Kloster

...Dark trolls and centaurs tended to be the only viable core RQ3 races with a bonus, and even centaurs were problematic as PCs in many ways (because of the difficulty they had with so many environments).

This makes me remember of a ladder. We had to pull the centaur with ropes.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Think fast? :confused:

My lot couldn't think fast if their lives depended on it.

Even with Statements of Intent, when it comes to their SR, they:

1. Have to work out their attack chance again, even though it was the same as last round

2. Take 5 minutes to decide which combat tactic they are using (ignore armour, strike a location, disarm etc)

3. Rework their attack chance, depending on the tactic chosen

4. Spend 2 minutes finding their dice

5. Spend 2 minutes shaking the dice

6. Spend 2 minutes working out their special chance EVEN THOUGH THEY ROLLED 70

7. Spend 2 minutes finding damage dice and shaking the dice

8. Spend 2 minutes painstakingly adding up the damage

We get through, on average, one combat per session. :mad:

Of course, some player never change, and I've also lived that kind of problem.

But at least, they have to think fast when to declare (or they don't act).

And to limit this kind of trick, our GM ruled that if a player need more than 10 sec before starting to act when asked to, the action was cancelled. Pretty forced us to be careful to hear what HE was telling.

It is a bit dictatorial, but most players understood the point. After that, he relaxed, but at that point, everything was mostly flowing.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Think fast? :confused:

My lot couldn't think fast if their lives depended on it.

Even with Statements of Intent, when it comes to their SR, they:

1. Have to work out their attack chance again, even though it was the same as last round

2. Take 5 minutes to decide which combat tactic they are using (ignore armour, strike a location, disarm etc)

3. Rework their attack chance, depending on the tactic chosen

4. Spend 2 minutes finding their dice

5. Spend 2 minutes shaking the dice

6. Spend 2 minutes working out their special chance EVEN THOUGH THEY ROLLED 70

7. Spend 2 minutes finding damage dice and shaking the dice

8. Spend 2 minutes painstakingly adding up the damage

We get through, on average, one combat per session. :mad:

For us, it was more:

GM: Declaration phase. What are you doing?

Player 1: Erh, Ehm,...

GM (10 sec later): OK, nothing. Player 2 please.

Player 2: But, ehm,...

GM (10 sec later): OK, nothing. This NPC does that. Player 3 please.

...

At the 3rd fight, everybody knew to be ready when asked to tell what his character was doing.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

...

Not really. I think it was how we did things. We didn't run into a lot out double and triple teams, since those would butcher anyone who wasn't Rune level. So if possible we would open up a fight in such a way as to get a numerical advantage. Things like mass disrupt on someone, etc.

...

In most of the fights I took part, we were outnumbered, and we didn't choose the fights. In those cases, your tactics don't apply.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

And as I said, I see no point in declaration other than to tell everyone else what you're doing when in fact, I see no reason why they'd know. If you're going to cast a spell then switch to your crossbow and fire, just how does anyone but you know about the latter at the start of the round?

As I said, it serves no valid purpose that I can see and over favors Dexterity, which hardly needs more benefits in RQ.

I agree it favors dexterity.

The advantages I see in the declaration phase are:

1 - Simplicity. This is when the GM notes his SR sheet that he has then to follow. The round is then easy to drive.

2 - Force the player to think fast. The resolution of the 1st strike ranks takes much more time than the timeframe they represent, and if you react along this time, you have too much time to think and to prepare. With the declaration phase, everybody has to think fast.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

I think Elves and Dwarves however much you use them are going to be Tolkien-derived, and therefore produce a Tolkienesque (D&D-esque) atmosphere, especially as Tolkien himself derived his Elves and Dwarves from Northern European mythology, with a bunch of Christian symbolism thrown-in.

You could argue Gloranthan Elves and Dwarves are different, but I would argue that they're not actually Elves and Dwarves at all, but rather something completely different - Aldryami and Mostali, with the Tolkien-labels gummed on for shorthand and familiarity. Likewise Elfquest.

