Tabletop RPGs of Asia: Sword World 2.5
An exploration of Japan's most popular and influential fantasy tabletop RPG series
Inspired by my recent trip to Japan, I’m back with a new series diving into the tabletop RPGs of Asia, starting with Japan’s most popular domestic product, Sword World!
The History of Sword World
To understand the origins of Sword World, one must first dive into the history of Record of Lodoss War, one of the most influential Japanese fantasy franchises of all time.
In 1986, the editors of Comptiq magazine approached author, game designer, and president of Group SNE Hitoshi Yasuda with the goal of collaborating on a series of articles about the origins of tabletop RPGs to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Japanese release of Dungeons & Dragons.
Yasuda decided that the best way to illustrate how D&D worked would be to write these articles as a series of session logs that would be known as replays. Think of a replay as a transcript of a game session (almost like a written actual play). With author and game designer Ryo Mizuno serving as the dungeon master and creative driver, Group SNE published an original fantasy campaign set on an accursed island called Lodoss. The story and replay format took off, and Record of Lodoss War was born. These stories became so popular that Mizuno adapted them into some of Japan’s earliest high fantasy novels.
The popularity of Record of Lodoss War led to a trilogy of replays published in Comptiq, with Group SNE abandoning the use of D&D in 1989 and creating their own systems - Record of Lodoss War Companion and Sword World. The Lodoss War setting, flexible character creation, d6-based system, and accessibility of Sword World led to an explosion in the popularity of the tabletop RPG genre in the early-mid 90s that would eventually die down with the late 90s and early 2000s TCG craze.
Diving into Sword World 2.5
The current edition of Sword World is called Sword World 2.5 and is currently published by Fujimi Dragon Book, a label of Fujimi Shobo. Similar to how D&D 3.5 was a revised edition of D&D 3.0, this revised version of Sword World was published in 2018 to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the game’s second edition.
Format & Cost
Sword World 2.5 is published in the form of three core rulebooks (referred to as “Core Rulebooks I, II, and III”). Unlike the 8.5” x 11” hardcover format that many western RPG publishers favour, these books are published in a much smaller 4.1” x 5.8” (A6) size - emphasizing affordability, and ease of storage and portability. Each book is 479 pages in length and features illustrated dust wrappers over simple covers and paper similar in feel to Western mass market paperbacks. The cover illustrations of these books feature human mascots representing the three Swords of Genesis that created the game’s campaign setting, Raxia. For those who love art in their rulebooks, the Sword World core books contain significantly fewer internal illustrations than one would find in a mass market western RPG product.
This format makes the Sword World core books an extremely affordable product line. Each book retails for ¥900 (~$8 CAD or $6 USD at the time of writing), a shockingly low price when compared to the tax inclusive ¥5,500 cost (~$49 CAD or $36 USD) of a Japanese 5th edition D&D Player’s Handbook at well known TRPG retailers like Yellow Submarine. Interestingly, here in Toronto, most game stores sell the Player’s Handbook for ~$55 CAD before tax!
While the A6 size is fantastic when it comes to portability and ease of storage, the Sword World books aren’t most accessible products when it comes to readability. Thank goodness for the English translations in PDF format!
Character Creation
Sword World follows character creation conventions that most RPG fans will be familiar with: feats, equipment, languages, attributes, and backstory elements. Where the character creation process becomes most complex is in the selection of races and classes.
The three core Sword World 2.5 rulebooks outline eleven character ancestries (referred to as races) for player characters (PCs).
Core Rulebook I includes: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Tabbit (anthropomorphic rabbit), Runefolk (magical construct), Nightmare (humans, elves, and dwarves born with a soulscar that manifests as a mutation), and Lykant (humanoids with animal ears, fur, and tails).
Core Rulebook II includes: Grassrunner (halfling) and Lildraken (humanoid dragon or dragonborn).
Finally, Core Rulebook III includes: Tien (magical humanoids) and Leprechaun as playable ancestries.
Ability scores and their associated modifiers are determined via racially determined die roles that reinforce archetypes. For example, a Tabbit rolls 2d6 + 6 for their Intelligence, while a Dwarf rolls 1d6. This is one of my least favourite parts of Sword World’s character creation, as it railroads player choice in a way that feels like to older editions of D&D and contemporary JRPGs.
In total, there are six abilities: dexterity, agility, strength, vitality, intelligence, and spirit.
Each race is also presented with a series of unique features and “backgrounds”, which are used to determine a character’s starting class, some of their base attributes, and initial experience points. This, however, isn’t the end of class selection.
Using a character’s starting experience points, additional classes can be purchased from the Major (costing 1,000 exp per level) and Minor (costing 500 exp at first level and 1,000 for each subsequent level) categories. The eleven classes in the first Sword World core rulebook fall under three types - Warrior, Wizard, and Other. So long as they have the required experience points, there are no limits to the number of classes a character may have (apart from a level 2 class limit for starting characters).
For example, a Runefolk character with the Archer background receives the Marksman starting class (level 1) and 2,500 experience points. These points are then spent on additional Major and Minor classes such as: an upgrade to Marksman (level 2) - 1,000 exp, Ranger (level 1) - 500 exp, and two levels of Scout (level 2) - 1,000 exp.
