The Inside Scoop on Gaming

"Cinematic" is a word that has become basically a throw-away term for RPG's of late; unfortunately, very few games deliver on truly cinematic flavor. First, in order to be "cinematic," a game must be based on a movie or genre of movies (cinema, duh). Second, it has to have rules which allow the plot AND the action to progress in a fashion similar to the movies it emulates.

Try this on for size: there is a damn good reason why there are no roleplaying games based on romance novels. They're boring. What Feng Shui is not is boring. Take the best of John Woo's films, add some Jackie Chan, James Bond, Bruce Lee, and splash some John Carpenter in for good measure. Shake rigorously, but aim it away from your face when you open it. This book kicks ass. Literally. Feng Shui tackles the ambience of action movies with an enthusiasm and vigor rarely seen in the industry. Rather than reading like an instruction manual for your new refrigerator, Feng Shui takes you by the closest available body part and doesn't let go. Simply put, it's a fun read.

The part where many games that read this well fall short is content. Surprise, it's here. Feng Shui delivers the goods. The rules are comprehensive and flexible (at the same time!). They also have the added benefit of being transparent. In this context, "transparent" means more fun, and easy to remember.

The background is well described and interesting, aned includes ideas for hooking characters into your fiendish designs. The rules for Feng Shui support the game background in a way that few systems do. Guns do just a little more damage than fists and feet, but not enough to give a guns-type character an advantage. Player characters are created using Archetypes, which is appropriate, considering the genre. Unnamed characters, affectionately referred to as "mooks," are taken down like set pieces (which they are). I can't give it all away... it's too much fun to read about.

The appearance and layout is well done, and very colorful. The book is full color throughout. However, the perfect bound book cover seems a little flimsy. I took my copy and transplanted the pages into a hardcover book, and re-covered it (I won't go into detail on it, but it's easy enough to figure out), because I knew that this was going to be one book I would read and reread for the enjoyment of it.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Feng Shui
Author: Robin D. Laws Category: game Company/Publisher: Daedalus Games Cost: $29.95 Page count: 286 ISBN: 1-888335-00-9 Capsule Review by Frank Guyton on 11/20/97. Genre tags: none	"Cinematic" is a word that has become basically a throw-away term for RPG's of late; unfortunately, very few games deliver on truly cinematic flavor. First, in order to be "cinematic," a game must be based on a movie or genre of movies (cinema, duh). Second, it has to have rules which allow the plot AND the action to progress in a fashion similar to the movies it emulates. Try this on for size: there is a damn good reason why there are no roleplaying games based on romance novels. They're boring. What Feng Shui is not is boring. Take the best of John Woo's films, add some Jackie Chan, James Bond, Bruce Lee, and splash some John Carpenter in for good measure. Shake rigorously, but aim it away from your face when you open it. This book kicks ass. Literally. Feng Shui tackles the ambience of action movies with an enthusiasm and vigor rarely seen in the industry. Rather than reading like an instruction manual for your new refrigerator, Feng Shui takes you by the closest available body part and doesn't let go. Simply put, it's a fun read. The part where many games that read this well fall short is content. Surprise, it's here. Feng Shui delivers the goods. The rules are comprehensive and flexible (at the same time!). They also have the added benefit of being transparent. In this context, "transparent" means more fun, and easy to remember. The background is well described and interesting, aned includes ideas for hooking characters into your fiendish designs. The rules for Feng Shui support the game background in a way that few systems do. Guns do just a little more damage than fists and feet, but not enough to give a guns-type character an advantage. Player characters are created using Archetypes, which is appropriate, considering the genre. Unnamed characters, affectionately referred to as "mooks," are taken down like set pieces (which they are). I can't give it all away... it's too much fun to read about. The appearance and layout is well done, and very colorful. The book is full color throughout. However, the perfect bound book cover seems a little flimsy. I took my copy and transplanted the pages into a hardcover book, and re-covered it (I won't go into detail on it, but it's easy enough to figure out), because I knew that this was going to be one book I would read and reread for the enjoyment of it. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)