Mankcam

heh heh

I know melee combat is to be avoided, but if it does get down to it then I recommend you use the Hit Locations option from the BRP BGB. It lends itself to very tactile and visceral combat scenes, which would suit this setting perfectly

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions and input. I am so impressed by the response that this thread has had, and I am in your debt. If our paths ever cross outside of the virtual world, I would buy each and every one of you a pint of something highly alcoholic Thanks for setting the wheels in motion and getting me out of my writers block. Truly magical and greatly appreciated!

You might want to check out the BRP monograph 'Rubble And Ruin' as it is a post-apocalyptic setting kinda like what you are describing, with less zombies. I have only perused it briefly, but there is some stuff there to swipe and save you a bit of time. Perhaps someone here with more familiarity with it can describe it much better for you, and see if it is of any use.

I should of checked those dates. Yes, Casablanca did come first, so Rocky Jordan is a Rick Blaine rip off and not the other way around...either way its practically the same character almost. I do like these serials, I have them playing while I am ironing my work clothes for the week and they are quite entertaining :-) Regarding the scenario concept you came up with Seneschal, its not what I am envisioning for this one-shot, as I want most of this episode to take place in Heliopolos and primarily at the Palace Hotel, otherwise it will blur too much with the main MoN campaign. I am really just after a 'whodunit' set in one location, perhaps a theft or murder after a formal dinner, so all the characters are holed up at the location and have to work out the mystery from investigating the suspects. There would only be action at the end once the perpetrator is found out and tries to escape, or perhaps injury along the way when someone's line of query gets too close. However I really do like your Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist inspired plot, and it is likely that I may use this somewhere else. It may even be at one of the other exotic locations if I think it will be fun to complicate things by having two ongoing plots. I do believe I will use it, as it is quite generic and all-so pulpy that I will need to fit it in somewhere. Thanks for your ideas. Now if I did not have family commitments after work I would simply watch three or four British mysteries until a plot emerges that I can transplant into my setting. But alas, those days of freedom are no more for me and my GM prepping time is well and truly confined these days...

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Well...this is only my personal opinion, but Astounding Adventures could have been a bit more realised from my point of view. I love the setting concept however, it is great to have cinematic pulp for BRP, but some other game companies have simply done it a bit better. The character gen is much more limited than I would have liked, and quite unbalanced. I am used to White Wolf 'Adventure', Savage Worlds 'Thrilling Tales' and FATE 'Spirit Of The Century' and they are all much more rounded and balanced with options as far as char gen goes. One obvious issue is the lack of a fully fledged Pulp Abilities system (ie: Feats/Knacks) which I think is a must for cinematic characters, it really helps bring out the Pulp flavour. There is an attempt in this direction, but its quite limited compared to other Pulp rpgs, and very unbalanced. There are Action Points which are good, which work along the lines of the Fate Points option in BRP or the Hero Points option from LEGEND or RQ6; they work fine for alot of situations. I briefly considered just using these, but perhaps having a quick refresh for actions in keeping with the character concept, or a bonus to the chance etc. That way it could almost replace a Feat system, and also still have wider applications. In many ways this would have been a simple option, although I think some players may have struggled defining it. However I ended up going with the Stunts system from Blood Tide, which works great as well, and I think my troupies prefer this. I have ported these over to the Pulp Era setting and it works well, and I have made up new ones using these mechanics which are influenced from the Feats in the above listed games. We still have Action Points for broad luck rolls as written, and they would well alongside the Stunts system. However the Astounding Adventures book itself is great for capturing the flavour of the Pulps, and has two neat Pulp Plot Generators as well as a few good little Pulp scenarios. Its not a bad release in itself, with good art direction and atmosphere. Despite such it is rather slim, and from my point of view I do feel it needed more work with character generation and a more comprehensive Pulp Abilities system. My current troupe is very Pulp orientated rather than Purist, so I am running Call of Cthulhu scenarios with the Astounding Adventures rules and getting much more mileage out of my Cthulhu library now. I do run a low-pulp adventure however, so its certainly not a far fetched concept like 'Sky Captain vs Mighty Cthulhu'; but rather it is much more influenced by a mismash of Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, Indiana Jones, Casablanca, The Mummy films, etc. In fact I think it kind of runs more like the old Daredevils rpg than anything else, which works for us :-)

