ORtrail

The Jorune: Sholari Guide and the Jorune: Player Manual.  Probably need to combine these into one large book versus two separate ones.  Later add a 'Jorune: World Book' to explore all the other areas not covered initially. 

On 7/6/2018 at 12:26 PM, soltakss said:

Bullies - You either stand up to them and have a fist fight, run away from them or get beaten up by them. BRP-style combat doesn't really work for any of these. 

The reason I say this is that BRP Combat has Attack-Parry/Dodge, repeated until someone is killed or disabled.That just isn't the case with kids fighting. I'd just use the Resistance Table to see who comes out on top.

Guard Dogs, Dinosaurs and Permian Insects - Kids run away, wait for an adult to help out or get eaten. I really wouldn't see a group of Stranger Things kids going toe to toe with even a guard dog. Fighting a dinosaur just doesn't fit in with the theme. Even if they could get, say, a gun, they would have virtually no skill in using one and it would be sheer luck that it worked.

I think use of the Resistance Table is  worth looking into.  One quick roll to resolve the situation in most cases. 

To maintain the spirit of the genre, the kids need to be able to survive even dinosaur attacks.  Actually one of the included adventures in the Tales From the Loop rulebook features some dinosaurs -and they fit into the weird science vibe or time travel accident quite well.  Turning to adults for help is actively discouraged.  The parents never accept the facts staring them in the face, or dismiss what the kids claim they saw as hysteria or some prank.  Running away is always a legit option, whether on foot or by bike. 

Those with experience running a Doctor Who campaign already have the right ideas for how things should play out with a group of Stranger Things kids.  The kids need to outwit, outrun, use stealth, or even turn foes against each other as needed -not resort to typical BRP combat. 

1 hour ago, Atgxtg said:

By Bob Albrecht and Greg Stafford, according to the cover over at Amazon. And it sells for a much more reasonable price of $9.45: https://www.amazon.com/Adventurers-Handbook-Guide-Playing-Games/dp/083590167X

 

Oh man, I had forgotten I picked this up, a decade or so ago?  At some used book store I think.  It reads like a school workbook about RPGs.  Read about all those funny dice and then take an 11 question quiz on how to use them.  It is MUCH more in-depth than the 16 pg BRP booklet with a setting called Wundervale.  It was written to allow a group to learn how to play an RPG without anyone in the group ever having done so before. 

On 6/30/2018 at 1:44 PM, seneschal said:

What happens if we substitute Sheldon from "Big Bang Theory"?  

He refuses to use the gates since they shouldn't work, just like bumble bees can't fly. 

In other news, I took my first real look at the map of the city of Wonder from the WoW box set and now I want to use it in an adventure with a time/dimension hopping group of cats. 

On 6/29/2018 at 6:30 PM, Atgxtg said:

 No reason. I asked because it makes a difference in how I would set up the characters and run the game. If the players are kids then I'd give them more perks/hero points and be more forgiving than if it were a group experienced players playing kids. I run my friend differently than I GM his 6 year old daughter. She's smarter than he is though, and can take it.

Harsh, but fair I'm sure.   

Soltakiss, I'd be curious how you would handle combat.  Bullies are certainly a thing in these games, along with guard dogs and being chased by various things like dinosaurs or Permian Age insects. 

5 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

Are the players kids, on just playing younger characters?

Why not both?  I had that situation when I ran a Tales From the Loop adventure during Free RPG Day this year.  Three kids (ages 10 to 12) and three adults, one around 40 the other two late 20's.  In the game, you play as kids, 10-15 years old (the pregen characters I created were mostly 13 with one 12 and one 14 yr old).  

I could certainly see a decent list of things that could be turned into weapons by the kids.  Baseball bats, slingshots, lawn darts (banned in the USA in December of 1988), a variety of fireworks and the old can of hairspray and a lighter for example.  I could totally see a scene where a country kid has to use his favorite fishing pole and lure to hook and drag some small object out of the bed of a truck parked behind a security fence.  Nobody would object to a kid with a 85% Casting skill, right? 

1 hour ago, SDLeary said:

Sadly it was NOT in Ringworld, nor my old boxed Stormbringer. Not sure of Elfquest (never a fan) and Hawkmoon (died and discarded long ago).

