Random musings on OVA

Inquisitor Melchior · Post by **Inquisitor Melchior** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:24 am

Since I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of OVA yet, and so am less than qualified to respond to most of the interesting threads on this site, I thought I would just submit a few random thoughts that came to me while reading the board.

The game play sample provided in the OVA demo reminded me considerably of a superhero scenario, which made me wonder: Has anyone tried playing a supers game with the OVA mechanics? Would anyone be interested in an OVA Superheroes supplement? Personally I don't see the thematic differences between hero team anime and comic superheroes as being all that terribly great, but perhaps there's enough that a supplement detailing both might be warranted? *Imagines his own garrishly clad spandex crusader pacing the halls of Titan Tower while trying to devise a means to revive Terra*

So far I've seen several mentions of a possible Shoujo supplement in the future, but what I'd really like to see is a Shoujo & Bishoujo supplement. To me its always seemed as though these two distinct but complimentary sub-genres should be treated in the same guide. Not only do both contain many similar themes and characters, but there is some precedence for a correlation (such as the various Tenchi harem comedy series and the magical girl Pretty Sammy series). As an added benefit such a supplement would stand-out against its competing Shoujo guides and might even appeal to a broader audience (of course I would be remiss not to mention that the success of such a book largely depends on whether or not those interested in playing a Shoujo game would also be interested in a Bishoujo game).

Earlier in the board I read a message about the experience system, and how Clay prefers to award advancement based on character play. I actually prefer playing games this way myself, but find that players often want a more immediate reward for their efforts. As some sort of a compromise I suggest awarding special Drama Dice that can be retained by the player until needed. As long as these bonuses aren't awarded too liberally they shouldn't break the game, and in drama or romance campaigns (where seemingly trivial challenges can have a profound impact and remarkable twists of fate are hardly uncommon) they may prove to be a very interesting and valuable asset.

Well, that’s all I have for now. If there are any other members or guests who don’t quite feel comfortable answering the threads on this board, but who have random ideas they’d like to share, feel free to use this thread as a launch pad (or just ridicule my demented ideas if you’d like).

Post by **Clay** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:10 am

Inquisitive Melchior wrote:The game play sample provided in the OVA demo reminded me considerably of a superhero scenario, which made me wonder: Has anyone tried playing a supers game with the OVA mechanics? Would anyone be interested in an OVA Superheroes supplement? Personally I don't see the thematic differences between hero team anime and comic superheroes as being all that terribly great, but perhaps there's enough that a supplement detailing both might be warranted? *Imagines his own garrishly clad spandex crusader pacing the halls of Titan Tower while trying to devise a means to revive Terra*

On a thread about OVA on another forum, a person who had very low regard for "anime" games claimed they were just supers games in disguise.

I had never thought about it before, but he's basically right. It's just a theme thing. There's no reason in the world you cannot build a supers character with OVA. Just add spandex.

As for making an actual BOOK...I doubt it. OVA's bag is its anime heritage, and I don't want to pull a GoO and go and produce superhero books instead. Nothing wrong with that (I have been a long time fan of Champions and Fuzion), but it's not something I am interested in doing with OVA.

Inquisitive Melchior wrote:So far I've seen several mentions of a possible Shoujo supplement in the future, but what I'd really like to see is a Shoujo & Bishoujo supplement.

I never thought about it. It is a possible idea, especially since OVA genre books tackle two sub-genres through its settings. (For example, OVAmecha has a space opera and a cyberpunk) However, the audiences are so wildly different, I'm not sure if it would bring them together or keep them BOTH away. Also, Bishoujo is very much about the characters, and is completely divisible from its setting and theme. You can have bishoujo sci-fis (Tenchi Muyo!), bishoujo fantasies (Riviera: The Promised Land), bishoujo slice-of-lifes (Just about everything else)... I'm not sure if a book could adequately encompass that.

