Lion Wing announces 4 new Japanese TTRPG Translations on the Way

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I recently discovered FEAR's SRS and that has made me curious about JRPGs. I'd like to have at least 1 good one on the shelf. So far, I've discovered Sword World's fan translation but I'd like a physical book. I've found Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World and I've found Goblin Slayer.

Would anyone who knows more than I do make a recommendation for an English physical jrpg? What's great about the two mentioned? What sucks about them? Which is better? Are there any better alternatives?
 
I recently discovered FEAR's SRS and that has made me curious about JRPGs. I'd like to have at least 1 good one on the shelf. So far, I've discovered Sword World's fan translation but I'd like a physical book. I've found Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World and I've found Goblin Slayer.

Would anyone who knows more than I do make a recommendation for an English physical jrpg? What's great about the two mentioned? What sucks about them? Which is better? Are there any better alternatives?
I got the Goblin Slayer by some kind of app. It is a neat little game, one of the "does D&D better than D&D" crew (headed by Earthdawn:shade:), and I think you might well like it:thumbsup:.
 
I got the Goblin Slayer by some kind of app. It is a neat little game, one of the "does D&D better than D&D" crew (headed by Earthdawn:shade:), and I think you might well like it:thumbsup:.
Going from info from YouTube reviews I’m leaning towards Goblin Slayer.
 
I've found Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World and I've found Goblin Slayer.
If you find these in print? Solid find. Now get them rebound, specifically Goblin Slayer, because it is entirely too chunky for the format and will fall apart on you, for certain.
I got the Goblin Slayer by some kind of app. It is a neat little game, one of the "does D&D better than D&D" crew (headed by Earthdawn:shade:), and I think you might well like it:thumbsup:.
The official digital versions of these games are not good, sadly.
 
Going from info from YouTube reviews I’m leaning towards Goblin Slayer.
My preference of the two is Konosuba, though that is mostly as I preferred the smaller size and had much prefer the IP. Konosuba is a complete fantasy RPG with a few optional extras to cover highlighted items from the show.

On saying that, they both pale compared to Sword World 2.5. The fan translations are excellent.
 
My preference of the two is Konosuba, though that is mostly as I preferred the smaller size and had much prefer the IP. Konosuba is a complete fantasy RPG with a few optional extras to cover highlighted items from the show.

On saying that, they both pale compared to Sword World 2.5. The fan translations are excellent.
If I could get a physical copy of SW there would be no question. The main reason I’m leaning toward GS is it seems to be closer to generic offering a wider range of races and classes.

But I’m also thinking maybe I should wait and see how the new releases in the OP compare. What I’m NOT gonna do is end up with multiple jrpgs. My bookshelf and wife would not be happy. =\
 
I just wonder what the guy managed to talk about during those 2 hours...

Well seeing as how I sat through whole thing...

It is Kind of an combination announcement/Q&A session about various JRPG properties.

He is bouncing off of the chat a lot of the time. i.e. His current followers, as he clearly assumes pre-existing knowledge of the properties that he is talking about. Which they seem to have... When talking about the upcoming RPG's he does refer to the system and art. But he doesn't show any art, and the system elements are only mentioned in passing/broad strokes, with no meaningful detail. He also covered some board games.The cost of attending cons, and other miscellany.

He is also clearly very passionate about what he is doing.


Because you are making it out like this guy is an idiot when ...

Where did I say he was an idiot? Good luck with that.

He's clearly quite smart, as when it comes to translation I do have something resembling a clue.

It's not just inflection and tone, keeping it all true to the author's intent is no small thing.


...when I can 100% tell you that this is proper marketing. You do a teaser, then as things get closer you start talking about details.

Not being part of the marketing cognoscenti; I have already conceded the field to you on this matter.

As I have stated in my previous reply to you; I consider myself most thoroughly corrected.

It has been made most evident that the Two Hour teaser announcement was not for dilettantes interested in system information like myself.

I now know that assuming any actual system information would be imparted over the course of Two Hours was a misplaced, naive, and most horribly entitled expectation to have when watching a Two Hour video about upcoming RPG's.

I thank you for the education.

For whereas I was blind, now I see.
 
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If I could get a physical copy of SW there would be no question. The main reason I’m leaning toward GS is it seems to be closer to generic offering a wider range of races and classes.

But I’m also thinking maybe I should wait and see how the new releases in the OP compare. What I’m NOT gonna do is end up with multiple jrpgs. My bookshelf and wife would not be happy. =\
FWIW None of the RPGs from Lionwing will be generic fantasy like Sword World, Konosuba or Goblinslayer.
 
