OVA sample

[Clay]

As promised in another thread, here's a sample character from OVA. Enjoy!



Also, here is a small teaser of just a few of the artworks that will appear in the final game.

[Tenka]

Yay thanks.

But where's her phone number?

[herowithoutacause]

First Impressions...this is a nice, clean and intuitive stat block. Looks likes there's enough detail to differentiate between characters without being cumbersome. Also looks like you cut out alot of the "middleman" as far as stats go. No D20-style having a Strength score, but only ever using the Str Modifier that is figured from that, and never using the actual Strength stat. It looks kinda like BESM stripped down to just the Attributes, since the 3 Stats (Body/Mind/Soul) usually have to be modified by Attributes (Not so Strong, Not so Fast, etc.) to represent the character anyways. Is that a fair assessment for how it works?

So are there any secondary or figured attributes (Health & Endurance maybe)? Is the 40 Endurance how many points it costs Miho to use her Miho Explosion? What's the difference between Human Arsenal and Weapon (In-built weapons versus weapons owned by the character)? Whats the Lock Gun feature represent?

Oh, and that's a straight-forward, professional page layout. Much nicer than I expected from a new publisher...I mean that in the nicest way... most books from a new company do not look polished...

Lastly, the teaser art is just beautiful!

[Clay]

I'm very flattered by all your appreciative thoughts. I really tried to make OVA something special, so I hope this means I've taken steps in the right direction. But let me try to stop turning red and address some of your questions...

First Impressions...this is a nice, clean and intuitive stat block. Looks likes there's enough detail to differentiate between characters without being cumbersome. Also looks like you cut out alot of the "middleman" as far as stats go. No D20-style having a Strength score, but only ever using the Str Modifier that is figured from that, and never using the actual Strength stat. It looks kinda like BESM stripped down to just the Attributes, since the 3 Stats (Body/Mind/Soul) usually have to be modified by Attributes (Not so Strong, Not so Fast, etc.) to represent the character anyways. Is that a fair assessment for how it works?

More or less. ^^

So are there any secondary or figured attributes (Health & Endurance maybe)? Is the 40 Endurance how many points it costs Miho to use her Miho Explosion? What's the difference between Human Arsenal and Weapon (In-built weapons versus weapons owned by the character)? Whats the Lock Gun feature represent?

I guess you could consider Health and Endurance secondary attributes. By default, each character starts with 40, and this number is modified by Abilities (Tough, Vitality) and Weaknesses (Fragile, Languorous). However, the math is very simple. No division or formulas neccessary.

Some of the other Abilities may seem confusing without knowing the rules, but I'll try to clarify. Perhaps I should've posted a "simpler" character.

Yes, Miho Explosion costs 40 Endurance to use.

Weapon is an ability that grants the character the use of, well, a weapon. Human Arsenal on the other hand, has Weapon as a requisite, and allows characters to have an endless arsenal of weaponry that can be changed out at will (as long as it's not more powerful than the original Weapon Ability), essentially, turning the Weapon ability into a swiss army knife of Abilities.

Lock Gun is merely a descriptor. It has no special meaning. It's hard to see in the JPG mockup, but it's seperated from the rest of the perks and flaws by a semi-colon.

Oh, and that's a straight-forward, professional page layout. Much nicer than I expected from a new publisher...I mean that in the nicest way... most books from a new company do not look polished...

Hah, I'm quite pleased with it myself. I don't have a background in design, but I feel I have a pretty good grasp on what looks good and what doesn't. Something the JPG (and at times, the PDF) disguises however is that the black bars on the side (next to the chapter name and the page count) are actually two, mirroring the design on the top of the page.

Also, most of the book is written in a two-column format. Intro texts and the sample characters are notable exceptions.

Lastly, the teaser art is just beautiful!

Ha! Well, I'm glad you think so. I've tried very hard to not let OVA be yet another "occassionally pretty, mostly ugly" sort of RPG. Of course, this is also the source of much of my troubles...but I think it'll be worth it in the end.

But where's her phone number?

Not one to disappoint, here's Miho's number.