Inquisitive Melchior wrote:Earlier in the board I read a message about the experience system, and how Clay prefers to award advancement based on character play. I actually prefer playing games this way myself, but find that players often want a more immediate reward for their efforts. As some sort of a compromise I suggest awarding special Drama Dice that can be retained by the player until needed. As long as these bonuses aren't awarded too liberally they shouldn't break the game, and in drama or romance campaigns (where seemingly trivial challenges can have a profound impact and remarkable twists of fate are hardly uncommon) they may prove to be a very interesting and valuable asset.

Interesting idea! Reminds me very much of Shadowrun. At least, I THINK that's what Karma was like. Been many, many moons.

Anyway, thanks for all the ideas. It's always fun to see what people are interested in doing with OVA.

Inquisitor Melchior · Post by **Inquisitor Melchior** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:20 am

Clay wrote: There's no reason in the world you cannot build a supers character with OVA. Just add spandex.

As for making an actual BOOK...I doubt it. OVA's bag is its anime heritage, and I don't want to pull a GoO and go and produce superhero books instead. Nothing wrong with that (I have been a long time fan of Champions and Fuzion), but it's not something I am interested in doing with OVA.

Just an idea. But you're probably right, Its better to devote yourself to what you're interested in rather than get sidetracked for the sake of possible marketing appeal.

Clay wrote: I never thought about it. It is a possible idea, especially since OVA genre books tackle two sub-genres through its settings. (For example, OVAmecha has a space opera and a cyberpunk) However, the audiences are so wildly different, I'm not sure if it would bring them together or keep them BOTH away. Also, Bishoujo is very much about the characters, and is completely divisible from its setting and theme. You can have bishoujo sci-fis (Tenchi Muyo!), bishoujo fantasies (Riviera: The Promised Land), bishoujo slice-of-lifes (Just about everything else)... I'm not sure if a book could adequately encompass that.

I disagree. Shoujo itself is mostly a collection of themes and conventions intended to appeal to a female audience (especially young women). Although we tend to identify it with Sailor Moon and Utena it can apply to a variety of sub-genres including pseudo-fantasy, high-fantasy, sci-fi, slice of life, and even yakuza gangs (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoujo ). In this way its no less difficult to define. And while Bishoujo focuses primarily on the concept of characters that are 'Moe' (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo%C3%A9 ) , it is not just a genre of arch-types, but also possesses several common themes including harem, magical girlfriend, and even some magical girl shows.

As a counter-point to my argument, the marketability of a book is largely dependant not on the actual definition of the subject matter, but upon what the public percieves it to be. Though Shoujo is often correlated with magical girl and fantasy romance shows, Bishoujo is often percieved in a far less favorable light (being, in the minds of many, associated only with fan-service and hentai), and the two are seen as being dramatically different even though many shows and manga deftly incorporate themes and elements from both (such as DNAngel).

I would argue that the two are not as widely different as it may seem, nor necessarily are their audiences (Look at how many people are avid fans of both Sailor Moon and Tenchi Muyo), but that combining them could backfire as far as marketing is concerned (If you are at all seriously considering this idea I would suggest running a poll to see if it has any real appeal).

Well, food for thought anyway

.

Clay wrote: Anyway, thanks for all the ideas. It's always fun to see what people are interested in doing with OVA.

No problem. Hopefully I'll have a whole lot more after I read the rules.

Inquisitor Melchior · Post by **Inquisitor Melchior** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:42 am

It occurs to me in retrospect, however, that it may be a bit of a misnomer to actually call Bishoujo a sub-genre? Is it actually just more of a label? Hmmm...?

By the way, I would encourage anyone interested in becoming a GM to have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page . Not only is it a great public forum encyclopedia, but it also has a surprising amount of information pertaining to anime (although some of it can be a bit hard to find. If you don't get the topic you want, always try the 'Disambiguation' link at the bottom of the page).

jblittlefield · Post by **jblittlefield** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 8:29 am

I've recently run the following games with OVA:

Classic 1930s pulp
Modern-era espionage
Archetypal swords & sorcery
1920s horror
Space opera
Golden Age super heroes

They all went off without a hitch...OVA isn't just an anime game. I see it more as a basic generic system that let's you play darn near about any setting/genre you want.

