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[ANIMA] Beyond Fantasy - Charts... thousands of charts!

RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
edited December 2008 in Critical Failures
beyondfantasy.jpg

What's Anima?
Anima is a freshly translated RPG that took Spain by storm, and after a looong translation cycle, has finally been properly translated! It tends towards the fantasy side of things, with a built-in setting, rules for magic, and a variety of other genre tropes, and it also takes a LOT of inspiration from the Anime side of things. Just look at that book cover art to see what I mean.

Anima boasts a totally rad character creation/customization process, which has rules for things like creating your own martial arts style.

You start off as a pretty awesome human, but as you level up(yes, Rainfall is plugging a system that uses levels, go 'way!) you end up trumping most fantasy characters you've ever read about. It's good stuff!

Why should I care?
Because this is YOUR chance to pick up a new system along with a bunch of other people who have never tried it! This thing is in its first edition, and has been out for a couple of months. We'll all blunder through everything together, and it'll be a great time! Nobody is going to whine about 'doing it wrong' or 'goddamn newbies!' Well, we will now, but only for irony.

So what are YOU doing with it?
Well, Monday nights are clear for me. That means that I'm doing something with Anima on Monday nights. That's MST, or GMT -7 for you savages. My idea is that we do a sort of rotating GM situation, where everyone runs a short story for a month or so with everyone else's character, then hops back into play. Eventually someone will want to run something more long-term, and we can settle into a traditional campaign style. Or maybe we'll find a new system to play with.

Let's talk about me. What do I need?
The Anima book! It's available from most online retailers who deal in RPG books, and it's not too pricey, only being forty-ish dollars, which is damnably good value for the artwork in the book. Unless you don't like anime stylings, in which case this probably isn't for you.
You also need IRC, since that's the most convenient thing to do. 2 d10s are great as well, but I have a diceroller if you REALLY can't get your polyhedrons together.
You also need free Monday evenings.

What if I've never RPG'd before?
Not a problem! This system is nothing like the familiar western systems most of us experienced people are used to, and a fresh start is always good on the actual roleplaying side of things. Trust me, you won't be at a disadvantage, and you're totally welcome.

Whine bitch moan arrgh stupid!
Screw you too!

Did you mention awesome artworks?
Yeah, Anima is headlined by Wen-M, a guy with a stunning sense of style. The rest of the art is also awesome, but I'm not going to link a bunch of images here because all the good ones are REAL BIG. Check out that site, though. If you like the arts he's posting, you'll like Anima.

~Discuss!

Rainfall on
«13

Posts

  • Premier kakosPremier kakos Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited October 2008
    I'm so in it isn't even funny.

    Premier kakos on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    What time were you thinking about playing on Monday night?

    Egos on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Whenever's convenient for the most people. I have all of Monday off of work, AND all of Tuesday, so the time on Monday isn't a problem.

    Rainfall on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    8:00 -> or so your time would be ideal for me. Is there any anime in particular this game most closely resembles?

    Egos on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Not being a huge anime buff, I couldn't really say. The setting itself isn't integral to the game, unlike a few other systems out there(Exalted, looking at you) and the ruleset itself is classic fantasy, but with psychic powers and martial arts thrown in there for fun. I suppose Princess Mononoke would be the closest thing I could think of to match it, but bear in mind that my anime experience is pretty limited. Most of the stuff I watch ends up being sorta scifi as opposed to fantasy.

    Rainfall on
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    How complexicated is the character creation? Too many rules makes my head spin...

    see317 on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    From what I've seen of it(I honestly haven't dived too deep into the rules) and heard, Character Creation is the most complex part of the game. You've got a lot of choice, and a lot of ways to do things, so naturally it ends up a little complicated.

    Rainfall on
  • PlutoniumPlutonium Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    This looks interesting.

    I'd need to check my Monday availability. Also, I need to learn to GM somewhere.

    Rain, I think you have an addiction.

    Plutonium on
  • PlutoniumPlutonium Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Upon checking, I indeed do have Mondays open, but not the tenth of November.

    Playing with you guys would be awesome.

    I feel the urge to make a character that involves pyrotechnics.

    Plutonium on
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    If I can find the book, color me interested.

    cj iwakura on
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  • JacquesCousteauJacquesCousteau Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I'm in. Definitely interested in making my own style of face-punching. Will look for the book.

    JacquesCousteau on
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  • crimsoncoyotecrimsoncoyote Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I'm tempted, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to dedicate Mondays to this.

    Maybe I'll just keep an eye on this...

    crimsoncoyote on
  • delrolanddelroland Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Can't do Monday evenings. I saw this in the game store, though; thought it was just another d20 game.

