[Runequest] Basic RolePlaying, The Chaosium System

Sat Jul 26 16:55:15 EST 2008

On Tue, 2008-07-22 at 10:48 -0400, Peter Maranci wrote:
>  
> The magic system was the single element that I was most worried about
> after the playtest. But to my delight, the book includes a system
> which is the classic battle/spirit magic system as derived from the
> original Basic RolePlaying system. For example, Bladesharp is called
> "Sharpen", but is identical to the RQ Bladesharp spell.

Sharpen (like many of the spells) is from the Worlds of Wonder book
'Magic World'.

> The book is 399 pages long, so I have a lot more reading to do...but
> at this point, I have to say that Jason and Chaosium have done an
> absolutely outstanding job.

Yeah, it's a pretty solid product :-)

I've just submitted the following review to rpg.net, please excuse my
inline html characters.

PRODUCT: Basic RolePlaying: The Chaosium Roleplaying System
AUTHOR: Jason Durall, Sam Johnson
COMPANY: Chaosium

STYLE: 4
SUBSTANCE: 4

SUMMARY:
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A "thin glue" method unites several BRP games in one publication. Above
average in almost all regards; it is well written, well designed, with
quite a good content to page count and good scope. What does happen when
Elric hits Cthulhu with Stormbringer?
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REVIEW:
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<b>Background and Product</b>

The core of Basic RolePlaying: The Chaosium Roleplaying System
dates back as far as first edition RuneQuest in 1978. Since then,
a number of games - mostly quite successful - were produced by the
company based on the same model, including Call of Cthulhu (FP
1981), Stormbringer (FP 1981), Ringworld (FP 1984),
ElfQuest (FP 1984) and Nephilim (FP 1994). Among these and
others there was always a vague promise of crossover games or even a
complete system which unified all the above - variations of this came in
the form as the simple Basic RolePlaying and the far more elaborate
Worlds of Wonder (1982). This new tome, expressed in the
thirteen-chapter, four-hundred page softbound form, is the fulfilment of
this promise.

In my first decade of gaming I was quite favourably disposed towards the
various BRP games. The character creation system provided more
opportunities rather than implausible restrictions, it had a simple
roll-under percentile skill system, combat was relatively realistic,
deadly and usually resolved very quickly - not to mention armour reduced
damage rather than making you harder to hit (indeed, armour in BRP games
often made you easier to hit because it was encumbering). But
perhaps most of all, the games captured a deep sense of genre almost
invariably expressed in the magic system. When the opportunity to join
the playtest occurred, I eagerly accepted. The playtest procedure was
highly structured (leaving but modest opportunities for playtester
contributions to development) but well conducted and I'll take this
opportunity to thank Jason Durrall for his approach which was both
friendly and professional.

The cover of Basic RolePlaying features a variation of Da Vinci's study
of man but, in paper-doll dress-up style, features elements of a
multi-genre being. It is fairly strong in terms of creativity, but more
modest in technique, which is something I noted throughout the text
which included quite a number from prior publications. Other images of
note include an impending confrontation between Cthulhu and a space
fighter near the rings of Saturn (p372) and an old classic for the
resistance table "Burly Bob" (p170) who made an appearance in the
original Basic RolePlaying booklet. Effort was clearly made to provide
appropriate illustrative art to the text.

The book is well-written with rules explained maturely and with a
notable degree of clarity. There are more than a couple of typographical
errors (perhaps the most amusing being the description of a crack as an
"active" force), but the genuine meaning is usually discerned with some
ease. The layout of the book is likewise generally good with two-column
justified text, boxed areas for particular emphasis, somewhat small page
numbers and chapters marked on each page (albeit with a binary method to
indicate chapter numbers) and roughly the right use of whitespace. The
table of contents is a little spartan with merely the chapter headings
provided, but there's a good five page index to major topics. The back
of the book also includes a collection of useful tables, a pretty
well-designed character sheet, an options checklist, and so forth. 

<b>Character Creation</b>

The seven step process (neatly summarised on pages 22-23 with character
sheet references) begins with characteristics. There are five core
characteristics determined on 3d6 rolls (Strength, Constitution, Power,
Dexterity and Appearance) and two determined by 2d6+6 (Intelligence and
Size). Further there is an eighth also on 2d6+6 (Education) and options
for cultural and species modifiers, higher starting characteristics (all
on 2d6+6) and a point-buy option. All characteristics have equivalent
percentile characteristic rolls (Step Four) based on five times the
characteristic amount as a percentage score.

