Mankcam

From memory, Sauron had an elite breed of Troll, the Olog-hai, which were capable of attacking during the daylight, and Peter Jackson is consistent with this. I'm not sure how I know this, whether it is from reading Tolkien many years ago, or playing MERP, also many,many years ago... ADDIT: The term 'Olog-hai' appears here in Wikipaedia, so it must be right

Ha ha ha now that's really funny Hey I'm about to be middle aged and I have friends playing Skyrim! The only reason I don't have it is that I am playing 'Star Wars The Old Republic' instead, and given the family commitments I can only fit one online session in a week. Oh, and the fact that I'm always GM prepping for my monthly RQ or Cthuhlu sessions!!! Elder Scrolls have always been cool, but yes, Skyrim really has a 'runequesty' flavour to the combat it portrays, and it looks like a really immersive setting, I'll probably grab it when Steam has a special. If I was porting it to a pnp rpg I would use BRP or MRQ2/LEGEND. You would have to tweak Magic for the setting, but I dunno if I would port over 'Shouts and Perks' as is. Would you really need Perks? Or can you portray it with high level skill use? If using MRQ2/LEGEND you could make up some new Heroic Abilities perhaps... But yes, the setting is great

Actually that was a pretty good example to illustrate the point Are you looking for a list of examples here?

These are the task modifiers from LEGEND, they could do the trick for making simple rolls less 'static': Very Easy: +60% Easy: +40% Simple: +20% Routine: +0% Difficult: –20% Hard: –40% Very Hard: –60% Formidable: –80% I love LEGEND, but perhaps the task modifiers are a bit too nit-picky for my liking. They logically work, but I prefer my scale below, more in keeping with BRP ( I just added too values): Easy: Double listed Skill Simple: Skill +15% Routine: Standard Skill roll Challenging: Skill -15% Difficult: Half listed Skill Works for me, but I'm not sure if it's what you're after...

The 'love heart' icon has to be ditched however, it's a bit too gushy for me to hit the 'Like' option and then see the 'love heart' pop up as a result...

I think inverting the D100 mechanic would go against the grain of the system, and like already stated, perhaps ICE's Rolemaster or HARP systems may be what you're looking for. For static rolls in BRP you just apply a Difficulty Modifier according to the circumstances of the situation, this is the current rule. Perhaps you can tweak this a bit so there is a wider variety of mods, having +/- 5% increments to make things 'less static'.

I think we must of married the same woman...

Can't commit to anything at present, too many real-life demands happening. Best of luck with it, I hope you rustle up some interest mate

It makes sense to have a new CoC edition reasonably consistent with the BGB. Rules amendments and even new rules are fine with me, just as long as it is backward compatible with the preexisting scenarios and setting material. One of the strengths with this system (and setting) is that the entire back catalogue is still current. I love the fact that I just bought the reissue of 'Masks of Nylathotep', originally published in the early '80s, and I can use it with my current edition of CoC, about 30 years later. Not many games on the market that you can do that with straight out of the box.

Yes, treating it with the Allegiance rules rather than a polarising trait is the way to go. Liberal 40%, Conservative 70% is much better than 'Liberal 40/Conservative 60', which is too restrictive and only allows for directly opposing viewpoints. Politics and agendas are certainly a muddled business, so polarising views wouldn't work. I think a tweaking of the Allegiance system is the right way to go about all this, you can cover most aspects with this.

Well that's great news about your first point, and not-so-great news regarding your second point. Sounds like a serious pothole to me. Perhaps a Pulp setting (non-Cthulhu) for BRP would be the way to go, with specific advice on how to 'pulp up' particular Cthuhlu settings, as some Cthuhlu campaigns make ideal locations for pulp-action rather than investigative-horror (Secrets of Morrocco, Masks of Nylathotep, and the such I'm looking at you). I think, however, the core book should just focus on Pulp Action in general, with varying levels of 'pulpiness' from Indy Jones thru to Sky Captain, giving a wide scope in eras from the 1920s to the 1950s (I think the '30s will always be the defining 'pulp' era though). Anyway it sounds like a mythical product at present rather than a mythos one. Sad news. Thanks for getting back to me.

