I was introduced to the Tenchi series about two years ago when a friend of mine, one extremely hardcore anime fanatic, showed us the Tenchi Muyo! DVD. (Unfortunately this was
sans the exemplary Mihoshi Galaxy Police Special.) So when I heard the GOO was planning to release the Tenchi Muyo! roleplaying game I was both eager and doubtful...
The Good
Tenchi Muyo! is quite simply one of the most entertaining anime shows ever made - although I will blaspheme here and suggest that the show known in the states as "Tenchi Universe" is the better incarnation - and as such it also showcases all that makes Anime fun to watch. The OAV (Original Animated Video) series covers horror, comedy, science fiction, melodrama, romance - heck it has everything except for historical war! Add to this the rich and imaginative setting and you have the perfect breeding ground for some truly entertaining roleplaying.
The Bad
Unfortunately this leads into the problem I have with the creation of a
Tenchi Muyo! game - the element that truly propels the series are its characters. Ayeka, Mihoshi, Ryoko, Ryo-Ohki, Tenchi, Sasami and Washu are what truly make this series a gem to watch. Sure, the plots are exciting and involving - but what we really care about is the relationships between the characters. This is something that is somewhat hard to make
rules for, generally PC relationships are developed through pure roleplaying.
The other problem lies in the fact that I can't imagine many people would want to play any characters other than the main cast - after all they are what draws us to the show, not the setting itself.
For those not in the "know" - Tenchi Muyo! is about the life of a young japanese boy named Tenchi Masaki who inadvertantly awakens an ancient demon that was sleeping in a nearby shrine. The demon, Ryoko, is soon revealed to be an alien space pirate who crashed on earth while in mortal combat with her nemesis Yosho - an alien prince from the planet Jurai. Soon Yosho's sisters Ayeka and Sasami show up looking for their lost brother and eventually Tenchi finds himself surrounded with beautiful alien women all vying for his affection.
Add a mysterious ghost, an extradimensional goddess bent on galactic domination, a mad scientist or two, a villain who'd make the Emperor from Star Wars go running into hiding and a cat-rabbit hybrid that can shapeshift into a spaceship...well things begin to get complicated.
The Game
Well I needn't have worried.
Tenchi Muyo! is so well executed as a product both for roleplaying and general series information. If you have never seen this series before (
Shame on you!) the book does a great job of showing why it is so popular. From the detailed episode guides to the character write-ups, this is a comprehensive study of the series.
Best of all, the character desriptions give a wonderfully indepth study of the various relationships - meaning that if players choose to play the main cast, the complexities are easy to recapture. There is even the proto-second edition BESM rules included to allow players to create their own believable
Tenchi Muyo! characters.
The matter of gameplay is fairly standard for Tri-stat. Characters each have only three stats - Body, Mind, & Soul. They then buy various advantages to further narrow down the particular characteristics of the individual - Tenchi Muyo! PCs tend to be quite elaborate in comparison to previous Tri-stat systems, but considering how vital character is to the show this seems to make sense.
Appearance
There is no denying that the book itself is very attractive - 200 full colour glossy pages filled with promotional art and shots from the series - these really help to communicate the madcap atmosphere of the series. The layout is fantastic, and the use of headings remains clean, sharp and constant throughout the book. If there is one thing that bugs me it's the character sheet. Unfortunately GOO got a little carried away with their pretty layout that the ended up making the character sheer almost illegible and difficult to use - the main stats have barely any space for them to be recorded in, and the use of a full colour picture in the background is just messy.
Judgement
BESM is definitely the best choice for a game system for this style of game -
Tenchi Muyo! games should be fast paced and involve a lot of character interaction. The system needs to be light and subtle - something that sits quietly in the background while the players enjoy the game. Tri-stat tends to do this perfectly, being a simple roll of 2d6 and get under your stat skill for all actions. Yet the character creation - should you choose to use it - is complicated enough to allow for well thought out characters to be made without unbalancing the game too much.
Personally I'd suggest sticking with the actual characters from the series - the book details their attitudes and motivations so well it is sometimes scary at the level of insight this provides us. So the characters aren't balanced, that is in line with the show - my players can't wait to take on the role of their favourite
Tenchi character.
On the otherhand, a better study of how to run and play in a relationship driven game - as the conflict in
Tenchi is less about combat and more about how the characters behave and treat each other. Also, something that
GURPS Discworld overlooked - a short guide on how to play comedy to good effect wouldn't have gone amiss.
However for all of us who are big fans of anime, and
Tenchi Muyo! in particular, this game provides a huge source of information, ideas and inspiration. Quite simply the best anime license product on the market!
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(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)