RuneQuest: Classic Fantasy

[Charles VA]

And now ... we wait.

 

[Ryasin]

Really looking forward to this, as I may finally get my group to move away from d&d/pathfinder/5e systems to something different, yet which hits the same themes.

With Runequest 6 the approach is very much a tool box that gives you a lot of options to fine tune the rules to your settings, but on the con side it leads to a "lot" of work before play.  Here I am thinking of fighting styles, weapon groups, cults and what spells they have access to.  I know that setting books remedy this and do the work for you but what about Classic Fantasy? Will it take the same approach or will there be defined examples of these things? Or maybe a seperate settings book for a Classic Fantasy line?

Also, will the basis of it be older D&D versions, like the BRP Classic Fantasy, with things like Clerics using blunt weapons, Alignment restrictions on certain classes and so on. Or newer versions that removed some of these restrictions? While I know its down to each GM to change as they want, then I am just curious about which inspiration you are drawing from.

[threedeesix]

23 minutes ago, Ryasin said:

With Runequest 6 the approach is very much a tool box that gives you a lot of options to fine tune the rules to your settings, but on the con side it leads to a "lot" of work before play.  Here I am thinking of fighting styles, weapon groups, cults and what spells they have access to.  I know that setting books remedy this and do the work for you but what about Classic Fantasy? Will it take the same approach or will there be defined examples of these things? Or maybe a seperate settings book for a Classic Fantasy line?

 

Classic Fantasy isn't written in any form of tool box approach. Instead it uses the RuneQuest 6th Edition rules to setup a set of established rules that are ready to play "out of the box". That isn't to say that some specific settings wouldn't need some additional tweaking, Dragon Lance and Dark Sun for example, but to play a typical Greyhawk or Forgotton Realms type game, there should be little to no prep needed.

 

27 minutes ago, Ryasin said:

Also, will the basis of it be older D&D versions, like the BRP Classic Fantasy, with things like Clerics using blunt weapons, Alignment restrictions on certain classes and so on. Or newer versions that removed some of these restrictions? While I know its down to each GM to change as they want, then I am just curious about which inspiration you are drawing from.

I based pretty much everything on 1st and 2nd edition and all that entails. However, I note at several points in the book that restrictions are guidelines, so that everyone is starting from the same baseline. One of the iconic characters found in the rules is a half-elven berserker, which itself is not typically allowed by the rules. If I can break them, feel free to do so yourself.

Many of the restrictions are Passions and Oaths as detailed in RuneQuest 6th Edition, which gives them more internal consistency then the rules as they are normally written in other games.

Rod

[Ryasin]

Sounds really promising. Right now I am looking at BRP, Classic Fantasy and Blood Tide's stunt system to run the Freeport Trilogy.

I figured that mix would be able to lure my group to a d100 system, but being able to add mechanics from RQ6 would be really awesome.

Could you give any teasers or play examples to how the RQ6 mechanics fit with Classic Fantasy to give the good old dungeon experience?

[threedeesix]

RQ Classic Fantasy goes into greater detail on subterranean adventuring and includes new rules for infravision, torches and lanterns, squeezing into tight spaces, tons of example traps, finding secret and concealed doors, breaking down doors, and securing doors, and treasure tables, lots and lots of treasure tables.

Your familiarity with my BRP Classic Fantasy gives a good starting point as RQ Classic Fantasy is organized exactly the same way, just with loads more of it.

You might want to check out my Yahoo group, specifically the files section, it includes several samples from the book, including some monsters, classes, spells, and magic items. Plus some of my playtesters have posted session reports. These do lack game mechanics however.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RQCF/info

[Fingolfin80]

I can't speak for others, but what I really search in this is a more interesting spell list. Don't get me wrong: i love RQ6 mechanics about magic, but when it comes to spells what you have is more a list of "spell templates" than a real splell list, which implies a really huge amount of work to be adapted to a real campaign. I hope that classic fantasy can fill this gap, with a list of spells that have not only great mechanics but some old school flavour in it.

