Gates of Krystalia.

This epic new TTJRPG combines a unique system of non-dice game mechanics with a rich and vibrant anime world. The designers at Top Notch Games International have gone all-out on making the best, truest rendition of a table talk roleplaying game out there for the western world. Even though the designers are Italian, they make a heck of a cool Japanese anime style game.

Link to the Gates of Krystalia website here.

Want to play a fox girl Ninja? Whether you’re a fan of Record of the Lodoss War, Ninja Scroll, Cat Girl Nuku-Nuku, Seven Deadly Sins, Delicious in Dungeon, or any other fantasy anime, Gates of Krystalia has something for you. I highly recommend checking out the robust 98 page FREE Demo version at this link.

I say it often that art sells games. If you love manga/anime, Gates of Krystalia has you covered. The art in this game that I’ve seen so far is mind-blowing. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was already part of a massive fantasy anime franchise.

As a long-time avid anime game nerd, I can’t recommend this thing enough. (Okay, my one and only beef is the lack of dice mechanics, but I ran Castle Falkenstein, so this can’t be that tough.) I haven’t been this blown away with an anime game (other than Fabula Ultima) since Anima. I’ve been into anime games since Big Eyes, Small Mouth, Mekton, Robotech, and Tinker’s Damn first arrived on the scene. Gates of Krystalia is right up there with OVA in my opinion. I’ll do a rundown of mecha and anime games elsewhere sometime. Needless to say I think Gates of Krystalia has what it takes to captivate the attention of TTJRPG and anime gamers everywhere.

I’ve hinted at the mechanics a little already. Each player and the Deux (Game Master) has their own deck of playing cards to work with. Top Notch is producing their own cards for the game, but any 52 card poker deck will work. Combat, skill-type challenges, and spellcasting all flow very smoothy from what I have seen so far.

The Kickstarter for Last Deux is live as of this writing. Link to that Kickstarter is here. This sourcebook, mostly centered around the GM, has new classes, new vehicles/vehicle rules, new styles of play (Japanese high school fantasy? Card Captor Sakura among others maybe,) new baddies, and a heap of new magic to tinker with. It looks to pick up where Gates of Krystalia core rules left off.

Please go check it out. Maybe give the Demo a test drive to see if you and possibly your players like the system. You can get the core rulebook at the same time as Last Deux if you haven’t already got it.

[Note: I was not paid or compensated in any other way for this preview. I just love anime games.]

Worldbuilding Wednesday will return next week once I get through all of these reviews, previews, and crowdfunding projects we need to talk about.

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.