Evilschemer

I'm writing up NPC stats for my Swords of Cydoria game and I wanted to be balanced as well as well integrated into the other BRP games. So I was looking at other NPCs and thinking "Hey, none of these NPCs have stats less than 10. Everyone's such a bad-ass compared to PCs!" I had some time yesterday afternoon, and was curious, so I did some statistical analysis (the kind of thing I do for my job) on the characteristics of various NPCs from several sourcebooks. For the purposes of this analysis, I am looking at human NPCs from the following books: BRP - sample NPCs in the back of the book - I exempted the superhero because it's an outlier Rome - several good "representative" NPCs Devil's Gulch - a lot of named individuals and a few "representative" Fractured Hopes - two named individuals Dragon Lines - Martial Artist, Foreign Devil, Foreign Devil officer Chronicles of a Future Earth - a few named NPCs who could be considered "representative" Runequest GM's Guide - has a great chapter on representative NPCs BRP books I own but I did not include in this analysis for various reasons: Call of Cthulhu - I just have way too many modules to capture all those NPCs, I didn't have the time. However, based on my analysis below I will go back and do them next. Stormbringer - the NPCs are just too idiosyncratic and powerful so I felt they were outliers Elfquest - the stats are for elves, not for humans Laundry - same reason as CoC Ringworld - doesn't have a lot of human NPC stats Superworld - too superpowered, not enough normal humans, so I considered them outliers original Worlds of Wonder - there's only a handful of human NPCs, but I might include them later. So, here are my findings. Standard Normal PC (baseline) AVG STR 3D6 10.5 AVG CON 3D6 10.5 AVG SIZ 2D6+6 13 AVG INT 2D6+6 13 AVG POW 3D6 10.5 AVG DEX 3D6 10.5 AVG APP 3D6 10.5 AVG EDU 3D6 10.5 BRP AVG STR 14 AVG CON 14 AVG SIZ 13 AVG INT 14 AVG POW 14 AVG DEX 15 AVG APP 13 AVG EDU 15 CoFE AVG STR 15 AVG CON 15 AVG SIZ 12 AVG INT 12 AVG POW 11 AVG DEX 14 AVG APP 11 Devil's Gulch AVG STR 14 AVG CON 13 AVG SIZ 13 AVG INT 12 AVG POW 12 AVG DEX 12 AVG APP 12 Dragon Lines AVG STR 16 AVG CON 15 AVG SIZ 13 AVG INT 12 AVG POW 11 AVG DEX 15 AVG APP 11 Fractured Hopes AVG STR 13 AVG CON 13 AVG SIZ 13 AVG INT 15 AVG POW 15 AVG DEX 15 AVG APP 14 Rome AVG STR 12 AVG CON 12 AVG SIZ 12 AVG INT 14 AVG POW 12 AVG DEX 12 AVG APP 11 Rune Quest AVG STR 13 AVG CON 12 AVG SIZ 13 AVG INT 13 AVG POW 13 AVG DEX 13 AVG CHA 12 Average of All NPCs AVG STR 13.2 AVG CON 12.8 AVG SIZ 12.9 AVG INT 12.9 AVG POW 12.7 AVG DEX 13.1 AVG APP/CHA 12.2 AVG EDU 15.0 Clearly, those who create stats for NPCs for BRP games tend to score APP/CHA lower in favor of higher STR and DEX. Of course, as I said earlier, my sample does not include CoC, and my sample games tend towards more action-oriented and, thus, are biased towards STR and DEX and away from APP/CHA or POW. Were I to include CoC, I think it would average out more. Another indication is that NPC stats are routinely higher than default normal PC stats. Rounding off to the nearest integer, the average stat is 13 (12 for APP and 15 for EDU). Based on this, I changed the default characteristic rolls for PCs to 2D6+6 for all stats (Dragon Lines does the same). Also, I am making sure that all of my Swords of Cydoria NPCs will average to 13.

What skill would you use to forge an official document?

