Welcome to /qtg/, a place to talk about quests.
Previous thread
>>6308657 >What is a quest? An interactive story in which a Quest Master (QM) writes and provides the readers with options on how to proceed — similar to a choose-your-own-adventure book or an old text adventure.
Questionably Useful links:
>QTG discord: https://discord.gg/dZavHuK >Skirmish discord: https://discord.com/invite/DZCVvVU >Evo Game discord: https://discord.gg/xGZAX9tAvx >Old pastebin containing advice for QMs: https://pastebin.com/Z78p8gXf Badly in need of renovation.
>Archiving guide: Go to
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/requestqstinterface.html Fill out the request form to archive a thread.
Threads are also automatically archived by other websites, such as archived.moe.
>Formatting guide: Only the thread's OP can format. Note that should the OP change ID, they will lose this ability as well.
Remove the spaces between the [] brackets and the letters:
Bold:
<span class="mu-s">text</span> Italics:
<span class="mu-i">text</span> Red: [ red ] <span class="mu-r">text</span> [ /red ]
Blue: [ blue ] <span class="mu-g">text</span> [ /blue ]
Green: [ green] <span class="mu-b">text</span> [ /green ]
>Formatting guide for everyone: Dice (type this in “options”): dice + [no. of dice]d[no. of sides on the dice] (optionally you can add modifiers: dice + [no. of dice]d[no. of sides on the dice]+[modifier]; for a negative modifier type: +-[modifier]
Examples: dice+1d100 = a 1d100 roll, dice+1d100+10 = a 1d100 roll with a +10 modifier.
Spoiler:
spoiler or by pressing alt+s in-thread (doesn't work in OP)
>QM Question: How in-depth do you plan? Of course no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but how many plot beats do you try to have? Do you have an ending in mind?
>Player Question: How do you feel when a quests ends? Be it naturally or unnaturally (flaked/cancelled). Have you ever been compelled to continue a dead quest? Did you? If not, why?
>General Question: How many quests have you seen finish properly? Do you wish more QMs showed restraint and did more self-contained stories, or do you prefer quests that just keep going so you don't have to stop reading them?
>Lurker Question: There is no question, vote.
>Miscellaneous Question: Hypothetically, if there was a /qst/ board secret Santa like some of the other boards have, would you participate?
Anonymous
>>6337227 >How in-depth do you plan? Of course no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but how many plot beats do you try to have? Do you have an ending in mind? I usually start a quest with a start, a couple possible end points, a few key scenes, and a few possible early routes in mind. I lightly modify these plans as things progress, and if one becomes utterly untenable I scrub it and create a couple new branches based on where things are going.
>How do you feel when a quests ends? Satisfied with a hint of wistful sadness, if the QM doesn't start something else right away.
>Have you ever been compelled to continue a dead quest? Did you? If not, why? I've down that once or twice, but it's tough to continue with a vision that's not your own, without warping it to be more like you. I usually at least try to bring it to a more satisfying closure, but another problem is that sometimes a quest dies because the players here just have no real interest with the premise. I find it easier and more satisfying to work in elements of dead quests into my own.
>How many quests have you seen finish properly? Probably a dozen or so.
>Do you wish more QMs showed restraint and did more self-contained stories, or do you prefer quests that just keep going so you don't have to stop reading them? I like stories with an ending, personally. Things that go on forever tend to eventually deteriorate. It's sort of possible to have your cake and eat it, too, though. Some QMs (like our OP here) run quest after quest with allusions or connections to past ones, but with fresh objectives and characters.
>Hypothetically, if there was a /qst/ board secret Santa like some of the other boards have, would you participate? Depends on how it works.
Bathic !!Z9LmIhi3uII
>>6337237 >Some QMs (like our OP here) Whoa, assumptions much?
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6337227 >>QM Question: I have a good number of story beats and an ending in mind, but I have not touched my quest in a long, long while. It'd be a stretch to call myself a QM.
>>Player Question: Sad and wistful, like the one anon said. Never would continue a dead quest because OG OP just does their thing better.
>>General Question: Honestly? Less than a dozen, at least that I stayed invested in.
