Monkey The Role-Playing Game

By NEwt Newport. Releases for Monkey by D101 Games

Monkey the Role-playing Game The Monkey Companion The Ministry of Thunder The Mandate of Heaven The Golden Book of 101 Immortals

Legals Copyright © 2018 by Paul Newport All art copyright of respective artists. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review and printing for personal use only.

First Printing, 2018.

D101 Games. 4 Tandle Hill Road, Royton, Oldham, Lancashire, United Kingdom. OL2 5UU.

d101games.com 3 Monkey Contents

1. Introduction 6 2. The Great Cloud Race 23 3. Origins 39 4. The Journey to the West Begins 77 5. The Road to India 87 6. Ending the Journey 109 7. Narrator’s Advice 115 8. The Worlds of Monkey 137 9. If You See Buddha on the Road 155 10. The Bag of Wind 165 11. The Four Pilgrims 185 12. More Immortals 198 13. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 208 14. Bibliography 224 An Example Table Set Up 227 Immortal Sheets 228 Quick Reference 231 Index 237 Dedication

This book is in memory of my late father, Derek Newport, who introduced me to the wonders of the Far East and was the inspiration for this 2nd Incarnation. Credits

By NEwt Newport Editor: Paul Mitchener. Proof readers: Guy Milner, Paul Mitchener, Lynn Yin. Cover art: Jon Hodgson. Internal art: Dan Barker and Peter Frain.

Personal Thanks Mark Conry, Dan Barker, Neil “Monkey’s Uncle” Gow, Lloyd Gyan, Peter Frain, Jon Hodgson, Ginger Matt, Guy Milner, Gwen Mott, Lynn Yin. Monkey 4 Kickstarter Backers This 2nd Incarnation of Monkey was made possible by the generosity of the the following people who backed the Kickstarter held in January 2016. They have my eternal thanks. LITTLE MONKEYS @symatt, Adam Longley, adumbratus, Alice Peng & Brandon Powers, Andrew Cook, Andrew Loch, Andrew Nitins, Andy L, Ben Stewart, Benjamin “BlackLotos” Welke, Bethany Cai, Bob Harrison, Bruce Heroux, Carl LeCompte, Carl Rigney, Chen Li Ho, Chris Vogler, Chris Westbrook, Christopher Tomich, Chronas, Cris Ramon, Danacea, Daniele Fusetto, David Dorward, David Inker, David Wolf, David-Jon, djkizza, Dom Hero Ellis, Don Penney, Doug Grimes, Echo Vents Books, Erica Frank, Evan B. Walters, F, Fearchar Battlechaser, Frederic Ferro, Gnome Archiviste, Gordon Stephen, Hao Zhang, Iain Chapman, Ignatius Montenegro, in memory of Bruce Hoover, itarun, jamie, Jarvis Mishler, Jason B Smith, Jerry Leeper, John DiPietro, Jonathan Korman, Josh Fox, K.L.Svarrogh, Kargrieg, Kenny Beecher, Lester Ward, Månlufsen, Mark Caldwell, Mark Leymaster of Grammarye, Martin Sonnleitner, Matias N. Caruso, Matt Nixon, Matthew Brady, Michael O’Brien, Michael P.T. Hartwell, Michal Kociak, Mikailos, nekomata29, Nicebut Jim, Nick Bate, Nick Davison, Nick Reynolds, Ozzy Beck, Patrice Mermoud, Paul Bendall, Paul DeMartino, Paul Hayes, Paul Watson, Pete Lindsay, Peter Baldwin, Peter Metcalfe, Pyke van Zon, Rafu, Reverance Pavane, Richard Stephens, Ronald F Whitehead, Saajan Patel, Sage Brush, Shane Mclean, Simon Brake, Siobhan Morris, Sophia Brandt, Star West, Steve Moore, Stew Wilson, Svend Andersen, The Roach, Thomas (Sandy) Boulton, Tianlong, Tim Westlake, Tom Hoefle, Tony Love, Ulf “McWolfe” Andersson, Vaughan Cockell, Zachari Dahran. BIG MONKEYS ***Dave Hill, Adrian Smith, Aimes Hyde, Akhad, Al Billings, Aleph, Alexander X. Lopez, Alistair Dandy, Andy Edwards, Andy Sangar, Andy Smith, Áron Péterfy, Bill Carter, Bonzai Kitten, Cameron Tudball, Chris Hartford, Colin Driver, Daniel Norton, Dave Maple, Dave ‘Wintergreen’ Harrison, Dawid “Dievas” Wojcieszynski, Dominic McDowall - Cubicle 7, Felix Girke, Fil ‘Tiny Ted’ Baldowski, Francis Gene-Rowe, James Cherry-McDonough, Janine M., Jeremy Bohan, John Evans, John LaCorte, John Wilson, Jon Hodgson, Lakshman Godbole, Lord Hennamono, Louis Kolkman, Marcus Morgan, Mark Kernow, Matt “Goober” Bleasdale, Mendel Schmiedekamp, Menotomy Dave, Mike Quintanilla, Mike Roberson, Mikel L. Matthews Jr, Monkey King, Neil Smiht, Nick Colombo, Nick Eden, Nik Whitehead, Nutch the Love Monkey, Oliver Morris, Ollie Gross, Ota Ulc, Paul Gallagher, Rachel “Starbuck” Johnson, Red Dice Diaries, Richard Gant, Robert Corr, Robert Fahrney, Ryan McConnell, Sacha Ratcliffe, Sam Watson, Scott Akers, Sean Lincoln, Simon Brunning, Simon Proctor, Stephen Thomson, Steve Hammatt, Stewart Stansfield, Stuart Rabson, The Fox, Thomas Eifried, Thomas Schlüter, Tim Ellis, Tim Evans, Trip Space-Parasite, Violet Cinnamon, Whitt., William Sked, Willykaceres, Xiao Houzi. 5 Monkey BRASS MONKEYS Adam M. Coleman, Andreas “Oracle” Deicke, Andrew Anfora, Andrew Dacey, Andy Jacobs, Anonymous, Becky Smith, Bhelliom Demian Rahl, Brad Munn, Bruce Ferrie, Bruce Turner, Caribet, Carol L Johnson, Chiu, Chen-Hsun, Chris Heath, Chris Vian, Christer Edling, Christophe Dubreuil, Curt Meyer, Darren Buckley, Darren Burrows, Darren Happens, david allan finch, David Chandler, David E. Dalton, David Ruskin, Derek Lynch, devilmonkey, Dominic Carroll, Dr. Mitch, Duncan Rust, Edouard Contesse, Eugene “Tinman” Doherty, Eversong, G Murray, Gampopa, Graham Spearing, graham wallis, Grant Chen, Grant Potts, Guy Hoyle, Guy Milner, Gwen, Helly Dabill, Henry “PandaDad” de Veuve, HeroicCat, Iain Rudge, Jack Gulick, James Spearing, James W. Armstrong-Wood, Jamie Wheeler, Jerry D. Grayson, Jiminy, Joe Rooney, John Davies, John Lambert, John Lorinskas, John Ruddy, Jonathan Sharp, Joolz “Disciple of Eminent Mystery” Hayley, Justin “Viktorrious” Parker, Justin in Oz, Justin K, Kevin Bryant, Kevin Scully, Kevin Wales, Kim Pike, Louis Counter, Luke Parsons, Magnus Bergqvist, Mandy Yu, Mark Hayton, Martin Bailey, Martin J. Manco, Martin Pickett, Mathew Broome, Matt Ryan, Michael “spent all day eating peaches” Ordidge, Michael Stevens, Mike “Carlson” Davis, Murray Dahm, Neil Gow, Nic Bowers, Nicholas Stylianou, Nick Brooke, Nick Riggs, nik barton, Orlov, Oscar Clark, Paul David Watts, Paul Venner, Penda, Pete Bounous, Pete Shaw, Pete Tracy, Peter Aronson, Phil Harris, Philip Glass Switzerland, Phillip Bailey, pookie, Pyrodiaste, Reid “Reidzilla” San Filippo, Rich Fleider, Richard Brass, Richard Harrison, Richard ‘Vidiian’ Greene, Robert “Jefepato” Dall, Roger Hall, Run TMC, Scott Kelly, Shinya HANATAKA, Simon Jones, Stephen A Turner, Stephen L McMorland, Steve “The Bard” Latour, Steve N, Steve Weekes, Swordnut Radio, Todd Dowling. SILVER MONKEYS Brandon, Eini, Lloyd *Luminous Hurricane* Gyan, Nathanael Rouillard, Niclas Lindgren, Paul Huey Hubbard, Phil Hibbs. GOLD MONKEYS Andrew Smith, Bryce Undy, Dr. Donald A. Turner, Gianni Vacca, Ginger Matt, Greg, Tracey, Sam & Holly, Jeff ‘Fin’ Kattau, Morgan Davies, Morgan Hazel, Mr C, Sal Puma, Sifu Guy Edward Larke, Simon Clark. RETAIL Patriot Games, Sphärenmeisetrs Spiele, Games and Stuff. MONKEY ART BACKERS The following backers either suggested or sponsored the following pieces of art: • Jeff ‘Fin’ Kattau, page 1, “The Pilgrims.” • Glanni Vacca and Greg Hurst, page 9, “Monkey at the End of the Universe.” • Simon Clark & Paul Hubbard, page 23 “The Great Cloud Race.” • Andrew Smith, page 57 “The General of Cats.” • Morgan Davis, page 75 “Monkey Steals the Peaches of Immorality.” • Niclas Lindgren page 95 “The Pilgrims Cross the River.” • Daffi Lowe, page 121 “Pigsy rides the Flightless Bird.” • Donald A. Turner, page 137 “The Queen Mother of the West.” • Lloyd *Luminous Hurricane* Gyan. page 163 “The Spider Demon Queen” • Phil Hibbs, page 173 “The Rat Demon Bandit.” Monkey 6 Introduction 1. Introduction

The story of the Stone Monkey A new day dawns high upon an ancient mountain. From a stone egg, a fully-formed Stone Monkey is born. Immortal watchers report this auspicious event to the Jade Emperor, ruler of the Western Heaven. The Stone Monkey is bold and energetic and goes on to lead the other monkeys to the Water Curtain Mountain. By being the first to leap the high waterfall and see what is at the top, he becomes their King. Life in the Water Curtain Mountain is idyllic, but after decades of bliss, the Monkey King becomes restless. “What is it, our Lord?” his old monkey advisers ask. “I am the ruler of all that I see, but one day I will be dead and forgotten,” the Monkey King anxiously replies. “I have heard that in the human lands, there are Taoist Sages who know the Secret of Immortality,” says one of the old monkeys. “Excellent! Then I shall find such a Sage, who will be sure to teach me. I will need not fear death, and you will not need fear the loss of your beloved King, my little monkeys!” exclaims the Monkey King. Hugely excited, the Stone Monkey prepares immediately for the journey, and after saying goodbye leaves his subjects for the lands of humans.

If, gentle reader, you wish to learn what becomes of the restless Monkey King, his quest for immortality and the trouble into which it got it him, then please read on.

Monkey the Role-playing Game takes its inspiration from the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en. In the West, it is more commonly known as Monkey, the name of its English translation by Arthur Waley (published by Penguin). The novel is one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature (along with Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Dream of the Red Chamber) and has spawned numerous TV, film and comic adaptations. The story is set in a colourful version of 8th Century China, featuring immortals and locations from popular Chinese mythology, weaving a tale that is at once fantastic, satirical, action-packed and spiritual in nature. Introduction 7 Monkey

the Journey to the West The novel tells the story of the exploits of the immortal Monkey King. Born from a stone egg, he rises to become ruler of the monkeys of Water Cave Mountain. Worried that he will not live forever, he leaves his little monkeys and searches the world in search of a Taoist Master who knows the secret of immortality. Finally, he meets one, the Patriarch, who takes him on as a student and he learns what he desires. Monkey’s mischievous nature soon lands him in trouble with his teacher, who dismisses him, warning him never to mention that he was his student. He returns to Water Cave Mountain only to find the little monkeys enslaved by a Demon of Havoc. Immortal and now a master of Taoist magic, Monkey makes short work of the demon and his demon brothers, who he makes his vassals after defeating them. Then Monkey sets his mind to attaining a place amongst the ranks of the heavenly immortals of the Western Taoist Heaven. On the advice of the wise Planet Venus, the Jade Emperor, ruler of the Western Heaven, makes Monkey the Heavenly Stable Boy to keep him out of trouble. Monkey eventually realises his lowly status in the ranks of Heaven. Feeling slighted, he runs amok, causing all sorts of trouble. Meanwhile in the Eastern Buddhist Heaven, Great Buddha hears that there is trouble in the Western Heaven and pops over to see what is happening. Buddha tricks Monkey into thinking that he has travelled to the end of the Universe, where he urinates on five white pillars he finds there. In fact Monkey has never left Buddha’s hand, which now becomes a fist and traps him under a mountain. Buddha tells him that after 500 years a passer-by will release him and provide him with the means to re-enter Heaven. The story continues as Monkey is released by the Buddhist Priest Tripitaka, charged by the Tang Emperor of China to recover sacred scrolls missing from the Chinese canon of Buddhist writings. In the priest’s service, Monkey accompanies him from China to India to collect them. Two other fallen immortals also seeking redemption join them, Sandy and Pigsy. After many adventures battling demons out to stop them, they regain the scrolls and Monkey, who has been judged to have redeemed himself, enters the Buddhist Heaven as the Victorious Fighting Buddha. In this game, the players play immortals who, like Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy, have fallen from favour with the Heavenly authorities and seek to regain their place in Heaven, through their own version of the Journey to the West to regain the lost scrolls of Buddhism. Monkey 8 Introduction

A cheeky Monkey urinates on the five pillars at the end of the universe, while three faces of Buddha look on unnoticed. Introduction 9 Monkey Earth, Heaven’s mirror Monkey takes place in a mythological version of ancient China. On Earth, the great cities of the Tang dynasty (7th-10th century AD) swarm with mortals. The earthly Emperor is directly responsible to his Heavenly counterpart, the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor sits in his court in the Western Heaven, a fantastic city of jade and jewel-encrusted buildings that hang in the clouds above Mount Kunlun on the Western edge of China. The Jade Emperor is surrounded by a celestial bureaucracy of immortals who are responsible for the smooth running of the cosmos. In the Eastern Heaven sits Great Buddha, who with the aid of the other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas offers the good release from the eternal cycle of rebirth and pain for those prepared to follow the Way. Restless and disobedient Immortals Each player controls an immortal. This immortal is their alter-ego in the story which the Narrator describes to them. In Chinese myth, immortality is not only granted to the gods. They may be: Awakened intelligent Animal Spirits whose bestial nature gets them into all sorts of mischief yet gives them abilities beyond that of any mortal. Celestial Immortals who serve in the Celestial Bureaucracy in the heavenly ministries. Local Deities who are responsible to Heaven via one of the ministries and look after a local feature, such as a hill or a river. Or they may be Transcended Masters, Kung fu experts and Taoist sages who have trained hard in the mystic arts and attained immortality as a result. They may even be Demons seeking to change their evil nature. Each immortal has Skills which represent areas of broad expertise in the areas of Mind, Body and Spirit. For example, Monkey’s Kung Fu covers not only the fighting methods of this martial art but also associated skills of perception, stealth and balance. Each skill has a numerical rank, which gives the base number of cards that the player draws when performing an action with that skill (see “Action” page 93 for more details). For example, Monkey has a skill in Kung Fu with a rank of 2, or Kung Fu 2 as it is written on his Immortal Sheet. Attitudes describe an immortal’s personality or physical traits. These are strong and noticeable to anyone meeting them. If skills tell you what an immortal can do, attitudes tell you how they do it. Attitudes give a bonus card when used to perform actions. Attitudes are divided between Yin (feminine, passive) and Yang (masculine, active) forms. Neither Yin nor Yang is better or more efficient than the other. All immortals are innately magical beings and have Magical Powers and Magical Weapons or Tools. Powers arise from spiritual abilities, such as spells from studying Taoism or Buddhism, innate strengths, and abilities gained through Kung Fu practice. Weapons and tools are special items an immortal has previously acquired, and usually help them in their role. Finally, each immortal has a Weakness. This is a flaw in their character that Monkey 10 Introduction prevents them from behaving with virtue all the time. An immortal’s weakness distracts them from the Way of Heaven. In the case of the player immortals, their weakness led to the event which got them kicked out of the Western Heaven. For example, Monkey is Undisciplined, which means that he had a hard time obey the orders he was given in Western Heaven. His rebellious attitude led him to openly rebel and run amok. As well as being colour for role-playing the character, weaknesses can be invoked to give extra held cards that can be played in later actions. What you need to play A GROUP OF TWO TO SEVEN PLAYERS One player takes on the role of Narrator, who describes the game’s setting and plays all the supporting characters, while the other players play the immortals who take centre stage in the story. While the game can work as a very intimate and intense ‘one on one’ game (one immortal run by a player, with a Narrator) the game works best with a group of three to six immortals. PENCILS/PENS AND PAPER For writing out the player immortals’ details, drawing rough maps and making notes during the game. TWO DECKS OF CARDS The players share a deck of cards, which they draw from for their immortals, and the Narrator has a deck to themselves, from which they draw from for all the non-player characters the immortals meet. Players and Narrators draw cards from their deck to resolve actions during the adventure, such as fights and lively debates. AN ADVENTURE This can either be pre-written, such as the ones in the back of this book, or created by the Narrator. Guidance on how to build adventures is given in the Narrator’s section of the book. SOME TIME A game of Monkey is broken into chapters called ‘sessions’. Each session typically takes between three and four hours. IMAGINATION Since the game does not have a physical board, all the action takes place in the imagination of the players and takes the form of a conversation between the players and the Narrator. The players describe their immortals’ actions and the Narrator describes the reaction of the non-player immortals or environment. Introduction 11 Monkey THE NARRATOR One of the players needs to be the Narrator. The Narrator is responsible for describing the player immortals’ surroundings, and situations affecting them. The Narrator also describes the actions and plays the part of any other immortals and mortals, called non-player characters (or NPCs), that the player immortals encounter. NPCs range from an elderly woman who works the ferry the immortals are using, to the angry Dragon King of the Western Sea, who the player immortals have just offended by their rude behaviour. Narrators need to know the rules and guidelines in the players’ section, for they must resolve any misunderstanding or disputes about the rules. The role of Narrator is pivotal, but the Narrator’s section provides lots of help and tips on how to run the game smoothly and effortlessly. It also gives an overview of the many exciting locations and immortals that populate the world of Monkey.

Behold the Handsome Monkey King! Monkey 12 Introduction Overview of The Game System Most actions the player immortals attempt can be resolved using common sense; there isn’t any need to use the rules in this book. Simply by talking it through between players, the action will be resolved. When the outcome of an immortal’s action is uncertain, the Narrator may ask for an action. The players share a deck of playing cards, which is used in this situation. Cards have associated values reflecting their importance, and how well an action proceeds when the card is drawn. The value of a numbered card is its number. Jacks count as 11, Queens as 12, Kings as 13, Aces as 14, and Jokers as 20. When a Joker is drawn, the result is usually a resounding success for the action attempted. The Narrator can call for one of three types of action: A quick action is called when it is significant how well an immortal does in a task, but success is not in doubt. In some cases, the task is straightforward, and an immortal can show off. In other cases, the task requires struggle and hardship, but the immortal will inevitably get there with enough hard work. No cards are drawn, but the Narrator asks the player which skill they are using to overcome the obstacle put in their way, and then narrates the level of success depending on the skill rank. For example, the Pilgrims (Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy and Pigsy) are crossing a fast- flowing river, which really needs experienced swimmers to cross it. Sandy (who is a Water Demon and an expert swimmer) cross the river with ease and sings a merry tune. Monkey uses his magic staff and Monkey Kung Fu to somersault over in style. Tripitaka is riding the Horse, a transformed Dragon who has no problem traversing the river. Pigsy who is a poor swimmer struggles against the current and eventually gets across wet, cold and ill of temper. A simple action is called when the Narrator wishes to quickly resolve a conflict between a player immortal and another immortal, usually an opposing demon. The outcome of the conflict in the story is significant. For example, the gate of a town the Pilgrims are travelling through is blocked by a demon guard. First the Narrator draws a card for the guard, and plays it face up in front of them. The players draw a number of cards equal to the skill their immortal is using to overcome the demon guard and pick the highest card to beat the card that the Narrator drew. Note this need not be Kung Fu or a similar fighting skill. It could be their skill in administration, gained during their time as a Mandarin, as they berate the demon guard for being inappropriately equipped and generally lazy in upholding their duties. Or a skill based on of China’s religions such as Buddhism as the character chants Buddhist Sutras to drive off the demon using the divine grace of Great Buddha. The player gains additional cards for using an appropriate attitude, or magical ability or item. The opposing character, in this case, the demon guard, draws some cards depending on how powerful they are. The player and the Narrator look at their hand of cards and play the highest card, with victory going to the higher score, or in the case of a tie to the player. A dramatic action is resolved in the same way by pulling cards. However, dramatic actions are called when a Narrator wishes to focus the game session Introduction 13 Monkey on an important and lengthy scene in the story, such as a long, tough fight against a River Dragon or a big debate versus the Sage of the Blue Sky Mountain. The action is not resolved in one draw of the cards but through a series of linked simple actions. For each lost action, a participant gains a strike, and when they have three strikes against them, they are knocked out of the action. The eventual winner(s) are the characters who have beaten all their opponents. Using Yin and Yang forces to actions. Chinese philosophy sees the universe is made up of two opposing forces: Yin and Yang. To add colour and significance to the card draw, red cards are active or Yang in nature and black cards are passive or Yin in nature. When the player declares their narrative for their action they chose whether the action is is Yang (red) or Yin (black) in nature, by the attitude they choose to use. Then any cards that a drawn during their card draw that do not match the chosen force and its colour are discarded. For example, Manju, a demon hunter. attacks a guard with his Kung Fu of 3 and chooses to make it a Yin action by using Manju’s Yin attitude of Lazy. So when he and draws four cards; a Two of Diamonds (red and Yang), a Five of Hearts (red and Yang) , and Nine of Clubs (black and Yin), and the highest is the Ten of Clubs (black and Yin). The two Yang cards, the Two of Diamonds and the Five of Hearts, are discarded immediately because they do not match the Yin nature of the action being made. As well affecting the rules outcome, use of an attitude colours the narrative. Manju’s describes how Manju lazily sidles up to the Town Guard and with misleading casualness strikes them softly and quietly using their Kung Fu technique. This is in comparison to a more straight forward and bold Yang (active attack) where the player could easily describe how Manju runs up to the Town Guard shouts and strikes them directly in the gut. This system applies to all actions from physical fights, magical duels and philosophical debates. For more detail about the Action System, see Chapter 5, The Road to India. Monkey 14 Introduction What’s in this Book? GETTING STARTED, THE GREAT CLOUD RACE This chapter, following this introduction, is designed to introduce you to the game. It is intended as a solo adventure where you play Monkey as he races his fellow pilgrims to the Holy Mountain of Fiery Top. Unknown to Monkey. evil forces have amassed with the aim of creating havoc and destruction, with their eye firmly on capturing Tripitaka. PLAYING THE GAME Monkey is a Storytelling Game in that there are rules to resolve the action when it is less than clear what the possible outcome could be, and has a structured framework that the players and the Narrator follow to guide the flow of the story. A game of Monkey has four stages which are described in their own dedicated chapter. The four stages of the game are as follows. 1. Origins. 2. The Journey to the West Begins. 3. The Road to India. 4. The End of the Journey. Each state of play is described below. ORIGINS This part of the game is all about working out the background story and the abilities of the player immortals Rather than being a dry series of calculations and choices, tthe Origins stage throws the players straight into the game as they take turns in playing out the origin stories of their immortals. THE JOURNEY TO THE WEST BEGINS Every good story has a beginning. For the Journey to the West that beginning details of what the group’s Monk is like (using a procedure similar to the player immortal creation), how the player immortals and the Monk all meet up, and the first challenge that they face together as a team. As well as establishing the relationships between the immortals, this part of the game teaches the players and the Narrator many of the rules that they will use in earnest once they progress into the next part of the game. Most of the examples assume that the game that is going to be played is the familiar Journey to the West, where the player immortals escort a mortal Monk to Buddha’s Temple in India to collect the lost scrolls of Buddhism. However, other stories are possible as the player immortals seek to earn their way back into Heaven’s good graces. In any case, this stage of the game is usually, time permitting, played straight after the Origins stage in the first gaming session. Introduction 15 Monkey THE ROAD TO INDIA This phase of the game may take as many game sessions as the players and Narrator desire. If you take each chapter of the book to be a game session, The Journey to the West took 100 game sessions to complete, which is roughly 300- 400 hours of game time. Now I understand that you and your friends probably don’t have 300-400 hours, so the first thing this chapter of the rules explains is how to plan your sessions, so each of the player immortals gets a chance to tell and move their story to a satisfactory resolution. Each game session begins with a round-up of the story so far, where the players summarize what their immortals got up to in the previous session, is covered in this chapter. This chapter has the rules for quick, simple and dramatic actions in detail, with some helpful charts, so you know exactly what you are doing. There are also some handy tools for things like Bickering between the characters. Monkey and company do this all the time. I’ve seen players reproduce this with their in- character chat, so I came up with a basic ruling that allows players to peacefully resolve their immortals’ differences in a game of one-upmanship, which gives the winner a bonus to their next action and makes the other immortals follow their plan. The last thing in this chapter is wrapping up the game session and how to record any consequences of the immortals’ actions. THE END OF THE JOURNEY This is the resolution of the game. In the book, it’s when Monkey and the rest of the pilgrims reach Buddha’s temple in India, collect the lost scrolls of Buddhist Canon, return them to the Tang Emperor in China and then are judged by the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, to see if each immortal is worthy of being readmitted into Heaven. Your game’s ending may be different. You might have chosen to play a shorter game that revolved around aiding the troubled mortals of a Chinese city on Earth for example. This chapter shows you how to finish the game, give each of the player immortals the spotlight and highlight their achievements. Monkey 16 Introduction RUNNING THE GAME This section of the book is for the Narrator and is packed full of guidance and information. Its role is to provide the Narrator with the insights and building blocks to create fun adventures. NARRATOR’S ADVICE This chapter attempts to give Narrators a firm grounding in how to run the game. While any student of Kung Fu will tell you that practice will teach you more than books. I’m hoping that this chapter will give you the first few moves to becoming a Master Narrator who is skilled, inventive, and calm when faced with fast-moving, excitable and happy players - players who are revelling in the enjoyable and memorable story you are all collectively telling using the game. THE WORLDS OF MONKEY This chapter is a run-down of the locations that feature heavily in the book, and the non-player immortals who may be encountered there. In the game, the player immortals may travel between each of these worlds as appropriate to the needs of the story, so this chapter gives the Narrator the nuts and bolts of each world so they can easily use them no matter how quickly the players move from one to another. ADVENTURES There’s no better way than learning the game than by playing it. This section of the book presents two full adventures that are designed introduce both new players and Narrators to the game’s setting and rules. IF YOU SEE BUDDHA ON THE ROAD This is a straightforward adventure to introduce everyone to the game and setting. You can run it as your first adventure with immortals that you have created at the table using the Origins chapter, straight after playing through The Journey To the West Begins OR using the Four Pilgrims (Monkey, Sandy, Pigsy and Tripitaka) from the novel itself (as detailed in The Four Pilgrims Chapter). THE BAG OF WIND This is a more free-flowing adventure which sees the Pilgrims travel across the wilderness in search of the Wind Lord Fung Po’s magical Bag of Winds, which has been stolen from him while he wasn’t looking. Introduction 17 Monkey SPECIAL CHAPTERS These chapters give supplementary information, which sit outside the main core of how to play the game. THE FOUR PILGRIMS This chapter details the main characters from the Journey to the West, Monkey, Sandy, Pigsy and Tripitaka. It also gives some guidance on how to use them as player immortals. MORE IMMORTALS Four more example immortals, which show the diversity of character types the immortal generation rules can create. DEFENDERS OF THE DRAGON EMPIRE This additional chapter provides rules for mortal heroic characters inspired by the Kung Fu action genre known as Wuxia. BIBLIOGRAPHY The chapter presents a quick round up of books, films, TV series and other media that has inspired this game so that both Narrators and players can explore these sources of inspiration themselves. AN EXAMPLE TABLE SET UP This graphic shows how to set the game table for three players and a Narrator. CHARACTER SHEETS Both the player Immortal Sheet and the Monk/Nun Sheet, for use as character records. QUICK REFERENCE SHEETS A quick summary of the some important game procedures, placed at the back of the book for ease of use in game.

A Note About Names Throughout the game I’ve used the names that are given in Arthur Waley’s translation, known as Monkey, published by Penguin books. Because it is the most commonly available English language version of the Journey to the West. Also, both Monkey and other translations (such as Antony Yu’s complete translation published by the University of Chicago) tend to follow the novel’s convention of using nicknames rather than full Chinese language names. This is done to make the game more accessible to follow for people unfamiliar with Chinese folk religion. Monkey 18 Introduction Glossary This is a quick list of terms used in the book to describe rules and setting. It’s meant as a quick reference, and all terms are explained fully within the text. GAME TERMS Term Explanation Action (Simple/ Actions are game mechanics where you draw a Quick/Dramatic) number of cards, dependant on your character’s abilities, and whoever gets the highest card wins the action, be it a debate between scholars or a fight between martial artists. There are three types of actions, which are in order of increasing complexity, simple, quick and dramatic. These modify the basic card drawing rules, to meet the needs of the situations encountered in the game. Action hand These are the cards you’ve drawn from various abilities, that you get to pick your highest card from any given exchange. Adventure The story that the player immortals are staring in like a TV show or a film. Attitude These descriptors show how a player immortal does things. Attitudes can be physical, mental, or spiritual and are either Yin or Yang. They bring an extra card into play when used and set the force of the action. Extras The unnamed mass of demons or mortals who rush at the player immortals in combat and get swept away by a flurry of flying and roundhouse kicks. Often called Mooks in other games. Magic power All player immortals have magical powers, both common due to their immortal nature and unique to them. Major characters These are the co-staring characters in the stories created by playing the game. These are the lead opponents, usually boss demons of some hideous variety, or fellow immortals of rank who help and advise the player immortals. Narrator The game’s referee. Responsible for describing the world that the player immortals find themselves, the actions of the non-player-characters they meet and resolving disputes over rules. Narrator’s deck The Narrator has their own deck of cards that they draw cards when opposing the player immortals in actions. Introduction 19 Monkey

Term Explanation Non-player- Any character who is not controlled by the players characters and is run by the Narrator. Patron The Pilgrims’ immortal Patron, usually a major character, who provides them with advice and guidance. In the Novel, the Pilgrims’ Patron is the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion Kuan Yin, and she is the default Patron in the game. Player immortals The alter egos of the players in the game. Players’ deck All the players around the table share a deck of cards that they draw cards from into their Action Hand. Resolution scene The end of the adventure, where the Narrator and players bring things to a close. Saved card(s) This is where you can stash high-value cards when you draw them into your Action Hand and don’t need to play them. By default, you can hold one, but every time you play your immortal’s weakness, you can increase that number by one. Once cards are played from the saved cards, they are discarded. Once extra cards, above the default one, that came from playing the weakness are played, they are not replaced. Scene A clearly defined block of the adventure, like in a film or a play. Scene exit The end of a scene, where the Narrator sums up what has happened in the scene and transitions the players to the next scene. Skill These are broad packages of abilities usually based upon professions practiced within Tang China, such as Mandarin, Rogue, Taoist. Almost all player immortals will have a Kung Fu skill. Strike These are a temporary measure used to determine how well a character is doing during a dramatic action. Supporting characters Named non-player-characters who are significant players in adventures, but not the main movers of the story. For example they are the second in commands of the band of evil demons who oppose the player immortals or the minor immortals in charge of a certain aspect of the Celestial Bureaucracy. Monkey 20 Introduction Setting Terms Term Explanation Enlightenment An ideal state, where a person is aware of the true state of being. This is the aim of Buddhism, where the practitioner is awoken to the suffering of others and themselves, and tries to transcend it through performing acts of kindness. Bodhisattva A being that has achieved enlightenment but has not gone onto become a Buddha, preferring to stay attached to the world to teach others. Buddha One who has achieved enlightenment and has passed on to the Buddhist Eastern Heaven, existing in a state of Nirvana. Also known as a Lohan. Buddhism A religion that follows the teachings of Great Buddha to achieve Enlightenment. Celestial Bureaucracy An administration of immortals with the Jade Emperor at its head, which runs down through various Ministries in Western Heaven, all the way down to earth based immortals who are responsible for the day to day running of a specific area of responsibility, such as a local river or a city. Demons There are two types which the book uses interchangeably. Infernal demons who are warders of the Ten Courts of Hell, and the twisted souls of the wicked or victims of the wicked who have transformed into monstrous demons after their death. Demons are the primary opponent of the game in various forms since they believe if they eat Tripitaka, or the player’s Monk/Nun, they will become a powerful immortal. Dragon Kings Rulers of the Four Oceans, each Dragon King, has their own underwater kingdom with citizens, armies, cities and palaces. Eastern Heaven The Buddhist Heaven, the entrance to which is found in India. The Four Continents In the mythical world view of the Chinese that the and Four Oceans Journey to the West follows, the world is made up of four continents (North, South, West, East) and four oceans (North, South, West, East). Great Buddha This is the name given to the original teacher of Buddhism, Prince Siddartha Gautama. Introduction 21 Monkey

Term Explanation Immortal A collective term that applies to any being that possesses the power of immortality, such as animal spirits, transcended masters, deities, and even demons. Lost Scrolls of Buddhism is a relatively new religion in China, Buddhist Canon brought by missionaries during the previous Han Dynasty. During the reign of the second Tang Emperor, he realised that China’s collection of Buddhist knowledge, or its Canon, was incomplete. In history, Buddhist monks were sent along the long and arduous Silk Road to get the missing scrolls from India. In the Journey to the West, it’s the immortal Pilgrims, led by the fictitious version of the real-life monk who did successfully return the scrolls, who are responsible for this mission. Monk/Nun This is the non-player-character that the player immortals are escorting to India. They are a highly virtuous Buddhist Monk (male) or Nun (female), chosen by the Emperor of Tang China and the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion Kuan Yin. In the book the monk is Tripitaka. Pilgrims A collective term for the player immortal adventuring party, which denotes the religious nature of their grouping, since it can be said that they are on a pilgrimage to get the lost scrolls from India. In the book, the Pilgrims are Tripitaka (nominally the group’s leader), Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy. Sutra A chanted Buddhist spell usually to ward off evil forces such as demons. Tang China China as ruled by the Tang dynasty of Emperors from 618 AD to 907 AD. Considered China’s Golden Age, where China was prosperous, at its height territorially, culturally rich and supported both Taoism and Buddhism as official religions. Tao The name that Taoists give the single comprehensive source of everything which is at one with itself while recognising that such a thing is entirely beyond the ability of anyone to comprehend fully. Monkey 22 Introduction

Term Explanation Taoism The practice of trying to live in harmony with to the Tao, by living one’s true nature or The Way, which is individual and unique to anyone. In Ancient China this was codified into a religion of sorts with priests, martial artists, sorcerers, and geomancers (Earth Magicians) who used secret teachings to perform magical deeds that they ascribed to a real understanding of the Tao. Ten Courts of Hell In the City of Darkness, King Yama and the other Judges, judge the newly dead. If found wanting they are punished in one of the Chambers of Hell, tailor- made to their crimes, by demons for an allotted time - after which they drink a soup of forgetfulness and are reincarnated back on Earth for their next life. Western Heaven In Chinese folklore, this is the paradise where the Taoist deities live, ruled by the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, in jade and the jewel- encrusted city that floats in the clouds in above the sacred mountain of Kunlun in the west of China. Yin/Yang The two opposing forces that act in balance to create the universe. Yin is feminine/dark/passive, while Yang is masculine/light/active.

Now that you have an introduction to this game, yet are anxious to start, please be patient, gentle reader and read the next chapter, where you will learn how play the game in a choose your own solo adventure, playing the handsome Monkey King himself! 2. The Great Cloud Race

Monkey riding high in the sky on his magic cloud. Monkey 24 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE How to Play You are going on a short adventure. In this solo adventure, You are Monkey! This adventure will teach you the basics of Monkey the Role-playing game. What you’ll need: • A deck of standard playing cards. If there’s more than one Joker, take all but one of them out. Make sure the deck is nicely shuffled. When you play the game, you will draw cards from this deck. Any cards you discard go into a discard pile, as do any cards you play. In this solo adventure, to keep things simple, you draw cards for the opposition from the same deck. In the full game, the Narrator has a deck of cards for the opponents. Once you’ve used up all the cards from the deck, reshuffle the discard pile, and that becomes the deck again. • Monkey’s Immortal Sheet (see below). This gives you all the game information you’ll need to play this adventure. The adventure takes the form of a series of numbered entries. You read the entry then choose which numbered entry you go onto next. Sometimes the text will tell you which entry to read next, depending on the result of a card draw (called an Action). The text will show you how to use the rules, so I’m going to skip explaining here (if you are interested have a quick read of Chapter 5 The Road to India and then come back). Don’t read entries you are not told to, it will spoil your enjoyment of the story!

Monkey’s Immortal Sheet

Origin Magic Powers • Animal Spirit. • Flight using a cloud. Attitudes • Shape change. • Yin: Mischievous. • The Fiery Eyes of Demon • Yang: Rebellious. Seeing. Weakness • Produce Little Monkeys, copies of himself, from his • Undisciplined. hairs. Skills Magical Weapons • Monkey Kung Fu 3. • The Iron Staff of the Pole Star. • Rogue 2. • Golden Headband of the • Taoist Sage 1. Headache Sutra (technically Tripitaka’s but Monkey wears it). THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 25 Monkey Introduction Because of your might and power, you have been chosen by Great Buddha himself to escort the Tang Monk, Tripitaka, from the civilised lands of China to the holy Buddhist country of India to recover the scrolls lost to Chinese Buddhism. This will bring peace and harmony to the troubled Tang Empire! But between China and India lies the wilderness. Thousands of miles of forests, hills, swamps and mountains, infested by demons who want to eat your Master Tripitaka, because they believe that by doing so they will become a powerful immortal! Already you’ve had to pull his fat out of the fire, rescuing him from the clutches of demons many times. Then there’s the Master himself. If he’s not in fear of his life and crying like a baby, he’s punishing you for some imagined wrongdoing and reciting the sutra that tightens the gold headband that the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin, gave him to keep you from being what she calls ‘naughty’. Oh, how it makes your brain feel as if it going to explode! Thank goodness you have your ‘brothers’ to help you babysit this troublesome monk and fight off the hordes of flesh-eating demons. First, there’s Pigsy. He was once a Marshall in the Jade Emperor’s Heaven until got cast out for trying it on with the Queen Mother of the West’s Jade Handmaidens at some feast he was invited to. Then on earth, he took the form of a bestial pig demon, preying on passing travellers until you liberated him from his lusty dirt rolling ways and invited him to find enlightenment on our Journey and become a disciple of the Master’s. He’s a good laugh, and we are always cracking a joke to pass the time. He’s also handy in a fight with that nine-pronged fork of his that Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, made for him in his special forge. Then there’s Sandy. He’s not so fun. He’s always saying things like “I used to have lots of friends, but they are all dead now.” Who says things like that? Sandy constantly does. Oh well, perhaps you’d be a right misery guts if you had to put up with what he had. Once a glorious and faithful Marshall of the Western Heaven, he was cast down to earth like Pigsy. His crime you ask? Merely accidentally knocking over and breaking one of the Jade Emperor’s jade bowls. For that, they made him a fish demon and sent him down to earth. Constantly craving human flesh, he ate travellers who were crossing the river he lurked in. He’s got a necklace that he made from the skulls of Buddhist pilgrims who fell into his claws. It turns out that because of their purity they don’t sink, and you’ve used them many a time as a raft to ferry him across rivers. Becoming one of the Master’s disciples has tamed his flesh-eating tendencies, and he is now a reliable, if somewhat grumpy, companion. Finally, there’s Horse, or White Dragon Horse to give him his full name. A Dragon Prince of the Western Ocean banished for causing havoc in his father’s kingdom, you and the other Pilgrims met him at a river crossing in the wilderness, just as you and Pigsy were having a heated debate about how to cross the river. You can remember Pigsy asking you “why you couldn’t just pick up the master and fly him on your magic cloud all the way to India”, to which you replied, “don’t be an idiot, everyone knows that when an immortal tries to fly with a mortal they are as heavy as a mountain.” Then White Dragon Monkey 26 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE Prince, who looked like a monstrous river demon as part of his punishment, comes rising out of the river and without even a hello jumps up and eats the Master’s horse. Of course, this reduced Master to a blubbering mess and its was left to you the Handsome Monkey King to sort out this Monster. Except it was too powerful for to beat on your own. Fortunately, you were clever enough to listen to Pigsy who suggested that all three of you should knock some sense into the River Demon, and sure enough it was soon on its knees begging to join you on the Journey as one of the Master’s Disciples. Since then he’s taken the form of a white horse and carried the Master without complaint. You have travelled many months through the wilderness and are currently going along a road through a dense forest, occasionally stopping at small villages. Last night you had to camp by the side of the road, which agitated everyone. Pigsy moaned about the meagre fare for tea. Sandy who was the cook got all offended and huffy. When you offered to bash their thick skulls in to stop them arguing with your Iron Staff of the Pole Star, Master recited the Head Band Tightening Sutra, and you went to bed with an aching head! As you curled up on the cold hard forest floor feeling sorry for yourself, you looked up at Fiery Top Mountain still a good day’s journey away, which marks the next milestone in your never-ending quest, and wondered why its summit was glowing an angry red. Anxious to begin this latest instalment of the Great Sage’s ongoing adventure? Then turn to entry 1.

