About This Game
Do you love word games but feel they suffer from a lack of nefarious fae? Tomes and Quests has you covered!
This is a word game at heart with an RPG twist to give you a whole new take on word-building puzzlers.
Three friends are trapped in a book, forced to battle their way through a fantasy land rife with magic. It’s not all bad though — now they have awesome abilities powered by words! And you just happen to be the lexicon master that can help them save the worlds!
Gameplay
Attack enemies during battles by placing interconnecting letter tiles on the play board to spell words.
Each letter tile has a point value; more points = more power, triggering your heroes’ special abilities! Upgrade your classes and upgrade your equipment through loot you find to unlock epic strategies.
As you spell a word you can see the damage you’ll cause in the enemy’s health bar. Match your hero’s element to your target’s vulnerabilities for critical results!
A Word RPG
After each battle collect your loot and experience to help you on your quest, unlocking new classes and abilities!
Your heroes start with three base classes and you can unlock new options through quests:
- Sage → Alchemist, Summoner, etc.
- Rogue → Archer, Beastmaster, etc.
- Brawler → Berserker, Templar, etc.
You’ll need to find them all and master them to discover the full story!
Words for All
Tomes and Quests has a dynamic difficulty system that keeps the game accessible to all.
Play in your best language!
The story is translated into English and French, and all the word games can be switched to any of these languages at any time!
- English
- Français
- Deutsche
- Italiano
- Nederlands
- Español
- Português
Lost a fight?
- Switch your classes and equipment to tweak your strategy and try again immediately at no penalty!
- You can always grind earlier battles for XP and loot to level up your class and upgrade your equipment!
Mini-game challenge settings adapt to your skills: how you score helps set goal targets later in the game, so the game progresses at your speed.
© 2021 9320-1028 Québec Inc.
What Curators Say
19 Curators have reviewed this product. Click here to see them.
Here is the ranking of best open world role playing games of all times. These huge open world RPG games will blow your mind and pull you in for hundreds of hours.
WHAT IS ISOMETRIC RPG?
For now this list consists of 35 big open world RPGs. However, I might update this later with the upcoming open world games. Such as Starfield, The Day Before, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon, etc.
Open world games are much more fun to play because of the freedom.
Of course you need to have the time to invest for such games. So, be prepared!
Okay, let us no longer delay, here is my list of top 35 open world role playing games:
1. The Elder Scrolls of Skyrim Special Edition
The winner is the Skyrim of course. It is my all time favorite open world role playing game.
BEST CUSTOM VOICED FOLLOWERS IN SKYRIM
Technically its map is not the biggest. However, it is filled with content, dungeons, houses, tunnels, etc. to explore. I am not even mentioning the mods. Therefore in my opinion all these elements makes Skyrim the biggest open world RPG.
It has huge replayability and its mob level scaling system offers you the true open world experience from level one.
2. Cyberpunk 2077
Delve into the dark future of Night City… A dangerous corrupt megalopolis with all kinds of futuristic elements.
Cyberpunk 2077 was the most popular open world RPG of 2020 – 2021. So, if you haven’t played it yet, you should play it ASAP.
On its launch, Cyberpunk 2077 was super buggy and almost unplayable. However, almost all of these problems are fixed now. The game runs smoothly.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Third game in our list is the winner of over 800 awards. 2015 game of the year, the golden joystick, best story telling, best RPG, etc. After all it is a masterpiece.
The Witcher 3 has probably the best story and the characters ever seen in the history of open world role playing gaming.
Before or after playing it, you can enjoy the tv series, books, and other content created with the amazing Witcher world.
Do not delay any longer and dive into it. Also don’t forget the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine DLCs. They are the expansions that must be played.
4. Elden Ring
Latest souls like game is the Elden Ring. It is the best and most popular RPG of the year 2022.
Vast open world, epic story, drama, and its unique combat mechanics makes this game a masterpiece.
Elden Ring is a souls like, hence it is a really hard game. So, don’t expect a casual gaming experience and be patient until you get grip. You are warned!
5. Baldur’s Gate 3
Gather your party and venture forth! Baldur’s Gate 3 is an open world party based RPG based on the D&D 5e. Dungeons & Dragons lovers should not miss it.
BEST BALDUR’S GATE 3 MODS
Besides if you enjoyed the Divinity Original Sin series, you should definitely play this. Because the game mechanics and the developers are exactly the same.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has one big downside though. It is an early access game and only the Act 1 is available to the players. Thereupon, either wait for the full release or delve into the early access just like I did. But remember, the waiting is extremely painful.
6. Ghostwire: Tokyo
Tokyo’s population is vanished and its new inhabitants are deadly supernatural forces. Can you defeat the evil spirits and figure out the truth behind the disappearance?
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a next gen open world RPG, released in 2022. This game offers you beautifully designed Tokyo, Japanese supernatural folklore, evil spirits, and elemental powers.
I recommend you to play this game if you ever get the chance. Because it is unique and highly enjoyable.
7. Kingdom Come Deliverance
Ready for an epic adventure in the Holy Roman Empire?
It offers the most realistic medieval experience in gaming. No superpowers, no heroes, nothing out of the ordinary. Just you trying to avenge your parents’ death in the medieval Bohemia.
REALISTIC MEDIEVAL RPG GAMES
The massive realistic world of Kingdom Come Deliverance offers majestic castles, vast fields, villages, chapels and army camps. Exploring the history has never been this fun before.
8. Fallout 4
Ah, another open world Bethesda game appears. Fallout series have the title of best post-apocalyptic open world RPG in my book.
There is one more Fallout game on this list but I want to include Fallout 4 first. Because it is the latest Fallout game. Therefore it has the best graphics and the game engine. Its story might not be the best one on the franchise, however it is the most enjoyable one in the year 2022.
