Unlocked Weapons and Paper Minis
over 3 years ago – Sun, Apr 04, 2021 at 11:30:00 PM

The word about this Kickstarter continues to spread at a phenomenal rate! 😱 You and nearly 3,000 backers have pushed funding through the $225K stretch goal, which means that five original arcane weapon designs will be a free bonus PDF for all backers pledging $13+. Thanks for making that happen!

Anime 5E Paper Minis Unlock at $250K

Gamers love their minis almost as much as they love their dice! There are obviously thousands of figs available to purchase from a multitude of companies, from traditional pewter spins to plastic moulds to 3D prints. And then there’s the convenience and incredibly low cost of printable and foldable paper minis. We think it would be great to have a small selection of paper minis specific to this game, which is why we are focussing on it as our next stretch goal.

If campaign funding reaches $250K, we will lay out several pages of full-colour printable Anime 5E paper minis, covering the RPG’s races, classes, monsters, and more. The PDF file will be send as a free bonus to every backer who pledges $100 and above. At some point, the minis will be available for sale on DriveThruRPG as well – but for now, it’s an exclusive reward for eligible backers during this campaign.

Once folded, the minis stand 40mm tall – a heroic scale slightly larger than normal 30mm figs since it’s easier to cut and fold larger shapes. The base of the triangle created after folding the flaps is sized to the standard Fifth Edition map scale of 5 feet = 1 inch. Medium-sized characters have a base that takes up a 5’x5’ area (1 map square) while large-sized characters (like the Demonaga) have a base that takes up a 10’x10’ area (4 squares). The image below shows a draft layout of the PDF file, with cut and fold lines indicated; the image above shows how they look after printing and folding.

We see many new faces on the Anime 5E Facebook community group, so pop in and say hi when you have the chance. Check back tomorrow for more updates!

Licensed to Thrill, Plus More Weapony Goodness!
over 3 years ago – Sun, Apr 04, 2021 at 04:56:25 AM

YATTA! 2000% Funded! 🥳

You unlocked the massive $200K milestone stretch goal for the campaign! Now we can set aside some funds to continue resourcing for a popular fantasy anime series license to adapt to our Anime 5E system. It’s going to be an exciting future project, and we’re looking forward to expanding our RPG offerings.

Next Stretch Goal at $225K: Arcane Weapons

Awesomely deadly weapons are at the heart of many fantasy anime series, and you’ll find a selection of them in the Anime 5E rulebook. But you can never have too many, right?!? If campaign funding reaches $225K, designer Mark will create five new original arcane weapons across the power spectrum, with Anime 5E stat blocks and brief descriptions. These sweet weapons will be available as a free bonus PDF download for all backers pledging at least $13 in the Kickstarter.

Continue Spreading the Word to Unlock Stretch Goals

In addition to your pledge, the best way to help the campaign unlock even more stretch goals – so we can reward you with more free bonus stuff! – is sharing the link with your gamer friends and social network. You can either share the Kickstarter link directly, or use our master link http://Anime5E.com which redirects to the campaign page.

✅ Also, be sure to join the Anime 5E Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/anime5erpg

✅ And if you don’t yet receive email news from Dyskami, sign up to our low-volume newsletter at http://dyskami.ca/signup/

Thank you so very much for supporting Anime 5E! We’ll post another update tomorrow.

Over 1000% Funded Plus BESM d20 Comparison
over 3 years ago – Sun, Apr 04, 2021 at 04:07:18 AM

You've gone Super Sayan! The outpouring of support for Anime 5E has been incredible by any conceivable measure. Collectively, 1400+ backers, including you, have raised over 1000% of the funding threshold to exceed $100,000 in pledges – all in the first 40 hours of the campaign! I’m not sure how many times we can keep saying thank you, but THANK YOU!

Because funding reached $100K, every backer who pledges $100 and above will receive a free PDF copy of Dyskami’s multi-genre anime RPG, BESM Naked (a $17 value)!

