Adventurous TTRPG Review
I recently had the privilege of running Adventurous for my in-person tabletop roleplaying group. We played 3 sessions of it (including character creation). I ran Kidnap the Archpriest, which worked very well (that adventure may get its own review in the future).
What is Adventurous?
Adventurous is an old-school tabletop roleplaying game. Old-school meaning a few things: relatively low magic, low health, compatibility with old-school adventure modules, few character abilities, etc.
Adventurous uses a d6 dice pool mechanic. When you want to do something that has risk, the GM asks you to make a roll using one of your 5 stats. Each of those stats has a number 1-5. You simply roll that number of six-sided dice. If you roll at least one 5 or 6, you get a "weak success." If you roll more than one 5 and/or 6, you get a "strong success." If you roll at least two 6s, you get a critical success. Anything else, you fail. It's very simple. The character sheets also break down these dice results, so players always have them in front of their face.
FYI: if you want to read more of the rules, there is a free Quickstart for the game available here.
What did I like about it?
This game is very easy to run. It has enough rules to help adjudicate situations as a GM. Player characters have just enough to inspire the actions and roleplaying of the players. The system stays out of the way the rest of the time.
I like that it uses a d6 dice pool. It's very easy to understand. It's also accessible, given that most people can get their hands on a few d6s (even if by scavenging their board game closet).
How about the cons?
The biggest con I can see for this game is the way characters advance levels. You get experience points when you fail a roll (which is likely) or get a critical success (unlikely). As a result, players want to find relatively low risk situations that still require rolls. That way they can roll, fail, get experience, and not completely derail their quest. It creates a tension as the GM. I don't want to call for rolls too often, especially if there isn't a real consequence of failure for the PCs. Yet, they want to make rolls and fail them. I'm not sure there's a solution to this, short of revamping the XP system entirely.
What would I want in a 2nd edition?
If I understand correctly, the developers are working on a 2nd edition for the game. Here's what I'd personally like to see, should that ever see the light of day.
More monster stat blocks
There are several monster stat blocks in the book, but it could really use more. Kidnap the Archpriest doesn't need many, but I found I needed a stat block for a commoner/peasant and the book didn't have one. Granted, I was able to invent what I needed in just a few seconds (4 health, 0 armor, deals 1-2 damage per attack). But more stat blocks would be welcome and appreciated.
Guidance for weak successes
FIST: Ultra Edition (which is a lovely game that everyone should play) has a really cool bookmark. It has a d66 table of consequences the GM could issue should the players have a mixed success. I would love something similar for Adventurous. At times, I found it difficult to weigh how much to reward vs punish the PCs on a weak success. Help would be appreciated.
Clarity of language
When I read the book, I couldn't figure out how monsters deal damage to the PCs in combat. I had to read the Quickstart guide to understand how that works. The Quickstart does a good job of concisely explaining game mechanics. I'd like to see another pass on the text of the core game rules to reflect that level of clarity.
More character options and levels
At this time, characters can only advance to level 5. Consequently, I feel that the game would be great for one-shots and short campaigns. It wouldn't be as easy or satisfying for a very long campaign. If the PCs could go up to level 10 and had more options, that would be nice. That said, I'd be remiss not to mention the game has an optional Talent Expansion which adds more options. We didn't use it in our game, though.
License
I'd love to see the game include a license so people can make third party content. I asked the designer awhile ago on Bluesky if they have one. They said it's in development. I'll be glad to see that if/when it releases.
Who would I recommend it to?
Anyone who wants an old-school game that uses a d6 dice pool. If that sounds at all appealing to you, get the game and play it! My group had a great time with it. I found it very easy to run. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well.