RPGPundit Reviews: Qin Legends

Qin Legends is a sourcebook for the award-winning Qin RPG (at least, I'm pretty sure its won awards; and if it hasn't it fucking well SHOULD have).  This version is a softcover, luscious full colour cover with black and white illustrations, clocking in at 50 pages, published by Cubicle 7.

Now, first let me tell you something about the Qin RPG: Qin is far and away the best RPG ever written for historical China. Its not really "historical", however, since it has chi powers and magic, all that wuxia stuff. But its details about the Warring States period is brilliant, and you can use it for simulating just about any realistic or fantasy gaming set in just about any period of ancient Chinese history (I myself used it to run a Three Kingdoms campaign that was quite epic).

The power levels in the Qin game are what you might judge "Heroic"; they allow you to run characters that start out as basically competent normals with a few tricks, and play up to about the level of the main characters of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

With Qin Legends, what you get is an expansion of all the rules related to the Wuxia stuff, to bring you up to a level of play that would reach "Epic" proportions; like the difference between Crouching Tiger on the one hand, and the movie "Hero" on the other.

So most of this book is quite straightforward, and its exactly what it says it is, exactly the reason you would buy it: its a book of powers for Epic Level play. You get some other things, that I would have to say would be mostly dismissible as window-dressing. Mediocre game-fiction, a couple of pages worth, and a 15-page adventure, that's also mediocre.

But who cares?! I can use this book to give my PC powers like "Fearsome Typhoon", "The Ten Thousand Blades", or "master of missiles"! It has stats for the Flying Guillotines! I can learn the secret martial arts style of the Mortal Kiss of the Metal Butterfly! My Alchemist PC can at last brew up the Golden Lotus Elixir and gain True Immortality! My Exorcist can cast "Judgment of the Ten Kings of Hell"! My crafty diplomat with some talent in music can find and make good use of The Flute of the Bamboo Grove of Mount Tai!  My Wuxia hero can wield celestial weapons like the Blazing Fire Saber!

That's what I'm talking about.

Frankly, if that last paragraph isn't enough to convince you to buy this book for your Qin game, nothing I write below will either. You might as well stop reading. You also clearly don't have a soul, and you're probably a bad lover.

For the rest of you, who are already convinced, I might as well explain with a bit more detail that you get, in the first place, the levels 5 and 6 ("Legendary" and "Godlike") of all the Taos detailed in the original manual (Taos being special chi powers, for those unfamiliar with the game; they can range from something that let's you move faster or better to stuff that makes you harder or stronger, to stuff that lets you manipulate people or luck itself).

You also get a couple of new combat techniques ("suicide attack", "blinding", "reducing the distance" to fight up close, ranged "disarming", "trap" which lets you do a delayed range attack; and most importantly the Mounted Combat and Mounted Ranged Attack techniques which allow you to no longer be bound by the rule requiring your combat ability on horseback to be limited to a value no greater than your Horsemanship skill). Of course, since there are new techniques, the tables of combat techniques for every level of each combat skill are provided in their amended form, and expanded up to levels 5 and 6 in each skill. You also get an entirely new martial skill in the form of "Flexible Weapons" (whips, flails, chains, and the dreaded Flying Guillotine), along with the corresponding technique list.

Next you get new rules on Combat Styles. These are something that was certainly missing from the old rules; it is meant to represent techniques that are learned only by being in secret schools or the styles of a particular master or clan. To gain a style you must roleplay it, fulfill prerequisites (which are almost always minimum levels in certain skills and Taos), and then spend XP.  Only 6 sample styles are provided, but the framework and guidelines are such that the creative GM could make up his own rather easily, or take them from real martial-arts history.

New spells are next in the book, for each style of magic. External alchemists get 3 new potions, including the aforementioned Golden Lotus Elixir, which gives the PC immortality. Internal Alchemists get 4 new spells, their ultimate likewise being "Rejoining the Kunlun Mountains", where he would become immortal.  Diviners get 4 new spells, that allow him to, among other things, descend into Hell to speak with the dead, or summon one of the four Celestial Creatures (including the legendary Kirin).  Exorcists gain 6 new spells, including "Judgment of Heaven", which lets him summon the Celestial Court itself to pass judgment on a supernatural creature.