The second step is perhaps the most important; determining a character's
powers, which are entirely game power-level (Normal, Heroic, Epic and
Superhuman) and genre dependent. The text says, quite bluntly and
appropriately, <b>"Stop everything and read this!"</b>. Characters may
have access to one or more of Magic, Mutations, Psychic Abilities,
Sorcery and Super Powers and can receive various levels of powers
depending on the GMs setting. Starting age (Step Three) is based on 17
+1d6 years, however for every 10 years older that the default starting
age a character may add 10, 20, 30 or 40 professional skill points
depending on the power level of the campaign. There are also reductions
for youth and characteristic loses for age.

Derived charactersitics (Step Five) are damage bonus (STR+SIZ and table
reference), hit points (average CON + SIZ) with major wound level equal
to half that value (along with an option for sectional hit points as per
RuneQuest), Power Points equal to POW, Experience bonus equal to
half INT and Move equal to 10 units (usually metres) per round. There
are also options for Fatigue points (STR + CON) as per RuneQuest
and Sanity as per Call of Cthulhu (POW times five). A further
derived characteristic of soughts is the optional "Distinctive Features"
based on variations on average human appearance (this probably would
have been better if it was species-specific). Step Six is rather oddly
described as personality and consists of rolling (or choosing) one of
four approaches which are basically an approach to problems; fighting,
technique, smarts, and and persuasion. These give a bonus of 20 skill
points to a number of appropriate skills. One is tempted to describe
such personalities as "Fighter", "Thief", "Mage" and "Cleric". A better
profession system (from Pendragon) is discovered as an optional
rule on p294-295.

The seventh step consists of distributing the appropriate number of
skill points according to power level, profession and from a personal
pool based on INT time 10. The profession system is like Call of
Cthulhu; a profession title is given, equipment based on wealth
levels (step nine) and a pool of skills to allocate skills to. There are
some fourty-four professions described in this manner. It's not a bad
method by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a bit simplistic and
a far cry from some of the detailed efforts by BRP-derived games in the
past. Skills are also provided a species and historically specific base
chance and are modified by category bonuses (e.g., Combat skills,
Communication skills, etc) based on characteristic scores.

<b>Skills, System and Combat</b>

As mentioned, the skill system is a simple roll-under percentile task
resolution system. There are 57 listed skills with further required
specialisations for various weapons, languages, arts, crafts,
knowledges, sciences, technical and so forth. Effect explanations are
given according to whether the skill check was a fumble, failure,
success, special or critical which, along with the description, means
that about 1/2 a page is dedicated to each skill. The effect
descriptions can be a little human-centric at times (e.g., a critical
success allows a character to Swim at 8m per round - but of course, some
species do that naturally) and there are some quirky inclusions
resulting from the historic BRP games (for example separate skills for
Science - Psychology and Psychotherapy and the use of DEX*2 to determine
the base chance to Dodge; both from Call of Cthulhu). The
description of how the skills apply according to different historical
and genre periods is somewhat lacking.

Skipping the hefty Powers chapter for a moment and moving straight into
System, as with other games in the BRP line percentile skill rolls are
not the only resolution means. In addition there is characteristic rolls
and resistance rolls, although all three do use a roll-under percentile
mechanic and have the same possibilities for special successes, fumbles,
etc. Characteristic rolls chances are determined by a multiple of an
appropriate charactersitic to a task. The well-known forumula for
resistance rolls are based on characteristic vs characteristic conflicts
with the active force requiring rolling under an equation of 50% +
(active force * 5) - (passive force *5). Common examples of these tests
include Power vs Power, Potency vs CON and so forth. Competing skill
rolls are determined by one of three options; highest successful result,
subtraction of one's roll from another's base chance and finally, based
on a division of skill chances by 5, using the resistance table. As with
most game systems skill chances are modified by circumstances, equipment
and so forth. As an entirely new addition BRP also introduces an
optional Fate Point system with die modifications based on expenditure
of Power Points.

Other elements of the game system include some fairly detailed
information on time and movement, including expected time to carry out
skills), terrain and weather modifiers, and character improvement to
skills. A 1d6 experience improvement is based on a successful (non-easy)
use of a skill in adventure and rolling over the existing skill rating
with an INT bonus of half the character's INT score. Improvement can
also be achieved through training or research, although these are a
slower and more expensive path to improvement. Characteristics can also
be increased with POW gains through successful magical (or other POW vs
POW) conflicts and require a roll over 5 times the existing POW.
Characteristic training requires 25 * the current value in hours,
usually a financial expense. STR or CON can be increased to the highest
of STR, CON and SIZ and APP or DEX can be increased to 1.5 times their
starting value.

