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Introduction, or QAGS is more than a small furry, carnivorous antarctic mammal...
When I was first sent the original edition of QAGS - a.k.a. The Quick Ass Game System - I was impressed both by the simplicity and irreverance of the game. QAGS was a simple, fun generic system that allowed players to play in any imaginable setting - while keeping a fun, tongue-in-cheek sense of humour. So now it has been revised into a second edition, and when I was offered the opportunity to review it... well my response was "More Bisexual Gunslingers? More Mr Pookums? HELL YES!"
Style
QAGS2e is a much slicker product than its predecessor. The original book was a small, digest sized 64 page booklet that had the appearance of being photocopied - although I would like to note that after almost a year and a half of use, it's still holding up pretty well. QAGS2e is an A4, cardstock colour cover book. The front has the grinning QAGS d20 being held by a hand against a purple background. The entire book is professionally bound and printed.Inside the book is laid out in three columns per page, and has a clear, easy-to-read font. There is an obvious understanding of effective use of layout - tables are well placed, sidebars are used effectively to highlight particular details - and while the book is not as lavish as one of the bigger publisher's products, it succeeds in being easy on the eye and attractive to look at.
The art is a mix of fan art and professional, but it's all of a fairly high calibre, certainly nothing made me cringe - and there is a lot of fun and attractive art.
But on to the details you really want to know...
Content
The book is split up into four sections and an intermission. The first two sections are the main body of the book - the Players' and GM's Sections. Then there is an extended Appendices and a section simply titled - "Other Crap."
Before the Players section there is a foreword - which essentially is a mad rant by author Steve Johnson about the game and how it has grown from being a small homebrew system into the juggernaut that has changed the roleplaying world... yes, well, I did say it was a mad rant. The great thing about this is that it shows the tone of the game - these guys want to have fun with gaming, so they're not going to be too serious. They want the reader to enjoy reading their book.
Also of note it the introduction which then follows. The shortest, most succinct and easily understood "What is Roleplaying" section I have read in a long time. The introduction also explains what Quick Ass Gaming is - essentially the goal of QAGS is to provide a game system that can be learnt, set up and run in a single evening. This also allows the authors to explain clearly what kind of game they are aiming to produce. QAGS is about fast, fun and generally cinematic gaming. Most of all, it is about a group of players being able to say "Let's play that Babylon 5-meets-Buffy-meets-Fear Factor-meets-Super Lesbian Troopers Seventeen game tonight..." and then being able to create characters and a game within thirty minutes. (That's including the trip down to the local supermarket for munchies and Yum Yums...)
The Introduction finishes off with a sidebar explaining what a sidebar is, a diagram on how to roll dice and a sample of "Play Theater" - a continuing example of play to clarify rules. The first sample gives an example of how a GM might ring up players and invite them to get involved in a game of QAGS...
Rules
The Players' Section details most of the rules for QAGS. Essentially the QAGS rules system can be described as a cross between Tri-Stat, Over The Edge and D20. Like Tri-Stat, QAGS relies on three main stats - Body, Brain and Nerve. Then, like Over the Edge, the next three traits are made up by the player.
The first trait is "Job" - this can be anything from "Accountant" to "Ass Kicking Nun." The importance here is that the description chosen will dictate what skills will be available to the character. QAGS does not have an exhaustive skill list, rather it has "Job" as the cover all. Put simply, whenever the player wants to attempt something, and if it involves a skill that you would have as part of your "job" you then roll a d20 against your job score and aim to roll equal or under that score. Simple.
The next two traits are "Gimmick" and "Weakness." These are basically the special traits that make your character stand out. Generally your character will have one of each - but some GMs may allow more. Again, to use the traits players simply roll a d20 and aim to score lower than the trait's rating. Gimmicks can be anything - "Able to fly fast", "Vampire", "Collects Yankee's Tickets..." There is a fairly limitless scope with these traits.
