Big Golden Book or Mythras Imperative for generic D100 settings?

[Belisar]

As I slowly dig into D100 games and purchased a lot of RQG and CoC 7th, which I love very much mechanics-wise, I decided to go for BRP as my to go "generic system" for homebrew settings. 

Here's some context. Of what I understand from the "New Version" thread, it is very unlikely that there will be an updated version of the BGB and no generic material for different genres appart from what was already published a while ago. There are books for specific settings like Cthulhu invictus for late roman republic, for  Pulp Cthulhu for pulpy CoC, Darker trails for a Western setting, but nothing setting agnostic with options as levers to adapt to said homebrew settings. Especially BGB lacks supplements for SciFi settings (apart from some specific Monographs which are outdated).

Now M-Space is highly recommended as a general system for SciFi and it was said, that it is possible to salvage it for BRP. As there are more actual genre agnostic supplements for Mythras Imperative, here's the question: Should I rather use Mythras Imperative and its genre books like M-Space generally for homebrew things as my generic system of choice and stick to specific settings with RQG and CoC 7th? Or is it rather worthwile to use BGB as the core and salvage Mythras stuff for genre specifics?

 

[Bilharzia]

M-Space is a standalone book, not a Mythras supplement, so you do not need any other ruleset alongside it, M-Space reproduces anything it needs from Mythras Imperative. For obvious reasons it's easier to use Mythras if you are using a Mythras supplement, but you could reverse-engineer fairly easily. Bear in mind Mythras Imperative is not the core Mythras rules, the main Mythras core book is the best place to start if you are going to run a game using the system. The core rule book is 10 times the length of Imperative. I think it more comes down to which supplement you are most likely to base a game around and go from there. Mythras is certainly a good one if you are thinking about a SF setting - there's Luther Arkwright, M-Space and Worlds United, all of which could feed into a SF campaign. You can also find the RuneQuest 6 Star Wars supplement online, Jedi powers are represented by the Mysticism system found in the core Mythras rules.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Bilharzia

[Belisar]

8 minutes ago, Bilharzia said:

M-Space is a standalone book, not a Mythras supplement, so you do not need any other ruleset alongside it, M-Space reproduces anything it needs from Mythras Imperative. For obvious reasons it's easier to use Mythras if you are using a Mythras supplement, but you could reverse-engineer fairly easily. Bear in mind Mythras Imperative is not the core Mythras rules, the main Mythras core book is the best place to start if you are going to run a game using the system. The core rule book is 10 times the length of Imperative. I think it more comes down to which supplement you are most likely to base a game around and go from there. Mythras is certainly a good one if you are thinking about a SF setting - there's Luther Arkwright, M-Space and Worlds United, all of which could feed into a SF campaign. You can also find the RuneQuest 6 Star Wars supplement online, Jedi powers are represented by the Mysticism system found in the core Mythras rules.

Thank you very much, I will certainly take a look into Mythras. Btw, is Classic Fantasy similar to Mythras for generic fantasy as M-Space is for scifi?

[SDLeary]

2 hours ago, Belisar said:

Thank you very much, I will certainly take a look into Mythras. Btw, is Classic Fantasy similar to Mythras for generic fantasy as M-Space is for scifi?

Classic Fantasy is a supplement, so would require the core rules.

SDLeary

[hix]

Classic Fantasy is d100 AD&D, specifically emulating the TSR game.

[Belisar]

1 hour ago, hix said:

Classic Fantasy is d100 AD&D, specifically emulating the TSR game.

So it is not a general Fantasy supplement but a AD&D specific supplement? Is there a more general fantasy supplement?

[soltakss]

15 minutes ago, Belisar said:

So it is not a general Fantasy supplement but a AD&D specific supplement?

Well, no, Classic Fantasy allows you to run D&D-style characters and classes using the Mythras rules.

 

16 minutes ago, Belisar said:

Is there a more general fantasy supplement?

Mythras does have some Fantasy supplements. Check The design Mechanism out on Drivethrurpg.

[Bilharzia]

3 hours ago, Belisar said:

So it is not a general Fantasy supplement but a AD&D specific supplement? Is there a more general fantasy supplement?

Correct, CF emulates (AFAIK) AD&D 2nd edition well enough that you can run modules for that edition fairly easily. It has the races, classes, magic systems and monsters from d&d. There's a kind-of-but-not-really levelling system for classes (4 ranks in each) but it's largely level-free. 

If you want non-d&d fantasy there's a number of supplements - big ones are the ones set in Thennla https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4057/Design-Mechanism/subcategory/8030_32288/Thennla

There's Lyonesse https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4057/Design-Mechanism/subcategory/8030_35267/Lyonesse which is it's own standalone book - the Lyonesse rules are self-contained, although the bestiary is quite small so the core rules are a helpful addition.

