seneschal

I got Nick Middleton’s Outpost 19 from the Chaosium Father’s Day sale. Overall I like it, although it does have some flaws. I attribute these to Chaosium’s hands-off monograph policy. A little editorial polishing could have made this good adventure module excellent. First, the things I liked. Outpost 19 is a classic Star Trek style away team medical mystery. The setting description makes me want to explore the Gate Warden Universe more. Both the setting and the scenario bristle with plot hooks and ideas for additional adventures. The scenario’s follow-up suggestions are good, too. Despite the module being self-edited, it is well-organized with lots of player handouts and maps. I spotted only two or three typos or writing errors. That said, there are several problems that would require some Game Master tinkering in order to run the scenario successfully. My biggest concern is that I think the mystery is too hard and could quickly deteriorate into a no-win situation for players. The player-characters begin physically crippled by the planet’s harsh environment, then have less than 48 hours to come up with a solution. In addition, they may have to deal with rogue wildlife, mysterious outside interference in their investigation, industrial espionage, and potentially hostile alien natives. Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Who might be able to pull this one off, but none of the groups I’ve gamed with could. Even as a GM, reading the list of clues, I had trouble seeing how my players might connect the dots, especially given the taut deadline. Part of the reason for this is that scenario resolutions assume players have a thorough knowledge of Gate Warden Universe society and gear. Their characters might have access this info but players coming cold to the adventure will be clueless. The module itself doesn’t help much in this regard. Banned technology is a big element of the setting. But the tech level descriptions in The Accords sidebar are vague, and the module doesn’t provide an equipment list other than a few guns. As a player, I wouldn’t know specifically what gear was disallowed or how to break the rules even if I wanted to. I’ve previously mentioned that the setting description left me wanting more, a good thing. That said, much of it is repetitive. The first two chapters are pretty much duplications of each other without adding the details I desired. In the same way, basic information on Jeterieff V, the planet the adventure takes place on, is repeated two or three times verbatim. I wanted to know more about the medieval-style colonial society on the world, especially since the corporate-sponsored scientific compound that is the focus of the scenario is so different. Now, this is partially excusable since the castle and bathrobe folks aren’t the focus of the adventure. But had the repetitious material been ditched, it would have created space to flesh out all the places touched on in the module in more satisfying detail. The follow-up suggestions mention people and places the PCs could interact with, but we really don’t know much about them. On the other hand, the module spends an inordinate amount of space on the Tripoint Facility that is on the PCs’ route to their mission. Now, this material is interesting and may be useful for future adventures, but it doesn’t have much to do with the scenario itself. A couple other nitpicks: The scenario assumes, even requires, the use of pre-generated characters. This might be fine for convention tournament play, but my players would demand their own unique characters. The module includes some general skills suggestions for unique characters but a more thorough list of suggestions for player-made characters would have been helpful. Another gripe is that victims of the illness the PCs are sent to investigate can’t be saved, no matter what. You get sick, you’re dead. This may be realistic, but it’s just no fun. Red shirts and NPCs may die, but the stars of the show (the PCs) should be able to pull their fannies out of the fire somehow. The author mentions survival horror as a possible adventure outcome at least twice, but I think players deserve better odds of coming out on top of the crisis.

I agree with rust that this thread has been unproductive. The title wasn't "A few misinformed people from 30 years ago and RPGs." It was "Christianity and RPGs." If the statements made about Christians had been made about any other group, forum members would have been outraged and the moderator would have shut the thread down. Unfortunately, the thread has demonstrated that rational, polite discussion has little effect on bigotry -- in this case, not bigotry by Christians but bigotry by their detractors.

The fact that non-Christians also engage in charitable works does not negate my point that your statement was patently untrue and insulting. The verses cited are meaningless out of context. They are part of larger passages that are not incitements to crime and violence. Jesus' statement in Luke 14, for example, is not a command for Christians to slay their parents. The point is about priorities. A believer's commitment to Christ must be absolute, even above his devotion to his close relatives. Of course Jesus expects his followers to love their families, since he also expects them to even love their enemies. However, he warned Christians that this commitment could cost them the fellowship of family members who choose not to believe, as it continues to do to this present day. Re: the references from Revelations, 2 Peter 3:9 states that God is not willing that anyone should perish but wants everyone to come to repentance. As a consequence, he hates false teaching (what those verses are about), which prevents people from coming to him.