The Pilgrims, from Left to Right. Pigsy, Tripitaka, Sandy, with Monkey in the front. THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 27 Monkey The Great Cloud Race 1. MORNING HAS BROKEN, WHERE’S MASTER? It’s morning. You and your fellow pilgrims awake to prepare an excellent vegetarian breakfast for the master. Sandy goes and fetches the water, Pigsy goes and finds mushrooms and nuts in the nearby forest, and you after much bickering with Pigsy appoints yourself chief fire maker and you set about rekindling the fire that went out during the night. Breakfast is ready, but where is master? You all start looking for him.You call in vain but cannot find him! It seems that everyone has an opinion. “Oh no, we fell asleep so deeply that he’s wandered off without us. He’s probably got lost and fallen off a cliff somewhere or been eaten by a wild beast,” says Sandy miserably. “No, you stupid fish brain, he’ll be here somewhere. I bet he’s just hiding somewhere to teach us some religious lesson about not being too lazy or taking things for granted. Oh, master where are you? We are so sorry for what we have done…whatever it is!” says Pigsy. “You are a ridiculous pig! I told you to keep watch last night!” you say. What are you going to do? • Turn to 6 if you want to keep on arguing with your brother pilgrims. • Turn to 17 if you rashly jump up on your magic cloud and head off alone to go find Tripitaka. 2. MONKEY AND PIGSY SHOULD HAVE LAID OFF THE DIM SUM Your doubts about your cloud being able to hold both you and Pigsy are well founded. It carries you some distance over the forest, which suddenly turns into a small swamp, before the combined weight becomes too much and the cloud disintegrates. You and the pig fall from the sky into a swamp bellow As you and Pigsy recover from the fall and wipe the black mud off, you see an attractive peasant lady standing on the bank of the mud pool. “Please help me. I’m from a local village, fleeing the Great Yellow Face Demon who has burnt our homes to the ground.” she nervously tells you. Pigsy drools in anticipation, much excited by the appearance of the lovely lady. Pigsy has a well-known weakness for the ladies which often gets you all in trouble. You’re not sure. No one said anything about there being a village this far out into the wilderness. • Do you use your Fiery Demon Seeing Eyes? If so turn to 15. • If you offer to help her out of the swamp, turn to 16. Monkey 28 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 3. MONKEY AND PIGSY ARE TIED UP AND TAKEN TO THE MOUNTAIN The Crab-Demon has roundly defeated both you and Pigsy, and you awake from an unconscious state to find it is carrying you up the mountain on its back. It reaches the summit of the mountain, drops you on the ground and unties you before scuttling off. • Turn to 7. 4. MONKEY IS FLYING ALONG AND BUMPS INTO AN OLD ENEMY You fly through the clouds towards the summit of Fiery Top Mountain, which peaks through the carpet of white fluffy clouds. The air is fresh, and you cut through it as you speed through it. “Much better than trudging through the mud below!” you think, feeling pleased with yourself. Suddenly, breaking your good mood, a claw with four sharp talons goes flying past your right arm, after failing to grab your Iron Staff of the Pole Star. “Give me back my dad’s magic staff!” shouts the owner of the claw, a furious- looking Dragon Prince of the Eastern Ocean. The Dragon seems to wriggle in the air as it turns around and charges straight towards you. You suddenly remember that the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean is under the impression that he is merely loaning you the Iron Staff of the Pole Star, and apparently has sent his son to regain it. The Son of the Eastern Dragon King is trying to knock you out of the sky, and you decide the best course of action is to outrun him on your cloud. Let’s draw some cards to see if you escape him. 1. Use your Kung Fu skill, which is a measure of your agility to perform this action. That gives you a base of three cards to draw from your deck of cards. 2. Then because you are using your magic cloud, draw an additional card. 3. Finally, you need to pick an attitude and decide how you are performing this action. Are you using the more subtle and soft Yin energy that you show by being Mischievous, or are you being more forceful and aggressive and invoking Yang energy by being Rebellious. Draw an additional card. 4. Discard cards which are not of the same colour of the attitude you have chosen. So if you choose the Yin Mischievous attitude, which is represented by black cards, discard any red cards for they are Yang. If you choose the Yang attitude of Rebellious, discard the black cards for they are Yin. 5. Now pick your highest card. • If your highest card is less than a Jack turn to 5. • If your highest card is a Jack or higher turn to 19. Note this is an example of a simple action, the most commonly used game mechanic, used to resolve situations which are straightforward won or lose. See “Simple Actions” on page 96 for a more detailed explanation of how this rule works. THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 29 Monkey 5. MONKEY FALLS FROM THE SKY AND FINDS A VERY HAPPY PIG The Son of the Western Dragon King does indeed knock you off your cloud and into a big swamp of black mud below. Fortunately, you hold onto your staff and land softly in the mud of the swamp. You decide to stay hidden until the Dragon Prince flies away, which he does after circling the swamp several times unsuccessfully looking for you. You get up and almost knock your head into Pigsy’s, who is happily rolling about in the swamp. “So nice of you to drop in!” he smiles genuinely, “did you decide to stop and have a good roll about in this fine mud too?” You are about to berate the simpleton who has apparently forgotten about the Master when you see an attractive peasant lady standing on the bank of the mud pool. “Please help me. I’m from a local village, fleeing the Great Yellow Face Demon who has burnt our homes to the ground.” she nervously tells you. Pigsy drools in anticipation, greatly excited by the appearance of the lovely lady. Pigsy has a well-known weakness for the ladies which often gets you all in trouble. You’re not sure. No one said anything about there being a village this far out into the wilderness. • Do you use your Fiery Demon Seeing Eyes? If so turn to 15. • If you offer to help her out of the swamp, turn to 16. 6. THE GODDESS ARRIVES TO STOP THE BICKERING Just then, out of the morning mist, unhindered by the dense overgrowth of the forest walks Kuan Yin gracefully. The Goddess of Mercy and Compassion is your divine protector and sponsor of your journey to India to collect the missing scrolls. Behind her, all scowls and meanness, is her bodyguard Prince Huian, who is dressed in his full armour impatiently gripping his double- headed axe. Something tells you this isn’t a social visit. “Shut up you idiots!” she says in her best school teacher’s voice, the one that demands silence and attention in one mysterious package. She continues, “your Master has been taken by a rebellious Fire Demon, known as the Great Yellow Face Demon. He was imprisoned in the Fiery Top Mountain for centuries. Kept there by the chants and prayers of the Buddhist Monks whose Monastery is at the base of the mountain. Now he’s escaped, freed by other demons, and is running amok on the mountain. His followers carried off Tripitaka in the night and will be well on their way to their master on the mountain.” You, Pigsy, and Sandy are dumbstruck in silence. What do you do now? • If you fall at Kuan Yin’s feet and beg forgiveness for losing the Master, turn to 8. • If you’re defiant, and demand Kuan Yin sorts out this mess, turn to 12. • If you jump up on your cloud and speed off to the mountain, turn to 17. Monkey 30 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 7. MONKEY AND PIGSY FIGHT GREAT YELLOW FACE You and Pigsy are on the summit of Fiery Top Mountain. Below you is a huge crater filled with lava, which is erupting into the air and cascading down the sides of the mountain. You are on a rocky overhang. Also here are a group of three demons, who are horned, and wear a patchwork of improvised armour and are gesturing towards you threatening with various swords, daggers, axes and hammers. A big metal rig extends over the crater, and suspended from it in a large iron cage is Tripitaka. It looks like they intend to lower him near the lava and roast him alive! Gleefully holding the handle that would lower the cage is a demon twice the size of a human, with yellow skin, large bat wings and an old man’s face who wields a large two-handed sword. This is the Great Yellow Face Demon himself! You shout out a challenge, “come on you ugly monster! Unhand my master, or I’ll beat you senseless.” “Never! You insolent ape! He’s a roast monk with a side order of bacon and monkey!” Great Yellow Face roars back. “Beatings it is then,” your reply swinging your Iron Staff of the Pole Star about in readiness. “Brother Monkey, I’ll take care of the little-horned ones, you teach that Yellow monster a lesson,” says Pigsy before diving at Yellow Face’s minions. How to fight the demon. 1. Yellow Face fights with its claws and draws three cards per exchange. Put these down before you and discard the lowest value. Because Pigsy is fighting the little-horned demons, Yellow Face does not get an extra card for them helping him. 2. Monkey uses his Kung Fu to fight Yellow Face and draws three cards from the deck. 3. Draw an extra card since he is using his magic Iron Staff to beat the demon lord senseless. 4. Finally, you need to pick an attitude and decide how you are performing this action. Are you using the more subtle and soft Yin energy that you show by being Mischievous, or are you being more forceful and aggressive and invoking Yang energy by being Rebellious. Draw an additional card. 5. Discard cards which are not of the same colour of the attitude you choose. So, if you choose the Yin Mischievous attitude, which is represented by black cards, discard any Yang cards which are red. If you choose the Yang attitude of Rebellious, discard the Yin cards in your draw. 6. Now pick your highest card. 7. If you have the highest card, you win the exchange, and the Yellow Face loses one strike. 8. If the Yellow Face has the highest card, you win the exchange, and you lose a strike. 9. If both yours and Yellow Face s card is the same, then you as the player win, and the crab demon loses a strike. THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 31 Monkey 10. Both you and Yellow Face have three strikes. Whoever reaches zero strikes first loses. • If you win, turn to 20. • If you lose, turn to 13. Note: This is an example of a dramatic action, which is used to determine the outcomes of situations like combat where there are exchanges of blows, and the winner of the contest is not certain straight away. For more information see “Dramatic Actions” on page 100. 8. MONKEY BEGS FORGIVENESS FOR BEING A BAD MONKEY You fall to your knees and prostrate yourself before the Goddess. “Please forgive this faithful disciple. I have lost my master what must I do to find him?” Slowly you look up and see the Goddess smiling warmly with compassion and empathy. All signs of her previous anger are gone. “There is still a chance, but you’ll need to take the most direct route and fly up to the mountain’s summit on your cloud straight away if you are to rescue your master,” she gently points out. Without hesitation, you summon up your magic cloud, from the morning mist and head towards the mountain’s summit as the Goddess has suggested. • To see what happens next as you fly on your cloud turn to 4. 9. MONKEY AND PIGSY BEAT THE CRAB-DEMON The Crab-Demon lies in pieces before you. Bits of the shell, and foul-smelling demon flesh which is quickly melting back into nothingness before your eyes. You and Pigsy wash the last of the swamp mud off yourselves and then start up towards the mountain. • To continue up the mountain turn to 7. 10. THE MONKS BURN “No time to rescue you, the Master is in danger!” you shout as you fly over the fleeing monks continuing towards the erupting volcano’s summit. You briefly turn back and just in time to see a lava flow catches up with the monks and they are burned alive. • To carry on towards the mountain, turn to 14. Monkey 32 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 11 THIS WOMAN IS NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS! You manage to convince Pigsy, who reluctantly with a sigh gets out his nine- pronged rake. The demon sheds its disguise and stands before you a grotesque hybrid of a human and crab. Its pincers are shooting out menacingly towards you. Pigsy lets out a little streak of surprise “Eeek! I see you were right Brother, how wrong of me to doubt you. Please accept my apologies” he says before lowering his rake to meet the advancing demon. How to fight the Crab-Demon. 1. The demon fights with its claws and draws three cards per exchange. Put these down before you and discard the two cards with the lowest value. 2. Monkey uses his Kung Fu to fight the Crab-Demon and draws three cards from the deck. 3. Draw an extra card since he is using his magic Iron Staff to crack open the demon’s hard exoskeleton. 4. Draw another extra card for the fact that Pigsy is helping with his nine- pronged rake. 5. Finally, you need to pick an attitude and decide how you are performing the attack. Are you using the more subtle and soft Yin energy that you show by being Mischievous, or are you being more forceful and aggressive and invoking Yang energy by being Rebellious. Draw an additional card. 6. Discard cards which are not of the same colour of the attitude you choose. So, if you choose the Yin Mischievous attitude, which is represented by black cards, discard any Yang cards which are red. If you choose the Yang attitude of Rebellious, discard the Yin cards in your draw. 7. Now pick your highest card. 8. If you have the highest card, you win the exchange, and the Crab-Demon loses one strike. 9. If the Crab-Demon has the highest card, you lose the exchange, and you lose a strike. 10. If both your card and the Crab-Demon’s card are the same, then you as the player win, and the crab demon loses a strike. 11. You have three strikes, and the crab demon has two. Whoever reaches zero strikes first loses. Note when you move on from this fight, your strike total goes back to three. • If you win turn to 9. • If you lose turn to 3. Note: This is an example of a Dramatic Action, which is used to determine the outcomes of situations like combat where there are exchanges of blows, and the winner of the contest is not sure straight away. For more information see “Dramatic Actions” on page 100. THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 33 Monkey 12. MONKEY TELLS KUAN YIN EXACTLY WHERE TO GO You berate the Goddess and let her be the focus of your frustration over losing Tripitaka. “If you had done a better job of protecting him, he wouldn’t have been carried off! You always leave it to when things have gone wrong and then point out how to fix things! I bet you think you are so wise and clever!” you rant and rage. But Kuan Yin isn’t listening to your tirade. She’s quietly chanting, almost under her breath. You struggle to catch her words. But gradually the increasing pain in your head gives a none too subtle clue. She’s reciting the Head Tightening Sutra which activates the Gold Headband of Discipline which is slowly constricting, crushing your skull! • When the pain gets too much, the only way out of this is to beg forgiveness; turn to 8. 13. MONKEY DEFEATED! Oh no! Monkey is defeated, and Great Yellow Face throws him into the volcano where he is imprisoned in a lava tomb. Pigsy and Sandy run away in terror. In the victory celebration afterwards, Tripitaka is eaten! Great Yellow Face becomes a leader of a demon army and overruns China! Monkey awakes in a cold sweat, in his makeshift bed by the side of the road in the forest. It turns out that it was all a terrible dream. Or was it, where is Master? • Turn to 1 to try again. 14. MONKEY FACES GREAT YELLOW FACE ALONE You are on the summit of Fiery Top Mountain. Below you is a huge crater filled with lava, which is erupting into the air and cascading down the sides of the mountain. You are on a rocky overhang. Also, here are a group of three demons, who are horned, and wear a patchwork of improvised armour and are gesturing towards you threatening with various swords, daggers, axes and hammers. A big metal rig extends over the crater and suspended from it in a large iron cage is Tripitaka. It looks like they intend to lower him near the lava and roast him alive! Gleefully holding the handle that would lower the cage is a demon twice the size of a human, with yellow skin, large bat wings and an old man’s face. He carries a large two-handed sword. This is the Great Yellow Face Demon himself! You shout out a challenge, “Come on you ugly monster! Unhand my master, or I’ll beat you senseless.” “Never! You insolent ape! He’s a roast monk!” Great Yellow Face roars back. “Beatings it is then!” you reply, swinging your Iron Staff of the Pole Star about in readiness. Monkey 34 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE How to fight the demon. 1. Great Yellow Face fights with its two-handed sword and draws three cards per exchange. It gains three extra cards because its three minions are helping it for a total draw of six cards. Put these down before you and pick the card with the highest value, discarding the rest. 2. Monkey uses his Kung Fu to fight Great Yellow Face and draws three cards from the deck. 3. Draw an extra card since he is using his magic Iron Staff to beat the demon lord senseless. 4. Finally, you need to pick an attitude and decide how you are performing this action. Are you using the more subtle and soft Yin energy that you show by being Mischievous, or are you being more forceful and aggressive and invoking Yang energy by being Rebellious. Draw an additional card. 5. Discard cards which are not of the same colour of the attitude you choose. So, if you choose the Yin Mischievous attitude, which is represented by black cards, discard any Yang cards which are red. If you choose the Yang attitude of Rebellious, discard the Yin cards in your draw. 6. Now pick your highest card. 7. If you have the highest card, you win the exchange, and the Yellow Face loses one strike. 8. If the Yellow Face has the highest card, you lose the exchange, and you lose a strike. 9. If both yours’s and the Yellow Face s card is the same, then you as the player win, and the crab demon loses a strike. 10. Both you and Yellow Face have three strikes. Whoever reaches zero strikes first loses. • If you win, turn to 20. • If you lose turn to 13. Note: This is an example of a dramatic action, which is used to determine the outcomes of situations like combat where there are exchanges of blows, and the winner of the contest is not sure straight away. For more information see “Dramatic Actions” on page 100. THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 35 Monkey 15. MONKEY SEES DEMONS, PIGSY IS NOT CONVINCED Your eyes blaze with magical power, and you look beyond the human form of the lady’s disguise, to see the grotesque demon form hidden below. “Argghhh! She’s a demon!” you shout in warning. “There you go again seeing demons everywhere. This is a lovely lady, now be a gentleman and say sorry,“ Pigsy says stubbornly, “I’m sure she will be most appreciative of our help.” he continues with a giggle, waving at the demon lady who waves back keeping up the pretence. It looks like you are going to have to have a good bickering contest to change the pig’s stubborn mind. How to do this. 1. Draw a card from the deck, and then draw a card for Pigsy. 2. Whoever draws the highest card, wins that exchange. 3. Repeat another two times. The winner of the contest is the person who gets the most wins out of three. • If you win, turn to 11. • If you lose, turn to 16. Note: Bickering contests are a quick way of resolving player versus player arguments in game. For more explanation turn to “Bickering Contests” on page 104. 16. LET’S HELP THIS LOVELY OUT Pigsy’s pig-headedness wins through, and you lower your iron staff and gesture that Pigsy should go and help the lady. He hops forward in delight, splashing through the mud and scrabbling in an ungainly manner to reach the lady, who coos encouragement from the bank. When Pigsy reaches the bank, the demon sheds its disguise and stands before him a grotesque hybrid of a human and crab. Its pincers are shooting out menacingly towards him. Pigsy lets out a little streak of surprise “Eeek! I see you were right Brother, how wrong of me to doubt you. Please accept my apologies” he says before lowering his rake to meet the advancing demon. To find out how to fight the demon, continue onto the next page. Monkey 36 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE Continued from the previous page.

How to fight the demon. 1. The demon fights with its claws and draws three cards per exchange. Put these down before you and discard the lowest value. 2. Monkey uses his Kung Fu to fight the Crab-Demon and draws three cards from the deck. 3. Draw an extra card since he is using his magic Iron Staff to crack open the demon’s hard exoskeleton. 4. Draw another extra card for the fact that Pigsy is helping with his nine- pronged rake. 5. Finally, you need to pick an attitude and decide how you are performing this action. Are you using the more subtle and soft Yin energy that you show by being Mischievous, or are you being more forceful and aggressive and invoking Yang energy by being Rebellious. Draw an additional card. 6. Discard cards which are not of the same colour of the attitude you choose. So, if you choose the Yin Mischievous attitude, which is represented by black cards, discard any Yang cards which are red. If you choose the Yang attitude of Rebellious, discard the Yin cards in your draw. 7. Now pick your highest card. 8. If you have the highest card, you win the exchange, and the Crab-Demon loses one strike. 9. If the Crab-Demon has the highest card, you lose the exchange, and you lose a strike. 10. If both yours and the Crab-Demon’s card are the same, then you as the player win, and the crab demon loses a strike. 11. You have three strikes, and the crab demon has two. Whoever reaches zero strikes first loses. Note when you move on from this fight, your strike total goes back to three. • If you win turn to 9. • If you lose turn to 3. Note: This is an example of a dramatic action, which is used to determine the outcomes of situations like combat where there are exchanges of blows, and the winner of the contest is not sure straight away. For more information see “Dramatic Actions” on page 100. THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 37 Monkey 17. MONKEY ZOOMS OFF ON HIS MAGIC CLOUD You quickly summon up the morning mist forming it into a small cloud that is big enough to carry your weight. You hop on. “Oh, please Brother Monkey take me with you?” pleads Pigsy, “I’m sure you’ll need my help. We work better as a team.” You’re unconvinced. The Cloud is small and fragile. Pigsy is fat and oafish. The two together may not play nicely. Do you? • Shout “Farewell fatty!” before zooming off to have a quick scout around. If so, turn to 4. • Say, “Yes, Brother lets go find Tripitaka together. Hold on tight,”and take off into the sky with Pigsy on board. If so, turn to 2. 18. MONKEY SAVES THE MONKS! You swoop down on your cloud and catch up with the monks, who number about thirteen in total. In a matter of minutes, you are back in the air and are leading them away from the advancing lava. • After escorting the monks, a safe distance away, you carry on towards the mountain summit, turn to 14. Note: This is an example of a quick action, where no cards are drawn to determine the outcome. If this was a game with a Narrator, they would ask the player to describe what their Immortal is doing, before explaining what happens to the best of the skills and magic powers being used. In this case, Monkey’s magical power of “Flight using a Cloud” easily allows him to rescue the Monks by flying down and then from the air finding a safe route to a safe space. See “Quick Actions” on page 94 for more details. 19. MONKEY CARRIES ON FLYING TOWARDS THE MOUNTAIN “I would fight you, and I would win, but I’ve not got time. I have to go rescue my Master!” you shout as you speed past the Dragon Prince, who rapidly fades into the distance. As you near the mountain you stop your cloud and look around you. You can see the burning fires of Fiery Top Mountain, and your demon seeing eyes pick out the distant figures of the winged Yellow Face Demon, and his underlings who are putting Tripitaka in an iron cage over the fiery crater of the mountain, which is an active volcano. But below you see a band of screaming monks running away from their burning monastery built on the slopes of the erupting volcano, which is now covered with lava streams. Do you? • Swoop down on your cloud and go to help them. Turn to 18. • Carry on your way, without helping. Turn to 10. Monkey 38 THE GREAT CLOUD RACE 20. MONKEY TRIUMPHANT! With a final blow from your Iron Staff, you knock Great Yellow Face into the volcano’s crater. Magically the lava becomes solid trapping him below it, back in his prison. Seeing their leader defeated so soundly his minions decide to run away. You release Master Tripitaka from the iron cage, and once he recovers from all the sulphurous fumes is grateful for your help. Eventually Pigsy, Sandy and the horse arrive on the scene. You all take a moment to be content that you are another step closer to defeating evil, before coming down the mountain via a conveniently placed path and continue your Journey to the West on the road below. Now that you’ve completed this introductory solo adventure, turn to the next chapter to learn more about immortals and create your own.

How this is Different from a Role-playing Game WHAT IS SIMILAR • Uses the same set of rules, which involves drawing cards, to resolve actions where the outcome is less than clear. • It involves making YOUR choices and decisions. This is central to role- playing games and is also a feature of solo adventures. • You play a role and interact with other characters who are playing a role. WHAT IS DIFFERENT • When you play Monkey, the Narrator takes the role of the text and works out what happens because of the players’ choices. This means that there is an unlimited number of entries and endings. Even where the adventure is pre-designed and scripted (see“Creating Stories” on page 126), Monkey’s rules and framework allows and encourages players and Narrators to go off script as the story they are spinning takes them. • The non-player-characters (such as the Yellow Face Demon, the Goddess Kuan Yin) are more fleshed out because the Narrator is playing them. This gives them much more life and makes them far more interesting and reactive to the player’s actions. • You are not playing solo; you are part of an ensemble cast playing out the adventures of your immortals. In this adventure, Pigsy and the other Pilgrims are regulated to secondary characters. In the full role-playing game they are played by fellow players and every bit as important as Monkey. 3. Origins

The birth of the Stone Monkey! Monkey 40 ORIGINS Monkey seeks Immortality So Monkey travelled for ten years across the lands of men. He learned their ways and wore their clothes, but instead of immortality, he found that men were more interested in the fleeting ways of fame and fortune. Very disappointed, he eventually reached the coast of the Western Ocean. “Surely there must be immortals on the other side of that water,” he thought. So he boarded a raft and traversed the Western Ocean and came to the Western Continent. There he found a high mountain and started climbing it. While climbing the forested eastern side, he heard someone singing this song: Happy and without woes of any kind. With axe in hand along my simple way, Singing through the marketplace, I barter wood for three pints of rice. Free of scheming and plotting, and with simplicity my life’s intention. I meet immortals everywhere I go Expounding the Yellow Court. On hearing the song, Monkey thought that he had finally found an immortal. He excitedly leapt out to confront the singer. He was startled to see what seemed only an ordinary woodsman, but nonetheless, he bowed and cried out: “Oh wise immortal, your disciple stands before you!” The woodsman, surprised by Monkey’s outburst, replied: “I am not an immortal, you are mistaken.” “Then why do you sing of the Yellow Court, a secret only known to the immortals?”replied Monkey. “My life is hard and full of pain, and one taught me the song to comfort me when I am afraid. I was worried just now, so broke into song.” “Please tell me the name of this immortal and where he lives,” asked Monkey. “He is called the Patriarch and lives in a cave three miles up this mountain,” replied the Woodsman. So, Monkey walked to the Cave of the Patriarch and became one of the Taoist Master’s disciples and took the religious name Aware of Vacuity. From the Patriarch, he learned the Taoist art of internal alchemy and eventually became immortal. Monkey was a troublesome student, though, and after an incident where he showed off his new-found shape-changing abilities by turning into a pine tree in front of the other students, the Patriarch thought it best to send him on his way. As he explained why Monkey must go, the Patriarch finished by saying: “Oh, and if you get into trouble, and I have no doubt that you will, I strictly forbid you to mention that it was I who taught you!” If you wish to learn what became of Aware of Vacuity when he returned home, please read on. ORIGINS 41 Monkey Meet the Immortals All the player characters are immortals. Immortals are anyone knowing or possessing the secret of immortality, whether created that way by the powers of the Universe or by learning it through hard work. Immortals make up the ranks of Gods and Goddesses who live in the Taoist Western Heaven, the Buddhas and Bodhisattva who inhabit the Buddhist Eastern Heaven, the Demons of the Ten Hells and the great transcended Taoist Sages. How the players collectively create their alter-egos in the game is dealt with in the next section, titled Immortal Creation, but this section details the ideas that make up an immortal character. TYPES OF IMMORTAL Broadly speaking there are five types of immortal: • Animal Spirit • Celestial Immortal • Demon • Local Deity • Transcended Master ANIMAL SPIRIT The world is full of animals. Some of them are intelligent and can assume human-like form. Monkey himself is an example of an animal spirit who gains immortality by learning the secrets from an immortal Taoist Sage. Other examples commonly met in Chinese Folklore are the sly and cunning Fox Spirits and the fierce Tiger Spirits. Typical Attitudes: Loud, Strong, Agile, Rash, Fast, Obnoxious. Typical Skills Kung-Fu, Acrobat, Merchant, Rogue, Shaman. CELESTIAL IMMORTAL These immortals are native to the Western Heaven. The character was part of the Jade Emperor’s celestial bureaucracy. Through misdeeds, determined by the player, they have fallen out of favour with the Heavenly authorities, though, and find themselves on Earth to atone for their crimes. Typical Attitudes: Noble, Clever, Chaste, Quiet, Wise, Reflective. Typical Skills Mandarin, Scholar, Poet, Kung-Fu, Soldier, Magistrate, Taoist Priest. DEMON There are three types of demon. The first kind is a horde of miscreants dedicated to doing evil. Such demons oppose the Pilgrims as they travel the road to India to bring the sacred scrolls of Buddhism back to China. Then there are demons that dwell in the dark hells of King Yama, punishing the wicked and sometimes emerging onto earth to create havoc. Occasionally, these demons are captured by the Heavenly authorities and made to mend their evil nature. Finally, some demons were once Celestial Immortals who fell out of favour with the Jade Emperor, and were punished by being given a demon’s fearsome form. Monkey 42 ORIGINS Both Sandy and Pigsy are examples of Celestial Immortals who have been turned into demons as punishment. Sandy was a Marshal of Heaven who broke a jade bowl at a Heavenly feast and was cast down to earth in the form of a terrifying human-eating water demon. Pigsy, too, was a Marshal of Heaven, banished and turned into a man-eating pig demon for lusting after and making inappropriate advances towards one of the handmaidens of the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven. Typical Attitudes: Stupid, Lazy, Obnoxious, Lusty, Strong. Typical Skills Soldier, Mandarin*, Magistrate*, Rogue, Kung-Fu * Despite their unruly nature, demons who have served in King Yama’s Hells are likely to have picked up these skills in during their service, since Hell has its own system of administration and justice. LOCAL DEITIES These immortals are responsible for a physical feature such as a river or hill or the fertility of an area of land. They are accountable to the Jade Emperor, via the appropriate Ministry, for the smooth running of their territory. Typical Attitudes: Solid, Dependable, Wise. Typical Skills Kung-Fu, Acrobat, Merchant, Rogue, Shaman. TRANSCENDED MASTER Through long study of Taoist Alchemy, an arduous regime of mental and physical practices, the Master has moved beyond physical death and into the realm of the immortal. However, a fatal weakness bars them from entering Heaven and a long and arduous set of adventures must be embarked upon to overcome it. Tripitaka is an example of a Transcended Master who has not yet become immortal, and the Journey to the West is the story of how he transcends to Heaven. Typical Attitudes: Wise, Reflective, Quiet, Cleaver, Focused. Typical Skills Kung-Fu, Taoist Priest, Scholar, Mandarin, Magistrate. ORIGINS 43 Monkey

Other types of characters MORTALS In Monkey, mortals do not take centre stage, but the player immortals must be careful not to injure them or place them in harm’s way. Mortals do things in a straightforward non-magical way as a rule. They rely merely on their skills to get things done. Some mortals, such as Taoist Sages and Buddhist Priests do know magic rituals, but they will use them sparingly so as not to offend the powers of Heaven. Occasionally, a mortal will be a supporting character, perhaps the unwitting dupe of a demon villain. See the Chapter 5 The Road to India for more details on extras and supporting characters. However, most mortals are unnamed extras in Monkey and require one strike to take them out of an action and the story. Mortals can die after a single strike in a potentially deadly physical conflict; such as combat or resisting poison, they die and leave the mortal realm, passing on to the dark kingdom of Lord Yama, judge of the dead. Though a complicated magical practice, a mortal can perceive and transcend mortality and become immortal. GREAT IMMORTALS The Great Immortals include the Jade Emperor of the Western Heaven, Lord Buddha and King Yama, ruler of the Ten Hells. Great Immortals are the fundamental and immovable powers of the universe. They are unaffected by time. They do not die, or age, or change personality. They cannot die or be dispelled. Their actions are always in accordance with the Harmony of the Universe. They do not act outside the remit of their powers - they have followers for that - but when they do move it is always with complete certainty. Great Immortals always win any action they undertake. They do not need to draw any cards. A Joker brought against a Great Immortal will temporarily halt one, but does not count as a defeat. All this does is drag out the action. A cunning player can use this as an opportunity to spin an entertaining story. Monkey’s famous run-in with Lord Buddha is an example of Jokers being played. If not allowed to take action, a Great Immortal can immediately summon an appropriate follower. Great Immortals have hundreds of Lesser Immortals ready to do their bidding. Great Immortals do not act against each other. Instead, they work in harmony, often sending aid to each other. For example, when Monkey ran amok in the Western Heaven, Lord Buddha left the Eastern Heaven to go and help. Monkey 44 ORIGINS ATTITUDES Attitudes are strong personality or physical traits that a character possesses. Each attitude is part of a pairing of the Yin (passive) and Yang (active) and can be based on the Mind, Body or Spirit. For example, Yin/Yang pairings of attitudes could be Stupid/Clever, Dizzy/Focused, Weak/Strong or Chaste/Lusty. USE IN PLAY If an attitude that the character possesses can be applied to a skill draw, then the character gets a bonus card. Important: When a player is using an attitude in play, they must give a quick description of how they are using it. If they cannot do this to the Narrator’s satisfaction, they cannot play the extra card. For example, Pigsy, who has the attitude of Deceitful, attempts to use his utter inanity to annoy a farmer in such a way that the farmer feeds him, just to be rid of him. Blathering Pigsy berates the farmer for his lack of compassion, in not caring for his fellow man. He has walked 100 leagues today. Would not the farmer give him some honeyed bread? Pigsy already gets to draw two cards thanks to his Courtier skill of two; he also receives a bonus card thanks to the creative use of his attitude. STACKING ATTITUDE BONUSES A player may not gain additional rewards from adding more than one attitude to a skill.

A note on Yin/Yang Chinese philosophy centres on the idea of a unified cosmos where two interacting forces hold the universe in delicate balance: Yin, the passive feminine element and Yang, its active masculine counterpart. Whether something is Yin or whether it is Yang is measured by what you are relating the object to. It is not a negative/positive or even a relationship of opposites. It is a principle that underlies much Chinese philosophy, martial arts and belief systems, such as I Ching divination. For example, the classic pairing is that Yin is Female while Yang is Male, and another is that the side of a hill in shadow is Yin, while its bright face is Yang. In martial arts, the leg on which the body’s weight rests is said to be full, or Yang and the ‘empty’ leg is Yin. Comparing like with like breaks the mould of comparing opposites. For example, I am shorter than you, so my height is Yin while yours is Yang. ORIGINS 45 Monkey ATTITUDE LIST Here is a list of attitudes, inYin/Yang pairings. If you wish to pick your attitudes randomly, then draw a card and consult this list. The first of each pairing is Yin, the other is Yang. Black cards give the Yin result and Red cards the Yang. Ignore results that give you either an Yin attitude or an Yang attitude of the same pair that your character already possesses. 2. Stupid/Clever 3. Lazy/Industrious 4. Obnoxious/Charming 5. Chaste/Lusty 6. Dizzy/Focused 7. Quiet/Loud 8. Weak/Strong 9. Clumsy/Agile 10. Slow/Fast Jack. Thin/Fat King. Wise/Rash Queen. Reflective/Reactive Ace. Noble/Base NEW ATTITUDES Feel free to add new attitudes to the list. If as a player you want to add one that isn’t listed, discuss it with your Narrator. Between you, make sure it isn’t really covered already and decide on its opposite. Remember that the Yin/Yang pairing is not necessarily negative/positive or even representative of opposites. Monkey 46 ORIGINS SKILLS Skills are things that the character can do. Skills can be either mundane or magical of origin or, in the case of immortals, a mixture of both. Each skill has a rank from one to five. Rank Description Meaning 1 Trained A meaningful amount of training, but still learning. 2 Journeyman Regularly performs this skill in a professional capacity.

3 Expert Other people look to this person for training and advice.

4 Master Very accomplished and skilful, looked up to as an acknowledged keeper of the tradition. 5 Grand The best in the world at that skill. Master Skills are written with their skill rank, for example Acrobat 2. The skill rank is the number of cards drawn when the skill is used (see Skill use below). Player immortals have ranks in the range of one to three, one skill at each rank. They are most practiced in their Expert (3) skill. The Journeyman (2) skill is usually a secondary skill supporting the player immortal’s first skill. Finally, the Trained (1) skill is an area the immortal has either learned late in their life, or is a hobby rather than something they spend all their time pursuing. Player immortals can develop skills in the Master(4) and Grand Master (5) range through dedicated play, see “Advancing a skill” on page 107. ADDING NEW SKILLS TO THE LIST The skill list below is by no means exhaustive. If players want to add new skills, they can do so with the Narrator’s permission, and they can be modelled on existing ones. Likewise, a player may alter a skill’s use to include abilities not written in the description, again with the Narrator’s permission. Skills come in the format of a name and a description, which describes what the skill package covers and some of its uses. ORIGINS 47 Monkey SKILL LIST Skills are grouped into three areas: Mind, Body and Spirit. Each skill is actually a group of abilities named after the occupation with which it is associated. Rather than tightly define what each skill does, suggestions and examples are given, but ultimately it is up to the players and the Narrator to agree between them what the skill can do. This makes them a flexible tool during play allowing both players and Narrators to come up with an exciting narrative. Mind Mind skills involve rational thought, and are the preserve of scholars and logical thinkers. Courtier The Courter skill includes all the hangers-on at the Emperor’s court. They are adept at surviving its daily intrigues while preserving and adding to their power base. The skill set includes diplomacy, etiquette, dancing, a knowledge of the hierarchy of the court, singing and intrigue. Magistrate These officials, generally known by the title of Judge, are responsible for investigating crimes, capturing criminals and passing out punishments. The skill set includes investigative abilities, disguise, boxing, etiquette and knowledge of the Jade Emperor’s laws. Mandarin Mandarin is the name of a class of administrators who keep both the mortal and immortal bureaucracies running smoothly. They are literate and numerate, and able to understand the complex social hierarchies that run both Heaven and Earth. The skill set includes literacy, numeracy, persuading those of lower status, grovelling before rulers, understanding administrative edicts and bossing around subordinates. Merchant Although rich in wealth, merchants are scorned, considered amongst the lowest of the low because they handle money, something regarded as spiritually impure. Their skill set includes bargaining and evaluation skills, care of beasts of burden, literacy, sourcing goods, and bribing criminals and corrupt officials. Poet Poets are literate and cultural figures who have a command of language that often sees them employed by noble families to celebrate their achievements and bring culture to their households. Their skill set includes public speaking, literacy, the composition of verse, and the ability to find gainful employment with a noble patron. Ruler Emperors, kings, chiefs, abbots or anyone who has responsibility for leading a group of people fall into this category and has this skill set. Monkey 48 ORIGINS

A Magistrate is as knowledgeable of the martial arts as they are of the Tang Code of Law. ORIGINS 49 Monkey It includes issuing orders, commanding subordinates, listening to advisers, understanding problems, managing resources, determining taxes, and observing rituals. Scholar The Empire is full of men and women who make their living through thinking and the application of thought, such as teachers, librarians, lawyers and engineers. Many follow the teachings of Confucius whose numerous edicts give humans a set of rules by which they can successfully live their lives. This skill set includes literacy, a knowledge of languages outside the Empire, logical thinking, debating (or arguing as others call it), philosophy and calligraphy. Body Body skills are physical, the speciality of warriors, acrobats and martial artists. Actor This skill includes a rich assortment of artists from street performers to organised opera troops. The skill set includes acting, disguise, public speaking, mimicry and the ability to influence crowds. Acrobat This skill covers all the balancing, tumbling and jumping skills that a professional acrobat would know. Craftsman Although mind and spirit play a part in the crafts, it is still by hard physical work that most crafters accomplish their works. As well as the skills of the craft itself, this skill set includes trading, getting the right price for your goods, dealing with petty bureaucrats and avoiding criminals. Kung-Fu This skill set is the preserve of martial artists. Each Kung-Fu style is based upon the moves of a particular animal. So, for example, there are Crane, Monkey and Mantis styles. As well as being a set of fighting techniques, each Kung-Fu teaches body conditioning and movement skills. Therefore a tall thin and sinewy Crane fighter fights using long jabbing techniques, is able to take ‘flight’, leaping long distances in single bounds, and can walk safely through swampland. A style may also have weapons associated with it as well as unarmed techniques. Kung-Fu also teaches spiritual discipline, so these skill packages also give the character the basics of Taoism and Buddhism. Soldier Most warriors in the Empire are soldiers, who live tough, disciplined lives. They include foot soldiers, archers (both bowman and crossbowmen) and the cavalry. Unlike Kung-Fu warriors, soldiers work best in large, ordered groups. The Soldier skill set includes the use of the appropriate weapons and armour, self-discipline, leadership, taking orders, tactics and the ability to find supplies. Monkey 50 ORIGINS Rogue The Rogue skill set represents all those men and women who make a living through deceit and trickery. Rogues are not necessarily heartless criminals, although many in the Empire have fallen on hard times, and have to supplement their livelihoods by dishonest means. Rogue skills include the base skills of thievery (purse lifting, burglary, mugging) as well as avoiding the law, forgery, disguise and the evaluation and disposal of stolen goods. Spirit The area of spirit covers the mystical and magical vocations of magicians, sages and priests. Taoist Taoism is a philosophy of living that has its roots in the shamanistic practices of the early Chinese. Its chief spokesperson is Lao Tzu (literally, ‘Old Sage’), who wrote the Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way), which contains the core philosophies of Taoism. Taoism holds that all creation is part of a single whole, the Tao, which in itself is impossible to see except in fleeting moments. By practising the Way, a Taoist seeks to be at one with the Tao, achieving wisdom and immortality. Taoists are primarily interested in observing the unspoilt natural world, seeing it as being closer to the Tao than the cultured and confused civilisation which has arisen in China. There are many schools of Taoism, each practising its own set of mystical practices. All these are included in the skill. These include: Taoist Alchemy comprises two branches. External alchemy concerns itself with the preparations of potions and pills in a quest for immortality, and Internal alchemy seeks to achieve the same working with inner energy, using physical exercises and meditation. As well as the supreme and challenging goal of attaining immortality, Alchemy also works on general health and well-being. I-Ching divination. After asking a question, the diviner throws a set of yarrow sticks onto the ground and consults the I-Ching (The Book of Changes) from which they receive a vague answer, itself open to interpretation. Paper talismans. Using written Chinese symbols, the sage can create single-use Talismans that typically protect against demons or evil spirits, bring blessings to the family or carry out some similar magic. Feng-Shui. Literally ‘Water and Earth’, this art of geomancy is used by its practitioners to ensure that buildings are built by the ways of Heaven and that the energy flows around the building bring luck to those working or living there. Taoist Martial Arts Many of the Chinese Kung Fu styles are part of Taoist Internal Alchemy practice, were physical movements, often circular in nature, utilising the Yin/Yang philosophy develop great physical fitness and the ability to channel chi, natural life energy. In game terms, someone with the Taoist skill will know the martial arts, perhaps even practising short sets of Chi Kung exercises for health and energy cultivation, but actual practice is represented separately as a dedicated Kung Fu skill. ORIGINS 51 Monkey

