Character generation and further character enhancements (1st edition)

In the 1st edition, the player creates a single "actor" that can take on different roles in any of the game's three genres. To begin, the player rolls dice to generate random amounts for the basic attributes of Toughness, Brains, Speed, Cool, and Chi. Each character receives three pools of skill points in the general areas Physical, Mental, and Social. Prior to each adventure, the player buys the skills in each of these areas that will be appropriate for the character's upcoming role in the adventure. Reviewer Rick Swan used the example of a character who in one adventure is a "Veteran Cop" and in another is a "Wise Old Wizard". In the first instance, the player might invest in the skills of Driving, Computers, and Law. In the second, the player might buy Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics and the Occult.^[1]

The gamemaster can award a character "Star Points" for exceptional performances, which can then be used by the player to create "script rewrites." For example, if a character is caught in a dangerous situation with no apparent way out, the player can spend the character's Star Points to create in a deus ex machina-like escape.^[1]

Each character also has a Signature Move, which, when used at the appropriate moment, will have a positive effect.^[1]

Combat (1st edition)

Each character receives a pool of action points to spend on martial arts maneuvers; the character also receives a Gunplay rating. To resolve a combat action, the gamemaster sets a Difficulty Rating between 10 (easy) and 40 (impossible). The character's relevant ability plus any situational modifiers are subtracted from the Difficulty Rating. The player then must exceed the resulting difference on the roll of a twenty-sided die.^[1] For example, a character with a Gunplay rating of 20 attempts to shoot a thrown playing card from a distance of 15 metres. The gamemaster assigns a Difficulty Rating of 30 to the task and further adds a modifier of -4 to the task because the character is swinging upside down from a chandelier. The difference between Difficulty Rating and Ability Total (30-20+4) is 14, which the player must meet or exceed on twenty-sided die in order to successfully hit the falling card.

Character generation and gameplay in 2nd edition

The second edition of Hong Kong Action Theatre! dispenses entirely with the character generation and combat rules of the 1st edition, and instead uses the Tri-Stat System of role-playing game rules.