badcat

To get acquainted, do a google search for 'Eldritch Dark', and an on site search for 'Zothique'. It is a HUGE site about CAS and his work. There is a very interesting 16 page document on using the setting of Zothique in a D20 game. I know, but still. It would be a good starting point for any system. My problem is that it's just too dark, making CoC or Warhammer cheery by comparison.

*ouch* That is much nastier than my manticore. Kibble and bits.

There is a document on the Clark Ashton Smith website that has some material on Zothique and other Smith settings. It is D&D oriented but could be used as a basis for a BRP game.

So you are saying it depends on how the games' power level is scaled? Maybe, I don't run supers or other genres with over the top power levels so I'm happy to take your word for it. It is likely that the two factors are tied together.

I had a raised eyebrow about that as well. In Magic World (where that particular rule originates) a hit point total and solid armor values were used. It does cost 3 points per level in BRP, so you probably won't see more than 3d6 damage spells very often. It is still going to be rough with the right, or rather wrong, set of options.

My favorite has always been 10% and cap 100% (Stormbringer 1). It works well, and is a dream to play during a game. You know the critical value as soon as you know your skill chance, there is no need for any further calculation no matter how simple and it works all the way to 200% and above if higher than 100% levels are used. It seems the natural way to do it, and I usually choose it or the 5/20 as in RQ2. I am still scratching my head over MRQ. They *almost* succeeded in making a simple playable game, and then introduced elements such as those you refer to. I also admit I don't understand why some think it desirable to have +100 skill levels.

:lol:Sometimes I am made to feel like I made a rude noise in public when I say BRP. I have to admit, though, Tim knows what it is and promises to stock a few copies. That's something. He looked at my coil bound pdf and seemed genuinely interested in spite of the massive 4e sales.

Not for me. I used to get into trouble with my group for constantly trying out new rules. This time around, standard BRP for my game, even simplified from the new books' level. But I will use some of the options from it. Just won't be experimenting and trying to put together the perfect system any more.

I'll ease off on 4e now, for one simple reason...I posted for a BRP group on one of the local meetup groups and got two firm bites almost immediately. There is some interest in the new rulebook around here after all, it seems. Maybe it was the way I was wording the ads. As long as I can get a game of BRP going I don't care about 4e. Oh, the bait is rebuilding a fallen empire and trying to get rich in the process. Swords and sorcery, Howard type stuff. On a side note, to give you all an idea of just how prevalent WOTC is around here, the gamestore owner, Tim, informed me he sold 700 copies of the 4e Players' Handbook the FIRST BUSINESS DAY it was available. At this one store...800 pound gorilla, indeed. Anyway, my :deadhorse: is done with.

conrad,aikighost....look in the mirror. That is where the sulky children will be peering back. Brats with a keyboard.:eek: Frankly I am beginning to be embarassed I have the same hobby as you little shits...no, wait, I don't. Not even similar. Your hobby is trying to rattle someone elses' cage, isn't it? You are both on my ignore list now, and there is no possibility of communication between us again. You do the same for me, little shits. Congratulations.

Yes, both of those items make sense; they also add more steps. Remember, I am going for fast and dirty, to one of the simplest forms of BRP. Just taking it far enough so I can bolt the concept onto the system, and play...but for a more complete conversion those are good points. SB1 didn't even have a move characteristic, per se, and higher POW will add to the Perception bonus. Thrall, male 6' 8" 300 lbs. INT -3, WIL +2, STR +4, DEX +2, CON +4, SPD +1 16 hit points, immune fear, inability to comprehend magic This is all you need for the actual conversion. On the SB1 height/weight chart the male Thrall falls into the SIZ 17 category. Assuming that is average, he gets +6 to the SIZ roll. The INT gets him a -1d4, relatively small since his mental failing applies to magic primarily and a disinterest in much of anything except fighting. He is not stupid, just not intellectually inclined. His WIL of +2 gets a POW bonus of +1d6 because he is not only inable to even comprehend magic but also was likely designed to be resistant to it in a world where magic is often used in combat. STR +4 gets 2d4 in BRP, because the weapon of choice is the greatsword. Maybe a Thrall too weak to use a greatsword would be left in the swamp, so he needs a minimum 11. Probably, I would make that a min. default as well. CON +4 will get 1d8. DEX +2 and SPD +1 gets at least a +1d8, and a default of 13 for the same reason as the STR. In fact, reverse the STR and DEX bonus dice, because the stats for a greatsword are 11 and 13, respectively. The skills. Thralls would mostly be warriors, with a few merchants and craftsmen, maybe farmers and hunters. The base archetype is almost identical to the SB1 warrior already. Three weapon skills and ride. Add brawl, good to go. And 1d6+2 misc. skills, to have some combat or military application. So, my BRP Thrall: STR +1d8 CON +1D8 SIZ +6 INT -1d4 POW +1d6 DEX +2d4 CHA -- On a base of 3d6 in order. Average Thrall; STR 15 CON 15 SIZ 16-17 INT 8 POW 14 DEX 15-16 CHA 10-11 Hit points 17-18 Damage bonus +1d6/1d4 Good bonuses. Positive numbers except Knowledge. Very good melee fighter, naturally. Opinions?

