The screen is black. A faint sound can be heard-that of a pickax tapping away at stone. It starts faint, growing louder quickly up to the point a white pixilated pickax burst through the darkness knocking it away as if it was stone, allowing streams of light to pour in. The shape vanishes for a moment, hitting two more times knocking away the remaining darkness revealing a white pixalated dwarven face. The pick falls with the last hit, spinning into the darkness as the camera follows it. It clinks into blue stone below. The camera zooms out revealing the full shape-B12 written in the same light blue. The light shines over it, causing it to sparkle briefly. Where the pick landed, the stone cracks like an egg, the cracks quickly expanding to the whole shape and bursting into red lava spelling out "Forum Game" with bubbly sound effects.
The scene fades to black. It is then filled with grey steel, in an anime style. The sound of an M4 assault rifle cocking fills the air. Not a second later, a series of fully automatic gunshots type the letter "S" in bullet holes, leaving a blank space before filling the rest of the screen with large letters "I R K". The screen changes to show an anime mouth blowing smoke off the barrel of an M4. It then zooms out, showing a red-headed anime girl with absurdly large twin tails in a sailor suit, with the steel wall in the background. She turns to the camera, leans the assault rifle across her neck casually, smiles and gives the piece sign. The letters STIRK go into a silhouette, with the anime girl taking the place of the letter T. The words "Productions" appear under it unceremoniously.
Fade to black again. Dramatic music plays, making it clear the game is actually starting. A deep-voiced narrator begins talking. "What is the power that decides the fate of our world? Is it wealth?"
We find our view in the back of a horse drawn wagon, the covered kind like the pioneers used. It is filled with bags marked with the logo of various banks and train companies, each spilling with paper money. Among the bags sits jewelry, gold and silver necklaces and rings with diamonds and rubies and all sorts of precious gemstones placed carelessly throughout. Perhaps the centerpiece of the cart was a series of shining gold bars stacked in the middle as if to crown the pile of valuables. This treasure trove was certainly collected through illegitimate means, as any casual observer would notice.
The back of the cart flips open as dirty hands grab one of the bags. The camera is now outside, in a wild-west town. There are rows of buildings with their enlarged roofs stating the purpose of each, the bright sun shining harshly down on the desert setting. A group of men, outlaws by their unclean appearance, was celebrating while throwing around money like confetti in front of a building marked "Saloon". The camera changes angles, a low one showing the group. The sound of a boot stomping with a spur follows just that appearing on the screen.
The camera pans up, showing three much-cleaner men in cowboy hats. Each are in the "duelist pose", ready to pull their revolvers at a moment's notice. The group stops celebrating immediately, slowly pulling out their own assorted weaponry. From the side of a screen, a hand motions for them to step down. The camera dramatically pans to the hand's owner. He is cleaner than the others, with a hansom face. He has light-blond hair, blue eyes, and a cowboy hat. His easygoing smile is a mirror match for a wanted poster behind him to his right, aside from the cigarette currently in his mouth. He takes three steps away from the saloon, ending in the middle of the street as he swings towards the other three assailants, getting into the duelist pose himself.
There is an intense silence as they stare each other down, the screen narrowing over their eyes (with a trail of smoke visible even in the man's narrow screen). The silence is broken not by gunfire, but by our deep voiced narrator.
"Or perhaps, force of arms?"
As the narrator's sentence finished, the smoking man let his cigarette fall from his mouth. The camera focuses on the dog-eared cancer stick falling in slow motion, as three gunshots ring out in quick succession. The hand that had earlier ordered the men to stand down snatches the falling tobacco product from the air, putting it back in its place as its smoke mixes with the gunpowder's. The camera reveals the three men lying on the ground, before cutting back to the wanted man. The group behind him begins hooting and hollering in celebration, patting him on the back as he stands proudly in place. With a celebratory tone, the outlaws rush into the nearby bar leaving the man standing in the street with nobody but corpses. He turns to enter the saloon himself when a voice appears behind him.
"They say you are the fastest gun in the west. They give out that term like candy on Halloween....You seem to be the first man I have met to actually earn it."
As quick as you can blink, the outlaw had spun around and drawn his 1873 Colt Single Action Army, but he found no target. The camera pans to show his face, over his shoulder in front of the wanted poster was a Chinese man in a modern black business suit with a blank white tie and mirrored sunglasses. He was obviously completely out of place, but was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets as if he had been there the entire time.
The Narrator's voice picks up once again. "Or is it something...more"
Polity waiting for the narrator to finish, the Chinese man speaks up.
"I could use your skills, Tombstone. And believe me, I will pay you
very well for them."
The outlaw, apparently named Tombstone, spins around like greased lightning, this time holding his peacemaker in the air.
"And just who do you think-"
As Tombstone began speaking, the Chinese man pulls an ornate golden locket from his left pocket and casually tosses it in front of the outlaw. It lands in the yellow sand in front of him. He eyes it carefully, before crouching down to get it. He brushes the dirt off, opening it as the camera focuses on his face. His easy going expression turns to one of shock, so much that the cigarette tumbles away carelessly. His face then turns to one of determination, the locket being clenched tightly in his hands as he looks towards the one who threw it.
"....I'll need proof." Was the outlaw's response. The Chinese man smiles and nods, a simple reply of "But of course".
