Jaws of the Six Serpents
Jaws of the Six Serpents, by Silver Branch Games, is a rousing sword and sorcery role-playing game based on the PDQ, or Prose Descriptive Quality, system by Atomic Sock Monkey Press. Originally designed by Chad Underkoffler, PDQ is used for games like Truth & Justice, a superhero RPG, and more recently Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies with it’s swashbucklers and sky ships. Jaws of the Six Serpents brings the realms of darker sword and sorcery fantasy into the system. Evil wizards, barbarians, scantily clad maidens – this is the heart of Jaws of the Six Serpents.
Tim Gray puts his own spin on the PDQ role-playing game, and completely drew me in. The shear simplicity of the system, and the ease of Tim’s writing make the game easy to understand and fun to read. The sword and sorcery genre it explores is a favorite of mine, setting the heroes against vile sorcerers and giant monstrosities with only your battle-axe by your side. The way the system encourages role-playing and player interaction with the direction of the story is a great mechanic that really sparks the imagination.
This is Tim’s second fantasy take on PDQ – the first was Questers of the Middle Realms, a more light hearted send up of high fantasy. For Jaws of the Six Serpents he pulls the kid gloves off and shows us a serious side of darker fantasy. Think Conan, Red Sonja, or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and you’re getting the picture. The default campaign setting for Jaws of the Six Serpents is not a fully fleshed out campaign setting that we’re used to seeing, but a skeleton upon which to flesh out your own world.
The World of the Six Serpents is detailed in a simple map that shows locations of some major cities, places of interest, and some high points, illustrated to give you some idea of the land’s layout. We are introduced to the setting through its people. Since this is a sword and sorcery setting, humans are the main player race, but we get some variety by the cultures that are laid out. From the Devilfolk of Ahaan with their strange cat like eyes that see in the dark, to the Earth Tribes of Kalet, reminiscent of barbarians of literature, to the Citizens of Sartain with their nobility and civilization. All in all there are eight races of man that are listed, with a short description of their people and culture, along with role-playing information to add depth.
The dominant religion of the land is the Cult of the Worthy Ancestor, a group that worships the good spirits of their ancestors, and is lead by their priests, the Intercessors. Intercessors both aid the people of the land or dominate it with their power to compel the ‘good spirits’. Also a major influence are the urges, six energy forms represented in a circle, by serpents, each biting the others tail, thus connecting each type of energy to another. These urges – fire, metal, wood, earth, wind and water – are all tied to different actions in the world and can be used to power sorcery and other things.
It is assumed that the players and game master will flesh out the world during play, putting their own spin on what’s presented. But if the world is not to your taste, there are suggestions on using other worlds or drawing inspiration from them, such as other PDQ system books, and fiction. The system is very adaptable to any low magic setting, but pulling in things from other PDQ sources opens up a lot of wiggle room.
The PDQ system itself is simple and straightforward. Modified from the original Atomic Sock Monkey Press version, the author streamlines it here to handle the flavor of the sword and sorcery genre. Characters are built using descriptive qualities such as Warrior, Strong as a Bear, Tougher than “Civilized folk”, and even occupational things like Carpenter, or Alchemy. These qualities are given ranks, which aid a character when he performs actions related to them. They also combine, so if you had the qualities of Warrior and Strong as a Bear you could combine them for a powerful attack.
The dice mechanic is simple: roll 2D6, add them together with any qualities, and compare the total to either the defense of the opposing character or quality of the action being taken. Damage is taken off qualities you posses, downgrading them for the conflict at hand, whether it’s a social scene, combat, or whatever. The first quality to take a hit generates a story arc based on that quality which the game master will work into the game. This lets the players tell the game master what they are interested in pursuing during the game. So if you take a hit on your “Seeks renown as a great warrior” quality during a social interaction, the GM might put in a scene where you can demonstrate your skills as a warrior as a story hook later in the game.
Also included are tips on game mastering advice, setting up adventures, some story hooks, a quick sample adventure, and inspiration that the author drew from while writing the book. Not to be left out, a selection of monsters is included, like Giant Animals, Undead, and creatures from the dark below – Lovecraftian things that show up a lot in the source materials.
Jaws of the Six Serpents was a really enjoyable read. Tim Gray’s writing flows well throughout the text and he gives plenty of examples of play to keep you on the right path. The sword and sorcery feel of the game really stands out, and the art carries the feel forward with a stunning cover by Storn Cook. I cannot recommend Jaws of the Six Serpents enough – I loved the system, and even though the setting was thin, it had enough in it to make it interesting. If you’re looking for a rules-light game that promotes role-playing, look no farther.
February 27th, 2010 at 01:37
Glad you liked the cover!
February 27th, 2010 at 03:23
The cover was awesome Storn. Loved it!