Cthulhu Rising as official Chaosium settings for BRP?

[drohem]

Well, I did say I would like to see a "scrubbed" down version of the Sanity rules. I think that some of CoC Sanity effects would be over the top for other genres and styles, but are fitting to that style and genre.

It would something along the lines of minor phobias and quirks are gained by the character. Let's face it, unless the gamer is experienced and a roleplaying focused person, then most run-of-the-mill gamers aren't going to add something "bad" or negative to their precious character, LOL.

I agree that sci-fi campaign settings just are not a money-maker for the RPG industry like generic fantasy settings. Too bad.

[Joseph Paul]

Originally Posted by Steffworthington

As a contributor to '2320AD' by QLI (I drew all the logos) I'd have to disagree.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/2320/

Well color me surprised! If it was actually for (the still dead) 2300AD and not T20 I might even give it a look.

Also, there are a number of hard sci-fi games out there-
http://www.sjgames.com/transhuman/

Transhumanist ideals are not everything.

http://www.lightspeed-rpg.com/

Interesting. It looks like Classic Traveller in that it wants to enable all manner of Sci-Fi tropes. I doubt its dedication to being Hard SF though.

http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_119.html

This review completely pans High Frontiers. I don't get your point in adding it as if it is a bad hard SF game then there is room for a good hard SF game. Would that come with a cigarette to smoke after the session?

What BRP needs is a completely NEW sci-fi idea (or as new as you can get). Either something really different by someone talented or a new licence.. or an old one (Ringworld 2 anyone?)

You mean the way that fantasy systems need a completely new Sword & Sorcery idea to be competitive? In actuality I do not see your point in condemning Hard SF as a background for a BRP Space setting. I certainly don't see that niche being exploited to the fullest it could be.

BTW RIngworld isn't going to happen. The license is locked up in the movie rights and that project isn't going anywhere.

[Trifletraxor]

Originally Posted by drohem

I like the concept of using a hard sci-fi campaign setting as the official campaign for official BRP products. This would break away from the RPG industry standard of a "classic" fantasy setting as the standard or default campaign setting for official products released in that line.

Since BRP will be a generic ruleset with 4 typical settings: Fantasy/historic, modern, superhero & sci-fi, I think there's room for 4 official settings here. Mythic Iceland is underway from Chaosium allready. What I like about Cthulhu Rising as the sci-fi setting (in addition to looking like a REALLY interesting setting), is that it is allready made for BRP (lots of stuff ready for print) and allows for highly versatile play (3 main types: civilian, corporate employees & space marines).

SGL.

[Simlasa]

I've read through most of the Cthulhu Rising stuff on the website and think it's a pretty decent 'middle tech' science fiction setting. Chaosium could do a lot worse than to take it on as an 'official' one.
Military science fiction isn't my favorite flavor but a lot of people like it.

I'm tempted to agree that I'd prefer it to have the Cthulhu scrubbed out of it... but then I remember that Lovecraft was a big influence on Giger and his designs for the original aliens.
Somehow I think that it would be an easier sell of the alien menace was 'Lovecraftian' without being overtly related to the Mythos... kind of like Alien/Aliens/Species.

I'd be inclined to agree that a fantasy setting might be more... imperative, but I don't know of any similar readymade fantasy BRP settings that are nearly as interesting as Cthulhu Rising is for Sci Fi.

As an aside, High Colonies was a pretty neat RPG setting... the rules might have not be all that, but in the way-back we played some nifty mini-campaigns there (using Traveller rules IIRC).

[Trifletraxor]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

Military science fiction is my favorite flavor but a lot of people like it.

With this one military science fiction is an option, with the space marines. The three campaigns that are written are one for each of the typical player groups, one for civilians, one for corporate-employees and one for space marines.

I'm tempted to agree that I'd prefer it to have the Cthulhu scrubbed out of it... but then I remember that Lovecraft was a big influence on Giger and his designs for the original aliens. Somehow I think that it would be an easier sell of the alien menace was 'Lovecraftian' without being overtly related to the Mythos... kind of like Alien/Aliens/Species.

I fully agree with this. To sell as a Basic Roleplaying setting (not a Cthulhu setting), maybe the system name would have to be changed and obvious Lovecraftian references changed (names basically). I'll go hear with the author what he has to say.

SGL.

[SDLeary]

Cthulhu Rising would probably be the best route. Scrubbing the mythos references and calling the beasties aliens would not only be expedient, but would provide the game with a well made setting. Is it Aliens/2300 like? YES! Which means you can run Traveller like games, though a bit low tech for that genre; Aliens/2300 middle tech reach-for-the-stars type games; and if you play on the core world/worlds, you might also be able to due Cyberpunk. Firefly like stuff comes to mind too.