A Taoist Priest, wearing a Geomancer’s Compass and Paper Talismans Monkey 52 ORIGINS Buddhist Buddhism initially came from India, where Prince Siddartha Gautama discovered the core teachings after an extended period of meditation on the meaning of suffering in the world. Upon his enlightenment, he realised that life was a wheel of pain and suffering in which a soul is reincarnated continuously. The body of each life is appropriate to the person’s karma, literally the sum of their actions. So, a man who is selfish in a former life may be reborn as a dog and a murderer as an insect. Demons are the reincarnations of the foulest of evildoers, but even they may gain good karma and be born into a better life. What Great Buddha realised was that only by practising the noble eightfold path of right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration can a person escape the wheel of reincarnation. In short, by performing good works, avoiding evil actions and by training the mind through meditation, a person who successfully follows Great Buddha’s teachings will himself achieve Buddhahood and the state of Nirvana, freeing them from the wheel of reincarnation. This skill set includes not only the everyday person who practices Buddhism, but also the monks, nuns and priests. As well as being literate, Buddhist Priests can also ward off evil spirits and demons with chants and prayers. Shaman China’s shamans worship nature and the spirits. In early China, each tribe had a Shaman to act as an intermediary between the spirits that inhabit the natural world and the dead ancestor spirits. They are responsible for restoring harmony and expelling evil spirits that have possessed human victims. Although replaced in civilised areas by Taoist Priests, shamans still exist in the wilderness. This skill group covers ecstatic dancing, speaking with the dead, communicating with nature spirits, the exorcism of evil spirits, herbalism and divination. Default Skill Rating If you make an action that you don’t have a skill in, you just draw one card and may not swap in any cards that you have previously saved (see “The Action System” on page 93). ORIGINS 53 Monkey MAGICAL POWERS Magical powers in Monkey come from a variety of sources, from innate abilities to spells and blessings learnt through religious or sorcerous practice. Characters may have a natural magical understanding or knowledge through one of their skills; for example, Buddhist provides a variety of blessings against evil and Taoism teaches I-Ching divination. Also, by virtue of their immortality, many of the characters’ actions are infused with magic. All these minor magics are covered by the skill that they fall under. IMMORTAL POWERS Every action of an immortal is an invocation of the energies that flow through the immortal from the Universe. Their effectiveness is well beyond the apparent physical or mental capacities expected from their form. All immortals can Fly through the Air and Shape Change. See the Magic section below for more details and other abilities your immortal may possess. Also, immortals cannot be killed. However, during life-threatening combat, they lose ‘strikes’, of which Player immortals have three at the beginning of any session. When an immortal loses all their strikes, they drop out of the story and may disappear back to their home kingdom, as ghosts and demons do, or just be too exhausted to fight and can be quickly bound and captured, as is the case with more physical immortals such as animal spirits. They then regenerate until they can once more participate in the action. The nature of an immortal’s method of defeat may limit how they can restore themselves. For example, cutting up and scattering the body parts of the Spider Demon may stop him restoring to terrorise the Western Heaven, and Lord Buddha trapped even Monkey under a mountain. For more on strikes see “Procedure for Dramatic Actions” on page 101. Magic powers go beyond the standard immortal abilities and even the scope of skills. They are unique and powerful techniques that the character knows,or gains from a magical item. For example Monkey has the following magical powers. A magical cloud trapeze. This spell is Monkey’s version of Fly through the Air, which summons up a cloud that Monkey can use to travel to the four corners of the earth. The ability to change his shape, most famously when he battled Prince Natha and transformed into a giant, three-headed, six-armed version of himself. Both these are common to all immortals. The following are unique to Monkey. A magical iron rod, which is as heavy as the Milky Way and which can change size from the size of a needle (Monkey usually carries it tucked behind his ear) to a colossal column immeasurably thick, which is how Monkey uses it in his fight against the giant-sized Prince Natha. ‘Little monkeys’, a spell which allows Monkey to take a handful of his hairs and turn them into miniature versions of himself. His Fiery Eyes of Demon Seeing enable him to see demons in their correct form. Monkey 54 ORIGINS Monkey also has the skill Taoist Sage, and it is this that gives him his immortality from the techniques of Internal Alchemy that he learnt from the Patriarch. While essential to note, magical powers derived from a skill are much less dramatic than when Monkey uses his magic Iron Staff or invokes his Little Monkeys. Magic Powers allow the player to draw an additional card to the player’s action hand when they are invoked, upon the player satisfactorily describing how they are being used in the action their immortal is performing. Each magic power also has a limitation, a specific condition where the power does not work. SOME SAMPLE MAGIC POWERS The following short list gives some examples of magic powers from Chinese mythology. They take the form of a description of what the power does, followed by any limitations that may be imposed upon it. Players are encouraged to think up their own magic powers, which fit in with their concept of their character. Look at the example immortals at the back of the book for more ideas. Fly through the Air All immortals are able to fly through the air. It seems to go with the with the condition of being immortal, and not only allows them to fly up to heaven, but also perform gravity-defying kung fu attacks. Limitation: Immortals are unable to carry mortals while in flight since mortals are as heavy as a mountain to an immortal in flight. Shape Change All immortals are able to change their shape. Monkey does this many times within the length of the epic. When he first learns the magic from atriarchP Sudobi, he turns himself into a pine tree to the delight of his fellow students. Later, when attacked by Prince Natha, son of the Heavenly General, he matches the Prince’s terrifying form of a three-headed, six-armed demon. Limitation: Both Buddhists and Taoists are trained in working out what is real and what is an illusion. Anyone with this sort of training can see the character for what they are on a successful action. For example therefore when Monkey first learns how to change shape, he turns into a pretty unconvincing pine tree, which his teacher the Patriarch, a Taoist Sage, is immediately able to spot. Float on Water Banished to earth, and turned into the form of an eternally hungry demon, Friar Sandy preyed upon the travellers who came past the cave in which he lived. Amongst them were good Buddhist pilgrims. All the other bones sank to the bottom of the pool by the cave, but the skulls of the Buddhists floated. When he became one of Tripitaka’s pilgrims, the Priest ordered Sandy to collect the skulls and make a necklace. This power allows the immortal to float on the surface of the water. Limitation: While this power is being used it is impossible for the immortal to sink, for whatever reason, beneath the surface of the water. ORIGINS 55 Monkey Disassociate Spirit from Body Li Tiequai, one of the Eight Taoist Immortals, wished to visit a sacred mountain. Leaving his body behind, he told his disciple to look after it, burning it if he did not return by the sixth day. Li Tiequai’s visit to the mountain took longer than six days, forcing him to find a new body, that of an ugly beggar with a crippled leg. Thus his nickname ‘Tiequai’, which means ‘with the iron crutch.’ This power allows the immortal’s spirit to leave his body. As well as being able to wander freely, the immortal may attempt to possess another. To do so, perform an action, the against an appropriate spirit skill of the character that is being possessed. Limitation: While the spirit of the immortal goes wandering, the body must be kept safe. MAGICAL ITEMS In Monkey all the pilgrims have magic items that aid them on the quest. Monkey has his tiger skin clothes, his Iron Staff and, somewhat less usefully to him, the contracting iron headband which Kuan Yin put on the unruly ape so that Tripitaka can, at the chant of a simple spell, punish him for wrongdoing. Pigsy has a magic rake, Sandy has his necklace of floating Buddhist priest skulls and Tripitaka has his horse, which is really the sons of one of the Dragon Kings turned into a never-tiring mount and a robe given to him by Kuan Yin, a gift from Great Buddha to help him on his journey. Players may choose to add any of the powers they hold from the main powers list (see below) but here are some examples from traditional Chinese myth. Sword The sword is often seen as a symbol of the warrior’s connection to the divine and an embodiment of his will, magical due to their use by a great hero or because they are gifts from the gods. Also, in Taoist and Shamanist rituals, the sword often has powers for exorcising Demons Power: Hero’s blade. This gives a bonus to the immortal’s fighting skill when used. Limitation: The weapon can only be used in combats that are virtuous. If applied to be evil or oppressive, it gives no bonus. Power: Exorcise Demons. Use the sword’s power against an appropriate magical skill of the demon to see if the Demon is cast out from a human host. Limitation: Only works on demons that are possessing a human. Drum Massed ranks of drummers go into battle with the armies of theTang Empire, summoning the thunder and fire of the weather gods with which this instrument is associated. Such instruments inspire both player and listeners. Power: Inspire confidence in friends and self. Add a card to listeners’ action hand. Limitation: Must be able to hear and only lasts while the drum is being played. Monkey 56 ORIGINS Bell This instrument is traditionally used to summon the gods and spirits to a temple precinct. A bell may be associated with a player immortal’s patron (see “Introducing the Patron” on page 86) and be used to summon them for advice. Power: Summon patron. This power allows the immortal to summon their patron instantly where ever they are. Limitation: If the immortal overuses the bell, the patron may become resistant to the bell’s summons (add one card to resist per session each time the immortal uses the bell). Fan As well as its obvious use to move the air, the fan can waft currents of chi (life energy) towards a target. This can be used to heal the wounded or exorcise demons (see Sword, above). Power: Air blast. The wielder of the fan can send great gusts of air to knock opponents off their feet or blow airborne targets many leagues away. Limitation: This power doesn’t work where there is no air, such as underwater. Also, the recipient must be within the wielder’s line of sight. Power: Chi-flow.The wielder of the fan can send a flow of chi towards a wounded target, healing them upon a successful action. If this is done during a dramatic action, the recipient recovers 1 strike. Limitation: The recipient must be within the wielder’s line of sight. Mirrors In Tang China, magic mirrors are made of bronze and are convex in shape. One side is highly polished to form a reflective surface and the rounded shape is elaborately decorated with carvings of animals from the Chinese zodiac. The Thunder Goddess has two mirrors which she uses to focus lightning. Other magic mirrors are used to show an immortal’s true form. A Feng-Shui mirror, an octagonal frame painted green or black with the eight trigrams (known as the Pa Kua) painted around a small central mirror is used to reflect destructive earth energies. Power: Reveal true form. Perform an action that pits the mirror’s power against an immortal’s disguise power to see if the mirror reveals the immortal’s true form. Limitation: There must be light to cast the reflection. In poor light, the mirror’s power does not work. Also the immortal in question must cast a reflection – although this in itself is a warning. Power: Project lightning. Bolts of lightning issue forth from the mirror of power. Limitations: Target must be in line of sight since the lightning travels through the air. Power: Feng Shui Mirror An immortal with a magical Feng Shui mirror can deflect or disperse incoming disruptive earth powers, such as an earthquake or mudslide. Limitation: If used to protect a building, the mirror must be placed in the correct place by a practitioner of Feng Shui (part of the Taoist Priest skill package). ORIGINS 57 Monkey

The General of Cats, posing with his magical fan which is as useful for its relaxing coolness as for its razor sharp edges. Monkey 58 ORIGINS CREATING NEW MAGICAL POWERS As with skills, a player may generate new magic powers and is encouraged to do so to make their immortal a unique individual. However, both the player and Narrator must bear the following in mind. • Power must have a specific use. For example, Shape change allows the immortal to change form, but not throw fireballs (even if the immortal turns into a fire-breathing elemental). This use must be decided when the power is created. • A power must have a limitation. This is a specific instance where the power just does not work. For example, immortals using the Flight power cannot carry mortals. This need not be decided when the power is created, but if the player uses the power repeatedly without declaring the limitation, the Narrator should declare one.

This Little Monkey has left the Water Cave Mountain, inspired by the tales of his Monkey King in the lands of humans. ORIGINS 59 Monkey YOUR IMMORTAL’S WEAKNESS An immortal may know in their mind what they need to do to pursue enlightenment and act harmoniously, but it is their weakness that gets in the way and prevents them attaining it. For example, Monkey’s weakness is Undisciplined. This continually gets him into trouble, both during the Journey to the West, as well as during his Origins. The most famous being him running amok in the Western Heaven, which sees him expelled and imprisoned under a mountain by Buddha. See Chapter 5 The Road to India for more details on how weakness is used in play. EQUIPMENT AND WEALTH Immortals tend to travel light. Possessions mean very little to them and represent the transitory nature of the mortal world. However, player immortals can be expected to be dressed in clothes that express their occupation and rank, and carry weapons that they can use. Similarly, immortals have no need for wealth, since they can always use their magic powers or call upon an appropriate immortal ally to perform a task or gain an item. Besides, the handling of money is seen as spiritually impure. Monkey 60 ORIGINS Immortal Creation Ready to start playing Monkey? Then grab some pieces of paper, or a ready- made Immortal Sheet available from D101games.com/downloads (and on page 71), pencils/pens, and shuffle two decks of cards (one for the players and one for the Narrator). This section of the book will guide you through the process of creating your immortal that you play through with your fellow players and the narrator. By all means, read through the procedure (and the Narrator certainly should), but get ready to create your immortals. FIVE STEPS TO IMMORTALITY For each of the five steps, go round the table and quickly answer the questions by telling a short story, and noting down the choices. Refer to the previous section, “Meet the Immortals” if you need inspiration or details. Use the randomisers to help you answer the questions, or if you fancy leaving your answers up to chance. PLAY THE CHALLENGE Each of the first four steps of the Immortal Creation process, as ellw as asking the player to describe what their immortal did during each stage, asks them to overcome a challenge that their immortal faced during that phase. For example, Monkey must jump the height of Water Cave Mountain to become King of the Monkeys during his Origins (stage 1) and later has to fight the Heavenly Armies when he goes to Heaven (stage 4). The procedure is as follows: • Pick a skill, draw cards equal to the rank (the number associated with the skill), and draw an extra card if you can link an attitude with the narrative of the action. Narrate your action, then pick the highest card, and play face down in front of the Narrator. • The Narrator will do the same for the opponent, describing their action, drawing 2 cards and placing their highest card face down in front of the player. • Both player and narrator turn their cards over. The highest wins, and whoever wins gets to describe the outcome of the action. Consequences for the outcome are non-lethal and temporary, if memorable, to the immortal. If the challenge involved another immortal, make a note of them under the Friends/Enemies section of the Immortal Sheet, either as a friend or an enemy depending on how the player immortal treated them during the challenge. Friends (and enemies ) can be called upon during play to give help or hindrance (see”Calling Upon Friends and Enemies” on page 92). This is what is called a simple action – see Chapter 3 Road to India for more details- but is presented here so you can quickly get on and play. If the challenge doesn’t involve a living opponent, then merely narrate the outcome of the action which is automatically favourable to the immortal, unless it makes sense to include some sort of complication. This is what is called a quick action, see Chapter 5, The Road to India for more details. ORIGINS 61 Monkey Note that you don’t have to play the challenge if you don’t want to. If you can think up a good story without drawing the cards, then that is acceptable as well. You’ll be still entertaining the other players and helping build up a picture of your immortal. Using the action system is fun, helps inspiration and introduces the rules. WHAT DOES THE NARRATOR DO DURING THIS? The overall goal of Immortal Creation is that it should be seamlessly part of the story/game. The Narrator should do the following during immortal Creation 1. Go round the table clockwise, running each player in turn through the five stages of character creation, one step at a time. 2. Help the players come up with the short bits of narrative that each step requires and make sure they note down the skills, attitudes and other gaming items that each step produces on their Immortal Sheet. 3. Play through challenges with the player, either by drawing cards or talking through it, noting down any friends or enemies the immortal gains through it.

The Chinese and Names The Chinese recognise multiple names: name as child, name when they became an adult, nicknames that other people know you by, names that you are known as in a religious capacity. Monkey is a good example: Stone Monkey is his birth name. Handsome Monkey King is the name he gives himself when he becomes the leader of the Monkeys of Water Cave Mountain. Aware of Vacuity is the name that the Taoist Patriarch gives him when he studies Taoism with him. Sage Equal to Heaven is the name is he is given when he enters Heaven and takes up responsibilities there. Monkey is the name that he is known by Tripitaka and the other Pilgrims. Monkey 62 ORIGINS STEP 1. ORIGINS Write down the Origin of the character, and then go around the table clockwise and each player tells a short narrative of how they are born. This Narrative should include: • A name. • How they were born/created. • A mention of their parents and mentors. • Their first skill (which has a value of 3). • What they were like as a person (pick one attitude and note if it is Yin or Yang). • Flight and Shape Change as magical powers and one other magical power that they learn or are born with. • The first challenge (see below). Optional: To determine your character’s origin and first skill randomly, draw two cards and compare the suits to the following lists. ORIGIN • Hearts: Animal Spirit. • Clubs: Demon. • Diamonds: Celestial. • Spades: Local Deity. • Joker: Transcended Master. FIRST SKILL PICKER BY ORIGIN Animal Spirit. • Hearts: Shaman. • Clubs: Rogue. • Diamonds: Kung Fu. • Spades: Ruler. • Joker: Taoist Sorcerer. Demon. • Hearts: Infernal Sorcerer. • Clubs: Soldier. • Diamonds: Mandarin. • Spades: Magistrate. • Joker: Ruler. Celestial. • Hearts: Courtier. • Clubs: Solider. • Diamonds: Mandarin. • Spades: Scholar. • Joker: Rogue. ORIGINS 63 Monkey Local Deity. • Hearts: Taoist. • Clubs: Kung-Fu. • Diamonds: Magistrate. • Spades: Crafts person. • Joker: Rogue. Transcended Master. • Hearts: Taoist. • Clubs: Soldier. • Diamonds: Ruler. • Spades: Mandarin (odd number) or Magistrate (even number). • Joker: Poet/Artist. THE FIRST CHALLENGE Play or talk out a challenge that the immortal faced during their Origins, which was a defining moment for them where the Universe challenged their very being. Example First Challenges • Hearts: How the immortal rose amongst their peers to be the best of them. • Clubs: Defeating an enemy of their people. • Diamonds: Performing an excellent service that marked them out for greatness. • Spades: Attaining a magical treasure long thought lost. • Joker: You are trusted with an especially important mission, on behalf of the Jade Emperor himself, which is of the upmost importance. If you are playing the challenge, the player narrates how they are using their skill to overcome the challenge. Then they choose cards equal to the rank of that skill which is three. They then select the highest card. The opposition draws one card from the Narrator’s deck and plays it. Whoever gets the highest card. For example, Silver Fox, an animal spirit who lives in a magical forest on Earth (one of the pre-made characters; see “Silver Fox” on page 207), is being threatened by a Wolf Headed Demon. Her player decides to use Silver Fox’s Rogue skill, which has a rank of three, to overcome the Wolf, using cunning and trickery to frighten off the demon. Silver Fox’s player draws a Six of Diamonds, a Ten of Clubs and a Two of Clubs. The Narrator draws a Three of Hearts and a Two of Spades. Therefore Silver Fox defeats and drives off the Wolf Headed Demon by making all sorts of scary noises that echo around the wood. If the Narrator had drawn a card higher than the player’s Ten of Clubs, Silver Fox would have faced some sort of set back – perhaps the demon is not frightened and stays in the forest terrorising its inhabitants for a while, before getting bored and moving on. Maybe the demon remains a threat that can re-appear during the Journey to India. The aim in these immortal creation stages is not to sting the player with the feeling of defeat but to help them build up their immortal’s backstory in exciting and creative ways. Monkey 64 ORIGINS STEP 2. GOING TO HEAVEN Next, the immortal comes to the attention of Western Heaven, which has immortal agents on earth and watchers up in Heaven, such as the Planet Venus, looking for suitable candidates. They are invited by the Jade Emperor or the Queen Mother of the West to take up a position there. This time the narrative should include one or more of the following: • Did your immortal get a new name when they reached Heaven? • Who became your Patron while in Heaven? This is usually a major immortal who becomes the immortal’s mentor. This could either be their Minister in the Ministry they are attached to, or a deity such as the lanetP Venus or Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism. • Who did you offend during your time in Heaven, who became your Enemy? • Did you fit in harmoniously? • What did you have a reputation for? (Pick another attitude) • Did you meet your fellow immortals at this stage At this stage you also gain your second skill. You might learn it in Heaven, or, like Monkey, on the journey to Heaven. To decide it randomly, draw a card. • Hearts: Assigned to a Ministry (Mandarin). • Clubs: Part of the Celestial Army (Soldier). • Diamonds: Something spiritual, some Ministry responsible for divination or perhaps even a minor assistant alchemist at Lao Tzu’s Forge (Taoist). • Spades: Performing hard work as a servant in some Great Immortal’s household (Courtier). • Joker:You were disobedient or never really fitted in, and avoided any hard work (Rogue). ORIGINS 65 Monkey CHALLENGE 2: KEEPING YOUR PLACE IN HEAVEN The Western Heaven may be a place of peace and tranquillity, but with so many powerful immortals trying to keep their Ministries working smoothly and minor immortals trying to gain promotion, there can be moments of turbulence. The immortal’s own vanity perhaps creates difficulty. For example, Monkey runs amok in heaven for the first time when he realises his position as the stable hand in the heavenly stables is not as grand as he would have liked. Once again, if you are stuck draw a card from your deck, and consult the list below: • Hearts: Social matters tripped your immortal up in their time in Heaven. Perhaps they were rude or had to defend their honour from a superior or a lesser, who was looking to take their place. • Clubs: Violence was an issue for your immortal. Perhaps they had to defend heaven against a demonic attack. Or maybe they could not behave politely and peacefully in the way that Heaven demands at all times. Tempers were tested and found to be fraying. • Diamonds: An abundance of wealth is all around in the Western Heaven. The very buildings are made of Jade and other precious stones. Perhaps this was too much of a temptation for the materially minded immortal. Maybe they foiled an insidious theft as part of their duties. • Spades: It’s not all endless parties. Someone has to work hard to set up those parties and clean up afterwards. There’s also work to be done in the Ministries. The immortal’s test came in a particularly tricky piece of work. • Joker: Something completely unexpected happened that threw the harmony of heaven into a state of chaos. Perhaps an incursion of demons, in disguise or more openly, that the immortal was in the right place to expose and overcome. Maybe it was their own failure to fit within the rigid laws of the Jade Emperor that led them to a dispute with the heavenly authorities? If playing out the challenge, it should be met using either using the character’s first skill or the new skill the immortal has just learned. An extra card can be drawn if the player can weave in the new attitude they have just gained, picking the higher of the cards drawn. If the player describes using a magic power other than flight or shape change to meet the challenge, write it down on the character sheet. Monkey 66 ORIGINS STEP 3: THE MAGICAL TOOL Immortals are often given magical tools to help them perform their duties in the Western Heaven. Look at the magical tools section in the magical powers section above (“Magical Powers” on page 53) for some examples. Monkey gains his tool, the Iron Staff of the Pole Star, after visiting the undersea court of the Dragon King of the Western Sea upon the advice of his mentor in the Western Heaven, the Planet Venus. After being offered any weapon in the armoury, except the Iron Staff, Monkey takes the staff anyway which leads him into trouble later when the Dragon King arrives in heaven to complain to the Jade Emperor. If you are stuck on what your magical tool does, pull a card from your deck and consult the list below: • Hearts: The tool affects matters of the heart and other social issues. • Clubs: The tool is a weapon of some sort that is focused on resolving problems with violence. • Diamonds: Bringing wealth, health and abundance is the function of this tool. • Spades: The tool helps the immortal in an area of hard work they specialise in. • Joker: The tool is somehow not what it seems and strangely problematic when it is employed. Monkey’s Iron Staff of the Pole Star is an excellent example of this. CHALLENGE 3: GAINING THE MAGIC WEAPON This challenge determines who you got the magic weapon from. If you are stuck for an idea where you got the tool from pull a card and consult the list below: • Hearts: A friend gives you the weapon or tool, knowing it will be useful. • Clubs: Stolen from an enemy using violence. • Diamonds: A gift from a wealthy patron, who in return expects you to work in their favour. • Spades: Hard work as a reward for excellent service or consistent hard work. • Joker: As an act of chaos or disobedience such as theft, con artistry etc. If the player describes using a magic power other than Flight or Shape Change or the magical tool itself to meet the challenge, write it down on the character sheet. ORIGINS 67 Monkey STEP 4: GETTING THROWN OUT OF HEAVEN This step should see each player answer why their immortal got thrown out of the Western Heaven. You may either invent your immortal’s crime or draw a card from the player’s deck and consult the following list. As well as being banished from Heaven for this offence the character also gains the unfavourable weakness in brackets. The Crimes 2. (Coward) You were part of Prince Natha’s army, but when fighting against an army of demons attacking the Western Heaven, you ran away to the comfort of your house. After the battle was won, an angry Prince Natha dragged you from your bed and before the Jade Emperor, who exiled you from Heaven. 3. (Corrupt) You were a tax officer of the Western Heaven who collected Heaven’s quota from the Dragon Kings. But you took bribes from the fish administrators in the form of beautiful pearls, allowing them to give fewer of their brothers for the Jade Emperor’s banquets. When the Jade Emperor’s table was found empty of fish and the shoals to be bigger than the ocean could support, you were stripped of your pearl necklaces and your position in Heaven. 4. (Miserly) As an official in charge of rice production, you were in charge of how much rice was in the celestial granaries. Your officiousness got the better of you, and instead of being sensibly generous, you gave out only enough for necessary requirements. How proud you were of your full granaries! The making of rice wine was in your opinion a luxury. As the mirth of the celestial court decreased due to lack of good wine, the Jade Emperor asked why with full rice silos there should be a shortage. Your meanness was discovered, and you were dismissed to Earth to learn the virtue of generosity. 5. (Violent) You liked a good fight. You would fight anyone who got in your way. You would resolve arguments with your neighbours in the Western Heavens using violence. Eventually, when everyone in your neighbourhood was too scared of you, you fought anyone who accepted your challenge. One day the Jade Emperor sent his General Mighty Menace to crush the impudent immortal disrupting the peace of Heaven. Brought before the Jade Emperor, heavily bound in chains, you were banished to the mortal world to preserve life, not take it. 6. (Lusty) You coveted one of the Empress of Heaven’s handmaidens and made such trouble ‘courting her’ in a crass and inappropriate manner that the Empress formally complained to her husband. The Emperor banished you to Earth, to learn restraint and about the purity of love. 7. (Pride) You were the best in Heaven; they should have made you Emperor. You ruled your office of records efficiently. When a mistake was made, it was never your fault. One day a big mistake was made, involving a shipment of Heavenly wine. One of your clerks made the accounting Monkey 68 ORIGINS

error, but you failed to notice it. Worse still, you failed to admit your mistake when tried before the Jade Emperor. Stripped of your position and possessions, you were sent to Earth to learn the value of humility and modesty. 8. (Vain) You were the most beautiful in all of Western Heaven, in fact in the whole of the cosmos. So obsessed were you with your own beauty that you began to neglect your duties to spend time preening and showing off at the many parties in Heaven. When you had totally abandoned the responsibility of your position, the Jade Emperor banished you to Earth to learn the value of the ugly and the ordinary. 9. (Lazy) You were given a position in Heaven, as the gardener of the Delightful Garden. A pleasurable place. Indeed, you spent so much time enjoying it that you had no time to tend it, and the garden soon fell into disrepair. Caught sleeping in the garden by the Jade Emperor’s guards, you were thrown out of Heaven and sent to Earth to learn the value of hard work. 10. (Selfish)You were given the important job of collecting the Heavenly carp for the Jade Emperor’s public fish garden. However, you were so bedazzled by the shining fish that you kept the best for yourself, in your own private garden. When you were eventually found out, by the Inspector of Gardens, the Jade Emperor was so outraged that you thought only of your own pleasure that he banished you to Earth amongst the teeming hordes of people to learn the value of sharing. Jack. (Thief) While Lao Tzu, the Old Sage, was out at an appointment with the Jade Emperor, you snuck into his house and stole one of the sage’s famous pills of immortality. You were caught, and although now immortal. have been ejected from Heaven. Queen. (Glutton) You were a glutton, living only for physical pleasures. Greedy, you broke into the Empress of the Western Heaven’s garden and ate her sacred peaches. After a satisfied and long sleep, you were awoken by the Jade Emperor’s guards. King. (Tyrant) Your character was the despicable tyrant of a city. You ignored the pleas of your hungry citizens and ran the city for your own profit. Worst of all, you ignored the religious rites of the temples. When you were finally overthrown by your angry people, they turned you over to the Jade Emperor for punishment. Ace (Arrogant) You believed that you were the best in the Universe, even better than the Jade Emperor and his heavenly courtiers. When the Jade Emperor called upon you to put your boastful words to the test, by leading celestial troops against a demon rampaging on the edge of Western Heaven, you led them to disaster. The demon was finally put down by the demon hunters Prince Natha and his dad the Pagoda Throwing General Li, but you were expelled from Western Heaven as a punishment. Joker. (Undisciplined) You were promoted to the ranks of the celestial immortals, yet at every opportunity, you were rude and unruly. Eventually, the Jade Emperor expelled you from the Western Heaven and ordered you to learn humility and manners on Earth. ORIGINS 69 Monkey CHALLENGE 4: RESISTING YOUR EXPULSION In this challenge, you tell the story of how your disobedient immortal was expelled from the Western Heaven, and how they resisted it. If you get stuck for an idea, draw a card from the player’s deck. • Hearts: Social. Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, tried to appeal to your better nature, arguing that you need to leave heaven and spend time on Earth making up for your crimes. • Clubs: Violence. You fought the army or underwent a trial by combat against a stalwart champion of Heaven such as the Pagoda Throwing General Li or his son the Demon Hunter Prince Natha. • Diamonds: You tried to bribe the judge and the rest of the heavenly authorities to let you stay in Heaven. • Spades: You promised you would do hard work to make up for your crimes. The Jade Emperor took you up on your word and sent you down to Earth. • Joker: You rebelled entirely causing all sorts of chaos and disobedience in Heaven. Great Buddha himself popped over from the Eastern Buddhist Heaven to see what was going on. Even you win the challenge you are still expelled. The only consolation is that it in is in a manner more graceful than immortals who lose their challenge. If the player describes using a magic power other than flight or shape change or their magical tool to meet the challenge, write it down on the character sheet. Monkey 70 ORIGINS STEP 5: ARRIVAL ON EARTH Each player narrates briefly what their immortal got up to once they arrived on Earth. Monkey The Role-Playing Game This step gives you your immortal’s third and final skill. Once again, if you lack in inspiration pull a card from the deck and consult the options list below. Immortal Sheet • Hearts: (Buddhist/Taoist) You retreated to either a Buddhist or Taoist monastery. • Clubs: (Rogue) You were a bandit. • Diamonds: (Ruler) You impersonated a noble and through deception became very rich, but your life on earth is empty and hollow. • Spades: (Mandarin/Soldier/Magistrate/Scholar) You’ve been doing boring and tedious hard work since your arrival on Earth. You blended into the local population and tirelessly worked on big civil projects (such as road building, conducting the Imperial Census, guarding the borders, cataloguing and maintaining the Imperial Library). • Joker: (Rogue) You tried hard to create as much chaos and show as much disobedience to the Celestial Bureaucracy since your arrival on Earth. If your immortal has not got Kung Fu or Soldier yet, consider picking it up now. This step does not involve a challenge. Buddha’s Promise. Each fallen immortal is given a promise by Great Buddha that hundreds of years in the future a Monk will come along and they will have the chance to redeem themselves by becoming a disciple of the monk. This foreshadows the immortal joining the Journey to the West, which is detailed in the next chapter. Either the Narrator or the player should weave the exact nature of Buddha’s promise into this step’s narrative. REMEMBER TO WRITE DOWN MAGIC POWERS If you didn’t keep up with writing down the magic powers that the immortal has used during the stages of back story where they actively faced challenges (Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4) do so now. If they have demonstrated a magic power, quickly write it down with its limitation. Remember to write down the default powers of Flight and Shape Change. Using this method players who have shown more flair in describing how their immortal met their challenges using magical powers benefit by gaining those powers. If the player didn’t use any magic powers, leave two blank lines with “Magic Power 1” and “Magic Power 2” on the Immortal Sheet in the magic section. During play, as inspiration hits them, the player may fill these magical powers in, perhaps giving a quick explanation of how the immortal got them. ORIGINS 71 Monkey

Monkey Portrait The Role-Playing Game Immortal Sheet

PLAYER:

NAME:

ORIGIN:

ATTITUDES Yin (Black Cards): Yang (Red Cards):

SKILLS 1. 2. 3.

MAGIC POWERS Flight Shape Change

MAGICAL TOOL

WEAKNESS

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES Patron:

Friends:

Enemies: Monkey 72 ORIGINS Example Immortal Generation, Monkey! STEP 1 ORIGINS The four elements acted upon a stone egg, and from it, a Stone Monkey was born! He joined a tribe of Monkeys who he meets shortly after. MONKEY’S FIRST CHALLENGE One day the tribe came across a huge waterfall cascading down a mountain. They were curious. The mischievous stone Monkey suggested that whoever could jump up to the top of the mountain and see what was there would become king of the tribe. Several large apes tried, but only the Stone Monkey succeeded and became their king! This is a challenge is run as a quick action as the jump is a static opponent. The narrator decides that the action is efficiently completed due to Monkey’s Kung Fu. As a result of this stage Monkey’s player writes the following down on their Immortal Sheet : • Origin: Animal Spirit. • First Skill: Monkey Kung Fu 3. • Attitude: Mischievous (Yin). STEP 2 GOING TO HEAVEN After a while Monkey realised that like all mortals he would grow old and die. This made him sad. One of the Elder Apes, seeing the ordinarily exuberant Monkey depressed, asked him what was wrong and after Monkey admitted his troubles, he suggested that Monkey find a wise Taoist Sage to teach him the arts of immortality. Therefore after travelling the world of mortals, Monkey met the Patriarch who taught him the Taoist magical arts. Monkey gained his religious name Sage aware of Vacuity. Predictably, the cheeky monkey got in trouble with the Patriarch, and after being sent away (being told never to even tell people the Patriarch had taught him), Monkey returned home to his little Monkeys at the Water Cave Mountain. Finding them expelled by Demons from their home, Monkey had them armed with iron weapons. After defeating the demons and their allies, they made them, and the neighbouring animals pay tribute to the Stone Monkey. Up in Heaven the wise Planet Venus, advisor of Celestial Jade Emperor, took notice of the rise of power of Monkey on Earth and decided it would be a good idea to invite him up to Heaven to keep a closer eye on him. Once in Heaven, The Great Sage Aware of Vacuity was given the position of looking after the Jade Emperor’s horses. There he gained the name Great Sage equal to Heaven. MONKEY’S 2ND CHALLENGE: KEEPING HIS POSITION IN HEAVEN Eventually, Monkey realised that he had been given a position of little importance and run amok in heaven as a result. The Jade Emperor sent his heavenly armies, led by the demon hunter General Li, the Pagoda Throwing General, and his son Prince Natha to subdue the rebellious Monkey. But alas they were soundly defeated, and Monkey was only calmed when the Planet Venus offered him the position of guarding the Peaches of Immortality in the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven’s garden. This second challenge is run as a simple action with Monkey fighting Prince ORIGINS 73 Monkey Natha and General Li. Monkey’s player uses his Kung Fu of 3, with an extra card being drawn due to his new Rebellious attitude. Monkey’s highest card is a Queen of Hearts. The Narrator pulls two cards to represent both Prince Natha and General Li fighting Monkey. The Narrator’s highest card is a ten of clubs, so Monkey Wins! Apparently, at this stage of immortal creation Monkey is not out to overthrow all of heaven, so his player decides that his ‘victory’ is to be given a new position in heaven even more important than before! As a result, Monkey’s player writes the following down on their Immortal Sheet : • Second Skill: Taoist Sage (from his studies with the Patriarch, although we could quite have easily picked Rogue for his lazing about in Heaven). • Second Attitude: Rebellious (Yang). • Patron: Planet Venus. • Enemies: Prince Natha, and General Li the Pagoda Throwing General. STEP 3 MONKEY’S MAGICAL TOOL One day while lazing around the Peach Garden, Monkey casually remarked to the Planet Venus that a guard such as he should have a great weapon to perform his duties. The wise planet suggested that he visit the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, who had a great store of magical weapons. Once there, the Dragon King eventually showed Monkey the Great Iron Staff of the Pole Star, which could shrink down to the size of a needle or expand to a vast scale, and being made of star metal was very heavy. Monkey successfully lifted the staff as if it was weightless, and despite protests from the Dragon King took it as his own. As a result of this stage Monkey’s player writes the following down on their Immortal Sheet: • Magical Tool: The Iron Staff of the Pole Star stolen from the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean. MONKEY’S 3RD CHALLENGE KEEPING HOLD OF THE NEW MAGICAL WEAPON The Dragon King arrived in Heaven to protest the theft of the Iron Staff, and Monkey was sent to King Yama’s realm, the 12 Hells where the dead goes, as a punishment. Monkey managed to trick his way out by sneaking out of the Hells and erasing his name from King Yama’s book of the dead, which holds the name of everyone who is dead and the time and manner of their death. Just for the fun of it, Monkey also erased the names of several elder monkeys from Water Cave Mountain. STEP 4 MONKEY GETS EXPELLED FROM HEAVEN Alas, Monkey got in trouble again, this time for eating the Peaches of Immortality which led to him running amok in the Western Heaven. This time he was subdued by Buddha who heard the sounds of mayhem from the Eastern (Buddhist) Heaven and decided to come over and help his friends in the Western Heaven. He tricked the egotistical Monkey into racing to the end of the Universe, where Monkey drew graffiti on five pillars, and back, when in fact he never left Buddha’s hand, as proven by the graffiti on Buddha’s five fingers. Buddha then imprisoned him under a mountain, saying that he would stay there for 500 years until a Buddhist Monk came along who needed his help and Monkey 74 ORIGINS who would redeem him. CHALLENGE 4 RESISTING YOUR EXPULSION Monkey decides to revolt against all of Heaven, and his player describes how he fights more of the heavenly armies. He eats Lao Tzu’s pills of immortality, and even disguises himself as a wise immortal and gate crashes the Jade Emperor’s and Queen of the West’s party to bestow peaches of immortality on candidates of an ethical nature, sneaking in and eating the peaches. Rather than play this massive chain of naughtiness by drawing the cards, the Narrator is quite happy to let the player gleefully narrate this. Eventually, they decide together that it is only Great Buddha who can put down Monkey’s rebelliousness, the authorities in Western Heaven having already been seen to be incapable of the task. As a result of this stage Monkey’s player writes the following down on their Immortal Sheet: Weakness: (Joker) Undisciplined: You were promoted to the ranks of the celestial immortals, yet at every opportunity, you were rude and unruly. Eventually, the Jade Emperor expelled you from the Western Heaven, and ordered you to learn humility and manners on Earth. STEP 5 MONKEY IS IMPRISONED ON EARTH Monkey spends four hundred years imprisoned under the mountain. He is eventually freed when Tripitaka arrives and recruits him as the first of his pilgrim helpers on his Journey to the West As a result of this stage Monkey’s player writes the following down on their Immortal Sheet: Monkey’s final skill: Despite Monkey not doing a great deal while trapped under the mountain, Prisoner would be a dull choice, so for his last skill, we are going to choose one that is in keeping with his actions that got him there, i.e. Rogue. Monkey’s player rationalises that he spends a great deal of time thinking about how he is going to get back at Heaven and all the naughty things he is going to do when he gets free of the mountain. ORIGINS 75 Monkey

Monkey, even though he’s Heaven’s Peach Gardener, decides to eat the forbidden fruit. Monkey 76 ORIGINS This is the resulting summary of Monkey as written on the Immortal Sheet Monkey Origin: Animal Spirit Attitudes • Yin Mischievous. • Yang Rebellious. Skills: • Monkey Kung Fu 3 • Rogue 2 • Taoist Sage 1 Weakness: Undisciplined. Magic • Flight using a cloud. • Shape Change. • The Fiery Eyes of Demon Seeing. • Produce Little Monkeys, copies of himself, from his hairs. Magical Tool: Iron Staff of the Pole Star. Powers: Flight, Shape Change. Monkey also wears a Golden Headband that was placed there by the Goddess Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, so that Tripitaka can use to force him to behave by invoking the Headache Sutra, which causes the headband to painfully constrict.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the immortals you will be Journeying to the West with, yet are uncertain about how they became a group of Pilgrims on the Road to India, read on to the next chapter where all is explained. 4. The Journey to the West Begins

The monk Tripitaka rides to India on White Dragon Horse, a transformed Dragon Prince. Monkey 78 THE JOURNEY BEGINS By now you’ve played the equivalent of the introductory chapters of the Journey to the West, where the player immortals are introduced, and their back story is played through. This chapter guides the players through the rest of the introductory chapters of the novel, right up to the point where all the main characters, and the player immortals in the game, have their first adventure together. This chapter is split into the following parts, which the players and the Narrator play through. • Meet the Monk. Using a cut-down version of the way that the player immortals are created, the players collaboratively create the Monk they are protecting on the Journey to the West. • The Tang Emperor announces the Journey to the West. This is the epic introduction to the Journey, where the Tang Emperor in no uncertain terms declares the reason and purpose behind the Journey to the West. • The Pilgrims Gather. With the player immortals gather round the Monk and begin their Journey to the West. Meet the Monk Now it’s time to bring on stage the character that they are going to be charged with protecting on The Road To India: The Monk. CREATING YOUR MONK Grab a Monk Record sheet. This is like the player Immortal Sheet but is much smaller because you don’t need to record as much information. Monk Record Name: You make this in Step 5: Choose a Name after you’ve worked out all the other details. Origin: See Step 1: What is their Origin Story? Attitude: See Step 2: What are they like? Skills: Buddhist 4 is the default value. The Profession is Buddhist 5 if the character has been in the monastery all their life; see Step 2: Origin Story for example. The Monk may have a second Profession because of their origin story (see step 2). Weakness: See Step 3: Weakness. What is their failing? Magic: Buddhist Sutras. The Monk has been trained in the use of these short chants which provide protection against demons. They may also have additional magic because of their Origins (see Step 1) and at the beginning of their quest are given a magic item to help them by Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (see Step 4). THE JOURNEY BEGINS 79 Monkey The procedure to create the monk is to go around the table and decide on the following: Step 1. Origin Story. Step 2. Determine attitude. What are they like? Step 3. Weakness. What is their failing? Step 4. The Monk’s Magical Item. Step 5. Choose a Name. For each step, the player forms a short narrative around the result, whether invented or selected randomly by a card draw. STEP 1. ORIGIN STORY Like the player immortals, the Monk has an origin story. Here are some examples, with card randomiser. Like the player immortal creation system, players may modify the following examples or come up with their own. The examples are meant to inspire, not restrict. Clubs. The Monk had a profession before they entered the Monastery. For example, a monk could be a war-weary soldier or a mandarin sick of the politics of the outside world. They have the skill associated with that past profession, e.g. Soldier or mandarin, at rank 5 but are loathe to use it. Players may use the Monk’s old skill once per session, but the next session the Monk will politely decline, and it is unavailable for use. Spades. Born to poor peasants, the Monk was a child left at the Monastery’s gates and raised as a monk from childhood. They have a Buddhist 5. Instead of Buddhist 4. Diamonds. The Monk is a Fox Spirit, whose parents thought it would be a fun prank to see how a child from such a colourful background coped with the modest upbringing of the Monastery. The Monk may be utterly oblivious to their supernatural nature. Under Magic, put Shape change (Fox to Human) and Trickster spells. The Monk will be unwilling to use their magic abilities and will only use them in a situation where harm may befall someone as a result. Even when they use them, like Monks with a former profession, they will refuse to use them next gaming session. Hearts. The Monk is an advanced Buddhist soul reincarnated. The Monk, in addition to any other attitude they gain in step 2 below, automatically has the attitude Kindness, which is both Yin and Yang! This advanced soul understands how to be gently kind, soothing another’s pain with soft words, as well as showing tough love and doing things for the recipient of their kindness that they may not immediately appreciate. Write it down as Kindness (Yin and Yang) on the Monk’s record. Jack. The Monk is being sent to India to atone for being disruptive to monastery life. They are young and inexperienced, and their Abbott is convinced that the trails they will face on the road will straighten them out. In addition to the Weakness generated in Step 3, write down Young and Naïve. Queen. The Monk is a female Nun. King. The Monk was the Abbot of their monastery. They have the skill Monkey 80 THE JOURNEY BEGINS Mandarin at a rank of three, which shows their skill in administration. Joker. The monk is a demon, who initially attempts to try to sabotage the mission to collect the missing scrolls. At first, their attempts are subtle and covert but become increasingly obvious. When the player immortals confront the demon and successfully overcome it, it repents and swears an oath to successfully complete the mission. The demon monk has the magical abilities Shape change and Invoke Fear and the skill of Demon and the weakness Prone to resolving problems with violence. Note the picture cards (Jack, Queen, King) combine both the origin of their suite and the origin for being the picture card. For example the Queen of Hearts means that the monk is a Kind Nun. STEP 2. DETERMINE ATTITUDE. WHAT ARE THEY LIKE? Unlike the player immortals, the Monk has only one attitude, unless their origin is unique and determines otherwise. If you can’t decide what that attitude is drawn a card and consult the attitude List (see “Attitudes” on page 44). This attitude can be called on by the players once per scene, to assist them in an action. STEP 3. WEAKNESS. WHAT IS THEIR FAILING? Overall, the Monk is the embodiment of Buddhist virtue, being kind and considerate and trying to ease the suffering of all living things. Occasionally they fall off this moral high horse, becoming all too mortal. This is their weakness. The players may determine the Monk’s weakness or draw card a to determine it. • Clubs. Anger. • Spades. Lazy. • Hearts. Fear. • Diamonds. Wealth. The picture cards also colour the Monk’s weakness. Make a note of this: • King. Importance. The Monk has an ego telling them they are the most critical person in the little band of Pilgrims. Is it not them that will recognise the lost scrolls of Buddhism when they find them? Is it not their responsibility to lead this group of disgraced immortals to India and back? • Queen. Pride. The Monk had a sheltered life in the monastery and is ill- equipped to deal with the discomforts of the outside world. When this weakness manifests the Monk rejects their responsibility to deal with the harsh aspects of the Journey, passing that on to the player immortals to deal with and just stopping if they refuse. • Jack. Attaining Power. The Monk feels that they are an unappreciated underling. The journey is their opportunity to prove their importance not only to the Tang Emperor and the Earthly authorities, but also the Jade Emperor and his court in Western Heaven. • Ace. The weakness is very pronounced and dominates the Monk’s THE JOURNEY BEGINS 81 Monkey behaviour when it is called upon, to the point that they are in danger of forgetting their vows of poverty, chastity and right conduct. • Joker. The Monk is a complete unpredictable wild card, some would say with an imbalance that manifests as mental illness. Each session, redraw the weakness. If the Joker is drawn again, the Monk is especially out of balance that session, with randomness and chaotic behaviour being the order of the day. The players may draw upon the weakness of the Monk once per scene, in the same way that they draw upon their own immortal’s weakness. The Narrator may also draw upon the Monk’s weakness to help set up a scene, but it is recommended that this is only done once per session, so not to detract as the player immortals from being the stars of the story. STEP 4. THE MONK’S MAGICAL ITEM Like the player immortals, the Monk has a magical item, gifted to them by Kuan Yin, to aid them in their journey. Tripitaka has three items: A magical robe whose function is never revealed, but is desired by a Buddhist Abbott, whose monastery they stay in overnight, that gets them into trouble early in the Journey. A set of magic horse tack for White Dragon Horse (which is gifted when the Dragon Prince becomes Tripitaka’s mount). And most famously the golden head ring that Monkey wears to keep him under control. The function of the magic item may be defined at this point or left aguev for definition later. STEP 5. CHOOSE A NAME Finally, choose a name for the Monk. This should be a nickname that reflects the Monk’s background. For example, Tripitaka is thus named after the name of the lost scrolls of Buddhism that the Pilgrims are going to get from India.

