Anime 5e a big little mess

 

The recent "anime 5e" book remains a reincarnation of the Big Eyes Small Mouth game, which is a good thing but also a bad thing. Character creation takes up most of the manual and is based on a point system that relates to the 3rd edition of DnD. That is not a crime, but it defeats the purpose of the 5th edition, which was intended to simplify the previous system.

We are fortunate that the creators of "Anime 5e" are aware of the problems with their system, so the manual has a detailed explanation of the changes, sometimes too detailed.  

In practice, I don't like the character creation system, I would have preferred that the points expenditure be reduced to the Ranks and defects section, leaving attributes, race and class out of the calculations. With all the changes, character creation takes longer and in the absence of examples, the creation of powers, special moves and flaws takes a long time and largely depends on the flexibility of the DM. 

The good thing is that the manual indicates the type of damage, defense and ranks that each character should have according to their class level, which simplifies things and avoids exploiting the system. And I keep talking about ranks, that new element represents the level of a special ability, either flying, having more defense, teleporting, changing appearance, healing and other suggested powers. Its rank depends on the character's level, which makes nothing too crazy. 

Combat does not change in essence, it is the same as 5th edition, magic does not move too much either. And the enemies can be as complicated as you wish, since the book lets you use the CR system, which remains unchanged.

The fact that there are no major changes in the rules is somewhat positive in the sense that it allows anyone with experience in 5th edition to know in advance what they are playing. But on the other hand, much is lost, as several optional rules would have been welcome. We miss rules for a lightning duel, sacrifice, adding all the power of your allies in a single attack and any detail related to shonen style. 

I can't make a definitive review yet, as I have yet to play a long campaign using the manual. During the campaign I am about to start with this manual I hope I can keep a balance with the system of flaws and powers, especially with the flaws, since they add several possibilities to the narration and creation of conflicts. 

I'm excited about the possibilities of the system and its ability to adapt to a myriad of settings, but all the new rules and class capabilities to take into account make me very nervous. I hope everything goes well, I'll keep you posted.