>>Miscellaneous Question: Like an art trade? This seems fun, even with the variations in skill levels, but only if all participants are agreeing and willing to do their part. I'd participate.
Anonymous
Quoted By:
>>6337242 OP image's creator, rather.
404TormentedCache !!SbLQkGPnZPO
404TormentedCache !!SbLQkGPnZPO ID:XQ+CIOes Mon 24 Nov 2025 02:28:00 No. 6337324 Report Quoted By:
>>6337319 >>6337319 >>6337319 All I want for Christmas is the sixth thread of Spartan-II war reports
>>6337227 QM: I've got notes and several missions/ operations planned out, and a lot going on in the background (Mostly other Spartan ops Sven isn't a part of/ leading), as for an ending, well you know how it is with Spartans.
Player Question: Flaked makes me sad, complete makes me happy.
General: Depends on the story, but I like long and short form content
Misc: What does that mean? Like draw or commission something for another Quest?
DemBones !!kuHaJ5dacSC
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>>6337227 >QM: I try to have an end in mind when setting up a quest, yea, if only to ensure the players have a goal to strive towards. Once I have that idea in mind I go about figuring out a few ways they could conceivably achieve that goal. After that I pretty much just write stuff that sounds cool or funny in my head.
>Player: Obviously if I'm following it and it flakes I get pissed off--there's been a lot of really promising quests in the past that just drift into the night like a fart on the breeze and it hurts every time. If a quest I follow finishes properly then I can't help but be impressed--these things last ages these days and if it's a good ending then how can I feel anything else but appreciation? Sometimes reading an update is the highlight of my day, so I'm glad there are QMs out there who commit to entertaining us with their writing! As for the last bit, I've been... enticed? But more often than not I'm working on my own swill and I know better than to run more than one thing at the same time.
>General: Too few. I appreciate quests that have ends because they usually have something at stake--if the quest just becomes an infinite loop I start to lose interest, but that's more due to my cripplingly-small attention span more than anything else!
>Misc: I guess? If we're talking, like, an art thing or something then cool, but I'm also not gonna pretend that this place doesn't get a little quiet around the holidays...
Speaking of GIFTS and JOY, why not check out DARK QUEST if you're looking for a new quest to read? You might enjoy it if you like one or more of the following:
>Simple rules/mechanics that award creativity and Write-Ins! >Vague attempts at humor! >Scrappy underdog protagonists! >Darkness! >Kooky fantasy realms! >Cornucopias of characters! >Drawings that kinda look like the one I did for the OP Pic! >A QM that updates regularly for the most part! >LIMBOING >Much, much more! Check it out below! The other threads are linked if you wanna catch up!
>>6322706 >>6322706 >>6322706 Sunseeker !!g+0C1bc8zbo
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>>6337227 >how in depth do you plan I'm still on my first quest so I am far from the most experienced QM but all I had to do for Silver Knight Quest to work was knowing the world, the characters, its history and have a vague idea about what would happen when.
that said, this previous work took me years, developing world and character through other novels and stories so one could say I had to plan a fuckton actually
if I were to start a new quest I would probably plan the fuck out of it as well.
>Do you have an ending in mind? I'm extra autismo so the 'ending' I had in mind was the entirety of Thread 7 and a little bit of the end of Thread 6. I'm extra satisfied.
Quest will probably be wrapping up soon anyway.
>Do you wish more QMs showed restraint and did more self-contained stories, yes. shorter and self contained and finished beats anything else. A story must have an end to have meaning.
if a story overstays its welcome it rots and festers and it stains even the memory of good times you had with it. look at any Hollywood IP for the past twenty years.
>/qst/ Secret Santa might be fun to try
Anonymous
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>>6337227 >QM Question: How in-depth do you plan? Of course no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but how many plot beats do you try to have? Do you have an ending in mind? A couple years ago I used to have a checklist of what a thread should cover, the different NPCs and interactions. Now, I’m a bit more thorough and write down the gist of what each update should cover.
>Player Question: How do you feel when a quests ends? Be it naturally or unnaturally (flaked/cancelled). Have you ever been compelled to continue a dead quest? Did you? If not, why? If it ends naturally, usually content with it. If not, a bit sad. I adopted an abandoned quest once and the tone, characters and storylines I wrote for it has been the cornerstone of my quests since.