I think the Allegiance rule could be the core mechanic to go with, as it is fairly simple and provides a good starting place to tinker with this. Vagabond's suggestions of polarizing viewpoints as either Conservative/Liberal is not a bad place to start, you'ld have to factor in radical or extremist views of both. It's all a bit abstract at present, but if I get time to get my head around this I'll throw a more workable idea out there. I've managed to use the Allegiance rules for some pretty interesting things in the past, and I'll have a good think about how it could be plausibly used here.

Does anyone know when this will be released? I recently purchased 'Secrets of Morrocco' and there are many references to the Pulp Cthuhlu rules riddled throughout this setting book. The Chaosium website has had the product listed as an 'Upcoming Product' for many moons, and I'm just wondering if anyone within these forums may be able to shed some light as to when the stars will be right for this book to be published. I have found the Pulp Cthuhlu book listed on Amazon.com as a pre-release product (not date or price yet). Amazon's blurb indicates that it is a rule book for Call of Cthuhlu D20 rules and not Call of Cthuhlu BRP rules. Does anyone know if this is correct? I'ld certainly be very disappointed if this book comes out in D20 rules...

I can see both points. A generic supplement would be great for newbies to the system, whereas the more experienced GMs may prefer a setting specific supplement that goes into great depth. Historically having generic supplements for RQ wasn't a great thing I don't think - I like RQ Cities but was it a big seller when AH put it out? A very useful resource in any case. I never went for RQ Gateway or Eldarad, and I expect they didn't do well . But what about Griffin Island? I loved the original, Griffin Mountain, and was horrified when it was was ported out of Glorantha as a generic fantasy setting for AH RQ, yet I suspect it sold reasonably well despite my views on on the setting change. I think any product that will bring people to the system is good, but I would hate to see the market overrun with generic supplements at the cost of a decline in the very setting-specific supplements that many of us have come to love with the BRP-related systems.

You're welcome mate, glad to help

I tend to use the old RQ3 Strike Rank system as well, I have actually returned to it after using the BRP/CoC/SB DEX Rank system and numerous other initiative systems from other games. Best to stick with the original, it works well for our fantasy setting. It is often perceived as a 'clunky' old way of doing initiative, but in reality I don't find it is so. Everyone knows what strike rank they are acting upon (often more than once in a melee round for quick/unencumbered characters), and organising who is doing what during the 'Statement of Intent' phase is a good idea. Sure it initially slows down the narrative (briefly), but once the melee round kicks off it all goes very smoothly and surprisingly quickly. As Simon previously stated, movement isn't a hassle either, the whole 3m/SR thing for humans puts it easily in perspective how much ground someone has covered at a particular time within the melee round. The book keeping isn't a big issue at all, especially if you have a grid drawn up with the pcs/npcs names in columns, with the numbers 1-10 running down the page, you just jot down where people are acting and it works like clockwork during the melee round. I also like the fact that it isn't solely DEX based, but takes into consideration DEX, SIZ, Weapon size/length, and Armour worn ( I used an amended version of the MRQ2/LEGEND rules to take Armour into account, but in SR scale). This is all recorded as a 'Melee SRM' score on the character sheet, so it is actually quick to know when you'll be acting in the actual melee round. Just as quick as rolling d10 + DEX in my opinion (although that is not a bad option for modern/pulp settings, but doesn't cut the cheese for me when playing in ancient/medieval settings). Players from other game systems have noted how they like the Strike Rank system, and are often quite surprised when I show them that it came from a game published in the mid-80s, they tend to think it is innovative. In any case it is actually very simple in game play itself, and movement hasn't been an issue for me with this system.

