Any opinions on this game? I've heard good things about it, but few specifics. What's the system like?

Quote from: Dan Davenport;535134Any opinions on this game? I've heard good things about it, but few specifics. What's the system like?

AHHH!  I used to play this game, when I was a teenager. It was lame and over the top and crazy and lets you do stupid ass stuff with no consequences.

It's basically based on teen anime and manga, but I didn't know that at the time, because I was a sheltered teen and didn't know anything about those things. It wasn't until years later that I realized, "Ohhh! That's what it is about."
To us, it was just about characters running around doing anything they wanted with no consequences. A nice break from games where you could actually die.

Brian

Quote from: Dan Davenport;535134Any opinions on this game? I've heard good things about it, but few specifics. What's the system like?

Teenagers From Outer Space is a beer and pretzels all the way home. I'm a huge fan of this game and love to run it.

 It is stupid simple, so simple that drunks can play it easily. This is a major selling point, because it isn't a game you take seriously. It is GONZO!, not Gonzo or gonzo, but Anime alien space dudes casting spells at Monsters from the Id in Bat Country while dropping acid and swigging tequila kind of GONZO!

Here's the premise. Aliens have come to Earth and have found that the best thing about humans is High School. So thousands of alien races have dumped their progeny on Earth's school systems, mainly so that the parents of these pubescant aliens can have a break for a little while during the day.

Did I mention that the game is silly? Fun, but silly.

It is a d6 system, you roll 1d6 and add an appropriate stat score to that plus whatever mods needed to beat a target number made up by the Referee. Each character has 8 stats: Smarts, Relationship With Parents, Driving, Cool, Bod, Luck, Looks, and Bonk. There are no hit points, there is only Bonk, and nobody ever dies because you always recover from getting bonked - it is based on slapstick cartoon comedies after all.

The only drawback I have found with this game is that people compare it to Maid, thinking that they are the same. They are not, not in the least. Maid has a tendancy to go straight to Rated R or X style of play, and Teenagers From Outer Space has a built-in PG rating supported by the rules. This is actually a very good thing because it means that the game can be used as a very fun and lightweight way to introduce people to gaming in public venues that won't cause eyebrows to raise.

It's basically a simplified version 1 Interlock system with attributes scaled 1-6, skills (called Knacks) generally rated 0 to 6, and a roll of 1d6.

Characters have powers.  Alien characters each get three powers randomly rolled or selected from three different charts.  As there were three different types of aliens, a common house rule was for aliens to get one power for each step more alien they were (Near Humans got 1, Not Very Near Humans got 2, and Real Wierdies got 3).  Humans also got powers from a different chart, which weren't quite as superheroic as the aliens, but still potent abilities.  The GM was encouraged to add powers whatever powers he wanted, such as "produce inexhaustible pizza from nowhere."

It's Hit Point mechanic is called Bonk (one of the attributes).  Take more Bonk in damage than your attribute and you get to set on the sidelines for a number of "turns" equal to the amount you went below zero.

Damage is assigned by fixed values or by players voting with their number cards (think about judges at an olympic competition), and taking an average.  

It has a quirky mechanic with regards to critical successes.  At the beginning of each game session, the GM rolls 1d6.  Any skill check during the game which succeeds greater than the amount rolled is a SUPER SUCCESS.  This means that the PCs should be constantly harrassed because of their awesome skill.  Basically, every time someone makes a good success, it adds more complications to the game to make everything afterwards more difficult.

I'm not sure what edition of the book I have.  TFOS surprisingly went through three editions.  I think I have the second edition (girl in skintight red and black leotard on the cover).  It's the one that is vaguely anime inspired instead of the blatant Urusei Yatsura one which came later.  I'm not sure what the differences are between editions, so I'll just speak about the one I have access to.

The book is written conversationally and easy to read.  Large print, large margins, lots of art.  There are an acceptable number of tips about how to run high school comedy as well as a general manic tone.  There are a couple of sample comedy bits like the Incredible Hulk like gym instructor, the unbelievably hot art teacher, the mystery of the principal's office, and the eternal frustration of not getting laid.  The book finishes out with some adventure ideas which require a lot of fleshing out to say the least, but set the zany and manic tone.

When I first read the book in the mid 80s, I felt it had a sort of Last American Virgin but more lighthearted and zany vibe to it.  It's as if that film had been done by Monty Python.  When I finally saw Urusei Yatsura, I immediately recognized it as the inspiration for TFOS, and it explained a great many things.

TFOS is ideal for running things like Project AKO, Ah My Goddess, Steel Angel Kurumi, Rosario Vampire, or any of the other supernaturally silly teen/romantic/harem comedy animes.

I was a big fan of this game, however the later version became more Anime as Mike Pondsmith became an Anime fan which lost me, because I dislike Anime.

But the earlier versions of the game were fun.  There are things that could have been done better but it was a fun game.

For me, a problem was getting people who would play a beer and pretzels kind of game like TFOS

I see that Bod covers both strength and agility... How does the game handle powers like super-strength?

Quote from: jeff37923;535139It is a d6 system, you roll 1d6 and add an appropriate stat score to that plus whatever mods needed to beat a target number made up by the Referee. Each character has 8 stats: Smarts, Relationship With Parents, Driving, Cool, Bod, Luck, Looks, and Bonk. There are no hit points, there is only Bonk, and nobody ever dies because you always recover from getting bonked - it is based on slapstick cartoon comedies after all.

This entire mechanic looks hilarious in British, "bonk" being a slang term for shagging, and it is a game about teenagers... where's Ian Warner when you need him?

Quote from: jeff37923;535139The only drawback I have found with this game is that people compare it to Maid, thinking that they are the same. They are not, not in the least. Maid has a tendancy to go straight to Rated R or X style of play, and Teenagers From Outer Space has a built-in PG rating supported by the rules. This is actually a very good thing because it means that the game can be used as a very fun and lightweight way to introduce people to gaming in public venues that won't cause eyebrows to raise.

Er... I have, in fact, on several occasions demonstrated Maid to various random people in public, without running into any trouble. The game's what the players make of it.

Quote from: Dan Davenport;535217I see that Bod covers both strength and agility... How does the game handle powers like super-strength?

Here are the entirety of the rules for super-strength:

QuoteSuper Strength: Need to move that building out of the way?  No problem; if you can get a grip.  With Super Strength you too can do all the comic-book weightlifiting the average super-type can do (cars, busses, buildings, etc.).  Who needs red tights anyway?

As you can see, this is a GM dreams up a difficulty number and otherwise wings it system.

Quote from: Gabriel2;535223As you can see, this is a GM dreams up a difficulty number and otherwise wings it system.

Huh. So no extra Bonk from a super-strength punch?

Quote from: Dan Davenport;535232Huh. So no extra Bonk from a super-strength punch?

Hmm. Remembering the games of TFOS I used to play, I'd say no. If you super-strength punched someone, they'd fly half a mile through the air, or go through a couple of brick walls, and sit there looking pissed for a second before getting up. It's very cartoony.

Brian

Quote from: Dan Davenport;535232Huh. So no extra Bonk from a super-strength punch?

Up to you negotiating with the GM.  We're talking _Really_ rules-light here, in general.  What's funny?