Tripitaka the Monk Although Tripitaka as a full character is presented on page 197, here he is as generated by the Monk Creation process. Name: Tripitaka Origin: Born into a noble family and raised as a monk since childhood. Attitude: Saintly (Yang). Skills: Buddhist 5. Weakness: Fear Magic: Buddhist Sutras. Also possess a Magic Robe as gifted by Kuan Yin, a magical set of horse’s tack for his mount the White Dragon Horse and controls the Golden Headband of Tightening as worn by Monkey. Monkey 82 THE JOURNEY BEGINS BUDDHIST AND TAOIST CONCEPT OF SIN AND VIRTUE It’s essential to understand that Buddhists and Taoists do not believe in the concept of sin. Instead, they recognise that there are set laws on how the Universe works and that to deviate from that or work against those rules that is what causes problems, or disharmony, in people’s lives. Virtuous behaviour is that which is by these universal cosmic laws. Buddhists have the Eightfold Path which makes sure they stay harmonious while Taoists have the more intuitive and ambiguous practice of The Way, a correct journey through life which is unique to each individual, and the resulting accumulation of Te, or personal power which results from cultivating the Way. The first edition of Monkey had Virtue and Fortune scores which attempted to model these concepts and reward appropriate play directly by rewarding players. Fortune points could be spent for most of the methods which are now detailed in the “The Player’s Control of the Narrative” section (see page 91). While not broken as a game mechanic, it was difficult to judge when to make awards and keeping track of spending Fortune for in-game benefits. So, these directive mechanics have been removed in this the game’s 2nd Incarnation. MONK OR NUN? The Journey to the West is a novel of its time, and as such reflects the cultural attitudes of China in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD) when it was publicly released, and Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) when it is set. These times were distinctly male-dominated and hierarchical. Take the institution of the Emperor, for example. Only males of the Imperial line were considered heirs to the throne. The sole female Emperor was Wu Zetian, who through the formidable strength of character took control of the Imperial government, ultimately usurping her own son and disrupting the Tang Dynasty. She took the title Emperor to show she was in charge or all China. After her death, Emperor Wu was widely reviled for being a woman who dared to usurp the Imperial Throne. Despite this, the mythological world that Monkey is based in is more tolerant of gender diversity. Yes, there are male roles and female roles, which are especially enshrined in the co-rulers of the Western Heaven, the Jade Emperor who embodies the male Yang principle and The Queen Mother of the Western Heaven who represents the Yin principle, but the female deities are not subservient to their male counterparts. In many respects, the feminine deities show strength and depth that goes far beyond their male peers. A lot of this is due to the undeniably Taoist elements of the book, which reflects Chinese Folklore (a mish-mash of popular Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian elements). Taoism holds feminine energy in high regard because it sees the world being out of balance with overactive masculinity causing all manner of ills. Only through a balance of feminine (Yin) and masculine (Yang) energies will the world be harmonious. In the book, it’s the Goddess Kuan Yin, who can be of either sex but chooses to be a woman, who guides the all-male group of pilgrims. This idea of a feminine balancing force also shows up in chapters where our boisterous group of boys aggressively attack an equally macho male demon, and they are either defeated or fought to a standstill. Then they have to THE JOURNEY BEGINS 83 Monkey go away and come back with a softer approach using cunning to overcome the demon. The idea of Yin and Yang balance is also a culturally and philosophically important Chinese concept, one which even now influences many aspects of Chinese life. The idea of seemingly opposite and contrary forces interacting in a complimentary and interdependent manner is a key philosophical principle and, in wider Chinese literature, this is often played out through the balance of male/female relationships and roles. For example, a shy and straightforward brutish male character might be balanced by a mischievous and playful female character or vice versa. So, there’s nothing to stop you having the Monk as a Buddhist Nun, in much the same way that your player immortal need not be a male.

Blazing Lotus, a martial nun who leads a group of immortals West,to find the lost scrolls. Monkey 84 THE JOURNEY BEGINS

A Bit About Tripitaka After spending the first seven chapters of the novel detailing Monkey’s origin story, right up to the point where he’s trapped for 500 years under the Buddha’s Mountain, the novel seems to digress and details Tripitaka’s origin over the next five chapters. It may seem like a bit of overkill to introduce a supporting character in this way, Pigsy and Sandy don’t get as much coverage, but Tripitaka’s story is a first-hand account of how wicked the world is and how badly the Tang Empire needs the missing Buddhist Scrolls. To reinforce the connection between his role of the person who is responsible for collecting the lost scrolls, his name Tripitaka means Three Basket of Scrolls and is the term that Buddhists use to refer to their scriptures. He came from a noble family and joined a Buddhist monastery early in his life. While he was away, his father was killed by bandits, who were commanded by the man who forced Tipitaka’s mother to marry him. This bandit forbade Tripitaka’s mother from contacting him. In his twenties, Tripitaka, who has grown up to be the wise Abbott of his monastery, took a sabbatical to find out what had happened to his parents, rightly worried that he hadn’t heard from either of them over the years. He uncovered his bandit stepfather’s plot and the Emperor became involved. The villain was trapped and quickly executed. These events contributed to the Emperor realising that all is not well in China. At this time, Chinese Buddhists only have the knowledge of Lesser Vehicle of Buddhism, which emphasises the enlightenment of the individual. They are missing the scrolls that make up the teachings of the Greater Vehicle, which teaches compassion for all living things and how to strive to attain the status of a Bodhisattva, a person who has not only achieved Enlightenment but has delayed entry into the Buddhist paradise of Nirvana to help others reach salvation. The name vehicles suggests the journey that a follower takes towards enlightenment, and the Greater and Lesser Vehicles reflect the teachings of the two schools that formed after the historical Buddha’s death from his original disciples. The Emperor, with the help of Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin, decides that the missing scrolls that make up the Great Vehicle need to be collected from India and brought home to China. Tripitaka because of his recent adventures, while easily frightened and in many ways naive because of his sheltered life in the monastery, is chosen to lead the mission to India by the Emperor because of his virtue and scholarly knowledge. So he sets off on the dangerous road with his two assistants. The two assistants perish early on, so Kuan Yin the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy puts him in touch with the three fallen immortals. Tripitaka encounters and frees Monkey from his mountain, where Great Buddha put him for running amok in the Western Heaven. Then they encounter Pigsy and Sandy, both ex-Marshalls of Heaven banished to Earth by the Jade Emperor. Initially, Pigsy and Sandy fight Monkey, but they realise he is with the Buddhist Monk they are destined to aid. They lay down their arms and pledge to become disciples. Finally, the Pilgrims encounter the disgraced son of a Dragon King. Again after a fight with Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy (who initially take the traditional adventurer approach of “Fight first, ask questions later when we can’t beat it.”), takes the form of a horse to carry the Monk to India. THE JOURNEY BEGINS 85 Monkey The Tang Emperor Announces the Journey to the West Once the Monk has been introduced, the Narrator calls for silence and formally announces the beginning of the Journey by reading or paraphrasing the following: In the Imperial Capital, the Tang Emperor summons all his courtiers, generals, and the combined priesthoods of both the Taoist and Buddhist religions. Before the massed ranks of hundreds of China’s highest-ranking officials, the Emperor declares that Tang China is beset by problems, caused by mankind’s ignorance of the real teaching of religion. He says them that if China had the lost scrolls of Buddhist Cannon, they would have a more complete understanding. Therefore, he proposes to send [Insert Monk’s name here] to India to collect the missing scroll. At this point, Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, who has been sitting quietly in the crowd all along, reveals herself in radiant splendor. She comes forward and gently puts her hand on the monk’s shoulder. “The Journey to the West will be hard and beset by danger. All of demon kind will oppose this mission because they do not want humanity to be free of evil and they believe that eating the flesh of heaven’s representative will give them immortality. To aid the mission, I gift this [Monk’s magic item] to aid them. Also, I will find protectors who will help Heaven’s Representative, who will meet them in the initial part of the journey and escort them safely to India.” The Monk, accompanied by assistants, rides off on the long Journey to the est.W This is an essential moment in the game since it lays out in no uncertain terms why they are participating in the Journey to the West. The Pilgrims Gather The penultimate step of the game’s introduction is where the player immortals meet up with the Monk. Each of the player immortals during their fall to Earth, many hundreds of years before, were promised by Buddha that when a Buddhist Monk who had need of their protection came their way they would become their disciple and earn their redemption and a place in the Eastern Buddhist heaven. So the immortals are already aware of the Monk’s existence and their role by the time they meet them. Go around the table and ask the players to introduce their immortal and give a quick narrative of how they join the band of Pilgrims. Some examples. Rescuing the Monk! The monk has already been beset by demons, who have eaten or driven off their assistants. The player immortal saves the hapless monk and then becomes their disciple. Conquering Demons! The monk is guided by Kuan Yin towards the player immortal who is revelling in their Demonic form and nature. The monk and any of the player immortals who have already become disciples must convince them to give up their monstrous form and join the Pilgrims. If you want to see Monkey 86 THE JOURNEY BEGINS this in action, I’d recommend watching Stephen Chow’s Conquering Demons, since this is the central premise of that film. In the book, it’s the White Dragon Horse, an exiled miscreant Dragon Prince who devours Tripitaka’s first horse immediately in his fearsome dragon form, and only reveals his true form once the Pilgrims have bashed some sense into him. A case of mistaken identity. As above, but it’s the player immortal who needs to convince the Monk that they are not just a bloodthirsty demon, but a willing disciple. This is the case when Pigsy joins the Pilgrims, as he has to explain to Monkey that he was once a Marshall in Heaven, now reduced to a pig demon, as the two trade blows. Rescuing them from Imprisonment. The immortal is imprisoned under a tremendous physical barrier. This the case with the Monkey King, who is detained under a Mountain by Great Buddha at the end of his revolt in the Western Heaven. When Tripitaka comes along, he releases Monkey from the prison of four hundred years. Note to Narrators: You and the players may choose to use the action system to manage the action bits of this narrative (especially canny players who have worked out they can hold onto good cards in their saved card so invoke the action system early). It’s an excellent introduction to the system and can make the transition into the central part of the journey seamless. You can either use the a simple action (see page 96) or the more involved dramatic action system (see page 100).

Now that you have played through the beginning and are curious what see what adventures your immortals will have next, please proceed onto the next chapter.

Introducing the Patron The Pilgrims’ immortal Patron, usually a major supporting character, who provides them with advice and guidance. In the Novel, the Pilgrims’ Patron is the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion Kuan Yin, and she is the default Patron in the game. In the book, Kuan Yin is appointed by Great Buddha to help Monkey and company. She is there whenever they run into problems, never intervening directly (because even as a Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, directly solving people’s problems is not her style) but always there as a source of advice, showing them the way to sort out whatever mess they are in. Kuan Yin is detailed on page 170. Alternatively it can be the immortal who was their patron during their time in heaven. 5. The Road to India Monkey 88 The Road to India 81 Trials and Tribulations… In the book, after the tale of Monkey’s and Tripitaka’s origin has been told and the Pilgrims have assembled, the rest of the chapters tell of each of the Trials that the Pilgrims undergo to reach India and recover the lost scrolls of Buddhism. This chapter explains how your group of Pilgrims can play adventures based on the trials they have to face before they complete their journey. Narrators should look to chapter 7 Narrator’s Advice for more guidance on how to set up and run adventures. What happens during a game session? A typical game session of Monkey moves through four stages: 1. Starting the Session. 2. Building Scenes. 3. Action. 4. Ending the Session. These stages are detailed below. If you are looking for rough timings for a three to four-hour session, on average the first stage lasts between ten and thirty minutes but can go up to an hour if there’s a lot to discuss. Building Scenes and Action is the meat of the session and takes up a good 2-3 hours. Ending the session could take 30 minutes if the story runs out, and the group is in the luxuriant position of finishing early with time to spare. Or as little as efiv minutes if they play right up to the moment that people start to check their watches and saying, “I have to go soon.” Starting the Session THE RECAP (NARRATOR AND PLAYERS) The Narrator lets the players recap what happens the last session. This part of the game is a group effort where everybody can contribute, the reason being that everybody will remember different bits and between them, they should be able to paint a good picture of events. If the Narrator does it, there is not only a danger of the story being told from the referee’s point of view but hidden bits of the story, which were not resolved in the open, being told. Also, it saves the Narrator’s voice for the rest of the session by avoiding the Narrator having to do an opening monologue. During the recap, if there are outstanding book-keeping issues, such as advancing characters (see “Ending the Session” page 105), sort them out now before play commences. If you are just starting a new Adventure with new characters, read out or paraphrase the Pitch, and go around the table and introduce everyone (using both real and in character names) before launching into play. The Road to India 89 Monkey THE LEAD IN (NARRATOR) This is where the Narrator introduces the adventure to the players. They should explain where the Pilgrims are at the start of the adventure, and something about the initial situation. For example, your Pilgrims are on the long dusty road to India, travelling westwards through the wilderness. In the distance, you see the mountains rise up and the colossal stone Buddha that sits at their feet. There are signs of human activity, the lazy smoke of cooking fires drift up from the village that sits next to the Stone Buddha. DETERMINE THE ORDER OF SPOTLIGHT FOR THE SESSION During each scene, one of the player immortal has the spotlight. This basically means that they get the option of saying what their immortal does first. See “Being under the Spotlight” (page 91) for more details on how this plays out in game. The order of who has the spotlight is determined by the following procedure at the beginning of a session. 1. Each player takes a card from the player’s deck of cards. 2. The player with the highest card gets the spotlight first. 3. In subsequent scenes, the spotlight goes around the table from that player clockwise. In the case of a draw in the card draw to determine spotlight, players who have the same highest card draw again. All the drawn cards are put back into the players’ deck, which is then reshuffled. THE FIRST STEPS (PLAYERS) Once the Narrator has introduced the adventure, the players get their turn. Either collectively, after consultation with one another, or by going around the table clockwise from the player who has the spotlight first, they say what their immortals are initially doing. Play then proceeds from the introduction. Monkey 90 The Road to India Playing the Game After the introductory parts of the session are out of the way, play then flows into the main part of the session, where the players and Narrator actively play the game. In this part of the session, as well as the gentle or excited flow of conversation between the Narrator and the players, two structured activities occur that underpin the game. • Building Scenes. Scenes are the building blocks of your stories. They provide a container to pour game experience into, and a structure to maximise fun and let imagination fly. • Action. Actions form the mechanical aspect of the game, where cards are drawn to resolve situations where the immortals’ success is uncertain. Like scenes, their partner in crime, the logic actions bring to the table is designed to unleash fun and imaginative play. BUILDING SCENES Each Scene has the following elements A location where the scene takes place. This is a discrete place that can easily be described to the players and that they can easily mentally visualise. A situation. What is already happening when the player immortals enter the scene, or what happens at the time they arrive? A cast. Who is present for the player immortals to interact with? At the heart of each scene, there should be a central problem that should provide a challenge to the immortals. Although Monkey is filled with action scenes, there’s also a genuine sense that the action is fitting into a larger scheme of things with precise consequences. Scenes in Monkey should never be straightforward random violence. When the players enter the scene, the Narrator describes their first impressions of the location, who they can see and what is happening. Play then follows from that point. THE NORMAL FLOW OF A SCENE 1. Work out who has the spotlight. At the beginning of the scene make sure everyone knows who has the spotlight. For it is them that gets the option to go first and potentially steal the scene. 2. Set the Scene. The Narrator asks the players if they want to steal the scene. If they do, they set the scene with the help of the Narrator. Otherwise, it defaults to the Narrator sets the scene. 3. Play out the Scene. Problems are resolved by either talking them through, i.e. by pure role-playing, or by playing out an action. 4. Exiting the Scene. The Narrator and the players bring the scene to an end, as the player immortals leave it and move onto the next scene. Any consequences and rewards are noted, and their effect on future scenes and the outcome of the adventure overall noted. The Road to India 91 Monkey THE PLAYERS’ CONTROL OF THE NARRATIVE Monkey is meant to be a very player-centred game. The role of the Narrator is to help and guide the players, adjudicating rules disputes and providing clarity when they are not sure of setting details or how to progress the game. The Narrator should also give the players a sense of ownership of the story and emphasise the importance of their characters. STEALING THE SCENE Scenes are the building blocks of an adventure in the same way as in a film or play. Usually, the Narrator gets to describe the location and circumstances that the players find themselves in. Under exceptional circumstances, the Players can Steal the Scene from the Narrator. For example, the Narrator is getting ready to describe the Palace of the Many Plumed Tyrant Demon, but the players collectively and unanimously decide that it would be better for them to have the next scene in the Western Heaven. There they ask their Patron Deity, the Wise Planet Venus, advisor to the Jade Emperor himself, how to defeat the Many Plumed Tyrant Demon since they have no idea and have been defeated by it in previous scenes. Hence the scene shifts temporarily to the Western Heaven. To steal the scene, the following must happen: Either the all the players as a group unanimously decides to Steal the Scene from the Narrator Or the player with the spotlight decides to steal the scene. PLAYING THE IMMORTAL’S WEAKNESS The player can gain an extra card to put to one side to play in a later action by briefly describing how their immortal’s weakness gets them and the rest of the group into trouble. For example, the light-fingered fox spirit Red Fur, whose weakness is Theft, and companions are trying to sneak through a large crowd of people avoiding the attention of the local City Guards. Red Fur’s player mischievously reckons its worth playing Red Fur’s weakness, and alerting the City Guards to the group’s presence in the crowd, to get an extra card for later on. So Red Fur cannot help herself and tries to unsuccessfully to pick the purse of a very fat and very loud passing merchant. Such extra cards must be drawn without looking at them and stored face down until played in an action. A card from a weakness can be played either: • At the start of a scene. • At the beginning of a quick or simple action. • As their Exchange, instead of drawing cards, in a dramatic action. Monkey 92 The Road to India BEING UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT At the beginning each scene one of the player immortals has the ‘spotlight’ and are able to put their character first in describing what they are doing. This happens naturally in the book, where some scenes focus on Monkey but others start out with what Pigsy, Tripitaka or Sandy are up to. This feature of the game not only helps quieter players, who are perhaps swamped in all the banter produced as more outwardly players get excited but also supports more outwardly players calm down and collect their thoughts coherently. For example, Sandy has the spotlight. His ordinarily timid player steps forward and puts Sandy at the front of the action, confronting the Crab Headed Demon the Pilgrims have just encountered, giving the monstrous creature a good telling off for being on the beach threatening them when it should be in the deep sea. A player who has the spotlight may also Steal the Scene and Play a Weakness as their statement of what their immortal is doing at the start of the scene. For example, Pigsy’s player, who has the spotlight, Steals the Scene by deciding the Pilgrims should abandon the dusty road to India and the demons that await them, and take shelter in an inn and partake of its food and wine to excess instead (playing Pigsy’s weakness). Instead of encountering the demons on the road, the pilgrims meet them as they are hung over and debauched as they burst weapons drawn through the inn’s main door. Pigsy’s player smiles slyly to himself and draws an extra card face down. CALLING UPON FRIENDS AND ENEMIES During Immortal Creation and previous play sessions, the immortal may have gained friends and enemies. A player may call upon a friend to help them out during a scene, at the beginning of a scene after the scene has been set. Some sort of reason why the friend is present must be given. This is usually quite easy because, like the player immortals, the friend is likely to be an immortal and therefore is able to move around Heaven and Earth quite easily. A classic example of this sort of call a friend is when Great Buddha just happens to pop into the Western Heaven because he hears that there is some sort of grand commotion (Monkey running amok) over there. Likewise, the Narrator may put enemies the player immortal has made in their lifetime into play, usually as extra help to the opposition that already exists in the scene, if it makes sense to have them there. The Road to India 93 Monkey Action THE ACTION SYSTEM The action system is used when the story takes a dramatic turn, and the outcome is uncertain. There are three types of action that might be employed, depending on the nature of the situation: Quick. The action is resolved automatically at the standard dictated by the most appropriate skill’s rank. No cards are drawn. For example, if a character jumps across a river, his Acrobatics or appropriate Kung Fu skill rank determines whether he gets wet. Simple. The player draws some cards equal to the rank of the skill their character is using, and the Narrator draws some cards equal to the opponent’s skill rank. The highest cards from each hand are then compared, with victory going to the higher card. Dramatic. This is a series of simple actions, usually between three and five in number. Each Simple action represents a situation that needs to be resolved before moving on to the next one. Dramatic actions are used when merely beating the opposition in a single exchange of cards is not enough for victory and does not satisfy the needs of the story. Before we go into detail how these actions are resolved, we will look at a few simple ground rules.

Card Management Rules • The Narrator has one deck of cards to themselves. • The players share one deck of cards. • A player may store one card, face down, which they may swap into their Action Hand at any given time. They may save extra cards, which are drawn and stored face down, by playing their weakness (see “Playing the Immortal’s Weakness” on page 91). Once played, these additional stored cards are not replaced. This called their saved card(s). • Aces are high; Jokers are the highest and cause a reshuffle of both the Narrator’s and the player’s decks when played due to the way they shake up the flow of the Universe. • You play one card at a time, to resolve an action. • If you tie in an action, the player wins, barely. There may be a complication if it makes sense in the context of the situation. • If you make an action that you don’t have a skill in, you just draw one card and may not swap in any cards that you have previously saved. Monkey 94 The Road to India QUICK ACTIONS Quick actions require no card drawing. They are actions which automatically succeed eventually, by virtue of a character’s immortal nature, but how well they succeed depends on the skill rank. For example, suppose the player characters must cross a fast-moving river. The task is easily accomplished by someone who has a skill of 3 or over. Characters with appropriate skills at 3 or over cross the river with no problem. Characters with relevant skills under 3 cross the river, but in the course of the story fall in, get wet and have to be fished out by the more skilled characters. So apply this to a narrative say the Pilgrims (Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy and Pigsy) are crossing a fast-flowing river, which really needs experienced swimmers to cross it. Sandy (who is a Water Demon and an expert swimmer) cross the river with ease and sings a merry tune. Monkey uses his magic staff and Monkey Kung Fu to somersault over in style. Tripitaka is riding the Horse, a transformed Dragon who has no problem traversing the river. Pigsy who is a poor swimmer struggles against the current and eventually gets across wet, cold and ill of temper. Quick actions add colour to the story, in that they show that not all characters are equal and show the ups and downs of their quest, but are quickly noted and resolved. To resolve a quick action, look at the skill rank and base the level of success on that. There are never any severe consequences for either the character or their opponent (if they have one) in a quick action; a quick action is mainly for colour and often dealt with humorously. Note that all actions against static opponents, such as climbing mountains and crossing busy rivers are dealt with this way. The Road to India 95 Monkey

The Pilgrims cross the river, each to the best of their ability. Monkey 96 The Road to India SIMPLE ACTIONS If the outcome of an event, which impacts the direction of the story, is not clear cut and needs to be quickly resolved before moving on, use a Simple action. Simple actions always have some sort of opponent, usually a demon or other character who is antagonistic to the player immortal in the situation. Example Simple actions: Does the Scholar Turtle convince the stern Mandarins of Ministry of Fire to let him pass an exam to join that Heavenly Civil Service? Can the reformed demon Red Eyes convince the lynch mob of villagers that he has mended his evil ways? Can the General of Cats sneak past the Demon Shark of the Gloom Depths to enter the secret tunnel to the enemy fortress? Step 1 Baddies go first! The Narrator draws some card(s) for the opponent, depending on their narrative importance: Extras: Mooks, bit parts, the bloke on the street, the unnamed warrior. One card. Supporting characters: Lieutenants and another second in commands to Demon Lords, named characters that are not quite the big bad of the piece. Two cards. Major characters: named opponents, demon lords. Three or more cards depending on how threatening or nasty they are. The character has a base of two cards, with an extra card for each magic power or weapon. For example: The Spider Queen gets 2 cards (Base), +1 for extra legs, +1 for her Poisonous bite, +1 for her Web attack for a total of five cards. So, if you want to write that down as a ‘stat block.’ Its also noted that she is a Tough Opponent, which has no baring in simple actions but is important in dramatic actions (see page 100). Spider Queen Card Draw 5. Tough Opponent. Threats • Poisonous bite. • Attacks up five characters with piercing leg ends. • Spits entangling web stuff. The Narrator picks the highest card to play, which is placed face down in front of the player and gives a quick narrative of how the baddie is threatening the character, coloured by whether the threat is Yin (black) or Yang (red) as determined by the card that is being played. Why do baddies go first? It’s a quick an easy way of sorting out who narrates first, rather than everyone shouting. If the player performing the action wants to go first, and it makes sense in the story, reverse the two steps. The Road to India 97 Monkey Step 2 Next the Immortal 1. BUILD THE NARRATIVE DECLARATION from the combination of skill, magic and the attitude you are playing. Note that the Narrator has the power of veto on any part of your description if it doesn’t make sense in the context of the story. Although if you are smart in constructing your narrative, you can use the most unlikely of skills to base your action on since they are broad skill groups rather than specific skills. NOTE: Whether the action is Yin (black cards) or Yang (red cards) is set here by the attitude, which you MUST declare as part of your Narrative. In short: Narrative declaration = Skill (what the immortal is doing) + Attitude (how they are doing it) + Magic Power/orTool (what they are doing it with). 2. DRAW CARDS FOR SKILL: For the skill that the character is using to resolve the action, draw cards equal to skill rank. 3. DRAW CARDS FOR MAGIC: If using magic, draw a card for ONE Magical power or tool that you are using. Note you do not have to use Magic, and it may not be appropriate for the action in question (in which case the Narrator may veto its use), but it does increase the opportunity to get high cards. 4. DRAW CARDS FOR ATTITUDE: Draw one card for your attitude you are playing. 5. DISCARD CARDS THAT DO NOT MATCH THE COLOUR OF THE ATTITUDE YOU ARE PLAYING. If the attitude you are playing is Yin, discard all the red (Yang) cards. Conversely, if the attitude you are playing is Yang, discard all the black (Yin) cards. 6. PLAY THE HIGHEST CARD: Pick the highest card that you’ve drawn, and put that face up in front of the Narrator. 7. CLEAN UP YOUR MESS! Put all the cards that you chose not to play in the discard pile. Before you do this stage, you may swap one of these cards with your Saved Card. 8. DETERMINE THE WINNER: The character with the highest card wins. In the case of draws, the player just about wins. Example: King of the Hill Monkey was scouting out the road for the rest of the Pilgrims who were slowly coming up it several leagues behind. Suddenly a large dark figure appeared on the road ahead. “I’m the King of the Hill!” shouted the Bull-Headed Demon from the top of the hill that the path climbed up and went over. “Why you obnoxious bull-headed moron! Do you not know that I’m the Monkey King! Get out of my way now!” “Yeah, you and whose army!” Shouted Bull Head back defiantly. It was evident to Monkey that he would have to quickly prove that he was King of the Hill to the upstart demon, before his Master and the rest arrived, or things would get ugly. Because this is a quick scene in the adventure, both Monkey’s player and the Monkey 98 The Road to India Narrator decide that a win or lose simple action is appropriate. Either Monkey gets around the demon, and the Pilgrim’s Journey can continue peacefully, or he’s going to be a problem and the story will go in that direction. Step: 1 Baddies go first Because the Bull-Headed demon is a supporting character (his boss is the White-Boned Demon who is lurking with her army of demons further down the path) the Narrator draws two cards for him: A Ten of Diamonds and a Three of Hearts. The Narrator plays the Yang (red=Yang) Ten of Diamonds face down and narrates it: “The Bull-Headed Demon grinds his hoofs into the ground, lowers his halberd and takes an aggressive unmovable stance.” Step: 2 Next the Immortal Now it’s over to the player. 1. BUILD THE NARRATIVE DECLARATION: Since Monkey is challenging the Bull-Headed Demon on a hill, he decides that

“Monkey summons up his flying cloud, and flies up the hill past the Bull-Headed Demon and tries to mischievously trip him up with his staff as he flies past.”

2. DRAW CARDS FOR SKILL: Monkey uses his Monkey Kung Fu to attack his opponent, His skill rank is three, so he draws three cards: A Ten of Clubs, an Ace of Spades and a Ten of Diamonds. 3. DRAW CARDS FOR MAGIC: Monkey’s player decides to use his Flight magic as this is Monkey whizzing past on his cloud while they make his attack. The player draws another card: A Queen of Hearts. 4. DRAW CARDS FOR ATTITUDE: Monkey brings his Yin attitude of Mischievous into play, drawing another card. The player draws one card which is a Three of Hearts,. 5. DISCARD CARDS THAT DO NOT MATCH THE COLOUR OF THE ATTITUDE YOU ARE PLAYING. The chosen attitude that Monkey is performing the action is Yin which corresponds to Black. So, all the red cards that the player has drawn are discarded: Ten of Diamonds (from the skill), Queen of Hearts (from Magic) and Three of Hearts (ironically drawn for the attitude) all go in the discard pile. 6. PLAY THE HIGHEST CARD: Monkey’s player decides to play the Ace of Spades and places it face down in front of the Narrator’s card. 7. CLEAN UP YOUR MESS: Monkey’s player discards all the other cards, except the Ten of Clubs which they move to their Saved Card. 8. DETERMINE THE WINNER: The Narrator and player turn up their cards, and the player’s Ace of Spades beats the Narrator’s Ten of Diamonds. Monkey’s player gleefully narrates the victory. “Monkey flies up the hill on his cloud, with a glint of mischief in his eye, tripping up the solid Bull Demon with the lightest of taps with his staff as he flies by.” The Road to India 99 Monkey Consequences of Simple Actions Simple actions are a pure win or lose situation. Therefore, they do not involve grievous bodily harm, i.e. Wounds that carry over to next scene, simply because that sort of thing isn’t part of the fiction they are designed to simulate. In the above example, the Bull-Headed Demon gets knocked off the top of the hill and sulks his way down off the hill to go report the nasty people to his boss the White Bone Demon. The Fun Card Note that if a player gives a cracking narration that has the whole table in stitches or describes the action well in a manner fitting to the situation they get an extra bonus card draw at the Narrator’s discretion. Monkey 100 The Road to India DRAMATIC ACTIONS These are the big set pieces of the story. For example, the big climactic fight against the main villain of the piece, or a big debate where many immortals argue the future of the Universe. A dramatic action can also be a sequence of short scenes, each spotlighting one of the immortals, which together form a climatic ending to an adventure. Usually, there is at least one of this type of action in a game session, with at most two or three. The first thing the Narrator does is to set the scene and then outline what simple actions the players must overcome:

For example, in If You See Buddha on the Road, the final climactic scene is where the Pilgrims confront the Great Spider Demon who has been the mastermind behind the demonic infestation, inside the hollow head.

The Narrator sets the scene by describing the large chamber the player immortals find themselves in and how the Spider Demon is aided by Blind Guardians, horrific looking demon extras with no eyes, and sits up in a giant web that hangs from the ceiling with captured villagers. They decide to play out this scene as a dramatic action made up of four actions.

Action 1: Defeat the Blind Guardian Demons. Each of the immortals fights one or two of these horrors who swarm around them.

Action 2: Get into the web to fight the Spider Demon. The immortal must jump/fly into the web to fight the Spider Demon, who tries to stop them by spitting hindering webbing at them.

Action 3: Release the villagers. The Spider Demon menacingly threatens them and kills them if the players don’t release them.

Action 4: Fight the Spider Demon. The final fight in the web.

To make sure everyone has a go, starting with the player whose immortal currently has the spotlight and then proceeding around the table. The Road to India 101 Monkey PROCEDURE FOR DRAMATIC ACTIONS Each dramatic action is a sequence of simple actions played out over a series of Exchanges.

1. INITIATIVE: The order of actions is determined by going around the table clockwise, starting with the player who currently has the spotlight for the scene. 2. DECLARE NARRATIVE INTENTION BEFORE ACTING: Before each player draws their card, they must declare their intent for their immortal’s actions for that exchange. 3. MAKE THE EXCHANGE: The player and opponent draw cards in the same way as for simple actions. However, the character and opponent both go simultaneously. If the player wins, they succeed with their intent. If the Narrator wins, they narrate what happens 4. LOSING AN EXCHANGE HAS CONSEQUENCES. The most immediate one is that the losing character takes a strike. Player immortals have three strikes. Extras take one strike and are out, supporting characters take two and major characters take three or more depending on how much of a threat they are (see above for a quick guide). When you are out of strikes, you are out of the action. There may be other consequences (such as having a magical weapon knocked out of your hand) which are up to the Narrator to approve or impose. Strikes represent the immortal having their energy lowered, either through it being bashed out of them in physical conflicts or diminished by their opponents proving their superiority in the situation through other means. Once the dramatic action is over the immortal’s energy almost immediately replenishes, and all lost strikes are regained. The above is the basics of a dramatic action. The following are specific rules that add to the basic procedure in the case of special situations. Do Immortals Come Back if They Are Defeated? If an extra is beaten in a scene that is it, they are out of the story, dying if mortal, otherwise fleeing from the scene back to where they call home. Either way, they are out of the story and pose no further threat to the player immortals. If a supporting character is defeated, then it’s up to the Narrator how soundly they performed in the action. If they didn’t cause any strikes against the player immortals, the player immortals resoundingly defeated them. If they inflicted strikes, then they slink away to fight another day, possibly later in the adventure if appropriate. Major characters tend to show up in the last scene, so are usually fought to the end there. If, however, they show up in an earlier scene, they usually depart the action before being finished. There are two possibilities: 1. A major character leaves as soon as they suffer their first strike. Demons are a cowardly lot, and a major character who is the leader of a group of minions would rather go back to its lair and plot the player immortals downfall from a Monkey 102 The Road to India distance, using its followers to do its dirty work. 2. If a major character is reduced to 0 strikes, their surviving supporting characters immediately carry them to safety, while extras keep the characters busy. Alternatively, a major character has a single use magical power that allows them to escape, perhaps disappearing in a puff of smoke. If a player immortal is defeated in a dramatic action, they sit out the rest of the action. In the end, if the rest of the Pilgrims have been defeated they might all be captured by their opponents, and end up their prisoners. If the Pilgrims emerge victorious as a group, the defeated player immortal gets up, dusts themselves down and perhaps suffers a joke or two at their expense. Assisting Other Immortals Another immortal can give up their individual action for an exchange, say how they are helping another player immortal performing an action, and then draw cards as normal. They then pass their highest card to the player they are assisting. This card need not match the colour of the card of the player being assisted, assuming their narrative declaration makes sense in the context of the narrative declaration that the assisted player made initially. The assist happens when the player who is receiving the assistance plays their highest card in their exchange. Assistance happens either when the player being helped cannot beat their opponent, either because their highest card is still lower than their opponents, or they require two or more cards higher than their opponent because of their toughness, to inflict a strike (see Tough Opponents below). Tough Opponents Some opponents are declared as Tough. This means that you need to beat them at twice in the same exchange of cards to perform a strike upon them. This can be done either by the same player, who has plays two cards higher than the opponent’s highest card, or more usually by the player providing one higher card and another player successfully assisting the character to provide another higher card. If the player immortal fails to overcome the opponent’s toughness but plays at least one card higher than the opponent’s highest card, they do not suffer a strike. The Road to India 103 Monkey Resolving Actions using Multiple Opponents (aka Mook rules) The Narrator Shouts “MOB attack on [character name]!” and sends avesw of extras against the player character of their choice. For each extra attacking a character, play one card face up in front of their player involved. Then the player makes their regular card draw, and starting with their highest card defeats the extras attacking their character. They carry on playing cards until they can no longer beat the extras. If at this point there are more extras with higher cards, then the character takes a strike. Note that if the player gives a narration that includes flying whirlwind kicks and other such methods of attacking multiple opponents, it can earn the player an extra card draw (aka The Fun Card). Major or supporting characters will use extras in this way to tie up characters, so they don’t get attacked by the whole party or so they can make their escape. If escaping, they can do so successfully if the player immortal being Mob Attacked takes a strike (which shows they were held up by the extras). For example, Monkey is attacked by four Crab Guards while skulking around the South Dragon’s Palace. The Narrator calls a mob attack and describes how they all rush at him, pincers clicking. He draws four cards and places them in front of Monkey’s player face up Five of Clubs, Four of Diamonds, Ten of Hearts, Five of Diamonds. Monkey’s player describes how Monkey whirls his iron staff around and swings it in an arc to hit all the Crabs. He draws three cards for his Monkey Kung Fu and an extra card for his magic weapon: Three of Hearts, Two of Diamonds, Ten of Spades, and Queen of Diamonds. This means two of the crabs are knocked out by Monkey’s blows, but two remain standing, and their pinching pincers cause Monkey to lose a strike. Monkey 104 The Road to India Bickering Contests Bickering is a special type of action. During the Journey to the West, Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy continuously bicker with one another. They endlessly argue about who should carry the master’s baggage, which way to go next, the best way to deal with the demon that blocks their way. Because bickering is such as major part of the novel, here is a quick game mechanic that players may use to resolve such arguments between the player immortals in a way that brings a clear in-game advantage for the winner. 1. Each player involved in the bickering draws a card from the player’s deck after giving a quick line or two berating their opponent’s ability. 2. The player with the highest card wins the exchange. 3. Play out three such exchanges. The player who has won the most exchanges wins the argument. 1. The person who wins the contest gets the other party to go along with their plan. They get to ‘set the next scene’ so to speak and gain one card bonus to their next action in that scene. 2. The losing party must go to the next scene and take part in the first part any action that may occur there. What they do after this first action is up to them. Here is an example from the book. Pigsy and Monkey are arguing about the best way to attack a Dragon that blocks their way across a river (who is the Son of one of the Dragon Kings, who has been told to wait for Tripitaka by Kuan Yin, who ends up as Tripitaka’s horse after he is subdued). The main thrust of the bickering is who leads the attack. Pigsy wins the contest and gets a bonus card for his first attack on the Dragon. Monkey must help with the attack for the first round (so he must make an attacking action) but after the first round he has the option to run away or continue helping Pigsy. Monkey decides to carry on helping Pigsy. If the result of the three exchanges is a draw there is no winner, the Narrator quickly moves the action along to the next scene. Note: Players may not transfer cards into or out of their saved cards during a Bickering Contest. The Road to India 105 Monkey Ending the Session This part of the game session is almost exclusively the preserve of the Narrator. Not because the cooperative nature of the storytelling is breaking down at this point, but because the players will be too busy playing their characters or if the game has naturally reached a conclusion, just chatting amongst themselves. So, it’s the Narrator ‘s job to call time on a game that is satisfying to them and the players. There tend to be two types of ending. • Finale. The adventure naturally comes to an end. The big mysteries are solved, the villain of the piece has been defeated or has escaped, and the story has been ‘played out’. Play the resolution scene as detailed below. • Cliff Hanger. You and the players have either run out of creative energy or time, and the adventure has not reached its climax. Frame the ending in a dramatic, “Now that the Pilgrims have [summarise events of session] and you are eager to see what happens next, please play on next chapter,” way and stop the game there. THE RESOLUTION SCENE The final scene of any adventure is the ‘Resolution Scene’. Here all the loose ends of the story are tied up. If the opposition of the story has not been confronted and defeated this is where it happens. If it has, then this scene covers the events following the climax in which clarification of what happened in the story occurs. In If You See Buddha on the Road, the resolution scene is when the Pilgrims have triumphantly reached the top of the Giant Stone Buddha’s head and stop for a moment to take stock before continuing their journey westwards. Monkey 106 The Road to India Immortal Advancement Monkey, unlike most role-playing games, is a bit light on the rules for immortal advancement. Advancement arises directly from the immortal’s actions in the game session, and should be noted by both Narrators and players. If there is no time at the end of the session, these things should be addressed during the Recap stage of the next session. There are two types of Immortal Advancement. • Story-Driven. These advancements come out the game session’s story and carry on into future game sessions as story possibilities that both the players and Narrator can bring into play. • Immortal-Driven. These are advancements that directly change the immortal and are reflected on the Immortal Sheet. STORY-DRIVEN ADVANCEMENT Multiple advancement of this type can be taken per session if it makes sense to both the players and the Narrator. If the advancement is vague or contentious, the Narrator has the final say. MAKING NEW FRIENDS AND ENEMIES There was a significant friendship or a hatred made between the player immortals and a non-player major character, the Narrator and players should make a note to make that character has potential to be a reoccurring character in future game sessions. See “Calling Upon Friends and Enemies” on page 92 for more details. CARRYING SITUATIONS FORWARD If an unusual situation came up during the session and was not resolved, then the Narrator should make a note of it and carry it forward for use in a future session. Such situations get carried forward for a variety of reasons. It might have just popped up during play when the players were focused and driven in a different direction. There might not have been time to explore it fully. It was important to one player but not the entire ensemble when it arose, and the group decided to put it to one side and explore it later. The importance of this type of immortal advancement, even though it’s not directly relevant to the immortals, is that it’s a story building device, that centres on the player immortals. It also lessens the load on having to come up with new situations to build scenes around in future sessions. The Road to India 107 Monkey IMMORTAL-DRIVEN ADVANCEMENT Only one of this type of advancement may be taken per game session. RESOLVING A WEAKNESS This requires a focused effort on the players part over several sessions, a minimum of two if running a concise Journey up to about five if running a longer Journey. If the Narrator is satisfied that the player immortal’s actions have overcome their weakness, then they put a big tick next to the weakness on the Immortal Sheet, indicating it’s been resolved. The weakness can no longer be called upon by the player or the Narrator, and it counts significantly towards the immortal’s standing with Great Buddha at the End of the Journey (see page 109 for more information). ADVANCING A SKILL If the focus of the player immortal’s actions in the session was to advance an existing skill at the Narrator’s discretion, they can increase it by one. This is usually done by working with a master of the skill, being set challenges and doing tasks for them, for most of a game session. To stop the other player’s twiddling their thumbs while this is going on the Narrator either builds scenes that run in parallel to the training scenes or works out a way that their immortal’s can be involved. Another less intensive method of advancing a skill, especially for the spiritual ones, as if the immortal has had a moment of insight during the game session, where there has been a dramatic series of events that led up to a high point where the immortal makes a vital realisation about the skill. REPLACING A SKILL Similarly, if the player wants to learn a new skill, they can replace an existing skill, by either training with a master or having a moment of insight. The rank of the skill stays the same as the skill that it is replacing. REPLACING AN ATTITUDE If the immortal has been consistently role played with a different attitude, that may be ‘out of character’ for them, for an entire session, they may at the Narrator’s discretion replace a current attitude of the same Yin/Yang type. This can be by design, where the player tells the Narrator at the beginning of the session or arise spontaneously through play, where at the end of the session the Narrator and other Players note it during this end of session phase. In Monkey you replace an existing skill or attitude if you want to learn a new one instead of adding it to the current lists. Why? Because it keeps the focus of the immortal tight on a small pool of resources, rather than an ever growing list of new skills and attitudes where play drifts from accomplishing the goals of the Journey to attaining new cool powers. Also, by switching out existing skills and attitudes in this way you make the changes in the immortal a big deal and a significant deal. “Hey, do you remember the time when your immortal replaced Taoism with Buddhism? They certainly weren’t the same after that!” should be the sort of story that they players tell each other. Monkey 108 The Road to India GAINING A NEW MAGIC POWER OR TOOL If the immortal has the opportunity to learn a new magical ability, usually from another immortal who knows and teaches the power or by creating the opportunity themselves through research and practice, or gain a magical tool which has been found during the adventure, their player may write it down on their Immortal Sheet. Unlike skills and attitudes, players add new powers and items on to the Immortal Sheet for two reasons. 1. Magical powers, unlike skills and attitudes, are very narrow in their game applications. 2. It mirrors the literature; Monkey in his development before the Journey starts picks up many magical powers and items. FIRST SESSION FREE CHANGES One significant exception to the Immortal Advancement rules presented above is that during the First Session the player may change one skill, one attitude and one magical item/power (excepting Shape change and Flight) for free. This can happen at any point during the session, although it makes sense if the player does it during the scene that their immortal has the spotlight giving some narrative explaining why the change(s) have occurred. More likely it will happen during an action where the player has the sudden realisation that a skill/attitude/magic item/power that they previously choose isn’t up to the narrative job of getting the task done. This is okay. Quite often player’s perceptions of what their alter egos are capable of can change when they take them into play. By allowing the player to change some of the decisions they made during the Origins process, keeps them happy and makes their immortal more fun in play.

