Gen Con ’23: Dark Horse Announces Collectibles Partnership With Asmodee
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
I use to pronounce saké like “lake.”
Silly I know, but it was one of those situations where as a kid, the family and people I was around for the majority of the time only wanted bland and flavorless overcooked food. The word saké, of course, came up often because one of the kids I knew from a church group introduced me to the world of L5R’s Rokugan or as it is more widely known The Legend of the Five Rings.
In a time where I was doing my best to hide my love of Dungeons, Dragons, and anything remotely occult-ish for fear of religious reprisal and judgment L5R somehow slipped past the various judgmental checkpoints and was totally allowed to be read openly even though the cover of said book was a brutal battle titled “A Heroes Courage” by the world renown gaming artist Matthew D. Wilson…
For those who have not clashed with various clans or run into the corrupted denizens of the Shadowlands, Legend of the Five Rings is a fictional world setting created by John Zinser, Dave Seay, Ryan Dancey, Dave Williams, DJ Trindle, Matt Wilson, and absolute illuminary game designer John Wick (Not the Baba Yaga but still a powerhouse in the industry.) and was first published in 1995.
L5R primarily focuses on the fictional empire of Rokugan, a land roughly based on feudal Japan with influences from other East Asian cultures blended in. This setting has been used as a basis for the Legend of the Five Rings card game, TTRPG, Live action role-playing games, novels, and even ( if recent rumors are to be believed) a forthcoming videogame by Palindrome Interactive.
There is even a sorta fusion crossover with Dungeons & Dragons in a poorly titled 3rd edition D&D book called Oriental Adventures. Though the book is now out of print and very hard to come by, some really diehard fans of L5R probably still have their copy on the shelf with their over 100 other 3rd edition D&D books.
Probably…
So when I looked at my desk and saw the news I’m about to relay I was overwhelmed with a particular brand of joy that can only be described as delightful
Asmodee Entertainment has announced the expansion of its partnership with Dark Horse Comics to create quality licensed collectibles for three of Asmodee’s leading tabletop gaming properties. Using the spectacular artwork from the games, Dark Horse will produce limited edition premium statues, collectible figures, and fine art prints that are sure to excite fans worldwide.
The first items are available to pre-order now exclusively from DarkHorseDirect.com in limited quantities while stocks last.
These include a map of Rokugan and a statue of Togashi Yokuni from L5R which has been revealed for the first time at Gen Con this week.
As a pre-order bonus, consumers can benefit from a $25 discount when ordering the Togashi Yokuni Statue over the Gen Con weekend only!
Togashi Yokuni Pre-Order Link!
Yokuni is such a cool character because his blood is the only blood that could be used to create the tattoos of the ise zumi warrior monks. As you can see in the sculpt Yokuni appeared as a huge muscular man dressed in Dragon Clan armor carrying the Togashi’s Daisho and wearing a mask he never removed. His eyes glowed yellow behind the slits and no one has ever seen him eat or sleep. What is even more spooky and epic is that only a few had heard him speak, and they only remembered impressions, and not complete sentences or phrases.
You can really feel Yokuni’s oppressive authority in this statue inspired by the iconic Fantasy Flight art by Le Vuong, this statue perfectly captures the magic, mystery, and prowess of the Master of the High House of Light in all his “You know that dude is probably a living dragon soul trapped in the body of a mortal” glory.
“We are delighted to be working with Dark Horse again on this new range of products, and now is the perfect time to bring these to the market,” says Ness Jack, Licensing Manager at Asmodee Entertainment. “The statue of Togashi Yokuni is truly stunning, and with the recent announcements at Gen Con regarding new game products for Legend of the Five Rings this is a must-have statement piece for fans old and new.”
And Ness is not wrong! I am absolutely delighted by this on every possible level.
Ness continues, “We have always had a good relationship with the team at Dark Horse Comics, and with us both now being part of the Embracer Group we can explore more synergies like this to support Embracer’s transmedia ambitions. Dark Horse are market leaders in the comics and collectibles field, we can’t say too much but be sure to keep an eye out for further announcements in the coming months!”
“At Dark Horse, we are privileged to work with partners like Asmodee to expand and present their unique creations in different mediums. We’re thrilled to be teaming up again with Asmodee to create exciting new products that showcase the beloved worlds of Arkham Horror and Legend of the Five Rings—games that we love, too,” said Randy Lahrman, Dark Horse VP of Product Development and Sales.
“Now that we are both part of Embracer Group, our companies are even better positioned to work together on innovative and exciting collaborations combining our respective areas of expertise, so stay tuned for more to come.”
And tuned I shall stay!
Until next time, Twilight Imperium, a fantastic space opera-themed strategy board game, has collectibles that will be announced soon as well! Also, an art print from Fantasy Flight Games Arkham Horror, Something I have a deep relationship with and tons of adventure pieces of, is available as well. I will dive into that more in the coming weeks. All of this news is so so fantastic. Strap in, I sense big things coming!
