Legend vs. OpenQuest

[daddystabz]

I own Legend and MRQII and I am a big fan of both. I am though also VERY interested in OpenQuest because I here it is mostly the same basic system but stremlined a great deal.

My question to you is....is it worth it to buy OpenQuest if I already own Legend? Is it streamlined enough to be possibly worth my while in terms of having a streamlined D100 fantasy game?

[Lemnoc]

My question to you is....is it worth it to buy OpenQuest if I already own Legend? Is it streamlined enough to be possibly worth my while in terms of having a streamlined D100 fantasy game?

Since it's free, why not get a copy?

http://d101games.co.uk/books/openquest/

I've found OQ very useful as a comparative and as a means of unlocking several obscure game mechanics. Combat is just as deadly, but abstracted... that seems to me to be the major difference. There may be some campaigns (extreme high fantasy) where that abstraction is useful. I was initially drawn to OQ's simplified skills list, but ultimately they're not terribly more simplified than Legend.

[Newtus]

I won't answer directly (cos I'm biased ) but a really nice comparison was made between MRQ2 and OQ.

http://akraticwizardry.blogspot.com/201 ... quest.html

There's also a ton of reviews linked from this page

http://d101games.co.uk/books/openquest/ ... t-reviews/

[tzunder]

Yes. Have both. You may, for example, replace the Legend combat system with the OQ one. It's utterly interchangeeable. OR, vice versa!

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Just getting back into D100 after a LONG time (I have the boxed Worlds Of Wonder) and all the variations of D100 methods is amazing. OpenQuest is a great FREE document to add to my collection.

Thanks for the linky!

[Mankcam]

Well I think the way to go is with with LEGEND, but OpenQuest has a great way of simplifying things and is a useful resource to have in your bag of tricks.

OpenQuest has some good settings attached to it. 'The Age of Shadow' is a Tolkienesque setting if you want to do generic classic fantasy, and I have been told that 'The Savage North' and 'Life And Death' are very good sword n sorcery settings (on my wish list at present). You could easily GM LEGEND using OpenQuest resources, which I suspect many people are doing. There is an OpenQuest Sci-Fi setting in the works, 'River of Heaven', and I expect this will bring more focus to OpenQuest as there are very few BRP sci-fi settings out there.

I recommend using LEGEND as your base rules, as it is reasonably simple and will have more resources. However if you find a particular LEGEND mechanic too clunky then have a look how Newt did it in OpenQuest and see if that works for you.

[Lemnoc]

I recommend using LEGEND as your base rules, as it is reasonably simple and will have more resources. However if you find a particular LEGEND mechanic too clunky then have a look how Newt did it in OpenQuest and see if that works for you.

Yes, I completely agree. If you don't understand, for example, how Charging works in Legend, read how it's handled in OQ and see if that doesn't unlock some mystery. OQ's section on Ganging Up provides some very useful nuggets on how to resolve mass combats. OQ's GM advice on Skills testing is illuminating when compared against very similar wisdom offered in Legend.

Sometimes, just reading an identical rule reported in a different way is helpful.

Legend's char gen is superior. Legend's combat system is more fiddly, but IMO superior. OQ has a few monsters that can be easily and instantly transported into the Legend system—given that their list is taken from the MRQ SRD, they should be. I love OQ's PDF bookmarks, and would welcome similar detail in the Legend PDF. I actually prefer OQ's more limited (and abstracted) list of Skills, but Legend's are not especially overwhelming or cumbersome in comparison.

"Age of Shadow," while purportedly written for OQ, 'ports right over to Legend. Clicks in place like it was made for it. There are some great beasts and a few interesting takes on weapons therein.

We're living in age of an almost embarrassing riches in gaming, with the quality of these products from their various creators.

[Prime_Evil]

I'd point out that Newt has produced a couple of good Swords & Sorcery settings for OpenQuest that are fairly compatible with Legend or RuneQuest:

• The Savage North - This is basically a setting reminiscent of Conan's Hyborian Age with the serial numbers filed off. Theres a preview available on the Lulu page for the print version, but the book is also available in PDF format if you prefer that format.
• Life and Death - this one is more in the vein of Clark Ashton Smith. There's a PDF preview available if you'd like to check it out.