[Board Game Translation] Tanpopo

The English version of Tanpopo by Hitoiki (I can not live alone) Games is finished!

Huge thanks to designer Takai Kyu not only for being so helpful in answering my questions about the rules, but also for allowing me to post this translation in the first place!

download (English illustrated pdf)
download (English text-only pdf)

Tanpopo is a beautifully-illustrated tile placement game in which players are gods trying to guide dandelion plants across the sea using their power to control the forces of nature. It was originally released at Game Market 2017 (Spring) with limited printing.

I don’t own the game myself, but after working on it would love to play it someday. The publisher’s motto—I can not live alone—is a prevailing theme in many of his works, and togetherness is the undercurrent here as well. Victory is solo, but can only be achieved by cooperating with everyone else. It’s a very positive experience.

Tanpopo is no longer for sale, but you can check out and purchase Hitoiki’s other games here. Most of them have English instructions in the box.

[Fiasco Playset Translation] Magical Girl in the 2010s

Magical Girl in the 2010s

This next playset translation is the delightfully grim Magical Girl in the 2010s by mozu.

download (English version PDF)

This playset is written by and for the otaku out there, and is all about the soul-slinging, despair-laden turf wars of the Madoka Magica magical girl. It does have a few elements that some players might want to “NOPE” from their table (such as self-harm), but fans of the genre will find plenty of fun things to work with.

Special thanks again to pOPdOG fONTS (I used Hip Priest on the English cover), and also to Harrow Hill for being the leading Japanese-language Fiasco resource.

This playset has an interesting origin story and includes some cool dialogues on Japan/North America cultural differences and the magical girl genre. A look at that below the cut for those interested (though it’s a bit messy and mostly just my own thoughts).

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions/revision suggestions. Enjoy!

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[Fiasco Playset Translation] Werewolves in the Village

Werewolves in the Village

I’m happy to present an English translation of the Werewolf-themed Japanese-language playset Werewolves in the Village by MICHINAKI Michiwo!

download (English version PDF)

This playset puts a unique spin on Fiasco by blending it with the popular social deduction game Werewolf: at the end of the Setup, each player is assigned a classic Werewolf role (i.e. Wolf, Seer, Villager), and the group is encouraged to role play the trials, executions, etc. during their scenes.

This playset has dark themes and a decidedly grim, horror-inspired tone, but—true to the spirit of Fiasco—offers players more than a few absurd elements to add some humor to their session.

The English title of this playset was taken straight from the Japanese file name; to honor the author’s vision, I chose not to modify it.

Special thanks to pOPdOG fONTS for their fantastic freeware typefaces (the English playset’s cover uses Data Trash), and also to Harrow Hill for being the leading Japanese-language Fiasco resource.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions/revision suggestions.

Happy hunting!