Dramatic music plays as the camera flies upwards into the clouds, the music getting more and more intense as the words "Boogie Woogie Feng Shui: The Tombstone Gang" appear in a flash of light. The game's theme music starts playing just as the protagonists are introduced.
****
The following is a flashback to the previews that would happen before the introduction, but have been moved here for style. Advertiser's voice: Are you a fan of over the top action? How about face punchin', gun shootin', and magic throwing? Well I may just have the game for you! The classic Hong-Kong movie game Feng Shui has recently been revived by kickstarter (After all, they never found the body of the first one!). All the melodrama, all the action, all the Feng Shui you know and love in a sleek new package! Perfect for both beginners just dipping their toes into the world of role playing games and hardened veterans looking for something fun and unique. Character creation is quick and easy, if you're interested in joining the chi war hop on over to the
discord or pop Stirk a PM take the first steps into this brave new world!
The screen is black again. White letters appear on the screen spelling out what a familiar narrator is saying. "What is the power that decides the fate of our world?"
The letters THE CAPTAIN appear without a voice over, as a series of clips blaze by while suitably dramatic music plays.*
The sun is blazing high in the sky, and sea gulls are the only sound to break the monotony of waves crashing on a beach. The camera pans down, onto a man lying exhaustively on a few planks washed up on a beach. We zoom in, until his face fills the entire field of view, and then we suddenly cut to another place, another time.
The sun is blazing high in the sky, and sea gulls are the only sound to break the monotony of waves crashing on a beach. The camera pans down, onto a man lying exhaustively on a few planks washed up on a beach. We zoom in, until his face fills the entire field of view, and then we suddenly cut to another place, another time.
We see the same man, now dressed in the dashing uniform of a British Naval Officer, doing battle with an unseen foe atop the storm swept deck of a sailing ship. Boarders swing aboard from another vessel, clashing with British Marines. A cry goes up from the boarding crew, and a gloating voice proclaims victory as we see a woman's figure being dragged above deck by the boarders.
We're suddenly back on the island, and the man is stumbling through the forest, stopping for breath at the edge of clearing. In the center stands an overgrown temple, clearly ancient. It's dark entrance beckons as the camera fades to black.
The darkness remains for a few moments, until we realize that there's a small dot of light slowly growing. After a heart beat, ragged breathing and the footsteps of a running man are finally just audible. Then, another set of sounds joins the first; a deep panting, and the pounding of giant feet. Soon, the sounds building all the while, the dot of light becomes finally visible. Its the same man as before, running as fast as he can, carrying a torch to light his way. Only a few seconds later does he pass the fixed camera, but it is not his passing that knocks it from its place, but that of an unseen pursuer, only silhouetted for a moment against the light of the torch.
A final cut brings us to a great, scrubby desert. The man is stumbling up a hill, the entire landscape a mirage behind him. Finally a the summit, he stands tall, and raises a hand to shade his eyes from the sun, as the camera pans around him, to reveal the sight that has captured his attention, a town that must have been pulled straight from a western movie. As he collects himself, he dons a tattered, but once beautiful hat, adorned with a sad looking feather. The scene fades to black.
The "THE STREET SAMURAI" is next to appear, as the next montage begins.**
The camera shows the inside of a bar. At the table we see three people drinking and laughing. The middle man, an Asian man wearing a black casual suit, sets his glass down and fishes his smartphone out of his pocket. He picks up and listens, his face going from smiling, to frowning, to anger. He slams the smartphone down on the table, fuming, eyes closed. His companions go quiet. Just as one starts asking what’s up, he grabs the edge of the table and flips it over. He shouts something to his companions, and the three head outside. At the door, the Asian man grabs a sheathed katana from the umbrella stand.
The camera shows the outside of a dance club at night. It’s raining heavily. Two door guards are visible under the club’s neon sign. Just then, three men on motorcycles arrive in front of the club. Before the door guards can react, Two of the motorcycle riders take out pistols and empty their mags into the guards
The scene moves to the inside of the club, where we see a fat yakuza sitting in a corner, with two ladies at his side and a body guard standing guard. The katana wielding Asian man walks up to the table, sending regular clubbers scattering in panic. The body guard rushes to take out his pistol, but several vicious slashes send him tumbling to the ground. Jumping over the table, the Asian man drives his katana into the shoulder of the fat man, pinning him to his seat. The two girls scream and run away, while the fat man holds up one hand, pleading. The Asian man shows the fat man his smartphone, upon which the fat man’s eyes open wide and he starts talking.
The final shows the Asian man walking towards the camera. The shot zooms in on his face as he lights up a cigarette. When he looks up again, we see the swirling energies of a netherworld portal reflected in his sunglasses. He blows out a stream of smoke and takes a step forwards before the screen goes black.
The Narrator's voice returns, reading off the final white text as they appear quickly and dramatically on screen.
"BOOGIE"
"WOOGIE"
"Feng Shui"
"II"
"Coming February 8 2017" (Left unread by the narrator)
The Chinese man in the black business suit with white tie appears briefly over the black background. In his hands is a puzzle-box, which he cranks once to the side as if that action was what ended the trailer.
*All clips by The Captain are written by My Name Is Immaterial, all rights reserved.
**All clips by The Street Samurai are written by pancaek, all rights reserved.