You're welcome. ^_^

[Tenka]

Some of the other Abilities may seem confusing without knowing the rules, but I'll try to clarify. Perhaps I should've posted a "simpler" character.

Not really. It works as a teaser, and I found it fun to try and piece the clues together. As for knowing for sure how it all works, I'll get the rules when they come out. In 20004.

Hah, I'm quite pleased with it myself. I don't have a background in design,

I do. I never studied design, but I started as a freelance desktop publisher when I was 15, and I ended designing web pages for Microsoft (MSN France) six years ago. I stopped to focus on my PhD.

I like what you did, it does look good. Are your side tabs of varying sizes according to chapters? I'll have to mention BESM again: I love what they did for their second edition revised: their chapter tabs are placed at different heights so that, looking at the edge of the book, you can see where each chapter begins and ends, making it all the easier to navigate.

How much of the art will actually be in color? Will the pdf version be formatted differently for ease of use? Actually, I'd love to see two pdf versions: one to print (no color art, and borders that don't drink all the printer's ink) and one to read on screen (all in color, art and tabs and all, yay! And a complete set of bookmarks).

But where's her phone number?

Not one to disappoint, here's Miho's number.



You're welcome. ^_^

That's only part of a phone number. If the rest is tatooed somewhere else on her body, then I want to see... more.

[Mahoro]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mahoro" <mahoro@sicart.info>
To: <miho@wiseturtle.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 4:55 PM
Subject: 01 - Project Miho


> Dear Miho,
>
> Since Clay jealously keeps your phone number to himself, I thought I'd send
> you an email to miho@wiseturtle.com, where I guess it should reach you.
> Should I be mistaken, I trust you to be able to intercept it before it is
> destroyed. I just wanted to tell you: don't believe what's on your character
> sheet. Fighting female androids make for great cooks. Just keep trying and
> don't worry about collateral damage.
>
> Sincerely,
> Mahoro
>

[Tenka]

Can we really email Miho?

[Mofarme]

Hi, Clay.

Thanks for the sample! I am now really looking forward for OVA.

A couple of questions:

- Will there be any kind of "reality levels", that is, will it be possible to play games in "grittier" settings, where characters can be taken out with a good shot? And what about superheroic feats?

- How is the power level of characters measured? You tell us that players will be able to design their characters simply by writing about their strengths and weaknessess and then assigning a rating for each. Is there any kind of limit for this process?

[Clay]

I like what you did, it does look good. Are your side tabs of varying sizes according to chapters? I'll have to mention BESM again: I love what they did for their second edition revised: their chapter tabs are placed at different heights so that, looking at the edge of the book, you can see where each chapter begins and ends, making it all the easier to navigate.

That's a feature I've considered on and off for a long time. At the current point, the bar isn't variable height. But as I think back, I really don't remember why I settled for it. I might try it again and see if what irked me before reappears.

How much of the art will actually be in color? Will the pdf version be formatted differently for ease of use? Actually, I'd love to see two pdf versions: one to print (no color art, and borders that don't drink all the printer's ink) and one to read on screen (all in color, art and tabs and all, yay! And a complete set of bookmarks).

Due to cost concerns, the print will be B&W. However, nearly all the art is in color, and the PDF itself will be in color. (The sample above is in greyscale because my most recent PDF I ALSO tested how the book would look printed.)

Two different versions is probably unlikely, just due to how rpgnow.com works (as in, gives you one PDF for your purchase.) I'll try looking into bookmarking though. I'm still very new at all this, and PDF "enhancements" are, as so far, beyond me.

That's only part of a phone number. If the rest is tatooed somewhere else on her body, then I want to see... more.

Har har ;p

> Dear Miho,
>
> Since Clay jealously keeps your phone number to himself

Haha, very cute, Mahoro! But just to clarify to the hopeful Tenka here...no, you cannot actually send mail to that address. It'll either bounce back of forward to one of my addresses. (Not sure which).

But I have toyed with the idea of IRC or java chats once upon a time...

[Clay]

A couple of questions:

- Will there be any kind of "reality levels", that is, will it be possible to play games in "grittier" settings, where characters can be taken out with a good shot? And what about superheroic feats?

