I really found it hard to find a way to review QAGS without giving too much away about the game - after all it is a ridiculously simple system and character creation is so simple that you can begin playing the game within minutes of opening the book.
Furthermore, you can create ANY character you could dream of. Being a sort of marriage between BESM, Over the Edge and HoL - QAGS is one of those self-published indie games that is actually a good system, yet is remarkably simple.
Style
Containing more occurances of the f-word than your regular White Wolf supplement, QAGS is written in a jovial and entertaining manner that is reminiscent of HoL. There is the same conspiratorial "designer speaking directly to the reader while the editor has his back turned" tone to the text. Claiming to be "Gaming for Grownups" QAGS aims at being simple, quick and fun. Especially fun. Although the art work is somewhat schizophrenic in quality - there is a bizarre, yet funny and wholly unnecessary comic in the middle of the book - a majority of it helps keep the tone of the game light.
Content
QAGS doesn't provide any setting material - it is solely a generic game system designed primarily to mimic cinema. This is particularly obvious through the addition of two particular fields on the character sheet. Rather than listing a concept, players must fill out WWPHITM (Who Would Play Him/Her In The Movie?) and a tagline.
Characters have simply three traits - Body, Brain and Nerve. These are similar is some respects to the Tri-Stat's Body, Mind and Soul. The difference is in the fact that characters only have three other traits: Job - What do they do in the game? This isn't always a business job. Vampiric Lawyer counts as a job, and entails all the related abilities of a Vampire and Lawyer. Gimmick - This is a special ability that the character would use fairly regularly in the game. Weakness - this is the counter to the character's Gimmick, and has the exact same rating.
Tests are done through the rolling of a d20 and getting the appropriate degree of success.
What makes QAGS so flexible is that there are no lists or complicated rules. Traits are rolled randomly, Gimmicks, Jobs and Weaknesses are created by the player and GM to describe the character. And that's it. Nothing else to do.
Experience is handled through the use of sweets - called Yum Yums. Everytime a player does something good, the GM awards him/her with a sweet. Players can then give Yum Yums to the GM to get bonuses during a game or can spend them at the end of a game to improve their character. (In our playtest I almost died from a sugar overdose after my players all passed me their sweets during the big finale, but more on that in my "Terror at Camp Waka'Naka" review.)
The book also contains several tips for GMs about aiding players with character creation and also a few sample characters. That's about it.
The Bad
There just isn't very much to it. The rules could have easily fitted into a book easily half the size - QAGS is a great example of how to write filler material. The examples tend to be more written for humour than use - the system is so easy that my grandmother could understand it. There are two "solo-adventures" at the back that are again not meant to be taken seriously, and a "conversions" rules section at the very back that is anything BUT a set of conversion rules.
The Good
Well, even though most of the book is filler - it's damn funny filler. QAGS is one of those rare cases of a funny game with
real rules. The system works beautifully - so much so that my regular group want to play the game again once we finish our current campaign. While the book has some "colourful" language (as my mother would say) it's all in good fun and I'd find it hard to imagine anyone actually being offended by it.
Character creation was one of the definite highlights of the game - we all managed to get characters made within 5 minutes, I am not kidding either. Not only that, but they were in depth as well. Observe:
- One Sexy Librarian who wants to be loved.
- One Renegade Loner with a dark secret.
- One Brawling Jock who had watched one too many screenings of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
- One Ditzy Blonde who was there to draw in the ratings...
- Silent Bob
- One Trainee Nun with Oboe and a hidden 9mm Baretta oh, and a penchant for voyeurism...
summary
QAGS is great, it's fun and it's perfect for any gaming situation. Sure, it's not going to win any major awards - but as long as you are having a good time, who cares?
Furthermore, it works well for long term play as well as one offs - the supplements available are cheap and actually good quality. (I'll be reviewing two scenarios and a setting supplement later this week...)
Most of all I must reiterate what really made QAGS work for me - it's fun. The writers aimed to create a game book and system that entertains without bogging down playing time - and personally, I would have to say they have succeeded. The only let down is that the book is very sparse on material. But what is there is fun to read.
And at such a low price - it's worth taking a look at.
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