[threedeesix]

Classic Fantasy adapts most of the staple spells such as magic missile, fire ball, color spray, shocking grasp, cure minor wounds, magic mouth, etc.

There are easily over 150 classic spells.

Edited January 19, 2016 by threedeesix

[Fingolfin80]

57 minutes ago, threedeesix said:

Classic Fantasy adapts most of the staple spells such as magic missile, fire ball, color spray, shocking grasp, cure minor wounds, magic mouth, etc.

There are easily over 150 classic spells.

That's precisely what I hoped to hear!

As I said before, this is an auto-purchase, for me.

[tooley1chris]

6 hours ago, Fingolfin80 said:

That's precisely what I hoped to hear!

As I said before, this is an auto-purchase, for me.

I've moved my own D&D group to BRP using Rods original Classic Fantasy. It makes the transition SO much easier. It sounds like this new RQ version is going to be epic. Auto purchase for me as well.

[Ryasin]

6 hours ago, Fingolfin80 said:

That's precisely what I hoped to hear!

As I said before, this is an auto-purchase, for me.

That goes for me as well. Finished spells makes it so much easier to get people in my group to play. As much as they love writing house rules then they simply can't start out with freeform or toolbox magic....

Will non magic classes, such as fighter, have any special abilities to use power for?

[threedeesix]

1 hour ago, Ryasin said:

That goes for me as well. Finished spells makes it so much easier to get people in my group to play. As much as they love writing house rules then they simply can't start out with freeform or toolbox magic....

Will non magic classes, such as fighter, have any special abilities to use power for?

All classes have traits and abilities that harken to AD&D. They are essentially regular RQ careers, just larger than life with special abilities and are reserved for player characters and important NPCs. Most normal NPCs will simply be built using the rules as presented for careers (when they warrant that much detail of course).

Classes with non-magical abilities will typically have other (non-magic point) methods of limiting the use of said abilities. The fighter has all kinds of weapon mastery abilities, none of which cost magic points to use for example.

Rod

Edited January 19, 2016 by threedeesix

[trechriron]

Are we there yet? I so want to run this right now. 

[threedeesix]

Still in layout and art is still coming in. I will say that I think it looks absolutely fantastic however.

Thanks for your interest Trentin, its getting closer everyday.

Rod

Edited January 25, 2016 by threedeesix

[Kell Valar]

This is easily my most awaited RPG this year.   

I have even stopped preparing a hex-crawl for another system because I want to use this instead for it! 

[trechriron]

Awesome. I await patiently yet eagerly. :-)

[dracopticon]

I understand this probably is out of topic here OR there's an reply to this somewhere I haven't seen. But the whole AD&D-based Classic Fantasy is by this unsupported then?
Why I'm asking is because I intend to transfer a couple of basic 1-3-level AD&D scenarios to BRP and the precursor to this, the first ed CC. 

[Kell Valar]

I have a question, too. Where will we buy it? The Design Mechanism shop or only on drivethruRPG? I'm asking because I'm not a fan of drivethruRPG. They watermark/protect the PDF's because of piracy, which is fine. But it hinders the user making bookmarks which is an absolute deal breaker for me. On the other hand it must be an "upload" feature from the publisher that is defaulted to be active because not all PDF's have it.  

I mean I want to organize my own bookmarks in the PDF when the book is bigger than 100 pages, because that is the whole reason I'm buying PDF's in the first place!

Edited February 1, 2016 by Kell Valar

[threedeesix]

2 hours ago, dracopticon said:

I understand this probably is out of topic here OR there's an reply to this somewhere I haven't seen. But the whole AD&D-based Classic Fantasy is by this unsupported then?
Why I'm asking is because I intend to transfer a couple of basic 1-3-level AD&D scenarios to BRP and the precursor to this, the first ed CC. 

If you're referring to the original BRP Classic Fantasy, then you would be correct. For reasons that do not need to again be specified, there will be no more BRP Classic Fantasy.

