Topic: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Started by: Mordacc
Started on: 2/9/2003
Board: The Riddle of Steel
On 2/9/2003 at 3:55am, Mordacc wrote:
Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Id like to compile a list of either fictional worlds or real world themes for a ROS campaign setting. FIctional ones would be things like Conan, based in a complete fantasy world. Real ones are ones set on earth, such as The Matrix, or even a real world time like the 1500's in france for a cool musketeer style.
Fictional: Conan (whatever world that is), Middle-earth, Star Wars
Real-world/earth based: The Matrix, Mortal Combat, Musketeer 15/1600's France
I think The Matrix would be a very cool setting to play in, after all the whole concept of the Matrix itself could fir in very well with The Riddle.
Any ideas of settings????
On 2/9/2003 at 7:01pm, Mokkurkalfe wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
How about the American revolution?
The dark ages would also be cool. Sometime I will run a game set in a pseudo viking Beowulf style game.
Heh. Any setting that is either "gritty" or full of SA's or both would fit nicely, and I suspect that quite a lot of settings would it in there.
On 2/9/2003 at 9:09pm, werewolf wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
I have only two players but we are deeply involved in a setting based on the Ruskala books by CJ Cherryh, in turn based on Russian folk lore, and its going very well.
Robert Holdstock's Merlin Codex I think could be another good setting, hmm I think I will try that myself next.
On 2/10/2003 at 1:30am, TAROT wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
For a while now, I've been considering trying something Napoleonic, a la Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe.
Always fun when your worst enemies are wearing the same uniform as you. :)
Chris
On 2/10/2003 at 4:04am, JESTER wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is my favorite game world. Its Gritty and dark with elements of horror thrown in. I am currently planning on running TROS in the WFRP world. I am planning on converting over the numerous and well thought out careers over into the TROS format.
Jester
On 2/10/2003 at 4:15am, Enoch wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
The Tribe 8 world. :-D
http://www.msu.edu/user/smith465/tribe8.html
-Joshua
On 2/10/2003 at 5:31am, spunky wrote:
Sign Me Up
JESTER wrote: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is my favorite game world. Its Gritty and dark with elements of horror thrown in. I am currently planning on running TROS in the WFRP world. I am planning on converting over the numerous and well thought out careers over into the TROS format.
Jester
Jester: if you ever finish, pls. post your conversion formulae. THE ENEMY WITHIN remains the best published fantasy "modules" that have seen print, and I'd love to run my krewe through them using TROS rules.
As far as worlds for TROS, Middle Earth is pretty obvious (with the Maiar (sp) as the only ones capable of casting sorcery as it is described in the current rules). Also Newhon (F. Lieber's Lankmar) fits TROS quite nicely. And while INQUISITOR goes a long way towards providing WARHAMMER 40K with the RPG it so richly deserves, TROS's system is a better match for those who don't want the dice controlling every aspect of their character's actions...
IMHO, there really aren't really worlds where TROS won't work. It's more a question of matching the game with the players. In my group, one of my best (ie. devoted and regular) players loves D&D, hates detailed combat, and just wants to know "what happens." Getting him to play TROS will be quite a feat; as opposed to getting him to play a game like SORCERER or UNKNOWN ARMIES, where the mechanics are simple by comparison.
I've approached this by getting him to play EXALTED; and he's gotten into it, and now has the hang of the dicepool concept. So now that the campaign is well established, I want to run a few one-off adventures, not using our super-heroic Exalted characters, but the ordinary human beings that serve them. Not only will this give him a taste of TROS, it will also add to our EXALTED campaign, making all the players appreciate how truly powerful their PCs are compared to the rest of humanity.
Etc.
On 2/10/2003 at 6:24am, toli wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Barsoom (John Carter of Mars) has my vote for a good TROS fantasy world. Lots of sword fighting, passion...NT
On 2/10/2003 at 1:59pm, murazor wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
TroS should work well for any setting corresponding to the early 19th century or earlier. There are two reasons why I think so; Skills and guns.
The problem of skills is the lesser, but you will have to do quite a bit of skill and skill packet adjustment to adapt the set to an industrial era setting. But more importantly, while adapting blackpowder guns may be a fairly simple matter, I don't think the system will work all that well for modern guns.
