SimpleQuest Zero Edition

[Newt]

Howdo

Just in time for Continuum, here is SimpleQuest Zero edition!

Basically this is a pre-release, with the main core rules (Chapters

one - nine) missing the Creatures, Setting and Adventure chapters (all

in various stages of completion) and art work using a very basic DTP

format.

Go grab it off the d101games.co.uk site

The final edition should be out Sept/Oct again as a free PDF and as a print on demand version from lulu.com

[Trifletraxor]

Great! Will you be running it at Continuum?

SGL.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Trifletraxor

[Newt]

Oh yess!

Myself and Neil Ford will be running the following over the weekend.

Life and Death

A SimpleQuest game for six players by Newt Newport

Miraz the Golden is sees itself inheritor of the old Lion Empire. It is an oppressive military police state which seeks to dominate its neighbours. Some say the wrath of the gods has been brought down because of its hubris and it is currently stricken by a plague. Its Tyrant looks on from his remote palace as the victims of the plague shuffle round the streets as newly risen zombies. While his heirs fight amongst themselves to see who will succeed their father, when he is toppled by the rebellion that is fermenting in the streets.

Into this madness step the adventurers out to make a fortune and a name for themselves.

Dead Pot County

A SimpleQuest game for six players by Newt Newport

Some Merchant's son got lost in the BadLands. Perhaps in the worst part of this desolate wilderness, Dead Pot County. A place crawling with the hungry dead of a long dead civilisation and terrors much worse!

Good job there's a large reward for the return of the lad and the chance to pick up all that treasure buried with the deadies!.

SimpleQuest is a D100 Fantasy game, based upon BRP/RuneQuest.

Times

Deadpot Country: Friday afternoon 2pm, Saturday morning 10pm Sunday morning 10am

Life and Death: Saturday afternoon 2pm, Sunday afternoon 2pm

Edited July 31, 2008 by Newt

[deleriad]

Nice work. I haven't had a chance to look over much of it yet but I do like the way you've simplified the skills list in an attempt to make every skill impoart. The things I've noticed are:

you have either removed the throwing skill but forgot to remove references to it in the weapon skills or you've accidentally omitted Throwing. Personally I would include throwing in athletics and treat athletics as the "olympics track and field" skill.

You don't seem to have an acrobatics skill. You might be using characteristic rolls though I haven't actually seen them yet. If you are not, I think you probably do need it as it is good to differentiate between runners and gymnasts. If not, you probably need to indicate how to resolve things like balancing, squeezing through small spaces and so on.

Unarmed - this is mentioned in the combat skills table but not actually defined as far as I can see. Technically it should be a basic skill. It might make sense to call it "Brawling" and use it to include any sort of unarmed attack, grapple or act of picking up rocks and hitting people with them. It's a simplification that works for me.

Grappling: there appears to be a missing table or the descriptions are fu-barred.

Hope this is useful.

[deleriad]

Battle Magic: you could fairly easily simplify this further.

For example:

all spells with a limited duration have the same duration (either a fixed amount such as 10 minutes or equal to the caster's POW).

Make all spells ranged. After all, the idea is to keep things simple and keep extraneous information off the sheet.

All spells are progressive unless otherwise stated and are Magnitude one unless otherwise stated. It means that you can make the spell descriptions much cleaner.

So, for example Bladesharp would read

Bladesharp

This spell can be cast on any weapon with a blade. For every point of Magnitude, it increases the chance to hit with the weapon by +10% and deals

one point of extra damage. ...

Befuddle

Fixed Magnitude 2, Resist (Persistence).

You also might have a problem with spells like Coordination that add bonuses to characteristics which break the big modifier rule. E.g. Coordination 1 adds +2% to all combat skills (except, oddly, unarmed...) They go against the ethos of your system.

[AikiGhost]

As regards bladesharp. I've always wondered what the logic behind having separate spells to enhance the damage of sharp weapons and bludgeoning weapons was, it is supposed to be magic. Id just wrap them all up into a single "Damage Boost" or "Magic Weapon" spell.

[DirkD]

The rules look good at first glance.

Some observations regarding the document-style:

- Is it possible that you didn't use Heading 1-5 for the chapter- and section-headings? You often have column-breaks between the heading and the section (and that shouldn't be the case if you used headings instead of just changing the font.)

- Table-headings are sometimes bold and sometimes normal and sometimes they end with a dot.

(It's generally a good idea to define headings for every type needed in the document and use them consistently.)

- I would use a little bit more space between the line at the top of the document and the text. It looks a bit like the header and footer are pressing the text-body together.

[Newt]

you have either removed the throwing skill but forgot to remove references to it in the weapon skills or you've accidentally omitted Throwing. Personally I would include throwing in athletics and treat athletics as the "olympics track and field" skill.