>General Question: How many quests have you seen finish properly? Do you wish more QMs showed restraint and did more self-contained stories, or do you prefer quests that just keep going so you don't have to stop reading them? About 25% I think. I think it’s better to know your limits and write a concise and memorable story than ones that drag on and draining to write.
>Miscellaneous Question: Hypothetically, if there was a /qst/ board secret Santa like some of the other boards have, would you participate? Probably, but sending things physically might be difficult. I can draw, though.
HandlerQM !!wTl2g7PClIm
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>>6337227 >QM QUESTION I plan characters and the general setting out, and I see how things play out depending on the actions the players make. I do generally have an ending in mind but I keep it fluid, of course. No point railroading.
>PLAYER QUESTION If naturally, pretty melancholic. If it flakes, I don't feel anything, I see it as somewhat inevitable on this site. Never felt compelled to run a dead quest after the initial guy flaked. I may be inspired by a dead quest but outright hijacking it tastes wrong.
>GENERAL QUESTION Not a lot, and the ones I do see finished, I wasn't active in. As for quest length? do think it's better to write a good, snappy quest than to drag it out forever. Stories should have an end point. My personal limit is around 10-15 threads, depending on what I want to tell.
>MISC QUESTION Not sure what I could offer? I can't draw for shit, but I can write silly stuff if that's an option.
MayorQM !3dh.ODUrXI
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>>6337579 >>6337579 >>6337579 Does Craig smoke some kush with his trailer park trash buddy or not? The fate of the town could be on the line.
Sunseeker !!g+0C1bc8zbo
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>Silver Knight Quest Update: Thread 7/Update 29 You share a hug with Soralisa and Rubida, and you give them a slight scolding. Your friends put themselves in such danger!
Then Astoria, the source of most of your troubles, walks in.
>>6337647 >>6337647 >>6337647 # # # for new readers in the new thread: # # #
>what is this? A silly quest about a silver-haired Paladin in training who is way in over her head. She makes too many friends and too many enemies.
>is this long? moderately long, we're currently approaching the end of Thread 7.
>is this updated regularly? Yes, basically a long update every 24 to 48 hours.
>are there archives? How do I know who's who? the archives are linked at the top of the thread. There are also a few helpful info pics to sum up the story so far.
like cute knights, a sun goddess acting like a goddess for once, body horror, the AnCap devil, tremendous plot twists and girls hugging? give it a try!
Missval !9Xh4/vcrqU
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> How in-depth do you plan? Of course no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but how many plot beats do you try to have? Do you have an ending in mind? I have a not-so-loose world that's running constantly in both my head and in my notes that does things and changes depending on what the protag does. I really dislike railroading because I don't feel it is organic, and I've found that the best stories come from natural choices that happen on the fly (I really like it when my voters make their own answers cus that fucks up my planning and makes for fun and unexpected plot twists, even for me)
> How do you feel when a quests ends? Be it naturally or unnaturally (flaked/cancelled). Have you ever been compelled to continue a dead quest? Did you? If not, why? It's really a bummer when it happens but oh well that's life I suppose
> How many quests have you seen finish properly? Do you wish more QMs showed restraint and did more self-contained stories, or do you prefer quests that just keep going so you don't have to stop reading them? Having a multiple-year long story can be daunting so I don't feel bad when they are dropped as long as the content that's already there is good. Maybe for starter GM's a self contained story with an 'open ending' is the best alternative
ALSO SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION:
I know my RWBY isn't that popular cus of the low activity but I don't care this is my special needs child and I love him, I'm usually waiting for votes to happen and I don't want to push the narrative when the vote count doesn't appear (Cus that fucks with my philosophy of 'never have your GM hand meddle in player's affairs'.)