Don't get me wrong - I *like* the Tolkienesque genres. But other fantasy genres (I'm thinking of Howard, Lieber, and Vance, for example) manage perfectly well without them.

Same for me.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

And spear users usually did too, but most people just didn't feel like dealing with the extra encumberance to have the opportunity to do a bit extra damage at the price of likely losing your weapon. Especially since there was no guarentee most of the damage wouldn't just be sucked up by the opponents parry.

Different experiences. I don't say that what you say is false,but I have seen a lot of impaling strikes with swords. In fact, in a group, I was the only one to switch from one tactic to the other. The other players were always trying to impale.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Sorry, I'd forgotten we houseruled that one promptly, because its, basically, stupid. It means you can't use the rapier as a fencing weapon, for example. The rules themselves pretty much show the stupidity when you can attack and parry with a greatsword in the same round, but not a shortsword. Ask yourself which of those is faster to bring around after an attack some time...

As an ex fencer (and I have done some sca like fights also), I can tell that what you say on the rapier is mostly true, but on the shortsword mostly false.

If you bring your weapon on the way of an incoming one, it is not directed anymore towards your adversary, and it is quite slow to bring back. And even with the rapier, you loose time. That's why most duelists were using parrying devices (Main Gauches, Lanterns, rolled up clothes) or were dodging.

What you descript is completely true for foil combat.

I would solve the problem by allowing the rapier to do it (like 2h weapons), but not the other weapons.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

...

If you haven't seen Rome, you might be interested. It's way better than most movies set in the timeframe.

True. The depicting of roman society is very interesting. Too bad it will not continue.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Pretty much everything is deadly in RQ/BRP. Guns aren't really much deadlier than swords, axes, etc. in RQ. In CoC prety much everything is deadly.

Its the lack of armor that hurts. So some sort of "fate points" idea would help.

...

Or use the "Jewel" rule from elfquest (calling it belt buckle rule, or whatever).

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

I would think BRP is fine for Westerns. Like CoC but (hopefully) without the mythos nasties.

Weapon stats are easy. Adapt the Iaijustu rules for Land of the Ninbja for Fast-draws and you are pretty much there.

New BRP would be even easier, since there are option Luck/Fate Point rules that could help the PCs ward off lead poisoning.

I've got knuckleduster an COC if anyone want's some wester firearms written up quick.

Damn, this might be worth writing up as a serious BRP project. It would cover a new field for BRP, and most of the work is already done.

Land of the Gwanji

Western Role Playing with a real bite!

One of the characters I have used during "Horror of the Orient Express" was a retired Harry Longbaugh (spelling?), that fled Bolivia, and went to europe to live on his ill gotten gains.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Sure, but I have read that training doctrine for the gladius was close with shield and thrust from cover. Thus a 'thrusting weapon'. You have a valid point about armor...and shields. The fact remains that a Western setting is going to be deadlier. For all of the above reasons.

...

This doctrine is part of the Marian reform (around 100 BC).

The target was to cause thrusting wound to the abdomen without exposing yourself.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

...

You must have had very large groups of followers; reserves were usually a non-starter in our experience because everyone present was _already_ in the middle of the fight, one way or another, and that usually included any of the few followers that might be present.

...

Idem for us. I never had the luxury to have even a single reserve.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

That would explain it, then, but if you look among the "playable" (that is to say, ones with previous experience rated for them) RQ3 races (keeping in mind I'm not a Glorantha player, so things like Great Trolls are a non-starter, but some of the non-Gloranthan races such as halflings and orcs from the RQ3 monster book were) I think you'll see my statement is basically true; there's more that are downrev on damage than up.

I agree with what you say, it is just I've never saw somebody using them for a character.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Maybe more like 50-50. While the Trolls were the only major species on the "plus" side of the curve, there were a lot of weird ones like Baboons that could be played as characters. I never recall anyone wanting to play a baboon, but the stats were there. Morokanth, Broo, Scorpion Men. There, but for some reason just not popular with the players.

