TrippyHippy

Good luck with keeping those titles alive, as they are both excellent and fairly significant supplements for the BRP family as a whole. I think the Cubicle 7 break was necessary from an outsiders perspective, as some of their major brands (notably The One Ring) have been reduced to a crawl in terms of supplementary releases. Cakebread and Walton have appeared to be semi-independent for some time - with their own website and so on. Chronicle City, I think was also mentioned in the Kickstarter for Punktown (a future cyberpunk/cthulhu setting), so they are obviously building the contacts currently. Is there any other future Alephtar supplements on the horizon that we should be excited about?

Not sure if anyone has asked this before, but is the threshold of 16 POW too high to be able to perform Sorcery? Maybe Characteristics should be started at a higher base anyway (2d6+6?). As it stands, there is a less than 3% random chance that any character will be able to use magic. In game-world percentages this is fine, but Magic World PCs should have more chance than that surely?

I decided to scientifically test out the sturdiness of the BRP hardcover, by rigorously beating it with the first object that came to hand. My conclusion was that the book was perfectly capable of withstanding multiple blows from a plank of wood...provided you removed all the protruding nails first. Unfortunately I didn't and now the book is a shredded mess.

It depends what you want in a game system. For me, the magic and combat systems of BRP are functional rather than evocative, while the RQ6 ones are more deliberately flavoursome. I prefer character generation in RQ6 too.

Punktown may be worth looking at: Punktown: An RPG Setting for Call of Cthulhu® and BRP Gaming by Miskatonic River Press — Kickstarter

I read it as Ultimate Gods and Other Gods being kind of interchangeable terms. Also, isn't 'Night' capitalised because it is at the start of the sentence? I mean 'space' isn't capitalized later on.

Can't you just take the file to a printers and get it printed? It's not as if a monograph has special binding or anything!

Now that I've got the pdf of the RQ6 rules, it's always been a fascination of mine about how they manage to handle Magic in the game by considering real world cultures. There are now five magic systems in the game: Folk, Animism, Mysticism, Theism and Sorcery. It's a pretty comprehensive list, but my RPG background includes a fair whack of playing Mage in the 90s, so it's part of my fun to be able to look at how many cultures these systems can encapsulate. Looking at Mage, and a bunch of other games, some of the alternative magic systems include: Demonology Necromancy Voudun (Voudoo) Chaos Magic Psionics Gnosticism Sex Magic Blood Magic Alchemy Weird Science Virtual Reality and Technomagic Clockwork Devices Drug-enduced Ecstacy 'Hermetic Magic' (Ars Magica's Verb and Noun system) Probability-based magic (from Maelstrom and Mage's Entropy Sphere) Avatar-based magic (from Unknown Armies) Various Adept Magic styles (From Unknown Armies) Mythos Magic (Cthulhu) Computational Demonology (The Laundry) Ritual Magic Now I've just put all those out as a brainstorm in effect, and there is a lot of overlap and it's by no means an exhaustive list. But my challenge is to see how many of these fit, in some way into RQs 'Big Five' so to speak. Some of them are really just applications of the 'Big Five', or specific techniques associated with them at least - Demonology - perverse form of Theism Necromancy, Ecstasy and Voudun - Definitely linked to Animism. Gnosticism, Sufiism, Pychics (think: Jedi Powers) - Mysticism Ritual Magic, Blood Magic, Sex Magic (from description at least - never tried it myself!), Ars' Hermetic magic - all really applications and styles of Sorcery in effect, although they could be written into a number of other styles too (Theism, Animism, etc). So really, the ones not really catered for essentially include all the techno, clockwork and pseudo-science based 'magics', as well as the more post-modern styles outlined in games like Mage and Unknown Armies but could be collected under the umbrella term 'Chaos Magic'. While the techno-styles don't really have much universal application in most fantasy genres, I wonder whether they are not too dissimilar in theme to Alchemy (which is still part of the RQ rules from Arms and Equipment). That is, they are all trying to bridge the gap between observable scientific methods and magical applications. To a degree, this is kinda like Sorcery, but I do think there is a place for separating this mechanistic style of magical modernism as a separate category, and possibly integrating clockwork animation into the process (see Del Toro's Chronos) as well as general magical enchantments. Chaos Magic would relate to all those Jonny-come-lately, 20th century, PoMo, paradigm/paradox magical styles, based upon a Jungian collective unconscious and the like. So that would give us seven in total: Folk, Animism, Mysticism, Theism, Sorcery, Alchemy (modernism) and Chaos magic (post-modernism). Any thoughts on this, or possibly developing the two latter systems to be able to work? Any thoughts on expanding

