Most role playing games have a 'class' based system. Classes are generally character types or occupations, such as Soldier or Mage. The World of Darkness splat tempates are an original take on the class system. In these systems, what a character is determines what the character can do.
Effects based systems don't care about what a character is. A mad scientist, a telekinetic psychic, and a mutant with wings can all fly (with a rocket pack, mind power and wings). The effects based systems ignore why they characters can fly, what matters is that they do fly. So, they would all get the ability Fly.
How Do Effects Based Role Playing Systems Work
The main difference between effects based systems and other role playing games is in character gen. Effects based character gen tends to be extremely simple: there is a long list of available traits, each with a specific point cost. Players have a set number of points assigned by the GM, that they spend on traits they want their character to have.
Because basic traits won't work for every character, variations on traits can be added as well. In the example above, the mad genius would have the trait Fly, with a variation called something like Required Equipment, because he can't fly without his jet pack.
Variations will also have point costs associated with them, but some variations will have negative point costs. Flight that requires equipment isn't as useful as flight that can be used any time, so it would probably have a negative point cost, which would lower the cost of the Fly trait.
Traits in effects based RPGs will generally be available for purchase multiple times. The number of times a trait is purchased determines the traits level. The higher a trait's level is, the more powerful the trait becomes. Continuing with the example of the trait Fly, perhaps at first level, fly lets a character move as fast as they can run, second level could be twice as fast, and the speed increases with each level, until the character is breaking the sound barrier.
Effects Based Role Playing Games
The two best known effects based role playing systems are Champions, the original, and Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM).
Champions is a super hero inspired role playing system. In Champions, shortly before WWII broke out people all over the world began displaying unbelievable abilities: telepathy, telekinesis, flying, seeing the future, walking through walls, and a bunch of other things that no one had previously believed was possible.
Traits in Champions are used to give characters both their super powers, and standard human skills and abilities.
Champions is set in an alternate reality version of the real world.
Big Eyes Small Mouth took the idea that Champions began, and put it on steroids. Any system based on anime needs to be extremely flexible, capable of human characters, super human characters, non human characters, science fiction, fantasy, horror and pulp.
BESM uses traits not just to describe what a character can do, but what a character is. Want to build a werewolf? Start with traits: alternate form, weapons: claws and fangs, armor: 1 level fur. Creativity is the key in Big Eyes Small Mouth, and the GM who can think on his feet will go far.
Included in the BESM core book is a sample universe, multi dimensional with worlds and possible enemies all built with an effects based design.
As a final thought on the flexibility of effects based systems, here is a character concept that one GM came up with: Inter-Dimensional Dark Elf Ninja Commandos.
