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| Always two there are. |
Let's get the elephant out the room: Burning Wheel is my favorite game, of all time. It's not a close fight. Similar to Clannad, it is so high up on my list I almost don't include it in favorites lists in my head, because those lists default to everything but those things. Every. Single. Time. I read a game I measure it against Burning Wheel. I can't help it. And you, the person who is reading this review, deserve to know that.
But why is that? Why is Burning Wheel preferred? I mean, the simple answer is that it's practically everything about it, but that majorly rests upon the artha system: players set their priorities, are rewarded, and then recalibrate what they want to do, and plug back into the aggressive mechanics. It's a game that helps you learn how you want to play with a holistic series of supports and challenges. It's freaking amazing. I find the loop addictive.
But why is that? Why is Burning Wheel preferred? I mean, the simple answer is that it's practically everything about it, but that majorly rests upon the artha system: players set their priorities, are rewarded, and then recalibrate what they want to do, and plug back into the aggressive mechanics. It's a game that helps you learn how you want to play with a holistic series of supports and challenges. It's freaking amazing. I find the loop addictive.
Tenra's loop is shorter, punchier, and easier to get into, with a similar level of emotional reward.
This is the best intro role-playing game I've ever played.
Period.
It also happens to be one of the best role-playing games I've ever played. If not the best.
Period.
Let me explain. I tried this game with two friends who have never played an RPG before. I know that's a shocking concept, that I have friends who I hadn't yet gotten to try RPGS with, but they do exist! At any rate, we decided we wanted to try this game out. Now, for all the years this game has gathered dust on my shelf I'm ashamed to say I'd never played it. So I read the advice, gave them pre-gens (pregen, actually, as the game advises that playing the same pregen with different Fates is enough. They're right, by the way), and had them change the Fates on the characters (we'll get there, hang tight), and we began to play.
Now, the way this game works is you have Fates. Fates are the things that your character gravitates towards, like light towards a black hole of doom. These are the things that your character cannot seem to escape. These are public table knowledge. When you role-play to your Fates in a way that others like they can give you what's called an Aiki chit. Aiki chits can be used to boost the power of your rolls and a bunch of other things. They're nice. Useful.
But the thing is that, if you hoard them, Aiki becomes Kiai. Kiai works very similarly to Aiki in boosting the power of your rolls and game manipulation, but there's a lot more of it. Like, generally four to five times as much. Possibly seven times. So if you hold out you can get a ton of Kiai and become an unstoppable machine of death! But there's a catch. Unlike Aiki, Kiai spent must be logged by the player. Kiai spent eventually becomes Karma, which essentially measures how close you are to losing your freaking mind. Hit 108 Karma and your character becomes an Asura, a demon, who is then requisitioned by the GM. You've just lost your character because he wouldn't let go.
So Ben and Logan began to play with this framework in mind. They'd never played an RPG before, I promise! I swear it! And this amazing thing happened. Using this system, the Zero system as it's called, they learned how to role-play better in five minutes than I've seen any single other game I've ever played, Burning Wheel included. Within ten minutes they had thrown in more subtlety and nuance than I'd seen from people who had literal years of experience on them. These novice players discovered a style, a genre, that they wanted to emulate, and the Aiki chits coming from the rest of the table reinforced what the "audience" liked about that direction. Realizing what part of their ideas were clicking with the other players, they began to purposefully modulate their performances to the taste of the audience. We're talking crass dark comedy of the very best irony. Or heartfelt family tragedy, plaintive and painful.
In the same twenty minutes.
The game literally taught two complete novices how to role-play, with no advice beyond "just make believe and see what the system does". All the encouragement and tips that I find myself giving in other systems, Burning Wheel included, was completely unnecessary here. They just played. And they learned. The story soared, on its own
Tenra Bansho Zero is the best intro game I've ever played. Period.
That plays out in the advice the book gives, although not in how the twin volumes are laid out. The advice that I used? It's buried in the back, after a huge section on how to build characters, which the book advises to not do until you've really mastered the system. I'm really disappointed by this decision, as it muddies the waters and makes it difficult for people who are new to the hobby to figure out how to use the game. Which is a bit strange, considering how well laid out and explained the base rules are! And how good the advice content is, once you find it. That's a huge mark against the game and is part of why I hadn't touched in seven years: I found it intimidating, and was learning enough intimidating games that I didn't want to even look at another one.
But this game is not hard.
It is light as a bee.
And stings as hard, emotionally.
You'll notice I didn't talk about dice mechanics. I really don't think that's necessary, but here ya go: the game's core is the Zero system. If like what someone else is doing with their Fates hand them an Aiki chit. If you need to roll in the game gather a number of dice equal to your stat and roll, looking to generate successes. The higher your skill the better your chances of success are, as the skill modifies the success number on the dice itself. You generally need one success. Should you fail the game expects the GM to impose a twist that doesn't invalidate or make the character in question look like a buffoon. Combat is round based, but if you attack someone in melee expect to get counterattacked, as that is a normal part of the system. Wounds make you stronger. Which is awesome. It just feels fantastic. There are just enough mechanics to support players, but not so many as to get in the way of the Zero system, which is the real hero of the hour here.