Yup I've removed Throwing - in 20 odd years of running RQ/BRP I've never had need to use it. But like an idiot I've not removed the references to it! I like your idea and will fold it into Athletics.

You don't seem to have an acrobatics skill. You might be using characteristic rolls though I haven't actually seen them yet. If you are not, I think you probably do need it as it is good to differentiate between runners and gymnasts. If not, you probably need to indicate how to resolve things like balancing, squeezing through small spaces and so on.

Acrobatics is included in Athletics. Dodge almost went the same way on the suggestion of another reviewer, but I thought this would make the skill too powerful.

Unarmed - this is mentioned in the combat skills table but not actually defined as far as I can see. Technically it should be a basic skill. It might make sense to call it "Brawling" and use it to include any sort of unarmed attack, grapple or act of picking up rocks and hitting people with them. It's a simplification that works for me.

Grappling: there appears to be a missing table or the descriptions are fu-barred.

Opps. I'll have to put Unarmed back in under Basic Skills.

Where's the reference to the Grapple table. I thought I had purged all mention of it. Thanks for highlighting this. I had a tough time sorting out the Grappling rules, and it appears they are still borked.

Hope this is useful.

Definatly. Pure driven gold. This is why I released Zero Edition.

[Newt]

Battle Magic: you could fairly easily simplify this further.

For example:

all spells with a limited duration have the same duration (either a fixed amount such as 10 minutes or equal to the caster's POW).

Make all spells ranged. After all, the idea is to keep things simple and keep extraneous information off the sheet.

All spells are progressive unless otherwise stated and are Magnitude one unless otherwise stated. It means that you can make the spell descriptions much cleaner.

So, for example Bladesharp would read

Bladesharp

This spell can be cast on any weapon with a blade. For every point of Magnitude, it increases the chance to hit with the weapon by +10% and deals

one point of extra damage. ...

Befuddle

Fixed Magnitude 2, Resist (Persistence).

I like this idea, personally I find all the fiddly spell traits a bit much. I'll take this on board for the final version.

You also might have a problem with spells like Coordination that add bonuses to characteristics which break the big modifier rule. E.g. Coordination 1 adds +2% to all combat skills (except, oddly, unarmed...) They go against the ethos of your system.

Another exception to point out in the aside on p56, OR such Characteristic boosting spells only give the immediate big benefit - for example Coordination 1 would only give a +1 to DEX, handy in a fight, and not the +2% to Dex based skills.

[Newt]

As regards bladesharp. I've always wondered what the logic behind having separate spells to enhance the damage of sharp weapons and bludgeoning weapons was, it is supposed to be magic. Id just wrap them all up into a single "Damage Boost" or "Magic Weapon" spell.

Its a kind of a historical one from RQ1/2, different named spells differentiated between different cultures, since weapons were/are very culturally based in Glorantha. So your Troll warrior wielded a Troll maul with Bludgeon 2 on it and a Human warrior had his sword with Bladesharp 2 on it. Both spells do exact the same thing, but having them separate means that the Troll can't just pick up a sword and be a badass with it, because both his cultural skill and magic wouldn't let him.

I understand your point, since this is the route RQ Sorcery and Savage Worlds, whose no nonsense cut the flab philosophy was a big influence on SQ,

takes, but I've left it in so SQ is compatible with historical and current versions of BRP/RQ.

[Newt]

The rules look good at first glance.

Some observations regarding the document-style:

- Is it possible that you didn't use Heading 1-5 for the chapter- and section-headings? You often have column-breaks between the heading and the section (and that shouldn't be the case if you used headings instead of just changing the font.)

- Table-headings are sometimes bold and sometimes normal and sometimes they end with a dot.

(It's generally a good idea to define headings for every type needed in the document and use them consistently.)

- I would use a little bit more space between the line at the top of the document and the text. It looks a bit like the header and footer are pressing the text-body together.

All good stuff...I'm still very much learning DTP and SQ edition Zero was very much a first pass, but a first pass that I'm going to build on.

I'll work through your comments in detail once I'm back from Continuum in detail.

[deleriad]

Glad the comments were helpful. I can certainly see the rationale for allowing athletics to be the skill of pretty much any physical action with the exception of dodge.

Sorcery will be a problem on two fronts. One front you're using the MRQ OGL which has distinctly screwy sorcery descriptions. In particular, things like the illusions. For example, someone with a skill of 120% Magnitude and 100 in all illusions can't actually make an opaque brick. You will need to go back through them and actually adapt them properly. Basic premise is that 10 Magnitude is a master magus and should be correspondingly powerful. I made a basic stab at this on the MRQ wiki if you're interested.

Secondly, even MRQ sorcery is still not simple in play. I would strongly consider dropping the basic manipulation arts (mag, dur and range) and folding the ability to manipulate the spell into the basic skill.

