The Middle Kingdom – B-Team – Season 1, Session 3

Dramatis Personae

  • Eiji Kurokaze, Taijutsu Stylist (402 points) (played by Merlin A.): TBA. Tagline: “TBA”
  • Huoshan Shao, Wudong Stylist (491 points) (played by Chris G.): Half-fox spirit, all sass. Petter dabbler of the dark arts and practitioner of the ancient Wudong tradition. Tagline: “Before I become a star, I will leave my mark on this world.”
  • Ky Fan, Chinese Spear Fighting and Hsing I Chuan Stylist (491 points) (played by Gui): a son looking for answers, a powerful warrior searching for inner strength. Trying to stay one step ahead of his anger and his past. Tagline: “You should have made better life choices…”
  • Izumi “Raiju” Kurokaze, Taijutsu Stylist (393 points) (played by Lexi): A ninja who’s dedication to her clan was betrayed, but in so doing gave her new loyalty in her arranged husband Eiji, master of Wind Ninjutsu. She now wields her Thunder Ninjutsu at his side, for better or worse. Tagline: “I call to the wind, to invite the hurricane.”
  • Tavish Thornton, Krabi Krabong Stylist (445 points) (played by Christopher D.): The Krabi Krabong practitioner, the newcomer to the world of wuxia, the white guy in the middle of four ninjas. Tagline: “Alright. Who’s next?”
  • Ling Guang, ??? (??? points) (NPC): Little girl lost. Can speak to the dead. Tagline: “Please, listen to me. They want you to know something”

Previously . . .

The session starts with the group discussing infiltrating the chemical warehouse as Ky tries to first aid himself, almost sewing up a bruise before being corrected. They remember that there was a lot of good cameras around and no real abandoned computer terminal. Tavish’s suggestions keep getting turned down until he suggests that they shut down the power and run in through the door beating up anyone in their way.

Kan Yueh Hideout

Eiji, Houshan, Ky, Izumi, and Tavish
February, 5th, 2019, 10:00 pm
78 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013

Izumi was going to hack the lights and kills the lights while Houshan picks the lock with Ky Fan doing some backseat lockpicking with some bad advice.  Apparently, the several martial artists were unable to be stealthy, with just Eiji and Tavish succeeding in being the stealthiest. They get into formation, barely, when the emergency overhead lights come in spotlighting Ky, Houshan, and Izumi. Eiji slips behind some shelving, following the shinobi way with his wife following the way.  Ky Fan and Tavish wait for folks to come in closer before they attack while Houshan moves to knock a man out from behind, but misses with a kick.

The mook turns around and punches at Houshan who takes some damage while another manages to dodge Ky’s spear as they move in closer attacking Houshan. Eiji moves forwards drawing his shuriken into the backs of several mooks, which drop from their pain. Izumi does a wall jump over some shelving and stabs at a mook with a critical success causing overkill. Tavish moves in taking down two mooks with a couple swings of his blunt weapons. Ky Fan launches himself at one of the mooks, missing his target while Houshan punches out his mook.

A large amount of mooks start streaming for the group. Eiji throws out the two shuriken that he had retrieved, taking down one, and then draws his blades while Izumi does the same. Tavish, erring on the side of caution, steps forward and readies himself for the next second of onslaught. Ky does similar, waiting for them to get into range. Houshan begins to cast a large spell that explodes into a wall of purple fire that cooks several mooks in a line as more mooks stream into the building.

Eiji sheathes one of his blades and draws three shuriken and aims at one of the higher-ranking gangsters. Izumi sheathes her swords and fast-draws a shuriken. Tavish moves into position to block off the advance of the mooks around the fire while Ky Fan heads forwards. Houshan moves the fire forwards that causes a chain reaction causing a nearby barrel to explode causing a very large vaporization of gas and an explosion that takes out a large amount of mooks while the gangsters try to put out the fire that’s now rampaging around the warehouse.

Eiji, having jumped in front of Izumi, jumps to his feet along with Izumi and throws three shuriken while charging his target, only one hits striking the gangster in the arm. Izumi snatches up Eiji’s fallen sword and tosses it to Eiji while she charges forwards. Tavish, not knowing what to do next with his targets down and there being a wall of fire, stands around uselessly as Ky Fan leaps towards the gangster that Eiji had hit with the shuriken and stabs with his spear, running him through with his spear and killing the gangster. Houshan moves his wall again killing another gangster while more mooks rush forwards.

From the rubble emerges an old man, holding two hatchets in each hand and looking about ready to throw them. Eiji turns to charge the man with Izumi fast on his heels, drawing shurikens and throwing them at a gangster, nailing him with three of them. Tavish steps forwards and does fuck all against the boss, dropping his weapon on a critical success on a defense causing his strike to become a critical miss. Ky turns around and moves towards the boss while Houshan moves the wall again setting the gangster on fire while more run forwards.

The boss throws, attacking Eiji, who fails to parry but activates his Wind Wall ability to negate the blow of the hatchet while Tavish parries the blow from a hatchet. Eiji steps forwards, cutting through two mooks while Izumi moves forwards to help Tavish by striking down two more mooks. Tavish draws a second tonfa, doing nothing with any of his attacks as the boss defends. Ky Fan charges forwards and fails in his heroic charge while Houshan moves the fire again.  Mooks charge forwards and attack Izumi and Eiji, defending against their attacks with ease.

Aftermath

The boss, now focused on Tavish, throws two hatchets at the white man but they get batted away by tonfa. Eiji flashes past two mooks, cutting one down, while Izumi cuts down several more. Tavish breaks his tonfa doing little and trying to stub the boss’s toe when the Boss moves into Iron Mountain stance, reflecting the damage back. Ky Fan moves forwards towards the boss, acrobatically and Houshan moves the firewall to crisp up the rest of the mooks.

After Action Report (GM)

I honestly was hoping for more sword-swinging action. Instead I got a baby Lo Pan cooking bad guy mooks left and right. That wasn’t against what I was doing, but it did make me sit up and take a bit of notice. Overall, it was a lot of combat with some good stealthing in the beginning. One of my players did bring up a point when I said I was hoping to do this in a single session that that wasn’t probably. I put in 90 mooks and 15 hatchet men plus the boss. That alone might have been too much, but it’s totally in genre for dozens of bad guys to show up and be stomped in wuxia films. Everyone seemed to have fun and it was a good run of the chambara rules from GURPS Martial Arts.

Other Notes

Gui had to quit the group as work and family life couldn’t line up with what he wanted to do. We wished him well as this was his last game with us.

Soundtrack

“Up in the Air” by Thirty Seconds to Mars (Opening Song)
“This ain’t No Place For No Hero (Short Change Hero)” by The Heavy (Combat Scene)
“Holding Out For a Hero” by Jennifer Saunders

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