Drinking Quest with a Playmate

The video is pretty accurate and certainly representative of my personal play experience. We were lacking a playmate during our games. Next time perhaps. Plus there is a reference to the Snow Weasel. Hat tip to the Substance TV people and the lovely Pamela.

The Drinking Quest 3 crowd funding campaign is now fully funded and moving toward the stretch goals with 4 days left. I’m happy it has funded. Jason, the creator, is a hell of a lot of fun and a joy to interact with. Cool to see good people be successful in their projects.

Next convergence, I dub Randall the crazy hat guy.

Drinking Quest 3 – Nectar of the Gods

I love Drinking Quest. Its a light RPG based card game focused around having a few cocktails. Like many small game publishers, the fine folks over at Drinking Quest decided to launch a crowd-sourced campaign on Indiegogo to fund the final chapter of the DQ trilogy.

The final chapter of the DQ trilogy keeps the core game mechanics and is a stand-alone edition of the game. Each version shares a story line but can be played independently. It also will feature some improvements to the game. Quality improvements are a consistent feature with the publisher.

DQ3 is going to feature stout new boxes for the games. Additionally, they have hired a colorist so they can offer the new release in color! The black and white drawings were cool but I cannot wait to see how the art jumps out in color. Plus they are retaining the improved card quality from the first release to the new printings offered when DQ2 launched.

Here are 30 reasons in 3 minutes to consider backing the project in Jason’s own words:

Where I Sit

After waffling a bit on what level of backing for campaign, I settled on the perk of all 3 games + Insult + Poem. While I already own two copies of DQ1 and 1 copy of DQ2, the improved boxes will aid in hauling the games to various locales. I don’t game much at home so transport is key. I almost went for the t-shirt but could only wear it a few times per year. I’m not hipster enough to rock Chuglox on a regular basis. Just too damn old to pull it off.

What I could have done…

Sure, I could have opted for the drunken Bachelor Party via Skype. Trying to tell my new mail order bride that I ordered her just to play a game undoubtedly would not end well. Can you do an RMA in the mail order bride business? I’m dubious. Not to mention that I already wrangled Jason into playing with Erik Tenkar and I via Google+ hangout. I am confident I could make that happen again.

Tattoo Time was just off the table. I have no need for my name to appear on another man’s body for any reason. Honestly, that perk is creepy. I picture dark cells in a strange prison that features booze on the commissary options. Admittedly, I’m an ass backward citizen of the United States so perhaps our more forward thinking brethren to the north rock self esteem at the tattoo people level.

Let’s Party is crazily expensive. Playing with Jason in person would be a hell of a lot of fun. Playing with him via G+ was awesome and the stories were great. [Upside, he never hugged me. In fact, I cannot recall him groping the camera. (take note Bachelor Partiers).] Instead, I invoked the power of networking. Surreptitiously, my grand plan is to have a convention fund his travel/attendance, and then I volunteer to help him when I happen to show up for said convention. Minimal out of pocket cost. Benefit to Jason. Benefit to the convention. The math just works out in my favor.

Last Word

Why are you still reading? Did you already back the campaign and return for more in depth analysis? I invoke my special ability: Chug, friend, chug.

Drinking Quest Play Report

Kick back, grab an ale and let me tell a tale of Drinking Quest 1 and 2. If you have not heard of Drinking Quest, it is a card based drinking game modeled after role playing systems. The system is easy to learn, easy to play, and features four quests per deck. Not to mention its hard to write a review after playing. I could have accomplished it but there would have been a) belching, b) emoticons, and c) words no spell checker could fix. All of the above might still apply.

Randall chose to open Convergence with Drinking Quest. After flight delays, random traffic nonsense, late shopping and finally some food, I busted out DQ1. I handed the full rules to Randall and the quick start card to Rob. After nods, we started into the game.

The first quest of DQ1 was our learning round. We double checked the rules. Also, the game reminded us that we are no longer in our 20’s. The game is a lot of fun; has crazy moments, and delivers far beyond what a four decade old body needs in drinks. Perhaps special attention should have been placed on the moderation elements stated in the rules.

Drinking Quest defines what a card system should be in a beer & pretzels environment. Its fun, light, and contains laugh your ass off moments as you or your friends get your ass kicked by a random card.

After 4 days of gaming, I have no hope of accurate quotes from the players but there are select moments that must be paraphrased.

Randall: [Somewhere after Quests 1 & 2 were complete] “Tell the creators there need to be more cards per quest.”
He may no longer hold that opinion after we completed four of four quests in DQ1 and 3 of 4 in DQ2.

