Sunwolfe

Check this thread out for more on the same subject:

http://basicroleplaying.com/forum/basic-roleplaying/1311-brp-creatures-brp-gamemaster.html

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Not, as I read, that you need to be encouraged to buy, but maybe to reaffirm your already wise decision: I run my campaign fairly BRP RAW...messy rolls and all ...and have used that particular Elric!/SB supplement the absolute most--a lot of water travel happens in my games.

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Harshax:

Thanks so much for the excellent effort and the willingness to share. I agree with Kairos, it's a great example of why I dig this forum. Serious rockage, Bro:thumb: Adding it to a game screen is a brilliant idea too.

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Sold, sold, sold; sold on the first attempt; sold on the second--can't wait to purchase this one, Tywyll!

hope the sale is still on next tuesday...

No joy, Dude. Ad on site says, "from now until early Monday, May 18, 2009" :ohwell: Sorry ;-( I'm sure they'll have another sale soon though.

Sunwolfe

Hi, Jason:

Still got room aboard the starship Swashbuckler ? I'd love to sign on, Cap'n! I got a group I could run through their paces. On guard!

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Anyone know how to get half melted fifty-fifty bar spew off a flat screen?

...Hootgrrz.

And then, you can open this supposedly family-friendly restaurant where the owlbears wait on customers dressed in tight tops and..:party:

:innocent:

Sunwolfe

Hi all:

I both agree and disagree with some of the above evaluations and observations. I wonder, however, --looking only at myself, mind you -- how much of my evaluation is not in truth based on solid "good" or "bad" merits of a piece of literature but on my own perceptions of what is good and bad. I.E. my own tastes in what I like or dislike rather than in any true flaws of the book at hand. Is the writing good or bad? Is the story good or bad? Really? Or is it simply my “screen-of-reality”, my own personal taste that labels it so?

I read Game of Thrones, for example. I belong to an online book club where people...not all, but a majority...simply gush over its storyline, imagery and characters. I, on the other hand, emphatically did not like it at all and wasn't afraid to express my views vehemently: the storyline was fracted; the imagery was sensational and the characters were, for the most part, flat and static.

After reading the above posts and preparing to add a slam of my own, however, I began to reexamine my criteria: just what was it about the book that, when I finished, I was not in the slightest bit tempted to read the next one? Characterization? Plot? Grammar? Style? Liberal use of deus ex machina? I narrowed it down to a couple of things having to do with plot and plot devices. I am not a fan of plots that raise strong and obviously important plot questions that in the course to the book are not worked back in or made reference to at all. I find such a plot hard to follow and makes me suspicious of the author’s ability to handle their work. Further, if any of you are wanting to read the book I'll put it as obliquely as I can: I have found in my reading that overdone plot devices—particularly dragons--are usually handled poorly and are simply used for "wow" factor when a desperate author is aware they might be loosing control of the plot and reader or has painted themselves into a corner and needs to get out. This over the top use of Deux ex machina (their suckling from a human, for the love of Pete L ), the author Martin, is guilty of—or is he really?

The other day a friend of mine related that on my advice, he’d bought a couple of fantasy books to read. He was a heavy comic book fan but wanted something a bit more. He later told me, “I now remember why I don’t like fantasy…I hate the names! Why do authors insist on using unpronounceable and ridiculously sounding names. It’s just a sound. At least [author ‘X’] had names that sounded like the English country side he was trying to emulate. I think these authors just make up a word that has no relation to anything and throw it in.” I made no comment, but it did get me thinking. Was what he was reading fodder for such an intense comment or was it simply his own difficulty in pronouncing foreign constructions that put him off?

Did Martin write a "worst fantasy book ever written" or just something that by using a literary-bugbear of mine, turned me off? Ya know, if I'm honest, I did read the whole book and it wasn't until the end that I was put off. He did actually write an impressive novel; one, for the most part, I did enjoy reading. Does the grandiose style of Tolkien’s Silmarillion put off? Does the overt Christian allegory of Lewis repel? Does Herbert’s eco-centric theme distract? Or am I simply put off by anything with a grandiose style that seems like forced elevation, do I resent ”bait and switch” allegory, or am I simply tired of being bludgeoned with my shortcomings while tying to do some escapist reading?

Have any of you had that experience? That it was more sentiment and preference, which might have their roots elsewhere, rather than the poor storytelling abilities of the author that led you to hold a negative opinion of a book?

