badcat

Funny, one of the few things I liked as far as changes go in MRQ was the way the rules handle base skills. I was even doing it that way myself before MRQ was published...like Dodge default being DEX x2%, and so on. My homebrew list is pretty different, though. The big advantage over the RQ3 way (for instance) is that you never have to worry about adjusting bonuses during play, if you consider the base derived percentages to be 'fixed'.

Any number of small adjustments like that would add up, fast, though. It is one my major complaints about D&D 3rd+ edition. I don't even particularly like the 5%/20% critical/special structure, for the same reason. Usually I go with a straight 10% or 20%. Critical. And hold the +100% skill levels down, if not completely disallowed. It has worked well for a long time. Makes for fast, plot driven games.

As indeed is the new book. You don't need SB5, as the default system of the new book is very similar. Or so I understand. Jason is the guy to ask, I guess...just to be sure.

The 9mmk, .45, .357, maybe .44 too low. .22 and .5.56 too high. Otherwise close enough. Oh, and I think the .45 is a better penetrator than the .9mm; penetration is more a function of mass than velocity...that is why shooting experts advise against calibers like the .243 for really big tough animals like bears and moose, and elephant and water buffalo and such are usually taken by big medium velocity rounds like the .458 or .416...with solid bullets at that. I have read that many soldiers in Korea traded in Hi-Powers for 1911s because the 9mm could not penetrate the Chinese greatcoats well enough to stop them. Any pistol round is a poor penetrator of body armor in comparison to rifle rounds except some of the big boys (and I don't mean the .45 ACP). You don't really need the extra penetration factor mechanic. All IMHO, and because you asked for opinions.

In the Deadlands Edges/Hindrances there was a Hindrance called Fat or whatever and the blurb in the description started with 'your hoss hates to see you coming'...

Anything that is fairly simple mechanics wise, is roll under, and is not dice pool.

Oh, sorry, Drohem. I somehow missed that line when I scanned the posts...just trying to help.

A small clarification; Tal 4 is not Omni, Omni was derived from Tal 4, which was derived from, but similar to, the Bard Games house system, which powered the original 3 editions of Talislanta. Personally I prefer the 3rd ed. and earlier. Even though I think Tal 4 is one of the most beautiful rpg books ever printed, even if it is black and white.

Yes, the first three I read in high school and enjoyed, although I remember getting a little disturbed with Priest-Kings. Then I bought the next two on leave from the Navy to read and could not get into them...I guess I had passed some sort of threshold where I could no longer get past the nasty background attitudes. I have never read the first ones again, so I really don't have a good handle to what extent they are 'infected' with the slave/S&M side of the stories. It does seem that the first one at least might have something to offer a setting of 'interplanetary' romance.

Anyone else remember the Otis Adelbert Kline novels? One of the Burroughs-type planetary romance novelists...'Prince of Peril', 'Planet of Peril', 'Port of Peril', 'Swords of Mars', 'Outlaws of Mars'. He did a Tarzan knock-off too. For some reason I liked his stuff more than ERB. That isn't saying much because a lot of the stuff I liked then I can't stand now. Just wondering if anyone else had fond memories of this writer. Some of the stuff in his books would fit right in with a 'planetary romance' supplement. Sort of a fully auto needle thrower gun, powder that ignites when it touches water, etc. Lots of princesses with no clothes, of course.

Some examples of the genre went beyond 'sexist'. The Gor series, by John Norman for instance.

It is more than possible, I have done a full conversion, of Talislanta 3rd edition, about 12 years ago. And ran it for a while. The main advice I would give is to not try to match the archetype descriptions exactly, eyeball the stats, and create skill packages. For example, a Thrall and a Kharakhan giant would both be very strong, the giant much stronger (and bigger of course), but the Thrall would be faster. Neither one would have a particularly high INT, but the Thrall would be conversant in combat skills other than weapon skills, such as Dodge, Tactics, Artillery, Ambush, Strategy, etc. in spite of that. The main advantage of the giant would be tremendous damage dealing ability, esp. in BRP. Anyway, just think about the implications of the racial descriptions and create the stats and so forth, then tack on professions/skills/etc. Try to use the archetypes as guides only. You will find that it is pretty easy to capture the Talislanta 'feel' with BRP. Oh, the BRP ruleset I used was Stormbringer 1...I think it worked partly because that particular ruleset is very simple and straightforward. I don't think one of the more involved BRP rulesets would work as well (RQ3, for instance). The new rulebook will probably be fine, as my impression is that you can pick and choose what rules components you want. Have fun, and rest assured that BRP is a very good choice for Tal.

