Singaporean creators bring anime to Dungeons & Dragons
PHOTO: Facebook/codexfantasia
PUBLISHED ONOctober 28, 2020 4:27 AMByMarion Frayna
The mention of Dungeons & Dragons would typically evoke images of medieval Western fantasy, which is natural given how the tabletop roleplaying game has its roots in the USA.
But given the popularity of the game these days, it should come as no surprise that different permutations of the classic fantasy trope will have been made over the years.
How about an anime-themed D&D game, then? A team of Singaporeans have been hard at work on Codex Fantasia, an original modern fantasy RPG setting based on 5th Edition D&D as both fans of the game and Japanese anime, manga, and videogames.
The team hopes to develop the IP to span multiple media forms beyond the tabletop format.
The project is spearheaded by Darryl Ho, who is part of an alumni from Singapore-based doujin circle Fantaisie Nocturne Productions (FNP). Codex Fantasia has been in the works as early as 2018, and adventures set in were exhibited at Doujin Market 2019 in the Tabletop Playspace area.
In Codex Fantasia, players step into the shoes of delvers, who are essentially undercover renegades who take the fight to the tyrannical Hegemony, a government-like entity that “rules with an iron fist”. If you’re a fan of the likes of games such as Persona, manga/anime such as Psycho-Pass, this might be right up your alley.
The folks at FNP are currently working on a full RPG campaign setting for Codex Fantasia, which will culminate in a Kickstarter crowdfunding project sometime in 2021.
Meanwhile, gaming groups interested in dip their toes into the setting can first get the Dominus Duodecim from the DM’s Guild, a 45-page PDF that encompasses a multitude of anime-inspired character options, including 12 new subclasses, as well as feats, spells and maneuvers.
This article was first published in Geek Culture.