Big Eyes, Small Mouth
Encyclopedia
Big Eyes, Small Mouth is a roleplaying game that was designed to simulate the action of anime
and manga
. It is frequently referred to by the acronym BESM. The title alludes to the common anime drawing style of characters with huge, expressive eyes and comparatively small mouths.
BESM uses a point-based character creation system. Characters are evaluated based on three "Stats", against which all action checks are made. These are supplemented by Attributes, which give the characters unique abilities.
in 1997. Soon after that, RPG writer David L. Pulver
began writing supplements for what was essentially a fairly simple game, adding a detailed system for the creation of mecha with his book Big Robots, Cool Starships. Skills were added with the next supplement, a genre book called Hot Rods & Gun Bunnies. At the same time MacKinnon and his colleagues were using BESM's system (now referred to as "the Tri-Stat System") as the basis for licensed games based on anime properties such as Sailor Moon
, Dominion: Tank Police
, Demon City Shinjuku
and Tenchi Muyo!
All of these innovations were incorporated into a second edition, which was released in 2001 to a very strong reception.
The first edition was a slim, grey-covered book. A vast promotion and beta test was organized, and included a number of demo-team members from around the world.
Since then, the other anime licenses that Guardians of Order
obtained used the BESM system as their core rules. Instead of publishing complete games as they had done previously, the licensed books were published as "Ultimate Fan Guides". In addition, several genre based supplements were published for the game, as well as two original settings: Centauri Knights and Uresia: Grave of Heaven
.
A version of BESM adapted to the d20 System
was published in 2003. Sales were good but the critical response was mixed. New versions of Centauri Knights and Uresia were released under the new version.
The third edition of BESM was scheduled to be released in April 2006 after Mark C. MacKinnon had announced that the release would be delayed from its original release in the Summer of 2005. The third edition was at that time planned to come in three forms: BESM 3rd Edition (deluxe), BESM 3rd Edition (standard) and Vanilla BESM, an inexpensive and simplified variant created to introduce non-RP gamers.
The rules allow for games to be played in any anime setting, from high-school romantic comedy to pet monster shows to dark horror.
was going out of business, and that "BESM Third Edition is finished and ready for press. Another company will be publishing it and providing future support. It's the most elegant version of BESM and the Tri-Stat System that I have put together and am very proud of it. If you pre-ordered the book from us, more information will follow."
On September 9, 2006, ArtHaus Games, whose titles are published by White Wolf Publishing
, announced that it has acquired the RPG. The announcement stated the company was "extremely confident" that a release date of January 2007 would be met and confirmed that those who pre-ordered and prepaid for the book would be "in good hands", though it was also said that they have not taken on Guardians of Order's liabilities.
BESM 3rd Edition was released by ArtHaus on January 24, 2007. The new edition features a change in the Tri-Stat game mechanic from a "roll-under" to the "roll-over and hit a target number" found in other games. The book is now standard 8.5 x 11 in format and features full color interior art. The Deluxe Edition was not released, and ArtHaus has not announced any plans to follow up with further releases or the previously-announced Vanilla BESM.
The Ultimate Fan Guide series was controversial among BESM fans. Although the books were usually well put-together and almost always featured many full-color pages with stills from the series involved, many fans believed the information provided in certain guides was incomplete and unreliable. In addition, there were occasional editing errors that lead to embarrassing omissions.
Many anime series whose first RPG treatment was in the Ultimate Fan Guides series were also adapted to the d20 System
edition of Big Eyes, Small Mouth. The Slayers
guides were adapted into a stand-alone d20 game under the title The Slayers d20
.
Due to licensing consideration, the three-volume set of fan guides for Slayers does not include any information from the movies and OVAs distributed by ADV Films. This means that there has never been an official BESM writeup for Naga the Serpent
, a popular character who does not appear in the television series.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
. It is frequently referred to by the acronym BESM. The title alludes to the common anime drawing style of characters with huge, expressive eyes and comparatively small mouths.
BESM uses a point-based character creation system. Characters are evaluated based on three "Stats", against which all action checks are made. These are supplemented by Attributes, which give the characters unique abilities.
History
The initial edition, designed by Mark C. MacKinnon, was released by Guardians of OrderGuardians of Order
Guardians of Order was a Canadian company founded in 1996 by Mark C. MacKinnon in Guelph, Ontario. The company's business output consisted of role-playing games . Their first game is the anime inspired Big Eyes, Small Mouth. In 2006 Guardians of Order ceased operations due to overwhelming...
in 1997. Soon after that, RPG writer David L. Pulver
David L. Pulver
David L. Pulver is a Canadian freelance writer and game designer, with a History degree from Queen's University...
began writing supplements for what was essentially a fairly simple game, adding a detailed system for the creation of mecha with his book Big Robots, Cool Starships. Skills were added with the next supplement, a genre book called Hot Rods & Gun Bunnies. At the same time MacKinnon and his colleagues were using BESM's system (now referred to as "the Tri-Stat System") as the basis for licensed games based on anime properties such as Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, Dominion: Tank Police
Dominion: Tank Police
is a two volume manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. Set in the fictional city of Newport, Japan, in a future in which bacterial air pollution has become so severe that people must wear gas masks when outdoors, the series follows a police squadron that uses tanks.Dominion has...
