BESM 4th edition

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I'm too lazy to check who has ripped who what, but I agree OVA is the better game in the genre:smile:.
 
Well the kicckstarter busted through three stretch goals since this thread went snarky so whatever y'all were trying to do didn't work as planned. Sadly all the Stretchgoals are dull as dishwater and I'm losing hope of getting a new expanded generic brand knockoff pokemon setting to hold all the stuff that happen over the last twenty or so years. Even less hope for an official Jojo's Bizarre adventure Tie-in ( I kinda NEED to know if Dio fought the Black Moon Clan who would win).

Personal opinion, OVA by Clay Gardner is a better game in the same genre/style as BESM anyway, and Clay Gardner has never ripped anyone off.

The only problem I've ever had with Clay is that the man is the slowest person in the world, but he finally got OVA Revised out so you know, good for him. (He did name his company Wise Turtle, so I guess he picked the right name.)
I keep hearing stuff on this site about Ova but I can't figure out if it is a simplified tactics game with social elements like BESM or is more soap opera-y like Fate (Yes I know that is a gross simplification of Fate and it can handle under the right conditions the sheer awesomeness of oh like the combat in Rouroni Kenshin but to do so adds more time in building the game session etc... but I digress). So the question I put to you is can Ova handle 800+ pokemons worth of arena combat:gunslinger: ?
 
I keep hearing stuff on this site about Ova but I can't figure out if it is a simplified tactics game with social elements like BESM or is more soap opera-y like Fate (Yes I know that is a gross simplification of Fate and it can handle under the right conditions the sheer awesomeness of oh like the combat in Rouroni Kenshin but to do so adds more time in building the game session etc... but I digress). So the question I put to you is can Ova handle 800+ pokemons worth of arena combat:gunslinger: ?

Honestly anything you can do in BESM you can do in OVA. It's scope and playstyle philosophy is not that different. It honestly, to me, feels a lot like a streamlined BESM. It uses a similar effects based system of Abilities and Weaknesses that is used by BESM/Hero/M&M/etc, and the main difference is that there are no core stats.

You can actually look at a pregen character/basic rules with the player books on his site: http://www.wiseturtle.com/games.html
 
I keep hearing stuff on this site about Ova but I can't figure out if it is a simplified tactics game with social elements like BESM or is more soap opera-y like Fate (Yes I know that is a gross simplification of Fate and it can handle under the right conditions the sheer awesomeness of oh like the combat in Rouroni Kenshin but to do so adds more time in building the game session etc... but I digress). So the question I put to you is can Ova handle 800+ pokemons worth of arena combat:gunslinger: ?
If you want arena combat, go for Fight! 2e instead:devil:!
 
I am adding Ova this to my list to pick up at the next sale. I need something fluffy enough for anime soap opera and crunchy enough for a good tournament arc and this just might be the ticket.

Just an aside. Checking out the Ova's site and wow are both studios using the same artist?
 
I am adding Ova this to my list to pick up at the next sale. I need something fluffy enough for anime soap opera and crunchy enough for a good tournament arc and this just might be the ticket.

Just an aside. Checking out the Ova's site and wow are both studios using the same artist?
It's a nice system. I'm not sure I'd pick it for arena combat, but it probably comes closer than many other games, including some crunchier ones:smile:!
 
If you want arena combat, go for Fight! 2e instead:devil:!

you mean the new Fighting Fantasy? Dude I just picked up the bundle. I love the system to bits but I don't think deathtrap dungeon combat is the same as Pokemon arena combat, unless they really changed things since I was a kid.
 
Personal opinion, OVA by Clay Gardner is a better game in the same genre/style as BESM anyway, and Clay Gardner has never ripped anyone off.

The only problem I've ever had with Clay is that the man is the slowest person in the world, but he finally got OVA Revised out so you know, good for him. (He did name his company Wise Turtle, so I guess he picked the right name.)
Hmmmm. Got to qualify this statement depending on how you view Kickstarter stretch goals. The base game was released, but a number of the goals are missing in action (or in Clay’s case inaction).
 
Okay Divine Madness press needs to work on their brand recognition skills because they weren't coming up when I typed in Fight! at the drive thru. Okay this looks legitamable cool, I kinda sort need a dedicated martial arts game for my group right now, I am also adding this to my list for the christmas in july sale.
 
Yeah. I know too many people (personally) screwed over by him. I won't come in within ten miles of this KS or his work if I can help it. (I loved BESM2E and used it for just about everything at one point. I've got OVA, I'm covered for "multi-genre, anime-inspired gaming."
 
Well the kicckstarter busted through three stretch goals since this thread went snarky so whatever y'all were trying to do didn't work as planned.

It will never do as well as Exploding Kittens :tongue:
 
I'm wondering if damage has been revised for 4e. Probably not, but nothing jumped out in the preview PDF about damage, and it seems odd to me that the dice packs have so many dice for a game that only needs two.

I feel the fixed damage is one weakness of the engine. I'd rather damage were random. Yes, I know there's the chart you can roll on and adjust damage by percentage, and that's not really what I'm talking about. I'd prefer rolling a number of dice equal to the rank of the weapon or something similar. The issue is the damage multiplier system of 3e which is a core mechanic which breaks when die rolling per rank of weapon is introduced.

The damage multiplier system is a more complimentary system for weapon combat, while the old fixed bonus for MD/SS was more compatible with a random roll method. So it's kind of a pick your poison sort of thing.