If you are a lover of open world RPG genre, make sure to give Fallout 4 a chance.
9. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Go from rags to riches, peasant to lord, misery to glory! Calradia Empire is torn by civil war. Choose your side and make a name for yourself.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord offers true sandbox open world. You can raise your army, go anywhere on the Calradia, and side with any faction you want. It is possible to both command and fight alongside your army. Will you be a tactical mastermind or undefeatable fighter brute? It is all up to you.
Huge open world, decisions, realistic economy, NPC relationships, and chaotic combat awaits you.
10. Assassin’s Creed Origins
Assassin’s Creed Origins is one of my all time favorite open world game. Because it takes you to Ancient Egypt filled with pyramids, sphinx, intriguing secrets, dark factions, and the beautiful landscapes.
GAMES SET IN DESERT
You will fall in love with its world, instantly, believe it or not!
Thank you Ubisoft Montreal for creating this amazing masterpiece.
11. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Start as an outcast and become a living legend, write your own odyssey.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey uses the same mechanics and engine with Assassin’s Creed Origins. That is why Ubisoft faced huge criticism. However, the game turn out to be great. Amazing story combined with beautiful Ancient Greece design easily made this game one of the best in the franchise.
12. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Latest game of the Assassin’s Creed series takes you to the cold lands of ancient north.
VIKING ROLE PLAYING GAMES
This big open world Viking RPG is so much fun, I can’t even describe it with words. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the best Viking game ever created.
Lead the epic Viking raids against Saxon troops, fortresses, villages, and churches. Make Ragnar’s dream come true, create and grow your clan’s new settlement in the green lands England.
13. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
This open world Middle Earth RPG is a blessing for us, Tolkien lovers.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is purely faithful to the Tolkiens legacy. Game play is also awesome! Besides you get to meet many characters from the Tolkien books, such as ring wraiths, Shelob, Gollum and even the Sauron himself.
14. The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds is an award-winning open world Sci-Fİ RPG, from the creators of Fallout: New Vegas. Obsidian Entertainment is one of the best game studio of our age and this is one of their best works.
BEST SCI-FI RPG GAMES
Player-driven story combined with the space colony exploration is delightful. Your choices matter in this game, so think carefully before making important decisions.
15. Dragon Age Inquisition
2014 game of the year, Dragon Age Inquisition happens to be the number 15 our huge open world RPG list.
This BioWare game offers huge open world, choice-driven narrative, character customization, and intense combat. Moreover, you can play Dragon Age Inquisition with your friends thanks to the co-op option. There is something captivating about the co-op role playing games.
Of course it can’t beat the old Dragon Age Origins, however, graphical and mechanical improvements makes this more playable.
16. Medieval Dynasty
Let’s continue with a highly innovative game, the Medieval Dynasty.
In this game, you take a role of young man who lives in the middle age – Europe. You start alone but it is possible to found a legendary dynasty.
Develop your skills, build your village, find a spouse and raise your heir. So that he can take over your lands when you pass away. Of course you will play as your heir.
17. Horizon Zero Dawn
Go on a journey to the future earth, ruled by machines… Aloy’s legendary quest is highly satisfying.
I am personally not fan of games with giant sentient machine monsters. However, this game is pretty popular and you might really like it.
Hunt giant monsters and explore this post apocalyptic world to reveal mysteries.
18. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
This 2016 release is the remake version of Dragon’s Dogma 2013. In this version, the game has been ported to PC and graphically remastered.
Let me start by saying this, usually role playing games have bad combat mechanics. However, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is an exception to that argument. Beautiful combat animations, spells, vast lands, and various monsters are waiting for you.
It might be an old game but it was already ahead of its time. So, remastered version Dark Arisen is must be played any RPG lovers.
19. The Forgotten City
Do you remember the Skyrim mod The Forgotten City? That award winning Skyrim mod become so popular, mod creators eventually ended up making it a standalone game. It can be bought from steam and its steam reviews are %96 positive. Which is HUGE.
It’s main genre is RPG and time-travel. Yet still, you will find yourself in an immersive world of adventure, mystery, and exploration.
Travel 2,000 years into the past and save the people of ancient Roman city.
20. Stardew Valley
Hey, you have just inherited your grandfather’s old farm in the Stardew Valley. What are you going to do? You will renovate and farm it of course!
You can raise animals, grow crops, start an orchard, craft, mine, build, explore, cook, and have relationship with NPCs. Stardew Valley was single player only at the beginning but now it is updated and have the co-op support.
21. Wartales
Are you ready to lead your group of mercenaries in this huge open world medieval Europe?
You can explore, take contracts, recruit companions, and discover secrets. It is quite similar to Kenshi in my opinion. Of course Wartales is a realistic version of it.
Be ready to make hard choices in this game.
22. Chernobylite
Open world, science-fiction, survival, and horror role playing game Chernobylite hails you.
This video game is set in ultra realistic 3D scanned wasteland of Chernobyl.
Of course all the monsters and enemy military presence is fiction. Or is it? Well, I am not going to find that out.
23. Deus EX
Before Cyberpunk 2077, there was Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It is currently the second best cyberpunk / sci-fi RPG in my opinion.
FIRST PERSON RPG GAMES
The year is 2029 and our main character Adam Jensen is trying to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy. Adams best helper is of course his state of the art weapons and mechanical body augmentations.
24. Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium is one of the most interesting role playing game of our time. You take the role of a detective, trying to solve a mysterious murder. You are solving all your problems and mysteries by talking, not fighting. That is why this game is totally unique.
DISCO ELYSIUM SIMILAR GAMES
Explore, investigate, develop a personality, make your choices and face the consequences.
