The Venomous Pao

Aw shucks, y'all! And here I was trying to be an aggressive jerk about the whole thing

But seriously, I'm glad I was able to express my feelings without stepping on anyone else's. As I believe Mr. Phipp's sig reads, "Many systems, One Family." So here's to excellent gaming for all of us d100 types!

So here's the deal for me: 

• I don't like CoC 7. I took part in a play test game and it just didn't work for me. The stuff it "fixed" (no snark implied by quotes, honest!) isn't stuff I felt needed fixing.
• I have no interest in Glorantha. I've always been a home-brew setting kind of guy, and so have most of the folks I've gamed with over the years. I respect the big G, but playing in that world is not in the cards for me. I can count on one hand the number of games I've played in or run that took place in a published setting on one hand. And that's over 33 years of playing RPGs.
• I generally dislike hit locations, so BRP versions that default to them are low on my list. Nothing against those who dig them, but I'll take the Major Wounds and random armor values approach any day.
• I like the Resistance Table, so BRP versions that eliminate it are low on my list. Nothing against those who hate it, but it's part of what makes BRP "BRP" for me.
• I dislike RQ6's Action Points as a method of managing combat. Nothing against those who feel differently. I just happen to dig DEX ranks (especially with an accompanying initiative roll).

So the current plans from Chaosium regarding what they're going to focus on short term (though I understand the business reasons and admit that they're smart) leave me cold. And the plans for BRP Essentials as we understand them make me sad. Still, I wish Chaosium nothing but the best and hold no grudges. I won't trash talk them or their products based on any of the above. I'm not interested in edition wars or internecine fighting. But I am under no obligation to support things I don't like. So I won't.

Instead, I'll be over here with my Big Gold Book, my Elric! and my Magic World, my Worlds of Wonder box, my Superworld, my Ringworld, and all the awesome stuff I've picked up over the (now ended) BRP renaissance (including but not limited to Classic Fantasy, Aces High, Mythic Iceland, Celestial Empire, Dragon Lines, and Blood Tide). If Chaosium (or any licensees) put other something that resonates with me on the fluff side (the next iteration of Mythic Iceland, perhaps?), I'll pick it up and make it work with my preferred version of BRP. That, thankfully, is terrifically easy to do. And if someone I know offers to run a game I'm interested in using a system that's not my favorite, I certainly won't refuse to play outright.

See, I cut my teeth on and spent most of my first 15 years of playing RPGs with The Fantasy Trip, which was already out of print and unsupported by 1983. I comfortably survived the disappearance of Classic Traveller for all the years it was unavailable. I had no problem playing Champions and its siblings when Hero Games was on the ropes. So sticking with the BGB as it lives on as PDF/POD will actually be pretty darn easy. But even though it won't be miserable and untenable, I'll always be a little sad that "my" BRP isn't the one that's getting the love. So don't expect me to be all sunshine and roses about everything that comes next. Just know that I won't feel compelled to rain on your parade. Deal?

I'd say no amount of Bronze is worth the POW sacrifice, at least in any campaign I run. Or, I suppose, no remotely reachable amount (e.g., One Beeeeeeelyon Dollars). That's not to say that someone won't make the sacrifice, just that it can't be bought with crude metal coins... You want me to what? Well, ok, but first you have to clean the stables for year. Then you have to bring me the three cockatrice feathers I need for the thing *I* want to spend my POW on. Then you must write a song so sad it causes the mountains to weep. Then...

It just doesn't seem like a simple transaction. Unless you want it to be. In which case, maybe 2000-5000 Br? More if you're freer with treasure. It should definitely hurt the pocketbook.

Glad to bring back the joy of that cover, amigos! I remember the civil discussion and calm reactions "fondly." I snagged the GIF at the time for posterity's sake, never knowing when I'd need to use it

It definitely had a charm, and of course they kept the Hobo font inside the book. But I do think the Vitruvian cover was ultimately the better choice. Here's to hoping that all our concerns now lead to an equally happy result for us BRP fans!

I want to believe.

Oh, and while we're referencing flying saucers, I think we all know that everything went wrong when they didn't use this cover...

What would we have called the BGB if that had actually been used?

Stop ruining our rampant speculation with your logicking!

But seriously, yes, what you say makes sense. I'm not sure that I believe in Occam's Razor in this instance, but I might just be prone to panicking.

I would, but I don't seem to be able to. I'm usually not an idiot about these things, but if there's a way to change it that I'm not seeing let me know.

I chose Magic World, but what I really meant was the BGB with the default settings at Elric!. But then I saw WoW in the list and wanted to change my vote

Bottom line for me is not HeroQuest, CoC 7, or Chaosium RuneQuest. Fine games and all, but not what I want out of a generic and simplified BRP book.

Ask and ye shall receive, apparently.

Chaosium will be producing new products based on the new core BRP rules that are neither RuneQuest nor Call of Cthulhu. 

