MrJealousy

I'm getting ready to run this for my RQ group and I had a couple of issues with the Griffin Mountain scenario. I'll try to outline my worries here and see if anyone has any suggestions or actual experience with the scenario.

Torath manover (an Orlanthi Rune Lord) is looking for the windsword and knows it is in Griffin mtn. He is willing to pay the Griffins to look for it, and or reason with them. However, the Griffins will not allow anyone to enter their caves, meaning that the Griffins have to be killed for the party to search the caves.

Also, Torath is willing to let the Griffins look for the windsword as an alternative to his party entering their cave, however, the windsword is in a place the Griffins cannot physically get to, meaning that the griffins have to be killed again if the party are to get the sword.

My problem here is that griffins are intelligent and not chaotic or evil in anyway. This is their home and they have their young in the caves.

Personally I don't like the idea of a group of supposedly good guys offering a fake alternative to killing the Griffins in the knowledge that their isn't actually an alternative to killing them. It seems odd to me to put Griffins here when it may have been more reasonable to make this Walktapus mountain (or something). Why populate the caves with an intelligent, talking critter (and its family) if it is just cannon fodder.

Am I being unreasonable? I am trying hard in my campaign to differentiate between good and evil motivation and this scenario (as it stands) doesn't have any more reason than a dungeon bash. As a setting there is a lot of ulterior motivation going on in Balazar what with the Lunars trying to influence the region, its interesting and tricky and I like it. It just seems a shame that the scenario of the title has decided to forget all of that.

Has anyone actually played this or run this scenario and still have a clear memory of what happened? I'd really appreciate some insight.

I tend to go by the idea that selling an item gets you half of the value of buying a new item.

So on a cheap, average, expensive scale, if you assume that 2 cheap items equal an average and 2 average items equal an expensive item. 2 average swords equals 1 expensive sword, but because you are selling second hand swords their value is essentially halved and you need 4 average swords to buy a brand new expensive sword.

After that you have your trading skills to alter the final exchange. If you critical your trading then the buyer settles for 1 of your average swords (and you've got a golden deal), if you fumble then that 1 expensive sword costs you 8 average swords (!?). That's sort of the way I normally deal with it, but then, I normally deal in numbers!

I think the kind of skills that get learnt depends on the god being worshipped. So Humakt worshippers get taught how to use a sword because that is a skill that Humakt is well known for, Orlanth might teach orate, Vinga dodge, Lhankor Mhy knowledge skills, Chalana Arroy first aid. In Gods of Glorantha (and other sources) all of the religions are associated with a small group of skills that they teach their worshippers, these skills are directly related to things the god is famous for.

So when do you start the Kickstart?

Oh cool! Give me Mothra as well!

Here's an elaborate amount of prep that I used to introduce a new player to a long running RQ campaign. The problem I was faced with was that the old players had learnt a lot about their clan and there was now a lot of history and information which could be valuable to the new player and character...

I present Virannas Saga (download pdf)

... Citadel made a miniature of The Gronk...

That's awesome!

The Gronk from 200AD

The Gronk is a timid, metal-eating alien from the planet Blas, in the Gallego system. The Gronk provided medical back-up and constantly worried about its "poor heartses", and in "Outlaw" showed it could survive multiple heart attacks.

In the Strontium Dogs spinoff, the Gronk transformed into a gun-toting highly aggressive soldier.

The GRONK

STR 6 ....MOV.....10......Effort 30

CON 26...HP......16.......Stamina 130

SIZ 6.....FAT.....32......Dam Mod -1d4

INT 16....MP......15......Idea 80

POW 15...Dex SR 2......Luck 75

DEX 18....Siz SR 3........Agility 90

APP 11......................Charisma 55

EDU 12......................Know 60

Location....Melee...Missile...Hp...Ap...Armor

R. Leg.......01-03...01-02....4.....0

L. Leg.......04-06...03-04....4.....0

Abdomen...07-12...05-09....6.....2.....Fur

Chest.......13-14...10-14....7......2.....Fur

R. Arm 2....15.......15.........3......0

R. Arm 1....16.......16.........3......0

L. Arm 2....17.......17..........3.....0

L. Arm 1....18.......18..........3.....0

Head........19-20...20..........5.....2....Fur

Weapon....SR......A%....Dam....Mal.......Ap....Rng...Ammo...ENC

Blaster.....1/SR....75....1d8+2...99-00...14....15......30.......1

Skills

Bargain 55 %

Etiquette 70 %

Fast Talk 75 %

Peform 15 %

Appraise 15 %

First Aid 85 %

Medicine 40 %

Science 36 %

Listen 25 %

Spot 25 %

Dodge 46 %

Hide 10 %

Stealth 20 %

Notes:

The Gronk has a special ability to have a heart attack and then recover at some unspecified time later. For all intents and purposes the Gronk appears dead but it can make a complete recovery, sometimes recovery affects the Gronk psychologically.

