DreadDomain

This topic made me track down a copy of Land of Ninja or La Voie du Sabre (my LoN disintegrated years ago). I found LVDS at a reasonable price and it arrived yesterday. The book is pristine as if new. Very impressed.

In my opinion, the best d100 Rules to Run 'Land of Ninja' would be RQ3 peppered with preferred alternate or optional rules from BRP.

5 hours ago, Peter Fitz said:

My copy of BR:UGE arrived today, simultaneously with three other books from all over the world. Booty! Masses of booty! Of course this means there will be no more little presents from Past Me in the mail for a while, but still. BOOTY!

I've read many comments on the supposed illegibility of the text in the new edition of Basic Roleplaying, but frankly I'm not seeing it. Admittedly I need my reading glasses to read it, but then I need them these days to read anything much under 72pt. The printing is crisp and clean, and the paper stock is beautifully luxurious and matte. I love it.

RPG books are getting pretty massive in these modern times — that Lyonesse volume is fully 40mm thick, and the others aren't very much more svelte.

Nice! How would you rate them as best production value (look and best) from best to worst?

11 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

But, as I pointed out before, I'd probably rather just run Harnmaster. It's pretty close to BRP anyway, and it would avoid a lot of work converting stuff, and the problems associated with doing so. But that's me. I'm not the OP and I probably don't want exactly the same things they do from this.

Again, agreed. The question in the OP is how to adapt Harn convocations to BRP and I thought my answer (I would not and would just use HarnMaster), was not really helpful.

Why would I use HarnMaster? Simply put, it's a good system and it is so close to BRP that it must be a cousin at worse...

On 3/3/2024 at 11:52 PM, MOB said:

Alone Against the Static will be available in Australia later this month, making their way to Botany Bay this long way round the Cape. As will Call of Cthulhu: Arkham (hardback and leatherette).

That's great! Always looking to bundle up purchases. It makes a huge difference on shipping. Given its March release date, will RQM: The Lunar Way be available in Australia at around the same time?

13 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

IF I were to attempt it I think I';d adapt the Harnmaster spells over, and treat each convocation as a magic skill to be rolled against, somewhat similar to in Harnmaster. somewhat similar to RQ3 Sorcery. I'd treat BRP special success as Harn CS results, and use Harn range and casting times (maybe convert seconds to Strike Ranks or DEX ranks). But I'd also want to look at Harnmaster Religion and Psionics before doing so, and wouldn't want to mix Harn Magic with any of the other BRP magic systems since Harn magic doesn't rely on Magic Points to power spells. 

Agreed on all accounts plus I would cast a suspicious glance over what the spell effects are, and adapt as required.

On 2/28/2024 at 11:18 PM, Jason D said:

I cannot say anything at this time. 🤐

We understand. Don't say anything, just write it...

(In any case, you gave me hope)

Getting close to a three months delay, any news about Alone Against the Static for the Australian warehouse?

3 hours ago, g33k said:

Is this document specifically the first-printing vs. second-printing changes?
Or are other changes in the document, that did not make it into the updated printer files?

In particular:

The term "revised" sounds as though the scope of change may be greater that the "typos & similar minor corrections" sorts of things, that Chaosium has often produced after a "Tribal Edit" round ... ?

Based on the below quote, it is a bit more than typos clean-up (emphasis mine) but not that much more. Is it more changes than previous tribal edits? I don't know. To be honest, I would not read too much in the term "revised". It can mean a lot of things.

On 1/23/2024 at 11:11 PM, Jason D said:

I'm currently making the edits to the file. The tables use a clearer and slightly larger font. We could not go with a much larger font, but it is noticeably more readable. 

I'm simultaneously creating an errata document for all changes that affect game mechanics. (I am not including things like typos or slight cleanup of language.) 

3 hours ago, JrKingofBeer said:

@DreadDomainThanks for the response. Since we're at it, may I confirm that normally there shouldn't be any difference in terms of rules with the starter set in English yes ? I presume the answer is obvious but it doesn't hard to ask (I am not familiar with Edge Studio, I don't know what they do and the relation with Chaosium).

