The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I'm a big fan of Dominion Tank Police and had to get the RPG when it came out. Having both anime series and the manga I was very curies about how it would be. Below are my thoughts on the game. The first part is a overview of the book and the second is how it actually worked out in the game I ran.

Book Overview

Chapter 1: Introduction This starts with a brief history of Dominion Tank Police and the Mecha Genera. Has a nice list when some of the varies police animes have come out. That is followed by a overview of all four acts of the first OAV (original animation video). It's a good overview but you would be much better off watching it. You then get your standard "What is Role-Playing" section. A list of other Dominion works is also a good place to start for more info. The chapter ends with a nice example of a game being played.

Chapter 2: Character Creation Character creation is pretty straightforward and simple. Their are only three stats (Body, Mind, Soul) that covers the basics of what you can do. The next part is picking out some attributes with the GM choosing the amount of points you get depending on the power level they want. They are fun to play with since you get all sorts of nice advantages. Their are ones from having a strong "Aura of Command" to "Own a Big Mecha". You can then balance these with some defects. They are well balanced and should not lead to major player abuse. Know comes skills and they gave a good variety. You also buy skills by points but you can get extra points with the advantage "Highly Skilled". When you pick a skill you will also pick a specialization for it. This will be a area of extra expertise. The last part is rolling up you Combat Value (how well you fight), Health Points, Energy Points (inner reserve of energy). It also suggest a bonus to advantage points for players who make really good backgrounds.

Series Characters This is the chapter that covers the characters, tanks and equipment from the first OAV. All of them are balanced and done within the framework of the rules. They have no supper NPC here that could never be made with the rules. Also has generic ones like Tank Police and Red Commandos you can use as guidelines for making similar characters.

Chapter 3: Game Mechanics Know this is the guts of the game the rules. There state rule checks for if your using a innate ability. You will have to roll beneath your stat number with modifiers for difficulty. Skill checks are next and they are the average of the skill and appropriate stat. It's a roll under the average of the two numbers with modifiers from skill level and difficulty. Also get nice examples of these in use. Combat is next and covers when you need to inflict harm on someone (common assurance in the series). This is done by opposed rolls of the Combat Value modified by skills and difficulty.

They have some nice suggestions on when to roll dice and when not to bother. You get more information on combat and taking non-combat actions during combat. They also had the needed rules on all the jumping and other fancy maneuvers the tanks showed in the series. Also covered damage from crashing/falling and ramming. Plus they had what in my opinon would be mandatory rules on blowing up buildings (happen a lot in the series). The chapter ends out with rules on healing your character and repairing your mecha.

Chapter 4: The World of Dominion This is where you find the background material covered by the first OAV. I think it does a good job covering it. There are also some more rules her like how much damage the bacterial cloud does. Really liked the notes on the varies groups protesting the actions of the Tank Police. The overview of technology of the world really came in handy for getting my game running. Also some great advice for the players is at the end.

Chapter 5: The Game Master Section This is the usual playground of the GM in most books that have them. You got your notes on campaigns to one shot games. What type of theme do you want. Do you want heavy drama or comedy (went with the mix from the show myself). How to represent Villains since they are not all pure evil psychos and what if the players are the villains. Like the Story Arc notes and will try one out in the future. Then is two section one on mixing your game with the series and the other on moving beyond. This will come up fast so it's very useful. The chapter wraps up with how to advance characters and some advice for the GM. They also throw in a small plug for their other books that might come in handy.

Chapter 6: Sample Adventures Here you got two nice sample adventures. One for the police and the other villain characters. Won't say much about the contents to keep from spoiling some GM game but they look good. Though my game will not work perfectly with them I will modify the Police one to it does. First time GM should be able to run these with no major problems.

Chapter 7: Reference Section Some interesting reference info is thrown in here like what else the creator of Dominion Tank Police (Masamune Shirow) has made and who publishes his Manga by country. After that is some lyrics to the songs of show. The last is the product numbers of the first OAV videos and show credits.

Appendix 1: Mecha Design I like the point based system they have for making Mecha. You can make quite a variety with the rules. I even made up the main police robot from Patlabor the Movie. So you can even use the book as the core for a game based on a different police anime. You first pick what type of vehicle you want then buy features for it. Also have defects here to round it out. Can even do the same for on-board weapons.

Appendix 2: Personal Gear Here is where you get the standard equipment that your characters will use. Also has special equipment like the Bio-Ball (wraps around throat and get tighter and tighter) used by Buako on Leona in Act III. Their is also a brief note on campaign economics.