Next up are Legendary and Celestial objects. Essentially, these are the levels "5" and "6" of items. Legendary objects are objects of truly exceptional quality, such that they give significant bonuses to the wielder/wearer/user. Celestial objects are full-blown Magic Artifacts, all but indestructible, possessing their own reserves of Chi, and capable of wounding even invulnerable creatures/beings. Guidelines are given for the creation of both types of objects, and several sample objects are provided.

Finally, you get a 15-page adventure, "The Treacherous Prince". I seriously doubt anyone is buying this book for the adventure, and that's probably a good thing. This is mostly filler. Its about the PCs escorting the daughter of a Xiongnu chief to a town where she will marry the son of a magistrate, to create peace between the two groups. This of course becomes complicated.The redeeming quality this adventure does have (and that makes it at least worth reading) is that it provides a lot of detail on the Xiongnu barbarians.  The end of the adventure is slightly railroady, in that it is deemed essential (for the metaplot, at that!) that a particular NPC survive.

Anyways, like I said, who cares? No one is getting this book for the sample adventure. What everyone should be getting it for is the Wuxia awesomeness.

If you own Qin, Qin Legends essentially completes your game, and I'd go so far as to say that you MUST get it; at least, if you are running an ongoing campaign.

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Stanwell Compact + H&H's Namaste

Quote from: RPGPundit;354322RPGPundit Reviews: Qin Legends

Qin Legends is a sourcebook for the award-winning Qin RPG (at least, I'm pretty sure its won awards; and if it hasn't it fucking well SHOULD have).  This version is a softcover, luscious full colour cover with black and white illustrations, clocking in at 50 pages, published by Cubicle 7.

Now, first let me tell you something about the Qin RPG: Qin is far and away the best RPG ever written for historical China. Its not really "historical", however, since it has chi powers and magic, all that wuxia stuff. But its details about the Warring States period is brilliant, and you can use it for simulating just about any realistic or fantasy gaming set in just about any period of ancient Chinese history (I myself used it to run a Three Kingdoms campaign that was quite epic).

The power levels in the Qin game are what you might judge "Heroic"; they allow you to run characters that start out as basically competent normals with a few tricks, and play up to about the level of the main characters of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

With Qin Legends, what you get is an expansion of all the rules related to the Wuxia stuff, to bring you up to a level of play that would reach "Epic" proportions; like the difference between Crouching Tiger on the one hand, and the movie "Hero" on the other.

So most of this book is quite straightforward, and its exactly what it says it is, exactly the reason you would buy it: its a book of powers for Epic Level play. You get some other things, that I would have to say would be mostly dismissible as window-dressing. Mediocre game-fiction, a couple of pages worth, and a 15-page adventure, that's also mediocre.

But who cares?! I can use this book to give my PC powers like "Fearsome Typhoon", "The Ten Thousand Blades", or "master of missiles"! It has stats for the Flying Guillotines! I can learn the secret martial arts style of the Mortal Kiss of the Metal Butterfly! My Alchemist PC can at last brew up the Golden Lotus Elixir and gain True Immortality! My Exorcist can cast "Judgment of the Ten Kings of Hell"! My crafty diplomat with some talent in music can find and make good use of The Flute of the Bamboo Grove of Mount Tai!  My Wuxia hero can wield celestial weapons like the Blazing Fire Saber!

This section extends the Taos to fifth and sixth levels. Now the Taos go from the spectacular to the sheer impossible. Some examples are the Tao of the Light Step can allow the character to be like Spider-Man in his wall crawling and precarious positioning. Another is the Tao of the Hidden Shadow allowing a PC to not only hide in a shadow, but teleport from shadow to shadow. These levels take the Taos from the reality bending to supernatural reality breaking. These new levels really give a sense of moving into a higher level of play. I know as a player I would really look forward to being able to earn some of these abilities.elixir of immortality Qin game, nothing I write below will either. You might as well stop reading. You also clearly don't have a soul, and you're probably a bad lover.