So far, I've discovered Sword World's fan translation but I'd like a physical book. I've found Konosuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World and I've found Goblin Slayer.

Would anyone who knows more than I do make a recommendation for an English physical jrpg? What's great about the two mentioned? What sucks about them? Which is better? Are there any better alternatives?

Having all three; I'm going with Goblin Slayer.

GS system seems to be a branch of the Sword World system. But it is much, much more streamlined systematically, and straightforward in presentation than SW or Kono's.

GS just uses slightly different terminology than we would use for the similar things:

GS Classes: These are used like as very broad skill sets like you would see with careers Barbarians of Lemuria RPG, of Backgrounds in 13th age..

GS Skills: Feats. Totally feats. Enhancements to things you can do with skill Class checks, or in combat.


System Quibbles:

GS: Overland travel, encounters, and treasure amounts, Dungeoneering procedures. In GS there are no guidelines for any of this.

Luckily you can just lift them from the B/X rules set. If you really wanted to you could probably substitute the B/X morale rules for the GS one if you find that you prefer those as well. (You can download the free OSE basic rules and they are all right there.)

For Combat: It uses opposed rolls for combat. 2d6 + stat + skill Ability + Class; vs Defenders Ability + Class + 2d6: high roll wins. (On some stuff you'd add you level modifier, sometimes...)

If you roll a critical success you get a nice bonus that enhances the effect on your hit or casting roll. On defence, a critical success allows you to defend against a critical attack. That's basically it.

I hate doing opposed rolls where the benefit of rolling a crit is basically all on the attackers side. With such systems I'd much rather assign the defender the average roll (7 in the case of GS) and have the attacker roll against a Static defense of Ability + Class + 7 = X number to speed up combat. (For GS I'd slightly modify Block for this, but it'd be worth it for the increased speed of play in combat.)

System Goodies:

The Attrition/Fatigue track is Money. This is part of the GS system that could be ported virtually as-is to other RPG's. Combat in GS is no joke, because the PC's cannot afford to dither, they have to get it done. It is a great 'tension' mechanic that In my opinion has applications beyond the GS RPG.

Character creation is fairly quick, but also incredibly free-form when it comes to advancement. There is probably very little concept wise that a player could not make with this system. Want to have your ace swords man pick up a couple of spells later on in the campaign? In GS you can do that.

Anyway, this is all worth what you paid for it: YMMV and all that...
 
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Jaeger Jaeger thanks for the write up! Very helpful indeed.

Turns out the system I’ve been working on is very similar to this. In my game rolling a crit on Defend not only negates the attack but grants you a free attack in response. A crit attack vs a crit defend just cancels each other out.
 
Jaeger thanks for the write up! Very helpful indeed.

Turns out the system I’ve been working on is very similar to this. In my game rolling a crit on Defend not only negates the attack but grants you a free attack in response. A crit attack vs a crit defend just cancels each other out.

FWIW: As GS and Honor + Intrigue RPG's both use 2d6 resolution mechanic, one could port over the H+I fencing system to GS with a little modification if one were so inclined...
 
And some people have an irrational hatred of GS due to the IP so in some circles you can claim a badge for being edgy by playing it :wink:

Seriously though it seems like a solid system. I have it but sadly have not made time to read it yet.
 
And some people have an irrational hatred of GS due to the IP so in some circles you can claim a badge for being edgy by playing it :wink:

Yeah, I've seen the ridiculous threads that got locked down in other forums.

All I'll say on that is this: The Game of Thrones RPG was anticipated, and received with zero thread lockdowns in it's day.

The Game of Thrones IP, both books and TV demonstrably have more nudity, and far more graphic depictions of r--e, than the GS IP ever thought of; either in manga or anime form.

Yet the GoT RPG was given a pass, while the GS RPG got jumped on like it stole their lunch money and smacked their momma...

Just complete and utter nonsense.
 
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Yeah, I've seen the ridiculous threads that got locked down in other forums.

All I'll say on that is this: The Game of Thrones RPG was anticipated, and received with zero thread lockdowns in it's day.

The Game of Thrones IP, both books and TV have demonstrably have more nudity, and far more graphic depictions of r--e, than the GS IP ever thought of; either in manga or anime form.

Yet the GoT RPG was given a pass, while the GS RPG got jumped on like it stole their lunch money and smacked their momma...

Just complete and utter nonsense.
That and the fact that the goblins in GS aren't any different than the Broo in Runequest.

Now I totally get the issue people have with the anime but that game is not the anime, you have to judge things on their own merit.
 