SDLeary

I just checked my Worlds of Wonder boxed set and it was included as standard (I also noticed the map of a small portion of Wonder, which I really need to include in an adventure someday).  It was not included in the Superworld boxed set or the Hawkmoon boxed set.  

That would be an interesting take on the BRP game system.  Tales From the Loop is the RPG written to replicate those 80's kids, but it is VERY rules light and part of the premise is that the kids can not die.  Sure, that leaves room for maiming and trauma, but BRP is good at inflicting death for bad decisions/rolls. 

The kids are not going to be all that skilled either, compared to even young adults.  Stats? Well, most should be below average human level, right?  Until they actually finish growing? 

I'd like to see an adaption though, just to see how someone modifies BRP to replicate this genre. 

22 hours ago, clarence said:

Yes, I'm in Sweden. And, well, I've read Tales from the Loop and enjoyed it very much. It was one of my favourite games last year. Unfortunately, I haven't played it yet. The setting seems to appeal to a slightly different kind of people than most RPGs, which I like. I find the 'kids cannot die' rule interesting.

Have you played it @ORtrail?

I have, both with my normal group (ongoing campaign) and a one-shot adventure (strangers) during Free RPG Day 2018.  Regular group is based in Sweden, the single adventure was set in the Columbia River Gorge. 

The 'kids can't die' thing came up during the single adventure, as the player was thinking they could try or do anything and not die.  "True", I pointed out,  "But you can wake up in the hospital having missed the adventure." so he understood there were still consequences to actions.  I don't want to derail this thread though, so if you want to read about TFtL, there is a Google+ group.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105484572679963357289?hl=en_US

8 hours ago, seneschal said:

Because your PCs would be hopping from world to unknown world, you could build a campaign out of random adventure modules and plot seeds:  a medieval fantasy one episode, a pulp jungle adventure next, a noir-ish mystery or flashy super spy caper the next.  Throw in occasional run-ins with gatekeeping bureaucrats or rival alien agents to maintain the overall premise and you have your campaign.  It's Time Tunnel meets Sliders meets Doctor Who with snotty gate wardens subbing for snotty Starfleet Command officers.

I would be running it much like a Fringeworthy campaign then.  Future World needs another element, maybe the players are rebels against a corrupt empire that is not even bothering to hide the increased exploitation of the Frontier worlds.  Or a specialized trouble shooting team sent to resolve issues as they come up (which could play out much like a Star Trek 'planet of the week' campaign).  Or a galactic civil war with two successors to the galactic throne, and every planet is going to have to pick a side.  A Cold war with any or all of the alien empires is also an option. 

@clarnence: Hey, you are in Sweden?  What are the odds you are playing Tales From the Loop? 

Yeah, this is a move for late 2019 or 2020, but it helps to know that Chaosium is working to 'fill in the gaps' in their RPG lineup. 

An expanded and updated Future World would be awesome.  The gates made the setting stand out to me over games like Traveler, and I think you need to do SOMETHING different to make a setting more interesting to the players.   

I also understand that being able to say, "It's the BRP version of Traveler" would hold a lot of appeal to some groups. 

I've almost started a campaign for Future World.  Had some players roll up characters, but the lack of background kept me from actually running any adventures as I wanted to flesh things out a bit more and never found the inspiration/time.  It is still on my "Someday I'll run this" list of RPGs along with Jorune, Space 1889, Tschai Planet of Adventure, and so on. 

Guardian Games in Portland, OR hands out tickets and you roll a D20 to see what item you get.  You get a ticket just for showing up to the store, and two more if you run any RPG adventure.  I happened to roll the '16' needed for a copy of Scritch Scratch on my first try.  There was a guy there that ran Scritch Scratch THREE times (two hour sessions) that day. 

I know the store bought three boxes of Free RPG Day stuff, and it was all long gone by the time 5PM or so rolled around.  Talking with the store manager toward the end of the day, he seemed pretty happy with all the games ran and the number of people that played (6-7 per table was common).  This seemed to include a larger number of kids than I saw the last two years (I had three 10-12 yr old kids and three adults for the Tales From the Loop game I ran and one 11 yr old for the Gamma World adventure).  I want to believe that bodes well for the future of table top RPGs. 

What is the approximate page count for the RoH Companion?  I would prefer a print copy, it's fun to show off books to my players when pitching campaign ideas.

