What settings would you like to see published ?

[Sorloc]

Adventures so often suck. They're incredibly linear, they make assumptions about your play style, and are all too often poorly thought out.

So you make assumptions about them, and all you can go by is what's written on the back cover, which may not accurately reflect what's inside.

Quite often, people want something new they can use in their game, like new equipment, or new spells or something. But, you can't do that because of potential power creep, and cmopatibility.

The best things I've seen are Campaign books, usually centered around a certain area / culture containing some adventures, some plot hooks, a bunch of NPCs, and lots of detail about the peoples and area.

Some of my favorites are:

League of Merchants for SpaceMaster

Norek for Shadow World

the Emer series for Shadow World

Pavis and Big Rubble for RQ / Glorantha

Sun County for RQ / Glorantha

*IF* you can get one of these out, then you can do small pamphlet-sized advernture modules in those areas, but one-shots out in the wilderness...

[Trifletraxor]

Griffin Island, Pavis & Big Rubble, Sun County, Borderlands, Dorastor... all great campaign books.

The perfect receipt for a good rpg supplement is setting info, encounter table w/ encounters, found item list, and some adventures.

Sverre.

[Agentorange]

I think one of the major problems with licensing a setting is simply going to be the cost. Consider Eriksons Malazan setting that several people have mentioned. Either Chaosium have got to cut a deal or a third party has to cut a deal and get a license for BRP from Chaosium.

Now a big company like Mongoose might have the purchasing power to do that , but have Chaosium ? Which is why I'm in favour of alternative earth settings on the lines of Rome, Ancient greece etc. The information is already out there in the public arena. Put it this way the free PDF that Zozer games has got for BRP in Alexandrian era Greece is mighty good in my opinion. if it wasn't a freebie I'd be prepared to pay for it.

Lastly when it comes to getting product out there I think the rise of digital printing and print on demand ( POD ) is a really useful tool. I recently bought the GORE system adventure The Whispering Wood from Lulu.com, cost about £5 + post/packaging, which after all you would pay if you were going mail order anyway. The adventure itself is nothing stunning it's a good starting adventure with one or two nice touches. But the way the technology was used was in my opinion rather clever. I would hope Chaosium are already thinking along those lines as one option for purchase already.

[Lord Twig]

Some of the adventure paths for D&D3.x has sold very well. The Shackled City was a #1 best seller on Pazio's site for weeks. Also WotC also had their original Ashardalon chain of books as well.

Even if they don't make as much money as the supplement books it is because of the adventures that people want to buy those supplements. I think at least some kind of adventure line is needed to get the system jump started.

[Atgxtg]

Whatever settings they release, I really hope Chasoium goes with the campaign pack format. A setting, half a dozen or so adventures, and a enough infomration to expand. I used to show Borderlands to the local D&Ders. General consensus among the AD&D crowd was that it blew any module series away.

Plus campaign packs have a higher attraction for conversion to other systems, meaning more sales. It could be a useful way to tap all those MRQ groups. Especially since Mongoose doesn't seem to publish MRQ adventures.

[Magistus]

Plus campaign packs have a higher attraction for conversion to other systems, meaning more sales. It could be a useful way to tap all those MRQ groups. Especially since Mongoose doesn't seem to publish MRQ adventures.

Not true Blood of Orlanth is an adventure that is coming out soon. http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1418&qsSeries=

[Atgxtg]

Not true Blood of Orlanth is an adventure that is coming out soon. http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1418&qsSeries=

So that makes what, ONE adventure for a system that they have been publishing for over a year? While producing how many sourcebooks?

Allow me to update my previous statement:

"....It could be a useful way to tap all those MRQ groups. Especially since Mongoose publishes virtually no MRQ adventures."

[Magistus]

So that makes what, ONE adventure for a system that they have been publishing for over a year? While producing how many sourcebooks?

Allow me to update my previous statement:

"....It could be a useful way to tap all those MRQ groups. Especially since Mongoose publishes virtually no MRQ adventures."

So am I to understand this will be a forum that will do nothing but bash on other game systems or companies that are not Chaosium? There is no need for such behavior.

All I was trying to do was point out that there is at this time one Adventure and possibly more coming out later.

[badcat]

I don't see as how that was bashing Mongoose. This forum is more or less for supporting BRP, and thus Chaosium, though. IMO.

It was just a statement of fact. If anyone around here was going to bash Mongoose I would be a more likely candidate, but I don't care enough to bother, really. I am more interested in doing what I can to support BRP, which I consider very, very superior to MRQ.:cool:

Thanks for letting us know about 'Blood of Orlanth'.

