 Goto [ Index ] |
THE GAME
QAGS Second Edition is a 96 page soft-cover book that retails for $15.95. With a few exceptions, the pages are laid out in three columns in an easy-to-read font--nothing fancy-shmancy (that's a good thing). There are numerous sidebars and a fair amount of art. The illustrations range from stylistically cartoony to comic book excellence. Almost all of the pictures display the wry sense of humor that permeates the book. There is no index, but the book is small enough that it's fairly easy to find what you need by flipping through it quickly. The cover features the official QAGS spokesmodel, the Happy D20.
At first glance, QAGS looks like a comedy game. The cartoony art and casual writing style enforce this. After reading it through several times and actually playing the game, however, you realize that the jocular presentation hides a very functional and serious (if simple) game system. It would be very wrong to say that QAGS is a "funny game" like Toon or Tales from the Floating Vagabond. There are plenty of jokes in the book, and most of the examples-of-play deal with an evil clown cult. However QAGS is no more a comedy game than (say) the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG or Deadlands. The casual, self-mocking style makes it feel as though you're discussing a new game system with a friend across the table rather than reading from a high-school textbook. The jokes and winks keep the book from getting dry. This is why I prefer reading games written by the likes of C.J. Carella and Shane Hensley rather than Gary Gygax.
QAGS is a generic system great for recreating any genre from Space Opera to Shakespearean Tragedy. The writers clearly state that QAGS is intended for "cinematic" gaming, recreating the reality of fiction not the reality of--umm--reality. The game assumes that the players and GM are together to have fun and tell exciting stories and not competing against each other. QAGS places a heavy emphasis on player-GM cooperation in making sure everyone has a good time.
Character generation is a simple affair. Rather than come up with fancy new names for "attributes" and "score," the crew at Hex Games took a minimalist route. Character stats involve a number of Words attached to Numbers. The six most important Words are Body, Brains, Nerve, Job, Gimmick, and Weakness. These usually have Numbers ranging from 6 -16, though they can be higher or lower. Body, Brains, and Nerve detail a character's physical, mental, and spiritual/social abilities respectively. This follows the standard Mind/Body/Soul breakdown found in many other games. Job describes what a character does, not necessarily his occupation. For instance, a retired police officer that now delivers pizzas would more likely have "Ex-Cop" as his Job, not "Pizza Dude." Job not only encapsulates what skills and training a character has, but it also includes several life-style characteristics. For instance someone with the "Rock Star" Job would not only be able to sing and dance, they'd also have access to groupies, illicit drugs, and get invited to all the best parties. Gimmick is some special talent a character has that goes above and beyond the scope of Job, Skills, or other Words. A Gimmick might be "Filthy Rich" or "Psionic Powers" or "Can Always Find a Parking Space." The scope and type of Gimmicks depend on the GM and the style of game the group is playing. The opposite of Gimmick is Weakness. Weakness is the character's fatal flaw--the one thing that will always screw him over. "Alcoholism," "Depressive Loner," "Coward," and "Kryptonite Allergy" could all be weaknesses. A character also has a number of Skills that represent hobbies or special areas of study (usually) outside the purview of the character's Job. Skill Numbers range from +1 to +5. Lastly, Health Points are used to measure a character's health (surprise!).
To create a character, each player starts with a number of Yum-Yums (more on Yum-Yums in a bit) dependant on how powerful the GM wants the players to be. The players use Yum-Yums (YY) to buy up their Numbers in Body, Brains, Nerve, Job, and Gimmick. They can also use YYs to reduce their Weakness numbers. Skills, as well as extra Jobs and Gimmicks, can also be purchased with YY. Health Points (HP) are usually equal to Body but can be increased with Yum-Yums. Any leftover Yum-Yums go into your YY pool.
QAGS also includes alternate character creation rules. The Alternate Number Assignment System (ANAS) is good for advanced games with trusted players. ANAS simply allows players to decide whatever Numbers they think are appropriate for their character concept--math be damned. There are also the Qik Start Rules (sic) that use random dice rolls. Qik Starts are good for temporary PCs when a player's main character has been killed or otherwise inconvenienced. It's also useful for making moderately-important-but-not-major NPCs.
Task resolution is a simple affair in QAGS. Take the appropriate Word, add any applicable skill bonus, and roll a d20. Your goal is to roll as high as you can without going over your modified Number. That's it! In the case of a contested roll, the character with the highest roll is the winner. The same rules are used for Combat. Combatants roll against their appropriate Words. The winner subtracts the loser's roll from his own roll. The difference is the damage inflicted, modified by any weapons he might be using. There are some minor complications discussed for area attacks, armor, cover, and the like, but over-all combat is quick and simple.
Now we get to the subject of Yum-Yums. Yum-Yums work much like Fate Points, Plot Points, etc. in other games. Yum-Yums are represented by bits of candy passed out to the players (the Hex staff seems to prefer Smarties, while I choose to use Spree). Yum-Yums are rewarded to players for creative play, accomplishing goals, and otherwise making the game more enjoyable. Players can use Yum-Yums to modify die rolls, reduce or increase damage, or avoid succumbing to their Weakness. Players can also use Yum-Yums to "bend reality" in the game, essentially bribing the GM with candy to make conditions more favorable for their characters. Yum-Yums are also used like experience points to improve characters between sessions.
