RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to Game Proposals, Input, and Advice

08:00, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Posted by steelsmiter
steelsmiter
member, 2081 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Mon 4 May 2020
at 15:01
  • msg #1

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Is there any interest in a game using this rule system? If so, what sort of game would you like to see ran with it?
This message was last updated by the user at 15:01, Mon 04 May 2020.
Elfy
member, 65 posts
Mon 4 May 2020
at 18:17
  • msg #2

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

My Hero Academia =p
steelsmiter
member, 2082 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Mon 4 May 2020
at 21:31
  • msg #3

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

OK, minor point of clarification Anything that isn't an established franchise that you'd like to see ran with it?
liblarva
member, 628 posts
Mon 4 May 2020
at 21:38
  • msg #4

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Yes. Definite interest. No clue about setting.
Elfy
member, 66 posts
Tue 5 May 2020
at 03:20
  • msg #5

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Super-powered teenagers in a superhero academy =p

or super-powered ninjas in feudal Japan (or maybe modern day Japan)

or supernatural-powered beings (ghosts, onis, vampires, catgirls, psychics, etc.) in feudal or modern day Japan

or super-powered spies (James Bond team with super-powers and spy gadgets).

or medieval fantasy with super-powers.

(you're noticing a common feature, yes =p)
This message was last edited by the user at 07:15, Tue 05 May 2020.
zeone3000
member, 541 posts
Tue 5 May 2020
at 03:23
  • msg #6

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

I'd be down for all those except for spies.
Elfy
member, 67 posts
Tue 5 May 2020
at 07:15
  • msg #7

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Fantasy Pirates with super-powers

or 1920s/1930s gangsters with super-powers

or 1920s/1930s supernatural-powered gangsters

or Fantasy Gunslingers with super-powers

or Primal/Primitive Fantasy with superpowers riding/fighting on/with dinosaurs, other monsters, and beings

or Space Pirates with super-powers

or Mutant Post-apocalypse with super-powers
steelsmiter
member, 2083 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Tue 5 May 2020
at 15:59
  • msg #8

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

There appears to be a leaning toward supers, though I have to ask, are we talking about how characters have abilities attributes that aren't marked by asterisks, or how characters are above 150 character points? BESM 4 says full on godlings are only 250, so it pays to know whether we're talking about functionality or power level. I generally prefer to start things around Human or Adventurer level benchmarks, but again, am prepared for the possibility of something different.
Elfy
member, 68 posts
Tue 5 May 2020
at 17:13
  • msg #9

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

I'm not talking power levels so much as concepts. When I mean super-powers, I mean characters having 'powers' beyond the ordinary for their species. So any powers in the book, as opposed to just the powers with asterisks.

So, for example, with the fantasy pirates with super-powers idea, maybe you have an Elf pirate that can teleport over to the ship they are raiding, or with the gangster with powers you have a gangster that can fire lightning from their hands, or the fantasy with powers you have a dwarf with super-strength that can pick up and throw a stone golem, or the fantasy gunslingers you have a Gnome with stretchy arm powers.

I've not made my first character with BESM 4E yet, so I'm not sure about appropriate power levels.
steelsmiter
member, 2084 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Tue 5 May 2020
at 18:44
  • msg #10

Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Elfy:
Super-powered teenagers in a superhero academy =p

  • I can't run that due to my loathe of the censorship that comes with games that aren't at least at the mature level. I honestly prefer Adult games, but can tolerate Mature ones. I keep forgetting that this is the only site where I have to make that distinction.
  • If you're asking about ninjas, I gotta ask where you stand on samurai.
  • If I were to do a sort of modern fantasy, I'd need to know how overt non-humans are--whether they have to go around in secret and stuff. Or for that matter, if you guys wanted to play with the Anime Multiverse. If so, I'd want you to start on the same planet at the very least.
  • Re: Gunslingers I have often considered a steampunk 19th century America game, around 1865-1895. If I did gangsters I'd want to not emulate any particular real world mob entity, but sort of give nods to them.
  • I'm having a discussion elsewhere about how I'm a bit more capable with fantasy than I am with science, so the game could have fantasy leanings. As a result, I'm not sure I can do justice to anything in space.
quote:
or medieval fantasy with super-powers.

I actually quit a tabletop roleplaying game system that's arguably better for medieval fantasy than anything out there, because I got bored with the underlying assumptions that usually go with the genre, and went with that system specifically for the entire decade after I quit playing that system (chiefly their alignment and experience gain issues that I understand have been somewhat alleviated by later iterations, but many other quibbles).

quote:
I'd be down for all those except for spies.

I'm not opposed to spies myself, but with the caveat that I don't do intrigue spies particularly well, and BESM seems better about gadget spies in any case.
Elfy
member, 69 posts
Tue 5 May 2020
at 19:35
  • msg #11

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

I was just tossing out a bunch if ideas like kindling on a fire to inspire others to speak up and toss out their own ideas.

steelsmiter:
[*] If you're asking about ninjas, I gotta ask where you stand on samurai.