[Atgxtg]

So am I to understand this will be a forum that will do nothing but bash on other game systems or companies that are not Chaosium? There is no need for such behavior.

All I was trying to do was point out that there is at this time one Adventure and possibly more coming out later.

What bashing? My comment wasn't a bash, but pointing out an opportunity for BRP. Holding up ONE adventure, that hasn't even been released yet hardly contradicts the point of my previous post, that the MRQ crowd would be a good crossover market for BRP campaign packs. Right now the plain is pretty barren.

Considering just how fast Mongoose puts out stuff, it is fairly obvious that adventures for MRQ are not a high priority. Sure they have the capability to churn out 30 adventures a year, but they haven't. They could do a lot of things. I think Mongoose is only second to WotC as far are sheer volume of RPG output goes.

Don't get ticked at me for pointing out an area that Mongoose has yet to cover. That's not a bash. I didn't type anything bad about Mongoose.

[Magistus]

I would like to apologize, as everyone knows it is sometimes hard to read in what way a post was written and can be misread, as I did.

[Atgxtg]

I would like to apologize, as everyone knows it is sometimes hard to read in what way a post was written and can be misread, as I did.

I'm sorry too. While I wasn't bashing Mongoose with that post, I did sorta take a shot at you. Sorry.

But, look on the bright side, getting into an argument with me sees to be thge new "rite of passage" for RQ/BRP players. Considered yourself initiated. You can now learn cult battle magic for half price and sacrifice for one-use rune magic.

And...

...I WANT CAMPAIGN PACKS!!!! :D:D

[Guest Sverre]

I will actually check out the "Blood of Orlanth" scenario too (unless the reviews are bad) to convert it to my Glorantha group. BUT, there's a good possibility for the sales going the other way too. MRQ has brought a lot of D20 into the market. Maybe it will ease their transition to BRP?

Triff.

[Sutekh]

I would like to see more Sci-fi setting like Dune & Prime Directive.

[Guest Sverre]

I've actually never played a sci-fi rpg before, so I really hope they put out some good sci-fi brp too. It will be fun to try something totally new, without having to resort to a lesser quality rpg system to do it.

Triff.

[Enpeze]

I've actually never played a sci-fi rpg before, so I really hope they put out some good sci-fi brp too. It will be fun to try something totally new, without having to resort to a lesser quality rpg system to do it.

Triff.

Really? no SF game? I guarantee you, its an interesting experience. We played over several years traveller and a Cyberspace (ICE) campaign with BRP rules. It was a blast. (in the truest sense )

[Atgxtg]

Really? no SF game? I guarantee you, its an interesting experience. We played over several years traveller and a Cyberspace (ICE) campaign with BRP rules. It was a blast. (in the truest sense )

What? You didn't use FUTURE WORLD???!!:D:D

Burn the heretic!

[Magistus]

What? You didn't use FUTURE WORLD???!!:D:D

Burn the heretic!

I am sorry to say while I have seen Future World, I have never played it, only RQ3 With Lord Twig.

[Lord Twig]

Hi Magistus!

Yes, way back when I had the Worlds of Wonder box. We played with it a little bit, but with no support there was no reason to play it. We had a very strong RQ3 game going. If we wanted to play superheros we used Champions. As for FutureWorld, I have never found a SciFi game that had both a compelling campaign setting and a good rule set.

I know others have played SciFi games with great success, but they never worked for us.

[Enpeze]

What? You didn't use FUTURE WORLD???!!:D:D

Burn the heretic!

Ah, naa. playing gate guardians with lazguns was not our style. Back in the 90ties we were proud dystopians.

[Atgxtg]

Ah, naa. playing gate guardians with lazguns was not our style. Back in the 90ties we were proud dystopians.

It was the only WoW setting that I never ran. I pulled it out and looked at it the other day, and it turns out the game is actually better than I gave it credit for. With a little effort, it could be the foundation of a decent SF game.

[soltakss]

Couldn't keep my nose out for long ....

The problem with a new setting is that it had better be good, very good.

Glorantha is a very good setting that a lot of people hate.

What's to stop people hating any brand new setting?

Also, to be a good new setting, you need background, lots of it. Do you think that D100 could cope with producing background supplements rather than scenarios? I don't know, to be honest.

Alternate Earth is one of my favourite settings, whether it is called that or not. Fantasy Europe, Fantasy America, Fantasy Russia, Fantasy China, Fantasy Japan etc. all sound good to me. Plus, you can't stop people producing supplements for a historical/fantasy period of real world history.

