Mythras, why should i use it

[Belgath]

Yes that was the one.

The tree of life and waters of life had become corrupted.  

[Belgath]

I hope you enjoyed the game, it was a blast for me. Will be ruining more games this year as well.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Belgath

[heathd666]

i enjoyed it immensly its the reason i bought mythras and became interested in d100 again i fell out of interest around CoC 4th edition and occasionally browsed the basic role playing forum here at brp central.

[colinabrett]

Are any parts of Mythras optional? Hit locations and combat special effects spring to mind as something I can live without: they add a level of crunch I'm not comfortable with. Would dropping either of these have a wide-ranging impact on a campaign?

At the moment, I don't have the full-blown Mythras, just the Mythras Imperative download. Does the full version handle selectively ignoring some sections of the rules?

Regards,

Colin

[Jakob]

1 hour ago, colinabrett said:

Are any parts of Mythras optional? Hit locations and combat special effects spring to mind as something I can live without: they add a level of crunch I'm not comfortable with. Would dropping either of these have a wide-ranging impact on a campaign?

At the moment, I don't have the full-blown Mythras, just the Mythras Imperative download. Does the full version handle selectively ignoring some sections of the rules?

Regards,

Colin

With regards to Hit Locations, it's actually not that easy dropping them just using the Mythras rules, since they don't provide any alternative; the same goes for combat effects (you could limit them however to the most essential ones). Easiest way to go would be to downlad the (free) OpenQuest basic and drop its combat system wholesale into Mythras, that should be no trouble at all.

[Alex Greene]

The question to ask is, "Does Mythras do the job that you want it to do, or do you have to do the job that it wants you to do?" Yes to the former, no to the latter.

Long answer?

- Is Mythras versatile? Yes.

- Is Mythras scaleable? Oh, yes.

- Can you run one-shots in Mythras? Definitely.

- Can you use Mythras to create settings for campaign play? Certainly.

- Is it a good game for doing more than just dungeon crawling? Most assuredly.

- Do you know what to do, right off the bat? As a player, the game takes you through every stage of character development. Games Masters, you have to wait your turn till the bit at the end of the book, but what the hey, you had to get used to that anyway; but yes, whether you're a novice GM or a boss-level veteran of several campaigns, the book works for you.

- Do you want to buy Mythras? Do you see yourself having to buy spares because your first and second copies are falling apart, and have your players come back to your setting time and again because they can't get enough of it? Can you love this game as much after its major name change? Well, that is up to you.

On a personal note, I have never played RuneQuest. But I can happily play, or run, Mythras. Weird, or what?

Edited March 2, 2017 by Alex Greene

[rust]

2 hours ago, colinabrett said:

Are any parts of Mythras optional? Hit locations and combat special effects spring to mind as something I can live without ...

M-Space, the science fiction supplement for Mythras, includes a simplified combat system which uses general hit points and a reduced number of special effects.

[clarence]

Yes, @rust is right. I reduced the system as much as possible without breaking the core concepts. Pete & Lawrence helped refining it, and it works very well in low-violence settings (or if you want to start out simple and add more complexity as the players get to know the system). 

[skarl]

With the simplicity of the rules there is also a modularity: add or take away what you want and even introduce elements easily. With the help of the group here and existing rules written for Mongoose Elric I added a patron system similar to what the Dungeon Crawl Classics game has. I then looked to Symbaroum, took the Doppelganger from Classic Fantasy and tweaked it into a Changeling, then created three variant changelings as player options and fiddled with the Ogre and Troll for the same effect. 

Long story short it is easy to make the game work for you and the rules are so easy to use that they can fall into the background so the story can flow.

[Mankcam]

OpenQuest is basically Mythras without Hit Locations and Combat Manuvers.

If these things are too clunky then I totally agree with Jakob's comment: Definately play OpenQuest instead,  and port Mythras scenarios as you see fit.

OpenQuest Basic has almost everything you need for a low cost (and free pdf). The full version builds upon it, but isn't necessary.

OpenQuest also has a few campaign books, but won't have the ongoing support Mythras has.

