Mnemonics for characters

Just in case you don’t know, a mnemonic is not a new kind of demon, but instead a memory device to help you remember stuff.

We were criticized early on for using “SKEWAP” to help players remember the attributes in Legend Quest.  We still use that “word” around my gaming table, but we don’t publish it any more.  It’s pronounced like the sound a ski would make if it hit you in the head: Ski Whap.  As a GM, I quite often wish I could whap a couple of players with a ski!

So, OK, if SKEWAP doesn’t make sense to the game reviewing public, what else should we use?  Well, it’s been over 25 years, but I have come up with the perfect, self-serving answer:  Still Knowing Everything Works As Planned.  Yep!  After 25 years of Legend Quest, we are Still Knowing Everything Works As Planned!

Oh, what are those attributes?  Yes, there are six, but more importantly, there are three pairs:  Strength & Knowledge, Endurance & Willpower, and Agility & Psyche.  Why pairs?  Well, Strength is pretty self-explanatory, but what is Knowledge?  Well, it’s mental strength.  That’s different from Psyche which is the speed at which you think or mental Agility.  That means that in many ways, Knowledge is book smarts and Psyche is cleverness (which isn’t exactly street smarts, but that’s a part of it).  Willpower?  Well, that’s often self-explanatory too, but it is mental Endurance.  I always wanted to use “stamina” for endurance, but the more we thought it through, Stamina felt like it had mental components to it, whereas endurance felt more physical.

Does it matter at all?  Yes, it actually does!  In Legend Quest, everything is based on one formula for your chance of success:  Attribute x 10% + Skill Level x 5% = % chance of success.  Really, everything.  Attack in melee combat:  Strength x 10% + skill levels x 5%.  Attack with ranged combat:  Agility x 10% + skill levels x 5%.  Track an enemy through the woods:  Knowledge x 10% + Tracking skill x 5%.  Intimidate an enemy in battle:  Psyche x 10% + Intimidation levels x 5%.  It goes on basically to infinity.

Are we proud of Legend Quest?  You bet we are!  It worked when it came out (“a real gem of a game - one of the best systems I’ve ever seen” - Dragon Magazine); and it still holds up today, no matter what version of that other game they might be on.