Summary
- Anime-themed TTRPG games like Tenchi Muyo! And Sailor Moon offer unique settings and systems.
- Series like Bubblegum Crisis and Demon City Shinjuku bring cyberpunk and horror themes to tabletop gaming.
- KonoSuba TTRPG provides accessible fantasy gameplay inspired by a popular manga series.
Most of the time, the evolution of an anime show leads to live-action spinoffs, OVAs, or movies, but sometimes popular shows branch off into more unique genres. Tabletop gaming might seem old-fashioned, and it's been around for decades, but it's consistently popular with games like Dungeons & Dragons leading the trend.
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The settings and characters of the anime world have a reputation for being memorable and endearing, generating plenty of fanfiction, spinoffs, and "shipping" among fans. These are some of the details that help make an anime series a likely candidate for a TTRPG version, and here are a few that have done it successfully.
7 Tenchi Muyo!
The Same Characters And Comedy
- Published By: Guardians of Order
The anime's full name was Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, and it was released in 1992, eight years before the tabletop game was announced. The game was released as part of the publicity for an OVA of the series, also released in the year 2000. There's an episode of the OVA entitled "Table Top Island" which parodies the whole TTRPG genre, and the game uses the same setting and characters for their adventures.
Tenchi Muyo! Uses a generic system called Tri-Stat dX that divides the character's stats into three categories - Mind, Body, and Soul - and was developed by the publishing company, Guardians of Order. The main motivation behind this unique system was the "dX," which means a variety of different dice can be used if polyhedral ones are difficult to find.
6 Bubblegum Crisis
A Classic Version Of Cyberpunk
- Published By: R. Talsorian Games
For those who want a break from fantasy, Bubblegum Crisis is one of the earliest examples of the Cyberpunk genre, and the TTRPG based on the original series uses the same tone and setting. The entire module contains three adventure books; "Mega-Tokyo 2033" which is the basic rulebook and is set in the OVA series, "Before and After," which includes content from the spin-off series AD Police Files and the sequel Bubblegum Crash!, and "Bubblegum Crisis EX" which is derived from cutting room floor reels and new content.
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Players control a character called a Knight Saber in the game, who is sworn enemies of the Genom Corporation and its deadly Boomers. The game uses the Fuzion system, which was developed by publisher R. Talsorian Games in 1988, and is still widely used in anime-based games.
5 Project A-ko
For Many, Their First Anime
- Published By: Dream Pod 9
Instead of a series, this TTRPG is based on a movie called Project A-ko. Released in 1986, it introduced many to the anime genre with a unique combination of science fiction, comedy, and action-adventure. Like the plot of the movie, the game also follows the antics of two schoolgirls fighting their rivals while an alien invasion looms in the background.
In keeping with the comedy theme, it also parodies and pays tribute to other anime tropes, like mecha and magical girl. It was the first game developed by this publisher to use the Silhouette-A system for stats and rolls.
4 Sailor Moon
Fighting Evil With Tri-Stat
- Published By: Guardians of Order
The Sailor Moon franchise is big enough to include every type of media and merch there is, and so it surprises nobody that a TTRPG is featuring the Moon Princess. Its complete title is "The Sailor Moon Role-Playing Game and Resource Book," and it includes instructions on how to use the Tri-Stat system with this module, along with an episode guide for seasons one and two.
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It may seem like a subject and setting that would only interest Sailor Moon fans, but the game was well-received by critics and gamers. A must for those who love the series and an interesting bit of anime history from the Magical Girl genre.
3 Demon City Shinjuku
A TTRPG For Adults
- Published By: Guardians of Order
As it is with the anime circle of life, Demon City Shinjuku started as a novel and was adapted into an anime series before it became a TTRPG. Like the literature on which it is based, the game is supernatural horror and uses the same setting, an apocalyptic version of Tokyo held in the grip of an evil sorcerer, Levih Rah.
Other than an introduction to the rules, which includes a summary of the Tri-Stat system and tips for the GM, the game also includes two adventures. In "Gangland Rescue," the characters are part of a motorcycle gang tasked with rescuing their friend, and in "The Infernal Child," they play the opposing side as demons guarding the possible successor to Levi Rah.
2 KonoSuba
Join The Adventurer's Guild
- Published By: Far East Amusement Research Company (F.E.A.R.)
Its full name is KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, and it has a fan following and a massive franchise comparable to that of Sailor Moon. There's also a TTRPG in the mix of video games, movies, and light novels, but this one might be more accessible to those more interested in fantasy than magical girl.
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The game uses the same mix of comedy and fantasy that made the original manga so popular, and includes the same settings and mechanics. Players can adopt the same classes and characters featured in the anime, like a Priest of Axis or a Crimson Magic Clan Wizard.
1 Sword World
Inspired By Anime Inspired By TTRPGs
- Published By: Fujimi Shobo
Sword World isn't exactly based on a single anime, but derived from several that were inspired by TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, making it a reverse-engineer in this particular niche genre. It's a Japanese game that hasn't been fully translated or localized, and despite its popularity overseas, it doesn't see the same fan following internationally.
It's tough to find polyhedral dice in Japan, which is why a 2D6 system was developed for Sword World when it was first released. The setting includes familiar locations like the kingdom of Forcelia, which is from the Record of Lodoss War, and Alecrast, the large continent where most of the action takes place, is the setting of Rune Soldier.
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