Ok, that makes more sense. I might have to do some more research and revise my formulae.

I'm not so sure.

You're looking at a .25 and a .30 those bullets are at the weenie end of ammo sizes. I can't come up with a good reason why a rifle would do more damage than a light pistol if it is using the same type of ammo. The difference is in the range. The amount of lead that hits the target doesn't change so it makes the same size hole.

I'm guessing that the light pistol in the BGB is probably a .32 (1d6) and the heavy pistol is probably a .45 (1d10+2). So I could argue that the values for the .25 and .30 are close to 'realistic'. But, what I have really done is completely rework firearms damages based on caliber. My table was created deliberately ignoring the values in the BGB so that I could get a consistent set of default values for .22 all the way through to .83! At various points on that scale the values were very close e.g. my .45 does 2d6, but that was more by luck than design.

I just can't resist...

Name-------BS%----Cal.----Damage----Rng---AP---Malf---Amo---Len.---Bar.---S.R.---ENC---$------Year-----lbs

Winchester--5-----.30-30----1d4+1-----85----10---00-----10----37.8----20---1/SR---3.5---15.00---1894----6.80

Winchester--5-----.25-35----1d4--------70----10---00-----10----37.8----20---1/SR---3.5---14.00---1895----6.80

I would go with something like that...

...Winchester 30-30 for the lever action rifle.

Oooo, that's an 1895 design. You're running a late western if you're using 30-30.

Glad you like the table, the up to date version runs to about 250+ firearms, pistols, rifles, derringers, shotguns and artillery. But, Curses! and Drat! the 30-30 isn't in it! ... yet...

If you're interested, I also have a James Younger download on my site which has a little write up of the Winchester 44-40 (and some other stuff), you might find it useful.

I added a weapon list I have been working on for an updated Aces High thing to the Downloads which increased the malfunction % based on year. But really as a standard thing, used in ideal conditions, they didn't often malfunction. Of course if you take a match lock and try to shoot it outside in a rain storm, the match is likely to go out, just as a percussion caps pistol is more likely to missfire in the rain. Some firearm designs were more likely to be affected by sand in the mechanism and others less so. So you could maybe increase the malfunction % based on the environment, or do a lot of research...

So which lever action rifle are you talking about, winchesters I guess?

Ah, just have a look at the download, you might find some of it useful

I tend to work out the overall aim and plot and sort of bullet point it. Then focus on campaign critical sections with a lot more detail, sometimes plotting out conversations that important NPCS have, or catch phrases, or affectations. Once I know this I almost always look at the map and try to anticipate what might be in some of the locations that the players can get to that are outside the scenario. A detailed map can offer all sorts of unexpected adventure. I have an excel sheet for generating random monsters and people stats so most things get statted, but I also churn out lots of stats that I only might need.

Postage is a tough option. The regular books you can probably pick up from a local rpg store, but the Monographs, being only available from Chasoium, require some tough decision making at $40+ minimum for international postage. It does make me think twice before commiting to a purchase. Which is a shame, because I do want to give chaosium some of my money, but when the postage is more than the book...

Looks like there is a 30% off sale on the entire range of Chaosium goodness. Basic Roleplaying - Chaosium Inc.

... Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam ...

Really? I mean ..."Kunt Film"...?!

When I stop laughing I might actually watch that!

... "What if everything described in all those Beach Boys and Jan and Dean songs was true?"

Which ever version you go for, I really hope you enjoy it at least as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Incidentally I have updated my Aces High website to include a character generator. Bear in mind that I am not a programmer so if it is a bit strange, well, thats they way it is! It does also include an obscure reference to the next thing I am beginning to work on...

I sent Dustin a couple of emails over the last month and have also had no reply. I was begining to think that it may be related to the chaosium website chaos...

Chasoium are also predicting the hardcopy for the 31st...

Aces High New Mexico Chaosium Inc.

Looks like they might be updating the website, I can't get to this page through the BRP link ...

You know what, I've been looking at the Chasoium site almost everyday since christmas and I finally find out this is available from this forum!

Cheers Nick!

Is this it?

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If you're going to muck around with MOV. The best I can come up with is STR+SIZ+CON /6, without going into bell curves or other mathematical weirdness.

In my opinion Mr Bolt should be disqualified from appearing in the Olympics because he is obviously a mutant/super with an unfair advantage over normal people!

Lets Stat up Usain Bolt!

At 6'5" (77" or 1.96m) his SIZ is going to be 16 (ignoring his weight of 200lbs SIZ 12!)

His personal best 100 m: 9.58 (according to wikipedia) using that Speed conversion link makes 23.55 mph! or 10.5 m per second

So STR ?? + SIZ 16 = 52.5/5 = 10.5

Oh! I think I would have to create a Running skill for Mr Bolt because I dont think his STR is 36.5