The Inside Scoop on Gaming

After a year of waiting, the first six months waiting for the initial release date, and the next 6 months waiting for the delayed game to arrive, yesterday I finally picked up my copy of the Tenchi Muyo! RPG and Resource Book.

I happily slapped my 30 dollars on the counter and took home my sought after prize. As I ripped open the poly bag and slipped the fresh book out and opened it for the first time, I paused for thought: "Would this game, that had until now been delayed for 7 months, have been worth the wait?"

After 15 minutes I answered that question with a "HELL YEAH!"(Redneck-ism, please forgive me.)

From the first time you open it and see the full-color, glossy paper pages you know you're in for a lovingly-made product.

First, the aesthetic qualities of the book...

The cover is clean and nice with an image of Ryoko(The main female charcter[This point is arguable.]) Tenchi Fans will recognize the image as the same one used for the Tenchi DVD box set.

All 200 pages of the book are printed on glossy paper stock, the first GOO product to do so.

On the inside, the book is littered with over 500 high quality screen shots from the original Tenchi Muyo OVA series and also original artwork. The shots are beautifully edited and laid out on the pages.

On the organization level, the book is very organized with information set into specific sections that are color coded for easy reference. The index is also well organized. So in a nutshell, if you're looking for something in the book, you won't have much trouble finding it.

Now, the information qualities...

First and formost, this is a LICENSED product. It is based on the Original 14 episode Tenchi Muyo OVA(Original Video Animation) series. [Sidenote: Fans of the TV Series and movies will be pleased to know that future suppliments for this product will cover those Tenchi Universes)

I have to say it, at first I was dreading this, even though I heard GOO were doing it. Licensed products tend to be slapped together to make a buck on a popular license. However, I was wonderfully surprised to see the care taken with the information presented. It was both detailed and accurate and even filled in a few holes that aren't common knowledge except to hard-core fans. Even the most anal-retentive Tenchi Muyo fans are going to be hard pressed to gripe about anything presented here. This book definitely serves it's purpose as being a definitive OVA resource book. The Writing staff did their research and it shows. {Sidenote: MY only personal 'gripe' was no stats for OVA Kiyone[True, she only appears in one episode and then only briefly, but I'm a fanboy of Kiyone....])

Of course, any gripes a player might personally have with the information presented can easily be remedied by changing it for their personal sessions. ^_^

Now, let's get into the game mechanics itself...

OK, there's not a whole lot to say here that hasn't been said before. The Tenchi Muyo RPG uses the GOO patented Tri-Stat(c) system. It was nominated for an Origins award in 1997-98 and a suppliment for that system is nominated this year.

The Tri-Stat system is very clean and easy on both players and GM's. It's not extremely heavy on dice rolling, but uses it effectively and does accurately depict a "Character in an Anime/Action World" I was first lukewarm to it when Big Eyes, Small Mouth was released, but now I've come to really love the versatility of the system and have made it my official RPG system of choice.

Once again in a new product, the Tri-stat system is only slightly tweaked and improved upon to make it better(and after seeing this product, I'm very anxious and eager for the BESM 2nd edition) So I'm not going to really dwell on it here. For a more detailed review check out any of the reviews on GOO product lines here on RPG.net(Including, BESM, Sailor Moon RPG, Dominion: Tank Police RPG, and the Demon City Shinjuku RPG)

I have to mention though that making Jurai/Mass powers and abilities a seperate sub-attribute was a great idea! Kudo's to GOO on that one.

Conclusions:

If you thought that a licensed Anime RPG couldn't be a RPG powerhouse, check out a copy of the Tenchi Muyo RPG and prepare to have yourself proven wrong. From Page 1 to the final page, It's a feast for the eye and mind. THIS is the way a licensed product should be done!

