100867_RAA_Quill & Codex_R1_PROOF

The Cullen Bunn Role-Playing Game

INTrODUCTION

W elcome to QUILL & CODEX, a rules–light game through which you and your friends will craft epic stories together! I’ve been playing Role-Playing Games for a long, long time now. I started with Dungeons and Drag ons , but over the years I’ve played dozens and dozens of different games. Top Secret, Gangbusters, Boot Hill, Chill, Call of Cthulhu, Vam pire: the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, The Whispering Vault, Stormbringer, Villains and Vigilantes, KULT, Amber Diceless Roleplaying, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, Ars Magica, Shad owrun, Twilight 2000, Dark Conspir acy, Paranoia, RIFTS, Mutants and Masterminds, 7th Sea, Legend of the Five Rings, Lord of the Rings, Path finder, GURPS , and… Well, really, the list goes on and on. At some point in the 80s, I created a Role-Playing Game titled Robots & Renegades , in which players took the role of robots who could— get this —disguise themselves as earth ly vehicles. Yeah, I was into the car toon and the toys. My friends and I played at least a few sessions of the game, though. Suffice it to say, Role-Playing games have been a big part of my life and a big influence on me. I sim ply love the idea of collaborative storytelling and world–building. I love gathering around a table (or across an online connection) and weaving a story of adventure and horror and intrigue. I love the sur prises. I love the thrills. I love the laughs. I’ve never really loved a lot of rules, though. I get that, for some folks, the rules make the game. For me, though, I feel like they can get in the way of some damn fine storytelling. And, so, QUILL & CODEX was created.

Light on rules, quick to play, col laborative, story–driven, and fun. The idea is simple (as is the game). I wanted to create something that anyone (whether they have played every RPG or have never seen a twelve–sided die) could pick up, understand the rules (such as they are), and start playing a game with friends. The rules are there… main ly to add a small bit of structure and a bigger dose of drama and surprise to the mix. But the point is to get to gether, enjoy each other’s company, and tell stories together. So, this will not provide a lot of “crunchy” bits. In some cases, I’ve actively avoided such ideas. As I was putting this together, I thought of them as stumbling blocks on the road to a good time. This game system is intended to fit into almost any theme or genre. For simplicity, this edition is writ ten with a typical fantasy world in mind. I thought that might be the easiest way to get the general concepts out there. Upcoming edi tions and supplements might cover stories set in a futuristic world, an apocalyptic environment, or the depths of space. Other editions might introduce concepts common in the superhero or horror genres. What we have here, though, should offer your group enough informa tion to build almost any story you want, right from the ground up. I hope you enjoy what I’ve put together. Have fun. Roll some dice. Tell some stories together. ––Cullen Bunn From Somewhere in Snake Mountain

Within the depths of the Daemonrot, mad prophets ponder an apocalyptic future.

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