Wandering Blades RPG Quickstart

Lethal melodrama in an old-school tabletop RPG package!

Wandering Blades is a roleplaying game of violent, martial arts melodrama by Daniel Kwan for 2-5 players. In this game, players take on the roles of highly skilled martial artists who wander the lands seeking to redress wrongs, help the downtrodden, and free the innocent from oppressive forces. Using a streamlined system inspired by old school renaissance products, Wandering Blades enables dynamic and lethal combat while empowering players to tell heroic and melodramatic stories inspired by Chinese wuxia media, Japanese animation, and action video games.

Wandering Blades is designed around the following core principles:

• Danger is Everywhere - The world of Wandering Blades is full of danger and the smallest mistake can be deadly. The weapons and martial arts techniques wielded by player characters are instruments of death, but so are those of their enemies. 
• Old-School Principles - The system of Wandering Blades is designed to create a gameplay experience that is open-ended, challenging, and supportive of emergent narratives.
• Skillful and Dynamic Combat - Fights in Wandering Blades are designed to feel stylish, fast, and compelling. Success in combat relies heavily on skill, instead of luck. 
• Toolbox Experience - The rules in Wandering Blades are written as guidelines for GMs (game masters). They are open to player interpretation, ingenuity, and expansion.

“Gorgeous Tabletop Violence”

Time to Violence - In just a short amount of time, players are able to engage in hyper-lethal, dynamic, and compelling combat encounters using easy to learn, yet tactical rules. 

Skill Over Luck - Success in combat relies heavily on skill, rather than luck. The core rules enable players to capture momentum from their adversaries and press the advantage in combat.

What's in the Quickstart?

Our goal with the quickstart is to give you an introduction to the basic mechanics of the game, starter classes, how to run combat, and a guide for an introductory adventure. 

Follow along with development

Wandering Blades is currently in development. If you would like exclusive access to new rules, classes, and regular design updates, please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/danielhkwan! My Patreon page is a dedicated space to share info about the game while it's being developed. 

Wandering Blades is being published in print by Plus One Exp.