What are the iconic RPGs and how can they be integrated into BRP?

[TrippyHippy]

I like the idea of having a single, unified game system to meet all my rpg needs, but practically this has always been a difficult thing for me to achieve.

It was one of the factors that, ultimately, stopped me from committing to GURPS a while ago - whilst it provided a generic system that could handle nearly all settings and genres, it didn't provide the very specific flavour I had been accustomed to in my favourite games. In particular, I liked GURPS: Horror, but never felt I could ever ditch my preference for the style and tone of Call of Cthulhu. Likewise, GURPS: Traveller has always felt like a setting for GURPS: Space rather than an authentic representation of the original Traveler game. The character generation system, for example, is almost totally opposite to the approach used in the classic game.

Now BRP has, almost from the off, established itself as an equally comprehensive and universal system but with a much more liberal and eclectic feel in it's approach. This may be due to the fact that it's more driven as an 'open system' rather than merely a house one, and consequently fans are continually exploring new avenues. Historically though, there has always been a tolerance for variation and adaptation in BRP - note Pendragon and Nephilim for example.

I have noticed that there has already been a push towards producing a 'classic fantasy' D&D feel to at least one supplement. I was wondering what other games could considered 'classic', which components make them that way, and how could these aspects be brought into the BRP system? Let me start....

• A 'Classic Space Opera' system, AKA Traveler - with career based lifepath generation, UWPs and spaceship design.
  
• Paranoia - secret police team, with secret societies and incriminating secrets. Actually, this could be done in the 'straight style' with an gamestyle effect that would probably not be dissimilar to John Wick's recent 'Digging for the Dead God' scenario. Alternatively, try to emphasise the comedy aspects.
  
• Ars Magica - the verb/noun magic system. Houses for group affiliations.
  
• Amber - 'Politics amongst super-powered immortals' - attribute or maybe powers auction?, diceless? Freeform magic.
  
• Kult - 'Mental Balance'; authenticised occult magic system and integrated cosmology.
  
• Wraith: The Oblivion - gothic 'Shadowland' setting for the restless dead society; Shadowplay.
  
• Feng Shui - customisable archetypes; streamlined play for specific action motif.
  

These are just some of my favourites, but could they be done? What others are there?

Edited August 7, 2009 by TrippyHippy

[pulpcitizen]

I think there is difference between iconic rpg systems and iconic rpg settings, and therein is the rub in some ways. In some cases I think you are reflecting the mechanics as much as the setting when you highlight them, but in suggesting BRP as a stand-in you are not discussing setting replacemnt but game-mechanic replacement.

There are a handful of iconic systems, and probably a few more iconic settings, and sometimes, just sometimes, the two come together, but BRP can't necessarily emulate them all.

Edited August 7, 2009 by leonmallett

[TrippyHippy]

Maybe it can, through the supplements? I mean, if it can be done for Classic Fantasy, and there is a tolerance for adaptation, why not? I mean, it would be pretty cool to have a verb/noun magic system as an option taken from a future supplement, whilst having Kult as the natural 'counterpoint' to Cthulhu's horror - integrated into a compatible system would be awesome (the players wouldn't know what to think about the cosmos....).

I just like the idea of integrating ideas into a broad church system, but without sacrificing individual applications and styles to fit genres authentically.

[wbcreighton]

see

http://basicroleplaying.com/forum/basic-roleplaying/989-sci-fi.html

for a Traveller conversion.

[Chaot]

Maybe it can, through the supplements? I mean, if it can be done for Classic Fantasy, and there is a tolerance for adaptation, why not? I mean, it would be pretty cool to have a verb/noun magic system as an option

Put me in your camp. I think BRP can simulate a lot of genres, even more than people give it credit for. I also think one can start cutting bits or adding bits without to much worry of 'breaking' the system.

Still, we have a verb/noun magic system, written by our own Loz. It's in the Unknown East supplement.

[Charles Green]

• A 'Classic Space Opera' system, AKA Traveler - with career based lifepath generation, UWPs and spaceship design.
  
• Paranoia - secret police team, with secret societies and incriminating secrets. Actually, this could be done in the 'straight style' with an gamestyle effect that would probably not be dissimilar to John Wick's recent 'Digging for the Dead God' scenario. Alternatively, try to emphasise the comedy aspects.
  
• Ars Magica - the verb/noun magic system. Houses for group affiliations.
  
• Amber - 'Politics amongst super-powered immortals' - attribute or maybe powers auction?, diceless? Freeform magic.
  
• Kult - 'Mental Balance'; authenticised occult magic system and integrated cosmology.
  
• Wraith: The Oblivion - gothic 'Shadowland' setting for the restless dead society; Shadowplay.
  
• Feng Shui - customisable archetypes; streamlined play for specific action motif.
  

I think Wraith could be done reasonably well. It'd be largely a matter of remaining things, and doing up the Arcanoi as powers.

You'd have to decide how Shadows work.

I'm hip deep in Dragon Lines right now, but this is something I might get to work on afterwards. I love Wraith, and would like a reason to dig through my books again.

Edited August 10, 2009 by Charles Green

[Gheedon]

Well, Warhammer Fantasy shouldn't be too hard to adapt. The setting, that is; I'm not sure I would want to convert the rules, especially the career paths. But just making up the professions in BRP should be fun. Same for the creatures. Especially since BRP has got mutations already covered.

[threedeesix]

Well, Warhammer Fantasy shouldn't be too hard to adapt. The setting, that is; I'm not sure I would want to convert the rules, especially the career paths. But just making up the professions in BRP should be fun. Same for the creatures. Especially since BRP has got mutations already covered.

During the playtest of BRP we ran a six month converted WFRP campaign. There are so many similarities in the two systems its easy to convert. Both feature mutations and chaos features. Both deal with sanity/insanity. Both feature deadly combat with hit locations. Even the rules for "reading" books is almost identical. By the end of the campaign I could pretty much convert it on the fly.

I remember when my wifes elf hunter climbed a tree to escape a charging chaos Minotaur, the look on her face when it felled the tree with one swing of its axe was Priceless. >:->

Oh yah, and she broke her arm in the fall. It was her first time being exposed to a system that didnt just have a big lump of hit points.

Rod

[Atgxtg]

Well, an Ars Magica type magic system could easily be adapted to BRP. I did something along those lines years ago for RQ. Roughly,

-Make each technique and form a magic skill.

-Roll angainst the lower of the applicable skills.

-Replace MP costs with FP costs (so using magic is tiring).

-MP can be spent for a bonus (like spending Vis).

-Come up with a way to equate AM Levels to BRP. Probasbly something like 5 or 10 Levels equals 1 "point" in BRP for effect. Perhaps the limit could be the skill% as a level, or 1/2 the skill%.