Welcome to Jingbai City
Season One
The rain never really stops in the Neon City.
It just changes intensity — a constant wash that blurs neon, hides sins, and never lets you forget there’s always another story waiting in the shadows.This blog documents a series of linked, solo skirmish games set in a fictional metropolis of broken promises, broken laws, and steel-toed consequences. Inspired by kung-fu cinema, cyberpunk noir, and hard-boiled police dramas, these games use miniatures, fast cinematic rules, and simple AI to create story-driven action that unfolds like episodes of a gritty TV show.
Season One focuses on the Jingbai City Police — patrol officers, detectives, and specialist units tasked with keeping order in a city that actively resists it. Gangs, civilians, and bad decisions all have a vote in how things turn out.
This isn’t a collection of one-offs.
Each episode matters — actions carry forward, characters evolve (or don’t), and the city remembers every choice.
Origins
Jingbai City first appeared as experiments on my main blog A Wargamer in Cyprus, where early scenarios and police profiles were tested in play. This site gives the setting its own space, clearer structure, and room to grow. You don’t need to read anything else to start here — but the city has history if you do.
Season One
Season One begins with routine patrols, small incidents, and ordinary jobs that should be straightforward.
They won’t stay that way.
Jingbai City.
The busy capital of the Asahi (Sunrise) Empire mixes the ultramodern and the traditional, from neon-lit skyscrapers to historic temples and back street slums. The opulent Minamoro Earth Spirit Shrine is known for its towering gate and surrounding woods. The Imperial Palace sits amid large public gardens. The city's many museums offer exhibits ranging from classical art to modernist Dawbs. A first class Metro system competes with traditional rickshaw taxis.
Modern Corporations such as Hao Corporation, the Harano Group and Cybercom choose to make Jingbai their headquarters, such as the stunning Sky Towers, promoting wealth and power. All three have suburban manufacturing nodes and export through the City's busy port.
Underneath the surface however all is not well. Criminal gangs, principally those of the Yakusa crime families, but of late including Mafia, Triad and Tong groups from overseas, have come to dominate the underworld here. The sprawling Genhana District is little better than squalid ruins, fought over by Street thugs. There is a general sense of unease that something is very wrong in Jingbai, yet nobody seems aware of the exact nature of the problem.
The overworked Jingbai City Police Department face several challenges: Frightening new illegal drugs have been introduced. Rogue Replicants have been appearing, returning to the city where they were created, and always surrounded by murder and chaos. Most dangerous of all however are the antics of the so called Seven Great Families, who claim ancient Mystic powers and privileges, although in reality it is their tremendous wealth that allows them to act exactly as they see fit, yet escape any justice for terrible crimes.
The Great Familes each claim descent from one of the seven Ancient gods, or spirits. To ordinary citizens of Jingbai it sounds like nonsense, but the Families believe it, and play bloody power games with one another over ancient Chi artefacts. Indeed the problem over "new drugs" is rumoured to be linked to these so called aristocratic houses. Cynics claim it is a war fought over possession of drug money and pointless antiques.
In response the Government have passed the Replicant Act, requiring the Police to utilise specialist teams to hunt down the Rogue cyborgs. This is an additional drain on an overstretched department. No action has, or will be taken against the Seven Families, especially since Lady Mika Harano, one of the seven, is Governor of Jingbai.
How Episodes Are Presented
Each episode post includes:
- Cold Open — a TV-style narrative teaser
- Black-and-white gritty manga illustration — mood, not detail
- Tabletop photos — how the game actually played out
- Short after-action notes — key moments, dice, outcomes
- Next Episode Preview — what’s coming next
Rules are tools, not masters. Expect house rules where they help the story, improvisation where they don’t, and consequences that matter.
Visual Style
Consistent and cinematic:
- High-contrast imagery
- Rain, smoke, night scenes
- Motion lines and implied movement
- Minimal backgrounds
- Neon highlights used sparingly
This is street-level action, not glossy sci-fi.
Season One Status
Episodes Played: 0
Current Investigation: Unknown stimulant street drug
City Heat Level: Low
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