Free Council Cover ... Free

Okay, this cover is just plain cool. It's the cover for the next Order Book for Mage: the Awakening which should see the light of day by summer. This, along with White Wolf's Scion: Hero and the Dresden Files RPG should keep me in the poorhouse for quite some time.

Big Eyes, Small Mouth, Miniscule Time

Big Eyes Small Mouth began as a 90 page Anime/Manga RPG. It used a simple 3 stat system (Body, Mind, Soul) and tried hard to emulate any anime/manga one could imagine. And, as a bonus, Guardians of Order was Canadian to boot. Well, as you might well imagine, people who loved this game clamored for more and several supplements later, a larger second edition came out and now the long-awaited (these games all seem to be long-awaited, don't they?) third edition has finally been released in all its full-colour, hard-covered glory. It almost didn't make it and was saved from the bankruptcy and collapse of Guardians of Order by White Wolf itself (under its Arthaus label).

So, I picked it up, and although it looks nice, I probably won't play it. Why not? Probably for the same reason as I've never played any of the other editions - I'm just not as big an anime / manga fan as I probably should be (and I own or have seen my fair share of the stuff - Miyazaki, Lain are my favorites) to run/play this game and the GM has to worldbuild something from scratch.

If you like anime and manga, this is probably the game for you. From a quick overview, the game looks solid and not too different from the second edition (it's said that any 2nd ed characters will need tweaking, however) and competes with GURPS in character design options. Give it a whirl if the subject matter appeals to you.

Curse of the Golden Qin

Qin: the Warring States RPG has finally arrived!!! After months of waiting, 7th Circle has finally confirmed the release of this seminal game about China during the Warring States period (240 B.C.).

I already have the PDF (available at DriveThruRPG), but now I can get the full colour hardcover book. I can only hope that this sells well enough for the remainder of the French-language books available already in Europe to be translated into English and distributed throughout North America.

For more information, go to the 7th Circle website (warning: it's in French) or download the Intro Booklet at DriveThruRPG.

Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 2

Summary: The Cabal tries finding Dr. Wu and ends up speaking with Kwannon who says he has knowledge concerning the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap: Kontonshin tells the rest of the Cabal what she has seen and reveals that Dr. Wu must either be the mortal face of a cannibal cult or a very powerful mage. They even speculate as to whether he is a member of the Seers of the Throne. Kontonshin, remembering her post-cognitive vision, finds an amulet in the dirt that Dr. Wu had used in the ritual. It is severely scorched, but still recognizable.

The Cabal formulates a plan to meet with Dr. Wu, but play down the knowledge they have of him. Kemosiri phones Dr. Wu’s office but has to leave a voicemail message. They visit his office, but his secretary tells him that he has not attended classes for over a month and has all but disappeared. The secretary speculates that he might have gone on sabbatical, but cannot confirm his whereabouts.

Dejected, but undeterred, the Cabal contacts the only member of the local Consilium they trust – Daishi of the Kodoshigisha. They try and get more information about the Shinwa Taizen by first confirming one of the stories written on the scrolls. The Cabal does not reveal that they have any scroll of the Shinwa Taizen, they simply relate one of the stories Kemosiri had translated. They share the story about the Hatare rebels (The 16th Aya). Daishi is somewhat confused. He informs the Cabal that the story he knows is vastly different and does not include cannibalistic references. The Cabal then realizes that what is written on the Shinwa Taizen scrolls is not history or legend as is known to the rest of the world. They wonder what nefarious purpose the Shinwa Taizen has and what magical secrets does it hold?

Kemosiri decides that the only way they are going to get any information about who is behind the cannibal cult and where they can be found is if he summons the ghosts of the dead. He returns to the mass grave and attempts to summon Koya’s ghost. Kemosiri prepares and enacts a powerful ritual and although he performs it perfectly, neither Koya nor any of the other ghosts appear. Kemosiri is at both mad and puzzled at why Koya didn’t appear. The ritual should have worked. Why didn’t it?

In the meantime, Kontonshin takes the amulet and tries finding Dr. Wu using fate and space magic to find a sympathetic link. Her magic works and appears to point in the direction of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine where the Insane Asylum is located.

