(non-deluxe) BRP?

beeber · January 21, 2007, 11:16:56 AM

this may sound like an odd question. some of us are eagerly awaiting the release of deluxe BRP. was there ever any other version released? or is that just a catch-all for the CoC/runequest/stormbringer system mechanics?

grubman · January 21, 2007, 11:32:34 AM

Quote from: beeberthis may sound like an odd question. some of us are eagerly awaiting the release of deluxe BRP. was there ever any other version released? or is that just a catch-all for the CoC/runequest/stormbringer system mechanics?

Yes, BRP was first released in the 1980 as a 16 page book. It was included in several Chasium product and seperately.

It was re-released at Gen Con a few years ago. Same book different cover if I'm not mistaken.

It is pretty bare bones.

beeber · January 21, 2007, 11:44:44 AM

ah, that's why i missed it, then. i started with moldvay d&d around '81 or '82.

i guess i'll just use my CoC stuff in the meantime.

grubman · January 21, 2007, 11:50:45 AM

Quote from: beeberah, that's why i missed it, then. i started with moldvay d&d around '81 or '82.

i guess i'll just use my CoC stuff in the meantime.

If I remember correcty it is more Runequest friendly than CoC (which is more streamlined IMHO).

beeber · January 21, 2007, 12:08:28 PM

that's good. i want a system i can use "univerally" that's not d20 or level-based, and gurps is bit too detail-oriented. i like the skill advancement mechanic of CoC, and the lethality of combat. since i don't have RQ or stormbringer, i don't have a magic system that fits. but for modern stuff or sf (that i'd like to do) i think the system will work fine.

grubman · January 21, 2007, 12:27:28 PM

Quote from: beeberthat's good. i want a system i can use "univerally" that's not d20 or level-based, and gurps is bit too detail-oriented. i like the skill advancement mechanic of CoC, and the lethality of combat. since i don't have RQ or stormbringer, i don't have a magic system that fits. but for modern stuff or sf (that i'd like to do) i think the system will work fine.

There is a new edition of Runequest currently in print from Mongoose. It's OGL and there are plans to use it for other things than fantasy. It's pretty cheap, so you might want to check it out if you are intersted in the core BRP system (even though this isn't an "official" BRP game nbook).

beeber · January 21, 2007, 12:32:51 PM

i've downloaded the MRQ srd but haven't really gone into it too deeply yet. maybe if i printed it out, i would read it more. i hate reading large amounts of stuff on the computer.

Ian Absentia · January 21, 2007, 02:18:02 PM

Quote from: grubmanIf I remember correcty it is more Runequest friendly than CoC (which is more streamlined IMHO).

It's been a while since I've looked at the original BRP myself, but I recall it being a sort of stripped-down common denominator among the existing BRP games of the time (which consisted of RQ, CoC, and Stormbringer, with SuperWorld, Pendragon, Elf Quest, and Ringworld in the pipe). It was fundamentally a primer in the mechanics of Chosium's house system, and I don't recall much in the way of RQ fiddliness (like Strike Ranks, which are both a blessing and a bane).

The forthcoming "deluxe" BRP is supposed to be more of a development of the original QuestWorld (not to be confused with the forthcoming HeroQuest Quest Worlds), which was Chaosium's first attempt at an extensively developed "generic" roleplaying game.

!i!

beeber · January 21, 2007, 02:28:03 PM

does DBRP still have a "sometime in '07" release date?

ah, maybe i should just start houseruling my own stuff. not that i can really start anything new until summer (classes).

Casey777 · January 21, 2007, 05:02:17 PM

Runequest predates BRP. The BRP booklet (either version) is really more an intro/basic system mechanic, it's not IMO useful for more than the most basic of setups.

Chaosium sells Runequest III with the serial numbers filed off in a 3 or 4 volume version.

BRP/Worlds of Wonder (multiple genres) is "out there".

The MRQ SRDs (esp. the compiled pdf versions on the mrqwiki) aren't bad for free.

None of the above handle anything more than fairly gritty fantasy/alt.low-tech history except for Worlds of Wonder which has not been in print since the '80s.

AFAIK Deluxe BRP is still on some sort of track but Chaosium hasn't really said anything about it yet.

beeber · January 21, 2007, 05:10:00 PM

Quote from: Casey777None of the above handle anything more than fairly gritty fantasy/alt.low-tech history except for Worlds of Wonder which has not been in print since the '80s.

and that's exactly what i'm looking for! glad i'm not barking up the wrong tree

Casey777 · January 21, 2007, 06:58:29 PM

More info on BRP at:
http://www.basicrps.com/
http://www.chaosium.com/forms/brpcharactersheet.pdf

beeber · January 21, 2007, 09:04:33 PM

the links are awesome. much thanks!

i love how truly basic the character sheet is. . . .

Dr Rotwang! · January 21, 2007, 11:29:42 PM

It's worth noting that GORE is so similar to BRP as to, umn, essentially be BRP. I mean...I might be wrong, but have a look at it, meng.

Casey777 · January 22, 2007, 09:04:35 AM

(bonk

) Nice PDF though I have more qualms about it than OSRIC. AD&D1E isn't in print (though it is for sale on PDF) while there are several BRP games in print.

With the release of the MRQ SRDs something like GORE was bound to happen and it's not *quite* just a restating of Runequest or say Call of Cthulhu .