kyonshi
2024-03-16 18:13:38 UTC
https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/wares-blade/news/wares-blade-japanese-rpg-lionwing-revival-project-gundam-meets-dnd
Beloved Gundam-meets-D&D RPG Wares Blade gets first English translation
after nearly 40 years
Sword and sorcery and super big mechs.
News by Chase Carter Contributor
Published on March 16, 2024
One of the most well-loved tabletop RPGs of ‘80s and ‘90s Japan, Wares
Blade, will be translated into English for the first time in its
history, courtesy of analogue game localiser LionWing Publishing.
Launching sometime in 2025, new Wares Blade will be part of LionWing’s
ongoing project to revive and reprint some of the most popular and
influential tabletop RPGs in Japan. It was originally released in 1986
and captivated players with a mix of crunchy wargame-adjacent combat and
a unique (at the time) mixture of fantasy genre tropes and mecha
conventions in the vein of Mobile Suit Gundam.
Its popularity has kept it alive across several decades while also
spawning novels, soundtracks, video games and audio dramas. The tabletop
RPG itself enjoyed plenty of core rulebooks and supplements over the
years, and the LionWing team is using the 1994 Wares Blade Renewal book
as the foundation of their translation.
20 best upcoming TTRPGs you need to play in 2024Watch on YouTube
Shin Megami Tensei tabletop RPG, based on Persona's video game series,
gets an English release after 20 years image
Shin Megami Tensei tabletop RPG, based on Persona's video game series,
gets an English release after 20 years
Read more on Dicebreaker
LionWing claims in a press release that its goal is “preserving and
presenting the game almost exactly as it originally” looked to fans
buying copies from their local game story several decades ago. No
changes except for small quality-of-life improvements that were
requested by the original designers, along with adding fresh artwork and
layout tweaks.
"This type of project has never happened before in the TTRPG space,
which is why we are incredibly excited about it,” said Bradly Hale, CEO
and president of LionWing. “We are also excited to announce that a
crowdfunding campaign for Wares Blade will be launched in 2025 on
Kickstarter.”
Players choose amongst four classes, with the martial warrior class also
sporting the ability to pilot large and prohibitively expensive mech
suits, the designs of which seen in online art is, frankly, incredible.
Bulky yet elegant and dripping with character, the mechs embody the
collective imagination of knights, samurai, battle wizards and other
larger-than-life characters. I’m not sure how the game design will hold
up in a world dominated by D&D’s heroic fantasy storytelling, but it’s
cool to see older RPGs find both a new life and fresh audiences - even
if our interest doesn’t extend beyond commenting, “wow, cool robot.”
More information about Wares Blade’s revival and other projects, such as
the recently announced Shin Megami Tensei III tabletop RPG translation,
can be found on LionWing’s website.
Beloved Gundam-meets-D&D RPG Wares Blade gets first English translation
after nearly 40 years
Sword and sorcery and super big mechs.
News by Chase Carter Contributor
Published on March 16, 2024
One of the most well-loved tabletop RPGs of ‘80s and ‘90s Japan, Wares
Blade, will be translated into English for the first time in its
history, courtesy of analogue game localiser LionWing Publishing.
Launching sometime in 2025, new Wares Blade will be part of LionWing’s
ongoing project to revive and reprint some of the most popular and
influential tabletop RPGs in Japan. It was originally released in 1986
and captivated players with a mix of crunchy wargame-adjacent combat and
a unique (at the time) mixture of fantasy genre tropes and mecha
conventions in the vein of Mobile Suit Gundam.
Its popularity has kept it alive across several decades while also
spawning novels, soundtracks, video games and audio dramas. The tabletop
RPG itself enjoyed plenty of core rulebooks and supplements over the
years, and the LionWing team is using the 1994 Wares Blade Renewal book
as the foundation of their translation.
20 best upcoming TTRPGs you need to play in 2024Watch on YouTube
Shin Megami Tensei tabletop RPG, based on Persona's video game series,
gets an English release after 20 years image
Shin Megami Tensei tabletop RPG, based on Persona's video game series,
gets an English release after 20 years
Read more on Dicebreaker
LionWing claims in a press release that its goal is “preserving and
presenting the game almost exactly as it originally” looked to fans
buying copies from their local game story several decades ago. No
changes except for small quality-of-life improvements that were
requested by the original designers, along with adding fresh artwork and
layout tweaks.
"This type of project has never happened before in the TTRPG space,
which is why we are incredibly excited about it,” said Bradly Hale, CEO
and president of LionWing. “We are also excited to announce that a
crowdfunding campaign for Wares Blade will be launched in 2025 on
Kickstarter.”
Players choose amongst four classes, with the martial warrior class also
sporting the ability to pilot large and prohibitively expensive mech
suits, the designs of which seen in online art is, frankly, incredible.
Bulky yet elegant and dripping with character, the mechs embody the
collective imagination of knights, samurai, battle wizards and other
larger-than-life characters. I’m not sure how the game design will hold
up in a world dominated by D&D’s heroic fantasy storytelling, but it’s
cool to see older RPGs find both a new life and fresh audiences - even
if our interest doesn’t extend beyond commenting, “wow, cool robot.”
More information about Wares Blade’s revival and other projects, such as
the recently announced Shin Megami Tensei III tabletop RPG translation,
can be found on LionWing’s website.