Does anyone know if China is producing any sort of RPGs? Do Chinese (or Taiwanese) people play RPGs at all (like: "Yes, there is a Chinese edition of D&D")?
No special interests, I was only hit by this curiosity.
While hardly conclusive, I have asked my wife and she'd never heard of such. (She's grew up in Beijing.)
If I had to speculate - Taiwan seems a more likely place for TTRPGs to take root. Though no idea.
Basically, yeah - there doesn't seem to be any tradition there. I do know of one RPG from 2007. It's called Jiu Zhou, but it seems to be basically someone's homebrew system.
https://www.enworld.org/threads/jiu-zhou-or-novoland-chinese-fantasy-p-p-rpg.211305/
https://web.archive.org/web/20071109185655/http://www.3dhsub.net/jiuzhou/en/index.php?cid=10
There is gaming that I know of in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but since I don't read Chinese, the only gaming I see is English-language RPG play.
https://www.meetup.com/Hong-Kong-Tabletop-Gaming-Group/
https://www.meetup.com/Pen-Paper-at-Hooch-Ooh-Cha-Cha-Tech-B1/
Billions of people in China and not one RPG? There must be something.
Maybe Mao didn't like the idea of his people 'wasting time' on trivial fancies, while Western culture's youth embraced it whole heartily.
Does seem surprising though. Maybe it never took hold in the culture: still, billions of people and no interest? Seems bizarre.
It may be that once there was enough freedom to play, internet cafes captured the non-traditional gaming interest?
To them, a fantasy RPG is one where everyone has enough to eat, and they aren't worked to death.
From what I heard from translators a few years ago. In China they mostly play western RPGs translated over. D&D and Pathfinder one said were popular. According to them yes there are a few China made RPGs but they thought they were pretty simplistic. They named two, but I have no idea what they were now or even if they were actual RPGs.
I lived in the People's Republic of China for three years.
China's a big place, and any generalizations of it are going to be about as useful as generalizations of America.
If you check Taobao (China's online shopping site of choice, since Amazon and Ebay are banned) you'll find TRPG's and dice. The books are mostly in English, but I've seen translated bootlegs and Japanese games on there, too.
More westernized places like Hong Kong will have a larger presence of RPG's and TCG's. Tier 2 cities, like the one I was living in, less so. Still, some of my students had at least heard of tabletop roleplaying games. They were more familiar with Call of Cthulhu, though. CoC is more popular than D&D in East Asia.
Shanghai had a Vampire scene as I understand it, but I hear it was mostly girls using it for speed dating. Vampire-related media is popular in China, but not for the trench-coats and katanas.
For sure a "Mythic China" RPG actually created in China would be very interesting. I was hoping for something like that.
I'm studying Mandarin in Taiwan right now. I can try asking around when my skills are a lot better.
There might be someone on Komica that can find what you're looking for.
https://www.komica.org/
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 06:12:17 AM
For sure a "Mythic China" RPG actually created in China would be very interesting. I was hoping for something like that.
This is a really weird response, but the English-language JadeClaw, from Sanguine Games, is written by a Taiwan-born Confucian scholar. The fact that it's anthropomorphic -- all the characters are Furries -- makes it a niche product, but it actually hits a lot of the notes that would be part of a Mythic China (Zhongguo).
For instance, one of the unique things about it is that there are villainous "vermin" who reflect the five vices of Confucianism. If too much greed is present in a community, a Toad will rise to take advantage, if there is too much vanity, a Viper will show up, and so on. The only way to permanently rid the community of the vermin is to expose and root out their vices.
Quote from: ScytheSong on April 15, 2021, 02:02:31 PM
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 06:12:17 AM
For sure a "Mythic China" RPG actually created in China would be very interesting. I was hoping for something like that.
This is a really weird response, but the English-language JadeClaw, from Sanguine Games, is written by a Taiwan-born Confucian scholar. The fact that it's anthropomorphic -- all the characters are Furries -- makes it a niche product
Consider that "furry" culture doesn't exists everywhere. Case in point:
Back in 2009 some members of my extended family came from Florida to spend the Christmas holidays here in Milan. "Avatar" was all the rage, so we booked a show (3D of course) in original language on the biggest screen we could find. The day of the movie a "concerned mother" approached me. This is more or less what followed:
"Do you know if there are furries in this movie?"
"There are...
what?"
"Furries. Furry people."
"I believe that the aliens have some kind of fur, yes."
"I know, but I heard that humans wear fur too."
"Well, technically they meld their minds with... but what you are worried about?"
"My kids are underage. I don't want for them to see furries."
"
What?! No cats? No teddy bears?!"
"No, those are ok. It's furries that worry me."
"Er... then I
really don't know."
So, I spoke with a friend of mine about my... astoundment. And she said "Oh, yes, furries. People that love to wear furry things or furry costumes. It is a sort of subculture over there and considered creepy by many."
"I didn't know that you are an expert in creepy subcultures."
"I'm not, but I saw an episode of C.S.I. about it."
And that concluded my life experience with furries. I still can twist my head around how such a creepy subculture evolved, and why it become creepy in the first place, but my point is: don't be surprised if overseas some worries are met with a blank stare...
