Kloster

23 minutes ago, Atgxtg said:

Back in RQ3 the skill categories modified improvement rolls, making them much more important than they are in other versions of RQ or BRP. A 12 APP meant a  +1% or 2% to improving various skills. THat added up over time.

Yes very true. But this rule is consistent from RQ2 to RQG. As far as I remember, it is not present in any other BRP game. What makes RQ3 special on the matter is that every point of any STAT did matter, instead of having  increments in a table (RQ1, RQ2, RQG).

1 hour ago, HeartQuintessence said:

Good point. I've never actually had an encounter with the physical book. and pdfs probably do not exist if this was published... *wikipedia* 1984...

No legit ones. The pdf format didn't even existed when the licenses lapsed.

2 minutes ago, Nick Brooke said:

There's a "Stahleck Singalong" group on Facebook that seems to be the epicentre for Gloranthan filk these days. (Castle Stahleck has been the centre of the German RQ/Gloranthan scene for decades, and hosted my most memorable performances)

My most recent composition is attached - it's related to my next scenario for the Jonstown Compendium. 

It's Zola Fel.pdf 416.54 kB · 0 downloads

Good. I like it (and instantly began to sing in my head). Saved the file with the other one. Thanks.

1 minute ago, Crel said:

The episode in particular called out Empire of Wyrms Friends/EWF/Earth, Wind & Fire.

This one is good. Very good.

1 hour ago, Crel said:

I'm also curious about other music-genre influences on Glorantha, but wasn't sure how to get that more tightly-worded for y'all. Especially metal, speaking as a metalhead myself . I've definitely thought about digging out my bass and trying out my hand at songwriting again. The Gods War has tons of great metal themes, and I bet the Lightbringer's Quest in particular would make a killer concept album.

Considering the influence of M Moorcock's influence on Blue Oyster Cult, Hawkwind, Manowar, Wolfbane, Domine and other, finding fantasy influenced metal seems not too hard.

To answer original question, yes APP is not very useful. CHA has a much pronounced effect. I wished the new RQ and BRP using more (STAT+STAT) or (STAT times x) as a base for skill calculation. The skill categories are a step in the good direction, but we could for instance double them to increase the importance of STATS.

1 minute ago, Questbird said:

BTW speaking of stats in combat I really liked the idea from the 'Stormbringer Action Economy' thread of declaring your intent in a combat round in descending INT order, then acting in descending DEX order

In RQ3, we did the SOI by ascending INT order (sometimes ascending INT+DEX), then resolved by SR with descending DEX order within each SR.

40 minutes ago, Nick Brooke said:

Hey, Austin! Have a metric buttload of Gloranthan filk!

For a couple of decades, I hosted a SingalongaNick on (ideally) the last night of every major Gloranthan convention. This was the songbook we used. 

Glorantha Songbook Continuum 2012 v1.00.pdf 1.99 MB · 3 downloads

Fantastic Nick. Do you have more of those marvelous songs?

2 hours ago, hix said:

I kind of doubt that those games have enough traction to warrant a sub-forum, so why not talk about them here?

So has anyone actually used the impulse system from Ringworld? Seems like it would work in theory, but in my experience most players can barely keep track of strike ranks in a 10 or 12 round RQ system, let alone one that purports to go up to 100 impulses and beyond. I can only imagine the fustercluck that would cause at the table. Any better impulse systems or strike rank systems you can recommend?

In my experience as a GM and as a player, Ringworld impulse was going very smoothly. You care only of the next action, which means roughly the next 10 impulse. Not very different of the next 10 SR round (RQ3) or 12 SR round (RQ2 or RQG). You don't care of the previous 100 impulses, nor of what will occur in 50 impulses.

9 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Again, it’s weird that you don’t get any significant bonuses for mounted outside of the lance and mounted archery.

You have (or at least you did have) the benefit of a hit location of 1D10+10 while your opponent is using 1D10. I haven't checked if RQG still has this rule. Otherwise, combating on horseback is a disadvantage because your combat skill is limited by your riding skill (which seems logical). This is not much and on this you are right.

5 hours ago, SDLeary said:

Rome already had a professional army,

After Marius, which means after 100BC. Before that, a drafted army, based on census, where richer people had a higher probability to be drafted, but were better equipped because THEY were paying their equipment, which led the richer class of census (the ruling class) being drafted as cavalry. The professional army appeared centuries later.

17 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

For a couched lance charge? Source on this? A high-backed saddle is widely considered a prerequisite.

