For this game session, I played a ttrpg called Dungeon Quest with my brother and best friend back home via discord. This was my first time playing a virtual ttrpg with my friends, but we really appreciated the fact that we were able to play a game like this virtually, it didn’t hinder the experience at all like we initially thought. Next time we play a ttrpg, we’re thinking zoom may be a better way, but I digress. Goblin Quest is a 2-6 player humorous, rules-light game that puts players in the roles of goblins, each controlling five goblins in turn as they attempt to achieve crazy objectives, often leading to their comical demise. The only materials needed to play are pencils, six-sided die (we used a free online number generator), and a copy of the character sheet to fill out. The game draws inspiration from Pathfinder, Paranoia, The Rouge Trader RPG, PSI*Run, 1001 Nights, Fiasco, and D&D, so there’s a lot to explore for those who enjoy breaking games down into individual pieces. Howitt’s design for this game is known for its accessibility, encouraging storytelling and improvisation over complex game mechanics, which I believe is what makes this game so fun, anyone can just pick it up and play with no GM.
In our Goblin Quest scenario, the goal for our characters was to embark on a daring adventure to steal the “Gleaming Gem of Gobshire” from the vaults of the Hobgoblin Bank. This legendary gem was believed to grant our goblin clan, “Sneaky Snatchers”, popularity, and ensure our place in goblin history. The quest involved overcoming numerous challenges, including crafting disguises, navigating traps, and dealing with rival goblin gangs, all while trying to outwit the bank’s security to succeed in our legendary heist.
Below is how our game went:
Stage 1 (Preparation):
Noah’s roll for Grit using the Silent Whistle: Rolled a 4 (Something Good). Attempts to distract the guard dog with the whistle, but the dog ignores it. However, the dog chases a squirrel instead, allowing Grit a moment of luck to sneak past.
Tyler’s roll for Blink to steal a map: Rolled a 5 (Success). Blink nimbly navigates through the market, swiping a map from a distracted merchant. His escape is a close call, almost tripping over a cart, but he manages a graceful recovery.
Jose’s roll for Snatch’s disguise gathering: Rolled a 6 (Success). Snatch gathers materials for disguises but they’re a bit too colorful and attention-grabbing. They manage to look less like goblins and more like traveling jesters.
Misfortune Hits: As they prepare to enter the bank, a sudden downpour ruins their disguises. (Environmental challenge introduced)
Stage 2 (The Heist):
Noah’s roll for Grit to bypass security: Rolled a 1 (Injury). Grit confidently strides into a trap, leading to his comical demise via a hidden trapdoor filled with cream pies.
Tyler’s roll for Blink navigating traps: Rolled a 3 (Something Bad). Successfully avoids several traps but triggers a silent alarm, getting caught in a net.
Jose’s roll for Snatch to rescue Blink: Rolled a 6 (Success). Finds the release lever by accident, dropping Blink from the net. They both share a laugh at their luck amidst the chaos.
Misfortune Strikes Again: They run into a rival goblin gang and have to find a way to avoid capture.
Stage 3 (The Escape):
Jose’s roll for Snatch dealing with the rival gang: Rolled a 4 (Something Good) Successfully creates a distraction using the Silent Whistle. Despite its usual ineffectiveness, the tension of the moment and the sheer unpredictability of goblin antics confuse the rivals long enough for a hasty retreat.
Noah’s roll for Snot during the final escape: Rolled a 6 (Success) With the gem in hand and chaos behind them, Snot leverages the group’s haphazard disguises and the chaos and confusion they’ve created. Snot finds a clever route out, blending into the shadows and leading the group to safety with incredible luck.
Tyler’s role for Blink in securing their getaway: Rolled a 1 (Injury) Attempted to assist in the escape by using his agility to navigate through the crowd, however he tripped on a rock and face planted, meeting his sad demise at the end of the heist.
TLDR review:
Goblin Quest is an easy to approach cooperative TTRPG that focuses on humorous narrative over complex game mechanics. I really enjoyed how the mechanics lent themselves really well to the narrative aspect of the game, where each die roll was an opportunity for the player to role play as their goblin character in the best goblin voice they could muster (this was honestly my favorite part. It’s such a silly feature that can easily be disregarded, but it made hearing everyone’s action that much more fun). TTRPGs can be intimidating for new players, myself included, but it’s clear Howitt put a lot of thought into his game to make it approachable for all.
