Obligatory opening statement; I’m not a D&D guy.  When I read adventures that are meant for any of the various editions of D&D, I come at them from the angle of raiding them for other games.  Often the D&D adjacent Dungeon Crawl Classics, and more recently the streamlined Shadowdark.  Second disclaimer to go along with this review; generally I don’t like anime.  I’ve seen a ton of it, though not as much from the last 20 years, as I no longer interact with as many people convinced that I don’t know my own mind, and actually DO like anime, who then spend a great deal of time trying to convince me of my mistake.  

I picked this adventure up on Free RPG Day 2025.  It’s for the Obojima setting for D&D 5e, which takes a great deal of inspiration from various anime, manga, and Japanese RPG video games, especially from the 1980s, especially from Miyazaki.  I haven’t read the Obojima book (is it out yet?), so I’m not really familiar with the setting.  A few things that popped up in this adventure surprised me quite a bit, because they seemed so anachronistic.  But I quickly realized the writers are going for a slightly different type of setting than I originally expected.  It seems that Obojima is intended to be more on the “cozy” side of gaming.  That’s not really something 5e is built to handle well, and many other systems would likely fit much better.  However, I also understand financial reality. And the reality is, if you want more people to notice your stuff, you’ve got to link it with 5e.  

The adventure itself is quite short.  Though I don’t think the setting is really for me, I can definitely see taking elements and dropping it into another game.  I like the idea of having scenarios where success doesn’t need to come at the end of a blade, where talking and problem solving can win the day.  That said, combat seems a fairly likely outcome, if perhaps necessary.  It sometimes feel like the default assumption of the authors is that the PCs are going to be greedy little violence goblins, which seems odd considering the setting.  Perhaps they’re expecting this to be run at cons or something, where folks may not be familiar with the setting.  From what I understand of the setting, it seems like if players were interested in exploring it, they’d best lean more toward the roleplaying and thinking, VS the killing and thieving.  But maybe I’m being naïve.

Obojima’s particular mix of magic and tech doesn’t really land with me, though the idea of providing non-violent paths to solve problems does.  I’ve been kicking around a rebuilt Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, which I’ve thought about running in either DCC or Shadowdark, and I can actually see several elements from this adventure making their way over.  So, I’m definitely glad I read it.  If you’re into those 80s anime, manga, and JRPGs, you may click with the setting more than me. 

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