Aelwyn

I just like this more and more. Small number of skills and lots of specializations, small number of mechanics and lots of color, small character sheets that say a lot in a few stats. Looks like a very simple game to learn but one with a lot of variety and adaptability. Realistic and fun. A worthy addition to the family.

Welcome, Joerg. We're a pretty friendly (and esoteric) group, and if it's in the Glorantha section, you can probably get away with whatever level of esoterica you're comfortable with. We're also a diverse group--and here I'm talking about the whole site, not just the Glorantha section. There are people who play generic RQ6 but don't like Glorantha, people who don't like RQ6 but love Glorantha, people who love both, and people who love neither. But we all seem to get along. Many of the people on this site are authors or publishers... or want to be. If you're interested in everything, I highly recommend the New Content button.

I think you're on the right track. Most ships will have the same areas, just devote different amounts to each. Is this a spartan mission, with coffin-like bunks and no social space, and all extra space devoted to weapons and sensors? Or is the crew rich and used to luxurious accomodations, like their own sleeping quarters and being able to eat at a table... and a holodeck... and a sports arena? Does the crew sleep in shifts? Maybe you don't need that many beds. Maybe the crew is a race that neither eats nor sleeps but derives sustenance from something beamed from the walls of the ship. Traders--big cargo hold. Smugglers--hidden cargo hold. Military--big cargo hold full of fighters, shuttles, and ground vehicles, or no cargo hold but lots of weapons. Scouts and exploration ships--little bit of everything, but nothing very big. Is there artificial gravity on the ship? If not, sleeping bags can be nailed against the walls to save space. Even if that is not the case, beds can be folded into the wall when not in use to provide more room.

I'm not sure it's easier to read whether the tens or the ones of a two-digit number are higher, or to divide a two-digit number by ten and round up. Dividing by ten seems easier and more intuitive to me, but maybe with practice the new way will become automatic. Something to look at in playtesting. As Paolo notes, the new way makes it much more likely that high-skill characters will gain an advantage. There are things I like about this--it means high-powered combat is more cinematic and narrative, with lots of opportunities to call a special effect. But it also may mean that high-powered combat is over too quickly due to called shots and impales. Though I suspect Paolo has already figured this out and there is something to prevent someone with DEX 18 and 110% weapon skill from inflicting instant death on anything. Something else to look at in playtesting.

Yeah, that sounds good. I voted for three subforums, but I don't see any need for two separate Runequest forums, one under Chaosium Games and one under Glorantha, and it makes more sense to keep Runequest (mechanics) separate from Glorantha (setting). If the HeroQuest forum starts getting more traffic, it can be easily moved out of the "More from Chaosium" category.

So how do you deal with a situation where your Ninja uses Sleight (which he does not have a trait for) successfully in an adventure? Presumably she or he would then get an experience roll for Stealth. But still no trait for Sleight, because that was a one-off use of the skill, and the Ninja still doesn't really know how to use it at the level of Hide and Sneak? So how do you gain new Traits? Is it only through training? Can you practice a new Trait in the field and learn it that way? Sounds like as you gain experience in a skill, you can slowly add more Traits and Stunts to it. So when the Ninja's Stealth reaches 75% (or whatever), he could add Sleight as a Trait? And when it reaches 100%, add Disguise? But looking at the character stats, that seems not to be the case.

Works best if you start typing your reply first, add some extra hard returns, click where you want the quote, paste in quotes with the Quote link, then delete anything from the quote you don't want. I found this post pretty easy to make that way. It does get glitchy if you try to paste in quotes without any space and then type around them.

