silent_bob

Rod,

I can't wait to see the second edition!

Like many on this forum, I have been playing BRP for a long time. I think it was 1979 to be exact. Due to this fact there are some things that I just can't bring myself to change or drop just becouse I'm using one of the D100 licences. Things that were in the first edition of CF and I want to keep.

There will be hit locations. I like my combat lethal.

Total hit points with hit points per location: I'm not sure about this one. Not having the seperate set of hit points to keep track of along with the hit points in each location may be easier on the book keeping, but do you guys find it less lethal? Not really sure. Then again, In the last edition of CF, I assumed the use of double hit points for the player characters and was thinking against it this time through. So maybe...

There will be skill check boxes and the "use a skill to improve a skill" system. Due respect to the writers that have decided to change it to "skill improvements" handed out at the end of the game, but the skill system was one of the things that made BRP different than every other game out there. I can't part with it. I will be including it again, in "my own words" of course.

Here is the new layout, along with what has been completly rewritten so far.

Chapter 1: Introduction. Done, just need to finish the "example" script.

Chapter 2: Character Generation. Done.

Chapter 3: Races. Done.

Chapter 4: Classes. Done. Two new classes added, the Cavalier and Thief-Acrobat. These two along with the Barbarian from CF1 have finished the 1st ed. Unearthed Arcana classes.

Chapter 5: Skills. Done

Chapter 6: Equipment. Done

Chapter 7: Spells. I have not yet started converting the CF1 spells chapter yet. I'll need to rewrite all the spells that CF1 simply refered the reader to in BRP. For example all the "see BRP page XX" stuff. I also plan to add at least 100 more spells to the 150 I already wrote for CF1. I will be using pretty much the same system as before except rewritten. I will now have spells seperated into Magnitude 1 through 9 instead of Uncommon, Common, and Rare. Before I can begin the spell chapter I need to finish the combat chapter so I don't have to go back after and change all the spells when I realise I changed the combat system and now they don't work. Second book, lessons learned.

Chapter 8: Combat. 70% done. Will be finished this weekend.

Chapter 9: Adventuring. Will contain much that was in the CF Spot Rules chapter before. Not yet converted.

Chapter 10: Adventuring at Sea. Nothing yet, may just be subsumed into chapter 9.

Chapter 11: Between Adventures. Not yet converted. Will contain stuff that was in the Spot Rules chapter plus new stuff that was chopped for space reasons before.

Chapter 12: Experiance. Check the skill box. Use a skill to improve a skill. Training etc. Nothing done.

Chapter 13: NPCs. Finished for what was to be CFII (2nd book of first ed.) Just need to convert. Contains NPC classes like the assassin, anti-paladin, witch, and necromancer, as well as rules for the mundane masses. They are written but need conversion.

Chapter 14: Encounters. Finished for what was to be CFIII (3rd book of first ed.) Just need to convert.

Chapter 15: Monsters. 50% finished for what was to be CFIII (3rd book of first ed.) Just need to convert and fill in gaps.

Chapter 16: Treasure. 80% finished for what was to be CFII (2nd book of first ed.) Just need to convert and fill in gaps.

Chapter 17: The Realm. Maybe. Only about 20% done. My own setting for about 15 years, most is in my head.

Appendix 1: Deities and Demi-Gods of the Realm. Done. Just need to expand and reformat.

Appendix 2: Psionics. Maybe. If not for player characters, for monsters.

Appendix 3: Spell list. Have to finish spell chapter first.

Anyway, there it is. I cant give any idea as to when it will be ready. It will take time. I want to do a really complete playtest when more of the book is complete, but not yet. It least chapters 1 through 8.

It looks like it will be a BIG book. This may not be possible depending upon the publisher. I'll know better as I get closer to done and we have had a chance to really talk.

Rod

I have a plot that requires the PC's to chose one of three factions, and twice in the story, there will be major battles between the factions and their respective armies, and these will have been improved, or sabotaged, by the PC's to further their factions gain. One army is mainly just gunslingers and tanks, one is naturistic and animalistic mutant-druids, and one is sorcerers and necromancers, so it has to be compitable with the system for powers, in particular Mutations, sorcery, and magic.

Any ideas?

Fields of Battle from Troll Lord Games is good:

Troll Lord Games

Does anyone know if anything like this exists?

Would there be much interest in a bi-monthly, subscription based e-zine that caters for the D100 community; sort of a cross between Dragon, Dungeon and Signs & Portents? Articles and original adventures could be written for each 'flavour' with perhaps some general conversion notes including cross-referencing skills and magic?

And does anyone have any idea of the legalities involved?

