[RPG]: Steel Roses, reviewed by Kester Pelagius (3/3)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10332.phtml

C. Demetrius Morgan's Summary:

Do you play Heart Quest? Have you wanted to play a mech pilot? Then look no further! This supplement tells you how to create mecha and mech pilots.

Go to the full review for more information.

Post originally by Chris Gurnee at 2004-05-31 10:20:56
Converted from Phorums BB System

Great review, except for the part where the old guy got tired. It was probably past time to take his pills and be tucked into bed
Though in all fairness, the game is mecha and shoujo, you have to include the young girl and her crush. However, I have no real desire to read about it either, so I guess I'm an old fart too when it comes to that too.
Though I will say the reviews from this particular reviewer are some of the best I've seen on this site and he should be given credit for this.

Anyway, I thought I should point out though that Steel Roses is going to be included with the print version of Heartquest Revised. Yes, some of the basic info would still be unnecessary, but then you don't need to read it, do you? I can't speak for the author, but I would guess that the basic info was provided in case you picked up this book before Heartquest. It is insanely cheap and you could look through it and then decide to get both it and Heartquest. (again, just a guess)

If you want more dirty, mean mecha without the shoujo aspects, look for Mecha Aces by Seraphim Guard, coming soon.

Post originally by Jeremy at 2004-05-31 13:39:58
Converted from Phorums BB System

One of the hardest things about being a reviewer, is reviewing things you get a review copy of but you have absolutely no interest in.

Post originally by Bloodcat at 2004-06-01 04:21:28
Converted from Phorums BB System

Im interested in mecha and this sounds stupid.

We already have Mekton and the BESM mecha game for anime mecha, with a couple other games covering more serious and "realistic" mecha.

I guess I don't get the point of needed a shoujo RPG in the first place...

Post originally by CK at 2004-06-01 08:07:28
Converted from Phorums BB System

Well I would imagine the "point" of a shoujo RPG would be the point of any other RPG, provide something more specific than what is already there. One can say--"I don't get the point of games other than D&D..." You can play any sort of game with the exact same system and just some tinkering.
But this is hardly satisfying. I believe HeartQuest is a shoujo RPG, and this covers mecha in HQ. I'm not sure that because it is shoujo that makes the mecha not "serious" or "realistic." It may not be what someone likes (I have no interest in shoujo), but that doesn't make it less of a topic.

Post originally by Bloodcat at 2004-06-01 14:02:33
Converted from Phorums BB System

Perhaps, but to me it really doesn't seem as if shoujo actually NEEDS a game. Its just a style of anime/manga. And really anime/manga is just a style in itself that (IMHO) doesn't really need game mechanics for anyhow, so why dig into the well even deeper and go into a subgenre?

To me it would be like dividing say. All Flesh Must Be Eaten into a bunch of seperate games covering John Romero movie zombies (social commentary and interpersonal conflicts), Return of the Living Dead zombies (action, comedy, ubergore, and boobies), and Resident Evil style zombies (inventory management, key collection, bad dialogue, and b movie biotech horrors) as an example.

It doesn't seem to make much sense. Doesn't BESM already cover anime in general?

Couldn't I easily make Mekton a shoujo game? Hell, I think there are mentions of even doing that in the back of the Mekton Zeta rulesbook!

I guess I just don't get it..