I totally love these Rocky Jordan episodes, and it is obvious that Rick Blaine from Casablanca is a Rocky Jordan rip off. I'm not sure if it is what I want for the mystery at the Palace Hotel in Heliopolis, but its perfect atmosphere for other parts of the Cairo chapter in MoN, thanks for introducing me to these gems Seneschal. I will try to check out Bold Venture as well, although I am on a tight time frame at present. Both are bookmarked Mysterioso that is a great suggestion regarding GURPS Mysteries. Yes I have it and if I had more time I would use it to develop a great old cozy mystery. However I am getting writers block and was hoping to find a pregen scenario that I could transplant to my setting. But yes, GURPS Mysteries is an excellent resource for this kind of thing Baron I may like to take you up on that offer of your scratch notes from that mystery you ran, so I may contact you directly, thank you for the offer

Not after this being credible, I dont mind this little one shot being corny in fact, I want it to run lighter than MoN as an interlude. I normally don't run filler episodes either. I ran the characters through two scenarios before leading them into MoN, but have kept to the core plot threads in the campaign and ignored the sideline scenarios, fearing that too much digression would lose traction with the plot. However the campaign is at a stage that a sideline scenario can occur, and I thought it was a great opportunity for a non-supernatural mystery investigation for intermission, so to speak. Things get more urgent from here onwards, so this would be the only filler scenario I intend to run in this campaign It would not necessarily be a murder, it could also be a theft or fraud. Just as long as it is a 'whodunit' of some kind, and there are no supernatural elements to it. A holiday from the Mythos. in some ways. Yep I don't think I need to stat the suspects up beyond their concept and personality traits, and I certainly dont mind them being stereotypical for this session, in fact that may even be better. I could make up my own plot, but I was really hoping to find a scenario that is a bit more fleshed out, particularly detailing the dynamics and interplay between the assembled suspects. Its quite hard to locate any old fashioned well-mannered mystery plot presented for rpg scenario purposes. Maybe this could be worth a monograph at least...

Okay I am a GM with not much prep time at present, so I'm just trying my luck by throwing this out to the forums and seeing what comes back. I am running an Astounding Adventures series of games, using the 1920s Masks of Nylarthotep campaign as the mainframe for plot, so this is Pulp Era game with alot of cinematic elements. Lots of fun, and less TPK than MoN would otherwise be. The characters have just arrived in Egypt, but have chosen to stay at the famous Palace Hotel in Heliopolis outside of Cairo. This is a grand hotel resort town, a little removed from the hustle and bustle of Cairo, full of Europeans sitting around parlours and attending formal dinners etc. An ideal location for a little 'whodunit' like something Agatha Christie might pen aka Death On The Nile. I would really like to have a bit of fun and run a murder-mystery set at the Palace Hotel before the characters start following their leads in Cairo to continue with the rest of the MoN campaign. Does anyone know any scenarios (not necessarily BRP) which are following a murder-mystery format and are set in a location like a resort or a mansion? I could easily tweak it to fit this setting, but ideally would like to have the plot and a large list of cast/suspects. Kinda after a one-session game if possible, but willing to consider more complex scenarios as well Any ideas folks?

I have not really got into Delta Green (so many games, so little time...), but I do like what you are describing with a Suspicion score. It's a very solid BRP mechanic to express a trait as a %, and by the sounds of it this could work a little along the lines of Status or Allegiance, with its own trappings. You are basically describing a Renown mechanic of sorts. I have not read too much of the Delta Green rules (and none of the new playtest), so I don't know how it compares to Suspicion in those rules. Someone familiar with it will be able to comment, but I just thought that the mechanics you describe above are pretty sound

And added to my pdf collection! Now I have to get time to read it...

I just assumed that because it was MRQ2 Elric then it would have been included. I cannot find any MRQ2 Elric pdfs on DrivethruRPG or on the Mongoose website, so I just assumed that perhaps they would of been in these files. Well it seems I missed the boat much longer ago than I thought...

How did I miss this? I'm after a pdf of MRQ2 Elric: Cults Of The Young Kingdoms, it seems I missed the boat...

LOL

Your hard work is appreciated Ben!

