Jump to content

The challenge for a HK action/John Woo/"Gun Fu" Style BRP game


Recommended Posts

I am a longtime fan of the fantastically out of hyper-kinetic/completely unrealistic world envisioned by John Woo from the 1980s and early 1990s. It's newest incarnation is in a summer blockbusterfilm called "Wanted, "but of course was most famously copied in films worldwide for the last decade or so.

How would you do it? What skills/abilities/powers would you use from the BRP book to make it happen? How would you handle HP? How would firearms have to be adapted (rate of fire, dual handgun wielding, impossible shots, etc.) to make it in BRP?

Roll D100 and let the percentiles sort them out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Adjustments Id make...

For PCs and Major NPCs

1. Allow spending MPs for damage soak/bullet dodges

2. Allow spending MPs for over the top actions

3. Allow spending MPs for adding to success rolls

4. Recharge MPs to full after each fight scene.

Also

5. Give Mooks 1 HP in combat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am a longtime fan of the fantastically out of hyper-kinetic/completely unrealistic world envisioned by John Woo from the 1980s and early 1990s. It's newest incarnation is in a summer blockbusterfilm called "Wanted, "but of course was most famously copied in films worldwide for the last decade or so.

How would you do it? What skills/abilities/powers would you use from the BRP book to make it happen? How would you handle HP? How would firearms have to be adapted (rate of fire, dual handgun wielding, impossible shots, etc.) to make it in BRP?

Love John Woo's HK era. Then again I am a long-time fan of HK Cinema in general. We've always used Feng Shui for running such games. Can BRP learn anything from the way that system handles these genres?

River of Heaven - Science Fiction Roleplaying in the 28th Century

http://riverofheaven.d101games.co.uk/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I'd rather use an entirely different system for this genre, like Feng Shui or something with lighter rules.

I think BRP would become bogged down by spot rules, making this kind of game a bit clunkier than others. All Flesh Must Be Eaten suffered from the clunkifying effect in Enter the Zombie, and this system has similar conventions to that...

Am I mistaken?

EDIT: Ah, I didn't read Otto's post.

I would actually attempt to strip away rules from BRP to make it work, and narrow the skill list down to a few, general skills that are more widely defined. Then I'd call Power Points "Chi" and treat the "Martial Arts Maneuvers" like spells.

Keep it fast and loose, I say.

"Men of broader intellect know that there is no sharp distinction betwixt the real and the unreal..."

- H.P. Lovecraft

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not that I am a big fan of Woo, but I think BRP should be able to simulate it. Browsing through the powers section of the rulebook, doubling HPs with extra blood reservoirs, giving insane skills (150%+) and assigning no or only small penalties to impossible PC stunts should do the trick. Maybe you could also use MPs as stunt points and modifiers (eg. +20% skill augmentation per MP) or sacrificing 1 MP per extra attack. Additionally there is a ki rule in one Land of the Ninja RQ which says that as long you are able to roll under the ki skill you can attack each single strike rank. (as far as I remember correctly)

Of course your players should be top-notch and well versed in Woos movies to be capable to invent wooish stunts on the fly.

On your part I think a simple "every stunt is possible as long as the player can describe it" philosophy would help alot.

IMO the focus should not mainly on what detailed BRP rules can do for those stunts. The focus should more be the imagination of your players and a liberal "everything goes" from your side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing about John Woo/ Heroic Bloodshed Cinema, is that both Heros tend to die just as much as the villians do. An no matter how important HP's and high combat and ability stats are for the PC's survival, there seems to be some variation of "fate" or " luck" points need to the mix as that seems to be part of the genre's mythus as well as a major aspect to Chinese/ Asia beliefs. If you look at the characters in all the films of John Woo, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnny To, even if they get fatally "shot up" and "bloodied", they still make it out in one piece( or two) for the next big fight down the road. But once their "luck" runs out, it's pretty much over for them. Anyway, check out some of the books and articls written about this film genre and you'll probably get a better handle on running a game set in this "balls-to-the-walls" type world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...