Quick-Start Saturday: DUNGEON, INC.

Quick-starts are means of trying out a roleplaying game before you buy. Each should provide a Game Master with sufficient background to introduce and explain the setting to her players, the rules to run the scenario included, and a set of ready-to-play, pre-generated characters that the players can pick up and understand almost as soon as they have sat down to play. The scenario itself should provide an introduction to the setting for the players as well as to the type of adventures that their characters will have and just an idea of some of the things their characters will be doing on said adventures. All of which should be packaged up in an easy-to-understand booklet whose contents, with a minimum of preparation upon the part of the Game Master, can be brought to the table and run for her gaming group in a single evening’s session—or perhaps too. And at the end of it, Game Master and players alike should ideally know whether they want to play the game again, perhaps purchasing another adventure or even the full rules for the roleplaying game.

Alternatively, if the Game Master already has the full rules for the roleplaying game for the quick-start is for, then what it provides is a sample scenario that she still run as an introduction or even as part of her campaign for the roleplaying game. The ideal quick-start should entice and intrigue a playing group, but above all effectively introduce and teach the roleplaying game, as well as showcase both rules and setting.

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What is it?
The Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set is the quick-start for Dungeon, Inc., a roleplaying game which reverses the dungeon and has the players roleplaying its denizens withstanding assaults on the corridors, rooms, and caverns against intruding adventurers. It combines this with the ‘dungeon-as-a-business’ corporatisation and outsources it to a special agency, which is where the Player Characters come in. They are monsters sent out to work particular sites, protect the facilities, cause not too much damage themselves and definitely not engage in any looting before having to report back to the office and their line manager.

It is also the English language quick-start for the French roleplaying game, Donjon & Cie.

It is a twelve-page, 14.24 MB full colour PDF.

The quick-start is not illustrated bar the cover and the map.

How long will it take to play?
The Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set and its adventure, ‘Certified? In the Bowels of the Dungeon’, is designed to be played through in one session.

What else do you need to play?
The Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set requires a standard set of polyhedral dice with ideally, two twenty-sided dice.

Who do you play?
The five Player Characters—or Trainees—in the Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set consist of a Cautious Banshee, Blasé Dwarf, Lordly Imp, Intimidating Goatling, and Dapper Goblin.

How is a Player Character defined?
A Player Character in the Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set—and thus Dungeon, Inc.—will look familiar to anyone who has played a micro-clone like The Black Hack or Whitehack. A Player Character has six stats. These are Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma, and they range in value between three and eighteen. A Player Character will also two traits, one defining his species (or profession if Human), the other his personality. For example, a Human Stevedore or a Sultry Bugbear.

A Player Character can also be a Specialist or have a Talent. Each time the Talent or the Specialist training is used, there is a chance that it cannot be used again that day, as per the rules for Risk Dice (see below). A Player Character with Martial Training will have more Hit Points.

Dungeon, Inc. does not use Classes.

How do the mechanics work?
Mechanically, there are three key elements to the Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set—and thus Dungeon, Inc. The first is that to have his character undertake an action, a player rolls a twenty-sided die and attempts to under or equal to the appropriate stat. A trait can make this roll easier or harder. If easier, then the player rolls with advantage, if harder, he rolls with disadvantage.

The second is ‘Risk Dice’. These are standard polyhedral dice, the four-sided to the twelve-sided dice, placed in a descending chain and used to represent resources or a growing threat. When there is a chance that a Player Character will use a resource or a threat will grow, its current die is rolled. If the result is one, two, or three, then the resource is partially depleted or the threat actually grows, and current used to represent it, it is stepped down to the next die size down in the chain. If a four-sided die is rolled and forced to step down, the resource it represents is fully depleted or the threat it represents comes to pass.

The third is Favours. These represent relationships and contacts with other employees of Dungeon, Inc. Favour is treated like a Risk Die in that there is a chance that they will run out for a Player Character. When used successfully, they can grant a bonus to a character whose player narrates how the Favor grants that benefits. A typical benefit is grant Advantage on an action.

How does combat work?
Combat in the Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set as per Dungeon, Inc. Initiative is handled in narrative fashion rather than rolled for, armour is represented by a Risk die, and a Player Character reduced to zero Hit Points is unconscious. When he recovers, he will gain a negative trait related to the injury. Only one roll is made per player per combat round. A successful roll under the appropriate stat means that the attacks against the Player Character have missed and all of his have succeeded. An unsuccessful roll means that the attack made by the Player Character has missed and all attacks against him have succeeded. It is brutally binary.

How does Magic work?

A Player Character with magical training can cast spells. Spells have a cost in Hit Point to cast and require a roll against an appropriate stat. Alternatively, spell components or a magical foci can be used to negate the Hit Point loss. The spell components or magical foci will have their own Risk Dice. The actual effects of a spell will be agreed on between the player and Game Master.

What do you play?

‘Certified? In the Bowels of the Dungeon’ finds the Player Characters—or Trainees—suddenly find themselves assigned by their Tutor (whom it is encouraged that the players collectively create and describe) to an alternative ‘client aerie’ as part of their certification. This is ‘The Giant’s Entrails’. To the sniggering of their future colleagues, the Player Characters are assigned random equipment kits and then find themselves quite literally in the bowels of a dungeons. It is a fairly foul assignment, but still a fun one to play through and unlike many dungeon adventures, these Player Characters will find themselves getting graded when they get back.

Is there anything missing?
No. The Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set includes everything that the Game Master and five players need to play through it. (Though a PowerPoint presentation might not be out of character for the game.)

Is it easy to prepare?
The core rules presented in the Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set are easy to prepare.

Is it worth it?
Yes. The Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set presents the basics of a different, even modernised way to experience classic roleplaying dungeons with a sly dose of humour. That said, neither the Players nor the Game Master get to experience the full corporate culture of Dungeon, Inc. That though, might be a blessing, as nobody wants to be put off the game before it is even available!

Where can you get it?
The Certification Test – A DUNGEON, INC. Quickstart Set is available to download here.