Ninja would be more fun than Samurai IMHO, but YMMV. I prefer rogues and thieves to cavaliers and paladins. Samurai have codes of honor and societal expectations placed on them, whereas ninja have much more leeway and freedom.


steelsmiter:
[*] If I were to do a sort of modern fantasy, I'd need to know how overt non-humans are--whether they have to go around in secret and stuff. Or for that matter, if you guys wanted to play with the Anime Multiverse. If so, I'd want you to start on the same planet at the very least.


I prefer more overt, like how normal superheroes are.

Could be a mix of supernatural-themes and superheroes and even fantasy. Like 1920s or 1930s. Like an elf thief being the getaway driver fleeing from the coppers in a Ford Model-A, with other members of the gang in the car; such as a catgirl who shoots laser beams from her eyes, and a human who can turn invisible, or an oni that can has a club and can teleport on top of the police wagon and bash its engine before teleporting back to the getaway car.

Of course, the character could be the dogooders, instead of gangsters. Mystery man/pulp superheroes .

steelsmiter:
[*] Re: Gunslingers I have often considered a steampunk 19th century America game, around 1865-1895. If I did gangsters I'd want to not emulate any particular real world mob entity, but sort of give nods to them.


Sure, steampunk, elfs, superpowers, catgirls, gunslingers, magic pistols, ghost and goblins.

steelsmiter:
I'm not opposed to spies myself, but with the caveat that I don't do intrigue spies particularly well, and BESM seems better about gadget spies in any case.


I'm less interested in the intrigue and sleuthing aspects and much more interested in action and adventure aspects. Superpowers and spy gadgets! Fighting and chases!


Whether that setting is booty-seeking pirates, treasure-seeking adventurers, thieving gangsters and mystery men/pulp superheroes, or spies with gadgets. Basically, an anime-type setting that combines fantasy races, magic, and tropes; with supernatural races; and superpowers. Maybe something like that.
This message was last edited by the user at 19:37, Tue 05 May 2020.
steelsmiter
member, 2085 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Tue 5 May 2020
at 21:03
  • msg #12

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Elfy:
Ninja would be more fun than Samurai IMHO, but YMMV. I prefer rogues and thieves to cavaliers and paladins. Samurai have codes of honor and societal expectations placed on them, whereas ninja have much more leeway and freedom.

I find that while there is validity to stereotypes like that, it's a bit like saying "chivalry is dead" when many variations on chivalry only had one rule about interacting with the fairer sex. Sure there's what we think of as either respective code, but there's a lot more granularity with how it's followed... and a word for when it's blatantly not. This appears to be reflected by BESM 4's rules only making the Bushido Code a -1 point Social Fault (Minor inconvenience). I've often ran games where samurai immediately become Ronin that seem to work well.

quote:
I prefer more overt, like how normal superheroes are

I'm not really sure that answers my question, or that superheroes are a good example (but I can't say for sure because other than Tony Stark, I don't know any supers who don't resort to alternate identities. If they are more prevalent than I'm aware though, it's my shortcoming).

As I understand superheroes, you answered a question that refers to knowing that "this guy who stops crimes is Superman", where my question was directed at knowing "Superman is Clark Kent". In that scenario, a normal superhero is more covert than overt.

Likewise, in a setting where monsters are not overt, "that guy who is 9 feet tall is a bouncer" is a fact more likely to be known than "that guy who is 9 feet tall is an ogre".

quote:
Could be a mix of supernatural-themes and superheroes and even fantasy. Like 1920s or 1930s. Like an elf thief being the getaway driver fleeing from the coppers in a Ford Model-A, with other members of the gang in the car; such as a catgirl who shoots laser beams from her eyes, and a human who can turn invisible, or an oni that can has a club and can teleport on top of the police wagon and bash its engine before teleporting back to the getaway car.

I didn't mention it before, but it bears mentioning that I think the 1920s and 30s are already packed with enough story potential in the real world that I don't see the need to mix genres with them. I might try a straight prohibition era game with another system I wrote at a later date, but if I do that, I'll write up a different IC for it.
OakMaster
member, 121 posts
"Choose you this day
whom ye will serve..."
Tue 5 May 2020
at 21:15
  • msg #13

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

One of my favorite RPoL campaigns some years back was a medieval supers scenario where the PCs had to not only save the day, but do so covertly enough to not attract unwanted attention from the Inquisition.

If fading memory serves me correctly, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_1602 may also be a scenario along such lines...?

Do you envision a game based upon an alternate Earth, or upon some non-Earth fantasy world?

Do you envision a game where folks without BESM are welcome (and the GM deals with the mechanics behind the screen), or is owning the rules a prerequisite?
steelsmiter
member, 2086 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Wed 6 May 2020
at 00:14
  • msg #14

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

OakMaster:
Do you envision a game based upon an alternate Earth, or upon some non-Earth fantasy world?

