Give Open Quest a shot. Simple, clean, d100 chassis. Then add any detail you want.

https://d101games.com/

https://openquestrpg.com/

Bonus the Open Quest SRD is licensed under CC 4.0 - BY.

Quote from: Brad on January 21, 2024, 06:45:08 AM

Quote from: pawsplay on January 20, 2024, 09:04:59 PM

Quote from: Brad on January 20, 2024, 02:50:31 PM
5. Gender-neutral pronouns

As part of our ongoing mission to make our games as inclusive as possible, all instances of "he or she" from previous editions of BRP have been updated to "they."


Imagine going to all this trouble when singular gender neutral has always existed in modern English as "he".

Well, singular neutral "they" has also been around for hundreds of years.

And it's always been grammatically incorrect until a bunch of narcissistic faggots decided to start using it because they had severe mental illness.


ANYWAY, waffling on purchasing this book. The sample layout I've seen is pretty good but I don't know if the changes warrant replacing the yellow BRP. Various reviews seems to either hate it or love it; even some of the BRP adherents question some of the changes. I do know the new CoC and Mythras seem to have fragmented support for CoC and Runequest, wondering if this is a similar case.

mythras remains the best version of BRP, but this is a good alternative for a tinkerer wanting a neutral palette.

Quote from: King Tyranno on January 21, 2024, 08:36:55 AM

Quote from: Llew ap Hywel on January 20, 2024, 04:40:51 PM

Quote from: Jam The MF on January 20, 2024, 01:33:35 PM
The new BRP lost me, by advertising the introduction of gender neutral pronouns throughout.  I'd rather "they" not even mention it.

However; I can appreciate the happiness, of someone finally finding a game "they" love.  Enjoy it, and drive it like you stole it.  Some people search and search, trying to find a ruleset "they" can buy into 100%.  Your search is finally over.  It's a good day.

Your loss, it doesn't affect the game in any way.

The thing is, it's never just a change in language. The change in language is but one of the vectors by which cancel pigs can change a game to their liking. There's always way more than just a change in pronouns. If not now, then in the future. Every single time. And I'm sick of people going "Well it's not happening right now, calm down" when it inevitably will. Say goodbye to manly heroes and say hello to Battle-Wheelchairs and ball-room dancing mechanics. Combat is heckin gross so less rules for that. It just gets in the way of the heckin valid aimless wandering and le epic cinematic moments.

Whatever, like I said zero effect on the game. Play it, or dont.

Quote from: finarvyn on January 21, 2024, 07:26:18 AM

Quote from: Darrin Kelley on January 20, 2024, 06:07:49 AM
I bought the newest version of Basic Roleplaying yesterday. A pretty venerable game system with a lot of history.

And through my insomniac mind, I managed to read the whole book. And I found the experience fantastic. Everything was so well organized. It taught me the system to a semi-competant level just with the first read-through.

This just doesn't happen commonly for me. So it was like a case of whiplash when I realized it.

I'm a BRP convert now. I finally found a system I really click with. After a long and exhaustive search.

You might also check out Free League's new Dragonbane RPG.

A bit of history (and hopefully I will get it all right off of the top of my head.) In 1981 a group in Sweden got the rights to take BRP and "Magic World" and combine them into a game called Drakar och Demoner, which I understand to mean "Dragons and Demons." DoD went through around 8 editions, all in Swedish, and with various adjustments along the way. Some editions use the d%, others use d20, but I think that all are roll-low with the skill defining the chance for success.

A year or so ago Free League bought the rights to the game, renamed it Dragonbane and released it as a boxed set, with a hardback rulebook and bestiary book both still in preorder (but you can get the PDFs right away if you buy). The boxed set has some really quality components, including a softbound rulebook, adventure book, five pregens, dice, map of the campaign area. The adventure book has around a dozen adventures in a "sandbox" style, where you have one adventure to launch the campaign, ten sandbox places to go around the map, then a "tie it up" adventure at the end.

It's been years since I played BRP, but I think Dragonbane is mostly BRP with a few things modernized a bit. (Used the d20 instead of d%, makes use of advantage/disadvantage, initiative card rules, and so on.)

There is a free PDF that you can download if you want to check it out.
https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/dragonbane/free-quickstart-pdf/
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/409397/Dragonbane-Quickstart

A very nice game, BRP in philosophy more than mechanics though. Fantastic quality product I'm looking forward to grabbing the physical game when I can.

Quote from: swzl on January 21, 2024, 08:38:13 AM
Give Open Quest a shot. Simple, clean, d100 chassis. Then add any detail you want.

https://d101games.com/

https://openquestrpg.com/

Bonus the Open Quest SRD is licensed under CC 4.0 - BY.