Now that you have an understanding of how to run the trials that your immortals will face on the road to India, read on to the next chapter to understand what faces them when their Journey to the West finally comes to an end. 6. Ending the Journey

At the end of the Journey to the West, Monkey becomes the Buddha Victorious in Strife. Monkey 110 Ending the Journey The Journey to the West Comes to an End After the long road, and suffering 80 ordeals, the Pilgrims reach India. They find themselves in a place of harmony and peace, where people live by religious teaching. As they cross the border, they are greeted by the Great Immortal of the Golden Head. He is a Taoist immortal who was charged with meeting and looking after them by Kuan Yin. The wise immortal is much surprised that they have reached India within a year of him being assigned to the task, since he was told that they would take two to three years. They are then fed and pampered by servants and the next day are fully refreshed from their journey across the wilderness. The next day, Monkey leads them up Spirit Vulture Peak where Great Buddha’s home is to be found on its high cloudy peak. High up on the slopes of the mountain they come to a broad and fast flowing river called Divine Cloud-Transcending Stream. The only crossing appears to be a single slippery log. The Pilgrims are much afraid to cross this way, and as usual, there is much discussion about it. Eventually, a bottomless boat arrives, punted by the Conductor Buddha who Monkey recognises. He encourages the Pilgrims to get in the boat. Tripitaka falls into the water, through the bottom of the boat, and is quickly fished out by the others. Looking down he is horrified to see his body floating by, but the others reassure him that he had to lose his mortal body to enter Buddha’s realm and become a Buddha. On the far bank, they see their goal, Thunderclap Monastery. There they meet Buddha and his immortal servants who perform one last test on the Pilgrims. Instead of giving them the right scrolls, they initially give them ‘wordless scrolls’. Although these scrolls are just as useful as scrolls with words, Buddha knows that the priests back in Tang China will not be able to understand them. After overcoming their confusion, the Pilgrims are gifted with the scrolls with words. They and the baskets full of scriptures are then escorted back to China by Buddhist Guardian Deities. The Pilgrims are flying through the clouds, carried by the Guardian Deities who escort the Pilgrims and the scrolls back to China. Kuan Yin observes them from the heavens while an attendant reads out Tripitaka’s ordeals during the journey. She realises that Tripitaka has only experienced eighty ordeals and her Buddhist order requires 9 x 9 or eighty-one ordeals to become a Buddha. So she orders the Guardians to drop off the Pilgrims back on earth, where they perform one last ordeal, before being carried off to the capital city by the guardians to deliver the scrolls. In the capital Chang ‘an, the Pilgrims are received by the Tang Emperor and the scrolls are delivered to him. After the scrolls have been delivered and a small party is held in their honour, the Pilgrims ascend into the sky and are carried by the winds back west to the Thunder Clap Monastery. There Buddha gives his final judgement on the Pilgrims in a hall packed with all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Tripitaka becomes a full Buddha, the Buddha of Candana Merit. Monkey also becomes a full Buddha for defending Triptaka against all the demons and becomes the Buddha Victorious in Strife. Sandy is promoted to be the Golden Bodied Arhat (one who has achieved enlightenment but not full Buddhahood). Pigsy, who never overcame his lusty nature, is appointed the Janitor of all the Altars. When he complains about his new position, Buddha points out there are many Buddhist Altars, and when he is asked to clear them, there will be lots of opportunities to enjoy Ending the Journey 111 Monkey himself. White Dragon Horse is promoted in the ranks of dragons and is returned to his dragon form. The assembled crowd then press their palms together and recite a devotional chant to Buddha (which takes up the last two pages of the English translation), and the book comes to a close. Eventually, all good Journeys come to an end. The players and the Narrator might feel that they have run out of stories to play with the immortals they created. Perhaps they have reached after many sessions the logical conclusion of their Journey to the West, India. This chapter is all about finishing the game and bringing it to a memorable conclusion. The Narrator’s Role The Narrator has a unique role in Ending the Journey, in that it is they who call time on the game. Monkey is not designed to be a game that goes on endlessly, what is called an open-ended game. It has a beginning (outlined in the Origins chapter), a middle (The Road to India) and an end (detailed in this chapter). It is up to the Narrator to either have a plan that they have worked out with the players in advance, eg. “We’ll play through the Origins and have one adventure for each immortal to put them under the spotlight,” or sense when the Pilgrim’s adventures are coming to an end. If the later use the following as a checklist as well as sensing if the players are running out of steam. • Have you had the chance to have the immortals play out out and resolve their weaknesses? (see page 107). • Has the game seen major demons been defeated and overcome? • Have the players had a chance to play with all the cool magical powers their immortals possess? • Are the players becoming bored and restless with the story? • Is repetition becoming an unwelcome feature of your sessions? Monkey 112 Ending the Journey THE FINAL ADVENTURE ON THE JOURNEY If most of the above checklist is ticked and the players agree with the Narrator that the Journey is coming to an end, consider playing one last adventure before reaching India. Resolve any loose narrative threads and let the player immortals go out with a bang. It is the players’ last chance to play with them. Perhaps a favourite villain can make a return (but not in an expected form; maybe they have seen the error of their ways, achieved Enlightenment and now serve Great Buddha). One last set of challenges awaits before the Pilgrims achieve their goal. The End of the Journey as given in the Novel It’s up to both the players and the Narrator how they handle the end of the Journey. It could be played out as an adventure, in which case use the summaries of what happens in the book as a guide to building scenes of your own. Or the Narrator can merely review the end of the adventure and let the players relax and put their feet up. The following two sections give an overview of what happens at the end of the book, to help the Narrator and players put together their own ending. REACHING INDIA This is a summary of the events of what happens in chapter 98 of the book, when the Journey to the West is completed are given at the start of this chapter, see The Journey to the West Comes to an End After a straightforward start to the story in the 98th chapter, where the Pilgrims rest at the monastery of the Golden-Headed Immortal, it all gets a bit metaphysical once the Pilgrims start ascending Vulture Spirit Peak and cross the river in this part of the story. The crossing into the realm of Buddha where Tripitaka falls in the river, loses his body (i.e. dies) and Buddha’s last test. You may want to end your player’s journey in a much more straightforward way. The main thing is they reach India, have some final tests and challenges which are more spiritual than the usual physical fight demons, meet Buddha himself and get the scrolls. SCENES AS GIVEN IN THE BOOK Arrival in India An introductory lead-in scene were the Pilgrims relax and revitalise from their ordeal before the ascending Vulture Spirit Peak. Cast The Great Golden Headed Taoist immortal (major supporting immortal) and his Taoist Assistants (extras) Going up Vulture Spirit Peak Final test climbing the mountain and crossing the fast-moving river and crossing over to the spirit realm of the Buddha. Ending the Journey 113 Monkey Problems The Monk needs to cast off their mortal form. This is done in the novel by Tripitaka accidentally stepping through the bottom of the bottomless boat and touching the waters of the stream. Cast The Conductor Buddha (Major supporting) and his magic bottomless boat. Thunder Clap Monastery The Pilgrims reach Buddha’s Great Hall and are given the wrong scrolls. Problems Buddhas’s final test. Giving the ‘wordless scrolls’ instead of the ‘scrolls with words’. THE JOURNEY HOME The story of the Pilgrim’s journey home is given at the start of this chapter, see The Pilgrims return home. The story of the Pilgrims’ journey home in the book is at the start of this chapter. In your game, you might arrange something similar, with the player immortals carried by Guardian Immortals back to Chang an, the capital of the Tang Empire. You might also spring upon them a surprise adventure like Kuan Yin does to make up the number of ordeals up to 81, before they reach there. Then there is the final judgement of Buddha, where the immortal’s behaviour on the Journey is considered. All the immortals are returned to at least their former immortal status, with all traces of base demon behaviour removed and some sort of promotion into the ranks of the immortal of Eastern Buddhist Heaven. Those immortals who were virtuous on the Journey and overcame their weakness have a good chance at Buddhahood. Those who plodded along were generally virtuous become Arhats. While immortals who have been a bit special over the Journey, like Pigsy who has not overcome his weakness, get a special ‘position’ in Eastern Heaven. Overall this part of the book is a gentle winding down of the story. Monkey 114 Ending the Journey Here ends the players’ chapters of the book

Now that you have learnt how to play the game, Narrators will need a little more guidance and should travel on to the next chapters. For them, the Journey continues.

There they will find advice on how to run the game, more information about the mythic worlds of Monkey and the characters that can be seen there, and example adventures. Players are of course welcome to read these chapters, at the risk of spoiling some of the surprises in store for them. 7. Narrator’s Advice

Pigsy trotting along the road to India, his Nine Pronged Fork casually balanced on his shoulders. Monkey 116 Narrator’s Advice This chapter attempts to give Narrators a firm grounding in how to run the game. While any student of Kung Fu will tell you that practice will teach you more than books, I’m hoping that this chapter will give you the first few moves to becoming a Narrator who is skilled, inventive, and calm when faced with fast-moving, excitable and happy players. Players who are revelling in the enjoyable and memorable story you are all collectively telling using the game. Narrator’s Basics THE ROLE OF THE NARRATOR Monkey is very much like a traditional role-playing game, in that it has a referee called a Narrator who : • Adjudicates rules disputes. • Vetoes implausible player actions. • Reacts to player actions by describing how the environment and non-player characters change as a result. The Narrator does all this in full cooperation with the players whose immortals are firmly the centre of the story that emerges through play. Part of the ‘player-centric’ approach is that players can directly influence the structure of an adventure during play. Part is of this formally done through the rules presented in the section entitled “The Players’ Control of the Narrative” (see The Road to India page 91), but it should done informally by making sure that the player immortals are driving the story. Even when you get the Great Immortals in, who mechanically win every action they are involved with, it should be the briefest of interactions that make sense in the context of the story that is emerging with the help of the players. Narrator’s Advice 117 Monkey Fundamentals of running Monkey There are three core principals to bear in mind always when running Monkey. If you do this, you can’t go wrong. THE GAME IS DERIVED FROM THE FICTION, NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND That is to say, when I wrote the mechanics of the game, they model events and situations from the source material, mainly the novel but not limited to it (see “This is My Interpretation…” on page 123), not a hard set of numbers and procedures. If in doubt with the rules, don’t think “Oh who’s got the highest numerical rank here” think “What would Monkey and co. do at this point”. IT’S NOT THE DESTINATION, IT’S THE JOURNEY The above is an old saying that applies both to meditation and to this game. Although the game has a definite endpoint when the Pilgrims arrive in India, it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about having fun. If your players are having fun and enjoying the series of challenges that you are throwing in their path, then everyone wins. The Narrator’s job and duty are to ensure that all assembled to have a fun and enjoyable time, regardless of individual goals and agendas. IT’S ABOUT DOING THE RIGHT THING In this game, the players are not rewarded in any way for harming or intimidating non-player characters. The player immortals are present to ease the pain of the world according to the Buddhist Eastern Heavenly Authorities or at least make sure that everything runs in Harmony according to the Taoist Western Heaven. This is contrary to what many people consider to be a key feature of many role- playing games, a feature rooted in the hobby’s wargaming past. Compare and contrast the above to the anti-social behaviour sometimes seen at a particular Dungeons and Delvers game that has a history going back to the mid-70s. This is not to say that this specific game, or indeed any related games, are wrong and not fun, just that Monkey has very different objectives when it comes to how the characters should act. However, don’t go overboard in trying to recreate the fine detail of Taoist philosophy or Buddhist religion. If there is an underlying moral message in the novel, it transmits it in a fun and entertaining way. It doesn’t get bogged down in religious moralising or dense philosophy, and neither should your game. Monkey 118 Narrator’s Advice Things you’ll notice when you run Monkey IT’S A PLAYER-CENTRED GAME The player immortals are not weak or even moderately powerful individuals. They are one step away from being full-blown gods and goddesses; it is only the immortals’ weaknesses and personal failings that stand between them and godhood. The player immortals are more than capable of doing anything the players can think up. Allow and encourage this. Don’t be scared of letting the players do what they want. In the most extreme cases, where player immortals’ behaviour goes well beyond the limits of acceptable behaviour, you always have the Great Immortals to act as cosmic policemen in the game. As Narrator, you can still stop the game if things get too far out of hand (see “Fix Problems Before They Arise” below). Although the player immortals are very powerful, there are still more powerful and prestigious immortals around. It’s essential, both from a game point of view and a from a player point of view, that these non-player immortals don’t steal the limelight. While being the bad boy may be appropriate for a immortal, do not let this behaviour spill out into the players’ interactions towards each other. Make a clear distinction between in-game reality and out of game reality and be ready to be assertive to make sure in-game grudges never ever become out of game problems. Make an obvious distinction between ‘immortal vs immortal’ behaviour, where the immortals bicker and oppose each other in the game, and ‘player vs player’ which is a game of one-upmanship played outside of the game. The former is acceptable, and at times even encouraged (see below), whereas the latter is never acceptable. You’ll notice how quickly the players get into character and start bickering. Let them run with it, knowing when to throw in an appropriate Bickering Contest when it’s dragging on, or passions are beginning to run high, and the players need something to quickly resolve who is right or wrong so the game can move on. IT’S ABOUT CREATING AN OPEN, COOPERATIVE GAME D101 Games will never ever publish for Monkey that traditional ‘Games Master’s Aid’, the Games Master’s screen. Everything in Monkey can and should be done in plain view of the players. Get a big table, and clear it of clutter. When a Narrator-controlled character performs an action, lay the cards down in front of the players. Let the players work together to build up a hand to beat your opposition. Do not pass notes to players or otherwise keep ‘secrets’ from players not involved in a particular moment of play. Imagine the game is a big movie so that even if a player’s immortal is not on screen, the player is still watching. However, players with immortals who are off-screen cannot make use of information that their immortal would not know. Narrator’s Advice 119 Monkey NO MORE FUDGING Another traditional aspect of role-playing games that Monkey throws out with the garbage is that of ‘Fudging’. This is where the Narrator performs dice rolls in secret, often behind that previously mentioned ‘Games Master’s Aid’, the screen, and then announces a result that is favourable to the players and shields them from character death and perhaps more commonly a personal sense of disappointment at the result. You and your players will sometimes find failure more interesting than success. There will be situations that you and the players never would have anticipated arising from a failed draw. In this game, you don’t need to protect your players from the random and needless death of their characters. Also, fudging goes against the cooperative spirit of the game that you are trying to create. FIX PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY ARISE If the players feel uncomfortable with a ruling or the way the story is progressing, stop, discuss and adjust before continuing. If something awkward happens in game that any of the players do not feel comfortable with, pause the game immediately. Discuss the situation with the players and look for ways to resolve the issue. KEEP THE TONE LIGHT-HEARTED Monkey should be run as a light-hearted comedy action game. Despite its somewhat lofty theme of the player immortals regaining their place in Heaven, it’s meant to be a game of light-hearted fun, not an interactive thesis or psychological drama about Chinese philosophy and mythology. GET EVERYONE INVOLVED This is a social storytelling game. So get everyone involved, drawing cards and narrating their actions. Don’t let shy players hide in the background and loud and obnoxious players dominate the action This might include bringing some players out of their comfort zones, but they will have more fun in the long term. Monkey is not a game for passengers who like to sit back and watch what is going on. As my Kung Fu Master repeatedly said, ‘Get to the front, you’ll learn more’. The Spotlight rules, see page 91, are designed to guarantee this happens, as this principle can easily get forgotten during play. Especially when things are loud and busy, and it is tempting just to listen to the most exciting and/or a noisy player who is drowning out everyone else and not letting other players get a turn. The Spotlight rules remind players the essential skill of “your turn, my turn” that young players learn in simple early games. DON’T TOLERATE CHEATS, EVER! Unfortunately, some players will feel the need to win at any cost, even at the expense of others’ fun. They will swap cards into their saved card slot that they are not entitled to. Or even casually take cards out of the player’s deck of cards when they think no one is looking, or bluster that they are somehow allowed to take new cards from the player’s deck of cards when it’s not their go. As soon as you catch someone cheating be gently assertive and point out that there Monkey 120 Narrator’s Advice is no cheating in your game. Point out that the player characters are potent immortals, and there is plenty of opportunities to win and have fun doing so by playing by the rules. Failure is only a temporary setback and something a player shouldn’t take personally. Maintain a zero-tolerance attitude towards cheats. Cheats automatically fail the action they are attempting. If a player cheats repeatedly, take them out of the group and ask them gently but firmly to stop, telling them that if they carry on they are spoiling everyone’s fun and you will have to ask them to leave the game. If a player is thick-headed enough to ignore this advice, ask them to go at the end of the session. You are playing this game for fun, so why play with someone that spoils the group’s fun for themselves? If this all sounds a bit heavy, don’t worry, I’ve found that having a player immortal automatically fail any action made when the player is caught cheating quickly stops any further such bad behaviour. These types of players don’t want to lose after all. This includes you. Set the standard. If you cheat or tamper with your cards, even if you think that you are doing to create a better game, your players will think it is okay to do so, or at least feel aggrieved. It also gives genuine cheats a retort if you challenge them later in the game. FLOW IS EVERYTHING, EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO STOP Flow is a strange thing to describe, but something you’ll quickly spot when it takes off in your game. The players will become animated, excitedly narrating their actions or sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for the opportunity to speak, but giving everyone else full attention and respect. Everyone will have big smiles on their faces. It’s a magic moment indeed. As Narrator, it’s your job to encourage players to get into a state where the game really flows. Pretty much all the above points are methods to promote this but don’t be disheartened when it doesn’t happen, when players haven’t got a word to say or when things get too excited and loud, or the game gets derailed or side-tracked into an off-topic conversation. Just gently adjust the balance and get the game moving again. Some additional points to help the game flow: • Don’t cling to your pre-written plan of the session. • If something is fun, let it happen and see where it goes. • Be ready to improvise, and let the players help you. • If you are not sure about applying a rule, don’t be afraid to consult the players rather than let the game stall. COMMUNICATION IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL GAME Talk, talk and talk some more about the game and what is going on. Draw out descriptions. Discuss problems. Keep the talk and hence the game flowing. Narrator’s Advice 121 Monkey

Comedy is an essential ingredient in any game of Monkey. Here Pigsy demonstrates this fact with his attempt to ride one of China’s thought extinct pre-historic birds. Monkey 122 Narrator’s Advice CHARACTER VS. CHARACTER NOT PLAYER VS. PLAYER Occasionally the immortals will be at odds with each other. Players may perform actions against each other to see who gets to be Marshall of Heaven for a day, who can fly fastest, who wins the affection of a pretty fox spirit, for example. The Bickering contests rules positively encourage this, and the Weakness rules may lead a character down the road of being at odds with their fellow immortals. It’s an essential point in the novel that the Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy and Tripitaka work best as a harmonious team, but most of the time are too busy falling out with each other which either increases the difficulty of the situation or at the very least requires them to pull together as a team. So bickering, falling out and trying to outdo each other is firmly part of the game. What isn’t part of the game is bringing personal disputes and grudges to the table or simply seeing the character as an extension of the player, whose success in game pumps up the self-esteem of the player out of game. Make this clear to the players from the start and encourage them away from arguing and being contentious out of character and instead put that energy into driving the game. Here’s an example of handling character vs character in game Julia, the player of the Silver Fox, a sly and cunning animal spirit, dreams up a plan to con the slow-witted but strong General Ox, played by Sam, into forcing open the gates to Lao Tzu’s house, with the aim of stealing some of the Great Sage’s immortality pills. This is an action that has the potential to go horribly wrong for the players. Julia starts outlining to the Narrator how he is going to dupe General Ox, using Silver Fox’s Rogue skill paired with her Playful attitude. Julia even has an amusing role-playing skit to tie in with her card draw. At this stage, Sam could decide to oppose Julia and come up with a counteraction, using his Soldier skill to represent his sense of loyalty and honour coupled with a Trustworthy attitude. Whoever loses the simple (or dramatic if they really decide to act it out) action abides by the result gracefully and goes along with the story. Sam might even choose not to oppose Julia and instead rule that the simple-hearted General Ox wants to help his friend Silver, naively going along with the plan, hamming up the acting out of General Ox breaking the gate and pushing the story on in an exciting way. Either way, the trick is to avoid any player feeling that the actions of another immortal are robbing them of choice and power within the game. Narrator’s Advice 123 Monkey The wise know their limitations Monkey doesn’t do the following. It’s better that you know this up front, so you are not under any illusions. DETAILED BLOW BY BLOW FIGHTING Even the Dramatic Action rules are abstract. Certain things in many role- playing games such as weapon damage, armour, and hit locations, do not feature. Sometimes an action will represent a single killer strike, and another time it will represent a flurry of complicated combat moves. It all depends on the player’s vivid narration of the action. DETAILED CHARACTER GENERATION If your players are looking for a character sheet full of numbers indicating a character’s attributes and history, they are going to be disappointed. Move past this disappointment and show the players how their immortals are frameworks that can repeatedly be used to weave complex and entertaining narratives. The descriptors and numbers on the Immortal Sheet are the most fundamental aspects of the character. If a player wants to deepen their role in play and bring into play previously unknown facts about the immortal that are in keeping with what has already been established, use the bonus card for Humorous play to reward this! CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT BY SKILL IMPROVEMENT Although there are mechanisms for advancing immortals at the end of a gaming session (see page 107) most immortals are fully formed before play begins. The emphasis is on creating fun stories, not on improving an immortal’s abilities. PAINT THE WORLD IN BROAD BRUSH STROKES In the novel, the world that the Pilgrims are passing through is there as scenery and very loosely described, for it is the Pilgrims themselves that are the focus. This game aims to continue this approach, so you’ll not find broad sections about everyday life in Ancient China or every immortal from Chinese Mythology. Instead, you’ll find pointers to help you create the stories that you and your players are interested in telling. Monkey 124 Narrator’s Advice THIS IS MY INTERPRETATION OF THE STORY, MAKE IT YOURS The most significant mistake I made in presenting the first version of this game was that I expected everyone to have read the novel and be on the same page with their appreciation. I believed, wrongly, that there was a homogeneous presentation of Monkey King, mainly because I had only been exposed to an insufficient selection of the adaptations of the tale (primarily the 80s Japanese TV Series and the Arthur Waley translation Monkey). This was a mistake since the Monkey King is a Chinese culture hero, in the same way as Robin Hood is to the English, and there are numerous TV series, films, comics and translations of the novel. Some of them stick faithfully to the novel, some are the creator’s own take on the tale. The sources that are given in the Bibliography and these are the sources I pulled on when putting together this second incarnation of the game. It’s a much broader selection of media, which has had an enormous impact on how the game is presented, from the narrative frameworks I give, the assumptions surrounding the non-player immortals, and the game mechanics themselves. But it’s still just a drop in the ocean of a massive body of work that’s been worked on and reinvented over hundreds of years. Thousands if you take into consideration that the Journey to the West is based on earlier folk tales that have been combined with the historical journey of the real-life ‘Tripitaka’ who travelled the Silk Road to India to collect the lost scrolls of Buddhism. Your experience with the Tale of the Monkey King may be different than mine. It might be more expansive, or this may be that this is the first time you have come across him. The important thing is that you don’t let your level of knowledge put you off. Read the book, follow the rules and guidelines and play the game. If you do this, between you and your players co-creating the story of your little band of Pilgrims as they go collect the lost scrolls. Narrator’s Advice 125 Monkey Practicalities of running Monkey Above, I’ve talked about some of the ideals, things you should be striving for when running Monkey to ensure a fun and entertaining game. Here are some tips arising from our playtesting. HAVE A CLEAR TABLE OR PLAYING AREA When the game gets going, and everyone is pulling out cards, making up action hands and putting cards on the table you are going to need space.A typical game of Monkey has four to six players, not including the Narrator. Keep your gaming table clear of clutter and give the players room to see each other’s cards and the opposing cards, so they can comfortably work together and build winning hands to beat you. Having more than enough space to comfortably play also discourages cheating (see above) by creating an open environment where it’s harder for cheats to hide behind the mess and tamper with their cards. BE ASSERTIVE, AND DON’T LET PUSHY PLAYERS PLAY CARDS NOT ALLOWED BY THE RULES Remember the Golden Rule of Card Playing: The player must narrate why they are playing the card. If they don’t give a satisfactory reason why they are playing the card, you are within your rights to deny them that card. Don’t let lazy yet forceful players get away with cards that they haven’t appropriately narrated. Don’t let them play cards that don’t fit in with what they have described or the type of action they have performed. DON’T LET PLAYERS OVERUSE WEAKNESSES When a weakness comes into play, it should be a significant event which lands the immortal in hot water and puts them at a disadvantage right there and then. The player should deal with the consequences of a immortal’s weakness and have to dig their way out of the fall-out caused by their actions, as well as picking up an extra card. The Metagame While Monkey at the end of the day is a storytelling game, some players will enjoy the rules mechanics side of the game. Make sure that a happy balance is struck between the players building their hands of cards and managing their saved cards and the ongoing narrative. On the one hand, allow the players time to sort out their cards, but on the other hand, do not let that distract them from interacting with the story. The fact that players can store cards as a saved card means that not only does the game avoid the disappointment of high cards being played for small actions, but that players will push the play in ways that means they an action needs to be called for. Actions give the players a chance to transfer cards into their saved card pile for later use, particularly in the final resolution of the story. Monkey 126 Narrator’s Advice Storing Jokers until the end of the story is a common tactic used by players, and it’s something that you should allow with good grace as long as the player can narrate the card with great gusto! All this means that the game tends to start up small and build up, with big cards being stored, to a big ridiculous, action- packed finale with all these big cards coming out of the players’ saved cards. This is how it should be. In the novel, each chapter, or group of chapters for the longer episodes, begins quietly and builds up to a big action-packed finale, before everything calms down and the pilgrims quietly reflect on what happened before moving on to the next stage of their journey. Creating Stories Every Narrator is going to have their way of creating stories for their players. Before it’s presented to the players, a story is a unique expression of the Narrator’s creativity, so for every Narrator, it will be different. There is no wrong or right way to create stories, but this section details how I go about it. As well as giving beginning Narrators a starting point, the aim is to point out some of the features of the Monkey system that need to be highlighted, so your stories survive contact with the inquisitive and excited players, and are fun for everyone. Here we look at how adventures work in Monkey. How Monkey supports the Narrator creating them, and how the players can drive and take control of the structure in play. Adventures in Monkey come in two different forms: Scripted Adventures and Adventure Seeds. Scripted Adventures fall somewhere between traditional role-playing game write-ups, where every last detail and possible action is written down, and more modern approaches that rely heavily on improvisational techniques. The reason for this is because the players are firmly the stars of the show and are playing lesser gods, whose only weaknesses are their own failings. So even the most ingenious plot or strong monster can quickly be overcome or even circumnavigated by the players. That’s where the fun lies for them, and the Narrator’s job is to provide a ‘toybox’ environment full of thrilling locations, exciting potential actions and a cast of engaging major characters, their supporting characters and the mass of unnamed extras for the player immortals to play with. This book has two examples of scripted adventures, (The Bag of Wind and If you see Buddha on the Road), but it also provides a clear template for Narrators to use to quickly generate their own scripted adventures. Adventure Seeds, which have long been a part of most role-playing supplements. They are an idea, worth expanding into an outline for an adventure, where page count is too limited to permit a fuller write up. They are even more useful in Monkey since they literally can be a one or line premise that explodes into a whole session of play once the players interact with it. Narrator’s Advice 127 Monkey Here are some adventure seeds as examples: • The Monk is kidnapped by a demon chef, who invites demon warlords to feast upon their flesh at his expensive, and well defended, restaurant. • The Pilgrims are drugged when stopping at an inn, perhaps in the wine, they so copiously drank of the evening before. Villainous Demons have not only kidnapped the Monk but also hidden the Pilgrims’ magic weapons in different locations around the local area. • The Abbot of a Buddhist Monastery is found dead in its carp pool. The Golden Carp, an animal spirit who lives in the pool, points a fin at the monks of the monastery, saying that there had already been thefts of gold left by worshippers offloading their earthly good in the pool. • The Pilgrims are travelling through a high mountain pass which is completely frozen. Through the severe blizzards, they can just make out human figures. Upon closer inspection, they are warriors made of ice who are patrolling the pass in an orderly way. Who are they? Some form of magical construct created by a demon sorcerer? Or warriors cursed by an evil sorcerer? Either way, they block the way forward. • After long day of travel, they find a peaceful village whose hospitality they accept. After a while, they notice that there are no young women present. When they take this up with their generous hosts, they are met with howls and sobbing. Once the more diplomatic amongst them calm them down, they tell their guests that all the girls of marriageable age have been taken to a nearby cave, to marry a terrible Red Horned Demon who lives there. • The pilgrims reach a remote monastery whose abbot tells them that It’s that time of year when they must go to a nearby abandoned fort and perform a religious dance, or an army of ghosts will appear to terrorise the monastery and surrounding valley. • The Prince wants entertaining, and it’s up to these new visitors who have just arrived in his court to do the business. Perhaps they would like to fight the fierce Red Warriors who arrived a couple of days previously, looking for “religious types” to fight and drink their blood. • The Sacred Cow of the village has gone missing in a nearby bamboo would. This spells disaster for the villagers who rely upon its milk, which has healing powers as well as being a source of food. What terrors lurk in the dark would that would have taken such a sweet-natured creature? The two scripted adventures in this book can be boiled down to adventure seeds: • If you See Buddha on the Road: As the Pilgrims are just about to leave China and pass over the western mountains, via a staircase that leads up through a giant Stone Buddha. Little do they know a group of demons have invaded the chambers within the Buddha and kidnapped the local villagers. • The Bag of Wind: The magic bag of the Windlord, Fung Po, has been stolen by the sneaky demon Snake Eyes, who has run off to a nearby town with his henchmen. It’s the player immortal’s job to bring it back, and so Fung Po can blow away the rain clouds whose downpour is drowning China. Monkey 128 Narrator’s Advice HOW MUCH PREPARATION? Broadly speaking, the amount of preparation the Narrator puts into a story falls into two extremes: • Improvised. No preparation. The Narrator makes things up on the spot, usually in response to the player’s actions. • Pre-planned. Everything is prepared in advance. The Narrator has a pre- written plot and cast list with statistics and an obvious idea in their head of what will happen. Monkey is a mix of the two. The rules-light nature of the game makes it easy to improvise, but it doesn’t take much effort to write out a plot and quickly create a cast list. However, because Monkey is a cooperative storytelling game, how the players act during the game is going to determine how much quick thinking and improvisation on the Narrator’s part is required. In some cases, the players will be pleased to go along with the Narrator’s pre- planned story. In others, the players will just use the plan as a starting point and then jump off all over the place, completely deviating from the original plan to take the story in areas the Narrator never would have guessed. This is all good and part of how Monkey is set up to play. The rules systems support this. If the players want to be in the driving seat plot-wise, the rules emphasise that they must take narrative control, and the rules light nature of the game means that the Narrator can easily keep up with them, by quickly improvising non-player characters and falling back on the single unified system for resolving actions. However, some preparation is a good idea, even if it is a single page of scribbled notes that outline the following essential elements: • A Basic Premise. A quick summary of what the story is about. • A cast list. The non-player characters involved in the story. A bare minimum of their name, role in the Story and importance (major character, supporting character or extra). • A list of Scenes. A list of locations and possible events that will happen in the story. Scene Type Randomiser If you can’t decide what sort of scene you are going to run, draw a card from your deck and consult the following: • Hearts: Social. • Clubs: Violence. • Diamonds: Wealth. • Spades: Hard work. • Joker: Chaos/Disobedience. If this seems familiar, that is because it is used again and again during the Origin’s chapter to help with inspiration during the stages that make up the story of the immortal’s creation. Narrator’s Advice 129 Monkey THE BASIC PREMISE This is the first thing that I always come up with, a one-paragraph description of the story. For example, for Bag of Wind: “The player immortals are asked by Kuan Yin to escort the courtier Madame Dragonfly across a flooded and chaotic China to her Island in the Eastern Sea. On the ay,w they bump into Feng Po the Windlord, who asks them to find his stolen Bag of Wind. The theft of the Bag is making the monsoon rains linger longer than usual and causing chaos in China.” The premise should sum up quickly what the story is about if someone were to ask you for a quick description. This premise can be used to compose the lead in for the players at the beginning of the adventure (see page 88), being either read out as is or paraphrased. THE CAST LIST This is a list of all the characters, both immortal and mortal, that could possibly appear in the story. I say ‘possibly’ since, because of the interactive nature of the game, some of your planned cast may never be met by the players. It’s worth noting that even if they stay off-stage, major and supporting characters still have an impact on the story. All the members of the cast (apart, perhaps, from extras) should be credible and sympathetic characters, and should never be just bland cannon fodder for the player immortals to beat up on their way to the central climax of the adventure. Thinking about the character’s place in their story, how they got there, and their back story is the first step in deciding which skills and attitudes you give them. Such details are more important in play than the actual numbers you assign. Each cast member should have: • A name. • A role. • A reason why they are in the story. • More depth than mere cannon fodder, even if they are merely sword waving extras. Characters fall into three roles; major characters, supporting characters and extras. Major characters. While the Player immortals should always be the ‘Stars’ of the story, major characters are cast members who are on a par with them. Most commonly encountered major characters are the main opponents of the story or the powerful immortals of Heaven that help the player immortals. Next, to the players, these are the people that are driving the adventure. In Bag of Wind, the demon Snake Eyes is a major character, as is the Wind Lord Fung Po (who is also a Great Immortal). Supporting characters. These are significant supporting roles in the story. Examples are a second in command to a major character villain and a wise old elder who appears throughout the story giving advice and direction to the player immortals, but who never takes part in the action. Monkey 130 Narrator’s Advice In the Bag of Wind, the Dragon Red Flowers, the Demon Hunter Prince Natha and his father General Li are all supporting characters. Extras. These occupy bit parts and rarely last more than one scene. The mass of demonic henchmen, the crowds at the market, the City Watch and the Owner of the Inn the player immortals stay in overnight are all examples of extras. In the Bag of Wind, the bandits and Snake Eyes’ demon henchmen are extras. PROFILES FOR CAST MEMBERS This is Monkey’s ‘stat block’ for recording the game information needed for a non-player character. They have the standard format depending on the type of cast member. Extras Name and role Demon Guards (Protect the Demon Lady’s Palace) Supporting characters: Name and role, a note that they get a two-card draw, and a list of threats that they pose to the player immortals. For example: Big Red Bull (Boss of the Palace Guard) 2 card draw Threats • Bull charge. • Goring horns in hand to hand. • Fiery Breath. Threats are the actions that a non-player immortal can take to harm the player immortals and cause them to lose actions both simple and dramatic. Both Supporting and major characters get Threats. For supporting characters, this is how you increase their toughness, not by increasing how difficult they are to take out of combat but by increasing the number of ways that they can threaten the player immortals. Narrator’s Advice 131 Monkey Major characters get the most detail, with a name, a card draw and a list of threats, and any additional notes about them. To work out how many cards a major character gets to draw, start with two cards and add an additional card for each threat. e.g. The Spider Queen, the major villain in If You See Buddha on the Road, gets +2 (Base) +1 for extra arms +1 Web attack = 4 So if you want to write that down as a profile The Spider Queen 5 card draw. Tough Opponent. Threats • Poisonous bite. • Attacks up five characters with piercing leg ends. • Spits entangling web stuff.

Physical vs Non-Physical Threats Some non-player immortals will have a list of threats that are more suited to verbal conflicts, such as debates or are magical in nature. The Goddess Kuan Yin (see page 170) for example has the Threats, Knows the Heart Sutra and Show Compassion and Mercy. How can these be threatening to the player immortals? Well, remember that all immortals are essentially magical in nature. So as Kuan Yin can recite a few words, the Sutra, and calm angry and aggressive demons or immortals stopping their attacks in their tracks. Similarly Showing Compassion and Mercy to an angry demon or player immortal may soothe it enough to see the consequences of its violence and the root of what is making them angry, so magically turning them from the path of violence towards her or more likely the people under her protection. There is also the fact that Kuan Yin has Huian the Novice as her companion and protector, who deals with any physical threats to her person. So, in this context, the concept of threats can be expanded to include anything that can stop a player immortal getting their way in an Action, be it a fight or a heated debate. Threats are just signposts to the sort of actions that a non-player immortal can engage in; be prepared to improvise and be creative just like the players are with the skills, attitudes and magic power of their immortals. Monkey 132 Narrator’s Advice BUILDING SCENES (REVISITED) This section revisits and expands on the Build Scenes section in the Road to India chapter (see page 90). This is where I give an extra layer of detail to help Narrators As previously explained, but presented here as a recap, each scene has the following elements: • A location where the scene takes place. A location is a discrete place that can easily be described to the players and that they can easily mentally visualise. • A situation. What is already happening when the player immortals enter the scene, or what happens at the time they arrive? • A cast. Who is present for the player immortals to interact with? • A scene exit. Not only does this give the physical routes out of the scene and tell you were play goes next, but it also describes some possible outcomes and aftermaths of the events in the scene. When the players enter the scene, the Narrator describes their first impressions of the location, who they can see and what is happening. Play then follows from that point. For example, in Bag of Wind, in the second scene of the story, the players arrive at Feng Po’s Mountain. The Narrator sets the scene by telling the players the following; “The peaceful cloudscape you are flying over suddenly becomes dark and violent as lightning bolts flash down from Heaven to Earth. At the centre of all this is a high mountain, and on its grassy top, you see an old man in yellow robes with a long beard. The thunder and lightning coincide with the angry gestures and stamping he makes.” What happens next is up to the players, but you’ve successfully set a scene that the players will want to interact with. The most important scene for getting the game up and going is the introductory scene at the start of the story, which is also known as the Lead in. Give your players a quick summary of the situation that their immortals find themselves in and plenty of reasons to get on with the action as quickly as possible. For example, at the beginning of Bag of Wind, the player immortals find themselves standing at the base of the mountains below the Western Heaven they have just been cast out from. Kuan Yin floats down and offers them the task of taking Madame Dragonfly across flooded China to her Island in the Southern Ocean. It’s a scene that tells the players exactly where their immortals stand in the scheme of things and give them a way forward to better themselves or at least move away from the bleak nothingness of the Mountains. Keep things simple and direct. Don’t dwell on revealing too much of the story’s overall premise. Let that unfold in bite-sized chunks throughout the rest of the story. If the players want additional detail, they will ask for it. At the heart of each scene, there should be a central problem that should provide a challenge to the immortals. Although Monkey is filled with action scenes, there’s also a genuine sense that the action is fitting into a larger scheme of things with definite consequences. Scenes in Monkey should never be straightforward random violence. There should always be some sort of Narrator’s Advice 133 Monkey meaningful choice, and potential dilemma, involved. Some of the problems in Bag of Wind: • The player immortals encounter the bandits who are terrorising the flooded Village. Should they continue at speed to deliver Madame Butterfly to Kuan Yin’s island or stop and do the virtuous thing and help the villagers? • When the player immortals encounter Prince Natha the demon hunter in the city, should they convince him to help them clear the city of demons or should they join his quest for fun? Problems also highlight how the immortals are progressing in attaining redemption since they almost often involve some sort of decision between right and wrong. One way of keeping the players’ entertained and on their toes is through the use of ‘The Twist’. Avoid overuse of this plot device, but one or two per story can really help keep the action moving on in new and unexpected directions. In Bag of Wind, the Twist comes almost at the beginning. The players will quite rightly think that their job is to take Madame Butterfly across China. Upon meeting Feng Po and learning of his missing Bag of Wind, their focus shifts to finding the bag. Some scenes should present opportunities for players to play on their immortal’s weaknesses. Such scenes give opportunities for the players to draw cards into their saved card hand and also to give their immortal time in the spotlight. For example, the city in Bag of Wind provides all sorts of opportunities for theft, drunkenness, lusting and casual uncalled for violence. Another thing to think about is scenes which play to the player immortals’ strengths. For instance, if you have an immortal who is a Taoist Sage, have a scene that deals with the esoteric world of Taoist magic. Kung Fu action scenes are the meat of Monkey’s stories, but make sure you make time for other types of scenes that make use of the player immortals’ abilities. Scene Exits are essential to consider; they provide continuity between scenes. They allow you to wrap up what has just happened in the scene, tie up any loose ends and move on to the next scene. It’s worth making a quick bullet point list of what a scene exit entails. In play, you denote a scene exit by summing up what has happened in the scene and by presenting options to the players of what to do next. When players Steal the Scene, the set-up is the same as when a Narrator presents a scene, but the player gets to describe the location, say who else is there and instead of a dilemma says what their immortal is hoping to get out the of Scene. Play then resumes from there. The final scene of any story is the Resolution Scene. Here all the loose ends of the Story are tied up. If the opposition of the story has not been confronted and defeated this is where it happens. If it has, then this scene covers the events following the climax in which clarification of what happened in the story occurs. In Bag of Wind, the Resolution Scene occurs when the player immortals finally arrive at Kuan Yin’s island. Here there is an opportunity for Kuan Yin to praise or condemn the Player immortals’ actions during the story. Monkey 134 Narrator’s Advice Types of Stories THE JOURNEY TO THE WEST AS A FULL MULTI-SESSION EXPERIENCE The following chapters outline the story of the Journey to the West. You play through them to get the full epic experience. CHAPTER 3: ORIGINS This is equivalent of the opening seven chapters of the novel. Where Monkey is born, as the Stone Monkey, joins the monkeys on Water Cave Mountain before leaving them to attain immortality, his return and defeating the Demon of Havoc, being invited up to heaven, running amok and finally being imprisoned on earth by Great Buddha. For the player immortals this chapter when played through details: • The birth of the immortals. • Their early exploits. • Go to Heaven. • They get thrown out. • They hang about on earth waiting for the Monk. This chapter should take no more than one game session to play out. CHAPTER 4: THE JOURNEY BEGINS This chapter concludes the preliminary chapters of the book which set the scene for the Journey itself. It covers the chapters where the reader meets Tripitaka and learns of his origins. The proclamation of the Tang Emperor that sets the Journey in motion. The formation of the band of Pilgrims as Tripitaka first frees Monkey, Monkey then fights Sandy, Monkey and Pigsy fight Sandy, then finally Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy fight the dragon White Dragon Horse after he eats Tripitaka’s first horse, who becomes Tripitaka’s horse afterwards. Regarding the player immortals’ experience this chapter covers: • Meet the Monk. The players co-create the monk they are going to be escorting to India. • The Proclamation of the Emperor. An interlude, narrated by the Narrator, were the reasons for making the Journey to the West are laid out by the Emperor of China. • Conquering the Demons. The player immortals join the Pilgrims after a brief struggle to overcome their demonic nature. Chapter 3 and 4 together take about one to two sessions to play out. Narrator’s Advice 135 Monkey CHAPTER 5: THE ROAD TO INDIA This chapter outlines how to play the individual stories, or tribulations, that make up the Pilgrims trek through the wilderness itself. • The Pilgrims undertake many tribulations, the number of which decided by the Narrator and Players, which shape and mould the immortals. Each story should take 1-2 sessions. CHAPTER 6: ENDING THE JOURNEY This chapter gives guidance of when to know to bring the Journey to an end and how to make that ending a satisfying one. This could be run either as a session in itself or tagged on the end of a shorter final session of the Road To India. • What happens when the immortals reach India. AS A ONE SHOT Perhaps you don’t want to play through the whole Journey to the West and just give your group a pilot or a taster? Don’t worry- Monkey is an ideal one-shot game. The framework given for running sessions broken into scenes, with a dedicated introduction and resolution, keeps play nicely focused and moving along, which is the key thing for a one shot. OK lets look into this in more detail. First off quickly whiz through the Immortal Creation and Monk Creation sections. Then skip forward to the start of whatever one-shot adventure you are playing, be it created by the Narrator (more about that in Creating Stories see page 126 ) or a pre-written one (such as the two adventures in this book, or the adventures in one of the Monkey supplements). The key is to treat it as a movie, were the characters only exist as long as the three to four-hour film is playing. It has a beginning, a middle and an end.Any extra padding, messing about, redundant plot development, pointless cameos from characters unrelated to the plot, in fact, anything that would end up on the cutting floor (using the Film analogy again), just drop it. Don’t hold back get on with the action. It’s the player’s and Narrator’s job to be aware of this and keep play tight and focused. Bickering Contests (see page 104) is one of the tools I created to stop play wandering off track. Once you develop this skill of focused play and getting a satisfying game in one session by playing out the story, you will have no problem setting yourself up to run the full game. Where each session or two is the equivalent of a chapter in the book, most of which are self-contained stories. You’ll know instinctively know when the game is winding up, and it’s time to play through the endgame presented in Chapter 6 The Journey Ends. Monkey 136 Narrator’s Advice

Things to remember while Narrating Monkey This chapter has a lot going on in it. So as a quick reminder here’s a summary of the main points. • It’s meant to be a light-hearted fun game, not an interactive thesis or psychological drama about Chinese philosophy and mythology. • It’s a player-centred game. Don’t let non-player immortals dominate proceedings or take choice away from the players. • It’s an open game; everything happens in front of the players with their full involvement. • If something is fun, let it happen and see where it goes. • Be ready to improvise. • Don’t fudge or make arbitrary judgements. • No note passing or ‘secrets’. Imagine the game as being a big movie that even if a player’s character is not on screen, they are still watching. However, players not on the screen cannot make use of information that their immortals would not know. • Character vs. Character not Player vs. Player. • If you are not sure about applying a rule, don’t be afraid to consult the players. • If something awkward happens in game that any of the players do not feel comfortable with, stop the game immediately. Discuss the situation with the players and look for ways to resolve the issue. • Remember to compromise in the case of disputes, and not to play favourites. 8. The Worlds of Monkey

The Queen Mother of the West, the co-ruler of the Western Heaven and the Yin force incarnate. Monkey 138 Worlds of Monkey In the mythological setting of Monkey, the Earth is a large land mass with four oceans and four continents corresponding to the four cardinal directions: North, South, East and West. From the Western Heaven, suspended above the Western Mountains of the earthbound Empire of Tang Dynasty China (or Tang China for short), the Jade Emperor rules the Celestial Bureaucracy of immortals, a collection of Gods and Goddesses who oversee the running of the Universe. In the Eastern Heaven, which paradoxically is further to the west in India, rules Great Buddha and his court of Bodhisattvas and Lohans who seek to guide mankind to enlightenment. In each of the Four Oceans dwells a Dragon King and attendant court who is responsible for the smooth running of these watery realms. In the gloomy and despondent Ten Courts of Hells, King Yama overseas the punishment and rehabilitation of the sinners. In the game, the player immortals may travel between each of these Worlds as appropriate to the needs of the story. This chapter gives the Narrator the nuts and bolts of each World so they can efficiently use them no matter how quickly the players move from one to another. Describing the Worlds of Monkey Each of the worlds is described in the following format. • Common Name. This is the name that the world is commonly known as; any other names are given in brackets next to it. • Description. What form the world takes, what it looks like, the places you can visit and other main features of the world. • How you get there? How immortals can travel there. Some of the worlds are attached to the Earth in specific places. • Who rules it? The Great Immortal who is responsible for the harmonious running of the world. • Who are you likely to meet there? This section lists the prominent immortals who make the world their home, or who visit it on a regular basis.