Sooo SELF PROMOTION HERE if you're interested in the clusterfuck that is RWBY even a tiny bit go check out the story and have fun reading it (I'm proud of how the story has been going on for now, and yes I barely touch the canon I use 90% original material)
>>6334757 >>6334757 >>6334757 Skull-Kid !9ff7WVg9ik
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>>6337227 >How in-depth do you plan? I think for this kind of storytelling, I prefer to have a large cast of characters handy, some with refined motives and schemes, and then move from there, rather than anticipating specific encounters. I will have in mind how those plans will come along off screen without player intervention, or be altered if the players do get involved. Something I also make sure I have written out are just pieces of information about the world/situation/characters, who has that info, how or why they would share it, and who doesn't. That knowledge is what player actions revolves around, they go based on what they do or don't know, and essentially, so do all the NPC's. If I know ahead of time that an NPC has a certain bit of Intel, and I know whether they are honest, dishonest, conniving, or helpful, things roll alright I think. My first QST, the ratpocalypse one, is actually a departure in that it's pretty high improv, and the dramatically bad luck my players have at crucial junctures does mean that writing out whatever dramatic happening occurs can get a little difficult. But I do have charts to guide me on severity and the types of consequences (or benefits) certain rolls might produce. For example, if you're travelling and you roll very poorly for road encounters, I can pick what kind of bad guy rocks up, and then how badly it goes based on the roll the players make for different characters in their party - sometimes I even have them roll for antagonists to see how they handle bumps in the road.
MaxwelllAllwell !!NakmY3MDEp8
MaxwelllAllwell !!NakmY3MDEp8 ID:64zwknz0 Mon 24 Nov 2025 23:47:07 No. 6337713 Report Quoted By:
>>6337227 >QM Question: Well, I often keep sketches of how scenes could play and always size them up with what could happen and what gets voted and what-not, I tend to keep at least the ending of a thread in mind, for pacing purposes but I'm weaning off trying to track endings for a quest narrative because they usually end up changing mid-way
>Player Question: It's really rare when a quests ends properly, nevertheless when there's background reasonings into them, I'm all for them though 'cause there's nothing quite like a Narrative that opens and closes. As for continuing an old quest... Well that reminds me one of my first ever quest ideas for the board (Before I realized I wasn't range-banned for a decade) was a Jojo quest spawned out of DusterMan's Stardust Crusader Quest given I felt a bit whelmed by how it ended. In hindsight, it would have been pretty messy because the ending is fine and I wasn't precisely the best writer back then.
>General Question: As above mentioned, I've followed along with such as Psion Academy, Stardust Crusader and the like, Having an ending planned and then built up for a quest is a pretty huge commitment despite the freeform nature of questing, so I understand why keeping the momentum going is usually a default.
>Misc. Question: I am dirt fucking poor so uh, I wouldn't really be able to participate in it much. It'd be lovely though, I'd say.
TheSurvivalist !!uuJbd4m8dPS
TheSurvivalist !!uuJbd4m8dPS ID:Rwb3NH4O Tue 25 Nov 2025 02:39:46 No. 6337795 Report Quoted By:
>>6337014 Month 12 is finally here and a big celebration awaits. Time will tell if the QM has more bullshit planned.
swordQM
hey hi! I'm new to this board and was told this is a good place to ask for tips and advice, is there any advice you'd impart on a complete beginner?
(for reference I made this thread
>>6337845 )
>How in-depth do you plan? everything is pulled out of my ass, i think a little bit about worldbuilding and just bullshit from there
DetectQM
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Gotham City Beat Cop is not updating tonight but there is still a vote for the post prior that you can sway. Go ahead and do that here:
>>6337267 >>6337267 >>6337267 Anonymous
I miss The Little Dungeon That Could.
Anonymous
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>>6337901 just do your best
Anonymous
SETTING A>new land, alien elves live there >humans from beyond the sea start arriving >eventually a patchwork of differing factions and interests emerges >huge land grant gets parcelled and sold, settlers living upon presumption of the original grant discover the new owner operates under different law framework and they don't like it one bit >orcs and goblins imported from beyond the sea to work as labourers or cheap conscripts >elves hate everyone else and often raid but sometimes grudgingly trade >you are recruited to harvest unobtanium which grows in a certain forest >the time pressure on you is ...what exactly?? >demons vs dragons, both sides manipulate lesser races to further their aims >you are part of a small party sent to outlying secondary front to harvest unobtanium >celestial alignment which allows you to open a portal back to where you came from lasts only x time, you have to meet the unobtanium quota before then >if you don't meet the quota ...what happens??