Another solid choice if simplicity is your bag.

Quote from: King Tyranno on January 21, 2024, 08:36:55 AM

Quote from: Llew ap Hywel on January 20, 2024, 04:40:51 PM

Quote from: Jam The MF on January 20, 2024, 01:33:35 PM
The new BRP lost me, by advertising the introduction of gender neutral pronouns throughout.  I'd rather "they" not even mention it.

However; I can appreciate the happiness, of someone finally finding a game "they" love.  Enjoy it, and drive it like you stole it.  Some people search and search, trying to find a ruleset "they" can buy into 100%.  Your search is finally over.  It's a good day.

Your loss, it doesn't affect the game in any way.

The thing is, it's never just a change in language. The change in language is but one of the vectors by which cancel pigs can change a game to their liking. There's always way more than just a change in pronouns. If not now, then in the future. Every single time. And I'm sick of people going "Well it's not happening right now, calm down" when it inevitably will. Say goodbye to manly heroes and say hello to Battle-Wheelchairs and ball-room dancing mechanics. Combat is heckin gross so less rules for that. It just gets in the way of the heckin valid aimless wandering and le epic cinematic moments.

There are three types of people who dismiss what you are saying, and it's usually worthless to discuss/argue with them:

1) Stealth true believers - these are the people who agree wholeheartedly with the changes, but generally don't feel powerful enough to silence or cancel you.  On a site like this one, where they are outnumbered and can't count on the admins to do their dirty work, they generally lack the courage of their convictions and resort to the "It's no big deal" argument so they don't have to justify their evil.  You are never going to sway them.

2) Fans - these are the people who have such a blind love of the product that they are incapable of absorbing any criticism and/or thinking rationally about problems with the product.  These are the Star Wars fans who will argue with you that Rey is a good character.  For whatever reason, the product has served some internal purpose that is closely intertwined with their concept of themselves, so any attack on it is an attack on them, and they can't deal with it rationally.  Once again, without some total intervention and breakdown of "self," you're never going to get anywhere with them.

3) Sheep - These are the mentally lazy, go-along-to-get-along types who don't want any of that "uncomfortable stuff" (like rational thought) in their lives.  They generally justify their mental sloth by assuming that if they don't start nothin', won't be nothin'.  Actually thinking about or engaging with the problems would require effort, which is as anathema to them as the Cross is to a vampire, so everything you say will roll off of them like you were speaking a foreign language.

So, unless you derive some entertainment or enjoyment from the engagement (and some people do, just not me), trying to explain your reasoning is a waste of time.  But, on the other hand, while argument is futile, you must always remember these people.  Always!  Because, if they are the first type, you can protect yourself when you are in a place where they do feel powerful enough to cancel you.  And, when they are the second or third type, and what they love has been destroyed and/or they have been cancelled themselves, they are going to come to you for sympathy and help.  They are going to beg that you help them salvage the hobby/interest they've let be destroyed and/or save them from the ruination of their lives by the cancel pigs.  And you must say, "No!"  It's the only way these people can learn.  You must not waver, and let them reap what they have ignored being sown.  It is the only just outcome.

Quote from: Eirikrautha on January 21, 2024, 10:17:36 AM

Quote from: King Tyranno on January 21, 2024, 08:36:55 AM

Quote from: Llew ap Hywel on January 20, 2024, 04:40:51 PM

Quote from: Jam The MF on January 20, 2024, 01:33:35 PM
The new BRP lost me, by advertising the introduction of gender neutral pronouns throughout.  I'd rather "they" not even mention it.

However; I can appreciate the happiness, of someone finally finding a game "they" love.  Enjoy it, and drive it like you stole it.  Some people search and search, trying to find a ruleset "they" can buy into 100%.  Your search is finally over.  It's a good day.

Your loss, it doesn't affect the game in any way.

The thing is, it's never just a change in language. The change in language is but one of the vectors by which cancel pigs can change a game to their liking. There's always way more than just a change in pronouns. If not now, then in the future. Every single time. And I'm sick of people going "Well it's not happening right now, calm down" when it inevitably will. Say goodbye to manly heroes and say hello to Battle-Wheelchairs and ball-room dancing mechanics. Combat is heckin gross so less rules for that. It just gets in the way of the heckin valid aimless wandering and le epic cinematic moments.