This is the format that immortals are described in. • Name. • A short description of the immortal. • Card Draw, the number of cards it draws when making an action. • If the immortal is a tough opponent, requiring two cards to beat it in a dramatic action. • For major and supporting characters a list of Threats. • Any other notes. Worlds of Monkey 139 Monkey The Western Heaven DESCRIPTION The Western Heaven is the seat of the ruler of the universe, the Jade Emperor and his co-ruler the Queen Mother of the West. It is a vast city made out of jade, gold and other precious metals and stones. Various immortals who are responsible for the smooth running of the cosmos dwell in the city. There are palaces, parks, gardens and ministry buildings as well as awe-inspiring fountains where pairs of phoenixes rise up amongst the columns of water. The sombre processes of managing the universe are not the only activities that take place in the Western Heaven; there are constant parties, and various dignitaries hold celebrations at certain times of the year. The Western Heaven is layered, with the Jade Emperor’s and Queen Mother of the West’s palace at the top, and the palaces of the various Ministers of Heaven at the second level. Everyone else lives at lower levels depending on their status within the Celestial Hierarchy. In this way, the mortal Emperor’s realm on Earth mirrors his Heavenly counterpart. HOW YOU GET THERE? The Western Heavens hovers in the clouds above the Holy Mountain of Kunlun in the Western Mountains on the edge of Tang China. There is a magical pillar that connects the Western Heaven with Earth, which has its heavenly terminus in the Queen Mother of the West’s Garden and its Earthly terminus on the slopes of Mount Kunlun. Also, immortals can use the usual method to fly there. WHO RULES IT? The Jade Emperor is the final authority in the Western Heaven and has a small army of Celestial Bureaucrats who work in various Ministries, who are responsible for multiple earthly and Heavenly matters. WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO MEET THERE? GREAT IMMORTALS The Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor is the ultimate ruler of Heaven, Hell and Earth. He sits serenely in his palace observing the flow of the universe. He rarely directly engages in activities, but instead instantly summons an appropriate follower to perform the desired task. The exception to this rule is an encounter with a demon of Great Immortal status; faced with such a being, the Jade Emperor will employ his total mastery of Taoist magical arts and Kung Fu with generous benevolence to overcome the evil power. Lao Tzu (literally ‘Old Master’) Lao Tzu is a former Imperial scholar who tired of the stresses of city living, the Imperial court and civilisation in general and set off on a aterw buffalo towards the western wilderness. Before he disappeared from China, Lao Tzu was stopped by a border guard. The guard was shocked that such a venerable and wise old man should be leaving China without passing on his wisdom and Monkey 140 Worlds of Monkey asked Lao Tzu to write down all that he knew. Lao Tzu obligingly got off his water buffalo, pulled out pen, ink and paper and composed the Taoist Classic the ‘Tao de Ching’- a book central to Chinese Religion, not just to Taoism but also to Chinese Buddhism. After doing this, Lao Tzu was given a place in the Western Heaven by the Jade Emperor, where he uses his immense skill in Taoist Alchemy to make Pills of Immortality for worthy recipients. Queen Mother of the West The Queen Mother is the ultimate embodiment of Yin and the original creator of the Western Heaven. She inspires poetry and communication and is served by Handmaidens known as the Jade Maidens. The Queen Mother has a magical peach garden. Here, the Peaches of Immortality ripen every three thousand years; the Queen Mother serves the peaches to deserving candidates at a special banquet. See the start of this chapter for an illustration of her. MAJOR CHARACTERS The Planet Venus A wise old man with a flowing white beard, the Planet Venus is one of the Jade Emperor’s chief advisors. He makes an excellent patron for the miscreant player immortals, wisely guiding them to obey the Mandate of Heaven, and bring harmony into their responsibilities. Card Draw: 5 Threats: • A celestial being who can wield cosmic energy. • Able to exude calm and relaxation. • Able to form an argument cut straight to the heart of the matter. Minister of the Celestial Bureaucracy Officious to the letter, the hard-working Ministers of the Celestial Bureaucracy run the various Ministries that are responsible for the smooth running of the universe. Each Ministry is unique and specific to one area; examples include the Ministry of Water, which is run by the Dragon Kings and the Ministry of Thunder which is run by the bat-headed God of Thunder, Lei-Gong, and is responsible for tackling supernatural crimes on earth. The Ministers are sometimes, as the above examples indicate, utterly supernatural in origin. Others, however, were once mortals - excellent, hard- working Mandarins in life who were rewarded on death with immortality and promotion to the Celestial Bureaucracy. The base profile for a Minster is as follows. You then add threats (with extra Card Draw) as appropriate to the individual you are creating. Card Draw 3 (and upwards) . Tough Opponent. Threats • Armed and armoured to uphold their Ministerial duties. Worlds of Monkey 141 Monkey SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Mandarins of the Ministries Each ministry has a multitude of Mandarins who serve the Minister. The Minister often chooses immortals of similar characteristics to help under them, collating and collecting information about their Ministry’s area of interest. Card Draw 2. Threats • Hard-working pedant. • Precise and efficient Kung Fu. Add at least one more Threat unique to the individual, a skill or magic item that helps them in their job and allows them to attack miscreants. E.g. Attacks with Jade Measuring Rod, Armed with the certainty of brilliance, Fan of Fierce Winds. EXTRAS Guards and Soldiers The Western Heaven has large numbers of guards who protect the palaces and Ministries, as well as vast standing armies that practice endlessly in preparation for war against hosts of demons. VISITING IMMORTALS There are constant parties and religious festivals in the Western Heaven. Earthly immortals attend to report on their ministry or petition the Jade Emperor. Thus, there is a steady stream of visiting immortals. In terms of telling a story, this means that both the Narrator and players (through the taking control of the narrative see page 90) can have any of the immortals from the other worlds turn up in the Western Heaven. Monkey 142 Worlds of Monkey The Eastern Heaven The Great Buddha sits in the clouds above India in quiet contemplation. He is surrounded by other Buddhas who have also reached enlightenment and escaped the human cycle of reincarnation and pain. Great Buddha’s Eastern Heaven is a peaceful and serene place. Of all the immortal realms, the Eastern Heaven is the most immaterial, and at first, glance consists just of lots of fluffy clouds. There are occasional simple dwellings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattva, but otherwise, the Eastern Heaven is a vast, empty and peaceful place. HOW YOU GET THERE Buddhist immortals can directly fly to the Eastern Heaven. It can also be reached by travelling to India on foot, which was the ultimate goal of Tripitaka, Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy in the Journey to the West. WHO RULES IT? Great Buddha is the ruler of the Eastern Heaven. WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO MEET THERE? GREAT IMMORTALS Great Buddha Great Buddha is the immortal form of Siddhārtha Gautama, who in life was an Indian Prince who rejected his life of opulence and took up the life of a poor wanderer. He became enlightened and escaped the wheel of reincarnation. He is now the Buddha of our age and brings the teachings of Buddhism to mankind. Buddha (or Lohan) The Eastern Heaven is also inhabited by other immortals that have reached Buddhahood and have withdrawn from the physical world. Such individuals are known as Lohans. By their very nature, Lohans will not interact with the player immortals (and hence have no Card Draw or threats listed), leaving that up to the Bodhisattvas. Worlds of Monkey 143 Monkey MAJOR CHARACTERS Bodhisattva Bodhisattvas are enlightened individuals who delay reaching full Buddhahood to help their fellow men and women achieve enlightenment. They may have residences in the Eastern Heaven, but they are quite often empty as they go about their mission amongst the mortals on Earth. Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy (see The Bag of Wind, page 170 for profile, illustrated here) is an excellent example of a Bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas, by their very nature, make good patrons for the player immortals. Card Draw 4 Tough Opponent Threat • Avoid violent confrontation. • Pacify violence using the Heart Sutra. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Some of the Bodhisattvas have guardians who resolve matters when things get more physical.

Kuan Yin - Goddess and Bodhisattva of Mercy and Compassion Monkey 144 Worlds of Monkey The Four Oceans Each of the four oceans is ruled by one of the four Dragon Kings. The depths of these oceans are magical places filled with cities, palaces and their own aquatic kingdoms. HOW YOU GET THERE You swim to the bottom of the ocean. WHO RULES IT? The four Dragon Kings each individually rule one of the four oceans. Hence there is a Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, a Dragon King of the Western Ocean, and so on. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? Each ocean is an underwater kingdom ruled by the Dragon King from his Palace. The Dragon Kings and their subjects commonly take human or human-like form. The palaces are similar to their Earthly counterparts but are decorated with delicate corals, pearls and other undersea treasures. WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO MEET THERE? The court of the Dragon King of that ocean. MAJOR CHARACTERS Dragon Kings The Dragon Kings are the five-clawed rulers of the Oceans. Each Dragon King has total control over his realm and must answer only to the Jade Emperor. The Dragon Kings and their kin are also responsible for creating rain over Earth; the motion of a Dragon rising from the sea towards Heaven is what creates rainstorms. Card Draw 8. Tough Opponent. Threats • Use Dragon magic to beguile and confuse opponents. • Fight with Tooth and Claw with Dragon Kung Fu. • Terrify opponents. • Create rainstorms. • Control the sea. • Call upon a seemingly endless stream of undersea guards. Worlds of Monkey 145 Monkey SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Sons and Daughters of the Dragon King A Dragon King will often delegate tasks to his less powerful offspring. Some sons and daughters of the Dragon King are content to loaf around the palace, avoiding any responsibility while living the high life. Others are too zealous when performing their tasks on dry land, causing too much rain and getting into pointless arguments with the local deities as a result. Card Draw 2. Threats • Use Dragon magic to beguile and confuse opponents. • Fight with Tooth and Claw with Dragon Kung Fu. • Terrify opponents. • Create rainstorms. EXTRAS The underwater kingdoms are inhabited by aquatic citizens; fish, crabs, dolphins and so on. Further, the Dragon King’s court has its own Mandarins, Courtiers and Soldiers.

One of the Dragon Princes of the Western Ocean Monkey 146 Worlds of Monkey Earth, the World of Mortals Earth is the most diverse of all the worlds of Monkey and the place where most of the action of the novel occurs. While the other worlds are fixed and stable, Earth is dynamic and changing. Earth is known as the Mortal World, but a host of immortals also live there. There are immortals responsible to the Western Heaven for the smooth and harmonious running of the Earth’s rivers, its hills and its cities. Bodhisattvas roam the land in disguise, inspiring mortals to achieve Nirvana. Demons inhabit the wilder parts of the world, waiting for the unwary to fall into their clutches. Earth is split into the four continents, surrounded by the four oceans (see above), and includes the Tang Empire of China, India and a host of self- contained cities and petty kingdoms. Although the civilisation of humans is a dominant feature, there are still significant areas of untamed wilderness, which provide a natural home to hermits seeking religious inspiration and to demons seeking prey. HOW YOU GET THERE Earth is connected to all the other Worlds, and it is easy to fly there. WHO RULES IT? Local mortal rulers. Wherever the land is settled, depending on settlement size, you can encounter chiefs, kings, governors and even emperors. Usually, such rulers are merely considered Extras, and not detailed in the same way as immortals. This is because the immortals who take centre stage in the story in Monkey. Local deities. These gods are responsible for the smooth and harmonious running of affairs on Earth and report to the Jade Emperor via the appropriate Ministry. Such Gods range from the deity of a local small hill to the immortal responsible for a vast lake or river. Demon Lords. In the wilderness, mighty and cruel Demon Lords arise and take command of small groups of demons. These Demon Lords control out of the way strongholds, usually taking the form of caves or some other secretive lair out of the direct sight of Heaven, and await passing travellers whom they ambush and devour. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? The civilised areas are covered with farms and fields; the occasional city acts as an administrative centre (see Chapter 5 Bag of Wind for more details on such an area in Tang China). The wilderness is full of impassable mountains, treacherous swamps, dark forests, impassable rivers and desolate deserts that a weary pilgrim must trudge through, risking attack by bands of desperate bandits and evil demons. Worlds of Monkey 147 Monkey WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO MEET THERE? Even more so than Heaven, Earth is filled with all types of immortals. MAJOR CHARACTERS The Earth God (also called Tu Di Gong) Tu Di Gong is the god of the Earth and of Merit, and every village has a shrine to him. He is in charge of administering villages, and this close bond leads villagers to call him ‘Grandpa’ affectionately. The Earth God is an elderly man with a long white beard. He wears a gold hat and yellow robes, which show that he is part of the Jade Emperor’s Bureaucracy. Card Draw 6. Threats • Mediate a dispute. • Distribute wealth. • Promote well-being of the local populace. • Taoist Earth Magic. The City God Each city has its own god, usually the spirit of a former local Mandarin who has been promoted to the position upon their death. City Gods provide the link between the Earthly Administration and the Heavenly Administration. The connection to the former takes the form of elaborate religious rituals performed at the City God’s temple by local officials, and the link to the latter is through regular reports to the Celestial Bureaucracy. City Gods are also responsible for dealing with the ordinarily invisible immortals who may visit or live in the city. Card Draw 5. Threats • Tie you up in red tape. • Lay down the law. • + one or two threats that make the City God unique – perhaps reflecting the nature of the city that they are the embodiment of (add another one or two to the card draw). Monkey 148 Worlds of Monkey Demon Lord Demon Lords are terrifying and monstrous demons who have risen, through sheer strength and power, to lead small bands of demons. They hide from the eyes of Heaven in the remote wilderness, preying on passing travellers. The profile below is for a ‘generic’ Demon Lord. Narrators are encouraged to tweak and add to this to create their own creations. Demon Lord. Card Draw 5. Tough Opponent. Threats • Commander of lesser demons. • Fight cruelly with claws and fangs. • + one other distinguishing threat, such as Terrifying visage, Breath fire, Stare of Fear or Enslave mind. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Local Deity Hidden and invisible to the mortal populations that they support, local deities are responsible for the small things that keep the Earth running harmoniously. They might be the deity responsible for a city market, or the smooth flow of a local river. They are attached to a one of the Ministries of the Western Heaven, and have a chain of command that they report to. The City God and the Earth God are simply larger and more powerful versions of these terrestrial celestials. Local Deity. Card Draw 2. Threats. • Shape change, usually between a true form and a form more pleasing to mortals. • Invisible to mortals. • One or two other powers dependent on the deity’s function. Worlds of Monkey 149 Monkey Animal spirits As well as mundane animals you occasionally encounter intelligent supernatural animals on the Earth. Monkey himself is of this ilk. Some of these animal spirits are benevolent, some are passive, while some are actively malign. Fox Spirits Fox spirits usually appear as beautiful women. They cause mortal men to fall in love with them and gain immortality by capturing the breath of mortals. Card Draw 2. Threats • Seductively beautiful. • Fast striking Fox Kung Fu. • Illusion Magic. Tiger Spirits Tiger spirits are another shape changer; they devour their human victims, turning them into more tiger spirits in the process. Card Draw 2. Threats • Aggressive Tiger Kung Fu. • Devour victims and become stronger. • Incredible senses. • Shape chancing deceiver.

Silverfox, a wily Fox Spirit prepares her sword to meet danger Monkey 150 Worlds of Monkey EXTRAS Mortals Although mortals are side-lined in the novel, often not even having a proper name, there are still numerous bandits, mandarins, farmers, townspeople, Buddhist priests and Taoist sages to be encountered in the mortal world. Demons These beings are the henchmen of the Demon Lords. Demons usually travel around in groups of three to six looking for lone travellers or slacking while patrolling the territory of their master.

The Tang Empire The time of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD) is considered China’s Golden Age. Despite occasional periods of instability, such as when Empress Wu usurped the dynasty in 690AD, its territory was greater than that of previous dynasties and Chinese culture was at a high point, with both Taoism and Buddhism thriving with Imperial support. Tang China mirrors the Western Heaven, in that there is a mortal Emperor, who is served by an administrative class, the Mandarins. There is nobility, from previous periods, but they are a wealthy self-indulgent class, and it is the bureaucracy that runs the country. Any man, no matter what his birth, can rise to a major position in the bureaucracy by doing well in the public examinations. The Emperor, who lives in a walled palace in the capital of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an), performs great annual rituals on behalf of the nation to ensure its good fortune. It is held that if the Emperor is bad and loses the ‘Mandate of Heaven’ then calamity will befall the whole country. Most of Tang China is rural, with cities acting as administrative centres for collection of taxes. The Empire’s borders are protected by large armies. It was a General of one of these border armies who brought down the Dynasty by bringing his army into the heart of the empire and attacking Chang’an (which was eventually dismantled by its surviving inhabitants and shipped to the eastern capital). Historically, Monkey takes place during the reign of Emperor Taizong, 626 AD to 649AD, who is considered the greatest ever Emperor of China. Worlds of Monkey 151 Monkey The Ten Courts of Hell The City of You Do is a vast city comparable to the earthy city of Chang ‘an, surrounded by darkness. Its name means Dark City. Within Dark City, the Ten Courts are a vast underworld consisting of ten courts, each ruled by a Demon Judge, and eighteen levels of Hell where the wicked are punished before drinking the milk of forgetfulness and being reincarnated in their next life. A scribe here keeps a book that contains the name of every soul and its allotted time on Earth. HOW YOU GET THERE The entrance to the You Do is situated in the modern-day province of Sichuan, in south-west China. It takes the form a cave that goes deeper and deeper into the earth. Further down the case, one can hear the screams of the damned. A visitor who goes deeper still will find themselves at the entrance to Hell. WHO RULES IT? King Yama is the ruler and chief Judge of this Underworld. He is assisted by the ten Demon Judges. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? The Ten Hells is made up of the ten courts and eighteen levels of Hell. The appearances of the levels vary. EIGHTEEN LEVELS OF HELL Chamber of Wind and Thunder. Those responsible for terrible crimes borne arising from greed meet their punishment here. Chamber of Grinding. People who wasted and flaunted their wealth are ground into dust on this level. Chamber of Flames. Thieves, bandits, raiders and other people who stole or cheated are burned here. Chamber of Ice. Those who mistreat and disrespect their elders are sent here to be frozen. Chamber of Oil Cauldrons. Sex offenders are sent here to be boiled in oil. Chamber of Dismemberment by Sawing. Pimps and kidnappers are sawn and dismembered here eternally. Chamber of Dismemberment by Chariot. The exploiters of the poor are sent to be run over and torn apart by a chariot here. Chamber of Mountain of Knives. Those guilty of fraud or of making too much profit at the expense of others are forced to climb a mountain of knives. Chamber of Tongue Ripping. Those who are loose of tongue in life have it ripped out in this hell. Chamber of Pounding. Murderers are pounded to a pulp here. Chamber of Torso-Severing. This is the hell for schemers and selfish men. Chamber of Scales. Tyrants, mean merchants and daughters-in-law who disrespect their in-laws all end up suspended upside down by hooks pierced into their bodies. Monkey 152 Worlds of Monkey Chamber of Eye-Gouging. Peeping Toms have their eyes gouged out here. Chamber of Heart-Digging. Reserved for the Evil Hearted. Chamber of Disembowelment. The place of punishment for traitors, hypocrites and tomb robbers. Chamber of Blood. The blasphemous are skinned alive here. Chamber of Maggots. Those who used loopholes in the law to exploit others in life are eaten alive by maggots here. Chamber of Avici. A hell reserved for the exceptionally heinous criminals, who stand on a platform over a raging inferno. Unlucky ones fall in and are consumed by the flames. WHO ARE YOU LIKELY TO MEET THERE? GREAT IMMORTALS King Yama (also called Yan Wang and Yanluo) King Yama is the ruler of the ten hells and its chief judge, who does the initial sentencing of the dead. He appears a large man with a scowling red face, bulging eyes and a long beard. King Yama wears traditional robes and a crown on his head. See opposite page for illustration. MAJOR CHARACTERS Demon Judge The ten Demon Judges manage the ten courts and administer the eighteen levels of hell. Tough Opponent. Card Draw 5. Threats • Restrain and Capture Kung Fu. • Make iron-willed judgement. • Merciless towards wrongdoers. Worlds of Monkey 153 Monkey

King Yama, the brooding ruler of the Ten Courts of Hell Monkey 154 Worlds of Monkey SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Ox Head and Horse Head In life, this pair was an Ox and a Horse whose owner worked them to death. When they arrived in the Underworld, King Yama took pity on them and turned them into the guards of the entrance of the Ten Hells responsible for escorting the dead from their place of death to King Yama. They have animal heads and human bodies and are armed and armoured. Card Draw 2. Threats • Watchful guardsmen. • Restrain and Capture Kung Fu. • Magic Polearm and Chains. EXTRAS Demon Guard While these demons are just as fearsome and scary as their Earthly cousins, their anger and cruelty are directed at tormenting the sinners trapped in Hell, and they obey the orders of Hell’s rulers.

One of the numerous Demon Guards of the Ten Courts of Hell, to whose job is to both guard and punish the souls imprisoned there. 9. If You See Buddha on the Road

The Pilgrims stop at the wondrous sight of the Giant Stone Buddha and contemplate the Way. Monkey 156 If You See Buddha... Starting the Adventure This is an introductory adventure for both new players and Narrators. If you are a player, you should stop reading now in case you spoil the fun for yourself. Lead in Scene: At the Feet of Buddha Read or paraphrase the following introduction for the players: The pilgrims are on their way to India to pick up the lost scrolls of Buddhist cannon to bring enlightenment to a China beset by social ills. They find their ayw blocked by a mountain range. The only way through is a mountain pass which goes through a huge statue of Buddha himself! The giant stone Buddha sits serenely at the base of a cliff and is seventy metres tall. A winding stair leads up from a village nestled at Buddha’s feet, through temples and chambers carved out the rock in Buddha’s internal organs, all the way up to the deity’s brow where the road continues onwards to India. THE GREAT STONE BUDDHA The adventure takes place in a giant carved statue of Buddha that sits against a cliff and is the only way up the cliff, via a staircase up from the village through tunnels within the Buddha which lead to four chambers. A SUMMARY OF WHAT IS GOING ON • The village on the surface looks like a typical Chinese village, with rice fields and huts on the terraced sides of the hill leading up to the Stone Buddha. But all is not what it seems since the smiling peasants are being held captive by disguised demons, and a good number of them have been taken into the Stone Buddha for nefarious ends by more demons. • Up the winding stair that leads up from the Village, through double wooden doors, is an entrance hall. Here demons who feed on lust and the baser desires of humans have set up shop. • Beyond the entrance is the Stomach Chamber, where the demon known as Cannibal Chef and his assistants cook a dinner of boiled peasant! • Upwards from the Stomach is the Heart chamber, which is full of darkness and demons who torment the Village Priest. • Finally, in the chamber of the mind, in a large web holding the last of the village captives is a Spider Queen and her children who cloud the mind of the Stone Buddha. IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ! The format of this adventure write-up is not a script that has to be followed. You and your players may come up with ideas outside of this write-up in play that are fun and appear to go off script. If you do so go with the flow and follow the fun. What is presented here is a grab bag of ideas to inspire and facilitate improvisation. Number one rule of Monkey, HAVE FUN! If You See Buddha... 157 Monkey

Stone Buddha, Awakening Tiger, Rising Serpent! As well as being a huge stone idol and centre of worship of Buddha, the inner chambers of the stone Buddha have correspondences in Chinese medicine and martial arts. The three chambers directly correspond to what are called in Chinese Dantians, which translates to energy centres. When clear and unblocked, energy, or chi to give it its Chinese name, circulates up through the body through the Dantians and then drops down again forming a circuit, in the shape of a serpent of energy. The Stomach Chamber corresponds to the First Dantian, which is the physical power centre. Obviously, part of this is to do with eating, hence the corruption of the chamber by the Cannibal Chef and his band of culinary miscreants. The Heart Chamber corresponds to the Second Dantian and relates to emotions and thoughts. The demons that dwell here have made it a place of fear. In the Heart Chamber lives a Tiger Spirit that awakens when swift, decisive action is needed. While the demons hold sway in the Stone Buddha, it sleeps, although the Pilgrims may be able to awaken it. The Third Eye Chamber, just behind the point between the Stone Buddha’s eyebrows, is the place where the energy moving up the body through the three Dantians becomes spiritual, before circulating downwards again. It is also the point where thought becomes clear and translates into the spiritual force known as Wu-Wei, or “Action without Action.” The Spider Queen has webbed this chamber, clouding any sense of clarity. An energy serpent rises up from the First Dantian, goes through the second and ends up in here before dropping back down. It is currently blocked by the demon infection, but by the time the Pilgrims have reached the Third Eye chamber, it is becoming sufficiently powerful to be seen as a ghostly shadow on the wall. Perhaps they will find a way to awaken it? All the pilgrims are aware of this energy system since it is common knowledge amongst immortals. It is not likely to be at the forefront of the pilgrims’ minds as they explore the insides of the Stone Buddha. Only reveal the spiritual nature of the Stone Buddha and the energetic associations if the players openly ask questions of about it; be very specific in your answers and don’t volunteer information that you don’t have to. In other words, gradually reveal the hidden wonders of the Temple. There are some significant clues in both the Heart (the Sleeping Tiger) and in the final chamber in the form of the shadow of the energy serpent. Each chamber is reached via a tunnel from the proceeding chamber which is dark and closed off by some sort of magical force field until the problems in the chamber are dealt with. Monkey 158 If You See Buddha... Scene 1 The Village LOCATION A seemingly idyllic rustic peasant village nestled in the mountain’s foot hills, which are terraced with rice paddies. Through the village, a dirt road snakes its way to a giant stone staircase leading up to the Great Stone Buddha. There are about fifty or so peasants out in the fields and another ten at work in the village. THE SITUATION On closer inspection, all is not as harmonious as it seems. It should gradually dawn upon the Pilgrims that the peasants are all women and children, and they are being supervised by some rather rough looking men. If questioned, the men say they are mercenaries hired by the local lord, a good day’s journey to the north, to protect the peasants from bandits. They say the whole area is off limits to travellers, for their own safety, and that the Pilgrims should travel north and go round the mountains and carry on west that way. If the Pilgrims ask where the men folk are, the mercenaries respond that they are at the Lords’ estate to the north. There they are doing important masonry work, which the villagers, who built the Buddha at the behest of one of the Tang Emperors ten years previously, are famous for. The ‘mercenaries’ are actually demons in disguise. They are making the women and children toil in the fields and the village, out of pure sadism. The menfolk are being held captive inside the Stone Buddha. CAST LIST EXTRAS • Demons disguised as mercenaries. • The Villagers (terrified out of their wits). PROBLEMS Demons have infested the Stone Buddha and are seeking to corrupt it. They have taken many of the villagers prisoner. • Deal with the demons disguised as bandits. • Keep the Villagers safe from harm. Not as easy as it sounds if the players decide to fight a pitched battle against the demons. • Find out what is going on. SCENE EXIT After the demons have been driven away, the Village Headwoman steps forward and tells the Pilgrims that demons have overrun the Stone Buddha and taken thirty or so menfolk prisoner. She asks the Pilgrims to rescue them. Fearfully, the villagers point towards the Stone Buddha. If You See Buddha... 159 Monkey Scene 2 The Entrance LOCATION Between the feet of the Stone Buddha is a set of two metre high wooden doors. The doors are painted red, and seem to have been clawed by a large carnivore. Characters who have Buddhism as a skill will notice that the claw marks are particularly intense around some gold painted characters that upon close examination appear to have been a Sutra (or spell) of Protection from Demons. Through the doors is a large chamber, about fifty metres square by ten metres high. It is roughly in the groin area of the statue, and the ceiling is just under the Buddha’s navel. There is a smoke hole in the centre of the roof, under which a cow is being spit roasted. Ten of the men from the village lie on couches around the fire. A group of fifteen young women courtesans caress them and generally make a fuss over them. The men are completely entranced by the courtesans and oblivious to the world outside. THE SITUATION The courtesans are of course demons in disguise. They will coo about how they rescued the men from the harsh outside world and try and tempt the Pilgrims to give up their hard journey and enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. They are magically seductive, and if any of the Pilgrims seem the least bit susceptible to their charms, they will mob attack them: Play a simple action with the demons having a collective draw of five cards, with the player immortal being reduced to an incoherent babbling mess if they lose. The demons are easily driven off once their true nature is revealed. They turn into hideous hags with claws for hands who fly around the room screaming before leaving through the doors. CAST LIST EXTRAS • The Courtesans (disguised demons). PROBLEMS Rescue the Menfolk from the feminine wiles of the demons. SCENE EXIT Once the demons are driven off, the mood instantly lifts. The chamber becomes light and airy. The cow on the spit (an offence in the eyes of the Buddha who values all living things, and whose followers are vegetarian) disappears or reappears as a rather confused cow standing in the centre of the room chewing grass (Narrator’s option depending on comic impact), and the couches become meditation stools. The chimney vanishes; the space where it was glows with light and reveals itself as the passage way to the next chamber. Monkey 160 If You See Buddha... Scene 3 Heart of Darkness LOCATION The Heart Chamber, which also corresponds to the Middle Dantian The room is usually a bright pink crystalline chamber twenty metres across, in a shape roughly corresponding to a human heart. Currently, it is glowing dark and angry red due to the demonic influence at work. THE SITUATION In the centre of the chamber, tied with iron chains to an iron spike in the floor is the Buddhist Priest responsible for the upkeep of the temple – Weeping Willow. He is held prisoner by six hooded demons, who circle menacingly around him cracking their whips. In the centre is the Demon of Malice, Crab Claws. Crab Claws has the magical ability to inflict damage by taunting his victims with his poisonous tongue. He is currently taking great delight in telling Weeping Willow in graphic detail how he and his demons of Torture plan to inflict pain and harm on the villagers. Every time he finishes a taunt, the priest winces in pain, and a small cut appears on his body, even though Crab Claws has not physically touched him. Curled up against the far wall of the chamber is Weeping Willow’s protector, a magnificent tiger. CAST LIST EXTRAS: • The Buddhist Priest of the Temple. • Demons of Torture, attacks with whips. SUPPORTING: Crab Claws, A Demon of Malice Card Draw 2 Threats • Razor sharp Crab Claws. • Magical Ability: Mocking and malicious taunting. Tiger of the Heart Card Draw 2 Threats • Razor sharp claw and bite. PROBLEMS The Heart of the matter is releasing Weeping Willow from his chains and his torture at the hands of the demons. The most obvious way is to fight the demons to drive them off. The problem is that this only adds to the pain and suffering of Weeping Willow. For each strike that the demons take, Weeping Willow also takes one. The Buddhist Priest can take three strikes before expiring. Sentimental Narrators may allow him to linger on until the end of the combat against the demons, enabling him to give a short monologue thanking the immortals for releasing him from a life of pain If You See Buddha... 161 Monkey and suffering. He attaches no blame to them; it was an unfortunate trap set up by Crab Claws who was compelled to do so by his demonic nature. He then dies of a broken heart, and no amount of magic will bring him back. The less obvious way- less obvious, that is, until Weeping Willow starts taking wounds- is to argue a case for compassion and that the wicked demons have no right to be in this chamber. Crab Claws will lead the opposition using his Poison Tongue to launch scathing attacks against the immortals. Run both fights as a dramatic action. In the physical fight, two simple actions must be completed. • Drive off the Torture Demons. • Defeat Crab Claw. In the verbal debate, run it as a series of exchanges with Crab Claws as the opposition until he is reduced to 0 Strikes. But what about the sleeping Tiger? It will stay asleep unless the players try to wake it up during the action, or until the demons are overcome. This scene is a bit more intense than the previous scenes, because of the importance of the Heart centre, and to demonstrate the dramatic action system. Make sure as Narrator that you emphasise the gravity of the situation to the players. SCENE EXIT With Crab Claws and his cronies defeated, the chamber lightens up. How intensely depends on whether Weeping Willow is still alive. If the priest made it through the scene alive, the Heart chamber is flooded with pink light which pulsates with a rhythm of life. If he died, the room is filled with a pale pink light which although happier than the red glow which the scene started with seems to be tinged with sadness. An opening appears in the ceiling, and a spine like ladder drops down. The ladder leads to the Skull chamber in Scene 5. If the Tiger is still alive it roars and leaps up through the hole in the ceiling. Monkey 162 If You See Buddha... Scene 4 Third Eye Blind LOCATION This chamber is just behind the eyes, and has a large dome like the inside of a skull. The dome is covered with dense spider webs, in which are trapped the remaining twenty male villagers. This chamber corresponds to the mystical Third Eye and the last Energy centre the Upper Dantian. SITUATION In the darkness of a corner of the chamber initially hidden from view lurks the Spider Queen, a foul demon full of hate and spite, who is the evil mastermind behind the invasion of the Giant Stone Buddha and the enslavement of the villagers. She has the body of a giant spider and the upper torso of a woman. The Spider Queen is aided by lesser spider demons, who appear as humanoids with spider heads. If the player immortals are playing attention they can see the shadow of a serpent against the far wall of the chamber. CAST LIST EXTRAS • Spider Demons who fight with scimitars and bites. MAJOR CHARACTERS Spider Queen Card Draw 5. Tough Opponent. Threats • Poisonous bite. • Attacks up five characters with piercing leg ends. • Spits entangling web stuff. PROBLEMS This is the final big fight against the Spider Queen and her Spider Demon allies to free the last of the villagers and cleanse the Stone Buddha statue. Use a dramatic action to defeat the Spider Queen and her allies. Bellow s a suggested list of actions; modify it if the players come up with any alternative actions, such as the use of magic powers or verbal confrontation. If You See Buddha... 163 Monkey SEQUENCE OF ACTIONS • Action 1; Defeat the Spider Demons. In this action, each immortal fights one or two of these horrors who swarm around the Pilgrims. • Action 2: Get into the web to fight the Spider Queen. The Pilgrims have to jump/fly into the web to fight the Spider Queen, who tries to stop them by spitting webbing at them. • Action 3: Release the Villagers. The Spider Queen menacingly threatens them and kills them if the players don’t release them. • Action 4: Fight the Spider Queen, the final fight in the web.

The Spider Queen has crawled out of darkness to enslave and torment mortal victims. Monkey 164 If You See Buddha... The Serpent Awakes! If the players are wise to the significance of the Serpent Shadow on the wall, they may attempt to magically awaken it using Taoist, Buddhist or Shaman skills. This should be an additional action with the Spider Demons and the Spider Queen trying to interfere with the attempt, by opposing the action with their cards. Help Each Other! Since The Spider Queen is a tough opponent and requires two cards higher than its highest card to score a strike against it, player immortals attacking it on their own may find it hard to damage it. This is one of the areas where the Assisting rules (page 102) really come into their own. Using these rules another player who has not had their turn yet can see that their friend needs help scoring the second strike, and provide an assist. This is in keeping with the battles in the book, were Pigsy and Sandy regularly go out of their way to help Monkey fight a monster. SCENE EXIT Once the Spider Queen is vanquished, proceed to the adventure’s Resolution. Resolution: Reaching Buddha’s Crown After the immortals defeat the Spider Queen, the webs fall away from the dome/skull inside and beams of sunlight flood in through a hole in the ceiling. This is the way out. The spirit serpent freed from the demon’s influence flows freely through the three chambers and out of the hole in the head. The Pilgrims can hear the roar of the tiger as it moves up and down from the first chamber to the heart chamber. Once the Pilgrims have climbed out to the crown, they have a moment of reflection while in front of them to the west the sun goes down on the road that they must follow towards India.