People on all parts of the spectrum overreact and make illogical leaps to support their little echo chambers. If I didn't game with people who I disagreed with on issues outside gaming I would be all solo all the time. My philosophy is to table all that and just play the game. :thumbsup:
Right… we’re in agreement on this.

Two caveats to your point are 1. The capability to table discussion for later. 2. The capability to discuss things on which the parties disagree.

Neither can happen if one party refuses to have the discussion. My subtle point was shutting down discussion is the “double plus good” thing to do.
 
The official digital versions of these games are not good, sadly.
Well, it seemed good enough to me. Japanese is one of the languages I don't speak, though, so who knows, it might have been better in the original...:shock:

Having all three; I'm going with Goblin Slayer.

GS system seems to be a branch of the Sword World system. But it is much, much more streamlined systematically, and straightforward in presentation than SW or Kono's.

GS just uses slightly different terminology than we would use for the similar things:

GS Classes: These are used like as very broad skill sets like you would see with careers Barbarians of Lemuria RPG, of Backgrounds in 13th age..
Yes. And they're IMOE a way better solution.

GS Skills: Feats. Totally feats. Enhancements to things you can do with skill Class checks, or in combat.
Minor quibble: I'd call those Specializations instead. But overall, I agree:thumbsup:.
System Quibbles:

GS: Overland travel, encounters, and treasure amounts, Dungeoneering procedures. In GS there are no guidelines for any of this.
I'd expect that you're expected to just swipe events from the IP...

Also, there were some guidelines, just that they're in the GM section:shade:.

For Combat: It uses opposed rolls for combat. 2d6 + stat + skill Ability + Class; vs Defenders Ability + Class + 2d6: high roll wins. (On some stuff you'd add you level modifier, sometimes...)

If you roll a critical success you get a nice bonus that enhances the effect on your hit or casting roll. On defence, a critical success allows you to defend against a critical attack. That's basically it.
Yeah, I'd import some stuff from Zenobia, here...or maybe from Maelstrom's Opposed Table, and give a bonus attack or a penalty on defense next round::honkhonk:!
The Attrition/Fatigue track is Money. This is part of the GS system that could be ported virtually as-is to other RPG's. Combat in GS is no joke, because the PC's cannot afford to dither, they have to get it done. It is a great 'tension' mechanic that In my opinion has applications beyond the GS RPG.
It did come as midway between being narrative emulation* and an exhaustion mechanic, though.


*Which in my book is a no-go zone:gooseshades:.
Character creation is fairly quick, but also incredibly free-form when it comes to advancement. There is probably very little concept wise that a player could not make with this system. Want to have your ace swords man pick up a couple of spells later on in the campaign? In GS you can do that.
Yes, I especially like that part.

Jaeger Jaeger thanks for the write up! Very helpful indeed.

Turns out the system I’ve been working on is very similar to this. In my game rolling a crit on Defend not only negates the attack but grants you a free attack in response. A crit attack vs a crit defend just cancels each other out.
Yeah, I got that idea via Mythras and Maelstrom, but I've been implementing it in all games I run since then...:gooselove:

FWIW: As GS and Honor + Intrigue RPG's both use 2d6 resolution mechanic, one could port over the H+I fencing system to GS with a little modification if one were so inclined...
I'm glad I'm not the only mad guy one who had such ideas:tongue:!
 
I am not bothered either way, but you may get more people discussing Goblin Slayer RPG if you started a separate thread with that title.
 
I am not bothered either way, but you may get more people discussing Goblin Slayer RPG if you started a separate thread with that title.
But we're only discussing it because Nakana Nakana expressed a desire for a Japanese RPG that is more generic than those four games that are currently being translated:thumbsup:.
 
And getting back to the four games being translated, does anyone know anything about the system(s)?

It looks like it only uses d6, is it an adaptation of FEAR’s SRS or something original?
 
But we're only discussing it because Nakana Nakana expressed a desire for a Japanese RPG that is more generic than those four games that are currently being translated:thumbsup:.
As said, I am totally relaxed either way. Threads evolve and that’s cool :smile: Just pointing out that you may get more people talking about GS if you had a thread with that RPG in the title.
 
And getting back to the four games being translated, does anyone know anything about the system(s)?

It looks like it only uses d6, is it an adaptation of FEAR’s SRS or something original?
From what I can tell from EmperorNorton EmperorNorton 's earlier posts it would be bad advertising to let us know the system yet. :trigger:
 
And getting back to the four games being translated, does anyone know anything about the system(s)?

It looks like it only uses d6, is it an adaptation of FEAR’s SRS or something original?
All of them use different systems. They haven't talked a lot about it yet.