There are three types of people who dismiss what you are saying, and it's usually worthless to discuss/argue with them:

1) Stealth true believers - these are the people who agree wholeheartedly with the changes, but generally don't feel powerful enough to silence or cancel you.  On a site like this one, where they are outnumbered and can't count on the admins to do their dirty work, they generally lack the courage of their convictions and resort to the "It's no big deal" argument so they don't have to justify their evil.  You are never going to sway them.

2) Fans - these are the people who have such a blind love of the product that they are incapable of absorbing any criticism and/or thinking rationally about problems with the product.  These are the Star Wars fans who will argue with you that Rey is a good character.  For whatever reason, the product has served some internal purpose that is closely intertwined with their concept of themselves, so any attack on it is an attack on them, and they can't deal with it rationally.  Once again, without some total intervention and breakdown of "self," you're never going to get anywhere with them.

3) Sheep - These are the mentally lazy, go-along-to-get-along types who don't want any of that "uncomfortable stuff" (like rational thought) in their lives.  They generally justify their mental sloth by assuming that if they don't start nothin', won't be nothin'.  Actually thinking about or engaging with the problems would require effort, which is as anathema to them as the Cross is to a vampire, so everything you say will roll off of them like you were speaking a foreign language.

So, unless you derive some entertainment or enjoyment from the engagement (and some people do, just not me), trying to explain your reasoning is a waste of time.  But, on the other hand, while  ::)argument is futile, you must always remember these people.  Always!  Because, if they are the first type, you can protect yourself when you are in a place where they do feel powerful enough to cancel you.  And, when they are the second or third type, and what they love has been destroyed and/or they have been cancelled themselves, they are going to come to you for sympathy and help.  They are going to beg that you help them salvage the hobby/interest they've let be destroyed and/or save them from the ruination of their lives by the cancel pigs.  And you must say, "No!"  It's the only way these people can learn.  You must not waver, and let them reap what they have ignored being sown.  It is the only just outcome.

Quote from: Llew ap Hywel on January 21, 2024, 05:36:28 AM

Quote from: Aglondir on January 21, 2024, 01:27:03 AM
How does defense (dodging?) in BRP work?

You roll the dodge skill as a reaction with each successive attempt getting harder.

In melee combat there's also the option to parry. That's either based on your weapon skill, or it's a separate skill (i.e., you'd have attack and parry skills with the weapon). Depends on the BRP variant.

Quote from: Philotomy Jurament on January 21, 2024, 11:19:39 AM

Quote from: Llew ap Hywel on January 21, 2024, 05:36:28 AM

Quote from: Aglondir on January 21, 2024, 01:27:03 AM
How does defense (dodging?) in BRP work?

You roll the dodge skill as a reaction with each successive attempt getting harder.

In melee combat there's also the option to parry. That's either based on your weapon skill, or it's a separate skill (i.e., you'd have attack and parry skills with the weapon). Depends on the BRP variant.

I believe it's merged into the combat skill now but I could be mistaken, I play Mythras so could be mixing up.

Quote from: JeremyR on January 21, 2024, 04:08:17 AMOddly, I found TSR's Buck Rogers to be one of the best d100% games. It basically uses D&D combat but with d100% skills using difficulty levels that multiple or divide the base skill. Which of course is too complex for modern gamers, since even subtraction is hard, but worked well.

The James Bond 007 RPG used multiplication to handle difficulty and it came out a few years before Buck Rogers. I really like the system they used but it is math heavy. This is one game that could use a re-design as it had several very cool concepts such as "bidding" for initiative by selecting the default difficulty rating, the more difficult, the more likely you are to go first.

Quote from: Philotomy Jurament on January 21, 2024, 11:19:39 AM

Quote from: Llew ap Hywel on January 21, 2024, 05:36:28 AM

Quote from: Aglondir on January 21, 2024, 01:27:03 AM
How does defense (dodging?) in BRP work?

You roll the dodge skill as a reaction with each successive attempt getting harder.

In melee combat there's also the option to parry. That's either based on your weapon skill, or it's a separate skill (i.e., you'd have attack and parry skills with the weapon). Depends on the BRP variant.

Yeah, the parrying and shield work (you can even use shields as weapons) gives a real visceral feel to the combat.  D & D is good at replicating what Achilles could do on the battlefield, but BRP is better at gritty-style combat in which even a skilled hero can be taken out by a lowly mook with a dagger.  That said, I'm glad there are different RPG systems and while I love BRP, I can get tired of it and want a change of systems sometimes, too.

Quote from: Aglondir on January 21, 2024, 01:27:03 AM
Darrin,

Glad you found a system you like.
How does defense (dodging?) in BRP work?

