Jason D

You can always call: Chaosium.com: News - Home They've provided their phone # on their contact page. It might get you some results.

Guilty! That was in reference to an attempt a friend and I made more than a decade ago to license the rights to Superworld from Chaosium and revise it radically. One of our first goals was to put everything on the Resistance Table... powers, skills, combat... everything! The contract was in hand and Chaosium liked the proposal. The terms were reasonable. Our playtesting was going along quite interestingly. Then the deal was more or less made (unintentionally) unpalatable by someone no longer at Chaosium, and we backed away. Then the Wizards Attic debacle happened, and we counted ourselves lucky it hadn't proceeded. In retrospect, I'm glad it didn't work out... it wasn't the right time, and we would have been stomped utterly by M&M. Now if I had been able to get off the ground the firefighter computer game I was trying to make in 1999-2000 with a programmer friend... that would have been (unfortunately) good timing!

The variant Superworld action/initiative rules didn't get put in the BRP core book for the following reasons: The book was (and is) very bloated with optional rules, and this would have been a major additional chunk to minimal positive gain. I tried where I could to include optional rules that could be bolted onto the core rules without needing substantial support. My (admittedly brief) read-through of the Superworld rules gave me the distinct impression that they were significant enough to need coverage throughout the core rules. My gut feeling as a designer was that those rules would not Play Well With Others, in terms of the other optional rules. Superworld was possibly the least successful full iteration of the BRP rules, so I didn't see a huge need to incorporate them into the core rulebook. Dustin's always eager for sourcebook or monograph proposals. He's right now in the process of moving from Denver back to Texas, so I suspect any communication may be delayed somewhat.

I don't know at all... it's almost entirely a function of page layout. My guess is somewhere in the 128-156 page range.

I suspect so.

Having POW for the requirement allows for shamanic characters who might not necessarily be the smartest tools in the shed, but can still cast magic spells. However, it was one of those rules I evaluated to determine if it needed to be changed. My conclusion, as you can see, was "if it ain't broke", and none of my play experience with BRP indicated to me that it was a rule desperately in need of changing.

I've sent a link to this thread to a friend who's in the East Bay and is a huge SB buff.

It should be d6 in the spell. Good catch!

Normal experience rules (skill checks, training, etc.) go into effect once the campaign has started, and should dramatically outstrip any small gains from age.

Drat it! It's supposed to be: Normal = 10 points Heroic = 20 Epic = 30 Superhuman = 40

It is very nice, and provided a lot of the framework for the work I did on planet/community generation in the Big Damn Heroes book for the Serenity RPG. Yes, the intersection of Firefly/Serenity and BRP is of special interest to me, given my work on both game lines in the last year.

And it should also be noted that Chaosium is nothing if not amenable to negotiations... contact Dustin Wright if you want to talk a license and have special concerns or questions. He's good people.

Here's the BRP license. Take a look and see if it appeals to you. BRP Central - Downloads - BRP draft license

Still working on it!

I don't have my rulebook handy, but if I remember correctly, Dodging high-velocity attacks is Difficult. That's one reason to parry rather than dodge.

I think that rolling double damage (as per a success for a weapon attack roll that's under your Martial Arts skill) and another attack is somewhat unbalanced.

I have a solution: As I noted, the system I posted (derived from SB1-4) was explicitly from the fencing rules presented in Interplanetary. The alternate system (deriving from Elric!/SB5) that has been presented is equally workable. How about: The rules I posted are explicitly for the fencing move called the riposte, requiring Martial Arts (Fencing) 91%+. The other system is called a counterattack, and is used in the manner described. This keeps the fencing system special and adds some value to two-handed weapon combat.

There's also volley fire, burst fire, etc. Usually the base chance is figured into your skill ranking, not as a floating bonus. The rules should be more clear on that, I suppose. Given my druthers, I'd have switched all weapons over to bonuses rather than base skills. No. His modified chance is 160%, not his skill ranking. Similiarly, if a character has skill of 101% and has a Difficult chance to hit something (halving his or her skill), he or she is still able to split attacks, but will be splitting the a 51% (101%/2, rounded up).

This is a prime example of the "I know it so well I don't even need to read it" syndrome that the playtest suffered from. I didn't know that Elric!/SB5 even had ripostes! As it stands, I'm fonder of the older version of the rule for balance reasons, because it's the rule I'm more familiar with, and also because it doesn't add yet another effect to the already substantial Attack/Parry/Dodge Matrix. On a related note, the primary addition to the rule is the DEX rank cost. I'd love to hear convincing arguments against it.

I'd rather come up with a solid basic rule and make special-case exceptions to it than a complex rule to start with. As it stands, there is no reason a character can't parry with one weapon and attack with another (using a rapier and main gauche, for example). This is covered exhaustively in 'Two Weapons' on pages 233-234 of the core rulebook. The rule presented above only prohibits riposting with two weapons.