If you like Glorantha there is Hearts in Glorantha which is still being published:

Hearts in Glorantha Issue 5 - D101 Games | DriveThruRPG.com

I finished reading my copy at the weekend.

On the whole I could see nothing to recomend RQ6 over BRP.

I like the new sorcery rules and pretty much didn't care for the rest, I don't like the new combat rules at all.

I agree. I think the enhanced combat rules from Classic Fantasy are a much better fit for BRP since they were designed as a BRP supplement.

I am running an RQ one shot this weekend at my local game shop and the conversion was a snap.

I recommend BRP Classic Fantasy since you and you players are already used to old school D&D. Classic Fantasy emulates 1st ed. AD&D in the BRP/RuneQuest rule system. It has the same classes, races, levels, alignment, spells etc... and this is all combined with the excellent BRP game mechanics.

Please note that you will have to buy the BRP rules ($22.00 pdf) and the Classic Fantasy rules ($16.00 pdf).

I had high hopes for RQ6, but it's initiative and combat systems are very cumbersome. Classic Fantasy handles combat much better, while adding mechanics to BRP for facing, zone of control, actions, etc...

You can buy the BRP pdf here:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/24384/Basic-Roleplaying?term=chaosium+&it=1

You can buy the Classic Fantasy pdf Here:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/82084/Classic-Fantasy

Sorry, in advance, about posting a general question about d100/RQ-like games in the RQ thread, but, I didn't see a general forum for this type of question. I picked this one because RQ is apparently the daddy of the fantasy d100's.

Ok, I am a total newbie when it comes to this line of games (RQ, MRQII, Legend, OpenQuest, etc.). (With the exception of a little knowledge of the Call of Cthulhu mechanics) I am looking for a fantasy system where I can possibly build my own world and have a rules system with a relatively flat learning curve but a sense of realism. I want the "on ramp" to the system to be pretty easy to deal with because the circles I run in are more accustomed to OSR/D&D-like systems, and I don't want to scare people off.

If a comparison of these games is on a FAQ somewhere, please point me in the right direction. I really have no idea what the right system would be. It seems like there are a few of these fantasy-themed d100 games and I am not sure how compatible they all are (I am assuming they are pretty close) and I don't know why you would pick one over the other.

Again, I am completely new to this line of games and I have no bias in any way to any of them. I do, however, have a copy of Legend because I took advantage of $1 sale at DriveThruRPG, I have read some of it and I like it, so far. That's what brought me here, frankly -- however, it seems like it was made because Mongoose was losing the RQ license, and they wanted to still make games based on the MRQII system and keep their other MRQII products from being obsolete. I am not sure what the community adoption is like for it or what the future of the system is. It seems like people really like RQ6, but, I am not sure I want to dive into that because the Glorantha canon seems to come along with it.

I have been following Crooked Staff Publishing for a bit, because I like the geomorphs that Kris does, which got me into looking at his Age of Shadow system. But it has its own default setting, which is good, but I want to start to make my own.

Could someone please help me make sense of all of this or point me in the right direction to develop my own opinion, because right now, I am confused.

Thanks!

Nope, Rick isn't the mod/owner here. You'll find him over at Welcome to Moon Design | Moon Design Publications where I think you'll find all things Glorantha.

No, rmeints is listed as the moderator of this forum.

I have sent him an email regarding updates to Gloranthan Classics.

Thanks guys! Actually, I'm not new to BRP in the sense that I've played RQ (from RQ2 to MRQ2) and CoC a lot. But I'm also a fan of old-school D&D (Classic and AD&D1e and 2e). Love the D&D adventures and settings, but I'm not so fond of the rules. Thus - D&D with BRP rules would be my cup of tea

There's no hard copy version on Chaosium's site at the moment, only the PDF. I guess I'll have to wait, then...

And hi there Soltakss. I'm "drdentista" over at the Mongoose forums I believe we've discussed some things before...

I just laser printed my CF book, double sided and put it into a 3-ring binder. Works great.

Hello Rick,

Are you there?

I thought Rick Meints was the moderator of this forum?

Rod,

It is shameful that Chaosium has failed to support your cool product. I am running a CF campaign and it is a blast!

However, I hope that whatever D100 system you choose as a vehicle for CF, maintains the current rules as close as possible. I love the way you have emulated the feel of AD&D 1st edition in a BRP context with hit locations and other BRP mechanics.

I am sure RQ6 and Magic World are great games, but they do not scratch the same nostalgic itch as CF.

