Another quick game of Fistful of Kung Fu last Tues. evening. This time, three infiltration assets carrying a stolen data chip were intercepted by a rapid response team in the dark and dirty streets of Dharampur. A sharp, short firefight ensued as the Wasp drone and two of the operators engaged security, providing cover for the CQB specialist who darted through the shadows to safety.
Once again, covert operators buffed with automatic weapons and stealth carried the day.
Here are some pictures:
I’ve got Osprey’s new Black Ops rules but Derek and Matt enjoy FoKF so much, it’s become our default ‘quick, pick-up’ game. The speed of play, the activation mechanic/turnover potential, the Chi boosts, and the simple combat resolution all combine to make this a fun little game. Time for me to work up some new cyberpunk-flavored crews. (and of course I’ll need to hunt down the proper minis, right?)
STALKER7 
I am intrigued that you like this rule set so much. Do the rules have enough flexibility to allow for body armor / power armor and advanced weaponry (i.e. energy weapons)?
Well, Yes and No. It’s not a gear or tech oriented rules set. It’s more about Characters (Protagonists) and their Abilities. It’s written by the same fellow who wrote Song of Blades and Heroes, and uses the same core mechanics. It’s fast and fun but doesn’t differentiate between types of SMGs, body armor, or cyber-enhancements. So it might be too abstract for your tastes. You want that level of crunch, look into Interface Zero 2.0 for Savage Worlds RPG. The SW combat system translates quite well into a table top wargame.
Or there is Pulp Alley and its Supplements. Very cool game probably a notch more complex than FoKF. But again, Pulp Alley is more about cinematic character action than cool tech.
I just read a review of the rules and have a few more questions…
#1 Since the rules are points driven for skills, abilities and equipment would it be possible to create something like a team of 40k Marines headed by an inquisitor? The Inquisitor would be the star and the Marines could be extras with more points to them so they are not pure cannon fodder.
#2 I understand the rules do not differentiate between various types of equipment (i.e. SMG) If I wanted a high tech SMG (i.e. Bolter) could I give it a plus one damage rating and call it good?
#3 What exactly were the different “team” options? In the review it mentioned a sidekick and extras are there any others?
#4 If I got creative with the rules could I make robots or larger creatures?
1. Sure. I would make the Inquisitor the Protag, create a better-than-average Bruiser/Sidekick, and buff the Space Marines with abilities like Protected and Armor. A six-man team (Inquisitor, Sidekick, and 4 SMs) might exceed the suggested 400 point limit, but so what? So long as the opposing force spend the same points, it’s all good, IMO
2. Auto weapons can use the Hail of Fire ability, which is pretty powerful. Try a giving +1 to bolter ranged attacks (which is essentially the Good Shot ability) and see if it’s unbalanced or not.
3. Teams… I took it to mean however you want to spend your points/configure your squad. 1 Protag/Hero, 1 BruiserSidekick, X number of Extras/Grunts. I suppose you could add another Bruiser or have a small number of grunts /extras with lots of abilities so long as you opponent has an equal point allotment. They might opt for a single Protag/Hero with a crap-ton of cannon fodder extras. Shave and tweak as desired, I say.
3. Robots or Large Creatures. Why not? They would count as Big or Huge models and have to pay the point cost for their abilities.
End of the day, I want to honor the spirit of the game, which is cinematic; a Hero and Sidekick backed by a bunch of low-level Extras fighting a Villain, his Secret Weapon, and Henchmen. It’s a simple, fast, fun little game that focuses on characters and story without getting bogged in minutia – the minutia that usually leads to disagreements over rule technicalities. We appreciate that so much in fact, we decided to use Song of Blades and Heroes for our upcoming fantasy campaign games.
Again, it’s not for everyone, but my group here is relieved at not having to track weapon types, range bands, tech levels, special rules, exceptions… “Play the game, not the rules” is where we’re at, and it’s actually a lot more fun.
Good Luck.
Interesting . . . never even heard of these games.
Not surprised. Wargaming is a bit old school. Esoteric.
I’ve been at it for decades though, so it’s in my bones.
I just hope I don’t leave too many unpainted figs when I die. 🙂
Well, don’t buy new ones and you’ll have a better chance. Also, obviously, try to live as long as you can.
Looks great!
Thanks man. We’re finishing up a PA campaign, then we’ll play more FoKF for a bit while I paint up the figs for a fantasy campaign. We’ll be using Song of Blades and Heroes for that.
Are you going to have a whole new set of fantasy terrain to rival your scifi terrain?
Ordered FOFK off Amazon cannot wait for it to arrive!
I think you’ll enjoy FoKF. It’s actually pretty versatile, not to mention fun.
Terrain – I’ve got generic trees and hills, as well as some indeterminate period, vaguely European farm houses I use for WW2 that can do double duty. However, I’ve got a couple ideas bouncing around and see more shelves in my gaming room’s future. 😉
I just received the FoKF and after reading through it like its simplicity while it still retains some depth to it at the same time. I tinkered with the points systems and was able to build armored marines etc… Psykers could use Taoist magic… Special abilities could actually be represented on the miniature (i.e. hammer blow the model has a power fist.)
The problem I had was I wanted to include things like LMGs, fusion guns and flamethrowers. The strongest firearm in this game appears to be an assault rifle. Do you have any suggestions for creating simple stats?
I’ll need to look through the book and give it some serious thought. Off the top of my head, if you want a flamethrower, what’s to stop you from using a flamethrower template and have every model touched roll for damage? As far as LMGs, remember the old VOR game? They had a rectangular ‘full auto’ template. Much like a circular blast template, every model in the affected area had to roll for damage. Fusion Gun? Well, up the weapon’s damage and penalize the target’s Combat roll. I’d limit it so it wouldn’t be too powerful, say restrict the range or fire every other turn. Tweaks have to work both ways and grant both players a fair chance.