Category Archives: Basic RolePlaying

Posts about, related to, or featuring content for Chaosium’s Basic RolePlaying system and related games such as Elric! and Stormbringer, Superworld, Call of Cthulhu, and so on.

Elric! Rogues Gallery

Wherein your humble scribe, in honor of the upcoming new Magic World RPG, produces a couple of characters using the Elric! iteration of BRP.

Sayle, Fast-Talking Mercenary, Age 26
Law 3 Balance 0 Chaos 0
Goateed, generous, and garrulous, Sayle travels the Young Kingdoms as a sword for hire, with only a lock of his mother’s hair worn in a small leather pouch about his neck as a reminder of his youthful days in distant Argimiliar.

STR 15 CON 10 SIZ 13 INT 10 POW 14 DEX 14 APP 17 HP 12 DB none
Gold: 360
Weapons: Short Spear 60% (1d6+1), Thrown Spear 50% (1d6+1), Broadsword 55% (1d8+1)
Armor: Sea Leather, no helmet (1d6-1), Small Shield
Skills: Art:Tell Story 65%, Bargain 45%, Brawl 75%, Disguise 35%, Dodge 63%, Evaluate 35%, Fast Talk 60%, Insight 55%, Oratory 55%, Other Language (Melnibonean) 30%, Own Language (Common) 70%, Ride 80%, Search 40%, Shield 40%, Throw 50%

Vanaya, Resourceful Escaped Slave, Age 26
Law 0 Balance 0 Chaos 3
Her long, raven hair loose to hide the Jharkorian slave brand on back of neck, Vanaya wears her dead sister’s boots. She never speaks of her childhood, and has vowed one day to master all the magic she can to make her vengeance upon her family’s tormenters both dark and complete.

STR 10 CON 10 SIZ 8 INT 16 POW 17 DEX 13 APP 13 HP 9 DB none
Gold: 520
Weapons: Dirk 55% (1d4+2)
Armor: Soft Leather (1d6-1)
Spells: Heal, Make Fast, Span of Cran Liret (3)
Skills: Art: Conversation 50%, Art: Formal Dance 20%, Bargain 35%, Conceal Object 45%, Craft: Card Reading/Palmistry 65%, Disguise 35%, Dodge 61%, Evaluate 35%, Fast Talk 60%, Hide 65%, Insight 65%, Jump 25%, Move Quietly 45%, Natural World 45%, Oratory 25%, Own Language (Common) 100%, Pick Lock 25%, Potions 10%, Scent/Taste 40%, Search 40%

Echo Chamber News Flash: Chaosium To Release New Magic World

This just in… Chaosium will be releasing a new version of Magic World this summer! Here’s the skinny:

MAGIC WORLD is a self-contained fantasy roleplaying game using the classic “Basic Roleplaying” system. The game allows you to play characters in a world of fantasy, adventure, and excitement. The rules of MAGIC WORLD are simple to grasp, while having enough options and complexity to suit any gaming style. Characters grow in experience organically, without relying on artificial constructs such as classes, levels, etc. Any sort of fantasy character you can imagine, you can play. MAGIC WORLD contains:

* Full rules for creating characters in a world of magic and fantasy.
* A robust magic system with nearly one hundred spells. Any character may become a spell caster with the right combination of raw talent, and training!
* Detailed, yet streamlined skills and combat rules.
* Complete rules for nautical adventures.
* A bestiary of more than sixty creatures to use as foes for the characters, or as the characters themselves! Play as any species imaginable: Human, Elf, Orc, Centaur, Troll, Talking Beast, and more!
* Gamemaster advice, and resources.
* A gallery of enchanted items which might be found in your characters’ adventures.
* A complete sample campaign setting, “the Southlands”, to jump start your adventures.
* And more!

The best part of this is that little “self-contained” bit. That should mean that the Big Gold Book isn’t needed, and that this little gem can be a proper gateway drug to the majesty that is BRP. That’s a whole lot of new spells for, presumably, the “classic” Magic World system (which is the “Magic” system in the BGB), too. I can’t wait to get my hands on this thing.