For one thing, the combat system is weighted towards a setting where hand weapons rather than guns is the weapon of choice. The way damage level strictly corresponds to skil may work well for hand to hand combat, but it makes it impossible to get a lucky shot in. Giving guns inflated damage ratings is not a good way to fix this. Secondly, I don't believe the Puncture injuries chart is capable of modelling high speed/supersonic gunshot wounds. You'll need a new damage chart for that.
Essentially; Rather than pushing TRoS beyond it's intended boundaries, I think a modern game is better served with a game system designed for modern settings.
On 2/10/2003 at 7:54pm, Brian Leybourne wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Murazor,
If lucky shots are your bag, then just rule that instead of 10's rolling again and adding to the 10, they roll again as new, extra dice. That way any attack, melee or ranged has the potential to kill because it's possible (although unlikely) to get an unlimited number of extra dice. Likewise any action has a chance to succeed in a blazingly impressive (lucky) way for the same reason.
That falls down where the TN is higher than 10 of course.
Brian.
On 2/11/2003 at 5:38am, arxhon wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
I'm also considering perhaps dropping my up and coming RoS campaign in the Warhammer world. It depends on how Weyrth grabs me. Since i have the old RoC books (yes, the hardcovers from 89-91), i would like to continue using these ancient tomes of damnation....
It'll be a couple of weeks before i can start playing since my copy of RoS is on order, but tell me somethng...
How well do you folks feel the concept of Chaos (not the Chaos gods themselves, but the underlying concept itself) fit into the world of Weyrth?
On 2/11/2003 at 8:40am, Jake Norwood wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
arxhon wrote:
How well do you folks feel the concept of Chaos (not the Chaos gods themselves, but the underlying concept itself) fit into the world of Weyrth?
By chaos you mean the way it's handled in WFRP, than I think that it actually would work quite well, especially given the "price" of magic and the options that thematic Chaos would bring.
Jake
On 2/11/2003 at 3:27pm, Paka wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
As I've said in previous posts, the Riddle would make my two favorite boxed sets, Planescape and Dark Sun really shine.
Starting character design with philosophy would really suit Planescape's whole vibe.
If I were running Dark Sun I'd probably make the SA limit ten...just to give players more of a shot in that brutal, largely armorless setting.
The musketeers are begging to be Riddled.
Elric's Young Kingdoms might suit the game well too.
And all of those strange dimly lit fantasy cities rattling around in my head would be neat.
On 2/12/2003 at 1:58am, Vanguard wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Good suggestions above..
Moorcock's multiverse would also be appropriate. Fighting is done in very realistic/heroic ways - even the superhero Elric becomes pathetic in times of vulnerability. Compared to an N th level D&D PC, able to cop tactical nukes in the face whils asleep and still only lose half his hit-points, character in the Multiverse die from a good sword blow to the face.
Sorcery involves the use of boons and favours - a means in which aging effects might be reduced to effect instant powerful spells. And in other ways, sorcery is treated in a very storytelling-kinda-way.
Think 'bout it - makes sense.
Take care
On 2/12/2003 at 10:55am, jafuli wrote:
what about HARN ?
hi all !
what do you think of the Hârn background (www.columbiagames.com) : semi-historic, very well detailed, knights everywhere, ...
I am also reading the "song of fire and ice" cycle by George RR Martin. Interesting ...
JF
On 2/12/2003 at 3:04pm, Shadeling wrote:
Re: what about HARN ?
jafuli wrote: hi all !
what do you think of the Hârn background (www.columbiagames.com) : semi-historic, very well detailed, knights everywhere, ...
I am also reading the "song of fire and ice" cycle by George RR Martin. Interesting ...
JF
I think both would make great TROS worlds.
On 2/12/2003 at 4:47pm, Jake Norwood wrote:
RE: Re: what about HARN ?
jafuli wrote: hi all !
what do you think of the Hârn background (www.columbiagames.com) : semi-historic, very well detailed, knights everywhere, ...
I am also reading the "song of fire and ice" cycle by George RR Martin. Interesting ...
JF
And, AFAIK, people are currently using them as such. Spartan on our forum is doing Harn, last I checked, and some guys on RPG.net are doing GRR Martin. Do searches for both.
