DragonQuest
My goal with my Fantasy Fridays is to present a fantasy game that could be a potential substitute for D&D at the game table, but what does a nearly 45-year-old have to offer? Well, before I get into that lets recap what DragonQuest is.
I have a bit of history with DragonQuest. Not a complicated one or even an interesting one, but history all the same. Back in 83 or 84 or so, I would head to Belobrajdic's Bookstore in my hometown every weekend. There, I would get a new edition of Dragon or whatever sci-fi novel piqued my interest and then check out all the new RPG materials. One I kept going back to time and time again was DragonQuest. This was the 2nd Edition softcover and looked really different than anything I had played so far. The barbarian on the cover proudly holding the severed head of a dragon convinced me it was a "Dragon hunting" game, and indeed, I learned that its original name was "DragonSlayer." But the Disney movie caused them to change this.
The game intrigued me so much. I flipped through it many times, and it even got to the point that I annoyed the owner, Paula Belobrajdic, who told me I should buy it. In retrospect, I wish I had.
Back in 2020, I managed to score a copy of the boxed set 1st edition. I am not 100% sure it lived up to my idea of what I thought it should be. Though while reading this 1st Edition boxed set, I could not help but think that maybe "DemonQuest" would be a fun game. That is, combine this with bits of the SPI game Demons. Consequently, the 2nd edition of DragonQuestion removed many of the connections with demons and demon summoning and even removed the School of Black Magic.
Also, around this time, I began to delve into the thriving online community that DragonQuest still has. It was here that I discovered the aforementioned 2.19 edition and even some details on the TSR-produced DragonQuest 3rd edition, which has been described by some as "unplayable."
So while I never got my own copy of DragonQuest 2nd edition, I do have a copy of the DragonQuest 2.19 edition in a three-ring binder, so that will have to do.
Rules-wise, they are similar enough to my review of the 1st edition that I don't feel the need to get into a lot of detail about it.
2.19 and the DragonQuest Player's Association
Now, I may not have all my details correct here, so I do apologize in advance. The 2.19 edition of DragonQuest was created in 2003. It seems to have been a group effort to restore the 2nd edition rules while bringing in material that had appeared elsewhere. I think, but am not sure, that some of the better rules from the 3rd edition were also included. Among other things, the College of Black Magic is back.
These are the de facto rules used by many in the DragonQuest Player's Association. The site looks like it is an artifact of the earliest internet days (because it is) and has not changed much of its look and feel since 1998. But it is home to an absolute ton of DragonQuest material, both new and old.
While I suppose the game is still copyrighted to SPI and then TSR and now Wizards/Hasbro, the trademark on the name went to the Japanese software company Square Enix. So while it is not really "abadonware" it is pretty close to that.
I will be 100% honest. DragonQuest is clunky and not always in a good way. It wears its war game roots right on its sleeve for all to see. And the active community keeps with that notion.
Its a great idea, in theory, but in practce I am back to where I was 42+ years ago; a neat game that no one around me plays. Maybe the next Con I go too I'll check out if they have a game running. The Facebook group is still active, so I know there are players out there.
The adventures and the schools of magic are still the biggest draws for me. I have to admit I just love how they look, and the art is like something out of a 1970s pulp fantasy book that I found in the 1980s. Raven Swordsmistress of Chaos would be a good character for this game. Maybe I'll give her a try later on.
I still like to think that with the right group, where I am maybe the youngest guy there, this would be great.
Larina Nix for DragonQuest 2.19
One of the best things about DragonQuest 1st edition was it allowed me to detail the life of a mage that had been important to my games but whom I never really knew a lot about. Phygor was an ancient mage in the May game, more rumor and half-whispered history than a character. I figured I could stat him up in DragonQuest and finally run with him. I did. And it was great. I immediately want to try my hand a recreating my witch Larina for the game as well, but knew I wanted to use the 2nd edition rules for her. Well...I never found one to buy that I liked, but then I found the 2.19 edition rules. I wanted her to have some power, so I awarded her an extra 40,000 experience points. Is that a lot? No idea, I know I wanted her to be skillful and magical, and experience points are used to buy everything.
