1

power.
talents, or provide near-godlike
training, involve supernatural
martial arts are merely excellent
should decide whether the
As a group of players, you

unique style to the Tournament.

even beyond it), they each bring a
homelands (all over the world or
Having few to no equals in their
surely your characters can do so.
martial arts can accomplish,
ranked. If there is a feat that the
martial artists, skilled and well-
All characters are accomplished

Your Art

character (p3, p9), know the

To play you'll need to create

rules (p5), and get a feel for

arts competition and secret
Tournament
This is a game of martial
The Great

how the game should go

(the rest of the booklet).
and write down your


goals.
2

on the game.
your character. It has no effect
players when they interact with
are. This is to help the other
what its most famous techniques
of martial arts you practice, and
You should also name the style

important).
and rank them 3-5 (5 is the most
three of these for your character
want to accomplish. Write down
tournament with things they
Each martial artist comes to the

Goals and Styles

back
really competing for. Honor?
simply here to win! Pull up a
portray a martial artist come

tournament that will ever be

held. But what are your real
to compete in the greatest

seat at the breakfast table

Respect? Revenge? You'll

fellow martial artists are
and find out what your
goals? Not everyone is
storytelling game. You

find out soon enough,

This is a tiny, folded
stand victorious!
Only one will

grasshopper.
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In The Story

The tournament is broken up into days, with each contestant

 In Game Terms

In each day of the tournament you are given one suit of

having but a single tournament bout each day. At the
beginning of each day, all the players' characters find
themselves eating breakfast (plain rice) at the same table.
Eagerly or reluctantly, they share their tales of the previous
day's events. Even those who are knocked out of the
tournament stay to see the end, and still have the chance to
accomplish what they desire.
♣♦♥♠
cards, ace through king. You pick six of these and place them
face-down in front of you. Each time another player
challenges your story, they must play a card. You reveal one
of your own cards and the person with the higher card wins
the challenge. You can combine two (but not more) cards in
order to beat a higher card. You must narrate the result,
whether the challenger won or not.

When you tell the day's story, other contestants will often
speak up to ask questions, especially when events seem tricky
or impossible. One might question your strength or skill;
another might ask how you resisted your opponent's well-
known Fire Fist technique. Perhaps you tell a tale of
seducing a great beauty, and others know of her vow of
chastity. You will need to explain how you overcame these
things or were defeated by them.
When you have no more cards left to flip over, your
character's day is done. He or she rests, watching other bouts,
eating in the mess hall, sulking in the temple, or just sleeping.
If two players face each other in the tournament, treat it like
a normal day in all ways. Only one of the players can tell the
story of the bout; the other must tell a story that seeks to
accomplish a different goal.

At the end of the tournament, with only two characters When the final day comes, each goal you accomplished yields
remaining, the temple's sparring grounds can no longer a number of cards equal to its importance. All players take
contain the contest. A fight breaks out at the breakfast table, turns narrating their attacks and techniques, playing cards to
and even one who was previously disqualified has a chance to represent their prowess. The player whose cards add to the
prove that their art is supreme. greatest total defeats all the others, and is named champion
of the tournament.
4 5
Good Goals to Strive For
The obvious goal, that of winning the tournament, is
assumed. Don't write it down. Pick goals that will make your
character act. Also, pick goals that will let you introduce
other characters, both contestants and non-contestants. You
should keep your character's goals secret from the other
players, lest they be forewarned. Consider implying several
possible goals in your tale. You should build up to your goal
during your story, not attempt to accomplish it immediately.
Conversely, waiting until the final card may result in an
anticlimactic tale, so develop a sense of timing.
Defeat _________.

Earn the love of _________.
Throw the match against _________.
Make _________ look good in combat.
Make _________ realize his mistakes.
Take revenge on _________.
Learn the secret technique that _________ uses.
Steal _________, the temple's hidden treasure.
Kidnap _________.
Be punished by _________ for my wickedness.
Seduce _________ with my art.
Convince _________ to train me.
Embarrass _________.
Break _________ free of the demon that possesses him.
Disarm _________ and take his weapon.

Storytelling Technique
The game will flow best if you couch what you say in terms
of what you attempted instead of what you accomplished.
Remember that everyone has the opportunity to interrupt
you with challenges and questions. Say not, “I threw him to
the ground and defeated him!” but instead, “I moved to
grapple him and throw him to the ground.”
You do not need to put all your high cards face-down. Doing
so will allow your opponents to succeed, as you will be
unable to stop them. Consider having a goal that requires you
to fail at what you seem to be attempting, and allows you to
put down lower cards once in a while.
This game does not require a GM but it may have a Sensei.
The Sensei gives a voice to the game's NPCs, describes the
tournament grounds and temple, and acts as timekeeper. The
Sensei receives no cards and does not tell a story.
The tournament's length should be chosen by the players at
the beginning of the game. Five days is the standard.
Even if you have accomplished your goal, continue to tell
your story until your cards are gone. Only reveal your true
goal and its success or failure at the end.
A Sample of Play

(Sei, out of the tournament, has just successfully snuck into the temple
in pursuit of the Sword of Ji Feng. His rival Yu Long seeks the sword
as well. Other player characters are Xi and Bu.)
Sei: “When I entered the inner chamber, my enemy Yu Long
was there. He spotted me, shouting out a challenge. I took up
the Hurricane Stance and waited for his assault.”
Xi: “You must have faced his Lightning Kick.” (plays a 7)
Sei (reveals a 5): “Sadly, yes, and it proved a match for me. I
fell back and changed my approach, going on the offensive.”
Bu: “A defensive fighter attempting an all-out assault?
Foolish. I assume you paid a harsh lesson.” (plays a 4)
Sei: (reveals a Jack) “Hardly. Yu was completely unprepared,
and I quickly knocked him to the ground. Free to wander the
inner chambers, I saw many treasures beyond belief – jade
statues, garments woven of gold... Finally, I came to where
the Sword of Ji Feng lay.”
Xi: “Ji Feng died mysteriously. I am surprised that his ghost
did not try to keep you from stealing his sword.” (plays a 9)
Sei: (reveals a 6, his last card) “The same thought ran through
my mind. Whether the ghost was there or not, I will never
know, for I ran from the chamber in fear and shame.”
Sei's player reveals his goal: Defeat Yu Long (4). In the final
day he will draw four cards because of this.
6 7

 Character Sheet
Name: ___________________________
Player: ___________________________
Goals: Accomplished?
3:
4:
5:
Martial Arts Style:
Famous Technique:
Written by Colin Fredericks. CC-BY-NC 3.0 License.
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