Seven years, a Japanese-Hungarian heart and a thousand nods to 16-bit JRPGs for a board game that brings back the magic of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest… Meet Miki Tajima, creator of Bôken, who takes us behind the scenes of a childhood dream turned into a game.
✦ In a kingdom forgotten by time, our hero of the day Miki Tajima tells us the story of Bôken… ✦
The spark
Hi, my name is Miki, I’m 10 years old and I’m the son of a Japanese father and a Hungarian mother. Sitting in front of the TV, I slot a game cartridge into my Super Famicom and discover a castle room, a large red carpet with yellow patterns and a brown-haired character pacing in circles, surely waiting for someone… This game is Dragon Quest V – Tenkuu no Hanayome, and you’ll see it didn’t leave me indifferent.
My father was always bringing me back VHS tapes of Japanese TV shows, manga, games and other gifts from Japan. I discovered Dragon Ball, which would become a true source of inspiration for me, profoundly shaping my outlook on life, my way of writing and the world of my illustrations, but also video game masterpieces like Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger and of course Dragon Quest. I fell in love with this culture!
My mother, as far back as I can remember, has always been passionate about board games; we spent time playing the games she created for us, but also designing our own. For my part, an idea quickly took root in my mind: “a board game in a JRPG style”. Of course, these were games for me and my loved ones, and at the time I had no intention whatsoever of publishing them. As I kept creating and time went by, I came to realise that converting a JRPG into a board game isn’t simple — transcribing a game as-is is neither interesting nor really possible. So I tried a few experiments, here are two small examples:
- a Dragon Quest Game of the Goose — ever dreamed of it? I made it!
- a Dragon Quest deckbuilder to rival Mage Knight; looking at things today, I think Mage Knight is a little better known…
In short, many attempts, but I couldn’t recapture the sensations this type of video game brings — though maybe all those years shaped me and gave me natural instincts for adapting the constraints of video games to board games.
My mother’s game album
My mother’s magnetic games — the very first inspiration
The years go by. The child becomes an adult, but the dream remains intact.
The turning point (2017)
It was one day in 2017, while working as a jewellery setter in Paris, that inspiration struck and would lead me to the first prototype of Bôken.
At the time, the very first prototype used illustrations from… Dragon Quest, of course, and I still had no intention of publishing it.
I drew on my mother’s work, so it was a magnetic game, both for the board and the hero sheets. Unlike the final Bôken, it was a short scenario playable in one or two hours. I had in mind to continue the adventure gradually, scenario by scenario.
My wife, Angèle, was Bôken’s very first playtester and sensed that something was happening; she encouraged me 100% and advised me in my creative work, as she is herself an artist. I remember the sentence that showed her enthusiasm after her first test of Bôken: “I think it’s really good” — what? You don’t see how high the praise is? I have to admit I must have worn her out with my relentless requests to test my game creations, so hearing that simple sentence from her was huge for me.
Then two friends tested the game; we had grown up together with JRPGs, though they weren’t as much into board games as I was and weren’t very motivated — but they loved it, and I got this line from my childhood friend Martin: “It’s the board game I’ve enjoyed the most in my whole life”! These first 3 experiences showed me that there was something different this time…
So the game evolved over the years; I decided it would be nice to have an open world with several dozen hours of play, I found a mini-map solution for locations, I created removable card organisers, monster stands and other mechanisms. Later, after the crowdfunding campaign, I created an optional adventure book that lets you have, in a way, “cutscenes” to read each time a new location is discovered, with choices and mini-games. This one will be available as a free download on our website or for sale in a physical version.
We always considered a few more adventures, some illustrations, extra content — but one day it was time to stop, so I could finally offer it for publication. In all, 7 years passed between the first prototype and the final version of Bôken.
