[Rq-rules] HeroQuest Rules under RQ

[Steve Davies]

At risk of taking us away from endless discussions of
MRQ, I am getting ready to run my first 
HeroQuest under RQ.  My players, normally an
obstreperous bunch, have taken the not-so-subtle hints
that they need to stop one of their longtime enemies
from completing his long journey back from the land of
the dead (where they sent him a year ago).

Below is my framework for HeroQuests, with my design
notes in square brackets.  I am interested in what
others have done, and any comments list members may
have:

Every HeroQuest has a power rating.  THis one is Power
Level 2.  [This allows me to have some measure of the
difficulty of the quest, and will give the players and
characters a sense as well].

When embarking on the quest, anyone who wants to be a
full participant must sacrifice POW equal to the Power
Level of the Quest.  On successfully completing the
quest, those who sacrificed POW automatically get the
same number of chances to increase POW (roll under
21-POWx5% for 1D3-1 increase) as the points of POW
they sacrificed.  [This matches my vision for most
spirit quests:  there is a sacrifice at the start and
typically the quester must complete the mission
despite some handicaps.  The POW rolls on successful
completion are a concession to my player's generally
whinging whenever they have to sacrifice POW for
'nothing' and provide an ongoing incentive to complete
the quest when things get tough.   My players have
displayed a tendency to bail out if they think they
can avoid repercussions].

Characters can participate in the quest without
sacrificing POW, but they do so as supporters.  There
are no encounters tailored to them, nor is there
specific treasure for them.  [In the current Quest,
the hero found armor and a weapon along the way. 
Those who sacrificed got a piece of armor and a weapon
when they completed each stage of the quest.  Those
who did not sacrifice POW got nothing.  At one
encounter, there is one monster per person who
sacrificed POW, and in another place each full
participant must fight a different disease spirit).

All skills used during the course of the HeroQuest are
divided by the Power Level of the HeroQuest.  On
returning, skill advancement rolls are easier and only
need to beat the reduced skill level.  [So a fighter
with a Parry that is normally 100% will only Parry 50%
of the time on this quest.  On returning, assuming he
successfully parried, he only needs to beat the 50% to
get a skill increase.]

The Quest itself will follow a standard pattern,
starting from Human lands, have a recognizable
starting point (ceremony or triggering event), involve
a journey on the mythic plane and ultimately a return
to normal time.  The myth that they are following has
well-defined events, and the encounters the heroes
face will mirror the myth without being exactly the
same.  [The Myth has an encounter with a poisonous
belligerent snake in whose belly the hero finds a
sword, in the played version they encounter
belligerent scorpions, one per active participant,
each with an appropriate weapon in its nest.  In the
original, the hero has a rival whom he meets in the
final battle.  In our hero's version they will meet
their old rival and have a chance to defeat him before
he returns from the dead].

That's it -- no other special rules.  Is anyone doing
anything similar for rules and structure?

Steve

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