Author: Benjamin (---.net.au)
Date: 05-08-2003 05:13
While I have read through the Wushu system, and enjoyed it, I thought it worth mentioning a couple of other systems that work well for heroic OTT action.
Exalted is White Wolf's anime-influenced fantasy game, in case you haven't heard of it. It too has rewards, rather than punsihments, for over the top stunts; when you stunt, you are awarded points which can be turned into Willpower points (replenshing your character's natural reserves of resolve), motes of Essence (used to fuel magical effects), or bonus dice for that action. There are also rules for Extras, who can be easily dispatched. Not bad, and though the system is heavily embedded in its setting, it's still based on the Storyteller system and could be tweaked for a Matrix game.
Then there's one of my all-time favourite systems: 7th Sea. Not the d20 Swashbuckling Adventures stuff, the original rall and Keep system. The core mechanic is the same as for Legend of the Five Rings - roll some dice, keep some of them, add those up for your total versus a target number - but the rules for combat, levels of villains (Brute Squads, Henchman and Villains) and wounds are awesome and eminently useable in any heroic game. The reward mechanic is simple - do something cool, get a Drama Die, which you can spend when you need to for a variety of effects.
It would take some effort to adapt the 7th Sea mechanics to suit a gun-heavy setting like the Matrix, but personally, I think it'd be worth it. Pity I'm not a huge Matrix fan, or I might try doing it myself...
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