From what I can tell from EmperorNorton EmperorNorton 's earlier posts it would be bad advertising to let us know the system yet. :trigger:
Honest question: Do people really not get that this was an announcement of 5 different games (4 rpgs, 1 board game) all at once covering the majority of their releases over the next two years, and wasn't intended as more than a teaser for the games + a kind of "state of the company" thing about their future plans?

I'm not sure how people don't understand that if they announced everything about a game that isn't even coming to Kickstarter for 4 months (for Kedamono) or over a year (in the case of Wares Blade) that they'll not have anything else new to talk about.
 
Yes. And they're IMOE a way better solution.

For class level based games they are a much better solution across the board.

They work well for GS because even though it is rather freeform in advancement, it still does things in a very class/level mold.


Also, there were some guidelines, just that they're in the GM section:shade:.

When I read them they came across more along the lines of: "Here is this one to two paragraph of ideas for running X, now make up the rest yourself you crazy diamond!":thumbsup:

Granted, they did have a short list of expected pay for adventuring guild tasks... I still wouldn't put it on the level of B/X's treasure tables and procedures.


It did come as midway between being narrative emulation* and an exhaustion mechanic, though.
*Which in my book is a no-go zone:gooseshades:.

There is some truth to that. (I can't stand the GM 'doom pool' for the 2d20 Conan RPG the same way.)

For me, I see wider application for other RPG's if it is used as the meta-mechanic for a game.

Rename Attrition to Vigor, and use it as both fate/hero points for PC's to push themselves, and also as the replacement for mana/spell points...

This also opens things up for monster effects like Ghouls/Vampires doing "damage" to Vigor track along with your HP. Replaces effects that have been yeeted from fantasy games like level drain, and while not as harsh, can still induce a some serious fear of being hit.


I'm glad I'm not the only mad guy one who had such ideas:tongue:!

When I ran the QS for the Witcher rpg, I was sorely tempted with the idea of porting the H+I fencing system across to it...


And getting back to the four games being translated, does anyone know anything about the system(s)?
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If I could get a physical copy of SW there would be no question. The main reason I’m leaning toward GS is it seems to be closer to generic offering a wider range of races and classes.
Having all three; I'm going with Goblin Slayer.

GS system seems to be a branch of the Sword World system.
System Quibbles:

GS: Overland travel, encounters, and treasure amounts, Dungeoneering procedures. In GS there are no guidelines for any of this.
Both KonoSuba and Goblin Slayer are forks of Sword World; you could mix & match what you like if you found something you may prefer.
Luckily you can just lift them from the B/X rules set. If you really wanted to you could probably substitute the B/X morale rules for the GS one if you find that you prefer those as well. (You can download the free OSE basic rules and they are all right there.)
This works, too.
System Goodies:

The Attrition/Fatigue track is Money. This is part of the GS system that could be ported virtually as-is to other RPG's. Combat in GS is no joke, because the PC's cannot afford to dither, they have to get it done. It is a great 'tension' mechanic that In my opinion has applications beyond the GS RPG.
The Attrition/Fatigue track is the best part of GS.
That and the fact that the goblins in GS aren't any different than the Broo in Runequest.

Now I totally get the issue people have with the anime but that game is not the anime, you have to judge things on their own merit.
The anime and the manga differ some from the original light novel, which I prefer, though I also love the Goblin Slayer abridged videos on YouTube.
Well, it seemed good enough to me. Japanese is one of the languages I don't speak, though, so who knows, it might have been better in the original...:shock:
The issue I have with the official digital copies are the CBR/Digital Manga format. They are difficult to use at the table.

You can only find PDFs through unofficial channels, but that has other issues.

I would gladly discuss Goblin Slayer & KonoSuba in a separate thread.
 
And getting back to the four games being translated, does anyone know anything about the system(s)?

I have engaged in a little Google-Fu...

-Wares Blade:
"The Wares Blade rules use d10 dice exclusively. When d5 rolls are called for, one rolls a d10 and divides by 2. The ability scores are SEN (sense), AGI (agility), WIL (will), CON (constitution), CHA (charisma), and LUC (luck), and these are randomly determined during character generation by 3d5 rolls. One divides each ability score except luck by 3 to get a modifier from 1 to 5. These modifiers are added to a d10 roll to determine success or failure in most situations. For example, the SEN modifier is used in attacks and the AGI modifier in defense. Physical damage is applied to CON and "life force damage" is applied to WIL. LUC can be used to increase a roll, but it is an exhaustible quantity.
The game has four classes: warrior, sorcerer, priest/monk, and commoner, the last including thieves. Sorcerers belong to one of eight schools, each having 12 spells to choose from, at least in the starter set which covers levels one to three.
Warriors can choose as a skill the ability to pilot the suits (操兵), though they are not for sale and difficult to acquire. All the same the game includes character sheets for the suits with slots for SP (speed), POW (power), ARM (armor), and BAL (balance).
The lead designer for the game was Satoshi Chibi, who also wrote the first novel 聖刻1092 "Seikoku 1092" set in the Wares Blade world. The cover art is by noted fantasy artist Jun Suemi. Plastic kits for the suits were produced: do an image search for "MOクラフト WARES 1092" to see examples."


