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Legend/RQII Resources
- Thread starter Campbell
- Start date
nnms
First Post
If you want to see another rules system using the same basic system, check out OpenQuest. It has some things that are different about it, so that after a read through, it'll highlight some of the bells and whistles of the system that you can adjust to your liking.
http://mindstalk.net/openquest.pdf
There's also the BRP Forum.
Legend
Okay, general pointers:
Combat is fairly lethal. You probably gathered this already. If you have a game session that is a string of combats, unless the enemies are completely useless, there likely will eventually be a hit that gets through and drops someone. It's just a matter of time that the enemy attack hits, the parry/dodge fails and the location and damage roll produce a nasty result. This is a feature, but me mindful of too much combat.
Keep things goal oriented. Talk with the players in advance about whether or not they want to create the goals or if they want you to do it for them. The game really sings when players buy into their characters and have specific goals to launch them into action. It also sings when they explicitly agree that if they're no wanting to provide those goals, that they will absolutely buy into the ones you come up with. Make sure each player knows that it is part of the game for either the player to come up with the direction of play or explicitly agree to chase after the direction of another person at the table.
Sample the resolution systems to introduce them to the group.
Magic can be particular and different. Consider only introducing one or two different magic systems at first. Having an aspiring shaman, a priestly person and a sorcery initiate all at once for your first campaign can be a bit much. Getting the players to agree to be from the same culture that has one magic type being the common one is a good way to go for your first game.
Don't leave the "circuit of description" unless you have to. By this I mean that you describe something, the players describe what their characters do, and you describe the new situation (likely created by accessing the game mechanics). I know this seems really basic, but it's worth keeping in mind. You need to keep a back and forth going with the players and your descriptions of things in the game fiction need to be strong. Your descriptions need to provide the players with relevant information they can use to make decisions.
Use the system. It's tempting to hand wave things and abandon the rules, but they really do provide the framework for a certain style of play. Get the basics down and make sure everyone at the table feels like the rules are being implemented fairly and impartially. Keep fudging things to a minimum.
The game is designed for settings that are like the Dark Ages and the Iron Age (well, it actually even works really well back to the stone age). The conflicts don't have to be super fantastical with great sorcerers and horrible magic beasts and "the end of the world" or whatever. Keep it personal to the player characters and their local tribes, towns, ruins, etc.,.
http://mindstalk.net/openquest.pdf
There's also the BRP Forum.
Legend
Okay, general pointers:
Combat is fairly lethal. You probably gathered this already. If you have a game session that is a string of combats, unless the enemies are completely useless, there likely will eventually be a hit that gets through and drops someone. It's just a matter of time that the enemy attack hits, the parry/dodge fails and the location and damage roll produce a nasty result. This is a feature, but me mindful of too much combat.
Keep things goal oriented. Talk with the players in advance about whether or not they want to create the goals or if they want you to do it for them. The game really sings when players buy into their characters and have specific goals to launch them into action. It also sings when they explicitly agree that if they're no wanting to provide those goals, that they will absolutely buy into the ones you come up with. Make sure each player knows that it is part of the game for either the player to come up with the direction of play or explicitly agree to chase after the direction of another person at the table.
Sample the resolution systems to introduce them to the group.
- If you want to have people learn the combat system, have an easy fight (say, a rabid wolf or something attacks) and do some of the maneuvers in the book. Knock down a player character. Let everyone see how locations work and how deadly things can be. The spread of rabies also brings in rolls to resist disease and may lead to sampling certain magic mechanics like the summoning of a cleansing spirit to cure the disease.
- Skills are straightforward, but starting the group off with an immediate issue to deal with that can't immediately be solved by lopping off someone's head will get everyone used to the different types of skill resolutions you can do.
Magic can be particular and different. Consider only introducing one or two different magic systems at first. Having an aspiring shaman, a priestly person and a sorcery initiate all at once for your first campaign can be a bit much. Getting the players to agree to be from the same culture that has one magic type being the common one is a good way to go for your first game.
Don't leave the "circuit of description" unless you have to. By this I mean that you describe something, the players describe what their characters do, and you describe the new situation (likely created by accessing the game mechanics). I know this seems really basic, but it's worth keeping in mind. You need to keep a back and forth going with the players and your descriptions of things in the game fiction need to be strong. Your descriptions need to provide the players with relevant information they can use to make decisions.
Use the system. It's tempting to hand wave things and abandon the rules, but they really do provide the framework for a certain style of play. Get the basics down and make sure everyone at the table feels like the rules are being implemented fairly and impartially. Keep fudging things to a minimum.
The game is designed for settings that are like the Dark Ages and the Iron Age (well, it actually even works really well back to the stone age). The conflicts don't have to be super fantastical with great sorcerers and horrible magic beasts and "the end of the world" or whatever. Keep it personal to the player characters and their local tribes, towns, ruins, etc.,.
Campbell
Relaxed Intensity
Thanks for the pointers. Part of what attracted me to RuneQuest is its flexibility. On one hand if you are fairly tight with handing out hero points, avoid handing out heroic abilities and play it straight with hit locations for every NPC it can be used for vanilla simulationist play. On the other hand if you embrace factions/cults, the hero point feedback loop, optional rules for general hp and underlings, heroic quests and the like it has the potential for extremely thematic play. I hope to get a game going sometime in the next month.
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