Hey guys. My BRP fantasy

[weasel fierce]

Hey all. This is my first post here, though I've been eyeing the discussions for a bit. My project that Im working on, is not really anything new, and so Im not sure whether or not it really falls under this site. Rather, its a BRP variant / based game, I am fiddling with, for the benefit of my gaming group, and friends.

Mainly, I am just looking for a place to bounce ideas off, besides rpg.net.

If this is inappropriate to the Forge, please let me know.

Im not sure yet of the feel, I'll be going for, but Im sort of keen on the idea of something a bit more iron age / viking, with people that have been touched by gods, or tainted with the blood of the fey and trolls, and that sort of thing.
Low magic, dark'ish fantasy, though BRP is flexible enough to do it all. Basically, if you have read Poul Anderson "the broken sword", you know exactly where Im headed.




Anyways, here is what I am aiming for so far. You propably have to be familiar with Basic Role Play to make much sense of this:

Any double on a skill roll is a special roll. If its lower than skill, its a perfect roll, if its higher, its a fumble

Fumbling a skill gives you a check mark as well (learning from really screwing up)

Training skills works as per recent Call of Cthulhu (one month of time, and you get a normal xp roll for the skill)

Percentages wont be rounded off to intervals of 5.

Increases from xp and training will be D6%.

Skills will be allocated from a pool of points (ala Call of cthulhu). Im not entirely sure yet how much is needed, though Im tempted to lean low, around 300 or so.

Im not yet sure how I want ability scores to impact skills, though Im tempted to use Runequest as the example here

Ability score improvement as per Hawkmoon (if you make a roll based off an ability score, and the % roll is equal or less than the actual score, you roll 2D6. If the total is 7, you increase 1 point, if its 2, you loose 1 point)

Im debating whether to use hit locations, as per Drakar expert / RQ, or simply use the random armour idea from Stormbringer. Presently, Im leaning towards the latter.

I want to have provision for skills above 100%, though Im not sure yet, regarding advancement and such. I do want the option of splitting attacks into multiples

Lifegoals. Each character will pick 1-3 lifegoals from a list, or make their own, which is what their character is striving for. This ties into the next:

Focus. This will be a percentile stat, showing how dedicated and focused the character is on a particular ideal or task. To use D&D terms, f.x. a squire might only have a focus of 10%, making him a bit less likely to fall to temptation, a full blown cavalier / paladin may have a rating of 80% or higher, giving him tangible benefits, due to his massive dedication, but is starting to loose touch with the common folk, and his own sanity.

Stability. Fairly similar to CoC's Sanity system.

A note about routine skill use. Generally, the kind of thing you dont ask for dice rolls for, but if it comes up, any routine or trivial skill use will be at double skill, and does not generate a check mark.

Kind of torn on whether to use the idea/luck/know rolls. I propably will, though

Dodging. I want this to be a bit less effective than in Call of Cthulhu. Not sure how, yet

A perfect roll on a parry gives you a riposte, allowing a free counter strike. If its with a shield, you get to bash with the shield.

For opposing skill rolls, the highest roll that is under the skill total is victorious, though a roll exactly equal to skill is better than any roll that is under skill.

For two-weapon fighting, the off-hand weapon is limited to daggers, hand axes and similar, and for parrying only. If you wish to use a larger weapon, or to attack, you have to pick it as a separate skill.

I wont be using the normal impaling damage rules. Instead, if an impaling weapon rolls the max on the damage die, roll again and add.

Initiative will be 1D10+dex

I'll propably go with str/dex requirements as per Runequest 3.


For things particular to the fantasy Im envisioning:

Magic will be rather rare, but the basics will be as per old Drakar / magicworld. Each spell is a skill, and you can cast in different effect levels, the higher, the harder the spell, and the more POW it drains.

I'll use the old Drakar system of heroic skills. When you do impressive stuff, you get hero points, which can raise ability scores, or buy cool powerz.

I want to have an option for legendary characters, which will get various advantages and edges

Circumstances of birth. Im big on fantasy being about being somebody special. One thing I figured was a long ass chart (most of my players like random charts, but I realize its not everyones thing), where you dice to generate a random advantage you have. Anything from being particularly adept at a particular skill, to being a bit luckier, to being able to shapeshift into a beaver or whatevernot.

