An absolutely great system. Light, flexible, playable, and easy to get into. Written in a humorous tone, but could be used for any sort of campaign setting. Kind of feels like a streamlined "Tunnels and Trolls" set of rules. Very much recommended.

Had my first game of this just a couple days ago. Niiiiice.

Very simple, very easy. The gameplay is extremely smooth with a heavy focus on story and no focus on rules, as the rules seem so natural that they just 'happen' and are very easy to remember.

When playing, you're working with very small numbers - 4 and under. That's stats, that's the 'beans' (dice), hit points, etc, etc. As odd as this sounds, it works and doesn't feel at all unnatural.

Saving rolls/contests/whatever you prefer to call them, are again, so simple - both for the GM to decide upon, and for the player to understand and act upon.

Again, I come back to the word "natural". Once you start playing, it all just works so naturally. And again, it works.

For only $2, you've got to give it a try. Seriously.

Oh....and the artwork. Just look at the cover. That pretty much describes it. Gotta love it. :)

Bean's game system is almost too simple; OK for a pick-up game but may not support long term play. Book has a good, solid, easy-to-understand layout. The game is easy to learn, fun to play. Bean is worth the price as long as it stays under 3.00. Your bean count (pardon the pun) may get a little high when tossing beans for results. (Need room to toss all those beans...)

What a game. I bought it about 5 hours ago, read the rules at break time, played the enclosed solo adventure at lunch and I can't wait to get home to try out some ideas. What a way to get the STORY moving and not be bogged down in mechanics. Comparing to other systems, I think this is VERY ideal for solitaire advenutres (other systems work very well also, but this was just so fast to get rolling - sorry, are bad jokes alowed?!). I think there are just enough rules to keep things on track as well as to get the ideas flowing for stepping "beyond" those rules. It is written clearly (although the Magical Resistance part took me a re-read to be sure). Also, I like how the Healing mechanics work (well, the Attribute Restoration mechanic really). Great job - looking forward to more!

This game is fantastic. It's great as an introduction, it's also great for 'proper' play, it'd be great at conventions. In fact it would be great everywhere. Spread the word, the word is Bean!

It's easy to learn, it's also easy to explain. It would be difficult not to have fun playing this game. You can create your Bean Character in minutes and be Tossing Your Beans straight away.

You may think you need to move on to other RPGs but if you do, you won't have as much fun.

I tip my hat to Jeff Freels, the man is a genius.

Worth it for the adventuring bean illustrations alone! Wonderfully compact and well written.

I thought Tunnels and Trolls was a good game, but Bean has it whupped. Faster to read, easier to learn, funnier in concept, Bean is great for fantasy or any other type of role-playing adventure. Bean is the quintessence of role-playing. My only question is where am I going to get all the beans I'll need to actually play the game? The brown ones that I usually eat with hot dogs are way too slimy to be rolling about on a table. --Ken St. Andre

I haven't had as much fun with an RPG since I ran OD&D back in the '70s. BEAN! puts the emphasis back on active imagination, and off of min-max rules lawyering!

Throwing a "bean pool" recovers some of the original novelty of rolling exotic polyhedrals!

BEAN! is, as advertised, easy to learn, flexible, and complete in one book. And, if that's not enough, its core mechanic is a "bean pool." Character stats are extremely basic, with three attributes and one or two archetype-based abilities. Combat is abstract, but detailed stunts can be worked in using contests and challenges.

BEAN! comes with two instructional scenarios, one for GM-moderated play and the other for "go to paragraph x" style solo play. I tried out the solo and found that, for this style of gaming, BEAN! is ideal. I generally don't play solos, but I would if they used these rules. I suspect from reading it that the game is just as brilliantly adapted to fast pick-up games and campaigns where nobody has time for meticulously detailed characters and monsters.