It is good news, and I'll be buying it. My favored format these days is PDF, although I have a handful of hardbacks for really special games I like (Call of Cthulhu, mainly). The soft back isn't preferable to me, and it needs to be said that it will be an expensive book for casual gamers. I am also surprised at the size of the book - 450+ pages, phew! The best bet is to market the game as a 'classic', and as a complete game, which in turn means that it really needs to be made into a hardback as soon as possible as a 'luxury item'.. I do recognize that overheads are expensive for small companies, but it is worth noting that one of the major reasons why Avalon Hill failed with RuneQuest III was because it was simply too expensive. Like I say, I will buy it partially because I want to support the game and the writers, but that is just me and I'm hardly a 'market'. In normal circumstances, I'd just be buying the PDF and/or waiting for the hardback. The Mythic history supplements are really exciting though. What differentiates RuneQuest from D&D, among other things, is that pure historic settings like these actually work within the RuneQuest framework.

Yep, you really need a setting sourcebook to flesh out the spells found in respective Grimoires. Actually, they really ought to make a Big Book of Grimoires as a supplement. Some alternative methods of determining number of starting spells found in each Grimoire: 1) Roll a D6. 2) Have the player write a description of the contents of his Grimoire in game world narrative. Then draw out the various key words and ascribe spells that fit the themes therein.

I will likely buy Enlightened Magic also, and I am aware of it, but it presents a different take on magic - essentially building in classical occult aspects, rather than focussing on free-form abilities. The source of the system above I'm sure is as you say, although the similarities as such, give an indication that Laurence must have been influenced in part at least by the Ars magica system. So was Mage, and indeed a bunch of magic systems written in the 1990s. There is certainly a common meme. The 'enhancements' I'm suggesting (if anyone likes to call them that!), really are just about dealing with likely interpretation issues that will be presented by typical game groups and players, while also just being interested in presenting the ideas with evocative descriptions. The latter can be handled personally, while it's always worth considering the former before publication I feel.

Okydoky...so it is like Ars Magica in it's approach. Good news! A few suggestions then, (if you are still open to them!): - Is there scope for a including a sidebar that suggests making up your own 'Spheres'? I say this, because in the Mage; The Ascension Storyteller's Guide there was scope for it (eventually- it wasn't an early release). The major thing is that having Greek Elements and the like very much sets the paradigm up as being medieval in effect. If you were doing a modern setting, having Spheres like Matter, Forces, Life, Time and Space and so on seem more applicable to our contemporary sensibilities about how the Universe works. I'm not suggesting changing the core ones, just make doing your own an option, to suit whatever symbolical aspects of the paradigm you are trying to evoke). - I'm not sure about the universality of the combinations on offer. How would you speed up Time, for example? Or scry on somebody far away? Ars Magica divides it's 'Verb and Nouns' into 10 Forms (similar to your 8, although you've merged Mentem into other categories and ditched Vim). It's 5 Techniques (Perdo- 'I destroy', Creo- 'I create', Muto - 'I change', Regio - 'I control, Intelligo - 'I perceive'). That is pretty universal in application. You've gone with 8 (symbolically?), which is fine, but some seem more narrow than others, and the borders between some are a bit fuzzy. What about Divination as a category? - Nomenclature. Making the terms as evocative as they can be gives a lot of flavor to systems like these. Ars Magica used Latin terminology, as an example. That certainly sounds more interesting than 'Diminish' and so on. Using Latin terms isn't necessarily sthe way to go (again, it fixes it towards a particular paradigm), but having a run through the names to come up with he best possible names might be an idea. Hope this is taken as positive feedback..I might type out a few alternatives to show what I mean later (if I have time!).

Hi Ben, Could I have some broad description of how the freeborn magic works in Advanced Sorcery? Ta

I guess this will double up well with the long awaited Pulp Cthulhu supplement...... Ahem.

I dunno - it depends how you define 'Brawl' really. I mean "Unarmed" sounds like a combat style too, in this respect. Indeed, on one level there is an argument to did rid of the Standard combat skill, unarmed or whatever, and simply subsume it into the broad Athletics skill (untrained wrestling and fighting is pretty much an athletic endeavor in the same way throwing, climbing, jumping and running is, and the skill base is still STR+DEX anyway).

Regarding the skill list, I just wonder whether one of the starting bases could be refitted: Brawn STRx2 (currently there isn't a skill solely based on STR, so there is nothing to do a pure Strength test against). Conceal as INT+DEX (you have to think where you are going to hide something) Stealth as DEX+POW (basic intuition required only) Ride as DEX+CHA (need to build a relationship with your steed) Unarmed - renamed to 'Brawl' - just a more evocative name. Otherwise, I thought Endurance and Willpower were good, clear names for skills.

