badcat Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Is anyone else here interested in starting a BRP fantasy setting of a 'vanilla' nature? That is, sort of like BRP Dungeons and Dragons, say an expansion of Magic World? I don't consider one based on the Icelandic Sagas to be 'vanilla', instead I am thinking of classic fantasy rpging. Failing that, how about one based on Rome? Like the monograph 'Invictus' from Chaosium? That might be fun, you could even through in sci-fi elements and have something like David Drake's 'Roman science fiction' novels, like 'Killer'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Do you mean a generic one or a setting with its own world and mythology, just following along the lines of mainstream fantasy? SGL. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drohem Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I like this idea as well. When my group played RQ3 we just ommitted any Gloranthan specific rules and played in a fantasy setting that was Tolkien-esk. Sorry, I just couldn't wrap my mind around a talking duck or some of the crazy chaos monsters. Quote BRP Ze 32/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Either or both, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drohem Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Are you offering to GM one? Or asking if someone else will GM one? Quote BRP Ze 32/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Not to start some picky arguement... but to me 'Classic Fantasy' is fairy tales... not Tolkien... Less tales of large scale warfare and evil... more small scale personal stuff. Less concern about the complexities of believable non-human races... no orcs or hobbits or historian elves... If someone wanted to start something based on all the Grimm's tales and the stuff from Lang's Fairy books I'd be really happy with that... more folklore based... stuff about the Black Forest and Baba Yaga and lost princesses... Kind of like that Firefly's game Faery's Tale: http://www.firefly-games.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=48&osCsid=7d37a4c7a61f7469b3064286378e7320 I'd love to play something like that. I know after seeing Terry Gilliam's Brother's Grimm movie I wanted to do up a setting that had the Napoleonic wars as a backdrop... but focused on the fluttering vestiges of the old world that still lingered in the darker corners... alchemists in Prague... vampires in Romania... goblins in the woodwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drohem Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I know after seeing Terry Gilliam's Brother's Grimm movie I wanted to do up a setting that had the Napoleonic wars as a backdrop... but focused on the fluttering vestiges of the old world that still lingered in the darker corners... alchemists in Prague... vampires in Romania... goblins in the woodwork. hehe...I do the same thing after I see a movie I like. I like your idea. Quote BRP Ze 32/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 I just want to discuss ways to do magic, social structure not completely modeled on feudal Europe, that sort of thing. Not fairy tales but fantasy with heroic warriors, mysterious mages, ruined or lost civilizations, etc. Like Hyboria, but less gritty. Like high fantasy but not as shiny. With some horror but not dominated by that aspect. A touch of post apocalyptic atmosphere. Elves and dwarves not necessary. Maybe come up with something like BRP Earthdawn or Tekumel with some refreshing new angles. Pretty much hopeless, I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drohem Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I just want to discuss ways to do magic, social structure not completely modeled on feudal Europe, that sort of thing. Not fairy tales but fantasy with heroic warriors, mysterious mages, ruined or lost civilizations, etc. Like Hyboria, but less gritty. Like high fantasy but not as shiny. With some horror but not dominated by that aspect. A touch of post apocalyptic atmosphere. Elves and dwarves not necessary. Maybe come up with something like BRP Earthdawn or Tekumel with some refreshing new angles. Pretty much hopeless, I know. Not at all! I just wasn't too clear on what you were asking, sorry. Quote BRP Ze 32/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason D Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 As a point of reference, Dustin Wright is very interested in seeing new settings for BRP. You can contact him at dustin@chaosium.com, and he'll gladly field any questions about submissions, either as monographs or as longer works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 Are you saying they are looking for a D&D style setting for BRP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Well... what are the basic features you need in place to start a game in a 'believable' setting? I remember the old GURPS basic rules had a list on the back... something like Government, Religions, Languages, Tech level, Local flora and fauna, Laws, and Customs. Of those the hardest one for me has always been religions... most fantasy religions either sound silly to me or sound like a thinly veiled retread of a RL religion. It probably stems from my being something of an agnostic... But what is an example of a fantasy religion that is actually intriguing and works well to flavor the story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 But what is an example of a fantasy religion that is actually intriguing and works well to flavor the story? Hinduism, with its multitude of strange gods would be a good pick. SGL. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffworthington Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I've run RuneQuest in my own fantasy setting (called 'Paleador') for 20 years. it includes a chain of islands with a god in the middle (actually a volcano), an entire city on an island which is the figment of the imagination of a homeless man, a king dressed in feathers, an undead king stuck at the bottom of a fjord, and others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triff Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Hinduism, with its multitude of strange gods would be a good pick. SGL. Ow... That didn't sound good. Hinduism would be an example of an intriguing RL religion, misinterpreted you question a bit. SGL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason D Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Are you saying they are looking for a D&D style setting for BRP? From a recent email from Dustin (edited for public viewing) regarding future submissions: Short Setting Books - preferably with a heavy focus on player content. I'm driven to release followup support material for BRP. The initial format I think we can use is 64 - 96 page (30,000 - 48,000 word) setting books. These books are short for several reasons. - Such books should come together rather quickly, rather than taking years of drudgery to complete. - There is a lot of ground to cover. I'd like to get several settings out quickly so we can find out which will be popular enough to support with more printed releases The field is wide open. We need all the genres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycorn Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Well... what are the basic features you need in place to start a game in a 'believable' setting? I remember the old GURPS basic rules had a list on the back... something like Government, Religions, Languages, Tech level, Local flora and fauna, Laws, and Customs. Of those the hardest one for me has always been religions... most fantasy religions either sound silly to me or sound like a thinly veiled retread of a RL religion. It probably stems from my being something of an agnostic... But what is an example of a fantasy religion that is actually intriguing and works well to flavor the story? http://www.rpgmud.com/WorldBuilding/Mythopoets/tmm.html This online book will help you out tremendously. It's excellent. Really helped me think about religions in fantasy settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 WOW! That looks like a cool resource of ideas... very useful. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I'm driven to release followup support material for BRP. The initial format I think we can use is 64 - 96 page (30,000 - 48,000 word) setting books. These books are short for several reasons. - Such books should come together rather quickly, rather than taking years of drudgery to complete. - There is a lot of ground to cover. I'd like to get several settings out quickly so we can find out which will be popular enough to support with more printed releases I'm not sure I like the sound of that. That's Mongoose size. I want Dorastor, Pavis & Big Rubble, Borderlands - that kind of stuff. A 64 page setting book? What can you fit into that? A setting book should be bigger, then it can later be followed by smaller supplements. SGL. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 It sounds like the monograph format, to test the market I suppose. I wish they could find another way to do that, I hate buying things twice. But if it's the only way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason D Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I'm not sure I like the sound of that. That's Mongoose size. I want Dorastor, Pavis & Big Rubble, Borderlands - that kind of stuff. A 64 page setting book? What can you fit into that? A setting book should be bigger, then it can later be followed by smaller supplements. SGL. Based on what Dustin and I talked about a while ago, their goal is to break a setting into manageable pieces to start with - smaller sourcebooks with followup publications if the setting was popular. I think they're trying to steer clear of monolithic settings that take forever to detail and even longer to write. Remember that all of the works you mention began initially as smaller pieces, articles in fanzines, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason D Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 It sounds like the monograph format, to test the market I suppose. Nope. The excerpt I quoted was #1 of three plans Dustin was eager to pursue. #2 was BRP monographs. #3 was something else that I can't talk about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 23, 2007 Author Share Posted October 23, 2007 Any of the above would be likely to help with my BRP homebrew, so that's fine.:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I do not like the monograph format at all. They're like doomed to stay underground forever. They will not be taken into RPG stores, and few would order them, since the shipment often surpases the cost of the book. If Cthulhu Rising hadn't been available for free from the CR website, I would not have gotten a look at it. Ordering from Chaosium is just to expensive, at least if you live in Europe. SGL. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason D Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I do not like the monograph format at all. They're like doomed to stay underground forever. They will not be taken into RPG stores, and few would order them, since the shipment often surpases the cost of the book. If I recall correctly, one of the main goals of the monographs was specifically to create a reason fans would periodically check out the website. A second goal was to offer something like those old mimeographed booklets that were available only at conventions, directly from Chaosium. I'm not saying those are great reasons, but the monograph program does fill both of those requirements solidly. Ordering from Chaosium is just to expensive, at least if you live in Europe. That's a valid concern. You should email them directly and let them know you've got a problem with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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