Initial profession. Propably a random dice roll as well, instead of professions giving a limit to where you can put skill points, it will give a bonus to a handfull of skills. Its supposed to be your past training and skill, not your current life.

After a recent rpg.net thread, I realized that I want to do a decent system for building things, and for bartering.


Again, my apologies if variations on an existing system is outside the scope of this site or forum, and if its okay, let me know what you think.

Apart from the idea of Focus, this post is very crunch oriented, which is how I like starting a design, once I have a rough idea of where I want to head it.

[Tommi Brander]

Hey weasel (you may remember me as Thanuir or Gilean), and welcome to the Forge.
It is a habit here to use one's real name. So what's yours?


A fair warning; you might not get a lot of attention here. What you are doing may sound more like "Runequest, but better!" than a new game.

Lifegoals. Each character will pick 1-3 lifegoals from a list, or make their own, which is what their character is striving for. This ties into the next:

Focus. This will be a percentile stat, showing how dedicated and focused the character is on a particular ideal or task. To use D&D terms, f.x. a squire might only have a focus of 10%, making him a bit less likely to fall to temptation, a full blown cavalier / paladin may have a rating of 80% or higher, giving him tangible benefits, due to his massive dedication, but is starting to loose touch with the common folk, and his own sanity.

This caught my attention.
Do you know Burning Wheel? To be more exact, the Beliefs as used there?
I don't get focus from what you tell. Could you elaborate a bit?
I have a bit something about personality rules in my forums: http://s14.invisionfree.com/Tablets_of_Dleinr/index.php?showtopic=106. You might want to read it.

[weasel fierce]

Hey weasel (you may remember me as Thanuir or Gilean), and welcome to the Forge.
It is a habit here to use one's real name. So what's yours?

Ah, my apologies. My real name is Ivan Sorensen (actually the o is the danish slashed o, but its not on my US keyboard ;) )

A fair warning; you might not get a lot of attention here. What you are doing may sound more like "Runequest, but better!" than a new game.

Thats sort of the goal ;) So thats okay. Its worth a shot, in any event.

Do you know Burning Wheel? To be more exact, the Beliefs as used there?

Im not familiar with that, no.

I don't get focus from what you tell. Could you elaborate a bit?

The idea is that it serves both as a trait to roll for situations where your character needs a little extra oomph, or to dig up that last reserve of perseverance, when everything else has failed. A sort of mixture between Vampire's Willpower and Humanity, in some aspects.

I have a bit something about personality rules in my forums: http://s14.invisionfree.com/Tablets_of_Dleinr/index.php?showtopic=106. You might want to read it.

I definately shall

[Eric Provost]

Hiya Ivan.  Welcome to the Forge.

Could you define 'Basic Role Play' for me?  I've got a pretty good guess what it means, but I think we'll have a better discussion if I'm certain that I know what you mean by it first.

-Eric

[weasel fierce]

Its referring to the core system,that was used in Chaosium's series of games. The main ones being Runequest, Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer and such.

The main elements is that ability scores arent terribly important, its all based on percentage rolls, and thoroughly skill based, skills improve by use, combat is quite deadly, and there are very few exception-based rules (unlike f.x. D20 and GURPS).

[Eric Provost]

Ok.  I think I get your drift there with BRP.  Sort of a heaping helping of universal system with a good side order of no niggling details.  I'm familiar with the system and texts of Call of Cthulhu, but not with Runequest or Stormbringer.

It's an often asked question here at the Forge; There are lots of sytems out there that do what you seem to want to do with your design, so what itch are you trying to scratch that existing game texts aren't doing for you?

Also, what kind of help can we give you?  You've dropped a list of ideas for your design here for us to look at but you haven't asked and questions that anyone could try to answer for you.  If you're just looking for comments on your design thus far then the only thing I can say isn't very encouraging;  It looks a lot like pretty much every other design that designers new to the Forge drop on us to look at.  Which might just mean that you haven't told us about the exciting bit yet.

-Eric

[weasel fierce]

Well, Im rather guilty of not really wanting to do something new as far as mechanics go. I rather like BRP.

The "new" thing will propably be the setting, sort of.

