Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition
Picked this up on a whim. Love it. It's just the sort of Cyberpunk I like, and I didn't know I was wanting. It's what Cyberpunk 3e should have been!
I love the detail in the world, how the psionics and cybernetics are written to fit. It's a very well thought out setting.
However, a few things do stand out that make this an 8.5 out of 10, rather than a 9.5 (I never give the max, NOR the lowest, because it can always be 'better', even if I don't see it, and it can always be worse.)
First the female NPCs. They're... Well, you can tell without looking at the credits which females are made by guys, and the one that's made by a woman. The American RPG gamer fascination with super tall Amazonian women is actually rather amusing. And it misses the point for being 'anime'. It's closer to American comics that is Japanese. Alita of Battle Angel fame is about 5 feet of pure combat power, but most of the enemies and allies are taller than she is.
In Japan (Where most of the males aren't exactly 6 feet, yet) they usually have the hero(ine) be somewhat 'short' or average in height, while the villain(ess)s are taller. It actually stems back to World War II, where the giant American was the villain, and sets up a David and Goliath scenario that they so love over there. Shion Nys for example would be an unredeemable villain because A) She's super tall, and A complete ice-queen with little to no male counterpart to help thaw her out (A Japanese favourite style of romance, or at least most fans prefer it.)
But then, I wouldn't use a single built in NPC from Kazei 5 anyway. Especially coupled with some of the GM advice. Which brings me to the second point.
The author advises the use of GMPCs. Which to me, and my experiences, is a no-no. Really bad idea. This is actually worse than my first complaint.
As for the female empowerment, well all I can say is that the only reason that Masamune Shirow draws female leads in his comics is because he's stated in an interview that he absolutely hates drawing men. Can't stand it. So he makes his females be the lead, so that he can minimize the amount of page space for male characters. If he had his way, it would be all lesbians.
As for me, I like equal footing, no matter the gender. Although Tsundere characters are often cooler than most male ones.
However, when it is all said and done, I rate this setting a whopping 8.5 out of 10. I love this and I plan on using it for years to come.