Another DragonQuest (SPI/TSR/WotC/Hasbro/etc?) Player

[Circa 1976]

First post in EN World, so I thought I'd start out with the TTRPG that I'm most active with these days.

I learned how to play DQ back in 1986, by which time TSR had acquired all Strategic Publications Inc titles but had not yet published 3rd Edition. I got so attached to it (particularly 2nd Ed) that I still run a DragonQuest campaign to this day, and I'm still writing adventures for this system (Adobe InDesign works wonders).

I finished writing a home-spun 5th Edition back in 2015 (skipped over 4th; dunno why), and that's the one I've been using ever since. In a nutshell, my 5th Edition is essentially a 2nd Edition with the magic colleges from 3rd Edition and the Oriental weapons from 1st Edition thrown in for good measure.

When I write a DQ adventure, I believe in sticking to established format. Thus, I use the same square-grid system used in (for example) The Palace of Ontoncle; this is a 60 x 80 1/8 (0.125) inch grid with every 10 x 10 squares grouped into a larger square (so 6 x 8 of the large squares). I also employ 1/2" margins and number the pages at center top using the italicized all-caps Times New Roman style used in official DQ publications. Finally, as with all three of the DQ original adventure modules (The Palace of Ontoncle, The Blade of Allectus, and The Enchanted Wood), I use a three-column format for text. I find that Arial Black works best for DQ Heading 1 (the ones utilizing Roman numerals).

When I'm not running DQ or writing DQ stuff, I participate in another DM's D&D 5th Edition campaign, so I'm just now getting to know that system.

I tailored my intro post with DQ as the subject because I'll be making another post regarding DragonQuest map formats soon. Specifically, I'll be soliciting opinions and suggestions.

Please call me Pat (for Patrick). If anyone wants to discuss or wax nostalgic the DQ system rules or publications, I'm always game (NPI). I did find a few past forum posts with DQ as the subject, so I'm glad that it's still a topic for discussion. For the record, I do play other systems; lots of them. It's just that DragonQuest holds a special place in my gaming memories.

Pat Hough
Pflugerville, Texas (USA)
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"A glancing blow lays open your scalp and severs one ear (your choice as to which one). Take 2 Damage Points immediately from Endurance. Reduce your Perception by 2."

 

[The Soloist]

Hello!
We only played DQ2e once in 1982. I had vague memories. In August 2023, I decided to run two solo sessions with one character to see what the system was like. Here is a copy of my journal:

Dragonquest 2e (Solitary Play) Halfdan's Trek. Session 1
Halfdan is on a lonely trek between two cities. He is traversing a rocky dry plain. He knows that bandits capture people on the road to rob them and sell them on the slave market. At first, he was hyper-vigilant (readiness factor 5) but slowly his readiness (2.5) dropped after a few miles.

Two bandits surprise (GM rolls above Perception x 2.5) Halfdan. They emerge from the cover of boulders. On this free Pulse (round) they move full speed (5 hexes) towards Halfdan. They miscalculated and come up short by 5’.

On Pulse 1, the bandits win the initiative. One bandit hit reducing Halfdan’s Fatigue by (1d10+3) 8 minus Halfdan’s Armor Protection of 4 = 4. The second bandit hits with a result of 13%, the damage bypasses the armour and is deducted from Halfdan’s Endurance (1d10+3) = 5.

The battle lasted 3 pulses after the surprise pulse. Halfdan inflicted a stunning attack (more than 1/3 of total endurance in effective damage) on one bandit and cut the other bandit's right hand (grievous wound 5% or less on attack roll).

The bandits surrender to the superior fighting prowess of Halfdan. He uses the bandit's rope to tie them and forces them to advance. One bandit dies of blood loss during the rest of the trek despite Halfdan’s best effort at making a bandage. The other bandit is sold at the slave market for a value of 75 gold pieces. Haldfan was in dire need of coins since he only had 5 silver pieces.

[Dragonquest 2e - Solo] Halfdan's Trek. Session 2
Halfdan continues his trek toward the coastal city of Constantinople. Once there, he hopes to embark on a trade ship that can take him out of the Mediterranean and up the Atlantic Coast. Halfdan, the sixth son of a boat craftsman, knows enough about ships to offer help to the crew.

Halfdan’s uncle promised richness in the land of the Saracens but all the caravan found was disease and death. The young eighteen-year-old man is the only one who survived. Halfdan wants to return home but he would like to see the great Mediterranean cities first.