Combat is resolved in rounds of 12 seconds and ordered by statements,
use of powers, actions and then resolution. Statements are made in DEX
rank, although optionally, an initiative roll on d10 plus DEX (or INT
for powers) can be used for a degree of randomness. For even more detail
in a static system an optional Strike Ranks system (from
RuneQuest) is offered. Actions occur on DEX rank and for every 5
points less; thus a character with DEX 16 will act on 16, 11, and 6.
Standard DEX rank actions include Move, Attack, Disengage and Non-Combat
Action. At any time a character may Parry or Dodge, Fight Defensively or
Speak. Attack versus Parry or Dodge is a contested skill and a matrix
determines the relative success or failure. Generally speaking, a
criticial attack will do maximum damage plus rolled damage, whilst a
success will do normal damage plus a bonus (entangle, knockdown, impale,
bleed) - and keeping in mind that a criticial is also a success. There
are fumble tables for weapons, missile attacks and natural weapons for
those less fortunate. Damage is resolved by rolled according to weapon
type, minus armour and applied to hit points with options for sectional
hit points and more random values for armour, as found in
Stormbringer. Wounds are either applied in the sectional method
or according to a major wound table when half hit points or more are
received in a single blow. By way of indication, an average character
has about 12 hit points before death, a sword will do 1d8+1 damage, hard
leather armour will protect for 3 and 1d3 hit points will be healed per
week.

Also appropriately described here is the chapter on 'Spot Rules' which
is largely a collection of unusual and situational events which mostly
occur in a tactical time. This includes rules for sudden encounters that
PCs may have with acid, aiming and targetting specific body areas,
autofire, a pretty cool chase mechanic, drowning (and it's cousin,
falling), light sources, prone actions, radiation poisoning, two-weapon
use, and zero-gravity combat. These all seemed to be expressed in a
manner that is mechanically simple yet captures the core experiences of
each particular circumstance. My only gripe is the lack of detail of
what actually constitutes "stifling heat" or "freezing cold" for the
effects, as described in the spot rules, to come into effect.

<b>Powers</b>

The fourth chapter, Powers, weighs in at some 80 pages making it the
longest in the book and certainly deserving of a special discussion on
its own. There are five sources of extranormal power with different
sources from the BRP line; Magic (Worlds of Wonder), Mutations
(Hawkmoon, Psychic (ElfQuest), Sorcery
(Stormbringer) and Super Powers (Superworld). As with
skills and characteristics the availability and level of starting powers
varies, although there is discussion of mixing these (e.g., Normal
Powers, Heroic skill and characteristic level) and mixing power types in
a story (e.g., Mutations and Psychic powers co-existing in the same
world). By way of example, a starting Heroic magic character may select
6 spells which they know at their INT as a percentage but may spend
skill points on these during character creation.

The mechanics for each power type differes somewhat as appropriate to
its description. Each magic spell is a separate skill, cast in
increments of power point cost, taking one DEX rank to do per point, and
may require a resistance roll check. Mutations are "always on" powers,
and are distinguished between beneficial and adverse, major and minor.
Like magic, psychic powers are also treated as individual skills that
cost power and may require a resistence roll, although they are faster
to cast. sorcery spells however do not require a skill check, although
they may be prevented by a resistance roll failure. Finally superpowers,
purchased as a function of character points and campaign power level, do
not usually require a skill roll (although a new skill, 'Projection', is
added for those powers which do).

Overall the powers are quite appropriate to their genre-orientation.
Psychic powers, for example, tend strongly towards subtle mental
manipulation; there is not where one will find energy blasts and the
like, whereas sorcerors summon demons, elementals and seek divine aid.
Further, each power type has a number of appropriate special additions.
Magic users, for example, have the opportunity to make a staff or summon
a familiar, whereas psychic characters may engage in a special psychic
combat with each other, not unlike the old RuneQuest spirit combat.
Superpowered characters, in true four-colour style, have the opportunity
to boost their starting character point bonus by taking character
failings.

The powers are reasonably well balanced against each other, although
there are a couple of oddities in the text. The magic Blast spell, which
does 1D6 per 3-power point level, is described as being "non-kinetic"
and therefore the spell Protection will have no effect; however normal
armour (which the Protection spell replicates) will work, and the spell
can be parried with a shield. Conjure Elemental is described as a spell
with varying power levels, but it is difficult to discern what these
additional levels actually do. A ranged fire attack is described as both
'Flame' (p95) and 'Fire' (p97). But these are certainly exceptions
rather than rule. In nearly all cases the powers are well described,
well balanced and make sense. 