I am pleased that they are giving more space to describing cultures - even from a personal perspective, which is a good idea. There is definitely a more Bronze-Age theme to a lot of the artwork, and it just great to be getting a book that has a comprehensive group of five magic systems, as well as a good sized bestiary. It's a pity the original release won't be hardback, but as long as they edit it up properly, it's very much a must buy for me. If they can get round to making a Classic Greece setting supplement, and then produce a hardback slipcase to fit it together with the core rules, as well as a large full color poster, with a full colour map on the reverse. And lots of adventures. And RuneQuest specific dice. And a t-shirt and mug. No pressure.

It's not hate, it's just a really redundant distinction. What is the argument for keeping it?

No it doesn't, but it would have been nice to see the change. In my view, the presence of fixed Intelligence scores for animal level intelligence, and a points-buy option in character generation does indeed make the distinction redundant. All these scores, on one level at least, are abstract measurements - so I can't actually see the simulationary or technical advantage of using 2d6+6 for SIZ and INT respectively. Wasn't it the case, anyway, that the original RuneQuest utilized a uniform 3d6 for all scores? In my view, they should make it uniform 3d6 with the simple caveat that scores 6 and below for any characteristic can be rerolled at the player's prerogative. And of course, a player could also simply distribute 80 points instead of rolling. Just my view of course, and I'm happy to hear counter arguments. It's just I'm not aware what the counterarguments really are.

It's based on Liber Ka, the Nephilim supplement which actually rewrote the magic rules from ground up. Snead is a very good rpg writer for this sort of thing - he also did the computational sorcery for The Laundry.

I knew about John Snead's Enlightened Magic too, and in fact used to own the original Liber Ka. I will be picking that up too. Nephilim had it's issues as a game - excessively long life-path-though-several-epochs character generation, and the very fact that many gamers didn't actually want to play a repossessing spirit, but rather wanted to play mortal folk introduced into the occult world. Nephilim was Chaosium's attempt at doing their own version of Vampire, really. It wasn't really a game about a paradigm war, more a game about personal power accumulation amidst occult conspiracies (politics amongst super powered immortals). Unknown Armies offers something like a paradigm war, and it is at least percentile so could be adapted to BRP. However, the magic(k) in that game, and it's general premise is geared towards playing freaks and criminals, rather than 'enlightened visionaries', which is what I'm after really.

I must say I am also enthusiastic about a new edition of RuneQuest - considering the job you did on the last edition, which was terrific. I'm not sure if the play testing is all done and dusted, but some questions: 1) would it be possible to have cheat sheets made up for combat maneuvers, and a character design sheet to allow you to add up the skill scores stage by stage? 2) Is Mysticism going to be similar to that used by the Dragon Cults in Glorantha, or will it be broader to encounter things like Zen, Sufi-ism etc? 3) Somebody asked in your forum about Chargen being based upon 3d6 for all Characteristics. Personally, I thought this was a good idea (with the stipulation of re-rolls for any score 6 or less). What do you think? 4) What about a sidebar suggesting throwing attack, hit location and damage dice all at once? Also, in the interests of it being a book that beginners can pick up, might you include a brief line or two describing the dice that are used? Fundamentally, the game uses % dice, plus d20 for hit location and polyhedrals for damage. 5) Will the PDF come out first? 6) How about making some reference to the Hero's Journey (Joseph Campbell) in the inevitable GMs advice section? 7) I notice you're name in the credits for the BRP Advanced Sorcery book. How compatible with RuneQuest 6 would it be? 8) How soon is now with regards to Pete Nash's Ancient Greece book?! Any thoughts of also encouraging him to do Ancient Aztecs, Ancient Polynesia and Ancient Egypt too? That's me done for the time being.....

Cool. One of my longest running games from my student years in the 1990s was Mage: The Ascension and while I didn't play Ars Magica anything like as much it was always a favorite too. Now, I can take the best concepts of both these games and play a magic-orientated 'occult world' game in the BRP system. Indeed, the notion of doing a 'Paradigm War' style setting is now a distinct possibility.

Does this mean that BRP/Magic World will be getting a freeform magic system a la Ars Magica or Mage: The Ascension? How does this source book tally in with the Basic Magic supplement? Is the Basic Magic supplement needed to use it? How usable will Advanced Sorcery be with alternative settings? Could I use it in Merry England, for example? Will it also be compatible with RuneQuest 6? Other than that - I'm stoked! The cover does indeed look awesome! Hope the Magic World and Enlightened Magic look as good as that?

There have been quite a few adaptations of Day of the Triffids - the latest BBC miniseries was quite a good effort to update the story to a modern setting - and the portrayal of Triffids are pretty scary. Also, the 28 Days Later movie is very heavily influenced by Day of the Triffids - high speed zombies rather than man eating plants though.