Last weekend marked the close of the first ever Expedition Quest Quest, with many great new adventures published and available on the Expedition App. Our judges spent the week deliberating between escaping from staircases and slaying bandits, to planning royal weddings and exploring forests, and here's what they have to say!
The Prompts
Most interesting world - A quest isn't just about the adventurers and their choices - it's also about the world around them. To win this award, write a quest with a many-layered world for adventurers to learn about and explore.
Most thoughtful choices - Expedition quests aren't just stories - they're worlds where adventurers' actions have consequences. To win this award, show us a quest where adventurers have to make a variety of interesting and difficult choices that have a clear impact on the story and the world.
Best puzzle(s) - Quests shouldn't just be hacking and slashing your way through foes - they can also include puzzles, challenges and riddles. If you want to want to win this award, write a quest with at least one challenging puzzle - but make sure to provide adventurers with enough information to solve it (i.e. no guessing a safe combination without any hints)
The Judges
Before we get to the awards, a special thank you to our amazing judges!
Tom Wells - Most interesting world - Published author of the guide to world building The Realm Apparent, we were lucky enough to get Tom to judge quests on their worlds!
Lee Ngo - Most thoughtful choices - A long time Expedition super-fan, Lee has a lot of experience in knowing what it takes to make an interesting - and fun! - adventure.
Audrey Grace - Best Puzzle(s) - A student of literature and non-fiction writing
And now, the winners!
Though it was a challenging decision amongst so many great adventures, the winners are:
Most Interesting World - Bridezilla by Daniel Riddle. In a genre full of quests to save the princess, you find yourself in the world that takes place after the adventure usually ends - planning the wedding! That, and many more twists make Bridezilla a fun and fresh world to explore. Keep it up, Daniel!
Most thoughtful choices - A Weird Encounter in the Dungeon by NrFive. We're so used to writing linear stories that one of the most challenging parts of creating an Expedition adventure is creating choices that move the story forward, yet give players the opportunity to take diverging paths with meaningful consequences. Though you might not catch it on your first play, there are several fantastic moments in A Weird Encounter that take you down unexpected paths. Nice work NrFive!
Best Puzzle(s) - Staircase Ascension by Daniel Wiktorcyzk. You're locked under a staircase. How do you get out? (And more adventures if you do escape). A great example of the puzzles possible with Expedition quests. Congratulations Daniel!
Again, a HUGE thank you to all of the quest writers who participated, and our panel of judges - and congratulations to the winners! (we'll be in touch shortly to get you your prizes)
Excited to write your own quests? Check out the Expedition Quest Creator: quests.expeditiongame.com - and stay tuned for our next Quest Writing Contest!
Want to play these quests at your next game night? Open the Expedition App on your phone, tablet or computer and head to advanced -> public quests. Note that some quests require at least two players to play.