Post originally by Ezekiel Black at 2004-11-01 11:11:29
Converted from Phorums BB System

What exactly is complicated about FS? It's MUCH lighter than many other RPGs I've found, pick a template, assign points, pick powers, the mechanic is (skill or stat) +1d6 -1d6 vs. Difficulty. I have shown nearly all of Feng Shui's system just then. Sure, there's the shot counter/etc for combat, and health system, but it's remarkably easy to GM vs. other games.

Dotan Dimet wrote:
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The handling time as a newbie Feng Shui GM felt about as awkward as Shadowrun, which I've only experienced as a player with a practiced GM.
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Are you saying that FS is as complicated as Shadowrun? This is completely absurd.

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This is probably because Feng Shui's text appeals very strongly to people seeking fast action and drama, but the game design is based on the assumption that a lot of the players will be hack-and-slash loving munchkins.
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Ok, so real roleplayers are sated with the storyline of FS and powergamers are sated with the game system of FS. Oh, and the fact that the system is balanced also sates real roleplayers. So the game is perfect for everyone in your eyes. I dunno if I'd go that far, but I do enjoy GMing FS.

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So you get a game that gives you enough of a tactical element to annoy the narrativists, anf an overall flavour that feels crunchy but bland rather than lite and fast.
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I had three gamers in my first group to try FS. We had characters made in less than 10 minutes, and one guy had to go run for popcorn and copy character sheets. The roll and shot system took another 3 minutes for them to swallow and become experts at. After the game, everyone said the rules and setting were unlike and cooler than anything they'd ever played. I don't understand your criticism, but perhaps not all people game FS the same way.

And we've played Shadowrun. Once. Not my choice.

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Wushu (and Pulp Fu) has a much simpler system, where all the "crunch" is basically treated as a special effect, something you narrate to add color and get more dice. The tactical element is minimal, the descriptive aspect is maximized.
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I don't understand this arguement. FS had no tactics when I ran it. For gawd's sake, one player shot out the ceiling of a restaurant with his machine gun while another tossed a table at a bunch of mooks at the stairwell. The third grabbed a mook by the throat and threw him through the window (and went with him, using him as a glass/bullet shield). That was one round of combat, and I used the exact same mechanic for all situations. It all played out in about 25 seconds. I'd call that "descriptive aspect is maximized"

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Instead of not penalizing PCs for colorful description (like FS suggests), Wushu requires colorful description to power the in-game effect. So all the things that FS handles with mechanics, Wushu handles with what (in FS and Exalted) you'd call "stunts", or "roleplaying bonuses".
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I asked what it brings to the table FS doesn't. YOu tell me that "In Wushu, you can't do it if you don't describe it" In FS, if you describe it unwell, you perform unwell. I barely see any difference here.