I don’t actually have a copy yet, but this is what I’m talking about - translation of a Japanese game, apparently.
How…interesting?
I wonder what the group I play with would think of this. We’ve played HackMaster a few times before with hilarious results, and currently play 3.5e with a huge amount of house rules (many of them introducing HackMaster elements, such as quirks and flaws).
I’ve played the Japanese original. In thematic flavor, the RPG is a lot like the romance comedy settings for BESM - however Maids is NOWHERE near as complex or flexible. It’s a very focused RPG - sorta like the Usagi Yojimbo RPG. Goals and campaigns can be tailored to create any meido harem setting: Hanaukyo Maids for example. Rules exist for making Butlers and Mistresses, for guys who feel funny taking the role of a Maid wanting to please her Master. While there are rules for it, combat is not really a focus per se… It’s more tailored for quick light battles; not complex hardcore conflicts most Western RPG’s prefer.
It’s a good system though. Anime fans should eat it up. Ero nuts who worship maids, will be addicted. I enjoyed it more than Sword World (the 2d6 Lodoss War RPG). My guess is the system was originally made for maid otaku and female gamers.
Heh. Actually I could see a way for a group of guy’s to enjoy this game. Picture if you will…
"A sprawling estate staffed by dozens (perhaps hundreds) of maids, beautiful woman of every type, all eager to please their Master. Whom, by the way, is not you. No, you poor saps are members of the small group of elite Butlers that staff the estate. Now while this might not seem so bad, let me just say that the maids are not interested in you, at all. In fact, since protecting the Master’s peace of mind is in you’re job description You’ll find yourself very busy. Doing what? Why putting out fires, diverting plots, and even halting small scale wars between the maid factions as you desperately counter the dramatic (and dramatically misguided) attentions of a highly volatile harem. Well, at least the pays good. 
"
Depending on how much of a sense of humor the GM has, it could be a blast.
Considering almost our entire group has a great sense of humor, including the DM/GM, it would probably work quite well. However, I would have to try and convince the group to learn a completely different set of rules…