Charles Green

Isn't there a supplement coming out from Alephtar Games covering Chinese Kung Fu? Maybe you could tap into some of that. Yours would be a solid setting rather than just being generic rules.

The book I'm working on for Alephtar is not a generic rulebook for Kung Fu. It's a fleshed out setting similar to what you've described, with some additional rules for porting over the Martial Arts system to other BRP games.

Otherwise, I'm very glad BRP Imperial China is getting an English translation. I've wanted to read it for years, but my grasp of French is lacking (read: non-existent).

Remember also that combat rounds are 12 seconds long, and that each roll of the dice might actually cover more than a single shot in game terms.

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I guess it depends on how you define flavour, really. Much of these things are handled in BRP in different ways - but are still present. Things like Attractive/Unattractive, Luck, etc, are sinply scaled as Characteristics that aren't included in Savage Worlds. Things like Noble (Status) are handled through skills, while Edges that are bonuses to skills can merely be better skill scores, surely? Other things are handled as Powers. Whilst BRP doesn't necessarily produce an exact replica of Savage Worlds, in every case, I wouldn't state that you can't do the same things with it.

Both games are attempting to be generic rule-sets, albeit with slightly different conventions of play. The major difference between the two titles has more to do with marketing than anything else.

The thing is, that you this, and I know this about BRP characters. We know that "Attractive" is covered by a higher-the-average APP characteristic, and that Nobles with a high Status skill might allow them to through their weight around during a game.

We know this, because we've had loads of experience with BRP, and have internalized what the numbers mean. Player new to the system don't know this, and have no association between the numbers and what they "mean" during the actual play experience.

What the Edges and Hindrances from Savage World do is, in addition to giving solid, easy to understand rule-related advice on how to play in character, they are also a shorthand for character, expressed in a way even newbies can get. For some, "I am a Gearhead, and I get a +2 bonus to Repair and Technology Rolls" speaks to them in a way "I have an INT of 16 and Repair and Technology skills in the 70% range" doesn't.

For me, I think the combination of percentiles (Easy to grasp) and character related Bonuses (from edges or similar systems) is a double-win situation.

They are character-creating tools, more than anything else. And anything that increases my player's ability to get into their character, without adding too much tedium or minutia, is always good at the table. For me, Savage Worlds works because it provides clear advice for the GM on how to use these systems.

I've used all three in multiple campaigns. Fractured Hopes is written with the understanding that all power sets are available in the game. It looks like a bit much, truly, but in actual play, it's not nearly as bad as you may think it may be.

Remember, individual characters have access to so many powers, and, without knowing the rule system in detail, they aren't necessarily going to know game breaking power combos.

It has been my experience that players will, if given access to multiple power systems, pick the ones that help flesh out a theme, rather than picking powers to create a "perfect" build.

The only weird interminglings I've noticed are:

1. If you are using the Fate Point rules, then the Extra Energy Super Power will also grants an increased ability to effect dice rolls. You may opt to select that only original Power Points can affect fate.

2. It is possible, through powers, to bring characteristics to god-like levels, even as an entry level character. Generally, this will not break the game. If you've got someone with a high DEX, you can count on them to go first in combat, and almost always be able to make an Agility Roll. Someone with a high STR will do a lot of damage in combat, and so on.

If you know these facts about the characters beforehand, you can use these weird character attributes as hooks to hang adventures on. If you do so, they become more like tools for the GM and less likely to hinder to creative play.

Do what your instincts tell you is right, and roll with the punches during play. If you second guess yourself now, you may rob yourself and your players of surprising roleplaying opportunities.

Playtesting is being done in house, so to speak. I've got two groups running through it, so it's being given a pretty thorough examination.

For a quick and dirty cybernetics, you might use appropriate mutations to represent changes made to the body by cyberware.

Increased Characteristics would cover a lot of ground, Natural Weapons and Armour can reflect metal claws and dermal armor, and the Imitation power could reflect skill-softs and other means of augmentation.

There are also some rules in the book for making items with Powers. I don't know how helpful they'll be, but it might be good place to look.

Trifletraxor:

What I am looking for inplaytesting is less of a group of people playing the game, but more of some floks who would be interested in rolling up some characters using the optional rules and running through some naval battles to make sure I've got all the bugs worked out of the mechanics.

Oh, this I can manage.

charles.a.green@gmail.com

That I know! I was talking about the scenario pack.

Sorry. I fumbled my Read English roll.

While I don't have a group open right now for playtest, the game sounds really cool. I'll be keeping an eye open for it.

Tell us more! Blurb! Pagecount!

Are any of the authors except Pete members here?

SGL.

I am the author of Dragon Lines, and I visit here frequently.

• A 'Classic Space Opera' system, AKA Traveler - with career based lifepath generation, UWPs and spaceship design.
  
• Paranoia - secret police team, with secret societies and incriminating secrets. Actually, this could be done in the 'straight style' with an gamestyle effect that would probably not be dissimilar to John Wick's recent 'Digging for the Dead God' scenario. Alternatively, try to emphasise the comedy aspects.
  
• Ars Magica - the verb/noun magic system. Houses for group affiliations.
  
• Amber - 'Politics amongst super-powered immortals' - attribute or maybe powers auction?, diceless? Freeform magic.
  