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Salutations:

On page 158 of the Deluxe RQ III book...yes, the soft cover with the sheets that shed ...there is an interesting price guide for Cut-Gems.

Perrin and Co. basically laid some definitions down on cut-stones saying, that 1 carat = 200 mg; 5 carats = 1 gram. A small gem was worth anywhere between 1-20 carats; a medium 21-100 and a large 101+

Further (the first number is "pennies per carat", the second is "pennies per gram"):

Diamond 10/50

Ruby 8/40

Emerald 7/35

Sapphire 6/30

Pearl 6/30

Amethyst 2/25

Opal 4/20

Amber 4/20

Jade 3/15

Topaz 2/10

Turquoise 15

Of course clarity, cut and source need to be taken into account and a seriously intricate cut or gem without inclusions might be worth much more even though only a few carats in weight. Adjustments-adjustment and more adjustments.

For your Jeweler--a setting multiplier in which the result was added to the gem-cut price is also highlighted on that page. A good silver setting was multiplied by 1; an excellent setting by 2.5. A good gold setting was multiplied by 10; an excellent setting by 25! :shocked:

Might be useful.

On a final note. I have NEVER found a price list that had everything I wanted on it or with prices fortuitously adjusted to my satisfaction, let alone matching the economics of my personal campaign. I have always had to tinker and adjust , add and delete. Like most GMs here and else where, I've had to haunt the 'net, search old game supplements and in the end, reinterpret what I found for my particular campaign. If things were originally worked out in gold, I'd figure out a formula for adjustment with handy calculator in hand. I discarded nothing because it didn't fit my economic model; I simply put in the work to make that square peg fit that round hole

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Frog, Nick and Jason!

Thanks for the replies...I appreciate it :thumb:.

We managed last night just fine. The priest figured out who was the cause of the rotten canned tomatoes that had given everyone the "Galloping Trots" War Hammer style :-) Roll to save verses soiling your armor! Who said all encounters had to be a beastie-mob? >:->

Thanks for the excellent answer, Jason. We played it almost dead-bang that way!

Cheers all,

Sunwolfe

Hey all!

It seems like in almost every game we have use of the Vision spell bring everything to a skretching halt. Now, we like talking 'bout things such as, how much, how far, how long, how powerful, but this one is beginning to bug me.

Have a look at the spell description and, if you would, give me a paraphrase on what is supposed to happen when using this spell: how many magic points, how long, how far, familiar areas and unfamiliar areas. I need to put this to rest with a satisfactory explanation on how it works.

For me, one of my gripes is it seems way too powerful. I feel it should be broken up into smaller spells, but I don't want to do this until I understand how it's supposed to work properly.

Thanks in advance for your comments :happy:

Now...back to my game :thumb:

Sunwolfe

Rome: cover preview

And please let me introduce our new cover artist, Tiziano Baracchi. :thumb:

That looks frakkin' awesome! :shocked:

I have a feeling this book...and its killer-sick cover...is going to set the bar high for everything that comes afterward. A very good thing.

I can hardly wait :thumb:

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Hey, Lammomedes:

Same set up in the hard copy; no joy ;-( Looks like a typo/misprint/ouchie thing.

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

...and ordered the three panel screen from Studio Two Publishing.

On the GM side, screen one, I was able to cram the Major Wounds, Attack & Defense Matrix and home-brew expanded Melee and Missile Hit Locations charts.

On the GM's center screen I fiddled and fit Movement Rates, Sailing Speeds, Rowing Speeds, Average Sailing Speeds, Terrain and Weather Modifiers, Characteristic Rolls Summary, Inns Taverns and Eatery Pricelist, Special Success Summary, Melee Weapon Attack Fumble Results and Melee weapon Parry Fumble Results charts. Some of these are not in BRP but are from RQ III and SB5. A couple like the Characteristic Rolls Summary and Special Success Summary are simple summaries I wrote and chart-ified :thumb:. The characters in my campaign travel...a lot...hence the emphasis on travel charts.

On the right side I continued with the fumble charts and it sports Missile Weapon Attack Fumble Results, Natural Weapon Attack Fumble Results, expanded Arcane Effect and Fumble Results and a Combat Modifiers chart that summarizes modifiers to combat important to our game here.

On the players side, their right screen sports the Major Wounds, home brew and expanded Melee and Missile Hit Locations and Damage Bonus (up to str+siz 72) charts.

In the center is a screen displaying the Episode number of the present campaign and the date of game play according to three of the most popular calendars in the milieu. I also made a water mark bearing the campaign name for game-correspondence and I included that in the background behind the episode number.