25. Kenshi
Second sandbox game on our list is Kenshi. It is a free roaming, party based role playing game. Your character can be an adventurer, farmer, trader, thief, rebel, warlord, cannibal, or even a slave. Believe me when I say this, it is a harsh world…
There are no heroes in this game. Each and every character you encounter can have same stats / equipment with different specialties. That is why you should always be careful when wandering through desert.
26. Stellaris
You are looking for an open world game? How about an open galaxy game?
Stellaris is a grand strategy game that is set in a huge galaxy. Get ready to explore and eventually expand your kingdom through galaxy. Eventually you will encounter other species.
This is a role playing game and don’t let anyone tell you it is not. You will role-play as a custom race in the galaxy. It is possible to expand to all sides. Of course in this game, your choices matters a lot.
27. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Best open world isometric RPG of all times is Divinity Original Sin 2. Of course when Baldur’s Gate 3 gets a full release, this might change. However, for now DOS2 is my favorite.
BEST DIVINITY ORIGINAL SIN 2 MODS
Gather your 4 character party with perfectly written companions and explore the vast world of Rivellon.
Divinity Original Sin 2 uses next gen turn based tactical combat. You might not like turn based games but this one is exceptional. So, give it a try!
28. V Rising
V Rising is released in 2022 and it is an open world vampire RPG. Do you like vampires? If so, don’t even think about it and get this game.
Awaken as vampire, raise your castle, and feed yourself in this open world full of mystery.
V Rising have single-player, multi-player PVP, and co-op options. So, pick your poison and delve into this world of darkness.
29. Outward
Welcome to the magical world of Aurai. You can explore it either with a companion (co-op) or solo.
Outward is a open world RPG game with survival elements. Also it is a souls like game, meaning: hard combat mechanics.
This game is not offering the best graphics, but the world is full of content and really enjoyable.
30. Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous
Let us review another tactical RPG like DOS2 and BG3 at the rank 30.
NECROMANCER RPGS
Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous offers a role playing game in an open world realm, overrun by demons. What will you do? Will you become a champion of light? Or turn to dark side and become a powerful necromancer? Choices matters.
31. Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 is an open world shooter RPG. It is possible to play solo or with a friend co-op. That is why I like this game so much.
You are a vault hunter that focused on looting. Lets go!
32. Yakuza 6 The Song of Life
Develop and strengthen your character in the criminal underworld of Japan.
In Yakuza 6 you will play as legendary yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu. He is trying to unravel the truth behind his daughter’s tragic accident. One way or another…
33. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Ka-me-ha-me-haaa! Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the latest Dragon Ball game and it is an open world RPG.
By playing this game you can re-live the story of Goku. Epic battles and other Dragon Ball characters awaits you. So, jump into this beautiful world and enjoy the nostalgia.
34. My Time at Portia
My Time at Portia is actually a life simulator. You can role-play too of course in this open world game. In this town you will encounter friends, decisions, battle, and more.
It is pretty casual. So, if you want to chill, relax, and roleplay, I say go for it. It is a great game.
35. Fallout: New Vegas
I want to end this huge best open world RPG list with the number one Fallout game.
Fallout: New Vegas is the best game of this franchise without a doubt. I know graphics are bad and gameplay is bit clunky, however it has the best story. The writing is amazing.
You will get addicted to the story telling, companions, and the story-telling in Fallout: New Vegas. If the graphics are problem for you, just get some enhancement mods. Anyway, time to wrap this up.
Thank you for checking out my list. I would like to know your favorite open world RPGs and your thoughts. Your comments are highly appreciated. Well, see you soon!
Role play in any classroom brings a range of benefits. It adds variety to a lesson, which can be fun and motivating for students. It broadens the possibilities for language production by taking students beyond their own lives and experiences. Role play can also help with group dynamics; quieter students can take on the role of a much more forthright person and are encouraged to communicate more readily.
It can especially be helpful to students who are learning English in an ELL setting. So how can you best use role-playing games when teaching English? Here are some practical tips:
Decide What Language Skills you’re Working On
Before you start a role play with your class, you need to be clear on what language skills you want them to develop. Is the role play designed to help them with the future tense, with question forms or with a certain vocabulary group? Are you trying to help them with set phrases used to negotiate or just with their fluency and ability to talk under pressure? Being clear in your aims for the role play will inform the preparation and follow up activities you choose to do.
Prepare your Students
Assess the level and age of your class in order to prepare them effectively for the role play. A lower level class may need more initial input in identifying the language they’ll need for the role play. You could do preliminary activities where they practice the language in written form or through a reading task. It may be helpful to write key language (phrases or sentences they may use) up on the board as a reference.
Higher level classes will need less initial input but they’ll still get more out of the activity if you can prepare them by describing the role play situation and getting them to suggest phrases and words that may be useful.
Don’t Prepare Your Students
Another way of helping students to learn language is by throwing them into a role play without any preparation whatsoever. In doing so, they recognize the specific language they lack for this particular situation. If you choose to do role plays in this way, it is important to continue the activity with a structured language finding section, followed by another, hopefully improved, attempt at the role play.
Choose a Format
There are lots of different ways to structure role plays in the classroom. Much will depend upon the size of your group and the characters of the students within it. Here are a few ideas:
- Debate an issue – Split your class into two groups. Give each group an opposing point to debate and give them time to formulate their arguments.
- Information Gap – Divide your class into pairs. Both students are given a card containing missing information, so the two cards make a whole. They have to ask questions of their partner to fill in the gaps.
- Conflict Situation – Putting your students in a role play conflict situation encourages them to use persuasive and conciliatory language. You could have them pretend to be an arguing neighbor or a complaining customer.
- Phone Call – Put your students into pairs and get them to sit back to back. This means they can’t rely on body language or gestures to aid understanding. Get them to “make a phone call” to book a hotel room or confirm an appointment.