Before they can leave, the Cabal receives a phone call from Daishi. Kwannon, Daishi’s superior who has been infirm since they arrived in Kyoto, wants to see them. They decide to go to his bedside, but just as they are leaving, Larva, one of the Bunny Warner cabal from Osaka, approaches them. Hachi-ko runs upstairs saying she does not want to see him and that he is the reason she left the Bunny Warners. He had apparently come into her room when she was changing and he saw her naked. The Cabal leaves their sanctum. Larva approaches them and meekly asks them if he could speak with Hachi-ko, but they refuse him entry. When Larva says he would like to speak with the rest of them, they just tell Larva to go home. He does.

The Cabal attends Daishi’s shrine. Daishi leads the Cabal into the shrine’s inner sanctum and to Kwannon’s large, but sparse quarters. Kwannon is lying on a hard wooden bed surrounded by candles with only a pillow and spare blanket to keep him warm. Daishi informs Kwannon of the players arrival and Kwannon slowly turns his bald head to face them. He weakly greets the Cabal and then Kwannon tells them that Daishi had told him of the tale they related to him earlier that day. He said it sounded familiar and that he wanted to find out if they knew anything about the worst kept secret in Kyoto – the Shinwa Taizen.

Somewhat taken aback, but not completely surprised, Kemosiri tells Kwannon they do not know very much and that they have only recovered six of the scrolls. Mori reads Kemosiri’s aura and sees that Kemosiri is being sincere (even though Kemosiri is lying – he had obtained a seventh scroll in his dreams). Kwannon warns them about the power of the Shinwa Taizen and that it is not to be treated lightly. The Cabal ask Kwannon what he knows about the Shinwa Taizen. He tells them that he will reveal everything to them at dawn after he has had enough rest. Daishi quietly ushers the Cabal out of Kwannon’s residence and shows them to rooms for the night.

As the Cabal retires, they talk about what they have learned up to this point. They now know what they have suspected for quite some time – that the Shinwa Taizen must be destroyed. Since nothing they have done to the scrolls up to this time has had any effect on them, they do not believe they can simply destroy them. Until they can figure out how to destroy the Shinwa Taizen, they decide that the scrolls must be kept under lock and key.

However, Mori does not believe that Kwannon knows anything of value and that waiting for him to reveal all is a waste of time. He leaves telling the rest of the Cabal he’s had enough of this nonsense.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 3

All My RPG's Listed in One Place

Scroll down my Sidebar to the left and you will find a new section for My RPG Library. This section is compliments of a new website called Library Thing (which I notice is still in Beta).

Library Thing allows you to enter your entire library and share what you read with the world. I have been told it's like flickr for books. You can also hook up with other people who have similar book collections or libraries as you do. You can rate your books, write reviews and read reviews of books others own. I especially like the UnSuggestor ("if you like Book X, you will NOT like Book Y.").

It looks absolutely amazing

On this site, you will be able to see what books I have in my RPG collection by looking at the "Random Books in my Library". If you want to search my entire library, click on the "Library Thing" icon below that and it will take you to a listing of everything I own in my RPG Collection. For other books, you'll just have to connect with my General/Writing Blog.

(RC) Shadows of Nanking – Ch. 11, part 1

Summary: The Cabal prepares to enter a the last known place where the original Cabal disappeared.

Recap: The Cabal is onboard the ship for a month before arriving back in Osaka. During that time, they contact Duncan and have him construct a walk-in safe to store the larger scrolls in. When they get back to their Sanctum, Kemosiri places the 7 chapters of the Shinwa Taizen into the new safe, but keeps the one hidden chapter to himself and then goes to his hidden sanctum to speak with Sachiko (see Interlude). Duncan tells everyone that Ms. Ogawa has not come out of her apartment since they left for Hong Kong.

Dancer has already arrived. She stayed with the Bunny Warner’s for three weeks before she said she had to leave. She does not want to talk about why she left. She chose the Shadow Name of Hachi-ko (named after the Japan’s most loyal Akita dog).