I have not read the CoC starter set in French but I would be 99.99% confident it is a straight translation. Edge publishes CoC under a commercial agreement they have with Chaosium. I am not Chaosium so I am not privy to the detail but usually contracts like these are usually very tight on how the IP is managed and controlled.

This is it. The image slightly differs from the one on the Edge site Boîte de Base - Edge Studio France (edge-studio.net) but it is definitely the Boite de Base from 7th edition (although, as you mentioned, with the cover of the first printing). Maybe you can reach out to Edge to confirm it is the latest printing but nothing on their site indicates there was another.

2 hours ago, Johan said:

I created an account just for this reply 😄 

I am waiting as well and asked EDGE by mail. After a lot of mails I basically got "ask Chaosium" So I better start learning Spanish again 😅

Or French is that is easier for you https://fr.edge-studio.net/games/cthulhu-7th-farce-macabre/

7 hours ago, NickMiddleton said:

retooling it all to be strictly ORC compliant currently looks like a lot of work that doesn't appeal

I'd this because you are using too much content from MW that is not covered by BRP:UGE, which would mean rewriting in your own words?

In any case, good luck and thanks!

7 hours ago, Jason D said:

I'm currently making the edits to the file. The tables use a clearer and slightly larger font. We could not go with a much larger font, but it is noticeably more readable. 

I'm simultaneously creating an errata document for all changes that affect game mechanics. (I am not including things like typos or slight cleanup of language.) 

Thanks, that's useful. I'll wait for the errata document before I decide to buy first or second printing. 

On 1/14/2024 at 7:51 PM, NickMiddleton said:

This came up in the BRP thread about Call of Cthulhu and BRP as an engine for the Hybroian Age and I said there I'd extract the relevant bit from the larger work it is currently part of. Enjoy!

Larger work? ORC related?

Thanks by the way.

1 hour ago, Ian A. Thomson said:

This helps keep me powering on with this insane task :)

 

And it's amongst fine company! Congrats!

14 hours ago, Kloster said:

I think the same.

I don't have CoC7 (I stopped with 5.5 and 6). What is this 'Hard success rule'?

A Hard success is when you roll half of your skill value or below. 

2 hours ago, NickMiddleton said:

No idea where that idea arose but it’s nonsense. The Moorcock IP license ended circa 2006 and went to Mongoose; Ben Monroe started looking at, and talking to a small group of peeps (including myself) about, a version of Elric! / Stormbringer 5th edition with all the Moorcock IP removed and made a generic fantasy game in late 2011 or early 2012. It was a tribute to his friend and mentor, and Chaosium grandee, Lynn Willis who was very ill at the time, and who sadly passed away before the game was printed in early 2013 iirc. The project was never intended as anything other than a standalone generic game making Willis & co’s work available again without the previous IP, which was still licensed to Mongoose until 2013 iirc.

And, to be clear, although many of us, including myself, refer to Magic World as a version of Elric! without the Moorcock IP, it was based on the revised text of Stormbringer 5th Edition content wise, with a variety of small elegant additions and refinements by Ben. Elric! gets mentioned because its layout was something Ben, and those of us commenting on his work, all really rated and had hoped would be the inspiration for Magic World's layout: we were alas disappointed.

Thanks, this is much more in line with what I previously read regarding the genesis of Magic World. Looking at MW again, it is packing quite a lot. Full character creation, system and combat, sorcery with close to 100 spells, seafaring rules, a bestiary with almost 80 entries, just short of 50 magic items, an intro setting...

On 1/13/2024 at 4:01 PM, Mugen said:

BRP is also lacking a good skills opposition rule. Simply comparing levels of success results in too many ties.

Correct. The ties are not the problem. The fact that it results in too many ties is the problem. That is why I like to introduce Hard successes from CoC. Between, normal, hard, special and critical, it makes the success levels quite narrower and repeated ties less likely.

