Introduction to gaelQuest

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Product Vision

Fairy tales lie at the heart of fantasy roleplaying games (RPGs). Knights, dragons, giants, witches—they all continue to excite the imagination of young and old. In terms of source material, Celtic mythology has long been recognized as a rich trove for storytelling. Many popular motifs in the fantasy genre can be traced, at least in part, to Celtic fables.

Chief among these are tales of a hidden, earthly paradise. The Otherworld goes by many names. In Arthurian legend, it’s called Avalon. In Tolkien’s legendarium, it’s Valinor. In Irish myth, the most well-known epithet is Tír na nÓg, but others include Má Meall, Má Dhá Cheo, and Tír na mBeo. The appeal of this motif can be seen more broadly in legends about Arcadia, El Dorado, Shangri-La, and Themyscira—the home of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman!

gaelQuest is a family of games set in such a land. As with other fantasy RPGs and card games, players take on the roles of heroic adventurers. Through collaborative storytelling, they travel to mysterious places, encounter fantastic creatures, and work to fulfill quests. In the roleplaying version, one player takes on the special role of the Seanchaí. Like a director in a play or a referee, the Seanchaí sets the scene, acts the part of supporting characters, enforces game rules, and otherwise helps steer the narrative, which is always unfolding and influenced by player interaction.

What makes gaelQuest different is an emphasis on language learning as a real-life quest, and on fantasy gaming as a means to achieve it. Specifically, it’s designed for current or aspiring Irish-language learners, teachers, and speakers. However strange and geeky this may seem, there are several features of roleplaying games that make them very well-suited to language learning.

First, gameplay in RPGs is essentially conversational. Notwithstanding various rules and dice roles, the action mostly occurs through talk. Second, the conventions of character creation correspond to many introductory language learning topics. For example:

What is your (character’s) name?
Where are you from?
What are your skills?

All of these questions can serve as a basis for learning vocabulary and grammar. Of course, the perennial question that underlies most of gameplay (i.e., “what are you doing?”) offers countless opportunities to explore simple and more advanced Irish expressions, the most common of which we’ll seek to explore. Here’s a hypothetical encounter:

Seanchaí: “The leipreachán peers from behind the hedge and eyes you. On his head, tá caipín beag gorm air. In his hands, tá leabhar mór dearg aige. What do you do?”

Player: “Rithim!“

gaelQuest is designed so that you will learn Irish through the steps of creating and playing a character, or while guiding others to do so as the Seanchaí. The “Explore” section of this website begins by setting the scene, describing the history, peoples, and places in which the stories will unfold. The “Learn” section provides parallel language lessons, introducing words and phrases focused on the player’s needs. The “Play” section introduces the games themselves, starting with questions and options for your own hero’s development. Finally, the “Quest” section combines and guides you through all the above, rewarding you along the way with fame and fortune!

So, as we say in Irish, go n-éirí an bóthar leat! Welcome to your first steps in a new adventure!