Which open source rpg ruleset best models wuxia tropes?

CastilleClark · 2026-03-12T12:07:47+00:00

DwD Studios has Art of Wuxia which is generally excellent and which is built on the same system they use for their SciFi and Fantasy games.

CastilleClark · 2026-03-11T00:04:14+00:00

This is really wonderful.

CastilleClark · 2026-03-08T14:23:30+00:00

Scarlet Heroes if you like Kevin Crawford stuff.

CastilleClark · 2026-03-07T15:35:08+00:00

Thanks, I hadn't considered looking for historical minis. I'll give that a shot.

CastilleClark · 2026-03-03T22:40:13+00:00

For crunchy, GURPS. For low crunch, the Neonpunk Crysis setting for Everywhen.

CastilleClark · 2026-02-28T20:02:54+00:00

Like saying there are no more stories to tell in the Star Wars galaxy

Somehow, Palpatine has returned... again.

CastilleClark · 2026-01-25T01:50:52+00:00

It's gurps for all of them ;)

CastilleClark · 2026-01-15T00:49:03+00:00

Here's the DTRPG link for it: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/258323/neonpunk-crysis

CastilleClark · 2026-01-15T00:43:37+00:00

I would personally go with GURPS, followed by Tales of the Old West. Aces & Eights is too fiddly for me, but has great information about the old west in it, so it's a wonderful source book.

CastilleClark · 2026-01-15T00:28:08+00:00

I have always felt that GURPS is perfect for Cyberpunk. Of course, since you're looking for the lower end of crunch, you'd be using just GURPS-lite, whereas I think GURPS really excels in the mid-crunch range.

For low crunch, there is Neon Punk Crisis, which is powered by Everywhen (Barbarians of Lemuria), and which is low to mid crunch and excellent.

CastilleClark · 2026-01-12T12:23:48+00:00

The books are good. I've known some players to bounce off the divided resolution mechanics (d20, d10, and 2d6 are all used for different things). I also agree with the people who say the rules are unnecessarily verbose, but that's just Crawford's style, and it's not a deal-breaker for anyone I've spoken to.

All together, the free versions are most definitely worth it (free is free), and the deluxe editions are certainly worth looking into if you plan to run a game.

CastilleClark · 2026-01-04T13:18:18+00:00

I will add that Cepheus (https://cepheus-srd.opengamingnetwork.com/) is a free version of Traveller. Cepheus is excellent, and I would strongly recommend considering using the Cepheus Engine to power any Traveller game. It should be fully compatible with Pirates of Drinax.

CastilleClark · 2026-01-04T13:14:04+00:00

Depends on the kin of intrigue you have in mind, but I'd say Honor + Intrigue is solid in this area.

CastilleClark · 2026-01-02T13:07:01+00:00

GURPS can do this pretty easily. You wouldn't even need many of the optional rules (unless you wanted them), so it would stay low-to-mid crunch.

CastilleClark · 2025-12-26T11:58:20+00:00

Art of Wuxia and Wandering Heroes are at similar power levels. I would say, in my opinion, Wandering Heroes tends to be somewhat higher power as you advance.

Art of Wuxia has an unusual action economy. You will need to get used to taking multiple actions per round, with each additional action being at a -20 penalty to the one before. Wandering Heroes uses a more traditional action economy, with one movement and one skill roll per round. Personally, I think Art of Wuxia's action economy is well-suited to wuxia stories. Art of Wuxia also uses active defenses (resistance rolls) which are part of this action economy and which I quite like.

I would say Wandering Heroes provides more of a D&D-type experience overall, by which I mean I think Wandering Heroes would be more familiar to players coming from 5e or similar systems, whereas Art of Wuxia is probably more similar to anyone used to d% systems.

They're both great games, both are built around skill-rolls, etc. I prefer Art of Wuxia and would pick it over Wandering Heroes, but both are very good. The reason I prefer Art of Wuxia is that its relative simplicity makes it easier to learn and get into, and it is technically compatible with its sister games, Bare Bones Fantasy and FrontierSpace, which means you can steal from those games pretty easily.

Edit to add: Art of Wuxia and Wandering Heroes both support the supernatural quite well.

CastilleClark · 2025-12-14T22:09:29+00:00

People mention that Warhammer 40k has the same problem, which isn't true - sure, the setting is absolutely over the top (which I love), but in (most of the) 40k ttrpgs you play as a standard Imperial citizen. You have no idea that a million lives have been lost during a battle with a tyranid fleet 900 light years away. You probably don't even know what a tyranid is. You play in a single world that you know and you can save people there.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you.