Originally, so-called "Dark and Gritty" rules were to be included with the game, but due to page constraints, were cut. However, OVA is perfectly capable of the superhuman variety.

And all the Dark and Gritty version did was add wounding rules, limit Abilities you could choose, and halved Health and Endurance totals. So it's a modification you can easily make yourself.

Gritty can be a misnomer anyway. Even in dark anime, where characters often die, the heroes are still in a way untouchable. Just because their wounds are described as bleeding instead of bruises, you'll notice the game effect is often the same. They're still jumping around, kicking butt, and often not much deterred by their new wound. It's more a mood thing.

But if you're really looking forward to these rules, they will be included in the mecha supplement.

- How is the power level of characters measured? You tell us that players will be able to design their characters simply by writing about their strengths and weaknessess and then assigning a rating for each. Is there any kind of limit for this process?

OVA includes various rules for limiting (or not limiting) the character's power. The limits can be turned down or tuned up, resulting in a flexible power-level for play. Or if you're adventurous enough, you can turn it off completely.

The sample characters use the Ground Zero rule, a balance between ultimate flexibility and some limitation. But you'll have to get the book to know specifics.

[Tenka]

Two different versions is probably unlikely, just due to how rpgnow.com works (as in, gives you one PDF for your purchase.)

Ah, no. One file per purchase. When I bought Expeditious Retreat's A Magical Medieval Society - Western Europe, RPGnow sent me a link to a zip file, which happened to hold two PDF:

RevisedXRP1002on_screen.pdf
RevisedXRP1002print_copy.pdf

As you can guess from the names, one PDF is optimized for the computer screen, while the other is optimized to be printed.

I'll try looking into bookmarking though. I'm still very new at all this, and PDF "enhancements" are, as so far, beyond me.

Bookmarking is a simple task and really the most useful such enhancement by far.

But I have toyed with the idea of IRC or java chats once upon a time...

Would be fun. An OAV demo online too, maybe.

[Mahoro]

Haha, very cute, Mahoro! But just to clarify to the hopeful Tenka here...no, you cannot actually send mail to that address. It'll either bounce back of forward to one of my addresses. (Not sure which).

Bounces.

[Mofarme]

Originally, so-called "Dark and Gritty" rules were to be included with the game, but due to page constraints, were cut. However, OVA is perfectly capable of the superhuman variety.

And all the Dark and Gritty version did was add wounding rules, limit Abilities you could choose, and halved Health and Endurance totals. So it's a modification you can easily make yourself.

Gritty can be a misnomer anyway. Even in dark anime, where characters often die, the heroes are still in a way untouchable. Just because their wounds are described as bleeding instead of bruises, you'll notice the game effect is often the same. They're still jumping around, kicking butt, and often not much deterred by their new wound. It's more a mood thing.

I agree, but I am interested in the flexibility and possible generic applications of the system. If the system is easy to modify, it will make me even happier.

The sample characters use the Ground Zero rule, a balance between ultimate flexibility and some limitation. But you'll have to get the book to know specifics.

Rest assured that I will get the book as soon as it is available

[Damiar the Wolf]

Rest assured that I will get the book as soon as it is available

Not until after I get mine!

Seriously though Clay, if you're interested I can start a thread on www.rpg.net about this. A few people there have caught wind of OVA and I'm sure more would like to hear something about the game.

If you happen to use irc, try #rpgnet on the Magicstar server sometime. It's got a bunch of great regulars, and I spend a good deal of time there myself (under this handle).

OVA's really grabbed my attention. I'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

[Clay]

Good to have you aboard Damiar. With any luck, you won't have to sit through 268 delays like some other fans herre have. (Sometimes I'm afraid I lost a few along the way...hero? Mofarme?)

In any case, that'd be great! I actually managed to get Tenka latched on through a post on rpg.net, so that sort of publicity certainly helps!

As for IRC...I used to be on it nearly all the time...but I found it sapped so much of my free time that one day I closed it and willed myself to never return. (Though I have "checked in" once or twice in the past few years).

So the short answer would be no, I don't use IRC. But if you're ever on and want to chat, just drop me a line and I can sit in for a little while. Couldn't hurt, right? ^_~