Being a traditional fantasy adventure game
Author: Scott Malthouse
There really is something charming about this little game, and why I find myself continuing to pull it off of my shelf. I think this is because it's exactly the kind of game I know I could wrangle the family together to get to play at a moment's notice. There are no pages, after all. It's just the covers and inside covers. Everything needed is right in front of you.
First, it starts with the cover illustration. A slumbering green dragon nestled comfortably in its forest domain. No grand display of heroism. No explicit violent acts. No perilous, nor epic struggle. Just a great wyrm dreaming whatever they dream about. It just gives me a warm, comfortable feeling akin to viewing Howe's illustrations of Middle-Earth.
We then bid our scaled friend goodbye, and enter the realm of the rules. No crazy layout found within. No bold graphic design choices. Just the basic rules needed to start an adventure, and start one up quickly. Those familiar with the early iterations of fantasy roleplaying games will recognize most aspects; Classes and Bloodlines, Morale, Spells, Ability Checks and Saves, amongst others.
The abilities have been swapped from the six we've all come to know, and have been condensed to Physical, Mental, and Aura. The game retains the classic roll-under abilities for both checks and saves. Roll-under has never been my favorite, but it's sleek and takes up far less real estate on the page, which is the point of this game. All you need to play and run it, on a two-page spread. Brilliant. HP and AC make a return, as does gold-for-xp, but you also get 1xp for each monster slain. Nothing is gained from increasing in level, of course, except making your stats and HP increase. But this isn't that kind of game, anyhow. Heck, there's even a small bestiary.
On the back cover is the character sheet. It's compact, but because there aren't a ton of things to track, it all fits perfectly on the A5 size, not to mention, would copy perfectly on a home printer.
I hope it's clear that I heartily recommend this game. Scott has done a fantastic job of using his word count effectively, creating a traditional gaming experience without all the drag. It really feels like sitting down in your favorite pub, and quaffing your favorite brew of choice.
itch: https://trollish-delver-games.itch.io/heartseeker
DriveThru: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/337182/Heartseeker-Traditional-Adventure-Game
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