BESM vs Cypher System
Compare BESM and Cypher System side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| BESM | Cypher System | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Character Building, Cinematic, Heroic, Pulp Action, Anime | Narrative, Low-Prep, Exploration, Cinematic, Collaborative, Theater of the Mind, Roleplay-Heavy |
| Core Mechanic | Tri-Stat System: three Stats (Body, Mind, Soul) plus point-buy Attributes, Defects, and Skills built from a Character Point budget. Roll 2d6 + relevant Stat or Combat Value vs. a Target Number. Edges and Obstacles add or remove dice. Eight power levels scale from Sub-Human to Godlike. | GM sets difficulty 1–10, multiply by 3 for target number. Players spend Effort to reduce difficulty. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Community | Medium | High |
| License | Proprietary (Tri-Stat) | Cypher System Open License |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Dyskami Publishing | Monte Cook Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who want to play anime and manga-inspired adventures in any genre — from magical girls and mecha pilots to demon hunters and high school detectives. | GMs who want minimal prep and players who enjoy spending resources to shape the story. |
| Highlights | Highly flexible point-buy system can model any anime concept, free primer available, decades of community support since 1997, scalable power levels from slice-of-life to cosmic | Very easy GM prep, flexible character descriptors, XP for discovery |
| Considerations | Point-buy character creation can overwhelm newcomers, balance depends heavily on GM oversight, anime-focused tone may not suit all groups, dense attribute list requires bookkeeping | Players track most complexity, limited tactical combat, can feel same-y |