• Kult - 'Mental Balance'; authenticised occult magic system and integrated cosmology.
  
• Wraith: The Oblivion - gothic 'Shadowland' setting for the restless dead society; Shadowplay.
  
• Feng Shui - customisable archetypes; streamlined play for specific action motif.
  

I think Wraith could be done reasonably well. It'd be largely a matter of remaining things, and doing up the Arcanoi as powers.

You'd have to decide how Shadows work.

I'm hip deep in Dragon Lines right now, but this is something I might get to work on afterwards. I love Wraith, and would like a reason to dig through my books again.

I voted 5%, but as Byron Alexander pointed out, the cap of INT+POW is way too high.

I'm using the 5% Defense Power in Dragon Lines. but with a much more limited number of times it can be taken. You can, at the maximum, take it 6 times, giving you a Defense of 30%. however, this will also mean having no other powers, at least initially.

This makes it useful without being game-breaking.

Unfortunately, there are no real advantages for a two weapon user in the new BRP. It is one of the (very few) points where I find it lacking. The advantage should not be so devastating as it used to be in RQ3, but there should be one.

I intend of having one in Dragon Lines. Too many martial arts use two-weapon fighting to go without.

I recall there being some two-weapon rules in the BRP book, but I'll have to check to be sure.

Secondly, would this be essentially usable a Wuxia sourcebook?

While not expressly written as a Wuxia sourcebook, it can be used as one. One of the Martial Arts styles, Ethereal Wings, lets you do a lot of the moves associated with the xia; flipping over enemies, flying through the air, doing the "balance on a tree branch" thing.

As mentioned above, there is a system for creating Martial Arts styles, so if you need more Wuxia action, the tools are there to do so.

What would the balance be between history/fantasy and the crunchy bits of martial arts rules be?

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking here, so let me know if I'm off base.

The Martial Arts are divided into "normal" styles and "magical" ones. The normal styles are based on real-world martial arts, and are appropriate for normal level games. They are also usable in other BRP games with a little tweaking.

The magical styles are pure fiction; they aren't based on anything from the real world, not are the mostly based on fictional styles (with the Wuxia-style art from above being the obvious exception.)

The arts add a tiny amount of crunch, which is easily removed if it isn't your thing. Mostly, they streamline certain elements of the combat system. So, if you know a move that causes Knockback, it always causes Knockback, regardless of damage done and relative SIZ. That way, you can always count on being able to use Knockback when you need it.

I don't believe in adding crunch for the sake of crunch. Wherever possible, I've used existing rules, with some trimming here and there, to get the affect I'm after. Martial Arts works like is always has; I've mostly added some notes on what to look out for when everyone the party uses it.

200 pages more likey, maybe a bit shorter. A 200 hundred pages book I would rather call Dragonpaedia.

See this? This is why I need an editor.

Cool stuff! :happy:

Any idea about pagecount?

SGL.

Since RosenMcStern hasn't answered this, I'll chime it.

The current estimate is 90,000 to 100,000 words, which, depending on layout, should be about 200 hundred pages.

How many different styles will there be? Is it going to be strictly asian martial arts or will it be international? I would love to play a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. That might just be a little bit too technical though...

Presently, there are 24 different styles. Most are magical ones like out of fantasy fiction, though some are based on real-world styles. I don't have a BJJ style written, but there is a section on designing your own Martial Arts styles, and doing Jiu-Jitsu wouldn't be difficult at all.

BJJ style would get a bonus to grappling, and maybe some hand-strikes, as well as a few non-fighting skills that fit the ethos of the style. It would probably have a few special techniques for use when grappling, too.

Any inspiration take from the Dragon Lines comics put out by Epic years ago?

Dragon Lines (Epic comic book) - 4 issues at comicvine.com

None whatsoever. I wasn't even aware of this comic until just now.

If you're using the Personality Type Step Six, you can always have a race-specific choice, and maybe have each race gain access to a specific set of powers.

I'd just like to quote Simon Phipp's #1 rule for BRP: "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP"

Oh, you can do it; I just don't have any rules for it.

Besides, if, by some strange quirk of fate, it does become important enough for the game, you can always measure time, duration, etc., with a Stamina Roll. Or maybe Effort.

I remember that book for two things:

1) Even when I was around 15, the notion of a bear shapeshifter named Beorn seemed a terrible, terrible idea.

2) Isn't there a scene where the protagonist... um... pleasures himself thinking about some female sorceress? I don't know if I found it objectionable--any teenage male reader shocked by such behavior is likely an alien or hypocrite--but I remember thinking "I don't believe I just read that!"

While I have no control over the nature of characters created for Fractured Hopes, I can categorically deny the presence of any self-pleasuring rules, either implied or overt.

I have to ask, you haven't read The Shattered World by Michael Reaves by any chance have you ?

No, I'm not familiar with that one.

What's it about?

Last I heard, it was still in the pipe. There were a number of other projects that Chaosium wanted to get done before focusing on it, and, to the best of my limited knowledge, all of those projects have been released.

I suspect it's in layout right now, though i haven't heard from Dustin to be sure.

I'll check and see what they deal is.

That's what i needed to know. Thanks.