The Inside Scoop on Gaming

(Note: Good Ladies and Sirs, thank you for taking an interest in my humble review. However, to save Internet bills, I strongly advise copying it or downloading it, as it is monstrously long. Thank you)

Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to my first review of an actual game instead of just videos. I am Lupum Argentum, a freelance reviewer/university student who has irregularly written reviews on media sources such as the ¡§As Good As It Gets¡¨ and two anime series known as ¡§Sabre Marionette J¡¨ and ¡§Battle Atheletess¡¨ (the latter of which is mysteriously missing from the reviews archive¡K). Anyway, I shall dispense with the introductions and proceed onto this week¡¦s review, the ingenious generic rules created by the rising company Guardians of Order, ¡§The Tri-Stat System.¡¨ With the advent of the highly anticipated ¡§Big Eyes Small Mouth¡¨ 2nd Edition, I shall analyse the elegance and simplicity of the engine that earned the 1st Edition much respect.

Introduction

The Tri-Stat System began as the engine of the first generic Anime RPG, ¡§Big Eyes, Small Mouth¡¨, created by the then fledgling independent company, ¡§Guardians of Order¡¨ in 1997. GOA was founded by a team of talented University students led by Mark Mackinnon, the designer of the Tri-Stat rules. Although extremely broad in its definitions of powers and attributes, BESM had an elegantly simple resolution that received much praise. Such was the critical acclaim of ¡§Big Eyes Small Mouth¡¨ that it won the Origins Award in the year of its release, and went on to produce four more detailed yet still simple sub-games, ¡§Sailor Moon¡¨, ¡§Demon City Shinjuku¡¨, ¡§Dominion Tank Police¡¨ and ¡§Tenchi Muyo.¡¨ The soon to be released ¡§Ghost Dog¡¨ RPG is the first Tri-Stat RPG to be based upon a live-action film. By 1999, the success of Guardians of Order was such that it acquired Event Horizon Productions, the makers of the equally brilliant ¡§Hong Kong Action Theatre¡¨, with which the next edition is fully compatible with BESM 2nd ED.

This implicates the gradual shift of the Tri-Stat system from a purely anime based engine to a generic one. Far from ludicrous, this is a most auspicious event as the system¡¦s elegance is more than capable of capturing Action Comedy as it is of Epic Poetry. To prove this theory, my following analysis of the system is going to be based upon events from the Magnificently Poetic film ¡§Braveheart¡¨, specifically the Battle of Stirling, 1297.

The Tri Stat system of Action Resolution

To put the system in a nutshell so you, dear reader, may understand my rambling below. The Tri-Stat system is so called for its three main attributes for every character: Body, Mind and Soul. Each is given a rating from 0 to 12, roughly the equivalent of:

0: Completely and utterly useless 1: Inept 2: Significantly below human average 3: Below human average 4: Average human adult 5: Above human average 6: Significantly above human average 7: Highly capable 8: Extremely capable 9: Best in the land 10: World-class ability 11: Legendary ability 12: Best in the universe. Unequalled.

Now every action in Tri-Stat is relevant to either Body, Mind or Soul. The character is to roll 2 six sided dice and compare it to the relevant Stat (or the average of 2 or all three stats). If the roll is below the required number, the action succeeds, if otherwise, he or she fails. Modifiers according to difficulty may be applied to the dice roll itself if the Dungeon Master is feeling particularly generous or vicious, ranging from ¡V4(Trivial, why roll dice?) to +6 (Utterly impossible). The degree of success depends on how much you made the roll by compared to the target number. It ranges from critical success if your roll is 8 beneath the target number, major success if it is 4 to 5 beneath, right down to critical failure if you go above the target number by 8. Regardless of modifiers, a 2 is always a critical success whereas a 12 is always a critical failure

That¡¦s it! Its that simple!

Character Creation

I shall now demonstrate the efficiency of the Character Creation system by creating the hero of Braveheart, Sir William Wallace. Later on he will be put in action of the Battlefields of Sterling to demonstrate the system in work. Please note that I am using conventions found in the ¡§Demon City Shinjuku¡¨ and ¡§Tenchi Muyo RPG¡¨, with Tenchi being taking precedence as it is the most up to date game in the line.

Step 1: Discussion with the Dungeon Master.

