D&D is huge, even synonymous with TTRPG in the US, but in some Asian countries it’s another game that’s making the running.
We all know which tabletop role-playing game dominates the US market. Dungeons & Dragons is not only the oldest, but also the biggest and most successful ttrpg in the US. According to Screen Rant, Call of Cthulhu is bigger than D&D as a role-playing game in Japan.
Call of Cthulhu’s English-language publisher Chaosium and its partner for localization in Japan, Arclight, both confirmed that CoC is Japan’s leading TTRPG, and has remained the “most played” system since 2011. Michael O’Brien, Vice President of Chaosium, told Screen Rant, “While in the United States and UK, ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ is something of a generic term for tabletop roleplaying games in general, in Japan it’s ‘Call of Cthulhu.’ That attests to Call of Cthulhu’s popularity in Japan.”
– Screen Rant
Call of Cthulhu is apparently a big hit not only in Japan, but also in South Korea.
Speaking with Polygon, Sungil Kim of Dayspring Games said that the tabletop role-playing market in Korea isn’t large to begin with, but the Lovecraft-inspired game has quickly dominated it.
– Polygon
According to Sungil Kim’s statement in the Polygon interview, the Call of Cthulhu rulebook was even one of the 100 best-selling books in Korea.
The success of CoC in Japan is not a new phenomenon, but has existed for at least five years. The cover artwork is different, of course, and looks great. Just google them.
Leave a Reply