| Quest | |
| Designer: | T.C. Sottek |
| Illustrator: | Marianna Learmonth, Celia Lowenthal, Grim Wilkins |
| Publisher: | The Adventure Guild |
| Date: | 2019 |
| Genre: | tabletop role-playing game, fantasy |
Quest is a rules-light, fantasy tabletop role-playing game designed to welcome beginners to the hobby.[1] It was created in 2019 by T.C. Sottek, executive editor at The Verge.[2] It was published by Sottek's indie publishing company, the Adventure Guild, after a Kickstarter campaign raised $153,614.[3] Quest was nominated for the 2020 ENnie Awards in four categories.[4] Since 2022, the digital edition of Quest has been available for free.[1] Other creators are allowed to make and sell products based on Quest.[5]
Quest uses a quick character creation system based on answering simple, Mad Libs-style questions.[1] [6] Players roll a single 20-sided die to address challenges. The gamemaster is called the Guide.[1]
Quest was first published in 2019. In response to the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, the Adventure Guild announced that physical copies of the core rulebook could be ordered by libraries, public schools, and counsellors free of charge.[7] [8] Later that year, an audio tutorial was released.[9] In 2021, the expansions Fantastic Characters and Wondrous Treasures were released after a Kickstarter campaign raised $53,473.[4] [10] In 2022, the digital edition of Quest became available for free download.[1]
Third-party creators are permitted to make and sell products based on Quest using the game's Community Creators Resource, which was published under a Creative Commons license.[5]
Quest was nominated for the 2020 ENnie Awards in four categories: "Product of the Year," "Best Family Game / Product," "Best Layout and Design," and "Best Writing."[4]
Several actual play podcasts and web series have used Quest as their game system.[11] [12] The Asians Represent show on One Shot Podcast Network switched their "Dungeons & Da Asians" campaign system from Dungeons & Dragons to Quest in July 2020.[13]
Beth Elderkin for Gizmodo praised Quest's decision to make the core rulebook available to schools during the COVID-19 lockdowns, writing, "It’s a welcoming, positive, and (dare I say) educational roleplaying game, and seems like a great way to bring educators and students together during a difficult time."[8]
Several reviewers noted that Quest was beginner-friendly. Charlie Hall for Polygon wrote that Quest "has been custom-made for people who are new to these sorts of games."[14] Meaghan Colleran for Bell of Lost Souls called Quest "easy to jump into, easy to learn, easy to play and easy to GM. It’s a perfect game for kids or beginners."[6]
Aaron Marks for Cannibal Halfling Games called Quest's "layout and document design" "superior" to that of typical role-playing games. However, he dismissed one of Sottek's early design goals – to "overtake D&D" – writing, "I can say Quest isn’t going to upend any existing hierarchy [...] That said, one need not start any revolutions to be successful."[3]