I’m going to try and take part
in the #RPGaDay writing prompts for 2021. The idea is there’s a prompt every
day that asks you to write about something in RPG’s you really like. There are
a couple of alternate prompts offered but I’m going to try and do the main one
every day. If you want to try it yourself, you can head here for the calendar
for this year.
For
simplicity I’d like to talk about an amazing game for beginner players, Quest.
If you haven’t checked Quest out I recommend giving it a look. It is a setting
neutral system that gives you and your player’s lots of freedom for character/world
creation with a set of easy to use rules for playing the game.
Quest
uses a single D20 for all of its rolls. Everything is handled with that one dice.
Success is decided on a basic scale with 20 is a Triumph or critical success,
11-19 is a success, 6-10 is a success with a cost, 2-5 is a failure, and 1 is a
catastrophe or fumble. For the most part, players will succeed at their actions
with the possibility of having to choose between two setbacks with a roll of
6-10. I like this because succeeding is fun and even the setbacks are just
excuses to have something interesting happen.
I know
that some people will balk at this type of system, but I like it because it
lets the players and the Guide focus on the game without forcing in unnecessary
failure. You can fail, and even in that you don’t just miss your attack,
something happens. You will miss with your attack, but you’ll also do something
in conjunction with that, maybe you drop your sword, overextend your attack and
are now in a bad spot, or your attack went wide and shattered the 18th
century vase that the king was particularly fond of. Who can say?
Character
creation is easy. You have a worksheet with a couple of questions on it and use
those to figure out what type of character you’re playing. Most of the
questions are character based. They help you fill out your characters hopes,
dreams, and appearance. Some of the questions are mechanical, like what class
you’re playing or the equipment you’re carrying.
As a
quick tip, weapons in this game follow anime rules. You want a sword, sure that’s
an option, but you can also go into battle with an umbrella, yo-yo, or fishing
rod. Weapons in this game fall into categories of light, heavy, ranged etc. The
category of your weapon will affect how much damage it does and other rules
that go with it. For example, swords, hammers, and such do 2 points of damage.
World
building is handled much the same way. There’s a worksheet that gives you a series
of questions to answer. These help you define the threat to the world, starting
location for the adventurers, and the general feelings of the populace. This gives
starting guides a great introduction to world building. Plus once you’re done
with either the character or world sheet you have an introductory paragraph to
use when describing that thing.
Here’s
an example of a setting I designed using this method.
Your
story begins in one of the magical worlds that make up the Planar Roads. From
the endless caves of Selinia to the floating cities of Gato, you’ll find a
darkness has been sapping the will of the people. In this world, magic is quickly
fading, danger is becoming more and more common, and daily life has become hard
and unforgiving. It’s a lot like a cross between Hogwarts, Kingdom Hearts, and Pirate
101. People here are hopeful that the darkness will recede, but despair and
fear become more entrenched every day.
Your
acceptance letter for the Lady Primrose School of Etiquette for the Modern
Itinerant Daredevils; a School for Gifted Youth with a Tendency towards Adventure
has arrived by messenger hare. Hoping to rekindle the spirit of adventure a new
headmaster has reopened the school and you are to be one of the students from
its inaugural class. With any luck, you may be the ones to help save the Planar
Roads and the countless worlds that call it home.
Both
of the worksheets I’ve mentioned are available on the Quest RPG website. I’ve
used them for other games as a great starting point for setting up a character
or setting.
I’ve
described the rules and creation mechanics and it sounds like a great game for
beginners. How does it work for experienced players? Every seasoned player I’ve
run through a game has enjoyed it. It took a little bit to get used to the freedom
the system offers you. I still have a hard time coming up with setbacks for a
6-10 roll and the players are usually uncertain what to do when the game starts
but once they get their footing everything moves forward pretty well. I don’t
see us ever running a year’s long campaign of Quest, but it is fun for a couple
of evenings.
One
last thing on this game because I think it’s a wonderful touch. The rulebook is
one of the most charming reads I’ve ever had. I’m not entirely certain how they
did it. Reading this book was a pleasant experience. The best way I can put it is
this. One the last page of the book it thanks me for reading the rules. I’ve
seen this before and since then. This is the only time I actually believed the
book meant it.
Those
are my thoughts on Quest, if you can give it a look it’s worth the time.
I’ll
see you all tomorrow for substitute.
Until
then. Stay safe and be well.
No comments:
Post a Comment