I haven't actually started playing with these guys yet. I've only read their house rules doc, which I don't have on me. And I'm pretty new to RQ6. So I may be talking out of the side of my neck a little. I believe the way it works is that the opponent gets a (smallish--10%?) bonus on his next ATTACKING roll (or maybe all subsequent attacking rolls?), and that these bonuses are cumulative if you continue to use the same SE, but they reset to zero if you use a different one. I think this is fairly realistic--when boxers, martial artists, and fencers starting using the same combinations again and again, it's easier for their opponents to see openings, time their attacks, and land a blow. Like I said, I have not started playing with them yet, so I don't know exactly how this works, how well it works, or if it slows combat down too much with record-keeping. My guess is that it encourages the players to mix up their special effects, so that the rule never comes into play, but it still encourages creativity. Another thing I like about the SEs is how many non-lethal options there are. Sometimes characters aren't going to want to kill an opponent, and (I hope) the GM doesn't want to kill the characters in every combat. There's too much murder in RPGs and not enough finesse. There should be consequences down the line for killing... even wild animals and monsters may have a mate or parent who may hunt you for killing a loved one. And killing a town guard should lead to an investigation and possibly legal consequences. The SEs provide some options that are both realistic and provide alternatives to outright killing. And for what it's worth, I think it's more FUN to throw sand in someone's face before you decapitate them.

Ben Bova wrote a novel about a colony ship gone awry, End of Exile. Been many years since I read it, but this thread is making me want to revisit it.

Don't know if I read this advice in RQ6 or a GM gave it to me (it's not original with me): Have new players look over the list of Special Effects and pick 4 to start out with (2 defensive and 2 offensive). Focus on using just those until you're comfortable with them, then add a couple more. You don't have to go through the entire list every time. Loz, it might be worth adding that advice to the rules if it's not in there... though I know space is going to be at a premium. The campaign I'm about to join also has a nice house rule to prevent people from using "head shot" every time. If you pick the same SE twice in a row, the defender gets a bonus because he can see it coming. Very realistic from a combat point of view, and it also forces players to be a little more creative. Might be too crunchy to include in the short version of the rules. Personally, I love the special effects. They're fun and they make combat more narrative rather than just a dice fest and war of attrition. Isn't it great that there's a rule for throwing sand in your opponent's eyes? Loz, please add a "Humiliate Opponent" SE that either enrages them (stop defending and only attack) or demoralizes them (stop attacking and only defend; makes Compel Surrender easier) if they fail an INT contest. I've got some characters that could really use that.

It could be something as simple as assigning every power a point value, assigning skill improvement a point value, and giving characters a certain number of points to spend in character creation, as is done with superpowers (but none of the other powers) in the BGB. Would make it a lot easier to do cross-genre campaigns.

Unified powers would be high on my list as well, but I'm not sure a 32-page book will include any powers. That said, I don't think there's any reason you couldn't have a single mechanic for purchasing psionics, superpowers, magic, and powered mutations in character generation, and another single mechanic for using all of the above. And maybe such a simplified system would fit into 32 pages.

Clarence, have you contacted Chaosium? You might want to do so before making any major rewrites.

I like the way it changes depending on what forum you're in.

Yeah, I've since realized I was completely wrong, and admitted it in the other thread. However, since this is the wishing thread, I still wish it was based on the original 16-page booklet from the early 1980s. And yeah, I know it's not going to be that, either.

These decisions will likely be made by Chaosium, but I would recommend making it a self-contained game, with BRPE included as a separate insert with your rules. Very much looking forward to this. I hope everything gets sorted soon.

Cheers, binder. That's great!

...only 385 posts to go...

For me, a lot of it is basic web etiquette (which unfortunately is often lacking on the web). State your opinions freely and realize others will do the same. Avoid ad hominem attacks. Be specific about what you like/don't like. Balance criticism and praise. As Paolo notes, criticism is more valuable than praise, but if you hate everything, you clearly are not going to be happy even if all your suggestions are taken. And that means your suggestions are more likely to be ignored. Be open to considering opinions you don't share. Have a little humility. Realize that you're gonna be wrong one day, and it might even be today. Don't say anything about someone you wouldn't say to that person, and don't say anything online that you wouldn't say to that person's face, if that person were armed and slightly drunk. If someone says something you know to be incorrect, you'll get better results if you correct them gently than you will if you humiliate them. If you're angry, say so, and say why you're angry, rather than attacking others. Read your post before hitting Submit Reply. If things get heated, try to back the rhetoric down rather than ratcheting it up. Avoid discussing politics, religion, and your opinions about various ethnic, racial, and national groups (or any other kind of group), except on websites that are expressly devoted to such discussions. Don't make assumptions about people from different groups... you'll inevitably be wrong. Avoid asking loaded questions like "Why are all X so stupid?" Remember that sarcasm and satire often does not come across in written language. Also realize that "it was satire" is not a particularly good defense for reprehensible behavior. Remember that not everyone has the same frame of reference as you, so try to be as clear as you can. Never use all caps, unless you're saying LONG LIVE BRP!

