Japan’s most popular fantasy tabletop RPG, Sword World, is officially available in English for the first time. Publisher Mugen Gaming has released a free Quickstart PDF for the game’s 2.5 edition.
Sword World RPG, created by the influential Group SNE, has been a cornerstone of Japanese geek culture since its first publication in 1989. With over 10 million books sold, including rulebooks and novels, the game’s impact is significant. It notably inspired the classic anime and manga series, Record of Lodoss War, which was itself based on an actual play campaign of the original RPG.
The new Quickstart, available as a free download, provides everything needed to sample the game. It includes a summary of the core rules, which use a 2d6 system, a solo adventure, a one-shot scenario for a group, and a set of pre-generated characters. This release serves as a preview ahead of a planned crowdfunding campaign to fund a full English translation of the core rulebooks, expected to launch early next year.
Shawn, a founder of Mugen Gaming, explained the strategy in a press release,
We wanted to give fans more than just an announcement. We wanted them to play. The Quickstart offers a real taste of what makes Sword World special, and we believe once players try it, they’ll immediately see why it has been Japan’s most played RPG for over three decades.”
The game is known for its focus on teamwork and accessible, structured storytelling, often centred around adventurers’ guilds that give campaigns an episodic, anime-like feel.
The release has been met with enthusiasm from long-time fans. Aniodia, a Sword World RPG Community Leader, commented, “I’m so excited! Something like this I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams. The fan community has been looking forward to this.”
Meredith Placko, the CEO of Turbo Dork, also shared her excitement,
For years I’ve hoped Sword World would make its way to western audiences, and now that dream is becoming a reality! This is the game that gave us Record of Lodoss War, one of my all-time favorite manga and anime series, and its world is as deep and adventurous as any fantasy epic.”
The Sword World announcement should not be confused with Twilight Sword, another Japanese-inspired RPG from Free League Publishing that was also recently announced at Gen Con.
The free Sword World RPG Quickstart PDF can be downloaded from the official website, swordworldrpg.com, by signing up for the company’s email newsletter.