$110K Stretch Goal: Mid-Level Pre-Gen Pack

At $70K, you unlocked low-level characters for the Game Screen, and now it’s time to power up! If this campaign reaches $110K in funding, Anime 5E designer Mark MacKinnon will create six diverse 8th-level Anime 5E characters, with stat blocks and brief descriptions. This pre-gen pack will be available as a free bonus PDF download for all backers pledging at least $13 in the Kickstarter.

Anime 5E vs. BESM d20

In 2004, Mark adapted his Big Eyes, Small Mouth game system to the d20 System under the Open Gaming License (OGL) and called it BESM d20. Many players familiar with BESM d20 may view Anime 5E as its follow-up edition, and they aren’t completely wrong. When physically comparing the two games, though, it’s clear that they are quite different – Anime 5E has nearly twice the page count as BESM d20, and thus substantially more material.

The list below outlines the significant differences between Anime 5E and BESM d20:

✅ System Change

As implied by the name, Anime 5E is based on the Fifth Edition ruleset under the OGL, whereas BESM d20 is based on the 3e/3.5e OGL. The foundational differences between Fifth Edition and 3e are significant, and so Anime 5E and BESM d20 are not directly compatible. Point costs are balanced differently between the games.

✅ Stand Alone

Since it was released under the d20 Trademark License, BESM d20 is not a stand-alone game; it required the PHB to play and did not provide full rules for character creation. Conversely, Anime 5E is a complete core system that integrates with the Fifth Edition PHB, DMG, and MM, but stands alone and does not require them.

✅ Fantasy Focus

BESM d20 was presented as a multi-genre d20 System game that detailed technology and modern-day elements, rather than a fantasy RPG. Anime 5E is an extension of the fantasy setting and genre from Fifth Edition, and consequently only addresses rules and game guidance from a fantasy RPG perspective.

✅ New Races

Anime 5E introduces 14 new fantasy Races, whereas BESM d20 only referenced the original PHB Races.

✅ Embracing Fifth Edition

BESM d20 shoehorned standard Big Eyes, Small Mouth rules onto a d20 System framework, and thus ignored many mechanistic elements of the d20 System. Anime 5E instead preserves all the core elements of the Fifth Edition and instead offers an additional set of rules and options that layer on top of the Fifth Edition game.

✅ Humans Aren’t The Standard

Regarding Race Point cost determinations, Anime 5E does not take the position that human is the base form – unlike BESM d20. Each race is built independently starting from 0 points.

✅ Enhancements and Limiters

Building on the improvements introduced in Dyskami’s BESM Fourth Edition RPG (which uses the Tri-Stat System rather than d20), Anime 5E presents Enhancements and Limiters that players can assign multiple times to modify how Attributes (ie. character features) function.

✅ Included Items

Anime 5E provides numerous examples of items and monsters that players can either use directly or as inspiration to create their own. BESM d20 did not include these details, and instead pointed players to the PHB and MM.

✅ DMing Advice

Anime 5E includes valuable DM guidance for creating adventures, deconstructing opponent Challenge Ratings, and creating encounter threats. BESM d20 did not.

✅ Notes are Important

There are many more examples and sidebars in Anime 5E compared to BESM d20, providing additional guidance and suggestions to gaming groups.

✅ Example Settings

Three brief example fantasy world settings from the Anime Multiverse are explored in Anime 5E, whereas BESM d20 did not contain any setting information.

We hope this provides some additional context for those backers wondering how Anime 5E differs from BESM d20. We believe that Anime 5E is an objectively and significantly better game product in every way, and we think you'll agree.

We’ll be in touch later today!

Streaming Session is Unlocked With License On Deck
over 3 years ago – Sun, Apr 04, 2021 at 03:08:22 AM

Wow! You have all generously worked together to unlock 22 stretch goals up to this point. Since the campaign recently reached $190K, we will schedule some time for Mark to host an Anime 5E livestream adventure to showcase the game and take it for a public spin around the internet block.