For the rest of you, who are already convinced, I might as well explain with a bit more detail that you get, in the first place, the levels 5 and 6 ("Legendary" and "Godlike") of all the Taos detailed in the original manual (Taos being special chi powers, for those unfamiliar with the game; they can range from something that let's you move faster or better to stuff that makes you harder or stronger, to stuff that lets you manipulate people or luck itself).

Quote from: RPGPundit;354322You also get a couple of new combat techniques ("suicide attack", "blinding", "reducing the distance" to fight up close, ranged "disarming", "trap" which lets you do a delayed range attack; and most importantly the Mounted Combat and Mounted Ranged Attack techniques which allow you to no longer be bound by the rule requiring your combat ability on horseback to be limited to a value no greater than your Horsemanship skill). Of course, since there are new techniques, the tables of combat techniques for every level of each combat skill are provided in their amended form, and expanded up to levels 5 and 6 in each skill. You also get an entirely new martial skill in the form of "Flexible Weapons" (whips, flails, chains, and the dreaded Flying Guillotine), along with the corresponding technique list.

Next you get new rules on Combat Styles. These are something that was certainly missing from the old rules; it is meant to represent techniques that are learned only by being in secret schools or the styles of a particular master or clan. To gain a style you must roleplay it, fulfill prerequisites (which are almost always minimum levels in certain skills and Taos), and then spend XP.  Only 6 sample styles are provided, but the framework and guidelines are such that the creative GM could make up his own rather easily, or take them from real martial-arts history.

Celestial Objects are those that have literally been sent by the Gods. These Objects have been divinely created. Celestial Objects are much more powerful than Legendary and often convey whole Taos, Techniques or other powerful advantages to their user. However, they always adhere to the law of their creator.  is immortality possible Exorcists gain 6 new spells, including "Judgment of Heaven", which lets him summon the Celestial Court itself to pass judgment on a supernatural creature.

In the course of their adventures and trials, heroes reach mastery levels far beyond the abilities of common men and women. In this age of warfare, heroes wrote history and became legends.

The Legends sourcebook contains information for the progression of high-level characters, details on the northern Barbarians and a scenario kicking off the Tian Xia campaign.

- The power of Taos

- Martial Arts

- High level magic

- Men's treasure, God's gifts: rules for creating magical items, and descriptions of some objects of wonder

- The Felon Prince: this scenario forms an introduction to the Tian Xia campaign

This small section gives the rules for taking magic into the levels of Legendary and Godlike. It also includes several write-ups for magic that falls into these realms. Some of the ones I like are an alchemy potion to allow the PC to fly through air at high altitudes without fear of oxygen deprivation, and an Exorcist ritual that absorbs the light of the moon into the caster allowing him to release it at a later time to make him invisible to all supernatural creatures.

Quote from: RPGPundit;354322Finally, you get a 15-page adventure, "The Treacherous Prince". I seriously doubt anyone is buying this book for the adventure, and that's probably a good thing. This is mostly filler. Its about the PCs escorting the daughter of a Xiongnu chief to a town where she will marry the son of a magistrate, to create peace between the two groups. This of course becomes complicated.The redeeming quality this adventure does have (and that makes it at least worth reading) is that it provides a lot of detail on the Xiongnu barbarians.  The end of the adventure is slightly railroady, in that it is deemed essential (for the metaplot, at that!) that a particular NPC survive.

Anyways, like I said, who cares? No one is getting this book for the sample adventure. What everyone should be getting it for is the Wuxia awesomeness.

If you own Qin, Qin Legends essentially completes your game, and I'd go so far as to say that you MUST get it; at least, if you are running an ongoing campaign.

RPGPundit

Currently Smoking: Stanwell Compact + H&H's Namaste