Although it does not apply in this case, every Tri-Stat rule book advises you that aside from inquiring about the number of points you can build your character upon, you should discuss the length of the campaign and times you can attend games to avoid ¡§a dead campaign.¡¨ The points you receive depends on the power level of your Dungeon Master¡¦s campaign:

Low Power: 15, 20, or 25 Average Power: 30 or 35 High Power: 40 or 45 Very High Power: 50 or 55 Extremely High Power: 60 to beyond

¡§As William Wallace is a legendarily mighty hero of an already high powered setting, it would be justified to allocate 50 points to define his persona.¡¨

Step 2: Character Outline

Before any stats are assigned, write a paragraph or two on your desired character as a bone frame to work upon. Trust me, it will avoid much messy mathematics later on.

¡§The William Wallace that I am playing is based upon the one portrayed by Mel Gibson in Braveheart. He is a mighty Scottish hero whose fighting prowess are fearsome, but whose mental capability and inspirational spirit are far more fearsome. Deep inside he is a sad and hurt man, driven on a partly patriotic quest to avenge the stained honour of his murdered wife.¡¨

Step 3: Assign Stats

Now to assign your primary stats. You cannot start with more than one Stat at the level of 12. Trust me, you do not want to create a 11/11/12 munchkin, as he or she will be so deficient in other areas that he or she will have a snowflake¡¦s chance in hell of surviving your Dungeon Master¡¦s campaign. Use the guideline earlier to guide you.

¡§As befitting a typical rugged yet hardy Scottish commoner, William Wallace is extremely powerful (Body: 7), though not the strongest as compared to Hamish (9) and his Father (11). Although far from the most brilliant mind on medieval earth, he is still a shrewd tactician and leader who is well read and far travelled (Mind: 9). Finally, his courage, nobility and persistence is such that it inspired a whole nation (Soul: 11), allowing the Patriots of Scotland to win their freedom on the fields of Bannockburn in 1314, nine years after his death.¡¨

Hence I have spent 27 points on William¡¦s primary statistics, resulting in:

Body: 7 Mind: 9 Soul: 11

Step 4A: Character Attributes

With your remaining character points, you are now free to put meat on the bones by defining the merits of your character. You are allowed to spend up to 16 points over your allocated character points, as long as you are willing to assign an appropriate number of defects to account for them. Defects will be discussed later.

However, we now go to the task of allocating the remaining points. An attribute is a special quality about an individual, such the destructive magic of Lina Inverse, the stunningly adorable beauty of Natalie Portman, or the unbelievable luck of James Bond. Each attribute is measured in a level from 1 to 6, depending on its power level. Each level costs a specific amount of points depending on the sub attribute. For example, if one level of appearance costs one point, it costs 3 points to go to level 3 of appearance. Whereas to rise to level 3 of combat mastery would cost 6 points, as it costs two points per level.

Now, William Wallace is quite a memorably handsome man, so much that he is recognised on sight by those who have heard of him. (Appearance 3/ 3 points)

When William speaks, such is his charisma that it is almost impossible for one not to listen, be convinced or be moved, be he Scottish, English or French. (Art of Distraction 6/ 6 points)

William Wallace is a fearsome warrior of considerable skill (Combat Mastery 3/ 6 points) when using a sword of any kind (Focused Damage, Sword 2/ 2 points), and is capable of rapid attacks and dodges (Extra Attacks 1/ 4 points). He is also extremely resilient to damage (Damn Healthy 1/ 1 point). Moreover, he possesses the natural wit, physical excellence and poetic soul that is common to all Scotsman (Special Attack 1/ 4 points), and on a heightened level as well (More Powerful Attack 2/ 2 points)

Finally, William Wallace is a resourceful man of many talents (Highly skilled 4/ 4 points) who is adequately prepared for most situations (Personal Gear 1/ 1 point).

Thus, it has now taken 66 points to build William, 16 points over the allocated amount. To account for them, we shall assign defects to our hero. But before that, we shall define his special attacks and Scottish prowess, in his ¡§Sub Attributes.¡¨

Step 4B: Sub-attributes

Certain attributes, such as special attack or demonic powers, give you points to allocate to unique and wondrous abilities. In all of the Tri-Stat sub-games so far, each level of these so-called sub attributes cost 4 levels and give you 10 points to design and allocate powers. These range from special attacks such as energy blasts and spells to super-heroic feats like flight, might and regeneration.