However, for everything that was in BRP Classic Fantasy, as well as tons more stuff, I would encourage you to pickup RQ Classic Fantasy when it comes out. Like it's predecessor, it converts the 1st and 2nd edition of that level based system everyone has heard of, but in addition to that will be supported with modules/adventures and companion books for "hopefully" years to come.

Just get a hold of of the free RuneQuest Essentials while its available to supplement RQ Classic Fantasy, and you'll have everything you need to run skill based d100 classic dungeon crawls for years to come.

Rod

Edited February 1, 2016 by threedeesix

[threedeesix]

50 minutes ago, Kell Valar said:

I have a question, too. Where will we buy it? The Design Mechanism shop or only on drivethruRPG? I'm asking because I'm not a fan of drivethruRPG. They watermark/protect the PDF's because of piracy, which is fine. But it hinders the user making bookmarks which is an absolute deal breaker for me. On the other hand it must be an "upload" feature from the publisher that is defaulted to be active because not all PDF's have it.  

I mean I want to organize my own bookmarks in the PDF when the book is bigger than 100 pages, because that is the whole reason I'm buying PDF's in the first place!

It should be available at RPG Now, Drivethru, and TDM in PDF, and from TDM as well as some local game shops in dead tree version.

Rod

Edited February 1, 2016 by threedeesix

[Zarameus]

So, uh, anyone know about how long the layout bit usually takes? I've recently gotten into D&D5e, but I've been following Classic Fantasy since it's days a BRP Monograph - so I'm still pretty excited for this one.

[Ryasin]

1 hour ago, threedeesix said:

Just get a hold of of the free RuneQuest Essentials while its available to supplement RQ Classic Fantasy, and you'll have everything you need to run skill based d100 classic dungeon crawls for years to come.

Rod

I may have missed it in the earlier posts, but does this mean that RQ Classic Fantasy will be a supplement rather than a stand alone book?

Also, are there any plans for supplementary material like a GM book? I recall that was planned for the old BRP version.

And one of the things I liked about the BRP version was how allignment was handled. Will this still be part of it with player actions giving allignment points? Or maybe handled differently?

[Baulderstone]

24 minutes ago, Ryasin said:

I may have missed it in the earlier posts, but does this mean that RQ Classic Fantasy will be a supplement rather than a stand alone book?

It is a supplement to RQ6, not a stand-alone book.

[lawrence.whitaker]

Classic Fantasy will be available via Drivethru in PDF only, but also direct from Design Mechanism. If you buy a dead tree copy from us, we give you the PDF free of charge and you'll be able to bookmark it however you wish.

As to how long layout takes, well, that depends on what us being laid out. Right now, its the Monster chapter, which is one of the most complex in the book. After that comes placement of art, then proofing, and then pre-press adjustments.

[threedeesix]

1 hour ago, Ryasin said:

Also, are there any plans for supplementary material like a GM book? I recall that was planned for the old BRP version.

And one of the things I liked about the BRP version was how allignment was handled. Will this still be part of it with player actions giving allignment points? Or maybe handled differently?

Everything that was to be in the BRP Classic Fantasy GM book is now all in the new book. Where as the original had pretty much just the player character stuff, the new version has all of that, plus monsters, treasure, and magic items.

I do have plans for a Companion book with more of everything; more spells, monsters, and magic items. Plus some additional stuff that didn't fit in Classic Fantasy. But this will all depend on the success of the first book of course.

The alignment system from BRP is not in the RQ version. However RQ has its own unique and equally awesome system called Passions, which can do everything the other system did, plus more. It's similar and percentage based.

Rod

Edited February 1, 2016 by threedeesix

[dracopticon]

Thank you threedeesix for that reply. And thanks for the tips, also I meant first ed CF (Classic fantasy) not "CC". Have anyone heard of a more thorough and somewhat systemized conversion-mechanic for transferring AD&D scenarios to BRP? For myself I aim at converting L1 The Sexret of Bone Hill, and N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God, maybe even a 1st level Planescape adventure. I know about and have d/l the AD&D monster books for BRP, but I'm searching for a more complete transfer mechanic.

Edited February 2, 2016 by dracopticon