So I recently discovered Sword World.
Now you are probably wondering: what the hell is Sword World, and why am I suddenly so hyped about it? Well, let me tell you.
Sword World is a tabletop RPG system from Japan. It started back in the late ’80s because TSR, the people publishing Dungeons & Dragons, were apparently being a pain in the ass about letting translated versions of D&D get published over there. So Japan basically went, “Fine. We’ll make our own damn RPG.”
And thus, Sword World was born.
What Makes Sword World Different?
This is not a d20 system. It is a d6 system. Really, all you need is two six-sided dice to play it. Critical misses are snake eyes, and doubles are crits… I think.
Yes, I think, because I have not actually played Sword World yet.
I have just been reading up on the lore and compiling a giant book of it like a complete madman. Which honestly fits the name of this site pretty well. Sweet Insanity. Starting to make sense now, huh?
So What Is Sword World About?
Basically, the setting involves three swords that became gods, and two of them were being all pissy with each other. The third one, the Cardia blade, basically said, “No you will not,” and shattered itself. That broke the endless divine war and freed people and monsters from it… only for everybody to immediately go, “Cool, I still hate you though.”
So naturally, people kept fighting.
Then you have ancient civilizations, weird magic lords, lost technology, ruins, collapses, and all that good stuff. So the world ends up with traces of incredible old tech, but the people living in it are basically stuck in a fantasy era with no real clue how half of it works.
Which rules.
Why It Feels So Familiar
Now yes, on the surface this sounds kind of cliché. You are an adventurer, you go to a guild, you pick up jobs, and you head out. Sounds like every JRPG and fantasy anime ever made, right?
But that is the thing.
A lot of that stuff feels cliché because Sword World helped define it.
So when you realize that a ton of fantasy anime energy is basically running on Sword World fumes, what do you expect an ’80s weeaboo like me to do? Sit there calmly?
No. Absolutely not.
I am going to lose my mind over it, because this is extremely my kind of thing.
So yes, I am trying to drag more people into SWORD WORLD with me. Forget my own projects for a minute. I want you to get into this too, and hopefully maybe even play some.
How I Fell Into the Rabbit Hole
I am working on a lore book for it right now, but you do not have to wait for me to finish losing my sanity. You can start digging into Sword World right now.
Sword World is not officially in English yet, at least not fully, but there are fan sites, translators, and communities that have done a ton of work. That is where things got really wild for me.
I had known about Sword World for a few years already. Record of Lodoss War was one of my favorite anime growing up, so I was already orbiting this kind of stuff. Then I found out that Mugen Gaming was working on translating Sword World 2.5.
Mugen Gaming:
https://mugengaming.com/pages/sword-world
Definitely check out their page.
Because of that, I made this Discord:
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/PUnxFgZQZJ
Because when I like something, I do what I always do: I try to build a community around it and make friends through it.
Then while I was hanging around in Mugen’s Discord, some guy casually mentions that there is already a Sword World community.
So I am like, okay… what community?
Then I found this:
Sword World Community Discord:
https://discord.gg/ZyMmmTcStK
Mind blown.
They already had a huge server. And I was just sitting there like, OH MY GOD.
That is when I started finding all kinds of resources, translations, tools, lore, and community stuff. It honestly kind of floored me. So now I am here, writing this blog post, digging through everything I can get my hands on, and getting way too hyped to play Sword World.
And I think you should be too.
New Players — Start Here
Basics of SW2.5 Video Series
Highly recommended if you want the basics explained clearly.
SW2.5 Basic Rules Introduction by Jesari
https://gmbinder.com/share/-O9xxbHe0uFqFkdIEi5r
A great quick-start guide for new players.
Raxia: An Abbreviated Timeline
http://sw25.wikidot.com/lore:timeline
Rules and Translations
Official English Edition
https://mugengaming.com/pages/sword-world
SW2.5 Reference Wiki
Probably your go-to during play for rules, spells, monsters, and the Power Table.
Rule Books — English Translations
SW1.0 Rule Books
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HR6Kc2YUUoP81093K5A5IR1nEzlSx3A3
SW2.0 Rule Books
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qJnXqK9O6vctoFwUI1l_yLU6ErzeUZsH
SW2.5 Rule Books
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tg3hNkIw7sgAI8PH8XTEyMy6jpUO-thD
Scenario / Campaign Lookup Sheet
Using SW2.0 in SW2.5
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d-PndtLT5sWDukgtXIfoZIsWbWdDRd0g/view?usp=drive_link
Community
Sword World Translation Project Discord
This seems to be the main fan translation community. You can ask questions there directly.
r/SwordWorld
https://reddit.com/r/SwordWorld
Good for announcements, updates, and community discussion.
Guided by Cardia YouTube Channel
https://youtube.com/@guidedbycardia
Beginner-friendly videos on how to play.
Tools
Rules Quick Index
http://sw25.wikidot.com/rules:index
Power Table
http://sw25.wikidot.com/rules:power-table
Damage Simulator
https://sw25dmgsim.lovable.app/
Character Sheet
Support the Creators
BookWalker
If you want to support the original creators, this is a good place to buy the Japanese books digitally and support Group SNE and Kadokawa.
Virtual Tabletop Tools
Tabletop Simulator
https://store.steampowered.com/app/286160/Tabletop_Simulator/
SW2.5 Tabletop Simulator Module
This includes things like scripted character sheets, combat boards, tokens, maps, and a GM screen.
Final Pitch
Amazing, right?
Anyways, that is my pitch. Hopefully this gets a few more people interested, and maybe I make some new friends out of it too.
This has been Jayce Ran.
Over and out.
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