There is also the Monster Island supplement and the Book of Quests. Monster Island is a big sword and sorcery sandbox, unmissable if you are running any fantasy Mythras game. Book of Quests is a series of adventures put together into a suggested campaign arc.

7 hours ago, Belisar said:

Thank you very much, I will certainly take a look into Mythras. Btw, is Classic Fantasy similar to Mythras for generic fantasy as M-Space is for scifi?

You can just about run CF with only Mythras Imperative, although not recommended. The Monk for example uses the Mysticism powers from the core rules which are not repeated in CF. I understand CF is getting a new edition which includes the necessary rules from the core book, this is likely some time away though.

The Mythras core rules PDF is on sale for about $4 at the moment on Drivethrurpg.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Bilharzia

[Lloyd Dupont]

Played a bit of both...

Mythras and BGB are quite compatible rule wise... In fact they mostly differ in little details here and there.. But worth a read for increasing your pool of ideas!  
In fact I stole some idea from all.... The most obvious is the use of XP instead of skill checkmark!

But I too I was drawn to BGB after trying (for quite a while) Classic Fantasy, Mythras, and Revolution D100.
What I like with BGB, power systems' power feels just right for me and less complicated combat (although I am widening the special effects through what one could call a mini version of combat manoeuvres, but what I call an extended special list, it's slightly different intent / source), ...

As a side note I am working on a Master of Orion ruleset booklet (70% done) and setting (5% done), I could send you the ruleset if you are interested!?  

Edited November 26, 2020 by Lloyd Dupont

[Belisar]

41 minutes ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

As a side note I am working on a Master of Orion ruleset booklet (70% done) and setting (5% done), I could send you the ruleset if you are interested!?  

I'm interested for sure. 😊

[Lloyd Dupont]

Sure.. will send it to you tonight, just started the day and at work now!

Please remind me if I forget!  
 

[Lloyd Dupont]

Private Messaged you!  

[RosenMcStern]

14 hours ago, Belisar said:

So it is not a general Fantasy supplement but a AD&D specific supplement? Is there a more general fantasy supplement?

For what reason? The core Mythras book is already perfect for fantasy. True, it leans a little bit towards S&S and historical fantasy rather than high fantasy, but this is a feature rather than a bug. 

[Prinz Slasar]

Mythras Imperative Reloaded (2019) also has rules for Supers and for a Simple Magic System. These aren't in Mythras Imperative (2016), btw.

Edited November 27, 2020 by Prinz Slasar

[lawrence.whitaker]

1 minute ago, Prinz Slasar said:

Mythras Imperative Reloaded also has rules for Supers and for a Simple Magic System. These aren't in Mythras Imperative, btw.

Um... Mythras Imperative Reloaded isn't an actual 'thing' - that's just the tagline we gave to the post announcing that we'd added some more content to Mythras Imperative, so searching the internet for Mythras Imperative Reloaded isn't going to offer much aside from a forum post.

@Belisar, Mythras Imperative is a short, free, introduction to the Mythras rules. It has everything you need to try the system, including a simple magic system and a range of superpowers. It isn't meant to compare with the BGB. For that, you should take a look at the Mythras core rules.

Where core Mythras and the BGB differ is in scope: Mytheas offers a fantasy-slanted generic set of rules for d100 roleplaying, whereas the BGB offers lots of different options covering a wide range of genres. Mythras expands its fields via the various supplements, as follows:

• Mythras Companion: new rules and some expansions, including social conflict and rules for chases
• Luther Arkwright: Science Fantasy roleplaying with rules for psionics, inter-planar travel, and cross-planes characters
• Worlds United: SF golden age Rockets and Ray Guns planetary fantasy, set in a solar system where the Martian invasions of HG Wells and Orson Wells actually took place. Venus is a lush jungle world with dinosaurs and ophidians, while Mars is peaceful... for now.
• Thennla: fantasy setting based on the classical world. Magic rich, with highly detailed cultures.
• Mythic Earth series: Historical based supplements that apply a fantasy slant to Dark Ages Britain, Republican Rome, and Medieval Constantinople
• Classic Fantasy: rules and systems for replicating the old school D&D experience with the Mythras rules: familiar character classes, traditional AD&D style spells, treasures, magic items, and lots and lots of monsters. Fully compatible with everything else we publish.
• Fioracitta: A fantasy city based on the Italian city states of the Renaissance; lots of atmosphere, intrigue, new magical traditions, and ideas for a full campaign
• Monster Island: Swords & Sorcery goodness set on a mysterious, dangerous tropical island inhabited by a rag-tag human colony, lizardfolk, serpentfolk sorcerers, and more monsters than you can run away from.
• Book of Quests: interlinked fantasy scenarios forming a full campaign. Self contained and a great introduction to Mythras.

As others have mentioned, M-Space is a standalone, self-contained SF game that goes down the hard SF route, and is capable of replicating most SF genres, from Star Wars to Interstellar.