After Kemosiri returns to the Sanctum, the Cabal decide what they are going to do next. Kemosiri suggests exploring the cave located in Kobe. He believes the Queen of Hell, who is prominently mentioned in the Shinwa Taizen, may be down there. To do so, they figure they need more information. The Cabal decides to visit Koya (the Yamada Taro mage located in the Mental Hospital), to get info regarding the cave, but when they arrive, the nurse informs them that Koya had been transferred a week ago. There was no destination given on the manifest.

The Cabal decides to break into the Psych Ward and confront the ghost. They use Ghost Gates to walk into Twilight and then enter the hospital and then exit Twilight. They exit Twilight in the hospital’s basement – the oldest part of the hospital, and try to summon the World War II ghost Kemosiri had met there. Despite pulling off the ritual perfectly, no ghost appears and no psychic remnant of the ghost remains. Kontonshin uses the Time Arcanum to find out who is responsible. She can only see a man wearing robes and a mask destroying the ghost. The Cabal believes it is Tatsu who destroyed the ghost, but beyond what Kontonshin saw, they have nothing else to go on.

Kontonshin uses the same ability to find out who took Koya and sees only nameless paramedics. Finally, they break in to the personnel office and find out who the nurse on duty was the night Koya was transferred. They find out she had not appeared for the past week. They get her address and head straight for her apartment. They find the apartment empty and discover that she had moved out less than a week ago. Kontonshin’s uses Postcognition and sees the faces of the same paramedics who transferred Koya from the Psych Ward.

Dejected, the Cabal returns to their sanctum. Detective Imada is waiting for them. Several mutilated bodies were found south of Kyoto in a field. He asks the Cabal to investigate.

Before the Cabal begins investigating, they go to Kiyomizu-Dera to confront Tatsu. They demand to know what he had to do with the disappearance of Koya. Tatsu vehemently tells them he had absolutely nothing to do with his disappearance and that if it had not been for the fact that they were foreigners, he would have challenged them to a duel of magic for their insolence. The Cabal leaves Kiyomizu-dera not believing anything Tatsu had to say.

The Cabal arrives at the gravesite Detective Imada had told them about. Four burnt, eviscerated and mutilated bodies are found in shallow graves. Kontonshin uses her Postcognition to see the sacrifice. She sees a group of robed and hooded people encircling the bound and naked bodies of Koya, the nurse and the “paramedics”. Then, their bodies are mutilated with a ritual knife and large chunks of their flesh are greedily devoured in an orgy of blood and viscera. No matter how many times the knife plunges into their bodies and no matter how much of their flesh is taken in the obscene ritual, the victims remain alive and they scream; their cries for mercy ignored. Only the sound of the ripping and tearing of flesh and the slurping of blood and entrails can be heard under the victims howls for relief. Their wails pierce Kontonshin’s heart and she struggles to keep watching - but she watches because she has to know who their leader is. Finally, the Cultist leader removes his hood Kontonshin sees the face of – Professor Wu.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 2

Kitsunemori

Okay, this has been around for a little while, but I haven't gotten around to posting any info about it.

Kitsunemori is a d20 product. It offers the Japan inspired setting of Yonhosu Valley. The setting is filled with the tropes you would expect in any fantasy setting inspired by the myths and legends of Japan. For a product put out by a small indie press like Dog Soul Publishing, it is very well written and shows high production value.

You can find a description for Kitsunemori on the DrivethruRPG site.

Relaunching - Asian Shadows

This is the official Relaunching of this Blog - now renamed "Asian Shadows". This blog will be dedicated to Asian-style RPG's (L5R, Qin, Feng Shui or other RPG's re-tooled for Asian themes - such as my current Mage campaign), but mostly as an [Actual Play] of the RPG campaigns that I run.

Right now, I am quickly writing and re-writing text for the remainder of the Ryujin Chronicles 1 (that's right, as we speak, a second Ryujin Chronicles is set to begin in February 2007).

Asian Shadows has also been re-tooled with the new Blogger. New formatting, labels etc. will slowly make its way into Blog posts. So stay tuned.

(RC) Hell’s Kitchen – Ch. 10, part 3

Summary: The Cabal meets with Hong Kong’s Consilium. Kemosiri gains another piece of the Shinwa Taizen.