William has a base of 10 points to allocate amongst his special abilities, plus and additional 5 for his 2nd level of ¡§More Powerful Attack.¡¨

First for his superhuman-Scottish-physical perfection. Although nowhere as strong as the Hamish or his monstrous father, who can single handedly lift a portcullis, William can still dead lift about 500 kilograms and deal a punishing blow. This amounts to ¡§Super Strength¡¨ Level 1, which costs 3 Sub-Attribute points. For the purpose of the setting, we shall call it ¡§Scottish Might 1/ 3 sub-points.¡¨ This allows Wallace to add 10 points to his base damage score. Years of tilling in the field has hardens the skin of the typical Scottish commoner, allowing them to shrug off anything short of an axe blow and recover quickly from wounds. This is the equivalent of Regeneration and Armour, and in William¡¦s case it respectively ¡§Scottish Stamina 1/ 1 sub-point¡¨ and ¡§Scottish Fortitude 1/ 2.¡¨ The former allows Wallace to regenerate 10 health points per battle and the latter allows him to reduce all inflicted damage by 5 points.

Secondly for the special attacks he uses in the film, which we now have 9 sub-points to spend with. The Tri-Stat system has a liberal and flexible method of designing spectacular special effects. Each level of an attack costs 3 sub points (4 points if a Mecha) and gives an attack 10 points of damage (15 for Mecha). For every special ability of an attack, 10/15FM points are deducted. For every defect, 10/15FM is added. First of all, the spectacular and powerful ¡§Set Spear VS Charge¡¨ manoeuvre that was used to smite the English cavalry in the battle of Stirling. I spend only 3 points for for a base 10 points of damage; hardly powerful you may say. But watch as I assign the defect shown in the film onto the attack. Note the numbers in the brackets count for the equivalent of abilities and defects that they are worth:

Direct Contact required (+2), Can only be used once per battle (+4), Avoidable/Stoppable (+3) Attacker can¡¦t move (+1), Destroys Spear (+4), Slow (+1), Ensnares foe (-1), Armour Piercing (-1), Requires Enemy Charge (+2), Damage 50/50 on rider & mount (-1).

Hence the final number of defects with abilities subtracted equate to 14, and adding the 10 base damage points, the final damage of this mighty attack is a grand total of 150 points: 75 on both mount and rider foolish enough to charge into it. And even if the knaves were somehow able to survive the initial impact, they would be so immobilised that there is precious little that they can do to prevent a tide of Scotsman from dismembering them afterwards.

Next I shall devise possibly what is Wallace¡¦s most fearsome ability; a howl that strikes sheer terror into the hearts of the British and courage into the heart of his men. This I call ¡§War cry of the patriot.¡¨ I assign the last six points for an initial 20 points of damage, and then proceed with its abilities and defects:

No damage (+1), Drain¡¦s opponent¡¦s soul (-1), Adds drained soul to allies (-1), Uses 10 energy points (+2).

Now, normally this attack would inflict 30 points of damage to health, but with the ¡§No damage¡¨ defect it now translates to draining 3 soul points of the enemy hearing the War Cry and adding them to William¡¦s comrades¡¦ total. However, it is tiring to shout with all your might and ferocity, hence it costs 10 points every time it is uttered.

Step 4C: Equipment

William¡¦s ¡§Personal Gear 1¡¨ entitles him to own 1 major item and 4 minor ones. As weapons are designed in the same style as special attacks, I give him the following arsenals. Note that each level in a personal weapon only inflicts 5 points of damage:

A: William¡¦s two-handed sword (Major Item, hence worth 3 attack levels). Defect: Requires Contact (+2). Final Damage: 25 Health Points.

B: Hunting bow (Minor Item, 1 attack level.) Defects: Requires one round to aim (+1) Limited shots (+1). Final Damage: 15 health points.

The last three items, all minor, that I give him are: A horse, A pendant bearing the heraldry of Robert The Bruce, and the Handkerchief of his late wife Murron.