- Group Planning – Divide your class into groups. Give them the task of brainstorming or planning something. It could be a party for a five year old or the design of a new tech product. Once finished, they can present their ideas to the rest of the class.
Follow Up Activities
To really cement the new or practiced language forms in the minds of your students, be sure to do some kind of follow up or reflective activity. Reflect on phrases used as well as facial expressions and body language as an extension of how they communicated their words.
Role play is a great way to get students using and developing their language skills in a “real world” setting. With good planning, students are sure to gain confidence and language ability whilst having a little fun at the same time.
With a background in Marketing, Jane Bolto currently works as a Content Specialist at Nybizdb.com. Always willing to share her insights.
Изучение английского языка может показаться совершенно скучным и неинтересным занятием, если этот процесс протекает монотонно, включает один вид деятельности и никак не мотивирует обучаемого все-таки с интересом заниматься английским. Задача учителя – таким образом преподнести обучающий процесс, чтобы ученик захотел учить английский, стремился понимать его и был готов говорить на нем.
Одним из основных стимулов к обучению является игра. Ведь в комплексе с дискуссиями и дебатами игры, в частности, ролевые игры на уроках английского языка являются наиболее информативными и результативными методами обучения с точки зрения восприятия. В процессе игры ученик преодолевает свою скованность и тревожность. Если вы учите английский по skype, и вам достался преподаватель, использующий данный метод, то можете считать, что вам повезло. Использование различных игр на уроке английского помогает овладеть им в занимательной форме, развить память, внимание, смекалку, поддерживать интерес к английскому языку как таковому.
Включаясь в ролевые игры на уроках английского языка, ученики представляют себя в роли кого-то другого в конкретной ситуации, ведут себя надлежащим образом согласно правилам этой игры. Социальные (врач, продавец), межличностные (друзья, одноклассники), психологические (нейтральные, позитивные, негативные персонажи) роли, которые исполняют ученики, способствуют тому, что они учатся общаться и обсуждать вопросы, понимать и оценивать чувства других людей, решать проблемы. Конечной целью любой ролевой игры на уроках английского языка является получение новых знаний и отработка их до навыков.
Чтобы играть в ролевые игры на уроках английского языка надлежащим образом, необходимо сформировать у ученика нужные социальные умения общения и ознакомить их с диалогической речью на английском языке. В этом помогают упражнения на тренировку выражений этикетного плана, развитие навыков разговора по телефону, микродиалоги на заданную тему из нескольких реплик, создание диалогов на английском языке по образцу, чтение и воспроизведение этих диалогов наизусть, проигрывание диалога в парах.
Примеры ролевых игр на уроках английского языка
Ролевые игры на уроках английского языка включены во все учебники и пособия для изучения этого языка. Всем нам известно, что каждый урок в таком учебнике посвящен какой-то определенной теме, материал которой необходимо усвоить и закрепить. Как правило, мы прибегаем к ролевым играм в самом конце изучения этой темы, так сказать, для оттачивания приобретенных знаний. В этом случае необходимая лексика английского языка и грамматические конструкции уже усвоены, речевые образцы проработаны, фонетические, орфографические задания и аудирования пройдены.
Давайте посмотрим, какие ролевые игры нам предлагают учебные курсы «Headway» (elementary и pre-intermediate) и «New Millenium English» для 11 класса средней школы. Начнем с «Headway». В заданиях под названием «Roleplay» мы находим следующее:
- Work in pairs. Student A is a journalist, student B is Ivan or Jaya. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in New York. Then prepare an interview. Use the words and questions in the Comprehension Check to help you.
- Work in groups of two or three. Think of some roleplays in an airport or on a plane. Choose a place and some characters. You can be travelleers from different copuntries, pilots, customs officers…!
- Work in pairs. Practise some conversations in a hotel, using the ideas above. One of you in the guest, the other is the waiter or the receptionist.
- Your teacher will give you a list of TV programmes for tonight on channels 1 to 4. Imagine that you and your oartner live in the same flat and you have only one TV. Decide together which programmes you are going to watch tonight.
- Some of you are members of a group of musicians (classical, pop, jazz). Some of you are journalists who are going to interview the musicians. Musicians: talk together to decide the following – the kind of music you play, the name of your band, who plays what, what has influenced your music, how long have you been together, the records you have made, the countries you have toured. Journalists: work together to think of some questions to ask the musicians. When you are ready, conduct the interview.
А вот какие ролевые игры на уроках английского языка включили в процесс обучения создатели второй книги:
- Read the job advertisement. Decide who will be the applicant and who will be the interviewing board. Read your role card and get ready for the interview. The students who have gone throught the interview become observants. Exchange your opinions about questions/answers. Avois being judgemental. Be positive and friendly.
- You are invited to take part in a TV show called “Do you believe in…?” The show will start in 10 minutes. Take a role card and get ready to play your role. Take part in the show; try to be as active as possible. Vote on the question in the programme – Do you believe in supernatural phenomena?
- You are going to take part in the International Student Science Conference. In turn, you will be a speaker, a participant, an interpreter, and some of you may wish to be the Chair.
Это лишь часть ролевых игр, представленных в этих пособиях. Как видите, возможности для фантазии и творчества безграничны. Создавать ролевые игры на уроках английского языка можно по любой теме и для отработки любого материала. А польза от них весьма существенна, как уже говорилось ранее. Давайте не будем забывать об этом прекрасном методе изучения английского языка!