Wheels: “I wish we would have had this 20 years ago.” “Do I have to drink again?”
Rob: “A fun system. Damn, is Wheeler drinking again?”
Mark: “Chug. Chug. Chug.”
Wheels: “I spend XP to make Randi drink…”

We could have saved the new quests in Drinking Quest 2 for another night. We did not. Instead, we rolled directly into DQ2 from DQ1.

Rob: “Wait, these stats don’t match the cards.”
Mark: “Huh, that’s odd, oh wait, here’s a DQ2 character sheet.”

Honestly, I was expecting the same stats and character information to flow from one deck to another. It doesn’t but it also didn’t matter. We jotted down the new characters and moved into Quest 1 of DQ2. At that point, I no longer heard requests for more cards per quests. I may have been distracted — I was drinking profusely due to many deaths.

Rob: “I have this defense thing figured out. It’s important.”
Wheels: “Drink biotch (directed at Randall during one of the many failed combats”.
Mark: “Chug. Chug. Chug.”

Enter the Snow Weasel.

The snow weasel was our favorite card. Rob drew it when well ahead of us in the game. Not only did it bite his leg on the draw, it mauled him in combat.

Rob: “Aww shit…”
Group: “*cackling*, *laughing*
Randi: “We aren’t getting through quest 4.”

Overall, Drinking Quest is a whole lot of fun. The system mechanics are very deadly which results in drinking. Not unexpected but I underestimated the number of failures that would occur. Some can be knocked off as poor dice rolls but everyone was drinking most of the time. The entire group gave a thumbs up for the game the night of play, the day after, and it was a point of discussion every day of the weekend. It may be more suitable to folks just entering drinking age and who enjoy power-drinking games but if you moderate (yeah right) any beer and pretzels group will enjoy it. Just have munchies available.

Get Drinking Quest.

Last Word: Chug Chug Chug!

Drinking Quest 1 — Demo Games

Before reading further, you will need to a) prepare a supply of drinks (non-intoxicating if you prefer) and b) be on Google+. This weekend, I want to run 2-3 sessions of DQ1 via Hangouts. I’ll be running it DM style if I can get 2-4 players.

Should you be interested, ping me on G+ or respond to the demo post.

Drinking Quest 2 – Yeddy Vedders Yeti Adventure

Settle back, grab a cocktail and prepare yourself for this epic non-review. That’s right slackers, I’m not going to review this product because I just received it in the mail but its too good not to share right away.

Drinking Quest 2 – Yeddy Vedders Yeti Adventure

DQ2 is the stand-alone sequel to DQ1 featuring a new set of 4 quests to explore. Where can you get it? At drinkingquest.com, of course! How much it costs is entirely dependent on the location of your favorite tavern in the world. Too obtuse? $25 Canadian + shipping to your part of the world.

So, what do you get other than the sequel version to the world’s greatest drinking RPG? Same stuff you got in DQ1 with new, cool quests to play — 4 Hero’s, 4 Special Abilities, 4 Quests of 12 cards each along with a summary card for each Quest, a quick rules card, and the quick card for the weapons/armor/items shop.

The essence of the game remains the same. The quality of the cards is much better – these are well cut without the annoying nubs on the original copy of DQ1 I purchased. The cards are the quality you expect from a mass producer; not a small card game company. Well done, DQ, well done.

The four quests in DQ2 are 1) Den of the Cat People, 2) City of Cheer, 3) Leprechaun Party and 4) Minotaur’s Maze Tavern. Each and every one of the new quests depicts a party atmosphere. As the heroes you will need to find some yeti eggs and progress from there. Yep, I drank some beer, double checked, had a shot, and triple checked. The yeti seem to be egg laying mother of gods beasts of doom. Quadruple check. Still yeti eggs. I wonder if Denny’s would whip one into an omelet if I brought it by? Probably not but I may call them to check.

Who can I play?

Fine, I’ll mention the heroes but you should really be a) buying the game or 2) out buying booze in preparation. The four heroes you can play are Yeddy Vedder donning his Yeti Sweater, Hilda Muckracker rocking the ability to Flirt for Tips, Chuglox ready to Tap the Keg, and John Bellow pondering tossing some Homeless Napalm. The napalm allows John — gotcha! I’m not revealing that. Chuglox’s Tap the Keg forces people to drink with a special bonus for belching.

Pros & Cons

Pro – Four new fantastic quests.
Pro – A completely standalone game not a booster pack to the original.
Pro – Fantastic card quality.

Con – I don’t have 3 others to play the game with right now.
Con – Does not come with a bottle of aged whiskey.
Con – Guy in a bright orange jumpsuit running down the road looking for a ride.
Con – I haven’t seen the game authors or publishers on Google+ yet.

