Pyramid Review
BESM Dungeon (for Big Eyes, Small Mouth)
Published by Guardians of Order, Inc.
Written by David L. Pulver & James Maliszewski
Cover by Julie Dillon
Illustrated by Svetlana Chmakova, Christina Crontiris, Julie Dillons, Pamela Ramali, Chris Steward, & Chris Watkins
96-Page Perfect Bound Six By Nine-Inch Book; $15.95
What do you do if you fancy a dungeon bash but want to avoid the "dreaded" d20 System? There are, of course, plenty of choices when it comes to the fantasy RPG, but most go out of their way to avoid the tropes and clichés of the world's leading RPG. The choice is really quite limited, but Guardians of Order offers an option that is lighter and faster than most, and is one that has an anime spin which gives it a flavor of its very own. As the title suggests, BESM Dungeon is for Big Eyes Small Mouth, the leading anime RPG. It is also the third title in the publisher's BESM Fantasy line, which includes the BESM Fantasy Bestiary and Uresia: Grave of Heaven.
That said, BESM Dungeon, designed for use with the d6 variant of the Tri-Stat system, can be run with nothing more than just the BESM Core Rules. It includes a setting, a guide to suitable characters and races, a host of new creatures (which can be used in conjunction with those found in the Fantasy Bestiary), a hoard of magical items to plunder, and of course, a ready-to-play dungeon. The latter works best with at least four players, though more are preferable, the guidelines suggesting that a party consisting . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 17, 2004
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