Если вы нашли ошибку, пожалуйста, выделите фрагмент текста и нажмите Ctrl+Enter.
| Word Realms | |
|---|---|
The Word Realms logo. |
|
| Developer(s) | Asymmetric Publications |
| Publisher(s) | Asymmetric Publications |
| Designer(s) | Zack «Jick» Johnson Kevin Simmons |
| Platform(s) | Linux, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows |
| Release | 21 May 2013 |
| Genre(s) | role-playing game, puzzle game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Word Realms (abbreviated WR) is a single-player role-playing game designed by Asymmetric Publications, including lead designer Zack «Jick» Johnson and designer Kevin Simmons. The game was released in 2013.[1]
Gameplay[edit]
Word Realms gameplay is based on battles between the player character and a computer-controlled non-player character (NPC). As in the game Bookworm Adventures by PopCap Games, battles consist of the player and the NPC taking turns spelling a word from a set of letters.[2]
There are also eight mini-games.[2] Each mini-game has a different gameplay mechanism, sometimes similar to battles, and sometimes with some twists or restrictions that make it quite different.[3]
Development[edit]
The game was developed over a period of four years, and was funded through Kickstarter.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ Word Realms Kickstarter Project
- ^ a b John Walker (2012-05-23). «Words With Enemies: Word Realms». rockpapershotgun.com. Retrieved 2015-08-22.
- ^ Asymmetric Publications. Word Realms (1.1 ed.). Asymmetric Publications.
- ^ Kyle Orland (15 June 2012). «Kickstarter Game Watch: From classical swordplay to classic strategy». Ars Technica. Retrieved 2015-08-22.
External links[edit]
- Word Realms Wiki at Coldfront
Tomes and Quests: a Word RPG — игра от
компании Trailblazer Games,
разработанная для платформы PC. Проект совмещает в себе такие жанры и элементы, как аркада и логическая.
Дополнительно игроки выделяют такие особенности игры, как казуальная игра, ролевая игра, слова и правописание.
Игра рассчитана на одиночное прохождение, многопользовательские режимы не предусмотрены.
Ваш браузер не поддерживает это видео.
Во всем мире игра распространяется по модели разовая покупка. Изданием игры занимается непосредственно компания Trailblazer Games. На данный момент стадия игры — запущена, а дата её выхода — 30.09.2021.
Бесплатно скачать Tomes and Quests: a Word RPG, в том числе и через торрент, нельзя, поскольку игра распространяется по модели разовая покупка.
MMO13 еще не вынес Tomes and Quests: a Word RPG оценку. Игра распространяется в магазине Steam, пользователи которого оценивают эту игру своими отзывами на 6.5 баллов из 10.
Официальное описание игры гласит:
«A fantasy role-playing game with a word game twist, Tomes and Quests is a whole new take on puzzlers. Three friends have become trapped in a book. The upside is they now have amazing new abilities that are powered by words! Solve word puzzles, battle evil, level up, and save the worlds.»
Posted in Tabletop on 200word, Review
As this year’s 200 Word RPG Challenge was ramping up I wanted to take a look back and review some of the lesser known entries from previous years. So every day I reviewed one entry for each letter of the alphabet. This was a fun way to force myself to look at games I might otherwise pass over. I’ve collected all the reviews here for easier reading.
“A” through “R” come from 2015 and 2016, the rest from 2017. Let me know some of your favorite entries in the comments!
Table of Contents
- A is for All Fall Down
- B is for Blinded
- C is For City Coin
- D is for Deicide
- E is for Emperor’s Revelry
- F is for Family Matters
- G is for Good Times in Granite Gulch
- H is for Hero Cop II: Death Sentence
- I is for Interns and Invaders
- J is for JukeBoxers
- K is for Kintsugi
- L is for Last Stand
- M is for MegaCorp
- N is for Night Shift
- O is for Of Blood and Shadows
- P is for Paladin and Heathen
- Q is for Quick NPC Generator
- R is for Robot Ranger
- S is for Stop Reading to Lose
- T is for Trash Pandas
- U is for Under the Mountain
- V is for Valor: The Dimming Flame
- W is for Wizards of the Tome
- X is for Xenia
- Y is for You’re a Werewolf but it’s Not a Full Moon
- Z is for Zagyg’s Ancestral Word
- ??? is for [REDACTED]
- Conclusion
A is for All Fall Down
Today we’re looking at All Fall Down by Ryan Ó Laoithe from the 2015 challenge.
I know. Picking a winner to start off feels like cheating, but this game still sticks in my mind years later.What first struck me was the candles. Taking the time (and words) to talk about setting the mood with candles is gutsy. It must have been tempting to cut that out, but the game is much better for it.
Matches are such an ingenious idea to build a mechanic around. Not many common household objects have one use, but matches make perfect sense. Ryan doesn’t need to explain “only use once and then mark differently”, it’s use is understood.
In fact, taking advantage of existing player knowledge is important to all games, but crucial to 200 Word RPGs because of their limited wordcount.
Finally, the game naturally follows the story arc of a survival story. Players start with promise and supplies but slowly run down to nothing. Curtain Falls. Flames die. Smoke rises.
The tone, mechanics, and materials are just perfect. Well done, Ryan!
B is for Blinded
Today we’re looking at Blinded from Jim Rennie in the 2016 challenge.
This entry piqued my interest because it reminded me of my wife. She has a very sensitive facial memory. If I shave my beard or cut my hair it takes her a day or two before she grows accustomed to it.
It would be interesting to play Blinded with some a tight-knit gaming group. You would still have your memories, but you wouldn’t remember what your friends or family members looked like. How weird would that be? You could drive to your office, but wouldn’t know your co-workers.
I would play this as a twilight-zone kind of mystery game and have the players try to track down what happened. Maybe you need to borrow your sister’s car, but you don’t know what she looks like, or your friend works at the news station, etc.
Very clever way to make the familiar seem alien and threatening.
C is For City Coin
It’s not cheating. Not really. For City Coin by Sean Smith is about outcasts trying to make it in a city that shuns them.
