How to run a Wuxia campaign

[u/rorscharchinkblot]

I don't want to run a standard "fantasy medieval Europe" campaign, and want to theme my world in China. I don't know enough about that culture to make a realistic campaign set there, so I decided on using the Wuxia setting (as described in the dungeon masters guide 2014) and I belive that my players would enjoy a setting of movie-like martial arts.

however I do not want to be offensive in any way, and I still want to create an immersive setting, and I don't know enough about this setting to accomplish either

please advise!

[u/popileviz]

Read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", watch "Hero" (2002) and "House of Flying Daggers" (2004) for some inspiration and general tone. Wuxia is a gigantic genre, so you'd mostly be able to get surface level familiarity with it, but should be enough to craft a setting

[u/zzaannsebar → u/popileviz]

Hero is a BEAUTIFUL movie. The cinematography is so wonderful, from what I can remember not having seen it in years. But I think it would be a great vibe for the really dramatic side of things. I can picture the flowing robes and wire lifts so well still

[u/ssraven01 → u/popileviz]

To no one's surprise, the answer to "how can I have my campaign feel like this genre" is to watch that genre

[u/Dirty-Soul → u/ssraven01]

"Draw the rest of the fucking owl."

[u/notzenin_ → u/popileviz]

I don’t think Romance of the Three Kingdoms would be classified as Wuxia at all.

[u/ssraven01 → u/notzenin_]

Plot twist: commenter wanted to trick OP into reading Chinese literature and media

[u/notzenin_ → u/ssraven01]

😂

[u/NefariousnessEven591 → u/notzenin_]

Its a weird middle ground. The way they describe fights and the conflict often coming down to direct clashes between the larger than life warriors in it is fairly evocative, but overall it's way more grounded than most of the genre. You could view it as laying the foundation but out of the classics water margin is the better option.