That's some pretty good advice from tooley1chris There isn't a real lot of game mechanics restrictions in BRP, so it's a very good system for GMs to tinker with to get the right feel for their particular setting. I think that tinkering works best with just tweaking the current rules around the edges, rather than porting over something from another system. Sure it can be done, but sometimes it can just create other unforseen problems. If you want to role-play fantasy archetype tropes, then the BRP Classic Fantasy book is a great option, as all the hard work has already been done. However, with what you are describing it appears that you are concerned about game imbalance due to perceived advantages from playing a magic using character over a non-magic using character. This is probably where some personalised setting rules would come in helpful. The first thing I would do is follow the rules for Magic, not Sorcery. You could, however, allow many of those spells from the Sorcery chapter, but the main thing would be to give them a skill that pertains to the activation of the magic. This could be very broad, such as 'Spellcasting' for instance. It could be more specific, such as based on specific realms (ie: Necromancy, Mentalism, Fire Elementalism, etc), or it could be highly specific where each spell is also an individual skill (ie: Lift 60%. Lightening 72%, etc). Secondly I would rule that skills for ALL characters only get a Skill Check if they roll a Special Success or better, unless the GM feels that a particular circumstances deem otherwise. This tends to keep skill checks in place. This leaves Training during downtime as the common option to advance, and this needs to be played out narratively in many cases. Does the character have the funds? Is an appropriate teacher available? In the case of magic, finding a teacher could be an entire plot device. The other thing you might find helpful is to slow down the recovery rate of Power Points. I feel that they should regain daily, rather than hourly. In some settings the rate might be slower, such as weekly. This can really rein in a character using magic for every solution, as they will soon run out of Power Points unless they choose to cast magic wisely. Depending upon the setting, you may also wish to put particular limitations on magic, such as only being able to cast it at particular times of the day or calendar, with the Power Point cost being higher an unfavourable times. Perhaps the caster has to adhere to particular vows to be able to continue magic, or perhaps the casting times may be longer without particular foci etc, all of these trappings are great if you want to add flavour to a setting and increase the value of magic, otherwise it feel like super powers (which is another set of Powers entirely). I would also tend to move away from trying to replicate the fantasy tropes (unless you have the Classic Fantasy book). One of the good things is there are no archetypes in BRP, per se. Characters begin with skills from a professional background, but are free to develop these further, or learn other skills (or even develop into a completely different vocational path). It is up to the constraints of the setting itself to limit them, rather than any game mechanic. So these cosmetic changes may help, but overall although I was concerned about game balance, it rarely tends to raise its head in BRP as the narrative always seems to drive the games, with the rules being very much in the background.

Any idea when the pdfs will be sent out to us? Getting very interested in this publication...

I don't think there are any issues associated with MMOs - they mirror old school class play and perfectly suit the digital medium that they are in. What I see as an issue is when a current rpg does this. PnP RPGs should have rules that support narrative and character improv, so if the rpg still focuses on game mechanics over these things then it really should not be a rpg. Those mechanics are quite suited to rpg-style tabletop board games however, such as Fortune & Glory or the D&D boardgames, for instance. I own the D&D 5E rules (Players Handbook, Dungeon Master Handbook, & Monster Manual), out of eye-candy appeal and genuine curiosity. It looks great, and is the 'loosest' modern version of D&D in many years. However it is still limited in many class-play aspects, and would lend itself much better to board games and online MMOs than it does to creative characterisation and storytelling. It is perhaps the best version of D&D I have seen, and I would very much like to play it. Having said that, despite all its bells and whistles, the system still falls short in many aspects for me personally. I certainly would play a few fun one-shots with D&D 5E, although I very much doubt I could go the distance in regards to running a lengthy campaign. Ironically D&D is still the biggest roleplaying game on the block, so that shows you that publicity is everything.

