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Shade Kerrin
2011-03-04, 05:34 PM
I've noticed a few of these things floating around, so I thought I'd give it a try.

IRL Backstory:
For a long while, I had promised to the members in the local club that I would start running an Anima game once my 3.5 game reached its conclusion. Recent events have temporarily robbed me of three of my key players, as a result I declared that we would be doing a test-run for the next few weeks.
The system is quite complex during character creation, but afterwords just boils down to 'roll d100', with the occasional 'roll d10'

The World:
We are working in the core world of Anima. It is a high-magic, but Inquisition-heavy, place that has been peacefully run by an Empire controlled by a psuedo-Christian order for the last 600 years or so, mainly due to a subtle mind-control effect on everyone. Recent events have broken this, which has put it on the brink of a three-way war between the Empire, the Church, and those who disagree with the current choice of Emperor(emperess). Several other nations have also taken this opportunity to declare independance, so in short we have a hotbed of activity just waiting for a Catalyst.

The Players:
Incidentally, character creation happened 1 week ago.

1: Roderick von Grimm, the Brawler
This guy's player was quite eager to try out the system, his character actually having been created back when I first announced my longterm plans months ago.

RP-wise, we are looking at an exiled noble from the kingdom of 'mrmrmph'(an in joke for when we haven't got a name for something). Due to a poor wealth roll, he has had to leave home with nothing but the clothes on his back. His style of fighting was taught to all in his family, but he tends to like picking fights where he can. He has a deep unwanted connection with another player, which shall be explained below, and is seeking a method to break it.

This character is amazing crunch-wise. When we rolled stats, he got 5 8s, a 9, a 10 and a 7, followed by a 9 in appearance. He has gone with a Tao type(martial artist), based on speed and strength. Arts known are Kempo(rapid striking), Aikido(better countering if he gets to) and Shokotan(better base damage). All his advantages were spent on boosting his Initiative and physical Regen, except that point he spent on Martial mastery. On the other side, he's a deep sleeper and only knows how to use his fists in combat. There is one other disadvantage, but that is noted in another character. He stands tall and proud at 6'1''
One of only 2 characters willing to dip into any of the supernatural ability systems, Ki to be exact. He has two techniques: I hit reaaly hard(+50 damage to the first hit of each round), and I move fast(2 bonus actions without any penalties. An illegal technique, but we were both aware of that when we were making the character)


2: Dell Torren, the Silent(This has been editted)
The only player to take an interest in the races of the world, we have here a mute Jayan Nephillim.

Dell never talks, due to a lack of ability rather than will. His appearance clearly reflects his origins, though not enough so that the Inquisition would KoS. Another poor character, he has the feel of a mercenary or a hired thug. According to the creator, this combination of poverty and aggresion is due to that fack that Dell, knowing he can survive without it, throws most of his money at the nearest orphanage((orphan: I'm rich!!!!...but the bag crushed my spine...)). The only items of any value he carries is a pair of large swords.

In terms of crunch, his rolls are even more impressive than Roderick, save for the 3. With the help of the Muay Thai(extra Str bonus), his unarmed striking power is also better than Roderick's (without Ki). His real combat style is to dual-wield Bastard swords, however, which is perfectly fine because he stands at 7'1.'' As stated he is mute, which will either be fun or annoying as the game progresses.

3: Carrick, the ranger
Here we have a man who is holding quite closely to his character archetype. He lives in the wild, survives by what he can catch, and making money by acting as a guide. He seems to be a follower rather than a leader, or at the very least he prefers to find out what is happening before he commits himself to action.

His stats don't stand out as wonderful or terrible. Primarily he has focussed them on Dexterity and Agility, making him the fastest in the party. He has spent the points needed to know how to use both his Bow and a Shortsword. He is balanced between offense and defense, unlike the above two(both offensive), and has a fair variety of useful skills to add to the table.

4: Edverd von Lichenvarhger, the Wealthy Bum(This has been edited)
This player had started to design a character at the same time as Roderick, but decided in the end that a Summoner would be a bit to complex right off the bat. Instead, due to limited time, he took one of the Pregenned characters from the GM's Toolkit(the freelancer) and modified it to suit his needs.

