Sup /tg/, what's your take on this game? We've recently got the group's hyperweeb back from sick leave and she's been trying to sell us image related as basically a cross between Afro Samurai and Dynasty Warrior.
How accurate is that, and how does it play in general?
PS: Can someone explain the whole Aiki/Kiai/Fate deal to me? I feel stupid trying to decipher it.
PPS: Are there any other games from Japan checking out?
>>47078886
I've read the core book for the most part, and found it pretty interesting, never played it though. The one thing that bugged me was the emphasis on narrative structure, i.e. what constitutes a scene, how you transition from one to another, etc. It felt way too rigid and formal for pnp game.
>>47079000
It is extremely rigid to play, and if you aren't the big time actor focused type of player there is little to no fun to be had.
A lot of the setting material is pretty good though.
>>47079036
That's what I felt after reading as well. Mechanically, I liked how you could mix and match attributes and skills depending on the situation. I also found the classes to be both thematically and mechanically interesting, although I have no idea whether they work well in practice.
In general, I feel the game adheres too much to jrpg design principles, as evidenced by the rigid narrative structure.
>>47078886
>PPS: Are there any other games from Japan checking out?
Ryuutama.
>>47079369
>>47079000
TBZ's 'thing' is allowing quick drop ins/drop outs of a game, which makes it great for convention or LGS play as well as being great for people with a busy-ass schedule. If you need to you can run it like an Exalted 1o1 campaign or expand the party as needed/required without loss of efficiency.
It's very useful, despite being an acquired taste.
>>47079645
I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not the kind of thing I would be comfortable running with my players, as they tend to veer off into the freeform side of the rpg spectrum.
>>47078886
>PS: Can someone explain the whole Aiki/Kiai/Fate deal to me? I feel stupid trying to decipher it.
In a nutshell...
Aiki (In the form of tokens, usually) are given out for good roleplay: either sticking to your characters Fates (what's important to them) or for just being plain entertaining. Anybody can give these out.
At moments when a Fate becomes relevant to what's going on, a player may spend 1 Aiki to make a Fate Roll. This generates Kiai.
Kiai is then used similar to EXP or some other meta currency in other games to gain temporary or permanent bonuses.
Used Kiai becomes Karma at certain points during the game called Intermissions, which are more or less what they sound like. During Intermissions, characters can be given new Fates or have their current Fates adjusted. Intermissions usually mark a significant passage of time in the story. (Such as days or months)
Fate Rolls can also be made during Intermissions, each one costing one Aiki.
If a characters Karma is ever 108 or higher at the end of an intermission, they turn into an Asura -- a batshit crazy monster that is given to the GM.
Eliminating or changing Fates is how you lower your Karma, meaning your change what it is your character feels strongly about.
So to condense it even further: Roleplay good to get EXP. After using EXP, make your character dynamic to the story or give them to the GM.
>>47078886
>How accurate is that, and how does it play in general?
Very.
In general, it's not meant for long term games. You're expected to play from char-gen to wrapping up the story in just one session.
Any improvements to your character happen during game.
Also, power imbalances aren't uncommon, and neither is PVP.
Plus side to the above: character death only happens on the player's terms. You can be knocked unconscious, but never killed unless you effectively give the GM permission to end your character.
>>47080025
>You can be knocked unconscious, but never killed unless you effectively give the GM permission to end your character.
It should be noted that this ties into the health system.
Every PC has Vitality and Wounds.
Vitality acts like regular HP.
0 Vitality means you're down, but it recovers pretty quickly.
Wounds are a separate pool of HP that recover much more slowly. Whenever you would lose Vitality, you can tick off Wounds instead.
The interesting thing about them is that they produce a reverse death spiral.
There are three levels of Wounds. The higher the level, the longer they take to heal. But the highest level of wound you have gives you up to three bonus dice.
Then there's the Dead box. By ticking off the Dead box, you completely negate the current attack and bump up your Wound bonus to 4 dice.
The catch? If you drop to 0 Vitality while the Dead box is ticked, your character is gone for good.
In essence, the Dead box is a tool for saying: "I am willing to die for what is at stake here."
>>47080371
>There are three levels of Wounds. The higher the level, the longer they take to heal. But the highest level of wound you have gives you up to three bonus dice.
>Then there's the Dead box. By ticking off the Dead box, you completely negate the current attack and bump up your Wound bonus to 4 dice.
Close, but not quite. Dead Box gives +3. Critical Wounds give +2, Serious Wounds give +1, and Minor Wounds +0.
>>47079369
>I also found the classes to be both thematically and mechanically interesting, although I have no idea whether they work well in practice.
If one of your players is an optimizer, the answer is "Everyone is equally overpowered." Expect the average combat-oriented PC to be able to cut a mecha in half in one to two hits if they can connect.
Things to watch out for in general are Kongohki, Ayakashi, the two-weapon fighting Art of War, and Mecha. Samurai, Kijin, Ninja, and Annelidists are all about equally powerful (and are all compatible with each other, too, allowing you to stack their bonuses on top of each other if you want to). Magic classes in general (Shinto Shrine Maidens, Buddhist Monks, Onmyouji) are weaker but more flexible that fighter-type classes, but this can by mitigated somewhat by combining different archetypes together.
>>47081572
Oh. Sorry, been a while since I read it, because I have next to no hope of ever playing it.