Post by **Clay** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:51 pm

Melchior: You bring some strong points...when I get to that place in OVA, I'll be sure to ask around and see what public opinion on the idea is.

The links to wikipedia were great, too. Thanks for sharing. ^^

JB: Very cool. ^_^ It's nice to see Ricochet working under such diverse circumstances. It's genres like these that are the reason why I offer a licensing agreement. Although I personally won't be diverging much away from anime, I do see the potential of Ricochet's use elsewhere.

A friend of mine was gonna use Ricochet for a Gun-Fu game, but opted for fuzion instead. *pout*

jblittlefield · Post by **jblittlefield** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:44 pm

Clay wrote:JB: Very cool. ^_^ It's nice to see Ricochet working under such diverse circumstances. It's genres like these that are the reason why I offer a licensing agreement. Although I personally won't be diverging much away from anime, I do see the potential of Ricochet's use elsewhere.

I intend on licensing it (if my partner agrees) in the near future for use with our (www.doublegpress.com) pulp setting -- The Ravaged Earth Society (which will appear first as a licensed Savage Worlds setting). Truth be told...I think it'll be more fun with Ricochet!

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 6:23 pm

FUZION? Say it isnt so...

Post by **Clay** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:31 pm

Wow, that's very cool, J.B. ^^ If it helps, the licensing agreement, as posted on the site, was very ad lib and certainly open to change.

And hey, Fuzion's not so bad. It's a shame support for it is practically nil these days...

Inquisitor Melchior · Wed Nov 23, 2005 11:54 pm

jblittlefield wrote: I've recently run the following games with OVA: ...Classic 1930s pulp...1920s horror...

I've never played a pulp or classic horror game, but have always wondered about those genres. How have those games gone for you? What resources/films would you suggest those interested in exploring these genres look into? I'm also interested in any experiences and advice you could relate about playing film noir campaigns.

Cloud wrote: FUZION? Say it isnt so...

I kind of liked fuzion. It may not have been perfect, but what is. Actually the old free HTML version I had got corrupted when an old computer of mine died a few years back, and I haven’t run across a copy of the system since. Does anyone know where I can find one?

Speaking of systems, I finally got a copy of OVA

. Now I just have to read it and get some friends together to give it a good play-through. Does anyone have any advice on how to introduce new players to OVA?

jblittlefield · Post by **jblittlefield** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 8:57 am

Inquisitor Melchior wrote:
jblittlefield wrote: I've recently run the following games with OVA: ...Classic 1930s pulp...1920s horror...
I've never played a pulp or classic horror game, but have always wondered about those genres. How have those games gone for you? What resources/films would you suggest those interested in exploring these genres look into? I'm also interested in any experiences and advice you could relate about playing film noir campaigns.

Worked great...here are some webistes:

The 1939-40 World’s Fair
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/DISPL ... /front.htm
The Fair promoted one of the last great metanarratives of the Machine Age: the unqualified belief in science and technology as a means to economic prosperity and personal freedom

The 86th Floor
http://members.aol.com/the86floor/the86floor.html
Everything you ever wanted to know about Doc Savage—and then some! The site’s author, Chris Kalb, also maintains the Hero Pulps website (linked from the 86th Floor) which contains information on G8 and his Battle Aces, The Shadow, The Spider, Operator #5, and The Avenger.

Alt.Pulp @ Google
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.pulp
The Alt.Pulp group at Google has loads of interesting discourse and secretly houses the headquarters of the Masters of Pulp!

The Annals of the Spider
http://members.aol.com/spiderpage/index.html
Long before Spider-Man (but inspiring a young Stan Lee), The Spider took on extreme menaces in the rotten Apple, dispensing .45 caliber justice and bleak lessons in service and will power.