At first glance, Edverd greatly resembles the typical adventurer(despite them not existing in the Anima Campaign Setting): Homeless traveler with more gold than he knows what to do with. In actuality, he is a minor noble from the same country as Roderick, who was forced to sell all his possessions at bargain prices due to a joint curse between him and Roderick(see below). He is physically hideous, to the point that any looking at him cannot help but feel sorry for him(a combination of the Charm advantage and the Unattractive disadvantage)

Unlike the others, he has no combat abilities whatsoever. He has taken a slight interest in Psionics, specifically the Psionic Illusion spell, and has spent just enough points to be able to pull it off, but has spent everything else on secondary abilities(just like the original, really)

I have talked a fair bit about a shared curse between Roderick and Edverd, so here are the details
Shortly after being Exiled, Rod hit the tavern to drown his woes. There he met this man who would be his drinking buddy for the night, and they both consumed heavily until they passed out. When they woke in the morning they felt quite a bit off, but not just from the hangover. Tied to each of their wrists was a note reading, "I have swapped your souls. Do not move more than 100ft away from each other, lest Death take you." Mechanically, this is pulled off by a 2pt version of the Damned disadvantage, on both of them.

Character creation took the whole first session, however I was fully expecting that. I shall post details on the first session shortly


Edit: Oh, I should probably make some comments on my syntax. Basically "example" means I am quoting, while 'demonstration of the purpose' means I am merely paraphasing

Dusk Eclipse
2011-03-04, 05:39 PM
Woo, I need to subscribe to this journal, Anima is a great game and I like to see that I am not the only playgrounder who knows about it.

Incidentally I too recently started playing in an Anima campaign, and I am really happy with my Technician. Though I have to admit that I haven't mastered the system enough for my tastes, one day I will.

Shade Kerrin
2011-03-04, 11:05 PM
Alright, first session info....

For all my scouring through the internet and other sources, I could only find 2 prewritten modules: The one in the GM's Toolkit(Shadows within Dreams), and one on a French Anima forum(Nightmares become Real). Aside from both seeming to have a Dream Theme, I feel that SwD is much better compared to NbR, primarily because Nightmares assumes the use of pregenned characters and spends most of its time telling the GM how to tell the players how to run their character(That it is hurredly translated from a different language doesn't help either, but all of Anima has that problem). However, I intend to save SwD for the non-test run(and am already running it online anyway), so I'm just disregarding all the pregen notes and telling the players, 'be careful not to trip over the railroad tracks.'
The background music is a combination of 3 of ZUN's cds(of course): Ghostly Field Club (http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Ghostly_Field_Club), Changeability of Strange Dream (http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Changeability_of_Strange_Dream) and Magical Astronomy (http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Magical_Astronomy).

Part one start: Track:Kid's Festival ~ Innocent Treasures
Before the roleplaying starts, if give a brief description of the world(see above), followed by a description of the starting town. About halfway through Roderick interrupts me, saying the music doesn't sound right for a scenic description, and so we switch to track 2: Dream of Arcadia.
The initial city is Hecate, a city built on the ruins of another, ancient city, and located along a pass in the mountains. As expected for the location it is a narrow city, but a long one, recently has had buildings hanging off the sides of the valley added.
As is the best way to start, I tell the party that they have come to this town 'For some reason,' and ask if they are together or apart(they go with apart). I tell them that they are looking at the Tower of Tarth Lomen, an impressive sight....except for being on fire, that is. All three(see below) immediately react by saying they dash forward to the tower. As they break out of the crowd, I ask them to describe themselves.

Track: Retribution for the Eternal Night ~ Imperishable Night
Incidentally Edverd could not make it, leaving me with 3 players, but more importantly raising a conundrum due to his connection with Roderick. I begin to think of a way to get this working before pointing the issue out, only for Rod to solve the problem for me: 'I am a tall dark man in simple clothes, with a large barrel containing another man strapped to my back.' As a generally comedic group, no-one whatsoever has a problem with this. Second to 'talk' is Dell Torren who describes himself as an 'even taller man, with greyish skin and white hair covering his eyes. Everything about him looks cheap except the two heavy swords at his side.' Finally, Carrick describes himself, 'a brown haired and light-skinned man dressed in basic clothes, with a sword at his side and a bow on his back.' I quick look at character sizes leaves Roderick dissapointed(he wanted to be tall, but he's actually the shortest), but he quickly accepted it as they entered the tower.