I'd like to avoid changing the fundamental nature of BRP combat as it currently stands with such a rule, without playtesting it considerably. I see no reason, however, that it shouldn't be introduced as an optional rule. The riposte should occur on the modified DEX or SR, otherwise ripostes are technically impossible as per the existing rules, as you point out. The Stormbringer riposting rules assume you're parrying with the weapon you're riposting with. The example assumes the same. Traditional fencing assumes that the parry and riposte is done with a single weapon. It can also be, as you say, messier. And on a personal note, my experience with fencing and kendo steered me away from thinking that two weapons was a superior method of fighting than a single weapon. I look at the evidence of history, where the overwhelming majority of medieval and fencing fighting techniques emphasized a single weapon or a single weapon and shield, and in most cases, I prefer rules that support my observation of the real world.

Curse me for posting before checking the BRP rules, rather than just looking at SB. Yes, it should be -30% for consistency's sake. Amended! Good question. I would think yes, and suggest a SR cost of 1 per riposte. That's a tentative suggestion, though... I rarely use the SR system and welcome players who're more enthusiastic about it to chime in. I think not. As noted above, the riposting and parrying weapon must be the same weapon. I see no reason to penalize a character additionally if they're parrying with an off-hand and riposting with it. It is assumed that skill in a weapon means you're using it in the your proficient method possible (i.e., in the hand you trained to use it in). The rules for two-weapon fighting suggest someone making attacks in an untrained off-hand suffer as if the attacks are Difficult. GMs wishing additional "realism" may incur off-hand penalties if they wish. I see no reason why not. Amended! Clarified above!

I've been asked by a couple of fine folks to "officially" write up the rules for the Riposte in BRP, so here goes: Riposte A riposte is a hand-to-hand attack that immediately follows a successful parry. When your character becomes a master (a skill rating of 91%+) with a hand-to-hand weapon skill (or attack and parry if attacks and parry skill ratings are being handled separately), he or she can attempt to riposte attacks. To riposte, your character must have made a successful parry with a hand-to-hand weapon against a hand-to-hand weapon attack. If the parry is successful, he or she can immediately make a counterattack--a riposte--against the attacker. The riposte is resolved as a normal attack, and the original attacker can attempt to parry the riposte. A riposte can be attempted once per successful parry made by your character, though each subsequent riposte is at a cumulative -30% (just as parries are so modified). The riposte does not take the place of a normal attack, but any penalties for multiple ripostes will modify your normal attack if has not already occurred. If your character has already attacked in a round, the initial riposte is at a cumulative -30% per prior attack. Clarifications A shield can be used as a riposting weapon. A Brawl attack (fist or kick, etc.) can be used to riposte. The weapon riposting must be the weapon the parry is made with. Your character cannot parry an attack with one weapon and riposte with another. When penalties for multiple parries or ripostes reduce a chance to 0%, no further actions of that type may be attempted in that combat round. Multiple parries and ripostes accumulate penalties separately. Keep attack/riposte penalties separate from parry penalties - they don't stack together. Each riposte attempt costs 1 DEX rank. If the character has not gone already in the round, his or her DEX rank is reduced by the number of riposte attempts. At 0 DEX ranks, no further actions can be attempted in that combat round. A riposte can be parried and riposted in turn, and that riposte can be parried and riposted. Keep track of penalties and DEX rank costs. Differences from the Stormbringer (1st-4th edition) Riposte rules In Stormbringer, the riposte is available at 90%+. It's 91%+ here, to make it synchronous with the normal rating plateau for skill mastery as presented on page 49 of the core rulebook. SB doesn't impose a DEX rating cost. I feel it's necessary to provide some balancing factor... a mob of people attacking a master can conceivably harass him enough that his attack is delayed somewhat. SB is unclear about whether ripostes can be parried. Any fencer will tell you that it is indeed possible. The penalties for multiple ripostes will keep it from turning into an infinite cycle of attack > parry > riposte > parry > riposte > parry > etc., although that sort of back-and-forth exchange is (in my opinion) more realistic than limiting exchanges. It will also enliven (and shorten) conflicts between highly-skilled combatants. SB doesn't present any guidelines on using ripostes with shields or two-weapon combat. I added clarification on these issues. SB has the penalty for multiple ripostes at -20%. I've made it -30% to be in line with BRP multiple action and parry penalties. These are what I believe are the most workable rules, though they are in no way shape or form graven in stone. They'll appear with Interplanetary in the section on Fencing. Any future monograph/supplement authors are more-than-welcome to include these as-is, or in a modified state to best suit your requirements. Feedback is welcome and encouraged. I'm going to make this a "living" post, editing and adding to it as revisions and requests for clarifications come in.

I have them, but haven't had the time to scan and post them. Hopefully in the next few days.

Very reasonable assumption. Also, awesome avatar! I've been poring over ElfQuest lately and am amazed at how good and straightforward a game it is.