Fabula Ultima

Last updated
Fabula Ultima
Fabula Ultima RPG cover.jpg
Designers Emanuele Galletto
IllustratorsCatthy Trinh, Moryo
PublishersNeed Games
Publication2023
Genres tabletop role-playing game, fantasy

Fabula Ultima is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game inspired by Japanese role-playing video games such as the Final Fantasy series. It was designed by Emanuele Galletto, illustrated by Catthy Trinh and Moryo, and published by Need Games in 2023. [1] [2] The game won 2023 ENNIE Awards for Best Game and Product of the Year. [3] [4]

Contents

Gameplay

Fabula Ultima's dice mechanics were inspired by Ryuutama. Character abilities are described using an increasing die sizea d6 reflecting weakness, up to a d12 representing significant prowesschallenges are resolved with a dice pool composed of the dice of two stats, or of a single stat twice, and attempting to meet a given total. Character bonds, backstory, and themes can allow a player to reroll dice for better results. [1]

Reception

Fabula Ultima won two 2023 ENNIE Awards: the Gold ENnie for Best Game and the Silver ENnie for Product of the Year. [3] Matt Jarvis for Dicebreaker called the game, "everything I could hope for from a Final Fantasy-like tabletop RPG." [1] Alex Meehan for Dicebreaker named Fabula Ultima one of the best tabletop role-playing games to play in 2024. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indie role-playing game</span> Aspect of role-playing game publishing

An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published by individuals or small press publishers, in contrast to games published by large corporations. Indie tabletop role-playing game designers participate in various game distribution networks, development communities, and gaming conventions, both in person and online. Indie game designer committees grant annual awards for excellence.

Evil Hat Productions is a company that produces role-playing games and other tabletop games. They are best known for the free indie RPG system Fate, Blades in the Dark, and Thirsty Sword Lesbians, all of which have won multiple awards.

<i>Blades in the Dark</i> Tabletop fantasy role-playing game

Blades in the Dark is a tabletop fantasy role-playing game by John Harper, set in a fictional city of Doskvol, inspired by Victorian London and Gothic fiction. The game was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2015 and published at the start of 2017.

Modiphius Entertainment is a tabletop role-playing game and board game publisher based in Fulham, London that is known for licensed adaptations of established media. Notable titles include Star Trek Adventures, Fallout the Roleplaying Game,Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork, and the Mass Effect board game.

<i>Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game</i> 2022 tabletop role-playing game

Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game produced by Magpie Games. It is set in the world of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, and takes place in five different time periods. Players take the roles of martial artists, technological experts, or benders – people who can manipulate one of the four classical elements – who fight for balance in the world while also working towards their own goals and struggling with inner balance, represented by opposing ideals held by a character.

<i>City of Mist</i> Tabletop role-playing game

City of Mist is an urban fantasy neo-noir detective tabletop role-playing game (RPG) designed by Amít Moshe and published by Son of Oak Game Studio. The game is set in a modern-day metropolis where ordinary people of all walks of life become modern-day reincarnations of myths, legends, and fairy tales, gaining magical powers and abilities.

<i>Thirsty Sword Lesbians</i> 2021 tabletop role-playing game

Thirsty Sword Lesbians is a narrative-focused tabletop role-playing game that emphasizes telling "melodramatic and queer stories". The game was funded via a 2020 Kickstarter campaign and published by Evil Hat Productions in 2021. It uses a modification of the Powered by the Apocalypse game system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucian Kahn</span> American game designer and musician

Lucian Kahn is an American role-playing game writer/designer and musician based in Brooklyn. His work focuses on LGBT, Jewish, and subcultural themes, typically utilizing satire and farce. His games include Visigoths vs. Mall Goths,If I Were a Lich, Man, and Dead Friend: A Game of Necromancy, and his music includes Schmekel.

<i>Visigoths vs. Mall Goths</i> Urban fantasy tabletop role-playing game

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths is an urban fantasy tabletop role-playing game with LGBTQ dating sim elements by Lucian Kahn, with art by Robin Eisenberg. The ancient Visigoths have time traveled to 1990s Los Angeles and are battling mall goths for control of the mall. The game's tone is silly and the setting has many puns. The game was inspired by 1990s movies The Craft, Empire Records, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Clueless.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mörk Borg</span> Heavy metal tabletop role-playing game

Mörk Borg is a tabletop role-playing game inspired by heavy metal music, created by Swedish game designers Pelle Nilsson and Johan Nohr and published by Free League Publishing in February 2020. The game features dark themes, frequent character death, and a doom metal playlist. The title means "dark fort" in Swedish.

