D&BRP

[seneschal]

I guess I never considered D&D its own genre but a generic fantasy RPG like GURPS Fantasy or Fantasy HERO. If it is the setting you're after, why not just grab your Greyhawk modules, plug in some BRP NPC stats, and run with it? Why is it necessary to try to recreate D&D game mechanics to do this? When Decipher did their Lord of the Rings game, they didn't try to recreate MERP. Ditto the multiple Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Conan, etc., games running around. The rules are not the setting.

[frogspawner]

The rules are not the setting.

True. But I like a setting where characters are a bit more closely tied to their professions than usual for BRP, and spells are only available to specialists. That's ok, isn't it?

[seneschal]

Sure. And I'm not putting down anyone's efforts here. I'm just drawing on my own GM-ing memories. I ran a pulp campaign using HERO Games' Justice, Inc., but most of the scenarios I ran were well-written for Fantasy Games Unlimited's Daredevils. I didn't try to recreate the "FGU experience" for my players (the FGU house system is incomprehensible anyway). I just figured out what each NPC was generally supposed to be able to do, statted out a HERO equivalent, and ran it. How Daredevils handled vehicles, weapons, pulp powers, or gadgetry didn't matter since HERO had its own rules for such things. In the same vein, if I were to attempt a Roaring '20s campaign I might look to Gangbusters! for inspiration but I wouldn't try to emulate its game mechanics.

[threedeesix]

In the same vein, if I were to attempt a Roaring '20s campaign I might look to Gangbusters! for inspiration but I wouldn't try to emulate its game mechanics.

But sometimes the game mechanics ARE integral to the feel of the setting. If someone wanted to they could run all the D&D adventures using nothing but the RuneQuest rules. But then everyone would be casting spells. This is definitely not in keeping with then feel of the setting. In this case I think most would agree that this rule could be changed, so why not others to get closer to the feel of the setting?

And when I say new rules, I don't mean to add rules from D&D that are completely alien to BRP but instead to make minor changes to existing BRP rules to better reflect what you want for your campaign.

Even Magic World and now by default the core Magic rules from BRP added rules for memorizing and forgetting spells which was a change from the way spells worked in RQ. What game do you think inspired this system? This allows spell casters to memorize their spells from their spell books before an adventure just like in D&D... but doesn't come with the additional baggage of forgetting each spell as it is cast. Essentially a system that "feels" like D&D, yet is more versatile like all of the other Basic Role Playing rules.

I'm not completely dismayed by your confusion here but just want you to understand the reasoning for my upcoming Sword & Spell and by default Harshaks thread in the first place.

Thanks for your interest.

[samwise7]

Thanks for your musings on creating fantasy races, and the feel of that genre game that mainly uses a D20.

Keep up the good work.