There is a HUGE difference between realism per se and internal consistency, though.

Oh, yeah. Now you have my attention. Leigh Brackett, Otis Adelbert Kline, Robert E. Howard as well as ERB...I'd buy that in BRP, oh yes indeed...

I like the Stormbringer 1 way, warts and all. The only modification is to remove POW from the physical bonus formulae to prevent 'super-mages'. It remains in COM and PER bonuses, and I use the Luck roll quite a bit.

Spaceships in the 1920's? How does that happen in the setting, if you care to explain that much? It reminds me a of E. E. Doc Smiths' 'Skylark', a bit. Invasion, alien gift, brilliant breakthrough? All of the above? Good hook job, Jason.:thumb:

Understood, my post was poorly worded. I was looking for a finer description of what is in the MM and how well it would go with the new book, esp. since running CoC is not my intention. I'm not into half the genres in the BRP book, and I am trying to get as good a grasp on what is and isn't there (in both books) as possible to make informed choices, that's all. Sorry if it seemed I was asking the same question twice, really I was asking for 'further clarification'. Just knowing it doesn't have standard fantasy dragons tells me what I need to know, I guess. Thanks again for your patience and the new book.

The answer about the fantasy creatures was what I was looking for this time, thanks.

Hey, Jason, would the Malleus Monstrorum make a good companion book for the new BRP book? Are the stats matching, so conversion is not necessary? Are there fantasy creatures such as 'normal' dragons and manticores? I am thinking about ordering that now, since I got juju at Noble Knight. Thanks.

I agree about the system, but I liked the alternate history angle. It was amazing to me how unnecessarily complex the system is, to basically do the same thing BRP does, yes. There's always GURPS Rome, if you can ignore the rules parts. I am going to model the Atlantean army after the Roman army to some extent. I do hesitate a bit at using the weapon names 'gladius' and 'pilum' (anachronistic) but then again, why not? I'm not a big fan of Pendragon, so I don't know anything much about it. The generational thing and personality trait thing are big turn-offs to me. I consider them as unnecessary as some of Roma Imperius' more arcane rules...or fate points, et al. KISS all the way.

Yes, the TV series. Second season too. Have a look at 'Roma Imperius'. Rpg by Hinterwelt. It's interesting.

Sure, but I have read that training doctrine for the gladius was close with shield and thrust from cover. Thus a 'thrusting weapon'. You have a valid point about armor...and shields. The fact remains that a Western setting is going to be deadlier. For all of the above reasons. Guns have a slightly higher average damage, always from range, and armor isn't common. Swords are deadly too, but firearms offer distinct advantages. As a summary of sorts. If you haven't seen Rome, you might be interested. It's way better than most movies set in the timeframe.

Maybe. I can see both sides. Guns are deadly, but remember the knives and shortwords in the TV series Rome?:eek: Anyway, deadly makes a good game, IMO. Even D&D was more fun at low levels, when the PCs could still fear a goblin with a knife. Also, speaking of Rome (this was nibbling at me earlier in this thread), in some of the aftermath scenes there was some pretty graphic evidence of slashing wounds on the battlefields (similar to some of the description of historians, posted above). Doesn't really mean much, I know, but the series was pretty realistic in general. So.

I don't think Westerns are a real good choice for BRP, no. You need not worry... Then again, there is Deadlands, you don't have to quite playing just 'cause you are dead...

Do you guys think elves and dwarves (Tolkien style, more or less) can fit in swords & sorcery well, or do they always skew the setting they are placed in to a D&D-esque feel?