Quick-Start Saturday: Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart

Quick-starts are a 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 two. 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 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?
Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart is the quick-start for Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork, the roleplaying game based on the satirical fantasy works of Sir Terry Pratchett published by Modiphius Entertainment and focusing on the great city of Ankh-Morpork, set in a particular Now somewhere around the events of the novels, Going Postal and Thud!.

It is a forty-eight page, 12.99 MB full black and white PDF.

It is decently written and the artwork is excellent. It does need an edit in places.

How long will it take to play?
Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart is designed to be played through in a single session, two at the very most.

What else do you need to play?
The Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart needs a standard set of polyhedral dice, including percentile dice, per player. Except that is, the die between the seventh- and nineth-sided dice. This known as as the ‘Narrativium Die’ and is rolled by the Game Master.

It also requires some puns.

Who do you play?
The Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart includes six pre-generated Player Characters, all of whom are members of Ankh-Morpork’s City Watch. They consist of a veteran Zombie who very close to retirement; an Igorina recruit good with a needle; a surprisingly charismatic Troll; a Dwarf Crimescene Iconographer; a gifted beggar who surprised her parents by joining the Watch; and a very observant Gargoyle.

How is a Player Character defined?

A Player Character in the Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart has a number of Traits that define who and what he is and what what he can do. They include the character’s name, the group he belongs to, species and background, his experiences and where he fits into his group, his core—his outlook on life and how he reacts to the world, quirks, and description. He may gain other Traits, primarily consequences for failing Tests. He also has several points of Luck. All six come with a good description as well as the other Traits and an excellent illustration.

How do the mechanics work?

Mechanically, Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork uses an opposed dice roll system. A player decides what he wants his character to do, selects a Trait, and explains how said Trait is appropriate for the Test. The player is encouraged to define how appropriate a Trait from one situation to the next, even that twists the meaning of the words. The Game Master will assign an Outcome Die that the player will roll. If the justification is perfect or suitability appropriate for what the Player Character can do, this is a twelve-sided die, but if the rationale is dodgy or shaky, or the Player Character has no idea what he is doing, it is a four-sided die. The Game Master may also assign the six-sided die or the ten-sided die depending upon the quality of the reasoning. In addition, the Game Master decides on the consequences of failure.

The roll of the Outcome Die is compared with the ‘Narrativium Die’. If the result on the Outcome Die is higher, the Player Character succeeds, but if the result on the ‘Narrativium Die’ is higher, he fails and the Game Master can narrate the result, which can be a new Trait, representing unforeseen consequences or twists.

If the test was a failure, another Player Character can attempt to help. This costs a point of Luck and the player will decide on the appropriate Trait and the Game Master assign it an Outcome Die. The roll is made against the result of the ‘Narrativium Die’ already rolled. If the result of the new Outcome Die is higher, then the Player Characters succeed, but if it is a tie or lower, the consequences affect both Player Characters and and are worse.

Luck can also be spent to reduce the effects of consequences.

On extremely rare occasions, a Game Master can decide that a plan devised by the players is so outlandishly absurd or ridiculously clever or astoundingly unlikely, that, “it’s a million to one chance, but it just might work.” In which case, it actually does.

How does combat work?
There are no specific combat mechanics in the Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart. Instead, Tests are rolled as normal with the ‘Narrativium Die’ standing in for the opposition and the outcome narrated.

How does magic work?

If you are not prepared to put your time in and complete your studies at Unseen University, there really is no hope of you actually finding out...

What do you play?

The scenario in the Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart is ‘Up in Smoke’. As member of the Watch, the Player Characters are assigned—by Sir Samual Vimes, no less—to investigate a burglary at Lady Ramkin’s Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Dragons. The investigation will take the Player Characters back and forth across the Misbegot Bridge over the River Ankh and the scenario is actually organised geographically, with the various sites of investigation laid out either side of the bridge. Every location includes a description, details of what happened there previously and any NPCs, as well as a list of clues and possible consequences should things go wrong. This is slightly odd if a bit clever, as it also places the finale in the middle of the investigation! The finale is very written as an action scene with a chase, a dilemma, and plenty of complications and consequences.

Is there anything missing?
No. The Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart has everything the Game Master and her players will need to play, including advice on tone, safety tools, and a good example of play. There is also a Reference Sheet on the last page.

Is it easy to prepare?
Yes. The Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart is very easy to prepare.

Is it worth it?
Yes. There a lot to like about the Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart. It is simple and straightforward, the rules are very easy to grasp and allow for a lot of player input and Trait twisting in light, narrative fashion. ‘Up in Smoke’ is a solid scenario and the pre-generated Player Characters are all nicely, nicely done. The Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart really is one of the easiest of quick-starts to run and play.

The Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork Quickstart. is published by Modiphius Entertainment and is available to download here.