evilpii

The OVA book is full color with lots of details and analysis of the world and characters of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki prior to OVA3. It has complete rules on running a game and building characters, as well as character builds for the main cast in the Guardians of Order “Big Eyes Small Mouth” (BESM) RPG system. This is distinct from the d20 system used by Wizards of the Coast (i.e. D&D) products. The text also has two sample adventures as examples to show how the game would progress.

The Universe book is grayscale, but likewise has lots of details and analysis for the TV series Tenchi Muyo! prior to TM!iL. Unlike the OVA book, it is not a stand-alone, but rather an add-on to the base rules found in the OVA book. The character builds in the Universe book also reflect the portrayal of the TV series, and even does comparison with their OVA counterparts where appropriate. In the GM’s chapter, there is a section devoted to mixing OVA and TV elements, as well as two sample adventures like the OVA book.

I haven’t seen the Shin book, but I’m assuming it’s similar to the Universe book, an add-on rather than a stand-alone.

I’ve rolled-up two original characters and their gear back when I first got the OVA book, and have used both as references as I’ve written my fan fiction. I also own a copy of BESM d20, which is a conversion of the BESM system into the more conventional d20 system. I had begun a project to convert the TV series characters in to d20, but this was stymied by work. I do have character sheets for Mihoshi and Kiyone by doing this d20 conversion somewhere on my computer. ;