Boxer Rebellion - Role Playing ?

[Major Weenie]

Don't know if this is helpful to someone out there, or just silly.  OK, here goes.

The other day I was watching a rerun of 'Perry Mason.'  For those not constantly bombarded by American syndicated television programs, Perry Mason was the hero of a very successful series of pulp novels.  He was a defense attorney who specialized in forcing a last minute confession out of the villain in the last few pages of the book.  The stories later went on to become very successful radio plays, then very successful television shows in the early 1960's, then the very first big hit of TV reruns on local channels.

OK, so in this episode the actor Bernard Foxe, who made a career of portraying Englishmen on American TV (perhaps most famous as Colonel Crittendon on Hogan's Heroes), was an unscrupulous importer of Asian art objects. And at the last minute Perry Mason proves that the "Imperial Ming Bird Cage" is a forgery, because the original was destroyed. And we know that it was destroyed because he happens to have a copy of "Reminiscences of a Horse Marine" by Mordachai Rappahannock Terwilerger. Clearly the cage, and the book, and the author were all fictional.  However, the dramatic story of the cage's demise - destroyed by Boxer hand grenades as Terwiliger took cover behind it whilst repelling a Boxer attack - surely must provide something useful for role-playing?

And here are some photos to pad this submission

[Plynkes]

Pah, birdcage be damned.

I'm more interested in the fascinating story of the mystical Adrian Helmet which granted the wearer the ability to travel in time. 

(Sorry.)

I preferred Ironside. Ironside was great. Perry Mason always bored the arse off me. On the other hand, I don't remember Ironside ever having a story that could be linked to Colonial wargaming.

[joroas]

Columbo did though.  He caught a wargamer sneaking a body out disguised as his Gettysburg display..............

[warrenpeace]

Thinking of roleplaying the detective story using .45 Adventure or something like that, Major?  Or are you thinking of just running a role playing game set in the Boxer Rebellion?  "Science vs. Pluck," although oriented specifically to the Sudan, could provide some good ideas for a role playing wargame of us vs. them.  Lots of existing rules could be adapted for that, including .45 Adventures, Savage Worlds, Triumph and Tragedy, and

Yangpat - ree download from Cannon Fodder Miniatures:

http://canfodmins.com/YANKSUPTHEYANGTZERULES.htm

Rugged Adventures - in development, free download from Pulp Figures:

http://www.pulpfigures.com/mebob.php?custID=64622221218241729

If you've got some good accounts of what happened historically, you could make up some good story lines or algorithms to make a skeleton for a role playing game.  Although set 40 years earlier in the Taiping Rebellion, you could read "Flashman and the Dragon" by George MacDonald Fraser for some inspiration for your role playing game.

[fastolfrus]

If you are looking for storylines there's also Killigrew and the Golden Dragon - another earlier setting (about 5 years after the Taiping rebellion) but has some potential, lots of Chinese pirates etc.

[Major Weenie]

Gents,

I'm more interested in the fascinating story of the mystical Adrian Helmet which granted the wearer the ability to travel in time

Actually, the 'Time Travel Photo' is because all the Chinese images up on The Bengal Club web site are named ChinXXX.jpg  And I made a manual list of potential additions to this post, and accidentally inlcuded a bit of BOB.  Although, if memory serves me, these are the very same Chinese shock troops that I used in our very first BOB game.  I was sort of off to one side of the table, not to much happening, so on the last turn of the game I machine gunned my ally in the back to 'See how the guns work in the rules.'  Surprisingly, he never forgave me, and still mentions the 'surprise event' at the gaming table many years later.
Regards,

[Parriah]

I agree that Ironside was better.
But I remember a PM episode where He proved a witness was false because he was Chinese, and claimed a Kamakura Lion was part of his heritage. Can't remember anything else about that episode.
The Horse Marine Story has struck a chord with this old Misguided Child of Uncle Sam tho.

[Tommy20]

OK, so in this episode the actor Bernard Foxe, who made a career of portraying Englishmen on American TV (perhaps most famous as Colonel Crittendon on Hogan's Heroes)...

Absolute rubbish.

Bernard Fox was clearly much more famous as Dr. Bombay on Bewitched!

 

[Parriah]

Also the guy on Mayberry that kept stumbling into town and having culture shock, but everything ended up alright.

BHut, yeah, Dr. Bombay IS more famous than the hogan's character,
NOW, have we highjacked this thread long enough?

[joroas]

Threadomancy! 

[Parriah]

ThreaDominance.

[Conquistador]

ThreaDominance.

Well Played!

Gracias,

Glenn

[Parriah]

Well Played!

Gracias,

Glenn