Feng Shui Intro Video

I'm recompiling a Feng Shui Intro Video I did many years ago, and looking to update it. I'd like to find examples of all the archetypes that I can use (clips from movies) on my video. I'm planning on making a special DVD that isn't in and of itself a long video, but a tool for a GM to use in Feng Shui to show examples of archetypes, groups, schticks, and the like, usable in the game.

Therefore, I'm asking you fine folks for help. I'll be asking for help in many places as I do this project, but for now, all I need is help with the Archetypes.

I'm trying to stay within the scope of the game itself. The game has five distinct junctures that are playable, and all take their inspiration from Hong Kong Action films. Think in terms of chopsockies, gunplay melodramas, and dark future wigginess. The periods of time are ... 69 AD Ancient China (Diabolical Eunuch sorcerers, ancient Chinese Warriors, etc.), 1850 AD China (go watch Once Upon a Time in China ... that's the jist of it), Contemporary time (circa 1996 Hong Kong, usually, but any big city or modern-day set film will do), 2056 AD (A dark, corporate-run future, with arcane-enhanced cybernetics ... think of Blade Runner with supernatural creatures and magic), and, finally, the Netherworld (the crossroads of time and space, it's a gray, cavernous place where many refugees from lost times hold up ... NOT THE SPIRIT WORLD or where demons come from, that's the Underworld).

NO ANIME. This is not a game of BESM, it's Feng Shui. This is unfortunate, because many of these archetypes would be easy to get out of an anime, but it is not what I'm looking for.

Here are the archetypes I am currently huting down examples for ...

Bounty Hunter (???)
Gardener (???)
Gearhead (???)
Golden Candle Agent (???)
Gorilla Fighter (???)
Guiding Hand Archer (???)
Journalist (???)
Lodge Survivor (???)
Medic (???)
Monster Hunter (???)
Portal Jockey (???)
Redeemed Pirate (???)
Shaolin Disciple (???)
Shaolin Master (???)
Transformed Animal (???)
Uber Kid (???)

If anyone can help me with some examples, and can point me to a movie I can look at, please do!

Anyway, thanks ahead of time!

Ethan

I've cleared a few that I've taken care of, but any help would be appreciated!

Ethan

Domino - imdb.com/title/tt0421054/

Movies where they walk in japanese gardens, perhaps some films about the yakuza, they often show these gardens.

There was a british television series about a black woman which was a very good gearhad. Other characters were a spy and a thief. Mission Impossible (movie and series) is a very hot candidate, too. Or the best gearheads of the movie world: the A-Team / McGyver

imdb.com/title/tt0084967/
imdb.com/title/tt0088559/

Peking Opera Blues
imdb.com/title/tt0090952/

Kongo
imdb.com/title/tt0112715/

Robin Hood ... hmmmmmm ... not really. Rambo? No. Sin City! Yes, in Sin City the martial arts prostitute.

Or even better "House of flying daggers" have some nice bow scenes.
imdb.com/title/tt0385004/

Robert Redford in the movie about the watergate scandal. Not very much action, but IMHO the journalist is not a full frontal assault warrior.
imdb.com/title/tt0074119/

Any postapocalytic movie, perhaps Mad Max. Some scenes from the "Terminator" or "Matrix" where they are showing some battle / refugee scenes from the future.

imdb.com/title/tt0089530/
imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
imdb.com/title/tt0088247/

The television series E.R with George Cloony.
"Band of Brothers" have some nice emergency medic scenes. imdb.com/title/tt0185906/
I think "Blawk Hawk down" had some scenes too. imdb.com/title/tt0265086/

"Pretador"
imdb.com/title/tt0100403/

A scout ... perhaps "Sniper"
imdb.com/title/tt0045161/

The "Matrix" trilogy, where they are searching for phone lines, the operators etc.

Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Carribian ^^

Any Shaolin-Film, "Hero" for exemple.

Hmmmm ... Blade (yes, he is a vampire, but his powers could be transformed schticks) or other vampire movies, perhaps Underworld (Evolution)

imdb.com/title/tt0120611/

Children of the Corne
imdb.com/title/tt0087050/

Sixth sense
imdb.com/title/tt0167404/

Little Man Tate perhaps (recommandation from a friend)
imdb.com/title/tt0102316/

SYL

I have only one answer:

imdb.com/title/tt0090728/
(Big Trouble in Little China)

This movie contains nearly every character and nearly every 'class' (fu, guns, magic, demons).

I think this movie is the best introduction to Feng Shui (contemporary setting). This film is awsome :slight_smile:

[color=darkblue]Big Trouble should be mandatory viewing for all Feng Shui players.

Agreed.

While the video sounds cool, it also sounds like overkill. Is Feng Shui that hard to understand?

In some ways yes. "Action movie" is very general and most people would associate actors like Schwarzenegger, Eastwood or Stalone and different "styles" with it, but "eastern action" is often reduced to Jackie Chan => slapstick action comedy. Some of the difficulties regarding role playing is that many people associate a brainless hack orgy with the term "hong kong martial arts action movie role playing game" and I personally think that FS is much more then brainless. So, sometimes I have difficulties to convince people that FS is a very good RPG with a lot of different play styles (from brainless gore to social interaction between time travellers) ... especially if these persons come from more traditional RPGs like WoD, SR or DSA (a very popular german fantasy RPG)

I'll second that about play styles. I've had a number of campaigns with some very different groups of players- from simple hack and slash and penis jokes to hard-core planning of operations to rich role-playing, and shades in between.

Sometimes one or more has been mixed in the same gaming session.

One of my players is very into the RP of RPGs, he likes In Nomine, D&D (where the hack and slash is minimal) and liked the look of Unknown Armies when he read the book. He thought at first he woulnd't get on with FS, having witnessed some of the high-spirited sessions I'd run, but he started in the latest campaign and is really warming to it. He's now thinking up ways of adapting Sapphire and Steel to the FS system.

There is another use for an 'intro video'- I've taken to showing a short excerpt from a film before my regular weekly games to help set the mood and maybe give hints as to what's likely to happen. A compilation would be very useful for that, particularly if well indexed.

You might well be all done by now, but there are good examples of Killer, Medic and Velocity Addict in the film Him gok (aka Sharp Guns). One of my top ten films, detailing a lead character (possibly a Gambler archetype) hired by his former boss to rescue the boss's kidnapped daughter.

It's the kind of film that Tarantino wishes he could make, with double-crosses, cunning plans, and some really bad suits (it had to fall down somewhere!) And some serious mook-mangling.

There's also a "Knives and Kung-fu Killer" - not really a Fu Schtick martial artist, just someone with a very high Martial Arts AV - a Killer who doesn't use guns. Of course, applying Guns AV to non-contemporary weapons would suit that character too ...

You would be thinking of "Bugs" (imdb.com/title/tt0111904/) - excellent series, also demonstrating that it is possible to hide a Calico inside a suit jacket. Ed was more adrenalin junkie than thief, but that's probably the best match to his Intrusion AV. Ros was the Techie of the team.

Actually, Blade III also features a good Tech character, if not for long [grin].