Step 5: Character Defects

Like GURPS and other generic RPG, you can take defects to give yourself extra points in the Tri-Stat system. All defects have only 2 levels, 1 point for minor and 2 points for serious impediment. In this case, I am taking the following 8 defects to account for the 16 points extra that I used to build William. Since all of them are severe and pretty much define who William Wallace was and influenced almost all his actions in the film, all of them are 2 point disadvantages.

1) William Wallace is a man wanted by the brutal might of the British Kingdoms. 2) He has recurring nightmares of his brutally murdered wife Murron. 3) He is a patriot. 4) He has vowed that ¡§William Wallace will not be ruled, and neither would any Scotsman while I live.¡¨ 5) He hates the English with a homicidal passion. 6) He is a reckless man who refuses to see the harshness of political realities. 7) Acts and words of injustice easily enrage him. 8) He is an honourable man who believes that the weak deserves justice, no matter what.

Now I have the 16 extra points accounted for.

Step 6: Skills

Every Tri-Stat character receives 20 skill points (except unskilled ones, who either have 10 or no skill points), plus 10 for every level of ¡§Highly Skilled¡¨ that they take. Like Attributes, skills range on a level from 1 to 6 and each level costs a different amount. Every level of skill allows you to subtract 1 from the final dice roll of a relevant action.

Unlike attributes, however, one can specialise in a specific field by merely spending one skill point. Your specialisation allows you to subtract an additional point from your final dice roll when an action involves your field of specialty. For example, Fox Mulder has the Investigation skill at level 4, with a specialty in Paranormal Activities. When investigating a chain of TV thefts, he would only subtract 4 from his roll (already impressive). But when delving into the hidden tombs of an ancient Aztec god in search of a serum for a flesh eating alien virus, he would subtract 5 from his final roll.

With 60 skill points to spend (thanks to his Highly Skilled 4) I give William Wallace the following skills. Note the words in the brackets are specialties.

Culture Arts 1/ 1 points. Disguise 1/ 2 points. Linguistics (Latin, French, English) 3/ 4 points. Speech (Inspiration, Taunting) 6/ 7 points. Melee Attack (Sword) 3/ 16 points. Melee Defence (Sword) 2/ 11 points. Military Science (Tactics, Strategy) 3/ 7 points. Riding (Combat) 2/ 3 points. Wilderness Tracking 3/ 3 points. Stealth 2/ 4 points. Social Science (Psychological Warfare.) 1/ 2 points.

Step 7: Derived Values.

Now we calculate the final scores needed.

Your Attack combat value is (Body + Mind + Soul) divided by 3, plus 1 for each level of any combat mastery you might have. Your Defence Combat value is 2 less than that.

¡§The Average of William Wallace¡¦s Stats (7+9+11) is an already impressive 9, but his combat mastery 3 raises his Attack Combat Value to an awesome 12. His Defence combat value is therefore 10.

Your Health Score is the sum of your Body and Soul Stats, plus 10 points for each level of Damn Healthy that you might have.

¡§William¡¦s Body and Soul score added together (7+11) and multiplied by 5 equals 90. With his Damn Healthy of 1 his final Health point total is 100 points.¡¨

Your Energy Score is the total of your Mind and Soul Stats multiplied by 5, plus 10 points for every level of Energy bonus you might have.

¡§William Wallace has 100 points of energy (9+11 times 5).¡¨

Step 8: Background Points.

If you are willing to provide a detailed background for your character, your Dungeon Master might reward you with 1 to 3 character points for your incentive. It is best if you save them up for future use.

¡§I invite my Dungeon Master over for dinner and as he has not seen Braveheart, I watched it with him to let him know more about my hero. He rewards me with 3 extra character points, which I save for a rainy day.

And now William Wallace is ready for play.

The Character Generation in retrospect. Wow bloody wow. This is by far the most flexible character generation system I have seen to date. Although it is broad, flexible and detailed enough to create most characters of most genres, anime or otherwise. It allows a range that includes romantics like cast members of Ranma and American Pie, Superheroes like James Bond and Wolverine, right down to horrors like the Alien Queen and Lestat. And then there is the special attacks system, which shows a versatility that is unprecedented, permitting accurate simulations of weapons form Lina¡¦s Dragon Slave to the Predator¡¦s shoulder cannon. The only characters that Tri-Stat has trouble simulating are the cast of Dragonball Z, as they are WAY too overpowered. But you can always down-power them for your campaigns, or use Champions or the DBZ RPG instead.

