I'm in the "thanks for making BRP, not another iteration of RuneQuest" camp, personally.
I love (love, people, l-o-v-e) what I've read in Zero Edition so far. Yes, there have been some typos and things that needed clarification, but those things are to be expected in what amounts to a proofreader's copy. Anyone who is scared off of the final version before there is a final version just because of the typos and errors found in such an advance text probably should stay away from sausage factories. You do not want to see how the stuff is made.
Also, judging the game based on an early sample character sheet seems right up there with judging a book by its cover to me.
All this angst over things being made optional confuses me. It's not really the same as taking the sacred cow out back, shooting it in the head and turning it into hamburger. It's just streamlining things a bit for the newbies (yes, like me) but leaving the option for the crunchier stuff for those who want it. Take strike ranks. I don't like 'em. I'll never use 'em. They're too crunchy for my tastes. Now, I could get mad that they're in the book taking up space that could've been used to flesh out the powers systems (which I do like). But hey, why stress? Let's let everyone have their options.
Now I'll admit where I can see how this might lead someone to think that these options won't be readily supported in supplemental material. But I'd suspect that, given the relatively small amount of effort required to include them, they don't get dropped. And if they do, that same small amount of effort can add them back in for each person who chooses to do so.
In my initial read through I didn't really get the idea that EDU and SAN are considered core. I also don't quite remember the sanity rules taking twenty pages. I don't have the book here with me right now, though, so I won't get pedantic and count them.
I'll just say that these concerns seem to me to be the most unfounded. Not less meaningful, just unfounded.
In the end, though, I'm not here to tell people they're wrong or anything. I just thought I'd throw my hat in with the "I like it, sorry you don't" crowd.
As to soltakss's "final" sentiment in the first post
Quote:
To me, it's just a variation of RQ and will always be just a
variation of RQ.
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All I can say is wow. I mean, you're entirely within your rights to feel that way. But it seems like an awfully limiting world view. Still, if you feel that way then, to be all zen-like, that's the way you feel.
Anyway, I'll repeat for sanity's sake, I'm not into this for a fight. I just don't understand the vitriol or the judging something apparently sight unseen.
Like I said, I'm glad this isn't just a redo of RQ. I was never into RQ. It's a fine game in its own right, but I happen to like BRP better. So I'm glad to see it get a new lease on life. I can't help but wonder if that, in the end, isn't what all this is about. BRP gets resurrected but RQ proper doesn't (MRQ notwithstanding) and that upsets people. Then again, I might just be reading too deeply into things.
Oh, and a note to Joseph Paul: I don't see any way in which BRP couldn't be used for a future space setting. What crunch is it that you don't perceive to be in the rules (even as options)? Strike Ranks are there. Hit Locations are there. HP by location is present, too. I'm not trying to refute you here, I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from and what you think is missing.