“A work is finished not when there is nothing left to add,
but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Bringing Bôken to life
As for the name: at first I wanted a Western name and had thought of Quest Reborn and a few other variants, but it wasn’t satisfying to me — I felt it didn’t sound right. Then, with a friend of mine who is also a big fan and connoisseur of manga and JRPGs, we got excited about Bôken: it was easy to remember, easy to say, and in Japanese it means “Adventure”, which reflects my intention and my desire to bring to life — and back to life — a beautiful adventure through this game.
On the illustration side, I do them all; my style is genuinely inspired by Akira Toriyama and I hope to pay tribute to him through them. I must say it was hard to achieve a visual that could satisfy me and, above all, please others too, so I iterated more than 50 times to get there. Given the game, I wanted a style resembling pixel art like in the 16-bit games of the ’90s; I deliberately went for simplified drawings with proportions close to it, without it being quite pixel art. Then, the hero sheets are a more realistic manga style — I remember that back in the day, you could see character portraits far more detailed than the game’s style when you opened the menus to change a character’s equipment and status.
I think I’m close to the style of the era, but with fewer technical constraints I can push the details a little further.
Original hand-drawn artwork
When it comes to art direction, I wanted to avoid dark, mature worlds — I wanted something brighter. Why? Perhaps my fondness for Hayao Miyazaki’s films, and I’d say that creating images is taking part in the way people see the world. Miyazaki said that artists have a responsibility in what they offer the world — himself dark and pessimistic, he refused to pass on his bleakness, preferring to give courage and joy. Like him, I wanted to convey those same values and, if possible, avoid cultivating the dark side each of us can have. Loving shōnen manga as I do, I wanted a hero like Goku — a brave, pure hero, eager to live adventures and have friends. I’m less of a fan of complex or tortured stories, even if that takes nothing away from the quality and depth they can bring. So Bôken goes in this direction, even though I won’t stop myself from weaving in more “mature” elements if it makes sense. I myself have a fairly dark side, like everyone, but it’s not the one I wish to share or cultivate.
As for the box, I’m particularly happy with the visual: it lets you grasp at a glance the universe and the concept I want to invite players into.
Finally, I fulfilled a dream I’d had for a long time… Making a “teaser” video, a frame-by-frame animation in the old-school manner. I wish I’d had the time to push it further, but I’m so happy with the result.
Fun Fact
Did you know that in Dragon Ball, most characters have names inspired by food? In Bôken, the locations and some NPCs draw on this and are named after Japanese or Hungarian foods.
The fall (2023-2024)
On the publishing side, at first I was alone working on my idea; another person was meant to handle logistics and setting up the company, as we planned to self-publish our game. I wanted full control over the art direction and the design of my game — in any case, being so in love with my creation, I would never have agreed to change it unless it came from me. Maybe this choice, though it really wasn’t my initial motivation, will one day let me also make a living from my creations.
My professional life led me to leave Paris and settle with my wife and daughters in Pau; I became a graphic designer and motion designer at the communications agency Zebrure, and I had a new boss, Quentin. I get along really well with him — we share the same philosophy of work well done, the same attention to detail, and above all the same human values. In parallel, my game project was moving forward.
But then life brought me a string of trials. Quentin fell seriously ill in 2023. Then, a month before the Ulule launch planned for February 2024, my father passed away. Many tensions arose with the person who was accompanying me on the project. I was at my lowest; I couldn’t continue this adventure alone with the risk of not being able to honour the backers. With tears in my eyes, I made the only decision possible at that moment… Cancelling the crowdfunding campaign the day before launch!
At that point, I thought it would all end there; I was exhausted from juggling my two jobs…
It all could have stopped there. But the adventure hadn’t had its last word.
The rebirth
One day, Quentin, back on his feet, reached out to me because he’d seen the project had been cancelled and he knew how much it meant to me. He had thought it over, and for him too, carrying a project like Bôken had taken on an essential meaning, and he offered to relaunch the adventure with him. I accepted immediately! Together, we created the publishing house CTRL+R.
