Stormbringer 5.5 edition?

[Mugen]

On 7/13/2020 at 10:01 PM, Atgxtg said:

Nope. RQ used random die rolls. Superworld was the only variant that went point buy.

IIRC, RuneQuest 3 had an option to let players allot points freely.
It's not something I'd do with BRP myself, though, given the min/max potential.

[Atgxtg]

On 3/4/2021 at 10:20 AM, Mugen said:

IIRC, RuneQuest 3 had an option to let players allot points freely.

Yes but it wasn't the default. From what I've been told, it seems the whole idea of allocating points for stats was because some people didn't like having to play characters when they rolled poorly. Probably not without some justfication. A 3 CON or DEX in RQ is like having a terminal illness. 

On 3/4/2021 at 10:20 AM, Mugen said:

It's not something I'd do with BRP myself, though, given the min/max potential.

I might do it, depending on what sort of campaign I was setting up. For instance if I were running a campaign where people could buy replacement bodies that were somehow manufactured, then a point buy, or even an increasing price scale might make sense. 

[Dufuss]

Just run my first session in SB (4e) for over three decades. And it was great. Haven't played any BRP related systems since then, in fact and I love it. in my opinion, it doesn't need any overhauling, really, except in two regards, only one of which pertains to more recent editions. The first was random nationalities, leading to weird mixes of Allegiances (not called that in 4e) which caused a rift between players and the other is the Allegiances themselves, which, not existing, were lacking. What I'm saying is, a workable, useful and meaningful allegiance system or mechanic is the only thing the system needs.

Conan 2d20 does a great job of building in the idea of Doom/Fate through its Momentum system. VERY briefly, if you get a really good roll, you gain points which you can spend on abilities or share with other players, which allow them to get bonuses, re-roll, etc. this is an awesome mechanic, as it keep everyone 'at the table at all times, focused on what's going on because it is all relevant to them.

The GM gets similar points, called Doom. Players can use these to buy out of trouble, then they add up and get spent on ass-biting stuff, later. Its amazing fun.

For SB, I'd call one sort Elan. Or Synergy, for Lawful characters, Inspiration for Chaotic. Fate for the GM. 

Making the mechanic a regular part of play would keep Allegiances relevant. And if you did have a mix of character allegiances, obviously each allegiance would have its own pool...

Great thread, btw. Wonderful how RPGs bring people together... 😉

[Cloud64]

On 5/23/2021 at 11:52 PM, Dufuss said:Conan 2d20 does a great job of building in the idea of Doom/Fate through its Momentum system. VERY briefly, if you get a really good roll, you gain points which you can spend on abilities or share with other players, which allow them to get bonuses, re-roll, etc. this is an awesome mechanic, as it keep everyone 'at the table at all times, focused on what's going on because it is all relevant to them.

The GM gets similar points, called Doom. Players can use these to buy out of trouble, then they add up and get spent on ass-biting stuff, later. Its amazing fun. 

I'm glad you enjoyed it, but it seems this a marmite mechanic. Having played using it in Star Wars Adventures, we universally loathed it. It puts a faff in between rolling the die and the result. You roll the die, gain some momentum (or already have some in a shared pool) and then have to faff about deciding what to spend it on or whether to save it for another player's action where it might be better used. It slowed everything down for us. The fundamental mistake it makes is breaking the tension of the die roll - usually you modify the target and then roll and get an instant resolution. If there is anything to be done at that stage, I don't think it should be any more than a reroll. 

We also found our GM couldn't help but build up a large pool of doom points which, by his own admittance, he could've flattened us with if he was so inclined  

I concede that if everyone is familiar with the momentum options it would flow more smoothly, but given momentum spend options also vary by context, that's a lot of overhead.

The 2d20 odds are pretty much incalculable on the fly as well,  and it's nice to have some idea of how successful you're likely to be before committing to an action.  

Dear Chaosium, please don't touch that mechanic with a barge pole. Genuinely a deal breaker for me, it's not something you can house rule out.

[Spence]

2 hours ago, Cloud64 said:

I'm glad you enjoyed it, but it seems this a marmite mechanic. Having played using it in Star Wars Adventures, we universally loathed it. It puts a faff in between rolling the die and the result. You roll the die, gain some momentum (or already have some in a shared pool) and then have to faff about deciding what to spend it on or whether to save it for another player's action where it might be better used. It slowed everything down for us. The fundamental mistake it makes is breaking the tension of the die roll - usually you modify the target and then roll and get an instant resolution. If there is anything to be done at that stage, I don't think it should be any more than a reroll. 

We also found our GM couldn't help but build up a large pool of doom points which, by his own admittance, he could've flattened us with if he was so inclined  

I concede that if everyone is familiar with the momentum options it would flow more smoothly, but given momentum spend options also vary by context, that's a lot of overhead.

The 2d20 odds are pretty much incalculable on the fly as well,  and it's nice to have some idea of how successful you're likely to be before committing to an action.  

Dear Chaosium, please don't touch that mechanic with a barge pole. Genuinely a deal breaker for me, it's not something you can house rule out.

Dear Chaosium,

The momentum system used in the 2d20 Conan and 2d20 Star Trek Adventures (STA) actually works great and really drives the cinematic action in Conan.  The adjusted version in STA works great as well and can actually make engineering and scientific research take on an exiting tone. 

When we first played Conan there was an initial learning curve, but once got the hang of it.  Or in other words dropped our paranoia about out PC's getting hurt, it got great.  I don't understand how the GM was able to accumulate a very large Doom Pool, unless he didn't realize the spend requirements. 

I'll admit I play with role players as opposed to a Roll Players so the idea of stopping play to analyze the exact percentages prior to every action never crossed our minds.   I've played Conan 2d20 as both player and GM, and if you actually PLAY the game the action is fast and furious.  And leans pretty heavily in the PC's favor, they are larger than life heroes after all. 

STA also is a great game and one of the few that succeeded in making non-combat roles actually fun. 

 

I have no doubt that Cloud64 has had a bad encounter with 2d20.  But for many people that grok it, it is fantastic and their Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 version looks like it will be another great game.  

Anyway, before condemning the system, take another shot at playing it.  Perhaps with an experienced GM.    Experienced in 2d20 that is 😉

Edited May 29, 2021 by Spence