The System in Action

The Battle of Sterling, 1297.

(Note, see the film ¡§Braveheart¡¨ to make sense of the following events which it is based upon. It is a bloody good film anyway.)

In response to the increasingly successful insurrection of one Scotsman called William Wallace, the son of King Edward ¡§Long-Shanks¡¨ foolishly dispatches the complement of England¡¦s Northern Forces to the fields of Sterling in order to frighten the Scottish into submission. Meanwhile his father is busy conquering other lands in the East ¡§for his future kingdom.¡¨

Nervously, the Nobles mounted Scottish nobles representing Robert the Bruce regarded their force. Horribly outnumbered and armed mostly with farming utensils, the hardy yet inexperience band of commoners were instantly disheartened by the awe inspiring sight of heavily armoured filling the horizon. Embittered, a middle aged farmer ¡§I ain¡¦t fightin for these bastards! Lets go home!¡¨ Grumbling in agreement, his comrades began to dissipate, even as a noble desperately attempts to convince them that negotiation is in process.

Suddenly, William Wallace and his brothers-in-arms ride regally into the rabble, their faces painted in savage blue sigils of death. Hamish and many others carried what appeared to be a bundle of spears, each longer than a man, upon their broad shoulders. The son of the aforementioned farmer gasps ¡§William Wallace.¡¨ But the father retorts ¡§Can¡¦t be, he¡¦s not tall enough.¡¨

(William¡¦s Appearance of 3 almost instantaneously stands him out as a regal figure of authority amongst his men.)

Despite hearing disheartening remarks on ¡§I¡¦m not fighting so they can have more land¡¨ and ¡§The English Are Too Many,¡¨ William surveys his soldiers to be and commences to encourage them.

(The Following Task is highly difficult: Firstly, patriotic as the rabble is, they lack a sense of purpose as they consider this battle to be for the nobles alone. Secondly, their morale is low due to their poor equipment, number and might of the opponent. Hence a +6 modifier is incurred to any of the following rolls that William is about to make.)

¡§Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace!¡¨

A cynical youth retorts ¡§William Wallace is seven feet tall.¡¨

Undeterred, William uses this as an opportunity to increase morale with humour. ¡§Yes, I¡¦ve heard, killed men by the hundreds¡¨ he says casually ¡§And if he were here, he would consume the English with balls of fire from his eyes, and balls of lightning from his ass.¡¨

(This is a test of William¡¦s wit, and his Speech level 6 not only cancels out the penalty, but applies an additional ¡V1 bonus due to his Inspiration specialisation. He has to roll 9 or below to succeed. Happily, he rolls a 7, resulting in a 6. He was highly successful.)

The band laughs heartily, and the boy sheepishly backs into it. The atmosphere has clearly improved, and William continues.

¡§I am William Wallace! And I see a whole ARMY of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you ARE. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?¡¨

Almost in unison, a cacophony of ¡§No¡¨ rang through the men.

(Unfortunately, William Rolled a 11 this time, resulting in a 10 and picked an inappropriate moment to entice his fellows to risk their lives. A minor mistake, far from irreparable.)

The farmer angrily chastises William ¡§Against THAT? No! We will run! And we will LIVE!¡¨

With heartfelt conviction, William replies ¡§Right. Fight and you may die. Run, and You¡¦ll live. At least a while.¡¨ He pauses dramatically, and rides across the front lines so everyone could hear him. ¡§And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that, for one chance, JUST ONE CHANCE, to come back here and TELL our enemies, that they may take our lives,¡¨ he pauses to draw a enough breath to shout ¡§but they¡¦ll NEVER take our FREEDOM!¡¨

A thunderous cheer of patriotism reverberated across the battlefield, as William rode across the ranks, shouting ¡§Long Live Scotland¡¨ with his sword held proudly above his head. His now loyal men did otherwise.

(That was a close one! William realised that men are not creatures of intellect, but are ruled by their hearts. So he instigates a heart-felt attempt from the depth of his soul to appeal for their love of Scotland. This time Wallace has to roll beneath a 11, but that does not make it any easier, for although the morale is somewhat improved, it is still a supremely difficult task, incurring a +3 penalty. William¡¦s ¡V7 speech bonus not only cancels this out, but allows a ¡V4 bonus on the roll. So unless he rolls a 12, he is sure to succeed. Happily, he rolls a 7, resulting in 3, 8 below the required number. Hence this rallying speech was a heroic success that echoes in the halls of legends to this present day.)

