BESM grumbles
Apr. 8th, 2004 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avramTrying to make up a character for a Big Eyes, Small Mouth game has reminded me of the annoying things about a system that I generally like.
Annoying Thing #1: The Art of Distraction attribute. Having this attribute allows you to distract people. (It also allows you to move people emotionally through artistic performance, which ought to be something else entirely, handled through the Performing Arts skill.) Remember the early days of D&D when only thieves could sneak up on people? In BESM, only people who’ve purchased the appropriate ability can create a distraction. I hate having to spend character creation points to gain access to a common, ordinary tactic.
Annoying Thing #2: The Appearance attribute. “Players are encouraged to think about giving their characters the Appearance attribute, since it is appropriate for anime heroes to be good-looking.” Yes, it is appropriate. That’s why all BESM characters (assuming an anime setting) should be considered good-looking unless they’ve taken a Defect that states otherwise.
Annoying Thing #3: The resolution mechanic, which I won’t have to worry about. Come on, people, opposed rolls massively increase the utility of resolution; you’re ignoring a quarter-century of RPG development wisdom here.
Another annoying thing that has nothing to do with the system is that I want to make up a necromancer, but the character who shows up when I start typing is a rakshasa.
Annoying Thing #1: The Art of Distraction attribute. Having this attribute allows you to distract people. (It also allows you to move people emotionally through artistic performance, which ought to be something else entirely, handled through the Performing Arts skill.) Remember the early days of D&D when only thieves could sneak up on people? In BESM, only people who’ve purchased the appropriate ability can create a distraction. I hate having to spend character creation points to gain access to a common, ordinary tactic.
Annoying Thing #2: The Appearance attribute. “Players are encouraged to think about giving their characters the Appearance attribute, since it is appropriate for anime heroes to be good-looking.” Yes, it is appropriate. That’s why all BESM characters (assuming an anime setting) should be considered good-looking unless they’ve taken a Defect that states otherwise.
Annoying Thing #3: The resolution mechanic, which I won’t have to worry about. Come on, people, opposed rolls massively increase the utility of resolution; you’re ignoring a quarter-century of RPG development wisdom here.
Another annoying thing that has nothing to do with the system is that I want to make up a necromancer, but the character who shows up when I start typing is a rakshasa.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-09 04:38 pm (UTC)2: again -- all anime characters are drawn pretty, but leads especially so. Villains either especially ugly or extremely pretty.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-04-13 04:54 pm (UTC)AoD is for characters who regularly cause a distraction just by entering the room, or are peturrnaturally gifted in the performing arts.
Appearance is for the game-effect: appearance, not for your character being drawn looking nice, since all characters are drawn looking nice. Characters with appearance just get the sparkly stuff and regularly have other characters fall in love with them.
(Avram's right that the book's description could do with a bit of fine-tuning, though).