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 03:21:58 PM
Quote from: ScytheSong on April 15, 2021, 02:02:31 PM
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 06:12:17 AM
For sure a "Mythic China" RPG actually created in China would be very interesting. I was hoping for something like that.
This is a really weird response, but the English-language JadeClaw, from Sanguine Games, is written by a Taiwan-born Confucian scholar. The fact that it's anthropomorphic -- all the characters are Furries -- makes it a niche product
Consider that "furry" culture doesn't exists everywhere.
True. Let's just say that, in JadeClaw (and its European sibling IronClaw), all of the characters are some sort of anthropomorphized animal. You can be a Horse, a Dog, a Bear, and even some exotics like a Dragon or a Qiling. Your "race"/species affects some of your skills, and also reflects your clan alliance (and the Twelve founding Clans are the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac).
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 03:21:58 PM
"I'm not, but I saw an episode of C.S.I. about it."
I think that's most peoples' biggest interaction with it. It was an interesting episode - but I'm guessing it's one of those tiny tiny subcultures where it's oddness made it appear to have a far bigger presence because media found it interesting.
It's like how there are probably as many books/movies/shows that contact people with multiple personalities than actual people with multiple personalities. (I read an article where apparently many doctors aren't even sure if it's real at all - or if all/most people with the symptoms just saw it in a show and are pretending - maybe even to themselves.)
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 03:21:58 PM
"I'm not, but I saw an episode of C.S.I. about it."
And that concluded my life experience with furries. I still can twist my head around how such a creepy subculture evolved, and why it become creepy in the first place, but my point is: don't be surprised if overseas some worries are met with a blank stare...
No more or less creepy than RPG players.
Theres been a series of ongoing attacks on "furry" fandom and that CSI episode was one of them with pretty much everything made up in the episode.
Theres also been co-ordinated attempts to co-opt the community by beastiality advocates up to and including making false claims on TV. And a hate group that likes to pose as furry fans and make all sorts of claims. And when they could not get any dirt on conventions various news reporting stations just made stuff up. For years, and probably still. There was a standing order of no news or documentary groups allowed.
Apparently at some point "furry" became the new "Jew" to hate and exterminate just for existing.
And Avatar is a good example of the usual suspects of course taking this to its extreme ends as to what defines a "furry".
Avatar? Yep thats a furry movie.
Pretty much anything by Disney.
Normal animals that talk. Like Farthing Wood? Yep. Thats furry too and gotta go.
Nature shows? verboten.
People with alot of body hair? Or just hairy chests? Sorry. No, Thats a furry too and gotta go. (No I am not joking)
Imagine this happening to the RPG community. Well dont worry. It is. Just at a slower pace. Theres been some attempts to ban RPGs atain and in some places its actually illegal as RPGs are considered "gambling". I thought this sort of nuttery was over. Thanks for proving me wrong.
Back on topic.
Also keep in mind that Oriental Adventures had some Asian consultants who helped with it. Not sure how much input they provided but someone did some research at least for all the equipment and weapons.
Always wondered if TSR had not folded if we would have seen a set for the Historical 2e series for China and Japan, or India?
Quote from: Charon's Little Helper on April 15, 2021, 04:25:53 PM
I think that's most peoples' biggest interaction with it. It was an interesting episode - but I'm guessing it's one of those tiny tiny subcultures where it's oddness made it appear to have a far bigger presence because media found it interesting.
The CSI episode is for the furry community what Mazes & Monsters was for the RPG community. 90% fabrication with just enough actual elements to seem like its real.
This though is just one of many many CSI fabrications of this or that group or whatever. I am surprised they never did one on role players or LARPers. LARP in particular would be an easy shoe in for murders.
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 06:12:17 AM
For sure a "Mythic China" RPG actually created in China would be very interesting. I was hoping for something like that.
If you want to see a "Mythic China" RPG then I would suggest a Taiwan created game would be more accurate and true to the authentically real "China" then the communist cleansed Chinese version.
Quote from: Shasarak on April 16, 2021, 06:11:54 PM
Quote from: Reckall on April 15, 2021, 06:12:17 AM
For sure a "Mythic China" RPG actually created in China would be very interesting. I was hoping for something like that.
If you want to see a "Mythic China" RPG then I would suggest a Taiwan created game would be more accurate and true to the authentically real "China" then the communist cleansed Chinese version.
I was going to comment - AFAIK a lot of traditional Chinese beliefs are illegal in mainland/Communist China, notably ghosts & anything to do with ancestor worship - so you're not likely to see a 'mythic China' game from there. The sci-fi demons in
The Great Wall are a lot more acceptable.
One thing that may explain the lack of Chinese RPGs is the prevalence of piracy.
Hong Kong had almost no homegrown comic book market in the 1990s because pirated Japanese manga was everywhere. Homegrown comics had to overcome both creative comparisons with the excellent Japanese product, and economic competition with the domestic pirates who were getting the source material for free.
I suspect that Chinese creators face similar issues.
Off Topic, but:
Chinese and Taiwanese citizens have taken pool seriously; as well as Phillipinos have.
They have reached world class skill levels in that sport.
Back to RPGs.....