What I have in mind is more of a mythical nordic early iron age, sort of realm. Less coin and gold pieces, and more bartering or crafting what you need.
Stout farmers and yeoman with axes, rather than noble knights in full plate.
"demihumans" ( to use a D&D term) will be mostly non-playable background material, the trolls that lurk in the dark, the fey folk of the woods, the dwarven crafters and warlocks in the ground.
Some humans will be marked by a god, for good and for ill, to accomplish certain tasks (or fight against that fate), others may bear the blood of the troll or elf, and have it shine through in their actions and their perceptions.

I guess it all comes down to a deep love of nordic / germanic myth, as well as Poul Andersen :)

What Im working towards, in terms of rules, isnt anything particularly new or different, more something solid, something that'll be in the background, as well as something that reinforces a more in-your-face lifestyle and simple brutality (what most players term as "gritty")
BRP and the basics of Runequest / Call of cthulhu can generally handle that bit just well.


The real thing is how to actually incorporate elements of the world into the system, something that I have never really done before.
How to make the "blooded" and "chosen" fit in well, both mechanically and (more importantly) in a roleplaying sense, and how to make the common yeoman, huscarl or peasant making his way in this mythic realm stand up and stand out.

And I guess thats where you all come in :)
What Im looking for, are good ways to incorporate flavour and setting into rules mechanics, and to emphasize certain elements, like the mythical, dark age nature of the world (with a look more towards myth and legend, than "dark" in the Warhammer / White Wolf sense)

[MikeSands]

Okay, so you want to focus on the 'blooded' and 'chosen' and average schmoes making good without the rest of BRP getting in the way?

How about this: throw away the whole of BRP and make the rules about how these three types of characters solve problems in this world.

How does each type deal with fights? Social situations? What magic can they do?

If you want the game to be about this stuff, you don't need the rest.

[Callan S.]

Hi Ivan,

What's the thing that your most excited about in your system? The bit that your really keen to see in a session?

[weasel fierce]

Hi Ivan,

What's the thing that your most excited about in your system? The bit that your really keen to see in a session?

The consequences of either living up to your fate, or to struggle against it.

Or at least, thats one of the things I want it to eventually hit.

[droog]

Okay, I need to practice asking questions, because that's what I was trying to get out of you when you posted this on RPG.net.

So what Eric and Mike and Callan are getting at is this: if you're excited about your blooded and chosen and living with your fate, why don't you consider going straight for that goal? Instead of asking 'how can I incorporate my idea into a traditional system?', consider asking 'how can I make a game around my idea?'

Sorcerer is intended to ask 'What will you do to get what you want?' Therefore the rules for Humanity and consorting with demons are central. All rolls that would come under 'skills' in BRP are handled by one of five attributes.

Instead of thinking that you'd like to 'eventually hit' your goal, why don't you think about how you might achieve that goal from first principles? This site will be of much more use to you then.

[Tommi Brander]

Ivan,
You really might like Burning Wheel. It was only 20€ here, plus a bit for shipping from Finnish company.
Promotion aside...
I'll give you a brief explanation of beliefs: Each character has one to three. Usually three. They must be active and specified, like "God has chosen me to lead the people to glory" or "No man is responsible for anything but himself". They tell the GM where he should take the game; the term is flag. The beliefs should be questioned. They can be changed at will, at GM's discretion if abused. The important thing is that one gets artha (luck or karma, a resource) for playing the beliefs, or against them. But they are the focus.
Is that like something you want?

Imagine a typical game night. What do the players, including the GM, do? What is the part they most enjoy? Are all the other parts necessary to reach it?

[weasel fierce]

I think I see what you guys are getting at, and I think its exactly the opposite as what I started out as, since it started out as a way to tweak an existing system a bit to fix a few things. Then I came up with the idea of the setting that I want to do, and now, I;ve started backwards, instead of starting out with the idea, and then working towards how to do that in a game.


This will be extremely helpfull :)

[Ron Edwards]

Hi everyone,

This is a fun thread to read, and helpful to a lot of newcomers, I think.

I will now close it - Weasel, what this means is that no one posts to it again. It is now a "book of its own." What that also means is that your new game design can start with its own thread, as a new "book."

Best,
Ron