Sunwolfe

Envious of your time and skills. This looks amazing!

ROTFLMAO! Seriously laughing . I am so sorry, Chris. On the d/l page it lists Trifle. I should have read a bit closer. Would it help if I said I was thinking about your prolific contributions like Alchemy and Artifice or Peoples of the Southern Reaches and everything else I was composing my post? Maybe...? Seriously, dude, my bad . Sunwolfe shakes his head and goes to sit in the corner. Giggle.

I too would love that, but I have a feeling that new BRP & MW supplements and settings are going to be few and far between while the retrofit is going on; indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if pickings remained rather slim until after a strategy and direction is worked out for the BRP line. I'm not trying to be a daisy-downer just giving vent to my own suspicions. Meanwhile fan based projects might be the only way we see "new" material for awhile...like clarence's BRP Starships 2.2 or Trifletraxor’s Manual of Monsters 1.2a...and the forum's d/l section might become an even more important resource than it already is .

Because the entries are definitely NOT written up in useful BRP terminology or format, I have often thought that these three books would be great fodder for a fan-driven revision project...maybe something for a forum thread or the d/l section. Some of the creatures included are in various BRP publications (like bears and wolves) but many are not (Battlers and Behinders) and a lot of converting and revision would be needed to make them useful, particularly for those BRP GMs who use Hit-Locations and such.

When news of the guard-change at Chaosium came, I was far more concerned about what might happen to BGB-BRP than CoC should the company be able to slog-on, reorganize and fix its sights on needed revenue. I have no doubt that CoC is going to be their flagship as it has been for years. It has a wider following than BRP, is making more money, and if they are looking to firmly re-bolt the company to a strong foundation, IMHO, that's the way to go, but I would hate to see BRP fall to the wayside. With Ben's new title, this fear has been allayed. That being said, I'd like to see the BGB and BRP given greater attention and a more secure place in the New Chaosium. At present, I don't feel BRP has a developed a sense of itself. If the New Chaosium conceptualized a more unified vision for the game along with a sound marketing strategy, might not BRP evolve into a line nearly as important and successful as CoC? As cjbowser suggests, an emphasis on settings might be a route to take. I also agree that Rosen and Alephtar have done a smashing job of it. Chaosium could do far, far worse (ops; been there, done that) than follow Alephtar's example and produce such solid and fun offerings. As to a new BGB edition...? I'd hate to see it happen for the wrong reasons. Rosen has a point, unless there is something that the BGB needs beyond an errata pass, leave it alone. When the time comes, I'd rather see Chaosium pour energy into building around the BGB, strategically strengthening the line and adding it as a bulwark of the New Chaosium. On another point, it seems to me that while RQ6 (I am a big fan of this BRP expression and continue to drool over its awesomeness) is very cool, I would not want BRP pulled around to resemble it. One of the wonderful things about BRP is that these present expressions--RQ6, Legends, MagicWorld, CoC, etc.--inspired by it or sprang from it and not necessarily vice-versa, allowing those who want crunch or squish, firearms or magic, strike ranks or DEX ranks, hit-point locations or general hit-points, etc., in their games to have it. I suppose even if things eventually do go south, I will always have all the Chaosium goodness I've picked up since the late 70's, as well as this forum and it's creative talents, from which to pick and play BRP the way I like it. Cheers,

Thanks for reminding me of this, Mankcam. The interview was excellent and answered quite a few questions, as well as allayed a couple of my concerns. If any of you haven't given it a listen-in and are wondering how the present situation came about and bit of Chaosium's future forecast, I highly recommend it as time well spent. www(DOT)yog-sothoth(DOT)com/articles.html/_/main/the-great-old-ones-return-sandy-petersen-interview

I dearly love my Cities book and had to fight several ebay bidding wars to finally secure a copy.. A very, very useful book. Cheers.

Hey, Sephleon! I admire and respect the work you've gone to in developing this houserule and mechanic. I think if you and your players enjoy an emphasis on Fate/Luck/HV, your mechanisms could be fun and add spice to your game--particularly with its AD&D/Classic Fantasy bent. I like the options you describe in the later part of your missive--Reduce damage to a single attack, etc. and I might just lift a few of those or compose some of my own on your inspiration . Intellectually I prefer my mechanics a bit simple. Emotionally, however, I have to guard against mechanic-of-the-moment syndrome ("Oooo, pretty!"), otherwise I find my game drifting away from what I call the "D100/BRP Difference" and getting lost in the crunch. I prefer Fate or Luck points to simply reset themselves at the beginning of each session--two or three for each player based on their POW. That being said, my games are human-centered do not embrace the many classic old-school tropes yours do. That's one thing I love about D100; it's robust enough to accommodate both the squishers and the crunchers! As has been said, "your BRP may vary" Cheers,

Interesting that it's not even offered as a .pdf .

The Ringworld game is different with a unique appeal, flavor and atmosphere. To get the most from the game, it helps to be a fan of Niven and Known Space and the character he gives his universe. I would hazard to suggest that it is different than most sci-fi games. It is foremost a game of exploration and discovery, one in which players need to be a bit committed to the Ring and willing to centralize their experience there. It also needs a GM who wants to offer that kind of experience. Now, that being said, Ringworld is vast and there's plenty of room to establish just about any situation and circumstance, but if you're players are Jonesing for light-sabers, blasters, Battle mechs, and starship combat, I would not recommend the setting. Cheers!

Just a bump...not a query. In light of the changes over at Chaosium, maybe once they have a chance to sort things out, your (long-ago) proposal will receive consideration and another chance. I hope you haven't given up on it yet, Jason .

I too am a FTF gamer--have been for the last 38 years. As we're all working adults, we get together when obligation, family and inspiration allows. I just closed up a RQ6 turned MW campaign and am presently in a D6 Star Wars game and a Warhammer Fantasy Role-play game. Paper and Pen/Pencils are the norm. Each player has a character folder or binder and something to write on. When I GM, I use my lap-top for reference though I have books--one or two--on the GM table or table-end; I also have a small binder of house-rules and campaign notes on hand, but I try very hard to keep such things at a minimum. As a player, I use my Iphone messenger rather than handwritten notes to privately communicate with the GM or any of my fellow players. We prefer the feel of literally "rollin' the bones" and most of us have a personal dice tray for the job. We did have one player who went the virtual, but he soon returned to rolling the dice himself. Cheers,

Congrats, Ben. And thanks to you and the old/new crew for taking on this heavy and awesome responsibility. You are all foremost in our thoughts. I too am seriously pumped beyond words--Frakin'-A!--and very happy that it sounds like MW/BRP will remain part of Chaosium's new future. I'm sure that future, however, can only be wrought though long hard labor. Don't hesitate to let us know how we can support that work. All the best and whatever we can do to help... Cheers, mate!

I've been a lurker, hovering around the edges of this thread. Being more of a fantasy/ancient than a scifi gamer, I do play SW D6 once in awhile. I just want to offer my congrats and well wishes for you guys and your project. This is seriously looking good and that print job by Lulu...very nice. As soon as you decide on publishing, I'll be buying. It's always cool to see BRP fans still have room to be creative and produce fantastic material. Keep up the excellent work! Cheers!

Right on, Ben! No CC before its time!

I don't blame you for feeling a bit harried...hell, it bothers me and I'm not even remotely connected with the process. It reminds me of grandchild 4.0..."I want coco!" Not: "Can I have some coco, Seannair?" or "Could you please make me some cooc?" or "Oh, I see you're scrubbing the toilet right now, but when you're done, would you mind mixing me up some coco?" They have absolutely no sense of anything or anyone other than themselves and their perceived needs (despite a full set of teeth and an amazing vocabulary) and coco, well, coco simply is. While she doesn't intentionally mean to be self-centered, she still has a lot yet to learn...just like her mother did, just like her auntie did, just like her sister did. Adults are a lot like that...just a bit more passive/aggressive: "It's been an hour; when do I get my coco?" You think this is pushy try sitting across from a helicopter-parent at parent/teacher conferences ! But for every "I want it all and I want it now, now, now" and "are we there yet, yet, yet" there are a whole boat-load of who get it, and though we too are very eager, and appreciate both that it takes time and that you're at the wheel. Loz (and by extension, Rod), cheers, mates and thanks for the hard work...and don't let 'em make ya too "...tetchy..." :-).

Ah-ha! I thought it sounded a bit familiar from the RQIII Vikings side of things. That's awesome :-)

That's great news Rod; thanks for the update. Ya know, my wife cooked a pork rib roast the other night. She wrapped 'em real careful in aluminum foil...nice and tight. Then she set the oven for seriously low: 178 degrees and baked 'em for nearly 14 hours. She set an alarm and go up during the night to check on 'em, tested the temperature with a meat thermometer, adjusted the heat just so. The house smelled amazing. I had be be gone when they were unveiled, but when I got home, I was finally able to sample 'em. Food of the gods, my man; food...of...the...gods! So you just take all the time you need and get that CF baked just right...in the mean time, the promise smells glorious :-) Cheers,

As ever, Chris I applaud your efforts on behalf of MW particularly in the area of converting players to the light of BRP . I'm always amazed at your output and envious of the time you have! I looked over your manuscript this morning and didn't necessarily see any problems with playing it as you've presented it. I will be interested in hearing how it goes and what you discover concerning ease of play and the inevitable rough spots that come up. I am curious about a few things however. In terms of specific mental powers, you chose to deviate from MW's magic conventions. For example, I noted that many of the Powers do not take MW's combat round to cast/project but rather have differing "Activation Time" such as "...# DEX ranks..."; you do not exclusively use MW's self/touch/sight ranges but included some "unlimited" ranges and many with specific (##') ranges; your durations do not last a number rounds equal to the Mentalist's POW but have "special" or "1 round per 10% of discipline" durations. Was this to give Mentalism a different feel? I also noted that mental powers cost very little, i.e. no magic points. What was your reasoning behind this? In the section on Fatigue, you added Fatigue Points to the equation. I'm curious as to why rather than stating that the Powers from each tier causes the mentalist Fatigue equal in combat rounds to that tier's numerical value, e.g. tier one - 1 round; tier two - 2 rounds, etc., you decided Fatigue Points was the route to take? Considered that Fatigue seems to be the only ongoing concern of the Mentalist, have you considered instituting recovery times, that is how long it takes to bounce back from using their abilities past the CON x 3, 4, 10 in rounds limits (I modified things a bit in my own game concerning Fatigue)? I have a few questions concerning Mental Attacks. Let me make sure I understand how it goes first. The Mentalist uses their skill to determine if they successfully contacted the target's mind. "First the mentalist must make contact with a targets mind. This requires a skill use with at least a success and takes 1 DEX ranks to complete" (3). The target is allowed a POW:POW resistance roll; if they fail, the Mentalist has contacted the targets mind. "Second step requires a POW:POW resistance roll. If the target fails this, the mentalist has made contact with the targets mind..." (3). The target must pit their INT & POW as a score against the INT & POW of the Mentalist and roll below the percentage indicated on the attack chart. If they fail to make the roll, the target is effected in the ways indicated: CN, FM, SL, etc. "Next the target rolls under the appropriate % in the following charts or suffer the effect as described by that number" (3). If my understanding is correct, my questions and queries are as follows: Steps 1 and 2 seem to have a redundancy in making "...contact with a target's mind...". Did you intend this and if so, why? You mention "skill" used to contact a target's mind. Which skill is it...or is it a new one? I'm also curious as to your reasoning behind an additional mechanical Mental Attack chart layer. Why did you choose not to use the existing MW/BRP Resistance Table with the addition of effect results? If the target makes their Resistance, what happens next? If the target makes the percentage roll on the Mental Attack chart, what happens next? Is there any cost to the Mentalist? I'm also curious as to your use of POW in addition to INT seeing how Mentalists are by definition defined by the later rather than the former characteristic. Please don't think I'm nit-picking or demeaning your efforts. Far from it. I salute you . These were just the things that came to me as I read your monograph/conversion. Cheers,

Okay, this is a clarification question directed at either Ben...or any of you other MW gurus. Shields of various sizes have a percent chance to block successful missile strikes. This is mentioned in various places in the core book: 77, 79, 90, etc. Specials and criticals aside, what is the physical procedure for determining if the shield blocked the successfully striking arrows? In other words...the GM says, "Three arrows from the barrage have hit you. Your small shield has a 15% chance to block incoming...I/you roll to see if you blocked any". Who rolls for this: the GM or the player? It is a separate roll for each successful arrow or a roll for the whole barrage? Does this count as a "parry" or is it simply a matter of, "...oh, look, an arrow hit my shield! Good thing it was in the way!"? Cheers!

Cool, I understand. In my game a Necromancer cannot fully raise the dead and restore life as it was before death. He can create all sorts of undead-reanimates and simulacrum, but once someone is dead in my game, unless the gods intervene, they are dead. Shrug. I should have thought about how the old RuneQuest III spell and the HR it is based on might contradict MW spirit lore. For continuity's sake, I'm gonna have to do more research before I field this ritual again. For sure I would rule that augmentation might be all well and good, but for purposes of the above ritual and truly restoring life as it was known, augmented points would not be considered a true sacrifice. It has got to be original CP or none at all. This is such an inspiring thread. It really gets the brain going and juices ticking, but I'm gonna sideline my particular train of thought in favor of the thread's original intent. I didn't mean to hijack it away from Chaot's original theme and talk about a HR. My bad. Cheers !

Before my present game evolved to MW, we played RQIII wherein divine magic has a Resurrection ceremony. We house ruled this spell and modified it significantly. Since then it has shown up in all our games modified slightly for each system--BRP, RQ6 and now MW--and have subjected our players to it. You might find it interesting, you may not. I include it here as a portion of the conversation seems to have turned that way. Phrases in italics are from the original RQIII rule. On a side note, in my game resurrection is VERY rare as the gods are seriously jealous of their prerogatives. This spell was used as part of an adventure to restore the life of a dear sister to the players' mentor and for three or four sessions drove the story line. In the end they had to pay far more than characteristic points to re-balance the cosmic scales MW HR Resurrect (10) Range: Touch Resist: MP:MP This Advanced Sorcery ritual allows for an adventurer to be restored to life. First the body must be healed to a level of at least 3 positive hit points. If the body is dead from disease, the disease must be eliminated or the ritual will be futile. This spell summons the deceased spirit to approach its former body. The caster of the spell can then start spirit combat with the deceased. If the initiate or priest succeeds in causing the deceased to lose Magic points, then he can force the spirit back into the body. If successful, before the “dead” can be fully re-animated and brought back to life, their STR, CON, DEX, INT, POW and APP must also be restored. This requires the sacrifice of said characteristics on the part of other PCs or NPCs in similar fashion to a magician creating a familiar. Each characteristic can be restored up to, but not exceeding, the dead’s original score. Less can be given, however at least half must be restored for the spell to work. Willing, or not so willing, participants are gathered who have “agreed” to sacrifice personal characteristic points for the sake of the dead. For some this is a major decision, especially those will have to work very hard to restore sacrificed points. As the adage goes, however ‘more hands make light the work’ and in this case, the more participants in the ritual, the less of an impact the sacrifice of characteristic points makes. After this has been done, the body will reanimate upon the command of those who gave it life. All that remains is the ceremonial denial of control by the directing Magic User. A Necromancer, who has had to steal or “tap” others for characteristic points, might choose to retain control over the resurrected, making them little better than intelligent zombies. A “good” Mage or PC, on the other hand, will finish the ritual by verbally and permanently “denying” control, over the soon-to-be-reanimated. All skill scores and modifiers on the part of sacrificing PC/NPCs will need to be re-figured. Each day after the first that the dead adventurer stays dead permanently reduces his/her current STR, CON, DEX and APP characteristics by 1D3 points. Thus, it behooves those involved to move as quickly as possible. Those who have lost all characteristics due to time, including ancient kings, long dead heroes or magicians, can still be resurrected, however, there must be a skeleton that remains fairly intact from which to work. Characters or NPCs that are missing a complete skeleton in some significant way (no head, lost legs—the victim had been drawn and quartered and this was all that could be recovered after the parts had rotted from the city walls; damn dogs!), or which have been fully cremated, crushed or pulverized have no chance at resurrection. If, however, all the parts could be reassembled… Regardless this spell is not to be undertaken lightly, and all should be warned that raising the dead, forcing them back from the afterlife, superseding the directives of deity, is a dreadful and awesome event. Much preparation and role-play should accompany it. Some cultures attach serious stigma to those who have been resurrected by this means, others have banned its practice as a violation of civil law or blasphemy punishable by death for both the animator and the reanimated. It does however, present some delightful opportunities for role-playing and scenarios.

I meant to post this last night but got distracted and forgot...yep, mind like a steal trap! On page 159 of Stormbringer 5ed is the chart/box origin for the one on page 37 of AM. In the original SB box there is no "4" before the "Per 1D8..." (the p in "Per" is also a capital letter in SB5ed) I'm thinkin' the "4..." in AM is a typo. Cheers,

Sweeeet!

Dear Santa-Ben, I wouldn't want MW to become too simulationist--there are other games for that--however, the core book says very little about Mass Combat. I have ever struggled with this as a GM. I would love to see a simple system for mass combat, one in keeping with the spirit and simplicity of MW (SB5ed/RQ3), which offers quick yet exciting rules for resolving the clash of large and small units and, most importantly, units led by player characters. Something that would save the GM from having to search and convert rules that may or may not mesh with the game's rule-style. On pages 220-21 of the core-book, under the heading "Non-Adventurers" is the suggestion for five different stat-sets for quick NPCs. These are pretty basic, but I like 'em. The profiles, however, are oriented toward hand-to-hand types. It would be cool to have examples of "minor...average...experienced...heroic...epic" of other general tropes, as well as fighters, including: sorcerer, thief, priest, noble, professional, artisan, on hand for a quick grab and fast adaption. "Oh, yes, I need a bad-ass sorcerer...heroic class...what does she look like and what spells might she have..." A quick look up later along with an adjustment or two and presto: bad-ass sorceress on the fly. I realize the above may be beyond the scope of MW...maybe too detailed. I also realize that I could probably make these things myself--I am presently looking at how to adapt RQ6's "...shield wall..." rules--but you did ask what we'd like to see, so I'm dreamin' big :-) Regardless, I'll be thrilled with whatever finally emerges. Until then, I'm just gonna keep using my tried, true and heavily worn RQ3 Gamemaster booklet (good stuff in there as I'm sure you know). Cheers, Sunwolfe