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BESM

4th Edition
The multi-genre anime and manga RPG — Big Eyes, Small Mouth
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universal
Character BuildingCinematicHeroicPulp ActionAnime
Languages: English
Dice2d6
System FamilyStandalone
Cost$$
LicenseProprietary (Tri-Stat)
PublisherDyskami Publishing
Year2019
Complexity Medium
Accessibility Medium
Community Medium

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.

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.

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

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