Initial Dodge attempt has no penalty. Each successive Dodge has a -30% penalty. A successful Dodge turns a successful attack into a failure.

Quote from: Darrin Kelley on January 21, 2024, 01:40:21 PM

Quote from: Aglondir on January 21, 2024, 01:27:03 AM
Darrin,

Glad you found a system you like.
How does defense (dodging?) in BRP work?

Initial Dodge attempt has no penalty. Each successive Dodge has a -30% penalty. A successful Dodge turns a successful attack into a failure.

So it's like Gurps, where dodging is automatic? (Upthread, LLew mentioned it was rolled as a reaction.) Meaning combat is two rolls: I roll to hit, and the defender rolls to dodge?
Or is it like Hero, where dodging requires me to sacrifice an action? (Usually my next attack, since I "abort" to dodge.)
And if dodge is a skill, what is to stop me from maxing out that single skill, so my character can never be hit?

(Maybe I need to crack open that PDF of the Gold Book I have, somewhere on my hard drive...)

Quote from: Eirikrautha on January 21, 2024, 10:17:36 AM
2) Fans - these are the people who have such a blind love of the product that they are incapable of absorbing any criticism and/or thinking rationally about problems with the product.  These are the Star Wars fans who will argue with you that Rey is a good character.  For whatever reason, the product has served some internal purpose that is closely intertwined with their concept of themselves, so any attack on it is an attack on them, and they can't deal with it rationally.  Once again, without some total intervention and breakdown of "self," you're never going to get anywhere with them.

Excellent analysis. Is this what's happening with "lifestyle brands?" Normally, you buy product to fill an intrinsic need: This nail needs to go into that board, so I need a hammer. But a lifestyle brand fills an extrinsic need: Fans aren't buying the hammer for the nail, they are buying it because it reaffirms their sense of self. Hence they fund the Kickstarter for a Coyote and Crow RPG in hardcover that never gets played, or they buy the D&D cocktail book (that Pundit mentioned in his last video) while another book on cocktails would have been a smarter buy.

This is not to be confused with brand loyalty, which is still intrinsic. My first choice in hammers will be Brand X, since they have a track record for quality. I'm still buying the hammer to pound a nail. In the RPG world, I would place Sine Nomine and Raging Swan Press in this category.

Quote from: Aglondir on January 21, 2024, 04:33:20 PM

Quote from: Eirikrautha on January 21, 2024, 10:17:36 AM
2) Fans - these are the people who have such a blind love of the product that they are incapable of absorbing any criticism and/or thinking rationally about problems with the product.  These are the Star Wars fans who will argue with you that Rey is a good character.  For whatever reason, the product has served some internal purpose that is closely intertwined with their concept of themselves, so any attack on it is an attack on them, and they can't deal with it rationally.  Once again, without some total intervention and breakdown of "self," you're never going to get anywhere with them.

Excellent analysis. Is this what's happening with "lifestyle brands?" Normally, you buy product to fill an intrinsic need: This nail needs to go into that board, so I need a hammer. But a lifestyle brand fills an extrinsic need: Fans aren't buying the hammer for the nail, they are buying it because it reaffirms their sense of self. Hence they fund the Kickstarter for a Coyote and Crow RPG in hardcover that never gets played, or they buy the D&D cocktail book (that Pundit mentioned in his last video) while another book on cocktails would have been a smarter buy.

This is not to be confused with brand loyalty, which is still intrinsic. My first choice in hammers will be Brand X, since they have a track record for quality. I'm still buying the hammer to pound a nail. In the RPG world, I would place Sine Nomine and Raging Swan Press in this category.

I have encountered this in the past, even before the whole woke culture war started to get mainstream attention. I am not trying to hate on D&D fans, but I found people wouldn't even try to play other games because, and I quote: "I am loyal to D&D".

This has always baffled me. D&D is a game, like you said, a tool.  A means to an end. The end is to have fun with friends. The means is the system we are using to create a story together while throwing dice around and having some snacks. I couldn't believe some people think even playing other games means 'cheating' on D&D like it was their wife!

And I think these are the kind of folks that will try to fit every single genre and style of game under the sun into the D&D system. The ones that constantly ask and even pay for 5e conversions of everything.

Even the argument of "not wanting to waste time learning other systems" for me doesn't really hold ground. And this is why I really liked your tool analogy. You wouldn't use a hammer for everything. You use a hammer when you need. You don't kill a fly with a gun.

I really like that Burning Wheel specifically calls this out and specifies what their game does well and what it doesn't. Sometimes, Burning Wheel is the right tool for the task, the rest of the times its better to look for another tool, one that is suited for the task.