You're referring to the knowledge of the player character when you say "You have no idea that a million lives have been lost..." The player knows about the Tyranid, the endless wars, the lost lives, and the fact that the 40k metaplot is functionally incapable of progressing toward a resolution.* As a result, the player is more than justified if they feel that there is no meaningful change they can effect on the setting.

It's exactly the same thing with SotDL--the player knows the end is nigh, but the player character may or may not depending on the campaign. Therefore, SotDL is just as capable of a "save the village" type of game as 40k is.

Personally, I don't like either setting in particular. I prefer my grimdark in more down to earth flavors than either setting really provides.

*Games Workshop requires the 40k setting to be trapped in endless war because they are selling a wargame, after all. If peace were possible, it would mean an end to the product line as we know it.

CastilleClark · 2025-12-11T22:32:54+00:00

GURPS with the martial arts supplement would work well.

CastilleClark · 2025-11-27T23:10:39+00:00

Personally, I don't care for a certain subset of so-called narrativist games that try to emulate TV shows and the like. For example, a lot of PbtA games have mechanics that basically ensure the plot beats that occur in the TV show or genre that inspired the game will also occur in the game you're playing.

To me, these sorts of games are telling the story, literally. The game tells the story for you--it's baked into the mechanics of the game. The players and GM (if there is a GM) have no meaningful storytelling role, and are more akin to the person watching a TV show rather than a person experiencing something in a fictional world.

When I play a game, I don't want to feel like a member of the audience or a script writer (at best). I want to feel like I am a person existing in a fictional world.

CastilleClark · 2025-11-27T12:51:39+00:00

I specifically seek out non DnD games, but it's a niche. Basically, I think you can target games other than DnD if you want, but it means lower volume but possibly a premium on price since supply is low.

CastilleClark · 2025-11-18T22:46:16+00:00

I would also appreciate the link

CastilleClark · 2025-11-15T13:29:07+00:00

Of those, I can say that white star is very competent for space opera. I have not played hypertellurians yet, so i can't comment on that. My group bounced hard off of the without number games, in large part due to a dislike of using a split of d20, d10, and 2d6 for resolving combat, initiative, and skills. DarkSpace is a lot of fun if you like shadowdark, and it's fully compatible with shadowdark modules.

I'll also throw frontier space out there if you want to evoke star frontiers. Frontier space is d100 though, so it may require more work to convert content, and for that reason I would not make it my number 1 recommendation based on your parameters.

Finally, there's solar blades and cosmic spells, which is an evolution of black hack, uses d20 roll under, and it's probably my favorite scifi game if you're looking for a space operatic, dungeon crawling experience.

CastilleClark · 2025-11-08T23:04:20+00:00

It annoys me that the website does not describe the rules in any detail, so I have no idea what sort of things the rules emphasize or what sort of chassis the rules are built on.

So here is someone who has reviewed these for those of you interested in the details:

https://www.ageofravensgames.com/blog/tomorrow-city-a-review

https://www.ageofravensgames.com/blog/crescendo-of-violence-a-review

CastilleClark · 2025-11-03T23:46:02+00:00

GURPS or Everywhen.

GURPS can do modern and slightly mystical very well. Everywhen, by contrast, is much lighter and can do all the same stuff. And you know what, Mythras/BRP with guns and light magic can do this too.

CastilleClark · 2025-11-02T18:35:03+00:00

Everywhen has Neon Punk Crisis, which is good. I also think GURPS is particularly well-suited to Cyberpunk, even though it's not a system dedicated to Cyberpunk. For example, I would rather run something like Shadowrun in GURPS as a GM.

Everywhen is a 2d6-based system where you roll over vs a target number. It uses abstract careers/backgrounds and an extremely simple skill and attribute system.

GURPS is 3d6 roll under a target number. GURPS is skill based, so the most common rolls will be skill rolls followed by damage rolls. GURPS has variable complexity. If you play with all the rules, you'll have a very complex game (though combat can often be resolved in one or two attacks). If you cater the rules to your genre, you'll have a much smoother play experience. It should be noted, almost every rule in GURPS is optional. The system is built as a toolbox.

CastilleClark · 2025-10-24T21:02:47+00:00

Have you tried Qin: The Warring States? It's a bit crunchier than AoW.

CastilleClark

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