The only attempt at balance in Tal as far as I can tell is that none of the archetypes were given primary combat and primary magic together. Otherwise the divergence in power is pretty wild. My thought is use Stormbringer 1 as a base for the conversion, and use the new BRP book for bells and whistles. 3d6 in order for the stats and then die bonuses for the plus stats, archetype by archetype or figure races' bnuses from the archetypes given. Then assign backgrounds similar to the ones in Stormbringer, taking into account the archetype descriptions and definitions of,for instance, primary combat (five weapons in Tal 3, for instance) and other Talislantan conventions Tal 2 and 3 have lists of suggested skill by profession, so that should be fairly straight forward, just assigning base percentages. Then give 1d6+2 misc. skills just like in SB1. I'll do a couple of archetypes this way and post them later, to see how it looks. The stats, I suppose, would translate like this: Tal Stormbringer Strength Strength Constitution Constitution Dexterity Dexterity Speed Dexterity Intelligence Intelligence Perception Power Willpower Power Charisma Charisma Its going to have to be a judgement call on many archetypes to do it this way, but it would be fairly fast to do on the fly. It would probably be best to use single stat modifiers for the skills. Magic might be the hardest part to convert, or maybe not if perfection isn't the goal... Later, a sample converted archetype or two, just to see how this looks.

I'll repeat as needed. You don't like it, tough.

So what makes anyone think I haven't tried tolerance and subversion?:rolleyes:It rarely works with some of those guys. To many of them BRP is indeed an expulsion of gas. Trust me. I stated my position, it stands. Better no game than even to admit D&D as it stands is a rpg at all. Lets not :deadhorse:

You mean a review from someone who likes it? I am sure there will be a review there soon. Pleasant, uh, who knows. There have been in the past several threads at rp.net speculating about the new BRP book. It is certainly going to be interesting to see what the reaction there is. I'd like to see reviews and a poll gauging reaction here, too. I have no idea how to set a poll up, though. Nor would I attempt a review without having actually read through and played it as is. Someone here will soon, I hope.

Kick a Tal/BRP thread off then. I'll be happy to follow your lead.

I just looked through it and my initial impression is very good. There are things I like and things I don't so much (big surprise). Most importantly the book looks both useful and easy to use, with a lot of material for reference (that is a serious understatement). Taking into account my minor dislikes and such I guess I would rate it 9 out of 10. It really couldn't be much better because almost all those dislikes have to do with personal preference, and I know the book was written for, hopefully, as large a target audience as possible. There is no point in going into my personal preferences and so forth. In general it sort of reminds me of the GURPS 3 rulebook. Not a bad thing. One small caveat is that I am not sure it is going to always be easy to separate some of the specific rules that one might want to include from the general body of rules even though one of the stated goals, I think, was to make it easy to do so. For instance the skill section seems to assume criticals and specials with effects described for all levels of success. It may take a little work to construct a simpler skill list with only criticals (critical and success effects will sometimes need to be combined) if you want to have a skill set similar to Stormbringer 1, for instance. But that's OK. I really believe I am looking at possibly the most useful rpg rule book I have ever picked up, GURPS and all. There is a boatload of good stuff with only small dissatisfactions here and there. Thanks, Jason.:thumb:

Thank you, cjbowser, sdavies2720, delriad...I found the link and have the pdf. No line on that page on mine, Colin. Now to finally have a look at this puppy...

If you are commenting on my original post, threedeesix, bear in mind that I am the one reacting as you describe. And only here, in a place I feel about halfway comfortable with expressing how I feel. That day in the gamestore I just walked away. Believe me, that was not a time to discuss how BRP or anything else might be a better choice for gaming. Which is part of what really, really bugs me. I do not tell anyone they are stupid because of a game choice, although I might tease someone about such a choice; and of course that has been taken out of context by others occasionally, even on this forum. As for 4e or 3.5 being good for the hobby as a whole, and particularly tabletop rpgs of the kind I enjoy? I don't agree with that.

I'm sorry, and maybe I'm being dense, but I don't see how BRP doesn't describe well how a particular PC or NPC 'departs from average'. Can you clarify?

OK, it's been almost 24 hours since I bought the pdf, and it ain't here yet. How long a time lag are you all having?

Eighties OR nineties! Just SOONER. I don't know about changing history, but I would have been happier. RosenMcStern, after we couldn't initially figure out how to play D&D (blue cover) my first group went to TFT. WE had a lot of fun with it, and it was a dream to understand and play after hit dice/points, reverse AC and no damage reduction, what do you roll for damage?, etc. etc. See, no matter what game you love somebody comes along and 'bad mouths' it. Difference is, I don't care, you are as free to say that as I am to slam 3e+. Sorry you don't like TFT, it's one of my favorites and I have many fond memories of it. I agree about GURPS though. Never much wanted to play it, wouldn't try to run it. I don't despise it like I do 3e+, though.

Part of what I have been thinking is 'what if Chaosium had put this book out in the mid nineties?' I know the history pretty well too, so it is obviously wishful thinking. I can run a good game and that is what I have to rely on, when the time comes. I know that's what it boils down to. It has, ever since part of our group split off from the original D&D group way back to try a new game called RuneQuest...in that sense nothing much has changed in over three decades, now.

I for one am trying. That was the purpose of my original post. I mean, if I can't get some comfort about it here, where else might there be? Another thing is, I have a hunch that whether 4e is actually a rpg or not, it leaves a certain itch unscratched that games like Stormbringer and Talislanta can satisfy. It's just simply a different game experience. I'm going to do my level best it does not become the only one out there.

That stated, Ars, Talislanta/BRP? Start a new thread or what?