Description

Legends of the Wulin is a board-game of Wuxia adventure and drama set in the genre-loyal universe of Ancient China for 2-6 players.

In this game players take on the role of Wuxia heroes – men and women who pursue their virtuous goals through the perfection of their martial abilities. Players complete quests in support of their individual (and secret) goals, fight bandits, rebels, cults, and other Wuxia heroes while developing their Kungfu abilities and cultivating their “Qi”. The story which the players create within the game is different every game, as their secret agenda is always different. The story plot – as told by the mission the players struggle to complete – follows story elements from popular wuxia movies and novels.

Xiake – noble fighters of the martial arts community – live to embody their personal virtues. They express these virtues in their main goals: defeat the tyrant emperor… or support the law against the rebels; defeat the heterodox sects… or support the traditional leaders of the Wulin; become the Wulin Mengzhu – recognized leader of the martial arts community… or burn down the community in revenge. Each of these goals is a secret which the player keeps until the final battle, where the player will fight against his main rival.

Legends of the Wulin is both a strategic and tactical game. On a strategic level, players compete to finish quests faster than the competition, thereby gaining access to better fighting abilities. Tactically, the combat system of LOTW incorporates a short battle card game, in which players play individual Kungfu “stances” against each other to get the upper hand within a three-round battle.

Legends of The Wulin typically takes 2-3 hours to play. A large-ish table is required because the board, cards, and charactersheets take up a lot of space. The rules are not particularly complex and is easy to pick-up. Mastering the game requires keen strategic thinking as well as experience learning the different Kungfu stances and abilities. However, this is an adventure game, and players are encouraged to “role-play” their character’s adventure.