I'm not sure how familar you are with the system, so I apologise if I'm going to be talking about things you already may know, If you're after a comparison I can give you a broad overview of the various BRP-related systems, and I'll leave it for someone else to go into finer detail: Basic Role Playing (Chaosium): This is essentially the core system. Due to it's size and yellow cover it is often referred to as the 'Big Golden Book' (BGB) within these forums. Chaosium established the D100 system with games like RuneQuest (1st - 3rd editions), ElfQuest, Worlds of Wonder, Superworld, Ringworld, Elric/Stormbringer and Call of Cthuhlu. Essientially all the same core system with various amendments for each genre. The BGB itself is a generic rule set which provides core rules similar to how the rules are presented in 'Call of Cthuhlu'. Provides a multitude of optional rules which you can mix and match as you please. A chapter on setting building indicates which optional rules tend to work best with various genres, quite useful for the GM who likes to build settings from the ground-up. I think if you're after a 'one book all genres' approach then you can't go wrong with the BGB. It could be a little daunting for newcomers however, due to its size. Having said that the core rules themselves are reasonably simple, not 'rules-lite' but not complex either. The idea of using a % as the core mechanic really shines through everything, making the system easy to grasp for new GMs and players. Most of the BGB is taken up with additional rules (ie Magic, Spot Rules, Optional Rules), but you don't need this level of involvement to run with it. If you feel a little ambivalent about the BGB I would download the pdf of the BRP Quickstart rules, its either free or very cheap (less than $5 USD) from the Chaosium site or from sites like Drivethru RPG. Chaosium has a great catalogue, primarily for 'Call of Cthuhlu', although there are a wide range of generic scenarios called 'Monographs' you can buy directly from the Chaosium site or in pdf via Drivethru rpg. Personally the 'Call of Cthuhlu' scenarios are pure joy to read, if very challenging to survive from a player perspective. Some of the strength with having the BGB is that not only have you access to the current Chaosium source product range, but you can easily use it to play with any of the sources associated with their 30 yrs+ back catalogue. For instance you could play a RQ3 scenario using the 'Ancient' or 'Middle Ages' setting options in the BGB, or you could play a 1920s/1930s Call of Cthuhlu scenario using the BGB 'Pulp Era' options for instance. Not to mention that there are other licencee companies out there producing stuff for BRP (Alephetar Games spring to mind, very good content in their product range, focusing on semi-historical/fantasy earth settings, with titles including 'ROME', 'Crusaders of the Amber Coast', 'The Celestial Empire', 'Dragon Lines' and 'Merrie England'). BRP is the 'parent system', so for me, I simply can't get by without my copy of the BGB. The Laundry (Cubicle 7):There is also a tongue-in-cheek variant of 'Call of Cthuhlu' called 'The Laundry'. The flavour is Douglass Adams/Terry Pratchett meets Lovecraft if such a setting can exist. The BRP rules are included in The Laundry book, so if you specifically like this setting then you don't need the BGB as The Laundry itself is quite self-contained. Most changes are in the way Magic is portrayed, and I really like how they do this. The range of supplements are sparse, but they are all well produced. The core rulebook is a nice hardcover with evocative art. Quite easy to read, as well as being very humorous. The Laundry is an acquired taste, one which I enjoy immensely. LEGEND (Mongoose): If you're specifically after a BRP related system to do High Fantasy, Ancient World, Middle Ages, or Sword'n'Sorcery genres then this is the one to grab in my opinion. Mongoose Publishing bought a licence to bring out RuneQuest again, and this system is pretty much the result. The first Mongoose attempt, called RuneQuest (or MRQ, which would have been RQ4 if Chaosium had done it), was a little glitchy for many familar with the earlier editions of RQ or the BRP camp. The second edition (referred to as MRQ2, which really would be RQ5), was considered to be a great improvement in terms of game mechanics. The authors left Mongoose publishing, and the name 'RuneQuest' has now been changed to 'LEGEND', and the LEGEND core rules are pretty much MRQ2 reformatted, no actual changes in game mechanics. The MRQ2/LEGEND rules save a GM a bit of time if you want to use BRP for the above settings, as it is tailored to those genres. The LEGEND rules do not provide a setting, rather they provide a genre. The way combat is portrayed seems to capture the cut and thrust of melee, similar to the early editions of RQ but perhaps a little more streamlined in some ways. In any case it is a great set of BRP-style rules, and there is a fair amount of Mongoose RQ2 back catalogue that is fully compatible, and also most MRQ1 products are more or less compatible as well. The good thing about this is that the authors who left Mongoose have actually got the rights to produce RQ6 which should arrive late this year. Apparently it will be fully compatible with MRQ2 and LEGEND, but may have some minor rules changes. LEGEND itself is a nice little digest-sized book so it is cheap on the wallet and handy at the gaming table. The other thing about this system is the great pdf titles available at Drivethru rpg at present - LEGEND core rules only costs $1 USD, and the fully compatible MRQ2 sourcebooks are going very cheap ($10 USD for eleven titles) so you can grab alot of source material quite quickly. Renaissance (Cakebread & Walton): The primary setting for this system is 'Clockwork & Chivalry', which is the only setting I know that combines the English Civil War (think the Reformation Years) mixed with Magic and Steampunk, or in this case, Clockpunk. The setting was originally for MRQ2 rules, but since MRQ2's demise the authors decided to make their own stamp on the system. I haven't had time to look at the new system, but I did download it for free from Drivethru RPG. Looks reasonably compatible with all D100 systems, probably closer to MRQ2/LEGEND but I'ld have to really suss it out for a detailed appraisal. Perhaps if you're gonna focus on Steampunk settings then the 'Renaissance' variant of BRP would be good, especially considering all the gadgetry in their Clockwork & Chivalry setting. OpenQuest (D101 Games): This is a likable little indie version of the BRP system, with a growing product range. Actually it is a nice build for playing a slightly more simplified D100 game that covers at the same genre that LEGEND is doing. There isn't a wide range of supplements, but the ones on the market are quite good, with some interesting settings to come. For those who use the BGB, the source scenarios for OpenQuest are closely compatible and not a problem for a BRP GM to run with. OpenQuest has caught the attention of many BRP gamers, and this system certainly has its merits. For a generic fantasy genre, the 'Age Of Shadow' setting produced for OpenQuest looks like it hits the spot. I have also read very good reports about the two current OpenQuest sword 'n' sorcery settings, 'The Savage North' and "Life and Death', and I think I'll grab these at some stage. Personally I can't wait for their upcoming Sci-Fi setting. All of these above systems have their own links within this website, and you'll see a reasonable product blurb associated with each one. There are some other indie or fan-made BRP-related systems out there, SimpleQuest, RetroQuest, and GORE spring to mind, and AEON is in the works. I'm not really familar with them, and I think they'ld probably cover similar territory to OpenQuest, with most differences being put down to personal taste. Some others in this forum have had experience with these systems, so they are better placed than myself to discuss their merits. I do remember having some forum input into RetroQuest at one time, but I don't know enough for a comparative analysis. ***** So I guess it goes down to personal taste. For me it is the BRP BGB and MRQ2/LEGEND, depending upon the genre and what mood I'm in. I'ld grab the BRP Quickstart pdf and the LEGEND pdf and start from there if I was you. If you like LEGEND, look out for RQ6 later this year, it will be a biggie.