The Art of Norman Saunders
http://www.normansaunders.com
Saunders was a pulp artist of great talent who worked from the beginning to the end of an era, then made a smooth transition to the paperbacks. This site has tons of images and should provide you with loads of visual inspiration!

Blackmask Online Fiction
http://www.blackmask.com
Download stories by Dashiell Hammett, Robert E Howard, Kenneth Robeson, Maxwell Grant, Grant Stockbridge, and Jens Altmann.

The Buck Rogers Website
http://www.buck-rogers.com
For those of you who like a little bit of sci-fi mixed in with your classic two-fisted pulp! This site covers “everything Buck” from 1928 up to 1995—from the pulps to radio, on to television and the movies.

Fortean Times
http://www.forteantimes.com
Fortean Times is a monthly magazine of news, reviews and research on strange phenomena and experiences, curiosities, prodigies and portents.

The Golden Era Slang Dictionary (@ The Fedora Lounge)
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=636
Looking for more purple prose and Jazz Age slang with which to pepper your in-game speech? Look no further than The Fedora Lounge! Well, look a little bit further and check out these websites as well: http://www.armlesstigerman.com/intro/pulp/slang.html, http://bloxword.ca/slang.htm, and last, but not least, http://www.maasmedia.net/seiten/hardboilglossar.html.

The Holloway Pages
http://home.comcast.net/~cjh5801a/Pulp.htm
An introduction to some of the more popular pulp heroes: Doc Savage, The Shadow, John Carter, et al.

The Indiana Jones Equipment Gallery
http://www.indygear.com/index.shtml
Gotta see it to believe it! More detail than any gamer has a right to!

International Heroes: Pulp Heroes
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/p/pulphero.htm
Loads (and I mean loads) of information on all your favorite pulp heroes!

Printed Poison
http://www.printedpoison.com
Printed Poison is the ezine possessed by the ghost of a dead 30s pulp! Inside every issue you'll discover a trove of pulse-pounding, two-fisted, spine-tingling tales of mystery, horror, adventure and sci-fi!

The Pulp Gallery
http://www.pulpgallery.com
The Pulp Gallery is a visual reference guide to the wonderful cover art of pulp and pin-up magazines. This site is primarily focused on pulp cover art from the 1920's through the 1950's.

Pulp.Net
http://www.thepulp.net
Billed as “the online guide to the world of the pulps”, this website delivers! Links to pulp newsgroups, pulp publishers, information on the major pulp heroes, and a links section that just won’t quit!

The Rocket Page
http://www.rocketmania.com
A website dedicated to Republic Pictures’ trio of high-flying heroes: Rocketman, Commando Cody and Larry Martin.

The Tesla Memorial Society of New York
http://www.teslasociety.com
If it has to do with the enigmatic Nikola Tesla, then you can probably read about it here. ‘Nuff said!

Trenches on the Web
http://www.worldwar1.com/reflib.htm
A great reference library covering all things related to World War One.

The Zeppelin Library Archive
http://www.ciderpresspottery.com/ZLA.html
Ummm...all about zeppelins!

Inquisitor Melchior · Post by **Inquisitor Melchior** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 6:30 am

Thanks for the troves of information jblittlefield. Though, I have to admit you submitted so much that I'm a bit overwhelmed (you certainly seem to know your pulp!). Since my greatest exposures to pulp style settings were Rocketeer and Sky Captain and the World of Tommorow, this list should prove immensley helpful if I ever run a pulp influenced setting.

Even those not interested in pulp settings may find some of this information useful (a rocketman gun ace, a dark detective, or a 40's gadgeteer could all work quite well, with a little tweeking, in the right anime campaign).

jblittlefield wrote: Long before Spider-Man (but inspiring a young Stan Lee), The Spider took on extreme menaces in the rotten Apple, dispensing .45 caliber justice and bleak lessons in service and will power.

Interesting. I also seem to remember an article on how an early incarnation of Batman used a handgun to dispatch his villains. I wonder how many iconic characters of other genres trace their roots and themes back to the old pulp magazines?