Anonymous
>>6337943 >SETTING A >invaders / settlers taking land qnd resources etc That is the most disturbing interpretation of the Israeli-Palestine conflict I have ever seen
DemBones !!kuHaJ5dacSC
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>>6337901 Heyyyy, welcome! Promising stuff you have so far! Looks like you already have a few bits of advice in your thread, but you've come to the right place for some advice. Here's a few pieces off the top of my head:
1) First of all, take a look at the post at the top of this thread. You can do all kinds of formatting here on /qst/, but most of the formatting is limited to the original poster (for example: a player can't use, like, red text) Check that post out first to see some of the tools you can use.
2) Since you're new here it couldn't hurt to check out some of the other quests on the catalog--they'll give you an idea of what people do around here in regards to mechanics, flow, and writing style. Everyone has their own thing, but if you like a mechanic there's nothing wrong with trying it in your own quest!
3) /qst/ moves slow. Really slow. Don't be surprised if it sometimes takes a while to get votes. That said, this allows you to take some time and catch a breather between updates too.
4) Don't be afraid to reach out here if you have any specific questions about running in the future. For the most part people are pretty eager to assist if you have a question. That said, you can also always ask your players for feedback too.
5) A thread on /qst/ lasts a WHILE, so don't worry about starting a new one any time soon. If you go to the bottom of your thread there should be 3 numbers in the right corner--the last one is which page you're on. Threads fall off the board around Page 10/11.
That's what I can think of right now--looks like you're already having a good time of it so I hope that continues! Welcome to /qst/, hope you stick around!
Anonymous
>>6337943 >SETTING A I prefer this one personally, and can think of three ways to add urgency:
1) You owe money to someone and have a deadline to pay it back or get sent to debtor's prison, killed, etc
2) The elves are going to summonntheir eldritch god, either using the unobtanium or rendering it truly unobtainable in the process
3) No time pressure, but rather a quest with a defined end goal when you acquire a set amount and safely extract it
>>6337960 Oh hey it's ya boy, Souvarine, back at it again.
>>6337901 Welcome aboard! I'm enjoying the quest so far. You seem to have the hang of it already, and if you've done any sort of interactive fiction or collaborative roleplaying before, it's not SO different. Do you have any specific questions for us?
>>6337924 And I miss Matsuno Idol Agency. Hopefully one day, that QM returns to us.
(Also the QM from Voidship Bridge Simulator, and the one from 1 Man vs 100 Gorillas, and for that matter Mojique from Solarpunk Cleanup Agent, and we could wrap up Dragon Ball Legacy, and maybe even My Goverment Issued Small Titty Tomboy GF, and...)
Skull-Kid !9ff7WVg9ik
>>6337894 >>6337894 >>6337894 In Legend of Zelda: Umbral Tower, our hero, Zuzo, has bravely delved into the depths of the Shadow Temple for his coming of age ceremony, and in keeping with tradition has recovered an artifact from his tribe - and not just any old relic, but one of his tribe's most storied and potent magical tools. Now that his Trial is almost complete, he is confronted by a powerful evil wizard, his strange companion, and two deadly ninjas, all of whom would surely like to relieve him of his treasure and capture him as a hostage to be leveraged against his mother in the war. Now he must decide to venture further into the dungeon in hopes of finding something to help him resist the Interlopers, face the threats head on, or take advantage of the distance between them to flee back home, completing his Trial of Illumination and warning the village of what he has seen in the Temple.
Skull-Kid !9ff7WVg9ik
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>>6337982 I think this might be the part of the story where our hero corners themself and loses everything and gets tossed in a musty cell Anonymous
>>6337943 I dont like Elves. So would A be better, give a chance to attack them or B with no Elves?
>>6337975 >Souvarine, back at it again. Since he believes in divination via questing, what would happen if he was the Protagonist of a Femboy hooters manager quest?
Anonymous
>>6338024 >femboy hooters manager quest (now with current events!) Sounds like a Souv/Soj collab, and ngl, I would check it out.
