Countless times over the last three years, I have mentioned how much I really miss roleplaying. Finally, I figured out a way to get back into it, though it involves a lot of reading. However, I'm actually up to it... I think.
I grew up reading - I was a voracious reader - it has always been one of my favorite pastimes. But, for whatever reason, it has become harder and harder these last several years. Even when I enjoy a book, I find myself setting it down and never picking it up again. It bugs me, but what can I say? I simply don't feel like reading as much as I used to lately.
So forcing myself to learn GURPS and develop a fantasy campaign world based on the Role Aids supplements is a fantastic way to kill two birds with one stone. I also came across the Warcom program for use with War Law (Rolemaster), so I will likely get back to work on that campaign world at some point. I plan to present the RM campaign material at some point, but the GURPS/Role Aids campaign is a little dicey.
In short, you would have to own the same books I do - basically the entire Role Aids product line - and they are all OOP and could be extremely hard to find, not to mention expensive. Aside from that line, I am also using some other, OOP and rare gaming products in this endeavor. You could probably work around this stuff pretty easily, but it would take more time than it's worth.
I am also going to crib some kind of house system because I do not want anyone testing with 3d6; I will probably change it to a d20 outright, like I did with Champions. In this case, it should be even less of an issue, since rolls of 17-18 are automatic failures; making rolls of 19-20 auto-fails maintains the intrinsic ctructure and shouldn't upset game balance at all.
This is an incredibly fun project, as it covers all the bases: I have a solid structure from which to work (GURPS), can finally incorporate the in-depth materials contained in the Role Aids supplements, and am largely creating a fantasy game and world from scratch (as it were). But, like every project I undertake for some reason, it is also time-consuming.
But that's why this blog exists, in many regards! I'll keep you updated on my progress as I go. And no, I have not put Dark Conspiracy on the backburner or anything like that; I am still working on those materials. I met some people who might be interested in gaming, but have never played before. A fantasy setting is better for that, I've found; sci-fi and near-future games make it harder for them to suspend their disbelief and relax.
© C Harris Lynn, 2009
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
2 comments:
This is about the most exhaustive list of Role Aids supplements I've found and I have several books not listed. I also don't have the box in which all the adventures are stored (it's somewhere in storage), so I don't know which of the others I have.
Anyway, my first move is to learn GURPS, read through the immediate Role Aids books, figure out a mass combat method, and create a history. I'm not sure I will even bother with a map at this point.
And guess what? HERO (Champions) is also a 3-18/d20 scale system. I happen to have Fantasy Hero Companion and the very first thing in it? A mass combat system.
I don't have Fantasy Hero itself (I wasn't aware there was such a book), but I have the HERO system in the Big Blue Book.
I'm going to keep going with GURPS. HERO is a bit too complicated to spring on first-timers and the whole thing's going to be an amalgam, anyway. Heck, that's half the fun!
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