Kara Dennison
November 16, 2022 
Disclaimer: The author of this article has contributed to this Kickstarter campaign.
While Dungeons & Dragons may be the top choice of TTRPG players the world over, it’s not the only game in town. Thousands of tabletop settings let you roll and improvise your way through just about any setting you can imagine. Add to that list Convictor Drive: Armored by Grief, a Kamen Rider inspired world with a unique power system. Between fresh content for this new edition and an innovative take on backstory building, there are lots of reasons we can’t wait to play. Fortunately, fans funded the game in two hours, so we’ll definitely have our chance!
Armored by Grief
Honestly, we don’t need an excuse for our favorite tokusatsu heroes to have powers. But it’s great worldbuilding. The subtitle of Convictor Drive is “Armored by Grief,” and that’s a big part of how this world works. The Convictors—the power armor your characters wear—require a special sort of person to handle them. Specifically, pilots have to have experienced grief, and still feel the pain of it, in order to make the Convictors work.
For story-minded players, this is a really exciting aspect of the game. Baked into the character is the idea that you have to come in with something in your past. Coming up with what that painful memory is, and integrating it into your character’s desire and ability to fight, is a great way to encourage roleplay right from Session Zero.
Expanded Content
Originally released in Japan, Convictor Drive will have all sorts of bonus content for its English-language audience. Given how quickly it’s blazing through its stretch goals, that includes a lot. We can look forward to new art, special scenarios written for this new release, and forewords and afterwords.
There’s a major U.S. fanbase for Japanese TTRPGs, so it’s highly likely at least a few have dipped into this game before now. Knowing there will be material new to even the most devoted of fans is extra exciting. And it makes a great jumping-off point for those new to tabletop gaming, who might be drawn in by the Kamen Rider connection.
Further Titles
As you might have guest, Convictor Drive isn’t LionWing’s first rodeo. Nor is it Group SGR’s, the Japanese team behind the original game. Before this, the localization team translated and funded Picaresque Roman, also designed by Sigre. This is one for the Yakuza and Persona fans in the room, as it pulls inspiration from both series.
If this catches your eye, you can throw it into your pledge, either as a digital or physical edition.
Head over to Kickstarter now to get your pledge in!
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