Give the first three RPGs to be translated from Japanese are pretty much verboten, I thought I would review the fourth RPG to be translated from Japanese - Double Cross.

Double Cross has kind of come out of the blue, even to the current crop of translators of Japanese RPGs.  The previously unknown translator, KH Shu, just appeared and announced that he was about to release Double Cross.  As translated RPG takes time, and a Japanese translated RPG more so, this rang all sorts of warning bells, but I can confirm that the RPG is very real and it is darned cool.

That is not to say that Double Cross was an unknown itself. It is one of Japan's most popular RPGs, made by the same company as Tenra Bansho Zero (though a different designer) and is also AndyK's (the translator of Tenra Bansho Zero) favourite RPG. It even has a Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Cross_(role-playing_game)

Enough of the background, what of the RPG itself?

Premise
Double Cross is a dark conspiracy superpowered RPG. It is pretty much X-Men (with a dash of World of Darkness), though X/1999 and Darker than Black are also good anime comparisons.

The RPG centres on people called Overeds, who are infected by a virus that gives them superpowers. However, the use of those powers threatens their sanity and humanity, and their overuse sees the Overed become an impulsive monster called a Gjaum.

The game pretty much centres around the idea of the PCs being Overeds yet to fall, fighting to protect what is important to them, whilst struggling not to become a threat to what they protect.

Against this backdrop various factions have formed, most notable the UGN, being the default PC organisation of Overeds who fight against the Gjaum, and False Hearts, being the default antagonist organisation for the Gjaum.

Core System
The core system is pretty much the same as Silhouette, which is like to have some mathematically minded RPGers in hives. But its simple to use and capable of producing amazing success.

You roll a pool of d10s, no more than 10 and usually around 5 to 8. You take the top die result. However, if you roll any 10s, then you have a critical and you roll those dice again and add 10 to the result. If you get any 10s on this roll, you repeat enabling results of 20+.

There also powers that allow the '10' to be lowered for criticals, allowing for Exalted levels of success without rolling more than 10 or so dice on many rolls.

Combat
The game has two clear focuses. The first is combat with epic duels and superpowered fights being common occurrences.

The power system is filled with specific effects and many are combat focussed. So, rather than just superspeed, you have a power to give extra attacks and another to leave an after image to help dodge. Though this may seem limiting, the result is that combat has tactical choices, not that unlike D&D4e if you lost the burden of too many choices, ridiculous resource management and the mandatory battle grid.

The range of powers is pretty amazing including summoning of creatures, mecha, cybernetics, and the usual fare. You can also play a superpowered animal, AI, item, forest, or idea that has taken human form.

In addition to the powers, each PC has two innate abilities that are a real highlight for me. The first is called Resurrect and arise from the virus making each Overed more durable. When they reach incapacitation or death, they innately swap damage for Encroachment. This means that a PC is unlikely to be killed during a game, but the more they risk death, the more they risk becoming a Gjaum at the end of the game (see below).

The second is called Warding. A PC is able to release a burst of the virus to overwhelm most non-Overeds. In game terms, this turns them into Extras and effectively part of the scenery. It allows for a plausible in-game explanation for an almost Masquerade like effect, where Overeds fight Gjaum in public, but no non-Overed remembers it.

Sanity, Relationships and Corruption
The second focus is the PCs' fight to retain their sanity. As the PCs use their powers (and over time) the virus begins to corrupt them. This is called Encroachment. If Encroachment reaches 100% by the end of the session, the PC becomes a Gjaum. However, as Encroachment rises, so does the PCs power level and they even get access to new powers that require the virus to be raging through their system.

To counter this fate, the PCs' relationships to other people help keep their Encroachment in check. They can even rise over 100% during the session for more power and risk being pulled back to safety by those who care about them. To counter this benefit, the PC (or it can arise from play) may also break these relationships to get an amazing burst of viral power.

Overall, the mechanics reinforce both dark superpowered genre (with great power comes great responsibility, the struggle of superheroes to have normal relationships) and the conspiracy genre (trust no one, becoming the monster to fight the monster) simply and effectively.

Bad Stuff
Its not all good stuff though.

The licence does not include a PDF. Apparently, the Japanese RPG publishers are slow to pick up on the PDF market as they consider media to have fast sale cycles and tend to only make a push for the initial release. Their concern is that PDF would somehow undermine that sales cycle.

