So having backed Load Crew Crafts'
Complete Waifu Handbook on Kickstarter a while back, I recently got around to looking at the WIP file they've made available to backers via Google Docs. After being pleasantly surprised at how inspired the mechanics were, I noticed at the end of the document that there were some ads for previous works of theirs...including the
Ki Master + Mythic Path MEGA BUNDLE over on their website, which after some perusing I picked up.
I'm pleased to say that I'm quite happy with my purchase. This is a combination of three previous works (where the first two are now a single file, and the third remains its own separate PDF), all for PF1, which (as even a casual glance at the sales page will show) are focused around presenting options that are
heavily inspired by Dragon Ball Z, though there's a few small nods towards other popular
shonen series as well, such as One Piece and Bleach.
What surprised me most was the heavy use of psionics here, largely because those present a point system whereby players can allocate resources (in the form of psionic power points) to represent the finite pools of
ki that DBZ-style characters draw upon not just to power attacks, but also transformations, etc. While I can understand the decision to rely on psionics for this, and think that it's justified, it's still feels a bit weird that the actual mechanics for ki in PF1 were eschewed (though not ignored; the files do have options for that, along with a lot of other PF1 classes and abilities).
I should mention that there were a few slip-ups, mostly technical (e.g. a few page number references no longer matching the pagination), from merging the first two files into one. The biggest (non-technical) issue was that they elected to keep the "space warrior" race from the first product alongside the "wu-kong" race from the second, both of which are saiyans, and which are almost word-for-word the same. They do explain their reasoning in the introduction, but it didn't feel necessary.
Overall, though, it's a great deal if you're looking to make your PF1 game feel more like a
shonen anime, particularly with regard to the mythic options. The books always make sure to put the PF1 rules first, so they're focused on usability more than fidelity to what's in the series, but it's rare when they have to compromise the latter in favor of the former by very much (notwithstanding the degree of power; don't expect to find rules for shattering planets).
Also, the artwork here is notable for how reminiscent it is of the late, great Akira Toriyama's. Just seeing it really brought a tear to my eye!
