Want to know more about Phantasy Star Tabletop Roleplaying? We’ve got you! Here are the answers to some general questions we received via online posts and through our recent surveys.
The FAQ is divided into three sections (see the tabs below). This list may grow as the project continues in development.
Phantasy Star Tabletop Roleplaying is a cooperative storytelling game where you and your friends take on the roles of heroic protagonists in a galactic setting based on the popular Phantasy Star video game series. The book is divided into two major sections:
Roleplaying Game: A set of rules you can use to recreate the amazing worlds, stories, and characters presented in the Phantasy Star universe, while providing you with tools and guidelines for creating your own tales and adventures.
Lore Guide: An overview of the Algol Star System and beyond. This section details major events, locations, and personalities from the Phantasy Star games. Included is a history and background of the classic video game series.
Phantasy Star™ is a series of multi-platform video games created by Sega Corporation. Launched in 1987, the first installment of the series was one of the earliest Japanese Roleplaying Games (JRPGs) ever made for console systems. While the original tetralogy ended, the universe continues to expand through numerous sequels and adaptations.
Yes. Phantasy Star Tabletop Roleplaying is officially licensed by SEGA and developed by our team in coordination with their staff.
Aside from the Core Book, you’ll need at least two players (one for the role of Game Master), a set of polyhedral dice (or dice rolling utility), and some notetaking accessories such as a pad and pencil or digital tablet.
No. Phantasy Star Tabletop is a standalone game. Any additional materials or accessories are completely optional.
A PDF edition is included for free with any preorder. It will be available for sale on its own after release.
We’re currently focused on the release of the Core Book. We would like to release future accessories, options, and published adventures—subject to corporate approval.
We are planning on establishing online groups/channels where fellow gamers can discuss and share. We’re currently focused on getting as much basic information out to potential players as the game develops.
Phantasy Star Tabletop uses a variant of the popular “d20” system which is played using polyhedral dice.
In short, no. While the dice mechanics are analogous to those found in the 3.5 or 5E SRD, there are major differences in the game’s core aspects and mechanics.
There are also several unique elements from our Esper Genesis Roleplaying Game that are adopted into Phantasy Star Tabletop. This is why we advertise the game as “powered by Esper Genesis” rather than “5E”.
It depends on the content. Guidance is provided on how to convert existing adventure scenarios and monster stat blocks, much of which will remain compatible. Character-facing options, however (race/species, classes, subclasses, equipment, etc.), are less likely to be adaptable.
We acknowledge there are many different views and opinions on which is the “best” RPG system. Our team has decades of TTRPG experience with a wide array of systems. The end goal for us here is to make a game that is fun, versatile, and feels like a Phantasy Star game. Keeping that in mind, there are several points to this:
Core Concepts: Phantasy Star™ and most classic JRPGs were inspired by PC games whose mechanics (stats, hit points, spells, XP, etc) spawned directly from classic tabletop roleplaying games. Retaining these fundamental elements both pays homage to and honors the game’s roots.
Familiarity: Using a system that is well-known to most tabletop RPG gamers provides an easier learning curve and expands adaptability.
Compatibility: It allows us to use the sci-fi mechanics from Esper Genesis to recreate the amazing science-fantasy elements that made Phantasy Star so unique. As a note, several design concepts in Esper Genesis use Phantasy Star as a source of inspiration.
Absolutely. Most of the character options and abilities in the game are inspired by the heroes and villains of the Phantasy Star series. The starter adventure, The Search for Luveno, also provides game stats for the four main protagonists from the original Phantasy Star game.
While guidelines for playing existing characters are provided, the game encourages you to create your own characters and storylines.
Each character has an Origin and a starting Profession. Your origin is a combination of your species (yes – there are musk cats!), planetary environment, and cultural upbringing. These elements help flesh out your core abilities and special traits.
Your profession provides you with the skills, tools, and techniques you’ll need to succeed in your endeavors. You combine these with your core abilities to determine your encounter stats (Attack Power, Defense, Agility, Perception, Hit Points, Technique/Magic Points, and so on).
Both your origin and profession can grow as you advance in levels. Each profession has several progression paths, while story elements and events can be used to expand your origin.
This is a question we’ve heard often and there are many ways to answer it. What we can say is this is a Phantasy Star game before anything else. Here’s a brief list of some rules being introduced or adapted into the game.
Yes, the game includes a hearty collection of familiar beasts and baddies from the Phantasy Star series.
The short answer: whenever you decide. Setting and story guidelines are provided for establishing your campaign at any point in the Phantasy Star timeline, including one of your own design.
Yes, we plan to expand on some of the existing lore from the games, though these will offered more as campaign suggestions and ideas rather than establishing any sort of canon. Anything added is, of course, under the purview of the Sega team.
In addition to the original tetralogy and it’s portable spinoffs, we’re including elements from the classic Phantasy Star Online games (Ep 1&2, Blue Burst, and Zero). The Galactic Lore Guide includes background and setting information for Ragol, Coral, and other locations unique to the PSO games.
As the original series and PSO are separate timelines, suggestions are provided for incorporating either of these settings into your campaign. The rules are flexible enough to create characters connected to either storyline.
Proper names of people and places changed throughout the development of original Phantasy Star games. Some were minor spelling changes created between sequels. Others changed entirely during translation from the original Japanese versions.
As the game is written in English, the North American naming conventions are used for major characters and locations (Alis, Chaz, Rolf, Rhys, etc.). As for naming variants, most of these adopt whatever the latest iteration would be (i.e. Lutz instead of Noah, Dezolis instead of Dezo, etc.).
There are some special cases where certain names are tied to major events or they are defined across multiple games. For example, in PS4, King Lassic is referred to as “Lashiec”. However, the earlier spelling was provided in both the NA releases of PS 1 and 2, so we chose to keep Lassic as the character’s name.
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