There are very, very, very few games that I would just say outright "Go buy this, it is worth it." This is one of them. Yeah, I know, it's got a weird anime/manga theme that may put some people off, but once those Aiki chits start getting passed... just go get it. Try it. I highly doubt you'll be disappointed.
Me? It's my premiere short-campaign/one-shot game now. I won't make that mistake again, believe me!
This is the best intro role-playing game I've ever played.
Period.
It also happens to be one of the best role-playing games I've ever played. If not the best.
Period.
Let me explain. I tried this game with two friends who have never played an RPG before. I know that's a shocking concept, that I have friends who I hadn't yet gotten to try RPGS with, but they do exist! At any rate, we decided we wanted to try this game out. Now, for all the years this game has gathered dust on my shelf I'm ashamed to say I'd never played it. So I read the advice, gave them pre-gens (pregen, actually, as the game advises that playing the same pregen with different Fates is enough. They're right, by the way), and had them change the Fates on the characters (we'll get there, hang tight), and we began to play.
Now, the way this game works is you have Fates. Fates are the things that your character gravitates towards, like light towards a black hole of doom. These are the things that your character cannot seem to escape. These are public table knowledge. When you role-play to your Fates in a way that others like they can give you what's called an Aiki chit. Aiki chits can be used to boost the power of your rolls and a bunch of other things. They're nice. Useful.
But the thing is that, if you hoard them, Aiki becomes Kiai. Kiai works very similarly to Aiki in boosting the power of your rolls and game manipulation, but there's a lot more of it. Like, generally four to five times as much. Possibly seven times. So if you hold out you can get a ton of Kiai and become an unstoppable machine of death! But there's a catch. Unlike Aiki, Kiai spent must be logged by the player. Kiai spent eventually becomes Karma, which essentially measures how close you are to losing your freaking mind. Hit 108 Karma and your character becomes an Asura, a demon, who is then requisitioned by the GM. You've just lost your character because he wouldn't let go.
So Ben and Logan began to play with this framework in mind. They'd never played an RPG before, I promise! I swear it! And this amazing thing happened. Using this system, the Zero system as it's called, they learned how to role-play better in five minutes than I've seen any single other game I've ever played, Burning Wheel included. Within ten minutes they had thrown in more subtlety and nuance than I'd seen from people who had literal years of experience on them. These novice players discovered a style, a genre, that they wanted to emulate, and the Aiki chits coming from the rest of the table reinforced what the "audience" liked about that direction. Realizing what part of their ideas were clicking with the other players, they began to purposefully modulate their performances to the taste of the audience. We're talking crass dark comedy of the very best irony. Or heartfelt family tragedy, plaintive and painful.
In the same twenty minutes.
The game literally taught two complete novices how to role-play, with no advice beyond "just make believe and see what the system does". All the encouragement and tips that I find myself giving in other systems, Burning Wheel included, was completely unnecessary here. They just played. And they learned. The story soared, on its own
Tenra Bansho Zero is the best intro game I've ever played. Period.
That plays out in the advice the book gives, although not in how the twin volumes are laid out. The advice that I used? It's buried in the back, after a huge section on how to build characters, which the book advises to not do until you've really mastered the system. I'm really disappointed by this decision, as it muddies the waters and makes it difficult for people who are new to the hobby to figure out how to use the game. Which is a bit strange, considering how well laid out and explained the base rules are! And how good the advice content is, once you find it. That's a huge mark against the game and is part of why I hadn't touched in seven years: I found it intimidating, and was learning enough intimidating games that I didn't want to even look at another one.
But this game is not hard.
It is light as a bee.
And stings as hard, emotionally.
You'll notice I didn't talk about dice mechanics. I really don't think that's necessary, but here ya go: the game's core is the Zero system. If like what someone else is doing with their Fates hand them an Aiki chit. If you need to roll in the game gather a number of dice equal to your stat and roll, looking to generate successes. The higher your skill the better your chances of success are, as the skill modifies the success number on the dice itself. You generally need one success. Should you fail the game expects the GM to impose a twist that doesn't invalidate or make the character in question look like a buffoon. Combat is round based, but if you attack someone in melee expect to get counterattacked, as that is a normal part of the system. Wounds make you stronger. Which is awesome. It just feels fantastic. There are just enough mechanics to support players, but not so many as to get in the way of the Zero system, which is the real hero of the hour here.
There are very, very, very few games that I would just say outright "Go buy this, it is worth it." This is one of them. Yeah, I know, it's got a weird anime/manga theme that may put some people off, but once those Aiki chits start getting passed... just go get it. Try it. I highly doubt you'll be disappointed.
Me? It's my premiere short-campaign/one-shot game now. I won't make that mistake again, believe me!
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