I'll admit it, I've been waiting for this baby a long time. I like BESM2, and I knew that the system would be perfect for superheroes, especially with the move from d6s to d10s (for greater ranges of ability) As the timeline in the book shows (see below), this is a great year for superhero games, with SAS, Godlike/Wild Talents, Godsend Agenda, Mutants and Masterminds, HERO 5th, and more all being released. After a long spell of few really good superhero games, this is a bonanza for fans of the genre! So how does SAS measure up?
Presentation:
SAS Limited Edition is a 336 page full color hardback book costing $45. The standard edition, to be printed after the limited edition print-run is sold out, will include only b&w art and cost $5 less. While the price seems high, the book is very sturdy, with an extra thick cover to prevent warping and good quality, glossy stock on the interior pages. The wraparound cover is by comic inker/ penciller Bob McLeod, and features many of the characters from the SAS universe. As it was commissioned well before the book was printed, many of the characters costumes are slightly different from their pictures inside, but hey, superheroes are always redesigning their costumes...
Under the Hood:
The book includes both a table of contents and a very thorough index, which are very nice to see. The book then opens with a history of comics, from the golden age to the present. With pictures of comic covers (Action Comics, Teen Titans, Dark Knight, Watchmen, X-Men, etc) and a 10 pg discussion of important comic events, characters, and series, this is pretty much a first in superhero games! It really is useful for those gamers that are not up on their comic history, and shows that SAS is focused on the entire range of comics and heroes from all the various companies and universes. Along the bottom of these pages is a timeline of superhero roleplaying games, showing when each was published and just how big the current hero game boom is by comparison!
Before I go on, I want to mention the wonderful chapter openers... each is a picture of a made-up comic featuring the SAS characters. Some are beat-up 10 cent cover price golden age books, some are newer looking 50 cent books from the '80s, etc. Each is drawn in the style of comics from that age, and do a great job of lending credence and history to the characters! I would only take issue with 1 cover... "American Sentinel" #1 on pg 199 is supposed to be from the early silver age, and any major #1 issue from that era would feature the title character prominently on the cover! Instead, his arch villian is pictured and the caption says The Return of Kreuzritter! If this were issue 25, 30 or something, I'd understand, but that would never happen on the first issue. Ok, now that that's out of my system...
Chapter 2 covers character creation. GoO learned from making BESM revised ed that clear, step by step character creation rules are mandatory, and they did an excellent job here. There are 2 complete examples of character creation taken from start to finish, and everything is clearly labelled Step 1, Step 2, etc in large red font! Everything is well organized and the chapters are color coded, so players should have no trouble finding the information they need.
Characters are built with points, and the GM can set the points at any level, from 50 - 250 or more. The average level of starting heroes is usually 150 points, though. You can take character defects to gain more points. With these points, characters buy the stats, skills, powers, etc that they want. Stats range from 1-20, powers 1-10, and skills 1-5.
Stats: The system is called Tri-stat because there are only 3 base stats: Body, Mind, and Soul. However, there are rules for being more or less capable in a certain aspect of the stat. If you want a strong and tough but clumsy charater, you'd buy a high Body and then take the Defect Less Capable: Coordination. Is your character of average agility and endurance, but can lift tanks? Take the Super-strength power and an average Body stat. There are similar possibilities for smart characters with poor perception, strong-willed characters who are not charming, etc. In this way, you can differentiate any additional stats you need to!
Incidentally, all of this is pointed out in one of the many Designer's Notes sidebars throughout the book. These are great little pieces that tell why the writers wrote the rules the way they did, and often point out possible changes or ways to use the system that are not immediately obvious.
Powers: Powers are result-based, similar to HERO. That means that instead of a seperate power for Fire Blast, Ice Blast, Sonic Blast, etc, there is 1 power (Special Attack, in this case) that the PC can modify with numerous optional bonuses and penalties to create the exact effect he wants. I have always preferred this method, as it seems to offer pretty much unlimited possibilities for character and power creation. Powers can be modified in almost every way through several methods... the most basic is that many powers have a variable cost. For example, the Flight power costs 2 points per level if he can only glide, 3 pts per level if he flies like a plane (can't hover, must maintain minimum spd), and 4 pts per level if he can hover, take off and land vertically, etc.