E.g. A spell can be manipulated for magnitude, duration and range but to a maximum extent equal to the caster's spell skill. So, a caster with spell skill of 75% could cast it mag 7 or at mag 2, range 3 and duration 2 or what ever combination adds up to 7. Because of the nature of sorcery, a character can always cast a spell at its base parameters of mag 1, duration 1 and range 1. Manipulating a spell costs 1 MP for each manipulation.

You might want to go back to MRQ's 0 cost for unmanipulated spells. Sorcery for beginning characters has a high miss factor so being able to throw "cantrips" around all day is no bad thing. (You could treat spell casting as the equivalent of hard work for the purposes of fatigue to stop PCs abusing it.)

Combine and Targets. These could then become esoteric arts which adepts learn. You wouldn't roll against them but instead, for example each full 20% of combine could let a sorceror combine an additional spell to the one being cast. Each 10% in targets lets them add an additional target. As ever it would cost 1MP to use each manipulation.

Doing all this means that the player only has to roll against 1 number, which appears to be in your ethos. MRQ as written could feature players with 66% in spell, 62% Magnitude, 71% range, 52% in targets rolling 58 and wondering what it means. (Spell goes off with Mag 7, Range 8, 1 target for those wondering.)

[AikiGhost]

Anyway I played in Dead Pot County at Continuum and had fun (I played the Death Warrior undead hunter type), but to be honest I couldn't really see the difference between SQ and MRQ, I guess whatever differences there are never really came up in play.

[AikiGhost]

Its a kind of a historical one from RQ1/2, different named spells differentiated between different cultures, since weapons were/are very culturally based in Glorantha.

Sure but its just as easy to have "damage boost" as the spell in the book and then say "Lunars call it channeling the red queens might" and Heortlings call the same spell "Orlanths Prowess". Same end result though, one spell in the book instead of two.

[NeilFord]

Anyway I played in Dead Pot County at Continuum and had fun (I played the Death Warrior undead hunter type), but to be honest I couldn't really see the difference between SQ and MRQ, I guess whatever differences there are never really came up in play.

Was that the Sunday morning game? If so, you definitely got in to the character.

I have some ideas on some changes to DPC that might make it a little more cohesive and also highlight the SimpleQuest mechanics.

But first I need sleep... lots of sleep

- Neil.

D101 Games demo bod.

[NeilFord]

Sure but its just as easy to have "damage boost" as the spell in the book and then say "Lunars call it channeling the red queens might" and Heortlings call the same spell "Orlanths Prowess". Same end result though, one spell in the book instead of two.

I like that! I was thinking along a similar line but was struggling on how to articulate it to Newt.

- Neil.

[sinisalo]

E.g. A spell can be manipulated for magnitude, duration and range but to a maximum extent equal to the caster's spell skill. So, a caster with spell skill of 75% could cast it mag 7 or at mag 2, range 3 and duration 2 or what ever combination adds up to 7.

Oooh very nice

[AikiGhost]

Was that the Sunday morning game? If so, you definitely got in to the character.

Yep Neil that was me, I try

[Trifletraxor]

Was that the Sunday morning game? If so, you definitely got in to the character.

They find the son of the merchant? But I bet they didn't negotiate a lucrative trading deal now, did they?

SGL.

[NeilFord]

No they didn't, but then they didn't have Fadar the Fortunemaker with them and I did streamline the village encounter so as to get them in to the valley.

- Neil.

[Newt]

My favourite ending to Dead Pot Country, was when the PCs completed the adventure by kicking out the bandits in the Village and were rewarded handsomely by the Merchant-Council of Aztar. Each PC got the ending that they desired with the money that they earnt; Vinsck the Pirate bought himself a new ship and Gornam the Protector used the money to protect his village for example.

Meanwhile Nola the Owl*, bought herself a magical repeating crossbow and retired to the Village, where she spent the rest of her time sitting in a chair on the wall overlooking the valley, taking pot shots at passing Zombies.

* it was must be said that Nola was being played by a everso slightly gung-ho 12 year old boy.

[tzunder]

I note that Throwing is the default fall-back skill for most thrown weapons. I'd leave it and I'd leave Unarmed as it is. I'd then use Throwing as the default for thrown weapons and Unarmed for brawling but maybe also anything that you pick up and use but have no skill in, like a sword when you've never used one.

Of course if you get an Advanced skill higher than the defaults then you switch.

I think Newt rolled Athletes and Acrobatics together.

I'd suggest that you roll Bladesharp and Bludgeon into one but put the old spell names in parentheses after them for help when decoding old RQ stuff.

I haven't got this far but is there a skill equivalency table between SQ and MRQ? One between SQ and BRP would help too.