These have already been unsettling times for us MW/BRP fans, for sure. The loss of Ben on the inside only makes things more uncomfortable. I, too, get why "my" games aren't a priority at the moment. I just wish the new crew would say something about the games I care about. I know that anything they say (a) almost certainly won't be what I want to hear and (b) is subject to the vagaries of the future. But still, even a simple acknowledgement that there are folks like us out here who aren't necessarily big RQ or CoC fans would be appreciated. Am I whining? Probably. But still <stamps feet> (there is no emoticon for kinda joking/kinda serious)

Sounds like this is solved, but I thought I'd add in the Elric!-era info since that's what much of the BGB's weapons info appears to be based on...

From Elric!, p. 71:

 

Minimum STR/DEX: weapons require a minimum Strength and Dexterity-how much depends on the weapon;

people below minimum can still fight with such weapons, but clumsily, halving their effective skill.  

So that's a match

Thanks, indeed they do! But it's a used copy, I think I'll just wait for the new printing.

Fair 'nuff! I honestly didn't even notice it was used 

For what it's worth, if you don't want to wait on a reprint Noble Knight still has at least one in stock.

 

 

We have pressed the reset button... 

In 1975 Chaosium started out as a quirky boutique game company. We were all about creativity, artistry and craftsmanship. With every game we provided you with new realms of imagination and entertainment. Over the last few years we forgot that, and lost our way. 

The Great Old Ones have Returned… 

Greg Stafford, founder of Chaosium and creative force during its heyday, is now President. Sandy Petersen, world renowned game designer who brought Cthulhu into the light three decades ago, has rejoined the team as well. 

Greg says: "Chaosium is part of my legacy. My intent is to restore it to its rightful place in the world of gaming. Something we can all take pride in, and something that fans will look forward to.Where 'what’s next?' is answered with 'I can’t wait'."

The Stars are Right… 

Sandy says: "I am excited to return to active participation in the Call of Cthulhu line, and I’m eagerly looking forward to working directly with Greg again. We are Chaosium's original team from the 1980s. My first focus is going to be the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition Kickstarter campaign." 

Our main plan is simple (but will be a lot of work): 

Quickly sift and sort through the current company problems 

Immediately ship the remaining Horror on the Orient Express backer rewards

Focus on the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition Kickstarter backer rewards 

Return to regularly making awesome new games.

We offer new hope, and ask only for your patience." 

Please visit Chaosium.com for regular news and updates. Contact us with questions, kudos, curses, or kindness. We are listening, and we will respond. 

Greg Stafford, President and CEO of Chaosium Inc. 

I’m puttin' the band back together.

From: http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?757863-The-Great-Old-Ones-have-Returned-Chaosium

Done it. Recommend it. Fond of these post-it flags in particular.

Congrats! It's a well-deserved nomination indeed.

'Chaosium, turning orders into chaos for thirty years.'

I keed, I keed. I mean, I have had a couple of issues with ordering directly from them in the past, but nothing that would make me too upset.

Yup. There's more in the pipeline.

Well that's interesting and delightful news. I shall wait impatiently for more news

As I understand it, the skills listed for creatures in their Bestiary entries are, indeed, supposed to be the skill bases for those skills when making a character. Sometimes this is good (note the Elf's awesome Dodge), sometime it's not (note the Elf's sad Sailing & Swimming).

So in this case, Orcs by default are 10% better with scimitars and shields than Humans are. I think that makes sense in the broad racial approach that fantasy games rely upon. Certainly there are some Orcs who aren't slice-n-dice machines, but in general, they are a more martial lot.

Hmm. Well, dang. I was really, really looking forward to seeing CF II and III as BRP-proper books (monographs or "real" books), so this is a sad post to read for sure. But I definitely understand where you're coming from, Rod. It seems to me that OpenQuest is probably the way to go, though waiting on whatever comes of the OQ2 Indiegogo project would probably make sense (it looks like it's all good stuff). I say this because OQ feels closer to the BRP CF was intended for than Legend or any of the other options.

That's all I've got for now. But if I think of anything else I'll chime back in.

I'm jazzed at this announcement as well. What I'm hoping for is something on par with Hero's classic Justice, Inc. (or the subsequent Pulp Hero book). Give me all that stuff laid out for BRP and I'll be a happy, happy man.

Thanks for putting this back up, Chaot!

Huzzah and Huzzoinks! Mighty glad to see the site up and running again. And now we can state unequivocally that everyone loves Magic World and no one can prove otherwise

A couple of thoughts come to mind. I think it's actually suggested in the Big Gold Book that if you have some character with powers and some without that you adjust the skill points totals to favor the non-powered characters by a step. So if you've got Mutants at 250 skill points with a 75% cap ("normal" level), you let the pure strain humans have 325 skill points with a 90% cap ("heroic" level). I used this in a fantasy game with spell casters vs. non-casters and it seemed to work well. Check page 87 of the BGB for the official take on this.

I don't remember how it was done in Gamma World, but Mutant Future (the closest we've seen to a retroclone of GW) gives pure strain humans a higher hit die. So maybe pure strain humans in your game could have more HP? Perhaps going the full "Total Hit Points" distance (BGB p. 30) would be too much, but then again, maybe not. Anyway, it's just a thought.

I hope that helps!

Happy Winter Solstice Holiday Of Your Choosing!