The newest addition to the system is skills. First introduced in M-Force, skills allow players to alter the number that they have to roll against. For example, if a character has a body of 10 and a "Jump for his life" skill of +5 - then to succeed at jumping he would need to roll under 15 on a d20. But to punch someone, he'd need to roll under 10. Skills can be used to upgrade a job, or even change jobs, by trading in the skill bonuses for a higher number.
The final element of the QAGS system is "Yum Yums." Rather than provide experience points, QAGS uses lollies. Yes, you read that correctly. Lollies. Whenever a player does something particularly impressive in play, or impresses the GM, or buys the pizza... the GM can award these players with yum yums. Yum yums can be used at the end of a game as experience points, or to bribe the GM during play to alter rolls and events - much like Drama points. The player simply hands the GM the yum yum, the GM eats it and then let's the player know if the bribe succeeded - or if more yum yums are in order.
Interestingly enough, in play I have found that players often nibble on their yum yums during the exciting bits - often not realising they are eating their experience points away...
And that is pretty much all there is to the rules of QAGS. Second Edition adds a variety of useful tables that are there for inspiration and guidance on various judgements like damage and distances. All of these are backed up by the consistently amusing and clearly laid out Play Theaters.
GMs, Comics and Tables
Following the Players' section is an intermission comic of Fuzzball and Scuzzball - the two stroppy, foul mouthed and funny character who also starred in the intermission of the original QAGS. After two pages of odd antics, we are treated to the GM's Section - three chapters of useful gaming advice.
The GM's section opens with it's own introduction - which gives a precise and clear definition of what the Game Master's Job really is. This section shows what I consider to be Hex Game's greatest strenght - the ability to provide clear, easy and practical GMing advice. I've seen it in Spooky, in Terror at Camp Waka'naka and even in the original QAGS. These guys show that they have experience with GMing and know both what GMs expect and what players expect - and they attempt to find a strong compromise.
These chapters alone are worth the purchase of the book. The first chapter reviews the game system and how to GM it - this is a short and concise chapter with many tips on how to read character sheets, how to help players create their characters and make decisions on what their traits ought to be. A funny and yet useful sidebar on the seven cardinal rules of combat - and I have to say, they are the best rules I have seen in a long time. (I am not going to list them here - you'll have to go out and buy the book.)
The next chapter details how to write scenarios and campaigns. Again, this is a short chapter, but it has more practical advice on scenario design than pretty much any other first party publisher I have read. It even has advice on how to write scenarios for Conventions. These are five pages of pure GMing gold. Finally, there is a three page chapter on how to fine-tune your GMing skills - covering some of the usual hiccups you may come across duing play - from Game Balance to Difficult Players. Again, Steve and Leighton show that GMing advice doesn't need to be verbose - it just needs to be useful.
The Appendices are filled with a multitude of inspirational and fun material. Including a Qik Start Genre Guide for Action, Cinema Verite, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Shakespearean Drama, Super-Hero and Western genres. There are sample characters, GMCs (NPCS) and even a selection of items from the now out of print "Stuff: The Equipment Guide" Hex once published. Mmmm Cathedralpult...
Opinion
It should be fairly clear by now that I highly recommend QAGS2e. The book is more professionally written than the first edition and all the extra material and revisions have made QAGS an even better game for it. While it hasn't made me willing to convert every game I run into QAGS, it is definitely a game that will continue to get a lot of use from my gaming group. It may not be everyone's cup of tea - if you don't like rules-lite systems, then you may want to stay away from it - but in doing so, I have to say that you are missing out on a great game - and at such a low cost, it is well worth having on your shelf. Even if only for when you and some friends are sitting around the house on a rainy day and decide that it would be fun to play a light roleplaying game.Steve Johnson and Leighton Connor prove that they have a knack for producing quality material without pretention. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - these guys are great writers, someone ought to be paying more attention!
Should I Buy it? Bisexuality? Talking Lint Balls? Cathedralpult? Cinematic, simple and fun? Buy it now! Mr Pookums orders you to.
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