I spoke with the creator of Yokaishi- here are his answers to my questions:
Q: Please describe your trading card game!
A: Yokaishi TCG is a 1 v 1 creature battling game. Both players use spirits, demons and gods from Japanese folklore and mythology known as Yokai. Build your deck and skillfully use the power of your Yokai to gain an advantage over your opponent and obtain victory.
Q: What inspired you to create your own TCG?
A: Well, I went through several different ideas before landing on creating Yokaishi TCG. In 2020 at the start of the lockdown I had planned to use that time to sit and create things. At first I intended on getting back to making comics because that's what I've been working on for the last 10+ years but once I got down to business I realized that I didn't feel like working on my comics. So I thought maybe I can make a game, a video game. I've made a rpg before using rpg maker so I wanted to try making a different kind of game. Under the assumption lockdown would last a year I didn't want to make a game that would take longer than that because once I go back to work I wouldn't have much time to work on it. I tried making a platformer but coding wasn't working for me, haha, so I thought maybe a digital card game. I did some research to see if I can do it but that proved to be more complicated than I thought. At some point during my research YouTube recommended a video someone from the homemade TCG community and I went down that rabbit hole and became interested. It made me remember when I was a kid I made physical cards before and discovering The Game Crafter made me want to take on this challenge and create a physical tcg. I spent a couple of days thinking and then it hit me, I thought to use yokai because I was already a little familiar with some of them and realized that they are like royalty free material, hahaha! Plus reinterpreting something artistically would take less time than making up creatures from scratch. After that I spent a lot of time thinking about how the game would be played and it's rules. Classic Yugioh or Goat Format as some would know it as was the biggest influence for my game. Then sprinkle in a bit of Pokémon with a dash of Magic The Gathering, Bam! My game was figured out.
Q: What TCGs did you grow up playing as a kid?
A: The TCGs I grew up playing as a kid was Yugioh but while I was doing that I was also collecting pokemon cards. As a kid I wanted to complete the pokedex but with the cards, haha! Along the way I've picked up random anime trading cards like Digimon and Dragonball Z.
Q: What sets Yokaishi apart from other TCGs?
A: I think what sets Yokaishi TCG apart from other card games that people are familiar with would be its small boardgame like mechanics. In Yokaishi TCG the player's field is a representation of a humanoid body with 2 arms, 2 legs and a torso for your monster zones, and your head is where your life points would be. Yokai have effects they can activate while in a specific body part and can jump around switching placing to other body parts to off more effects. I think this mechanic along with the various different card effects creates a lot of opportunities for card interactions and helps keeps the game engaging.
Q: How did you come up with the name Yokaishi?
A: Coming up with a name for my game was difficult, haha! At this point I knew what aesthetic and vibe I wanted so I knew the name would have to reflect that in some way. I wanted a Japanese sounding name but I'm not fluent in Japanese so I needed to created an original Japanese word so it wouldn't have any hidden meaning. I knew I wanted the word "yokai" to be a part of it and I went through a list of Japanese words that related to my game in some way and tried to combine them and see how they sounded and then I would check the word online to see if it had any meaning. Then I eventually settled on "Yokaishi" which combines "yokai" and part of the word for "mage" which is "Mado-shi." I took the "shi" from that word to make the name for my game. So you could say Yokaishi TCG translate to "Yokai-mage" TCG, isn't that a fun little fact? Haha!
Q: How long have you been working on the game?
A: Hmm, I would say that I've been working on Yokaishi TCG for roughly 2 and a half years. Even now I'm still working on it, adding and improving on the game.
Q: What is the illustration/design process like?
A: When it comes to the artwork for my game I try to stick to the aesthetic I've chosen and to be sure that the design of characters and yokai fit the lore and story I created for the game (BTW I created lore for the game haha). If you're wondering, the aesthetic I'm going for is feudal era Japan. When designing a yokai I apply certain restrictions on myself to ensure I don't spend too long working on one yokai. There are exceptions of course but generally I try to not waste time because I have so little of it, haha. Once I've decided on what yokai I'm going to draw I do a bit of brainstorming and typically use the first idea that comes to mind and build off that. This method as resulted in various quality of designs which I think adds a sense of charm to the game.
Q: What are your future plans for Yokaishi?
A: Right now, my plans for the future are simple, just keep making more Yokaishi TCG as well as other related content. I also want to build the player base a bit more, so I'll also be working on that. This is a one man operation after all so things are gonna move pretty slowly, haha.
Q: Will you be at any upcoming conventions?
A: No plans to be at any conventions just yet, at the time of this interview I'm working on set 2 and I'm giving that a lot of focus because I want it to be better than the previous set. Once set 2 is done and out I'll be considering going to conventions or game/comic shops.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own TCG?
A: Any advice? Hmmm, I cannot stress enough how important planning is. Maybe other creators have mentioned it but I want to highlight how that is in my opinion the most important thing. When you plan things out it allows you to not waste too much time, keeps you focused and depending on how much time you can put into it you're guaranteed to finish eventually. Oh, one more thing. Making a TCG is fun but is also a lot of work and can be hard especially if you're doing it alone. So aside from planning, have determination and confidence in your work.
For more, follow @yokaishitcg on Instagram and check out https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/yokaishi-tcg-set-1-booster-pack
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