I actually prefer Runequest's culture etc. based lifepath sorta chargen over OpenQuest's, which while easier has less flavor.

From the old free OQ pdf I thought it better and gave more useful examples of Cults / Temples etc. than MRQI, esp. the MRQI SRD. Spells and Magic as well.

Have yet to take the plunge on MRQII (missed the wedding 1/2 price sale >_<) but have enjoyed playing MRQI once it got to the deluxe stage / deluxe SRD.

Am interested in some of the upcoming projects for both games.

You may want to try Sumatra it's nice and slim compared to what Foxit has become IMO. It may not display every PDF properly or have every feature of Acrobat Reader but it's worth a try and very very small.
http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/

Also there's a "portable" version that's very good for trying out the software. Don't like it or it doesn't work with this pdf? Delete the folder, done.
http://portableapps.com/apps/office/sumatra_pdf_portable


As for Acrobat Reader itself, some pdfs do work best with a particular version(s) of Acrobat Reader. Mind it *should* in theory, be possible to have more than one version installed at a time and that error sounds more like a file open / operating system cleanup problem...but still it's likely best to uninstall version 7 and try 9 or 10, a computer that can run XP Service Pack 3 *should* be able to run Acrobat Reader 9 or 10.

Hope this helps.

Quote from: CRKrueger;457932Restart your computer, then go to Start, then Control Panel, then Add/Remove Programs and uninstall Acrobat Reader 7.0.  Then you should be able to install 10.

I'm functional again, thank you. When I'd restart my computer, it would ask me if I wanted to download the newer version of Adobe Flash (which I did). Now I'd better go download some OpenQuest.

Quote from: Benoist;457807Side question for OpenQuest aficionados: how do this free version and this commercial version compare in terms of content?

Benoist, that particular 'free' version looks quite a bit out of date.  It's the 2009 version.  There have been at least two significant revisions/updates of OQ since that version was produced.  Consequently, it's missing a lot of stuff that is in the 'ultimate' (autumn 2010) version of OQ (e.g., an additional adventure, clearer/revamped rules on spirit combat, rules for madness, additional creatures, various rules fixes and clarifications, etc.).

Also, the 'official' free version from d101 Games lacks art. I'm not sure if the version linked to above has Newt's permission.

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;457815...
MRQII is more complex and crunchy. If you've got a group that loves crunch, it's the better choice b/c of all the cool things the crunch adds - Combat Maneuvers, the combat action economy, tons of additional magic systems, more variation in weapons and skills, an extremely interesting cult / organisation subsystem, and a more complex system of character generation with more variety in PC types. Oddly enough, it's less deadly than OQ, though only by a bit...

Since I tend to prefer light-medium rules RPGs these days, I was a bit worried about MRQII's combat manoeuvres and combat actions.  As a player, though, I've come to love them. I think MRQII has the most exciting combat system of any RPG I've ever played.

Our group, on average, only has about one combat every second session, but every combat is very memorable and dramatic.  

I'm still not sure whether I'd be comfortable GM'ing MRQII, as keeping track of everything (combat actions, combat manoeuvres, hit locations, etc.) for 4+ NPCs looks like it could be quite daunting.  But as a player MRQII's combat system rocks.

What kind of magic does Openquest offer?

The Runequest classic four, though spirit magic is as sketchy as it was in earlier versions of RQ.

Howdo folks

I just thought I'd pop in and my 2 pence, as biased as it is

Quote from: Benoist;457807Where does anyone stand on this? How do these two games compare?

Being blunt about it, OpenQuest is designed to be a simpler version of Chaosium's RuneQuest 3, with many elements of Stormbringer (such as Major Wounds), MRQ1 (it was built off that SRD after all) and a few house rules. I always get uneasy when these OQ vs MRQ threads kick off, because I truely intended OQ to be complementary to RQ/BRP - its something you can raid/use to build up your own D100 game. For example,think the combat in MRQ2 is too complicated but BRP combat is too simple, just drop in OQ's combat system which is halfway between the two.  If you think about the relationship between AD&D and Basic/Expert/Companion D&D that's what I was striving for with OQ, with a dash of innovation on the side

Akrasia's comparison of the two systems gets it bob on

RuneQuest II versus OpenQuest

as does James Maliszewski's  review over at Grognardia

OpenQuest review at Grognardia

Quote from: Benoist;457807Are there any other Open versions of BRP out there? If so, how do they themselves compare?

Gore by Goblinoid games, which is based off MRQ1 SRD but appears to try to be more of a BRP retroclone, it has a Resistance table, and simple single magic system. Personally I always get confused when I look at Gore because looks wise it feels as if its trying to do horror, but underneath its quite a vanilla fantasy system.

There's also Age of Shadows which is an OQ powered, with significant new rules to be of note, which takes First Age Middle Earth as its inspiration.

Quote from: Benoist;457807Side question for OpenQuest aficionados: how do this free version and this commercial version compare in terms of content?

Thanks.

The 'Free version' on the System Reference Documents site is the very first version that I put out. Its alot rougher with typos and some rather wobbly bits rules wise (Shamanism for example was revised in later editions). The license that I released the first versions does allow it to be distributed freely, but later versions may not be. If you want a free version these days go get the text only developers version on the d101 games site, but please buy a pdf/print version if you like it because it supports the game and its supplements

The current version has clearned up grammar and rules, extra content (about 30 pages or so of new monsters, new additional rules (Sanity, Ships for example), and an extra monsters.

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;457815...For me, it's not really which one is better, as which one is better suited to any given group...

Quote from: Newt;458142...If you think about the relationship between AD&D and Basic/Expert/Companion D&D that's what I was striving for with OQ, with a dash of innovation on the side...

Exactly my view as well.  I wouldn't say MRQII is 'better' or 'worse' than OQ simpliciter.  They are both excellent.  Which one is better depends on what kind of game you want to run.

Quote from: Akrasia;458160Exactly my view as well.  I wouldn't say MRQII is 'better' or 'worse' than OQ simpliciter.  They are both excellent.  Which one is better depends on what kind of game you want to run.

I see what you guys mean, but now: what kind of game would work best with OQ, then, in your mind? Is it just a matter of the amount of rules used at the game table, or is there more to it than that?

Quote from: Benoist;458165I see what you guys mean, but now: what kind of game would work best with OQ, then, in your mind? Is it just a matter of the amount of rules used at the game table, or is there more to it than that?

Yeah, I think it's just a matter of the amount of rules.  MRQII gives characters, magic, and combat more 'depth', but at the cost of greater complexity.  

The most apt comparison may be with MERP and Rolemaster.  Those systems were fully compatible, but MERP simply was lighter, faster, but less nuanced.

It's worth noting that OQ predates MRQII.  When OQ was written, MRQ was a bit of a mess, rules-wise, and there were no alternative 'in print' BRP-based fantasy RPGs.

Quote from: Benoist;458165I see what you guys mean, but now: what kind of game would work best with OQ, then, in your mind? Is it just a matter of the amount of rules used at the game table, or is there more to it than that?

What Akrasia said. It's a question of how much crunch you want in your 1d100. Other than that, I wouldn't say one system is better for a certain type of game than the other one.