What settings would you like to see published ?

[Agentorange]

Well ?

I personally always felt that the alternative earth option was woefully underused in RQ3, there was the Vikings supplement which I rather liked, the Land of Ninja ( not quite so keen ) in BRP we have of course the rather fine Warlords of Alexander:

http://www.geocities.com/mithrapolis/games.html

and there is a Rome supplement in progress. So my own preference would be for more settings of this sort, maybe something for ancient Egypt, Babylonia and Homeric era Greece.

Looking further afield ancient India has a rich mythology with lots of interesting gods, monsters and weird happenings. China also, and for something a little different how about a setting in medieval /ancient America ? Lots of possibilities there from the Aztecs to the plains tribesmen to the Pueblo agrarian societies.

Looking at my book shelves I can see lots of GURPS stuff, now I don't like GURPS as a system, never played it in fact, but the quality of their historical supplements has been pretty good allowing for virtually real historical roleplaying right out to stuff chock full of magicians, gods and monsters

Anyway enough pontificating from me, what would other people like to see ?

[badcat]

Conan, Hammers Slammers, Coramonde, Nifft the Lean, Tekumel, Talislanta, Atlantean Trilogy, Jhereg series, Black Company............

[Agentorange]

I suspect Conan/Hyboria is out as Mongoose has the Conan d20 stuff.....probably means they have some kind of agreement with the Howard estate ( or whatever ) though it's a pretty good idea. A lot of the others I don't recognise. Talisanta seems like an interesting setting and they've allowed stuff to be published not using their own bespoke system, so it's a possibility. Atlantean trilogy I don't recognise ?

[badcat]

Atlantean Trilogy was a game/supplement put out in the early eighties by Bard Games. It was the immediate predecessor to Talislanta. These days it can be found on ebay, online gamestores such as Noble Knight, and so on. A few years ago it was bought and published as a trilogy of books by a small game company in the midwest called Deaths Edge Games...and there are mint copies. This version is hardly changed from the original, as far contents go.

It is a complete rpg that comes in three books, the game system book is called the Arcanum, and the others are the setting book (Lexicon) and the Beastiary. It is quite playable as it stands, but I have more often heard of people using it as support for some other game, usually D&D. I myself used it as a source of material for a BRP homebrew, natch. Also I ran it as is.

The Arcanum presents a class/level/skill system with a uniquely complete magic system. Including summoning with bargaining rules and a very complete recipe section for alchemy. The appendices are very useful, sort of like the original AD&D DMG ones...lists with properties, all sorts of support material. There are around sixteen different classes each with unique abilities, and any skills outside the basic class can be taken in play. Aside from the standard D&D ones, things like Bounty Hunters, Harliquins, Astrologers, Alchemists, Beastmasters, Shamans, and on and on. It had a simple and playable combat system. A magic system with seven levels of spells, and many different types of magic...Sorcery, Astrology, High Magic, Low Magic, Elementalism, Black Magic, etc.

The Beastiary is just what it says. There are descriptions of most any fantasy critter you can think of, lists of natural creatures and base stats, and complete heirarchies of demons and devils...and there is a section in the Arcanum that describes what each one can or will do if summoned...and how to bargain with them.

The last one, the Lexicon, is a setting that encompassed the entire world in the late Antediluvian world. The Second Age of Atlantis, after the First Cataclysm. There is an analog of most modern cultures. An early Europe (one of the more primitive areas in this time), Egyptian type culture, Chinese, Meso-American, etc. Lemuria is a mysterious land of monsters far away. Atlantis itself is described in great detail, although it is a shadow of its former glory, in the First Age. A very rich and well researched setting based on real world legends.

There was a second version printed by Morrigan Press a few years ago that has some material changed, and some added. Either one would do for a conversion project, although I would prefer the original (mostly for sentimental reasons, but Morrigan did make some changes in the setting that I did not agree with, and the Arcanum itself is superior for just game elements such as spells and alchemical recipes).

Overall, the setting is broad enough to support any type of game...high fantasy, swords and sorcery, horror fantasy, science fantasy, anything. It is likely one of the best rpgs ever printed, as game or source material.

[Agentorange]

mmmmm.....it does sound rather good, you realise I'm probably going to have to go over to Noble Knight and spend money now don't you ?

