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I7ll chime in to support this. Most martial arts's I7ve seen mention that someone who is well trained in basic techniques will overcome an opponent who is poorly trained in many techniques, even if they are advanced ones. That is why the stress the basics. In fact, this holds true for most walks of life. Typically a poor grap of the basics tends to lead to a critical vulnerability that can be easily exploited. For example, it doesn't matter if you are the worlds best nuerosugeon if you don7t follow basic sterlizxation techniques.It just means you patients die from complications after a successful operation.

I do too, but lost my copy of Ringworld years ago. If I remember correcclty, Ringworld did it differently, but I can7t remeber exactly how. About the only drawback with this approach is that skills might improve a little too quickly, but the GM could always reduce the increase from 1D6 to 1D4 or less.

I sort of swiped the specilization rules from TimeLords and CORPS. A character can have a subskill aat a rating up to 1/2 the main skill. THe subskill adds to the main skill. Players don7t fell like they are being penalized for specialzing, as the subskill is at a lower value and thus goes up faster. In fact, it is worthwhile to specialize if your skill score is over 50%. Plus there is nothing to prevent somene from getting checks in both the main skill and the specialty during the coruse of an adventure.

OpenQuest and the other "open" RPGs are a bit different. Legaqlly, anyone can write a set of rules, and can amke them very much like another set of rules, just as long as they don'7t use any trademakred terms or copy text verbvatim. Where or not, morally, it is right to do so, is another matter. THere are a lot of advantages to contacting Chasoium. An actually BRP product is probably going to get more interest than a BRP realted product for PenQuest or GORE.At rthe very least, a BRP product doesn't need to be adjusted to make it compatable with BRP the way a BRP related product might need to be. Less work for a GM means a greater chance of making a sale.

Yes, definately. The bane of porting, IMO, are the suble differences in game mechanics that the GM might miss in translation. I've gotten blindsided badly a few times in the past by something unxpected in the "translation". Typically something gets transofrredinto an unberweapon, or else into something nearly useless.

Over the years I7ve ported various things over from one RPG to another. In one case I coverted an Stormbringer campaign over to RQ3, with only a few changes (but the systems were fairly similar). Inevitably with a "mix 'n match" system, the GM has to make decsions abot how to covert things becuase of the differences between game systems. WHat might be a slap on the wrist in one rpg can be a lethal threat in another.

You need to give us a better frame of reference. Since we have no idea of your ability to draw (either while you are on, or off a napkin) we have no way to guage your expectations.

How many skills depends a lot on the style of campaign I'm going for. A smaller number of skills allows the PCs to be more competent, and is a good option for campaigns with "larger than life" PC heros. A larger number of skills limits the PCs in ways, and a good option for a more realistic, gritty, campaign. As for a gneral leaning, I tend to prefer fewer skills, but allow sub-skills/specialties to allow for more diversity without overcomplicating things.

I7d probably go with each rolling against the alcohol. IT is quite possible to tie in a drinking contest. Note that it is also possi8ble to do some contrests in stages in you prefer, to make a contrest more dramtatic. FOr example, for a arm wresting contest, you could use aa "clock" idea with the arms starting off at "12 o'clock" and each degress of succcess moving the arms by 1 on the clock face until winning when thhe arms are at 3 or 9 o'clock.

Usually you can tell what is active, as it is the element of change, where as the other is trying to maintain the status quo. When id dobut, I susally let the PC be active, so he can make the roll. In fact, sometimes I let the PC roll even when he is the "passive" one. THe good thing is that either way the math is the same, so no one gets cheated if you do it the other way.

A fairly standard line in most BRP systems was that an "attack" with a melee weapon was not a single thrust/swing of a weapon, but a combination of mutiple blows. It was sually given as the reason why someone couldn7t split attacks against a single foe. The bug with allowing splitting attacks vs. a single foe is that the foe is still defending/parrying against the same weapon, weielded, and so should get his full parry vs. both attacks, since he is really defending against the same number of swings/thrust during the round.

You'd probably be better off just using the ship rules from White Wolf or RQ3 (similar but not identical, White Wolf seems to be an updated version of the RQ3 ship rules).

Then chances are after fifteen second you'd blink twice, and say "No, really, show me the money." As a general rule, RPG authors don't get paid much. In fact, most RPG writers have full time jobs and only write RPG stuff as a hobby. If you want to make a living off of RPGs you are much better off as an RPG publisher, or better still, a printer. The only ones who consisitently come out ahead are the printers (who get paid in advance, and will make money if the book sells or not). The pay for authors is really atoricious, and virtually no one would do it just for the money. For an author getting a full time salaried possition is about the best you can do (Way to go Pete!). Otherwise, working in the RPG field is comperable to volunteer work.

It is the same reason why so many RPG authoris have written something for D&D at one time or another. THe bigger the comapny the more supplments they publish and the greater chance of getting work. Plus, considering that Pete had a hand in the MRQ2 rules, he might even prefer them to BRP. Not that he owes us any explanations. He can write snappy sayings for teabags in he wants to.

I suppose it is a byporduct of Pete being one of MRQII'S authors. Since MRQ is going to exist, I guess it is better that there are people familar with the parent system, behind the game mechanics.

rust, Not to critizied MRQII Vikings in anyway, but there is/was an RQ3 Viking supplment that wasn't bad, IMO one of the best of the RQ3 line, certainly the best of the non-Glorantah RQ3 products. It is probably more compatible with BRP but doesn't cover much more than MRQ II Vikings, if that. I Have it, so if there is something in particular you'dlike to know about, ask me and I'll flip through the books. I know they had some new character creation srtuff, new ships, stuff on culture, a little history, some norise creatures, and several adventures.

Does is treat the Quadrivium as a single skill that replaces the four mathematics? And does the Trivium do the same with Law, Medicine and Theology?

If you really want to mix things up a bit, make the cultures of the Americas a bit more advanced, and with a thriving sea trade. Imagine if the Aztecs had expanded and settled North America, and had thrie costal trade, perhaps even extended into the Carribean.

It's not my idea. Joseph Cambell wrote some books (notable The Hero with a Thousand Faces) about the idea that most hero stories are essentially the same. A hero starts off from a mundane existence and how he grows into something more than what he was when he started. One key concept is how the hero's journey, or monomyth is a cycle with certain stages with challenges that each hero faces. In a nutshell, it is why Star Wars, and the story of King Arthur are a lot alike. You can get a lot better explanation on this by googling Joseph Cambell, the monomyth, or The Hero With a Thousand Faces. The concept, and underlying story structure are almost essential for traditional heroic fiction.

Considering the goal of this thread. It probably would be a good idea if the rulebook incorporated the "hero's journey" as a template for the characters and campaign. I can't think of a better way to ensure a heroic campaign.

Depends on what literature you go with. In a lot of the welsh stuff that seems to be the primary sources for this thread, "everyone and his brother and sister" seems to have some magical power, ift spells and magic items. Even if half the powers are stupid or nearly useless. Heroic literature if often full of larger than life characters who can do superhuman feats. Perhaps giving characters a roll to get a POW multiple in points for Powers might be appropriate. Keep the multiple low and you could come up with guys who are slightly superhuman without turning it into a supers game. I suppose it would depend on how alien/otherworldy you want faerie to be. In the old tales the heroes are what become the fey. In the latter tales, the heroes are more mortal. For a sorcuebook, I'd suggest placing some sort of "slider" on this to cover both types of campaigns. I think it depends on quality of the magic as well as the quantity. The D&D approach, with everyone haiving a +1 weapon, does cheapen things, but on the other hand, every hero in the litertature seems to have something of note. Usually several things.

The Vikingsconquered and settled some land in Eire and Scotland, and the coastal settlements would be the most likely targets. If you want to add a bit more cultural diversity in Thule, you could simply reduce the extent on Viking activity and still have some Gaelic traders around.

I think the reason for the lack of Irish and Scottish shipping is becuase of the Vikings. By the end of the Viking age, I don't thing the Sots and Isish were doing as much seafaring as they used to.

I once ran a RQ Celtic campaign. I found that RQ spirit magic worked fine for the typical wards and charms. I used Lunar Magic for Druids, making them a sort of mix of shaman and sorcerer. It seemed to work fine, and is easy enough to adapt into the new BRP magic system, as the common spell system is mostly Spirit magic, although the Elric! version with RQ spell names filed off. I think one big question would be just how magic rich you want the campaign to be. Do you want a dark and gritty campaign where magic is rare and wondrous, or something with more magic, where every hero seems to have some item or magical power?Both have their merits.

You don't own me anything. This is an open forum where people are able to express their views. If I couldn't handle that, it would be my problem, not yours. We jusst disagree on some things. You haven't been rude, isulting or acted in anyway offensive. In fact, There has been nothing posted in this thread by anyone for me to get offended about. Exasperated, perhaps, but not offended. So keep posting.