RPGnet review of BESM 3

[grysar]

There's a pretty good review posted on RPGnet. After I've read it over, it sounds like the guy knows what he's talking about. Although apparently the introduction is obnoxious in that it calls min/maxing a player problem rather than a system problem. Also, the benchmarks sound interesting and I'll have to check them out. I'm not too worried about the ordinary humans not being able to afford ordinary stats thing. What stat qualified as ordinary has always been kinda iffy in BESM. The bigger question is whether the benchmarks help with balance.

Also, for those who didn't read the comments on my previous entry, the system designer has a blog: guardiansorder.livejournal.com. Apparently it had been dormant for a while pre-release.

Comments

[ninjadebugger.livejournal.com]

Min/maxing isn't a problem at all. If there exist means to infinite power, THAT is a problem with the system, and if there is a twink, that's a problem player (ie, a cheater).

[grysar.livejournal.com]

True, I should have specified that when he says min-maxing he really seems to mean balance as a whole.

[ninjadebugger.livejournal.com]

Putting the onus on GMs to balance badly unbalanced mechanics is a good way to kill your game in the cradle. Making more work for your customers is rarely a good idea.

[grysar.livejournal.com]

That's the point I originally intended to make. Similarly putting the onus on players isn't any better. Exercising self-restraint isn't fun. It's sometimes necessary, but the player should not have to work to make sure that his or her character isn't too powerful.

Thanksfully, from what reviews I've read, BESM 3 takes on more of that work.