Appendix 3: Reference Tables A collection of the varies tables from around the book in one spot.

The Game My players decided they wanted to have their own stories and not have the game set in the same area as the series. Instead the game is in the state of Arizona where they are part of a tank unit ran by the state patrol. Their platoon is based in Tombstone and covers the surrounding counties. They use tanks like Bonaparte since I had Newport license the design so they could afford to pay all those damage claims created by the tank police. Works out well since Leona is behind many of them.

Since it was the first game it started out lightly with a boring patrol on the highway to keep a eye out for drug runners. After a few hours they took Holiday (their tanks name) through a drive through (played up the startled employee). They then got a report of a running battle on the highway with multiple cars down and tank police backup requested. They took out at top speed and got into a running battle till the crooks blow a building with pre-laid explosives to get them time to get away. Though they players were able to track them down in a poor excuse for a city called "Scrap City" and put a end to this groups actions. They even got a couple of them alive but still stayed in spirit of the series.

The rules worked out well in the game and caused no problems. Though as a GM I tend to run over any rules that hamper the game. It was never a issue though with this game.

The bad of the game I can't really think of many bad things in the game. A section in the attributes about buying contacts would have been nice but that may be in one of their other books. Also it would have been nice if the list of modifiers for skills had been in the tables section. The same for what stat went with what skill since I had to keep looking that up. I will type and print them up for myself since it will make the game go faster.

If your someone who hates games that does not have tight rules for everything you may not like this game. If you want lots of material beyond what was in the first OAV you will probably hate this game. If you fall in to one of the two above then flip through the book before buying it.

