Once Upon a Time in Jianghu Excerpt: Embrace the Moments of Silence

As the game is Powered by the Apocalypse, a common practice is for the game to advise the GM and the players on The Agenda, which guides them on how to explore the game.

For Once Upon a Time in Jianghu, this is the Agenda:


THE AGENDA

Everyone playing the game shares a five-part Agenda:

• Make the world feel epic and dramatic
• Play out what virtue and heroism demands
• Struggle against personal want and duty
• Define heroism and display it
• Embrace moments of silence

Let's get a peek on the last one:

Embrace Moments Of Silence

There must be balance in the stories you tell. As a powerful contrast to moments of amazing combat and flashy moves, seek moments of nostalgia and peace. A silent moment walking in the flower fields. A peaceful scene of gazing out of the window to watch the frogs swallow dragonflies. If the players show interest in certain characters or locations, be sure to utilize them more often in later sessions. Pay attention to reflecting the passage of time in the game, as well. Children eventually grow older. Older characters eventually pass away. Let their choices shape the world and change it.

It is “huai jiu” or “nostalgia for the past” which you want to invoke in your games. It is this unbearable yearning that comes from the understanding one possess an unrealized heart.  And this, in a way, is the essence of a true wuxia hero.  On a related note, consider this a reminder also to embrace moments of silence as an opportunity to give other players a chance to have the spotlight. Narrative games can be daunting for some players, who might find the freedom to direct the story a bit intimidating at first. Know when to step back into the background to give those players enough time to adapt to the game and have moments where their characters become prominent of a scene. Help each other out in making sure everyone has a great time playing the game.

Support the Kickstarter for the game today!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381911690/once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu

Once Upon a Time in Jiangu - Kickstarter is Live!

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu
A wuxia-inspired game that is Powered by the Apocalypse by Tobie Abad

The Kickstarter is live!
Hoping for your support!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/381911690/once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu

Victory Condition Gaming: Once Upon a Time In Jianghu

OMG it is viewable!
A thousand thank yous to Victory Condition Gaming for featuring me in this episode. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to talk about Once Upon a Time in Jianghu! I am super excited to be in this episode and boy do I fumble over names a lot!

Gallant Knight Games: Announcing ONCE UPON A TIME IN JIANGHU

Gallant Knight Games is excited to announce that Tobie Abad’s Once Upon a Time in Jianghu will be seeking funding on Kickstarter next Tuesday, April 23rd. 

Created by Tobie Abad, project managed on Kickstarter by Ben Woerner of Woerner WunderWerks, and published and distributed by Gallant Knight Games, Once Upon a Time in Jianghu is a wuxia-inspired storytelling tabletop roleplaying game that utilizes a heavily modified version of Powered by the Apocalypse.

Set in a mythical and new, yet familiar world, Once Upon a Time in Jianghu is lovingly crafted by Tobie Abad, and features a talented roster of contributors who will be providing stretch goals as well as additional content:

• Sen-Foong Lim
• Banana Chan
• Rob Abrazado
• Elizabeth Chaipraditkul
• Andrew Peregrine
• with art by renowned Spanish artist Daniel Jimbert

Gallant Knight Games, Woerner WunderWerks and Tobie Abad are excited to put this game in your hands!

Full Announcement here:
http://www.gallantknightgames.com/announcing-once-upon-a-time-in-jianghu

2019 Design Week PH: See you this April 28!

The Design Talks of Design Week Philippines April 2019 will feature speakers who will share their insights on the current state of tabletop games including the story behind the work, their design process, the movement being built,

the challenges, the role of design in achieving its goals, and the future of the tabletop game
industry.

Join us in an exciting exchange of ideas at the Teatro in Intramuros on April 28, 2-3 PM.

Admission is free. Register here: https://bit.ly/2I0hb2V

See you there!

#DesignWeekPH
#DesignKaleidoscope

April 2019: TRPG TALK BREAKFAST at Kanto Freestyle

Was extremely grateful and appreciative to be part of the TRPG Talk Breakfast session last April 13 at Kanto Freestyle. It was very empowering and heart-warming to be with gamers who truly were welcoming and passionate about the hobby and its ability to connect people.

Saw familiar faces, met lovely new people, and got to know creative new faces whom I am excited to soon be able to run games for and enjoy time with - schedules permitting, of course. It does remind me that despite the fear and the trauma, finding the courage to step out, reconnect with the community, and embrace their love and support is needed to heal the scars that continue to ache (and sometimes, bleed). I will forever be grateful. And I excitedly look forward to more gaming and to more time with the wonderful growing community of friends, gamers, and new faces!

2019 April : TAG Bites : Praxis, The King of Storms

Had a spectacular session of jim pinto's praxis game, King of Storms! Players for today's session included Titus as the Troll King, Bianca as the Iron Widow, Reyo as the Scion of the East, and Sophia supposedly as the Child of the Sea, but I messed up and forgot to print it out, so she ended up becoming the Prince of the Dead. This left me playing the Heir to the Sun.

We opted to have the game set in the modern day, giving it a fantastic American Gods feel with us gathering at some New York sky deck bar whenever we wanted to discuss godly things. The One King was dying and we all knew one of us was bound to become the new One King. Secret god-babies, information wars, and secret dealings with the Crones lead to the Prince of the Dead sacrificing her own daughter and the son of the Troll King and the Iron Widow to force me, the Heir of the Sun, to take her place and allow her to ascend to the One King's throne.

