Pyramid Review
QAGS RPG
Published by Hex Entertainment
Created by Steve John$on, Leighton Connor, and Dale French
64-page b&w A5 saddle-stitched book; $5.99
Galaxikhan Attacks!
Written by Colin Thomas, Kevin Butler, Leighton Connor, Jason Whisman, and Lionel Houde
Illustrated by Gary Bedell
32-page saddle stitched book; $8.99
The writers of QAGS claim to be imprisoned in a bunker somewhere in deepest Kentucky and forced to do their master's bidding. They also claim that QAGS are "small furry carnivorous Antarctic mammals noted for their brightly colored pelts." Alternatively, QAGS are the "symptoms of a highly contagious form of ringworm." Pronounced "KWAGS," QAGS might also stand for "Quick-Ass Game System." None, all, or just one of the above might be true, but for the purposes of this review, let us assume that the latter definition is within hailing distance of the truth.
If that is the case, QAGS is designed as a light, simple game system, able to cover many different genres with almost no modifications. The inspiration for the game and its writing style is clearly the movies and pop culture, but with a kind of droll, knowing humor that comes across as HOL-lite (in fact the humor and the language are both quite strong, so QAGS more than deserves the "suggested for mature readers" label on the front cover).
The book itself reminds of a reasonably well-put together fanzine from the 1980s. It is easy to read, full of both bad student and bad gaming humor, with art to match. When the cover . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 26, 2002
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