UPDATE: In case you don’t wind up reading the comments, I figured I should point out that it’s been revealed that the magic in Magic World will be the Sorcery system from the Big Gold Book (which is the system that appeared in Elric!) with additional spells added in from other Elric!-y sources. The whole game is, in fact, a reworking of the Elric! rules presented as a complete game. This is marvelous news and I’m just giddy at the prospect of having something like this from Chaosium. I think it’s exactly what BRP needs.

Future*World Rogues Gallery

Wherein your humble scribe presents an adventuring party for Future*World (which is a lot like Travller, but with a gate system instead of starships), from the Worlds of Wonder boxed set. This is BRP at its most basic, but that just makes it more enjoyable, if you ask me. These four adventurers were created completely by-the-book. If I were to run something using this iteration of the BRP rules I’d definitely want to tweak a few things, but on the whole I think the “original” BRP + Worlds of Wonder is downright awesomely playable as-is.

After a couple of years on the wrong side of the law (and a couple of very nice scores), Shavistine Ryn went straight and wound up serving the Empire well. But now that her tours are over, she’s considering a little backsliding for fun and profit in the Frontier worlds. With her lover Kannix, their bear-like Rumahl bodyguard Burrul, and the aimless ex-military robot Nate Jones along for the ride, who knows what kind of trouble (and profit) she’ll stir up?

Shavistine Ryn, Human
STR 11 CON 14 SIZ 13 INT 16 POW 12 DEX 15 CHA 13 HP 14 DB none Credits 823,000
Service History: Criminal 2 / Civilian 1 / Army 2 / ICE 1
Weapons: Holdout Blaster (2d8), Force Sword (2d10)
Armor: Nylar Armor (9P/4B/5L)
Skills: Jump 35%, Climb 35%, Listen 35%, Spot Hidden 35%, Throw 35%, Brawl 35%, Move Quietly 55%, Hide 55%, First Aid 15%, Trade 30%, Intel/Counterintel 50%, Communications 5%, Computer 5%, Engineering 20%, Gate 20%, Maintenance 5%, Pilot 5%, Robotics 5%, Holdout Blaster 35%, Force Sword 40%

Kannix Dralago, Human
STR 14 CON 13 SIZ 12 INT 14 POW 9 DEX 9 CHA 10 HP 13 DB none Credits 182,000
Service History: Civilian 3 / Science 2 / ICE 1
Weapons: Light Blaster Pistol (1d10+3)
Armor: Nylar Armor (9P/4B/5L)
Skills: Jump 20%, Climb 20%, Listen 20%, Spot Hidden 20%, Throw 20%, Brawl 20%, Move Quietly 25%, Hide 25%, First Aid 10%, Trade 35%, Intel/Counterintel 5%, Communications 35%, Computer 5%, Engineering 5%, Gate 20%, Maintenance 20%, Pilot 5%, Robotics 5%, Laser Pistol 50%, Cooking 15%, Relationsciences 30%, Blaster Pistol 50%, Biosciences 15%

Burrul, Rumahl
STR 18 CON 15 SIZ 14 INT 7 POW 19 DEX 7 CHA 11 HP 15 DB +1d6 Credits 129,000
Weapons: Heavy Blaster Pistol (2d8+3), Heavy Blaster Rifle (2d10+4)
Armor: Chitin Armor (5P/10B/6L) + Natural Hide (3p/1B/1L)
Skills: Jump 45%, Climb 55%, Listen 45%, Spot Hidden 25%, Throw 45%, Brawl 45%, Move Quietly 40%, Hide 60%, First Aid 60%, Trade 35%, Intel/Counterintel 5%, Communications 5%, Computer 5%, Engineering 35%, Gate 20%, Maintenance 5%, Pilot 20%, Robotics 5%, Blaster Pistol 50%, Blaster Rifle 50%