My house rules ( well, just 'fine-tuning' pre-existing rules): USING TWO WEAPONS I reduce the DEX SR by -5, and allow both attacks in the same round for simplicity (obviously this is not to everyone's tastes). Off-hand penalty applies to the second weapon attack. OFF- HAND PENALTY I actually felt that a Difficult chance was too generous for an off-hand penalty, so my rules are a bit tighter Off-hand penalty is equal to that of a Special Success. However if the character focuses (expends 1PP) then this chance is raised to a Difficult chance. Works nicely, and very gritty. Makes it quite important to know which arm has been injured in a battle... I also do not allow for a second skill development in an off-hand weapon, although I cover this with the Martial Arts rules instead. DUO - WEAPON FIGHTING STYLE I introduced a 'Duo Weapon Fighting Style' using the Martial Arts rule, simulating 'Florentine Swordfighting' style, or a knife fighter style. The character states that they are using two melee weapons using the Fighting Style at the start of that combat round. When attacking, the character rolls one attack roll, using their Weapon skill. If successful AND the result is also under Martial Arts: Duo-Weapon Style, then the character gains an additional damage roll ( as per damage dice for second weapon). If using the weapons for parry, the character rolls Weapon skill. If successful AND the result is also under Martial Arts: Duo-Weapon Style, the character has an additional free parry available for that round or can choose to count the result as a Parry Special Success instead. I still keep the STR restrictions in play for weapon use, so most characters may only be able to use this style with smaller sized weapons, such as daggers or shortswords, although some could have a combo with a medium and small weapon if they have enough STR ( ie: a broadsword and dagger or shortsword, for instance). A very strong character could perhaps hold two broadswords or battleaxes, but I suspect you would be looking at Conan the Barbarian. In any case, the damage dice for the secondary weapon correlates to what dice are rolled as the additional damage roll, and only if the Martial Arts roll is successful. The weapon combo fighting style is not generic, rather it is specified to a particular type of weapon. For example, Martial Arts: 'Florentine' Style may only pertain to swords and knives, whereas perhaps a Martial Arts: Beserker Style may pertain to fighting with two axes, etc. Using Martial Arts seems to work okay, as it is really just laterally using the rules that are already in the BGB. I should point out that only the Weapon Skill is subject to a Skill Check, not the Martial Arts skill, although Martial Arts can be raised with Training. The weapon skill still organically develops, whereas the character must see out an expert to teach him to advance in the Fighting Style. I felt that this was a good way of not overbalancing the game with the character with Martial Arts, and it provided a focus reason to seek out specific teachers rather than just rely of gameplay to advance. FIGHTING WITH TWO WEAPONS Regardless whether the character knows a Duo-Weapon Fighting Style, or whether they are simply holding two weapons, the advantages are the same (even if the the chance of a second successful attack is greatly different). Fighting with two weapons has the obvious advantage of enabling a character to potentially deal more damage in combat. However the drawback is that if they attempt to parry, it is their weapon that is getting damaged, and this is much less durable than parrying with a shield.

Probably just use MRQ2/LEGEND if you don't have RQ6. Or simply port the MRQ2 Hero Points into RQ3, that will work just as well

Well, stranger things have happened...

Yes, it certainly does, but it also needs something else - more eye-candy. Okay, its a fact that word of mouth is what really got this hobby started in the campuses back in the '70s. It still works around the conventions and fanzine hobby shops of today, and perhaps moreso through the marvels of the internet with sites like this or RPGNet etc However, more is needed if something is to stand out of the crowd. A product needs to look great, and in this day and age, a physical copy of a book needs to be something to behold. Look at the amazing goodies on offer from Wizards Of The Coast, Pasio, White Wolf, Games Workshop, Catalyst, Fantasy Flight Games, Pelgrane Press Ltd, etc. They all have big glossy hardcovers with great artwork. It is hard not to like them. IMO they may not have as intuitive game mechanics as BRP does, yet the appeal of these beautiful & evocative products to new punters is quite obvious. I am well aware that this is a funding issue. I normally would not bring it up, as it's an age-old issue, however there may be solutions on the horizon. Chaosium is currently producing premium quality products through crowd-funding platforms. From what I have seen of the Kickstarter projects, Call of Cthulhu 7E and Horror On The Orient Express are definitely going to be amazing products and will have that 'wow' factor that the major companies produce with their flagship games. I wonder if MagicWorld was given the same treatment then perhaps it could hold its own against the likes of D&D and such? Perhaps a Kickstarter for a MagicWorld hardcover edition (with full-colour artwork for chapter headers) could be looked at? Stranger things have happened...

How did I forget that these existed, tooley1chris? I remember being quite impressed when you initially had them posted Yes, of course, these are perfect with Classic Fantasy, right down to the old flavour of the early D&D Monster Manuals Great stuff!

Well, on a good note, the PDF version is a treasure to read so far. Not only is the content clear, but the visual presentation is easy on the eye. This is greatly welcomed by myself, after finding reading 6th edition a chore at times due to the text fonts and general layout - I often refer to my 4th or 5th editions if I want to find an answer quickly, and not have a headache doing it. So this new edition is a welcome change after the 6th edition in my opinion, especially for its visual appreciation.