The second method of altering powers is called PMVs (Power Modifier Values). Many powers have vaiables such as area of effect, range, duration, number of targets, etc. These are all classified as PMVs, and can be bought in various amounts. Third, there are power defects such as Limited Uses, Restrictions, Backlash, etc. Together, these 3 methods allow you to create truely unique powers that are at least as versatile as HERO system, but the only math is adding and subtracting a few points!
The designers obviously looked at HERO as an inspiration for the system, and BESM2 has often been compared with HERO. To aid those who are used to HERO, SAS includes charts that show various powers and power defects from that and other games along with their SAS equivalent. For example, these charts show that Side Effects in HERO are similar to the Backlash defect in SAS, or Weather Control should be created with the Dynamic power (which allows a variety of effects based on a single theme). I find these charts to be very useful, and they once again point out the sheer versatility of the system!
Skills: There are over 60 skills, ranging from Computers to Gun Combat. Each one has a different cost, between 1 - 12 points per level, depending upon how useful it is. Background skills like Sports or Languages tend to be very cheap (1-2 pts per level), so characters with a few points left over can flesh out their skill list with approprite skills. Combat skills tend to be much more expensive (average 7-10 pts per level)
The next chapter covers game mechanics. SAS uses 2d10, roll under your stat fopr its basic mechanic. This is simple and easy to use, and I prefer the broader range of possibilities available by using d10s instead of BESMs d6s. Variable damage, an optional rule in BESM, is now a core rule, though a sidebar discusses the possibility of removing it if the BESM style is prefered. There are rules for all possibilities, from Trick Shots to Combined Attacks, Knockback to Blowing Up Buildings!
Chapter 4 gives rules for weapons and vehicles, including rules for numerous weapon features such as laser sights, sawed-off barrels, and hollow point rounds. Vehicle templates for cars, boats, planes, tanks, etc are given, and then rules for customizing them with armor, smoke screens, even a nitrous oxide tank! Q would love the huge list of possible modifications, and there is really enough skills, vehicles, and weapons to play a low or non-powered spy game with these rules!
Chapter 5 discusses superhero gaming, covering secret origins, hero archtypes (skulker, speedster, metamorph, wizard, etc) and their suggested skills and powers. It goes on to cover motivations, styles, how to be a hero, goals, how to create superhero teams, etc. Lots of good information for players here, especially those new to heroic gaming.
Chapter 6 turms its attention to the GM, and discusses how to design heroic adventures, how to handle natural disasters, troubleshooting, and campaign creation. There are even suggestions for alternate settings and tones, from Golden Age battles against Nazis and sabatours to Street Justice. All good advice, especially for GMs new to superhero gaming. This chapter includes some bits that show we are in the computer age, as it suggests setting up an e-mail listserve, or e-mailing players between sessions to handle one-on-one bits related only to that character instead of taking time when the group meets. (Our group does this regularly, and it works great, but this is the 1st time I've seen it in a GMs advice chapter.)
Chapter 7 covers World Building, such as re-occuring locations, supporting cast, villains, deathtraps, etc.
This leads into chapters 8-10, which present the SAS setting. There is a detailed history of heroes in this setting, and it includes newspaper clippings, book excerpts, top secret govt documents, and web pages in an effort to show how the world was affected (and reacts to) the presence of super-powered beings. I think this is very creative and effective. After the history of the heroes is presented, the book then looks at the current state of the world, region by region, with an emphasis on how super-powered people are viewed or treated (with laws, by common folks, etc) Finally, chapter 10 focuses on Empire City (basically New York) as a possible base of operations for starting characters. Like Metropolis of DC and New York of Marvel, it is home to many famous heroes and villains.
Chapter 11 presents about 20 characters from the SAS world, both heroes and villains. Not only are they ready to go as pregen characters or foes, they are good examples of what is possible with the system and what final characters should look like. This was lacking in HERO, and though this SAS is easier to use, it is still a nice feature to see here (as is all of the setting info).
Chapter 12 is entitled Adventure Seeds, and that is exactly what it contains... about 10 plot threads to get your mind working and allow you to kick off a game as easily as possible. It is followed by an appendix that contains rules for random character creation, stats for many common animals, generic NPC stats, conversion rules to BESM (they are similar, but not exactly alike in rules), etc.
Whew! As you can see, the book is literaly stuffed with useful information, and it contains everything you need to get started. Anyone who likes superhero gaming needs to take a look at this book, and even if you are just looking for a generic rules system, SAS (like BESM) can handle practically any genre. Despite the steep price, SAS is even better than I'd hoped for!
'Nuff Said, True Believers!
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