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Barbarians of Lemuria BRP


badcat

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I am beginning a conversion as per the title because I think BRP and a Thongor inspired Lemuria setting would be perfect together. The setting seems like a natural for the system. I'm going to use SB1, mostly, but I would like to attract some players (I am going to try it at a local gamestore) so I would love to have some input from anyone here who knows BoL about what to include. For instance, should I include some 'regular' fantasy monsters that might fit in with the dinosaur and wierd creation monsters of the setting? I mean things like manticores and griffins, skeletons and chimera. What do you think would fit if so? Should I include things like fireball and lightning in the spells or leave it as almost all slow ritual type magic? I could see how the 'feel' could easily be ruined, and suggestions along those lines would certainly help.

I think I will make skyboats more common too, so as to have aerial battles a la Barsoom.

And what elements from the new BRP book do you think would be appropriate? I can see psionics being appropriate, like for the Morgaluth and Slorth.

Really, any advice or help would be most welcome. If I can come up with a good mixture of BRP and this setting it would help spread the word about BRP in general, too.

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With 70 views and no suggestions, I guess it's 'never mind', anyway. That's all right.

Well I didn't comment because I know nothing about the setting.

But I guess if it's the 'feel' of the setting that's drawn you to it, then yes you'd better not do anything to spoil it. Fireballs/Lightning Bolts and standard chimeric-type D&D monsters (although familiar to your probable player-base, right?) could ruin that pronto. Players joining your game may well be looking for something a bit different - so let 'em have it!

As for spreading the word about BRP - good idea, and good luck! If they like the game, tell 'em it's BRP (with houserules) - if they don't you can say it's Stormbringer. ;)

Britain has been infiltrated by soviet agents to the highest levels. They control the BBC, the main political party leaderships, NHS & local council executives, much of the police, most newspapers and the utility companies. Of course the EU is theirs, through-and-through. And they are among us - a pervasive evil, like Stasi.

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That's the kind of advice I'm looking for.

Magic is divided into 'magnitudes', with the most powerful magic being ritual with very expensive requirements, such as human sacrifice, 'the stars are right' and so on. That is third magnitude. In the game a first magnitude spell would be opening a locked door, second magnitude would be destroying the wall the door is set in, and third would be invoking an earth quake to destroy the building the door is in. I am mulling over how far to take it...throwing a fireball might be second magnitude, but it sounds and feels like, well, D&D. Use aikighosts' link and check it out, its an interesting and playable little game and works fine, but I like the SB1 BRP rules and have always wanted to do a Barbarians of Lemuria type setting with them. Thus my little project. If I get to run it sometimes thats just a bonus. There is a second edition available at drive thru with an expanded setting. Ten bucks, and worth it for those times you can't get your entire group together. Takes about five minutes to make a character, fast and easy to run. (I do think it would be more fun with a little more detailed system, though)

About the magic, maybe it would separate the BRP version from D&D enough to call fireball 'Orb of Destruction' and so on? I am still thinking about some iconic fantasy monsters that could be vat creations, like manticores, and definitely avoiding treasure hording dragons and goblins, and elves and dwarves. Gritty swords and sorcery is what I am after.

The nonhuman races, speaking of which, are a race of nomadic giants, a type of humanoid birdmen (Myrrhyn in Stormbringer/Elric), vat bred cyclops with an eye in the center of the chest, naga like creatures, beastmen, and vampiric magical humanoids. Monsters tend to be dinosaurs, large versions of cats, snakes, crocodiles, and vat creations. And man eating plants. The latter suggests a few D&D type monsters might be OK, like manticores. What else along those lines might work?

I have the Stormbringer style modifiers done for the human nationalities, next the nonhumans and critters.

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I am beginning a conversion as per the title because I think BRP and a Thongor inspired Lemuria setting would be perfect together. The setting seems like a natural for the system. I'm going to use SB1, mostly, but I would like to attract some players (I am going to try it at a local gamestore) so I would love to have some input from anyone here who knows BoL about what to include. For instance, should I include some 'regular' fantasy monsters that might fit in with the dinosaur and wierd creation monsters of the setting? I mean things like manticores and griffins, skeletons and chimera. What do you think would fit if so? Should I include things like fireball and lightning in the spells or leave it as almost all slow ritual type magic? I could see how the 'feel' could easily be ruined, and suggestions along those lines would certainly help.