On 1/13/2024 at 4:01 PM, Mugen said:

And a tie, in a lot of situations, is in fact a success for one of the protagonists. For instance, if someone is hiding from another character, that person is alright if nothing happens.

Maybe, maybe not. In a hide and seek or stealth and watch situation means the situation is unresolved. The seeker has not found you yet but they are still looking in your area. Tension rises, time passes. Iis the hider under time pressure? Is the seeker?.  Will something happen to stop the search (from another player perhaps)? If not, roll again. A stealth roll is similar. The watcher did not spot the stealthee, but the later could not move.

But sometimes you do want a one roll resolution. 

On 1/13/2024 at 4:01 PM, Mugen said:

Even a solution like the one in Pendragon/Mythras system where you compare the d100/d20 results to break ties have flaws : it's counter-intuitive (as you have to roll low to get better success levels, but have to roll high to break ties) and still produce a lot of ties (as skill failure versus skill failure is not covered).

Personally, I don't find it counter-intuitive. After a tie on success level, you do have to ask yourself who roll the best. Wether the best means high or low is neither here nor there. But if it is counter-intuitive for your group, use lower roll wins. It will take the edge off the higher skill a bit but thet still have the edge. It also means that the higher skill always wins when they roll lower then the opposition.

On 1/13/2024 at 4:01 PM, Mugen said:

A simple solution is to use the formula behind the Resistance Table : 50+active skill-passive skill.

Yes, that too.

6 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

Well, it was supposed to be called Strombringer but things happened. 

Was it? Where can we read about this?

On 1/5/2024 at 7:07 PM, Jason D said:

Yes, if you can find a copy of Magic World (or Elric!) it's an off-the-shelf fit for the material I created. 

I'd love to see that work back in print in some fashion, but as sales were unsatisfactory*

* It was one of the worst-selling Chaosium products ever, period. 

To be honest, it was absolutely preposterous to believe that publishing an updated beloved classic BRP/d100 ruleset using a generic game and featuring a generic setting, would gain any success. Preposterous!

Cheekiness aside, my point is that we now have concrete evidence the issue with Magic World has little to do with content and a lot to do with everything else from art, graphic design, layout, marketing, Chaosium lack of brand recognition at the time. Notice how all of those things have now been resolved with Chaosium and Chaosium's products?

From a content perspective, Dragonbane has better ready to play content (adventures, pre-gen) over MW, but that is it.

On 1/5/2024 at 7:07 PM, Jason D said:

and it competes to some degree with RuneQuest, it's a hard sell to management. 

My suspicion is that RQ would benefit from a Dragonbane-like Magic World as it would more easily introduce new players to a simpler fantasy BRP ruleset and would make the jump to a more complex (rule and setting) RQ easier. 

But isn't it what the RQ Starter Set is for you say? Yes, but for someone thinking that RQ is "complicated", they might not consider anything with RQ on the cover.

20 minutes ago, Saki said:

I'd count on Months, between finishing the PDF updates, issuing to the printers and reviewing proof(s), actually doing the print run, then shipping to distribution. 

Thanks, it makes a lot of sense. I missed the fact that the next printing would be based on the errata'ed file, and therefore, was not already sent to printers.

9 hours ago, Jason D said:

The new printing of the rulebook uses a (slightly) larger font

Is the new printing "weeks", "months" or "years" away? I am only asking because I try to bundle several books in a single order to save on shipping and I planned BRP to be in my next batch. Happy to change my plans if the new printing is on the horizon. 

2 hours ago, JrKingofBeer said:

1) Are there YouTube channels that are recommended with CoC podcasts that I could watch while... lol... exercising at the gym ? (doesn't have to be solo games).

Here's an example of what I mean: <here>. Any obvious YouTuber that everybody knows about that I should checkout ?

I like the actual plays found on the Chaosium channel.

Also Seth Skorkowsky has good CoC content and reviews.

Of the lot above, i would recommend avoiding Alone against the Dark as your first solo adventure as it is a bit more involved then the others. I haven't played Alone Against the Static Yet but the rest are quite fun... if you do not mind dying too much...