The bottom floor consisted of two dead soldier bodies. I described this and began to read the next part to myself:'if the party delays from going up the stairs..." Rod:I run up the stairs. This is how the climb progresses, with the party assuming the NPC soldiers who are supposed to say they can handle their fight themselves can do just that without asking a word, and dashing past the Important Noble NPC who says the same. They quickly reach the top floor(they climbed 15 flights of stairs so easily? Eh, it's an RPG), to find a locked door. Rod charges it but fails to break through. 'Bob' steps in after, motions for Rod to get out of the way, and bashes through the entrance. Inside, an Even More Important Noble NPC Marina is in trouble, with both her guards dead and having only a table to shield herself from 5 ninjas. The module states that they all neglect their mission to attack the party, and that's just what they do.

Track: Night Falls ~ Evening Star
Carrick gives an 'Oh, <beep>' reaction the moment he hears the music change, so it seems I chose well. In any case, combat is one thing I was quite worried about, since they've all gone on forever in my PbP game. This does indeed seem to be the case in round 1: Roderick has found himself dealing with 3 ninjas while the other two are locked in with Dell and Carrick, no true damage being dealt yet. However, the difference between a party of defensive and offensive characters quickly manifests. Roderick moves first in the second round, and throws a single punch at the ninja between him and Marina. He rolls well, scoring a Permanent level critical against the guy's leg(I guess he shattered his kneecap), before sidestepping the attacks of the other two and moving next to the lady. The fights of the other two goes as expected this round, though, both sides exchanging meaningless hits on each other. Round 3 just gets worse for the foes. Rod(first again and always) has built enough ki up to activate his damage boosting attack, and pushes back off against the wall to strike one of the two ninjas still capable of fighting back. He hits and deals another critical against the kneecap, but this time inflicts a Lethal level critical...Since the hit was fueled by Ki, I had no problem describing the blow as punching the guys leg off. The leftover ninjas see that they are no match. The first kneecapped one swallows his standard issue suicide pill, the one with no direct opponent goes out the window, and the last two attempt to break away from their battles...only the one fighting 'bob' gets an opportunity, though, and winds up at the edge of the window. Round 4 was no contest. Rod strikes the windowsitter in the stomache with enough force that he gets to go out the window....just now how he expected. The one fighting the Carrick...fumbles his initiative roll. In Anima, an initiative difference of 150> means that the first is moving too fast for the second to react, bestowing the hefty penalties of Surprise to the strike. In one blow, the Carrick slices the last ninja's arm clean off, furthermore inflicting a Lethal grade critical in the process. Roderick looks out the window and sees the survivor ducking under a ledge for cover against him, as well as the third Important Noble NPC approaching on a horse. They have a brief discussion, much thanks are given, and the party is invited to dinner with the three nobles

Track: Sattelite Cafe Terrace
The dinner scene was a nice little opportunity to RP. The NPCs listen attentively while the characters all got a chance to give their backstories to everyone else...except Dell, the mute character (He's mute you know). Following this they are given a job offer by Miss Marina, to recover relics from underground, and find a previous team sent to do the same that vanished. They accept before heading to their complimentary beds.

Part 1:End

Part 2:Start
One timeskip later I begin to describe the scene they wake to the next day:
'As the sun is still rising, you see Mar-' 'No, I'm a deep sleeper.' 'As the sun is well in to the sky, you see Marina and a shifty looking man. She leads you to a hole in the mountain, looks around furtively, and tells you to be careful you aren't seen entering or leaving here. Also, Mr Luther von Plothook will be accompanying you, he's a from the missing team.' We all have a laugh at how obvious this one is, before heading in.

