Jonric: To introduce 9Dragons, what's it about, what high-level goals are embodied in its design and play balance, and to what does the title refer?

Howard Marks: 9Dragons is set in the world of China during the Ming Dynasty. This was a lawless and rough part of Chinese history, and the people developed martial arts skills to help them survive the marauding bandits and evil warlords that were preying on them.

The underlying premise of the game is for you to rise from a peasant to martial arts master by learning key martial arts moves from your clan (or Dragon). In ancient China, there were nine clans (nicknamed Dragons) that each developed a method of martial arts to defend themselves.