Subject: The Thunderbreath Gobbleguts special, Volume 1, Number 5
From: acb@duke.cs.duke.edu (Hey! That's me!)
Subject: What needs changing
Greetings, fellow RuneQuest enthusiasts.
First note: Due to problems with our mailer, you may or may not have gotten
issues Vol 1, number 3 (PC Dragon variants) and/or Vol1, Number 4 (RQ Fatigue).
If you haven't, let me know and I will mail them to you.
Anyway, on to the main stuff.
When I started organizing this journal, or whatever you want to call it, my
main purpose was to generate a think-tank to come up with reasonable fixes to
the RuneQuest rules. Ultimately, after discussing and organizing these
changes, we could organize them and distribute them to all and sundry. So,
I'm now writing to encourage you folks to send in fixes to rules you think are
bad.
For example, should size be a penalty to your throwing? I think not.
I first made it a manipulation skill. Then I noticed that there were no
manipulation skills that require strength (play instrument? sleight?), while
throw should be aided by strength. I have made throw a combat skill, and
removed strength from the manipulation modifier (but not the combat mod.)
Another example was shields. I don't think that a wall shield should be
able to stop significantly stronger blows than a heater, but it should be
easier (at least for the unskilled) to parry with. I changed the shield
rules so they stop fairly similar amounts of damage, but I give bonuses to
the parrying skill of people using larger shields.
Something I'd like to see added is a similar skills system, and a
specialization system. The Rolemaster game system is (I believe) the winner
in terms of having the largest number of skills. Many of these skills are
fairly similar, and they did include a similar skills system. I would like
to see the same for RuneQuest. For example, a ranger-type character might
be better in hiding in rural environments compared to his city cousin, who is
far more able at creeping around stealthily in a city. Both would be using
the sneak and hide skills, but they would have different specializations.
Specialization could also be extended to things like the use of a particular
weapon; I should be better with the broadsword I've been using for years than
one I just picked up from the shops.
Something also needs to be done to eliminate "skill check frenzy." Rules
systems should not affect character behaviour. The skills check system does,
and thus needs to be modified or eliminated. I preferred the latter approach,
and instead I use an experience point system. In my system, it costs x points
to raise a skill from x-1% to x%. I limit the percentage of experience points
that can be spent in a given skill. Since I haven't GMed much, I can't tell
how well this system works, or doesn't. However, it encourages PCs to go on
longer adventures ("Let's go home, I've checked my power and my main weapon
skills"), and it does not give experience based on luck.
An experience system also has the advantage of allowing you to reward
role-playing. I consider this important, because I have encountered too many
power-gamers. If the best thing to do from a power-gaming point of view is
role-play, then the power-gamers may roleplay. Role-playing is hard to do
when all around people are power-gaming: the biggest RuneQuest campaign I
have ever been in degenerated into power-gaming.
I would also like to encourage people who have created new spells to send
them in, so I can compile a big collection of them for an issue or three.
Anyway, people, let's get those brains working. The only reason every
issue has had only one article is because each one has been a fairly large and
distinct sending. If you have a short idea, comment, question, or whatever,
send it in. For example, here's one, culled from a person's "I want to be
on the mailing list" message:
From: leitzel@bass.cis.ohio-state.edu (Jim Leitzel)
I enjoy reading RQ postings and am looking for a few of the supplements,
specifically:
Cults of Prax Snakepipe Hollow
Balastor's Barracks The Big Rubble
Trollpack Borderlands
Griffin Mountain Pavis
All the World's Monsters 1&2
Sourcepack Alpha: Trolls and Trollkin
Sourcepack Gamma: Militia and Mercenaries
Any issue of The Wyrm's Footnotes
(if published) The Dorastor Campaign
Jim Leitzel
---------------------
Snakepipe Hollow I have seen in an RQ III version. Since Apple Lane seems to
have changed very little, I would expect the same to be true of Snakepipe
Hollow, so hopefully Jim can find that. Do other people have sources for RQ
II stuff like the above? I know I would be interested in just about all of
the above...
Anyway, let's get some volume going here!
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