Free stuff: Adventure Quest/Jaern, a fantasy RPG/setting

TLG d20, Necromancer Games and general. Discuss any game not covered in another forum.
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Gringnr
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Free stuff: Adventure Quest/Jaern, a fantasy RPG/setting

Post by Gringnr »

http://www.aquest.com/

Just thought I'd post this obscure little game here. It was created in Lafayette, Indiana wayyyyyyy back in the early 1980's. An old friend who went to Purdue had played a lot of it in college. He swore by it. He tried running it for our group once. I wasn't really receptive at the time, due to my stubborn belief that 1e AD&D was the be-all, end-all of fantasy RPGs (I have since learned otherwise), and AQ's random race selection for PC's. I ended up rolling a lizard man, and it really ticked me off at the time. I was very young.

Recently, I was reminded of the game, and to my surprise, the authors have made it freely available on the web. I remember it being a slim, modest volume with a dude riding a dolphin on the cover. But it seems to have grown into a 500-plus page book! I was disappointed to see that the dolphin rider cover had been replaced, but that's life. Looks like the book contains a complete setting, a bestiary, and several appendices!

Character sheet is the size of an index card, no mean feat for a game with 9 character attributes.

I hope you all have fun checking this out!

AQ is a fantasy RPG, with elves, dwarves, and yes, lizard men. It is set in a fully realized world, whose technology seems to be close to 19th-century earth. There is magic, and there are fantastic creatures. The game's authors intended the game to have a nice balance between realism and playability, leaning tiwards playability whenever possible.

Edit: sadly, it appears that the authors of the game have both passed away.
It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.

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Gringnr
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Re: Adventure Quest/Jaern, a free fantasy RPG/setting

Post by Gringnr »

A few observations: "dolphineer" is a career, one of the attributes is Common Sense, and elves can't be resurrected because they don't have souls.
It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.

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Tadhg
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Re: Adventure Quest/Jaern, a free fantasy RPG/setting

Post by Tadhg »

Interesting . . I tried to get through this, but it's too long with too many charts and was put off.

It might be something I would play, but could not see running this.

Like to see the original. Is it available?

Thanks for posting!
:)
Lord Tadhg - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Ardmore

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

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Gringnr
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Re: Adventure Quest/Jaern, a free fantasy RPG/setting

Post by Gringnr »

Rhuvein wrote:Interesting . . I tried to get through this, but it's too long with too many charts and was put off.

It might be something I would play, but could not see running this.

Like to see the original. Is it available?

Thanks for posting!
:)
I don't think the game was ever professionally or commercially published. The copy I saw appeared to be printed on a home or office printer, then spiral bound. In fact, the new book makes mention of doing the same thing.

My old friend said they pretty much played it exclusively at Purdue, YMMV, though.
It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.

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Gringnr
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Re: Free stuff: Adventure Quest/Jaern, a fantasy RPG/setting

Post by Gringnr »

Edited OP to add "Free stuff" to thread title. I wanted to connect this thematically to the other free/indie RPGs I've been posting.
It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.

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