Recap:

The Hong Kong Consilium sends a few men down to the Aethenium to find the Cabal. They meet up with Kemosiri and friends as they try and transport not only the ancient artefacts, but Mingly’s broken form as well. The Cabal is very cautious at first; thinking the men may be agents of the Seers of the Throne, but agree to follow them up through the subway tunnels up to the streets of Hong Kong. Outside, they meet the Tai Pan who invites them into her limo and takes them to the Chi Lin Nunnery, the headquarters of the Ghost Shadows, a cabal made up of the Guardians of the Veil mages. The Tai Pan orders her servants to care for and heal Mingly.

After inviting the Cabal to sit and relax and enjoy refreshments, the Tai Pan tells the Cabal that all the scrolls from the Aethenium belong to the Ghost Shadows. The Tong of the Sixth Dragon was a Hong Kong Consilium cabal and with the destruction of their last member, all contents of the Aethenium revert to the Consilium. Also, the Ghost Shadows need the scrolls to fight the Seers and they are so weak, they need any advantage they can get. The Five Thunders were ready to attack the Seers and the Tai Pan knows such an action would be suicidal.

Not wishing to condemn what was left of the Hong Kong Consilium to the Seers, Kemosiri lays claim to the Aethenium scrolls. Kemosiri explains to the Tai Pan that they risked life and limb and rescued the scrolls stored in the Aethenium that the Tai Pan and the Hong Kong Consilium had failed to recover and protect. Kemosiri also explains that the scrolls, once interpreted, did not seem to contain rotes useful for combating the Seers – only legend and myth.

Not wanting to provoke a violent confrontation, Kemosiri allows the Tai Pan to copy the scrolls for themselves knowing they will not be able to do it. As part of the deal, Kemosiri and his Cabal must find and convince the Five Thunders not to attack the Seers. The Tai Pan wants to keep them alive so the Consilium can regroup and become a stronger force against the Seers.

While the Tai Pan and the Ghost Shadows attempt to copy the Aethenium scrolls, Kemosiri retires to his chamber in the Chi Lin Nunnery. While he sleeps, he dreams of encountering Amaterasu herself. Amaterasu tells Kemosiri she holds the secrets to ultimate power and wishes to share that knowledge with him. The knowledge he already possesses is a start, but it is only a beginning. If he were to submit to her will, she would show him so much more. Kemosiri submits to Amaterasu’s will, wanting to learn more about the scrolls he has almost died trying to recover. Amaterasu begins to recite to him another chapter of the Shinwa Taizen. When Kemosiri wakes up, he copies what Amaterasu has told him onto another parchment, creating another scroll of the Shinwa Taizen.

Kontonshin, Tenzin and Mori make contact with Mingly’s cabal, the Five Thunders. They agree to meet them at a restaurant in Kowloon. Kemosiri joins them after creating the new Shinwa Taizen scroll, but does not tell his Cabal-mates about his night time visions.

The Cabal finds the four remaining members of the Five Thunders at the restaurant – Datta, Tiger, Bai Yu Feng and Hong Quan. A few minutes of speaking to them reveal to the Cabal that they are incompetent without good leadership (which Mingly likely provided). The Five Thunders are reluctant to submit to the leadership of such a weak Consilium, but the Cabal convinces them to return to the Chi Lin Nunnery and discuss matters with Mingly and the Tai Pan. Just as they are leaving, the Tai Huan Chai (the Tong minions of the Seers) attack and a prolonged gun battle ensues. The members of the Five Thunders scatter and defend themselves in a disorganized fashion. Datta and Bai Yu Feng are badly injured, but with judicious use of Prime and Fate magic, Kontonshin and Mori help repel the Seer attack and get the rest of them back to the Chi Lin Nunnery.

Back at the Nunnery, the Tai Pan confronts the Cabal. The Ghost Shadows cannot copy the scrolls and the knowledge contained within them. Kemosiri feigns surprise. Not wanting a fight with a Cabal from another Consilium, the Tai Pan lets them have the scrolls but the Tai Pan makes them promise to not only return them when they are finished, but if they need any help, to come to their aid in the future.

The Cabal leaves for Kyoto by taking a cruise ship since the Seers were monitoring the Airports.

Next: Shadows of Nanking, part 1