Ideally an alternate Earth, or the BESM Multiverse

quote:
Do you envision a game where folks without BESM are welcome (and the GM deals with the mechanics behind the screen), or is owning the rules a prerequisite?

I think RPoL's rules prohibit me from linking a meme featuring Ewan McGregor dressed as a jedi, which has a caption that would answer your question. On the off chance the meme isn't invoked by my imagery, yes, in accordance with the thread title and its entire subject being BESM 4, owning the rules is a prerequisite.*

*This may have come off as a snark. It should be noted I was going for levity.
OakMaster
member, 122 posts
"Choose you this day
whom ye will serve..."
Wed 6 May 2020
at 00:34
  • msg #15

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

steelsmiter:
Is there any interest in a game using this rule system? If so, what sort of game would you like to see ran with it?

In my defense, you never actually said that players need to own the rules... ;)
steelsmiter
member, 2087 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Wed 6 May 2020
at 03:21
  • msg #16

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

OakMaster:
steelsmiter:
Is there any interest in a game using this rule system? If so, what sort of game would you like to see ran with it?

In my defense, you never actually said that players need to own the rules... ;)

It's difficult for me to give a measured response. I would ask how one logically concludes that "a game using this rule system" means anything other than "the participants use the rule system", but honestly I can see how that might open up quandaries about the meaning of ownership that I don't care to discuss, and can't see the point of obtaining the answer. In any case, you have yours.
AegisGame
member, 9 posts
Wed 6 May 2020
at 03:37
  • msg #17

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Some sort of modern day Wuxia like Breaker, Iron Fist, Kenichi, Kenji or Veritas could be cool. I guess Dragon Ball in a way.

And like those examples above, the players can start at human level with some advanced knowledge and work their way up the power scale.

But I’d definitely be interested in something
This message was last edited by the user at 03:56, Wed 06 May 2020.
steelsmiter
member, 2088 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Sat 9 May 2020
at 03:18
  • msg #18

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Well, it looks like we have a lot of options, so we'll have to narrow down which of those that aren't IPs are preferred the most among those still interested.
Elfy
member, 70 posts
Tue 12 May 2020
at 04:57
  • msg #19

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

I was waiting to see if there were going to be anymore replies before replying again.

[Overt vs Covert]

In the case of the supernaturals example, "that guy who is 9 feet tall is an ogre"
In the case of the superheroes example, "this guy who stops crimes is Superman"

[BESM]

One of the biggest strengths of the BESM system is the ability to easily 'mash up' genres (like is done a lot in anime). I would find 'normal' 1920s gangsters rather plain and boring by comparison to the novelty of a supernatural fantasy gangsters in an alternate reality 1920s setting.

Imagine an alternate reality 1920s-style big city supernatural fantasy criminals/gangsters premise. A wand-wielding elven wizard hitman, a catgirl safecracker that can cause things to explode by touching them for 30 seconds, an onigirl getaway driver in a Ford Model-T that can fire lightning bolts from her horn, a bat-winged demon 'catburglar' with a 'bag of holding' that can breath fire out of his mouth, an ogre bouncer, a human bankrobber with telekinesis, a stone golem with x-ray vision, a ghost with 'jinx' powers.

Since you aren't interested in the teen superheroes academy, this is the premise I like best.
This message was last edited by the user at 05:01, Tue 12 May 2020.
steelsmiter
member, 2089 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Tue 12 May 2020
at 14:44
  • msg #20

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

Elfy:
One of the biggest strengths of the BESM system is the ability to easily 'mash up' genres (like is done a lot in anime). I would find 'normal' 1920s gangsters rather plain and boring by comparison to the novelty of a supernatural fantasy gangsters in an alternate reality 1920s setting.

That may be a strength of BESM, but it's not a weakness of prohibition era. I'm just straight not going to run that game. It's not just no interest from me, it's an active dislike of the premise.
AegisGame
member, 11 posts
Wed 13 May 2020
at 15:49
  • msg #21

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

I think the ones above that spoke loudest to me were Steam punk, Wuxia, or spies.
steelsmiter
member, 2090 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Fri 15 May 2020
at 18:12
  • msg #22

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

AegisGame:
I think the ones above that spoke loudest to me were Steam punk, Wuxia, or spies.

Yeah probably so, and spies was one of the ones a player said they didn't prefer. I tend to be better at steampunk than wuxia, but I don't particularly have a problem with players having honor codes like the Xia, or how wire-fu their jumps look. Since Asian Americans worked on railroads, I'm considering the possibility of having the players be part of the effort to get the Transcontinental Railroad, either in Central or Union Pacific, which would pretty well set the start of the game between 1863 and 1869. If that seems interesting enough, I could recycle a GURPS setting I wrote many years ago (for its timeline mostly, and converting some of its tech to BESM).
This message was last edited by the user at 18:12, Fri 15 May 2020.
AegisGame
member, 12 posts
Tue 19 May 2020
at 18:42
  • msg #23

Re: Just Got BESM 4 [IC]

That sounds pretty interesting to me.
Sign In