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Toadmaster

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About Toadmaster

  • Birthday 11/19/1967

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  • RPG Biography
    AD&D, RQ, CoC, BRP, Traveller, Aftermath, Daredevils, HERO System, GURPS, The Morrow Project, Tri-Tac, Behind Enemy Lines, Delta Force and many more
  • Current games
    Ha, what are those
  • Location
    Northern California
  • Blurb
    Some people call me Mister Karma

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  1. BRP was a 16 (?) page booklet, this is a 23 page booklet with 2 pages of legalese so it is more content than the original BRP. I guess I fail to see how opening up the original basic game rules is so thin in detail as to be worthless unless you simply have no interest in the game which is fine, but seems an odd complaint. I don't like D&D 3E so the OGL is worthless? To me yes, to others obviously not. Perhaps I misunderstand your point because I do believe you are a fan of BRP. I would assume "prohibited content" is legalese for check with us first. Not a lawyer but I wouldn't think anything in this ties their hands from allowing exceptions that won't take away from their existing games. "Prohibited content" makes it easier to respond to "is "not" Pendragon ok?" that is in fact very similar to Pendragon with a simple "no" rather than spending time to point out all of the issues. I guess this ultimately comes down to how you view the licence holders. Are they reasonable people willing to work with fans on some edge cases or hard asses unwilling to look at fringe cases. It strikes me that there are some who seem to view this offer as an insincere gotcha rather than a legitimate offer to open BRP up for use by others. Not saying you are one of these, just seems like a lot of glass is half empty here, although that has been my experience in general with these kinds of arrangements. They tend to bring out the complaints from fans that they don't go far enough with some apparently wanting unfettered access to everything.
  2. They can't enforce copyright on public domain works, but they can restrict the use of the game rules anyway they wish. They could include a clause against the use of purple text. Their rules, their rules. It is a lot easier and friendlier to make individual exceptions than to play wack a mole against every use that comes to close to their existing IPs. If you want to make a cyberpunk game featuring King Arthur and his chrome knights of the round table I would expect chances are pretty good you would get a green light because nobody could confuse that with Pendragon. What you describe is pretty different but only they could say if it is far enough for their comfort. I actually didn't know that Pendragon was back under Chaosium, it sure has done some travelling. 😃
  3. Nice to see this, BRP is a great basic system to work from. I think it is safe to assume as it gets used the many hypothetical questions will be resolved as actual implementation occurs. The intent legitimately seems to be don't copy an existing game in all but name.
  4. If relatively modern, and military flamethrowers are out of the question (as they probably should be) a brush and weed burning torch might be an option. Simple enough to make as well if the PCs have basic metal fabrication skills. https://flameengineering.com/collections/weed-dragon-torch-kits A pesticide sprayer filled with a flammable liquid like gasoline would be an easily acquired and complementary weapon to the above torch. Agree with those who say incendiary bullets are probably of limited use, just not that much material in them. They are intended to ignite flammable gasses (hydrogen) or fuel. A flare gun or 12 gauge flares for a shotgun would do as much if not more damage.
  5. Natives in the Amazon basin from about 450 BC added charcoal to the soil to increase the nutrient content for farming. Not just any charcoal, but biochar, a charcoal created through a specific process of heating material in an oxygen poor environment until it turns into a very dark, carbon rich charcoal. Gasification is a process used to create wood gas (a flammable, lighter than air gas) and it produces a similar kind of charcoal as a by product. In the 1800s wood gas was found to be better than hot air for balloons. A related material and bi-product of making both wood gas and biochar is an oily tar like residue, which the Ancient Egyptians used for sealing boats and embalming bodies. All of these processes are fairly simple, and something that a modern tinkerer can do in their backyard with common materials available at a home improvement store. The technology to make create an airtight envelope and a lighter than air gas to make functional balloons was at least theoretically possible 2500 years ago. Not saying that the Nazcas were using gas balloons to transport their war dinos, but it is feasable... Where did I leave my roll of tin foil, I need to make a new hat.
  6. Magic World is a lighter variant so might be an easier sell to people coming from D&D. It makes a nice intro to BRP. You can always use the BGB or other systems later to bump up the level of detail if desired. The downside is the game is not supported anymore. Chaosium says they will keep the pdf available, but print copies are gone when they run out. If you are pretty familiar with BRP then the BGB can definitely be used to run a basic fantasy game, just use what you like and easy to beg, borrow and steal stuff from other BRP based games.
  7. While it lacks the RPG rules elements, I would think a general history would cover most of the necessary information. Something aimed at the mass market, and middle school aged children seems like it would be particularly handy. Something like this which allows one to pick and choose the areas of interest or just grab the whole set. https://www.amazon.com/American-Indians-23-Volumes-Set/dp/B0015Y8O30 Ignore the Amazon price, based on experiences with other multi-volume sets like this you can find single volumes cheap at used books stores, ebay etc. You pay a premium for a complete set. There is a seller at Ebay with the complete set for $64.00 right now. T-L books are easy as they have covered almost everything at some point, but I'm sure there are similar books sets from other publishers. Add to the "low tech" game of your choice, and you are well on your way.
