Jason D

You might look to Cthulhu Dark Ages for more professions. CDA has the following professions: Beggar Cleric Craftsman/Shopkeeper Farmer Guard Healer Hermit/Heretic Household Officer Juggler/Minstrel Mercenary/Brigand Merchant Monk/Nun Pilgrim Priest Sailor Scholar Sergeant/Mayor Small Trader Warrior Woodsman/Fisherman Another source would be Stormbringer/Elric!. The following professions are represented therein: Beggar Craftsperson/Shopkeeper Hunter Lost/Forgotten Mercenary/Bodyguard Merchant Minor Noble Nomad Paid Assassin/Thug Peasant/Farmer Physician/Apothecary Sailor Scribe/Engineer Shaman/Priest/Cultist Slave Small Trader Soldier/Guard/Watchman Tax or Rent Collector Thief Troubadour/Entertainer Between those two sources, you've got most non-setting-specific professions covered.

I don't have any time for playtesting, but I've long wanted to see a BRP treatment of the spy genre, so this is quite cool to read about.

No, you've got it backwards... Age-5 is the maximum EDU can be to start with, not the starting value for EDU. The reason EDU didn't have a starting value suggested was to allow the GM to set it to an appropriate value for the campaign. That way, in a campaign where the GM says "You're all professors at M.I.T.", one of the players doesn't create a character with an EDU 7, or the converse where the PCs are all grade school kids and one of them rolls an 18 for EDU. If you don't have a strong preference, then start it at 10 with the other characteristics. I'd make each EDU point cost 3 points and bump up the starting number of characteristic points by the following amounts: Normal - Increase starting points by 6 (letting players add +2 EDU without affecting the way other points are spent, making a generic person a high school graduate or the equivalent) Heroic - Increase starting points by 12 (letting players add an average of +4 EDU, giving everyone a few years of college or the equivalent) Epic - Increase starting points by 18 (or +6 EDU, a college graduate or thereabouts) Superhuman - Increase starting points by 24 points (around +8 EDU, the equivalent of a M.A. or advanced degree) Why aren't the extra point totals higher? The reason is that these points in EDU will double-dip, so to speak, adding more skill points. They also present the option of unbalancing starting point totals if they're not spent on EDU, so the GM should police how those points are spent.

That reference is in error - it should be Step Three (p20) and Step Seven (p24).

If I had a bounty of spare time, I'd work on quickstart versions of Futureworld, Magic World, and Super-World.

Yeah... I suggested it after turning in the core manuscript and wrote it right afterwards. I'd have liked to do more with it, but the point was to keep it simple and lean, so it could be easily used by players.

It's nice to finally have that out and available.

Good to hear. I was quite impressed with what I saw on the site.

Sure... I can do that.

I strongly encourage folks to email Dustin and express an interest in such a project. A landscape 3-panel GM screen combined with a packet of tables, character sheets, etc. would be invaluable.

I don't mind you asking, but I have no idea. Between me turning in the manuscript (which hasn't happened), it's got to go through editing, any additional writing or rewriting, proofing. This ends the point where I have any control or influence on the process. At the same time, art must be solicited, created, and approved. Layout then happens. Then there's a final wave of proofing/editing. Then a printer proof. Then it goes to the printer. Then it comes back from the printer, and arrives at Chaosium's warehouse. So there's no way to say, really.

I use Adobe Illustrator, but that's the program I learned vector-based design on, so it's intuitive for me.

Love the title! So, in the spirit of internet threads... any questions about Interplanetary? Just kidding!

I humbly suggest a new thread called Chaosium Monographs or something like that.

I humbly suggest a new thread called Chaosium Monographs or something like that.

Stay tuned...

I think Chaosium recognizes that the quality of the monographs is uneven (no disrespect intended to the authors and artists who work on them). As Chaosium states clearly on their site and on the monographs themselves, they're not edited by Chaosium, nor do they receive artwork or layout from Chaosium. I suspect it's simply a case of Chaosium not wanting to send material into the retail chain that isn't at their standard production quality.

I usually set deadlines (word count), but since I began writing this, I've suffered through a layoff, a job search, a back injury, a new job, a car breakdown, buying a new car, a lingering and difficult death in the family and its aftereffects, two major family holidays, a prolonged visit from out-of-town relatives, and a prolonged period of non-communication from Chaosium. So the schedule went sort of out the window.

It's not a monograph. It'll be a full product with editing, art, layout, and cover provided by Chaosium, etc. I'm not as close to done as I'd like, but it's chugging along.

To extend the chart a little bit: STR + CON 0-4 = -1d6 5-8 = -1d4 9-12 = -1d3 13-16 = -1d2 17-20 = no modifier (technically the previous chart should begin at 21) Frankly, at this level, I wouldn't bother "doubling" the penalty... the min STR requirements for most weapons means using them is Difficult. You might add a spot rule (snatched freely from Savage Worlds and bent to my use) stating that if the total possible rolled damage penalty (6 for 1d6, for example) for a hand weapon is greater than the total possible rolled weapon's damage (for example, a broadsword doing 1d8+1 has a total possible of 9)... the chance to hit is reduced to 0%.

I'd halve the result of the roll.

I wrote it, turned it in just before Lynn's health became an issue. I suspect we'll be seeing it before too long in one form or another.

Given the chance to completely rewrite the damage system, I'd keep it as dice rather than a static modifier, but I'd certainly add more granularity and lower it so it's not as high a value as most weapons. For example: STR+SIZ 20-24 = +1d2 25-28 = +1d3 (1d6/2) 29-32 = +1d4 33-36 = +1d6 37-40 = +1d8 41-44 = +1d10 45-48 = +1d12 49-52 = +2d8 53-56 = +2d10 57-60 = +2d12 etc.

I don't know if I'd call Call of Cthulhu unknown, and right now, it is their other game.

Thanks!