This is the setting for Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass. Published by 1985 Games, best known for its dice and its Dungeon Craft range of map and terrain packs, following a successful Kickstarter campaign, it is a campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, but do not let that put you off. Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass describes itself as ‘leisure fantasy’, intended to tell cozy, charming stories that are character rather than conflict driven. There is room still for conflict and heroism, but it is not necessarily the focus of the setting, or least not the whole focus. It is as much about exploration and interaction as conflict and heroism. Much of the charm of the setting is imparted by the illustrations which are a delight, done in the style of Studio Ghibli, also one of the inspirations for Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass, along with the Zelda series of computer games and the rural Japan of the eighties.
The setting and background to the island of Obojima is richly detailed. This includes the primary differences between it and any other Dungeons & Dragons setting. These are that it consists of the Primary Realm and the Spirit Realm only, that it possible to travel between the two, though getting in is usually easier than getting out, and that bustling markets, floating shrines, ghost ships, and megalithic temples might be found there. As Obojimans have no ‘souls’, there are no ghosts, though a spirit in the Primary Realm might act like one and technically no demons or fiends, though a sinful spirit might act like one. Numerous organisations, such as the Academic Adventurers of the AHA, the Knights of the Postal Service of Courier Brigade, Sword Schools, Witches and Covens, and more, which the Player Characters can interact with and even join, are detailed, along with numerous locations, each with NPCs, wandering encounter tables, points of interest, adventure hooks, and rumours and legends. There are notes too on the tone and vibe for each one, such as ‘Festive, Jovial, Inviting, Magical’ for Matango Village, Mysterious, Ancient, Hopeful, Ominous’ for the Temple of Shoom, a partially submerged ziggurat, ‘Adventurous Spirit, Innovation All Around, Industriousness’ for Sky Kite Valley, and ‘Witchy, Academical, Focused, Mysterious, Closed Off’ for the Domain of the Fish Head Coven. The names of these locations are evocative on their own, but each is richly detailed with lots of flavour that as player you want to have your character visit and as a Game Master you want to take the characters there. Even a minor location, such as the ‘Wandering Line’, train tracks that assemble out of nowhere and a three-car train appears to take the Player Characters anywhere they want as long as the Conductor accepts their payment for the tickets, and then both tracks and train disappear as soon as they alight (or are kicked off), feels fantastical and adorable. That said, in comparison, the millennia long history of Obojima is distinctly underwritten, but then it almost does not matter. There is plenty of room in that history for the Game Master to add her own details, but not enough history that it might get in the way of storytelling.
In terms of Player Character options, Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass provides four Ancestries, eleven Subclass Options, six new Backgrounds, twenty new Feats, and two new skills. The Ancestries are Humans, Dara, Elves, and Nakudama, but there are guidelines on how the other Dungeons & Dragons Ancestries might be brought into play. The Dara emerged from the forests of the island three centuries ago and are divided into two types. Blue Dara are tall, hairless, and have a single eye, and can create Knowledge Talismans that anyone can use to gain a one-off bonus to an ability check. Red Dara are short, have two eyes, and can create Might Talismans that grant a bonus to Saving Throws. All Dara can gain knowledge from the fingerprint-like glyphs left in the forests and can create a range of other talismans. Elves are born to human parents and are connected to the Spirit Realm as indicated by the Oaka Mark they each bear and the cantrip and extra spell that each Oaka Mark grants. Elves also have Ethereal Sight, enabling them to look into the Spirit Realm. The Nakudama are oldest people on Obojima, frog-like and amphibious with a grasping tongue, and highly social. The new Backgrounds include Apprentice of AHA, Apprentice Diver, Apprentice Witch, Courier Brigade Cadet, Mechanic, and Spirit Kin, and the new skills are Mechanic and Salvage. Feats include Boomerang Expert, Canden and Moon’s Master Cut, Tellu and Scale’s Master Cut, and Toraf and Bolder’s Master Cut for defeating a master at their respective sword schools, Potion Brewer for creating more potions and with finesse, and Nakudama’s Electric Bloodline or Nakudama’s Toxin Bloodline which awaken the abilities of the ancient Nakudama warring bloodlines.
Instead of whole new Classes, Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass provides an extra Subclass for the Classes in Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition. The features and abilities for some of these Subclasses come in play at First Level, mostly for the arcane spellcasters, but other at Third Level as standard and others later still. Only the Cleric does not receive a new Subclass, but the others consist of the Path of the Belly Brewer for the Barbarian, College of Masks for the Bard, Circle of the Petal for the Druid, The Spirit-Fused for the Fighter, the Sheep Dragon Shepherd for the Monk, the Oath of the River for the Paladin, the Corrupted Ranger for the Ranger, the Waxwork Rogue for the Rogue, the Oni Bloodline for the Sorcerer, The Lantern for the Warlock, and the Origami Mage for the Wizard.
