Good system for "cinematic" martial arts?

no

legends of the wulin. only possible choice

Wushu
Feng Shui
Tianxia
Savage Worlds
FATE
Even fucking GURPS can work under cinematic rules (and it really works well under those when it comes to martial arts)

if you want to play literal martial art actors, Hong Kong Action Theater

Feng Shui

Elaborate.

Can you elaborate on both cinematic and martial arts rules in GURPS please?

Legends of the Wulin.

Great system, TERRIBLE editing

Second this. More information over at

I'd suggest CLEAVING RED HEART FLAME: DEMON KING OF LADDER HELL or I REMEMBER THE ROSE or ONE-TWO KICK-PUNCH depending on exactly what you're looking for.

Oddly enough I want a crunchy but flexible kind of game but still offers the players plenty of options other than "I punch guy". Maybe crunchy isn't the way to go.
I was aiming for mad max with kung fu.

Simple, straightforward beer and pretzels martial arts goodness.

>I was aiming for mad max with kung fu.

How are you enjoying Into the Badlands?

Ehh. GURPS can do cinematic fine, but it shines with groups that still want a moderate level of detail within the game. Looser games that focus on on-the-fly stunt description would do better with another system. Now, if a game that combines cinematic badassery with high detail and tactical combat sounds fun, check out GURPS; you'll need the Basic Set and probably benefit from both Action (especially #2 and #3) and Martial Arts.

I'll second these recommendations and throw in Strike!, as long as your definition of martial arts is flexible, and you like gamey combat.

I'm enjoying it so far but they use some editing techniques that I dont care for.

This guy has it: But in more detail:

GURPS lets you do a sliding scale of realism. By default, they go for "realistic movie" in their fidelity. You can activate the Gritty Realism options and then things get very, very realistic.

But most campaigns go the other way and activate Cinematic options to get game systems that simulate the kind of physics you get in less realistic movies. "Bullet-proof Nudity", for example, introduces defensive benefits for people wearing no armor or bikini plate. "Cinematic Explosions" causes RPGs and grenades to send people flying (and they take damage from the fall) but does no direct damage, just like on TV and in action movies. "TV Action Violence" converts damage into fatigue, much like what hit points in D&D represent. These are campaign options that apply to all characters, and the GM sets them when he sets up the campaign.

OK so the Martial Arts book does several things. First, it's a catalog of melee weapons of various kinds from all different cultures and time periods. It also explains the differences between weapons as represented in D&D-derived pop fantasy vs HEMA-tier autistic realism. Second, it's a catalog of martial arts styles, plus rules to create your own. Again, pretty exhaustive and accurate. It includes also for each martial art a list of cinematic special moves and abilities appropriate for a Wuxia campaign. Third, it's a guide to the Wuxia genre and walks you through campaign options that are appropriate to that kind of campaign.

If you want gunplay martial arts like a John Woo film, you'll also want Gun Fu and/or Tactical Shooting, which are cheap PDFs. But still buy Martial Arts.

Since you mention Jackie Chan, there's a whole page about improvised weapons and abilities that relate to them.

I liked Feng Shui, seconding this

Thanks a lot, I'll look into it.