Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game Playtest Live

05/23/2022 07:03 am EDT

The public playtest for the Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game is live, providing fans of the popular anime with a first look at the new game. Mana Project Studio published the public playtest for Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game earlier this month, which can be downloaded for free from DriveThruRPG. The new playtest introduces players to a unique game engine built specifically with Cowboy Bebop in mind. Most of the game's core mechanics are named after musical terms, referencing the anime series' fantastic soundtrack. 

Every session in Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game is divided into four tabs, appropriately named "3, 2, 1, Let's Jam," each of which are supposed to represent one act of the story taking place in the game. Players will attempt tests using a pool of D6s, which include both positive dice and negative dice. Positive Dice provide "Successes without Consequences," while Negative Dice provide "Successes with Consequences." Consequences are determined in advance before the test is rolled, and other players can assist using rhythm points, which adds more Positive Dice to the pool. The tabs determine the number of Rhythm Points that need to be spent to assist on a roll. If players don't have enough successes after a test is made, they can take a gamble and bet one of their traits on a success. If the gamble succeeds, the test passes. If the gamble fails, that trait is lost for the remainder of the session. The stakes also become more serious over time – by the time players reach the "Let's Jam" session, consequences become much more serious and there are much more negative dice that can be added to a pool of dice. 

Mana Project Studio will publish a Kickstarter campaign for Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game later this year. No other details about release date or price are currently available. 

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