In past posts I gave an overview of the draft Quantum Dungeons rules, created some characters, and ran them through three adventures (1), (2), (3a), (3b). I then did the same with higher level characters (4a), (4b).
In this last post in the series for now, I’ll add some conversion notes I wasn’t able to test, then give my final verdict on the game.
Conversion Notes for Dungeon Crawl Classics
While I didn’t run a DCC adventure, I did put together some conversion notes.
| Saving Throw | Quantum Dungeon Skill(s) |
|---|---|
| Fortitude | Physical |
| Reflex | higher of Combat and Physical |
| Will | Lore |
Rationale: Fortitude is about toughing it out, Reflex is about jumping out of the way, and Will is about overcoming it through willpower and magical training.
| DCC Skill Check | Quantum Dungeon Skill(s) |
|---|---|
| AGL (acrobatic) | Physical |
| AGL (combat) | Combat |
| AGL (skilled labor) | Craft |
| AGL (stealth, sleight-of-hand) | Stealth |
| INT (pure knowledge) | Lore |
| INT (skilled labor) | Craft |
| PER (social) | Social |
| PER (magic resistance) | Lore |
| STA (all) | Physical |
| STR (athletic) | Physical |
| STR (combat) | Combat |
Rationale: Craft governs hands-on knowledge or experience Stealth governs deception or quiet, and Lore governs formal education and magical knowledge / resistance.
Luck has no direct analogue in QD. Just use Hero Points.
So, Is Quantum Dungeons Worth Looking Forward To?
In short, yes, I think so. Quantum Dungeons isn’t quite as much of a drop-in replacement for Classic D&D and AD&D as Old School Essentials, Swords & Wizardry, or even Knave or Shadowdark. It can run old adventures just fine, but they play a bit different.
Levels
Quantum Dungeons levels are not the same as Classic D&D levels. Levels 1-3 in Quantum Dungeons are more versatile and powerful than the corresponding levels in D&D.
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Talents give fighter-types and thief-types more options than “I hit the thing” or “I look for traps”.
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Despite Stamina being in about the same range as D&D Hit Points, Stamina is not HP. Once a character loses all Stamina, they can still survive, albeit after a period or recuperation. This gives QD characters more longevity.
Skills vs. Attributes
Skills expand options beyond simple saving throws or even beyond attributes bonuses. The six D&D attributes attempt to capture potential or raw ability, while Quantum Dungeons skills capture actual ability. As seen above and in previous installments, the mapping between attributes and skills is neither one-to-one nor entirely trivial.
Dexterity (or Agility), for example, translates to acrobatic ability, ranged combat ability, manual dexterity, and stealthiness. In the Quantum system these are four different skills, but ranged combat ability and melee combat ability is just Combat, acrobatics/athletics and physical robustness are just Physical, and stealthiness and general skulduggery are just Stealth. One can therefore create characters that do things well by maximizing one or two skills rather, and a bad random attribute doesn’t doom a character.
Spells
If Quantum Dungeons has one problem, it’s that the range and power of magic spells might not meet the expectations of higher-level D&D modules. During the Expedition to the Barrier Peaks playtest (4a) (4b), the adventure made reference to a range of spells, from Comprehend Languages to spells that project cold or lightning, that Quantum Dungeons simply does not have. Its spell list evolved from the low magic swords-and-sorcery game Barbaric!, after all.
The rules do include casting spells from scrolls and tomes. Unlike in D&D, the scroll or tome does not vanish afterward, and using a scroll or tome in this way (as of this writing) takes no longer than casting from memory. A sorcerer must have their spell-book with them, of course, and the spell has to be defined, which brings us back to the original problem.
Perhaps the very first expansion for Quantum Dungeons should be a Quantum Grimoire to expand the basic spell list for a variety of situations. Perhaps it would serve as an expanded spell list for Barbaric! and other Quantum games.
Final Conclusions
Quantum Dungeons largely lives up to its promise of running Classic D&D and compatible OSR modules using only six-sided dice. It will even run Shadowdark adventures with only a little conversion. Quantum Dungeons levels and D&D levels are not equivalent, so players will have to guess which original or old-school modules are suitable for which Quantum Dungeons characters. Also, Quantum Dungeons did not fare well on my one test using an Advanced D&D module, but the nature of the module may have been a factor. To take on higher level modules, Quantum Dungeons may need a larger and more diverse set of sorcery spells and magic items.
With all those caveats, though, my playtests of Quantum Dungeons have been a blast. With a few simple conversions I tackled low-level modules and my characters managed to survive, although not unscathed. Compared to the standard OD&D or BD&D character who dies after one solid hit, that is quite an accomplishment. Higher-level characters, when properly equipped, should be able to take on greater challenges and have them remain challenges without dying due to an unlucky roll. (Watch out for those sudden death traps, though. Steer clear of Tomb of Horrors entirely, in fact.)
When another manuscript drops, I will playtest its new features (and old). This “preview” series may be over, but soon I will start a new “Quantum Dungeons Journal” series wherein I explore more facets of the rules and continue exploring old school modules.
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