Guardians of Order was a Canadian company founded in 1996 by Mark C. MacKinnon in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The company's business output consisted of

role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

(RPGs). Their first game is the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

inspired ''

Big Eyes, Small Mouth ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'' (''BESM'') is a tabletop role-playing game originally produced by Guardians of Order in 1997 that was designed to simulate the action of anime and manga. The title alludes to the common anime drawing style of character ...

''. In 2006 Guardians of Order ceased operations due to overwhelming debt.

Publication history

The ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'' game used the Tri-Stat System. The system would later be modified for use in other games and be more generally named the ''Tri-Stat dX'' system. Most of Guardians of Order's games use some form of the ''Tri-Stat dX'' system. After ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'', Guardians of Order would go on to achieve significant success with '' The Sailor Moon Role-Playing Game and Resource Book''. The game was built on ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'' but featured an extensive reference to the ''Sailor Moon'' universe. Guardians of Order acquired licenses and published ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth''-based RPGs for a number of other anime series including ''

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

'', '' Demon City Shinjuku'', and '' Tenchi Muyo!''. After ''

El Hazard is a Japanese anime franchise written by Ryoe Tsukimura and directed by Hiroki Hayashi. The series was animated by AIC and produced by Pioneer LDC. There is also a manga adaptation, which is published in English by VIZ Media. The seri ...

'', the last such game, the company's strategy with licensed anime series changed and it began issuing "Ultimate Fan Guides" which served the same purpose while avoiding the need to reprint the same ''BESM''-based mechanics. All of these books included game statistics for characters in the series as well as extensive episode guides and character summaries. Guardians of Order expanded beyond anime based games when the ''Tri-Stat dX'' system was adopted for the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

game '' Silver Age Sentinels''. Guardians of Order later acquired the rights to publish the ''

Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game The ''Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game'' is a role-playing game created and written by Erick Wujcik, set in the fictional universe created by author Roger Zelazny for his ''Chronicles of Amber''. The game is unusual in that no dice are used in re ...

'' from

Phage Press The ''Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game'' is a role-playing game created and written by Erick Wujcik, set in the fictional universe created by author Roger Zelazny for his ''Chronicles of Amber''. The game is unusual in that no dice are used in ...

. Guardians of Order licensed the rights to produce role-playing games set in existing fictional works. These include games based on '' The Authority'', '' Tékumel'', and ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, '' A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who i ...

''.

History

Mark C. MacKinnon created the company Guardians of Order to publish his anime game, ''

'' (1997). Guardians of Order was founded by Mark C. MacKinnon in 1996. In 1998, Guardians of Order hired David Pulver. In 1999, Jeff Mackintosh was hired; and 2000 brought in Liz Fulda and Lucien Soulban. In 2002, Guardians of Order launched their "Magnum Opus" program, licensing the company's intellectual property to third parties to create new games. By 2005, Guardians of Order downsized to just Mark C. MacKinnon. Between February 14, 2006 and August 1, 2006 there were no official updates to the Guardians of Order website. There was speculation on the official forums that the company was out of business. On July 28, 2006 a post to

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

's official web site announced that Guardians of Order was out of business. In response, on August 1 Mark MacKinnon posted confirmation that Guardians of Order "ceased operations." According to MacKinnon the company had too much debt. MacKinnon attempted to place Guardians of Orders games with other companies, and promised that existing orders would be filled. The company officially closed their doors August 1, 2006. On September 9, 2006 ArtHaus Games, whose titles are published by

White Wolf Publishing White Wolf Publishing was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant

, announced that it had acquired the third edition of ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'' which was slated to be released in April 2006. The announcement stated the company was "extremely confident" that a release date of January 2007 would be met and confirmed that those who pre-ordered and prepaid for the book would be "in good hands," though it was also said that they have not taken on Guardians of Order's liabilities. On March 7, 2007 George R. R. Martin wrote that he had regained control of his

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

rights and was "all square" with Guardians of Order. As part of their settlement, Mr. Martin received all remaining stock of the limited edition version of the RPG. No further information regarding the settlement was revealed, nor the status of other creditors' claims on the property.

Products

Original properties

Tri-Stat dX

*''

'' - Guardians of Order's original game had four revisions before the company went out of business, with the third edition being in development and published by another company. **Core rules ***''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'' (1997) - 94 black and white pages. ***''Big Eyes, Small Mouth Second Edition'' (2000) - 280 full color pages ***''Big Eyes, Small Mouth Third Edition'' (2007) - 280 full color pages, released by ArtHaus publishing *** (for Fourth Edition please see ''

'') **Expansions ***''Big Robots, Cool Starships'' (1999) - Rules for

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

anime-inspired games, especially those featuring

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is ...

. ***''BESM Game Master's Screen'' (2000) ***''Cute & Fuzzy Seizure Monsters'' (2000) - Rules for pet monster battling style games, inspired by cartoons like '' Pokémon''. Also published as ''Cute & Fuzzy Seizure Monsters'' due to censorship concerns. ***''Hot Rods & Gun Bunnies'' (2000) - Rules for modern day action adventure anime-inspired games. ***'' Centauri Knights'' (2001) - Science fiction setting ***''Big Ears, Small Mouse'' (2001) System for playing small cartoon animals such as Rescuers, Capitol Critters, etc. ***'' Uresia: Grave of Heaven'' (2003) fantasy setting ***''BESM Dungeon'' (2003) - Additions to ''BESM'' for running more fantasy oriented anime-inspired games. ***''Cold Hands, Dark Hearts'' (2003) - Rules for playing supernatural monsters in a gothic horror setting.

