First playtest of 'The Broken Tower', RQ Quickstart scenario

[g33k]

14 minutes ago, Jason Durall said:

... if the background generation indicates so. I recently rolled up an adventurer with a "let the dice fall where they may" self-imposed restriction ...

I hope you guys take a deep dive into the mechanics of this!

I'm really liking everything I see, but it's clear that there's enough interest in different power-levels, that it behooves Chaosium to offer well-though-out options for those who want zero-to-hero, or mid-grade-and-up, or starts-experienced-and-soon-goes-Runic...

 

[Sean_RDP]

Where are you going? How long do  you want to take getting there? Where do you need to start to theoretically get there in the (play) time allotted? Those are the basic questions when it comes to experience and every game answers it differently.  I would not mind a hand reference that suggests power / skill levels for playing one off adventures vs. short campaigns vs. long campaigns. Though that is something players and GMs can make for themselves easily enough.

11 minutes ago, g33k said:

I'm really liking everything I see, but it's clear that there's enough interest in different power-levels, that it behooves Chaosium to offer well-though-out options for those who want zero-to-hero, or mid-grade-and-up, or starts-experienced-and-soon-goes-Runic...

 

[g33k]

On 3/28/2017 at 9:39 AM, Jason Durall said:

The quickstart adventure is a short adventure, set in the wilderness away from any temples. The pregens are initiates and a priestess of six different cults: Orlanth, Issaries, Ernalda, Lhankor Mhy, Seven Mothers, and we are planning on an extra downloadable sixth character, an initiate of Waha. 

... for the purpose of quickstart, it didn't make any sense to include a dramatically abbreviated version of a cult only one of the pregens might worship. 

Are you looking to showcase Glorantha in this?  Do you have any "very-Gloranthan" elements playing a big role in this adventure?  Or is that not one of the design goals for the Quickstart?  Is this more of a "learn the mechanics" product?

 

[styopa]

1 hour ago, g33k said:

When you say "the mass market," however, I think the word "the" is mis-applied.  I would suggest that "the" MMORPG market (which I take to mean the customer base) isn't the same as "the" tabletop-RPG market (and smaller games like RQ are even-less-typical).  I don't deny some overlap (even a substantial amount of it!) but they're different-enough that designing either one for the market of the other is a strategic error.

Take a look at D&D4e:  it was pretty clearly informed (in part) by the idea of what-works and what-is-important in MMORPG/videogame contexts.  I believe it was the ONLY edition of D&D that wasn't #1 in the RPG market (in favor of other games that weren't designed to the e-standard).

 

Point completely conceded!

Yet...looking more broadly at the progression from AD&D to 2e, 3e, 3.5e, 4e, and 5e there are a few meta-points that stand out to me:

- aside from the anomalous 4e, games are getting less crunchy, ie simpler, less 'mathy'

- characters are getting more capable, meaning formerly narrow specialty capabilities (ie healing) now are more broadly available (obviously this is less specifically relevant to RQ mechanics vs class-based games)

In short, and I think this is the meaningful parallel between MMORPGs and RPGs

- characters are getting more powerful, to start and throughout the arc of their development; not just intrinsically but vs NPC capabilities

...thus my point.

[styopa]

BTW Jason & Jeff, we sincerely appreciate you guys taking the time to respond here.

I'm not sure how many people realize how relatively unique that is in the gaming firmament.

[g33k]

4 minutes ago, styopa said:

BTW Jason & Jeff, we sincerely appreciate you guys taking the time to respond here.

I'm not sure how many people realize how relatively unique that is in the gaming firmament.

We certainly *DO* appreciate it!  There are other companies who do this well; Chaosium is (now) one of the better ones... but honestly, far from unique.  Many of the small game-publishers are also very responsive & engaged!

I think we have DO have a relatively-rare -- and possibly unique -- confluence here, with the deep roots of BRP/Glorantha/CthulhuMythos, associated fandom & grognards, Chaosium/MD &co "officially" engaging, 3rd-party SRD&licensed companies, all at the fan-centric BRPCentral site.

 

[g33k]

22 minutes ago, styopa said:

- aside from the anomalous 4e, games are getting less crunchy, ie simpler, less 'mathy'

AD&D was "crunchy" in the sense of "complex" (many singular rules & subsystems that later designers unified), but not as "mathy" as later systems; 2e was (it seemed to me, I never played that much) rather an effort to regularize some of those AD&D oddities (also at the time, it seemed kind of a "reboot to start the money-train over again").  I skipped 4e, but I think 3.x was the apex of "crunch" with all the different modifiers and types of modifiers &c.  Not very "mathy" (in that it's just adding up bonus/malus digits), but crunchy nonetheless.  The class/feat/level optimal-character-build minigame was its own whole exercise in crunch!

I cannot deny that tabletop RPGs seem to be going over to the narrativist / low-crunch approach; but I think it's partly just a matter of style and whats-new-and-sexy; and possibly a reaction to systems that may be over-complex.

[Arnold-C]

On ‎31‎.‎03‎.‎2017 at 5:38 PM, Jason Durall said:

Just as a clarification... starting adventurers will have a bit of experience, but they won't be seasoned veterans on the edge of retirement, or even in their primes. They'll be around 21 or so, with a few skills in the 70%+ range, maybe one or two higher, a handful of spirit magic spells, not a lot of Rune points, and a fleshed-out backstory. They may have fought in a battle or two, seen a few big things, maybe even earned some passions like Loyalty, Hate, Love, and even gotten a bit of Reputation... but there's still a long way to go before they're going to be ready for the Hero Wars. 

That still sounds like previous experience for a Player Character beyond the age of 16 (15). That's a part of the rules I never had been happy with. A Gloranthan 16 years old adult was always less experienced and able than his Bronze Age Earth counterpart. Which's education would have started at an age between 5 and 7 years (Eqypt, Mesopotamia) to learn their father's trades, and would have lasted for about 10 years. From a 16 years old adult it was expected to soon marry and found his own family, and look forward to take over his fathers businesses, and not to start his education. Looking at the average life expectance at that time (33 years for a male, 29 years for a female) you'd really have to hurry up to get your apprenticeship diploma.

In Greece (at the age of the city-states) a boy would be put to school at an age of 7 (if his family would be wealthy enough), and at an age of 12 he'd start to get military training, for every male Greek citizen was expected to be a soldier at some level. Although boys were considered to have come of age at 16, his education would last until he'd be 18 years old. Families unable to afford the cost of private schooling apprentice their sons to a master craftsman or a merchant to improve their education while learning a useful trade. Apprenticeships, of at least six years, were usually begun at 12 years of age for such occupations as builder, merchant, potter, carpenter, or shipwright.

I am aware of that Glornatha isn't exactly Bronze Age Earth, but I would expect at least a few similarities when it comes to a character's "Previous Experience". Looking at "good ole" Rurik's RQ2 starting stats, the guy would have been toast 9 out of 10 in most situations.

Edited April 9, 2017 by Arnold-C

[Jeff]

The default chargen creates adventurers approximately 21-25 years old. Guidance is given in the rules for generating inexperienced adventurers right out of initiation (about 15 or 16 years old). Guidance is also given for playing more experienced characters. 

Always remember that in RuneQuest, high skill levels (e.g., 85% to 100%) - especially in combat skills - does not equate to heroic level. All it means is that when you strike, you tend to hit, and when you parry, you tend to parry. Skill levels above 100% tend to have a disproportionately bigger impact on combat than high skill levels. But magic - ie., Rune points, allied spirits - tends to have an even bigger impact than skill.

I have to say "tends to" because everyone in RuneQuest has feet of clay. You can always get that combination of a critical hit with a fumbled parry.

[MOB]

6 hours ago, Jeff said:

I have to say "tends to" because everyone in RuneQuest has feet of clay. You can always get that combination of a critical hit with a fumbled parry.

A feature of RuneQuest, not a bug!

[MOB]

On 4/1/2017 at 4:37 AM, g33k said:

I think we have DO have a relatively-rare -- and possibly unique -- confluence here, with the deep roots of BRP/Glorantha/CthulhuMythos, associated fandom & grognards, Chaosium/MD &co "officially" engaging, 3rd-party SRD&licensed companies, all at the fan-centric BRPCentral site.

That is certainly what we are trying to foster here for everyone in the Chaosium 'tribe' (and the extended d100 family)

And we should give special recognition and thanks to the admin @Trifletraxor, who  - except when he is traversing the steppes of Mongolia - runs the site and enables this all to happen!

[g33k]

23 hours ago, Arnold-C said:

... Looking at the average life expectance at that time (33 years for a male, 29 years for a female) you'd really have to hurry up to get your apprenticeship diploma ...

But do recall the fearsome child/infant mortality rates, which throw a large quantity of very-low numbers into that average (and for women, I'm betting their lower numbers are from "died in childbirth").

If you only look at the "life expectancy" of the group of people who survive to (for example) 12 or older (and discount childbirth-related deaths from the women) you're probably looking at an average more like 65-70-ish ...   Yes, child mortality rates were really that fearsome.

 

[g33k]

1 hour ago, MOB said:

And we should give special recognition and thanks to the admin @Trifletraxor, who  - except when he is traversing the steppes of Mongolia - runs the site and enables this all to happen!

Indeed!  Not EVERY peonage has such an exceptionally benevolent dictator as our own technoshaman Trix...     Many, MANY thanks !!!

 

[Arnold-C]

4 hours ago, g33k said:

But do recall the fearsome child/infant mortality rates, which throw a large quantity of very-low numbers into that average (and for women, I'm betting their lower numbers are from "died in childbirth").

If you only look at the "life expectancy" of the group of people who survive to (for example) 12 or older (and discount childbirth-related deaths from the women) you're probably looking at an average more like 65-70-ish ...   Yes, child mortality rates were really that fearsome.

 

Yes, child/infant mortality rates might have been included, and you're right on the women. Wealth was another factor, and the noted average life expectance was indeed for the hard-working peasants. Additionally, at that time it was common to live along your lifestock under the very same roof, so diseases sprung from animals to men.

Upper class males, who were generally better fed, did less hard labor and could afford a better medical treatment could expect to reach an age of 60/70 years. Upper-class women could also look forward to a longer life than women from the lower classes, but the task of bearing many children resulted in a lower life expectancy compared to that of males. 

[Jason D]

On 3/31/2017 at 6:08 PM, ReignDragonSMH said:

Where are you going? How long do  you want to take getting there? Where do you need to start to theoretically get there in the (play) time allotted? Those are the basic questions when it comes to experience and every game answers it differently.  I would not mind a hand reference that suggests power / skill levels for playing one off adventures vs. short campaigns vs. long campaigns. Though that is something players and GMs can make for themselves easily enough.

 

That'll be covered in the Gamemaster's Guide.