Brother Ming Games is known for making anime and video game themed fan tabletop games. The creator has used popular IPs such as Code Geass, Darling in the Fraxx, and Persona 5. Brother Ming’s most popular project is likely his Fire Emblem tabletop game, which has garnered interest from fans of the franchise since he first unveiled it in 2017. The small project that utilized art from the popular mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes has since gone through many iterations. Now, the project is Anna‘s Roundtable, a massive fan collaboration set to ship this Summer.
Anna’s Roundtable has become so much more than just a Fire Emblem fan project. Brother Ming has recruited over 100 artists to cover over 200 unique cards for the game. Fans of the franchise can find gorgeous art of most of their favorite characters across many games. The origins of the game’s art go back to the end of 2019 when the project opened up for artist applications. The artists worked diligently until the game’s open beta started in mid-2020. Then players got a chance to explore the game’s art and mechanics.
The core game for Anna’s Roundtable is a 1 v 1 tactics game. Brother Ming Games wanted to make a true tactics strategy tabletop game. Brother Ming has also included an extra Boss Mode, where 2-4 players can team up to take on an AI opponent. The game hovers in between casual and hardcore but is generally accessible to most skill-levels. More importantly, anyone who loves Fire Emblem will feel right at home.
Anna’s Roundtable has gone through many rule changes, constantly changing and improving on all of its mechanics. A big reason for all of the changes is the community. Brother Ming Games has a discord server that receives tons of feedback from playtesters and fans. As a true fan project, Brother Ming has the philosophy that the fans should mold the experience. Brother Ming jokingly stated that some players would give him essays worth of feedback.
Brother Ming Games also hosted a tournament for Anna’s Roundtable, which was streamed on Twitch. “It was the first stream on my channel, and we had 50 concurrent viewers,” recalled Brother Ming. Brother Ming was delighted with how well the event went, especially considering that it was for such a young, small project. The prize for the top two players was a special commission of the character of their choice. The two winning players chose Shareena and Knoll, which got their own cards added to the game.
Fulfillment of preorders will begin this summer, but that doesn’t mean that Brother Ming will be done with the project. Post-launch, Anna’s Roundtable will have more tournaments with prizes that include more custom cards. Allowing players to create the cards of their dreams is a unique opportunity that not too many tournaments offer. Brother Ming also plans on supporting the Boss Mode digitally with more bosses being added post-launch. Most recently a seasonal boss was added for Chinese New Year. With that boss came a few exclusive goodies including a mat and two cards.
Now that Anna’s Roundtable is nearly here, Brother Ming is looking to the future. He is currently working on a Genshin Impact project. It’s another collaboration with other artists and creators, this time in the form of a fanzine. Brother Ming will be including a new cooperative tabletop game, and the zine will also include a tarot deck, book, and tons of art.
Those who are interested in trying out Anna’s Roundtable can play it digitally now. While the physical version is currently out of stock as of writing, the Brother Ming Games shop does have other goodies, including a new playmat available.
