OVA Revised Edition Blog

[Oni]

This is a topic I've been giving some thought, as evidenced by this thread.

The Transformation idea is an interesting one, but I feel like there are some flaws with it. You can use it to build a character that follows the typical anime trope of escalation, I'm not sure it encourages the behavior though. It requires either the player to voluntarily limit himself when building how the transformation works, or the GM to step in say no it has to work this way. Which is fine for some, but a lot of people prefer a system to address an issue rather than depend on the players not to behave a certain way. Also it doesn't deal with the problem of opening with your biggest move to flatten your foe before they can act, unless the expectation is that all characters will be built using Transformation preventing them from using the strongest attacks except under certain circumstances. Lastly this approach seems a little rigid, sometimes the rules of escalation get broken in anime and ideally you would have the fluidity to emulate that, while at the same time still encouraging genre appropriate behavior.

On a separate note, one of the post in the rpg.net thread the death spiral and reverseing it got me to thinking. Perhaps as an optional rule, for appropriate genres you could do something like this. When you run out of hit points instead of taking a -1 penalty to actions, you actually gain a +1 bonus. A lot of anime it seems like the worse the beating you take, the better/harder you fight. Also there in an interesting dynamic to managing your resources in that running out of Endurance/Fighting Spirit/Mana penalizes you, but running out of HP energizes you. Another way to possibly discourage big attacks out of the gate, because you risk making the enemy stronger if you don't drop them.

Anyway enough rambling from me.

[Oni]

Another random thought, transformation as a Powermove might be interesting. I might see about working that into my Dramatic Combat System, so it would have a scaling cost as the fight progressed.

[Joe_Mello]

I think there's nothing that can't be done with the pieces already laid out in the corebook. Yes, you may have to be creative and extend out from those pieces, but there's no need to reinvent the wheel because your situation isn't covered.

A lot of your first problem(s) could probably be solved by just measuring out a turn. IIRC, Clay does not really define what a turn consists of other than "doing stuff" and then has the basic bullet list of common actions. Put a transformation into a specific fraction of turn. This way, you can have the gradual build-up you want in a satisfying manner to everyone.

The other part, make a special ability called "Plot Armor."

[Oni]

I think there's nothing that can't be done with the pieces already laid out in the corebook. Yes, you may have to be creative and extend out from those pieces, but there's no need to reinvent the wheel because your situation isn't covered.

A lot of your first problem(s) could probably be solved by just measuring out a turn. IIRC, Clay does not really define what a turn consists of other than "doing stuff" and then has the basic bullet list of common actions. Put a transformation into a specific fraction of turn. This way, you can have the gradual build-up you want in a satisfying manner to everyone.

The other part, make a special ability called "Plot Armor."

Using the base mechanics is great if you can make it do what you want. But at some point, especially in a game that is trying to keep it simple, you're going to run into things that the rules just do not do what you want them to do. There comes a point, when you're no longer extending on what's there and really working on something new. I quite imagine that's where a lot of new games systems have started.

Anyway, no matter how much fluff you throw at it, the PC's going nuclear on the first round of combat and ending things before they start is just anti-climactic. For me, and for many other people I'm guessing, that approach is just not a satisfying solution. Rather than pretending a system is behaving the way I want it to, I'd much rather it actually behave the way I want it to.

The question really is, can it be made to do that while still maintaining a sense of simplicity and fun.

[Clay]

The question really is, can it be made to do that while still maintaining a sense of simplicity and fun.

That really is the question, and I've pretty much come to the conclusion that you can't. For every piece of machinery you add on, you end up breaking something else, and throughout discussions here, on the blog, and over at RPG.net, I haven't found a solution that encompasses all character types without forcing itself where it's not wanted.

So I've tried to reach a happy medium by including more tools that encourage this sort of thinking. It's hard to pass up, say a -10 to -20 Endurance break for simply waiting till you get beat up a little. But you don't have to. Joe's transformation example is pretty apt, too. I hesitate to mention Dragon Ball Z (since it basically breaks every RPG on principle) but it certainly makes a case for it. You know...since people actually do transform to open new Attacks.

But I think that's part of the charm of OVA. It's simple enough that if you want to tack on this cool, detailed dramatic combat system you came up with, you can. And I hope people do. What I don't want people having to do is having to remove parts of the game to make it work for them.

...Then again...if I ever get around to making a shounen supplement for OVA...perhaps a handful of extra rules will be warranted.

Moderator's Note: If discussion of this will continue for much longer, I'd really recommend moving it to a new thread. Hi-jacking the blog announcement thread sort of isn't the way to go. *laughs*

[Cloud]

Looking forward to the next update!

[Joe_Mello]

So uh, do we have a planned street date for the new edition?

[Eisenmann]

So uh, do we have a planned street date for the new edition?

Good question. I see it cropping up more and more the latest over at RPG.net

[Clay]

It's still going to be some time yet. I'm hoping by January. Redoing all of the artwork in the book is something that takes a long time. Hopefully you will all find that it's worth it in the end.

Bare in mind this would be the PDF. The print version would probably be 3-6 months after the PDF hits.

[Joe_Mello]

In fact, this sort of already exists with Miho. It's all fun and games until the wings and the giant gun arm pops out!

You got Saikano in my Chobits......although it was there from the start wasn't it? >_>

Anyway, for those still looking for stuff mentioned in this topic about things (it's late; leave me alone), I'd recommend possibly looking at the D&D Sorcerer Class, 4th edition's best example to a Shonen Jump Character I think they have. Today for funsies, I rolled one up and he basically answered the question "What would a d-bag who grew up watching DBZ all his life do when he woke up one day and realized that he could do all that stuff, too?"

tl;dr version, I made a spellcasting version of The Scout. I might convert him to OVA just for shiggles when I have some time because I really like the character concept.