Also, I really liked the plot of A Message From Furthermost.  A classic Star Trek type of adventure.  It was nice to see a planet side adventure after the first two mainly involved the classic 'lost ship exploration'.  Overall the quality of the three RoH adventures is good, just a matter of variety. 

I didn't realize how cheap some of the PDF editors had gotten (under $100 for a few of them) so I picked one up.  It was easy enough to edit the background graphic in A Message From Furthermost.  I like to have hard copies of my PDF adventures as my old tablet is just too slow when flipping pages.  Plus I often add notes to the pages as inspiration strikes.  I need to buy yet another binder to create a RoH adventure resource.   

Which reminds me,  is the RoH Companion going to see a print version?  Or just PDF? 

I know a big part of the draw of Free RPG Day is the goodies people want to get their hands on, but providing a chance to play an RPG they may have never tried before is also important, right?  Expose new people to your RPG?  So, maybe provide a short adventure in PDF form for those that want to run a game on Free RPG Day?  Offer it through DriveThruRPG with free code for those that offer to run it during Free RPG Day?   Of course you need someone to manage those requests, but if you think of it in terms of advertising/promotion it seems worth the time. 

I ran a Fringeworthy (fairly obscure these days) adventure last year and had no issues getting a table.  Most stores just want to fill up their gaming schedule.

Yes, it was from DW #32 (Ancient Cultures issue).  A classic mad scientist/villain doomsday scenario.  A bit of evidence gathering, locating the secret base, and a final battle with Nighthaunt and his minions.  Stats for both Superworld and Champions. 

I've never ran it, but it would be just the thing for a convention type adventure or a one-shot adventure for a group.  I've wanted to tie Threat of the Nighthaunt into a larger adventure, like a couple mad scientist villains competing to see who can actually end the world with their inventions. 

If you have a chance to pick up issue 32 with the module intact, spending $8 or less would not be that bad a deal.  There is an article about the cliff dweller ruins of Mesa Verde National Park (with some good maps) that is just begging to be used for a pulp or CoC adventure.  Or a cool time travel location. 

Looking ahead to Free RPG Day 2019, maybe providing a short RoH scenario (like two hours to run) for eager GMs to run might be a thing?  Maybe provide a download a week before on a request basis?  Just throwing around ideas, but even a handful of people could generate a fair amount of interest/awareness about RoH.  Guardian Games in Portland for example provides a list of the games scheduled to be run for Free RPG Day and hundreds of people will see it. 

On a somewhat related note, having purchased all the current adventures for RoH?  It would be nice to have more printer friendly versions. 

Honestly, I had forgotten about the RoH Companion.  Though I have yet to run an adventure in the setting (let alone a campaign) I have no regrets about getting in on the KS for the main book.  It looks fantastic sitting on my best bookshelf. 

Is anyone here planning to get involved in Free RPG Day 2018?  Takes place June 16th this year and if any of your local gaming stores are setting up tables for playing?  Why not use it as a chance to run a more obscure RPG or two?  I ran a Fringeworthy adventure last year, and it went great.  None of the players had ever played it before, but loved the setting and exploring the alternate portals (as much as they could in a two hours anyway).  I did use a Dice Pool system rather than try and use the 1992 edition game system to keep it quick and easy.  If there was an updated Fringeworthy RPG available I think at least one of them would have bought it then and there. 

I've committed to running an adventure for the Tales From the Loop RPG this year, but maybe next year, RoH?  Getting people into a game with active support and them being able to  order a copy would be a great way to raise awareness. 

 I only played it a handful of times, but I have a soft spot for Star Frontiers.  Thanks for sharing your BRP conversion.

I'll second the YouTube video suggestion. 

I was referencing a request I made in another RoH thread about needing a simple B&W character, but now that I know that Newt didn't have the character sheet file, it makes sense it got lost in the shuffle.  No harm, no foul.  Just happy to have one now, plus i just learned about the upcoming RoH Companion book which I think I'll want to get my hands on. 

So, the secret to getting things done is to ask Conrad to ask for them? 

Seriously though, thanks for this Newt!  The B&W sheet is clean, clear, and easy on the ink. 

Always good to get a review from someone who is familiar with the product. Thanks for making the effort to write all that.