Both systems are really similar, but OpenQuest is less complex if that is what the OP is after.

 

[pachristian]

Some Mechanics Points:

• Mythras works well, and the rules are very tightly written: There is not a lot of "I exploit this rule and there is nothing you can do about it" wiggle room.
• As a GM you need to be aware of the rules for adjusting skill difficulty - using them properly helps keep the players feeling effective.
• You get less advantage by playing the cut-off points then you would in Classic Runequest, so there's less tendency for everyone to make the same character.
• Playing the combat system requires some commitment - in imagination. It takes players awhile to get used to the idea of using combat effects well. Once they do, combat goes very quickly.
• Combat is very detailed.
• Mythras avoids two major problems in many game's combat systems: These are the D&D "hack at it until you wear down its hit points" issue, and the Classic RQ "one hit takes my leg off, again" issue. It's very well balanced.
• Characters start out fairly skilled, but advancement is slow. This works well, as a new character can be created as a beginner and not feel overwhelmed by experienced characters. However, players who expect D&D / Pathfinder's "Zero to Hero in Just Seven Days" (just to provide a horrible movie mashup) will be frustrated. I view the slow advancement as a strength of the system: It means characters can be played a long time. I will also add that the limited experience awards mean that your character will probably specialize in a handful of skills. You can, of course, award more points / training per session.
• In Classic Runequest, magic advances in a parallel path to skills and attributes: In other words, everyone adds magic in addition to everything else they train in. In Mythras, you commit the same points to training magic that you would to training anything else; so it becomes an either-or proposition.
• The amount of support for the system is steadily growing: The Design Mechanism publishes a monthly scenario, and Old Bones Publishing has put out a couple of adventures. 

Mythras is my preferred go-to game. I like the flexibility, I like the pulp-action feel of the combat and adventures. The supplementary books are very good (I use a variant of Monster Island for many games). There is a friendly and active on-line community.

Edited March 3, 2017 by pachristian

[colinabrett]

8 hours ago, Mankcam said:

OpenQuest is basically Mythras without Hit Locations and Combat Manuvers.

If these things are too clunky then I totally agree with Jakob's comment: Definately play OpenQuest instead,  and port Mythras scenarios as you see fit.

 

Thanks to all responders. I'm basically looking for a substitute for the BGB and Magic World. My play group couldn't really handle Mythras's crunchy bits (and tbh, neither can I :), so it looks like OpenQuest may be the way to go.

Thanks,

Colin

[tedopon]

Before I ask the question, I promise I tried to find the answer multiple times before I asked.

I have a game that is coming back after hiatus with more players. We have two copies of Runequest 6 at the table, but are going to buy at least one more copy to pass around. There is a copy of RQ6 at the local Half Price, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has Mythras chime in on how different the two books are. I've read a few statements by Loz stating basic differences, but I would rather get some more detailed analysis before I make a decision. Honestly, I'm leaning toward just buying Mythras given my recent experience with the RQ brand, but I know that it would end up being the GM Copy TM to allay confusion.

So, besides the obvious effect of putting money in a friendly pocket vs supporting a reseller, what are the new shinys I would get with Mythras as opposed to another copy of RQ6? Also, is there a document that outlines the changes? I swear I have looked and not found one. 

 

[Raleel]

1. Animism is probably the big change. the rules haven't changed so much as have been largely rewritten to be clearer. If you don't use it, those won't affect you.
2. The miniature and grid rules in the back are gone, and have been moved to Classic Fantasy. 
3. There are a few extra special effects in Mythras over the base RQ6. 
4. There are some minor text edits here and there. Not huge differences though.
5. formatting and font have changed to allow for a smaller paper footprint. 

I don't think there is a document. the TDM boards had some specific stuff called out in one thread at one point, but this is what I remember. Honestly, I've used both and have not noticed an appreciable difference. 

[tedopon]

We have a spirit wrangler. Honestly would probably just continue using the RQ6 version if they're all that different, they work fine. We never use minis, so I honestly forgot that section was even in the book.

Thanks

[Raleel]

yea, if the animism section makes sense to you it RQ6, then it works.