Other Tri-Stat games

*'' Silver Age Sentinels'' (2002) - Superhero role-playing game. Based on modified ''BESM'' rules using ten-sided dice instead of six-sided dice. *''Tri-Stat dX'' (2003) - a small generic role-playing system based on ''BESM''. *'' Ex Machina'' (2004) - Cyberpunk role-playing game using the Tri-Stat rules. *''Dreaming Cities'' (2005) - Urban fantasy role-playing game *''Reality Storm'' (in conjunction with

Hero Games Hero Games (''DOJ, Inc dba Hero Games'') is the publisher of the Hero System, a generic roleplaying rules set that can be used to simulate many different genres, and was the co-developer of the ''Fuzion'' system. History In 1981, George MacDon ...

)

d20 System

*'' Silver Age Sentinels d20'' (2002) *''BESM d20'' (2003) *''BESM d20 Revised Edition'' (2004) ** Expansions ***'' Uresia: Grave of Heaven'' for BESM d20 (2003) fantasy setting ***''Mecha d20'' (2003) - Also usable as an expansion for

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

3rd edition,

d20 Modern ''d20 Modern'' is a modern fantasy role-playing game system designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. The system's core rulebook was published by Wizards of the Coast on November 1, 2002; by 2006, ten additional supp ...

and other d20 System games.

Licensed products

Guardians of Order licensed the rights to a variety of titles to convert them into role-playing games. The majority were based on ''Big Eyes, Small Mouth'' and licensed from

series. The books also served as resource guides, summarizing the episodes in the series and the characters. Standalone RPGs *'' The Sailor Moon Role-Playing Game and Resource Book'' (1998) *''

Dominion Tank Police is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. Set in the fictional city of Newport, Japan, in a future in which bacteria as well as air pollution have become so severe that people must wear gas masks when outdoors, th ...

RPG And Resource Book'' (1999) *''

Demon City Shinjuku is a novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi that was adapted into an original video animation (OVA) in 1988, directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The title has also been translated as ''Hell City Shinjuku'' and ''Monster City''. It was also released as two man ...

RPG And Resource Book'' (2000) *''

Tenchi Muyo is a Japanese anime, light novel and manga franchise. The original series began with a six-episode OVA called created by Masaki Kajishima and directed by Hiroki Hayashi, and released in Japan on September 25, 1992. The series was relea ...

RPG And Resource Book'' (2000) *'' El-Hazard RPG And Resource Book'' (2001) *'' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai RPG and Resource Book'' (2001) - Based on a live-action movie *''

Nobilis ''Nobilis'' is a contemporary fantasy tabletop role-playing game created by Jenna K. Moran, writing under the name R. Sean Borgstrom. The player characters are "Sovereign Powers" called ''the Nobilis''; each Noble is the personification of an ...

'' (2002) - Original role-playing game in which players portray abstract concepts or classes of things like "time". Originally published by Pharos Press, then Hogshead Press. *'' The Authority RPG And Resource Book'' (2004) - Based on a comic book. Uses ''Silver Age Sentinels'' as a base. *'' Tékumel: Empire of the Petal Throne'' (2005) - Fantasy role-playing based on the novels of

M. A. R. Barker Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker (born Phillip Barker, November 3, 1929 – March 16, 2012) was an American linguist who was professor of Urdu and South Asian Studies and created one of the first roleplaying games, ''Empire of the Petal Throne' ...

. The fourth published RPG based on ''Tékumel'' *''

A Game of Thrones ''A Game of Thrones'' is the first novel in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 1, 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both ...

'' (2005) - Uses the d20 System and based on the ''

'' novels. Published in conjunction with Sword and Sorcery Studios. *''

'' - This would have been the second published RPG based on

The Chronicles of Amber ''The Chronicles of Amber'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works. Four a ...

novels. However, while the rights were acquired in 2004, a new version was never published. ;Resource books requiring ''BESM'' or ''BESM d20'' *''BESM

Hellsing ''Hellsing'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Young King OURs'' from May 1997 to September 2008, with its c ...

Ultimate Fan Guides'': ''#1'' (2002), ''#2'' (2003). Not a self-contained RPG, relied on ''BESM''. ''#1'' covered episodes 1-6, while ''#2'' covered 7-13. *''BESM

d20'' (2003): Reprinted fan guides as a single hardbound book. *''BESM

Trigun is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhiro Nightow. ''Trigun'' was first serialized in Tokuma Shoten's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Shōnen Captain'' from April 1995 to January 1997, when the magazine ceased ...

d20'' (2004): Hardbound book covered all 26 episodes of the TV series. *''The

Slayers is a Japanese light novel series written by Hajime Kanzaka and illustrated by Rui Araizumi. The novels have been serialized in ''Dragon Magazine'' since 1989, before being published into individual volumes. They follow th ...

d20 Role-Playing Game'' (2004) - Based on the ''BESM d20'' rules instead of the original BESM Tri-Stat rules. Only covered the first 26 episodes. The remaining episodes were covered in later resource books: ''BESM: The Slayers: Next'' (2004, Episodes 27-52), ''BESM: The Slayers: Try'' (2004, Episodes 53-78) *''BESM:

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a series created by Be-Papas, an artist collective founded by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The primary entries in the series include a 1996 manga written by Chiho Saito, a 1997 anime television series directed by Ikuhara, and ''Adolescence of Ut ...

: The Rose Collection'' (2004) - Covers episodes 1 through 13. *''BESM:

: The Black Rose Saga'' (2005) - Covers episodes 14 through 26.

Notes

{{Reflist

External links

Archive of the Guardians of Order Website
- At

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Publication list on Pen & PaperBESM 3 Blog
(formerly ''GoO Blog'') Role-playing game publishing companies Companies established in 1996 Companies disestablished in 2006 1996 establishments in Ontario 2006 disestablishments in Ontario