Agreed, but I never saw them played. And except for a dark troll, I always played humans.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Rate of Fire, 1/SR (RQ missile weapons table p.66): Use the weapon on the adventurer's DEX stirke rank., then on his DEX SR+3+Dex SR again.

Example: Arcos the Archer has a DEX SR of 2. He can fire a composite bow on SR2, then he must take 3SR to get another arrow ready and notch it, then fire the second arrow at his DEX SR after than. Thus he will fire at SR1, then at SR 7.

So you get:

DEX SR 3= SR 3/9

DEX SR 2= SR2/7

DEX SR 1= SR1/5/9 (the third shot wasn't expressed stated in RQ3 like it was in RQ2, but is in supplments for high DEX archers.)

Point taken. My mistake.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

ahem, Kloster, Aaron Burr IS ancient history, now. But...

If you want to talk about pistol duels instead of phalanx vs. maniple, though, my favorite is Andy Jackson...that rascal took a ball in the chest and calmly stood there and blew away his opponent. Not many years after the Burr affair...and hey, you know about Wyatt Earp?....

:focus:

I don't specially want, even if it can be interesting for BRP.

And I saw the shootout at ok corral :innocent:

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

No elves or dwarves?

Nope.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Thanks for the american history lesson.

Now that you have explained, I remember an article in a history magazine some 20 years ago that spoke of a famous duel between 2 famous american politicians.

1 was known to having fired in the air, but not the other. And an analysis of the duelling pistols made around 1985 proved that the pistol that fired in the air had a very high sensitivity (a few grams of pressure were sufficient to fire the shot) and the author of the article presumed the air shot had been caused by stress.

Could it have been this duel?

Intricacies of american history can lead to war in your school rooms, but is completely ignored here from France (but our last political duel was in 1967, with swords).

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

I guess your RQ3 is different than mine. According to RQ Deluxe Edition (softcover) p. 70, you add AP and ENC of soft armor (leather or heavy cloth). The ENC of the soft armor is not doubled.

P68 of player book, you are right, but on the errata:

"Points for Overlapping Armor

As described above, it is possible to wear soft armor under another armor to provide added protection. Hard armor may not be worn under any other type of armor. In any case, the outer layer of armor must be heavier than the inner (i.e., have more armor points).

The interior soft armor adds its normal AP to the total armor at TWICE normal ENC cost."

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

Hello Jason,

Is the Power Points reserve (the new name of magic points) unique for all the powers? What I mean is that IF somebody (depending on setting) has both Psionics and Magic, has he 1 reserve of points for both set of powers, or 1 reserve for each of the sets?

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

I'm planning on a French Revolution/Napoleonic campaign. The flavour will mainly be political intrigue, but with a sprinkling of naval battles (will use my Langton miniatures & rules) and land battles. I think it'll be a directed 'quest' type of approach for the party. Starting in Halifax Nova Scotia and ending with an audience with Napoleon himself. A good setting if you ask me as the source material is effectively limitless.

If it gets dull in any way, I might then drop in an alternative universe twist whereby the adverturers get hold of modern automatic weapons and sniper rifles >:-> That should result in some fun at Watrerloo! :thumb:

Who said "Time Bandits"?

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

People lost shields sometimes, but to be honest, unless you took a lot of time to learn one as a backup, you weren't going to be worth a damn parrying with a backup weapon anyway. If you lost your shield, you were just as well off trying to parry with your weapon at hand; after all you could do that if it was all you had.

By the way, an average dark troll (+1D6 DB) with bludgeon 1 on his Maul (2D8) destroy a round shield (12 AP) in 3 shots. Not very long to obtain, especially if the target is parrying with the abovementioned shield.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

My players love them.

It's all a matter of taste, I suppose.

Yes. I hate them. Some of my co-players love them. Our RQ GM has not yet made his mind, but I don't think he will use.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster

One man's "Refined" is another man's "Overly Complicated"

Personally Ill be continuing to use the Stormbringer style variable armour and serious wounds system as I have been for years.

Different experiences and memories, different solutions.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster