Ian Absentia

Quoted for truth. If you're interested in brand loyalty, though, allow me to suggest the QuestWorlds rules for super-heroics. Earlier iterations were, hands down, the most satisfying comic book gaming experience I ever had. I understand there are one or two upcoming titles waiting in the wings, but I recommend grabbing a copy of the SRD now and begin digesting it on your own. https://www.chaosium.com/questworlds-system-reference-document/ !i!

While I think it's an exaggeration to say that BRP breaks down completely with the superhero genre, it certainly does falter. What it comes down to, fundamentally, is "script immunity," or lack thereof. In most comics, the heroes are generally guaranteed survival from one issue to the next by virtue of scripting and narration. It's their title, after all. They can get beaten and abused and down on their luck, but very, very seldom killed outright. BRP, on the other hand, has its roots in traditionally mechanistic simulation of reality -- even fantasy versions of reality. Part and parcel of that version of reality is the Hit Point, and the very real threat of random death, often on a regular basis. There are work-arounds, of course, most of which involve reinterpreting what Hit Points actually mean in this genre. But that signifies the basic difference between narrating the action of a comic and simulating it randomly in a game. There are other issues, such as scaling power levels, too, that are examples of trying to apply codified mechanics to otherwise freeform narration. All that said, if you're cool with supers as pieces on a gameboard instead of stars of their own title, BRP works just fine, actually. !i!

Honestly, don't let it hold you or your players back if the rules aren't consistent with play. Does the head lead the heart, or vice versa? !i!

[2:36] "So kids, learn a lesson...correlation does not imply causation." Oh, wait, I guess that last bit got edited out of the final cut. I'm sure that's where he was going, though. !i!

Because Borderlands will effectively be a preamble to the Hero Wars, and by the time the events of the GM pack roll around, the characters will be seasoned veterans tied to the setting and well positioned to take the front seat. Note that a lot of the really significant events from the Family History tables take place in Prax. Why roll randomly when you can actually play them in person? As others have pointed out above, Borderlands is a fantastic adventure, and can still tie Sartar exiles to their homecoming in the 1625-era. If it's good enough for Argrath, it's good enough for your players. !i! [NB: Argrath actually appears in the Pavis boxed adventure episode, "The Cradle". But as goes the Zol Fel, so goes Argrath.]

It could be because of repeated use of informal fallacies to assert personal opinion, but who's counting? It was a great story! And: "It's much improved." Yeesh, faint praise. !i!

See the inset box on p.29 of RQG. Characters will generally come out less powerful than by the extended Family History method. This is not a popular answer, but there it is. !i!

Narrative takes on "simulationist" mechanics also play better to non-player audiences in audio and video podcasts, like Deborah Ann Woll's and, frankly, the rules-lite approach to RQ seen in some podcasts. You get to see the players eat the sausage instead of making it. !i!

Yep, if the painting in the OP wasn't intended to be Fay Jee, it's a fine stand-in. !i!

Quoted for truth. Down Darker Trails is a fine book that doesn't get enough love. CoC has been my go-to for Western roleplaying for ages, and DDT pulls it all together nicely, even without incorporating the Mythos. !i!

Oh, dear. I misread that. Still, turning the Guy Ritchie scenario on its side wouldn't be be such a bad thing. !i!

I think you have the makings of a great Guy Ritchie film on your hands. Especially if, at the same time, a far more objectionable gang of Thantar cultists are trying to kidnap the same target. The morokanth are just interested in ransom or resale, while the Thanatar goons are looking for a powerful new head for their collection. Let's root for the lesser of two evils and marvel at their race to the bottom. Make sure that the Chalana Arroy target is more trouble than she/he is worth in the end, trade hands at least a couple of times, and throw in a troop of baboons, and I think you have a great adventure in the making. If I were playing this scenario anytime between 1615 and 1621, I'd probably make the target Raus' daughter Jezra. Always a hoot to throw her to the hyenas. !i!

Hey, you wanna know what? Last time I played RQG, I announced to my group that I intended to kill Harrek, too. And turn the Moon yellow! They laughed at me and told me I couldn't. I didn't stay with that game much longer. Paint a big enough target on yourself and you can't complain when people come gunning for you. Of course, that works both ways, doesn't it? More power to your players. !i!

Yanafal Tarnils: "What are you talking about? I don't like you now." !i!

I'm...I'm so confused! Which one was spouting the Orwellian NewThink and which one the true, red-blooded American Lunar?!? !i!

SIZ beyond the 20s or 30s is notoriously subject to interpretation, of course, and different sources are often not consistent. Just make sure they're big enough. 😃 !i!

Sure. Different gaming groups are after different experiences. As GM, most of my experience with players has been with the "Herd of Cats" phenomenon, so I generally favor the Sandbox model, regardless of the game. [Then again, I'm the common denominator in all of these experiences, so maybe the responsibility is squarely on me as GM.] NPCs who're as monolithic as the geography itself tend to impede play more than enhance it. I find advice like "you're on your own" and "man up" less than helpful, because of course the moment play begins we're all on our own and deviating from script. We all acknowledge this, yet we continue to either fret over it or tut-tut one another. It's understandable, but I attribute it to a side-effect of Script. So what happens when Harrek is displaced? The big names in Glorantha are essentially mythical in proportion. In fact, they are the Gloranthan myth unfolding. As other have suggested, perhaps something akin to Tim Powers' Last Call takes place and your characters get sucked into the mythic role that they've displaced. @soltakss has related some great stories about his group shouldering Argrath aside and making the myth themselves. If you and your group are willing to be the movers and shakers in a roleplaying world, then I think it's clear that you're willing to put in that work to make it happen. !i!

Monster Island is pretty special, and being written for RQ6, it's probably better than 95% compatible with RQG/BRP. If you're looking for the classic movie kaiju, you'll definitely see their reflections in those pages. !i!

[cough-cough] http://thedesignmechanism.com/store.php#!/Monster-Island/p/25252033/category=5186110 !i!

This boils down to an issue of Sandbox vs Script, doesn't it? Which I think is at the heart of the OP and a number of threads that've cropped up from time to time. !i!

East-ish. An Orayan from the Red Hair Tribute, if I'm thinking of the same character. !i!

No one suggested that they eat them. !i!

It depends what elements of reality you're trying to emulate (or whatever fantastical version of it you're playing). There's being totally surprised flat-footed, then there's being caught off guard with little time to prepare. What scenario are you trying to portray? Sure, I get impatient with niggling, insignificant detail during games, too. But I also get impatient with players who wave-off levels of detail that matter to others. So for this inquiry, maybe the question isn't "How long does it take to put on armor?" so much as it's "How much time do I have?" The answer certainly isn't "You're playing it wrong." !i!

...played with some highly tactical rules that involve Strike Rank down to a matter of seconds. So, yes, on occasion. !i!

Any discussion of nicknames here is inextricably tied up in professional reputation. I've always perceived the prefix "nu-" as, at best, a back-handed compliment -- technically correct, yes, but trite and diminutive. What I find odd, though -- and this is central to discussion of the OP -- is the lament for a period with a reputation that the company is working very hard to outlive. I am still angry about a certain book that I bought from that era, and while I regret that not all of the scattershot of creative ideas could be carried forward under new management, I don't regret the renewed focus on professionalism. So what went wrong with Magic World? In my less-than-informed opinion? A deficit of professional planning and management. !i!