Almost completely unmoved, the Scottish nobles rode out to negotiate terms with the British general. Determined to teach Long-Shanks a lesson, Wallace rides out to pick a fight. Disrupting the process, he boldly challenges the lord. ¡§Here are Scotland¡¦s terms: Lower your flags, march strait back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for 100 years of theft, rape and murder. Do it so, and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today.¡¨

(This act is hardly intellectual, but Wallace nonetheless rolls against his Mind of 9 with the usual ¡V7 bonus. He rolls a 11, resulting in a 5. Not only does he provoke anger in the general, a surprising gain was made.)

Visibly annoyed and yet keeping his composure, the general snarls and proclaims ¡§You are outmatched! You have no heavy cavalry! In two centuries no army...¡¨

(At this time William makes a Mind based roll with ¡V4 bonus from his Military Science skill, and rolls an 8. With a final result of 5, he concocts an ingenious strategy...)

Wallace makes a mental note at this time: the general places too much confidence in the cavalry, and relies heavily on them due to its past effectiveness. Should they be eliminated from the battle the British would be crippled. The fatal blow would be to do unto them what they do to others after that. The only trouble is the general would expect the Scottish noblemen to attack. Hence William decides he would play on the second weakness that he picked up from his conversation; the general¡¦s arrogance.

After the obligatory arrow hail that precedes all English charges, the Scottish noblemen are to feign rout and retreat behind a hill to be concealed until after the cavalry and 25% of the British infantry are wiped out. Then they would ride in the decimate the rest. The only trouble would be goading the general into using his precious cavalry, so before he could finish ranting, Wallace shouts...

(William makes another Mind check, scoring a 4. Even without modifiers, this is a spectacularly offensive and successful taunt...)

¡§I¡¦m not finished yet! Before we LET you leave. You must tell your commander to ride out here, present himself before our army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own ass!¡¨

Now furious, the general rides back to his commander, demands Wallace¡¦s heart on a plate, and orders the archers to loose. Meanwhile William tells the mounted noblemen of his plan, and positions himself with his men. Unbeknownst to the English, placed on the ground of every Scotsman in the front lines were wooden stakes, each longer than a man...

After a taunt that has to be seen to be believed (See the film, its FAR too rude to be mentioned here) and two hails of arrows, the general signals for the cavalry to charge. The ground itself shook as if in terror as the weight of the mounts and their armored riders pounded towards the frightened yet resolute ranks of the Scotsmen. ¡§Hold...hold...hold...hold...¡¨ William ordered his men as they readied themselves to raise the stakes...

(This is a crucial roll that will decide the day for the Scotsmen. As there are far too many individuals to roll for, it is assumed that William¡¦s Attack Combat Value, that of the leader¡¦s, will come into play. However, the rapidly falling morale of the men may cause some to rise the stakes before the correct moment, allowing the cavalry to be warned of the attack and therefore avoiding it. A +5 modifier is therefore applied to a roll that must be under 12... a cold sweat rolled down William¡¦s cheek as he rolled the dice... a 6 came. A sigh of relief came from William as the result was a 11, just one step beneath a critical failure, but a success nonetheless.)

As the cavalry was uncomfortably close to the Scotsmen, William howls ¡§NOW!!¡¨ A wooden wall of spiked death sprung out in front of the Englishmen, who scream in horror as the momentum of their mounts send them crashing into it. The wave of horses fell as their riders flew into a torrent of screaming Scotsmen, who butchered them like pigs.

(The attack was successful, and delivers 75 points to each rider and steed. Considering that the average English cavalryman has only 45 health points and their steed 65, only the strongest few would survive. And even then, they would be too stunned to even resist the mass of Scotsmen that are now pounding upon them. Thus the Dungeon Master rules that the whole English cavalry is wiped out.)

All this was accompanied by a deafening wail of pure murderous hatred, which sends the English general into a panic. Thus he foolishly sends the infantry, led by his commander, charging towards a now superior foe.