You don't need a couched lance charge to obtain a good lance cavalry charge. Just look at Gaugameles. Darius army, while largely superior in numbers (and with a good cavalry), was completely destroyed by the shock of Macedonian cavalry charge on units that were fixed by the phalanx. It was in 331 BC, far before the discovery of stirrups, over 1 millenium before medieval knights began to use the couched charge, and the hetairoi were the ruling class nobles of Macedonia, as were the Roman equituus.

1 hour ago, Thaz said:

Personally I think this is 'over thinking' at its highest. Spear Long (1H) is Lance. I think the issue for me is the description of Lance is wrong (IMG) as it's too long. It's just a big spear. We're not playing Pendragon and practical combat lances were just that.  Drop the Lance to 3m or less and it all works out. Use it one handed and you loose a chunk of base skill as it's unwieldy (base skill is 5 rather than 15). So typically used 2 Handed on foot. Which is how I've always used and fought against larger spears/pole weapons. 

I'll skip over the stirrup argument but note with the appropriate saddle you don't need stirrups to use a lance one handed.

Practical Combat Lances were not that big outside of Jousting. 

 

Completely agree.

I also like your pic of the 1st Polish Chevau-Leger. Where do you took it from? Osprey?

8 hours ago, Frp said:

I'd have thought charging rules would have gone away in RQG -- no stirrups in the bronze age. You should, at least, need to make an extra ride roll to stay on your horse-- I think RQ3 had that... 

You don't care for stirrups. Alexander cavalry used xyston for charging, without stirrups. It was used with both hands, for what we know. I know that Gaugameles story has been written by greek victors, but we know for sure that Persian empire was destroyed by Macedonian phalanx and hetairoi charges, and they had no stirrups.

4 hours ago, Joerg said:

Unlike the French, whose school-books apparently have phrases like "our Celtic ancestors" (which I have seen mentioned as a problematic issue for the big minority with non-European roots).

The problem existed when we had an empire and young Senegalese were singing 'Nos ancetres les Gaulois' (Our ancestors the Gauls). Since the empire is gone, we are all of Gaul and Frankish descent.

No, this is false, of course: My father's family came from Italy, my mother's family from Mongolia, my wife's family from Germany. Not a lot of Gauls in it. But the 'Gaul heritage' mantra disappeared from school books more than 50 years ago, along with the colonial empire.

On that matter, the old TSR Top Secret SI used a simple mechanic for non firearms combat. You roll 1D100. If it is over your skill, you miss, if it is under or equal, the 10's die is the damage (modified by strength and weapon) and the 1's die is the hit location. That way, the higher your skill, the higher your potential damage. No special and no critical, and IIRC, you can not have a skill over 100, but the system can be adapted.

2 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Not being a lawyer, I will not say for sure, but I believe filking (the art of singing a filk song for fun, at a con, etc, Duck,DuckGo is your friend here) is quite within the rules of fair play. In any case it is a time honoured tradition. 

I has even been done officially. IIRC, Dragon Magazine published 'Gnomish Space Marine' (based on Yellow Submarine) and a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody (on Ravenloft, if I remember well). Just after that, we were all singing 'We all live in the Gnomish Space Marines'

7 hours ago, Joerg said:

(Although some modern-day democracies - as opposed to modern democracies - put up huge deterrents to certain elements of their population keeping them from participating in a vote, too. Or make it extremely hard to obtain citizenship.)

IIRC, the last swiss landsgemeinde with votes done by putting his sword up were done around 30 years ago, and were stopped when the last counties adopted the right to women to vote (among other things, women could not carry a sword).

2 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

I allow occupational experience for all skills

Same for me. This seems to me more logical, as it can be experience, or what is learnt during one season, or anything.

55 minutes ago, Joerg said:

As for the random selection, I have the suspicion that things were rolled because you rolled on random tables in the early decades of the hobby. The RQ3 solution for Humakt initiates with gifts having their commensurate geases always made more sense to me.

I completely agree here.

2 hours ago, seneschal said:

I ran Justice, Inc., borrowing scenarios eagerly from Daredevils (which had loads of good ones).  My group were Champions fans and we had no problem with the system.  Supplements Lands of Mystery and Trail of the Gold Spike had Cthulhu stats included and had a strong movie serial vibe.

Yes (Champ fan here also). Lands of Mystery was very good.

1 hour ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

you just need a scholar friend reading the contract, then put a death rune to commit yourself.

after all, Humakt protects all type of commitment, doesn't it ?

 

Right.

Yes. Read/Write skills are much more restricted now with RQG. For me, it made sense to have at least the priests of most cults to be able to read their sacred texts, even if badly and slowly. The mercenary contracts (of Borderlands, for ex.) are another matter. I think RQ2 authors didn't think especially about the matter.

That's him. Thanks.

IIRC, the (human) cultist of Argan Argar in 'Price of Sartar' webcomic wear sunglasses too.