The statement is not only insulting on its face, but patently untrue. Good Christians do not routinely engage in murder, rape and slavery all the time. Or even part-time. In fact, devoted Christians in 19th century Britain and the United States led the drive to end the global slave trade. Modern Christians oppose slavery's insidious, secretive current form. Parents of murder victims forgive their child's killer and pray for the murderer's salvation. Christians also oppose practices that they consider murder, such as abortion on demand and assisted suicide. Christians open homes and counseling centers for rape victims, unwed mothers and former prostitutes, offering safe haven until they can get their lives back together. Christian doctors travel the globe at their own expense to provide free medical and dental care to children in remote villages. Christian laymen, at their own expense, build orphanages, hospitals, and homes for the homeless. Despite having to recover from their own natural disasters, American Christians dug deep in their pockets to send aid to victims in Indonesia, Japan, and Hati. If that is hilarious, so be it. Unfamiliar with their own Scriptures? Sounds like they're living them to me. Back on topic, what then of John Adams, owner of Brave Halfing Publishing? He publishes RPGs such as X-plorers, Swords and Wizardry WhiteBox, and Delving Deeper. He also publishes support materials for Castles and Crusades and Labyrinth Lord. And is a devout Christian clergyman.

Sigh! More gamer Christian-bashing, based on brief events from 30 years ago? It's a regular cycle at rpg.net. Why do it here? In the 1970s many Christian parents became concerned, legitimately, about the rising popular interest in the occult and the growth of neo-paganism. D&D, hitting the mainstream in the early '80s, seemed to fit into this trend and was aimed squarely at children. Parents, desiring to instill a Christian worldview in their kids, would naturally be suspicious of anything that appeared to encourage an undue interest in the occult, including fantasy role-playing. Remember, this was years before the Internet; good information was harder to find and misinformation was all too available in the form of reactionary paperbacks, magazine and newspaper articles, pamphlets, and TV shows. And it wasn't only Christians expressing alarm. The mainstream media and secular parents groups got into it, too. Also, look at Ben Alexander's biography: http://www.espministries.com/about_ben.html He became a Christian in the 1960s after deep involvement in the real occult. Naturally he'd be touchy about anything that he thought might direct folks toward the lifestyle he's rejected. True, his conclusions are based on half-truths and misconceptions. On the other hand, the Scriptures tell Christians to avoid the appearance of evil and to think only on good things. If the quotes from Ardruin (note, not from D&D) are accurate, that might well qualify that game as one observant kids should avoid. Also, just because he may be misinformed, that doesn't make him a nut case. Today, tabletop roleplaying is off the radar for most Christian and parent groups. They're much more concerned about the content and values of computer and online games, which are devouring the time, money and attention of both children and adults. Dredging up dated anti-roleplaying material by outliers like Ben Alexander does a disservice to both parents and Christians. It's no longer relevant, and the only motive for doing so is to flog an inaccurate caricature of particular religious group.

I get the "steam" part of the term. But where does the "punk" part come in? To me, Space 1889 was simply H.G. Wells/Jules Verne/Edgar Rice Burroughs space fantasy translated into RPG terms. All very staid and proper Victorian gentlemen (except for that loutish American chap, Carter). In contrast, "cyberpunk" has pretty consistently painted a neo-Marxist, high tech, nihilistic dystopian future. Everyone's a punk in that genre.

Your conclusions echo my own in several (much) earlier threads. Lovecraft is great, but Chaosium needs to get out of the Cthulhu ghetto to continue to be a viable RPG publisher. Exciting, original settings that show off what BRP can do are what is needed to draw players and customers. Beloved as RuneQuest is, the license slides around like a melting pat of butter. Chaosium needs its own unique material, not licensed properties, to keep on keepin' on, especially since Cthulhu material is now being published by other companies for other game systems. If Super Sentai Cyber Sloths, the RPG is what it takes, so be it. So far, BRP Rome seems to be the lead contender, although Chronicles of Future Earth is promising. Other entries, while well received by the BRP faithful, haven't grabbed and held the larger gaming community's attention.

"Plus, having a SIZ 8and STR) would help when you have to plow that truck into a dragon." Great minds think alike! Ever seen the old B movie Dinosaurus? The finale involves a battle between a T-rex and a construction vehicle. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053768/

I, too, agree with your choices. There are too many skills covering similar territory; poor, endangered player-characters need to use their skill points as efficiently as possible, regardless of genre.

I own only the Big Gold Book, and the contest rules are very specific. I have a Halloween-themed idea I think would be fun, but the All Hallows Eve contest wants scares, not smiles. Maybe I, too, can prepare an entry early for next year.

Same complaint as in other threads. SIZ for human-scale characters is pretty consistent, going from a 5'2" petite blond to an 8-foot hulking kinda guy. Once one gets beyond those dimensions, a character or creature's height doesn't necessarily scale along with its mass, forcing one to guess its mass to determine SIZ. I'd like a consistent height scale so I could easily SIZ Goliath, Tars Tarkas, King Kong, and Godzilla the same as I do human characters. Also, going the other direction: Donald Duck (or Howard), Reepicheep, or Basil of Baker Street via a consistent scale. Atgxtg may be up on all the height/mass/body density ratios, but I'm not.