Track: Magical Girl Crusade
The party heads a long a narrow corridoor until they reach a open hallway lined with 50ft statues of Birdmen(Ebudians, but no-one has any knowledge skills). Then, we come to one of the clear flaws of the module. 'Alright, this area has 4 paths ahead of you....sorry, 3 paths, one is the one behind you...sorry, one of them is blocked off by rocks....sorry, it's actually a heavy metal gate.' ((Reading again, I have found that it actually goes like this:))
There are 3 passages. The first leads to 2 separate areas, which must be visited in turn. The second is blocked off by rocks. The third is blocked by a metal gate. Follow the plot train, everybody.
With a choice of one of two passages, the party asks Mr Plothook which path. He describes the first as being Residential, the second leads to the city hall, and the blocked is the library, but gives no further details. The party heads to the city hall, where they find a young girl, no older than 10. She's actually an elf(sylvan), but they don't know that. They question her about why she is here, and she responds by claiming that a dream told her to put the souls here to rest. Roderick tells her to go back to the surface(she doesn't want to), and have a priest look in to this sould business(she really doesn't want that). The party sighs and lets her accompany them in to the city hall.

Inside, the first thing they see is a mural of winged people, with a horrific black stain right in the center. What's more, the people seem 'aware' of the hole, since those closest look to be staring at it in horror. At this point, Luther Plothook starts to shout that he has 'found it', grasping a necklace of some sort. At the same time, two black-winged humanoid creatures walk out of the stain, menacing the party.

Track: A Maiden's Illusionary Funeral ~ Necro-Fantasy
Looking at the fight ahead, it becomes clear that it assumes at least some of the party is heavily supernatural, which ours isn't. I tell them this, but say I will run it as written and see how things pan out
Rod, first again, darts to the nearest of the two winged beasts. This time, his initiative is high enough to actually catch it off guard. He proceeds to suckerpunch the thing, doing enough damage to inflict a Lethal injury. It bursts apart in an instant. The second bypasses Mr Intimidating and attempts to slam into Dell with its wing, only to have it blocked by Torren's bare hands. Caught in what seems to be a sticky situation, it becomes immaterial(but not invisible, though checking again it should have). Carrick, his bow already out, aims at the shadowy patch of air ahead, ready to strike if it becomes solid. Round 2: Rod has managed to get ~400 for his initiative roll. He asks if he can ready an action to strike the creature when it becomes solid. Though not covered by the rules, I consider it fair, saying he still keeps his surprise advantage. The Birdman surges towards Carrick before breaking its immateriality and striking, this time dealing a painful blow to his stomach(It was almost a fatal critical. As is, he takes a 140 AAP). However, Rod's counter-charge is enabled now, and he gets another ridiculously good result - one-shotting the other creature(via a blow to the kneecap...again).

In the confusion of the battle, Luther has disappeared, and at this moment a earthquake causes the land to tremble. I decide to call the session here.

Well, that's how the first session went. It seems the party really enjoyed it despite the poorly written campaign. I should probably get everybody's character name, though

Shade Kerrin
2011-03-14, 04:16 AM
Well, I've done my second session, which went both better and worse than the first one.

Firstly, the out-of-game information. I finally managed to get everybody's name, which you might notice have been editted in to the previous posts. I've also talked with Rod and we have came to a descision as to where he originates from:Ygdramar. This was ideal for the following reasons: 1, it's remote, meaning it will only matter if one of us needs it to. 2, being on the New Continent, very little information has been provided about it, allowing for a great deal of wriggle room. 3, From what we do know, it is a collection of semi-independant lords who practice combat mostly for entertainment(disputes typically being solved in tournaments), which we both agreed sounds like his kind of place. The only remaining question is, why was he exiled.....
I also noticed in the intervening time that Roderick actually had an unspent advantage point. After much thought, he spent it on martial knowledge, picking up Presence Extrusion(pummel incorporeal foes into submission) Weight Elimination(Which allows him to wall-walk) and Levitation(what it sounds like)

Once again, Edverd was unable to make it. Also once again, I chose to use ZUN music to set the mood.

