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The Quick RPG - v1.24

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38 views8 pages

The Quick RPG - v1.24

Uploaded by

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Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Quick RPG

Instant Action, Epic Tales


by Squidhead Games
v1.24
What Is This?
Short on time but craving some RPG action? The Quick
RPG offers easy-to-memorize rules and simple but rich
characters allowing you to dive into a game in minutes.
Every roll propels the story forward, ensuring you're always
crafting an epic tale - whether you succeed brilliantly or
face exciting challenges. Perfect for busy gamers or
last-minute sessions when plans fall through.

This is a “fiction-first” adventure game where the referee


describes the surroundings and situation. The players
explain how their characters react. When the outcome is
unclear or the character is trying something risky, the
referee will call for a roll of the dice to see what happens.

Fiction-first means the story that develops around the


characters drives the game, not the rules. The referee
makes rulings based on the fiction and uses rules to assist
them rather than guide them. For that reason, these rules
are intentionally sparse.

The Quick RPG v1.24 1


Rules
When trying something risky or challenging, the referee
will set a difficulty and ask the player to roll the character's
attribute die vs. a difficulty die.
Difficulty Very Easy Easy Moderate Hard Very Hard
Die d4 d6 d8 d10 d12
Cost 1 1 2 2 3

Attribute Die >= Difficulty Die: Full success


Attribute Die < Difficulty Die: Partial Success. Apply a
narrative cost or take Strain equal to the difficulty cost.
Choose based on the situation's danger level.

Adjust the attribute and difficulty die based on the


character's gear, role, and situation. Examples: A nice
weapon could increase the attribute die. A surprise attack
on an enemy could decrease the difficulty die.

There are no outright failures in this game. The story


always moves forward. Examples: A character shoots at
an enemy and gets a partial success. They hit the enemy,
but the enemy also shoots them. A character gets a partial
success when picking a lock. They pick the lock, but their
lock pick is now stuck in the key hole.

The Quick RPG v1.24 2


Determining The Narrative Cost
Roll 3d6 and fill in this sentence, then interpret:
The [source] impacts the [target] in a [adjective] way.
d6 Source Target Adjective
1-2 Environment Environment Painful/Intense
3-4 NPC/PC NPC/PC Increase/Decrease
5-6 Party Party Exposed/Unexpected
Strain
When taking their 3rd Strain reduce 1 attribute die 1 level
and reset Strain to 0. When any attribute die would drop
below d4, the character is KO’d and possibly dead. A short
rest resets Strain to 0. A successful healing test resets an
attribute die.

Obstacles & Enemies


Obstacles and Enemies are represented by a difficulty die.
Enemies also have hits, indicating the number of rolls
needed to defeat them. Enemies may initiate attacks,
forcing player rolls. For cinematic games, keep enemy max
hits low and use difficulty to adjust the challenge.
Example: A d10 enemy with 3 hits is a high Strain risk.
Enemies may have varied difficulty dice based on their
abilities. Example: An enemy might use a d8 for swordplay,
a d6 for grappling, and a d4 for ranged attacks.
The Quick RPG v1.24 3
Characters
Rundown
1. Name
2. Role (Fantasy Examples: Fighter,
Thief, Wizard, Cleric, Bard, Monk)
3. Quirk (Examples: "collects shiny
objects", "laughs when nervous",
“loud talker”) - Quirks may
influence the test difficulty.
4. Brief physical description
5. Strain (starts at 0)

Attributes
Body: For strength, agility, endurance, and weapons
Mind: For intellect, perception, knowledge, and magic
Will: For resolve, social interactions, and the divine

Assign d4, d6, and d8 to the attributes, based on the


character's role. When advancing, increase an attribute
die, max d12.

For tasks requiring both physical action and concentration,


players may choose either Body or Mind.

The Quick RPG v1.24 4


Gear
Select some gear including a weapon that aligns with the
setting and character's role. Examples: sword, rope,
torches, climbing gear, rucksack, bow, dagger, staff, wand,
dice, flint & steel, spyglass, holy symbol, alchemy kit.

Armor may be used once each combat encounter to avoid


taking Strain.

Shields may be broken to avoid taking Strain.

Extraordinary Abilities
Characters may have extraordinary abilities allowing
incredible feats. Using an Extraordinary Ability is no
different than any other test. Examples: super speed
(Body), fire magic (Mind), mystical healing (Will), chi blast
(Will), shadow walker (Body).

The Quick RPG v1.24 5


Acknowledgements
Artwork by Stoneshore, Gordy Higgins, and Charlie
Based on Pay the Price by Squidhead Games
Thanks to my discord friends for inspiration,
feedback, and testing. Specifically: Chazzam,
Grikus, Nykodemus, and Steelheartx

License
Creative Commons CC BY SA 4.0

You may play this as-is or customize it to suit your needs.


The license is open and only requires you to add
attribution to this game if you use it in your work. You may
not use this game in any product which promotes or
supports bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobic, and similar
mentalities. If you’re a supremacist in any way, stay away
from anything produced by Squidhead Games.

The Quick RPG v1.24 6


Name
Role
Quirk
Description

Mind Body Will Strain


MAX MAX MAX

d d d d d d

Gear/Abilities Money

Very Easy Easy Moderate Hard Very Hard


d4 d6 d8 d10 d12
Cost 1 Cost 1 Cost 2 Cost 2 Cost 3

The Quick RPG https://squidhead-games.itch.io/the-quick-rpg

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