, Demon City Shinjuku
Demon City Shinjuku
is a novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi that was adapted into an original animated video in 1988, directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The title has also been translated as Hell City Shinjuku and Monster City....
and Tenchi Muyo!
Tenchi Muyo!
, is a Japanese anime, light novel, and manga series created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.The generally accepted translation of the title is No Need for Tenchi or Useless Tenchi, though at the time of its appearance it was also translated variably as No Heaven and Earth and This Way Up...
All of these innovations were incorporated into a second edition, which was released in 2001 to a very strong reception.
The first edition was a slim, grey-covered book. A vast promotion and beta test was organized, and included a number of demo-team members from around the world.
Since then, the other anime licenses that Guardians of Order
Guardians of Order
Guardians of Order was a Canadian company founded in 1996 by Mark C. MacKinnon in Guelph, Ontario. The company's business output consisted of role-playing games . Their first game is the anime inspired Big Eyes, Small Mouth. In 2006 Guardians of Order ceased operations due to overwhelming...
obtained used the BESM system as their core rules. Instead of publishing complete games as they had done previously, the licensed books were published as "Ultimate Fan Guides". In addition, several genre based supplements were published for the game, as well as two original settings: Centauri Knights and Uresia: Grave of Heaven
Uresia: Grave of Heaven
Uresia: Grave of Heaven is an anime-inspired fantasy world for the Big Eyes, Small Mouth role-playing game written by S. John Ross, and includes maps drawn by the author...
.
A version of BESM adapted to the d20 System
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
was published in 2003. Sales were good but the critical response was mixed. New versions of Centauri Knights and Uresia were released under the new version.
The third edition of BESM was scheduled to be released in April 2006 after Mark C. MacKinnon had announced that the release would be delayed from its original release in the Summer of 2005. The third edition was at that time planned to come in three forms: BESM 3rd Edition (deluxe), BESM 3rd Edition (standard) and Vanilla BESM, an inexpensive and simplified variant created to introduce non-RP gamers.
The rules allow for games to be played in any anime setting, from high-school romantic comedy to pet monster shows to dark horror.
BESM 3rd Edition
Mark MacKinnon announced that as of August 1, 2006 Guardians of OrderGuardians of Order
Guardians of Order was a Canadian company founded in 1996 by Mark C. MacKinnon in Guelph, Ontario. The company's business output consisted of role-playing games . Their first game is the anime inspired Big Eyes, Small Mouth. In 2006 Guardians of Order ceased operations due to overwhelming...
was going out of business, and that "BESM Third Edition is finished and ready for press. Another company will be publishing it and providing future support. It's the most elegant version of BESM and the Tri-Stat System that I have put together and am very proud of it. If you pre-ordered the book from us, more information will follow."
On September 9, 2006, ArtHaus Games, whose titles are published by White Wolf Publishing
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
, announced that it has acquired the RPG. The announcement stated the company was "extremely confident" that a release date of January 2007 would be met and confirmed that those who pre-ordered and prepaid for the book would be "in good hands", though it was also said that they have not taken on Guardians of Order's liabilities.
BESM 3rd Edition was released by ArtHaus on January 24, 2007. The new edition features a change in the Tri-Stat game mechanic from a "roll-under" to the "roll-over and hit a target number" found in other games. The book is now standard 8.5 x 11 in format and features full color interior art. The Deluxe Edition was not released, and ArtHaus has not announced any plans to follow up with further releases or the previously-announced Vanilla BESM.
Ultimate Fan Guides
Starting in 2001, Guardians of Order replaced the company's previous practice of producing stand-alone games for anime series for which they had obtained licenses with Ultimate Fan Guides — a series of supplements for BESM which combine information on the episodes, characters and themes of anime series with statistics and game information for those series.The Ultimate Fan Guide series was controversial among BESM fans. Although the books were usually well put-together and almost always featured many full-color pages with stills from the series involved, many fans believed the information provided in certain guides was incomplete and unreliable. In addition, there were occasional editing errors that lead to embarrassing omissions.
Many anime series whose first RPG treatment was in the Ultimate Fan Guides series were also adapted to the d20 System
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
edition of Big Eyes, Small Mouth. The Slayers
Slayers
is a series of over 52 light novels written by Hajime Kanzaka and illustrated by Rui Araizumi. It was later developed into several manga titles, five televised anime series, two three-episode original video animations , and five movies. It also spawned several console role-playing games for the...
guides were adapted into a stand-alone d20 game under the title The Slayers d20
The Slayers d20
The Slayers d20 is a roleplaying game published by Guardians of Order based on the anime series Slayers. The title refers to the title under which Central Park Media released the three seasons of the television series....
.
Due to licensing consideration, the three-volume set of fan guides for Slayers does not include any information from the movies and OVAs distributed by ADV Films. This means that there has never been an official BESM writeup for Naga the Serpent
Naga the Serpent
is a fictional character in the novel, movie, OVA and manga versions of Slayers. Her Japanese voice actress is Maria Kawamura, and her English voice actress is Kelly Manison in the OVAs and movies, and Eva Kaminsky in Slayers Evolution-R....
, a popular character who does not appear in the television series.