Lyonesse, also by us, is a Mythras-based self contained game based on the fantasy trilogy by Jack Vance. Unique background, very unique magic, and of interest if you really like high fantasy with a good dose of whimsy and the occasional brutal combat.

Our UK-based partners, Aeon Games, have just released Perceforest, a chivalric setting for Mythras based on a 15th Century text, and they are also producing their own Mythos-based game, 'Weird of Hali', which is based on the novels by John Michael Grier, and written by the author.

So there's a lot to choose from, and I'm sure you'll find something that will help your exploration of d100 RPGs.

[Belisar]

3 hours ago, lawrence.whitaker said:

Um... Mythras Imperative Reloaded isn't an actual 'thing' - that's just the tagline we gave to the post announcing that we'd added some more content to Mythras Imperative, so searching the internet for Mythras Imperative Reloaded isn't going to offer much aside from a forum post.

@Belisar, Mythras Imperative is a short, free, introduction to the Mythras rules. It has everything you need to try the system, including a simple magic system and a range of superpowers. It isn't meant to compare with the BGB. For that, you should take a look at the Mythras core rules.

Where core Mythras and the BGB differ is in scope: Mytheas offers a fantasy-slanted generic set of rules for d100 roleplaying, whereas the BGB offers lots of different options covering a wide range of genres. Mythras expands its fields via the various supplements, as follows:

• Mythras Companion: new rules and some expansions, including social conflict and rules for chases
• Luther Arkwright: Science Fantasy roleplaying with rules for psionics, inter-planar travel, and cross-planes characters
• Worlds United: SF golden age Rockets and Ray Guns planetary fantasy, set in a solar system where the Martian invasions of HG Wells and Orson Wells actually took place. Venus is a lush jungle world with dinosaurs and ophidians, while Mars is peaceful... for now.
• Thennla: fantasy setting based on the classical world. Magic rich, with highly detailed cultures.
• Mythic Earth series: Historical based supplements that apply a fantasy slant to Dark Ages Britain, Republican Rome, and Medieval Constantinople
• Classic Fantasy: rules and systems for replicating the old school D&D experience with the Mythras rules: familiar character classes, traditional AD&D style spells, treasures, magic items, and lots and lots of monsters. Fully compatible with everything else we publish.
• Fioracitta: A fantasy city based on the Italian city states of the Renaissance; lots of atmosphere, intrigue, new magical traditions, and ideas for a full campaign
• Monster Island: Swords & Sorcery goodness set on a mysterious, dangerous tropical island inhabited by a rag-tag human colony, lizardfolk, serpentfolk sorcerers, and more monsters than you can run away from.
• Book of Quests: interlinked fantasy scenarios forming a full campaign. Self contained and a great introduction to Mythras.

As others have mentioned, M-Space is a standalone, self-contained SF game that goes down the hard SF route, and is capable of replicating most SF genres, from Star Wars to Interstellar.

Lyonesse, also by us, is a Mythras-based self contained game based on the fantasy trilogy by Jack Vance. Unique background, very unique magic, and of interest if you really like high fantasy with a good dose of whimsy and the occasional brutal combat.

Our UK-based partners, Aeon Games, have just released Perceforest, a chivalric setting for Mythras based on a 15th Century text, and they are also producing their own Mythos-based game, 'Weird of Hali', which is based on the novels by John Michael Grier, and written by the author.

So there's a lot to choose from, and I'm sure you'll find something that will help your exploration of d100 RPGs.

Thank you very much, this overview is very helpful.

There's maybe one question very dear to me. I mainly play with my family including kids between 6 to 12. So in every rpg I look for options making characters very resilient, because the children tend to become very frustrated if their characters are too squishy. They want to feel somewhat heroic. I have seen, there are rules in the Mythras Companion to set a power level to pulp hero and paragon. I have no real practical experience with Mythras yet and how squishy characters tend to be in adventures with much combat. I know in Pulp Cthulhu hit points are doubled. Would this be an option in Mythras for my children or would it be too unbalancing and paragon is the highest I should go for?

[Bilharzia]

Upping power level of PCs is one way to make them robust, but what I would do is emphasise the importance of Luck Points, and in your case I would definitely use Group Luck - where the group of PCs has access to a pool of luck points that can be spent to assist one of the other characters. Using group luck is a good device for promoting group cohesion and assistance.

Mythras luck points allow a player to re-roll a roll they just made, or reverse the roll (a 10 becomes a 01), or compel the same for the GM. Luck points can also save a character from a lethal wound, or allow a heroic last action. Luck Points make Mythras PCs much hardier than earlier editions of RQ, or even the latest edition of CoC. Personal luck points combined with group luck points make it very difficult for PCs die from a chance critical or massive damage, so it might be all you need, even without having to dip into pulp characters.