Every few years, a man known only as Han organizes an invite-only "martial arts competition" on his private island, part of which sits just inside the territory claimed by the island nation of Madripoor. Madripoor is a nation officially run by a baron but in reality is run by various competing crime lords - Han's exact relationship with the crime lords is unknown.
You have been invited to participate in this competition, and for whatever reasons you have accepted. Perhaps an old rival or a hated enemy has also accepted. Perhaps you're looking to discover fame and fortune, or prove to the world that you're not a fake. Perhaps a relative has disappeared, last known to have visited Han's island, and you're looking for revenge . . . or simply to recover an heirloom that relative had with him or her.
In addition to all this, various organizations - legal and extralegal - are curious to discover Han's relationships to the Madripoor crime lords. Some want Han brought to justice, others want to see him dead, and yet others suspect he's got ties with Things Man Was Not Meant To Know . . . .
This game draws from many inspirations. Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon is a main one; if you've seen the movie, you might have already noticed that I'm building the basic plot in much the same manner. The Mortal Kombat movie is also one of my inspirations; I won't confirm or deny the "Things Man Was Not Meant To Know" hint in the blurb above. Big Trouble in Little China also comes to mind as one of my inspirations. One other inspiration is an early arc in the first Marvel Comics Presents comic book series which focussed on Wolverine, as well as several arcs in the Canucklehead's own ongoing title.
Characters should each be practicioners of a martial art which focuses on melee combat. Unarmed is a must, but weapon training is also helpful. Depending on which system we ultimately go with will decide how detailed the "martial art" itself will be; D20 Modern has martial arts as flavor text only, while Ninjas and Superspies has the selection of one (or more!) styles built into character generation.
Flashy moves in a wuxia or pro wrestling flavor are encouraged. Hell, the characters may even be professional entertainers or prize fighters. However, I do not want characters with supernatural abilities; the characters are supposed to be mundane, if highly skilled, people from modern-day Earth. If the supernatural exists, and again I will not confirm or deny if it does, the characters will have had no exposure to it before this. Characters should be closer to Sonya Blade, the Rock, Shang Chi, or Jack Burton, not Sub-Zero or Iron Fist.
Agencies
CIA - United States Central Intelligence Agency
Interpol - Bureau of International Law Enforcement
MI-5 - British Intelligence
Madripoor Crimelords
General Nguyen Coy
Tyger
Others
The Legion of Night - a "mostly harmless" fringe organization believed to be composed of lunatics, with a publicly-stated goal of "protecting the night".