Big Eyes, Small Mouth
General comments/Review by Patrick O'Shea
Well, the book has been in my hands for a little over three or four months, and I gotta admit, I like the system. This is one of the few books I've seen that not only advises you to watch anime, but
tells you where to go to get it, and what titles you should look for. But enough of this introductory spiel, let's get to the good/bad points!
The Good
This system is really simple! All you need are 2d6, an idea of what the GM expects, and a basic character concept. From there, it's just a manner of dividing points (one set for stats, another for skills and powers). Combat also uses 2d6, is handled with a minimum of fuss, and handles both physical and psychic combat in a fairly straightforward manner.
The Bad
Well, it's a good general system, but that 'vagueness' that is common to a lot of the more 'generic' systems also hurts it as well. Frequent mentions of 'huge advantages' sound good, but there is little information on how huge huge truly is.
Two particular sore points are the attributes 'Magic' and 'Owns a big Robot(OBR)' Again, the vagueness of the system hurts the player. the OBR stat is set in increments of height, with weapon damages and armor settled accordingly. This falls apart, though, in games based on Guyver or
Detonator Orgun, where the players have human sized mechs that can deal city devestating amounts of damage. Magic is given some attention, but there are still some gaps that could use filling in. (You might want to consider using S. John Ross' Elemental Magic system for GURPS; It's neat, simple, and helps you determine how hard it is to nuke the incoming demon/warship/idol singer).
Overall comments:
Over the spring semester, I was in a campaign that used the BESM rules. And, despite some of the vagueness (especially on the points I mentioned), I enjoyed it. This kind of book is probably best suited to less 'realistic' games like A-Ko or Sailor Moon. Gundam fans might want to consider Mekton Z. In conclusion, it's a good basic system, but it could benefit from a worldbook/expansion system or two.
Endnotes-What I'd like to see:
Expanded mecha construction system
Better Magic rules
Worldbooks based on some of the lesser known anime series (say, Akazukin ChaCha). This could provide useful rule notes and particular variations on power levels.
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