I think I will make skyboats more common too, so as to have aerial battles a la Barsoom.

And what elements from the new BRP book do you think would be appropriate? I can see psionics being appropriate, like for the Morgaluth and Slorth.

Really, any advice or help would be most welcome. If I can come up with a good mixture of BRP and this setting it would help spread the word about BRP in general, too.

I have been looking over the setting, it's definitely worth the price.

Dinosaurs would fit the setting well, as well as active volcanoes, giant mosquitoes, semi-aquatic tentacly monsters, skeletons (fast harry hausen types), giant serpents, and ogres. I'd also throw in skybulls from Glorantha, as well as various insect-men (thri-keen, timinits, etc). You should have giant sentient queen ants directing swarms of her ant legions (regardless that this theory of ant society has been scientifically disproven).

And yes, this setting could use the equivalent of orcs/beastmen/goblins, but it could also use some T&T flavor, such as playable trolls, ogres, centaurs, etc.

Rule suggestions:

I'd look at the Far East Elric! Supplement, because the magic system would fit the setting very well.

You should give some thoughts to alternate armor/defense rules for handling bare chested barbarians, and chainmail bikini clad amazons.

[i don't remember if SB1 had the Defense attribute, but I would consider adding it, modified by Armor Check Penalty]

You'll also need (IMO) a wealth of plants, salves, potions and poisons on the same level as Rolemaster (It's packed with tons of flora descriptions).

Edited by Harshax

And don't forget Realism Rule # 1 "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP". - Simon Phipp

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Thanks for the ideas.

Monsters. Tentacly monsters? Please describe. Like mind flayers of D&D fame? There are already ogres...Ceruleans. Grooth are beastmen. Insect men is good, maybe like raknids from Talislanta. They can be foes of the Ceruleans on the plains, issuing from the chasm. Fast skeletons, big snakes and insects are on the list. I don't know about trolls and centaurs, they are a bit too high fantasy I think, as are fire breathing dragons. Creatures like manticores and chimerae could be the results of vat experiments.

I will definitely emphasize Poison and Plant Lore.

The armor is going to be like SB1, random, no defense but with parry/dodge being interchangeable within the round. Armor will be like, for example chainmail bikini 1D3-1, bracers bring it up one level to 1D4-1, boots to 1D6-1, helm to 1D8-1. Other armor working the same way with the heaviest being 1D12+2 and reducing DEX and movement 6 points. Essentially working as the BoL armor rules with values to suit SB1 BRP.

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Thanks for the ideas.

Monsters. Tentacly monsters? Please describe. Like mind flayers of D&D fame?

Short answer: Yes. Slightly longer answer: Hell Yes!

I think an underlying story element would be the introduction of a decaying and decadent race of ancient people that were highly advanced at one point. Something more along the Kuo Toa of D&D Fame. This also seemed to imply a Cthulhoid, but I've only ever seen it played out as one of savagery and tragedy.

Insect men is good, maybe like raknids from Talislanta. They can be foes of the Ceruleans on the plains, issuing from the chasm.

I like it.

Creatures like manticores and chimerae could be the results of vat experiments.

I like this too.

The armor is going to be like SB1, random, no defense but with parry/dodge being interchangeable within the round. Armor will be like, for example chainmail bikini 1D3-1, bracers bring it up one level to 1D4-1, boots to 1D6-1, helm to 1D8-1. Other armor working the same way with the heaviest being 1D12+2 and reducing DEX and movement 6 points. Essentially working as the BoL armor rules with values to suit SB1 BRP.

Great start!

And don't forget Realism Rule # 1 "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP". - Simon Phipp

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I just got my Barbarians of Lemuria POD book form LULU and the more I read it the more I think people should just use the Barbarians of Lemuria RPG since its actually perfect for this type of S&S gaming.

Shame on you! :P

I do think the mechanic is neat, but I prefer game systems that fit somewhere between rampant numbers inflation and ultra simplicity.

