Mugen

Well, you can find some of them at drivethrurpg. https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/fr/publisher/2/chaosium/category/5621/basic-roleplaying But it seems the previous line of BRP "Monograph" has been discontinued. Feel free to ask specific questions. There's a lot of those in BRP-based games, or "extended BRP family" games, such as RuneQuest, Nephilim, Magic World, Mythras and others. The Magic Book, for instance, contains all 4 magic systems from RuneQuest 3 (the 1984 edition), which are very different from the ones in the BRP:UGE. You could also take a look at OpenQuest for simpler versions of thoseagic systems. Nephilim and its Liber Ka have more "esoteric" magic systems.

But I remember someone from that group say that they were still relatively inexperienced at that time (compared to what they became later), and it showed in the design of the combat system.

And then, your new target dies in that 5 DEX range. 😆 That's a sound advice, though.

Yes, and it's the reason why D&D editions after 3rd tied very strictly skills and level, as players usually maximized skill levels or just put the minimum level needed for satisfying a prestige class requirement. Which lead to worlds where the difference in magical knowledge between the highest ranking wizard in the world and a peasant is just ~60%.

Well, that approach will lead them to have more diverse skills, and less situations where they will suck terribly. 🙂 And what freedom is there in a game where everyone will simply maximize the 5 more useful skills in the game ? Though MW is not CoC...

I read somewhere (I think it was from Ben Monroe on rpg.net) that Magic World had an option for "pyramidal" skill distribution, where a PC had one skill at +X%, 2 skill at +(X-10), 3 skills at +(X-20), and so on. I think it's a fun and efficient way to avoid PCs putting all their points in a few skills. I'm also not a fan of skill bonuses. I prefer having base values for each category, equal to he sum of 2 characteristics. French 2nd edition of Nephilim used this.

May I suggest writing an article about the number of attacks and parries one can make, and how it works with dual wielding rules ?

Well, if parrying was not a complete waste of action if you failed your roll, I wouldn't mind. Just like in Pendragon, where you're almost guaranteed to have your Shield bonus if you defend but the attacker has a better roll nonetheless.

My intent was not to tell you to use this system as a whole, but as an inspiration. It's just too complex, and uses too many skills. But I don't understand which parts of Sandy Petersen's rules could be less in phase with "current BRP" than the original RuneQuest 3 rules, to be honest. Most of the rules in the BRUGE come from games published between 1981 and 1992, and the system is essentially the same as it was in the 80s, with options to make it as simple as CoC or as complex as RQ3.

The Sandy Petersen rules for RQ3 Sorcery are worth reading. They add Presence, which is a limit on the total number of effect levels of spells one can maintain. They also diminish the impact of Free Int, using skill/10 as the maximum level for each effect. They also get rid of Duration. If you have enough Presence to cast a spell, it lasts forever. It also adds new Arts and spells, which are all optional. If you want simplified versions of Sorcery, Mythras and OpenQuest are also interesting.

And yet my biggest problem with the system is not linked to these YZEisms, as it's completely possible to defend and attack in the same round in Forbidden Lands. It's like playing in Pendragon, but you're forced to chose between reckless attack and defensive stance, and the the latter doesn't give you a Shield bonus if you're hit.

But, on the other hand you can't put more than a total of 45 points at character creation into a skill, providing you put 15 points on each of the 3 steps mentioned above. Unless you're playing a character that is older than usual, of course. Which means skills with a maximum between 65 and 75. Huge when compared to RQ2 or RQ3, but not when compared to Elric, MW ot Call of Cthulhu.

Err... I only own french versions of the RQ3 books, and in this case the monster book I had in mind (Monster Colosseum ?) was not translated as part of a bigger book, le Maître des Runes.

D&D 4th edition encounter building system worked well in that regard, but the game was built around it, and the stats of a level X monster were very tightly defined.

The only similarities between both games I can think of are the use of a d100 roll under core mechanism, and localized armor. RuneQuest 3 had stats for Orcs, Halflings and Dwarves in its Gateway bestiary. There's also an Elf, but it's a short and agile one, not the tall and noble Tolkienish elf from Warhammer. Their stats were reprinted in Mongoose RuneQuest bestiary, and also in Mythras. I guess they're also in Magic World. You can also use the stats for mostali, ducks and tusk riders from RuneQuest Glorantha...

Oh, I missed the fact two handed weapons deal +2d6 damage in 6e. Brutal... Question is : how do the 6e reckless attack compares to previous editions ? A +10 to skill represented a huge increase in crit chances, but also a guaranteed hit. Without that +10, there's a 25% chance a knight with a skill of 15 takes a risk for 0 damage.

Mythras gives 100 points for culture, 100 for profession, and 150 bonus points for "adult" characters (between 17 and 27). Skills get a maximum +15 per step, so a skill present in all 3 steps can reach +45 in total. Older characters have more bonus points, and can put more of those points into each skill. Up to 300 points and +30/skill.

How did it cost to print each of those books, approximately ?

@Atgxtgthank you. It turns out my guess, based on a simple table, was not that bad. 🙂 Mythras Sorcery uses Magic Points, but it could be possible to get rid of it, as the costs are very low and has no impact on the spell's power. Casting could be done by opposing the caster's skill with the spell's total levels, multiplied by 5.

My understanding is that this challenge is meant to help publishing games, and not supplements. Even though, of course, games contain material that can be used in other games.

Hârn was published a few years before HârnMaster, and I'm sure quite a good number of players used RuneQuest, StormBringer or Magic World (WoW version) in Hârn before that. Concerning your "Convocations", I know nothing of Hârn magic, but the table reminds me of Mythras Sorcery. In this game, each sorcerer belongs to a tradition, which teaches a specific Invoke skill, and a listt of spells that can be learned and cast with that Invoke skill. In BRUGE, you could use the Magic rules as a basis, but reduce the number of skills to 6, one per convocation.

@RosenMcSternI would also add that RD100 is written like a toolbox, which is either a strong or a weak point, depending on the reader. I like it, but others may be more comfortable with a more traditional presentation.

Well, 15-90 😉

See, this in fact a complex issue for me... On one hand, I think the use of percentile characteristics in CoC7 was a bad design decision, and not just a matter of taste. I think using a d20 for everything like in DB is a far better idea in general (even though the way defense and skill oppositions work in DB are a problem for me), but doing so you lose an easy and efficient way to have crit chances that change with your skill level instead of a flat 5%.

Solo play is where the rule that prevents you from attacking and defending in the same round will hurt you the most compared to SB. Having a way to gain initiative is crucial.