japanese editions of D&D

[1st level magic-user]

so does anyone know if they publish D&D in japanese? i' gonna go out on a limb and say "no"... but i'm curious if anyone knows for sure...

my wife's from japan, and i gotta assume that there's a thriving RPG community out there. but do they just use english source books? anyone from japan on here?

 

[Dragonblade]

I lived in Japan, speak Japanese very well, and also married a Japanese woman!

There are some RPG shops in Tokyo but they mostly sell English language RPG books. Most Japanese people can read English well (but can't speak it) due to the years of schooling in it that is required by the government so buying the books in English isn't as much a problem for them as buying them in Japanese would be for us!

Most Japanese gamer types are similar to American gamer types. Typically social outcasts of above average intelligence. Most Japanese gamers that I met in Japan bought the books in English and translated them or just read them in English directly.

I did find a used copy of a Japanese version of the 2nd Edition Players handbook once and I have seen a Japanese edition of Vampire. But have never seen a Japanese language version of 3rd edition or any other recent RPG books. There are Japanese pen and paper RPGs but they have never really been ported over to the states and I never bought any of them.

Are you trying to get your wife into gaming? If so, you should ask if she likes anime, manga or reading fantasy novels (in Japanese of course). If so then she would probably be interested in gaming also.

 

[Dragonblade]

On an interesting side note, Magic is pretty big in Japan, just like here. And WotC sells Japanese language magic cards in Japan. You can buy English cards too.

A lot of Japanese magic players buy and play with both Japanese and English cards, again because translating the English cards is not so difficult for them.

 

[Li Shenron]

IMost Japanese gamer types are similar to American gamer types. Typically social outcasts of above average intelligence.

I am NOT a social outcast and I am NOT of above average intelligence!!!

 

[NiTessine]

I am NOT a social outcast and I am NOT of above average intelligence!!!

You're the exception that proves the rule.

For the record, I fit the stereotype perfectly. And I'm damn proud of it!

 

[Li Shenron]

For the record, I fit the stereotype perfectly.

No problem in imagining that, you're from Espoo

 

[Zander]

2E was definitely translated into Japanese. I have the 2E DM's screen, the Complete Fighter's Handbook and the 1st level wizard spell cards in Japanese. The wizard's spell cards came out in Japanese before they came out in English.

Strangely, the word "samurai" in the Complete Fighter's Handbook is in katakana as if it were not a Japanese word. If anyone can explain why, I'd be grateful.

At first I couldn't figure out what the katakana word "ruru" meant in the CFH. Then the penny dropped - it's "rule".

AFAIK 3E has not been translated into Japanese. I was at Yellow Submarine in Shinjuku a few months ago and they didn't have a single 3E book in Japanese.

IIRC there was an article about seven years ago on RPGing in Japan in the now defunct British RPG magazine Arcane.

My girlfriend is Japanese. She's pretty anti-D&D. She thinks we're all "maniacs" in the Japanese sense. She read The Hobbit in Japanese and didn't like it. She says that Tolkien is far less popular in Japan than it is in the west. Harry Potter has caught the public's imagination much more in Japan than Tolkien.

 

[Syunsuke]

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd.ed. Japansese Ver. is now avairable!!

It's true.
This is Japanese ver. official web site.

PHB was on sale since the last month.
DMG will be sold around this March.


Dragonblade;
I think you can see Japanese Ver. book inyellow submarine .

 

[sunbeam60]

I am not a social outcast, but I do have an intelligence above average ...

I'd say CHA 15, INT 16

Of course, my real life DM (he keeps me in a cave) might object to such meta-gaming speak.

regards
Toft

 

[Warduke]

www.acaeum.com

Check out the foreign editions sections for more on Japans D&D editions.