N8-J0N3S, Robot
STR 10 CON 22 SIZ 6 INT 10 POW 9 DEX 23 CHA 13 HP 22 DB none Credits 30,000
Service History: Army 4
Weapons: Heavy Laser Pistol (1d8+2)
Armor: Ceramet Armor (7P/7B/7L)
Skills: Jump 20%, Climb 20%, Listen 20%, Spot Hidden 20%, Throw 20%, Brawl 20%, Move Quietly 25%, Hide 25%, First Aid 10%, Trade 15%, Intel/Counterintel 5%, Communications 5%, Computer 35%, Engineering 5%, Gate 5%, Maintenance 35%, Pilot 5%, Robotics 5%, Laser Pistol 50%

Magic World Rogues Gallery

Wherein your humble scribe presents an adventuring party for Magic World, from the Worlds of Wonder boxed set. This is BRP at its most basic, but that just makes it more enjoyable if you ask me. These four adventurers were created completely by-the-book. If I were to run something using this iteration of the BRP rules I’d definitely want to tweak a few things (like adding in the Dodge skill), but on the whole I think the “original” BRP + Worlds of Wonder is downright awesomely playable as-is.

Setting out from the village of Barnswallow Bend in the Duchy of Thraesborn, this curious group of travelers are headed to the Duke’s palace in Cardoun to ask for assistance in the fight against the raiding armies of Prince Harwyck of Fennais. The journey is long and perilous, as the road to the capital runs straight through both the Troll Hills and the Lost Forrest. But with the strong arm of Dolphinia, the stealthy blade of Shyle, the wits of Velturn, and the arcane power of Ordomox the Flame Wizard, the group has a fighting chance to reach their destination. Whether they can convince the crown to send help, though, is an altogether different matter.

Dolphinia Kinnet, Warrior
STR 15 CON 13 SIZ 10 INT 9 POW 11 DEX 8 CHA l0 HP 13 DB +1d6 Gold 13
Weapons: Battle Axe (1d8+2+db), Broadsword (1d8+1+db), Throwing Axe (1d6+1/2db)
Armor: Ring Mail (4), Shield (12)
Skills: Jump 50%, Climb 55%, Listen 45%, Spot 25%, Stealth 25%, Throw 45%, Brawl 45%, Hide 55%, First Aid 45%, Riding 40%, Swim 20%, Cut Purse 5%, Fine Manipulation 5%, Shield 60%, Battle Axe 60%, Sword 60%

Shyle Gantz, Rogue
STR 11 CON 14 SIZ 9 INT 11 POW 10 DEX 18 CHA l2 HP 14 DB none Gold 192
Weapons: Shortsword (1d6+1), Dagger (1d4+1)
Armor: Cuirboilli (3)
Skills: Jump 65%, Climb 65%, Listen 65%, Spot 65%, Stealth 65%, Throw 45%, Brawl 45%, Hide 65%, First Aid 45%, Riding 25%, Swim 20%, Cut Purse 90%, Fine Manipulation 90%, Short Sword 65%, Dagger 65%

Velturn the Builder, Scholar
STR 13 CON 6 SIZ 12 INT 14 POW 9 DEX 10 CHA 7 HP 6 DB none Gold 74
Weapons: Hammer (1d8+2)
Armor: Leather (2)
Skills: Jump 45%, Climb 55%, Listen 45%, Spot 25%, Stealth 25%, Throw 45%, Brawl 45%, Hide 55%, First Aid 45%, Riding 25%, Swim 20%, Cut Purse 5%, Fine Manipulation 5%, Literacy 70%, Lore 42%, First Aid 45%, Mercantile 42%, Philosophy 42%, Linguist (Barghrun, Kallestine, Ryellic) 42%, Mechanical 70%, Hammer 25%

