''First Quest'' is an accessory for the ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
''
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
, published in 1994.
Contents
''First Quest'', subtitled "The Introduction to Role-Playing Games", is a
boxed set
A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists ...
intended for players who have no experience with role-playing games, to help them learn the basics of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' and about role-playing generally.
''First Quest'' comes with an audio
compact disc
The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...
, complete with 60 tracks, stereo sound and a plastic case.
The CD begins with a long track which introduces roleplaying as an idea, where the narrator helps a group of young gamers act out a short sample roleplaying session.
The adventure text directs the
Dungeon Master to play certain tracks at various points to reveal clues or enhance the atmosphere. The rules are streamlined ''AD&D'' rules, intended for novice players and first-time Dungeon Masters (DM). The 16-page rule book covers the basics of character creation, combat and spell-casting. The Adventure Book contains four scenarios, two of which use the CD. Symbols highlight key sections of the text; an exclamation point indicates information requiring the DM's scrutiny, a foot impaled on a spike notes the location of a trap. The DM's screen provides step-by-step directions for making
saving throw
In role-playing games (RPGs) and war games, a saving throw is a roll of dice used to determine whether magic, poison, or various other types of attacks are effective against a character or monster. The term was first used in Donald F. Feathe ...
s and ability checks. A set of reference cards explains the differences between warriors and wizards.
Publication history
The ''First Quest'' game was designed by
Bruce Nesmith
Bruce Nesmith is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. He was Creative Director at TSR, working on a variety of games including ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and was a senior game designer and design director at Bethesda Game ...
,
, and
David "Zeb" Cook
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer, best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years. Cook designed several games, wrote the '' Expert Set'' for ''Dungeons & Dragons'', worked as lead designer of the ...
, and published by
TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...
Reception
Rick Swan
Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR.
His work for TSR, mostly for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', appeared from 1989 to 1995.
Swan also wrote '' The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin' ...
reviewed ''First Quest'' for ''
Dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
'' magazine #210 (October 1994).
He called the audio CD "the genuine article", further commenting: "Tastefully produced, the CD transcends gimmickry by transforming routine adventures into multimedia extravaganzas".
Swan concludes that although the ''First Quest'' game "won't sustain the interest of experienced players—it only takes characters up to 3rd level and doesn't have enough detail to stage convincing wilderness adventures—it's a newcomer's dream. This may be the birthday present of the year".
Scott Haring
Scott D. Haring is an American game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
Career
Scott Haring began working in the adventure gaming industry in 1982. Haring had a long career with Steve Jackson Games, having worked at the compa ...
reviewed ''First Quest'' for ''
Pyramid
A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
'' #11 (January/February 1995).
sample
He called this "a natural first product" as an experimental application of a relatively new technology in the form of boxed sets that included audio CDs, adding that this is "the Holy Grail of RPG game design – the game that teaches itself – and ''First Quest'' is the closest anyone has come to it yet".
Describing the introduction track, Haring states: "The kids sounds like kids – they interrupt each other, talk in the background, laugh at stupid jokes and have fun. The script writers did a good job of making this sample session sound real, not like some wooden radio play".
Reviews
* (issue #4 – July 1995) (Portuguese)
* (Danish) (issue #4 – September/October 1994)
*''Coleção Dragon Slayer''
[https://archive.org/details/colecaodragonslayer/Dragon%20Slayer%2008/page/n7/mode/2up]
References
{{D&D topics
Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1994