Real Life Giant Stone Buddhas While the Stone Buddha in this adventure is fictitious, it was inspired by the slightly less fantastic, but no less inspiring, Meng Shan and Leshan Stone Buddhas in China. 10. The Bag of Wind

Fung Po the Wind Lord with his Bag of Wind Monkey 166 The Bag of Wind The Pitch The Jade Emperor wants you to escort one of the Queen Mother’s handmaidens to a party on Kuan Yin’s Western Island. The only problem is that someone has stolen the Windlord Fung Po’s magic Bag of Wind, while Demons run amok and torrential rains flood the lands of the Tang Emperor. As disgraced immortals of the Western Heaven, you see more than a few opportunities to make up for your previous mistakes and return home. The Purpose of this Chapter A Bag of Wind is a quick fun story that the Narrators and players can run through and learn the basics of the game. The adventure can be used as a standalone adventure, a one-shot where the player immortals are focused on using the short Journey to Kuan Yins’ island to re-enter Heaven. I have run it this way, and it leads to a frantic, fast-paced game. Running it as a one-shot is ideal if you want to introduce the game to new players and want to run a ‘pilot’ before committing to a more extended multi-session Journey. If you are using this as an episode in longer Journey, this adventure offers an excellent introduction to the setting and system. You can use it straight after the Journey begins or as a sort of prequel before the Pilgrims meet the Monk. After escorting Madame Dragonfly to Kuan Yin’s island, the player immortals will be well established with Kuan Yin as their patron (see below), an arrangement which will lead into the Journey itself. The Situation Kuan Yin is holding a tea party on her island in the western seas. She has invited Madame Dragonfly, a shy and timid handmaiden of the Queen of the Western Heaven. Kuan Yin needs somebody to escort her to her island, while she is busy preparing for her guests. Being the Goddess of Compassion and Mercy, she contrives to have the player immortals escort the fragile courtier across the mortal world to her island and to provide them with an opportunity to redeem themselves in the eyes of Heaven. Who knows-perhaps the dangerous journey will present Madame Dragonfly with opportunities to overcome her passive nature? Meanwhile, the demon Snake Eyes has stolen the Wind Lord Fung Po’s Bag of Wind. This magical item allows this Great Immortal to generate winds according to his mood. When he is calm, he gently waves the bag in the air creating gentle breezes. When he’s angry, he quickly turns around creating hurricanes and great gales. While Fung Po fumes atop a mountain, Snake Eyes, disguised as a merchant, is looking for a buyer for the bag while hiding out in a nearby city. More calamities arise because of Snake Eyes’ evil actions. Without winds, a young Dragon becomes becalmed in mid-air over a rural area in the Tang Empire. Ascending Dragons cause rain, and the land is flooded in a torrential downpour. Amidst the floods, Bandits take advantage of the stranded peasants. Minor Demons run amok in the city. The Bag of Wind 167 Monkey All this does not go unnoticed by Western Heaven, where the boy demon killer Prince Natha sneaks down to earth unsupervised to hunt down the demons obviously behind the watery woes. So what if demon catching waits until he’s enjoyed Earth’s delights? He made sure that he sneaked out of Heaven so that his parent, General Li-Jing has no idea that he is gone. By the time the General of Heaven’s Hosts realises and comes down to drag his errant son back to Heaven, he’ll have had his fun. Running the Adventure THE STRUCTURE OF THE ADVENTURE This adventure is fairly linear in nature. The player immortals start at the mountains when Kuan Yin, their Patron for this adventure, arrives with Madame Dragonfly and politely asks them to escort her to her Island to the west. From here the immortals should make their way across Tang China, encountering Feng Po, the flooded landscape, bandits, find the bag with Snake Eyes in the city and deal with Prince Natha before making a clear run to the Western Isles. GOING OFF PLOT What isn’t linear is how the players interact with this sequence of events. Be aware that the players, being the inventive and imaginative people that they are, may play around with the sequence of events. For example, when they reach the city they may choose to completely ignore the clues that lead them to Snake Eyes and the Bag of Wind. Instead, they encounter Prince Natha and decide to take up his offer to go partying. It is only after his father arrives, and reminds them of their duty to sort out demons, do the players decide to go after Snake Eyes. Avoid strict rail-roading if the players wander off in a direction that you had not planned for. STEALING THE SCENE Also, remember the players can ‘Steal the scene’. They might decide to steal the scene and go to Heaven to look for more help, while you were preparing them to go confront Snake Eyes in the City. Of course being out of favour with the Jade Emperor’s court they may not get far, but be prepared to improvise and with the player’s input create a fun part of the story that you hadn’t anticipated. “WHAT’S TO STOP ME JUST FLYING ALL THE WAY?” The player immortals have strong magical powers that allow them to achieve the unimaginable. It’s up to you as Narrator to throw challenges in their way to make the story interesting. Occasionally you’ll get a player who is being difficult and wants to ‘break’ the story for their own entertainment. In this adventure the obvious one is to simply fly to Kuan Yin’s Island, ignoring everything else they come across. As Narrator it’s your job to tempt the players into action, by presenting the events in a fun, entertaining manner. Give them hooks, give them reasons to get involved. Quite often players try to break a story because they are bored. Convince them that it’s more fun to get involved in the situations you present. Keep them on their toes and entertained. Monkey 168 The Bag of Wind Cast List MAJOR CHARACTERS Kuan Yin. The Goddess of Mercy, the player immortals’ patron. Madame Dragonfly.The timid courtier that the player immortals must take to Kuan Yin’s Western Isle. Fung Po. The Wind Lord who has ‘lost’ his magical Bag of Wind. Snake Eyes. A Demon who is responsible for the theft of the Bag of Wind. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS Red Flowers, the Son of the Western Dragon King. A dragon trapped in the mid-air without winds Prince Natha. An errant boy demon hunter on Earth without Heaven’s permission. General Li-Jing. Prince Natha’s dad, come to take his truant son back to Heaven. EXTRAS Bandits. Demons disguised as mortals who are taking advantage of the floods. Minor demons. Supposedly under the command of Snake Eyes, they are bored and causing havoc in the city. The Bag of Wind 169 Monkey Lead in: Beneath Western Heaven You stand at the base of the mountains that separate the Tang Empire of the mortals from the western lands. Above you in the clouds above is the Western Heaven, from which you have been recently ejected. Judged by the Jade Emperor for your crime, you have been expelled to earth. Feeling miserable with yourself you see two noble women drift down on a cloud from the beyond the mountaintops. Surely they must be Heavenly Immortals! As they come closer, you see that one is the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and hiding timidly behind her is one of the Queen Mother of the West’s handmaidens. The cloud comes to earth, and the two women lightly step off it. The handmaiden looks scared and clings tighter to Kuan Yin’s robes. Kuan Yin smiles generously at you. After traditional pleasantries and introductions are exchanged, Kuan Yin explains the situation. “I am in need of a favour. Young Madame Dragonfly here is in need of a group of trustworthy and noble protectors to escort her to my Isle in the Southern Ocean. Unfortunately, I have business that I must attend to before this event. She cannot travel alone for the land is awash with water and bandits, and demons abound troubling the human Emperor. But I see that we have likely candidates here. Heaven would be most grateful.” She then waits expectantly for your answer. At this point hand over to the players. Let them decide if they are going to take up the cause of escorting Madame Butterfly. If they hesitate, Kuanin Y will explain that it would help them get back in favour with the Heavenly powers, since the gentle Madame Dragonfly is one of the handmaidens to the Queen of Heaven herself. Here are some suggestions of what this Journey may entail. • Safely escort Madame Dragonfly. This is the obvious one but quickly forgotten in the heat of the moment when the bickering player immortals are in full ego driven flow, more intent in bashing demon heads than looking after their delicate charge. • A chance for Madame Dragonfly to become more worldly. This is a more complicated and less obvious narrative for the players to pick up on and the Narrator to judge the success of. If the players do not come out with it is best suggested subtly through the player immortals’ conversation with Kuan Yin. For example, “You must be careful when you look after Madame Dragonfly. She has had a sheltered life, and sometimes I wonder if she would jump at the sight of her own shadow.” Some form of conscious ‘teaching’ role on the part of the player immortals must be taken to qualify for a reward at the end of the adventure. • Dealing with the bandits and demons. Again, an obvious one to pick up from Kuan Yin’s opening speech which will earn any players actively involved in policing actions high favour at the end of the adventure. Monkey 170 The Bag of Wind CAST LIST Kuan Yin, Bodhisattva/Goddess of Mercy Celestial Immortal/major character/Bodhisattva. Card Draw 4 Tough Threats • Knows the Heart Sutra, a set of powerful Buddhist Sutras to bring peace and calm. • Show Compassion and Mercy, and can use this power to show a person how to alleviate their suffering and engineer the situation where they can find redemption. Huian the Novice, Kuan Yin’s Guardian Disciple Kuan Yin is protected by General Li’s second son (see General Li page 180 ), Prince Moksa, who is known as Huian the Novice and is also her disciple. Supporting character Card Draw 2 Threats • Fight using a heavy magical rod. Madame Dragonfly Celestial Minor Immortal. Supporting character. Card Draw 2. Threats • Courtier of the Queen of the West’s Palace. • Dragonfly Kung Fu. The Bag of Wind 171 Monkey Part 1 Across the countryside The countryside of the Tang Empire is becoming one vast lake. The great rivers have burst their banks from the constant downpour from rain clouds which hang static in the windless sky. This first part of the adventure sees the player immortal’s SCENE 1 THE STOLEN BAG OF WIND THE SITUATION The peaceful cloudscape the immortals are flying across suddenly becomes dark and violent as lighting bolts flash down from Heaven to Earth. At the centre of all this is a high mountain, and on its grassy top is see an old man in yellow robes, a blue and red cap, who has a long beard, who is making angry gestures. The thunder and lightning coincide with the angry gestures and stamping he makes. This is Feng Po the Wind Lord, and he is angry that his Bag of Wind has been stolen! This magical item allows him to control the winds. When he twirls with it with its mouth open, the winds issue from it to match his mood. When he is calm, gentle breezes slip out. When he is angry, great tornadoes come rushing forth. CAST LIST Feng Po: The Wind Lord Feng Po is personally responsible for guiding the winds in China He is an expert martial artist using a fast light system called ‘Hand of the Wind’. Impertinent lesser immortals who get on his wrong side may end up seeing a demonstration first hand. See the start of this chapter for an illustration of Feng Po wielding his Bag of Wind. Major Character/Minor Immortal. Card Draw 5. Threats • Hand of the Wind Kung Fu. • Can summon up Thunder and Lightning. • Can control the winds when he has the Bag of Wind.

THE PROBLEM Immortals who take the time to talk to Feng Po will learn that after guiding the yearly monsoons to China two days ago, a tiring and arduous task, he laid down atop his mountain to recover his energy. During his sleep, somebody stole his Bag of Winds. This is a disaster! Without it, he cannot guide the monsoons away, and all of China will drown under the constant rain! SCENE EXIT Hopefully, virtue seeking players will take up the call to go find the stolen Bag of Wind. Miscreant players or ones who want to focus on the mission of escorting Madame Butterfly will carry on travelling west doing their own thing. Let them, the problem of the stolen bag will come them. Besides it carries on raining. Monkey 172 The Bag of Wind SCENE 2 BANDITS! THE SITUATION As the player immortals fly across the countryside, they see a flooded village where terrified peasants huddle on the straw roofs of their houses as the village is attacked by a large gang of bandits in boats. CAST LIST Extras: Twenty Bandits (Disguised Demons). Unknown to the player immortals these bandits are actually demons in disguise. If exposed they take their real form as humanoid rats. They are actually followers of Snake Eyes, charged with collecting ‘taxes’ from the outlying villages attached to the City of the Winds (see Part 2 on page 175). THE PROBLEM Do the players do the right thing and by driving off the bandits or do they decide that they are beneath their concern and escorting Madame Dragonfly is more critical? SCENE EXIT Once the bandits are dealt with, or evaded if the players decide to take the non-confrontational route with this scene, they continue west across the waterlogged landscape. If the player immortals confronted the Bandits/Demons they will learn that a powerful demon Lord is in residence in the City of the Winds. The Bag of Wind 173 Monkey

The bandits reveal themselves to be rat-headed demons! Monkey 174 The Bag of Wind SCENE 3 STUCK DRAGON THE SITUATION Red Flowers is the son of the Dragon of the West Sea. He has the important responsibility of bringing rain to this part of the world, which he achieves by merely ascending into the sky from the earth. However, the lack of wind has prevented his skyward motion, but not the attendant rain. He hovers halfway between Heaven and Earth, as the rains drown the land. CAST LIST Red Flowers Young Dragon -Supporting character Card Draw 2 Threats • Etiquette of the Western Dragon King’s Court. • Dragon Kung Fu. • Bring rain to the land. THE PROBLEM Red Flowers is quite literally stuck between Heaven and Earth, because of the lack of wind, with his rain-making power is stuck on. Being a young and inexperienced dragon and proud and haughty he is too embarrassed to call for help. He indeed resists the efforts of such cast-outs as the player immortals. The player immortals should find some way of moving him up to the heights of heaven or back down to earth. Depending on how they handle the situation this may lead to him actively resisting the player immortal’s efforts. SCENE EXIT If the Pilgrims have either brought Red Flowers down to Earth or kicked him up to Heaven, the rain stops and things are less damp from here on. If they left the problem unresolved, the water level continues to rise. Further to the west, though the humid mists the immortals can just make out the city walls of the City of the Winds.

The Dragon Kings The world of Monkey is a large oblong of earth that is surrounded by four oceans. Each of these oceans is ruled by a Dragon King, who reports to the Jade Emperor, who has his own underwater court and attendant fish guards, courtiers and mandarins. The Bag of Wind 175 Monkey Part 2 The City of the Winds Cities in Tang China act as administrative centres of rural districts. This is a typical city of a nameless rural district and as far as the immortals are concerned would normally be unnoticeable except for the howling winds that swirl around it. This is a dead give-away that the Bag of Winds is nearby. The layout of the city follows a pattern that is typical of the Empire. • Governor’s Palace. This large walled building stands in the centre of the city. Here the city’s bureaucracy, the law courts and the tax offices are housed, and the Governor holds court. • Buddhist and Taoist Temples. These large wooden structures with coloured glass windows are home to the Buddhist Monks and Nuns and the Taoist priests. The Buddhist temples are especially rich since its adherents regularly make donations to them as they attempt to purify themselves of material attachments. • The Great Market. This central market serves the surrounding rural area. It is strictly organised into aisles, each selling a particular type of produce. The Great Market is bustling during the day but is closed at night by curfew. • Wards. The city is divided into Wards, surrounded by brick walls that the inhabitants are obliged to maintain. When the bells are rung at dusk to announce the nightly curfew, each Ward’s gates are closed until dawn. This is locks in the inhabitants of the ward. Fortunately, most wards have their own smaller markets for residents that have forgotten to go to the Great Market. Most of the walled wards are residential and are a mix of temples, one story houses with tiled roofs, craft shops, inns and other entertainment venues. Other wards are solely given over to one purpose. For example, the city’s great temples form a single ward, as does the Governor’s palace. There is also the decadent and lavish Entertainers’ Ward where the nobles waste their time and money. • Canals. Canals come in through the city wall and bisect the wards, providing them with water. • The City Wall. These mighty looking brick walls have square watchtowers at regular intervals. However, they provide only a limited defence against invaders such as nomad raiders- against siege engines, or a determined immortal with earth blasting powers, they quickly crumble. A major function of the walls is, in fact, to keep residents in the city. Monkey 176 The Bag of Wind SCENE 4 FINDING THE LOST BAG OF WIND THE SITUATION The city streets are nearly deserted as the gales whip up and down them. Most of the city’s inhabitants are cowering in their homes, and the Great Market is closed, although a few hardy souls go about their business. THE PROBLEM The player immortals have a mission to find the Bag of Wind but are otherwise looking for a needle in the haystack. Let them use their skills and powers to come up with creative solutions to this vague problem, and dependant on the level of success either put them closer to Snake Eyes or one step away (such as pointed towards some roughs operating in the market, see Scene 6). Persistent questioning in the right places, such as dark lower class bars, will inform the characters that a merchant going by the name of Snake Eyes arrived in the city just two days ago, looking to sell an item of “great importance to one interested in predicting the weather.” SCENE EXIT The players should have some idea of the criminal behind the theft of the Bag of Wind and some leads. SCENE 5 THE GOVERNOR THE SITUATION As immortals, the Governor of the City is of little consequence to them, but the players may want to question him. THE PROBLEM Make sure their immortals make the appropriate disguises since Heaven frowns on immortals appearing in front of mortals and scaring them. SCENE EXIT The Governor is of little use, and the only clue he can give is that the winds started a couple of days ago, which coincides with the theft of the Bag of Wind SCENE 6 DEMONS RUN AMOK THE SITUATION This is one to play if the players are getting nowhere in their investigations, or are merely just spoiling for a fight! CAST LIST Extras: Demons THE PROBLEM These demons are part of a group of about sixty that escaped from hell with Snake Eyes. There are three demons per player immortal. They are stupid but sturdy and engage in combat until they start taking a beating. The demons appear as rough working-class men, but once their straw hats are knocked off their bald horned heads reveal their true nature. The Bag of Wind 177 Monkey SCENE EXIT Typically the player immortals will send the demons packing. Perhaps they will even learn of Snake Eyes location by careful interrogation of a prisoner, leading to Scene 8. If they have the tables turned on them, or they are loud and noisy in their sub-dual of the demons, this attracts the Demon Hunter Prince Natha, leading straight into Scene 7 below. SCENE 7 THE BOY DEMON HUNTER AND HIS DAD (OPTIONAL) THE SITUATION Heaven observes the events unfolding below on Earth. The Boy Prince Natha sees the havoc, and knowing it is the result of demons running amok, decides to slip down to Earth without his esteemed parent. Once there his boyish nature takes over. Sure there are demons to fight, but Natha wants some fun first. This scene is optional and should be brought into play if the confrontation with Snake Eyes was too brief or the players are spending too much time CAST LIST Prince Natha, Boy God of Demon Slaying, God of Gamblers, the Third Prince Prince Natha is the son of General Li-Jing, Commander of the Armies of the Western Heaven. Despite his six-foot height, Natha is only a boy in both a physical and mental sense. In the novel, Prince Natha volunteered to go after Monkey after he deserted his post at the Jade Emperor’s stables. He confronted the rebellious primate appearing as a terrifying three-headed and six-armed giant, with each arm holding a different monster-quelling eaponw (sword, scimitar, rope, club, embroidered ball and a fire wheel). Monkey asw unimpressed by the Boy God’s appearance, and to mock him used his shape- changing powers to match the prince, becoming a giant with three heads with six arms which wielded three versions of his magic iron staff. After a long and mighty battle, where neither got the upper hand, Monkey defeated Natha by trickery, creating a duplicate of himself which sneaked up behind the Prince to beat him senseless. After this event, the Jade Emperor, on the advice of the Planet Venus, gave Monkey the important-sounding but the ultimately empty title of Great Sage Equal of Heaven, which quietened the troublesome animal for a while. Prince Natha was originally a hideous immortal with three heads, eight arms and nine eyes. The Jade Emperor sent him down to earth to battle a horde of demons, and he was born to Emperor’s Li Jing’s wife as the Third Prince. A mischievous child at the age of six, and the equivalent height in feet, he caused trouble with the Dragon Kings by paddling in the eastern sea; an innocent act one thinks until you realise that Natha possessed pants of fire which set the sea ablaze. To make matters worse, he killed the son of the Eastern Sea Dragon King who was sent to investigate. The Dragon King kidnapped his parents in retaliation, a delicate situation which was only resolved by a sulky Natha committing suicide. However, the next morning a fleshy ball rolled up to the door of Li-Jing’s Palace. Curious Li-Jing sliced open the ball and out jumped the reincarnated Prince Natha! Angry Li-Jing set about cutting the mischievous Monkey 178 The Bag of Wind Prince Natha down to size literally. This battle almost ended in defeat for Li- Jing, but feeling responsible for it, the Jade Emperor intervened. After this fight, father and son were united, and so their Demon slaying career began. After Prince Natha ascended to Heaven, mortals began worshipping him as a God of Lotteries and Gambling. Because of his boyish nature, Natha is only allowed to visit the world of Mortals if accompanied by his father, Li-Jing. If he somehow sneaks down to Earth unaccompanied, he must hide his presence from his elder or be forcibly returned to the Western Heaven by his angry father. Celestial Immortal/ God. Major character. Card Draw: 7 Tough. Threats • Monster Slaying Kung Fu, During his demon-slaying days, Natha developed this style of Kung Fu in response to all the horns, hooves, lashing tails, claws and fangs that he faced. • Boyish sense of humour. Well he does have the head of a six year old. • Six weapons of demon subdual .Natha carries a binding rope, a scimitar of slashing, a sword of hacking, a bashing club, an embroidered ball and two flaming wheels, which he rides like rollerskates. • Shape change. Natha is well experienced in the art of shape change. His natural form is a six-foot-tall boy, but as noted above he often takes the form of a three-headed six-armed giant. • Flaming Pants. Natha has flaming underwear, which famously set the Eastern sea alight when he went paddling in his youth. This power is not used in his fight against Monkey, which occurred after his youth, so one assumes that he is able to switch off this power. Natha must be in physical contact with whatever he tries to set alight. The Bag of Wind 179 Monkey

Prince Natha, a playful six foot tall, six year old demon hunter. Monkey 180 The Bag of Wind

General Li, the Pagoda–Throwing General An Emperor in his lifetime, upon his death the Jade Emperor made him an immortal General of Heaven’s host. He is known as Pagoda-Throwing General due to his habit of picking up nearby buildings and hurling them at enemies. Major Celestial Immortal. Card Draw: 5 Threats • Commanding and forceful voice. • Thrown Pagoda. • Mighty Demon Hunting Kung Fu.

...and his dad General Li, the Pagoda Throwing General! The Bag of Wind 181 Monkey THE PROBLEM Prince Natha is literally a six-year-old trapped in the giant body of an adult immortal. He’s been cooped up in the Western Heaven too long under the supervision of his severe parent and wants to let off some steam. If the player characters can’t channel his energies into demon hunting, there are still many demon bandits roaming the city and Snake Eyes is still at large, he will start roughhousing the player immortals. Eventually, Prince Natha will be noticed for being missing from Heaven, and his dad General Li will angrily come down from Heaven intending to bring his son back forcefully. Without the wise intervention of the players, the two gods will fight it out causing much damage to the city. SCENE EXIT The situation at the end of this scene is very much dependant on how the fight or conversation went with Prince Natha. Perhaps the player immortals have teamed up with Prince Natha, and his dad, to track down the villainous Snake Eyes. If so move on to scene 8. Perhaps they defeated Prince Natha, and his General Li picks his son up and takes him back to Western Heaven. Probably things escalated when General Li turned up, and the player immortals have bested two of Western Heaven’s best Demon Hunters. Post-smack down do does everyone see things reasonably and team up to get Snake Eyes. Or maybe a quick trip to Western Heaven to explain why there were fighting and mayhem in a built-up mortal city, with mortal lives put at risk. Perhaps Kuan Yin makes a detour from her journey to the Western Isle to smooth things over. Monkey 182 The Bag of Wind SCENE 8 THE MERCHANT THE SITUATION Snake Eyes is a shifty evil demon who has escaped the Ten Hells and is intent on wreaking havoc on Earth. THE PROBLEM Snake Eyes’ theft of the Bag of Wind was an opportunistic one, but one he intends to make the most of. After stealing the Bag two days ago, he arrived in the city, and he has made the Entertainers’ Ward his home. A decadent state of constant drunken revelry has descended upon that part of the city since his arrival. He prefers stealth and lies to direct confrontation and will rely upon his demon followers to hold up the player immortals, as he makes his escape on the Mechanical Palanquin. CAST LIST Snake Eyes Demon – major character. Card Draw 7 Tough Opponent. Threats • Slimy charming liar. • Snake Kung Fu. • Master of Disguise. • Magic Item: Fast moving Mechanical Palanquin. • Hypnotic stare. • Magic Item: The Bag of Winds. Extras: Snake Eyes’ Demon Bodyguards. The Bag of Wind 183 Monkey

Sly and devious, the demon Snake Eyes! Monkey 184 The Bag of Wind Resolving the Adventure The easiest way to close matters is when the player immortals have finally overcome all their trials and successfully made their way to Kuan Yin’s island in the Southern Ocean. Snake Eyes can be delivered here, or Prince Natha and General Li can take him to the Ministry of Thunder, who is responsible for supernatural crimes on Earth, up in the Western Heaven. Here they will be invited to the party, a great glamorous affair full of good food, fine wine, beautifully flowered garlands and gentle but stirring music. Before the crowd of fellow immortals Kuan Yin will gently praise or admonish the player immortals depending on their actions during the adventure. 11. The Four Pilgrims

A water demon, Sandy is as comfortable under lakes and rivers as he is on land. Monkey 186 The Four Pilgrims This chapter introduces the Four Pilgrims who are the main characters from the Journey to the West. They are presented in such a way that they can be used as pre-made player immortals in your games. Some setting information is repeated here, since it is intended that Narrators and Players print this chapter off and refer to it during play. The Pilgrims and their Great Journey The Tang Dynasty (7th -10th Century) is considered to be China’s Golden Age. The Journey to the West takes place during the reign of the dynasty’s second Emperor Taizong, who is widely considered China’s greatest emperor. It is a time of great peace and prosperity. China’s boarders are at their greatest, and strong boarder armies keep out foreign invaders. Meanwhile China’s cities are cosmopolitan and foreign merchants trade freely – some nobles incorporating foreign fashions into their dress. The arts flourish and both traditional aoistT and the more recent Buddhist, an import from India, religions exist peacefully side by side, enjoying great popularity both at court and amongst the populace at large. Not is all harmonious, criminals and evil doers still exist within the Empire and the Tang Emperor charges the Empire’s chief Buddhist Monk Tripitaka to recover the scrolls of Buddhist lore missing from the Chinese Buddhism. With the aid of the Buddhist deity Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, Tripitaka gathers up three immortal protectors who take him to far off India. The Four Pilgrims are: • Monkey. A wild and unprincipled King of the Monkeys, who learnt the Arts of Immortality before being promoted to heaven so that the Heavenly Authorities could keep an eye on him. There he ran amok and was only constrained when Great Buddha himself imprisoned him for five hundred years under a mountain. • Sandy. This miserable Water Demon, was once a Marshall in the Western Heaven. He used to eat passing Buddhist pilgrims, his necklace being made up of their skulls. Now he has begged forgiveness and is an active follower of the ways of Buddha. • Pigsy. Once a Marshall of one of the Armies of the Western Heaven, Pigsy was cast down to earth to live as a pig demon after making unsavoury advances towards one of the Queen Mother of the West’s Jade Handmaidens. • Tripitaka. A Buddhist Monk. Once a high-ranking Abbot in the Tang Empire, he has been appointed to go to India and fetch the lost scrolls of Buddhist lore. The Four Pilgrims 187 Monkey SOME NOTES ABOUT THE FOUR PILGRIMS MONKEY IS A LOT MORE POWERFUL THAN THE OTHER THREE In the full rules each player immortal is created using the same standard rules, so at the beginning of the game they are all comparable in abilities and power. While the Four Pilgrims broadly adhere to the Immortal Creation rules, there’s the odd tweak here and there either to reflect how the characters are in the book (in the case of the Monkey) or make them more playable (in the case of Pigsy and Sandy who are supporting characters in the book and gain more powers). Monkey is the star of the book and by the time that the Journey to the West starts properly has had all sorts of adventures and gained more magical magic powers. Put simply, in the book Monkey is the star of the show, in this game he’s not. The Spot Light rules (See page 92) go a long way to stopping Monkey hogging the lime light and being the centre of the attention. If not, Tripitaka can always recite the Headache Sutra Kuan Yin gave him to control the rebellious creature! COMMON MAGICAL POWERS All the immortals can fly and shape change into at least a human form since such things are part and parcel of their Immortal condition. Each magical power has a limitation. For example an immortal in flight cannot carry Mortals, because as everyone knows “mortals are as heavy and immovable as mountains,” and shape change is always vulnerable to being seen through by those who have the magical ability to see things in their true form. This is how the Taoist Patriarch is immediately able to see through Monkey’s disguise as a pine tree, which leads to his dismal as his student. BUDDHISM AND TAOISM At the time of the Tang Empire, there are two main religions in China. Taoism is a philosophy of living that has its roots in the shamanic practices of the early Chinese. Its main spokesperson is Lao Tzu (literally, ‘Old Sage’), wrote in the Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way) the core philosophies of Taoism. It holds that all creation is part of a single whole, the Tao, which in itself is impossible to see except in fleeting moments. By practice of the ay,W a Taoist seeks to be at one with the Tao, achieving wisdom and immortality. Taoists are especially interested in observing the unspoilt natural world, seeing it as being closer to the Tao than the cultured and confused civilisation which has arisen in China. Quick Stereotypes: Wise Old Sages quoting obscure but relevant wisdom, Vigorous Martial Artists seeking the perfection of their art. Buddhism originally comes from India, where the Prince Siddhartha Gautama discovered the core teachings after a long period of meditation on the meaning of suffering in the world. Upon his enlightenment, he realised that life asw a wheel of pain and suffering in which a soul is reincarnated continuously. The body of each life is appropriate to the person’s karma, literally the sum of their actions. So, a man who is selfish in a former life may be reborn as a dog and a murderer as an insect. Demons are the reincarnations of the most foul of Monkey 188 The Four Pilgrims evildoers, but even they may gain good karma and be born into a better life. What Great Buddha realised was that only by practicing the noble eightfold path of right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration can a person escape the wheel of reincarnation. In short, by performing good actions, avoiding evil actions and by training the mind through meditation, a person who successfully follows Great Buddha’s teachings will himself achieve Buddhahood and the state of Nirvana, freeing them from the wheel of reincarnation. As well as being literate, Buddhist priests can also ward off evil spirits and demons with chants and prayers. They also practice Vegetarianism. Quick Stereotypes: Gentle, but firm, priests trying to help people and ease the world’s pain, Militant martial artists defending the poor and the oppressed. Of the Pilgrims, Tripitaka and Sandy are practising Buddhists, whereas Monkey and Pigsy are somewhat lapsed Taoists, who enjoy the supernatural benefits of their philosophy but do not always act in accordance with the Way. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right – no one is marking your performance. In fact, beyond their broad principles, both Taosim and Buddhism are wonderfully vague and ambiguous, because they seek to get their adherents to experience their teachings themselves. WHAT HAPPENS IF ‘TRIPITAKA DIES? Unlike the other character’s, Tripitaka is mortal and can be killed because of a failed Dramatic Action. If this happens Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy should immediately mount a rescue mission to the Ten Courts of Hell to bring him back to life.

The format of the Immortals • Name (and Aliases) • Origin: A quick summing up of how the character became an immortal. • Attitudes: Each immortal has two attitudes, One Yang and one Yin. • Weakness: This is what gets the immortal into serious trouble on a regular basis. • Skills: Each immortal has three skills, which define what they do. • Magic Powers: This section lists the powers that the immortal has. • Magical Weapons: Each immortal has a magical weapon to combat demons with. • About: This section gives the immortal’s history. The Four Pilgrims 189 Monkey TRIPITAKA’S HORSE AS A FIFTH CHARACTER? In the novel Tripitaka’s white horse is the son of one of the Dragon Kings of the Four Oceans, who gets into trouble for burning down a castle. Kuan Yin saves him from execution on the promise that he will provide a service later on. He goes to live by a river and he encounters the pilgrims as they try to cross it. Giving into his fierce Dragon nature he eats Tripitaka’s horse, and a ferocious fight erupts between him and Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy. Eventually he realises that they are disciples of Kuan Yin and manages to get this across to the Pilgrims. The fight stops and the Dragon pledges to carry Tripitaka to India without complaint and turns into a white horse. During the course of the novel the horse only turns back into its Dragon form once to save Tripitaka when Monkey abandons them. This write up assumes that the Horse takes a more active role in the adventure, and is in effect for the purpose of the game a fifth Pilgrim. The 1970s/80s Japanese TV series (known as Monkey Magic! In the UK) has the Horse take human form in just this way. This write up also assumes that the Horse uses the Horse Whip, part of a magical set of horse tack along with a saddle, stirrups etc. given to Tripitaka by Kuan Yin, as a magical weapon.

Horse Magic Powers (aka White Dragon Horse, Yu Lung) • Flight, Limitation can only use Origin in full Dragon form • Dragon • Shape change, as well as his horse and human forms he Attitudes can of course transform into a • Yang: Sturdy. mighty dragon. • Yin: Perseverance. • Dragon Breath- Limitation Weakness must be in full Dragon form to • Given to expressing his Savage use. Dragon Nature. Magic Weapon Skills • Horse Whip, this is one of the • Dragon Kung Fu 3 magical items of horse tack that Kuan Yin gave Tripitaka, which • Courtier 2 Horse can use as a magical • Taoist 1 weapon. Monkey 190 The Four Pilgrims The Four Pilgrims 191 Monkey mention that he had been a student Monkey of the Patriarch. Returning home he first drove off the Demon of Havoc who had taken over Water Mountain (AKA THE STONE MONKEY, Cave in his absence, before arming AWARE OF VACUITY, THE his monkeys with iron weapons and becoming the king of the surrounding GREAT SAGE EQUAL TO area. HEAVEN, SUN WUKONG) It was then that the Planet Venus Origin: Animal Spirit. decided it would be a good idea to ATTITUDES invite Monkey to heaven to keep • Yin: Mischievous. an eye on him. Monkey could not control his rebellious nature and ran • Yang: Rebellious. amok in the Western Heaven. He was WEAKNESS only subdued by Buddha who was • Undisciplined. visiting from the Eastern Heaven who SKILLS imprisoned him under a mountain for 500 years until Tripitaka arrived. • Monkey Kung Fu 3. Monkey has joined the monk in his • Rogue 2. quest to collect the missing Buddhist • Taoist Sage 1. scrolls from India. Tripitaka controls MAGIC POWERS Monkey when he gets out of hand using the Headache Sutra which • Flight using a Cloud. contracts the golden headband • Shape change. monkey wears. • Fiery Eyes of Demon Seeing. Monkey is armed with the Iron staff of • Produce Little Monkeys, copies of the Pole Star, which can grow as big himself from his hairs. as temple column and shrink to the MAGICAL WEAPONS size of a needle, which Monkey places behind his ear. He often sees through • The Iron Staff of the Pole Star. the human disguises of Demons, • Golden Headband of the with his fiery eyes of demon seeing, Headache Sutra (technically although it gets him trouble with his Tripitaka’s Magical Weapon, but companions for attacking seemingly Monkey Wears it). innocent humans. Another magic trick ABOUT MONKEY he knows is how to produce Little Born from a Stone Egg acted on by Monkeys, copies of himself, from elemental forces during ancient times, hairs he plucks from his fur and blows Monkey became king of the Monkeys life into. of Water Cave Mountain. Worried about growing old and dying he travelled the Earth looking to learn the Secrets of Immortality. Eventually he did from a Taoist Sorcerer called the Patriarch, but his mischievous nature got him into trouble and he was dismissed and told never to Monkey 192 The Four Pilgrims The Four Pilgrims 193 Monkey ABOUT PIGSY Pigsy Once a Marshall of one of the Western Heaven’s armies, Pigsy disgraced himself by lusting over the (AKA PIG, ZHU BAJIE) handmaidens of the Queen Mother Origin: Celestial Deity. of the Western Heaven and was ATTITUDES cast down to earth in the form of a • Yin: Deceitful. pig demon. There he preyed upon unsuspecting travellers, until Monkey • Yang: Lusty. fought him and Tripitaka brought him WEAKNESS into the quest for the lost scrolls of • Gluttony. Buddhism travelling west to India. He wields the Nine Pronged Iron SKILLS Rake, which was forged by the Father • Pig Kung Fu 3. of Taoism, Lao Tzu, himself and • Courtier 2. presented to him during his time in • Rogue 1. Heaven as a reward for his service as a Marshall. His demonic nature gives MAGIC POWERS him the magical ability to eat anything • Flight on a cloud. and emit a loud deafening bestial roar. • Shape change. • Eat Anything. • Bestial Roar. MAGICAL WEAPONS • The Nine Pronged Iron Rake. Monkey 194 The Four Pilgrims The Four Pilgrims 195 Monkey ABOUT SANDY Sandy Sandy was once a Marshall of the Armies of Western Heaven until he broke the Jade Emperor’s Jade bowl at (AKA SANDY MONK, SAND, one of his parties. SHA WUJING) Cast out of heaven he became a water Origin: Celestial Deity demon, preying on passing travellers. ATTITUDES His skull necklace is made up of • Yin: Miserable. nine Buddhist priests he killed and ate, but whose skulls do not sink in • Yang: Aggressive. water because of their purity in life. WEAKNESS He fought Pigsy and Monkey, as a • Clumsy. Water Monster, until he realised they were travelling with Tripitaka, who he SKILLS knew was his source of redemption. • Water Flowing style Kung Fu 3. Throwing himself at the monk’s feet • Soldier 2. he dedicated himself to the Buddhist Way and protecting him on his • Buddhist 2. Journey to the West, to bring back the MAGIC POWERS lost scrolls of Buddhism from India. • Flight. • Shape change. • At home under water. • Terrifying Appearance. MAGICAL WEAPONS • Skull Necklace of Buddhist Pilgrims. • Jade Halberd of the River. Monkey 196 The Four Pilgrims The Four Pilgrims 197 Monkey ABOUT TRIPITAKA Tripitaka Abandoned as a baby, Tripitaka was brought up by Buddhist Monks. When he was older he found out (AKA XUANZANG) that his father, a landed noble, had Origin: Mortal been murdered by another man ATTITUDES and who had forcibly married his • Yin: Gentle. mother to gain his father’s lands. As an adult, Tripitaka exposed the felon, • Yang: Saintly. was reunited with his mother and WEAKNESS went onto become the Abbot of his • Fearful. monastery. After Tripitaka became one of SKILLS the most foremost authorities • Buddhist 3. on Buddhism in China, the Tang • Abbott 2. Emperor choose him to find • Courtier 1. and return the missing scrolls of Buddhism from India. Kuan Yin, the MAGIC POWERS Goddess of Mercy gave him a magical • Headache Sutra. cloak to help him on his journey. • Sutras of Protection from Evil. After his first two mortal companions MAGICAL WEAPONS were driven away by Demons, he freed Monkey from his imprisonment • Kuan Yin’s Cloak. under a mountain, recruited Sandy and Pigsty and began Journey to the West in earnest. His white horse steed is actually the dishonoured son of a Dragon King, who steadily plods along the road without ever revealing his true nature. After Monkey’s rebellious nature became a problem, Kuan Yin taught Tripitaka a Head Ache Sutra (a type of Buddhist Spell) which causes a magical golden head band that monkey wears to painfully contract, causing him to stop what he is doing and hold his head in pain. 198 12. More Immortals

So, you don’t want to play Monkey and the rest of the Pilgrims from the novel? Or perhaps you want to see the diversity of characters that is possible using the Immortal Creation rules?. Presented here are four alternative characters to play with. Detective Lee is a Transcended Master. A former magistrate who impressed the powers of Western Heaven with his crime-fighting abilities while alive, and was promoted to the ranks of heavenly immortals when he died. Rolling Thunder is a Celestial Immortal, responsible to the Wind Lord in Western Heaven, acting as a trouble-shooter when there is either too much or too little rain over China. Silver Fox is an Animal Spirit whose mischief and magic equally enthralled and troubled her superior, the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven. Finally, as a fully fleshed out player immortal there Is Blazing Lotus, the Nun who the player immortals are charged with safely escorting to India. This character replaces Tripitaka in this alternative take on the Four Pilgrims. As the note Monk or Nun (see page 82) the male Monk could easily be replaced by a female Nun, such as Blazing Lotus below, and the guidelines concentrate on creating a character with their own personality and reasons for making the arduous Journey to the West. Blazing Lotus is a Buddhist Nun who the immortals are escorting to India to collect the missing cannon scrolls of Buddhism. She has an infamous fiery temper and has learnt martial arts in the temple she was raised in, specialising in fighting with dual sabres. Her patron, Kuan Yin the Bodhisattva of Mercy and Compassion, hopes that the spiritual Journey to the West will cool the fire in her soul. Note that in this set of player immortals, Blazing Lotus is presented as a playable immortal rather than a non-player monk. This is to mirror the fact that in the set of immortals from the Novel (see Chapter 11) Tripitaka is presented as a fully playable immortal. More Immortals 199 Monkey

Blazing Lotus Detective Lee

Rolling Thunder Silver Fox Monkey 200 More Immortals More Immortals 201 Monkey ABOUT Blazing Blazing Lotus is the daughter of an infamous warlord, Raging Blaze. When Blazing Lotus was ten years Lotus old, her father was killed by a rival, and she entered a Buddhist ORIGIN: Nunnery. Blazing Lotus remembers Mortal. and has inherited the explosive temper that drove her father. While ATTITUDES at the monastery, she learnt Kung • Yin: Compassionate. Fu, specialising in fighting with • Yang: Fiery. dual sabres. Guided by Kuan Yin, WEAKNESS the Bodhisattva of Compassion and Mercy, Blazing Lotus has tempered • Explosive Temper. her inner fire with cool compassion. SKILLS She has been appointed by the Tang • Dual Sabre Kung Fu 3. Emperor to collect the missing scrolls • Buddhist 2. of Buddhist Canon, which can be • Rogue 1. found in faraway India. Kuan Yin has gathered the disgraced Immortals, MAGIC POWERS Detective Lee, Silver Fox and Rolling • Sutras of Protection against Evil Thunder to protect Blazing Lotus on Doers (Limitation: Only works the Journey to the West. against Demons, not mortals). MAGICAL WEAPONS • Twin swords of the Dancing Star.

Monkey 202 More Immortals More Immortals 203 Monkey ABOUT Detective Born into a life of poverty, in his early years Lee was a criminal out of necessity. When he was caught, Lee he was given a second chance by a Magistrate, Wu, who mentored him ORIGIN: and made him one of his deputies. Transcended Master. Detective Lee learnt the martial art of Tai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate. ATTITUDES So impressed were Western Heaven • Yin: Analytical. with his crimefighting abilities in life • Yang: Fast. that he was promoted to the Ministry WEAKNESS: of Thunder, the heavenly ministry responsible for catching supernatural • Arrogance. criminals on Earth, and given SKILLS immortality upon his death. His Tai • Magistrate 3. Chi Broad Sword, the Silver Sword • Tai-Chi (including Sword form) 2. of Piercing Truth, was presented to him when he ascended to heaven by • Rogue 1. his master Lei Gong the Minster of MAGIC POWERS Thunder. • Flight. Unfortunately, all this rather went to • Shape change. his head, and in heaven, he became • Piercing Gaze that Discerns the insufferably arrogant. On the verge of Truth. (Limitation: must be able being expelled from Western Heaven, to physically see). Lei Gong tactfully suggested Lee join the pilgrims escorting the nun Blazing MAGICAL WEAPONS Lotus to India to learn some humility. • Silver Sword of Piercing Truth. Monkey 204 More Immortals More Immortals 205 Monkey ABOUT Rolling Born amongst the clouds of the western Heaven, Rolling Thunder was soon earmarked for service in the Thunder Ministry of Wind. Here he made a name for himself as a skilled trouble- ORIGIN: shooter, sorting out problems when Celestial Immortal it either rains too much or too little all over China. With his giant mace ATTITUDES of Defiant Clouds, he dealt with • Yin: Soft. errand dragon princes and malicious • Yang: Loud. demons. WEAKNESS Rolling Thunder takes great pride • Pride. in his job, in fact too much pride. So, when his boss, the Wind Lord, SKILLS asked Rolling Thunder to tell the • Hand of the Wind Kung Fu 2. Dragon King of the Southern Ocean • Taoist Sorcerer 3. to send the annual monsoons, instead • Musician (Drummer). of seeing as the great honour it is, Rolling Thunder saw it as a slight. In MAGIC POWERS the ensuing blazing row with his boss, • Flight. he was expelled from Heaven. While • Shape change. in exile on Earth he learnt how to • Create Taoist Paper Talismans. make magical Taoist Paper Talismans, (limitation: magic must be based written with charms to help folk upon his powers of rain and and bring just enough rainfall and thunder). keep local water supplies clean and untainted. Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva MAGICAL WEAPONS of Mercy, invited Rolling Thunder to • Mace of Defiant Clouds. join the Journey to the West escorting, Blazing Lotus safely as part of a group of immortal pilgrims. Monkey 206 More Immortals More Immortals 207 Monkey ABOUT Silver Fox Born in the forests of China, Silver Fox delighted playing with her fellow Fox ORIGIN: Spirit sisters. She came to the attention of the Queen Mother of the Western Animal Spirit. Heavens for her magical ability. Silver ATTITUDES Fox served as a courtier in Heaven, as • Yin: Other Worldly. one of the Queen Mother of the West’s • Yang: Playful. assistants. WEAKNESS Silver Fox was kicked out of her service because she dared to steal Theif. the Queen Mother’s Peaches of SKILLS Immortality so that her sisters too • Courtier 1. could become immortal. But the • Fox Kung Fu 2. Queen Mother regretted having to remove Silver Fox, and gave her • Rogue 3. the Sword of the Thousand Winds MAGIC POWERS to defend herself against demons • Flight. on Earth. Silver Fox joined Blazing • Shape change. Lotus and the other pilgrims on their Journey to the West since the • The Hand of a Thousand forms Bodhisattva Kuan Yin has promised (Limitation: This is Silver Fox’s her that it will teach her the true illusion magic, only real if nature of reality and ease her restless believed). soul. MAGICAL WEAPONS • Sword of a Thousand Winds. Monkey 208 Defenders of the Dragon Empire 13. Defenders of the Dragon Empire

The Pilgrims have started their Journey to the West! They seek the missing scrolls of Buddhist Canon that will help bring harmony and order to the Dragon Empire. Demons know this and fear this. Not only do they attempt to stop Tripitaka, Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy in their mission to India, but they also run amok in the Empire itself. If they cannot stop the pilgrims, they seek to reduce what the Pilgrims aim to save to ashes! Only the brave men and women of the Dragon Empire’s Martial Arts Circles can fight back against the demonic onslaught. Each victory they win they increase the people’s

hope of returning the Heavenly Order to the Universe. I’ve had numerous requests to write a Wuxia version of Monkey, where the focus of the game shifts to mortal martial arts heroes. Defenders of the Dragon Empire is that game. While Monkey and company head off to India, the mortal heroes and heroines must defend one of the Tang Empire’s Cities (which is detailed and becomes the focus of this game-type) from the evil army of Demons that have turned up at its gates. Being mortals, they are not innately magical, and the emphasis shifts to incredible displays of talent with the unique magical feat being thrown into the mix instead of big fights where Chi-powers are thrown around casually (often along with nearby scenery) as is the case with Immortals. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 209 Monkey Monkey meets Wuxia What is Wuxia? The word itself is a compound of two Chinese words. Wu which means military or martial, and Xia which stands for chivalry or the Code of Xia which the Heroines and Heroes of Wuxia tales, a sub-genre of Martial Arts movies and literature, follow. The Code of Xia emphasises individuality which often puts its adherents at odds with authority. Despite this the two main virtues emphasised by the code are Righteous and Honour, as well as Loyalty, Benevolence, Kindness, Truthfulness, and Justice. It follows the exploits of the warriors who are part of the Martial Arts World, which is made up of organised circles of local martial artists who keep the peace amongst themselves and in their areas. Visiting Martial Artists from other regions are meant to report their presence to these local circles, so there are no misunderstandings as they pass through or during their stay. In Defenders of the Dragon Empire, the players play members of one of these martial arts circle, whose home is one of Tang China’s cities. All the player characters are warriors and are referred to as such throughout the text of this chapter.