<i>Brindlewood Bay</i> Murder mystery tabletop role-playing game

Brindlewood Bay is a murder mystery tabletop role-playing game about elderly women amateur detectives, inspired by Murder, She Wrote and H. P. Lovecraft. It was designed by Jason Cordova and was published by Gauntlet Publishing after a 2022 Kickstarter campaign raised $477,518 from 7,748 backers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaesen (RPG)</span> Tabletop role-playing game

Vaesen is a horror mystery tabletop role-playing game published by Free League Publishing in 2020, with illustrations by Johan Egerkrans. It draws from mythology and folklore and focuses on monster-hunting. The game has won multiple ENNIE Awards.

Free League Publishing is a game studio and publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden, formed in 2011. The company designs and publishes tabletop role-playing games, board games, and books based on licensed properties and independent works. Their games include Alien: The Roleplaying Game, Vaesen, and Mörk Borg.

Sky Team is a two-player board game where participants act as pilot and co-pilot to safely land an airplane. It was designed by Luc Rémond and published by Le Scorpion Masqué in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If I Were a Lich, Man</span> 2023 comedic tabletop role-playing games

If I Were a Lich, Man is a boxed set of three comedic, Jewish tabletop role-playing games about creative resistance against authoritarianism. The games were written by Lucian Kahn and illustrated by Ezra Rose. The box contains three games: "If I Were a Lich, Man," "Same Bat Time, Same Bat Mitzvah," and "Grandma's Drinking Song." It was published by Hit Point Press in 2023 after the publisher's kickstarter campaign raised $84,590 in two weeks. It won an ENNIE Award and an Indie Game Developer Network award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outgunned</span> 2024 tabletop role-playing game

Outgunned is a heroic action tabletop role-playing game by Riccardo Sirignano and Simone Formicola. It was inspired by the action movies John Wick and Die Hard. It was published in 2024 after raising €286,323 on Kickstarter. Outgunned won two 2024 Silver ENNIE Awards for "Best Game" and "Product of the Year."

<i>Trophy RPG</i> 2022 tabletop role-playing game

Trophy RPG is a psychological horror tabletop role-playing game by Jesse Ross about doomed treasure hunters in the woods. There are two versions of the game: Trophy Dark and Trophy Gold. Trophy Dark is designed for single session play, while Trophy Gold is designed for longer campaigns. Both versions were published by Gauntlet Publishing in 2022 after a successful Kickstarter campaign raised $210,141. Trophy RPG won the silver medal for "Best Game" at the 2023 ENNIE Awards.

Sharang Biswas is an Indian American designer/writer of tabletop role-playing games and interactive media, a writer of speculative fiction, an adjunct professor of game studies at NYU Game Center, and a freelance games journalist. His work focuses on LGBTQ and science fiction and fantasy themes. Biswas has won multiple awards for his game writing work as both a solo designer and a collaborator: one IndieCade award, four ENNIE Awards, and two Indie Game Developer Network awards. He was an Artist in Residence at the Museum of the Moving Image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mausritter</span> 2020 tabletop role-playing game

Mausritter is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game by Isaac Williams about adventurous mice. It won the 2021 Gold ENNIE Award for "Best Family Game/Product."

<i>Sleepaway</i> (game) Tabletop role-playing game

Sleepaway is a horror indie role-playing game by Jay Dragon about teenage counselors at a summer camp trying to protect misfit campers from a monster called the Lindworm that takes on the form of its victims. It has themes of trauma, LGBTQ community support, and non-binary gender exploration. Sleepaway was inspired by slasher films and the Belonging Outside Belonging game system by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jarvis, Matt (2023-06-13). "Fabula Ultima is the Final Fantasy tabletop RPG I've always dreamed of". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  2. Newcome-Beill, Alice (2023-08-05). "You can already buy Gen Con's Ennie-winning RPGs". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  3. 1 2 "2023 Nominees and Winners – ENNIE Awards" . Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  4. Meehan, Alex (2023-08-07). "Avatar RPG, Blade Runner RPG and Vaesen snatch multiple Ennie awards at Gen Con 2023". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  5. Meehan, Alex (2022-02-21). "Best tabletop RPGs 2024 (that aren't Dungeons & Dragons 5E)". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2024-09-26.