And don't forget Realism Rule # 1 "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP". - Simon Phipp

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I don't care what you think, ghost.

I started this for advice on what *I* want to do with the general setting material. Whether you approve or not matters not at all. That's not what this thread is about. If you don't have anything constructive to add, and you obviously don't, just stay away.

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More suggestions:

Various names for cabals - sorcerous, assassins, hereditary guardians, etc. Assassins of the Silk Vine, Brotherhood of the Ebon Flame, etc.

Various groups/cultures/creatures that use poisons.

How about some signature moves for warrior types? Specialty skills if you will?

This might seem funny, but my recent go at converting Desolation Magic to BRP was precisely because I thought magic was not treated well in the rules because each ability was a discreet skill, whereas mundane skills were not treated so.

Therefore, to be inclusive of the spirit of this setting, I'd argue the opposite. Warriors need discreet skills that cost fatigue to use, such as "Groin Kick", does 1d4 damage and victim must make a CON check or be stunned. "Throat Punch", does 1d3 damage and victim must make a CON check or be rendered speechless for 1d6 rounds. "Sand to Eyes", victim must make DEX check or be blinded for 1d2 rounds. etc.

Just getting into the spirit of it. . . .

And don't forget Realism Rule # 1 "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP". - Simon Phipp

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I like the organizations idea, I just have'nt gotten that far along. Another thing on the to do list.

I have not looked at Desolation yet, but I think I will get it for Christmas. None of the stores around here would stock it, apparently (so they said) because their distributor couldn't get it. Funny, Noble Knight and FRP both had it, for discount at that. I could have ordered it, but my wife wanted to have something to 'put under the tree' that I wanted so I pointed her in that direction a month or two ago. I was looking at your magic system conversion thread but I don't have a good idea of the system yet (I have just seen the online previews). It looks interesting, and I will revisit it when I have read Desolation. I like the idea of burn, it might have taken the sails out of certain old munchkin player friend I used to rpg with.

The last time I ran Stormbringer I had a player, a woman, who wanted to do things like disarm and hold, so I partly developed a system for 'special moves'. Usually I would ask for a stat save (most often for DEX, but sometimes POW or CON) in tandem or just before the actual attack. Ideas started coming from various other systems, like Seventh Sea (taunt, intimidate), Blue Rose, and so forth. She wanted to do things like trip her enemy and hold the sword to their throat while standing over them. Made me work, she did. So I was coming up with impromptu ways to do these things, but never formalized any of it as houserules. I just came up with a way to let her try to do her 'moves' on the spur of the moment whenever she got creative. So BRP will defintely work for something like that. Usually I keep a sort of low profile and don't encourage it though. I really do like simple systems, and would happily play BoL as is. A little more substance would be nice it I were running it though.

I have done up the nation and race modifiers for BoL, SB1 style. If you are interested I could post them, although I have decided to develop my own setting in preference. The BoL work is sort of a trial to see how it looks. I was not sure that sort of thing would work outside of the Young Kingdoms setting (few or no 'demihumans' but almost all human with regional modifications). My own setting has much more in common with the Young Kingdoms or Hyboria than Middle Earth, like BoL. I though about translating Hyboria too, but BoL has the flavor and brevity to make it more pleasure than chore. My setting in the end will be BRP BoL with the serial numbers filed off anyway. I'm just out to exercise my brain and have fun, not make the best game ever.

Well, that was long winded. Appreciate your interest, feel free to post any more ideas...you are having a definite influence on my project, believe it or not!:thumb:

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I don't care what you think, ghost.

I started this for advice on what *I* want to do with the general setting material. Whether you approve or not matters not at all. That's not what this thread is about. If you don't have anything constructive to add, and you obviously don't, just stay away.

I have plenty to add. I just like the system provided with BoL. Also this thread isn't yours. Once you post it it becomes the boards to do with what it will, thats how the internet works.

But since you seem to have taken offense for some reason I shall bow out and leave you to it.

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Trying to suggest a few more things . . .

Have you given any thought to popularly known/feared deities? It seems in keeping with the trope for you to have several, but they are not organized to form a complete religious outlook, nor do they belong to the same pantheon. Further, they're usually dark and dangerous.