Defenders of the Dragon Empire as a Rules Hack of Monkey This chapter is not a full game in itself. It is what is called a “Rules Hack” in which some of the rules are changed to quickly change emphasis of the game into something else. In this case a game of mortal martial artists defending a city, from a game of immortals travelling the long road to India. To achieve this there are two sections. One on Rules Changes, which gives a replacement Origins procedure for character generation and explains the rules for Mortality. The second section explains how to run the game and gives the frame work that the Narrator should use to guide the players through play to co-create the story of the warriors defending their home city. There’s a lot that is left up to the Narrator and players to decide on, and a lot of the rules/setting information that is left unchanged from the main game. There is also areas of the this Hack that in a full game would have been expanded upon, such as a fuller treatment of life inside a Tang Dynasty City, and more example non-player characters. As it stands this hack leaves this up to the Narrator and players to fill this either through pre-game preparation or by discovering it through play. You should be aware of this when you embark on using this hack. Monkey 210 Defenders of the Dragon Empire Rules Changes ORIGINS This text amends and replaces the Origins chapter. In many ways, it’s less immersive than that for immortals, since the warriors are discovered through play. • Wuxia warriors have only two skills: A Kung Fu style at a value of three and a skill, determined by their station in Tang Chinese society, that starts at two. • They have two attitudes, one Yin and one Yang. • A warrior has a magical tool, a family heirloom that has been passed down from a glorious ancestor whose deeds made it superior to standard items of that type. • There is also a special character sheet for the game, see page 237. Follow the following steps to create your wuxia warrior. 1. WHAT IS YOUR STATION IN LIFE? Society in Tang China is organised by class, and a warrior’s position in that has a bearing on how other citizens behave towards them. The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, who through rituals performed annually talks to his counterpart and superior in the Western Heaven, the Jade Emperor. Underneath the Emperor are the following social classes, in descending order: • Nobles. • Mandarins. • The warrior clans. • Peasants. • Outcasts, outlaws and supernatural creatures. One of the thing that membership of a martial arts circles gives its members is a freedom from the usual social order. As a member of such q circle, respect and rank is determined by ability. However, it also brings with its own rules and structures. There is an established hierarchy of Grandmasters (acknowledged owners of a Kung-Fu style, and often leaders of a school of practice) and Masters (accepted to be proficient in a style and allowed to teach students), who must be obeyed, and rules that govern disputes between members. The warrior’s station in life determines their main skill area outside of martial arts. It’s what they do in regular society when they are not leaping about being a wuxia hero/heroine. To determine your warrior’s social class, either pick one of the following five options, or come up with your own idea, or randomly pick a card to determine. Randomiser: • Spades: Mandarin. • Diamonds: Noble. • Hearts: Peasant. • Clubs: Warrior. • Joker: Outcast/Supernatural. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 211 Monkey Mandarin (Spade) You were born into an urban clan whose members traditionally take the Imperial Exams and upon passing prove their worth by becoming a mandarin, one of the urban administrative class which is responsible for the day to day running of the Empire. If you follow the destiny set out by your family, write Mandarin under your skills list with a value of 2. Other options: Perhaps you used the knowledge that you gained studying for the exams to do something else with your life? Maybe you become a prosperous Merchant, with your understanding of taxes and trading laws. Perhaps you grew sickened by the criminals who prey upon the hard working and innocent citizens and became a Magistrate. If learning was your true calling, then becoming a Scholar was your destination. Or, tired of earthly affairs and dealing with all the corruption you gave up your office and became a Buddhist Monk. After immersing yourself in its ways, perhaps the city itself called you to become a Taoist Geomancer, a type of sorcerer who is responsible for the correct energy flows in the city and is always consulted when new buildings are constructed, so their very form brings good fortune to their inhabitants. Other Skills • Spades: Merchant. • Diamonds: Scholar. • Hearts: Buddhist. • Clubs: Magistrate. • Joker: Taoist. What ever skill you end up with it has a value of 2. Noble (Diamond) The Tang Empire still has a noble class, which is mostly divorced from day to day running of the Empire, which falls to the Mandarin class. The emperor has many wives and concubines that produce numerous offspring, so there are many princes and princesses running about the Empire. They spend their time amassing personal fortunes, filling official heredity government posts and jostling for position at court. Write Courtier under the skills list, with a value of 2. Other options: People born into noble families have other options if they are strong and independent enough to pursue them. An especially determined noble might be a competent Ruler being given a heredity position of merit within one of the Ministries or a General of an army. Many take up a life of Scholar. Some may turn their backs on the life of riches and privilege and enter a Buddhist monastery. Some rare individuals may use their inherited resources to pursue an interest in Taoist Alchemy and Sorcery.

Continued over. Monkey 212 Defenders of the Dragon Empire (continued from previous page) Other Skills: • Spades: Ruler. • Diamonds: Scholar. • Hearts: Buddhist. • Clubs: Warrior. • Joker: Taoist Sorcerer. What ever skill you end up with it has a value of 2. Peasant (Heart) Tang China is still an agrarian society and has a large peasant class who toil in the rice fields and live in villages that are connected by roads to a nearby city which acts as a market for their goods and an administration centre for tax collection. Now your peasant is not one of the ordinary folks who stay at home. After all Farmer as a skill set is hardly exciting for a warrior. Perhaps you were a dashing Rogue, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Or maybe you joined up and joined the military, and became a Solider? Or you had an eye for commerce and became a prosperous Merchant? Or perhaps inspired by a wise teacher you became a wandering Taoist healer, known as a Barefoot Doctor. Randomiser • Spades: Rogue. • Diamonds Merchant. • Hearts: Buddhist. • Clubs: Solider. • Joker: Taoist. What ever skill you end up with it has a value of 2. Warrior (Club) You are a member of a warrior clan, who have a duty to provide soldiers for the Empire’s Armies during wartime and hone their skills while farming during peacetime. Write down Warrior under your skills list, with a value of 2. Other options: Even if you were raised by warriors and expected to serve in the army, you might have broken with that. Maybe you tired of your life of violence and became a Buddhist Monk. Perhaps you cut with law and order and became a bandit (rogue) out of necessity to survive after leaving the army. Or you gave up fighting on the front line and became a type of courtier known as a Strategist advising a local noble on the tactics of war. Perhaps you settled down, took the money you had made as a soldier and opened a shop becoming a Merchant. Maybe you died during the war and came back as someone not entirely dead or alive, to right some wrong. Other Options: Defenders of the Dragon Empire 213 Monkey • Spades: Rogue. • Diamonds: Courtier. • Hearts: Buddhist. • Clubs: Merchant. • Joker: Supernatural Undead Avenger. What ever skill you end up with it has a value of 2. Outcast /Supernatural (Joker) This category is for those rare individuals who exist complete outside Tang China’s social structure. Animal spirits who have taken human form out of curiosity. Taoist hermits who live in isolation studying the Tao. Bandits who have gone rogue and prey on travellers in remote paths. Even an Immortal who has come down to Earth to prove a point to their fellow Immortals and given up their powers and immortality to become immortal to prove their point. The player’s invention is encouraged by this result, but the following skills are appropriate: Randomiser • Spades: Animal spirit. • Diamonds: Bandit. • Hearts: Taoist hermit. • Clubs: Immortal who has become an mortal. • Joker: Draw two more cards and apply the results above. The player should also think about what has brought their warrior back into regular society to become one of the City’s defenders. 2.YOUR KUNG FU STYLE Central to the warrior’s concept is their Kung Fu style. This style is a warrior’s primary skill which starts at a value of three. Ooutside of the numbers it tells its own story about the warrior and is the thing that their magic powers hang off. Give it a Name Since this is a fantasy game, the name can be as fancy and evocative as you can imagine. Examples: The Way of the Howling Monkey, The Tiger’s Claws, Rain of Ascending Dragon, Style of the Nine Scrolls. Who Taught you, Kung Fu? Central to the warrior’s story is the idea that they were taught their martial art by an existing Master,who they are still in contact with. • Spades: Temple. • Diamonds: From a reclusive Master. • Hearts: Family Tradition. • Clubs: During Military service. • Joker: From an Immortal. Monkey 214 Defenders of the Dragon Empire Special Kung Fu Moves These are the Martial Artist’s equivalent of the immortal’s magic powers. They are not as all-powerful as an immortal’s, but they are still quite flashy and of the world of the supernatural, drawing from the warrior’s ability to wield magical energy, commonly known as Chi, from both their own reserves and from being connected to the oneness of the universe that is known as the Tao. Ordinary mortals tremble at the sight of them being employed. When brought into play during an action they draw an extra card into the player’s action hand, if the player can narrate it appropriately. Some examples: • Flyingkick. • Run Across Treetops. • Whirling Blades. • Flexible Sword. • Double Strike. • Be a blur of motion. • Duck very low. • Shattering shout. • Jump High from Standing. • Soft Push that throws across the room. The names of the special move should also describe what the movement is, or if you have given it a fancy name, such as Tiger Strike, you should provide a quick one-line description, eg. Tiger Strike, a hard blow that penetrates armour. Gaining New Special Moves Starting characters have one special move. As they advance they learn one special move per adventure completed (two If the adventure is exceptionally long and goes over multiple sessions). Special moves can either be new ones created by the player, from exploits in the game, that is in keeping with the overtone and essence of the style or secret techniques taught to them by their school (see list Quick Kung Fu styles below for some ideas of such moves). Learning Multiple Kung Fu Styles New Kung Fu styles can be acquired as if they were a new skill. Unlike ordinary skills they don’t have to be swapped out, i.e. they are added to the list of skills that a warrior has. A new Kung Fu skill starts with a value of one and has one special move. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 215 Monkey

Quick Kung Fu Styles This is for Narrators and players who want a list of predefined Kung Fu styles, as a quick starting point. Please note that in keeping in that Monkey and Defenders of the Dragon Empire are fantasy games, these styles are not historically accurate, but instead are designed to be fanciful and loudly colourful to inspire the imagination. Format of Style: Name of Style, quick description of the essence of the style (List names of special moves, minimum of about five to give players enough choice). Example Kung Fu Styles Flying Goose Style. A fast-moving fighting art, employing flighted kicks and “beaked” hand attacks, and the long spear (Flying Goose Kick, Peeking Fists, Quick Darting Spear Technique, Great Launch Up, Sweeping Wings). Wondrous Thunder Style. Inspired by the Thunder Deities, this is a style of sudden and dramatic attacks, which sometimes employs a war hammer or mace (Explosive Fist, Lighting Attack, Descending Rapidly from the Sky, Crack with Hammer, Ride the Lightning). Defender’s Form. A simple yet powerful style developed by and used by bodyguards and guardsmen throughout the empire, employing grappling attacks and the use of sword and shield. (Five Hands Technique, Unbreakable Headlock, Whirling Sword and Shield, Grab the Unjust, Defence of the Truth). The Tiger Claws, an aggressive punching style inspired by the power and grace of a tiger (Pouncing Punch, Tiger Claw, Bounding Leap, Biting Jaws, Mighty Roar). Rags and Bones, a style that according to legend had its origins among the beggars of some of the Empire’s more impoverished cities which is notable for its use of improvised weapons (Begging that hides an attack, Appear Dead Then Leap Up, Six Star Club Technique, Scape the Earth with the Bowl, In My Hands this Thing is a Weapon). The Way of the Howling Monkey. A new style supposedly taught by the Monkey King before he started his Journey to the West (this is highly debatable) (Monkey Tricks the Fool, Throw my Stuff in your Face, Howl of the Monkey, Monkey Leaps to Heaven, Leap from Tree to Tree). Rain of Ascending Dragon. As the Dragon rises it bring down rain, so the adherents of this style build surprising energy before unleashing terrifying attacks (Rising Energy Strike, Bring down Hail of Fists, Mighty Sweep Skywards, Five Clawed Punch of the King Dragon, Dragon Rising Into Air Leap). Style of the Nine Scrolls, traditionally taught to Imperial Scholars who are fed up with being picked on by the Imperial Guards (Palm Behind Book Strike, The Pen is Mightier than the Sword, Climb Quickly Up the Bookcases, Evasion of the Falling Volumes, Sweep Scrolls off Shelves). Monkey 216 Defenders of the Dragon Empire 3. WHAT ARE YOU LIKE AS A PERSON? Like immortals, warriors have attitudes. One Yin and one Yang. Refer to page 44 in Chapter 2 Origins. Or alternatively choose at least one of the virtues of the Xia Code: Righteous and Honour, Loyalty, Benevolence, Kindness, Truthfulness, and Justice. 4. THE WARRIOR’S WEAKNESS Like immortals, each player warrior has a character weakness. Use the procedure from page 59 and the list from page 67 to determine, adjusting the description to reflect their mortal origin. Also, their inbuilt weakness from being mortal is their ability to take physical damage and die. See Types of Injury in the Mortality section opposite. 5. MAGICAL HEIRLOOM Honouring the great deeds of one’s ancestors is a large part of Tang Chinese Culture. Families will have magical weapons and tools that they pass on from fathers/mothers to their sons/daughters. The bearer of such items, must not lose or befoul it. Otherwise, they will bring great dishonour to their family and clan. So like immortals, the warriors will start with a magical heirloom. See page 71 to get some ideas and examples.

This Boar Demon is one of the footsoldiers of the demon army besieging the Warriors’ City. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 217 Monkey MORTALITY The other significant change from the standard Monkey rules is the fact that the wuxia warriors are mortals. The rules here replace the guidelines given on page 43 for mortals in the Origins chapter. As well as common sense situations, the warrior’s mortality comes into question in the following: • If the warrior is involved in a life-threatening dramatic action, such as combat. • As a result of avoiding immediate life-threatening harm from the environment, such as a rockfall or be being caught in a mechanical trap, which is resolved as a simple action. TYPES OF INJURY Damage from life-threatening situations that can physically harm the warrior is recorded as a weakness. These come in three types: A temporary weakness that lasts to the end of the next scene. Examples include Slightly shaken, Minor Bruising, Lightly Cut, Dead Arm. They can be quickly healed by a healer, with either an ordinary skill in healing or some magical ability. No special scene spent healing is needed, and success is automatic. An adventure weakness that lasts to the end of the current adventure, be it a single or multi-session in length, or a scene is spent healing. Examples include Dazed and Confused, Major Bruising, Bleeding and bandaged, broken arm. These injuries take a healer one scene to heal, and the scene is dedicated to the process of healing. So, for example, the scimitar-wielding Silver Willow meets her match in a fight against a Demon Swordsman and is severely cut, losing the ability to use a sword in her left hand. She could spend the adventure being at Whirling Sabre Kung Fu 2 (instead of the usual 3) when it comes to sword fights, reflecting how she heroically carries on despite her injury. Instead, she takes a scene to visit a passing Barefoot Doctor, who heals her wounds in the peaceful, tranquil glade which the healer has set up their temporary practice in. A permanent weakness lasts until the warrior has some form of supernatural intervention, usually as the result of performing some good deed on behalf of a powerful magical healer or Bodhisattva, such as Kuan Yin, or another Immortal who shows sympathy to mortals. Examples of Permanent Weaknesses: Missing Eye, Missing Left Arm, Blind, Gets Short of Breath, Hard of Hearing. For Example, say if Silver Willow’s wounds were a permanent weakness, they could be healed by the Barefoot Doctor, if she hunted down and drove off a particularly nasty Demon who was causing all sorts of disease and infection in a village some distance away that the Barefoot Doctor has sworn to protect, but is unable to due to their dedication to the healing arts rather than the martial arts. Note that Silver Willow still has to live with her injury until this mini-adventure is completed. These injuries act like standard weaknesses in that they can be called upon by the player to generate extra saved cards. In addition, the Narrator can also impose a penalty for any action where the weakness affects the skill being used, reducing it by one for each weakness that applies. This means a warrior who has applicable temporary, adventure and permanent weaknesses can have their Monkey 218 Defenders of the Dragon Empire skill reduced by three. When a skill is reduced to zero or less in this way the warrior cannot use the skill to resolve an action, and if there is no positive skill they lose an applicable action by default unless they have another skill to bring to bear. Finally, it is possible to have multiple weaknesses of each category. These injuries do not add up to mortal wounds. Wuxia Warriors, while not immortal, are much tougher than the average human, their bodies in peak physical condition and channelling the magical energy known as Chi which both fuels their supernatural kung fu abilities and rapidly heals their wounds. This is not to say that a warrior with multiple weaknesses will not be brought low by all the skill use penalties. Players and Narrators may optionally expand this system of weaknesses as injury to include injuries that are mental or even magical in nature. ENVIRONMENTAL DANGER (SIMPLE ACTION) Note this ruling replaces the usual rule that static environmental factors are resolved as quick actions that cause no damage. This might be the case for immortals, but more fragile mortals can be affected by all sorts of hazards arising from their immediate surroundings. Examples of environmental danger: • The warrior falls from a height. • Being caught in a mechanical trap, such as a spiked board that comes out of a passageway wall when a pressure pad is stood on. • Being caught in a fast-flowing river and being bashed against rocks in it. • Being caught in extreme weather, such as a typhoon or snow storm. The Process The Narrator tells the players what the danger is and the consequences of not revisiting it. This type of danger is resolved using a simple action where the Narrator draws one card or even two or three cards for high and extreme danger, and the player says what their warrior is doing to avoid the danger. If the player wins, the danger is avoided. If the player loses they gain a weakness related to the damage the warrior takes from the danger If the card that beat them was a number card this weakness is a temporary weakness, and lasts only for the next scene. If the card that beats them was a picture card (including Aces), then the weakness is an adventure weakness. If the card that beats them was a Joker, then the weakness is permanent. Example weaknesses caused by Environmental Dangers. • Being blinded by snake venom. • Arm broke by a fall. • Concussed by head being bashed by falling rocks. • Infected with fainting disease. Note: The player may swap in cards from the saved card pile to help them avoid the danger. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 219 Monkey For Example: Sturdy Ox, the champion of the common man who wields a giant two-headed mace and who is renowned for his powers of being unmovable in combat, is caught in a typhoon that has been magically summoned by the demon Black Horse. The winds are so severe that if Sturdy Ox loses his footing, he will be swept up into the air, carried along by the swirling winds and dropped from a great height when they lose him, potentially causing broken limbs and/or concussion. Sturdy Ox’s player states that he “channels the Yin power of the earth through his Ox Steady stance, backed up by his resolute (Yin) attitude to resist being blown away by the winds.” The Narrator pulls a card: A King of Diamonds. Since Sturdy Ox is using his Kung Fu to resist the damage, helped out by a specific power, he draws 3 cards for the skill, an extra card for the power and another card for the Yin attitude. A total of five cards. Note this gives Sturdy Ox a pretty good chance of beating the environmental danger. This should be the case, warriors are rarely brought low by such hazards, but the fact that a mortal could lose and be harmed makes the player come up with a way of avoiding the danger which brings excitement to the story. The Narrator should not overdo environmental dangers, insisting on actions for every mountain or river that the warriors cross for example. It should be reserved for tense, uncertain moments of play. If Sturdy Ox’s player has a card to beat the Narrator’s King of Diamonds, Sturdy Ox holds his ground, and the storm passes by him. If they fail to beat the Narrator’s card, then since it is a picture card they get an Adventure Weakness. Quick Format for Environmental Dangers If you are the sort of Narrator who likes to prepare details in advance, you might want to make a note of environmental dangers in your adventure pre- game notes. The notation for this is: Name of Danger (which is usually descriptive), Level of Danger (default 1, high 2, extreme 3), Weakness inflicted by danger). So, taking the example dangers given earlier: • Falling from a height, 1, Broken Bones, Dazed and Confused. • A spiked board that comes out of a passageway wall when a pressure pad is stood on, 1, Mangled Limb, Punctured Lung. • Being caught in a fast-flowing river and being bashed against rocks in it, 2, Broken Bones, Heavy Bruising, Cracked Skull. • Being caught in extreme weather, such as a typhoon or snowstorm, 3, Broken bones, Crushed limbs, Bashed and Confused. Monkey 220 Defenders of the Dragon Empire PHYSICAL COMBAT (DRAMATIC ACTION) When a Warrior is knocked out of a dramatic action, such as combat where lethal force is being used by combatants who intend to inflict physical harm, where there is a chance that they may be killed or severely wounded either in a physical or emotional way, there may be that has long-lasting consequences. This is not determined while the dramatic action is taking place. The warrior is merely knocked to the ground, and their fate is unknown as the combat continues. After the combat is over, draw a card from the player’s deck to determine the warrior’s fate. Note saved cards cannot be swapped into the player’s hand. The higher the card value, the more likely they are severely damaged or even dead. • 2-10 They are superficially wounded, get a temporary weakness. • Jack or Queen, seriously wounded, gain an adventure weakness. • King, grievously wounded, gain a permanent weakness. • Ace, they are physically dead, and their soul has gone to the 10 Courts of Hell (even if your warrior is fundamentally virtuous and due to go Western or Eastern Heaven you still pass through the Hell and are judged). • Joker. They should be dead or injured, but somehow, they walk away unharmed after the fight has ended.

Strikes and Mortal Wuxia Warriors. Strikes are not measures of physical damage inflicted upon the warrior. They are an indication of how the warrior is doing in the fight. So, a warrior with one strike, has suffered a set back that has dented their confidence and made them weaker and less likely to gain the upper hand against an opponent who has not suffered any strikes. If you need to describe Strikes as damage, it’s the superficial type like the wind being knocked out of them, or light bruises, cuts and aches that heal easily. As in the regular game all Strikes disappear after the combat is over and play proceeds to the next scene. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 221 Monkey Running Defenders of the Dragon Empire Unlike the Journey to the West, this game is firmly centred on the city that the warriors are defending. The outside world extends only as far as the surrounding farmlands and villages that use the city as an administration centre. These areas get increasingly war-torn and desolate as the Demon War continues. Defenders of the Dragon Empire is a war story, with the heroic warriors fighting the evil demons and their traitorous human allies. PHASES OF THE GAME INTRODUCTION: WHAT I DID BEFORE THE WAR This is the five-step character generation as outlined in the Origins section above in Rules Changes. Unlike Monkey this is a pre-game activity, but one that can be done quickly and openly. Encourage the players to discuss and explain the choices they make for their warriors and go round the table to do introductions when everyone has finished creating their warrior. Then explain that they are members of a city’s martial art’s circle as well as members of their families and skills. Collaboratively create the ranking members of that circle, with the Narrator and group creating the Head of the circle and each player creating a lieutenant. At this stage, these non-player characters only need a name and a rough description of what they are like. For example, Boss Horse is the Head of the City of the Five Winds Martial Arts Circle, who has a reputation for being an active peacemaker and is renowned for his Earth Strong Stance Kung Fu style. If you need to bring game numbers into play, both the Head and the Lieutenants are the equivalent of supporting characters in terms of game profiles. The city at this stage is nebulous and undefined. It has the level of detail that City of the Winds in the Bag of Winds (see page 175) has. Refer to that when explaining the basics of the city (“It has a wall, a Governor’s palace.”) The players and Narrator should decide on a name for it and perhaps a couple of details of what makes the city famous in its own right. Let other information arise through play. PHASE 1. THE ENEMY AT THE GATES The game starts with a bang. The demon army is at the gates, pursuing the small flood of peasants who have come from the surrounding countryside (complete with stories of death and destruction at the hands of the demons). Being a Tang City, apart from a small city guard, there is no sizeable army (since armies are stationed on the Empire’s borders). It falls to the city’s martial artists (including the player warriors) to rise up and repel the monsters. The warriors have a number of acts of heroism to perform, such as the following: • Rescue the fleeing peasants, from their pursuing demons. • Defend the city gates from the demons, heroically preventing them overrunning the city. • Defeat the Demon Champion (a supporting immortal) who challenges the city champion. Monkey 222 Defenders of the Dragon Empire • Prevent city citizens from leaving the city and fleeing straigh straight into the arms of the waiting demon army. • Prevent panic on the city streets. • Motivate other civic officials (Mandarins, the City Guard, local Buddhist and Taoist Priests) into defending the city and helping the trapped inhabitants and the influx of refugees. The opponents in this initial onslaught are the Demon Soldiers (extras) and their commanders who are supporting characters. At this stage, the warriors may only get a quick glimpse of the armies’ commander (a major character). PHASE 2. THE ENEMY WITHIN AND WITHOUT This is the central part of the game. With the demon army camped outside the city gates and the defenders within the city, there is an uneasy stalemate between the two sides. A series of small-scale conflicts try to shift the balance between the forces. There are battles outside the city walls between the warriors and the demons as each side tests the strength of the other. Both sides mount raids into the territory of the other. The demons to create as much havoc and destruction as possible to weaken the defenders. The warriors to find out more about the demon’s plans and abilities. During this phase that the warriors learn that some of their compatriots have joined the demons for various reasons. Local bandits have joined the demon army as have villagers who got caught behind enemy lines; perhaps they will join the city forces if their loved ones are liberated from the demon occupied village? Greedy city officials have listened to the whispering demon voices in their dreams and are working from within to bring the city down. Also, the corruption of the city officials and other humans working in league with the demons, allows some of the demon army to infiltrate the city in disguise and take the place of well known and loved people. Assassinations, sabotage, and corruption are the outcomes of them working against their fellow citizens on their Demon Commander’s behalf. Defenders of the Dragon Empire 223 Monkey PHASE 3. THE FINAL BATTLE This phase is the climactic battle between the demonic army that is besieging the city and its defenders, which by now should include the warriors in significant leadership roles. If not they are promoted in this act, so it’s the players who make all the critical decisions about how the battle is fought. Depending on the events of phase 2 the action takes place outside the city walls if the warriors have kept the demons out, or within the city itself, if traitors have weakened the city defences so the demons can break in. It’s a desperate all or nothing conflict that can take an epic game session to resolve or several linked game sessions. During the battle, there should be an opportunity to challenge and defeat all the remaining Demon Commander’s Lieutenants, before the final epic confrontation with the Demon Commander.

This floating mastermind, the bodiless Demon Lord known as the Eye of Terror, is the final enemy the warriors must defeat to make their city safe Monkey 224 Biblography 14. Bibliography Novels MONKEY (PENGUIN) TRANSLATED BY ARTHUR WALEY This is the most commonly available English translation, but heavily abridged. It is missing large chunks of the story, since Waley chooses only to translate 30 of the 100 Chapters. Until I started work on this game I often wondered why certain things happened in the book as they did. This is because the missing bits are the parts of the narrative which explain this fine detail. Probably my least favourite of the translations I have read, but one you’ll find easily in your local bookstore. Also notable there is an audio book version, where British comedian Kenneth Williams reads the book, available via Amazon. THE JOURNEY TO THE WEST (UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO) TRANSLATED BY ANTHONY C. YU This is a full 100-chapter translation of the story, done by an Asian academic. Split over four volumes, of four-five hundred pages each, this shows that the story is bigger than the Lord of the Rings (and a lot more fun in my opinion). This is where you go if you really want the full picture of who is who and what is what in Monkey. This version can be heavy going at times, but it’s ultimately very rewarding. MONKEY: A JOURNEY TO THE WEST (SHAMBHALA CLASSICS) TRANSLATED BY DAVID KHERDIAN A delightfully readable version of the story, which concentrates on the spiritual side of the tale without becoming too heavy or dull. Easily the most enjoyable translation I have read. Unfortunately, it’s very very abridged. TV & Film JOURNEY TO THE WEST (CHINA CENTRAL TV 1986) This version is still considered the most faithful adaptation of the book. The actor, Liu Xiao Ling Tong, who plays Monkey, is the latest in a line of Peking Opera actors who specialise in playing the Monkey King. Originally it was his elder brother who was going inherit the role from his father, but when he died of leukaemia, Liu Xiao Ling Tong took up the role and dedicated his performance to his elder sibling. MONKEY (JAPANESE TV 1978-1980) This was my first introduction to the story in my youth on BBC 2 on Thursday nights. Despite some corny acting and atrocious special effects, it captures the spirit of the novel admirably. Biblography 225 Monkey MONKEY MAGIC (DIRECTOR: KENSAKU SAWADA ) This is a follow on of a yet another short series done by Japanese TV in 2006. Bang up to date with whizz bang special effects, while some of the characterisation is a bit off at times (poor Sandy and Pigsy barely get a look in) it’s a feast for the eyes. Recommended to get a quick visual feel for the story if nothing else. KUNG-FU HUSTLE (DIRECTOR: STEPHEN CHOW) The plot of this film has nothing to do with the story Monkey, but the theme of redemption of the main character and the over the top presentation and fun of the film are bang in the same ball park. The soundtrack, a lot of which pulled from traditional folk music used in classic Kung Fu films, is ideal for sessions of Monkey. I cannot recommend this film highly enough for carrying the spirit of Monkey. JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING DEMONS (DIRECTOR: STEPHEN CHOW) A new beginning to the story of Monkey. Centres on the adventures of a mop haired Chen Xang Chang, a Buddhist Demon Hunter who believes that Demons are essentially good and can be cured by reading them stories from his 300 Nursery Rhymes book. Along the way he encounters and defeats Sandy and Pigsy in their demon forms and finally Monkey, who is a much more threatening character than he is in the novel. The film ends with the now bald Chen being given the name Tripitaka and the mission of going to get the missing Buddhist Scrolls from India. The demons, now in human form, join him on his journey. Chow employs the same slap stick humour as he does in Kung-Fu Hustle, while faithfully paying attention to the source novels deep themes. JOURNEY TO THE WEST: THE DEMONS STRIKE BACK (DIRECTOR: TSUI HARK) A sequel to the above, written by Stephen Chow but directed by famous director Tsui Hark. The Journey to the West is in full flow and the film, built around several of the 81 Ordeals chapters of the book, tells the story of the gradual falling out between Monkey, who resents being whipped and tamed using the Head Band Sutra, and Tripitaka who is scared of Monkey and has never quite got over the fact that he killed his love from the first film. A dazzling visual spectacle, full of fiery Kung Fu antics that made the first film so much fun. Monkey 226 Biblography Comics THE MONKEY KING (DARK HORSE COMICS,2005) BY KATSUYA TERADA This is an alternative and somewhat dark take on the tale. I found it stripped the story of too much of its humour and charm. Monkey is a Conan the Barbarian type figure and Tripitaka is a nun who team up to rebel against a tyrannical Buddha. MONKEY SUBDUES THE WHITE BONE DEMON A breath-taking work of black and white illustrations, based upon one of the chapters from the novel. A comic book published by Peking Foreign press, from woodcuts from the 17Th Century. Many of the Chinese depictions of the Pilgrims are either direct copies or heavily influenced by these illustrations. THE ADVENTURES OF THE MONKEY KING (WEI DONG CHEN AND CHAO PENG) A twenty-issue comic in A5 format from JR Comics, written by Chinese comic legends Wei Dong Chen and Chao Peng. Vibrant and action packed, just as the story should be. Visit JRcomics.com for more information and samples. Non-Fiction References Asian Mythology (Lorenz Books) by Rachel Storm This is a copiously illustrated reference book, which covers not only Chinese but also Japanese and Siberian mythology. It’s a highly recommended introduction to the complex and sometimes bewildering world of Chinese Myth and Folklore. CHINESE MYTHOLOGY (DIAMOND BOOKS) BY DEREK WALTERS A more in-depth treatment packed with Immortals and events that you can plunder for your games. CHINA’S GOLDEN AGE, EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE TANG DYNASTY (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS) BY CHARLES BENN. Written by a knowledgeable academic who teaches courses in the subject, this is an invaluable and colourful reference to the mortal world of the Tang Empire. 227 Monkey An Example Table Set Up

THE NARRATOR

Discard Pile Narrator’s Deck

NARRATOR’S CARD PLAY AREA Action Hand PLAYER 2 Saved Card(s) Saved Saved Card(s) PLAYER 3

Discard Pile Player’s Deck

PLAYER’S DECK Action Hand

Action Hand Saved Card(s) PLAYER 1 Monkey Portrait Monkey The Role-Playing Game The Role-Playing Game Immortal Sheet Your Monk/Nun

NAME:

PLAYER:

ORIGIN:

ATTITUDES Yin (Black Cards): Yang (Red Cards):

SKILLS 1. 2. 3.

MAGIC POWERS Flight Shape change

MAGICAL TOOL

WEAKNESS

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES Patron:

Friends:

Enemies: Monkey Portrait The Role-Playing Game Your Monk/Nun

YOUR MONK’S/NUN’S NAME:

THEIR ORIGIN:

ATTITUDE Yin (Black Cards) or Yang (Red Cards):

SKILLS 1. Buddhist 4 2.

WEAKNESS

MAGIC POWERS Buddhist Sutras.

MAGICAL TOOL

BACKGROUND/OTHER NOTES Defenders of The Portrait Dragon Empire Warrior Sheet

NAME:

PLAYER:

ORIGIN:

ATTITUDES Yin (Black Cards): Yang (Red Cards):

SKILLS 1. 2.

KUNG FU STYLES

MAGICAL TOOLS

WEAKNESS

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES Friends:

Enemies: Monkey 231 Quick Reference Quick Reference

This section contains some handy summaries of the important bits of the rules and tables, for quick reference during the game. Chapter 3 Origins The Five steps of Immortal Creation summarised. STEP 1.ORIGINS • A Name. • How they were born/created. • A mention of their Parents and Mentors. • Their First skill (which has a value of 3). • What they were like as a person (pick one attitude and note if it is Yin or Yang). • Flight and Shapeshifting as magical powers and one other Magical Power that they learn or are born with. • Play the First Challenge. STEP 2 GOING TO HEAVEN • Did your immortal get a new name when they reached Heaven? • Who became your Patron while in Heaven? • Who did you offend during your time in Heaven, who became your Enemy? • Did you fit in harmoniously? • What did you have a reputation for? (Pick another Attitude) • Did you meet your fellow immortals at this stage? • Your Second skill, either in Heaven, or, like Monkey, gained on the journey to heaven: • Challenge 2: Keeping your place in Heaven. STEP 3: THE MAGICAL TOOL • Determine the magical weapon or tool that the immortal is given. • Challenge 3 Gaining the Magic Weapon. STEP 4: GETTING THROWN OUT OF HEAVEN • Determine the Immortal’s crime against the powers of Heaven and their weakness. • Challenge 4: Resisting your expulsion STEP 5: ARRIVAL ON EARTH • Each player narrates briefly what their immortal got up to once they arrived on Earth. • This step gives you your immortal’s third and final skill. • This step does not involve a challenge. Monkey 232 Quick Reference chapter 5 The Road to India THE NORMAL FLOW OF A SCENE 1. Work out who has the spotlight. At the beginning of the scene make sure everyone knows who has the spotlight. For it is them that gets the option to go first and potentially steal the scene. 2. Set the Scene. The Narrator asks the players if they want to steal the scene. If they do, they set the scene with the help of the Narrator. Otherwise, it defaults to the Narrator sets the scene. 3. Play out the Scene. Problems are resolved by either talking them through, i.e. by pure role-playing, or by playing out an Action. 4. Exiting the Scene. The Narrator and the players bring the scene to an end, as the player immortals leave it and move onto the next scene. Any consequences and rewards are noted, and their effect on future scenes and the outcome of the adventure overall noted. THE PLAYERS’ CONTROL OF THE NARRATIVE Players can take control of the Narrative using one (or all) of the following methods. See page 90. • Stealing the Scene. • Playing the Immortal’s Weakness. • Being under the Spotlight. • Calling Upon Friends and Enemies.

Scene Type Randomiser If you can’t decide what sort of scene you are going to run, draw a card from your deck and consult the following: • Hearts: Social. • Clubs: Violence. • Diamonds: Wealth. • Spades: Hard work. • Joker: Chaos/Disobedience. If this seems familiar, that is because it is used again and again during the Origin’s chapter to help with inspiration during the stages that make up the story of the immortal’s creation. Monkey 233 Quick Reference Action The Action system is used when the story takes a dramatic turn, and the outcome is uncertain. There are three types of action that might be employed, depending on the nature of the situation: • Quick. The action is resolved automatically at the standard dictated by the most appropriate skill’s rank. No cards are drawn. For example, if a character jumps across a river, his Acrobatics or appropriate Kung Fu skill rank determines whether he gets wet. • Simple. The player draws some cards equal to the rank of the skill their character is using, and the Narrator draws some cards equal to the opponent’s skill rank. The highest cards from each hand are then compared, with victory going to the higher card. • Dramatic. This is a series of simple actions, usually between three and five in number. Each Simple action represents a situation that needs to be resolved before moving on to the next one. Dramatic actions are used when merely beating the opposition in a single exchange of cards is not enough for victory and does not satisfy the needs of the story.

Card Management Rules • The Narrator has one deck of cards to themselves. • The players share one deck of cards. • A player may store one card, face down, which they may swap into their Action Hand at any given time. They may save extra cards, which are drawn and stored face down, by playing their weakness (see “Playing the Immortal’s Weakness” on page 91). Once played, these additional stored cards are not replaced. This called their saved card(s). • Aces are high; Jokers are the highest and cause a reshuffle of both the Narrator’s and the player’s decks when played due to the way they shake up the flow of the Universe. • You play one card at a time, to resolve an action. • If you tie in an action, the player wins, barely. There may be a complication if it makes sense in the context of the situation. • If you make an action that you don’t have a skill in, you just draw one card and may not swap in any cards that you have previously saved. Monkey 234 Quick Reference SIMPLE ACTIONS Step 1 Baddies go first! The Narrator draws some card(s) for the opponent, depending on their narrative importance: • Extras: One card. • Supporting characters: Two cards. • Major characters: Three to Six cards depending on how threatening or nasty they are. The Narrator picks the highest card to play, which is placed face down in front of the player and gives a quick narrative of how the baddie is threatening the character, coloured by whether the threat is Yin (black) or Yang (red) as determined by the card that is being played. Step 2 Next the Immortal 1. BUILD THE NARRATIVE DECLARATION from the combination of skill, magic and the attitude you are playing. NOTE: Whether the action is inY (black cards) or Yang (red cards) is set here by the attitude, which you MUST declare as part of your narrative. In short: Narrative declaration = Skill (what the immortal is doing) + Attitude (how they are doing it) + Magic Power/or Item (what they are doing it with). 2. DRAW CARDS FOR SKILL: For the skill that the character is using to resolve the action, draw cards equal to skill rank. 3. DRAW CARDS FOR MAGIC: If using magic, draw a card for ONE magical power or weapon that you are using. 4. DRAW CARDS FOR ATTITUDE: Draw one card for your attitude you are playing 5. DISCARD CARDS THAT DO NOT MATCH THE COLOUR OF THE ATTITUDE YOU ARE PLAYING. If the attitude you are playing is Yin, discard all the red (Yang) cards. Conversely, if the attitude you are playing is Yang, discard all the black (Yin) cards. 6. PLAY THE HIGHEST CARD: Pick the highest card that you’ve drawn, and put that face up in front of the Narrator. 7. CLEAN UP YOUR MESS! Put all the cards that you chose not to play in the discard pile. Before you do this stage, you may swap one of these cards with your Saved Card. 8. DETERMINE THE WINNER: The character with the highest card wins. In the case of draws, the player just about wins. Monkey 235 Quick Reference PROCEDURE FOR DRAMATIC ACTIONS Each Dramatic Action is a sequence of simple actions played out over a series of Exchanges.

1. INITIATIVE: The order of actions is determined by going around the table clockwise, starting with the player who currently has the spotlight for the scene. 2. DECLARE NARRATIVE INTENTION BEFORE ACTING: Before each player draws their cards, they must declare their intent for their immortal’s actions for that exchange. 3. MAKE THE EXCHANGE: The player and opponent draw cards in the same way as for simple actions. However, the character and opponent both go simultaneously. If the player wins, they succeed with their intent. If the Narrator wins, they narrate what happens 4. LOSING AN EXCHANGE HAS CONSEQUENCES. The most immediate one is that the losing character takes a strike. Player immortals have 3 strikes. Extras take one strike and are out, supporting characters take two and major characters take three or more depending on how much of a threat they are (see above for a quick guide). When you are out of strikes, you are out of the action. There may be other consequences (such as having a magical weapon knocked out of your hand) which are up to the Narrator to approve or impose. Strikes represent the immortal having their energy lowered, either through it being bashed out of them in physical conflicts or diminished by their opponents proving their superiority in the situation through other means. Once the dramatic action is over the immortal’s energy almost immediately replenishes, and all lost strikes are regained. Monkey 236 Quick Reference

Things to remember while Narrating Monkey

• It’s meant to be a light-hearted fun game, not an interactive thesis or psychological drama about Chinese philosophy and mythology. • It’s a player-centred game. Don’t let non-player immortals dominate proceedings or take choice away from the players. • It’s an open game; everything happens in front of the players with their full involvement. • If something is fun, let it happen and see where it goes. • Be ready to improvise. • Don’t fudge or make arbitrary judgements. • No note passing or ‘secrets’. Imagine the game as being a big movie that even if a player’s character is not on screen, they are still watching. However, players not on the screen cannot make use of information that their immortals would not know. • Character vs. Character not Player vs. Player. • If you are not sure about applying a rule, don’t be afraid to consult the players. • If something awkward happens in game that any of the players do not feel comfortable with, stop the game immediately. Discuss the situation with the players and look for ways to resolve the issue. • Remember to compromise in the case of disputes, and not to play favourites. 237 Monkey F Index Feng Po: The Wind Lord 165, 171 Fox Spirits 149 A Fundamentals of running Monkey 116 Actions 93 Animal Spirit 41, 62, 72, 76 G A Note About Names 17 General Li 180 Attitudes 44 Glossary 18 Attitude List 45 Game Terms 18 New Attitudes 45 Setting Terms 19 Stacking Attitude bonuses 44 Great Buddha 142 The Great Cloud Race 23 B Great Immortals 43 Bodhisattva 143 The Great Stone Buddha 156 Buddha 142 Buddhism and Taoism 187 H Building Scenes (Revisited) 131 Huian the Novice 170

C I Celestial Immortal 41 Immortal Creation 60 Cities in Tang China 175 Immortals 9 The City God 147 Introducing the Patron 86 Crab Claws 160 J D The Jade Emperor 139 Demon 41 the Journey to the West 7 Demon Judge 152 The Journey to the West Comes to an End Demon Lord 148 110 Dragon Kings 144 K E King Yama 152 Earth, the World of Mortals 146 Kuan Yin 143, 170 The Earth God 147 Eastern Heaven 142 L Eighteen levels of Hell 151 Lao Tzu 140 Equipment and Wealth 59 Local Deities 42 Local Deity 148 Monkey 238 Index M Snake Eyes 182 Magical Powers 53 Solo adventure 24 Creating new magical powers 57 Spider Queen 162 Magical Items 55 Starting Equipment & Wealth 59 The Magical Tool 66 Steal the Scene 133 Mandarins of the Ministries 141 Stone Monkey 6 Meet the Monk 78 The ‘Metagame’ 125 T Minister of the Celestial Bureaucracy 140 Tang Empire 56,150 Monkey 191 The Four Oceans 144 The Monkey King 7 The Tang Emperor Announces the Jour- Monkey seeks Immortality 40 ney to the West 85 Monk or Nun? 82 The Tang Empire 150 Mortals 43 The Ten Courts of Hell 151 Tiger of the Heart 160 N Tiger Spirits 149 Narrator 11, 93, 116 Transcended Master 41, Tripitaka 197 O Tripitaka’s Horse 188 Origins 39 Tripitaka’s origin story 84 Overview of The Game System 12 Types of immortal 41 Ox Head and Horse Head 154 Types of Stories 134 As a one shot 135 P Multi-Session Experience 134 Pigsy 193 Practicalities of running Monkey 124 W Prince Natha 177, 179 Weakness 59 Getting thrown out of heaven 67 Q Your Immortal’s Weakness 59 Queen Mother of the West 137, 140 Western Heaven 139 What you need to play 10 R Red Flowers 174 Y Yin/Yang 44 S Sandy 195 Scene Type Randomiser 133 Skills 46 Skill List 46 Index 239 Monkey “Nothing in this world is difficult, but thinking makes it seem so. Where there is true will, There is always a way.” Wu Cheng'en, Monkey: A Journey to the West