Gates of Krystalia: The Card-Based Anime JRPG TTRPG

Gates of Krystalia is a tabletop JRPG inspired by anime, isekai, mobile games and videogames. Instead of dice, each player uses a standard 52-card poker deck, not tarot cards, in a way we have never seen used before in a TTRPG. The deck represents your Vital Energy and is also used to resolve challenges, techniques and combat. During the campaign, you will discover exactly how this system works and why it creates a very different rhythm from traditional dice-based games. The project was publicly launched with its first Kickstarter in late August 2024 and, in just two years, has grown into a range of more than 40 physical products, available in up to six languages: English, Italian, French, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.

Our localizations are handled by translators who are native or fully bilingual in both Italian and the target language, to preserve the meaning, terminology and cultural nuances of the original content. From the beginning, our goal has also been to move away from the traditional, academic-looking two-column TTRPG layout and create a highly visual and immersive experience where every page constantly stimulates the reader. The Core Rulebook alone features more than 800 illustrations, making it the most heavily illustrated TTRPG core book ever created. AI has never been used to write Gates of Krystalia, design its rules, create its worldbuilding or develop any other part of the game. Its use was limited exclusively to part of the illustrations created by our illustrator and co-author Andrea Ruggeri. This AI-assisted phase was fundamental in allowing the project to exist in the first place: at the beginning, we simply did not have the budget or time required to commission the enormous amount of artwork necessary for such an ambitious visual approach.

Over time, our range has therefore included a combination of AI-assisted artwork, fully human-created illustrations and products already featuring exclusively human-made artwork. Our goal now is to replace all remaining AI-assisted visuals with artwork created entirely by human artists. This process has already started, but with hundreds of illustrations involved, it is necessarily long, gradual and extremely expensive. Every single product offered through this campaign will be completely AI-free. On our Instagram channel, you will be able to find videos, work-in-progress images and creation steps shared directly by the illustrators who collaborated with us. When an artist was unable to record their process, they will still be clearly credited in the campaign, and we will also publish interviews introducing the artists behind the new illustrations.

This campaign will initially focus on the complete core product line and its accessories, including the updated Core Rulebook, Game Master Screen, Playmat, Vital Energy Card Deck, Krystalia Acrylic Standee, Metal Coins and more. Game expansions are not currently included because the budget and production timeline would not allow us to redesign them to the same standard, but depending on the amount raised, we may be able to bring additional products into this artistic transition. We especially hope to receive the support of TTRPG players who loved the concept of Gates of Krystalia but chose not to support us in the past because of the presence of AI-assisted artwork. If you have been waiting for a fully AI-free Gates of Krystalia, this is the campaign to support. You can already follow the transformation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatesofkrystalia/