Using CoC move rate rules

[Beoferret]

I'm not sure how often this would really make a difference in game play, but I've been considering introducing the 7th ed Call of Cthulhu rules for determining character move rate into my RQG game. In short, for those who don't know, compare a character's SIZ with their STR and DEX. If SIZ is bigger than both STR and DEX, then the character has move rate 7. If both STR and DEX are higher than SIZ, then the character has move rate 9. Otherwise, the character has the standard move rate of 8.

I like the idea, but I honestly don't know how much difference it'll make in overall practical gameplay, having only gm'd one session of RQG to this point. Anyone have any input?

 

[Austin]

2 hours ago, Beoferret said:

I like the idea, but I honestly don't know how much difference it'll make in overall practical gameplay, having only gm'd one session of RQG to this point. Anyone have any input?

I don't really know CoC at all, so my first question is: does CoC use the same type of movement rate as RQG? Meaning, 8 is the default MOV for humans in RQG, which means they can move 3 meters eight times during a melee round. If CoC's movement system is the same, then I imagine using that game's rule to determine MOV shouldn't be too complex.

[Jon Hunter]

I think the movement rate being flat for each race is one of the weaknesses of RQG, but there is a limited to how detailed you want you a simulationist system to be.

I'd toyed with modifying movement rate by dex 13-16 , +1, 17- 21 +2, etc ....

But CoC Things works too. 

 

[g33k]

15 hours ago, Beoferret said:

I'm not sure how often this would really make a difference in game play, but I've been considering introducing the 7th ed Call of Cthulhu rules for determining character move rate into my RQG game. In short, for those who don't know, compare a character's SIZ with their STR and DEX. If SIZ is bigger than both STR and DEX, then the character has move rate 7. If both STR and DEX are higher than SIZ, then the character has move rate 9. Otherwise, the character has the standard move rate of 8.

I like the idea, but I honestly don't know how much difference it'll make in overall practical gameplay, having only gm'd one session of RQG to this point. Anyone have any input?

It won't break anything at all.  It's one of the nice elements of the BRP family -- a subsystem from one BRP game generally integrates smoothly into any other BRP game.

I'd generalize it to +/-1 MOV vs the species MOV; after all, RQ isn't limited to human PC's!   But then you need to consider other species averages & so forth.  Centaurs, for example, have high SIZ, but you generally don't expect to give them a MOV penalty for it!

I do note that it adds a level of complexity, but doesn't address all the issues.  For example, there are higher-SIZ beings that have long-and-lean builds, giving higher MOV.  Agimori, High Llama, etc.  Similarly (but in the opposite direction) there may be some very-large (grossly obsese) beings who'd be even slower than a -1 MOV penalty.  The concept behind the CoC7 rule catches a majority of cases, but definitely misses some edge cases, and I suspect RQ may have more edge-cases than you're really expecting...

How much difference will it make at the table?  I'd ask a few questions... how often will you be having chases or races?  How often will those chases have mounted elements (thus rendering the un-mounted MOV irrelevant (mount-vs-unmounted just goes to the mounted being much faster), or others where the inherent species' MOV differences overwhelm the +/-1's?

[g33k]

3 hours ago, Jon Hunter said:

I'd toyed with modifying movement rate by dex 13-16 , +1, 17- 21 +2, etc ....

I've (long) considered going through and revamping all the stat-based bonuses to a regular pattern, but different than the default one.

• 9-12 = average, bonus 0
• 13-15 = +1 / +5%
• 16-17 = +2 / +10%
• 18 = +3 / +15%
• 19+ = extra +1 / +5% for every point
• on the downside, penalties below 9 are symmetrical with the bonii above 12

That would be for the case where a stat is a "primary" influence.  If it's only a "secondary" influence, push the +/-'es one category out (so 13-15 (and 6-8) give no modifiers, then +/- 's follow the pattern as above).

