BESM vs Genesys
Compare BESM and Genesys side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| BESM | Genesys | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Character Building, Cinematic, Heroic, Pulp Action, Anime | Toolkit, Narrative, Career-Based, Social Combat, Modular, Hackable, Character Building |
| 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. | Assemble a pool of custom narrative dice: positive dice (Boost, Ability, Proficiency) from character ability and skill, negative dice (Setback, Difficulty, Challenge) from task difficulty and circumstances. Roll all dice and cancel opposing symbols: Success vs. Failure determines if the task succeeds, Advantage vs. Threat determines beneficial or harmful side effects, and Triumph/Despair trigger powerful narrative outcomes. All three axes resolve independently, so a check can succeed with complications or fail with a silver lining. |
| Dice | 2d6 | Custom dice |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Medium |
| Runnability | Medium | Very High |
| License | Proprietary (Tri-Stat) | Genesys Foundry (community content program) |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Dyskami Publishing | Fantasy Flight Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2017 |
| 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. | Groups who want a genre-flexible system where every dice roll generates narrative texture beyond pass/fail, and who enjoy interpreting results collaboratively at the table. |
| Highlights | Highly flexible point-buy system can model any anime concept, free primer available, scalable power levels from slice-of-life to cosmic | Every roll produces multiple axes of outcome, creating layered narrative results beyond binary success/failure. Full social encounter rules give non-combat interactions the same mechanical depth as combat. The GM Toolkit provides structured guidance for creating custom settings, species, talents, and gear. Six example settings (fantasy, steampunk, weird war, modern, sci-fi, space opera) included in the core book. |
| 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 | Requires proprietary narrative dice or the Genesys Dice App: standard polyhedral dice cannot be used without conversion charts. Interpreting multiple symbol types on every roll can slow play for groups unfamiliar with the system. No free quickstart or SRD available. |