I fear that Chaosium may be engaged in RPG snobbery because your game emulates AD&D. This does not mean that CF is only good for dungeon crawls, which it does very well, but like any RPG, the game reflects what the GM and players bring to it. I like running the old modules that I ran when I was 14 and new to the hobby. Now that my players and I are in our mid-40s we bring much more maturity and role playing to the Keep on the Borderlands.

Rick,

I received an email from Issaries regarding updates to the Gloranthan Classics pdfs, but it isn't clear what has been updated.

Can you give us a summary of the updates?

Loz,

A few of us have been discussing special effects systems like the one in GURPS. I understand that RQ6 has a special effects system as well. Can you explain it and give a few examples?

I don't have RQ6. But I'm very interested to know what you mean by "special effect system". Now, since it is of topic, we may carry on this discussion with private message if you do agree.

We should move the discussion over to the RuneQuest thread.

It would be nice, of course... But the risk would be to make another game like GURPS.

Before coming to the BRP system, I was playing GURPS, which was even my favorite system. GURPS gives a lot of options like the ones you describe. The problem is that it makes a lot of rules... Several hundreds pages, just for combat! So, eventually, I get bored of all those rules with precise modifer to know for each maneuver...

What I love with BRP is that it let the GM decide how to handle such things. In a very simple way or with a little more detail... No more very specific bonus or penalty and option to remember for every contingency!

I think RQ6 uses a special effects system. I have not played/GMed the game or fully digested the rules, but you can read about the RQ6 special effects system on page 142 of the rulebook.

That's a double edged sword. Especially when people look at the starting %, or at % over 100. Realistically, nobody misses somebody in melee over half the time. Nor does anybody have over a 100% chance of succeeds at something. Triying to exaplain that to newbies can be a problem.

Have you ever seen beginning archers? They certainly miss over 50% of the time.

Check out this video of a couple of beginners:

The is also true for beginning swordsmen.

In any event, the BRP game starts most characters at 75% in their best skills.

A few people have asked if we can add some practical demonstration videos, so we'll give this some more thought.

Loz,

Good video. I see that you part your hair the same way I do

How about a video of some combat/magic system examples?

Technically speaking there aren"t any restrictions to speak of, but I'd generally not allow impaling weapons to do knockback. A spear that does a lot on damage isn"t going to push the foe back, but go through him.

Doing a knockback attack with a spear would probably involve the shaft and not the tip of the spear. I don't see a problem with allowing this except I would not allow the attack to do damage, only knockback. Of course, if you knock your opponent off a cliff, he will take damage from the fall.

Classic Fantasy adds a Slam attack which you can use to get out of or pass through an opponents zone of control:

"To do this, compare his STR vs. the SIZ of the target on the Resistance Table. A target kneeling or crouching may only resist with half his or her STR. The attacker may add +1 to his effective STR for each 10 squares, or fraction there of, moved through prior to contacting his target (maximum bonus of +5). A successful resistance roll knocks his enemy prone into any of his back squares and if the attacker fails an Agility roll (Difficult if crouching or kneeling) he falls prone as well. If the attacker fails the resistance roll he ends movement in the square in front of the enemy and with a failed Agility roll, he instead falls prone. "

As the download section is a potential vulnerability spot for the site, all uploads there will from now on be personally checked and scanned before they are made available to the members (except for members with 100+ posts). It will mean some delay from a file is uploaded till its available, but also less risk.

Cheers,

Trifletraxor.

Trifletraxor,

Please approve the Classic Fantasy Actions List that I just uploaded.

You probably don't see it due to the new moderation system where uploads need approval unless you have more than 100 posts.

nclarke,

Who do I talk to about getting the upload approved?

Rod,

Thanks for promptly answering my questions!

I just uploaded an actions chart for Classic Fantasy.

I needed to make this to run my game. Maybe others will find it useful.

Yes

Yes

This follows the same rules as "Moving through a Zone of Control". Essentially, movement stops when you enter the ZOC, continued movement (with another action) will provoke a free attack. Normal defense rolls may still be made of course. So you can try to get around behind him, but he isn't going to just stand there watching you.

Straight POWx5%

Should be Uncommon... damn gremlins

This is more of a BRP issue and not a CF one as it is from the BGB. I see your point however. I see no reason why houseruling an arrow to .05 ENC would be earth shattering (Realm shattering?). As a house rule, I kind of like "A quiver of arrows has .5 ENC", and ignore the individual arrows so the character doesn't have to recalculate every round.

Thanks for the questions,

Rod

Rod,

I ran my first Classic Fantasy game yesterday and it was a lot of fun. However, a few issues came up in the game:

1. Picking up a Dropped Weapon: Will your opponent get a free attack if you are engaged in combat and pick up a dropped weapon?

