State of Mongoose 2019, 2020 and in to 2021: Legend

[Bifford]

Legend
We know there will be a fair few of you wanting to hear about our plans for the Legend RPG. This entire line has been stymied by the graphics bottleneck, but this has started to be loosened up. It will take a few months to properly get back up to speed but, once there, we already have some manuscripts for new Legend books on file and we will be turning to them towards the end of 2019, all things going well.

You have not been forgotten.

Well, umm, a bit more info would have been nice.......

[Marlow Kurtz]

The Legend entry was a bit underwhelming, but it was better than last year's.

[Prime_Evil]

The news that things are moving forward is good. Hopefully we'll see at least one or two new releases for Legend in late 2019!

[Olaus Petrus]

I thought that Legend was abandoned but apparently it is not completely dead yet (although no new releases so far).

[MongooseMatt]

We have also had some issues in related areas: viewtopic.php?f=89&t=122244

[Prime_Evil]

It's sad to hear you lost such a talented staff member. Hopefully, this won't dent the production schedule too badly. And maybe we'll see some more Legend stuff one day...

[MongooseMatt]

It's sad to hear you lost such a talented staff member. Hopefully, this won't dent the production schedule too badly. And maybe we'll see some more Legend stuff one day...

We are already interviewing

[soltakss]

Legend is the Cinderella to Traveller's Ugly Sisters.

[Herne'sSon]

Glad to hear Legend will hopefully be getting some more love in the near future. I'm a long time D100-system fan, who's taken a break from RPGing over the last few years. When I started getting back into the hobby recently, decided Legend was the sweet spot for me. Some of the other D100-based games are a little too heavy for me, and I'm not really happy with the direction Chaosium's gone over the last few years.

I'd played a little MRQII when it was out, and liked it a lot. Glad to see Legend carrying the torch. Look forward to seeing what's on the horizon.

[Bifford]

Welcome to both Legend and the forums! It's great to have new folk here.

What makes CoC 6/7th too heavy and Legend just right for you?


Sam / Bifford

[Herne'sSon]

CoC 6 was the last version of that game I played. Checked out 7 when it came out, but it didn't do anything for me. It's finally become more of a historical simulation with an overlay of horror, rather than the great horror game it started as.

Some of the other modern d100-based games just sort of overwhelmed me when I started looking at them. And I've no interest at all in Glorantha, so I didn't even bother looking at the new edition of RQ.

I like how slim and modular Legend looks. Just the core material to get you going, and then optional extras if you need them (EG: I could see running a whole campaign with just the core book, Monsters 1, and -maybe- Spirit Magic). It's a great distillation and reorganization of MRQII, IMHO.

I do hope that eventually the MRQII Necromancy and Empires books get revised for Legend. Those were two of the best books for MRQII (IMHO, again) and would love to see them return.

[soltakss]

The Hooded Man will come to the forest, there to meet with Herne the Hunter, to be his son and do his bidding. -- Robin of Sherwood

You should look at Merrie England:Robyn Hode, it's for Revolution D100, but can be used with Legend really easily. Herne the Hunter is a guardian being that can be accessed. However, I am biased, as I wrote it.

[Herne'sSon]

Yeah, I’ve looked at that one. Great book! RD100 didn’t really do much for me, but YMMV and all.

[Prime_Evil]

You should look at Merrie England:Robyn Hode, it's for Revolution D100, but can be used with Legend really easily. Herne the Hunter is a guardian being that can be accessed. However, I am biased, as I wrote it.

For those of us at a certain age, it's impossible to read the Merry England: Robyn Hode without a Clannad soundtrack in the background...

[Prime_Evil]

Some of the other modern d100-based games just sort of overwhelmed me when I started looking at them. And I've no interest at all in Glorantha, so I didn't even bother looking at the new edition of RQ.

Have you checked out Newt Newport's OpenQuest?

