HeartQuest Diceless

Game: HeartQuest Diceless
Publisher: Seraphim Guard
Series: Active Exploits
Reviewer: Kinslayer
Review Dated: 17th, July 2003
Reviewer’s Rating: 8/10   [ Really good ]
Total Score: 35
Average Score: 7.00

HeartQuest Diceless by Seraphim Guard

Overall, this is clean and easy to read, well done with a minimum of errors. It was written so that even a total novice to gaming, such as someone who was transitioning from shoujo manga fandom to this game rather than having previous rpg experiences, could easily follow. This does mean that base concepts to gaming such as setting, action, or role are explained more than once, but I did not find that this distracted from the book. On the contrary, Seraphim Guard went out of their way to make this game as friendly as possible to new players, with one minor exception. As HeartQuest Diceless uses the Active Exploits engine from Politically Incorrect Games, there is some referencing to that other work, something that can be disheartening to a new gamer, and even many veterans of gaming dislike cross-referencing books. However, this is not that bad, as Active Exploits is freely downloadable at RPGNow.com, and came included in the download with my copy of HeartQuest Diceless. For those familiar with the Fudge-based version, there is a free conversion download on Seraphim Guard’s website at http://www.seraphimguard.com/hq-ae_conversion.pdf.

The included introduction to shoujo was good for those transitioning from other rpg’s, rather than as a manga fan. The term “shoujo manga,” refers to comics designed for young girls, hence the name; shoujo translates as “young girl.”

This is a PDF designed for printing. There aren’t any bookmarks, or other gadgetry of the format, but it isn’t missed. The file is already guttered for printing and compiling into a booklet. There is a noticeable lack of annoying layout features: no pictures that warp the text & make it hard to read, no large wasted white spaces, no large ink-drinking dark spaces, all the chapters start on the right side of the page when printed–pictures used at the end of the chapters for spacing. This means that the bulk of the pictures are at the end of the chapter, but this makes for an easy mnemonic to locate a particular area–just look for the picture(s) that precede it. The artwork is more typical of manga than it is anime–the focus is on form more than line, or the stereotypical physical aspects of the subject matter, as is common to western artists drawing in manga or anime styling.

As HeartQuest Diceless uses a separate engine, much of the game mechanics are beyond the scope of this review. However, math is kept at a minimum, something that I was concerned about–with a diceless system I expected deliberately complex rococo cross-referenced charts, or a resorting to “throwing fingers” or some other such nonsense. Given the simplicity of the Active Exploits system, and most of the rules being listed there, few rule references were needed for the text of HeartQuest Diceless. The math is kept to a bare minimum, and this could easily act as a reference work for shoujo manga even if one had no knowledge of the gaming system. Resolution of tasks is based on the effort expended by the character, a method that lends itself quite well to the genre.

I really never considered this genre to be one I was particularly interested in–I’m a fan of giant robots trampling everything in their paths… “Crush them, Giant Bobo!” In role-playing games, I like mine with extra violence and a side order of explosions; thus I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I was pleasantly surprised with HeartQuest. Chapter 11 is a listing, categorized and summarized, of anime and manga shoujo titles. I must confess that I found a large number of them I had seen–or own–and many that I read in that chapter thinking “that sounds keen.” I am glad that I played this game; it was an enjoyable experience.

Character creation uses the convention of walking a sample character through the process. This is done without making the sample character an overbearing presence–rather than leaving the reader with a “look what a cool character I made” feeling, this character is used only when an example is warranted. The list of “Gimmicks” was interesting, and definitely provided a good source of character ideas; there’s even a Nosebleeder Gimmick. Additional Gimmicks suited to the genre are found in the Special Abilities chapter. This is an especially useful chapter for those who wish to play in the popular subgenre of “magical girls.” which–in all honesty–was what attracted the others with whom I played HeartQuest Diceless, and has an entire chapter devoted to that subject.

Chapter 4 Romance is a wonderfully insightful glimpse into teenage life in Japan. In-between your first exam crunch in junior high, and leaving for university, lies your first crush. This chapter deals with this frequent topic of the genre in a respectful, respectable way. Even if one excludes such often taboo topics (in the west anyway) as homosexuality, the emotions of a teenager are complex, troubled things. This chapter deals with these, and other, subjects in a very responsible way that somehow manages to be rue to the genre, real feelings, and still facilitate role-playing.

There are three settings, and several sample characters. Even if you choose not to use any of them, they provide great inspiration for ideas. Even presented as examples, they are more detailed and complete than some I have seen as full-featured settings or characters.

Is it worth the eight bucks (US)? Yes, whether you are a fan of shoujo–or even manga/anime in general–or you are a gamer wanting something different to play, look towards HeartQuest. The section for Directors alone is worth the price of admission–well written, to the point, useful advice for many situations, yet focused on the task at hand. In other words, typical of what I am coming to expect of Seraphim Guard.

Golgotha Kinslayer