Many of these Subclasses are a delight. For example, Circle of the Petal enables the Druid infuse the magic of the island into flower petals, summoning them to perform a dance, improving Armour Class, making lunge attacks with them, and even taking damage for allies, and later imbuing the petals with life to form beasts that serve the Druid, whilst The Spirit-Fused Fighter becomes the vessel for a spirit that has died and channel its essence to increase damage, into objects to various effect such as finding objects, bonding with a First Age vehicle like a bicycle or moped which is indestructible and can be summoned anywhere for a hour, and later cast the Jolt cantrip to power technology. The downside is that The Spirit-Fused Fighter only has access to a couple of these channelling options, when all of them are good. The Sheep Dragon Shepherd for Monk brings the skills and abilities herding sheep dragons, often regarded as the epitome of goodness and authenticity on the island, to bear in other situations. This includes summoning allies he can see closer to him, to blast enemies using the Sheep Dragon’s wind pistol, to deflect attacks against allies, and even walk in the air.
Perhaps the strangest is Corrupted Ranger, whose body has somehow become fouled by the strange magic. When struck, the Corrupted Ranger gains curse markers which are then released as necrotic damage when the Corrupted Ranger strikes an opponent, and his body sometimes seems to act or move of its volition (this allows the Corrupted Ranger to replace the result of a Strength or Dexterity check with a set value rather than a rolled value). In the long term, the Corrupted Ranger suffers an ailment like greying vision, failing lungs, or loss of feel. With the Oni Bloodline, the Sorcerer has an Oni trapped within him, desperate to get free. Oni traits—eyes, horns, skin, tongue, and hair—manifest the more Sorcery Points that the Sorcerer expends. The Oni traits grant abilities of their own, such as charismatic eyes and tongue that adds a fear component to any spell with a verbal component. However, with this Subclass it does feel as if there should be more of a downside to transforming into an Oni.
The magic and ordinariness of Obojima continue with the equipment. There are martial weapons such as a Secret Stone Sword, Sheperd Crook, and Vertebrae Sword—the tines of which can be twisted off for extra damage, but the simple melee weapons include fans, frying pans, iron tea kettles, and umbrellas! Magical items are delightfully mundane, such as a Burnright Brand Hair Dryer which can be used to cast Burning Hands, Cone of Cold, and Gust of Wind; a CRT TV & Chicken Timer that records a fuzzy video of events in its vicinity; Cube of Cubes, which is used to cast a particular spell when one of its sides is solved; a Gametoy which activates a different skill proficiency every time a new cartridge is inserted into it; and a Ruby Red Bike, that when ridden at the right speed creates a Wall of Fire spell!
Since the island is restricted to two planes—the Primary Realm and the Spirit Realm—Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass omits spells that deal with other planes, such as Astral Projection, Plane Shift, and Teleport, as well as reality-altering spells like Wish and True Resurrection. It includes its own spells amongst the various lists for the spellcasting Classes. For example, Butterfly Storm creates a cloud of butterflies that obscures an area, but also clears fog and smoke; Festival King temporarily turns a target into a festival king complete with gaudy crown and cape who enamours anyone who comes too close to him; Origami Bird Swarm launches a flock of origami birds at a target inflicting slashing damage; and with Create Spirit Train Stop, the caster creates a temporary stop for the Wandering Line.
The biggest change to magic in Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass is its emphasis upon potions. They come in three types and three rarities. Combat potions such as Rabbit’s Speed, Gargoyle Hooch, and Dragon Frog Transmutation grants bonuses and benefits in a fight. Utility potions like Detective’s Tonic, Pocket Stomach, Breakfast in a Bottle, and Umi’s Powerful Undertow provide advantages and benefits out of combat. Whimsical potions such as Melodious Bird Calls, Pocket Portal, and Chicken Chaser grant odd, even silly benefits. Potions are further divided by their rarity, which can be common, uncommon, or rare. Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass gives sixty for each type of potion for each rarity, for a total of five-hundred-and-forty potions, all of them inventive, all of them interesting, and all of them illustrated. Yet, that is not all.
Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass includes detailed rules for brewing potions too. Numerous ingredients are listed and illustrated, again common, uncommon, or rare, and again, delightful in their detail. For example, a Living Spud is an uncommon ingredient, a potato that pops up out of the ground and wanders off on a long meandering trek, revered wherever it goes, whilst Bubble Gum is rare, found stuck to floors, walls, under tables, and the bottom of shoes, typically in ruined buildings from the First Age. Unchewed Bubble Gum still in its wrapper is rarer still. Many of the common ingredients can be purchased, but others have to foraged for, and Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass lists the ingredients by region too. Once found—and regional almanacs can help with that, they can be scanned with an Arcane Detection Kit to determine their suitability and added to the pot. Each ingredient has a rating for its Combat, Utility, and Whimsy rating. When a potion is brewed, three ingredients are used and the Combat, Utility, and Whimsy ratings for all three are added together. The highest of the three values determines the category of the potion and its actual type. What this means is that there is no one way in which to brew a particular potion. Mechanically, it comes down to the numbers, but thematically, it gives a lot of flexibility, and the Player Character wanting to focus on potions, through play, he can create his own recipe book. Further, potions only take ten minutes to brew, so the process does not slow play, and of course, finding the right potion and the right ingredients can an adventure in itself.