    Can you post an example of character creation and an example of combat?

    delroland on
    EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
    "Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I'll do that for you guys tonight, since I don't have the book here at work. Character Creation is pretty damn complex but everything I have seen about the combat makes it looks silky-sweet smooth.

    Sort of a scary contrast.

    But Anima is very not d20. It's a d100 system, although not percentile(which is tragic, percentiles are so so so simple to run)

    Rainfall on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Got it. The world seems very Final Fantasy-ish, at first glance at least.

    Egos on
  • ArasakiArasaki Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    This looks kind of fun, but Monday nights at GMT-7 would be a fucker.

    Arasaki on
  • Sheep Have WoolSheep Have Wool Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    In.

    Sheep Have Wool on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Alright so I figure we can start mucking about with characters tomorrow night, around 8 MST(GMT -7) and see what we can come up with.

    irc.slashnet.org
    The room will be called PAnima, please log in with your PA username so we don't boot you.

    Rainfall on
  • PlutoniumPlutonium Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    The setting is kind of convoluted for creating characters that will work together well. There's basically a bunch of sides, and most are diametrically opposed to each other. It's very much like Warhammer 40k. Most of Gaia (the world) is supposedly ruled by the Emperor, who at the moment is an Empress, but there are a lot of factions. What you have to do is decide at the start which side you play as, and that determines what type of game you're playing.

    Basically, you can play this in many ways - Mage style (Hidden supernatural dudes vs. big bad empire), James-bond style (Fantasy spies doing missions for the Empress), Greenpeace Style (Fight to save the hidden supernatural dudes), Indiana-Jones style (Delve dungeons and tombs for epic loots), and a load of other ways.

    However, we're going to play this like a fantasy Version of Dark Heresy, because let's face it, that's the best and only way to do it, and anyone who disagrees are heretics who need to be burnt.
    I'm actually open to playing whatever we all agree on, but the Inquisitors are the guys that I feel like playing.


    Groups that are not (generally) Heretics:

    The Church:(This is us!)
    Basically the Roman Catholic Church, only Grimdark. The head of the Church is the Emperor, and below him the Archbishop, who controls the day-to-day activities. The strong arm of the church is the Inquisition . They're pretty much a weeaboo fantasy version of the same thing in 40k - they go around killing Heretics, Mutants, Demons, and Witches, and justify using the same supernatural abilities they hunt by being totally badass and awesome.

    Playing as the church is basically like playing Fantasy-themed Dark Heresy.

    The Heavenly Order:
    These are the personal armies of the Emperor. Ranked from the Knights of the First Heaven (Initiates, basically Police officers in the capital) to Knights of the Sixth and Seventh Heaven. (Personal guards of the Empress) The Second Heaven is the most numerous, and makes up the elite personal armies of the Empress. Third Heaven are the officers, and the Fourth and Fifth are basically spies and assassins, who go on secret missions.

    Playing as the Heavenly order is either like playing Fantasy Spycraft or D20 Modern, or even Exalted.


    Groups that are Heretics, and consequently, need to be burnt:

    Tol Rauko:
    These Mutant-loving twinkletoed communist pieces of shit go around trying to preserve racial and cultural diversity. They're basically Greenpeace with swords. Once they claimed to serve the Emperor, but because their heresy has been tolerated, they have grown so powerful as to publicly forsake the Emperor. Their fighting arm are called Templars, and they go around acting like they're PETA or some shit, even willing sacrifice Christ-fearing Emperor-loving citizens in order to save mutants or demons from their rightful burning fate, and put them in a zoo and study them, in the name of preservation.

    I'm not sure how you would describe playing as the Tol Rauko, besides it probably being wierd.

    The Samael:
    This is the very loose secret group of supernatural beings hiding among the Christ-fearing citizens of the Empire. Most of the time, these heretics, mutants, or demons will occasionally work together in a twisted sense of self-preservation, though they do not normally associate except in times of danger. They're lead by Archons, who are basically the point of contact for all the Samael in each city, in order to keep in touch with the other groups across Gaia. Naturally, these will be our primary enemies, who we hope to hunt down and purge in the name of the Emperor. (With Fire!)

    There exist a few groups among the Samael, including the Fallen Angels, who lead the Archons and hope to one day reveal themselves and attack the church. Their strong arm is known as the Shadows, the assassins and henchmen of the Fallen Angels.

    In lands far from the guiding light of the Emperor's throne, there are even rumors of entire towns springing up, populated with heretics and mutants. Called the Division, there are even rumors that the races that comprise it are at odds with each other, split among the lines of "dark and light" as they call it, though as loyal inquisitors to the empire, we know that they all possess souls of black which must be put to the flame.

    Playing as the Samael is pretty much like a game of Mage: The Awakening.

