Looking for general input on;

Why do you play anime rpgs?

What's your favorite anime storyline? and Why?

In reply to Lord Caladin (msg # 1):

Do you mean anime-like RPGs where characters perform actions like they do in anime?

Or do you mean 'set a game in the world of a specific anime, like TTGL or DBZ?'

Because, depending on the meaning, I don't.

In reply to Tyr Hawk (msg # 2):

Good questions, .....

Set a game in the world of a specific anime, like TTGL or DBZ.

If you don't why not?

Ahhh, then yeah, I don't.

My reason is the same reason I don't like the play things like Star Wars RPGs, or Firefly: I tend to hold canon as sacred.

Now, when I say that, what I mean is that I don't like all the fangirling typically involved in most established settings. If I play a Star Wars RPG and we encounter anyone from the main franchise, the potential for OOC interruptions increases 100-fold, GMs may have the character do something like say a specific line from the movies/show just for the heck of it, even though the line works best in that specific moment from the series. They may also do things with the character that, officially, I don't/can't agree with (like making up someone as a love interest for that official character, or whathave you). For these reasons and many more, I tend to avoid touching the canon with anything shorter than a 500-foot pole.

Of course, most RPG settings have canon elements too. You know, official happenings and whatnot, but most authors of these RPGs give caveats right at the beginning of their book 'Change what you want' or whathave you. Many GMs will simply put in a new setting, or start with 'This is the official setting, except...' and so that's more or less fine by me, especially for settings I don't know much about, or which leave a lot of holes.

So, in short, I don't like to play in anime games because I don't like to mess with canon, and for most people that's exactly what they want to do in such a game. They want to interact with the world and the characters they love, experience the major events from a different viewpoint, but I really, really don't. If I played in a world like DBZ, for example, I'd want to play in a game set roughly 500-600 years before or after the events of the series. So even if your character is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of Gohan or whatever, it doesn't really matter, so get over it.

I love me some anime. I really do, but I don't want to mess with it. The same universe, sure, but other than that I want things left alone.

tl;dr: Tyr likes canon the way it is, thank you very much.

In reply to Tyr Hawk (msg # 4):

Excellent Input, So funny because I started a game exactly like what you don't like, looking to re-write a storyline based on the anime. I was looking to stay as true as possible to the show.

BUT, I too agree that cannon should be sacred so maybe my idea should be edited.

If you feel the same as Tyr Hawk, speak up and don't forget to say why!
This message was last edited by the user at 17:11, Fri 15 May 2015.

I don't play anime-based RPGs or even watch anime, but in general I do agree with Tyr. Having canon characters in a game (unless they are way, way, way in the background) is almost always a bad idea. Because your portrayal of canon characters will never match the original, and anything you do differently from the canon will be scrutinized/criticized by the players.

Perhaps worst of all, involving the canon characters takes the spotlight away from the PCs, by having characters who are seen as more important, more heroic, or more central to the story.

So when I run games in established settings, I always throw canon out the window and say it's an alternate story where the canon main characters don't exist, or I game in different time periods or different parts of the setting where canon characters have no impact.

In reply to Mustard Tiger (msg # 6):

TY Mustard Tiger.

I did that with the GoT we started back over a year ago. Your were a tremendous help getting that game started. I know you like freeform and that game got some what rule heavy at one point.

Thanks again for the input.
This message was last edited by the user at 17:11, Fri 15 May 2015.

Thank you for adding this in. I can't believe that I forgot to mention it in my initial post (I sort of alluded to it, but didn't say it specifically).

Always glad to see I'm not alone too ;)

I do play, but only if it is Alternate Universe/Alternate timeline: I mean specifically that the game does not contain canon characters and no-one can be the parents of or children of canon characters.

I am drawn to games which belong to specific anime I have seen. The anime-style games are as likely to collapse as any other game on RPoL. I'm willing to give them a go, but not the Yet Another Magical Mutant High School or Yet Another Duelling High School games.

I asked these questions because I started to set up a game based on Star Blazers/Yamato 2199. And I have not gotten any replies or interest (very little). So I figured I did something that's not in demand.

I thought that if I get input from players that do play these type of games I could adjust my game to get a greater player base. So far its looking like my idea to rewrite the storyline using the main characters is not the way to go.