Yes. There is a fan project on the School of Witchcraft, and it looks like a lot of fun, but I wanted to go Rules as Written for her.
Human Female, 26 years old
Primary Characteristics
Physical Strength 12
Manual Dexterity 15
Agility 12
Magical Aptitude 22
Willpower 20
Endurance 12
Physical Beauty 20
Secondary Characteristics
Tactical Movement Rate 4
Defense 12
Fatigue 19
Perception 8
Initiative D+8
Aspect Moon
Social Status First born daughter of a merchant.
Right Handed
Skills
Climbing 0, Horsemanship 0, Hunting 0, Stealth 0
Alchemist 3 (analyze chemicals, mix standard chemicals), Astrologer 3 (beigns affected, change prediction), Beast Master 1 (creatures of the night and shadow), Courtesan 2 (seduction, sing, appear attractive), Healer 1 (empathy - tactile, cure infection, disease, headache)
Languages
Common (S/R&W): 8/8
Ancient, Draconic (S/R&W): 3/3
Farie (S/R&W): 3/3
Weapons
Dagger 20 40 D A 8 RMC
Quarterstaff 20 55 2 C P M
Gear
Dagger, Quaterstaff, blouse, belt (weapon), high boots, cloak, gloves, hat, pants, sleeping sack, rations (1 week), pouch, quills, ink, parchment (26.75 lbs).
260 silver pieces
School of Magic: Ensorcelments and Enchantments
Base Magic Resistance 20
Spells Rank %
Witchsight ee 6 32
Charming ee 3 31
Telekinesis ee 4 39
Enchanted Sleep ee 2 28
Speaking to Enchanted Creatures ee 2 53
Location ee 3 31
Invisibility ee 4 64
Evil Eye ee 5 42
Bolt of Energy ee 7 78
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So I like this. If I had not been deadset on doing her rules-as-written, I would have tried out the school of witchcraft, but that is fine, really. Maybe this is a previous incarnation of Larina, one who lived a generation after the original Phygor. Much like the relationship of Phygora (named for the mythic wizard) and Larina in AD&D, teacher and student, respectively.
I know. I'll try out Elowen Hale using this system. Though it has honestly taken me months to write this much on this already. Still, I would love to see if I could do a respectable Raven and Elowen as well.
Am I done with this game? Not really. I am sure I'll keep coming back to it, if for no other reason than to satisfy the curiosity of a kid from the mids 80s looking at this book on the RPG shelves at my local bookstore.
Can I recommend this game? I doubt that many modern gamers have the patience for this style of rules anymore. Plus, "leveling up" can be slow, and players used to D&D 5 or even video games will have a hard time with it. This is an artifact of an age between ages; when the war gamer still ruled, and the RPG folks were the new kids on the block. Like I said with the 1st Edition, I have so many games that can do what this does. But I am happy I own copies, I am happy I can read them and enjoy them, and best of all, make some characters for them.
Links
- Wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DragonQuest
- DragonQuest Wiki, https://www.dq-nz.org/dqwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
- DragonQuest Players Association, THE place to go for everything, https://www.dragonquest.org/
- DragonQuest Fan Page by Snafaru, https://www.zimlab.com/dq/
- DragonQuest Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1470175743293056/
- My DragonQuest posts:
2 comments:
My personal experience with DragonQuest is entirely tangential, having never owned or played the RPG itself. I was a big enough fan of SPI that I did buy and play Arena of Death (which was essentially the DQ combat system published as a separate game), quickly concluding that I greatly preferred Melee/Wizard for that kind of thing.
Also purchased Enchanted Wood on the strength of Jennell Jaquays' name and strip-mined it for use in The Fantasy Trip. It remains my favorite of her adventures, and elements of it have been showing up in my homebrew games for decades now - much as they've appeared in Forgotten Realms lore following the publication of Enchanted Wood.
Enchanted Wood is quite good really. Love to get a copy but they go for a lot on eBay these days.
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