Magnetic Press has today revealed a partnership with the powerhouse animation studio TMS Entertainment for a Lupin the 3rd tabletop RPG.
The roleplaying game will use the D6MV system, that’s the engine based on West End Games’ D6 System (Ghostbusters, Star Wars) and modified by Magnetic Press Play. The Magnetic Variant will also be used on the publisher’s first RPG, Carbon Grey.
Lupin the 3rd’s 50th anniversary is coming up, with the first animation making a debut on October 24th, 1971. To celebrate, Magnetic Press won’t just be making the tabletop game but publishing a 50th-anniversary coffee table art book for the series as well.
Mike Kennedy, Founder and Publisher of Magnetic Press, told the press;
As a lifelong anime fan, Lupin the 3rd has always been a standout favorite. The charm, wit, and thrills of that entire series, from Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro to the latest Lupin III: The First, have transcended the test of time to become an evergreen of fun entertainment. We’re excited to not only capture that storied history in a beautiful Anniversary Coffee Table book, but to offer a doorway into that universe through a new tabletop RPG.”
In the forthcoming Lupin the 3rd RPG, players will take part in fast-paced adventures and cleverly calculated heists. The game uses an open-world quest system that Magnetic suggests is reminiscent of collectable card games and video RPGs.
Lupin the 3rd, the anime, follows Arsene Lupin III, a master thief and grandson of Arsene Lupin. Arsene Lupin is the fictional character created by Maurice Leblanc for stories like Gentleman Burglar. Leblanc and the series are often described as the French counterpart to Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes.
Fortunately for Monkey Punch, the mangaka who created Lupin the 3rd, and associated publishers, Leblanc’s character is now in the public domain.
There have now been more than 250 serialised episodes of the show and many feature-length movies, with Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro (Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial debut) as perhaps the most widely known.
This month, Sentai Filmworks announced it had licensed Lupin the 3rd: Part VI for North America, Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia. They described this latest OVA;
Gentleman thief Lupin III is back and ready for his next caper— unless legendary sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, has anything to say about it! When Holmes’ longtime partner, Dr. Watson, is murdered, none other than Lupin tops the suspects list. With Holmes fast closing in, Lupin must prove his innocence and bring a shadowy organization called The Raven to heel if he wants to live to steal another day.
Masami Tokunaga, Senior Vice President of TMS Entertainment USA, Inc, said of the Magnetic Press deal and forthcoming TTRPG;
We’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Magnetic Press to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lupin the 3rd franchise. Having grown up with the series, I cannot begin to describe how incredibly exciting it has been to have watched the Lupin the 3rd universe expand and evolve throughout the years. I am greatly looking forward to the release of these new offerings from Magnetic Press, as they will provide fans the ability to experience Lupin in a capacity like never before; I cannot think of a better way to celebrate this momentous anniversary.”
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