Ye Olde Inn

These are the three Quests I made custom for a gaming convention earlier this year. Now, these arent anything special, but I had to make each Quest play quick, challenging and balanced. I also had to make the descriptions noobie proof because I didn't know if other people would want to host a session. The first one is an introductory because I had a feeling I would have both veteran HQ players and noobies and I did. The second and third are pretty decent. Sorry for any errors or typos.

[These Quests are suitable for a group of 4 new Heroes.

Additional components needed: +2 chests, +1 cupboard, +1 double blocked square tile, +3 open doors, +1 throne -edit]

Looks like you did a good job of doing what you intended - short quests that expose players to many elements of the game. How were they received by the participants?

Pretty awesome. The second Quest is a little rough but if they get thru it, they should have enough equipment and gold to purchase more for the third one. The best part is watching the veteran players relive their childhood, some of the older guys said they hadn't played since 1990-1991 and they were so pumped about playing again. The young "kids" thought HQ was as good if not better than the table top games out now.

These are excellent Quests, and beautifully formatted, Decipher!

I like that they are made as quick "pick-up" games

What program did you use for the Quest notes?

[The response to this post was split into a new topic here.]

When you played these quests at the Con, did you follow the script where it mentions that the Heroes need return to the stairs to collect their reward?

GimmeYerGold wrote:When you played these quests at the Con, did you follow the script where it mentions that the Heroes need return to the stairs to collect their reward?

Yes we did. There were rooms the party didn't search so they wanted to go back anyway.

In Quest 2 which is the "final room" that Nimnock is in? What are his stats and what is the Lich miniature?

I love these starter quests, and I am always looking for ways to work them into our existing Heroes. The little piece below is the storyline I am using to introduce two new characters (a Dwarf and an Elf) to join two established ones of my Brother (Wizard Balash and Princess Gwendoline). I am using the initial four quests below to build the newbies up before the main event. I particularly like how Sir Vardion fitted in. Perhaps this was where he was corrupted and why the party was ambushed in the forests? I have made a few minor changes to account for the initial party only having two new Heroes.

The Dwarf
As a young dwarf from the city of Karak Ziflin in the Grey Mountains, your prospects for wealth, forever mining the barren seams of your homeland, appeared bleak. You have decided to seek your fortune in the wide world. You have heard that the Emperor is offering good money for the rescue of his Elven court advisor who has been captured by an evil servant of Zargon. Play ‘A Friend in Need’.

The Emperor was impressed with your initial performance, but before he employs you on more important tasks, he has two missions for you to prove yourself. You will be accompanied by his elf advisor, to assist and assess your performance. Play ‘The Trial’ and ‘Foul in the Air’ with the Elf. Note that ‘The Trial’ is the quest by Decipher, not the official version. In 'Foul in the Air' Nimnock is the Gargoyle in the central room. Use a Chaos Sorcerer to represent him. His stats are: Mv 6, Att 2, Def 3, Bdy 3, Mnd 5. Nimnock may summon a Skeleton every turn instead of attacking.

Excellent! The Emperor is impressed indeed. He now has a vital mission for you. His agents in the World Edge Mountains have acquired a powerful artifact. You must escort this precious cargo back to the Empire along with a company of the Imperial Guard led by the famous Knight Sir Vardion. Your route will take you west along the Silver Road, through the Forest of Gloom, and then through Black Fire Pass to the safety of the Empire. The Caravan will also be carrying the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Gwendoline, who has been ordered to finally return home along with her escort, the Wizard Balash. You and the Elf will be responsible for removing any traps the party encounters along the way. You will be well rewarded should you successfully complete this task.

Unfortunately the mission has got off to a bad start. Sir Vardion has been kidnapped on his way east. You are the nearest Heroes available; you must rescue him. This is a bad omen indeed. I only hope the gallant knight does not reveal the object of his mission. Play ‘Save the Best for Last’ with the Elf, and then ‘Mound of the Beastmen’ with Balash, Gwendoline and the Elf. In 'Save the Best till last' substitute Sir Vardion for Sir Batton, Mummies for Chaos Warriors, and a Chaos Warrior for Kragus.

The Admiral wrote:In Quest 2 which is the "final room" that Nimnock is in? What are his stats and what is the Lich miniature?

As Decipher won't be posting anymore, I'll take a stab at it.

• I'd say the "final room" is meant to be room D, the last Quest room in the Quest Notes. Why else flag it with a lock and key?
• Lacking any other stats which are normally listed in the Quest Notes, I think those of a Gargoyle, the monster icon in the room, are intended for Nimlock.
• I imagine the Lich miniature is meant to be a Chaos Sorcerer, which has a skull face. The CS is also the standard proxy for evil Spellcasters.

The Admiral wrote:In 'Foul in the Air' Nimnock is the Gargoyle in the central room. Use a Chaos Sorcerer to represent him. His stats are: Mv 6, Att 2, Def 3, Bdy 3, Mnd 5. Nimnock may summon a Skeleton every turn instead of attacking.

You seemed to have answered your own question, and quite well at that. I especially like how you gave him a spell casting ability suitable for an evil, undead Wizard.

As Daedalus stated, my intentions were to use the Gargoyle figure with the Gargoyle stats since those stats would be a challenge for new players. I was in such a hurry at the time for the Con that I neglected to include the stats. Glad you like the quests.