Anonymous
I have a slightly off-topic question.
Anonymous
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>>6338067 It's been a few years now, but I remember The Keep having something of a nsitakgic chat-RP vibe.
Discord is only as underage or goonery as the people you choose to add and associate with, though!
Some RP groups do seem to run here, too. We occaisonally have multiplayer skirmishes, god games, and civs start up, but "quests" like Rise of the Awakened are essentially long-running TTRPG campaigns. There's really no reason you couldn't do a rules-lite one.
Anonymous
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>>6338067 It's been a few years now, but I remember The Keep having something of a nostalgic chat-RP vibe.
Discord is only as underage or goonery as the people you choose to add and associate with, though!
Some RP groups do seem to run here, too. We occaisonally have multiplayer skirmishes, god games, and civs start up, but "quests" like Rise of the Awakened are essentially long-running TTRPG campaigns. There's really no reason you couldn't do a rules-lite one.
Anonymous
Anonymous
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>>6338024 >>6338030 >>6337975 >>6338109 >divination, predicting the future...?? >GUILT OF THE ANCESTRAL GAY I have been hate-watching amzn Wheel Of Time cringe season 3 the series has been cancelled now lol but in Episode 4, there is this amusing scene
As you may know, the Wheel Of Time is about a heroic protagonist Rand, named after the RAND Corporation, he is the destined dragon heir of whatever, wielding the forbidden magic etc which drives men mad as only women are allowed to be sorceresses / channellers of the weave in this setting
Anyway, as part of his trial, Rand is sent into some ancient ruined desert city where he has to walk into this excruciating , agonising ancestral crystal ? forest as part of a trial to learn of the horrors and wrongdoings and unbearable guilt of his own past etc that led him to where he currently is, inhabiting and reliving all of his previous lives and ancestors and reincarnations etc so Rand walks into his own past whilst Rosamund Pike his companion sorceress lady sees thousands upon thousands of glimpses of their possible futures etc.
So what exactly is this horrifying ancestral crime, this ancient burden of UNSPEAKABLE EVIL and sin that curses the fantasy hero protagonist on his inescapable doom-laden path?
I will let the attached pic related speak for itself
Anonymous
>>6338067 Some forums like
Rpg.net , Spacebattles and Sufficient velocity have play by post sections. How "good" are they? Can't say.
Anonymous
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>>6338209 SB and SV are full of gynophiliac wish fulfillment quests. Would not recommend.
Even trying to avoid the lesbian quests, you're gonna run into tranny characters because authors want to be """"inclusive"""
Anonymous
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>>6338067 There are a few websites that still exist, and there also plenty of Discord servers that host respectable roleplaying games. I have one or two servers, if you are interested.
One of the best websites I've seen for games and such is called RolePlayOnline, or RPOL. Check it out.
Anonymous
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Well, new thread, new call for recommendations and reviews!>Hey /qst/, whatcha playin?
Anonymous
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Oh, and since we're talking inclusivity, I'll shill my quest while I'm at it!
It's just updated recently, so if you missed that or feel like joining it, we've got:
>nilbog tomboys >trans demon goblins >cultivation >occultism >dungeons >dragons* warning: dragons may not feature prominently in this particular quest >succubi >lord of the flies >sinister lizard people >somewhat more pleasant but still fairly sinister lizard people >feudalism >transhumanism >orientalism >race wars >race-mixing >crusades >antiheroes >magitech >fairy folk >furries >a primordial chaos monster from Chinese mythology as the comic relief >romance, including with a primordial chaos monster from Chinese mythology >drama >sometimes Scooby Doo >AND MORE! So come play CAMBION QUEST, today!
>>6338210 >>6338210 >>6338210 Anonymous
RPG forums suck hard. You put more effort into playing the social metagame than playing the actual game.
Anonymous
>>6338403 play a video game if thats what you want, obviously pen and paper rpgs are more about the social aspect.
weird post
Anonymous
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>>6338417 False dichotomy. Not everyone into RPG is also into the social metagame. If it were true, this board would be dead.
BananasQM !!4PI2iWoB3fd
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>>6338403 Quests aren't the same as roleplaying/RPG forums though.
