Ken

Hi Jason, Let me just add my voice to the chorus. I can only offer my thanks, (and a personal purchase of BRP aswell as a couple for my company), with regards to the new version of a system that has always been my favorite. I am very fond of the cover and hope that it inspires people (particularly those that may take the context of the image seriously), to look over and choose BRP when they're in their LFGS. Before I sign off, just a personal remark about how I've been using BRP0 at work recently. I work as a tutor with disaffected young people, trying to re-engage them with learning. Over the past month or so my I've been introducing role-playing to these students as a 'fun' way of getting to grips with basic 'Numeracy' skills in preparation for more structured learning. I've just started a post-grad specializing in working/teaching these young people and had my first teaching observation on Tuesday. The session observed was the rolling of characters, determining 'average' characteristic scores and deriving information from numerical tables. My Uni lecturer said that she thought that "It was the best session she had ever seen for introducing and motivating this client group in the subject of Mathamatics". So I hope that it means something for you that your work is being successfully used to help/educate some of the more dis-engaged learners in our society, (in the UK that is). I don't mean for this thread to bring a tear to your eye or anything (lol), but I for one really appreciate the time and effort that you have put into BRP, and into the answering of our questions and (sometimes inappropriate) criticisms. Thanks for opening the portal into the next stage of my gaming journey with my favorite system. With Kindest Regards and Thanks. Ken

I may not be a fan of D&D, but it must be said that the man kinda kicked it all of for us tabletop RPGers. To the greatest adventure. Warp-speed Gary. Ken.

I think one of the things that has to be said about our hobby is that it is a niche market. It does have it's 'brand' big names that seem to sell and sell, but on the whole I feel that the market for tabletop roleplaying is a little smaller than it once was. Tabletop RPGing was the kingdom of the geek in those fine bygone years of the eighty's, and yes I succumbed to going out with 'the lads', finding women and learning to play guitar, all of which were considered a little more social..... Or so it seemed, (by those 'less' geeky). But now a few years on, RPGing is one of the pleasures I have in the week where I meet up with those 'old school' friends and we play and chat and reminisce about the passing of Jorune, Ringworld, etc. To touch on what may be a raw nerve. I think that the reason for it's continued faltering market when "geek has become the new cool", (10,000,000 subscribers for WoW), is that tabletopping requires something that is so difficult for people that have a busy and hectic lifestyle. It requires time. It's an effort to get a few people round a table these days, more so if you've got a family or other commitments to look after. It takes time to learn a system. It takes a little time to find which one of your friends is most suited to GMing. It takes time to write/read up scenarios. A worthwhile campaign takes time. Look at the alternatives and no wonder they're wining the battle for our geek time. Magic, the Gathering and other CCGs. (Tragic, the Saddening or geek-bridge as I call it). Games learned very quickly and reliant on plugging cash into blisterpacks. WoW and other MMORPG's. Very little effort put into what is effectively power gaming for magic items with P.C.s instead of dice. RPG/Adventure computer games. Again very little effort to play a console/PC adventure. Isn't that why our hobby, (and hence market) is not stable. Just not enough people that are willing to sit round a table and throw dice and tell stories? Though I say buy an RPG if you can, I would suggest that you find those games that you enjoyed of yester-year that are out of print (such as Ringworld for me), download their sorry-ass and keep them alive for yourself. Either that or write a sourcebook for BRP and see if you can get the license. Ken.

What can I say? I've been burned by GW several times. The first major one for me was in the eighties when they stopped stocking other companies products. Once when they decided to drop role-playing. I was a member of staff and their HR systems of use/abuse are a complete joke. And yet again with the pulling of a line of RPG materials that have a quality that surpasses most of the tosh out there. WFRP was (and still is) a classic. The dawning renaissance gritty fantasy is , (for me) as original and exciting as glorantha. I don't know about 40k rp, as the only thing I've really disliked about their mythos is the constant reference to the 'Chaos crap'. But I bet it would make a good Dune system. The people that run GW are one thing and one thing only, that is 'capitalists'. There's nothing wrong with that if your in business, and if your successful, fair enough. But we share a hobby which like it or not is niche, as such it is supported by a core of people that really love the products and developers. We love them because of product and customer/developer interaction, not brand, (excepting of course AD&D and d20). It doesn't surprise me that they've done this as they've done similar before. It does surprise me that we as gamers in general are surprised by their antics. GW have burned me several times before as I've said, my only response to them then as it is now. 'I am not a demographic money making button pushing dice rolling moron even if you insist on treating me like one. For being so patronising to myself and other hobbyist's alike, if you would like my support of your organisation or the money from my wallet, I have but one thing to say...... FUCK YOU". This is, of course, just my opinion having a long history with them as both customer and employee. Laters guys Ken.

Well I have this funny tingle down my right leg when I've been cycling for too long, and my wrist makes a funny clicking sound when I twist my forearm repeatedly. I wondered if you practitioners of Comparative Systemology could recommend a cream for it!!! Serious note though. I've played RQ over the years with lots of different options, (with or without strike ranks, no hit locations, etc), and to me what always kept the core feel of Gloranthan roleplaying was the transparency of the system. Basically the, 3d6 characteristics, percentile rolls and resistance table provided all that was needed to play and this allowed the exploration of a rich world rather than comprehensive rules system. I would be the first to say that a mechanic changes/alters/affects the way players play in a world. My style of playing has always led me to the narrative way of looking at things, so a transparent system was always perfect for that type of play. Just my thoughts. Ken.