First, aside from reflecting my own coin-based game “Clink”, I like that the game specifies the players use coins from different countries. It implies a lack of belonging, of unfamiliarity. Sets the tone of the game.
The mechanics are evocative. Even success drives home that you are not welcome in this city. I love how outcasts succeed over what they were shunned for, nice exception to the rules to drive that home.
I would definitely play this, maybe with a Numenera, post apoc vibe about finding a strange techno-artifact and trying to sell it/use it.
D is for Deicide
This one’s a supplement from the 2016 challenge, not a full game. Little supplements like these are interesting because you can use them with whatever system you choose, they aren’t self-contained.
Deicide by Edcrab pitches a novel idea: The players are dying Gods, getting weaker and weaker as the game progresses.
“It’s true that you can smite a dragon with little effort. But now you’d find it so draining that you might not ever be able to do it again.”
I really like this idea, but I think the challenge lies in finding the right group for such a game. Most people can find some engagement with growing stronger and gaining new abilities. Less people are enamored with the idea of doomed failure and gradual despair.
Still I think for the right group this could be a blast, especially framed within a specific goal the players must accomplish before passing. “Defeat the 5 Dragons of Esther” for example. The first one will be a joke. The second one will be difficult. The third will be a serious challenge, the fourth will be impossible, and the fifth will kill you.
As for game systems, I’d look to Mythender, Dragon’s Wrath, and Mythic Mortals for examples and inspiration.
E is for Emperor’s Revelry
Emperor’s Revelry by Keith Kelley takes the Baron Munchausen formula and adds a GM-like character. The Emperor is the key to making this game work.
The Emperor must find the right balance between generous and cruel. Too cruel and no one will make it. Too generous and everyone will make it. I think it would be best to play the Emperor as a wildly unpredictable Child God King. Kinda like the Joker. You never know what will set him off, or what they will adore.
In fact, I might take it further and have each player write down 1 or 2 things that the emperor hates. In the end you might have a list like this: Anger, cups, the color blue, clear skies, cats, and high-pitched voices.
Each player knows of a few things, but no one knows everything. I can see a game like this being a blast with the right kind of Emperor.
F is for Family Matters
I really love these competitive storytelling games. Family Matters by Khaled Naib is one such game, one that begs for a minor tweak.
Having one player be the Donna (Mafia Boss) and judge the other players is really clever. I love the idea of players competing to one-up each other and impress the Donna. And Family Matters as written delivers that pretty well.
But aside from the stories told, the Donna has no way to know which players put a loyal/disloyal card on the table. How I would fix this is with a grudge token. Each player begins with a number of grudge tokens that they can spend to basically talk smack about other players.
At the beginning of each round the Donna leaves, or closes their eyes and the players show one another the cards they are going to play. The other players know who is being disloyal/loyal, but the Donna doesn’t. While telling stories, another player can spend a grudge token and put it on their card to represent suspicion or disbelief.
That way the Donna must decide if they can trust what the other players are telling them. Could add another element of storytelling and bluffing.
Either way, Family Matters looks like a blast to play.
G is for Good Times in Granite Gulch
Ah, nothing like a rip-snortin’ western game! Good Times in Granite Gulch by Jason Mical has some incredible writing!
Again, like my post about All Fall Down, any words spent on tone and flavor must be used with the greatest care. GTGG spends the extra words in order to sell a mood, one of cowpoke wrasslin’ grit and gristle! I just love all of the flavor and word choice demonstrated here. Fantastic work.
The rules are straight forward and serviceable. Nothing too crazy, although using a deck of cards for a western game just FEELS right, and is worth the extra effort. Also I love how skills are all missing the last letter (wrasslin’, shootin’, lyin’), it looks like a blast to describe your character to the rest of the group and find ways to use your skills.
Great job, Jason, you’re a true rough-ridin’ cowboy.
H is for Hero Cop II: Death Sentence
This is the sequel to “Hero Cop 1: My Happy Life”. This cliche filled fun-fest is written Hero Cop II: Death Sentence by Stephen Karnes. A game for exactly 4 players, each one has a specific role to fill and only a certain number of sentences to do it with.
Unlike most of the other games on this list, I think this one would be best played by post, or over a text chat. It requires players to carefully choose their words and their sentences; a very challenging game to play live.
Laid out like a play, each scene has specific motivations and roles. Each player rolls a die telling them how many sentences they have to explain their actions. In the end, the hero and villain have an intense roll-off ending in one-lines (where the die result is how many words you can speak).
Aside from the sentence requirements, I think this game works so well as play-by-post because it’s short. 30 mins and you’re done. A great game to try out or kill some time on a forum page; and I hope to see more games tackle this design space of short-focused play by post ideas.
Neat stuff! Thanks Stephen Karnes!
I is for Interns and Invaders
Who doesn’t love a good job interview? What if your life was in danger? I’m not selling this game very well am I?
Interns and Invaders by Sheila Ayala Heady takes the boring slog of an office workday and provides the tools for a gripping adventure. You create your characters by answering a short job interview (ha!) and then must use those skills to escape some sort of horrible monster attack (double ha!).
If I were to GM a game like this I would have a Half-Life 1 kind of adventure where the players must escape the office building as monsters swarm and the place begins to fall down around them. Maybe have them try to work with other employees to break into new areas of the build, repair elevators, etc. It could be a ton of fun!
Could be an interesting twist on a one-shot survival game.
J is for JukeBoxers
Music->Artists->Songs->AllSongs->Shuffle->click…..Alright! Jukeboxers by Phil Rosen, my favorite!