(William¡¦s player spends 10 energy points to enact ¡§War-Cry of the Patriot.¡¨ As he is commanding the army, the roll is determining the success of every Scotsman howling, not just William. He rolls a 4 against his Attack Combat Value of 12. The howl frightens the English general

Now the English general is no coward. After all, even a nobleman¡¦s son requires some courage to achieve his rank, and hence has a soul of 7. This attack would weaken his resolve in the panic check (Soul Stat) that he is soon about to make, so he naturally tries to defend against it. The general¡¦s player botches, rolling a 12. This spectacular failure results in him losing twice the amount of soul points from the battle cry, reducing it to a useless 1. The Dungeon master rules that no roll is necessary, and that he folds and sends in the infantry in fear. But not before the Soul score of the Scotsman ranks is raised by 6, resulting in an indomitable 12...)

Filled to the brim with courage and confidence, the Scotsman raced across the green hills of Sterling, and stained it red with the blood of their tyrannical foes. The general shook in fear as he watched his troops dwindle in survivors and orders a retreat, which was soon intervened by the mounted Scottish noblemen as they thundered back onto the battlefield, swathing down the surviving English infantry like wheat. In sheer desperation, the general charged into the fray, towards Wallace, who had just disemboweled two soldiers...

(It would absolutely destroy the drama to play the battle in detail like a Warhammer game, so the Dungeon master rules that Each side has the average health points of its men. Hence the Scotsmen force has 120 health points, whereas the English has only 55. Also, since battles are won by the courage of men, instead of rolling against Attack combat and Defense combat values the average Soul Stat of each side is used. Obviously, with the Scotsmen¡¦s soul of 12 and the English¡¦s of 1, the former decimated the latter, suffering the occasional loss as the English side rolled 2 twice in the following 5 rounds. Every 2 rounds, the Dungeon Master plays a individual combat round between each player to heighten the tension. It is now the sixth round and the general decides to challenge Wallace..)

Defiantly, William faces the mounted general, stands his ground, spreads his arms invitingly and screams grutually ¡§BASTARD.¡¨ He maintains his ground as the steed flew towards him. Unhappily for the general, he could not learn from his earlier mistake, as Wallace ducked down swiftly, taking out the horse¡¦s limbs. The general barely had time to go through his folly in his head before Wallace relieves it from his shoulders.

(William and the general roll one six sided dice for initiative, adding it to their Attack Combat Value. Wallace¡¦s is 12, the general¡¦s is 9. William rolls a 3 and the general rolls a 6. This is hardly a problem as William could act twice per round thanks to his Extra Attacks Level 1. Unbelievably, the general rolls another 12 and botches his attack, leaving him wide open. William uses his first action to strike the steed; since the attack is ridiculously easy, the Dungeon master rules that it has a ¡V4 bonus. In addition to William¡¦s ¡V4 bonus with a sword, the resulting roll of 6 sends the general flying spectacularly off his slain mount and onto the ground. The Dungeon Master then rules that William lops off his worthless skull with no roll required in his second action.)

The fields littered with British dead, the bloodied William Wallace stands majestically upon a high hill, overlooking his proud followers. Raising his massive sword towards the sky, he lets out a triumphant cry, which is echoed by all the many surviving Scotsmen. On that day, he was knighted Sir William Wallace, High Protector of Scotland.

The Tri-Stat System Overall

As shown above, few games can match the simplistic yet detailed elegance of the Tri-Stat engine. Truly generic, it can simulate any game setting, Anime or otherwise. Although some hard work is required on the part of the Dungeon Master to create a setting and unique house rules tailored to it, the effort is ultimately more than worth it. And even for the mathematically lazy this engine will not fry your brain like GURPS will.

If the full colored Tenchi RPG is any indication to the quality that an average Tri-Stat RPG can aspire to, we can only hope that Guardians of Order creates equally wonderful world books based upon more live action films. Just think of it: Indiana Jones, Braveheart, James Bond, or maybe even the Alien Saga with the elegant and fast paced Tri-Stat system! (Alright, I¡¦ll stop drooling on the keyboard in delight!)

It is clear that the Tri-Stat system was a labor of love, by a group of talented individuals who truly loved the hobby that they produced. Well done, Guardians of Order, we wish you the very best for BESM 2nd ED!

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