The term "Yum-Yums" seems to turn off some players, and the candy-based mechanic can seem overly silly. There is a sidebar in the Yum-Yums section that does a wonderful job of defending them however. The term really isn't any lamer than "Action Points" or other terms used in different games. In play, once you say "Yum-Yums" enough times it no longer sounds that silly. If it's really that much a problem for your group, just use poker chips or glass beads instead of candy, call them "Fate Counters," and move on. To quote the previously mentioned sidebar: "After all, we wouldn't want you to feel silly while you're pretending to be a swashbuckling elf named Glixicore Mistymoon."
Actual rules take up a surprisingly small section of the QAGS book. The rest of the book offers some of the best GM and player advice I've read in any game and is worth the price of admission itself. These sections discuss how to work with players to create fun and memorable campaigns. There are also discussions on plotting and pacing, as well as how to keep combat fast-paced and interesting.
A series of appendices includes one-page write-ups for ten different campaign types complete with adventure ideas, plot hooks, and sample characters. I've never considered the possibility of running a Shakespearean Drama campaign, but after reading the write-up in QAGS I'm sorely tempted to try it.
Further appendices include several tables for generating random bad-guys, treasure, magical effects, time travel effects, and such. While mostly included as jokes, the tables are still good for sparking adventure ideas. Along with character sheets, the book ends with several worksheets useful for developing adventures, one-shot games, and campaigns. These GM sheets are nicely generic and can easily be used for games other than QAGS.
If I have one slight complaint about QAGS it's that little space is dedicated to describing example Weaknesses, Gimmicks, and Jobs. The M-Force game has several pages listing example Gimmicks and Weakness along with their game effects. Of course, that was a much larger book. It also would have been nice to see a slightly more complete discussion of how to incorporate magic and other weirdness into QAGS. There is a full-page sidebar on this topic, however, and creative GMs shouldn't have a problem coming up with their own ideas. The Hex Games website also contains a variety of articles on the subject as well.
THE PLAYTEST
As stated before, QAGS is not actually a comedy game. That being said, for my first QAGS game I decided to run a semi-humorous sci-fi/fantasy one-shot based loosely off an idea I had for a Tales from the Floating Vagabond adventure. My usual group of players consists of three veteran gamers from a variety of gaming backgrounds (D&D, Marvel, WoD, various LARPs, 7th Sea, etc.). After several weeks of blabbing about QAGS they decided to give it a shot. I explained the setting I'd be using (a magical space station), and they set to thinking about character concepts.
Once they actually had their concepts figured out, it took my players each about 10 minutes to make characters. Unimportant NPCs took me about ninety seconds. After spending an hour or more creating characters for other games, it was nice to be able to explain the mechanics of a new game and have fully functional characters in such a short time.
My players quickly got the grasp of the task resolution system. Comparisons to "The Price is Right" (roll as close to the number without going over) were expected and received. The PCs were sneaking past guards and breaking into the not-so-secret bases of space-mobsters in no time flat. Combat was a bit of a shock to the players and myself. As written, the combat rules in QAGS are deadly! When a character takes a bullet to the gut, it hurts. This is where we discovered the benefit of Yum-Yums. Spending YYs to reduce damage or re-roll dodges is essential to survival in combat. As a GM I learned that the amount of Yum-Yums you give out determines the style of play for the game. To run a gritty kill-or-be-killed game, like a hard-western or gangster game, hold back on the Yum-Yums. Every fight could be a character's last. For a more cinematic or lighthearted game, where characters can take an incredible amount of punishment, a GM must be very liberal with the candy. After the first fight, I started giving out a lot more Yum-Yums, especially for spontaneous "Futurama" quotes. This particular adventure was supposed to be a bit madcap after all.
Overall, my players really enjoyed QAGS. My wife--who is an absolute master of character development and NPC interaction but is a but shaky with actual mechanics--managed to figure out the rules with extreme ease. Another player is a bit of system-junky but readily admitted that the system-light/improv-heavy rules work well for our style of play. Gamers who enjoy systems that are heavy in mechanics and tactical combat (D&D, Champions, et al.) might not enjoy QAGS as much as we did.
CONCLUSIONS
I've played a number of generic systems, from the Hero System to Tinker's Damn, and I have to say that I've enjoyed QAGS the most. I can easily take any setting or campaign concept that comes to mind and convert it to QAGS in a matter of minutes. In several places, the book boldly declares that QAGS is a great RPG for people who don't play RPGs. QAGS is definitely a good game for new players. The rules are easy and quick to learn, and there's always the lure of sweet, sweet candy. However, I think that QAGS definitely requires an experienced GM. So much of the game depends on player-GM consensus and GM-fiat that you really need a GM who can think on his feet and be trusted to make objective decisions regarding Gimmicks and Jobs.
Overall I give QAGS full marks. The game accomplishes everything it set out to do, and it does it with style. It's also one of the few game books that I've read through multiple times just for entertainment value.
For another opinion of QAGS check out Conan McKegg's review.
Help support RPGnet by purchasing this item through DriveThruRPG.
