Ryuutama is a Japanese fantasy RPG, strongly influenced by slice of life anime and manga. It is very cute and thematic. ^^
more thoughts (and photos) below
the book is a 245 page hardcover, with a very nice stitched binding. It's 7x10, between the size of a novel and the 'textbook' size of most ttrpg books. It come with a free PDF, which you can get as an instant download at the official webstore (here), or by following instructions provided inside the cover and sending in a proof of purchase (so, save your receipt if you buy it locally).
The rules are presented in a very clear and readable format, and seem very well designed. The complexity is lower then any edition of D&D (possible exceptions might be oD&D or basic D&D). With the game's different focus there is little overlap with the D&D rules. I think it is more complex then modern western "rules light" games that I have seen, but there are quick start rules (referred to in the book as 'picnic rules').
Ryuutama presents it's rules in a very beginner friendly format, which is also helpful for experienced ttrpg players, as the game is not structured as "combat forward" games like D&D are. there are written play examples and flowcharts for each section (Including the GM's section), and little manga style comics scattered throughout. these communicate both tone and mechanics well.
the basic mechanic involves rolling two dice and adding them, the dice size is based on ability score, usually a D6, but higher abilities roll larger dice, and lowered ability may have to roll a d4. Sleep quality, food and Travel conditions effect both ability scores and daily hit points, which mechanically reinforces the games themes.
the game encourages collaborative world-building, and has both mechanics and recommendations to get the players involved.
At the beginning of the game, everyone involved will get together to create the towns and environs that will become the foundations of the journey. You should try making the towns and villages you’d like to travel to by discussing with your friends. Ryuutama begins with the creation of the world and the towns that populate it.
This world is the cosmos of a brand new Egg. Since your imagination is the incubator for the Egg, I’m sure a fabulous universe is going to be born
(from the into)
the art and graphic design is all great.
One of my favorite parts of the book is the spells, which are very thematic.
the only part of the book I think could be improved is the monster section, which doesn't have the same amount of art as the rest of the book. (We do get art of every type of dragon, and the Nekogoblins elsewhere in the books). there are also no guidelines for monster creation/conversion. the stat blocks are clear and concise, but some of the fluff descriptions are too short for unfamiliar monsters that don't have art. It's very similar to the presentation in AD&D, except that AD&D had art to supplement the description (and ryuutama has better formatting). For example, although a giant rhino beetle (Maximillion Kabuto, below) is a pretty simple monster concept, the description (and stat block) doesn't include it's size, so I am unsure if this is meant to be a wolf sized bug or an elephant sized bug. ((If the players then loot the carapace, as is suggested, they will need to know it's size and weight, which the gm will just have to guess.))On the other hand, as monsters and combat are not the core focus of the rules, I can see why they might want to keep this section short, and the monsters do seem fun and thematic. I consider this section to be of "average" quality, while the rest of the book is higher.
the rest of the gm focused section provids more detail, and better support for running the game, writing appropriate adventures ect. (this is good, as I, and probably many other gm's coming from D&D, may have some anxiety about writing an adventure that doesn't center around a dungeon )
my overall feeling is that Ryuutama is one of the best indie games I have ever seen, and one of the better games overall. It has thematic and reasonable rules, which appear deep enough to support long campaigns, while still being presented in a beginner friendly way.
A natural fantasy game played with dice (d4-d12) about travel, where seasons and the weather can play a big part. From the translated edition's site: "Adventures usually involve traveling from one town to another, packing gear, crafting items, cooking and sharing along the way; getting lost, meeting people and (sometimes cute) monsters along the way; braving the elements and trying to set camp properly." It's also a game where the GM creates an in-fiction dragon-person (Ryuujin) with narrative abilities specific to the type of story you want to tell.
A Heartwarming Tabletop RPG of Travel, Wonder and Friendship
A treat for the Dragon likers in our audience, wait til Warrenguard for some more though
Genre: Exploration!
Touchstones: Ghibli Films, Trail of Oregon (not ACTUALLY but its a good comparison point)
What is this game?: Ryuutama is a game about travelling... somewhere! you're not big damn heroes though, just merchants and artisans
How's the gameplay?: Ryuutama uses a system where skill checks will most of the time use two dice and two skills, so for example chopping down a tree might be [Str + Dex], then you add those two numbers together + Your mod in each respective skill to get your final number! at times you might also need to use different dice sizes, for example a d8 and a d4, and sometimes you'll only roll one die, those are very difficult checks. Character creation is a breeze! Choose a class (from options like Minstrel, Noble, Farmer, or Merchant), a Style (from Magic/Attack/Technical), Stats, your preferred weapon, a personal item, and minor details, thats it! The interesting part of Ryuutama is of course, the GM, you see the GM is playing a character throughout the campaign as well as narrating everything, this character is the Ryuujin, a powerful dragon that can assume a less threatening form in order to approach the party, as well as a humanoid form with horns, dragons have an Artifact (A major gameplay modification) and a list of Benedictions (Powerful effects that change the rules for one session) and Reveils (Powerful abilities that immediately have some sort of effect)
What's the setting (If any) like?: The setting is created by the GMs and Players working together, though high fantasy is expected!
What's the tone?: Ryuutama is a laid back, chill game... well mostly, a Crimson dragon GM or Black Dragon GM can change the game's tone widely, changing it to either a combat focused game (not recommended, the combat's p light) or a dark intrigue game
Session length: 1-3 hours! Ryuutama's built for shorter sessions
Number of Players: 3-5 players, including the GM
Malleability: Pretty low, there's no real setting but you wanna keep it in High Fantasy ville for the most part
Resources: Ryuutama is actually a pretty big game, so theres some resources if you're willing to look, character sheets, mood playlists, supplements, all available and translated
Ryuutama is a chill, pleasant walk through a world of magic and monsters, you'll need to fight sometimes, but the challenges in the world mostly come from yourselves and the world around you, its a cute game!
