Need GamesFinal Fantasy has influenced countless video games, but it could hardly be more different from what tabletop RPGs offer. That changed with the launch of Fabula Ultima, a game that takes inspiration from classic JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. It found immediate success and won twice at the ENNIE Awards, which honor the best in tabletop RPGs.Now, publisher Need Games is holding a Kickstarter to launch the Fabula Ultima Celebration Edition, which collects the game’s full set of rulebooks with a new cover by famed Final Fantasy illustrator Yoshitaka Amano. The collaboration between Need Games and one of its biggest inspirations dates back to 2022, when Fabula Ultima’s designers received the RPG of the Year Award at Lucca Comics and Games, Europe’s largest comic convention. Yoshitaka Amano contributed a new illustration for the upcoming release of Fabula Ultima Celebration Edition. | Need Games“We received the award from Yoshitaka Amano himself, and that was a dream come true,” Matteo Pedroni, producer and head of marketing for Need Games, tells Inverse. “After we received the award, we snuck out because we had a party to attend. Amano also went out, and when he spotted us taking a picture with the award, he asked to be in it. That was the first time we realized we might be able to do something with him.”Amano’s ethereal style is a trademark of the Final Fantasy series, and the legendary designer has also worked on a wide variety of anime and graphic novels. In 2024, he again attended Lucca Comics and Games, for which he designed the official poster.“We ate pizza with him just before a cosplay competition he was going to judge and got the chance to tell him how important his work is to us,” Pedroni says. “We asked if he would be interested in doing something with us — a sketch, maybe, or a little logo, anything. He was very kind and offered an entire illustration instead. And to us, it represents exactly what Fabula Ultima is: light against darkness.”Fabula Ultima’s designers with Yoshitaka Amano. | Need GamesAmano’s new cover is exclusive to the Kickstarter version of Fabula Ultima Celebration Edition, which includes new hardback printings of all of the game’s existing rulebooks, as well as the upcoming Bestiary Vol. 1. While Amano’s new artwork may be the most attention-grabbing inclusion, Fabula Ultima is already full of gorgeous illustrations for the game’s classes and monsters.According to Pedroni, finding the right artists to work with for all of Fabula Ultima’s material has been a significant challenge, and the expense of commissioning art is one reason the publisher decided to launch its first Kickstarter.“We spend a lot of time on platforms like Bluesky or Artstation to find suitable artists,” Pedroni says. “It’s not easy. We also have a language barrier because many of these artists are Japanese speaking. But we are lucky because Emanuele Galletto, the game designer, is also a very dedicated art director.”Fabula Ultima is also getting a new book of monsters. | Need GamesFabula Ultima attempts to combine the feel of playing a console JRPG with the storytelling freedom of a tabletop RPG. Players pick from classes reminiscent of those they’d find in Final Fantasy, and fight with similar turn-based rules. I’ve only been able to manage a few sessions (as always, the hardest part of any TTRPG is getting everyone’s schedules to line up), but it does a fantastic job of making battles understandable but flexible, while Final Fantasy archetypes like dark knights and dancers add a lot of flavor to its classes.The Fabula Ultima Celebration Edition Kickstarter campaign runs through October 24, and it’s already raised more than $850,000. The new books are expected to ship in May 2026, while the free Press Start edition offers an easy way for newcomers to test the game out before they commit.