Crucible: The Rules of Tasking (Work in Progress)

Crucible Questmasters

Crucible Questmasters. Art: Smuzz

Rules. What rules would you make if you were funding an expedition into a world where ‘magic’ worked and monsters dwelled? Funny or serious: ideas welcome.

Those we finally adopt, we’ll be back in touch about featuring you in the comic…

• By general order of the Task Office, Taskers must buy their own weapons, and are responsible for checking its efficiency and all maintenance costs

• By general order of the Task Office, any Special Equipment issued by the Task Office for the purpose of fulfilling a Task must be returned, preferably in good order. The Task Office will Take Steps to ensure this order is obeyed, which may include reanimation and/or Other Methods

• By general order of the Task Office, and by the laws of Pomorele, Stele, Dimor and the Marginal Village Alliance and the Small Town Federation, all unusual artefacts must be surrendered for examination to the Quest Office or the Quest Commissioner

• (suggested by ‘Hedgebeast’) By general order of the Task Office, There shall be no expedition until someone joins it who has demonstrated some proficiency in understanding magic.

• By general order of the Task Office, no more than two unusual artefacts should be carried by One Quester

• By general order of the Task Office, Any Powers, Abilities, Demi-Godheads or Insight into Future or Supernatural events acquired during the course of a Quest must be declared to, and used according to, the dictats of the Tasking Authorities

• By order of Lord Travers of Mulkearn, Questers shall be responsible for making their own Maps. The accuracy of Maps is not the purview of the Task Office and no responsibility will be taken by the Quest Office for out of date Maps, inaccurate Maps, or Maps That Lie.

• By order of High Lord Stanbury of Dimor, at the request of Lady Clarke, gentlefolk must not practise magic that might upset children or mounts, except in extreme circumstance.

(Based on former Escape co-editor Peter Stanbury’s note: “In Susannah Clarke’s wonderful novel Jonathan Strange and MR Norrel the conceit that works so well is that the English are too stuck up about actually practising magic. It is only the diversion of gentlefolk but one never actually does it. That would be too outrageous. The characters of the title however change all that. A Rich tapestry of stories that is simply delicious.”)

• When engaged in a Task, the Taskers may be held liable for any mass destruction of wildlife, forests or geological features that may occur during the course of their efforts.

Allowances may be made for extenuating circumstances but it is emphasized that total destruction, poisoning or cursing of an area more than four leagues in diameter may, if not considered a Reasonable Response, be actionable by the Tasking Authorities and points/ awards/ rewards may be deducted from the relevant Taskers.

See Subsection 4b: ‘Ready Reckoner: Scale of ‘Appropriate response to hostile action’. 

• (Suggested by Tony Cheetham) By order of Lord Cheetham of Stele (accepted the year 2310), Taskers must only experiment on themselves with unknown magic.

• By order of Lord Cheetham (accepted the year 2310), All animals, flora, fauna, minerals and objects must be considered sentient until proven otherwise.

• By order of Lord Cheetham (accepted the year 2311), Taskers are ordered not to  eat or drink anything you find, no matter how clearly labelled.

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