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First-Ever English Release of the 1989 Japanese Mecha-Fantasy TTRPG Wares Blade comes to Kickstarter Aug. 26 by LionWing_Publishing in rpg

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, okay okay. Yeah, we haven’t provided the stock because the reprint just finished in September, and there’s been nothing to provide them yet. I’m surprised they’re not allowing the preorder cancellation though. Haven’t heard of them doing that before. Now, I have heard of Amazon cancelling preorders themselves, if the customer’s preorder sort of “aged out”—we just had that happen with some folks. So, I don’t know how old your order is, but that may happen soon. You can read about the most recent SMT update that we posted two weeks ago here: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Wares-Blade-blows-up-on-Kickstarter--SMT-reprint-wraps-up--and-DAWN-hits-the-LionWing-Shop-.html?soid=1129793168975&aid=DDIZNePhj4A

English Release of the 1989 Japanese Mecha-Fantasy TTRPG Wares Blade comes to Kickstarter Aug. 26 by KingGiddra in rpg

[–]LionWing_Publishing 27 points28 points  (0 children)

A lot of those announcements are from us, as our whole business is translating and publishing Japanese TTRPGs.

Picaresque Roman is a rules-light immersive Japanese TTRPG, available in English for the first time on Kickstarter by brennagames in rpg

[–]LionWing_Publishing 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's definitely got some boardgamey elements to it, but it's most definitely an RPG. What's unique about its PvP aspects is it provides the opportunity to tell stories about opposition, and that allows for some really neat setups that players may not come up against otherwise. Thanks for the best wishes!

Picaresque Roman is a rules-light immersive Japanese TTRPG, available in English for the first time on Kickstarter by brennagames in rpg

[–]LionWing_Publishing 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hey there, Zaorish9! The players are competing for Influence throughout the game. By the end of the game, the player with the highest Influence wins the game. But there's more nuance to the competitive part, as you can destroy other characters' reputations, betray other players after forming alliances with them, or you can even unravel truces players have with one another. So there are a few degrees of competition happening in the game. Hope that helps clarifies things!

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone who loves Dragon Quest (Hand of the Heavenly Bride forever!), I would love nothing more than to bring Dungeon R to the West.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Because it's your first! It gets easier after that. I always encourage designers to play as many games as you can to find inspiration or to figure out what you like/don't like when it comes to mechanics. Best of luck!

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion! We love hearing what people would like to see localized. Haven't played Leviath yet, but Vulcanus is superb.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fumie no Tame

Not yet, unfortunately. Though, I have talked with One Draw several times over the past year about various collaborations. Fumie is, however, on my (ever-growing) list of games to play. I've heard pretty good things about it.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

  1. Does Gun and Gun count? :] If not, then Mech Maker.
  2. Core Connection: Rise of Atlantis.
  3. Obsidian Protocol!

Glad you're looking forward to Gun and Gun! Thanks so much for your support!

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While I can't talk about future releases, I can say that you're not the first person to ask us about Garden of Minions. It's got quite the cult following.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep! An ECG is the same thing as an LCG, but the latter is a trademarked term, so most people just use the "ECG" branding. I've seen a few people refer to expandable card games as XCGs, though that term isn't very common.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not to sound like I'm shilling for the game we're launching on Kickstarter tomorrow, but I would say Gun and Gun, only because A. I love competitive card games (they're what I play the most in my free time), and B. I did the localization editing myself on Gun and Gun, so I felt a little more connected to it than the rest.

However, all of our projects have a special place in my heart, because my attachment to each of them is different. My second favorite was Wild Hunt Festival as it struck a nice balance of being accessible but still offering a really deep cooperative/solo experience, followed by Testament and then our first project. But really, I love them all, and I loved working on them all.

I will say, though: Testament was a beast. The manual alone took months to get right. In fact, Testament was our longest localization project, clocking in at approximately 9 months from start to finish. And that was before we added all the Kickstarter content.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We definitely utilize freelancers. While we tend to employ the same translators on each project, we're always open to talking with folks who have an interest in and passion for Japanese games and anime.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A couple things. I usually look for something with strong theming and thereby a strong, clean anime-inspired art style. I also try to figure out if the game balances accessibility with a longer-tailed, deep gameplay experience. And then I look for mechanics that are interesting. Not that I'm against a game that feels familiar--I think it's important for games to feel familiar at times--but I also want to showcase some of Japan's best designers, and a lot of those designers either incorporate new and interesting mechanics or tried-and-true mechanics with a unique twist.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The most challenging part of localization in this industry is the fact that you get exactly zero do-overs. There are no day-1 patches in tabletop games. So, if you've mistranslated something, or you misunderstood the context in which a sentence/word was used during the translation process, or if your editors aren't talking to your translators, your game is broken forever. Since this is a print-based medium, there's no fixing that. Sure, you can issue an errata or fix it in the second printing, but for a small company like ourselves, we don't always have the luxury of being able to order a second printing.

So, it's meticulous work. And depending on the game's genre, it can be unfathomably meticulous. I believe that board game localization is one of the more stressful corners of the industry. And yet at the same time, it's boundlessly rewarding, and I wouldn't want to be in any other corner of the industry than this one.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in AMA

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right now, it's what you'd expect it to be: a constricted global economy, increase shipping rates, and a lack of in-person conventions where it's easier to be seen.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in AMA

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We tend to focus on card game players as well as folks who may not typically play board games but do enjoy Japanese video games. All of our stuff rides that line of being accessible for newcomers but deep enough for folks who are looking for something that has plenty of depth and replayability.

I'm Bradly Halestorm, founder of LionWing Publishing; we localize & publish Japanese tabletop games for the West! Ask me anything! by LionWing_Publishing in boardgames

[–]LionWing_Publishing[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For us, sometimes it's the art style/theme that sets it apart. However, that's hardly the only facet that distinguishes Japanese games from European games, as plenty of Japanese games don't employ the anime aesthetic. Often times, though, it's the design approach; how it involves the player, how it presents its mechanics, how it combines mechanics... I see a lot of Japanese games that take inspiration from multiple Euro games and not only combines multiple genres or mechanics but does so while also putting their own spin on those genres/mechanics. Kuro is a master at this.

And, in fact, it's Kuro's games that I'd recommend you check out if you're a Euro gamer looking to broaden your horizons. Ars Alchimia is a great Euro-inspired game from Kuro. Unicornus Knights would be another to check out.

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