-Shin Megami Tensei:
"If you listen to this youtube linked on the Dicebreaker newsite , which seems to be just a podcast, it's definitely a d100 roll-even-or-under play mechanic. I didn't listen too long into it, but got that in combat damage is rolled as 2d10 + base damage and rolling 10% or less of a combat ability results in a crit with all damage after addition doubled. All d10 explode on a roll of 10 and the damage values in general seem to be high with results being in at least the 20s. One player had a combat passive that let them roll a 3rd, addtional d10 for all their attacks - lots of damage!

It does seem to be a bit clunky for some dice rolls; eg. initiative is 1d10 + Agility with rolls of 10 exploding. And if 2 players tie they have to roll off to break it. For the intiative played out in that sessiion, it did result in quite a few rolls before the exact order was known. For combat encounter successes, players are awarded Maca and XP. Still, it's d100 at its core which IMO is a plus and I don't want to nick pick too much."



-Steam Build Riders:

And... I've got nothing. My Google-Fu was weak. The Tease is still on with this one...


-Kedamono Opera:

I admit it. At first, I was stymied:
(Some dude working on a Spanish translation that evidently knows all about 100% proper marketing.)

But Behold! My Google-Fu is now running at 110% capacity!
https://operarpg.jp/#intro (Wherein I downloaded the intro rules and ran what looked like relevant parts through Google Translate...)
"First, roll two dice!

Use the [unused] special skill after checking the dice roll.
Use of special skills:
You can choose one special skill to use (you don't have to use it)
However, if that special skill is ``useful in this situation'' or ``it adds excitement to the story''
Be either "Gal"! Depending on the rank of the special skill used
Then roll 1-3 dice on the base roll.
Set a special skill to [Used] and select one special skill prophecy attached to that special skill (not currently acquired) to acquire it.
Obtain 1 special skill prophecy for the special skill used."

(Appears to be d6 based: 2d6 + 1-3 d6 resolution)


And just like that, a Two Hour Teaser was partially ruined...

The Horror.
 
Well...poop. I didn't see one...
Edit: Referring here to the GS thread.
 
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-Steam Build Riders:

And... I've got nothing. My Google-Fu was weak. The Tease is still on with this one...
IIRC it is because this one actually hasn't even been published in JP either, they had worked with the creator before and when they wanted to do some small games, they talked to that creator who was already working on Steam Build Riders.
 
Would it be fair to guess from the imagery that's it's a steampunk take on games like Atomic Highway that let you build custom steam tech vehicles and get into shenanigans?
 
Apologies for the double post, but I just found an article on Wares Blades on Dicebreaker and thought I'd drop the link. Looks like this may be able to run a game in the vein of Vay, Chained Memories, or Xenogears.
 
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Apologies for the double post, but I just found an article on Wares Blades on Dice breaker and thought I'd drop the link. Lokes like this may be able to run a game in the vein of Vay, Chained Memories, or Xenogears.
The one thing I keep hearing that is dampening my excitement for the game is that it sounds like only the "Fighter" class can use the mechs.
 
The one thing I keep hearing that is dampening my excitement for the game is that it sounds like only the "Fighter" class can use the mechs.
I must admit, it gives me pause, as well. If it turns out I cannot easily house-rule that issue away, I'll still have Armor Astir.
 
Personally I want the original version with all the original artwork but I’m a more 80s-90s anime/,a gay guy myself.


.
Well that's rather unfortunate... that is the post edit button disappears after a few days.


.
 
And still no official translations of the most popular rpg in Japan: Sword World

There has to be some underlying reason for that...
Japanese companies are infamous protective of IP, they make Disney look soft. Also, Japanese culture, including business culture, is highly insular, so disinterest in an international fanbase is likely also a factor.
 
Having worked with Japanese companies before, I'm sure the request is just still in committee and they are thinking it over. We'll get an answer sometime this decade. (Seriously Japanese companies are notoriously slow to make any decision).
 
Personally I want the original version with all the original artwork but I’m a more 80s-90s anime/,a gay guy myself.
They have also translated Sword World 1e and 2e books, and are contained in the same set of folders.
 
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