Track:Wandering about a Ghostly Field in the Night
To begin with, I sit down and describe how the layout of the area actually goes. With this in mind, the players ask if there is anything else interesting in their current area(there's not). They head back to the main area and find that the way out is blocked off, but the rocks blocking the path to the library have cleared up for some unexplained reason. Following the carrot set in front of them, they enter the one door to find a sky-high bookshelf. Of course, Rod uses his newfound power to float up and check the top shelves - as if he weren't standing in front of three complete strangers. Unfortunately, all the books are written in PCscan'treadian. Meanwhile, a look through the module reveals that this part is a puzzle...okay...a complex puzzle....alright....a complex puzzle that depends on the PCs either having knowledge of the setting world or having knowledge skills trained(check above to see if they do...Edverd isn't here)...uhh...on top of that, it must be solved to progress the story...no. I sigh and see what they make of it, which turns out as follows.
Me: Alright, so in the centre of the room is a trapdoor that you didn't notice before for some reason.
Rod: I open it
Me: It seems to be locked. Also, there is writing all over it.
Carrick: What does it say.
Me: insert long riddle in the form of a poem here
Rod:...
Carrick:...
Dell:...
Rod:...Screw this(can I say screw?), I attempt to break it open.
Me: Feat of Strength check
Rod:rolls 57
Me: Sorry, not budging.
Dell:I push Rod aside and try to open it mysellf.
rolls:137
Me: You know what, yeah, that's enough.
Inside the trapdoor is a small black book, but when they touch it, it triggers an encounter.

Theme: Doll Judgement ~ The girl who played with people's shapes.
The theme is somewhat appropriate, given that three zombies have just walked into the room. Also an invisible ghost necromancer, but they don't know that yet. Initiative is rolled, "I'm first again, right?" Sorry, Rod, but it's the invisible ghost this time. I look for the least lethal of his abilities - which turns out to be the basic blast of damage...Only one shot is enough to knock out (target decided randomly) Carrick (or score a critical on anyone else). Rod can't really do anything about this, so he moves on one of the targets he can see. He does quite well and inflicts a serious amount of damage to it....Except this thing's Damage Resistance(A similar concept to DR, conveniently with the same acronym), so it shrugs off the hit like it was nothing. So...Invisible sniper, and hard-to-kill zombies. Possibly this might be winnable (might) if the party wasn't in essence entirely non-supernaturals, but as is, the combined might wound up with two of them knocked out and the third with a massive AAP, and so, I declared that in a burst of Deus ex Machina, little miss plothook(whom the module was quite lacking in details on) healed the entire party, removed all penalties, killed the zombies and rendered the necromancer visible, before falling unconsious. Rod then walked up to the thing and destroyed it in one satisfying blow.

Track: Illusionary Night ~ Ghostly Eyes
So despite there being three other exits out of the library, the module indicates that this is a dead end. Some sprawling underground city this turned out to be. Anyway, the party heads back to the main area, and approach the gate that blocks the last pathway. Since the plothook that was supposed to open it is out cold(and thrown in Rod's barrel), I just say the gate disappears when Rod approaches(the black book is also in the barrel). Inside, they come across a long spiral staircase that wraps around an open area. The party walks down the path(except rod, who can walk down the walls), until they spy a massive floating sphere of pure dark energy - the final boss for this part of the module.

Track: Demystify Feast
A dramatic theme for a dramatic battle - rather, a long and tedious one. The two melee combatants move down and start punching/slashing at it, to which it reacts by attempting to grapple them with a pair of tentacles out of nowhere. Carrick, meanwhile, sits atop a ledge and fires a shot a round, occasionally dodging bursts of black electricity. Some highlights of the battle:
The sphere managing to grab Dell, only for him to squirm his way out.
The sphere grabbing him again, and hurling him at the wall, only for his physical durability to prove greater than stone(yes, the Anima system endorses leaving cartoonish person-shaped holes in walls).
Little miss plothook(I honestly can't remember her name) trying to banish the sphere, failing, and being blasted backwards in return.

The party managed to chip away 5/6ths of things hefty hp before it began to take them out. Rod was the first to fall, his arm being burst into pieces by a shot of electricty. Carrick followed, this time having his head removed by a similar burst (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YourHeadAsplode). Finally, Dell, barely consious, was able to stall long enough for the plot device to make another try at dismissing the thing. The npc's roll:100 on the die. The architecture begins to collapse in a typical fashion at this point, Dell grabs the bodies of his companions and drags them to the surface, where he runs into a white-winged Ebudian, who thanks them all by giving out full healings and ressurections, before disappearing.

The players opinion of the module at this point: The creator should be shot. Nonetheless, we managed to enjoy it so far, in a So bad it's good sort of way. The party has been given the right to level, so they will stand a better chance in the final confrontation.

wizuriel
2011-03-17, 09:40 AM
Cheers for the read. I tried Anima once and really enjoyed the system, but wow does it play slow (especially rolling all those init values, must have made that ninja fight long).

