INTRODUCTION TO THE OFFICIAL ANIME RPG
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Okay, first of all, this is NOT an on-line role playing game, E-Mail,
IRC or otherwise. It is a role playing game system designed for actual role
playing, in other words, with a GM, 2 or more players, pencils, erasers,
paper, 10-sided dice, and a calculator.
Things You Will Need To Play
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Players: There can be any number of players. It is suggested you have at
the most 6 players per GM.
Dice: The only kind of dice you will be needing for this game are d10's. One
to two per player/GM is suggested. Also, certain powers require a deck
of playing cards, so it may be wise to have one handy. If you don't
have any dice and/or cards, we have provided a program which will
generate the nescessary random numbers.
Other Stuff: One pencil per player/GM, some scrap paper, an eraser or two,
possibly some graph or hex paper and a calculator.
Creating Characters
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The first thing to do when creating a character is to determine attributes
and skills. To do this, go to the "Skills" section. Once that's done, the
next thing is to determine Power Points. These are the basic building blocks
of characters. They are what turns an average nobody into a hero/villain with
cool powers, mecha, robots, vehicles, or spaceships. The number of Power
Points (PP) a character gets is entirely determined on the power scale of the
campaign. In some campaigns, there may not even be any PP at all and
characters must rely on their skills and ingenuity.
Power Scale PP HP Mod. Series Example
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Everyday Life 0 X0.5 NGE
Very Weak Powers 1d10 X1 3X3 Eyes
Weak Powers 2d10 X2 Sailor Moon
Moderate Powers 10 + 2d10 X3 Samurai Pizza Cats
Good Powers 25 + 2d10 X4 Slayers
Very Good Powers 40 + 2d10 X5 Ranma1/2
Extreme Powers 50 + 3d10 X6 Tenchi Muyo
Total Chaos 2d100 X10 Dragonball Z
Once you have determined the number of PP your character has, the next step
is to spend them. Leftover unspent PP will be discarded. The following is a
list of things PP can be spent on:
Boost an attribute = 2 PP / point
Boost a skill = 1 PP / point
Boost starting money = 1 PP / $50
1 Credit = 1 PP
1 Spaceship Credit = 1 PP
Level 1 Super Power = 5 PP
Level 2 Super Power = 10 PP
Level 3 Super Power = 30 PP
This is not nescesarily a comprehensive list of everything power points can
possibly be spent on, but this is what is usually done with them. Certain
specific powers and abilities may allow you to spend PP on other things.
The next step is to determine "Bad Things" (for lack of any better word).
These are curses or impediments your character has to balance his/her super
powers. There are three systems of power points / bad things
PP Only: In this system, characters have power points but do not require bad
things.
Bad Things Only: This is a more loose system which allows the character to
have whatever kind of powers/mechs/spaceships/etc. they want
as long as for each 5 PP worth of stuff they get, they must
get a Level 1 bad thing or equivalent.
PP and Bad Things: This is the most commonly used and least chaotic system.
In this system, characters are limited by PP, and as well,
for each super power they get, they must balance it with
a bad thing of equivalent level. It is up to the GM
whether or not to impose bad things for PP spent on things
other than super powers.
Another note about bad things is that if the player wishes, he/she may give
his/her character extra bad things to gain extra power points. For each
elective bad thing taken, the character gains PP equal to half the normal
cost of the level of the bad thing (ex - L1 = +2 PP, L2 = +5 PP,
L3 = +15 PP).
So after all your stats are determined and powers and equipment are bought,
the next step is to fill in all the insignificant miscellaneous details about
the character. Height, weight, eye/hair color, background, character traits,
etc.
Paradox Points
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Have you ever been GMing a game and have your players do something really
cheap or are purposely trying to make your job as GM as hard as possible?
Since, due to its very nature, the Official Anime RPG can place quite a
burden on the GM, we have provided a way for him/her to escape this
situation. If you find someone is abusing the system, finding loopholes in
the rules and using them to his/her advantage, then you, as GM, have the
right to give them... PARADOX POINTS. If at any time any character has over
3 paradox points, he/she is instantly condemned to an infinite temporal loop
from which he/she cannot escape. GM's can remove a character's paradox point
to do something cheap or cruel back to that character. For example, Jim has
been playing cheap, so the GM has given him a Paradox Point. At one point,
Jim is exploring an ancient castle and finds a treasure box. He opens the box
and finds a beautiful crystal-studded wand. He lifts up the wand. The GM says
"Okay, Jim, remove your paradox point. The wand you are carrying is cursed.
Reduce all your attributes by 20 and all your skills by 7 while in possesion
of the wand. You cannot drop it, and you cannot give it away."
Terminology
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Campaign = An on-going game of the Official Anime RPG. One continuous story
which may span many sittings.
Character = A persona in the story or campaign. Usually refers to a character
controlled by one of the players.
d10 = A ten-sided die. You can pick them up at pretty much any hobby store.
If you see written "1d10" or "2d10" it just means roll 1 ten-sided die
or roll 2 ten-sided dice.
d100 = A random number from one to 100. There are two ways to do this. You
can buy 100-sided dice (rare and not worth it), or roll two ten-sided
dice, using the first roll as the 10's place and the second as the 1's
place (ex - 0, 6 = 6 2, 0 = 20 0, 0 = 100)
GM = Stands for "Game Master". This is the person who dictates what happens
and determines the results of characters' actions. He/she also makes
sure everyone plays within the rules and gives out Paradox Points to
those who abuse the system.
NPC = Stands for "Non-Player Character". This is a character controlled by
the GM. Any character in the story or campaign who is not controlled by
a player is considered an NPC.
Player = A non-GM person participating in a campaign of the Official Anime
RPG who controls a character in the game.