Jukeboxers feels like it needed just a few more words to fully explain itself, but the core idea shines through nonetheless. While your song is playing the other players give traits just based on the song alone. Strength, friendship, fighting, lying, etc. Later, on your turn, you use the song and the traits given to describe your goals and how you accomplish them. Then you roll a number of dice equal to the traits you used.
if your result is high enough, you pull it off and narrate it. I love the idea of using music and picking songs, but what really makes it work is how the OTHER players assign traits. You might think your music is powerful and full of badassery, but if the other players assign traits like “trying too hard, emo, butt metal” then you might need to adjust your story a bit.
It’s a cool idea. I think playing this would be a fun way to share some of your favorite music. Sitting around listening to a song while thinking of applicable traits would probably be an interesting, meditative preparation to the story telling.
K is for Kintsugi
Huh…this game looks a little familiar…oh wait, Kintsugi is one of mine! I hadn’t originally intended to do my own entry, but there are only TWO games that start with K, so I’ll give myself a pass.
Kintsugi was heavily inspired by Roll for Shoes, a little forum game by DWeird that had a shocking amount of popularity. I figured I could tweak it a bit to give some more structure, and Kintsugi was the result. Kintsugi also has the distinction of starting this who 200 Word phenomenon in the first place. Here’s the original post, and the rest is history!
My wife and I recently updated Kintsugi with some new artwork, a cleaner layout, and expended mechanics. Grab a copy and see for yourself how it has grown!
L is for Last Stand
Can’t decide between wistful flashbacks and brutal combat? Last Stand by Lee Mohnkern has got you covered!
I like how the tone is set immediately: You are surrounded by your enemies, and you will die. You roll the die, narrating your kills until you fail a roll. You take a grievous wound and your past flashed through your mind. Originally designed for 2 players, I would LOVE to see how this works with a group of 3 or 4.
One person begins, narrating the combat until they take a wound, at which point they narrate the flashback. Then the next person picks it up and describes the next sequence. You can’t contradict what has been said, but must build upon it.
I would definitely play this!
M is for MegaCorp
To play this one you need a set of Scrabble tiles and a Jenga Tower. If you’re not curious, I can’t help you. MegaCorp by Ben Scerri rides the line between rpg and board game closer than most of the games in this alphabet.
I like the mechanics, and I think it’s clever that no one else sees the words you are trying to get them to say. To increase the role play elements, I would probably decide beforehand what our meeting is about, and how the words we made will affect the company. So if my word was “Lion”, I might talk about our secret project, codename LION was messed up by another board member and could endanger the company.
Also, the imagery of corporate executives greedily taking blocks from a crumbling tower just rings true. With the right group, MegaCorp would be fun and devious!
N is for Night Shift
Bored. Boring. I don’t think I can….oh wait, what’s that? Night Shift by Joshua Mackay? Awesome! I am very interested!
Balancing character disinterest against their interest is something I haven’t seen before. Disinterest is used to resist weird distractions while interest allows you engage and investigate. The author mentions that Night Shift is inspired by “Welcome to Nightvale”, and I think that’s exactly the tone it would thrive under. Weird, otherworldly customers come in with various problems and the players must help them. Maybe they have to avoid the terrible gaze of the faceless woman while helping her find the right battery for her phone.
I’d probably run this with two or three players, a small enough group that silly, short stories would entertain.
O is for Of Blood and Shadows
I like cards. This game uses cards. Therefore, I like Of Blood and Shadows by Nicholas Fowler!
A game with brutal mechanics really shines because of the way it uses it’s cards. In order to succeed your card must have the right number and the right color. Otherwise you suffer success with a cost or outright failure. Any drawn face cards act like power-ups that can be spent when needed to switch card colors, recover from a setback, or take cards from others.
I don’t quite know what the scores are for, or how they interact with the difficulty of the task or the drawn cards. But my main take-away is playing as monster without purpose and drawing cool power-up cards that can be spent later. Neat ideas!
P is for Paladin and Heathen
As a Christian I simply couldn’t resist this one, as my wife and I had many religious conversations and disagreements when we first met. Paladin and Heathen by Luke S Hendrix is built for two people, a paladin who captured and is escorting a heathen.
The question prompts are interesting, and I love how the heathen picks their core ideals while the paladin selects their duty and virtues. One is measures their life from within, one from without. What a great dynamic to center conversations and disagreements. The implication that the two could fall in love (even if that doesn’t happen) also adds another layer of conversation and role-playing.
I just love this, and will hopefully convince my wife to play it sometime soon!
Q is for Quick NPC Generator
Quick NPC Generator by Doug Ruff isn’t anything special, but it is extremely useful. Although these questions are meant for NPCs, I would probably use it for my players.
Often it can be difficult for new players to flesh out there characters and lists like these were super helpful when I was a new player. These are some of the best from the list, along with 2 or 3 questions of my own:
When you first look at them, what stands out? What things are they really good at? What things are they really bad at? How do they react to danger? What motivates them?
What are some other good questions to ask when creating a character?
R is for Robot Ranger
Oh man! Robot Ranger by Eric Nieudan is just gorgeous! It looks like something a high-school kid sketched in his notebook, which is awesome!
The game is a solid Apocalypse World hack, and I was surprised to see custom referee moves! These are one of the most important parts of AW games, and it’s nice to have some custom guidelines for this game.
This is one of the games that make me question the decision to make 2016 and 2017 entries text-only.
S is for Stop Reading to Lose
I generally tried to avoid finalists in this challenge, but I wanted to make an exception with Stop Reading to Lose by Jesse Coombs. The content isn’t exactly my bag, and isn’t a story I’d like to imagine. But the format and the concept really grip me.
I don’t know of any other challenge that used the contest format as well as this one. As a website the user can scroll for a long way, encountering each sentence one at a time. This forces the reader to take some time in between the next prompt and think about it.
I love to see this kind of creativity and innovation. Jesse should be proud!
