Wednesday, March 25, 2015

No Mythic China here....

"Jade and Steel: Roleplaying in Mythic China" by Various
Published and distributed by Avalanche Press
ISBN = 097079613-7 - 48 pages

Table of Contents
Part 1 - Life and Times in the Three Kingdoms
Part 2 - Characters
Part 3 - For Love or Money

This is a D20 booklet for version 3.0 of "The World's Greatest Roleplaying System".

Part One includes info on mythical history (some of which has elements of truth), Magic, Philosophy and Religion, and Crime and Punishment.  Although small, this part provides a good, but simple, overview of a China deeply rooted in mysticism.

Part Two allows players to create characters for use in a mythic China setting,  Included are the new classes of Alchemist, Dim Mak Practitioner, Diviner, Geometer, Iron Hand Disciple, and Sword Saint.  Nine new feats allow for customization of characters.

But, most of this booklet is a module called "For Love or Money".  A play in four acts: Act One: Pai-San, Act Two: On the Road, Act Three: A Forest Encounter, and Act Four: Battle for Pai-San.

One of the things I really hate is the cover.  It has another titillating almost naked female displayed in the center.  If I had judged a book totally by its cover alone, I probably would not have bought this booklet.

Because so much of this booklet is devoted to what amounts to a module, it has very scanty information on Mythic China as a setting.  If looking for a book that allows you to have a truly Mythic China, my suggestion is to look somewhere else.  GM's with a good central Mythic China setting or campaign may find the module useful.

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