[deleriad]

I note that Throwing is the default fall-back skill for most thrown weapons. I'd leave it and I'd leave Unarmed as it is. I'd then use Throwing as the default for thrown weapons and Unarmed for brawling but maybe also anything that you pick up and use but have no skill in, like a sword when you've never used one.

The problem with that would be that if you trained your Unarmed skill up to 100 then you would start at that percentage with any weapon you're unskilled in. Even if you said any unskilled weapon was unarmed-50.

If you say that any thrown weapon can be used with either throwing or the appropriate weapon skill that does make throwing very useful. It's sort of what MRQ does and providing you don't have players who like to game the rules it's ok. However there's a reasonable point to be made: if you can use bolas, boomerangs and shurikens all with the same skill why do you need different skills for swords, spears and axes? I've taken out the ability to use throwing in MRQ and use specific weapon skills for each weapon ever since I saw one person try to create a bandolier of different thrown weapons for different purposes all using the same skill. Humorous but wrong

As a thought experiment, if I wanted to stress the simple side of SQ then it might have the following really broad weapon skills:

Brawling (unarmed)

Simple weapons (basically spears, maces, knives etc)

Military weapons (swords, axes, polearms etc)

Exotic weapons (flails and so on however each exotic weapon has to use its own skill)

Thrown weapons

Bows

Crossbows

Exotic missile weapons (as exotic close combat weapons.)

You could say that trying to use a weapon that your character hasn't used before (or for a long time) is difficult (-25%) until you've had a few minutes to practice it.

Then you could say that:

if you use a 1h weapon and shield then you get the shield's APs when parrying.

if you use a weapon two-handed (providing that it's not something small like a dagger) then you get +1 damage and the weapon's STR requirement is reduced by 3.

It depends on how simple Newt wants SQ to be.

I haven't got this far but is there a skill equivalency table between SQ and MRQ? One between SQ and BRP would help too.

Seconded.

[deleriad]

Quick bit of error trapping:

Bludgeon gives +5% and +1 per mag while Bladesharp gives +10% and +1. I suspect that Bludgeon needs revising.

Create charms: example refers to a "Befuddle 4" spell. Probably needs to say that the highest mag charm you can make is equal to the mag of Create charm (as per create potion)

Create magic point store: needs to specify what is the largest amount of MPs that can be stored - presumably it equals the spell's mag. Note that you can use this spell to make lethal hand grenades...

Demoralise: note that this also affects parries but not dodge. This is an ussue with the MRQ SRD.

Detec Enemy: has a rogue comma in "spell"

Fate: should not have the instant trait.

Firearrow and fireblade: should probably specify whether user still gets their Damage Modifier added to the weapon or not.

Good Fortune has the traits touch and concentration. This would generally imply that the caster must remaining touching the target(s).

Multimissile - refers to a "missile weapon" being charged rather than a "missile" being charged.

Oath of ordeal reads: "This spell may not be resisted, but it will be obvious to

the spellcaster if his Oath of Ordeal spell has been resisted." It's a problem with the SRD - text is probably meant to read:

"the target may choose not to resist the spell. If the spell has been resisted, it will be obvious..."

Second Sight: this spell should either be "self" only or should read "..the *target* to gauge..."

[Newt]

Ok couple of quick points coming out of this thread, and some of the feedback that I've been getting via email.

It seems for some people's tastes I've not gone simple enough and produced a "RQ with the corners rounded off". To be honest some of this is by design, since I wanted something that is compatible with MRQ, and some of it from not looking at the rules hard enough.

From the feedback here I'm going to incorporate most if not all of the suggestions I've had, to make SQ more of its own entity and a truly simple easy to play D100 system. Its still going to be easy to covert back to MRQ/BRP and to help this I'll publish some conversion guidelines, probably as web documents, after the release of the main core book.

Weapon skills are going to be grouped into broad groups as suggested by Deleriad and by Halfbat (who publishes RQ compatible supplements via Scepultune games) via email. Unarmed and Throwing will be part of this Weapon Skills group since I don't want Athletics to become some sort of uber-skill, since I have bad memories of this from playing 1st Ed Cyberpunk. I'm also going to simplify and streamline the close combat weapons list itself, and drop weapon properties which now I look at it again is full of +-10% modifiers and I never use anyway.

From looks of it Magic needs a through looking through. I'll be simplifying the traits of Battle Magic, Sorcery is going to get an overhaul (more on this below), and Illusion spells are going to get rolled into one.

As for Sorcery, I'm going with deleriad's suggestion of rolling the manipulation skills into one and allowing players build up their spell's effect (range, duration etc) with the 10s of the skill being the maximum magnitude. Except I'm going to go one step further and do away with the Manipulation skill entirely and base the manipulation limits on the Spell's % itself.

I'm getting some extremely useful feedback from this thread, please carry on.