RPG: Don’t Miss Out On Beam Saber
Beam Saber is a game about fighting in giant robots and having giant feelings–if you love everything good about Gundam, you won’t want to miss this.
In case you missed it earlier, Beam Saber, the mecha game that takes the best parts of Gundam–which is in general the giant robots, but more specifically 08th MS Team and its focus on relationships, character, and space battles. This Forged in the Dark game is based on the rules for Blades in the Dark, but takes them into the realm of a galaxy at war with itself, where players take on the role of daring pilots getting mixed up with interpersonal conflicts that encourage you to play out personal drama amid a grand scale conflict.
Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.
via Beam Saber
If the first couple of paragraphs haven’t sold you on beam Saber, consider that it’s already more than 200% funded, and that it is unveiling a lot of awesome stretch goals, including some original fiction by Friends at the Table GM Austin Walker, who knows a thing or two about mecha games.
The way Beam Saber works is simple; you tell a story with your friends. Taking turns, you describe the heroic feats, nefarious deeds and everything in between that all the characters in your story get up to. Sometimes, the outcome of those actions are in question, that’s when you turn to the dice.
This game is best played with 4 or 5 players, with one player filling the role of Game Master, and the other players will be the protagonists of the story.
AdvertisementEach player creates a pilot, and the group as a whole creates the Squad that they all belong to. They then fill the role of that pilot, and help to bring them and an engaging, fleshed out world to life. The players also determine the tone and style of the game through play, with oversight from the Game Master (aka GM).
And there’s a real focus on the composition of the squad in this game. Just as Blades in the Dark managed to capture the feel of running a criminal gang and center the group, so does Beam Saber center the relationships of the pilots in the squad:
There are several pilot types players can choose from, each facing The War in a unique way, and all have a powerful vehicle to command.
- Aces are daring drivers.
- Bureaucrats are clever logisticians.
- Empaths are compassionate psychics.
- Envoys are diplomats and spies.
- Hackers are subversive professionals.
- Infiltrators are stealthy operators.
- Officers are calculating tacticians.
- Scouts are pathfinders and snipers.
- Soldiers are terrifying infantrymen.
- Technicians are chemists, mechanics, and biologists.
Each pilot will have a character sheet listing their identity, abilities, and gear, as well as a connection sheet that shows how they relate to the other pilots in the squad. As the pilot gains XP they will gain new abilities, and improve their skills. During quiet moments of play, pilots spend time with each other to relieve stress which improves their connection. A stronger connection means that assisting your fellow pilot will increase effectiveness, but also be more stressful as you become more emotionally invested in their well being!
This game looks amazing, if you love Blades in the Dark and want a fiction-driven way of exploring the stars of a Universal Century type setting, you won’t want to miss this game. It’s in its final day, so check it out now while there’s still time.
Back Beam Saber today!
Happy Adventuring!
