d100 Fantasy, non-dead systems, any overall summary comparison?

The release of RQ6 and a pending wife-ectomy have nudged me to look into resuming gaming. When looking around, I realized that the last time I was involved, there was no actual honest-to-goodness especially for fantasy "d100" system out "live". Yes, that's how long it's been. Now I look around and I see a plethora, a veritable plethora, I tell you. Already I've discovered Magic World, RQ6, Legend, OpenQuest, Renaissance, and AEONS.

I get that they're all running on the same fundamental engine, but how do they compare among each other? Is there, perhaps, a table, somewhere?

(Caveat: I was editor of the Magic World book, but like all these games.)

Complexity-wise, from simplest to most robust:

OpenQuest<Magic World<RuneQuest 6

All three are excellent games; I've played a bit of each, and had fun with them all. I found RQ6 a little unwieldy for me, but then I like simpler games. It's a marvelous game, I just like less complexity.

OpenQuest is marvelous. I ran a campaign of that last summer and had a blast.

If it matters at all to you, Magic World is the "official" Chaosium fantasy game.

I get that they're all running on the same fundamental engine, but how do they compare among each other? Is there, perhaps, a table, somewhere?

I don't think there is a table that shows a comparison of all of those systems ( I could be wrong )

One thing to look at is what each particular game was derived from.

We can say that all of the games owe their inspiration to the original d100 game Chaosium's Runequest

The roots of the modern games are divergent.

Magic World is derived mostly from Stormbringer ( and the BRP BGB )

Openquest is derived from MRQ1 (M for Mongoose) with the aim of a streamlined simpler rule set

Renaissance is derived from Openquest

MRQ2 was derived from MRQ1

Legend is derived from MRQ2

RQ6 is mostly inspired by MRQ2 ( same authors )

Of course I stand to be corrected. I have them but haven't drawn up an across the board comparison.

MRQ2=Legend.

RQ6 is MRQ++, more nuanced but lots more of it.

OQ has a certain RQ3-lite feel to it, RQ6 is more RQ3++.

Magic World is pure Stormbringer fun.

Renaissance is a very nice clean version of OQ with guns, witches, and some great Factions rules that are a good alternative to classic RQ cult rules.

Age of Shadows is an OQ clone tailored to a very JRR style game, but more 1st or 2nd Age than 3rd Age.

What kind of game did you fancy?

I hope it is not out of line to reply to a three years old thread to promote na external thread of my own.

There is a degree of consolidation of this information here:

https://rpggeek.com/geeklist/219936/history-brp-derived-roleplaying-systems/

I think you missed Worlds Beyond and M-Space....

Also the spanish game Aquelarre.

Thanks.  This little project has certainly turned informative!

Octogono, may you give any info on how Aquelarre relates to D100 in general and the BRP/RuneQuest systems specifically?

There's also Alphetar's Revolution system which has some interesting innovations. 

And for something really strange, try the Sabre RPG from Dragonsbane entertainment - an unusual mash up of d100 and d20 systems...

Do you mean Alephtar Games' Revolution D100, Prime Evil?

2 minutes ago, Luis Dantas said:

Do you mean Alephtar Games' Revolution D100, Prime Evil?

Yes...that' the one. My apologies - I should have been more specific. 

Nah, it is all right.  I already had Revolution D100 in the list, anyway.

Nephilim's second (french) edition had some remarkable features which makes it sensibly different from the first one.

First, character creation detailed a number of historical periods where your nephilim could have lived, rach with a list of possible professions and mystical experience.

Second, skills were listed into categories with different base values equal to the sum of 2 stats. In comparison, first edition made no correlation between characteristics and skills. You first developped a category from 0 to 20, then built each skill inside it independently.

Thirdly, it dropped to hit points mechanism for some kind of health level scale, similar to D6 system's. 

Third and 4th edition are not based on BRP.

On 8/1/2017 at 6:04 PM, Luis Dantas said:

Thanks.  This little project has certainly turned informative!

Octogono, may you give any info on how Aquelarre relates to D100 in general and the BRP/RuneQuest systems specifically?

Aquelarre is from 1990 and it is a derivative of the RQ system, probably the AH RQ3 edition which was the first, and most important edition in spanish. It is set in a dark mythic Iberic peninsula (Spain and Portugal) where demons walk around, curses and diseases spread. It uses real world cultures and religions of the region (Catholic, Jewish, Moorish, etc) and real religion references for demons, angels and magic. It had a Luck stat that works the same way CoC7 does. Combat uses 1d10+Dex for initiative, uses a modified hit location method using the units die, which is really much faster than throwing an additional d20, hit points for armor, and other rules I can't remember. Finally there is a dual stat: Rationality/Irrationality, that measures PCs belief in the supernatural, and also how much magic you can do, and have effect on you. The current edition is the third, published in 2011.

On 1/11/2017 at 1:14 AM, el_octogono said:

Aquelarre is from 1990 and it is a derivative of the RQ system, probably the AH RQ3 edition which was the first, and most important edition in spanish. It is set in a dark mythic Iberic peninsula (Spain and Portugal) where demons walk around, curses and diseases spread. It uses real world cultures and religions of the region (Catholic, Jewish, Moorish, etc) and real religion references for demons, angels and magic. It had a Luck stat that works the same way CoC7 does. Combat uses 1d10+Dex for initiative, uses a modified hit location method using the units die, which is really much faster than throwing an additional d20, hit points for armor, and other rules I can't remember. Finally there is a dual stat: Rationality/Irrationality, that measures PCs belief in the supernatural, and also how much magic you can do, and have effect on you. The current edition is the third, published in 2011.

That sounds awesome! It sounds like the Manuscript found at Saragossa. It sounds like it will be translated into English this year, and that suits me fine.