    The Black Sun:
    These are a heretical conclave of businessmen, overcome by greed and desire, and have taken to the dark arts in search of greater wealth. They hide their establishments, which traffic in artifacts of power, as "Antique Stores." They hire mercenaries, often with heretical supernatural powers. Their strong arm is called the Retrievers, groups of five to six men who track down and steal or unearth artifacts of great power. The Black sun are lead by two families, the Delecroix and the Steiners, who oppose each other privately, though do not make their hate public. Forty-three years ago, the Delecroix gained possession of a ancient tome titled The Book of the Dead, which is basically a Necronomicon.

    Playing as Black Sun Retrievers is probably like a strait Fantasy Shadowrun or just plain Dungeons and Dragons.

    The Wissenschaft:
    Secret science organization dedicated to studying the supernatural, lead by a dude named Lecanor. Mostly based in the city of Lucrecio, they're organized in secret underground bases, where they do magical sciency shit like replace the blood of a living being with black fluid, a process unoriginally termed the Process, turning them into superpowered mutants called, you guessed it, the Processed. They can also do a lesser version of the Process that turns you into a super-loyal being called a Crow, who are the spies and assassins of the Wissenschaft. The organization's headquarters is the Great University of Lucrecio.

    Playing as the Wissenschaft is probably like a fantasy version of Cyberpunk.

    Groups that are stupid concepts, and consequently should be burnt:

    The Selene:
    All-female independant assassin cult blah blah blah. They work as bodyguards for the people we will be burning.

    Playing as the Selene is like playing FATAL. Well, not really, but it's a dumb concept.

    Plutonium on
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    So, Witchhunters?

    cj iwakura on
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  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    books are so expensive

    INeedNoSalt on
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    You retired the red-haired girl? Blasphemy.

    cj iwakura on
    wVEsyIc.png
  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Her hair was orange and she will never be retired

    INeedNoSalt on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    You don't find the Retrievers appealing at all, Plutonium?

    Egos on
  • PlutoniumPlutonium Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Egos wrote: »
    You don't find the Retrievers appealing at all, Plutonium?

    While not directly heretics that must be cleansed by the holy flames of the Emperor, they work for them.

    Really though, they seem like generic Dungeon-crawler DnD types on a quest for treasure.

    Plutonium on
  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    those Tol Rauko guys sound intensely badass

    INeedNoSalt on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Guys guys guys. Take a deep breath.

    Remember one important thing! You don't have to start as members of an organization. Starting characters are starting characters. You can be a farmboy with a magic sword, it's a bit harder to be a member of one of the big organizations.

    And don't even THINK about being a member of Imperium or the Illuminati.

    Just throwing that out there, if you don't want to start affiliated with these groups.
    Also note that Selene doesn't work for male clients, and won't assassinate females.

    Rainfall on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
  • OtakuD00DOtakuD00D Can I hit the exploding rocks? San DiegoRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Oh, and here I thought ANIMA was a miniatures game. Cool!

    OtakuD00D on
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  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    There's also a miniatures game out for it, and a non-collectible card game.

    Rainfall on
  • Premier kakosPremier kakos Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited October 2008
    Quick question: any restriction on what advantages/disadvantages we can and cannot take?

    I assume that Serious Illness is out because it'd be a pain in the ass to deal with the rotating DMs and all. Anything else?

    Premier kakos on
  • PlutoniumPlutonium Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I'd be fine with DM'ing the first few sessions, if I can get a hang of it.

    Would you guys mind posting your character concepts?

    Plutonium on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    For those who want a good character creation example, I found a handy thread on RPGnet, that has multiple characters done up, showcasing all the different subsystems.

    http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=414104

    Rainfall on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    We're we thinking of actually starting this monday?

    Egos on
  • PlutoniumPlutonium Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I've been reading through the book and I think I have a pretty good hang of the system.

    Like I mentioned earlier, I have a pretty good idea for an opening campaign, if you're Ok with letting me GM it.

    I would probably want a few more weeks to finish getting it ready. The 17'th of November would be best for me, as I have something coming up on the tenth, though I would also want to run prologues beforehand at your guy's leisure.

    Edit: The tenth is good for me

    Again, I would like anybody who's thinking of playing to post their character concepts.

    Plutonium on
  • RainfallRainfall Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Works for me! I'll be working on my character tonight, hopefully I'll get her done.

    Rainfall on
  • DarklyreDarklyre Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    If you've still got slots open, I'd be interested in taking a gander at the whole process.

    Darklyre on
  • INeedNoSaltINeedNoSalt with blood on my teeth Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Hey look I found a book

    Now I will follow with even more interest

    INeedNoSalt on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Darklyre wrote: »
    If you've still got slots open, I'd be interested in taking a gander at the whole process.

    I think there are four of us atm, so I think it should be ok?

    Egos on
  • EgosEgos Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    btw, I still have a character planned. and will try and get it up soon.

    Egos on
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