Why is BRP not that popular?

[Sorloc]

I love James Clavell's novels...

In Shogun, his most famous (probably because it became a miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune (1980 - go rent it it's most excellent - better yet, read the book - best of all, do both, it's worth it,)) The arrival of John Blackthorne, an Englishman, in Japan in 1600, caused immense confusion when the Japanese learned that this European was enemy to the other Europeans, and because the Portugese and Spanish, who were the only Europeans they had encountered at that point, were *Catholic* Christians, while Blackthorne was *Protestant* Christian, a distinction none of the Japanese could be made to understand.

[drohem]

Originally Posted by Sorloc

I love James Clavell's novels...

In Shogun, his most famous (probably because it became a miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune (1980 - go rent it it's most excellent - better yet, read the book - best of all, do both, it's worth it,)) The arrival of John Blackthorne, an Englishman, in Japan in 1600, caused immense confusion when the Japanese learned that this European was enemy to the other Europeans, and because the Portugese and Spanish, who were the only Europeans they had encountered at that point, were *Catholic* Christians, while Blackthorne was *Protestant* Christian, a distinction none of the Japanese could be made to understand.

I like Shogun as well. I read the novel (or encyclopdia! LOL) and saw the mini-series. It really showcased cultural differences and morals. I like how the Japanese thought them barbaric because they wouldn't wash themselves and forced them to take baths, LOL. Also, how his crew were executed and he was allowed to survive because of his status and capacity to appreciate and learn their culture. Yeah, it is great stuff.

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Sorloc

I don't know that HERO would be in the shape it's in without Champions. Surely MERP had a little something to do with it also. I'm betting that the situation there is much like here; There are two or three well-known settings, and a handful of minor, even obscure ones.

Champions wasn't a setting; it was a genre. There really wasn't a coherent Champions universe for most of the life of the game. MERP was not a Hero product. In fact, Hero has never had particularly distinct settings until Steve Long got the line. Same, far as I can tell for GURPS. Its a little muddier with BESM because it had a lot of licensed products, but all evidence I had was they weren't the dominant issue with its fandom.

[drohem]

The World of Yrth is GURPS fantasy campaign setting, and it is unique. It mixes cultural groups from earth's past with a traditional fantasy setting.

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

My purchasing habits differ quite a bit from yours Simlasa. Intriguing background with a crap system attached? I would never part with money for it. In fact I end up buying systems just to see how they function. That determines if I continue to buy material for it. Great system with a setting that I am not interested in? Eh, I will pass on the setting. If the system and the setting are hard wired to one another I may pass on the system too.

I don't like Lovecraft for instance so I don't have any of the CoC material beyond a very old second(?) edition and a 5th that was on sale at Half Price Books.

Liked Moorcock's work but there were things in Stormbringer that I just couldn't stomach so I never did get much beyond the Companion and Demon Magic and I got those because I was looking for additional rules not settings as I had determined that I wasn't going to play SB.

I do have quite a bit of setting/adventure stuff for RQII/III, 2300AD and Twilight2K.

If the system can't meet my needs then I eschew the whole line. So catching me with the rules is of paramount importance. Second comes having a setting that I think is intriguing and fun.

I own alot of settings which have rules I dont like very much. Why? I just use BRP for them if I want to play it. Examples are Traveller, 2300AD, Cyberspace (which has Rolemaster rules), Midgard (a german rpg), Fading Suns, Blue Planet, Terran Trade Authority and some more. No problem at all to replace their mediocre rules and use good old BRP for them.

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by drohem

The World of Yrth is GURPS fantasy campaign setting, and it is unique. It mixes cultural groups from earth's past with a traditional fantasy setting.

I'm aware of Yrth, but I don't have much evidence its a special draw for GURPS players.

[drohem]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

I'm aware of Yrth, but I don't have much evidence its a special draw for GURPS players.

I agree with you on this point. We only played in Yrth several times. All of the GMs in our group (I as well) just created their own fantasy setting using the GURPS rule system when we played it extensively.

[Nightshade]

And I should have qualfied that GURPS has had quite a few licensed products over the years, too. I don't know how much influence that's had on its success, but it never seemed to be the primary draw among the GURPS fans I've encountered.

[Simlasa]

GURPS having all those great setting books, and some of the licenses, like Conan, certainly caused me to buy a lot of their books.

As for Hero, I certainly don't think they'd be in the position they are if they hadn't had Champions... and yes, it's a genre... but to me that's splitting hairs a bit... people I know started playing Champions because they wanted to play superheroes... they stuck with the Hero system because they knew the rules and they didn't suck bad enough to drive them out (I'm not saying the rules suck by the way).

I know very few people that shop for games based on rules first... setting/genre second... 'let's go down to the game store and see if there are any new dice-pool systems out!' No, people pick up the game because the cover looks cool, it has an interesting name, the blurb on the back of the book sounds cool, the interior art gets their imagination going...
I can't ever remember picking up a book that looked great from me and then thrusting it back on the shelf because it was 'roll over' or some other mechanism I don't care for (not saying I don't care for roll over either).

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Simlasa

GURPS having all those great setting books, and some of the licenses, like Conan, certainly caused me to buy a lot of their books.

As for Hero, I certainly don't think they'd be in the position they are if they hadn't had Champions... and yes, it's a genre... but to me that's splitting hairs a bit... people I know started playing Champions because they wanted to play

Perhaps, but I think there's a difference between a genre attracting someone and a setting. After all, BRPs had a lot of fantasy genre games, but that's presumeably not enough by itself.