<b>Settings and GM Material</b>

There are four chapters that can be appropriately described together;
Equipment (chapter 8), Gamemastering (chapter 9), Settings (chapter 10)
and Creatures (chapter 11). Equipment is differentiated between
'primitive', 'historical', 'modern' and 'futuristic' which is a simple
yet very accurate general categorisation of societies. The settings
chapter breaks down these further with a general title (e.g., 'Dark
Ages'), probably character types (i.e., professions), common powers,
technology, inspirational source material and the sort of adventures
than can be expected. Some twenty-three settings are described ranging
from the prehistoric to space opera, with about 2/3rds of a page
dedicated to each. Further there are also some notes for combined
settings (e.g., "Samurai and Six-Guns") and multi-setting games. Two
additional options included in the settings chapter are Allegience (from
Stormbringer), which provides bonus power and hit points for
aligning oneself to a supernatural power or even an ideal, and Sanity
(from Call of Cthulhu), which includes the mental damage that
occurs from encountering bizarre horrors.

Rather than adopting a universal currency or even a concern with
specific quantities, a highly abstract method is used to determine both
character wealth and the price of goods. Whilst there is nothing wrong
with abstraction as such, some elaboration on the categories would have
been appreciated and also some mechanical implementation of alterations
to wealth levels. What happens, for example, to four destitute
characters who suddenly acquire the equivalent of one affluent assets?
Are their wealth levels now average, or poor? What if there was six of
them? There are substantial notes covering issues like equipment with
powers or skills, skills required to make equipment, varying quality and
so forth. The equipment list itself consists of various missile and
melee weapons, armor, shields, artillery, explosives, and with far more
modest descriptions for robots, vehicles, medical equipment and books. 

The Gamemastering chapter described player arrangements, logistics,
story presentation ("one-shot or campaign?"), choosing a setting,
preparation, a standard plot development, sandbox approaches for
open-ended settings, campaign design, character integration, tone house
rules and an optional rule checklist. It's a fairly complete discussion
of the science and art of gamemastering, although the inclusion of the
Pendragon-style personality traits and the SIZ-weight table do
seem to rather odd inclusions at this point.

Finally, the Creatures. These are described in terms of characteristics
(core and derived, plus any species based modifications), weapons and
armor, skills and powers. Special rules apply for creatures with
particular characteristics (e.g., fixed intelligence representing an
instinctual rather than reasoning intelligence), the limitations of
creatures without particular characteristics (e.g., a ghost with no
Strength). The ordering of creatures themselves is broken up into
Natural Animals, Fantasy Creatures, Science Fiction Creatures and a
Non-Player Digest. Whilst the quantity and breadth here is certainly
impressive, there is not much in terms of colour, ecology or
descriptions apart from those which are directly related to the game
system. 

<b>Conclusion</b>

Basic RolePlaying is a solid, adaptable game system which is
built on the excellent foundations put in place some decades ago. It
uses "thin glue" to bring together several game systems which whilst
sharing a common core system each had their own quirks. There is a sense
however, that the solutions were a little lazy - where there was any
possibility of doubt, an optional rules was provided. Also, sometimes
the core rules took some choices which may be considered a little
unusual - for example the slightly clunky bonus method to skills from
early editions of RuneQuest etc rather than the simple additional
of relevant characteristics as used in ElfQuest.

There is also a sense that the game system is showing its age, and
hasn't incorporated some of the features which are largely commonplace
in design, such as advantage/disadvantage systems for social, personal
and physical traits as found in the Hero System and GURPS
or an appropriate narrativist device rather than converting power points
into an additional 'at will' power. It is understood that such elements
are not part of past BRP game systems, but this in itself is
illustrative - this is "not really" a new game, but rather an efficient
and effective unification of several previous related games.

Overall I found the product above average in almost all regards. It is
well written, well designed, with quite a good content to page count and
good scope. It is fun to play and is a largely 'bug-free' rules system.
I give it a good four out of five for both style and substance. But most
importantly, now the question can be raised. What does happen when Elric
hits Cthulhu with Stormbringer?

Style: 1 + .6 (layout) + .5 (art) + .7 (coolness) + .7 (readability)
+ .7 (product) = 4.2

Substance: 1 + .7 (content) + .7 (text) + .7 (fun) + .7 (workmanship)
+ .7 (system) = 4.5
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