That's some pretty good options that could have been included in the BGB, I wonder why they were left out? I like the life path concept and how that affects your initial skill points during character generation, but I can see how that is too specific for generic BGB rules. The Root/Branch skills are a really good idea, and certainly one that would have made a great option in the BGB. I feel that the Root Maximum could be higher though, not out of realism but out of usefulness in game play. Something along the lines of INT+(EDUx2), INT+EDU+10, or even INT+EDU+5 may be a little better to me, which still leaves plenty of room for specialist knowledge. This concept is particularly important for modern settings and futuristic settings, given how professionals currently specialise within their own vocational backgrounds. Medicine doesn't cut the cheese anymore, but Medicine (Neurology) sounds more in keeping with the times. You could even spread this out into all skills if you really wanted to calculate things like this. Combat skills could have Root Maximums of INT+DEX+Base %, for instance. You could then have Melee Combat (Swordfighting), Melee Combat (Bludgeoning) etc, or perhaps Swordfighting (Broadsword), Swordfighting (Rapier) etc. Might be a bit much to totally change everything though, although the Knowledge based skills would certainly benefit from having Root Maximum rules. Thanks for posting these rules, I think I'll be porting the Root/Branch Skills concept into my swag of rules, except I'll probably calculate the Root Maximum as I previously described. Good post.

It's a great book, some new mechanics with a great setting, in a very nice big hardcover. Actually I think LEGEND should make this their flagship fantasy/sword n sorcery product, it is so good. When I'm not so tired I'll try and throw a more articulate review down somewhere, probably on Amazon.

