China LARP

China Registration

Background and History
Welcome to “Once Upon A Time in China and Delaware,” a live-action roleplaying game of Oriental martial arts/fantasy movies! The game is set in a semi-mythical 1st century China, in a wholly mythical Chinese city called Nu Wa, which resides in a wholly mythical province called Lawa.

Here is some basic information that will help you navigate this ancient culture.

Naming Conventions
First, you will notice that some names in your materials are in bold face. Bold-faced references are to other player characters in the game. A name that isn’t in boldface is likely to be a non-player character.

All names are presented as a descriptive nickname, usually followed by either the formal family name, or a first name. For example, in the name Huntress Shu, “Huntress” is her nickname, Shu Lien is her given name. For Herb Doctor Wong, “Herb Doctor” is his nickname, and “Wong” is the family surname. A few people just have nicknames, like Lotus and Auntie 13.

The Ruler of China
The current Imperial dynasty was begun 144 years ago after the death of the First Emperor, Chin Shi Huang Di. He was the first to unite the warring provinces of China, but his rule was vicious and oppressive (as perhaps it had to be to unite the warring states). That dynasty, known as “Chin,” (from whence we get the name China) was supplanted by the current Han dynasty, which has flourished in the ensuing century. The current Emperor is called Xuan Di.

The Emperor claims that he rules by the “Mandate of Heaven”—that is, the gods want him to have power, or he wouldn’t have it. The people accept this with a surprising degree of fatalism, as long as the Emperor performs his most important functions—seeing to it that the rain falls and the harvests are good.

But times are bad. Poor rule (some say due to the influence of the Emperor’s eunuch advisors) has led to widespread poverty and famine. Unrest is brewing.
In addition, the Emperor has no direct heirs, and rumors are that he has fallen ill. If he were to die without an heir, there could well be a fierce struggle for the throne. The current Empress has a son by a previous marriage, and he is one possible choice for a successor. The Empress herself might attempt to take the throne in the deceased Emperor’s name. It is also possible that the Emperor’s advisors would attempt to find a charismatic candidate and propel him to a puppet throne.

The Government of Lawa
A remote province, Lawa nonetheless owes allegiance to the Emperor, who rules from Changan. The city of Nu Wa is the capital of Lawa province.

The ruling body in Lawa consists of the governor, known as Proud Governor Lu; the Lead Tax Collector, a local boy known as Bucktooth So; another local boy called Butcher Lang who is in charge of the Militia, and the prefect of police, Captain Leo.

For the time of the Festival, visiting dignitaries include Eunuch Xi and Dashing Prince Cha. In extremis, the governor can request assistance from Changan, usually in the form of a small army of troops to quell local uprisings. To do so, however, requires a significant loss of Face.

The Flying Daggers Secret Society
This secret society is dedicated to overthrowing the ruling Emperor. Although most people feel that the mandate of Heaven is granted by the gods and can only be taken away by the gods, the Flying Daggers point to failing crops, floods, disease and famine, and say that the mandate of Heaven has clearly been withdrawn, and now it is up to the people to enact the will of the gods. The continued growth of the wealthy upper class (while peasants die in droves building walls) doesn’t help the situation any.

Therefore, the government is hot to destroy the Flying Daggers, and the Imperial Army and Imperial Secret Service are constantly on the lookout for Dagger activity.

The Festival of the Dead
This weekend the Festival of the Dead will be taking place. The Chinese have an intense devotion to family and ancestors. Everyone burns hell money so that his dead relatives can live well in the afterlife. Some have even made elaborate paper household items, such as mahjong sets, to burn so that their deceased relatives can have all the things they had in life. This also puts the dead relatives in a mood to do favors for those good descendants that have sent them rich gifts. During the Festival of the Dead, the gates to the 10 Hells are open, and contact with family members who have passed on is much easier than usual. Living—and dead—family members often take advantage of this time.

Although not everyone realizes it, this particular Festival of the Dead is the last of a 12-year cycle of 12-year cycles, and is sometimes also known as the Festival of the Dragon’s Bones. There are many rumors and stories about the awesome powers that can be acquired from one’s ancestors at the Festival of the Dragon’s Bones.

Clans
In Nu Wa there are three major clans (connected family organizations, mostly dedicated to learning forms of kung fu): the Sun Moon Sect, Lam Chi Bo Martial Arts School, and Wu Tang. Each clan espouses a different variety of martial arts, and much time and energy is spent proving which style is best. If you are a member of a clan, you will have a Clan Information Sheet explaining more about your clan and its politics. Here is information that everyone knows about them.

The Sun Moon Sect
This wild barbarian hill tribe has grown in a single generation into one of the three great clans of Lawa under the leadership of its fearsome chieftains, fighters, and sorcerers. Caring little for social graces or traditional proprieties, this clan respects only brute force and masterful leadership, and, as such, is regarded with wary distrust by the governor and the other clans. Nonetheless, the casual courage, mercurial charm, and ruthless skill of its leading figures have earned their uneasy respect and admiration.

The Lam Chi Bo School of Martial Arts
Lam Chi Bo has risen from humble mercantile origins to become the most prominent clan in Lawa. Though the clan’s businesses are quite successful, Lam Chi Bo’s local pre-eminence comes from its mastery of the martial arts; the clan's leader, the noted herbalist and expert martial artist, Herb Doctor Wong, won last year's festival martial arts competition. This year, Lam Chi Bo was awarded Lawa's provincial offices of the local militia and tax collection. These offices bring great prestige, but also great responsibility, and must be executed with utmost propriety to avoid bringing disgrace upon the clan.

The Wu Tang Clan
This clan is named after their founding father, Magnificent Wu Tang, a general in the Imperial Army who helped secure the throne for the current Imperial Dynasty. As a reward for services rendered, Magnificent Wu Tang was made the governor the prefecture of Lawa. Since then, the maneuverings of court eunuchs have placed Imperial favorites as governors of Lawa; nonetheless, Wu Tang rightly considers itself the most aristocratic of Lawa's Great Clans, and looks with some disdain upon the prosaic rectitude of the mercantile Lam Chi Bo School and the ignorant posturing of the barbarian Sun Moon Sect.

GMs - Five Dragons
(Doug Kaufman, Wendy Kaufman, Ken Rolston, Ken Megill, Steve Bennett)