Duo Quest

Rizal's 1+1 Studio is a computer game development studio. Developing a computer game is a long project, and while his team is working on their first game title, they went on a side quest and turned it into a physical board game. That was how Duo Quest was born. Rizal joined our ranks of local Malaysian indie game publishers this year, and has been going to many of the same fairs and events as us. Duo Quest always does well, and his table is always one of the most happening. He has explained the game to me before, but I never had the chance to sit down to play, because I was busy with my own booth. Only when we went to the Thailand Board Game Show together that I had a chance to try the game myself. Neither of us spoke Thai and we had to depend on our local assistants to teach our games. Because of that we had more free time. 

Duo Quest is a cooperative game. Despite the fantasy theme, this is actually a party game. The box says two players, but it works well with three or four. This is a game which tests how well you know your friends. Or it can be a game that helps new friends get to know one another better. Quickly, and with some depth. 

Since this is fantasy, you will have to fight a monster. The monster has life points, and so does your team. The goal is to defeat the enemy by reducing its life points to zero. Every round you take the top card from the monster deck to place in the active area. This will be the monster's action for the round. You also take cards from the player deck. These are your possible options. The active player picks two cards, reads them, and decides which action to attempt. You can tell the action type and card value from the card back, but you don't know the question on the front. The higher the card value, the harder the question. 

To be able to execute the selected action, everyone must be able to write down the same answer (of course, without any discussion). The question is posed to the active player, and he must answer it by writing it down and not showing anyone. The other players must then guess what that answer is, simultaneously writing down their answers. If everyone guesses correctly, this action will be executed. However, if anyone gets it wrong, then this action will become the monster's action. Things can go south very quickly. You might be planning to deal the killing blow, but if you fail to execute the action, the monster will hit you hard instead. 

The game system has a basic card deck and many themed decks. Questions in the basic deck are more general, for example, are you an introvert or extrovert? Which is more important, art or science? Do you like children? The themed decks will have more specific questions, for example about love and relationships. There is even one deck which requires some physical exertion. All these questions will test how well you know your friends. If it is a new friend, the game reveals how you perceive them. 

After the players have chosen their actions, it is the monster's turn to pose a question. If everyone is able to write down the same answer to the monster's question, its action strength is reduced. Getting this right can be crucial. After all questions have been dealt with, you execute all the actions. Defences block part or all of the attacks. Anything which gets through deals damage. Potions heal. I only tried the basic game. In the more advanced decks there are other card powers and the advanced monsters have more fanciful abilities too. 

Now I can appreciate why Duo Quest triggers so much laughter. This game sparks much discussion. It gives you that feeling of "so you're that kind of person".  This is a simple game which non-gamers can easily get into and enjoy. I find this is a great game for chasing girls (or boys) too!