I second this, that's pretty much the same story for me. I'll certainly try other systems to play, and occasionally other systems to GM (I'm looking at you Eclipse Phase), but BRP related systems firmly remain my hometown in regards to roleplaying. As far as this site goes, there has been some heated discourse many a time, but I haven't seen anything go too sour. Given that this site spans many countries and thus many cultures, it's great that most discussions are of a positive nature, showing testimony to the maturity of many on this forum. I also think it's a great place for creativity, it's good to know how others handle particular gaming situations, that is a great resource. I also think it's good to feel the presence of many of the authors and publishers involved with BRP, it certainly makes one feel closer to the products and less removed from the BRP gaming community (let's face it, we're not D20 OGL and actually don't want to be). So thumbs up from me as well !!!

You raise a good argument here, and I agree that BRP would benefit having more in the way of Guidelines/Procedures than stock standard descriptions. If the game feels 'fluid' I'm pretty happy these days, and as long as game mechanics support role-playing then I'm cool with that.

Well, 'game mechanics' are rules !!! Actually all I was getting at is that some social situations will definitely benefit from have a dice mechanic, but I feel that most social scenes benefit from direct role-playing. This is what I feel is the most enjoyable way to handle social scenes in rpgs. I prefer heavy emphasis on role playing a character, otherwise we might as well just load up an MMO instead. Game mechanics that take away from playing a character in this way don't enhance my games, but as I pointed out, I can see the benefit for particular occasions where mechanics might move to the forefront in a rpg social scene (Orate and Bargain spring to mind). For things like Fast Talk, Persuade, Intimidation, 'stand-offs' etc I prefer the player-characters to role play the situation and I grant a bonus or negative modifier to them based on that, then they make the game mechanic roll. So for most of our 'social conflict' it is down to player creativity, and subsequent social dice rolls are dependent upon that. Game styles tend to be vastly different across different age groups and different troupes, so I guess it depends on what you enjoy from an rpg really. I guess this all gets back to Evilschemer's dilemma in his initial post, and what style of game his troupe likes to play. If they like mechanics to resolve everything, then his 'stand -off' situation could have been resolved that way. If they like to act everything out then that is more enjoyable in my opinion, but I guess not really helpful to his situation, considering the stance the players were taking with their characters, as a GM would have to be pretty creative to resolve the situation and still provide an enjoyable session. This post certainly has evoked a wide range of opinions on social skills use, so I guess there is a need for more explanations on social conflict resolution in the BGB, but not necessarily too much in the way of new game mechanics. Interesting thread.

I tend to agree with Rust's last post. Most combat and social scenes are quite different, and probably shouldn't be treated with 'combat-like' mechanics unless you are trying to simulate a formal Debate rather than a standard social situation. I feel that social rolls are best demonstrated by the player, and the verbal banter is one of the defining reasons that pnp rpgs stand out over computer game rpgs. I think that most social scenes are best role played, with perhaps a dice roll here and there, maybe receiving modifiers based on how the well the player is portraying the situation. For instance, we have a player whose character has great Persuade and Fast Talk skills. I don't ask her to simply roll Persuade, however, unless we are after a quick resolution. For most scenes I tend to get her to role play out a conversation with the NPCs, then ask her to make a Persuade/Fast Talk roll, granting modifiers based on how plausible the role playing scene is. Tends to be much more fun and colourful this way. However I do think there is merit in what others have said about having a more detailed mechanic for lengthy dramatic social situations such as a formal debate and I would like to see the Orate skill having a few combat-like mechanics to it. So I guess it really depends on what social situations would be best being 'rule-played', and what would be best being 'role-played'.

Does anyone know when this is going to be published? I couldn't find it listed in 'Upcoming Products' on the official Chaosium page, yet it is listed for pre-order on Paizo.com with a detailed description and the cover illustration: http://paizo.com/products/btpy8k5c?Call-of-Cthulhu-Cthulhu-By-Gaslight I've got the second edition and it is a great source book on Victorian England and Victorian-era Mythos, and the upcoming edition looks like it's going to be even better. Just wondering if anyone knows when the stars will be right for this one?

To make matters worse, then there's 'Hyperborea' as well, a region within Howard's 'Hyboria'