We decided to push the crowdfunding back by a year, in order to strengthen the project both artistically and in terms of communication. We embrace the “premium” side of the game which, although it costs more, is perfectly suited to our vision of the game. Indeed, had I not chosen self-publishing, I would surely have had to make compromises, like the magnets or different components. Neither Quentin nor I wanted to make that kind of compromise.
After 150 to 200 hours of playtesting came the testers’ feedback, which strengthened our motivation. I remember one expert, a game shop seller, who told me “It’s an anti-Gloomhaven”, and that matches exactly the idea I have of my game. It’s not a complex game; it’s quick to set up, easy to put away and to save, and yet it carries a real adventure. There was also Etrigane, a board game YouTuber — I didn’t know him at the time, and yet he made a video that touched me deeply. And finally Quentin: when I saw him give it a try, I glimpsed the child rediscovering all the nostalgia of his old games of Secret of Mana, and that is priceless. I could mention many others… and conversely, I had no bad feedback. I had sceptics who don’t understand why not just play a video game if the goal is to recapture the same sensations. But for me, the pleasure of physically handling the game’s pieces, of being able to transform the rules and even make it evolve, justifies this creation.
I also have surprises — for example, I got to see people spend 7 hours farming, repeating an activity to accumulate resources and strengthen their team. I found it brilliant because the game allows it; you can avoid it of course, but seeing players do this just like in a video game lets me believe the sensations really are very close to that type of video game.
I remember the FIJ — the Cannes International Games Festival — we were in the professional area, which the general public can’t access. And yet, our fans who follow us on social media slipped in to meet us. It was a great honour to meet them, and I hope the game will fully live up to their expectations.
In the end, seeing players discover or rediscover the sensations a Final Fantasy or other games of the same style bring — as well as couples with one video gamer and one non-gamer who nonetheless have fun through this adventure — is also the goal of Bôken. But seeing children — my children, Quentin’s, my nephews — create their own Bôken after playing this game is like passing on the torch; it’s wonderful.
The legacy
After all the road travelled with Quentin, with this childhood dream coming true, it was an immense joy to hold the final box of the game in my hands. It’s strange, because I have a feeling of accomplishment but also of being unfinished — not about the game, but because for me this is a stage; I’m still working on this success in order to deliver the game to players, and also on what comes next.
At the time of this interview, the game is in production. So I only have the experience of the playtesters; seeing someone new discover the game at festivals is a small source of stress for me, because I dread their reaction and I always hope they’ll understand what I wanted to do and to make them feel. Soon, I may get the chance to see, in some game café or festival, someone playing my game, and I think it’ll feel really strange.
As for what’s next… We are currently working on Bôken expansions and on the international English version. We’re developing an additional scenario and a 3-to-4-player mode; the latter will be a big expansion bringing new monsters, items and new quests. There will be new heroes and a slightly more complex combat system, so we’re not just going to increase the difficulty with new, tougher monsters. As for the “additional scenario” expansion… I prefer to keep the secret 😉
If the game were a person, it would be a warrior with a pure heart — joyful and innocent, driven by the taste for adventure and challenge, for whom every battle is an opportunity to grow.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to close with the acknowledgements, starting with the followers — all of you who follow the Bôken adventure on Instagram, Facebook or the CWOWD forum; your messages gave me the strength not to give up. A huge Thank You!
Next, Quentin, who knew how to be there for me and came to encourage me, to support me through these years and at the moment I needed it most — without him, Bôken would never have come to be.
Next, my family — my wife and my daughters, who support me every day and believe in me.
Finally, I won’t forget my mother, without whom I might not have had this fervour and this love of games; the game draws on her adventure too. Then my father, who gave me the love of JRPGs, manga and this Japanese culture. One last word of my story: Quentin and I lost our respective fathers at roughly the same time. And you know what? Quentin’s father told him “Have fun”, and my father told me I would do something important with Quentin… I’m proud to prove them right and to say that Bôken stands as a tribute to our respective fathers.
Thank you all for following us on the Bôken adventure.
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