On the players left hand screen are teh Attack & Defense Matrix and Combat Modifiers summary charts.

Player charts are a bit bigger than the GM's but not by much. I used MSword 2000, text boxes and tables. As it was a squeeze to get everything I wanted on the screen, I have to admit I wished there were four panels. I'm also not yet sure how I like the landscape orientation. To have another panel would have made room for a small campaign map on both sides of the screen, but I figure as we play, the screen will dynamically change, some things added and others discarded, as more and more of the engine becomes second nature. For that very reason I did not include a Resistance Chart as I and my players have memorized how the chart works and no longer need to consult one. One other thing I did was include the BRP page numbers where the chart information was located for quick look-up, particularly in the case of my summary charts.

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

:thumb: sweet! My group and I have been looking into converting spells from other sources for specific type spell-slingers and this (and your next project) sounds just like what the doctor ordered! I'm especially excited about the ceremony and enchanting rules/procedures. Missed those greatly from RQ!

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Hey, BRPians:

That's a great program for NPCs. I've used it for sometime now...I almost want to say that I used it before...like it was modified to sport "BRP" in the title--in fact, I'd almost swear I did...shrug. Do we know who created it? It would be great if it it could be updated and list BRP Magic, Mutations, Psychic, Sorcery and Super powers, spells and abilities in addition to the RQ Sorcery, Spirit and Divine magic. Maybe even list BRP skills.

Maybe I'm thinkin' of "RPG Rabbles V6.1" AKA "WinRabble" which I used once upon a time to generate RQ-NPC mooks. It's a sweet little program I d/led from here. It organizes NPCs in a list format that uses less printer ink, lets you adujust the difficulty of the opponents generated, lets you choose from a few RQ III supplement weapon lists--Viking for example, lets you generate a crap-load of enemies (I generated 1000 once just to see if it could :shocked: ), but it doesn't list Hit Locations or Character stats or treasure or race or give a spell option...it's definitely for a hit-parade of meat for your players to hack.

To crank out a full character (or an important NPC with skills), however, I use to use the RQ3 - Character Generator Version 2.0F (Build 229) © 2001 by Kevin Spencer. Any of you guys have/use it? I did a quick Google search but rolled snake-eyes.

I wish I knew more about 'puter language and all that, so I could write a program specifically for BRP the would roll up both NPC and PCs.

Maybe in my next life

Sunwolfe

And they're even running a sale!!:thumb:

Of course, right after I placed my order...:mad:

No kiddin', dude! I placed my order for Aces High, Outpost 19 (I have the PDF but wanted dead tree too), Berlin 61 and Ashes to Ashes, what...about an hour before midnight last night!?

Sumbiiaahch!!

Well, I guess it's not like they can't use the cash

Chee...oh never mind,

Sunwolfe

...but on points the match went to the NPC.

The deck was truly stacked against the poor guy. A very powerful sorcerer sent a demon of combat as a warning to the PCs who had a magical artifact in their possession the sorcerer wanted but which they were unwilling to give up. The demon was instructed to challenge a particular NPC to ritual combat according to the NPC’s cultural norms and in the NPC's own language. The sorcerer knew this NPC was without a hand, that he had lost a suit of demon-armor in an earlier encounter and that the NPC would be honor bound to accept the challenge.

This type of ritual combat had strict rules that dictated how the participants would fight and with what natural weapons. In the course of the long bout (a couple turns worth of combat rounds) in which the grappling was but a small part, both combatants whittled each other down pretty close to zero hp. The demon, however had the ability to Regenerate, so, though he was close to being defeated at least three times, he recovered enough that the PCs felt like the NPC was starting over each time the two would break and reengage.

In the end the demon killed the NPC, but because he had fought so well, the demon allowed the PCs to enter the ritual battle ground immediately and heal the dead NPC to positive hp before the following round was over. In turn, one of the PCs offered to heal the demon of his great wounds, “…in recognition of the greater battle you have fought.” The demon who admired bravery and scorned cowardice (an “attitude” the PCs picked up as the result of earlier circumstances during the combat), was amazed that the party would treat an enemy with such honor. Though bound to perform his mission, he was nonetheless moved to offer them a final gift—a warning:

“I am the least of those he [the sorcerer] will now send,” he said. “Weigh your choices carefully.”

Thanks for the heads-up.