  8. Seems reasonable, although you might allow an easier attack roll for the initial aim since it just has to hit the area of the crowd, not a single individual. I'm not sure what light, medium, heavy corresponds with in regards to real life cannon. I found a reference that says cannon targets in the 18th & 19th century were often 3 yards high by 30 yards wide. This was the approximate size of an enemy infantry company coming straight on to the cannons. A man on a horse being approximately 9 feet tall, not the height of individual soldiers. 😊 I don't know that you care to get this far into the weeds, but there is an actual difference between Grapeshot and Canister. If you do... Grapeshot was primarily a naval round which used a smaller number of large (usually iron) balls, typically nine 2" to 2.5" balls sandwiched between 2 iron, bore diameter sized plates. They were typically bound together with wire and / or cloth. The name came from their resemblance to a cluster of grapes. Some very large guns like the 42 Pounder used balls as large as 3 1/4". Canister was primarily an anti-personnel round more common in field guns. It fired a much larger number of 1/2" to 1 1/2" iron or lead balls. Musket balls were sometimes used as well, being of a handy size and readily available. These were usually packed into a thin metal can, resulting in the name case or canister shot. Canister was devastating at 100-200 yards, but quickly lost effectiveness past 300 yards and was considered ineffective beyond 500 yards. Shrapnel came along around 1790, so I'm assuming later that the period you are playing in. It differs from Canister as it is a hollow ball filled with smaller balls and a bursting charge. It is fused to detonate at range releasing its contents, which then act much like canister. Since it stays together until the bursting charge goes off it has a significantly longer range. For reference I found details for a 12 Pounder of the 1800s which was considered light as a ships gun, but heavy as a field gun. Loaded with Grapeshot it used nine 2" balls each weighing about 1 1/6 pound. Loaded with Canister it fired 27 balls of approximately 1.5" diameter, each weighing about 2/5 of a pound. Navies preferred Grapeshot because the larger balls would do more damage to a ships components and rigging. They also were better at penetrating the light cover a ships deck provided to the crew. Armies were generally firing at men lined up in a field where there was minimal cover to worry about, more balls meant more chances to hit a target. Grapeshot seems to have been limited to 12 Pounders on the smaller side, but Canister was used down to at least guns of the 3 Pounder (2.9") size. For damage it seems reasonable to consider a hit from a canister shot roughly equal to getting hit by a musket / rifle, while grapeshot is more like getting hit by a small cannon.
  9. I have Renaissance, but don't have experience with it. Looking at the learning a new skill rules, it appears to me you only need a "teacher" to learn an advanced skill. Anybody can teach a regular skill as long as they have 20% greater skill than the pupil. Once you have the skill yourself you can practice, practice practice. Having a qualified teacher (has teaching skill) for a regular skill just provides an opportunity to learn / improve the skill faster. As far as not many people having the skill, I still think that has to do more with people reading "teaching" as formally educated to teach rather than just having the ability to instruct others. Throk the exceedingly patient, may be an illiterate caveman but when teaching others how to make fire, throw a rock or paint lovely cave art he may very well be an excellent natural teacher. Not because he went to Caveman University, but simply because he is patient and explains things well.
  10. So if nobody has the teaching skill, then who teaches the little natives how to throw a spear? Obviously somebody in the tribe knows how to teach even if they don't have a formal education. I suspect perhaps a too literal reading of the teaching skill? The skill lists assume a European setting which this does not appear to be. Perhaps you just meant none of the small group helping your party has the teaching skill. Also it is a spear, not advanced calculus. I know the rules say teaching is required, but its a spear, take pointy end and jab... repeat until you are good at it. 😊
  11. That was the plan, I'll grab MERH and then if I run across AOC I'll pick that up as well. Shame the licensing gets in the way of keeping the others available. Simon I'll be waiting for your crusades additions. You need to get cracking because I apparently don't buy these things until they've been out of print 5-10 years. I'd like to have it in hand before 2030 so the clock it ticking. 😂
  12. So excluding system specific elements it sounds as if there is still some value in getting both ME AofC and Robyn Hode if I found the first at a reasonable price. Assume the MRQ, BRP, GRQ, Mythras licensing saga is the main reason that pdf versions are not offered on the older supplements? Thanks, these are among several historical supplements I kept meaning to get and then when I went to get them I find they are out of print. Then I see publication dates and yeah, I've been taking my sweet time I see. 😓
  13. With the various hopping around from Mongoose RQ to BRP and now Revolution I'm a little confused by the Merrie England titles, Merrie England, Merrie England Age of Eleanor, Merrie England Age of Chivalry, Merrie England Robyn Hode (the last of which is the only one currently available at Drivethru). Are these just title changes for the specific systems attached to, or a setting book and add on supplements? If I pick up ME Robyn Hode from DrivethruRPG does that give me the latest and greatest collection of all the material or is it stand alone additional material to that first offered for MRQ? Thanks just one of those books I've meant to get and now trying to hunt down. It is a bit confusing as to what is what. Also any plans to revisit Crusaders of the Amber Coast?
  14. Completed survey. Why haven't you bought from us isn't a question on the survey, but might I suggest adding a link to Chaosium merchandise on the Chaosium website. I have bought quite a few game books through the Chaosium site in past years and this is the first I've ever seen these kinds of items offered outside of a brick & mortar store (where they got them, I have no idea). I just had a peak, no link that I can find to buy T-shirts, mugs etc. Looks like nice stuff, I think I see some future birthday presents to myself.
  15. Sounds like you've dug into the game more than I have, I really haven't had the time to do much more than download and give a quick skim so far. I just noticed that the included books came from at least 4 publishers so thought there might be a little bit of edition mix and match going on.
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