How about "Torchlight" as a fantasy setting? A re-edit would have to be done, of course. Cthulhu monsters fit right-in in a fantasy setting as demon types. Fantasy Europe would be gritty enough for BRP. Also, using the powers and magic options, some could do something ala ArsMagica if thats your type of thing.

Yes, I'm talking about CDA (it is currently OOP after all), perhaps with the fully revised/completed Pagan Call scenario.

SDLeary

[Steffworthington]

Well color me surprised! If it was actually for (the still dead) 2300AD and not T20 I might even give it a look.

You're comment was regarding the setting, not the rules. The setting is still nearly identical.

Transhumanist ideals are not everything.

i mentioned it because you implied we needed more and that there was a vaccum of such settings

Interesting. It looks like Classic Traveller in that it wants to enable all manner of Sci-Fi tropes. I doubt its dedication to being Hard SF though.

You've just contradicted yourself. Wants to 'enable all manner of sci-fi tropes'. How did you think that hard sci-fi might not be one of them?

This review completely pans High Frontiers. I don't get your point in adding it as if it is a bad hard SF game then there is room for a good hard SF game. Would that come with a cigarette to smoke after the session?

I'm adding it as a 'hard sf' game. good or bad it illustrates my point that I laid out a couple of paragraphs above. I personally didint like transhuman space or high colonies and largely agree with the review. the point is, it's still an example of such a setting.

You mean the way that fantasy systems need a completely new Sword & Sorcery idea to be competitive? In actuality I do not see your point in condemning Hard SF as a background for a BRP Space setting. I certainly don't see that niche being exploited to the fullest it could be.

BTW RIngworld isn't going to happen. The license is locked up in the movie rights and that project isn't going anywhere.

yes. they do. I wasn't condemning hard sf as a background (its the only SF I'll play) but if BRP is, as its guessed, to kick start Chaosiums rise back into fortune then I want them to get it right by having a setting that'll be unusual enough to last. Cthulhu is almost unique...thats why its lasted. If BRP was to have an SF setting then id prefer it to be hard sf. There are many examples of sf games that have bit the dust (cyberpunk).

Ringworld was a suggestion, not a call to arms. if I could wave a magic wand and have an unavailable lisence to use...it would be Blade Runner... or any of PKD's novels.

[Enpeze]

I really like the Cthulhu Rising setting. Its a great read and there are several adventures and campaigns for it. Years ago I played a series of adventures with a cthulhoid taint in the 2300AD setting and CT remembers me alot of these games. I would be very pleased if CT becomes something more "official".

At the moment there are no real good blends between Scifi and Cthulhoid horror. But the mix is very attractive I think. The more contrast is between the "real world" and the "horror world" the better. I would not like a gothic SF horror game that much as CT. But the harder the SF the better. Mongoose has one genre mix in its pipeline called Cthulhutech which looks....well...bad and pulpy.

Additionally you can always play CT as hard SF game without horror elements, but with BRP rules. (ala Bladerunner, Outland or Aliens)

[Ottomancer]

Hullo BRP Central. I am glad Cthulhu Rising has support out there, but I agree that BRP should have a non-mythos sci-fi setting as its 'standard' sci-fi setting. With regard to whether my setting would work stripped of its Lovecraft influences, I have polled the visitors to my site and the majority say they'd play in the setting whether there was a mythos element or not.

Cthulhu Rising just looks like hard sci-fi. I mean, we have artificial gravity and such. It is only hard sci-fi up to a point - we bend the rules for dramatic purposes. With regard to Cthulhu Rising being high-tech and/or shiny though: I'd disagree. Star Trek is what I would define as high-tech and shiny.

I don't actually own a copy of 2300. I have played it, and I liked playing it, but the only version of Traveller I own is the classic era with the original setting - the little A5 black and red books. Free Trader Beowulf and all that...

It's all down to personal choice in the end. A lot of people enjoy playing Cthulhu Rising, but it's not for everyone, and that's cool by me.
:-)

[Trifletraxor]

Originally Posted by Ottomancer

Hullo BRP Central. I am glad Cthulhu Rising has support out there, but I agree that BRP should have a non-mythos sci-fi setting as its 'standard' sci-fi setting. With regard to whether my setting would work stripped of its Lovecraft influences, I have polled the visitors to my site and the majority say they'd play in the setting whether there was a mythos element or not.

So you've considered a non-mythos Cthulhu Rising allready? How would the setting change if stripped of its Lovecraft influences & mythos element? Would it be something like the difference between RuneQuest 3rd edition & the Basic Roleplaying Monographs (essentially just name-changes), or would it alter the setting drastically? I quite like the setting as it is, and hope it would still have the same "feel" to it.

Cheers,
Sverre.