Free oriental RPG tabletop experience

Mist-Robed Gate is a free-to-play role-playing experience from Elizabeth Sampat. However, instead of a traditional video game, it contains a set of materials you’ll need for a live-action re-enactment of a fantasy story. Imagine a compressed handbook and character sheet for the tabletop Dungeons & Dragons. In this game, every character is given a character card, a prop card, and a set card.

It has quite a steep learning curve, but Mist-Robed Gate is a fun experience once you get the hang of it. Imagine a multiplayer game of NeverWinter or Baldur’s Gate 2, except players act their roles out.

A role-playing starter kit

Upon getting the free package that is Mist-Robed Gate, you get a copy of the game manual as well as the materials you will need. A character card you’ll fill in, a prop card, and a set card. What makes this replayable is that there are virtually no restrictions in terms of character customization. Even the props can be material things like a mirror or something abstract, like a favor.

Also, there are story-driving elements put in place, such as the knife and the character loyalty system. In terms of premise, it heavily draws from Chinese wuxia films, which combine martial arts and fantasy, often set in a surreal version of the real world. Game-wise, it progresses like a film: there are scenes that play out and not all characters are required to participate in a single scene.

What makes this challenging for new players is its steep learning curve, which comes from its detailed planning and freedom. It requires a lot of discussion from all players involved. From crafting character backgrounds to the scenes they appear in, to cinematographic details such as wirework, backgrounds, timing, and even script. It all pays off, though, with the immersive and personalized experience it creates.

The next best thing to filming your own wuxia

Don’t let the small compressed file fool you; the only thing Mist-Robed Gate needs is your imagination. With the detailed groundwork laid out for the players, you are free to take its originally East Asian fantasy premise into anything that suits your taste. From the player’s background to the details in every scene, you essentially create your own fantasy martial arts film. Challenging to learn but definitely worth it.