. Here is a rather elegant depiction of lightness arts from the famous Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

For a literary example, see the following passage from Dragon King with Seven Stars by Gu Long, another of my translations.

Xiao Jun suddenly drew his sword and chopped three chunks of wood out of the trunk of the willow tree. The sword flashed, and the pieces of wood flew out onto the water. The first piece landed nine meters out, the second, fifteen, the third, twenty-one.

By the time the flashing of the blade dissipated, Xiao Jun had already landed on the first piece of wood. The chunk of willow began to sink, and he flew up. His left foot tapped the second piece of wood, his right foot tapped the third. By the time the first piece of wood fully sank and reemerged, he was on the boat.

This was the result of years of bitter training. Xiao Jun believed his lightness arts to be among the top ten in all of the Jianghu.

External, Internal, and Lightness Arts form the primary foundation of the game's Signature Abilities, which are specific martial arts styles, talents, etc. That said, there are other skills including Specialist, Unorthodox, Mental, Physical, and Knowledge which can also prove useful both in and out of combat. Hopefully this background information about the three main types of martial arts in the game has proven helpful. As the release of the game gets closer, I hope to delve more into the cultural, language, and genre aspects of wuxia and how they relate to the mechanics of the game.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me via any of the social media links on my website. And if you haven't already, make sure to pre-order the game now!

Cool Chinese expressions from wuxia movies!

I was watching a wuxia movie the other day and one of the characters said something that stuck out to me. In Chinese, it was "生未必乐，死未必苦". In English, it means "living isn't necessarily about being happy, and dying isn't necessarily about suffering." Apparently, this expression is attributed to the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi. In the subtitles of the movie, the translation is a bit clunky in my opinion, but basically comes across as I explained above. See below:





The phrase caught my ear, so I researched it a bit in Chinese, thus committing it to memory. About an hour later, I was talking with my wife about how tired I've been feeling recently (we have a 6 week old to ensure that we have full cases of sleep deprivation). She encouraged me to take the following day off, because as she said, "We don't want you dying."

Putting on my most solemn expression, I said in Chinese, "生未必乐，死未必苦"

Of course, she rolled her eyes.

It's not often that I can come up with the perfect Chinese expression to fit a situation (whether I'm being serious or joking). But this time, the stars aligned.

In any case, there are tons of Chinese expressions and idioms that make perfect sense when translated into English, and can be great fodder for NPC dialogue in roleplaying games, especially those with wuxia themes. Here are just a few that come to mind:

明枪易躲暗箭难防 - "It is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to avoid a stab in the dark" - It is easy to avoid open attacks, but harder to guard against hidden ones, such as conspiracies.

一言既出驷马难追 - "A word once spoken cannot be taken back even by a team of four horses" - What has said cannot be unsaid, a promise must be kept.

君子报仇只待三年，小人报仇只在眼前 - "A gentleman will wait three years to get his revenge, while a petty person will try immediately" - I think this one is obvious.

Incidentally, the movie is Heaven Sword, Dragon Sabre, check it out here if you're interested. It's a great movie adaptation of the classic Jin Yong wuxia novel of the same name.

If you have any questions or comments about this topic, or anything else, please reach out to me via the social media links on my website!