I like how slim and modular Legend looks. Just the core material to get you going, and then optional extras if you need them (EG: I could see running a whole campaign with just the core book, Monsters 1, and -maybe- Spirit Magic). It's a great distillation and reorganization of MRQII, IMHO.

Legend is a great way to get new players into the D100 system. Mythras fleshes out the system with extra detail, but simplicity is a virtue when dealing with new players. I'd argue that Leged almost hits the sweet spot. The rules could do with another editorial pass if there is a revised edition, but the bones are pretty strong. If I were reworking the game, I would focus on pitching it to newcomers. I'm sure there are some 5e players out there looking for something that does gritty realism better than D&D. I'd possibly dial up the grimdark elements a couple of notches and target the game at the niche filled by Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch, Anna Spark Smith, Miles Cameron, et al.

And don't forget that Legend is released under the OGL, so it's possible to remix it if you want to use the system for your own purposes.

I do hope that eventually the MRQII Necromancy and Empires books get revised for Legend. Those were two of the best books for MRQII (IMHO, again) and would love to see them return.

So do I! There's a fair bit of work required to cut out all of the Gloranthan conrtent, but it's low hanging fruit if Mongoose decided to release some new Legend content quickly (hint, hint)

[Herne'sSon]

Legend is a great way to get new players into the D100 system. Mythras fleshes out the system with extra detail, but simplicity is a virtue when dealing with new players. I'd argue that Leged almost hits the sweet spot. The rules could do with another editorial pass if there is a revised edition, but the bones are pretty strong. If I were reworking the game, I would focus on pitching it to newcomers. I'm sure there are some 5e players out there looking for something that does gritty realism better than D&D. I'd possibly dial up the grimdark elements a couple of notches and target the game at the niche filled by Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch, Anna Spark Smith, Miles Cameron, et al.

I could definitely see some use for a super slim, quickstart version of the game. Maybe something like the Mythras Imperative, or the Magic World quick start.

Speaking of another editorial pass, is there a Legend errata somewhere? I've looked, but haven't found anything.

So do I! There's a fair bit of work required to cut out all of the Gloranthan conrtent, but it's low hanging fruit if Mongoose decided to release some new Legend content quickly (hint, hint)

Necromancy and Empires were great books when I was playing MRQII. I've still got copies, and could obviously just use them with minimal work. But I think it'd be great to see them redone for other people's use. Hopefully when (if?) Mongoose gets back to promoting Legend, those two books will get another shot.

[soltakss]

You should look at Merrie England:Robyn Hode, it's for Revolution D100, but can be used with Legend really easily. Herne the Hunter is a guardian being that can be accessed. However, I am biased, as I wrote it.

For those of us at a certain age, it's impossible to read the Merry England: Robyn Hode without a Clannad soundtrack in the background...

That was sort of the idea. However, Merrie England:Robyn Hode has nothing to do with the Robin of Sherwood TV Series, I hasten to add.

[Prime_Evil]

That was sort of the idea. However, Merrie England:Robyn Hode has nothing to do with the Robin of Sherwood TV Series, I hasten to add.

There was a recent episode of the Grognard Files podcast discussing the influence of the Robin of Sherwood TV Series on the British RPG scene of the 1980s. They actually managed to track down Graham Staplehurst - the guy responsible for the old ICE Robin Hood book. I loved that book so much back in the day! Staplehurst was such a great writer...his work on the MERP product line was some of the best. It's a pity he left the hobby.

[Condottiere]

As I recall, it was the first postmodern take on that folklore, if you assume Robin and Marian are actually true to the original narrative rather than a critique.

[Herne'sSon]

Legend
We know there will be a fair few of you wanting to hear about our plans for the Legend RPG. This entire line has been stymied by the graphics bottleneck, but this has started to be loosened up. It will take a few months to properly get back up to speed but, once there, we already have some manuscripts for new Legend books on file and we will be turning to them towards the end of 2019, all things going well.

You have not been forgotten.

So... we're pretty much at the "end of 2019"... Any news?