For those of us who are system-agnostic, we already have Stupor Mundi (Fantasy Holy Roman Empire), there's a Samurai supplement coming out for RQ (Fantasy Japan) and a Roman one for D100 (Fantasy Rome) and the more the merrier in my opinion. You could even count Mythic Russia, even though it's for HeroQuest, certainly there will be some conversions of the new Companion into RQ and D100 when I have the time to do them.

David Eddings wrote a couple of good series based on the Belgariad which always seemed perfect for a RQ/BRP conversion. But apart from that, I can't think of a setting I would particularly like to see for D100. Any zombie genre film would be good for D100, but you wouldn't make a setting out of it with loads of supplements.

What you need is a setting with many races/species, different magic systems, different lands/countries/worlds and some good storylines.timelines to work with. That way, you could publish supplement after supplement. That's why Fantasy Earth is good - so many lands to cover, so many wars/dynasties/periods, so many cults.

Also, don't forget about licencing costs. I don't know what Chaosium's budget is like, but can they afford to licence big players? Or will they be stuck with licencing comic books or graphic novels? Don't get me wrong, comics and graphic novels have a devoted and large readership, but is that enough to get people engaged? Slaine, for example, has a huge following but the Slaine RQ supplement is not that good at all and didn't engage me. What if Chaosium produced a couple of similar things that didn't capture the imagination? Where would they be then?

Better for them to produce some geenric things first and some Fantasy Earth things with no licence costs, then put out some licenced worlds.

And, no, don't give me Call of Cthulhu as I, personally, couldn't stand the books and the game leaves me cold. So, I personally wouldn't buy RQ CoC supplements.

So, I'd go heavily for Fantasy Earth. Or choose something that is out of copyright, some Victorian gung-ho, Boys Own setting.

[badcat]

Maybe something that combines setting/genres, like the new GURPS default? Right now I am thinking about coverting the old Dark Conspiracy game setting, since as I remember you can squeeze just about any genre in there. It does seem to me that it should be something that capitalizes on the multi-genre angle since that seems to be the way the book is going to be presented. I wonder who has that license and if it would be possible (or even desirable) for Chaosium or someone to do it for BRP as an official game setting.

[Enpeze]

Couldn't keep my nose out for long ....

The problem with a new setting is that it had better be good, very good.

Glorantha is a very good setting that a lot of people hate.

For me its not really hate. But I would not be interested in playing in it. Its a little bit too much "Greg - 16y old" for me. (you know here are knights, over there are romans, here are natives americans which fight with vikings, nearby are cowboys and samurais...whatever I am sure you know what I mean) Additionally the Gloranthan language is rather tedious and unimaginative to me. Eg. I cant speak out loud "Kralorela" without getting a knot in my tongue.

But I have to admit that some concepts in Glorantha are very nice. Eg. the runes and the idea behind the lunar empire. (I like Empires - I am from Austria)

What's to stop people hating any brand new setting?

Also, to be a good new setting, you need background, lots of it. Do you think that D100 could cope with producing background supplements rather than scenarios? I don't know, to be honest.

I always thought you can play nearly every setting out there with BRP? I do this, so lack of a setting is not that important for me. I dont consider rules and setting as a unity which can not be divided. So either I play my own house setting or I use the worlds of Traveller, Cyberspace, CoC, Moorcock etc. with BRP.

Alternate Earth is one of my favourite settings, whether it is called that or not. Fantasy Europe, Fantasy America, Fantasy Russia, Fantasy China, Fantasy Japan etc. all sound good to me. Plus, you can't stop people producing supplements for a historical/fantasy period of real world history.

Sounds excellent.

Also, don't forget about licencing costs. I don't know what Chaosium's budget is like, but can they afford to licence big players?

I dont think that they can. But even if, is this so desireable? I mean they are not that good in economy, so even if they get a bigger license I think it would be difficult for them to draw real profit from it. It would be an unnecessary dangerous financial adventure for them, one which they should leave to more economical competent companies. So I dont wish that they do that. All I wish is that they publish their BRP system with one or two books per year and thats it. Their great strength is in designing good games.

[Atgxtg]

Well, I thingk that any new setting sort of needs to be good anyway. But, since Glorantha seems to be a "no-go" for BRP, Chasoium is going to need to prodcue at least one setting.

IF I were them, I'd revive Questworld. It would solve a lot of their problems and has no drawbacks.

If this was 1983 I'd say, sure they can do it. Now? We will just have to see what the current staff is capable of. I'm looking forward to the Roman Sourcebook that Pete is working on.

But I think it goes without saying that if the quality of the new BPR stuff sucks, then even us devotees won't be buying it, and the system will disappear from the shelves again.