Prose Descriptive Qualities RPG system by Chad Underkoffler lets ya game pretty damn quick. Being a fast read at 12 pages, there’s no need for an article series on this game. Very good for pick up games but decidedly on the lighter end of system crunch.

This seems a trend common to many indie game companies that can’t afford to keep a staff of Game Theory chaotitians in suspended animation while immersed in tanks of Clearasil being fed Cheetos paste by I.V. The Acne medication stinging their fetus-like eyes explaining how so many mathematical errors still get through in Wizards of the Coast products. Light rules: Flaw or feature? Really it depends on your game mastering and/or player tastes, but this is who’s Dominion? I say feature.

Crunchy systems have the benefit of being very fair and realistic. There’s a dice roll for everything with character skill reducing the chaos often by adding flat bonus the roll. “I hamstring this quick bastard that has the info we need.”  Roll boxcutter skill versus their evasion stat modified by the size of the body area and roll to see which leg is extended at this point in their stride. Miss, too bad but lucky you, no more math needed. Hit? Subtract 1d4 points from the left leg pool and roll for affect on the severing table under the muscle column. The target limps favoring the left leg his speed is reduced by 1d6 minus his endurance modifier. Critical hit! … Break out the graphing calculator.

That may simulate an actual cut to the hamstring, but unless you love the type of Jet Li movie where they zoom in and go to x-ray to see how he’s destroying organs/bones – it takes alot more time to resolve than its worth it. A second of narration needing 5 minutes to simulate aint great. D&D doesn’t go to this level of detail – if it had only overly anal-lytical geeks would ever play it … well, even bigger fuck-tards would - but instead abstracts away alot of the dragon-butchering combat: hit, minus X hit points from target. There are still plenty of conditions to be inflicted which require playtime research for the non-eidetic memory possesor.

PDQ characters are essentially a list of descriptive qualities, like “Bare-knuckle Brawler” or “Studious Investigator”, which are ranked with each level giving a +2 on a 2d6 roll. Anything you want to do that doesnt fit under a quality is average ranked, no bonus. Some qualities can be Weakensses that subtract a number from your roll when applicable. When a difficulty is equal to your mean roll with a quality, like difficulty number 7 with an Average quality that rolls only 2d6 (mean 7), automatic success. Other times you have to roll against a number or another characters roll. The amount a successful attack beats defense by determines damage ranks, temporary penalties to qualities of your choosing.  Being Badass- describing sweet manuevers – gives you a bonus to the qualitiy roll; being Lame ass - disrupting the game, not helping in the fun, being distracted – get’s you kicked out of the game.

That’s about it. The mechanic is so simple you could easily write in more detail if you wanted, but why bother?

The issue with this kind of light rules is that you need to have agreed upon genre conventions in the game for narration sake. “Horse Cocked” (adult genre) could clearly help with a character’s seduction rolls, but does it also grant a bonus to balancing given the lower gravity center?  If you’re going commando sure, but aren’t you wearing briefs? Not today. Really? Do you want to have this conversation?

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