Eyeworm / Blind Man's Butterfly STR 0 CON 1 SIZ 1 INT 2 POW 7 DEX 8 HP 1 MOV 1 Dodge 35%, Lay Eggs 65%, Fly 85% Night Vision The eyeworm, like the glass snake and the titmouse, is misnamed. It's not a worm; it's actually a caterpillar--the larva of the blind man's butterfly. The blind man's butterfly lays its eggs in the corner of the eyes of sleeping vertebrates. One butterfly may lay as many as 100 eggs, but it will only lay one egg in each eye. The eggs are coated with a strong adhesive and a contact anesthetic. If the creature so infested fails a Luck roll, and does not seek treatment, in 3 weeks, the egg will hatch on the side next to the eyeball, and a tiny larva will eat its way through the sclera and attach itself to the inside of the eye, within the vitreous cavity. This will be painless at first, as the saliva of the larva is the same anesthetic coating the insect's egg. If an infected person looks at a white wall and makes a Spot roll, he may notice a wormlike shape at the periphery of his vision. Over the next 8 months, the infected creature will gradually lose vision in the infected eye as the larva grows in size and develops into a pupa. When the adult butterfly hatches, it is so painful that the infected person must immediately make a Stamina roll or pass out. The butterfly will then tear through the cornea of the eye, causing 1D6 damage and permanent blindness in that eye. Worse even than the butterfly itself is the fear and violence that communities inflict on themselves in the wake of a butterfly epidemic. In addition to killing all butterflies--dangerous or not--people have been known to blind their friends and neighbors in the mistaken belief that the lacrimal caruncle, a normal structure found in the corner of the human eye, is a butterfly egg. It is not unheard of for people to blind themselves in an effort to rid themselves of eyeworms when in fact all they have are benign floaters, which look similar but are completely harmless. Even where people resist the urge to blind each other and themselves, they may suffer from insomnia, paranoia, and other psychological problems. Some communities have fought butterfly epidemics by sleeping in shifts and killing any butterfly entering a house at night. Areas with blind man's butterflies often have large numbers of wild and domesticated animals that are blind in one or both eyes. If noticed before they hatch, the eggs can be removed with tweezers, but this may cause damage to the eye. Make a First Aid roll to avoid temporary (1D6 weeks) blindness in that eye. Removing the larva from the eye after it hatches requires extremely delicate surgery, a Difficult Medicine roll, and a Luck roll to avoid permanent blindness. This must be done within the first three months of infestation. See photo of victim on the left.

You barely gave us enough time to develop a conspiracy theory, Trifletraxor. Next time you should wait a couple of hours before fixing it. But seriously, thank you for everything you do for this site. It really is an oasis of wonderfulness.

Hehe... I'm not going to throw anyone off the train. As far as I'm concerned, it can be as all-encompassing as we decide it is. But is BRP any role-playing game that uses D100? If I took AD&D and multiplied all the To Hit and Saving throws by 5, would it be BRP?

I think you're on to something. So... what makes something BRP? Are there a set of principles we can agree on that all BRP products share, and that distinguish them from D&D, Savage Worlds, and FATE? Feel free to add or subtract from this list. 1. Use percentile dice to resolve most conflicts. Percentages are more intuitive than other ways to randomize results. 2. No arbitrary levels: characters get better at the skills they use and the skills they purchase training for. 3. No arbitrary classes: characters are defined by what they are good at rather than limited by an artificial profession. One character can be good at some combination of skills that no other character possesses, like sewing, nunchaku, and spaceship repair, as long as the character can find a way to learn those skills within the setting. 4. Armor reduces damage rather than making something harder to hit. (This is one of my personal beefs with that other system, but perhaps not a defining characteristic of BRP.)

Looks like a lot of stuff has collapsed, including the Other Games section. Renaissance, Legend, Stormbringer, Aeon, and Revolution D100 are also gone.

This. And this. Yeah, I'm already seeing how this could be a good thing. I just need to put on my big boy pants and keep typing. Thanks, everyone, for the words of encouragement.