frogspawner

MRQ2 is now reprinted as "Legend" as Loz said above (pdf available for $1 I think? - but where? It's a Mongoose product) - and is just fine, I got a hard copy for Christmas! MRQ1 is available for free in an SRD on this site - but forget that, it's a crock.

Sorry, wasn't meaning to criticize your past GM-ing, just suggesting an alternative approach for the future. You wouldn't have to take 4 hours over a 4-hour negotiation. "OK, 4 hours later, they're still there asking you to disarm." would handle it. If the lawmen can be relieved by others in shifts, rinse and repeat until the player-characters fail Fatigue/CON rolls... All in 5 mins of game play. Frankly though, I'd think - in fact I'd hope! - lawmen would have far less patience with obviously uncooperative weapon-wearing bravos. At some point, they'd instruct the 'bad guys' not to draw, and then draw their own weapons. Some lawmen would then approach and remove the players' weapons while others gave cover. The first player so foolish as to draw in those circumstances would become the 'Evil Doiley', as above - and deserve it. Even though just accessories, they ARE still party to a murder!

Classic powergamer. And even trying to bully the GM, tut-tut. You could try using... dare I say it... alignment. (OK, call it 'Allegiance' if anyone says "...but this is BRP!") Just Good/Neutral/Evil with 'tendencies' should be enough. Murdering some pawn shop guy means they're Evil - right? And those covering-up such a murder are probably at least half-way to evil - i.e. 'Evil tendency' (another similar act and they go the whole way). You never know, that might be all that's needed. Powergamers I've known have really disliked their characters being (accurately) labelled as Evil. They'll fight it - maybe as hard as fighting capture - but using the 'railroader GM' argument against it is harder for them: it's just a description. And some may hold back from murderous behaviour in order to avoid the 'Evil' label... But most won't. They'll go ahead and do evil, despite GM warning they'll then be known as evil. So then what? Hopefully not all the group will have crossed that line. So it won't have to be a TPK. In the pawn shop example, the murderer is the Evil one, and the accessories just have 'evil tendencies'. When they won't go quietly with the authorities... shoot-out. But the lawmen will naturally primarily target the most threatening-looking - the Evil one. All shots on him till he's a jam-covered doiley. Then the rest have a chance to surrender... (and blame the murder on the deader). When they get out in 5 years (i.e 5 mins later) the adventures continue. Psycho can use the rest of the session to roll up his new, slightly-lower-points character, then go home and cool off. Worth a try?

Then we'd better mention the BRP QuickStart is available free and legally right here.

Is the free BRP QuickStart not enough with those settings?

Welcome! And good luck with that - my attempt to convert our gaming group/s here has taken about 10 years and has not been without resistance. Some people are really unreasonably scared by the few Hit Points (despite virtually no character deaths resulting) and dislike having to do any thinking (being so accustomed to mindless hacking). My advice: Convert existing characters (don't make new ones, which could later be discarded to return to the old D&D ones); Do it with confidence - and don't allow any possibility of going back!

In the system I suggest, characters only have the two or so traits most relevant to them. That's enough for roleplay, and doesn't ensnare you in tracking a dozen different traits, most of which are irrelevant. Pious can be interpreted as Spiritual anyway. The definitions aren't precise, so no need to worry about fiddly details like that.

For purposes of discussion, here are the standard Pendragon traits: 1.Brave(Valorous)/Cowardly; 2.Prudent/Reckless; 3.Chaste/Lustful; 4.Energetic/Lazy; 5.Forgiving/Vengeful; 6.Generous/Selfish; 7.Honest/Deceitful; 8.Just/Arbitrary; 9.Merciful/Cruel; 10.Modest/Proud; 11.Spiritual(Pious)/Worldly; 12.Temperate/Indulgent; 13.Trusting/Suspicious; and Passions (various Loves/Hates & Loyalties). I've developed the underlying mechanism, given above, that seems pretty good. The traits-list may not be perfect, but I'm happy to leave it as-is for now in my campaigns (which are traditional fantasy). Others can fine-tune it for theirs as they see fit.