Ordomox, Sorcerer
STR 5 CON 10 SIZ 6 INT 15 POW 16 DEX 13 CHA 14 HP 10 DB none Gold 66
Weapons: Staff (1d8), Dagger (1d4+1), Shortsword (1d6+1)
Armor: Leather (2)
Skills: Jump 45%, Climb 55%, Listen 45%, Spot 25%, Stealth 25%, Throw 45%, Brawl 45%, Hide 55%, First Aid 45%, Riding 25%, Swim 20%, Cut Purse 5%, Fine Manipulation 5%, Literacy 50%, Shortsword 45%, Staff 45%, Dagger 45%, Blast 45%, Conjure/Dismiss Fire Elemental 45%, Light 45%, Vision 45%

Naming Fictional Chinese Provinces

Gianni is at it again! This time he’s provided a set of tables for generating names for fitional Chinese-esque provinces. The man knows his stuff and is awesome for sharing his knowledge with the rest of us geeks who, let’s be honest, would probably throw a couple of random Chinese-sounding syllables together and wind up naming a province “Dog Excrement.” Or something even worse. Go check it out if you’re interested!

Naming Fictional Chinese Cities

Hey! In case you missed it, a very nice guide to naming fictional Chinese cities has been posted over at The Celestial Empire.

If I’m not mistaken, the blog in question is operated by Gianni Vacca, the author of the book that’s also named The Celestial Empire, which is an awesome resource for (and I quote) “Roleplaying in Imperial China” for Basic RolePlaying. So you can rest assured that the semi-random name generation won’t leave you stuck with names that people who actually speak Mandarin (or maybe it’s Cantonese? I admit to being a clueless gweilo^* here) won’t laugh at or be offended by.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to pay a visit to that noodle house in Ningzhou! The Celestial Empire blog has lots of other neat stuff to look at, too. So stop there along your journey.

^*Why is it that so many derogatory terms for white people start with “G”? Gweilo. Gaijin. Gringo. Gorey. Gurra. It’s odd.

(My Dreams Of) Gaming Plans For 2012 (Because You Care)

So the Thanksgiving game happened. It was a WWII commando raid using a Mini Six/D6 Adventure mashup and it was a blast. But I’m not here to talk about it. Not right now, anyway. I’m gunning to do that a little later on, when I’m ready to post the materials I put together for the game. Nope, instead I’m here to talk about what I’m hoping to run next.

First up, sometime during the Winter Solstice Holidays break, I’m hoping to pull off a BASH game for a friend, his 13 year old son, and maybe a few other folks. I’m currently thinking Golden Age/WWII supers kicking fascist ass in Europe. But the ideas are swirling and unformed at this point, so who knows what (if anything) will ultimately come to pass?

After that, I’m pondering a few possibilities:

Some kind of hard(-ish) SciFi using good ol’ Classic Traveller and some Stars Without Number action
Labyrinth Lord/AEC romps through either the Against The Giants series or maybe Castle Amber, The Lost City, or some other classic modules
A BRP– (or possibly BoL-) based, Mythic Russia-fueled, Russian fantasy game
A Mini Six (with add-ons from Open D6) or Mercenaries, Spies, And Private Eyes 80s-style espionage game
A Call of Cthulhu Dreamlands miniseries (probably not until the CoC game I’m playing in wraps up, though)
A BRP/Renaissance (or maybe Tunnels & Trolls or Honor + Intrigue) black powder fantasy adventure
Droids. Seriously. Either with the original rules (unlikely) or with something else (D6, maybe?)

just to name a few (in no particular order). All of this is subject to change (i.e., my whims and interests) and player buy-in, of course.

That’s Great And All, But What About Giving Us Some Sweet Gaming Content, Pao?

Yeah, I know. My content output has absolutely tanked of late (and, honestly, not-so-late). I’m struggling with that, really. Part of me wants to be cranking out stuff like I had been, but another part just isn’t inclined to spend the time on it. So it’s not quite burnout, per se. It’s more a case of conflicting interests and such. So to answer the question that I asked on no one in particular’s behalf, “Reply hazy. Try again later.”

