Q Manual: The Illustrated Guide to the World's Finest Armory

Q Manual: The Illustrated Guide to the World's Finest Armory is a supplement published by Victory Games in 1983 for the James Bond 007 role-playing game.

Cover art, 1983

Contents

In 1983, Victory Games, a branch of Avalon Hill, published the James Bond 007 role-playing game based on Ian Fleming's spy novels and the popular movies. Q Manual, designed by Greg Gorden, with equipment illustrations by Stuart Leuthner and other artwork by James Talbot, was published the same year to provide further detail for the game.

The 148-page book purports to be a catalogue of equipment considered essential for a "00" agent, with added comments about each item by "Q". (In the novels and movies, "Q" is the code name of the armorer for the British Secret Service.) Equipment includes weapons; vehicles; common devices such as umbrellas and attache cases that could contain hidden weapons or other equipment; surveillance devices; "exotic" devices such as Oddjob's hat from Goldfinger; and poisons, drugs and chemicals.[1] Some details of the secretive Q Branch and some of its members are included.[2]

Reception

In the February 1984 edition of Imagine (Issue 11), Nick Davison thought that "The Q Manual is clearly an essential aid to the basic game. It contains not only a wealth of equipment, but also background on Q branch and its members (some of which are not in the films)." Davison liked the range of equipment as well as the accurate illustrations. He concluded that it was perhaps a bit expensive but still worth the money, saying, "Perhaps the colour stills from the films upped the price a little; beyond that, a valuable companion."[2]

In the March 1984 edition of Dragon (Issue 83), Tracy Hickman thought that this book would be a good read on its own, saying, "Even without the game, the Q Manual is a treat." Hickman liked the "almost conversational way that each piece of equipment is discussed." He concluded, "If you play any type of espionage role-playing game, the equipment descriptions will be a valuable resource. And... this is a great daydreaming book for any Bond fan."[3]

In the October 1984 edition of White Dwarf (Issue #58), Bob Neville thought this supplement was essential, saying, "With even the famous Aston Martin DB-V detailed, the Q Manual is a very good value addition to the game, the catch being that it is almost essential for playing 007 satisfactorily." He concluded by giving the supplement an excellent overall rating of 9 out of 10.[1]

Other reviews
gollark: I played it once, but it was too complex and confusing for me to get into it.
gollark: It's annoying that they charge a premium for it, to be honest, ECC exists by default on everything else, but still, I remember reading that it wasn't actually a huge problem.
gollark: Eeeeh. Are RAM errors *that* common?
gollark: You also pay for markup and quite possibly extra stuff you don't need.
gollark: Also, you generally need pricier CPUs and whatnot.

References
  1. Neville, Bob (October 1984). "Open Box". White Dwarf. Games Workshop (Issue 58): 13.
  2. Davison, Nick (February 1984). "Game Reviews". Imagine. No. 11. TSR UK. p. 39.
  3. Hickman, Tracy (March 1984). "Good evening, Mr. Bond". Dragon. TSR, Inc. (83): 67.
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