Also, the blurbs about the dice packs say they have special symbols on the 1 and the 3. Having two special symbols is a bit odd. Or, more correctly, having two special symbols and one of them being on the 3 instead of the 6 is a bit odd. I wonder if the system has some kind of mechanic which adds emphasis to dice showing 1s and 3s?
 
I'm wondering if damage has been revised for 4e. Probably not, but nothing jumped out in the preview PDF about damage, and it seems odd to me that the dice packs have so many dice for a game that only needs two.

Judging from the preview, they're borrowing Advantage/Disadvantage from 5E, which explains some of it.

Also, the blurbs about the dice packs say they have special symbols on the 1 and the 3. Having two special symbols is a bit odd. Or, more correctly, having two special symbols and one of them being on the 3 instead of the 6 is a bit odd. I wonder if the system has some kind of mechanic which adds emphasis to dice showing 1s and 3s?

They may be trying to be cute with the "Tri-"Stat logo, but who knows?
 
I just read a bit into this MacKinnon mess. He apparently used work the company received before they went bankrupt on other projects after the bankruptcy without compensating the freelancers.

I know companies go bankrupt and cannot pay their creditors (including freelancers) sometimes with selling off IP, etc, but this scenario is just so unethical it’s disgusting.

I wouldn’t put in a penny for any of his kickstarters.
 
Over 200% funded and and another stretch goal reached. My group compared notes and we think with the very conservative stretch goals they set up they might actually have a December release.

For what it's worth I did find the scandalous history of BESM discussed by the the thread both informative and entertaining (in a darkly cynical way). And I have two books to pick up in the Christmas in July sale on drive thru based on this thread so there is that. I'm half expecting this thread to bud off one of those community projects like on big Purple where they build a setting or have a 101 plot hooks based on how weirdly postively productive this airing of old grievances has been:smile:.
 
Over 200% funded and and another stretch goal reached. My group compared notes and we think with the very conservative stretch goals they set up they might actually have a December release.

For what it's worth I did find the scandalous history of BESM discussed by the the thread both informative and entertaining (in a darkly cynical way). And I have two books to pick up in the Christmas in July sale on drive thru based on this thread so there is that. I'm half expecting this thread to bud off one of those community projects like on big Purple where they build a setting or have a 101 plot hooks based on how weirdly postively productive this airing of old grievances has been:smile:.
That's about the best that's likely to come from said drama:smile:.
 
I'm half expecting this thread to bud off one of those community projects like on big Purple where they build a setting or have a 101 plot hooks based on how weirdly postively productive this airing of old grievances has been:smile:.

We could write the RPG RPG, where you play a group of people trying to keep an RPG publishing company afloat by whatever means necessary....
 
On that subject I picked Fight! by Divine Madness and I must say I am Impressed. For what I'm assuming to be an Indy project the game seems to be both robustness to handle combat and make it fun and flexible enough to flip between the difference subgeneres of fighters and to be aware of the differences between a 2d and 3d fighter. Been watching the DBZ Tournament of Power arc and this game system seems really well suited to handle something like that.
 
Looks like it finished with $140K.

I managed to resist chipping in for the limited edition, but I suppose there's still the backerkit phase to tempt me.

I never pitched in because, except for the limited edition, the stuff I want will eventually be purchasable in stores for 20% off the price listed in the Kickstarter and with free shipping. As for the Kickstarter extras, since nearly all of them were just PDFs of readily available stuff, I really didn't care.
 
Do we want to speculate what anime license their going to pick up? All we know is that it is not one that they previously had. Holding out hope for Jojo but wouldn't be put out by Ranma or Inyuyasha.
 
Is the PDF of the beta rules out?

Anything particularly different from 3e? Is damage still fixed numbers? Is the whole damage multiplier still a thing? Are templates better presented and a bit more consistent?
 
Bumping, because still curious about what might have changed from 3e to 4e.
 
I’ve got the BESM Naked book, as honestly 140 pages is all I need for this game. It’s basically a stripped down and accessible version of Champions, with a Japanese anime aesthetic. It’s nice and easy to follow, with some good graphics not just to decorate, but also in things like flow charts and the like. One thing I did note, and was particularly pleased by, was the dynamic Power Flux attribute - which basically means you can create things like Mage Spheres or Nobilis Domains in the game. Freeform magic is a big plus with me.
 
Have they kept the concept of the damage multiplier? Or do attributes like Super Strength return to being additive to damage?

Any change to damage to make it random? Or do they stick with the optional chart where you roll and do a percentage of your normal damage total?

Were PMVs kept and simply named something else?
 
Have they kept the concept of the damage multiplier? Or do attributes like Super Strength return to being additive to damage?

Any change to damage to make it random? Or do they stick with the optional chart where you roll and do a percentage of your normal damage total?

Were PMVs kept and simply named something else?
They use a damage multiplier for damage still, and other attributes do have an affect on the score. Can’t see any randomness, but remember I’ve got the abbreviated rules, so the full rules may have more options.
 
Has there been any word on a release to stores? DriveThruRPG?
 
Has there been any word on a release to stores? DriveThruRPG?
It was held up for approval by White Wolf, but this came through just before Christmas. Backers got the PDFs about a week ago, and it should take about another month to get the physical copies printed and delivered. So general release would be about mid-late February I guess.
 
This isn't under their Arthaus imprint? This was the one they sent games to die under.
 
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