Jake
On 2/12/2003 at 10:08pm, tauman wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
I gotta add my two cents to this discussion:
Melnibone (or Moorcock's other Eternal Champion stories & settings)
Deryni (written by Katherine Kurtz, with "psychic" magic)
Dying Earth (Jack Vance)
Lord Darcy (Randall Garrett, fantasy-based mysteries)
Fred Saberhagen's Books of Swords-based world (really, rules as-is with flavor)
Chronicles of Amber (Roger Zelazny)
Really, the only thing you need to run these is flavor and a tailored magic system (uh-oh, sounds like my last thread).
There seems to be about 5 basic magic systems in stories and games
1. Impressed Spells (i.e. D&D-like, as used in Dying Earth)
2. Summonings and Conjurations (Elric, et. al.)
3. Mental/Psychic-like (Deryni, Amber, etc.)
4. Overt (i.e., high-power, exhaustion or spell-points or skill based)
5. Rules/Laws based ("Master of Five Magics", or Randall Garrett's "Lord Darcy")
6. ??
It would be not too difficult design a few relatively complete systems and use whichever one fit your campaign at the time (or more than one to contrast different magic systems from different cultures, etc.)
Has anyone ever read Zelazny's Dilvish stories? If so, how do you suppose the "Awful Sayings" would fit into TROS?
I won't even go into sci-fi settings...
On 2/12/2003 at 10:18pm, Brian Leybourne wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Hmm.. I agree with most of your suggestions except Dying Earth.
The feel of D.E is completely alien to the feel of TROS. D.E isn't about heroism, passions, drives, gung-ho machoism, and it's especially not about conscience. Folk in Dying Earth are jaded, selfish, out for themselves only, apathetic, and combat each other with their wit, not with blades.
Completely different feel. If you want to play D.E, get the D.E RPG, it's a pretty good match feel-wise with the literature (I was involved in the playtesting early on, but later had to drop out, sadly). TROS is good for just about anything else though.
All IMO of course.
Brian.
On 2/13/2003 at 5:34pm, tauman wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
I guess it would be sort of pointless to run a Rhialto-level game with TROS, as combat (and to some extent SA) would basically be irrelevant, but I think a Cugel-level game might work quite well. While the characters in Dying Earth might be "jaded [and] selfish", these can be used as drives as well as honor and heroism. OTOH, I can see how a TROS game set in Dying Earth would quickly deviate from the original feel of the setting.
Steve
On 2/14/2003 at 4:07am, arxhon wrote:
RE: Possible TRoS Campaign Worlds
Another good setting would be the world of the Wheel of Time (please, no flames about the books). The magic mostly fits, but the whole 5 spheres of the One Power or whatever would require a little jiggering.
On 2/14/2003 at 5:33pm, John Resotko wrote:
My list for settings to adapt to TROS
Hello,
I'm new to both the Forge and TROS, but I'll give you my thoughs about adapting fictional gameworlds as your setting (now that I've read the rules and worked up my first few characters). Let me first express my thanks to everyone involved in creating the current version of the TROS book. Finally, all my days of sport fencing can now actually apply to what I do in an FRPG!!! Hurrah!
Some obvious setting choices came to mind as soon as I read the rules:
Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar series
Howard's original Conan series
The "Thieves World" anthology series
Most, but not all, of Moorcock's fantasy series (The Eternal Champion multiverse, Warlord of Mars, etc.) Warlord of the Air might be a stretch, but there is distinct possibilities for a "Steampunk" setting using TROS.
Some not so obvious settings that I think would adapt really well into the TROS system, with some tweaking and adaptations for their weirder magics are:
some kind of Ars Magica RPG-like setting
Roger Zelazny's "Dilvish the Damned" stories
Fred Saberhagen's numerous "Swords" books, and the prequel to that fictional world, the "Empire of the East" trilogy
Terry Prattchett's Discworld novels
(What!?!, how dare I suggest that HUMOROUS fictional world would make a good TROS setting!?!?! TROS is supposed to be DARK!!! Well, if you don't believe me, you haven't read the novel LORDS AND LADIES yet, have you? It's got one of the best depictions I've read in a long time of the Fey as creatures Not To Be Messed With.) (grin)
Other good choices have already been mentioned, so I won't repeat worlds that others have suggested. I just want to say I'm happy to have such a realistic combat system available, and a good friend and long-suffering "GM" I know plan to try our hand at adapting at least one of our favorite fictional world settings to TROS in the near future.