BTW, here's the synopsis of the mini-scenarios I'm writing. Scenarios Artifact Hunters The artifact hunters are hired to escort a scholar on an expedition to a new Navarian site located near the town of Sweetwater in the Arusian desert. Unfortunately, the site is home to a tribe of bloodthirsty Knorr and a giant reptillian creature. In addition, their mission accidentally releases a debilitating plague that threatens the entire region. Remember Demetria There is a plague sweeping across Arus. The resistance cell has learned that a local Cydorian noble has a monopoly on the cure and is stockpiling it in his warehouse. A lot of Arusian towns desperately need that cure. The cell has decided to break into the noble’s warehouse and liberate the medicine. The Champions of Markania Sweetwater is under threat. The local militia has fallen ill to a sweeping plague and is unable to defend the town. Meanwhile, a group of bandits has decided to take advantage of this situation and is planning on raiding the town. The town learns of the impending raid and sends a message to the nearest Vrildarian garrison, but help is weeks away, if they come at all. Luckily, a few brave volunteers have stepped forward to defend the town until the militia gets back on its feet. Flight of the Tonbo The Tonbo is hired to transport some medicine to Sweetwater. On the way they are attacked by pirates and must submit to a Vrildarian military inspection, where it is discovered that the medicines are illegal and will be confiscated. The Great Game of Cydoria A Vrildarian noble possesses the only means of creating a medicine to treat a plague sweeping across Arus. Your employer wishes to end this monopoly. Your mission is to infiltrate the noble’s compound and steal the formula. It turns out that the formula exists in the head of an apothecary held against his will. If you help him escape, he will share the formula freely. The Forbidden Arts of the Techno-Mystics The apothecaries of Arus now possess the knowledge to create the medicine needed to treat the plague. Unfortunately, they lack the proper tools to mass produce it. Through your Phanosian contacts, you were able to acquire the tools they need. Now you need to replicate the tools and distribute them to the towns of Arus. Unfortunately, a Vrildarian noble wishes to regain his monopoly and the Inquisition has been tasked with stopping you.

Don't know any of that yet. That's all in Chaosium's court.

Just a quick update. I'm now two-thirds done. First third: setting chapter (geography, society) = done Second third: Player chapter (character creation, equipment, powers, artifacts) = done Third third: GM chapter (NPC/creature stats, GM advice, scenarios) = 05% done. So far, 90-thousand words and 271 pages of un-laid-out manuscript. I might have to break it up and edit into a smaller book.

There are no area effect powers that I can find. I was thinking of creating some "close burst" versions of standard powers like Blind, Stun, Blast, etc. that radiate out from the character with the character as the epicenter, affecting everyone within range, perhaps with a lesser effect. Let's say this was a super-power. What would be an appropriate power cost and/or Power-Point cost increase for this?

I haven't found any stats anywhere for a punch dagger/katar? Anyone care to provide some guidance?

I'd agree if it were a CoC supplement, but it's not. It's a generic BRP supplement for a wild west setting with a weird west option. Nothing in the sourcebook mentions the Lovecraftian mythos or the CoC game. I quite enjoyed it.

I'm creating the cultural write-ups for Swords of Cydoria so I looked around at some of the other BRP games with cultures: Dragon Lines, Chronicles of Future Earth, Stormbringer. Dragon Lines and CoFE list some favored skills for each culture, but offer no real bonus. Stormbringer gives characteristic bonuses/minuses for each culture. What does the zeitgeist prefer? Should I be generic and just list favored skills with no bonus? Should I provide a free bonus to a few skills for each culture? Should I provide a bonus to a few skills that comes out of the character creation skill point budget? Should I just provide characteristic bonuses like in Stormbringer?

I picked this up last night. I love it. The artwork is fun, quirky, and evocative. It really helpes give each NPC a distinct personality. Devil's Gulch is full of stereotypes and archetypes, yet many have a fresh take or spin. It feels like a real place.

Thanks everyone. Just a notice that I've uploaded a lot of images to the Photos section of the Cydoria Yahoo Group.

I have created a Yahoo Group located at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/cydoria/ I've already uploaded some of the drawings and sketches not seen on my Deviantart site. It's members-only, so shoot me an e-mail at evilschemer - at - comcast - dot - net to request access. I'll be sharing excerpts from the game for discussion and feedback.

