In the beginning there was the heavens and the Earth. The Earth was a shapeless mass and from the heavens came the celestials, who shaped the body of the planet and created natural forces such as time and gravity. From the planet, came the Three Sublime Spirits, whose battle raged across the surface and gave birth to the spirit of life itself, empowering the creations of the Celestials. The final battle of the Three Sublime Spirits imbued the very land itself with a powerful spiritual energy, raising tall mountains and deep gorges, and creating the underworld, deep below. The celestials themselves were caught in the cosmic crossfire of this final battle, and vanished, never to be seen again.
Thousands of years later, two tremendous nations have formed on the continent. To the east, on a vast plain, the great Empire stands, having developed a rigid system of martial arts known as the Steel Soul, providing an ideal form to strive toward within its regimented society, headed by the Emperor. To the west, atop a vast steppe, the United Tribes have become a powerful alliance, led by the Khan. The tribes of the steppe each developed styles based on the animals surrounding them, which came to be known as the Fluid Form, allowing for partial shapeshifting and incredible strength.
Between these nations is the land empowered by the Three Sublime Spirits itself, a brutal landscape of mountainous spires and deep forests, raging rivers and fearsome volcanoes. A people has begun to unite here too, out of villages coming together to trade and protect each other, a much smaller culture in a more precarious environment. They too have developed martial arts, a system of techniques to allow for the control of the very elements around them, that so define their land.
Throughout all of these lands, there are whispers on the wind. Whispers of martial artists the world over gathering in the precarious frontier between the two nations, traversing the rough landscape to meet more of their kind and share secrets, forge bonds, and master their craft. Whispers of rogue agents seeking to consort with diabolical forces to gain as much power as they possibly can, no matter the cost. Whispers of a land of infinite potential.
Whispers of a land called… Otenko.
Martial Arts Fantasy: Otenko C is a game built with Cortex Prime, of wandering martial artists meeting each other in remote places, and growing and changing, from their experiences. The C in Otenko C is for “contact”, as the game is about both the cultural contact between the peoples of the Steppe, the Empire, and Otenko, but also of different styles coming into contact and exchanging techniques.
The beating core of this project is an engine of madcap fun, a game of players playing ridiculously badass martial artists and doing silly things with a straight face, reveling in the absurdity of the situation while embracing the coolness about the characters and not being afraid to have more intense, emotional moments.
Inspirational Material: Journey to the West, ATLA, Dragon Ball (not Z), One Piece, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Yakuza, Kung Fu Hustle, Trails from Zero
This system is designed for an unusual group structure, with one GM that runs multiple solo games with individual other players, running around the world asynchronously from other players. Sometimes, a session may have two player characters, functioning as a “crossover” episode. This system is specifically engineered for it to play relatively smoothly with one individual over an IM client like discord, at least with a dice rolling bot.
At any point, if a player’s action makes the GM or other players leap up and say “That’s Rad!” or “That was so cool!”, that player immediately gains a plot point.