Post originally by Robin Ashe at 2003-12-21 10:50:10
Converted from Phorums BB System

"The book is very bare bones with a simple black cover and black and white text. There is no artwork in the book so all 96 pages are dedicated to nothing by information about the Tri-Stat system, though it does seem a bit bland as compared to other GoO products."

I guess that's a matter of opinion, I like to save money on not having pictures, or worse, having to pay for pictures I don't like. It didn't bother me at all.

"In terms of organization, the book is organized well-enough, though sometimes the way the book was organized didn't make sense to me (i.e. equipment rules after resolution rules, Defects after Skills, etc.) but, then again, it may make perfect sense to another gamer."

It is a little odd if you're expecting a D&D or GURPS style progression, but considering how small the whole thing is I'd say it's a pretty minor issue.

"One thing I would've prefered is a separate appendix of all the various charts and tables as a quick reference for GM's already familiar with the nuts and bolts of various attributes, skills, etc. "

Yeah, the Appendix is already on the small size as it is. But the book is too, so I don't think it's a big deal.

"Also lacking was the use of examples. Giving actual examples how a character may have constructed particular attributes and how they can change dependant on various PMV would've been nice and very useful to GM's not already familiar with the system. "

I found it to be a little confusing as well, but I think a couple of attempts at combat (which they suggest in the GM section) will probably help you figure it out, and then when you're familiar with the system you don't have the stupid examples for what you're already familiar with. I look at it in terms of long-term vs short-term benefit. The Tri-Stat dX has nice long term benefit in that aspect.

"More attention to the mecha construction system. I'm very on the fence on how the system changed (Taking mecha contruction points from your character pool vs. getting a mecha construction pool of points when you take the attribute as in the BESM use of the system) and I could make arguments for both ways. However, I do feel that the attribute was very OVER-Generalized and only seems to cover giant robots and while there is more vehicle construction toward the back of the book, it doesn't even touch on starship construction or non-traditional mecha (which were all covered by the Own a Mecha attribute in the BESM use of the Tri-Stat system. If GoO is trying to make Tri-Stat truly universal, then I feel that they dropped the ball on this point. "

Well, considering that it is essentially a content removed version of BESM and SAS that has been made scalable for other genres I don't see it as a big failing. You can certainly do anything you want, you just have to do it yourself. If you want giant robots then the d20 Mecha SRD would probably do the trick. Or GURPS Vehicles. The system looks very compatible with GURPS to me. My preference is either a small stripped down system with basic rules allowing for supplements (especially supplements from many systems as Tri-Stat dX allows) or a huge book like Traveller 20 which dedicates more than 100 pages to ship design. I don't like in betweening, too much info to be simple, but not enough to be comprehensive, essentially forcing you to buy a supplement. A ship can easily be designed and not conflict with the rules by saying "It's a Gundam Battle Suit" or "It's the Enterprise" and just do things from there.

"However, this particular book DOESN'T make that point clear and obvious to people who are unfamliar with the system. The fact thaat the terms "Magic" or "Spells" don't even appear in the index make it even less obvious of what the creators intended you to do to create spells and various mind effects. A few paragraphs with a large header Magic and Psionics explaining how you construct your spells and such would've cleared up the issue. "

I don't see that as a failing, the Magic/Psionics distinction is a D&Dism. As far as any bystander is concerned Psionics is just a type of Magic. Magic is a general term to describe something that can't be explained, Psionics refers to supernatural powers of the mind. Which is just a type of Magic, despite what TSR/WotC would like you to believe with both incarnations of their Psionics Handbook.

"And this IS an important point because while this is intended to be a "Universal" system, gamers cannot deny that magic and spells have been a very large part of gaming over the last 30 years and to not even make a more concerted effort to put some focus on it in a system meant to work for all genres and such is a major editing error in my opinion."

And take up a huge number of pages? The system presented allows you to make up as many spells as would be covered in the D&D Players Handbook and Magic of Faerun combined. You can make magic items very easily this way as well, just assign the abilities and restrict them to an item.


"However, as a core product, I feel it suffers from ambiguity. For GM's and gamers who are familiar with the workings of the Tri-Stat system, I highly recommend this book because it will really help you open it up and let you do things you may have not thought possible in a dice-light system. "

I've never played a Tri-Stat system before. I had to puzzle past a couple things but they made sense after testing them out or re-reading them a couple of times. I think it's a viable system for anyone wanting to put a bit of thought into the system. Someone who just wants to set up a spreadsheet according to the rules and do miniature gaming won't like it, but rules-lite systems require figuring stuff out for yourself.

"For gamers who are unfamiliar with the system and are interested in a dice-light system, I actually recommend BESM 2nd edition as an introduction to the Tri-Stat system. That book is full of useful examples and seems a bit better organized. From that point, gamers wishing to do more with the system will have an easier time picking up the nuances of this book after they have been introduced to the system with the more user-friendly BESM books. "

I haven't read it so I can't comment, but Tri-Stat dX is available as a free download from the GoO website through RPGNow, so it's a great deal no matter how you look at it. The hardcopy is $10 and doesn't have the ads.


"If, in a subsequent edition, the editors clean up this book's organization and make some very needed genre specific notes and examples, then this very well may become "the ideal companion if you're going to be stuck on a desert island and can only bring one role-playing game book with you."

That's probably the case. If they look at the feedback and make the second edition version 128 pages it would be a great product. But I'd like them to refrain from using examples and use the extra space on a couple more templates and genre samples and clearer rules descriptions instead of examples that will waste space later on. Very clearly stated rules are useful at any time.

"In closing, I give this book a hearty thumbs up. It is easy to make running a Tri-Stat game as easy OR as hard as you want. I don't expect this system to become the staple of the gaming convention tournement circuit, but for your casual saturday night pen, paper, pizza, and beer-style gaming sessions, this might just be the thing. It probably won't replace the d20 system as the industry standard, but it certainly is a nice alternative. "

I agree, but it's rather ironic noting that after they included a section on how to handle games at a convention.

All of this is a matter of opinion obviously, and while I found some flaws in terms of clarity, most of the issues were just an effect of keeping the size and cost down. Like I said, a 128 or 144 page version would be on the top of my list to buy. Right now I'll just do a selective printout of the PDF of the stuff I need which will probably only be around 80 pages or so.