But basically, I've been too lazy.  I've been "considering" this change for more than 35 years now...   🤔

 

[Austin]

3 minutes ago, g33k said:

I've (long) considered going through and revamping all the stat-based bonuses to a regular pattern, but different than the default one.

• 9-12 = average, bonus 0
• 13-15 = +1 / +5%
• 16-17 = +2 / +10%
• 18 = +3 / +15%
• 19+ = extra +1 / +5% for every point
• on the downside, penalties below 9 are symmetrical with the bonii above 12

That would be for the case where a stat is a "primary" influence.  If it's only a "secondary" influence, push the +/-'es one category out (so 13-15 (and 6-8) give no modifiers, then +/- 's follow the pattern as above).

*whistles innocently* RQ3's method may be worth looking at, if you're interested in smaller modifiers...

[g33k]

3 hours ago, Jon Hunter said:

I think the movement rate being flat for each race is one of the weaknesses of RQG, but there is a limited to how detailed you want you a simulationist system to be.

I'd toyed with modifying movement rate by dex 13-16 , +1, 17- 21 +2, etc ....

But CoC Things works too. 

I think you gain a bit more "accuracy of simulation" if you do BOTH -- add a bonus for higher DEX (and a penalty for lower) but ALSO do the comparison of SIZ vs STR&DEX, and layer the two bonii together.  A really fast runner is really MUCH faster than an "average" runner, after all... +2 faster?  Maybe... probably...?

And for yet FURTHER crunchy simulationism -- once your race/chase goes longer than a mile (or 1.5km) or thereabouts, IGNORE the DEX component, and re-figure it with CON in place of DEX...  😁

[Lordabdul]

18 minutes ago, Crel said:

*whistles innocently* RQ3's method may be worth looking at, if you're interested in smaller modifiers...

RQ3's method is a little more elegant than RQG's clunky tables, but I don't think it results in smaller modifiers? RQG seems to have just "rounded it up" so that you only get increments of 5% as category modifiers -- but those increments are mostly sitting around the same curve as RQ3 (so it's smaller/bigger depending on where the rounding falls).

Generally speaking I do like the idea of using the CoC movement rules, and I had the same thoughts when I originally read RQG's flat movement rate. Looking forward to see what comes out of this thread!

[Jon Hunter]

5 hours ago, Crel said:

*whistles innocently* RQ3's method may be worth looking at, if you're interested in smaller modifiers...

I think it was the best yet, more nuanced, not sure why Jeff went the way he did.

With 25 years hindsight 3rd ed was better than we originally thought in many aspects

[Bill the barbarian]

38 minutes ago, Jon Hunter said:

With 25 years hindsight 3rd ed was better than we originally thought in many aspects

...and sorry for any toes I step on, but the last 2 years of RQ G cements that thought into a bit more permanency.

just an opinion

from yet another of many great canadian thinkers:

Quote

Don't it always seem to go, you don’t know what’s ya got ’til it’s gone.

Joni

Edited December 19, 2019 by Bill the barbarian

[Jon Hunter]

1 hour ago, Bill the barbarian said:

...and sorry for any toes I step on, but the last 2 years of RQ G cements that thought into a bit more permanency.

just an opinion

id agree, but i think we have gained a lot more than we have lost.

There were a few placers in Character Creation that i liked the elegance of RQ3, but it dropped a few clangers s well.

Edited December 20, 2019 by Jon Hunter

[jps]

I did translate CoC chases rules into RQ:G, it fits nicely and it's very easy to do.

[Akhôrahil]

On 12/19/2019 at 2:04 AM, Beoferret said:

I like the idea, but I honestly don't know how much difference it'll make in overall practical gameplay, having only gm'd one session of RQG to this point. Anyone have any input?

This will work fine, but you run into en minor consistency problem. As Size is 2d6+6 for humans, and the other two are 3d6, humans will on average have a lower movement rate than 8, with 7 being very common. This might or might not matter. (I also find it a weird notion that tall people will usually move more slowly than short ones.)

Edited December 25, 2019 by Akhôrahil