KjetilKverndokken Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yeah, I know I got loads of project, but sometimes I want to enjoy rpg's based on some of the best things I know, and I love the Halo universe. So I'm toying with the idea of either using BRP or Cthulhutechs Framewerk system for it. So, how should this be done with an actual halo RPG? Focusing mostly on normal marines and ODST troopers, but also possible going back to when there where more Spartan II's then just Petty Officer John 117 (Master Chief). And this is weapons, equipment, vehicles and The Covanant them selves (actually the ability to play a good story in the covenant is one of the brilliant parts of an rpg). Even space ship combat. I have some ideas here, but I will wait a little and see what you think! Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threedeesix Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yeah, I know I got loads of project, but sometimes I want to enjoy rpg's based on some of the best things I know, and I love the Halo universe. So I'm toying with the idea of either using BRP or Cthulhutechs Framewerk system for it. So, how should this be done with an actual halo RPG? Focusing mostly on normal marines and ODST troopers, but also possible going back to when there where more Spartan II's then just Petty Officer John 117 (Master Chief). And this is weapons, equipment, vehicles and The Covanant them selves (actually the ability to play a good story in the covenant is one of the brilliant parts of an rpg). Even space ship combat. I have some ideas here, but I will wait a little and see what you think! Now this I wish I had time to help with. I love the Halo universe. I've played every game, read every novel, and comic book. But unfortunately, until Classic Fantasy is finished, as well as a couple other playtests (non-rpg) I have committed to, that isn't going to be possible. I will follow this thread eagerly however and offer input where I can. And If you get something on paper, please point me in the direction where I can download it so I can check it out. Rod Quote Join my Mythras/RuneQuest 6: Classic Fantasy Yahoo Group at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RQCF/info "D100 - Exactly 5 times better than D20" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Will do, every little pointer will be appreciated Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) I've only played through the first Halo game so I don't know much of anything beyond that... I enjoyed the game a lot but it seems to me though that there's not much of an RPG there unless you expand the non-military aspects of the setting. Maybe you've got ideas of how to get beyond the linear 'run and gun' of the video game. Maybe there is some big non-military aspect of the setting that get's spelled out in the sequels/novels. Maybe it's just my taste that playing a soldier in a war isn't my idea of a fun RPG... such a character seems to have a serious lack of freedom/choices and seems better suited to a video game or a wargame. I felt the same way when all the folks who like GW's Dark Heresy RPG were screaming that they wanted to play Space Marines (which would be even worse than playing Master Chief IMO). Edited September 17, 2009 by Simlasa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 I've only played through the first Halo game so I don't know much of anything beyond that... I enjoyed the game a lot but it seems to me though that there's not much of an RPG there unless you expand the non-military aspects of the setting. Maybe you've got ideas of how to get beyond the linear 'run and gun' of the video game. Maybe there is some big non-military aspect of the setting that get's spelled out in the sequels/novels. Maybe it's just my taste that playing a soldier in a war isn't my idea of a fun RPG... such a character seems to have a serious lack of freedom/choices and seems better suited to a video game or a wargame. I felt the same way when all the folks who like GW's Dark Heresy RPG were screaming that they wanted to play Space Marines (which would be even worse than playing Master Chief IMO). With the novels and all the other games in the background, you have something to expand on - but the thought was a war rpg - and it can be quite a lot of fun if done right. As there are many moments out of the fight. (Space Marine (death watch) will come to WH40RPG) As for the thoughts of linear build, maybe maybe not, its all about the fiction created between the players/story guide - 3:16-Carnage Among the Stars is a pure war rpg (though a little pulp) and does it great with a special set of rules for the chapter approach . 1 Battle 2 Stationed 3 Getting Higher up But the game is very simplistic. --- Buuuuuut, the thing I want to do with the Halo game is to get beneath the skin of the war, make it more then throw dice, dead enemies. Have stories about the psychological effects of it all, homeowners trying to protect theirs when the covenant attacks and so forth. Played Burning Empires, thats another aspect of the whole thing and even a third candidate to do this as an rpg. --- But this thread is for helping makes this become a reality, if its not your cup of tea - fine by me, but I'm looking for people that wants to give ideas how to build up the game mechanics using the BRP system, the story aspect of it all is up to one and all, and I can do some posts on how to approach it later. Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 How to build around a war story... There many way to do this, one of them is to create a multifaceted fiction between the story-guide and the players. That means more then one character pr. player. Normally two, one is a Military character - another is a civilian. Every other scene is about one of the characters and their view in whats going on. They may even be connected to each other and what one does affects the other. But lets focus on a pure soldier/pilot/officer etc. A game with the focus of war, will never be constant shooting and fighting and other sorts of grinding. It is very much about the comradeship between the soldiers and all the hardship they faces together. A whole session can be played out as they hang tight in a bunker, locked in and only experience the battle emotionally and psychologically. How the sounds around them tear them down, and they try to keep their wits and sanity together. Then there is bootcamp. Bootcamp is like highschool gone mean. Rivalries and schism between recruit and officer builds high tensions, but also builds friendship. A story about that can help players learn how their characters would cooperate and give them a balanced view on a gameworld. Then there is the possibility of promotion, the glory it entails and the stories of what happens between the battle. In the camp. Hell, one scenario can be in a hospital, about characters trying to cope with the effects of war. When first there is a battle, large or small, there should be a focus on how the story unfolds and how the dice should roll. Task resolution vs conflict resolution Example. Task resolution A - I'm going to take out the tank. B - Why A - To stop it from giving support to the enemy and demoralize them. B - Ok roll the dice to get safely to the tank. Conflict Resolution A - I'm going to take out the tank. B - Why A - To stop it from giving support to the enemy and demoralize them. B - Ok roll the dice to see if you stop it and demoralize the enemy. You make each roll more wide and do more. Often people play with the task version and the battle will get drawn out with many minor dice throws. If you keep fewer rolls that do more things you can have the cinematic effect of the battle with mechanics. Brothers in Arms, Thin Red Line: Are two very good examples of war stories that are not the basically typical linear way of battle. Also let the players control the fiction with intent. example: 1: A - I'm going to scout the forest. B - Roll the dice to scout. 2: A - I'm gonna scout the forest without being seen by the patrols and get Intel on their position. B - Roll the dice to see if you make it. With the second version, the player gave a clearer intent on why he wanted to do it and even gave a conflict that could happen if he failed. You can go even further, and let players take more scene control, introduce the elements as they are telling it and let the story-guide mainly be arbitrators in results that go bad, and most of the times dont even have to take direct control of every npc. --- I strongly suggest Burning Empires by Christopher Moeller based on Burning Wheel by Luke Crane to anyone wanting to see how a war story could be made with many more role playing techniques. This was just a few pointers on things, as it is very much a rpg theory debate that can be quite drawn in the extent of every nuance you cold write about. Hope this was useful for some Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) Back to the mechanics then :-) I think some of the first things that needs to be done is stat out the basic Covenant Aliens (holding back on the flood for now) And at the moment the known ones are: Human Nicknames and Covanant names. Grunts or Unggoy Jackals or Kig-Yar Drones or Yanme'e Elites or Sangheili Brutes or Jiralhanae Hunters or Lekgolo Engineers or Huragok (in the novels) The Prophets or San 'Shyuum If there are more I do not remember them at the moment. They should also besides having a basic stat have a character creation rule for each of them so they become playable. The thought of playing political and theological intrigue within the Covenant is quite awesome. So, anyone want to go first? No need to think on equipment for know. Edited September 17, 2009 by KjetilKverndokken Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Included a pic of each alien for inspiration to the fans. Here is one of the prophets as I only could link 7 pics a post: Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threedeesix Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 (edited) Halo: ODST Setting (From the Halo: ODST Wiki) ODST takes place in the 26th century, where humans under the command of the United Nations Space Command or UNSC are locked in a war with a theocratic alliance of alien races known as the Covenant. During the events of the 2004 video game Halo 2, the Covenant discover the location of Earth and launch an assault on the city of New Mombasa in Africa. Though the UNSC manages to repel most of the fleet, a single ship lands above the city and eventually retreats via a slipspace jump, creating a shockwave that destroys much of the city. While the rest of Halo 2's storyline follows the cruiser to a ringworld called Halo, ODST focuses on the aftermath of the shockwave, where the Covenant still occupy the city. Halo ODST is the next game in the series (coming later this month), and would be a great setting for a non-military campaign. Playing as a group of civies caught up in the fighting. Sort of like the movie Red Dawn, but with aliens. Rod Edited September 18, 2009 by threedeesix Quote Join my Mythras/RuneQuest 6: Classic Fantasy Yahoo Group at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RQCF/info "D100 - Exactly 5 times better than D20" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Yes it would and is on to buy list - though Halo Reach (probably fall 2010) would also be great material, and is at the time and place when the other Spartan II's fall. (Its unclear if its a FPS or other type of game). Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Playing through Halo 3: odst now, and for the military game side I have decided that for now these three professions are the alternatives: Marine Army Infantri Odst So, what should be the skill difference between them, and what should each of them get 10-20% extra bonus in? Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threedeesix Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Playing through Halo 3: odst now, and for the military game side I have decided that for now these three professions are the alternatives: Marine Army Infantri Odst So, what should be the skill difference between them, and what should each of them get 10-20% extra bonus in? I guess, going strictly by the Basic Role Playing core rules, I would base each on campaign level. Army Infantry (Normal Campaign Level) 250 skill points to professional skills. 75% max. Marines (Heroic Campaign Level) 325 skill points to professional skills. 90% max. ODST (Epic Campaign Level) 400 skill points to professional skills. 101% max. Spartans (Superhuman Campaign Level) 500 skill points to professional skills. No max. The other option is to have both Army and Marine built on Normal level and shift all the others up one. ODST (Heroic), and Spartan (Epic). If using the personality types from step 6, you could simply use them as a guide and come up with military specilities within each service that would use them. A security systems specialist, a heavy weapons, etc. These could be built as personalty types, maybe 6 of them, and each squad member could be required to choose one. Personally I don't use this option however, but I could see it's use here. With that determined, next would be the Profession write-ups. I would base the infantry on the Soldier profession and make the others, using it as a guide. Or they could all be based on the soldier, with the specilities noted above giving service diversity. Soldier Brawl, Climb, Dodge, First Aid, and six of the following; Artillery, Command, Drive, Firearm (usually Battle Rifle, but any), Grapple, Heavy Weapon (any), Hide, Language (other), Listen, Jump, Medicine, Melee Weapon (any), Missile Weapon (any), Navigate, Repair (Mechanical), Ride, Spot, Stealth, or Throw Thats all I have time for now, more as I think of it. Rod Quote Join my Mythras/RuneQuest 6: Classic Fantasy Yahoo Group at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RQCF/info "D100 - Exactly 5 times better than D20" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 The other option is to have both Army and Marine built on Normal level and shift all the others up one. ODST (Heroic), and Spartan (Epic). Rod I think this would be more fitting. Hm, got a lot of thinking here. I may have some covenant basic stats ready soon. Grunts - Weaker in all ways to humans. Jackals - Almost Equal to humans Elites - superior to humans on all levels Brutes - Stronger and tougher then elites, but worse skills. Drones - Like Grunts, but faster and somewhat better skills. Hunters - Massively armored, but will hav the potential to ignore their armor with hard aim actions. After that, Iconic weapons... Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sladethesniper Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I agree with both Army and Marine built on Normal level and shift all the others up one. ODST (Heroic), and Spartan (Epic)... -STS Quote Vhreaden: Blood, Steel and Iron Will is here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I have run a BRP ODST game set 25 years before the first halo game. I got a lot of info from the Halo Wiki. I have stated up a lot of the covenant and vehicles. It was perfect but it was a lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted October 9, 2009 Author Share Posted October 9, 2009 I have run a BRP ODST game set 25 years before the first halo game. I got a lot of info from the Halo Wiki. I have stated up a lot of the covenant and vehicles. It was perfect but it was a lot of fun. If you wouldnt mind posting them it would be a great contribution :thumb: Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 (edited) If you wouldnt mind posting them it would be a great contribution :thumb: OK Character Creation The Covenant UNSC ODST Character Sheet The very brief notes I used for the adventure. Edited October 13, 2009 by Trifletraxor Attachments removed, updated files in the download section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I realize these are not perfect stats, but it's not easy converting a video game. I took most of my info from the excellent Halopaedia So I hope posting these doesn't break any board rules about copyright. Sorry about multi posting as I had trouble getting the files to post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 Very very good I will steal recklessy from this>:-> Anything you would say need working so I can take a better look at it? Anyway, this is really worthy to have here on BRP central :thumb: Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Very very good I will steal recklessy from this>:-> Anything you would say need working so I can take a better look at it? Anyway, this is really worthy to have here on BRP central :thumb: I didn't use many of the vehicles so I don't know how well they will work out. Humans who don't have heavy weapons can struggle against elites and brutes. No-one died in the game I ran so I guess they got by with human weapons. I made liberal use of luck rolls when winging things like warthogs flipping from explosions and picking routes through a covenant ship. It worked well for a short game of around 5 sessions, so it hasn't had lots of play testing. I haven't done the flood yet, I will do them for my next Halo game when I take a break from my RQ/Pathfinder campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I have put pdf's of all my halo stuff into the downloads section. They are nicer than the docs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Halo now has its own category in the download section: BRP Central - Downloads - Halo Thank you for sharing Pindar! SGL. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pindar Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Halo now has its own category in the download section: BRP Central - Downloads - Halo Thank you for sharing Pindar! SGL. Coolness, I spent ages putting it together so I hope some other people get some use out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KjetilKverndokken Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Coolness, I spent ages putting it together so I hope some other people get some use out of it. I have many heavy rpg projects at hand so I cant promise anything of when... But I will post about it when me and my group tires it out :thumb: Quote Tea and Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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