Yeah, we debated over the lost hand bit and in retrospect I'd play it with some sort of percental disadvantage and thus give the poor NPC more of a chance. At the time, trying to get the procedure down RAW before we tinkered with it and the phrase, "If two hands are free, the target can attempt to Grapple back" (61) held us off from making adjustments. Now that I know we did it *right*, we'll play it more from the gut as we usually do. Thanks again :thumb:

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

Hail, BRPians:

We had a hella marathon game Saturday night; we hooked up about noon and played until sometime around 1:00 am Too much fun.

Anyway, we came to grips with (no pun intended) the grapple rules-engine during the game when a demon and an npc went at it in a ritual challenge. What I'd like to do here is recount the process round by round, which we hope was understood and enacted correctly. I then, my dearest friends, ladies and gentlemen, angels and demonata, hope to gain from you confirmation that we did indeed proceed correctly or, if not, check out my questions below, offer your advice and return us to the "...wonted way again, to both [our] honors."

Round one:

A. Having the higher DEX rank, the NPC moved first and failed his grapple attack.

B. The demon moved in and made a successful grapple attack.

C. The NPC tried to use a grapple parry and failed, thus, the demon rolled a random hit-location to see what he’d grappled on to… the left arm.

End of round one.

Round two:

A. The NPC began to “attack” the demon by using a brawl punch which was successful…huzzah…an EASY action at clinch range, and inflicted 1D3 +db on the head of the demon.

B. The demon enacted his grapple effect, in this case “CHANGE HOLD (61),” exchanging the arm for a head.

C. In the DEX : DEX resistance roll in which the demon was active and the NPC passive the demon won.

D. A grapple check was done by the demon to see if he’d held on.

End of round two.

Round three:

A. The DEX edged NPC opts not to try a grapple but to continue to bludgeon his demonic opponent with his fist unsympathetically about the head, again rolling the above damage.

B. The demon then proceeds on to the “grapple effect”…in this case “STRANGLE THE TARGET”.

C. After a contest of STR : STR which the NPC loses the pain begins.

D. A grapple check is made to again see if the demon held on.

End of round three.

Round four:

A. The NPC goes for his CON X 1% roll and fails

B. The NPC takes 1D3 damage to his hp

C. A second STR : STR fails for the NPC

D. A grapple check is made to see if the demon looses his grip.

End of round four.

Round five:

A. The NPC goes for second CON X 1% and fails taking more damage.

B. The STR : STR rolls this time in favor of the NPC who breaks the hold and scrambles away.

C. Circling each other warily the round ends.

Have we done this correctly?

Could the NPC have made another brawl attack at the beginning of round four or is he too busy with the CON x 1% roll?

Is it my imagination or does the grapple round have less symmetry than the combat round?

Should the grapple checks come at the beginning of each round?

Should the NPC have been able to go for a grapple parry during round three when the demon went for the STRANGLE THE TARGET effect or was that taken up by his brawl attack?

PS...the NPC had lost their left hand sometime back and we ruled that he could not therefore, "...attempt to Grapple back."

Thanks for the look-see! :thumb:

My brother and I were just talking about different character classes this morning and wondering if we needed to come up with more "Kit-like" packages for PCs. "You wanna play an apprentice/adept/full mage? Here are the skills you should start with, variables and how many spells your PC knows..." ala RQ III. I'm wondering if such might not be appropriate for your Witch manuscript. What does a beginning witch from the Victorian era "look" like characteristic, stat and spell-wise; what makes her different from her Dark Age cousins?

Just a thought

Cheers,

Sunwolfe

I hadn't visited that web site in a while, though it is in My Favorites. I don't ever go there without getting inspired to work on my own game milieu. If I can generate just a quarter of the richness Barker has :ohwell: . Though I've never used Sandy's interpretation, I keep telling myself, "Some day!" Thanks for the reminder, Kaddawang :thumb:

Blessings of Thumis on all who seek,

Sunwolfe

I quite like the term gunstone, which I'd never heard before. I can easily picture a gunstone beng the flint used in flintlock muskets to create the spark that ignites the powder to fire the gun.

Just a wee clarification...

When young Henry, fifth of that name, may he be blessed, was dressing down the French ambassadors for the Dauphin's "mock" (a box of tennis balls) sent in response to Harry's demand for his French rights, the king said,

Thus were the gunstones, according to context, most likely not so much the flint as they were the ammunition...and more precisely, according to the footnote in my Signet edition of "Henry V", cannonballs--Bah-bah-boom!

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! :party: