From: [h--g] at [tickfaw.phys.lsu.edu] (Leonard Hung)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd,rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Cathay Arts of Role-Playing WWW Page!!!
Date: 14 Apr 1995 09:10:04 GMT

The following is my updated repost (Mandarin version).  I
eventually put the materials in my WWW page!  Join my email
list if you're interested!  Visit my page at:

http://zow00.desy.de:8000/~hungbhy/rpg.html

For those of you who haven't heard about this new Oriental
RPG, read on!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------

<< CATHAY ARTS OF ROLE-PLAYING     CAoRP >>

Hello!  Does anybody like Oriental RPG?  What?  The AD&D
Kara-Tur campaign set?  No!  The AD&D combat system cannot
fully grasp the aesthetics of martial arts--cannot even
touch the surface of martial arts.  Also, the materials
are mainly based on feudal Japanese culture, which was
only a small part of the ancient Cathay.  Besides, most
contemporary oriental RPGs are still subjected to these
flaws.

I have been working on an entirely new extravaganza of oriental
RPG since the fall of 1993.  The Chinese version manual will
be published in Hong Kong 3 or more years later.  But I'm
also considering to publish an English version first, as I
already have lots of English emails in which I discussed the
project with my friends overseas.

The background materials are exuberant, with mysterious
cultures of India, Persia, Tibet, Mongolia, Russia, Korea,
Japan, and South East Asia, encirling the vicissitudinous
dynasties of Chinese empires.  The time scale runs from
the Twilight of the Gods (definitely before 10000 B.C.),
then the Saga of the Yellow Emperor (2000 B.C.), then the Era
of the Warring States (when Confucius lived around 500 B.C.),
followed by the first tyrannical Qin Dynasty, then the
harmonius Han Dynasty, then the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
(paralleled the Roman Empire in Europe), then the North and
South Dynasties, followed by the Golden Age of Tang Dynasty,
then the Occult Dominance of Song dynasty, then the Conquest
of Genghis Khan during Yuan Dynasty (the so called Yellow
Plague--a nightmare of Europeans), then the Tales of Great
Sails during Ming Dynasty (long after Marco Polo's arrival),
then the Resistance against Qing Dynasty (when China was
ruled by Manchurians), followed by riots and the Rise of
Communism, and lastly the amazing Legend of the Little Dragon
(around late 60's, Bruce Lee's years).

Heroes come from all directions--as barbaric as an Eskimo
fisherman, as holy as a Tibet priest, as strict as an Indian
fakir, as generous as a Persian merchant, as impressive as a
South Sea raconteur, as stark as a Thailand boxer, as pretty as
a Japanese geisha--to engage deadly Chinese fighters like
Huashan swordsmen, Wudang taoists, Shaolin buddhists, Liangshan
rangers, or to kick the asses of imperial bodyguards, woodland
bandits, urban charlatans, bad teachers of martial arts
schools, or to consult the secrets of Wulin (world of kungfu)
with guildsman mendicants, hermits of deep mountains, bare-
handed lonewolves, wandering sages, or to cleanse the evils of
poison dosers, ghost witches, corrupted officials, invincible
overlords (they who claimed to be invincible), etc. 
 
The game rules are still under constructions.  They must be
simple but sophisticated enough to handle the veracity of a
good story.  The essence of the CAoRP system, namely, martial 
arts is as fantastic and artistic as magic in occidental RPGs.
Dice-fighting, card-fighting (to cope up with the sudden trend
of card playing), and even speech-fighting (like PBEM) will be
incorporated with various levels of complexity in the system
so as to suit many different tastes of role-players.

Magic?  Sure!  The Five Arts of the Secret Gate, with Maoshan
Arts being the toppest one, were frequently consulted even by
the First Emperor of Qin!  You can have a story where magic is
so rare that all bold Wuxia's (martial arts heroes) chase an evil
witch to the End of the Seas, while they find themselves being
watched by the Blood Spirits even in their dreams; or a story
where magic is so extensive that the Great Taoist of the East
Acme can direct an army of enchanted swords, just with a single
swing of his Peachwood Sword, to fight against the False Buddha
of Golden Lotus, whose Karma Echo can strike down any unwary
feckless souls.




Submission by Emails


   I sincerely invite role-players who are interested in the
CAoRP to join my mailing list.  Familiarity with oriental
cultures or experience in DMing are highly appreciated.  You
are encouraged to start your own interesting topic of
discussions.  Start your mail subject heading with CAoRP.
Some interesting topics are:

1) Most exciting stories in the Orient
   (my special choice--the Legend of the Condor Heroes by
    Jin Yong, a Honk Kong author, now lives in Taiwan)

2) Reality or fantasy of martial arts
   (Miyamoto Musashi--the real Japanese ronin who excelled
    in fighting with two swords; check his writings on
    strategy--the Book of Five Rings)

3) Chinese classics on mythology
   (Journey to the West--a team of a faithful priest, a super
    monkey, a lustful pig-man, a ragged monk...and hundreds
    of villainous bogies)

4) I-Ching, the Book of Change
   (the fundamental root of almost all arts in China)


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

  "In the West, fighting is a science.
   In the Orient, it is an art."

   Leonard Hung				[h--g] at [rouge.phys.lsu.edu]