D&D rulebooks, finding a group, and the RPGs still sitting on your shelf

Tabletop RPGs

Sing in the Rain...

2026-10-05 16:18

I can't forget that breast-milk Sing in the Rain idea someone mentioned here...

Mistilteinn's Archetype: Flame makes it even more convincing, too...

You know breast milk can cure Jarms, right?

Sing in the Rain is limited to three uses per scenario.

So you use the right breast, then the left, and the last one is m—

Why have so many tabletop RPG web tools been popping up yesterday and today...?

https://x.com/dakedakeda0320/status/2106713688728326418

https://z.wikiwiki.jp/imgtrpg2nd_bosyuu/topic/823

D&D: The Shattered Obelisk campaign, held on Thursdays.

We have enough players to run it, but recruitment stays open until October 8.

There's room for one more.

https://z.wikiwiki.jp/imgtrpg2nd_bosyuu/topic/826

D&D: Storm King's Thunder campaign, held on Sundays.

One person has expressed interest so far. We can run it with four players, with room for up to six.

Long campaigns are where D&D really shines!

Both are official campaigns that haven't been released in Japanese.

Let's play D&D!!

A year-long campaign, huh... I'd be interested if there were a trial period.

Then I typed that and realized getting a polite rejection after a three-month review would probably crush me.

After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that neither you nor your character has been selected for our table.

We wish you every success at other tables.

Session-Check Man vs. Mecha Session-Check Man!

Part of me wants to play a D&D druid, and part of me wonders if I'm screwed if the campaign never features any animals.

Are you thinking of a Moon druid?

You can use the beast list in Xanathar's, or choose sensible transformation options.

Do you think Session-Check Man is in the same category as Kiritani and Kasuga?

Players wanted!

We're a friendly, family-like table.

I've never played, and I don't own the rulebook.

Can I still join?

Excuse me, I'm interested in D&D.

Which book should I buy?

The Player's Handbook is the rulebook you need to play as a player.

https://dnd-jp.com/products/players-handbook/

The Player's Handbook is essential.

Xanathar's and Tasha's come next.

You'll also start wanting the Dungeon Master's Guide for the magic items.

Tasha? The one with the hideous laughter spell?

Maybe if a hobby shop that carries MTG still has stock from when they pushed the books into those stores...

You can't get Xanathar's or Tasha's through online retailers anymore.

Yellow Submarine stores do have them, but in plenty of areas, having a board-game shop nearby isn't exactly normal...

The Yellow Submarine I checked had the three core books and Dragonlance, but seriously no Tasha's or Xanathar's.

If you find a branch that still has them, it's worth grabbing them or sharing the location.

People recommend Tasha's and Xanathar's now and then, but what's actually in them?

Are they like Epic Treasury for SW or Effect Archive for DX?

Extra subclasses, spells, magic items, optional rules, and so on.

Ah, got it.

Doesn't sound bad, but maybe I'll stick with just the PHB for a while...

It feels closer to a skill-based version of the rare variants, though the impact is bigger than racial traits.

You get more subclass options—the extra abilities you choose for each class when making a character.

Some of them are strong.

There are spells and magic items, too.

In terms of character options, Xanathar's adds subclasses.

Tasha's adds a class, subclasses, and optional rules that let you swap some class features gained on leveling up for the alternatives in the book.

The ranger's original features are, frankly, pretty trash, so Tasha's is a huge boost.

Shinjuku Yellow Submarine! Go get 'em!

Of the people who joined that introductory game here before, only one managed to find Xanathar's and Tasha's. So the idea that they've dried up outside central cities might actually be pretty real.

I'm not in a city center, but I found them nearby!

I've still only managed to join the introductory game, though...

We're really talking about a tabletop RPG people still play in modern-day Japan, right??

It's more that availability has dropped off dramatically over the last few years...

Not that long ago, someone's personal note blog even ranked it as the second-biggest tabletop RPG...

Back in its home market, there are even moves toward making Beyond subscription-based and consolidating everything there, so I'm a little doubtful about whether we'll even be able to keep playing it in Japan.

I wonder if they'll stop restocking anything except the three core books.

I kind of want first-time D&D players to try a spellcasting class.

The right spell changes completely depending on the enemies, the positions, and the turn order. It's hard to make the call, but when it works, the dopamine hit is incredible...

My first D&D character was a wizard, but I turned into a machine that did nothing but cast Fireball.

It was fun.

I wish they'd add D&D to the app.

If getting the books is going to be difficult, that makes it harder to get into...

Enter Fifth Edition RPG: free, and just the rules extracted without touching D&D's setting!

https://hj-trpg.com/#download

I watched a bit of the last introductory session.

They'd prepared all sorts of things with supplement options, but in the end they just kept spamming Magic Missile, and it was the strongest option. That made me laugh.

You'll play about a hundred times, so it works out to 50 yen per session. It's actually a bargain!

I'd like to run a beginner-friendly cooperative Shinobigami game.

Might the esteemed members of this board let me know which days they're free?

You might get a more reliable answer by asking on Discord instead of here.

Though I do wonder if going through Discord would just make it a game full of experienced Shinobigami players.

I guess that would be fine if it's cooperative.

We cast our net here, recruit beginners who aren't on Discord yet,

and drag them into the tabletop RPG rabbit hole.

Maybe I'll run a roleplaying session set in a magitech arcade, with costume rentals and a photo-sticker booth.

Sounds good... When are you running it?

I could do pretty much whenever, but ideally I'd aim for a night when no other games are running.

Lately I keep seeing people finish a game, hop straight into a roleplaying session, and end up going to bed late. I'm worried about them...

I don't see why not. Since changing clothes would be part of it, it wouldn't be strange for it to be a more private, separate space.

Can we make it spicy!?

Can you read the Shinobigami rulebook online now?

In other systems, I tend to think debuff spells will never land. But a d20 can bite even the boss, huh...

Legendary Resistance.

A big thing with D&D debuffs is being able to look at an enemy's stats and target whatever weakness they have.

Even at high levels, they aren't strong at every saving throw.

That's why Legendary Resistance starts showing up.

Lots of people own the rulebook but have never played.

Satasupe, for example.

Any tabletop RPG player has a rulebook or two they bought and then left sitting on the shelf.

I've got Nechronica, BBT, Metaga, Futari Sousa, Kill Business, and Stella Knights sitting there.

Part of me wants to ask, "Want to play Metaga...?" and part of me worries about committing to a schedule...

It's the festival of rulebooks I bought because they were cheap and have never played!

Yoru no Ashiato.

After buying it, I remembered I'm a dog person.