clarence

Rust's got it right. So, let's see what we've got...

Drakar och Demoner Retro: The classic Swedish RPG, based on Worlds of Wonder. Reprint, with new artwork but rules mostly intact, due in October. Often referred to as DoD 2.

Järn: Rooted in BRP, but with a new approach inspired partly by storytelling games (I know, not the best term). Two versions out now.

Trudvang Chronicles: This is the game that the original Drakar och Demoner evolved into over the years. It's a d20-based version of BRP, and was a massive best-seller for several years when published in Swedish. Gorgeous artwork and a fleshed out setting with a "Nordic sagas with a brutal edge" feel to it. 

Mutant: Post-apocalypse game released in 1984 (?), a pure BRP product for many years. A follow-up called Mutant: Heirs of the apocalypse was also a BRP product; huge setting and very popular here. The team then went on to produce Symbaroum. Mutant: Year Zero, released last year to much acclaim, is a direct relative to Mutant, but with rules heavily influenced by Apocalypse World (though there is an official BRP version in one of the Swedish supplements). 

Kult: Originally a Swedish BRP-based game, later translated to English. Caused a lot of controversy in the late 1980s/early 1990s. A new version has recently been funded by a Kickstarter campaign, getting loads and loads of money. BRP engine not being kept though. 

I'm sure there are more, but these popped up right away : )

No, that's right. Järn is a different game. I spoke with the author, Krister, yesterday at a bookshop signing event and the translation has not come much further. He's a very busy man (among other things, a simplified version of Järn has just been released, as an entry-level game for a new generation of gamers).

Trudvang Chronicles looks nice though : )

Thanks for your interest Icefield! Work is almost done and the release will be in a few weeks. The test prints are a few days late unfortunately, otherwise I could have given you an exact date. I assume the package is slowly finding its way through the different postal services in the EU...

I've also been trying out a new kind of bookmark to help during play. Printed on sturdy paper, they contain the most important rules you need - including a list of the 11 Special Effects used in the rules for simplified combat. Easy to hand over to the players and have laying around on the table for reference. Along with the (optional) simplification of the rules, I think it will be quite easy for new players to grasp Mythras combat. Photo of prototype below : )

All this sounds very good to me. Shipping across the Atlantic is a real show stopper. 

Have you started playing yet?

Very good description of Cosmicism. And a helpful abstraction of Lovecraft's writing. 

(a) I think point 2 and 3 are the most effective in RPGs, though I've been using all three.

(d) Exactly. 

I'm very curious about those cards... and to try them in actual play. 

Have you tried Mythic GM Emulator? I use it sometimes for testing new rules and have found it to produce very engaging solo mysteries. All that's needed is a starting scene, a character and the Mythic GM Emulator PDF. The scenario writes itself as you go. And not just simple dungeons; I have gotten some fine cthulhuesque mysteries from it. 

For those who found RQ6 too complex, I can warmly recommend Mythras Imperative. It really won me over to Mythras. At 32 pages it's covering much, much more than I believed possible.

5 hours ago, Conrad said:

The character sheet seems to be lacking a Zero G skill.

Yes. And no : )

I was planning on skipping Zero G and Vacc Suit - staying true to the mythic sci-fi genre - but ended up including them in the book as optional skills. They're not on the char sheet though. 

The first setting book, Odd Soot, will have both as professional skills, to reflect a more low-tech approach to space travel. 

Congratulations Rod! Good interview and an interesting read. Nice to hear that you are working on more stuff for Classic Fantasy. 

Aha, I assumed you were in Italy... I will check with Gianni about RPG shops. 

Sorry, my brain was elsewhere : )

I haven't read RQ Stella Bellum that much, but my impression is that they supplement each other mostly. There is some overlap (starship combat; though with two different approaches), but aliens and lightsaber techniques for example are usable as they are, if you want more setting details for M-SPACE. Or, the other way around, bring in starship design into RQ Stella Bellum for more crunch.

Hmm, haven't heard about that one. Can you fill me in?

Ok, I'm working on it : )

Welcome! Öland is very beautiful. I would warmly recommend a visit to the village Vickleby on the west side of the island. Let me know if you want any recommendations. No RPG shops in the vicinity though : )

On 4 augusti 2016 at 11:11 AM, rust said:

The first seafloor domes of Port Rose are designed much like submarines, later domes are designed to be more comfortable, with streets, squares and parks. Each settlement consists of several domes of different sizes, connected by tunnels under the seafloor. I have to admit that I have yet to write a good description of a seafloor dome. Below is an attempt to give an impression of a major dome from a previous setting, the domes of Thalassa will be very similar.

 

It looks good. With a change from submarine-like domes to more open and light designs, I suppose a city can consist of both older and newer domes? Will inhabitants prefer the new, spacious ones? 

And good point Vile about the amount of natural light reaching the dome. 

I re-read the whole thread (great work, Rust), and I found myself without an image in my head of the underwater cities. What does the "streets" look like and what is the feeling of those places? Are they technical, with submarine-like corridors, or green/blue open domes with actual streets and squares? Or something else entirely?

I know exactly what you mean. Sorry for the shameless plug here, but that was the driving force behind the alien creation system in M-SPACE. I have found many such systems to be either too haphazard, or too unimaginative. With M-SPACE, I think (and hope) I have found a third path. My own results so far have been very good. 

(I also guided two 11 year olds through alien creation some time ago, and they easily came up with a highly original and believable critter. All I did was tell them the results of their dice rolls, and they shaped the creature step by step by themselves. 30 minutes very well spent : )

Perfect! Thanks Zit. 

Ok, taking the question to RPG.net instead. 

I'm going to Paris in September and wonder if someone can recommend any game stores?

I came across this recent underwater find and couldn't help thinking about Thalassa:

http://gizmodo.com/scientists-discover-mysterious-purple-blob-at-the-botto-1784380334

Check the video too; it's quite cool. 

Now, if we still make totally unexpected discoveries like these, what surprises shouldn't a newly colonized water world present...

Very well done Paolo.