Lanhkmar's back (Runequest)

[SteveC]

But the setting is being released for Runequest 4e, not BRP!

Which is also why I qualified my original statement:

I'll have to see if they're making some significant changes to the BRP system...which is what I assume they're going to use for the new RQ.

When I see Robin Laws involved with a project, I am always of a mind to take a look at it. I have followed the new RQ's development somewhat, but I had not heard how much the system is going to differ. We will have to see. A Runequest game that has nothing in common with BRP is just another RPG (see Runequest: Slayers). From what I have heard about the new RQ there are going to be some system changes, but it is still going to be recognizable. We will have to see, I suppose.

By the way: no hate for BRP from me at all. I played the heck out of RQ back in 7th grade, still have my copy of Ringworld, and have played through all of the published mega adventures for CoC. If the new RQ is similar to these systems, I don't think it will do Lankmar very well. If it is something entirely different, it certainly could. I know that with the talent that is behind it at the moment, I will certainly take a look at it to see what the fuss is all about...

--Steve

 

[Staffan]

Speaking of Holy-Grail by the way, maybe it's King Arthur setting?

I'm pretty sure King Arthur is Public Domain by now.

As for Runequest, I pretty much grew up on a mutated version of it (by way of BRP/Fantasy World, translated to Swedish and then revised a couple of times). So I'm definitely going to be getting my hands on the new version of it.

 

[Hjorimir]

I can't recall not having fun with RuneQuest. It was always a good time and played very, very fast. I love how its gritty nature encourages players to think things through and actually try to avoid fights when they can.

 

[bolen]

Could someone give a quick synopsis of RQ.? All I remember is that it was an avilon Hill game with strange monsters

 

[Turanil]

Could someone give a quick synopsis of RQ.? All I remember is that it was an avilon Hill game with strange monsters

From what I recall (not looked at the rules for 10 years):
-- 6 ability scores of 3 to 18. Str; Dex; Con; Int; Pow; Cha.
-- 10 to 20 HP, a number that don't augment with experience. Hit location: you also have those hp distributed over body parts. When those are wounded, some effects on the character's ability to act, as appropriate.
-- Many skills, with % scores of 0 to 100%, but that can excced that in some case.
-- Magic points = Pow score, to cast a few spells. Three kind of magic: shamanism, wizardry, and priestly magic.
-- No special abilites such as feats of what not.
-- No levels, at the end of an adventure, you can inrease your skill scores with those skills you successfully used during adventure. Easy to augment a low score, dificult to augment a high score. Augmentation is in the +1d6% range.

All in all, it resembles BRP Call of Cthulhu, with body location of hp added.

 

[Odhanan]

Lankhmar for RuneQuest? Cool!

 

[francisca]

I formerly had both the Runequest game and Lankhmar books (the AD&D ones). Frankly, I think that Lankhmar will fit very well for use with Runequest, much better than D&D. If I were to play or run a Runequest game, I would certainly much prefer Lankhmar than Gloranthra for setting.

If you are basing your idea of what Lankhmar is on the AD&D books, you might be right. But they did a piss-poor job of getting the feel of the actual stories. I'm playing the RuneQuest demo at GenCon, and will be looking for the Lankhmar stuff from Mongoose. Until then, I reserve further judgement.

 

[Glyfair]

Could someone give a quick synopsis of RQ.? All I remember is that it was an avilon Hill game with strange monsters

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runequest covers Runequest pretty well & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Role-Playing covers the system.

 

[SWBaxter]

Let's just hope that it doesn't mean we're having to buy Call of Cthulhu again.

Nobody has had to buy new versions of CoC since about second or maybe third edition, AFAICT. I think somebody at Chaosium is a little confused over the difference between an edition and a printing.

I was actually never much of an RQ fan way back when, played it a few times but I found the rules pretty fiddly. But I did pick up the Worlds of Wonder set, and Magic World was a brilliant little fantasy game, probably among the first "rules light" games I really liked (along with its Super World and Future World counterparts). A couple of years back I used BRP with some of the percentile dice tricks from Unknown Armies and an adaptation of the Magic World magic system to work up a generic fantasy ruleset of my own, which I use to teach RPGs to novices and youngsters*. Works pretty well, but I'll be interested to see what both Chaosium and Mongoose have done with the system - if nothing else, there will certainly be stuff I can steal.

* One of the major motivations for this project was my nephews, the oldest of which is currently 4. I'll want to introduce them to RPGs when they're a bit older, and I figured the full d20 experience would be a bit much.

 

[trancejeremy]

I don't hate BRP, I just don't think it works very well at swashbuckling sort of games. Based on my experience in trying to run Elric. I never had a party that lasted more than 3 combats. It's very very deadly.


The Fahrd & the Grey Mouser were not combat machines like Conan, but they were pretty good at fighting (remind me more of the 3 Mustketeers sort of fighting). If they were made using the BRP system, they would have died very early on.

I also think it's somewhat unwieldy. Basically you have to make an attack roll, then the defender makes a defense roll to see fi they dodged or parried. Okay for games where combat isn't that common (like CoC), but not a game like this.

Sure, Mongoose could try to fix it, but Chaosium has tried for 20 years with Elric/Stormbringer, and IMHO, never did. All they did was give out more and more demon armor (which asorbs a lot of damage) and make sure all their published NPCs were huge or had high cons (and thus high hit points).

Personally, I do think d20 is much better suited for that sort of fantasy. It would need completely need classes, though.