Ryuutama - Natural Fantasy - Roleplaying Game (Online Order Only)

Ryuutama is a tabletop pen-and-paper role-playing game, developed in Japan by designer Atsuhiro Okada. It is set in a world where the "NPCs" of the village--the bakers, minstrels, farmers, shopkeepers and healers--set off on a wonderful adventure exploring a fantasy world together. Some people colloquially call it "Hayao Miyazaki's Oregon Trail", because of its heartwarming (in Japanese "honobono") feel of family anime, and its focus on traveling and wonder over combat and treasure.

The game has been out in Japan for years, and is widely loved by the people who play it. Even today long campaigns and short stories are being played in homes and cafes around the country.

Ryuutama means "Dragon's Egg". It is set in a western fantasy world where the four Seasonal Dragons create and maintain reality. The characters go on an adventure, which is watched from afar by a Ryuujin, or "Dragon-Person". This Ryuujin watches their struggles, and records the events of the characters' journey. The Ryuujin then tells those tales to the Season Dragons, which gives them strength, and helps them bear the eggs of future dragons which will protect the world.

The background is that every person in the setting, at some point in their lives, feels an intense need to go on a long journey. Their family, friends, and co-workers understand, and help them prepare for their journey. The characters are not powerful warriors and wizards, but rather just normal village people.

The character classes are Minstrel, Merchant, Healer, Hunter, Artisan, Farmer and Noble. Each class has a few simple abilities that reflect their backgrounds. Each character can be a fighting, technical, or magic-using character depending on the player's choice.

The players play the roles of the characters, and one Game Master (GM) creates and navigates the characters through a scenario. Together, they create the details of the World and the Towns that the characters visit. The GM also has a special character with its own sheet called the "Ryuujin", which is a character that remains offscreen most of the time, but watches over the characters: The Ryuujin can cast some limited spells or abilities to help out or guide the characters. The GM creates the adversity that the players have to overcome, but the Ryuujin is out to protect and nurture the characters to some degree.

Travel and people form the core of the game: While there is a unique console RPG-style combat system that's quite exciting, a majority of the focus of the game is on travel and problem-solving. Hit Point loss and gain mostly happens due to travel, and the unique Seasonal Magical Spells focus on solving interesting problems in unique ways.