Knights' Quest ready for playtesting

It's here! After months of playing around with formatting, honing the aesthetic and, far more importantly, turning what is now a good couple of years of playtesting into a game that is ready for a wider audience, I'm finally pleased enough with Knights' Quest to release it for a formal playtest.

Since about Christmas I've been tinkering pedantically with phrasing and the like, changing a sentence here, or a word there - lots of time spent for little actual change. What I realised I needed to do was to get it out there and played with by other people, get feedback and make any necessary changes based on that, and get on with illustrating the darn thing.

So, why should you playtest Knights' Quest? What's my "elevator pitch"? Glad you asked...

Knights' Quest is an exciting adventure game for two or more players, set firmly in the world of medieval romances or high medieval fantasy with a strong medieval aesthetic. One player - the Minstrel - runs the adventure, while the other(s) - the Quester(s) - strive to complete the quest which is played out using miniatures, gridded terrain and polydice. Although players with a nostalgia for the adventure boardgames of the 1980s and 90s will find much that resonates with those happy memories, Knights' Quest also has at its core an innovative dice system which models the effects of fatigue and injury, as well as the gaining of experience leading on to character progression between games. Simple enough to be played with your children, challenging enough to be enjoyed by experienced gamers, Knights' Quest really can be for anyone!

If that sounds like it is the game for you (and, frankly, how could it not be?!) then I need your help. I would like to have an initial set of a dozen playtesters who would be willing to:

• play at least two games of Knights' Quest between now and the 31st May 2015
• fill in a simple feedback form and send it back to me
• share any fun you've had playing on your blogs or forums you are members of (linking back to this blog in any posts), but letting me know privately of any problems you've had so I can make the rules clearer and/or better
• not share the files around

What will I provide to allow you to do this? An email with the following attachments:

• the rules (!), both in the look I intend for them, and with clear background so they are easily and cheaply printed if you prefer rules on paper
• a set of plain character, item and spell cards for printing if desired
• a sample quest
• a feedback sheet file

So, who's in? Let me know in the comments below or on this thread on the Lead Adventure Forum. I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Thanks in advance,

Rab