Why is BRP not that popular?

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by RMS

Hey! First post here, but I recognize most of you from the Mongoose forum, and most seem to have disappeared from there too!



I agree with all of that except one thing. Divine Magic in RQ2 and RQ3 is extremely powerful. There's no cap on the amount of divine magic that someone can have and with frequent power gains it's very easy for priests and rune lords to pile up a lot of divine magic. I have longrunning PCs in my game with 50+ points of divine magic each. Divine magic goes 2-to-1 against spirit and sorcery. In addition, there are a fair number of divine spells that can't be full resisted and for which there are no physical or magical defesnses. Get an Orlanthi with a stacked up Thunderbolt and watch him easily dispatch any single opponent on the field.

We've had several sorcerers floating around that found out how ineffective damage resistance is against a loaded up divine magic using warrior, too!

Well, before I forget, a point against the power of divine magic is its range of mostly just 100m (if I remember correctly) This cannot compete to the variable range of a sorcerer spell, especially if this spell is backupped by alot of free INT. So I guess sorcery is more mighty than divine. (whatever - I really dont care )

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by badcat

The only times I have gone to rpg.net for months was to check on the progress of BRP...now I don't have any reason.

My blood pressure is much improved.

You are right. I feel the same. I reduced my presence on this forum too (and the SJG forum too) because it doesnt pay off. So many annoying people.

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

What else is trendy? Apparently I am behind the times because names like Exalted, L5R, Wushu, etc don't mean anything to me.

Maybe trendy is the "minigame-in-game" approach of so many new rule systems. The most people dont like to die or even "loose" as character and game-in-game tweaks and little dice thingies (fate points and other crap) help them to be super duper. Now with the new dice switch they are able to master every situation. (at least two last chances after fumbling and thereafter then they pull out their optional last ditch lifer saver dice trick from page 442 of the clan splatbook #7)

Eg. I was forced (yes forced!!!) to play Warhammer FRPG 2nd and in this game you have 3 times per day a reroll (in case you cannot dogde or dont hit this elephant etc.) Additionally you have 3 times per character a life safer "fate point" which you can use if you are getting a deadly hit. What a crap system. Totally idiotic.

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

Examining what is being sought by the market may lead to a better understanding of how to present BRP to those 'hip' gamers without having to actually change the game.

Joseph Paul

Well this is basically a good idea. The question is just if BRP is BRP anymore after such a treatment. If it is possible just by presentation then I am for it. (at first down with this ugly cover ) But if they do any minigame madness, rule and dice tweaking then I am against it. Its more than enough that DBRP has over 350p. I dont want to read more pages, just to have some trendy rules.

BTW: Am I the only one who thinks that the page count of the new DBRP is high? I dont hope too high. I mean is it a minimalistic rule system or not? What the hell do they describe on 350+p?

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by badcat

I fear there is no point in trying to sell BRP to 3.5 or Exalted players. It will sell itself enough to fly as is...or not.

Yes. I think so too. Most of these guys are playing their games in a totally different way than BRP offers. Maybe some switchers could be in this crowd, but not many I fear.

Originally Posted by badcat

If BRP became something they found attractive and interesting it would be time to move on, because BRP would be something as different from what it is now as 'D&D 4E' is going to be different from Dungeons and Dragons.

Interestingly I think that D&D4ed. will not be a bad game as such. But its just a certain kind of "game". Its not a roleplaying game as I understand it. But it does not matter. I would even try it out (without the acting and character portraying of normal roleplaying of course - just as a new kind of tactical, computer assisted board game) if it comes out. I am modern guy and I like the modern approach of 4e.

Originally Posted by badcat

...how can you fight that level of ignorance, even if you want to, Joseph?

No chance I would say. But no reason to do it either.

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Enpeze

BTW: Am I the only one who thinks that the page count of the new DBRP is high? I dont hope too high. I mean is it a minimalistic rule system or not? What the hell do they describe on 350+p?

It includes most of the most useful subsystems from the past 30 years of BRP games; its not just the core system. That's the whole _point_ in the new book.

[Trifletraxor]

Eg. I was forced (yes forced!!!) to play Warhammer FRPG 2nd and in this game you have 3 times per day a reroll (in case you cannot dogde or dont hit this elephant etc.) Additionally you have 3 times per character a life safer "fate point" which you can use if you are getting a deadly hit. What a crap system. Totally idiotic.

<cough!> hero points. <cough!>

Am I the only one who thinks that the page count of the new DBRP is high? I dont hope too high. I mean is it a minimalistic rule system or not? What the hell do they describe on 350+p?

The more the better. With 5 different powers & 4 different settings, 350 might be to little. They are trying to make a 4 in one book (at least). RuneQuest 3 was a 250 or so pages book for one setting. The more the better!

SGL.

[badcat]

I thought it was high too, and then it occured to me that maybe it included some sample scenarios. But no, Jason said not. That's a lot of rules...

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by badcat

I thought it was high too, and then it occured to me that maybe it included some sample scenarios. But no, Jason said not. That's a lot of rules...

Consider that its got the core mechanics, two magic systems, a set of mutation rules, a set of super power rules, and a lot of optional rules derived from RQ and other sources, how could it _not_ be on that scale?

[Magistus]

Originally Posted by Enpeze

You are right. I feel the same. I reduced my presence on this forum too (and the SJG forum too) because it doesnt pay off. So many annoying people.

I stopped visiting those forums on a constant basis more than a year ago. I was so tired of the people bashing on every RPG.

[Simlasa]

I'd think that the actual, etched in stone, rules are relatively small... it's all the optional rules that take up the space.