BESM vs Star Wars Saga Edition
Compare BESM and Star Wars Saga Edition side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| BESM | Star Wars Saga Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Character Building, Cinematic, Heroic, Pulp Action, Anime | Licensed IP, Space Opera, Heroic, Cinematic, Character Building, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Grid-Based, Miniatures |
| 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. | Roll d20 + modifiers against a target number or a Defense score. Three static defenses (Reflex, Fortitude, and Will) replace saving throws. Trained skills grant a flat +5 bonus. A five-step condition track runs alongside hit points, so a single heavy hit can impose cumulative penalties before a character drops. Force Points and optional Destiny Points provide narrative and mechanical resources for critical moments. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Out of print |
| Runnability | Book tools not listed | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary (Tri-Stat) | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Dyskami Publishing | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2019 | 2007 |
| Languages | English | English, Italian |
| 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 d20-based Star Wars campaign with deep character customization through talent trees and a tactical combat core built for miniatures. |
| Highlights | Highly flexible point-buy system can model any anime concept, free primer available, scalable power levels from slice-of-life to cosmic | Talent trees let two characters of the same class develop along different branches, so a Jedi built as a Guardian and one built as a Consular play differently from first level. The condition track turns a single heavy hit into a persistent penalty, making damage threshold matter alongside hit points. The Force subsystem runs on one Use the Force skill, so telekinesis, mind tricks, and combat enhancement all resolve through the same check. |
| 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 | The game is out of print with no legal PDF, so acquiring the core book means the used market. The d20 chassis carries heavy per-character bookkeeping: talent and feat selections, a Force power suite, and a condition track that changes during combat. Vehicle and starship encounters switch to a second combat scale with its own actions and statistics, which is a lot to learn for a campaign that stays on foot. |