Last thoughts (honest) Overall I really like this game and think it's a great way to do a licensed product. I will keep my eyes on Guardians of Order to see what else they do down the road. I also plan to get their "Big Eyes, Small Mouth" books since they look like they might come in handy. Thought they did a good job on the layout and liked the selection of art from the show. It's a good game and one that will make a nice addition to the others I already play.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Dominion Tank Police Role-Playing Game and Resource Book
Author: David L. Pulver Category: game Company/Publisher: Guardians Of Order Line: Tri Stat System Cost: $19.95 Page count: 165 ISBN: 0-9682431-2-6 SKU: 04-001 Playtest Review by Shawn Merrow on 09/13/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Comedy Anime	I'm a big fan of Dominion Tank Police and had to get the RPG when it came out. Having both anime series and the manga I was very curies about how it would be. Below are my thoughts on the game. The first part is a overview of the book and the second is how it actually worked out in the game I ran. Book Overview Chapter 1: Introduction This starts with a brief history of Dominion Tank Police and the Mecha Genera. Has a nice list when some of the varies police animes have come out. That is followed by a overview of all four acts of the first OAV (original animation video). It's a good overview but you would be much better off watching it. You then get your standard "What is Role-Playing" section. A list of other Dominion works is also a good place to start for more info. The chapter ends with a nice example of a game being played. Chapter 2: Character Creation Character creation is pretty straightforward and simple. Their are only three stats (Body, Mind, Soul) that covers the basics of what you can do. The next part is picking out some attributes with the GM choosing the amount of points you get depending on the power level they want. They are fun to play with since you get all sorts of nice advantages. Their are ones from having a strong "Aura of Command" to "Own a Big Mecha". You can then balance these with some defects. They are well balanced and should not lead to major player abuse. Know comes skills and they gave a good variety. You also buy skills by points but you can get extra points with the advantage "Highly Skilled". When you pick a skill you will also pick a specialization for it. This will be a area of extra expertise. The last part is rolling up you Combat Value (how well you fight), Health Points, Energy Points (inner reserve of energy). It also suggest a bonus to advantage points for players who make really good backgrounds. Series Characters This is the chapter that covers the characters, tanks and equipment from the first OAV. All of them are balanced and done within the framework of the rules. They have no supper NPC here that could never be made with the rules. Also has generic ones like Tank Police and Red Commandos you can use as guidelines for making similar characters. Chapter 3: Game Mechanics Know this is the guts of the game the rules. There state rule checks for if your using a innate ability. You will have to roll beneath your stat number with modifiers for difficulty. Skill checks are next and they are the average of the skill and appropriate stat. It's a roll under the average of the two numbers with modifiers from skill level and difficulty. Also get nice examples of these in use. Combat is next and covers when you need to inflict harm on someone (common assurance in the series). This is done by opposed rolls of the Combat Value modified by skills and difficulty. They have some nice suggestions on when to roll dice and when not to bother. You get more information on combat and taking non-combat actions during combat. They also had the needed rules on all the jumping and other fancy maneuvers the tanks showed in the series. Also covered damage from crashing/falling and ramming. Plus they had what in my opinon would be mandatory rules on blowing up buildings (happen a lot in the series). The chapter ends out with rules on healing your character and repairing your mecha. Chapter 4: The World of Dominion This is where you find the background material covered by the first OAV. I think it does a good job covering it. There are also some more rules her like how much damage the bacterial cloud does. Really liked the notes on the varies groups protesting the actions of the Tank Police. The overview of technology of the world really came in handy for getting my game running. Also some great advice for the players is at the end. Chapter 5: The Game Master Section This is the usual playground of the GM in most books that have them. You got your notes on campaigns to one shot games. What type of theme do you want. Do you want heavy drama or comedy (went with the mix from the show myself). How to represent Villains since they are not all pure evil psychos and what if the players are the villains. Like the Story Arc notes and will try one out in the future. Then is two section one on mixing your game with the series and the other on moving beyond. This will come up fast so it's very useful. The chapter wraps up with how to advance characters and some advice for the GM. They also throw in a small plug for their other books that might come in handy. Chapter 6: Sample Adventures Here you got two nice sample adventures. One for the police and the other villain characters. Won't say much about the contents to keep from spoiling some GM game but they look good. Though my game will not work perfectly with them I will modify the Police one to it does. First time GM should be able to run these with no major problems. Chapter 7: Reference Section Some interesting reference info is thrown in here like what else the creator of Dominion Tank Police (Masamune Shirow) has made and who publishes his Manga by country. After that is some lyrics to the songs of show. The last is the product numbers of the first OAV videos and show credits. Appendix 1: Mecha Design I like the point based system they have for making Mecha. You can make quite a variety with the rules. I even made up the main police robot from Patlabor the Movie. So you can even use the book as the core for a game based on a different police anime. You first pick what type of vehicle you want then buy features for it. Also have defects here to round it out. Can even do the same for on-board weapons. Appendix 2: Personal Gear Here is where you get the standard equipment that your characters will use. Also has special equipment like the Bio-Ball (wraps around throat and get tighter and tighter) used by Buako on Leona in Act III. Their is also a brief note on campaign economics. Appendix 3: Reference Tables A collection of the varies tables from around the book in one spot. The Game My players decided they wanted to have their own stories and not have the game set in the same area as the series. Instead the game is in the state of Arizona where they are part of a tank unit ran by the state patrol. Their platoon is based in Tombstone and covers the surrounding counties. They use tanks like Bonaparte since I had Newport license the design so they could afford to pay all those damage claims created by the tank police. Works out well since Leona is behind many of them. Since it was the first game it started out lightly with a boring patrol on the highway to keep a eye out for drug runners. After a few hours they took Holiday (their tanks name) through a drive through (played up the startled employee). They then got a report of a running battle on the highway with multiple cars down and tank police backup requested. They took out at top speed and got into a running battle till the crooks blow a building with pre-laid explosives to get them time to get away. Though they players were able to track them down in a poor excuse for a city called "Scrap City" and put a end to this groups actions. They even got a couple of them alive but still stayed in spirit of the series. The rules worked out well in the game and caused no problems. Though as a GM I tend to run over any rules that hamper the game. It was never a issue though with this game. The bad of the game I can't really think of many bad things in the game. A section in the attributes about buying contacts would have been nice but that may be in one of their other books. Also it would have been nice if the list of modifiers for skills had been in the tables section. The same for what stat went with what skill since I had to keep looking that up. I will type and print them up for myself since it will make the game go faster. If your someone who hates games that does not have tight rules for everything you may not like this game. If you want lots of material beyond what was in the first OAV you will probably hate this game. If you fall in to one of the two above then flip through the book before buying it. Last thoughts (honest) Overall I really like this game and think it's a great way to do a licensed product. I will keep my eyes on Guardians of Order to see what else they do down the road. I also plan to get their "Big Eyes, Small Mouth" books since they look like they might come in handy. Thought they did a good job on the layout and liked the selection of art from the show. It's a good game and one that will make a nice addition to the others I already play. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Dominion Tank Police Role-Playing Game and Resource Book