Also, it was amusing to hear Thomas Novosel‘s reaction when he tried to layout a physical copy. “To the person who made a 36 page entry….I hate you.” Thanks for your hard work Thomas!
T is for Trash Pandas
Dangit, I’m breaking my own rule again. Trash Pandas by Eric Farmer was by far my favorite entry from the 200 Word Challenge, and I was so glad to see it make the finalist list.
The name is hilarious; I’d never heard raccoons described that way before! The writing and the mechanics evoke the silly scheming life of raccoons beautifully. I think the character-specific abilities are pretty clever, if a bit awkward.
I just hope you have a LOT of dice, 20d6 is no joke! Shaking a box and pulling out dice just sounds like so much fun. I hope to play a game with my friends sometime soon. Trash Pandas is solid silly gold.
U is for Under the Mountain
At first I was unimpressed with Under the Mountain by Liam Moher . The mechanics and rules are perfectly functional, but nothing very surprising.
Until I read this line: “Gain a Coin [when you] submit to trouble or play a supporting character in another’s scene.”
It’s amazing how few of these entries understand that mechanical rewards will direct play. Players will do whatever they must do to get the shiny things. Encouraging players to both submit to trouble and help other’s with their own scenes is fantastic. I would love to see more games setup this simple kind of reward structure.
V is for Valor: The Dimming Flame
As I began reading this entry I was immediately hooked. Valor: The Dimming Flame by Thomas Evans starts off strong with a theme of paladin being pushed to their limits. Unlike Paladin and Heathen, however, it doesn’t take the concept as far as I’d like to see.
In Valor players roll 2d6, trying to roll an 8 or higher. Any dice that result in a 1 immediately take away one of 7 resolve points. That’s not great; you’re punishing players for random events, not giving any interesting choices. Maybe it could encourage some roleplaying, but I think it would often make awkward situations like, “I failed to convince the guard to release me….and I rolled a one. Guess I don’t believe in God any more.”
Then Valor tries to make an interesting choice mechanic by allowing you to willfully spend resolve and add another die. This is cool, and could be used on events that really matter. However it doesn’t stick the landing because this special action STILL triggers resolve loss when 1’s are rolled.
I wish the player had more control over how resolve is spent or lost. As it stands, it’s pretty random, and the only choice you can make is a risky gamble with minimal benefit. I’d love to see this theme expanded upon like it was in Paladin and Heathen.
W is for Wizards of the Tome
I love books, and George Philbrick‘s Wizards of the Tome uses books! Awesome. I’m sold. Magic abilities are always a fun place to take an improv game because the players can do anything. Basing their spells on book titles just makes it more interesting!
I like how each spell can only be used once, although I don’t see the point in keeping spells secret from the other wizards. Unless you’re planning on inter-group conflict, but I never find that to be a fun dynamic.
The game kind of fizzles out at the end with “Flip a coin for non-magic stuff”, but there’s only so much you can do with 200 words. I love the concept, and with the right group of players and books this could be REALLY interesting.
Just imagine what kind of spell “A Shortcut to Mushrooms” would be…
X is for Xenia
This is the only ‘X’ game in the history of the 2017 challenge, so it steals this slot.
Xenia by Mel sets itself up as a masquerade, hidden role kind of game. As much as I like the idea behind these games, I think the actual experience would be awkward and unfun. Unless you’re playing with a bunch of people who are very creative and good at improvisation, it could easily fall flat.
It relies heavily on Zeus making good curses and players being able to adapt to them. If Zeus told me I can’t talk for the rest of the game, or I must use the word “moist” in every sentence, I would immediately lose interest.
Games like these can be fun, but often require more rules or more explanations than Xenia can afford in this format.
Y is for You’re a Werewolf but it’s Not a Full Moon
“You’re a Werewolf but it’s Not a Full Moon” by Pete Rude is a game about werewolves in between their transformations. Players start playing on Monday, and each day has a goal or challenge they must accomplish.
Little things like hanging out with your friends, trying something new, or spending time looking at the stars. I can see these little exercises being fun even without the roleplaying element. Getting some friends together and agreeing to play this game as a community would be a blast. Share how you accomplished your goals, and make the week a little more memorable.
I would even discard the werewolf trappings and just make it a game to break up the monotony of the week. Cool little gem of an idea.
Z is for Zagyg’s Ancestral Word
Zagyg’s Ancestral Words by Vincent Quigley begins with a huge list of seemingly random words. Players and GMs pick words to create a world and build characters. So far, so good.
The dice mechanic is basically a coin flip; I don’t know why we roll 2d6 and compare them against once another. The interesting addition to the game is when one of the die rolls a 6 another word is added to the world. The method is vague, but I could see adding a new character, situation, or detail inspired by that word.
Likewise when the die rolls a 1, a word is removed from the game.
I’d love to see more ways to remove words, making the setting dissolve as the players go through a story. Neat idea!
??? is for [REDACTED]
It was pointed out to me that many of the 200 Word entries didn’t start with a letter, but with numbers or symbols. [Redacted] by Thomas Deeny will represent those letter-less entries!
This game requires a bit of prep; players come to the table with a detailed dossier typed up for their character. Things like past missions, blackmarks, personal issues, and so on. As you play you can cross out words and phrases from your dossier to help you and add dice to your rolls.
It’s a clever idea, requiring players to be clever about typing their dossier as well as which phrases and words to use. “Assassinated a Target in Cuba” could be used to pull off a smooth gun shot, OR it could be used to justify knowledge of the Spanish language.
This is definitely a game that begs for more expansion; and the author mentions they have been working on a fuller version. Hopefully we’ll get to see something of that one day.
Conclusion
This was a blast! I really enjoyed this format of reviews; maybe in a few months I’ll get the urge to try it again. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Let me know what some of your favorite entries were in the comments. Thanks for reading!