[badcat]

:DYou won't be sorry. Just don't expect full color fancy artwork books. The meat is there, the books are reproductions. My copies are completely legible and all the material is there though. Enjoy it, if you do get them.

[Jarulf]

Speaking of "full color fancy artwork books", I'd love to see Artesia converted into brp. I haven't bought many rpgs in a long time, but the Known World from Artesia is a fun setting. And the creator/Artist/Author is a fan of Glorantha and RQ.

For something that's not specifically a licensed setting, I'd like to see a fantasy setting that doesn't revolve around or lead up to huge changes, invasions from over the sea and gods fighting it out. Something that puts more emphasis on competent but not really extraordinary characters.

Political and religious rivalry within a city-state, a mercenary band wandering looking for hire, guarding a merchant caravan, finding the lost so and so.

Anything that doesn't have the word "epic" in it.

[Agentorange]

Maybe something set in renaissance Italy ? As far as I understand it that was the era of the city state, Florence, Venice, Milan etc. Lots of political intrigue and skulduggery. it would be hard to rationalise an overtly high magic setting eg dragons,goblins etc but you could allowthe church to have divine magic, and maybe squeeze in some hermetic wizards, witches, kabbala etc...sort of Ars magica but 300 years later.

Another possibility from earth history would of course be Ancient Greece, a bit more leeway on the monster front and all those feuding city states would allow lots of politics, body guarding, trading etc.

Or of course you could make something up

[Jarulf]

Maybe something set in renaissance Italy ?

I have never been a fan of Fantasy Earth type settings so I'd prefer it to be an invented world, but renaissance Italy is definitely close to what I had in mind. I'd probably leave out most if not all the traditional fantasy races and monsters and such though the occasional demon or zombie can spice up a game.

Another possibility from earth history would of course be Ancient Greece,

Which, of course is the second major source of influence here. ;-)

Or of course you could make something up

Except that would mean I had to work... And as I don't really have a group to play with I don't really have the motivation.

[Enpeze]

Talislanta looks very nice and phantastic but I am not very sure about its seriousness. I have a lot of material for this setting but I often smiled about the races pictures. In essence all the alien races are humans which look like caricatures of weasels and birds. I never played it but I assume it feels like a kind of fantasy star wars.

Of course it would be great as a BRP game. Especially because the OMNI game system (which is Talislanta originally) is not that far away from the basic idea of a simple deadly engine. It would also be very interesting to learn which attributes all the strange creatures and races do have in BRP.

[Enpeze]

Speaking of "full color fancy artwork books", I'd love to see Artesia converted into brp. I haven't bought many rpgs in a long time, but the Known World from Artesia is a fun setting. And the creator/Artist/Author is a fan of Glorantha and RQ.

For something that's not specifically a licensed setting, I'd like to see a fantasy setting that doesn't revolve around or lead up to huge changes, invasions from over the sea and gods fighting it out. Something that puts more emphasis on competent but not really extraordinary characters.

Political and religious rivalry within a city-state, a mercenary band wandering looking for hire, guarding a merchant caravan, finding the lost so and so.

Anything that doesn't have the word "epic" in it.

Good idea. No epic. Just gritty

Which kind of world is Artesia? What I have seen so far does not really impress me that much. Maybe you can give some impressions you had from it?

[Jarulf]

Good idea. No epic. Just gritty

Which kind of world is Artesia? What I have seen so far does not really impress me that much. Maybe you can give some impressions you had from it?

Not quite sure how to describe it best, but it is heavily influenced by renaissance Europe with a pagan feel. So it is actually not terribly different from what Agentorange suggested above, but with a bit more "epic" feel to it and with a great big war coming and various nasty things lurking in the background.

You have two competing large empire-type nations, a league of city states, and a group of smaller kingdoms caught in the middle. Two major religions, one of which is split into two and the other very Classical Greek in feel but with a heavy emphasis on the female Deities and Heroes.

I don't know how the game plays yet, (it's based on the Fusion system) but character generation was fun, as I've only just made a PC for on-line play over at www.rpol.net

www.theknownworld.com has a bit more info.

[Trifletraxor]

I have big plans for an Islandia setting:

An alternate earth viking setting, where ragnarokk has just begun. :cool:

Sverre.

[badcat]

'Here there be monsters', indeed!

[Agentorange]

So, Sverre,

You going to get a license and publish Islandia then?

[Trifletraxor]

So, Sverre,

You going to get a license and publish Islandia then?