"Heck, BRP shouldn't even exist if you look at this from a business standpoint." The game that wouldn't DIE!!!!

To be fair, Basic Roleplaying isn't the only long-lasting system that has faced these issues. HERO System began as a superhero game, began adapting to other genres during its 3rd edition, and finally got a unified set of rules in the 4th edition. It, too, has lots of options that can be used or ignored depending on the setting the GM wants to create. Unlike BRP, however, its editors reworked everything to fit together. Fans didn't always like the changes, but the system is consistent regardless of genre. The Big Gold Book is to BRP what 4th edition was to Champions, but it perhaps needs some additional polishing, as HERO System got in 5th edition. Of course, HERO System has had complete vehicle rules since 3rd edition. I haven't always liked them, but they are consistent with the rest of the game.

Yep, I got mixed up. But I turned in my completed entry a month early. I thought about doing an entry for the Halloween contest, but it is very specifically CoC-based horror, not my cup of pumpkin punch.

Special Unit 2, we barely knew ye.

Pulp heroes: they're just ... that ... tough! (insert manly grunt here)

Since I must be Rome-less (sob!), I went for that other ancient culture, The Celestial Empire. Also, Outpost 19 and The Three Imposters. It's disguised Han explorers ... in spaaaaaaaace!

You mean ... a dirigible-sized, one-stage, reusable rocketship with bubble canopy, dual forward ray guns, no discernible issues with lack of gravity, and only one seat (for the pilot; everyone else has to stand up, sorry) isn't feasible? But ... we installed the finest vacuum tubes money could buy!

Fortunately, neither offending party was particularly good with vehicles.

We need overall construction rules per Dehak. But also a selection of pre-built cars, boats, planes, motorcycles for casual use. Powers would let you turn a boat into a submarine, etc.

"Maybe I should dust off my Vehicle Rules. Or at least update my conversion rules. Statting yup real world vehicles is pretty simple." Please, please, please do! Crime-fighting NASCAR drivers and crusading space knights everywhere will sing your praises.

Grrrr! Eternal BRP Rome is eternally "out of stock" despite its sale price being prominently displayed. I had tried to order it several months ago with the same result. I came, I saw, I slunk away disappointed.

"Why are you winging it at cow SIZ? Why not just follow the progression? The SIZ progression is consistient up to around SIZ 90 or so. Prior to that, it is a simple doubling progression." Perhaps it is because my cows aren't Progressives. They're a pretty stodgy, conservative lot, set in their cud-chewing ways. I can fudge some things by looking at sample critters in the BGB and Basic Creatures. At larger SIZ-es, using mass rather than height works better ... but then I'm having to guesstimate how many kilograms Gammera the Invincible or Optimus Prime weighs. So I'm back to winging it. Some systems (Hero System, Action! System, Classic Traveller) give me detailed guidelines for figuring beings and things of larger-than-human tallness and mass. Other systems (Mazes and Minotaurs, Mini Six) have generic size ranges (Tiny, Small, Medium, Larger, Gigantic, Super-Size Me Baby!). BRP's SIZ method doesn't quite do either. You say it's a feature. I'd say it's a bug ... except then I'd have to guesstimate smaller-than-human mass, too!

GURPS Lite and Action! System don't have vehicle rules, either. But since BRP is one of the oldest RPG systems still in print and its iterations have covered the 20th Century (Call of Cthulhu) as well as Ringworld, Superworld and Futureworld, I'd hope that we'd have workable vehicle rules ... somewhere. I mean, Mini Six originally was only 8 pages, and it managed to squeeze them in and give suggestions on how to build your own vehicles. I've tried to dope out vehicles via the Big Gold Book's equipment section but gave it up as a bad job. Unlike GURPS Lite and Action! System, the BGB isn't a quick-play product. I know you RuneQuest grognards are satisfied with literal horsepower, but I'd like to be able to pull off dramatic James Bond/Speed Racer car chases, thrilling Star Wars/Battlestar Galactica space dogfights, or "make it so" during grand Starfleet/Heliumetric navy battles. Why bother to invest all those character points in Drive or Pilot skill if my stalwart heroes effectively have to wing it afterward? SIZ just throws me. It works well for human-scale characters but once you hit cow size you're essentially winging it, too. Not a problem for players, but irksome for a GM who likes to supply them with interesting critters.

"Legend," huh? So, how do Tom Cruise and Tim Curry figure into this? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089469/