Black Book Editions
Black Book Éditions is a French tabletop role-playing game publisher founded in 2004, localizing international RPG systems (Pathfinder, Daggerheart, D&D, Shadowrun) into French and publishing its own Chroniques Oubliées line, serving francophone gamers via e-commerce, crowdfunding, and retail.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSaint Priest, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Black Book Editions does
Black Book Éditions is a privately held French role-playing game publisher and retailer founded in 2004, headquartered in Saint-Priest, France, and operating as a SARL with €28,000 share capital under managing director (Gérant) David Burckle. The company localizes major international RPG systems—Pathfinder 2nd Edition, Daggerheart (Critical Role), Shadowrun, The Expanse, and Dungeons & Dragons 5E supplements—into French, and publishes its proprietary Chroniques Oubliées Fantasy and Chroniques Oubliées Contemporain lines alongside a growing portfolio of board games (Frostpunk, Rocketmen, Nosferatu) and gaming accessories (dice sets, screens, tokens, distance templates). Products are distributed through a direct e-commerce storefront (shop.black-book-editions.fr), a network of French bookstores and game stores, and participative crowdfunding campaigns on the Game on Tabletop platform, with stated global shipping and EU VAT-compliant pricing.
The revenue model is built on one-time unit-priced sales spanning physical rulebooks (€9.30–€59.90 standard, up to €119.80 for collector bundles), digital PDFs with 5-year guaranteed availability stored in customer accounts, collector/premium editions with enhanced binding, and crowdfunding pre-orders that bundle physical books with included PDF downloads. Pricing spans €4.90 for accessories to €119.80 for premium Pathfinder collector bundles, with promotional discounts of 11–50%. Crowdfunding has demonstrated meaningful consumer demand pull: Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 raised €330,186 from 3,358 backers, Daggerheart €224,461 from 1,732 backers, Chroniques Oubliées Fantasy 2 €136,280 from 1,119 backers, and Pathfinder Tian Xia €102,359. Customers are primarily French-speaking RPG enthusiasts—individual players, gaming associations and clubs, and physical game stores—served through owned digital channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, email newsletter, RSS) plus the Game on Tabletop partner platform. Underlying technology is a conventional e-commerce platform (no app, no public API, no proprietary digital infrastructure beyond the storefront and PDF library) and no AI/ML capability is evidenced in the input.
Black Book Editions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Black Book Editions
- Legal name
- SARL Black Book Editions
- Website
- https://black-book-editions.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Black Book Éditions is a French tabletop role-playing game publisher founded in 2004, localizing international RPG systems (Pathfinder, Daggerheart, D&D, Shadowrun) into French and publishing its own Chroniques Oubliées line, serving francophone gamers via e-commerce, crowdfunding, and retail.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Black Book Editions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tabletop Role-Playing Games Publishing
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB), Hardcover & Premium Editions Publishing (MPAJAAAE), Miniatures Games & Tabletop Skirmish Games Retail (CRALALAH)
Keywords
Where Black Book Editions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Priest
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Black Book Editions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Physical RPG Books Sales: Sale of physical role-playing game rulebooks, supplements, and accessories. Products include core books, bestiaries, adventure paths, screens, dice sets, and figurines for games like Pathfinder, Chroniques Oubliées, Daggerheart, Shadowrun, The Expanse, and others.
- Digital PDF Products: Sale and distribution of digital PDF versions of role-playing game products. PDFs are stored in customer accounts for download with a guaranteed 5-year availability period. Some products offer PDF included free with physical purchase through bundle pricing.
- Crowdfunding Pre-orders: Participative pre-order campaigns through Game on Tabletop platform for upcoming products. Customers pledge during crowdfunding phases with late pledge options available. Products include collector editions and exclusive bundles not available through standard retail.
- Collector Editions: Premium collector versions of core RPG products with enhanced physical quality (simili leather covers, bookmarks, premium binding) at higher price points than standard editions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard physical rulebooks and supplements |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Collector/premium editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Digital PDF products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle with PDF included |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories and gaming supplies |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Board games and other products |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Black Book Editions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Black Book Éditions is a French publisher and retailer of tabletop role-playing games, board games, and gaming accessories. The company publishes French translations of international RPG systems (Pathfinder, Daggerheart, Shadowrun, The Expanse, Dungeons & Dragons) alongside its own homebrew RPG lines (Chroniques Oubliées Fantasy, Chroniques Oubliées Contemporain). It sells physical rulebooks, supplements, collector editions, dice, screens, figurines, and digital PDFs directly through its own e-commerce storefront and via crowdfunding campaigns on Game on Tabletop.
Product overview
Black Book Editions is a French role-playing game publisher offering a portfolio of tabletop RPG systems and board games through its e-commerce platform. The core product lineup includes the homebrew Chroniques Oubliées Fantasy 2nd Edition and Chroniques Oubliées Contemporain 2nd Edition, alongside licensed international titles including Daggerheart (Critical Role), Pathfinder 2nd Edition, The Expanse, Shadowrun 6th Edition, and Cats! La Mascarade. The company distributes physical products (rulebooks, accessories, dice, game screens, miniatures) and digital PDFs through pre-order and crowdfunding campaigns via Game on Tabletop. The product ecosystem spans fantasy RPGs, science fiction settings, cyberpunk, and modern-day genres, with supplements, accessories, and board games complementing the core systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chroniques Oubliées Fantasy 2ème Édition A French medieval-fantasy role-playing game system designed to be accessible to everyone, serving as the company's flagship homebrew RPG line. Targets French-speaking tabletop RPG players seeking a complete fantasy gaming system.
- Daggerheart A heroic-fantasy role-playing game by Critical Role creators featuring collaborative narrative rules, a card-based system with hundreds of illustrations, and 189 unique abilities across 9 thematic domains. Targets French-speaking RPG players interested in narrative-driven fantasy gaming.
- Pathfinder 2ème Édition A comprehensive medieval-fantasy RPG system with revised rules, known for deep character customization and rich world-building in the Golarion setting. Targets French-speaking RPG players and collectors interested in tactical fantasy gameplay.
- The Expanse RPG A science fiction role-playing game set in a solar system in crisis, featuring political intrigue between Earth, Mars, and the Belt. Targets French-speaking RPG players and science fiction fans.
- Shadowrun 6ème Édition A cyberpunk fantasy role-playing game combining urban fantasy with cyberpunk technology. Targets French-speaking RPG players interested in cyberpunk and urban fantasy settings.
- Chroniques Oubliées Contemporain 2ème Édition A modern-setting role-playing game supporting detective, superhero, explorer, or secret agent genres for playing contemporary game worlds. Targets French-speaking RPG players interested in modern-day scenarios.
- Cats! La Mascarade A role-playing game where players control awakened cats with psychic powers protecting their greatest secret: The Masquerade. Targets French-speaking RPG players seeking narrative-driven, unconventional settings.
- Rocketmen A competitive space exploration board game for 1-4 players aged 14+, featuring fast decision-making and tactical choices in a race to reach deep space. Targets board game enthusiasts.
- Nosferatu A social deduction board game where players are either Nosferatu the vampire hiding among hunters, or vampire hunters trying to identify and destroy the vampire before dawn. Targets fans of social deduction and horror-themed games.
- Donjons & Dragons (Dungeons & Dragons 5E) The French edition of the Dungeons & Dragons 5E role-playing game and its supplements, including the Forgotten Realms line. Targets French-speaking tabletop RPG players.
Quantifiable outcome
- Active social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Black Book Editions
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Black Book Editions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Black Book Editions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Game on TabletopcoreGame on Tabletop is the primary crowdfunding and pre-order platform partner for Black Book Éditions. The platform hosts participative pre-order campaigns for new products, collector editions, and late pledge options. Notable campaigns include Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 (3,358 backers, €330,186), Chroniques Oubliees Fantasy 2 (1,119 backers, €136,280), and Daggerheart (1,732 backers, €224,461). The platform also serves as the late pledge mechanism for ongoing products.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Black Book Editions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Repos Production: Belgian board game publisher (7 Wonders, Concept) and Asmodee subsidiary. Comparable as a French-speaking European tabletop publisher, though focused on board games rather than RPGs.
- Ulisses Spiele: German RPG publisher (The Dark Eye, Pathfinder/Starfinder in German). Closely comparable business model — localizing Western RPGs for a non-English-speaking European market.
Direct peers
- Catalyst Game Labs: US publisher of the Shadowrun RPG line. BBE French-localizes Shadowrun 6E and Shadowrun Anarchy, making Catalyst a direct upstream peer in cyberpunk-fantasy RPG publishing.
- Free League Publishing: Swedish RPG publisher behind Mörk Borg, Tales from the Loop, and Alien RPG. Comparable niche RPG publisher using crowdfunding, premium editions, and licensing of major IPs.
- Darrington Press (Critical Role): Publisher of Daggerheart, created by the Critical Role team. BBE is the French licensee/localizer for Daggerheart, making Darrington Press a direct peer in both RPG publishing and crowdfunding.
- Paizo: US publisher of Pathfinder, the second-largest fantasy RPG franchise. BBE localizes Pathfinder 2E into French, making Paizo the most direct upstream peer and content licensor.
- Cubicle 7: UK publisher of Warhammer Fantasy 4E, Soulbound, and other RPGs. Similar profile to BBE: niche RPG publisher relying on licensed IPs and tabletop distribution, with comparable scale and product breadth.
- Modiphius Entertainment: UK-based tabletop RPG publisher (Achtung! Cthulhu, Conan, Dune, Star Trek Adventures). Comparable in scale and product mix — a niche RPG publisher doing licensed IPs and crowdfunding.
Broad incumbents
- Asmodee: France-headquartered global tabletop games giant (Catan, 7 Wonders, Star Wars: Legion). Shares the French tabletop market with BBE but operates at vastly larger scale and across board games rather than RPGs.
- Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro): Publisher of Dungeons & Dragons and the dominant Western RPG brand. BBE holds French localization rights for D&D products; WotC is the incumbent in the same product category at vastly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Black Book Editions social profiles
Digital presenceBlack Book Editions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Black Book Editions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Black Book Editions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Black Book Editions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Black Book Editions
What does Black Book Editions do?
Black Book Éditions is a French publisher and retailer of tabletop role-playing games, board games, and gaming accessories. The company publishes French translations of international RPG systems (Pathfinder, Daggerheart, Shadowrun, The Expanse, Dungeons & Dragons) alongside its own homebrew RPG lines (Chroniques Oubliées Fantasy, Chroniques Oubliées Contemporain). It sells physical rulebooks, supplements, collector editions, dice, screens, figurines, and digital PDFs directly through its own e-commerce storefront and via crowdfunding campaigns on Game on Tabletop.
Is Black Book Editions a public or private company?
Black Book Editions is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Black Book Editions founded?
Black Book Editions was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Black Book Editions based?
Black Book Editions is headquartered in Saint Priest, France, in the Europe region.
How does Black Book Editions make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Physical RPG Books Sales are the primary driver. The others are digital PDF Products, crowdfunding Pre-orders and collector Editions.
Who are Black Book Editions's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Repos Production and Ulisses Spiele. Direct peers are Catalyst Game Labs, Free League Publishing, Darrington Press (Critical Role), Paizo, Cubicle 7 and Modiphius Entertainment. Broad incumbents are Asmodee and Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro).
Does Black Book Editions have an API?
No public API is recorded for Black Book Editions.
What industry is Black Book Editions in?
Black Book Editions's product category is Tabletop Role-Playing Games Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAFAH, Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming), with a secondary code of MPAJAAAB, Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.). Its NAICS code is 459120 and its SIC code is 5945.