However, there is no skill check associated with potion brewing and so no chance that it can go wrong. Although anyone can brew potions, the Player Character options for brewing are slightly underwhelming. There is no Subclass option which specialises in brewing potion, so no potion master or alchemist. There is the Potion Brewer Feat, which primarily allows the potion brewer to choose from the two highest totals of Combat, Utility, and Whimsy ratings, and the Apprentice Witch background begins with some ingredients and with the Coven Witch Feat, the Player Character will know two potion recipes. Another option is the Path of the Belly Brewer Subclass for the Barbarian, which brews concoctions in his stomach. However, this is all internalised, so only he can use the results rather than they be bottle for use by the rest of the party and whilst the Barbarian can learn common potion recipes, he is limited in what can learn. This is a missed opportunity.
Character development is encouraged not to be just mechanical in Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass. During character creation a player is encouraged to create some goals, weaknesses, desires, and so on for his character as well as think about what the character will be like at Tenth Level. The Game Master is encouraged to account for these in the campaign and as part of Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass’ ‘Hero’s Journey Boon System’ reward the player for good roleplaying and for the character changing and evolving through play. Boons can also be lost if the character reverts from the change and not all of Boons are positive. For example, the Mercy Boon is earned when a Player Character has the power to deal out judgement, but learns the compassion and understanding to hold back. When the Player Character makes an attack that would reduce an opponent below zero Hit Points, he can forgo the damage and instead make a Charisma skill check with Advantage. Whereas the Selfishness Boon is gained when a Player Character’s actions have been to the detriment of those closest to him and means that when he takes damage, he can instead heal Hit Points for every ally he has close by, and they suffer necrotic damage in return! There are some great roleplaying opportunities here, but as the authors advise, not all of these boons are going sit well with every group and they should definitely discuss their inclusion at the start of a campaign.
Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass has an extensive bestiary, and whilst it includes monsters in the traditional since, the emphasis is on friends and foes, on companion spirits and their goals, and on antagonists rather than enemies. Companions, typically spirits such as an animated pocket video game, flying goose spirit, animated bubbles, or a flaying radish, are NPCs, controlled by the Game Master. They give her another way to interact with the players and their characters, drive stories, and so on. The advice for creating and running antagonists is excellent, focusing not just on why an antagonist is acting the way he is, but also the ultimate outcome of the Player Characters’ interactions with him. The bestiary is really engaging and fantastically illustrated, from the Cat Of Prodigious Size, the Corrupted Muk that emerges from pools of Corruption, Dragons, and Dragon Frogs to Goro Goro (or Sake Demon), Mosslings, Sheep Dragons, Skeletal Fish, and Soda Slimes.
Lastly, Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass includes three adventures. In ‘The Curious World Within’, the Player Characters help out a Postal Knight and are shrunk to the size of a mouse in order to find a letter in a witch’s house; ‘Below the Shallows’ sends the Player Characters to the ocean floor to explore a sunken town in search of a kite-plane hijacked and stolen by fish folk pirates; and after saving a Dara novelist and her dog companion from a dangerous howler attack (howlers are humanoid hyenas) in ‘Lost Within The Crawling Canopy’, the Player Characters are engulfed by the Crawling Canopy, a moving forest that roams the Gale Fields. What is odd is that none of the three adventures is for First Level Player Characters, which leaves Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass without a clear starting point.
Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass is a setting with secrets, and more importantly, a setting that will raise questions from the players. Most commonly, why is there eighties technology from Japan on the island? Penultimately, in a chapter for the Game Master’s eyes only, ‘Mysteries, History, and More’, the designers do address this and other mysteries. In some cases, there is no definitive answer, and in others, multiple possible answers are given, leaving it to in-world and in-game discussion to debate as much as decide on the answer. This may not satisfy every Game Master, but it keeps the setting mysterious and magical.
Physically, Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass is presented in a very clean and accessible fashion. What stands out though, is the artwork, which is superb, depicting both the world and its tone, whilst making its inspirations clear. Pick this book up and you are transported to another world on the strength of the art alone.
Roleplaying games which take inspiration from Studio Ghibli are not new; Golden Sky Stories and Ryuutama being the most well known examples. However, no roleplaying game or setting has embraced or depicted that inspiration as strongly as Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass. Whilst Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass is not perfect, it successfully and engagingly brings its world to life, first through its illustrations, and then through its description. Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass presents a world that you would be happy to see on screen or in a manga or play on a screen, but lets you roleplay in it, explore it, experience its charm, and delve into its mysteries. Obojima: Tales From The Tall Grass becalms Dungeons & Dragons in a world of wonder and whimsy and it is utterly adorable.