Anime License Unlocking at $200K

The next stretch goal is a big one! If the campaign reaches the $200K funding milestone, we’ll take some of the additional funds pledged to continue the process of acquiring a game license to create a role-playing game set in the world of a popular anime series using the Anime 5E game system. Note that we said “continue” rather than “start” the process, since we have already made some great licensing headway from our work with BESM Fourth Edition. The funds from the stretch goal will help us resource the fees and development work to make an Anime 5E version a reality. While we aren’t in the position to make any title announcements quite yet, we are <—THIS CLOSE—> to securing the rights to a popular anime fantasy series that would make for a fascinating Anime 5E game. Yes, you can try to guess what it may be; no, we won’t confirm or deny your guesses. 😉

Anime 5E Preview: Combat Flowchart

Although the mechanics of Fifth Edition combat isn’t difficult, following a straight-forward flowchart makes it easier for newer players to understand. We include the one above in Anime 5E to highlight the pace of battle and show what actions are possible. Page references are included for handy navigation as well.

Local Interview With Mark

This morning, a local newspaper in Dyskami’s home city of Guelph, Ontario posted their interview with Anime 5E designer, Mark MacKinnon. We are passing it on in case some of our backers would be interested in some broader context for Mark’s design passions.

Enjoy your Saturday and stay safe this weekend!

Roll20 Advancement and Anime 5E Mounts Unlocked
over 3 years ago – Sun, Apr 04, 2021 at 01:59:52 AM

What a great way to start our Friday morning! You unlocked two stretch goals overnight as you pushed through $150K and $160K – and it still hasn’t even been three full days into the campaign yet! Your support means that we can advance development work on Roll20 Anime 5E support, though we don’t yet know what form that will take since we are only just now starting that process. Furthermore, we will now create five original fantasy mounts across the power and size spectrum, with Anime 5E stat blocks and brief descriptions. These beasts will be available as a free bonus PDF download for all backers pledging at least $13 in the Kickstarter.

$170K Stretch Goal: Weapons and Armour Reference Sheet

Although the information about weapons and armour are easily accessible in the Anime 5E core book, it’s also handy to have the material available separately. If the funding reaches $170K, you will unlock another physical extra that we will add to the Anime 5E Game Screen and Adventure: a convenient weapon and armour summary reference sheet! Keeping these reference sheets on hand during your adventures offers you a quick way to look up weapon details and armour values without having to flip through the game book. This upgrade is automatically included in the $100 Adventurer and $300 Storyteller reward levels, as well as any other pledges that add on the Game Screen. The photo below shows what a similar reference sheet looks like when it was unlocked as a stretch goal during our BESM Fourth Edition Kickstarter.

Anime 5E Designer Note: Should You Roll The Dice?

Not all actions require a dice roll. Obviously many mundane character activities, such as hammering a nail, riding a horse down a road, or eating lunch, should never need dice rolls unless there are exceptional circumstances surrounding the character’s actions. In other situations, the necessity to roll dice is less obvious. If a character is virtually guaranteed to succeed at a task, then the DM should consider whether the roll is necessary. While it is true that the character might fail, having the player roll the dice will slow the game down. Consequently, DMs should recognise when a character is almost certainly going to succeed at an unopposed task and not request a dice roll. Game play can then continue uninterrupted.

The following is a list of suggestions when the dice should and should not be rolled. If a roll is unnecessary, the character should gain an automatic success for the action.

Roll dice when...

• The unpredictability of dice adds to the game’s excitement
• The action is foreign to the character
• The action has been a past weakness for the character
• The character is somewhat distracted or cannot concentrate
• An opponent is working directly against the character
• The action is not of trivial difficulty
• Outside forces influence the actions
• The player wants to roll the dice

Do not roll dice when...

• Rolling dice would reduce the enjoyment of the game
• The action is routine for the character
• The action requires a trivial amount of talent compared to the character’s level, Attribute Rank, or competency
• The character is using a passive check on a roll (ie. automatic 10)
• Story flow is more important than the roll

Thanks for reading. We will check back soon!