Presently, it is late evening and Halfdan is devouring a meal at an oasis with four other travellers. Everyone is wary of each other even if traditionally a marked trader's oasis is supposed to be a sanctuary.

There is a sixth person present at the oasis. Kadir, the Adept of the earth school of magic, has used his Blending spell to make himself invisible. (a low casting roll success of 10% doubles the duration from one hour to two hours. Cost 1 point of Fatigue.) Kadir observes the situation half hidden behind a boulder. Nothing much happens. The five men take out their blankets for a night’s sleep.

When everyone is asleep Kadir can finally move, which cancels his Blending spell. He activates his Walking Unseen spell. (52% success. Cost 1 point of Fatigue.) The Adept walks slowly towards Halfdan. (Contested roll). The warrior was not sleeping. He senses a presence even if he could not see it. He gets up and swings his dagger in a 180° arc in front of him. It scratches Kadir’s left arm, which brakes the Unseen spell. The Adept appears in front of Halfdan. The other men, sleeping, are oblivious to the situation.

Kadir: ‘Well played and greetings! I saw your prowess against the two bandits this morning. I followed you from afar. You did a great service by selling the bandit at the slave market. My master sent me on a quest and we seem to be travelling in the same direction. Might I join your company?

Halfdan: ‘I don’t trust Adepts! You were trying to steal my gold!’

Nadir: (Half-laughing) ‘You will admit it was tempting. Such a fat pouch! But you stopped me. No harm done. You can kill me or you can listen to my offer. Which will it be?’

END

I never continued the story. I found the combat system too complex and taxing mentally for solo play. Constantly recalculating attack percentages based on fatigue and wounds was too much. Do you use Excel character sheets to do the work for you?

 

[Circa 1976]

Hi Soloist,

Thank you for your reply. I loved reading your recollection of Halfdan's solo adventure. From both the combat session you described as well as Kadir's spell casting, it was clear that this was doubtless a DragonQuest adventure. Good note taking.

I must admit, roughly one in three role-players whom I introduce to DQ don't find it to their taste. One of the more recent departures said, "I didn't come here to do math!" and I can see his point (and yours). The ones that tend to stay are of the crowd who prefer more logical, less arbitrary TTRPG systems (e.g. DQ armor directly negates physical damage). Basic 1st Edition D&D was my first-ever TTRPG (hence my username), so I never really minded arbitrary rules, so long as the DM kept the player-generated chaos to a manageable level. Another turn-off for some folks is the deadlier aspects of the DQ combat system.

When it comes to the seeming myriad of calculations one must perform in the execution of an attack, skill, or spell attempt in DragonQuest, I have most of the core variables committed to memory. Back in 1986, however, I kept a spiral notebook with all those subtractions and additions. I think I kept referring to it until about a year after TSR's 3rd Edition came out (1990).

I sympathize that you had to perform all those calculations, since it so obviously detracted from the fantasy atmosphere of the game; it's hard to solo when you have to bother with all that. That's particularly why, when I run a DQ game, I perform most of the calculations for my players unless they prefer to do it themselves. That way, they can keep their attention focused on the story and their character instead of continually running in CPU mode.

I have in place a home-spun rule that minimizes the impact a Grievous Injury or even damage directly affecting Endurance has on a player-character. Whether the character in question is unconscious or not, if they sustain a Grievous Injury or DDAE, I will allow the player the chance to roll 3 x Endurance or less on % dice. If the roll is successful, the character suffers only half of the Endurance loss (round up). If unsuccessful, the character takes it all. In any case, the character does suffer whatever physical malady - outside the EN damage - described in the Grievous Injury result (if any).

I daresay that anybody who has ever been through even one session of DragonQuest combat would grant that I'm not coddling the characters in this - especially since the same rule applies to monsters and hostile NPCs. Instead, I'm putting in place a cushion, as it were, between the last moment that the player was having fun and the realization that their first character is about to die. Many a good role-player have left my gaming table, never to return, once they discovered how deadly DQ combat can be; this is simply my attempt to stem this tendency.

Appreciate you sharing your recollection.

Pat Hough
Pflugerville, Texas (USA)
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"Your opponent’s weapon has come crashing down on your head and fractured your skull. You fall prone, are unconscious, and take 8 Damage Points to Endurance. If you survive, you lose 2 from Agility, 2 from Manual Dexterity, and 2 from Perception. It will take a year in bed to recover."