Anima: Beyond Fantasy

The tabletop crew I game with has just recently gotten back into gear, with a few little "one shots" here and there to get the gears turning. Our next long campaign, though, is going to be played in Anima: Beyond Fantasy. We had bought the book a few years ago (Books-a-Million had the only physical copy I've ever seen), and we're just now getting ready to give it a whirl.

I wanna know...what's your opinion of it? To me, it has potential...it seems to focus a lot more on the initial character build, and not so much on what you can do in later levels, though the progression is there.

While I've never heard of the RPG I'm curious if it's based off the storyline from the miniature skirmishing wargame or the manga? But I'm interested, could you give us a basic rundown of what the setting is like and mechanics?

Certainly! I'll give a brief rundown of the setting and system when I take my lunch.

Anima: Beyond Fantasy is a pen and paper RPG written and published by Fantasy Flight Games that one of the players at my table best described as "Final Fantasy with dice". It is set in the world of Gaia, a technomagical world of intrigue where nothing is as it seems, and Nephilim walk among humans. Most of the rules stuff below is based off of the Core Rulebook. I haven't really gotten too deep into the Exxets just yet, and they act as Errata and Expansions to the base rules.

The Anima wargame you mentioned earlier is based on Beyond Fantasy, I believe, and is something I'm gonna have to look into.

Beyond Fantasy itself is a d100 game, where almost everything you do (including defend against attacks) is based on a d100 dice roll. Abilities are considered "Mastered" once you achieve level 200 in them, and most Secondary Abilities (or Skills, as I like to call them) are checked against a Difficulty Table, ranging from Routine (DC 20) to Zen (DC 440). Combat is a series of Opposed rolls between one character's Attack and the enemy's Block or Dodge, in which it is completely possible to score a hit and deal no damage at all.

Character creation is completely point buy, with the exception of your Characteristics (STR, DEX, CON, etc.), appearance, and wealth. You get 600 Development Points to spend at level one, 3 Creation Points for Advantages, and earn 100 DP every level. You can spend roughly 50-60% on your combat abilities, and the rest on everything else. Magic uses Zeon, or MP, psychic abilities use Psychic Points and Psychic Potential, and there are some abilities that use Ki (which is ridiculously powerful. Never fails...no matter the system, Monks are OP and fun as hell).

I could spend all day typing a write-up on this system, and still not cover everything, but this covers this basics, I think. If'n you have questions, Remnant, please ask. If I don't know it right off hand, I'll look it up. :)

Well I'm interested. FFG makes good games I think SW and WH40K have been fun. It seems spreadsheet character creationy to turn dials but I kind of like that in games for character creation (Eclipse Phase for example). How many people were you looking to get for the one shots? Once you're ready to start I'd put up an thread in the Tavern for interest.

Also let us know what not to play. =3

Just FYI: the game is for sale as PDF also, so looking in a store for a print copy isn't the only option for anybody else who wants the game.

Keleth Edit: Hope you don't mind, I updated the link to include my affiliate link.

When I'm a lot more comfortable with the system (like, when I actually get to sit down and play a game or two at my group's semi-monthly table session), and a bit more familiar with the way things work at GP, I'll set up a post in the Tavern looking for players.
Shoot, I like a challenge. When I run one, you can play whatever you like. ;)