Wushu (role-playing game)
Encyclopedia
Wushu is a free universal
role-playing game
by Dan Bayn released under the Creative Commons
license.
Wushu is a non-traditional role-playing game. In a traditional game, a player would describe his character's action, and then roll dice to see if it succeed. In Wushu, a player describes what his character does, and then rolls dice
to determine how effective the action was. For example, in a traditional RPG, one would say "I try to hit him with my sword." and roll dice to determine success. In Wushu, one would say: "I slash across his stomach, releasing a spray of blood." and then roll dice to determine the effect on the larger plot. The description, rather than a character's stats, also determines the number of dice that are rolled. Each detail in the description adds one more die to the roll (up to dice 'cap' determined by the gamemaster
), thus making the action more effective.
Wushu runs on several principles. The first is the Principle of Narrative Truth. This means that whatever a player describes is exactly what happens. By doing so, Wushu can more closely emulate an over-the-top action movie style of play, since there are no penalties for difficult or flashy maneuvers. Counterbalancing the first principle is the second principle: the Veto. Anyone at the table, gamemaster or player, can veto any detail and ask the player to describe something different. This helps ensure that the tone and genre of the game is maintained at all times. Players can even use this mechanic to suggest alternatives to one another, which helps create a stronger shared-storytelling experience.
Wushu has acquired a devoted following. The game's wiki
page contains a large number of fan created additional rules, game settings and other materials.
Generic role-playing game system
A generic role-playing game system or universal role-playing game system is a role-playing game system designed to be independent of setting and genre...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
by Dan Bayn released under the Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
license.
Wushu is a non-traditional role-playing game. In a traditional game, a player would describe his character's action, and then roll dice to see if it succeed. In Wushu, a player describes what his character does, and then rolls dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
to determine how effective the action was. For example, in a traditional RPG, one would say "I try to hit him with my sword." and roll dice to determine success. In Wushu, one would say: "I slash across his stomach, releasing a spray of blood." and then roll dice to determine the effect on the larger plot. The description, rather than a character's stats, also determines the number of dice that are rolled. Each detail in the description adds one more die to the roll (up to dice 'cap' determined by the gamemaster
Gamemaster
A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
), thus making the action more effective.
Wushu runs on several principles. The first is the Principle of Narrative Truth. This means that whatever a player describes is exactly what happens. By doing so, Wushu can more closely emulate an over-the-top action movie style of play, since there are no penalties for difficult or flashy maneuvers. Counterbalancing the first principle is the second principle: the Veto. Anyone at the table, gamemaster or player, can veto any detail and ask the player to describe something different. This helps ensure that the tone and genre of the game is maintained at all times. Players can even use this mechanic to suggest alternatives to one another, which helps create a stronger shared-storytelling experience.
Wushu has acquired a devoted following. The game's wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
page contains a large number of fan created additional rules, game settings and other materials.