by Emma Recher
Ghosts, Glamour, and Gumption: Welcome to Tanto Cuore: Memento Mori
by Emma Recher
Madness, Myth, and Madness... Welcome to Kamigami Battles – Rise of the Old Ones
The stars are wrong. The oceans churn. Something ancient has awakened—and it's looking to deck you. In Kamigami Battles: Rise of the Old Ones, the gods of madness and myth have decided it’s their turn to rumble. The elder gods have risen, and rather than causing the immediate collapse of civilization, they’ve chosen a much more refined method of domination: divine combat with a deck of cards and a flair for the dramatic. Cthulhu? Present.Nyarlathotep? Absolutely.A disturbingly strategic octopus in formalwear? You know it. Deck-Building with a Hint of Madness At its core, Rise of the Old Ones is a deck-building battle of cosmic proportions—except instead of noble gods or martial heroes, you're commanding Lovecraftian horrors and eldritch champions who'd rather drive you mad than shake your hand. Each player chooses an elder god and builds a deck around that entity's twisted strengths. You'll recruit Champions, collect Artifacts, and tap into Domain Power—a unique resource system that fuels your growing influence. Artifacts aren’t just shiny extras—they’re potent tools that can tip the balance of power, offering passive buffs, nasty surprises, or combo synergy that makes your deck hum (or howl, depending on your deity). Gameplay is all about balance: do you ramp up your domain and tech into long-term power, or rush your opponent with overwhelming force before they can summon that unspeakable abomination hiding in their deck? Champions bring tactical variety, while Artifacts and Domain Power add layers of timing, tempo, and delicious dread. You'll need to adapt, exploit synergies, and know when to go full tentacle. And when the stars are right? Well, let’s just say your opponents won’t know what hit them. (Or which dimension it came from.) So: ready to shuffle the unknowable and deck the divine? Of course not. But you’re going to try anyway. Madness makes it fun Want more tentacules? We’ve got expansions for that. Into the Dreamlands adds the full surreal horror of dreams turned sideways. The Stars Are Right unleashes even more cosmic chaos, introducing powers that might cost you your lead—or your grip on reality. Mix and match them with the core game, or throw them in with other Kamigami sets for a battle of mythological proportions. Eldritch Beauty, Anime Bravado It’s spooky. It’s stylish. It’s surprisingly colorful for a game about world-ending nightmares. The card art blends otherworldly horror with dynamic anime-inspired action—and you’ll either love it, or it will love you back from beyond the veil. (Same difference.) Still on the fence? Check out this review from Board Game Heaven for a closer look at the gameplay, mechanics, and just how much existential dread can fit into a deck-builder. So, if you’re ready to channel madness, command mythic beasts, and possibly sacrifice your sanity for a shot at victory—this is your divine invitation. Shuffle the unknowable. Draw from the void.And above all: play to win, even if it costs you your mind.
by Emma Recher
Magic, Mana, and Mayhem: Conquer the Black Clover: Star Festival
by Emma Recher
Our Approach to the Tariffs
As everyone knows, the ongoing Tariff Situation is affecting companies across the entire board game industry. Japanime Games is not immune to these tariffs, and today we wanted to take the time to share our approach to handling these tariffs, direct from the mouth of our President, Eric Price. - To our Japanime Games Fans - I have been in China for the last several weeks, visiting with many factories to learn more about their processes, sustainability efforts, and how they are handling the tariffs. I decided to make this trip a few months ago because of the fact that I was working with a few new factories for Japanime Games projects, and I wanted hands on experience to discuss projects in process. As many of you are aware, tariffs on Chinese made goods went up across the board by 10% on February 4th. When this happened, I thought, well, we can absorb that. This is frustrating, but we can absorb those costs. Then, on March 4th, it went up to a staggering 20% tariff across the board. This... not so easy. At this point, I was actively considering what we can do to reduce costs and implement changes to compensate for these additional taxes being imposed on American businesses. This is very pressing topic for all in the game industry, but I realize that not all Americans understand tariffs, and what the implications are here. The Trump administration has, in essence, enacted massive taxes onto businesses that source any goods from outside of the United States. This has been propagandized as “taxing China”, but the real truth is that this is taxing Americans. Instituting these massive tariffs on American businesses has not been done with any kind of structure or roll out. 50 years ago, about 25% of Americans were employed in manufacturing jobs. Now, that number is only 10%. We, as a nation, have relied on overseas manufacturing more and more, throughout my lifetime, and for good or for bad, this attempt at an instant reversal on policy and manufacturing is very damaging to both our American businesses and our entire economy. I arrived in China in mid-March, and well… things changed even more while I was there. Last week the tariff rate jumped to 54%, and now (on the day that I wrote this, and was flying back home to America!), up to 104%. By the time that I landed back in the states, the tariff rate had gone up to 125% (look what can happen on an 11 hour flight!), and of course… up to 145% the very next day. You know how they jokingly say “Nobody could have guessed this!” when people complain about the tariffs having been enacted, because "Trump is simply doing what he said he would do when he came into office"? Well, truly, nobody did expect this kind of escalation. There were extreme talks of 35% tariffs before he came back into office, which I really thought was an overblown exaggeration. I was expecting 10-20%. ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE PERCENT was not on my bingo card. Real world math: When tariffs are at 145%, this means if our production cost was $100,000 with the factory, that means when we ship the goods to the USA and they arrive at the port, we then must pay an ADDITIONAL $145,000 to the US government so we can have the goods enter the country. So instead of a total $100,000 production cost, it becomes a total of $254,000 cost. This doesn’t include the freight forwarding fees or fulfillment fees. To be very clear, China does not pay these tariff fees. We, the businesses, do. Boardgames have been duty free for a very long time, and there was not any additional fees for when our products entered the country. Now that the Trump administration has decided to place a blanket tariff on all Chinese goods, this is greatly affecting our industry. Can it get worse than 145%? Well, sure, it’s hard to know how far Trump is willing to take this… but it feels to me that it is likely to go back in the other direction, soon enough. This feels like extreme posturing for ‘negotiations’, as it has elevated to such a high level so quickly. I do hope it turns around soon, to a more realistic and manageable collaboration. In response to these tariffs, we have decided at Japanime that we must raise our prices in the near future to compensate for these huge increases in production expenses. We have not decided as of yet whether this will be in the form of a tariff surcharge, or if we will be raising the retail prices directly, but this will go into effect at the end of April. This gives a little time for our distribution and retail partners to order products before pricing goes up (and also fans of our games and accessories), and it also gives us a chance to see if things bounce back to a more reasonable tariff before we increase prices. If the tariff situation returns to a more manageable situation soon, we will reevaluate the need for price increases. As always, we appreciate your support. I have no concerns that we will weather this setback, but we do need to be smart about it. For those interested in reading more about how the tariff trade war is affecting others in our industry, my friend W. Eric Martin recently wrote this piece on BGG: https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/172898/tariff-talk-from-publishers-on-costs-sales-convent Additionally, this article in the Washington Times quotes GAMA, the Game Manufacturer’s Association – Of which I am also on the board of directors https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/apr/8/american-board-game-industry-fears-devastation-trumps-tariffs/ Thank you for your understanding, friends. We will get through this, and we will keep enjoying anime, and keep enjoying games. Eric Price President, Japanime Games What Does It Mean to Raise Prices? Raising prices is not something that we want to do. We know that this price increase will affect everyone from the distributors to the retailers to the consumers - but in light of the increase we are being forced to pay to bring new games (and re-prints of old games) to the US we have to do something to make up these costs. However, as we stated above, even though the prices on some of our new releases will be higher than what we advertised, backers will not be charged the difference. These prices will only affect games going forward in retail. These price increases will be as minimal as possible, and if the tariff situation changes between now and when these prices go into effect, we will have time to reverse or change them if needed. We are in no way attempting to take advantage of this situation. We will only raise prices by the minimum amount possible. But what this does mean is that some of our new releases and up-coming products like Black Clover: Star Festival and Oshi Push: The Vtuber Trading Card game will most likely be increasing. As with anyone in the board game industry currently trying to navigate these increased costs of business, we are keeping an eye on the evolving situation. The last thing we want to do is raise our prices or delay any game releases. Please keep an eye on our e-mails and social posts as we bring you the most up-to-date information we can.
by Emma Recher
Tactics, Teamwork, and Triumph: Dive into Japanime Tactics
The battlefield is quiet—too quiet. A lone figure steps forward, her cape fluttering in the wind, cards in hand and a confident smirk playing on her lips. Somewhere across the modular terrain, her opponent waits, biding time, ready to strike. You draw your next action card. It’s a game of wits, guts, and a bit of anime flair. Welcome to Japanime Tactics This isn’t your average tactics game. No spreadsheets. No six-hour turns. Just fast-paced, smartly designed skirmishes where anime heroes clash in battles of brains and bravado. Build Your Dream Team (Yes, Even That One...) In Japanime Tactics, assembling your squad is half the battle—and all the fun. You’ll pick from a growing roster of anime-style characters, each with unique stats and action cards that make them feel like they leapt right out of your favorite series. Whether you like agile rogues, tanky bruisers, or support units who also moonlight as pop idols, there’s a tactical combo waiting to be discovered. The action is powered by a clever card-matching system. Each character has stat icons, and your action cards are more effective when those stats align. Planning your team and your deck becomes a satisfying puzzle—like building a killer playlist, but for tactical takedowns. One Map, Endless Mayhem The modular terrain changes every match. Want tight corridors for close-range chaos? You got it. Prefer wide-open fields for snipers and spellcasters? Done. You and your opponent will duel it out across different scenarios—from control point showdowns to all-out brawls—and no two games play out the same. Victory comes to those who plan well and pivot better. Every card you play, every move you make—it matters. You’ll be chewing on strategy while also yelling “I knew you’d do that!” across the table. It’s Only Getting Bigger Here’s the kicker: Japanime Tactics is built to expand. That means more characters, more maps, and more campaigns to throw your squad into. The upcoming Sword Art Online: Alicization campaign? Oh yeah—it’s coming, and it’s going to level up your whole playbook. Let’s just say digital duels and new dimensions are about to shake things up in a big way. Strategy That Looks This Good? Yes Please. With vibrant anime art, sturdy acrylic standees, and an aesthetic that screams “this game belongs on your table,” Japanime Tactics is as fun to look at as it is to play. Your characters don’t just fight—they pose dramatically while doing it. So whether you’re in it for the combos, the chaos, or just to flex your unbeatable team, Japanime Tactics delivers sharp gameplay wrapped in stylish strategy. Gather your squad, shuffle your deck, and make your move—because on this battlefield, only the bold win.
by Emma Recher
What Kind of RPG Player Are You, Really?