Even though GOO always have problems with products being delayed and delayed, this company always manages to make the whole wait worthwhile. I give this book my highest regards for Tenchi Fans, Anime fans, and RPG fans too.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Tenchi Muyo! RPG and Resource Book
Author: Pulver, McLarney, Mackintosh, and MacKinnon Category: game Company/Publisher: Guardians of Order(GOO) Line: Tri-Stat System Cost: $29.95 US, $39.95 Canadian Page count: 200 ISBN: 1-894525-08-6 SKU: 07-001 Capsule Review by Jason Bertovich on 07/09/00. Genre tags: Science fiction Modern day Space Comedy Anime Asian/Far East	After a year of waiting, the first six months waiting for the initial release date, and the next 6 months waiting for the delayed game to arrive, yesterday I finally picked up my copy of the Tenchi Muyo! RPG and Resource Book. I happily slapped my 30 dollars on the counter and took home my sought after prize. As I ripped open the poly bag and slipped the fresh book out and opened it for the first time, I paused for thought: "Would this game, that had until now been delayed for 7 months, have been worth the wait?" After 15 minutes I answered that question with a "HELL YEAH!"(Redneck-ism, please forgive me.) From the first time you open it and see the full-color, glossy paper pages you know you're in for a lovingly-made product. First, the aesthetic qualities of the book... The cover is clean and nice with an image of Ryoko(The main female charcter[This point is arguable.]) Tenchi Fans will recognize the image as the same one used for the Tenchi DVD box set. All 200 pages of the book are printed on glossy paper stock, the first GOO product to do so. On the inside, the book is littered with over 500 high quality screen shots from the original Tenchi Muyo OVA series and also original artwork. The shots are beautifully edited and laid out on the pages. On the organization level, the book is very organized with information set into specific sections that are color coded for easy reference. The index is also well organized. So in a nutshell, if you're looking for something in the book, you won't have much trouble finding it. Now, the information qualities... First and formost, this is a LICENSED product. It is based on the Original 14 episode Tenchi Muyo OVA(Original Video Animation) series. [Sidenote: Fans of the TV Series and movies will be pleased to know that future suppliments for this product will cover those Tenchi Universes) I have to say it, at first I was dreading this, even though I heard GOO were doing it. Licensed products tend to be slapped together to make a buck on a popular license. However, I was wonderfully surprised to see the care taken with the information presented. It was both detailed and accurate and even filled in a few holes that aren't common knowledge except to hard-core fans. Even the most anal-retentive Tenchi Muyo fans are going to be hard pressed to gripe about anything presented here. This book definitely serves it's purpose as being a definitive OVA resource book. The Writing staff did their research and it shows. {Sidenote: MY only personal 'gripe' was no stats for OVA Kiyone[True, she only appears in one episode and then only briefly, but I'm a fanboy of Kiyone....]) Of course, any gripes a player might personally have with the information presented can easily be remedied by changing it for their personal sessions. ^_^ Now, let's get into the game mechanics itself... OK, there's not a whole lot to say here that hasn't been said before. The Tenchi Muyo RPG uses the GOO patented Tri-Stat(c) system. It was nominated for an Origins award in 1997-98 and a suppliment for that system is nominated this year. The Tri-Stat system is very clean and easy on both players and GM's. It's not extremely heavy on dice rolling, but uses it effectively and does accurately depict a "Character in an Anime/Action World" I was first lukewarm to it when Big Eyes, Small Mouth was released, but now I've come to really love the versatility of the system and have made it my official RPG system of choice. Once again in a new product, the Tri-stat system is only slightly tweaked and improved upon to make it better(and after seeing this product, I'm very anxious and eager for the BESM 2nd edition) So I'm not going to really dwell on it here. For a more detailed review check out any of the reviews on GOO product lines here on RPG.net(Including, BESM, Sailor Moon RPG, Dominion: Tank Police RPG, and the Demon City Shinjuku RPG) I have to mention though that making Jurai/Mass powers and abilities a seperate sub-attribute was a great idea! Kudo's to GOO on that one. Conclusions: If you thought that a licensed Anime RPG couldn't be a RPG powerhouse, check out a copy of the Tenchi Muyo RPG and prepare to have yourself proven wrong. From Page 1 to the final page, It's a feast for the eye and mind. THIS is the way a licensed product should be done! Even though GOO always have problems with products being delayed and delayed, this company always manages to make the whole wait worthwhile. I give this book my highest regards for Tenchi Fans, Anime fans, and RPG fans too. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)