Somewhere between Magnificient Seven and G,B,U. The western region of the continent of Markania is where the Vrildarian League put all its prison camps during and after the Ill-Fated war. Many of the captured prisoners of war did ten years in a prison camp in the desert region of Arus. Afterwords, they were set free there. So most of the men of the region are bitter veterans and ex-cons. There's a lot of stubble and squinty-eyed death roaming the Arusian wasteland looking for work and badly in need of a bath.

I haven't read Tscahi yet. I'll have to check it out. I hesitated putting Gamma World on the list because I didn't want to give the impression this is a traditional "post apocalyptic" game of digging in the ruined skyscrapers for broken televisions and black ray pistols, with stop-signs for shields. But yes, Gamma World's theme of searching the ruins for artifacts of the ancients, with artifacts taking the place of magic items, is an influence on the theme of Artifact Hunters.

You hit the original inspiration for the game on the head, ORtrail. I originally ran this campaign using d20 Dragonstar back about six years ago. Back then it was much more Wild West / D&D / Science Fiction. Since then, I have refined the setting, incorporating elements from a campaign I created for BESM over eleven years ago, and creating a look and feel that is more distinct. Here is a list of inspirational material for the setting. I have highlighted the biggest influences and sources of inspiration in red. Appendix 2: Inspirational Material Novels: “Star Barbarian” by Dave Van Arnam “Star Barbarian” by Dave Van Arnam (a very crappy book, but it did provide some inspiration) “Interstellar Empires” by John Brunner “The City and the Stars” by Arthur C. Clarke “Dune” by Frank Herbert The Green Star novels by Lin Carter The Gondwane novels by Lin Carter The Thongor of Lemuria novels by Lin Carter The Warlord of Mars books by E. R. Burroughs (a little) Dying Earth series by Jack Vance Krishna series by L. Sprague de Camp (a lot) Comics and Graphic Novels: Flash Gordon comic strip by Alex Raymond (a lot) Buck Rogers comic strip by Philip Francis Nowlan and Dick Calkins (technology concepts) “Moving Fortress” by Chuck Dixon, Ricardo Barreiro, and Erique Alcatena “Exterminator 17” by Jean-Pierre Dionnet and Enki Bilal “Storm: The Deep World” by Don Lawrence and Saul Dunn “Storm: the Last Fighter” by Don Lawrence and Martin Lodewijk Films: Planet of the Apes Serenity Flash Gordon Dune, 1984 David Lynch version Star Wars films and TV series Classic Film Serials: Flash Gordon Undersea Kingdom Anime and Animation: Thundarr the Barbarian Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (big influence) Samurai 7 (HUGE influence on the setting design and especially on the Ka’anto) Last Exile (for the airships mostly, and the Zhuvitans are based on the Guild) Television: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Firefly Battlestar Galactica (original) “Knights of Cydonia” video by Muse (probably more than anything else) Other similarly-themed games: “Encounter Critical” by S. John Ross “Skyrealms of Jorune” by Andrew Leker “The Empire of the Petal Throne” by M. A. R. Barker “Chronicles of a Future Earth” by Sarah Newton (another BRP far-future sourcebook, but a very different approach) “Cruel Empire of Tsan Chan” by Christian Read (another BRP far-future sourcebook, again, a very different approach) “Buck Rogers XXV” by TSR “HIGH ADVENTURE CLIFFHANGERS” by TSR