A long winded monologue

DQ2 is what all small card game publishers should strive for — quality cards, excellent packaging, and a complete, easy to use product right out of the box. The improvement of the card quality between the original DQ1 and DQ2 is awesome. Nice job, folks. I have not even opened the new copy of DQ1 yet but I suspect it is just as well done.

As for the art, it is the same top shelf B&W quality I expected after DQ1. Clean, well presented in a professional layout on the cards. No signs of amateurs doing it themselves. Merely a clean, complete package from the box through the game itself. Well f’ing done.

Both DQ1 and DQ2 will be packed for Convergence ’12, where they will get played, mocked, and played again. With any luck, they will avoid the epic It’s Only Vodka moment. If I return, I will write a proper review.

Drinking Quest: Review

Well, Drinking Quest didn’t make it in time for the trip to VisionCon. It was sitting in my mailbox when I returned home. Ah well, it will be used in a few months during the fall. Anyway, onto details of the game.

The Contents

Drinking Quest comes in a single box containing the rules, 3 green “pub” dice, a booklet of character sheets and the cards. The box itself features cool art and was shrink-wrapped. The shrink wrap is a nice detail since the game was exposed to the weather a bit over the weekend when I wasn’t home. The game is comprised 62 cards — 4 Quests featuring 12 cards each along with an overview, the four heroes plus a special ability card for each, a store card, and cheat sheet card.

The Rules

The rules for Drinking Quest are quite simple. They span only a single duplex page. Each of the 2-4 players selects a hero card and the associated special ability card. The individual quests are then divided and shuffled. Quests are designed to be played in order. The objective is to be the player with the most XP at the end of the game.

Selection of the starting hero is done by rolling d6’s for the highest score. That hero begins the game by reading the Quest summary card and then taking the initial turn. Turns are composed of visiting the shop to purchase weapons or armor. Then drawing a card from the quest stack. Quest cards can either be an enemy or an event.

Enemy Cards

Enemies are fought death match style. The player to the right of the drawer rolls for the enemy. Initiative goes to the high roll (ties go to the hero). The combat metric is Damage = Attacker’s Roll (+ bonuses) – Defenders Defence Rating. Simple and easy to remember. Combat continues until either the hero or monster is dead. If the hero is victorious, he collects the loot and XP specified on the card. Should he fall in battle, the player must chug his beverage. Chugs are also recorded on the character sheet. If the hero has died already, the punishment is only a few swigs, thus avoiding the unfortunate “It’s Only Vodka” moments. If chugging is completed, the hero will be brought back to life and continue to play.

Alternatively, if the hero has a Bellow Ale, it can be used at the time of death to restore 1d6 HP.

Event Cards

Event cards require a saving throw against one of the four attributes of the hero: Quickness, Tolerance, Sexual Prowess, and Smarts. Saving throws are determined by rolling all 3 six siders. Success is a score equal to or below the attribute. Depending on the outcome of the rolls, the Hero either gets the benefit or is subjected to the failure results noted on the card.

Quests

Four quests are included in the game: Lolevel Forest, Mount Icefist, Booze Cruise, and Zombie Attack!. Each involves a number of different enemies and events. You’ll have to buy the game to figure out the details.

Sundry

The cards are printed in color on the front and black and white on the back. The overall quality is good. The minor flaw is the retention of small nubs in the middle of the long edges during the printing process.

Hat tip to Ryan Jovian of Troll in the Corner for the review that lead me to the game.

Drinking Quest is available at drinkingquest.com for $25.

Snagged: Drinking Quest

I was hooked after reading the review of Drinking Quest over at Troll in the Corner. An RPG intermixed with enjoying a drink or two? I couldn’t resist. The premise seems perfect for evening sessions at Convergence or for a fun game at any party.

The game includes saving throws, which sucks for the guy who cannot make a saving throw. Okay, he makes one on rare occasion. So rarely it calls for some sort of celebration. Imagine an NFL touch down dance done by a gamer type. Not necessarily pretty but damn entertaining.

Plus I love the artwork and the naming of cards: Killer Buzz, Hungover Goblin, etc. Shades of Munchkin style coupled with drinking and an RPG flavor will please my compatriot islander.

Hopefully the rules are simpler than the last foray into a drinking card game. Not to mention more enjoyable than the catastrophe of an RPG session using cards played previously. I suspect it will be far more entertaining.

Hopefully it will arrive before I depart for VisionCon. My confidence is not high given the order notification: It will ship within a day or two and should take about 1 – 4 weeks for delivery depending on your distance from Toronto. Quick processing of the order but now its in the hands of the shipping gods. Here’s to being pleasantly surprised…

Drinking Quest is available at drinkingquest.com for $25.