“Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass” Gets Spirited Away to D&D Beyond
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If you’re a fan of both Dungeons & Dragons and Studio Ghibli, you’re definitely in the wheel house for Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass, a unique campaign setting for DnD 5e that’s now available on D&D Beyond. Originally published in 2024 by 1985 Games after a massive $2.6 million Kickstarter, the book is all about capturing the quirky vibes of animated films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, with a hefty dose of retro Nintendo RPGs thrown in for good measure.
It marks yet another popular third-party publication that’s made it onto D&D Beyond and speaks to the effort Wizards of the Coast has been making to mend fences with RPG designers in the wake of the OGL scandal. So is this cozy anime-style adventure worth picking up? Below, we break out all the details.
What’s in the original “Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass” campaign book?
The original version of Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass is a campaign setting book for DnD 5e that was created by third-party publisher 1985 Games after a massive Kickstarter, with the book later released to the general public as a PDF in 2024 (notably the print version is currently available for pre-order). The campaign world itself is inspired by the work of Studio Ghibli and retro video games like the Legend of Zelda.
The adventure takes place on the island of Obojima, where magic and monsters wander through a pastoral world filled with 1980s technology. It’s a cozy land where ghosts haunt vending machines and friendly forest spirits gather at the local restaurant to try out the latest Ramen. Although like the best classic JRPGs, there are also dark forces that lurk beneath the surface of the seemingly idyllic world.
It’s been described by the design team as “leisure fantasy,” and is a significant departure from the dungeon crawling and hack and slash vibes of a traditional DnD campaign. Speaking of the design team, the creators include Adam Lee (a former Dungeons & Dragons creative lead at Wizards of the Coast), Ari Levitch (who also worked for several years at WotC and is now a narrative director for the Disney Lorcana card game) and Jeremiah Crofton (the founder of 1985 games). So the calibre of creative talent is impressive.
Notably, this is the first campaign setting developed by 1985 games, who is perhaps best known for their accessories, including a variety of dice sets, journals and their popular Dungeon Craft Battlemaps. It’s not yet clear if there will be any other expansions or other campaign settings coming out in the near future.
What’s included in “Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass” on D&D Beyond?
The D&D Beyond version of Obojima contains everything that’s featured in the print version, including:
- 11 new subclasses (such as the The Waxwork Rogue and Belly Brewer Barbarian)
- 3 new species (including the frog-like Nakudama, the alien-like Dara and a unique take on Elves)
- 20 new Feat and 6 Backgrounds
- 48 magic items
- 50 spells
- 60 new monsters and NPCs (for use with D&D Beyond Encounters)
- A full potion brewing system with 130+ ingredients and 180+ potential potions
- A setting guide to the island of Obojima and the spirit realm that also includes 4 local factions
It’s important to note the book does NOT use the new DnD 2024 rules. It is technically compatible given that it’s designed for DnD 5e, but species, subclasses, backgrounds and feats are all still using the 2014 rules.
How Much is “Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass” on D&D Beyond?
Currently, Obojima retails on D&D Beyond for $39.99 (although as of this writing it’s been temporarily discounted to $29.99 USD). Notably, the PDF version retails for $30.00 USD on the 1985 Games website and physical copy retails for $50 USD via a pre-order on Backerkit
What you’re paying for with the D&D Beyond version, however, is really the ability to add the new species, subclasses, magic items and. monsters into the platform. If that’s your jam, it’s worth picking up. If you’re not planning on using D&D Beyond, however, you’re probably better off buying it directly as PDF or physical copy from 1985 Games.
Final Thoughts
Third-party publishers like 1985 Games have been filling an important role for Dungeons & Dragons, taking risks on projects that would likely never see the light of day at Wizards of the Coast. Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass is one such example and arguably one of the most unique new campaign settings in recent memory. It shows just what designers are capable of in breaking free of the traditional fantasy tropes that DnD is known for.
If you haven’t already picked up the PDF version or pre-ordered physical copy of the book, snagging it for D&D Beyond is a great way to give the setting a go and bring the new character options into the digital platform. You can download your copy now on D&D Beyond.
Below is also a video from the official D&D Beyond YouTube channel that features an interview with lead designer Jeremiah Crofton on what’s included in the materials.
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Jason Volk is the Publisher of Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics and lives in the wilds of Western Canada. He has been playing D&D for over 25 years and is a huge fan of Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms. His favorite character of all time was a Necromancer named Neek who spent most of his adventuring career resurrecting the corpses of slain monsters. When he’s not playing TTRPGs, Jason enjoys video games, Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer 40K, watching football and spending time with his wife and adorably nerdy children.