The result of this, along with the usual first time publisher, is that the book has a fair few proofing mistakes, mostly around copy pasta. On saying that, the translation is pretty amazing and the translator has been turning around errata quickly and promises to send an printed errata booklet free to all customers.

Overall, this is a game that I want to run right now and gives me every reason to do so. I normally avoid the supers genre but its does supers in a way that appeals to me and in a setting that feels like it has lots of potential for games I like to run. 2013 is the year that just keeps on giving

Any questions, fire away?

Obligatory link to the RPG: http://www.amazon.com/Double-Cross-Role-playing-Game-Rulebook/dp/0615708110/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372277075&sr=8-1&keywords=double+cross+rpg

The thing that interests me about this review is that this game gives a lot of superhero emulating narrative control, but looks like it does it in a way that can easily be an IC choice.  There's not a forced separation between player and character, which means you can play the game as Jack Kirby or as your character, unlike some other games of late.

The Encroachment mechanic could literally give a character the option to die a human or live as a monster, without the player getting involved.  That's much more satisfying to me then TBZ's "the character can only die if the player checks that box".

The Lois/Titus stuff if I read it right is probably too abstract and meta for me, particularly with its interaction with Encroachment.  Still, come up with a more character-based way for relationships to play into Encroachment, and you could make a good game for some WoD, Spawn or similar types of settings.

BTW, Maid, TBZ, what's the third?

I agree the Encroachment mechanic seems really elegant. The idea that you only become a monster at the 'end of the session' might seema little arbitary but I am sure it can be ewasily tweaked.

I can see that mechanic being pretty easy to port over to a fantasy game a limiter for magical power and the like.

nice

Quote from: CRKrueger;665979The thing that interests me about this review is that this game gives a lot of superhero emulating narrative control, but looks like it does it in a way that can easily be an IC choice.  There's not a forced separation between player and character, which means you can play the game as Jack Kirby or as your character, unlike some other games of late.

I would agree with that, I think.

Quote from: CRKrueger;665979BTW, Maid, TBZ, what's the third?

Golden Sky Stories.

Quote from: jibbajibba;665982I agree the Encroachment mechanic seems really elegant. The idea that you only become a monster at the 'end of the session' might seema little arbitary but I am sure it can be ewasily tweaked.

You could make it any set period, in or out of game, TBH

Quote from: Skywalker;665880Apparently, the Japanese RPG publishers are slow to pick up on the PDF market as they consider media to have fast sale cycles and tend to only make a push for the initial release. Their concern is that PDF would somehow undermine that sales cycle.

That is interesting. Do you have sources for that?

Is this something of concern only to the RPG industry or is this a general trend? How is the ebook market in Japan? Legal download/streaming of movies?

Quotethe translation is pretty amazing and the translator has been turning around errata quickly and promises to send an printed errata booklet free to all customers.

I found the translation to be more complex that necessary, but that might be the translator clinging closely to the original wording.

I was surprised that the book doesn't contain more artwork.
Japanese RPGs come in two flavors - either richly illustrated (Infinite Fantasia, Meikyuu Kingdom) or sparsely illustrated (Sword World 2.0, Gear Antique, Monster Maker). Double Cross belongs definitely to the latter group.

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;666011That is interesting. Do you have sources for that?

Secondhand, sorry. Through a seemingly knowledgable forumite.

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;666011I was surprised that the book doesn't contain more artwork.
Japanese RPGs come in two flavors - either richly illustrated (Infinite Fantasia, Meikyuu Kingdom) or sparsely illustrated (Sword World 2.0, Gear Antique, Monster Maker). Double Cross belongs definitely to the latter group.

Yeah, DX in Japan is sparse in art, so I didn't expect different from the translation. What is in there is good though IMO.

Quote from: Skywalker;665989Golden Sky Stories.

But while GSS has been translated, it's not properly released yet, although the Kickstarter backers received their preview PDFs already.

I've been sitting on a preview copy for a few weeks. It has its typos and whatnot, but the style of writing is very nice (just an opinion, man). It adds to the charm. I like the section that takes a moment to remind the reader (player and GM), that you are there to enjoy the game and not be a dick:

"Roleplaying games were created so that every participant can have fun. Please consider the fellow participants when playing, so that everyone can have a good time."

To be honest, that is not the translator, that is very Japanese from what I seem to encounter daily.