If you have any comments on or ideas, I would appreciate the guidance. Of course sticking to the original questions that started this thread.

What system are you using?

In reply to Mustard Tiger (msg # 11):

Actually you introduced me to it, .... its Green Ronin same as asoiaf, I change it up to make it fit.

I felt this system allowed for the best on a light weight rule system that's fast for a PbP.

Oh, well that's probably why. I can't imagine a lot of people want to play with the SOIAF system for an anime game. I suppose you'd have better like using a system more often used for anime-style games, like Fate or BESM.

In reply to Mustard Tiger (msg # 13):

Unfortunately I have never played those systems. Any I did look them up. Kind of rule heavy.

I have to correct myself. I have not read about that system, it was something else I was reading and I can't remember right now which one.

I'm going to look into FATE, that could be another reason why (the system). Since the system I picked it not exactly used normally for anime. Just thought the character development was so cool it would work for my style of GMing.

Awesome!

Cubicle 7 released the licensed tabletop role-playing game called Starblazer Adventures using the Fate system in 2008, with multiple supplements coming out through to 2013. It was shortlisted for multiple awards both at the Indie RPG Awards and the ENnies.

Great tip Mustard Tiger :)

I agree with Tyr and the others who posted about Canon characters.  I find that, as both a player and GM, having them in a game can ruin the narrative and the feel of the game.

This is because, depending on the hero, it can totally distract or make your character not useful.  If you have a larger-then-life character, and they show up in your story to help/participate/mentor/etc, then why are you needed?  You can bring in a powerful figure to mentor, but then why not have that character do what needs done? Why send a low-level character when the high-level can EASILY accomplish this?

Example of above, is an old D&D game a friend ran.  One PC was a mage who wanted to train and mentor under Elminster.  Eventually he found him and was training as a wizard.  But then, when the story was taking place, there was always the feeling(to me at least) of "why are we doing this, when Elminster can EASILY handle it?"  And the answer of "because he does not feel like it" just does not work for me.

I prefer to start a campaign totally outside the established canon of any series or setting. I have personally run a Star Wars game for years.  One of the best, and most interesting, was placed shortly after the Thrawn Trilogy.  The idea was "What if, after all these galaxy-saving events, the heroes retired?"  This made my PCs take on larger roles, and I had to invent new NPCs to fill that void.  And yeah, it is a bit dumb or maybe cliche, but it helped avoid the issue of "canon characters".


The point is: I agree. Established or canon character or settings have no interest to me since we know that story already.  I am more interested in what comes after, or how to maintain the status quo that came about in those settings.

The point is: I agree. Established or canon character or settings have no interest to me since we know that story already.  I am more interested in what comes after, or how to maintain the status quo that came about in those settings.

Yeah, I will practically never play in an established setting like an actual anime world. Less because of me considering canon sacred(I don't. I write fanfic even, so I *really* don't!) but because I have played in games like that with big fans of the series/setting...and the superfans have made me rage with how much they nitpick details and use OOC knowledge. Sometimes the superfan is the GM, which is even worse.

Let's see, things that have happened in games set in established settings I've played in:
-GM had members of the Main Cast of the series show up to out-class us poor PCs at basically everything. That was "fun".
-GM had a member of the main cast be a complete jerkface to my char specifically. So I picked a fight with him(I was playing a really scrappy/punchy shonen hothead) and mechanically I was winning! Then nope, plot power move knocks me out not allowed to be better than a member of the Main Cast(same game as above).
-GM had a member of the main cast show up to do the give advice/teach a PC a special move thing(which I had no problems with), and another player started using OOC info about stuff that happened later in the series to...I dunno what they were even trying to accomplish, just doing stuff like "hey I know this girl you might know, she totally can't be trusted, just trying to look out for you bro." Attempting to change the events of canon with OOC knowledge I guess? Still, lame.
-I make a character that is awesome but not 100% in line with canon. GM is cool with it, says he's not sticking totally to cannon anyway because alot of things in cannon for this series don't make a lot of sense. A few sessions in, another player makes enough fuss about my character not being possible by strict cannon that the GM gives in to the complaining and tells me to make another character just for the sake of getting the complainasaurus to quiet down. "Did you tell him you're not sticking totally to canon here?" "Yeah, but he's not listening, it's just easier if you change your character." "...yeah, nope. I'm out, have fun playing with the guy who now knows you will cave to enough whining."

