I’ve seen posts recently about Monks, and I wondered if it was possible to just use fiction to play a Monk using the Fighter playbook. Here’s a Monk I made (through Level 10) that just renames the Fighter’s moves to more Monk-appropriate names. Thoughts?
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12QYtLi5_nm_Wtztp5j4c9brUyds7x6cJJ8HZQUrzhbE/edit?usp=sharing
Jeremy Strandberg was talking to Andrew Huffaker on the 2SP podcast about how it’s real hard to make a Monk without appropriation, or exotification of Asian culture. I sorta took it as a challenge, but I’m wondering now if you’ve beaten me to it!
Interesting concept. I considered making fists my fighters weapon just because but hadn’t tried to do a full on monk build.
Mario Morales, the only time I ever used Fists before was when I made a “Street Brawler”. Until I was thinking about the Monk I always wondered why anyone would want to add the precise tag to a signature weapon, because you’d want STR (not DEX) to be high for Bend Bars, Lift Gates. Now I know better LOL.
I used fists as a main weapon in my wrestler. Since I was a construct, I saw myself basically as Atomic Robo with a chair. So it made sense to me to use my body or my chair as a weapon depending on the situation.
drive.google.com – The Wrestler.pdf
That’s cool!!!
Yochai Gal ‘A new challenger arrives!’
Not my creation. Just something I found after a lot of time searching for interesting play books.
Yochai Gal How exactly can someone culturally appropriate the concept of a monk/martial artist in a tabletop roleplaying game?
You should listen to the podcast – or perhaps Jeremy Strandberg can chime in.
Hey guys. To save you the time of listening to our 2 hour convo (if you do want to listen, it’s about an hour and 40 mins in), Jeremy Strandberg was discussing his feelings toward monks, in that, it minimizes a rich culture into one class or trope; one of which is characterizes by mastering body and mind to peak performance.
I go on to ask, ‘What is an Ku Fu Master doing in a 1200’s European war game, anyways?’ I think designers just wanted to play what they thought was cool. But, to that end, I don’t know if it fits tone.
Let me say, I don’t want to sound like I’m discouraging you guys at all. We were talking more globally about misappropriation, rather than how to stat out/mechanically make a Monk. Speaking soley for myself as an Asian person, I don’t find it offensive that Monks in rpgs exists. But, if you are going to make a Monk, I think the larger question may be ‘why’?
Or
1)What is different about them that can’t be support by preexisting classes?
2) What kind of play experiences are you hoping to cultivate?
3) Are Monks going to be oriental in culture and tone? If so, are stereotypical behaviors going to play a part in your role play of the Monk
4) Are Monk going to be Asian by race and what does that interject into the game?
I know that the internet is hypersensitive right now and I don’t mean to sound high roady or implying that whoever is working on this is wrong in their approach. I was just passing on what Jeremy and I talked about.
Andrew Huffaker
I’ll Def give it a listen once I have the time. I am currently at work and that’s why I am not listening to it right now.
Going with what you are saying, to me fantasy roleplaying games are not meant to emulate medieval Europe (although many people do view it as such since most of the tropes in fantasy games are taken from European culture and myths). Games like D&D and Dungeon World take the most common archetypes in fantasy and make them into a class. For example, the The fighter in DW doesn’t represent every martial character with a weapon but rather a very specific type of warrior. The druid is not culturally accurate but passes as a good enough option because it takes some of the lore and gives it an appealing twist.
The only way I would think appropriation or misappropriation would apply in games is if you actually make a game that is meant to be historically accurate which may misinform those playing what that culture is all about.
In regards to your questions, these are my answers:
1) No other class harnesses the power of tuning your mind, body, and soul to achieve physical feats no ordinary person could.
2) I dont know how to answer this question.
3) I think it is hard to not give the monk an oriental vibe since the whole concept of mixing martial arts with religious/spiritual harmony is a very asian thing. We can say the same thing about elves having a tolkienish feel in most settings since the whole genre started with his work.
4) I doubt it, I have yet to see this in a tabletop game.
P.S. I don’t think anyone should get offended for you guys discussing your opinions about a subject. I did ask because ive seen people get outraged in rpg indie communities when someone talks about making a monk class or using asian themes and tropes to make a setting. I wanted to see what was your take on it and maybe have a discussion. I rarely discuss topics online but this one is an interesting subject to me.
There is a pdf of the DW characters done in different cultures. In on my phone so I can’t send it to you, but if anyone has it they should post it.
Andrew Huffaker I managed to listen to the entire podcast and it touched interesting subjects, I liked it overall. I think the monk should be left as it is; an archetype of those warriors we got accustomed to see in those Wushu films from the 70s and allow others expand the concepts Jeremy speaks about through other classes.
Victor Julio Hurtado I’m glad you like it. I have some great new podcasts coming up that I hope you’ll like as well.