Here's an excerpt: Introduction Welcome to the Swords of Cydoria, a post-apocalypse/wild west/martial arts/fantasy/science fiction role-playing game setting. Cydoria is a sword-and-sorcery setting set against a story of alien contact and the introduction of science-fiction technology. Within the scope of this setting are several inherent stories for players to tell. Remember Demetria The Vrildarian League has conquered all of the city-states of Cydoria and, as a demonstration of their power, has completely obliterated the kingdom of Demetria. The renegade Baron Urik of Demetria has established an underground resistance to the Vrildarian occupation with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the League once and forever. Join the rebellion and fight for independence and freedom. The player characters are members of a resistance cell. Their goals are to carry out the directives of the resistance and strike a blow against Vrildarian rule, all while keeping their activities a secret from the Vrildarian inquisitors. Flight of the Tonbo The Tonbo is an aging aero-freighter with a crew of six. It is held together with wire, glue, and love. The crew is a rag-tag assortment of wastrels from across the continent. The captain is an honest man, a Demetrian veteran of the Ill-Fated War with no home or family other than his ship and his crew. Though he is sometimes willing to compromise his honesty to keep his crew safe and his aero-ship flying, he is never willing to compromise on his integrity. The player characters are the crew of a tramp aero-ship travelling from city to settlement across the continent. They earn money making deliveries and through speculative trade but, when that’s not enough to cover their expenses, they have been known to take any work that comes their way, regardless of safety or legality. Artifact Hunters The continent of Markania has seen a succession of technically advanced cultures rise and fall across the millennia. These ancient cultures left behind ruined cities filled with valuable and sometimes useful artifacts of technology so advanced it may as well be magic. These ruined cities are also home to many dangers. From mutated monsters and psychic ghosts to toxic environments and deadly traps, many obstacles stand between the intrepid artifact hunters and the promise of untold riches. The player characters are adventurers, explorers, treasure seekers, and scholars seeking out the lost ruins of forgotten cultures for gold and artifacts. If the giant mutant slugs don’t kill them, the tribe of feral Orix that call the ruins home will. The Champions of Markania In recent decades, the vast plains, treacherous mountain ranges, and baking deserts of central and western Markania have been colonized by settlers from the east. These settlers range from pioneers seeking to tame the savage land to refugees from the Ill-Fated War to exiled prisoners released from the desert gulags. These remote settlements face threats from barbarian hordes, mutated monstrosities, lawless bandits, and corruption from within and without. It takes a special breed of hero to step up and defend these settlers, to make a stand and do the right thing. The situation also presents a rare opportunity for those willing to make a profit, legally or otherwise. The player characters can choose to be heroes protecting the settlement from evil, mercenaries just looking to turn a coin, or bandits avoiding the hangman’s noose. The Great Game of Cydoria The noble houses of the Cydorian city-states play a constant game of intrigue and betrayal as they vie for power and influence. These nobles have many tools at their disposal. Spies, assassins, thugs, seers, diplomats, and seducers all have their parts to play in the great game. The player characters create actors in the great game, taking orders from a noble, often indirectly and usually anonymously. The missions they will undertake sometimes require discretion and sometimes require direct action and always demand a hefty reward. The Forbidden Arts of the Techno-mystics The Vrildarian League is justly afraid that if they lose their monopoly on advanced weaponry and vehicles, the source of their political power could be threatened. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to own, operate, or maintain any piece of off-world technology. Techno-Mystics brave this prohibition. The Techno-Mystics pursue the study and understanding of the secrets of advanced technology as a pursuit of universal truth. They work in hiding, either in secret shops or as itinerant merchants, selling and maintaining illegal technology obtained from off-world smugglers. The player characters are members of a secret entourage serving and protecting one or more Techno-Mystics. Riches await those wily enough to avoid the Vrildarian inquisitors; a public hanging awaits those who are not.

Hello everyone. I'm new here, but I wanted to announce that my monograph submission for a BRP setting sourcebook called "Swords of Cydoria". "Swords of Cydoria" is a mixed-genre setting featuring elements of Planetary Adventure, Swords and Sorcery, Science Fiction, Kung Fu/Samurai, and Wild West. "Swords of Cydoria" is my second independent RPG writing project. My first was Lightspeed, a science fiction RPG using the Fuzion system. Previous to that, I wrote the Garlic Jr/Trunks/Android Saga and Cell Saga sourcebooks for the Dragonball Z RPG for R.Talsorian games. I am 30-40% finished with the first draft. Most of what I need to finish are the rules comparisons with the BRP rulebook, the NPC and creature write-ups, the gamemaster chapter, and the sample scenario. I anticipate completing my writing work by August. Afterwords there will be several rounds of editing and layout. A gallery of drawings and inspirational sketches I've done for the setting can be found at http://christianconkle.deviantart.com/gallery/29265899 I'm going to set up a Yahoo Group for playtesting, feedback, and suggestions. Once created, playtesters can download and review early drafts of the manuscript and rules and view more drawings and inspirational sketches I've done to help immerse myself in the setting. Christian Conkle