Oh good. I mean, I've just devised some Traits/Passions rules, which I rather like (although they're not very tested as yet), and maybe they will help bridge the gap between Legend and RQVI. 1) Choose 2 traits/passions for your character, preferably from the standard Pendragon ones. (You can earn more in-play, up to a maximum of CHA/4, round down - see below). 2) If you are acting according to one of your traits, you can re-roll a skill being used (capped at CHAx5%). That's the basic system - not too hard, I hope. And to gain more traits: 3) If you act very notably according to a trait you don't have (GM decides), you get a 'threat' of gaining that trait. (list it in brackets - but you don't get re-rolls for it, yet...) 4) If you later again act notably according to a 'threatened' trait, then you fully gain that trait. NB: If you have reached your CHA/4 limit of traits, then you have to lose one of your current ones to make way for it. Each Trait/Passion can relate to the campaign's Divine Forces/Principles, so a character's allegiance/alignment can be determined from their traits virtually at-a-glance. (And Rule 4 makes for those dramatic changes that can be such fun! ) (PS: And by 'we sacked', I take it in this case you mean 'Merkozy sacked'... (sorry, couldn't resist!))

I'll do it! My copy of Legend is currently wrapped and (figuratively) under the Christmas Tree, however. Just one PM though - Dave Cameron (who else?) - but in his two forms: Smarmy, Con-man scumbag pre-Veto, and continent-saving Hero after...

Just letting the guys know how it went. Thanks for caring. But, as you've raised the subject of us British leaving... We are honouring the existing treaties - and it's those which define the EU. It's you "EZ+" chaps who are inventing something new and non-EU. So who's leaving who, exactly?

Well, yes. I just think stat-translations between the various products that come out would do exactly that - showing their similarity. - Just an update to our readers on this topical subject: Rust then sent me a few Referendum/Leaving the EU PM's of enjoyable debate. But I think both they and the anti-British anger shown by 'Mr & Mrs Merkel' (and others who wanted our money) prove "the other side just does not care" isn't true.

So... like the BetaMax to Legend's VHS, then? Actually, I hope they'll gain synergy by feeding off each other, rather than being out-and-out competitors. We here could help that by creating dual-stat translations (for RQ6/Legend and BRP?) and publishing them here on BRP Central.

Yeah, that's it. For me 1st Ed Mongoose RQ was such a pig ruleswise that it tarnished the "Mongoose RuneQuest" name enoughto put me off even the indubitably excellent MRQ2. But being able to get that under another name is very pleasing. (Doubly so at the cheap price, despite that being a transient side-effect of evil capitalism). Old-time Glorantha was (is) great, but these days I can take it or leave it. (Which if it's '2nd Age' means - leave it).

Mongoose RuneQuest never recovered from the appalling first edition. Me, I'll happily buy Legend stuff because it's good rules (by all accounts), is free of the MRQI taint - and it's not pretending to be real RuneQuest. I expect these sales tactics are intended to hurt DM RuneQuest, though...

Hi! Certainly. Absolutely. These go together, I'd say. Not particularly, I'm afraid. Unless it's a really interesting setting, of course. Oh yes, definitely! Nah. Adventures! Scenarios!! Modules!!! (You get the idea?)

OK, not mine then. So I'd better mention it now! So here's what I use... 1) Overall Hit Points only (about half the usual amount, i.e SIZ/2, but you don't actually die until below -CON). 2) Don't roll hit location unless the blow is "significant" in some way. (e.g. reduced to 0hp or less; and/or piecemeal armour). 3) If taken down to 0hp or less, the hit location is incapacitated. 4) If taken down to -5hp or less, the hit location suffers a "Serious" injury* (typically broken bones). 5) If taken down to -10hp or less, the hit location suffers a "Grievous/Critical" injury* (typically severing/maiming). *And here's my related table of location-specific injuries... (Honoured with a place in the BRP Wiki!) http://basicroleplaying.com/wiki/doku.php?id=combat:major_wound_table

Sounds familiar. Glad you approve! (Hmm... seconds thoughts, maybe not mine after all. I get away without Locational HP).

Ooo - exitement! Today one of Santa's little elves (well ok, quite big actually) hinted she might've ordered my copy...

If your side didn't care, you wouldn't oppose us who want out...

I can't help thinking it'd adapt to a fantasy setting quite well. Rather like Sartar v Lunars...

Hopefully we will leave the EU (which we Brits never voted to enter). The current Euro-collapse may bring the whole issue to a head, and maybe our misguided political elite (who conspire with your lot to keep us in) will be forced to let us...

Standard Grass-Is-Greener effect. But if you're not happy with the situation either, why don't you just let us keep our own independent country? I'd rather give the dubious pleasure of rule by EU/German-appointed provincial governors a miss, thanks. And we'll see whose currency exceeds it's "Use By" date soonest...

Another typo fixed. Nice to know Mongoose can choose to obey the Americans, either... not.

Know what you mean - similarly, Lanhkmar. (Though Elric, with piles of bodies, always struck me as more suited to D&D...)