Dyskami Publishing has bought (or bought back) the anime tabletop RPG “Big Eyes, Small Mouth” and the Tri-Stat system from White Wolf owners Paradox Interactive.
The Absolute Power/Silver Age Sentinels superhero role-playing game is also in the deal. The two companies had been working together for years; in 2019, Dyskami and its owner, Mark MacKinnon, struck a deal with White Wolf to produce a new BESM edition.
On this deal, Dyskami Publishing Company President Mark MacKinnon said;
Although we have been actively publishing BESM Fourth Edition products since 2020 under license, we are thrilled to bring the entire range of Tri-Stat System games into the Dyskami catalogue as our own brand. Reclaiming the Big Eyes, Small Mouth line – my earliest role-playing game publication, with its first edition released in 1997 – has been a decade-long journey involving multiple companies. With the property transfer now complete, Dyskami looks forward to expanding BESM and other Tri-Stat System game offerings for many years to come.”
The deal will raise eyebrows as BESM’s original owner, Guardians of Order, vanished from the RPG industry with debts unpaid. In 2021, Geek Native interviewed Mark and noted the drama. However, an earlier interview with Steven Trustrum of Misfit Studios brings the background of Guardians of Order (GoO) into even more stark light. Steven explained;
Misfit Studios invested $1,000+ USD directly into GoO’s imprint program when the company just started out. It was to be for our first publication. When the wheels started to fall off the truck at GoO, I was assured that everything was fine so I kept investing additional money into art and the like. Then Mark MacKinnon stopped talking to anyone, stopped paying people working for the company, but kept taking money from other people looking to imprint with him. When his debts and crashing company status finally became public, he declared he was closing the company and going bankrupt, and disappeared with everyone’s money without delivering anything. The amount of debt this caused Misfit Studios almost killed the company in its infancy, and ensured many people in a similar position never got off the ground. It’s frustrating to see MacKinnon is back in the industry again, crowdfunding new projects like he wasn’t responsible for causing so much damage.
It’s not clear whether those involved in the financial drama have forgiven MacKinnon, but under his leadership, Dyskami has gone on to build a loyal fan base and navigate the Kickstarter landscape.
The Kickstarter for Anime 5e attrated more than 8,000 backers, although backer comments are mixed.
Dyskami has announced news of the acquisition with BESM revival and Ikaris expansion.
BESM gets a “Retro” Second Edition through another Kickstarter with updated rules, character options, and a fresh look. The campaign launches on January 30th, 2024, featuring the Ikaris world expansion for BESM Fourth Edition and the second Ikaris novel.
The BESM Retro Edition Core rulebook hits retailers in the summer of 2024.
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As one of the creators burned by MacKinnon, no, I haven’t forgiven him. When his last company failed, he maximized the damage to creators through his actions. He remains unrepentant. He is untrustworthy. Happy to provide more context for the article. You should also be talking to James Wallis and others. As the Silver Age Sentinels IP is part of the new deal, I should make it clear the deal does not include the award-winning SAS fiction anthologies Path of the Just and Path of the Bold, which I edited and for which MacKinnon failed to honor the contracts. Fortunately,… Read more »
Can confirm what James says. I only found out the product we put through Magnum Opus went to print because I stumbled across it in a FLGS in another state, To date it’s the only print copy I’ve ever seen.