This is part 2 of my actual play write-up of my solo play in a Wuxia-World. Read more about it in part 1.
Q 1. What looming hostility inherent within the setting unexpectedly comes into conflict with the heroic motivation, threatening to worsen over time?
Be the GM first:
Random Idea Generator: frog + shelter
Encounter: an enemy pursues new goals + an enemy takes aggressive
action against the heroes The PCs are stationed at a hidden camp in the
Middle Province to train new wushu. Both of them have arrived quite
recently. They know each other from sparring sessions but haven’t been
together on a mission yet.
It is a hot and humid summer day. The novice ninja are outside on the
training grounds when they hear a loud grumbling sound. Suddenly a wave
of huge frogs crashes into some of the students’ sheds. WTF!? Be the
players next:
While some of the fellow students still are confused, Hikari gathers her
wits and begins to attack the frog monsters.
“I shall show them some of my ink.” (Hikari vs. Monster Frogs combat -
difficulty rating: 1 / result: success) Hikari defeats her share of
monster frogs using her clan’s wushu and combat styles.
Ninja wunderkind Genzen joins the fight (Genzen vs. Monster frogs
combat - diff rating: 1 / result: failure by 3). He suffers a nasty
flesh wound (negative aspect). It’s not easy to live up one’s name!
Genzen barely manages to destroy the frogs but in the end he is
victorious. Be the GM first:
The camp is reduced to rubber. Obviously, the frogs were the result of
some powerful wushu. Camp leader Chuushin Genpo has his suspicions about
the culprits. And of course, someone needs to inform the Lotus
Coalition…
Q 2. What overtly troubling event remotely tied to the results of Question 1 occurs, confirming that something seriously adverse to the heroic motivation is afoot?
Be the GM first:
*Random Idea Generator:*cult + dragonfly
Encounter: pursuit + combat Chuushin Genpo tasks our young heroes with
finding the Cult Of the Dragonfly, a group of rogue Recoiling Serpents
ninjas. “They may be behind all this. I want you to find them and to
find out if they are responsible.”
The PCs are properly equipped and given a map and a Lotus Coalition
permit. They have to travel to Lake Higan’s northern shores.
After several exhausting days of marching the two ninja rest at a glade.
Genzen takes first watch. 1 hour later he hears some suspicious noise…
Be the players next: While Genzen is still trying determine if there
is a real danger or if it’s just some wildlife roaming around the first
arrows flies. Genzen can easily dodge them.
“Kaizen-chan, wake up!” he screams.
Several ninja are coming after them. Kaizen Hikari, still sleepy and an
all-thumbs-kind-of-girl, gets immediately surrounded and captivated.
An enemy holds a dagger to her throat. (aspect compel)
Saving the girl without getting harmed himself is a hard challenge (diff
rating 3). Fortunately a big owl is sweeping over the head of the
captivator, thus distracting him. (PC spends a Fate token.) Being a
knight in shining armor Genzen immediately rushes the enemy (diff
rating 2) and knocks him over. Hikari manages to escape. Genzen is in
ground combat with the other ninja, suffers a black eye but knocks the
foe out.
The PCs finally manage to wound some enemies mortally. The assault team
decides to retreat and vanishes into the woods.
“Let’s see.” Hikari examines the unconscious enemy ninja and discovers a
dragonfly tattoo on his wrist. The two PCs decide to wake him up and to
interrogate him. They want to know about the cult’s hideout and their
plans. (Hikari using living lie detector aspect for a test vs diff
rating 1). Be the GM first:
After some threatening the enemy describes the way to their hideout
which is heavily guarded. It won’t be easy to break in. There are dozens
of cultists so a head-on approach probably won’t work.
The cultists are convinced that the Lotus Coalition is feeding them
lies. The Wardens Of Equilibrium, the Coalition’s leaders, have
contrived a devious plan to lull all the other ninja clans in false
safety with their talk about an alliance and a mutual enemy. Behind the
scenes the Chuushin Clan are plotting to rat out all the other clans to
the Izou Empire. The ninja doesn’t know anything about the ambush on the
PC’s camp or the monster frogs.
Q 3. What elements of the results of Questions 1 and 2 suddenly get twisted in a surprising manner, increasing the danger to the heroic motivation?
Be the GM first:
Random Idea Generator: wave + crown
Encounter: revelation + combat The two novice ninjas leave the rogue
ninja behind, properly tied up of course. Arriving at the shores of Lake
Higan they scout for the cultists’ base of operations and spot some
strange looking warriors. They have bluish skin and are wearing scale
armor. They are wearing an emblem: a crown surrounded by a wave. The
strange warriors are accompanied by a cultist ninja. They seem to be
allied.
Both PCs never have seen such warriors. While they still debate about
this turn of events they spot a straggler. That’s a chance to engage!
Be the players next:
Genzen decides to place an invisible wushu thread on the lone warrior so
that they can track the way to the camp. Be the GM first:
The ninjas now know the exact path to the cultists’ camp. Now, all
what’s left is to infiltrate the camp.
Next, Qs 4-6…
All the links:
F# by R. Hunter Gogh
WuXing
by Eloy Lasanta
the 9Qs by John
Fiore