This next idea is tangential. After a Xena marathon, my friends and I tried to imagine a fantasy earth that had all the classic ancient cultures but had an overall planetary size much smaller than our world actually is. You could for example travel from ancient greece to someplace like far east Kitai, and visit the court of the might Khan in a couple of weeks, instead of months. This idea seemed to justify how Xena was able to travel great distances, and more importantly, why it seemed that there was such a mingling of different cultures.

This guy insight into the tropes of Howard's Conan are pretty funny, and well worth the read. (Did you know Howard and Lovecraft were pen-pals? I had no idea)

Conan The Barbarian - Television Tropes & Idioms

And don't forget Realism Rule # 1 "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP". - Simon Phipp

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I will think about gods later I guess, right now the project is mired in national/racial bonuses and background. Soon, now I think about it. Definitely dark and dangerous. Probably use stuff like demonic entities masquerading as gods, lending help to ambitious sorcerers for bits of their souls, said sorcerers thinking they are serving 'gods' who are really malign alien entities. I am not likely to have 'real' gods that use deus ex machina to get the PCs in and out of trouble and grant specific spells. Like D&D. More Conan than Elric. Speaking of which, yes I am aware of the correspondence between Howard and Lovecraft. Many of the Conan stories featured Lovecraftian horrors (Thing in the Pit?, Drums of Tombalku) and others show the influence (Devil in Iron, Tower of the Elephant). The big difference seems to be...in the Conan stories, if something came into our human sphere of existence it could be killed, and in the Lovecraft stories humans are just victims/playthings/food. I like to try capture the spirit of the former in my games. I've found players like that too. My last group I had one guy who loved BRP, wouldn't play CoC, and played Stormbringer only because I used the 'Tanelorn escape clause', if you know what I mean.

I love the Hercules TV series, especially the early TV movies. Gods and all.

My setting is a small planet about the size of Mars, I guess. 16,000 thousand miles in diameter, one super continent 7,000 miles across. One of the reasons being the one you cite. I am arranging things so most of the cultures can come into play as the writers *made* Xenas' mythological earth. The real earth is a BIG place. You might remember that the land of China was more or less mythical until a guy named Marco Polo made an epic caravan journey, and even then it was so far the next few centuries everyone tried to find a way to get there by a shorter route, as Columbus. Anyway, I have a city that will be the base for the game in the rough center of the continent at the base of a mountain range that splits the continent, and is a major trading center. Ulume, I think I will call it. And like the Xena stories, many different culture accessible from there. To expedite that I will use a system of gates like Stargate, partially malfunctioning of course. It's just a mishmash of lots of my favorite stories/movies/books, not an attempt at the greatest rpg ever done. Fun is the object, and have you noticed how many of the most fun games are ones that rip off every genre and convention in sight and wind up being fun as hell? Ever heard of Arduin. It can go too far too, like Synnabar. I am trying to make a fun but not over the top game. It really is hard to find the balance. Barbarians is something like that. Koptu is. I just want to make my own personalized version. It's a fun hobby.

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I've pretty much exhausted my ideas, but will revisit this thread if anything comes to mind. This has been a pretty fun exercise for me, and I would definitely like to see a player's handout or write up when you're done.

As I ponder the shape of my own campaign in the works, I realize that I am going for something very similar to BoL. Maybe a little less sword against sorcery, but assuredly pulp, two-fisted, and episodic.

Thanks!

And don't forget Realism Rule # 1 "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP". - Simon Phipp

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just picked up a copy of World of Broadsword. It too, is a serial barbarian inspired world where chainmail bikinis and battle harnesses are serious forms of protection. What is really great about the setting is the 1 page outline of each city. This book provides a wealth of sword & sorcery story hooks, and for 4 bucks, it is great inspirational reading. Don't bother to get the 1pg Broadsword game, unless you want to use those rules. BRP/SB1 works very well for this setting too, and provides the same level of 'sit down and play' as the 1pg game. That is of course, if you've written up a nice gazeteer of ready to use adversaries.

And don't forget Realism Rule # 1 "If you can do it in real life you should be able to do it in BRP". - Simon Phipp

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