Its unfortunate really. I would love a Gloranthan sourcebook for BRP but alas it's not going to happen........ Or is it! Some one could rewrite Glorantha for BRP remembering the couplet... As intimated by the Stafford himself. I would love to play an armoured swan wondering about Dragon's Ass and Prix! You never know. Ken.

Way Hey!!!!!!!! Mmmmmmmmmm, tasty Cradling/stroking it as I type occasionally wiping froth from the chin etc. Will report back soon. Ken. (Now with added signature).

OMFG! It's arrived at home, Wifey msg'ed me at 10 this morning!! Just a couple more hours until I get my sweaty paws on it. I don't know if i'll even stop on the way home to buy man sized kleenex. Mmmmmmmm And in true 'Rorshach' Style............ More later. (Which knda reminds me of the Superworld Watchmen scenario I demonstrated for Forbidden planet years and years ago in Sheffield, (with painted figures as well). Time flies ehh? Ken.

Is this the kind of thread that I can admit that i've got a mint copy of RQ2 knocking about in its box. A separate one for use in playing obviously, but a mint RQ2........ can't be many of them knocking about. Ken.

Hi Nick Ohh Cool, Jim at Patriot is a really nice guy, mention me to him the next time your down, (Ken would be enough I think . I visited York a while ago now, something at the Uni for educators I think, tho my little girl (5) visited the railway museum recently and was blown away by the train for princesses, as she called it. (Royal Carriage, I think). Have you visited Triples, (the Sheffield Soc gaming convention) are there any conventions your neck of the woods? Ken.

Hi Nick, Ahhh, a man drawn as though hypnotized to the bosom of yorkshire!!!!! I'm in Sheffield m8, where abouts do you call home in this green and pleseant land? Ken.

Mine also shipped on the 15th m8, I'm in the North (Yorkshire) so just waiting on it now. Hang on, whats this. I'm beginning to froth at the mouth already. Ken.

Hi Jack can I ask when you ordered yours, if memory serves me we you ordered the same day as I ordered mine I think, (post earlier in this thread). Which shipping option did you plump for? I got a pending shipping mail over a week agao but haven't heard anything else yet. Cheers m8. Ken

Wow guys, Its got a bit heated since I last looked in this thread!!! I mean it's a BRP forum, shouldn't we be able to knock D&D in here without fear of retribution. (God knows their currently crucifying Cthulhu over at RPG.net). (JOKING) When I sift through the memories of my beginnings in the hobby, (and I may accept that I'm remembering through Gloranthan or Lovecraft coloured spectacles), I remember the types of books that were informing my RPGing at the time. At around 14/16 my friends and I were really into David Eddings, Raymond Feist, Terry Pratchett etc. I think that for us, and we picked up RQ2 first luckily, what we wanted to do was play in the worlds that we were reading about rather than go dungeon bashing. We were aware of course (back in the heady days of a UK only Games Workshop that sold all kinds of gaming products) of D&D but after playing BRP other systems never seemed to come up to scratch. Now I don't mean for this to sound too sycophantic or fan boy, but our prejudice came from the idea that, to us, a percentage system of game mechanic was transparent and it allowed much more freedom for the player to get into the story / background of the world. It may have just been the order that I was exposed to different gaming systems, but I recall (I think) that Glorantha and CoC existed before a coherent world campaign setting for (A)D&D. (Which I think was Greyhawk, but I may be wrong). CoC was a revelation to us and is a credit to the gaming fraternity as a whole because when first viewed it seemed an odd (even if visionary) setting. IMO having such a transparent mechanic on such a non-typical setting helped move the gaming community forward to accept that there were many, many more worlds out there that could be explored. It was unfortunate for our little band of players that our prejudice for D&D remained. It did though, and we went through phases of MERP and WHFRP just to avoid the D20 mechanic. (I have most of the published scenarios for (A)D&D and I admit now that I still don't like their style of dungeon bashing). However if you look at the sheer volume of stuff published for (A)D&D it is obvious that there has been real effort for some time in bringing background and setting to a game that many people enjoy. For choice it's fairly clear where I stand, but, if I'm really honest I have enjoyed the odd bash at D&D just for the sheer scale of the magic item list and to 'grind' a monster so I can see what it's left me . I have enjoyed this type of gaming occasionally but have gone back to other favorites when I've desired more story lead scenarios. Certainly to our discredit at the time (and to some other peoples now) I need not have slagged off a game where people could get both types of gaming from one system when I preferred to get different things out of different games. I will repeat what has been said by someone else though, in my experience, loyal (A)D&D players have tended towards the magic-find dungeon bash. That might lead to a question, (which I hope could be answered dispassionately), if it is it a common enough experience to be a cliche, why is it one? Since 'Pool of Radiance' I've been playing computer RPG's. Everything from Knights of the Old Republic to Diablo (2) and WoW. These games have filled me with the fix for item hording and dungeon bashing while my love for the interactive story-telling of being sat round a table with friends gives me a different 'high'. So I end my little rant about the BRP/(A)D&D fight. Please guys, feel free to check out the facts regarding coherent campaign settings for (A)D&D as opposed to those found native in RQ2 and COC, I may just have encountered them at different times. So, I'm doing to don my +4 Chaotic-Good, Int 17, vorpal Hat-stand with cast 3 Cure-light-wounds/day, my Box of Bopping Noise and my Anti-Gravity Mithril Plate-mail to see if I can find myself a Browny-Orangy-Beige Dragon and trounce it......LARGE. Ken.

Well, first things first. A supernatural Western. Player's are talking about a Jorune at some point and RQ/CoC? Well that would feel like putting a brand new V8 engine into an old vintage car. I just hope they ship my copy soon. Ken.