The book is really nicely laid out. It starts with contents, and ends with an index. None of this pushing art or dodgy in-world fiction at the reader prior to them even beginning to navigate the book. One thing I cannot stand (looking at you Vampire et al.). Yes, there is art in place, but it does not get in the way.

One thing that is perhaps a bit meta, but interesting is the XP system. The player gains the XP, not the character. This means if your character dies or becomes an NPC, the player can roll a new PC and apply any XP he/she/it has earned. I haven't seen that before, but I am not really really well versed in gaming so it might be old hat and used elsewhere.

The encroachment mechanic, like others have said is great. I'm going to steal it for Cthulhu houseruling amongst other things.

Quote from: BarefootGaijin;666039The book is really nicely laid out.

How close is the English book to the original page layout?
How well translates Japanese layout to western layout?
(The character sheets and skill borders look a bit ... pedestrian? Not what I have seen in other Japanese games, like Barna Kronika, Meikyuu Kingdom, End Breakers!, or Monster Maker Legend, whose sheets are gorgeous.)

QuoteOne thing that is perhaps a bit meta, but interesting is the XP system. The player gains the XP, not the character. This means if your character dies or becomes an NPC, the player can roll a new PC and apply any XP he/she/it has earned. I haven't seen that before, but I am not really really well versed in gaming so it might be old hat and used elsewhere.

TSR's attempt at universal role-playing, Amazing Adventures not only mapped the player's experience from character to character but from game to game, genre to genre.

Over at RPG.net Andy K writes about his frustration with Japanese RPG publishers who have attitudes that stem from the 80s concerning IP and PDFs. Also, instead of being small business one man shops, most RPG publishers in Japan have distro deals or are arms of big label publishers, which explains some differences in business practices. Sometimes authors have different rights control over an IP, unlike here in the US where gaming IPs are either fully under the control of the writer who starts their own studio or is work for hire and under the ownership of a publisher. In Japan the situation is much more mixed. This might explain the differences between how Doublecross and TBZ were KSed, published and distro'ed.

Quote from: BarefootGaijin;666039One thing that is perhaps a bit meta, but interesting is the XP system. The player gains the XP, not the character. This means if your character dies or becomes an NPC, the player can roll a new PC and apply any XP he/she/it has earned. I haven't seen that before, but I am not really really well versed in gaming so it might be old hat and used elsewhere.

That's not quite how it's written in the book, though the result is the same. XP is awarded to the PC but the GM can allow a player of a dead PC to make a new PC with the same XP as the dead PC earnt to ensure the new PC is not underpowered. It was something we used to do in AD&D1e, though I can't recall it being explicit in the rules.

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;666078How close is the English book to the original page layout?
How well translates Japanese layout to western layout?
(The character sheets and skill borders look a bit ... pedestrian? Not what I have seen in other Japanese games, like Barna Kronika, Meikyuu Kingdom, End Breakers!, or Monster Maker Legend, whose sheets are gorgeous.)

The downloads on FEAR's site show identical layout of the various sheets. I don't know if it has any impact on the layout choices but:
- DX was originally released in 2002, though the version translated is from 2009. - a part of its sale appeal is that it was sold in small and cheap books (the English book is the two rulebooks combined).

It's worth noting that the translator has confirmed he is working on the Advanced Rulebook already, and expects a December release.

I've always been amazed at the imagination and innovation of Japanese RPG stuff. I really hope Doublecross does well so that we see more projects localized. I bought mine, lightning fast service from Amazon.

Quote from: Kaiu Keiichi;666245I've always been amazed at the imagination and innovation of Japanese RPG stuff. I really hope Doublecross does well so that we see more projects localized. I bought mine, lightning fast service from Amazon.

I agree. I haven't looked at Maid, but Tenra Bansho Zero, Golden Sky Stories and Double Cross have been superbly designed RPGs IMO. Admittedly this may be because they are the pick of the crop.

I find it interesting to see RPGs that have their own development history, relatively isolated from what we consider to be mainstream development history of the US and UK. Parts of these Japanese RPGs are way ahead of their time and others disregard what we understand as "how things are done" to great effect. Yet, they still remain, first and foremost, functional and fun.

Actually, now I think about it, its one of the reasons I enjoy Japanese movies/TV too. The Japanese are prepared to break from methods of storytelling we see in the US and UK, often for great effect. Yet they also lack the pretentiousness that can often arise as a result (such as in French cinema).

I really hope we see the Ryuutama KS soon