Knights of the Round: Academy

Knights of the Round: Academy is a highly narrative RPG inspired by shonen anime, 90s super and real robots, Japanese school comedies and JRPGs

Your  Student , that is, a player character, is defined by their Traits, words or short phrases that describe something they can do (Hide, Shoot), which they have studied (Ancient History, Sidhe Magic) or simply have a talent for (Finding the way, Convincing).

A Trait could also be an iconic object (Excalibur, my father's watch), a faithful pet (My steed, My familiar), or a relationship with someone (My new family, Geneva).

You can use Traits to add dice to a Test if you can find a way to describe how a Trait will help you in the Scene.

You'll also be able to get your Student to push their Limit by spending points to influence what happens.

Every Student you play will have to juggle ruthless rivals, grueling workouts, teenage love affairs and monsters from the past of a war-torn planet.

The most important Traits are the Soul, the Lineage and the Core.

•  The Soul , what the Japanese might call kokoro, represents the most intimate part of your Student.
•  Your Lineage represents the people who raised you, you have chosen as a family or to whom you feel connected in some way.
•  The Core  represents the element to which a Studente and their Knight are linked. Everyone on Brit’an is linked to the Dragon's Breath, the force that binds all things, living or not, to the natural elements. Only those who are completely in tune with it can aspire to become an Academy Student. 

 KotR:A is strongly inspired by 90s / 00s anime and in particular by three very specific themes:  

•  Real robots  series about war, how terrible and unjust it is, but how inevitable it is to fight to defend what you care about
•  Shonen  anime in which the protagonist or group of protagonists faces increasingly powerful opponents, but in which what saves them in the end is always the support of each other, as well as the respect and friendship that you can evene feel towards those who are a rival, and the commitment to become the best version of ourselves
•  School drama  in which adolescent loves, rivalry, and in general the spirit of youth are at the center of the scene, without neglecting a touch of magic or action

The Corebook is 352 pages, with everything you need to play: options for Students (seven Lineages, fifteen Jobs, ideas and suggestions for Traits, Nemesis, Flaws...), Places, Threats, and a guide to the Academy and its life. Also, for the Storyteller, a rich chapter on how to run the game and make it look like a real anime.