Yes, but most probably a creative commons license and not the Chaosium one.

Cheers!

Sverre.

[Agentorange]

Yes, but most probably a creative commons license and not the Chaosium one.

Cheers!

Sverre.

How does a creative commons license work then ?

[Trifletraxor]

It's a "some-rights reserved" license, ideal for non-commercial fanwork.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Sverre.

[Chaot]

Islandia looks fun!

As far as licenced settings, I wouldn't mind seeing Earthsea or Dune.

[Jarulf]

I'm currently re-reading Three Hearts & Three Lions by Poul Anderson and something based on that setting would be fun, in spite of my earlier comment about Fantasy Earth. :-)

It's a bit like Pendragon I suppose (if you remove Arthur!) but not quite the same.

[badcat]

Actually it is quite a bit like the Arthurian cycle...Ogier the Dane was one of Charlemagnes' Paladins. You know, along with Roland and Oliver, fighting the Saracen, making the realm safe from all threats internal and external, all the things chivalrous knights do...really, there was another whole set of stories built around Charlemagne and his Paladins, similar to but not the same as the stories of the Round Table. It is called the Carolingian Cycle, and is the backdrop for 'Three Hearts and Three Lions'. Anderson just did a sort of 'Connecticut Yankee' story by having a modern American 'wear' Ogier's persona for a quest or two. 'Three Hearts' is one of my very favorite stories, one of the ones that got me hooked on this hobby way back.

[Jarulf]

It would be fun to see a game that focused more on the French chansons than the English matter. I always want more when I read the book, there's this whole world hinted at I want to explore.

And of course it's similar to the Arthurian stuff, what I don't want for this game though is the generational theme of Pendragon or the particular magic of his reign. I love the idea of the different powers of Law and Chaos, as represented by Man (and God ultimately) and Faery struggling for supremacy over a no-man's land of wooden forts in untamed Germanic woods, mountain lochs with nixies and so on. From what I remember of Ars Magica they do that bit pretty well with their different dominions, Divine, Magic, Faery and Infernal.

It's such a short book too, and I'll finish it tonight...

[Joseph Paul]

What settings can Chaosium muster right now?

I understand that the Ringworld setting is denied to them and they could not get permission to do a Known Space setting either. Which is too bad because adventuring in the era of the Man-Kzin Wars could be fun.

It appears that Chaosium has relenquished their rights in MM's IP to Mongoose for something Mongoose had. So the Elric setting is out. Anybody have any idea what was traded?

Did the RQIII setting material go to Chaosium, or did it revert to the authors? In particular the Vikings and Japanese settings?

ElfQuest is owned by the Pini's and I don't know if Chaosium has any licensing that would allow them to reissue the setting.

Pendragon (yes a cousin but it is a viable setting) is owned(?) by White Wolf. I agree with one of the other posters that the Carolingian Cycle would be neat as well as a Beowulf Cycle.

They have Nephilim but have ceased supporting it.

They have Call of Cthulu and have supported it well with Victorian, 1920's and modern settings. This link, http://www.rpg.net/columns/briefhistory/briefhistory3.phtml says that they have a Dark Ages Cthulu stand alone game. They also had monograpghs on Pulp, Roman, SF, and Post-apocolyptic settings.

Expanding those without the Cthulu material would give quite a spread of backgrounds. Or maybe Cthulu will be the thread that ties all of them together? I don't think that I would like that.

So they may have a base, BRP, and different flavors of settings to go with it in short order. Would that be sufficient or do they need to have a licensed product to make this thing go? What is there left to license? Has GURPS taken them all?

Joseph Paul

[badcat]

What, publishing the best game system ain't enough for ya?:eek:

[badcat]

But seriously...some settings that seem to be in semi-limbo that BRP would do serious justice to. Fading Suns, Tekumel, Space 1889. Dark Conspiracy, though that would be awfully close to CoC in flavor. A generic sci fi setting, ala Space Opera, maybe Space Opera now that I think about it. Any number of fantasy settings that have not been used, like Nifft the Lean or Coramonde. Jack Vance's Lyonesse, the Carolingian Cycle (again). A generic Rome setting, maybe with sci fi elements like some of David Drakes' stuff. Kane. Some of Michael Stackpole's fiction would make fine rpg settings, like Fortress Draconis (actually you could even fit superpowers into that one). There are all sorts of things.