It was a blast, with us using all three Story Milestones, as well as a Plot Twist, and a Finale. The Troll King had a final valiant attempt to kill the Prince of the Dead, turned One King, but even the bullets from the people he had empowered were barely able to hurt her. With a gesture, the Heir of the Sun turned Prince of Dead then killed the Troll King. He did not find himself in the realm of the dead, however The Troll King felt pulled to a higher plane and there plots for his eventual revenge.

I will confess that in this game, I had a FANTASTIC time playing the Heir of the Sun with his abuse of libations and his impossible expectations from others. Given the world building also had us declare him and the Iron Widow as besties, we ended up patterning their relationship to that of Elliot and Margo from the fun show, Magicians.

2019 April: TAG Bites: 7th Sea

Finally had a chance to run 7th Sea second edition for some of the awesome people who have been reshaping the tabletop industry in the Philippines.  Thomas, Nathan, and Mykey had a chance to dive into the wonderful world of Theah. Kyle, who was to join us, sadly had to reschedule due to work.

To make things even more interesting, I used Evan Perlman's Sea's 7 adventure as the jumping point with the players all being recruited to take part in David Swansea's plans to steal a golden idol from the Casino Imperial, which is sailing in international waters. Each having their own personal reasons for taking part, the heroes soon discover that many of their past rivals are on the ship as well. And while the golden idol seemingly is the target of the goons onboard, the true item of value is a cache of letters also hidden in the same vault.

Letters of the Queen to a Montaigne lover.

In the end, each hero finds their true calling. Hugh Garant, the Negotiator from Avalon, confronts the Queen and after learning he is powerless to truly end her oppression of the common folk, finds himself receiving an invitation to the Rilasciare.  Ibarra Locovitche Gissanlie, Eisen war doctor and hexe, desperate to find a home for the children living in the Walden, makes a terrible deal with the Unseelie host to transform into a home that lures children into its walls. He lives a life caring and educating the children... but loses his humanity in the process and finds the end at an Ungetumjager's blade. Finally, Jeralt Andorsen, Vesten Guildmaster who had hoped to recover the family rune armor that were sold during their hard times, finds himself reunited with the man who had purchased the armor and refused to sell it back. The man was too injured, this time, to get away and Jeralt smiled at how good endings do sometimes come to those who wait.

2019 March: TAG Bites: Cold Shadows - Vignettes

Super grateful to have had an awesome TAG Bites session of Cold Shadows today. Thank you to Lanz, for being the empathetic turncoat Analyst, Titus for being the former KGB sleeper agent with a heart, Cjmn for being the deputy Director who tried valiantly to save the agency, and to the new player Ron, who was the Hitter without Resolve (and allowed me the honor of running his second rpg session ever). Sadly, Titus had to rush off before we took a photo.

To more double agent shinanigans soon!

2019 March TAG Bites: Paternoster: Houses of the Blooded

Had a fantastic opportunity to introduce the incomparable Houses of the Blooded game to three new players. Paolo, Arianne, and Kyle were the players for TAG Bites this March.  A fourth player, Aina, was sadly unable to join us (Aina, I promise we will reschedule for you someday soon!)

Paolo was Armenisu Adrente, Blooded of the Wolf and Baron of Stormbreak. Arianne was Aldernavi Throne, Blooded of the Falcon and Baron of Evergreens. Kyle was Vesuvius Mwrr, Blooded of the Serpent and Baron of the Western Weeping. The three were playing Ven who had heard of the death of Count Kether, whose Province borders their own. In a bid to claim the lands, they all had proclaimed themselves Kether's only child.

A fourth who also made such a claim, invites them to her own Castle, and the four enjoy a simple Banquet that is more than it seems. True enough, Kether reveals in time that he had falsified his death to see who would be deserving of his attentions and all whom had not bothered to find him "justice" find themselves at the bloody end of a poisoned cup.  He had a grand time in the game, with Paolo indulging in his tendency to rely on his sword skills, with Kyle using Sorcery like only the Serpents know how, and with Arianne just wishing everyone else opted to explore the Ruins like she wanted. Our favorite NPC for the night was Somma Mwrr, Vesuvius' twin who had switched places with him and sadly met an untimely death in her bid to keep her brother's secrets. Tragic and cruel. Just as Houses of the Blooded games always should be.

A Single Moment : Giu Lo Schermo with Lua

To quote their post in Youtube:This is the spin-off of Giù lo Schermo with the legendary Luca Cecchinelli, with whom, for months, we are killing two-person role-playing games. This time our choice fell on "A Single Moment". "A Single Moment" is a role-playing game for two players that, in one session, will put us in the shoes of two samurai crossing their swords in a deadly duel. In the end, only one of them will remain standing. The whole game is a set of blows in the present and flashbacks recalled from the past to understand who our protagonists are and what their motivations are. "A Single Moment" was written and published in English by Tobie Abad on April 25th.

Very grateful that they opted to try my game! Thank you!

The Duelists (Reflections)

Another awesome session using Reflections. As per the site:
This player-versus-player, improvised one-shot is run using the Reflections system, which is based off of the RPG "A Single Moment" (by Tobie Abad). Gotta love how people can find ways to make a game even more awesome. Thank you for playing!