Classic Action Movie Roleplaying Lives Again on Kickstarter
It’s been a while since I’ve done a post about a Kickstarter that has me excited enough to give it my support. Frankly, I’ve been become a bit disenchanted with the whole Kickstarter thing lately, what with the Death Stars and movie stars bringing down the tone. But inevitably a project comes along that gets me firing on all cylinders again. That project is Feng Shui 2 Action Movie Roleplaying. Click below the fold for more on the second edition of a modern classic.
First published in the mid-nineties, Feng Shui was one of the first games that could appropriately be called “cinematic.” Written by then veteran, now demi-god roleplaying game designer, Robin D. Laws, Feng Shui’s relatively lightweight mechanics and pre-generated archetypal characters meant that groups could dive right into the fast and furious action. It might be one of the first “modern” roleplaying games (in the sense that up until that point most games were mechanically inspired by Dungeons & Dragons or had rule sets even more arcane than that), and certainly one of the most fun.
For many people rules come second to setting. Fortunately for those folks, Feng Shui has setting for days. Inspired by the gonzo cinema of America and Hong Kong in the late 80’s and early 90’s, players assume the role of “Chi Warriors”: soldiers fighting on behalf of secret societies vying to control valuable “Feng Shui sites.” These vortexes of cosmic energy, existing at critical junctures throughout time, grant the controlling faction undue influence over history. With so much at stake, Feng Shui sites must be kept out of the wrong hands at all costs (obviously). Put it all together and you’ve got high-flying Kung Fu action-driven time travel mayhem that owes as much to B cinema classics like Big Trouble in Little China and Buckaroo Banzai: Beyond the Eighth Dimension, as it does to Hong Kong classics like Hardboiled and The Killer.
But what about this project? It is off to a strong start, knocking of stretch goals like a champ (most of which are content enhancements to the rule book–so the most reasonable kind). Feng Shui 2 is just over 1000% funded at the time of this writing, with weeks left to go, so there is no telling how big it could potentially get. After an early kerfuffle over the cost of certain reward tiers, things have been hammered out and are running smoothly. It’s also worth mentioning that backers get immediate access to the beta document, so you can begin kicking ass and taking names right away. So don’t wait another moment–you’re needed on the front lines of the Chi War!
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