Shade Kerrin
2011-03-17, 04:20 PM
For the first part, yes.
However, after that I wrote down a small program to auto-roll initiative for us. All I need to do is ask if there's any weapon changes at the start of a round.

Also, one of my players went and drew a picture of his character, and being a sucker for character art, I just had to post it up here.
This is Dell Torren:
http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo57/Shade_Kerrin/IMG0000.jpg

Shade Kerrin
2011-03-21, 07:47 PM
Time to recap the final session of the practice run. It was a short session, due to the module being just about over. Furthermore, both Roderick and Edverd wound up not being able to make it, so I only had 2 players...

Emerging from the underground, the group's first thought is to report back to Marina. When she asked how things went, Dell decides he will be the one to explain, bursting into a series of pantomime(you had to be there to appreciate it fully). Completely unable to comprehend the meaning of his actions, she turns to Carrick. He describes the events exactly as he remembers them, accompanied by more pantomime. The noble npc is completely incredulous at the whole story, but they have proof of the previous group's death, and apparently did not find any artifacts(it seems they forgot about that book), so she just settles with paying them a ridiculous amount of money. Their pockets much heavier, the group decides(well, I had to point out it was the only option given by the module) to travel with the little plot-device girl back to her home, a 40-day journey. Roderick, meanwhile, decides(since I felt it in character for him) to stay behind and live it up at the taverns.

Finally at their destination, the two drop the girl at her home, before being told in a heavy-handed fashion that Luther PlotDevice was seen entering the Yellow Valley, a place too full of sulfurous gasses for anything to live for long. Carefully stepping in to the place, they find it bare of any details except a shiny rock. Getting closer, they find Luther finishing off a theatrical ritual to summon what looks like a demon(actually an Efreet, fire elemental), while grasping the necklace he found underground. Upon arrival, he orders his creature to attack the pair.

Track: Greenwich in the Sky
Now, Mr Efreet might not have much in the way of hit points (compared to the Dark Sphere, anyway), but he is a far more terrifying foe. He can apparently breathe out an invisible flame attack(which I didn't even bother to utilize, too powerful), or strike with a pair of nasty claws that would likely hit even if the target had been focussed on defense(they're not), along with a dodge skill that would make it hard to hit even for someone focussed on offense. Nonetheless, I had no intention of pulling punches unless the party got creative - this module has already been established as poorly written.
Round 1: The first thought to cross Carrick's head is that if the summoner falls, the monster shall go, too. Not a bad assumption, but sadly it doesn't work that way in Anima. He fires an arrow that causes serious injury to, but doesn't yet kill, Luther. His pet creature reacts by making a charging an slashing at Carrick, causing a nasty(but not critical-worthy, thanks to the levelup) wound. Dell dashes in to save his friend. Not only does he fail to strike, though, but his second hit is pretty much the worst grade fumble possible. I remind the players about the tale of the Sword in the Stone, then direct their character's attention to the aforementioned shiny rock.
Round 2:Seeing such a perfect target in Dell, the Efreet turns and strikes him hard. The blow is once again nasty, but not quite crit-worthy. Taking this opportunity, Carrick once again fires an arrow towards Luther, this time killing him. His hopes turn to despair, however, when the creature remains on the field.
Round 3:In a spiral motion, the Efreet turns back to Carrick for a revenge-strike, quite smoothly tearing off the poor man's leg. Carrick is still alive, but it seems his career is over. Dell can clearly see that he has no hope of taking this thing down, so he uses the opening provided by this strike to dash towards the amulet, before frantically making gestures for the beast to sit. To his surprise(since I found this creative), his mental voice echoes to the ears of all present, saying 'Down, boy.' To his further surprise, it actually works. After negotiating with the thing, they find that no, it is not a demon, and no, it does not feel like sticking around. After extracting an oath to not go on a killing spree, they pass it the necklace, since they have no idea how to make it send him back.

And so ends the test-run of the Anima RPG in our group. It seems that all who attended loved the system, and intend to be there for the real thing. I guess that is all for now, but when I find a timeslot to run the game, or when my 3.5 game ends(which will take between 5 and 20 weeks, depending on how things go), I shall start a campaign journal anew.