And so on. So yeah, I no longer play in games where the events of the game are concurrent with the main events of the series. I also don't like to play characters that someone else invented, I like to write my own backstories/personalities/etc, so games where we play AS the main cast are right out.

When it comes to GMing, I won't even run games in someone else's world. Not even Forgotten Realms/Ebberon/etc type DnD settings. If I'm running World of Darkness or a similar kind of game, the canon characters do not exist, full stop. The big current heroes of the setting are either a) the PCs because it's a high level game, or b) of my own creation.

So tl:;dr version, I'm sort of the exact opposite of Tyr here. I do not count canon as sacred but I have run into too many people that do in a REALLY annoying way, so I've just been burned on this kind of game. But amusingly for the same reason. Neither one of us like all the fangirling that goes on with established settings~

   The closest I have come to playing what anime was played once with Maid (as a retired government assassin butler), and a dual world Ani-man Fox Colonel. Neither were from any established canon as far as I understand.
   The question of overpowering canon character is that you have to make it plain that they are being watched the great villians have agents watching.  Moving on little issues can allow the enemy to make a move.  That minor incident might actually be a tripwire set by one of those villians to give them an openning to something even more senstive.  If you have a group make it plain that they are only one group that does favors for them, they maybe the most trusted. But only one.

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 19:19, Sat 16 May 2015.

Savage Worlds might also be a good bet. I adapted it for my Naruto game, and it's supposed to be easy to set up and run with.

In reply to DarkwindStriker (msg # 18):

Reading through you experience with some games, .... Too Me :) it looks like some of those GMs and games were just not what you expected and that the style did not fit your expectations.

I have to say that I agree with the idea if your going to stick to cannon then play a time period that is not so detailed or written yet, this is so you don't end up in those kind of issues.

BUT if the GM takes a setting and doesn't follow cannon exactly (and really sticks to what he says) would that be a game you would play?

This issue I'm, having with some of the comments about cannon is that in a span of 2 to 10 years the setting goes from aircrafts to Mecha (robotech environment). So I looking to play in the environment that the players experience the advancement of this decade. So starting at the end of cannon and continuing the events after the show its based on doesn't get the feel of the game I'm looking to GM.

Now saying that the events of the show never happened is do-able, .......

and the players playing the main PC in any form they see fit including adding or change their background and personality would work as well. BUT based on some of the comments this is not WHY THEY PLAY ANIME GAMES, and its exactly why they don't.

LAST NOTE:

Any game that has a very large fan base, with tons of cannon available already, (star wars is one on the list).... written setting, etc (movies etc.) I normally stay away from unless I see a time period I can expand on that has interest to the players and myself and it has nothing written. I do this so I can't muk-up the cannon and no player can contradict the game. This has worked for me and a good example is my GoT game that has lasted over a year with over 6,000 posts and an expanded environment for a second game.

In reply to Tileira (msg # 21):

Thank you for the thought, ....

But I am a 'Old Timer' and I know D20 (3.5) and Green Ronin asoiaf. I refused and this is a personal issue, to learn any system that is D20 based that's new, or any D&D version that's above 3.5. I would go back to AD&D or even D&D for the fun of it but not Pathfinder or above.

I would consider an alternate to D20 that is open ended for creating a setting, but if I do this it needs to be a keeper. I don't have the time or the energy to continue to learn new systems and having to many games with different systems, also it can make keeping track of the rules tuff.

I know the following game systems

AS GM, ....

d&d up to 3.5 D20 system (KoK setting my favorite)
L5R, by AEG, D10 system (love this setting)
GoT, Green Ronin (asoiaf) (my new love)
Deadland, Doomtown - classic & D20

AS a Player, .........

I have played but don't really now the rules to very well,

Dark Heresy - I realized I don't like dark settings and gore games :)
Robotech & Hobbit - by Palladium (heavy rule for a PbP in my option
Vampire the Masquerade & Dark Ages - White Wolf (enjoyed it when I played)

Tried a few others as a player but after the character creation and the first 8 hours I just didn't like it enough to continue.
This message was last edited by the user at 14:36, Mon 18 May 2015.

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was moot, at 17:00, Mon 18 May 2015.