To avoid confusion, characters in Sword World have Class Levels (the individual levels of each class a character has invested experience in) and an Adventurer Level (the highest class level possessed by a character). That said, players that purchase levels in many classes end up with a character possessing specialized skills, but with basic expertise. Those that spend experience on a limited number of classes wind up with narrow skill sets with a high degree of mastery.
Mechanics
Given that polyhedral dice were uncommon in Japan during the late 80s and early 90s, Sword World is powered by a system that uses two, six-sided dice (often referred to as the 2d6 System).
When a PC attempts something, and the outcome isn’t certain, the game master (GM) will call for a Skill Check. The GM provides a Target Number (difficulty) and the PC determines with Standard Value (i.e. what they will roll). In general, the standard value of a skill check is equal to Class Level + Ability Modifier, though some skill checks are universal and instead use Adventurer Level + Ability Modifier to determine standard value. Once that standard value is determined, the PC makes a roll of 2d6 + Standard Value to determine their Success Value. This is Sword World’s way of saying, “the result of a skill check”.
The GM is also encouraged to play outside of the standardized skill checks outlined in the book to ensure that player creativity is rewarded with standard values that reflect their class skills.
During a skill check, double 6s result in an automatic success while double 1s result in an automatic failure and a small experience bonus (which I think all games should do - learning through failure is important). Interestingly, there is even a system for navigating automatic successes when a mechanic requires a success value.
Combat
Combat in Sword World 2.5 is very similar to what you’d expect of a digital JRPG. Rather than having an open battlefield, combat is simplified into Combat Areas - Allied Rearguard, Frontline, and Enemy Rearguard. When allies and enemies are in the same combat area, it is considered a skirmish area (ex. if an ally moves to the enemy rearguard area, it becomes the enemy rearguard skirmish area).
Before initiative is resolved, there is actually a Combat Preparation phases, where PCs are allowed to declare specific combat feats and minor actions that can augment things like damage for their turn. The PCs then have the ability to conduct a Monster Knowledge Check (sages can do this to identify monsters) followed by an Initiative Check. Interestingly, only characters with levels in Scout may perform an initiative check - where success allows all of the PCs to act first. Otherwise, they all go after the enemy. Then, starting with the side who won the initiative, combatants are placed in their rearguard and/or frontline areas.
Once combat begins, a character’s turn consists of the following elements: Movement, a Major Action (such as casting a spell or attacking with a weapon), and then an unlimited number of Minor Actions (such as picking up or sheathing weapons, dismissing spells, or even casting special spells).
When a weapon attack is declared, the attacker must make an Accuracy Check against an Evasion Check made by the defender. If the accuracy check is higher than the evasion check, the attack hits. The standard value (or roll) for these checks are determined by the type of attack. Melee attacks are rolled using the fighter, grappler, or fencer class levels. Shooting attacks use marksman class levels. Finally, thrown attacks use the fighter, fencer, or marksman class levels. All three of these attack types are modified using a character’s dexterity modifier. Evasion checks are rolled using either fighter, grappler, or fencer class levels + the character’s agility bonus.
Damage is then resolved against a character’s HP. If an attack is successful, another 2d6 are rolled, with the results compared to a power (or damage intensity) table to see how much base damage is done before applying active/passive bonuses, weaknesses, and then effects that reduce damage. For example, the Power Strike I feat adds +4 damage while the Field Protection spell reduces all physical and magical damage by 1 to those within a circle of protection.
Spells are powerful in Sword World, but impose restrictions and conditions upon the caster such as the inability to make a full move. They also have specific magical medium, vocalization, and MP (mana point) requirements and otherwise resolve in a manner similar to weapon attacks..
Once every participant has had their turn, initiative is once again determined and combat continues until one side is completely defeated, surrenders, or withdraws.
Thoughts
If you couldn’t tell by now, Sword World 2.5 is a rules heavy game with rulebooks that are published in a manner accessible to readers with zero experience playing tabletop RPGs. The highly detailed books provide a clear framework of rules for what characters can and cannot do (with obvious room for creativity), alongside a high degree of character advancement, mechanical customization, and scaling system mastery.
As a fan of all types of tabletop RPGs, I often find myself torn between my love of “crunchy” and rules-light systems. Once I’ve achieved a certain degree of proficiency with a rules heavy system, running a game out of the box is very smooth as things are defined in advance. Of course, the time required to master a crunchier system can also present a barrier to entry for new players - especially groups with no prior experience. Conversely, rules-light games are typically very easy to learn and have clear experiential goals, but can be confusing for players that require a bit more structure. But in the end, I will always gravitate towards a game that my friends are interested in learning. That said, I can say for certain that Sword World is a game I plan on investing my time into learning.
If you’re a fan of JRPGs and rules heavy tabletop RPGs like Pathfinder, 4th edition D&D, and Harn Master, I strongly adventuring in the world of Raxia. If you’re curious about Sword World’s…world well there are plenty of English fan translations of official replays!
References
Google Drive for the fan-driven English translations of Sword World 2.5
An English translation of the original Record of Lodoss War replays from Comptiq magazine
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Exciting to see Sword World and Record of Lodoss War get some love! I haven't been to Japan yet but I would love to visit Yellow Submarine! Thank you for sharing!
Great article. Man, Sword World combat sounds dope from the description there. I like a lot of things here and it's interesting to see the origin points from classic D&D.