Echo Chamber News Flash: Free Renaissance SRD

Cakebread & Walton have released a free SRD for Renaissance, which is “a new D100 system based on Newt Newport’s OpenQuest, and is designed for historical and fantasy gaming in the age of black powder weapons.”

Interesting stuff, to be sure. So go download it already and prepare to do battle – using secret weapons designed by Da Vinci – against the forces of darkness. Or something.

Crimson Shoals (A BoL/BRP Adventure)

Turning his talented eye from the Lovecraftian to the Howardian, regular Strange Stones reader and accomplished adventure author G-Man give us something new to chew on:

Crimson Shoals (20977 downloads )

Wind-driven rain pounds the dark outcroppings of reef, churning the nearby shoals into froth. Despite the gloom, occasional lightning flashes reveal a small forest of splintered ship’s masts, shattered keels, and barnacle-encrusted hulls. This watery hell is a ship’s graveyard!

Less than a quarter-league’s walk (or swim) looms the silhouette of a massive war-galley. But this is no Argossean or Zingaran vessel: the swept-back stern, low draught, and curving prow mark the craft as Stygian. Why is she beached here, in the Western Ocean, and not cruising the calmer waters of the Styx? Doubtless, the answer lies somewhere below her dark decks…

As with his immensely popular The Unholy Greyl (33376 downloads ) , The Sea Devil's Debutante (28005 downloads ) , and Children Of The Void (23734 downloads ) adventures, Crimson Shoals (20977 downloads ) is written for Barbarians of Lemuria and contains several new monsters, some treasures, and other goodness you just can’t live without.

Unlike his three previous adventures, Crimson Shoals (20977 downloads ) contains stats and writeups for all of the key NPCs and mosters in Basic RolePlaying format as well. How’s that for some fancy?

Great Crom, people! Why are you still reading this drivel I’m writing? Download Crimson Shoals (20977 downloads ) already and get yer Hyborian on!

BRP Characters: The Greek Resistance

Wherein your humble scribe presents a small group of lightly-statted NPCs for use with Basic RolePlaying.

Iorgos Vassilides and his compatriots are a group of Greek resistance fighters recruited to help November Company with a series of raids against the occupying Nazi army. Vassilides and company are more than happy to assist, thanks in no small part to the better equipment and food provided by the Allies.

Iorgos Vassilides
STR 18 CON 14 SIZ 15 INT 12 POW 10 DEX 10 APP 12 HP 15
Rifle 45% (1d8), Revolver 40% (1d6), Brawling 55% (1d3+1d6), Knife 35% (1d4+1d6)
Skills: Command 35%, Demolition 15%, Dodge 45%, K: Greek Mountains 85%, L: English 20%

Apollo Papasotiriou
STR 10 CON 16 SIZ 11 INT 15 POW 11 DEX 16 APP 12 HP 14
Rifle 75% (1d8), Revolver 55% (1d6), Brawling 35% (1d3), Knife 35% (1d4)
Skills: Climb 55%, Demolition 15%, Dodge 55%, Hide 35%, L: English 10%, Spot 75%, Tracking 35%

Martinos Papasotiriou
STR 16 CON 13 SIZ 17 INT 11 POW 13 DEX 13 APP 9 HP 15
Rifle 50% (1d8), Revolver 45% (1d6), Brawling 50% (1d3+1d6), Knife 35% (1d4+1d6)
Skills: Bargain 35%, Demolitions 40%, Dodge 35%, Fast Talk 40%, Insight 25%, L: English: 10%, Slight of Hand 45%

Isidoros Cosmatos
STR 16 CON 15 SIZ 9 INT 13 POW 16 DEX 11 APP 16 HP 12
Rifle 40% (1d8), Revolver 35% (1d6), Brawling 45% (1d3+1d4), Knife 65% (1d4+1d4)
Skills: Dodge 40%, First Aid 55%, K: Greek Cities 65%, L: English 55%, L: German 30%, Listen 55%, Medicine 25%