This came up when my monsters would fumble and drop their weapon, but since picking up a weapon only takes 1 action they could immediately pick it up with no negative effect.

2. Standing from Prone Position: Same as above, does this provoke a free attack in melee?

3. Zone of Control: Once you enter your opponents ZOC, can you more within the 1 square radius to try to get on his flank, or does all movement end until you can kill/disable the opponent or disengage?

4. Spiritual Hammer: Would the be subject to the same bonuses or penalties as the cleric wielding it? For example, would it get the dwarven +10% bonus on melee attack rolls against orcs, half-orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins? Would the hammer suffer the -20% penalty against tiny opponents? Or is it just a straight POWx5%?

5. Stone Skin Spell: The Magic User Spell List on page 86 lists this spell as a common spell, but the spell description on page 134 says that it is uncommon. Which is correct?

6. Arrows: Each arrow has an ENC of .5 which is the same as a bow. Shouldn't a single arrow be less encumbering than the bow? Should each arrow have a .05 ENC?

For direct compatibility MRQ2 Vikings will be the easiest to use as it was written with the same stats and combat mechanics in mind, whilst the magic is a unique plug-in system which will slot right into RQ6. Mythic Iceland on the other hand will probably have far more historical and regional depth (unfortunately I don't have a copy to know for sure). Sadly I was only given a month to write Vikings, which is reflected in its broad overviews.

Other considerations in Mythic Iceland's favour are a number of pre-written scenarios which will allow a GM to hit the floor running. However, as the pdf of MRQ2 Vikings is only $1 on DriveThru, I'd heartily recommend purchasing both!

That was a very diplomatic answer Mr. Nash

He has purchased Vikings and I can look forward to going berserk in his game.

Great!

My buddy wants to get his Thor on by running a Norse themed game in RQ6.

Would the MRQ2 Vikings pack be better or BRP Mythic Iceland?

I think Loz has already said that the next two planned supplements are

Monster Island and Book of Quests.

MI seems to be a combination of S&S style bestiary with a sandbox style background.

BoQ seems to be a linked set of S&S scenarios that can be played as stand-alones or as part of a campaign.

I don't know about the rest but you can pretty much take any MRQII (or Legend) supplement and run it as is under RQ6. Magic is about the only thing that has significant differences (e.g. MRQ2 Divine Pacts needing dedicated POW) but even them can simply be either updated on the fly (ignore the missing MPs) or simply run as is.

Reviews from actual buyers seem to indicate that the physical quality of the books is pretty good, especially the binding (and they have bookmark ribbons). The art has suffered in some cases where the contrast had to be dialled up. I guess you're not entirely serious, seneschal, but just for fun I put US$35 in today's money through the Bureau of Labor Inflation Calculator and got a 1974 equivalent of US$7.52 - I think that's actually cheaper than it was?

However, as a B/X fan myself (when it comes to the D&D family) I do wish someone would edit the thread title, though ... I keep thinking, "Wow! They're doing an OD&D reprint? Can't be long before the B/X re-issue!" ... and then the comedown ...

You can also get used AD&D 1st Edition books in good condition for about $12.00 - $17.00 each on amazon:

Players Handbook:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0935696016/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Monster Manuel:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0935696008/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

DMG:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0935696024/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Naw, for that you need Goblinoid Games' Labyrinth Lord, one of the more faithful retro-clones available. The PDF is FREE, but you can get a shiny new hardbound copy for about $32. And that's the whole she-bang, none of this player's manual, GM's manual, Manuel's manual nonsense.

Labyrinth Lord: Revised Edition (hard cover) by Daniel Proctor (Hardcover) - Lulu

OSRIC is a closer clone of AD&D 1st edition, but all of the retro-clones have their own charm.

Can any melee attack be designated as a knockback attempt? The combat chapter notes that unarmed throws and shield attacks can cause knockback on a special success (in addition to damage). And the Spot Rules chapter says "If an attack is designated as a knockback attempt...," which implies that you can make deliberate attempts to knockback. However, there doesn't seem to be any downside to designating an attack a knockback attempt.

I like the idea of allowing melee attacks that are designated knockback attempts (shoving/thrusting/pushing). I'm thinking maybe you can designate a knockback attempt that is more of an effort to create distance or knock-down than it is to do any damage (i.e., damage to be used only for the purpose of determining knockback).

What do you think?

Virtually any melee weapon can be used to do a knockback attack, by using the flat of the blade or whatever, even if the weapon doesn't normally have the knockback special effect.

This can be useful to disengage from combat.