Clay wrote: yes, OVA is perfectly suitable for non-anime type games. I’ve thought about making a stripped down generic version of the ruleset before, but…I like anime too much.
I'm starting a near-future realistic'ish campaign this week. So I'm putting this to the test =)
Thanks for getting me the new hardback bundle so quickly. My 1st paperback is at one friend's house, the new one will go to another, the hardback stays with me, and I'll need to get a PDF for my iPad'ing friend. I hope I can study enough this week to start right.
I think that the beauty of the setting is the versatility: last time the party was composed by a guy with a big shotgun that could use as a mace, a shadow mage with a hawk familiar and a weretiger. We played both fantasy (well techno fantasy) settings and modern ones (inspired by Killer7, made more lethal reducing stats). It worked well but only if you are creative. The games falls apart if you have similar/generic characters, so make them interesting/weird. A game with nearly identical samurais it's boring and works better with other systems.
Sorry Plastic Avatar, I think I missed your 6 day window by a bit. I hope you've found the game pretty easy to learn even without advice! But in case you still want it, I think focusing on the Combat chapter will do you the most good. It's by far the most fiddly part of the game, but the concepts used there also apply to the rest of the game, too.
If you really need a crash course, the various Player Books distill the ruleset into a matter of pages. Makes it great for introducing other players in addition to drilling the concepts yourself!
