Different New "of Legend" Settings

[DamonJynx]

Stuff

I think you've hit the nail on the head.

Older folks like me (late 40's) are probably more inclined to be drawn to the 'pulp' fiction style settings, Eternal Champion and Conan (not my personal cup of tea). When I first started reading fantasy, Moorcock was one of the first authors I picked up. This was back in the late 70's and their wasn't anywhere near the diversity in fantastic fiction as there is today. I can't count how many fantasy novels are sitting on my shelf at the moment, a couple of hundred at least and the majority of them would make fine RPG settings. However, that doesn't mean they should be made into settings. Fantasy fiction is becoming more popular, I don't know if the same is true for Hobby Gaming in particular tabletop RPG's.

I reiterate my earlier point, Mongoose should support and develop the Legend lines and settings it currently has, making the world of WR the default Legend setting, and leave additional settings to 3rd party authors. D&D, whilst it has had several settings, still focused primarily on 3 settings supporting them to the hilt. That model works for one of the biggest publishers in the industry, it should work for Mongoose as well.

 

[Redcrow]

I would love to see the Conan setting done for Legend, but even if it never appears it won't stop me from running a Conan game using the Legend ruleset.

Instead of another setting, something that might be useful would be a toolkit book to create your own High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Swords & Sorcery, etc. settings. Sort of a 'Worlds of Legend' type thing. It would basically do for Legend what GURPS Fantasy does for GURPS.

 

[Simulacrum]

For my part, once the companion volume for Age of Treason is out, I'd be happy to get approaches from either Mongoose or from third parties interested in developing further books to support it in addition to those I author myself.

What's interesting right now is that the total universe of Legend owners is already outstripping the universe of RuneQuest II. We have no idea what proportion of those will actually have a go and stick with the system or find one of the related systems as a result. But it cannot help but create an increase in the market for supplements and settings, which will mean there is more chance a supplement will pay its way than hitherto.

I think the idea of a general settings toolkit is a good one. Many people buying settings books are of course just looking for neat ideas and approaches to pilfer for their homebrews. A settings toolkit would offer a good bang for your buck if that's why you are buying.

 

[DamonJynx]

The Elric core rulebook does this to a limited extent (world building toolkit). It actually provides tables for creating other planes of the multi-verse for Elric/EC games. The concept could be expanded further to generate just about any type of world you would like. Couple that with the excellent work in Empires and well, you'd be pretty right to go, I would think.

 

[alex_greene]

A book dedicated to various kinds of explorers, "Explorers of Legend," would be useful.

Think of Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco de Gama, Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, John Cabot, Sebastian Cabot and Samuel de Champlain; Hernando Cortes, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando De Soto, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Juan Ponce de Leon; Marco Polo; Amerigo Vespucci (he got an entire continent named after him - how legendary is that?) and others.

In a more modern setting, the likes of Ernest Shackleton, Sir Edmund Hillary, Bleriot, Kay Cottee (first woman to complete a non-stop solo circumnavigation in 1988), David Scott Cooper (first solo circumnavigation via the North-West Passage) and Ellen McArthur (fastest solo circumnavigation by a woman, 2001) should offer inspirations for such a book.

Even in fiction, consider what your characters would do if they stumbled across the Elder Things' base in At The Mountains of Madness ... ah, but there we've strayed into someone else's game ...

 

[gravedigger118]

I would like to see a series of "GM toolkits" or "genre toolkits"

Something along the lines of "fantasy toolkit" which would have things necessary to make your own fantasy setting (i.e. example races, cults, weapons, heroic abilities, rules modifications, etc...) and advice on running it.

Also a "horror toolkit" to include gothic horror, modern horror, etc...

"modern toolkit" for modern day stuff

"steampunk toolkit" for steampunk and victorian stuff

"age of sail" toolkit for pirates, etc...

"Political intrigue" toolkit for more political games, etc....

 

[jwpacker]

I would like to see a series of "GM toolkits" or "genre toolkits"

I'd like to see these as well. Much as we have GURPS: Fantasy and Fantasy Hero, for two other generic game systems, we could have Fantasy Legend, and Space Legend and Horror Legend, etc.

That said, I'd not say no to some other complete worlds. Creating all those maps and cultures and weapon preferences and cults and guilds and factions is a lot of work!

 

[DrBargle]

I would like to see a series of "GM toolkits" or "genre toolkits"

I'd third that - and fitting with the budget / smaller format virtues of Legend, these could be quite short - A GM's guide to creating colourful NPCs / cults / ruins etc., with examples, comments and reflections from game designers, and inspirations from fact and fiction, rather than a list of NPCs / cults / ruins etc.

64 page booklets, I'd suggest...

 

[Marrethiel]

I think that Mongoose should muscle into Classic Rolemaster and Shadow World... ICE is a fail anyway. I don't know of any RM fans that wouldn't like Legend! They did something with HERO system a long time ago, monsters and npc's had two stat blocks. Shadow world is high fantasy, has lots to offer and is old enough to have some pull in the RP world especially if mixed in with Space Master (classic).

 

[arthurfallz]

A while back I was asked by a friend to help him work up the background for a facebook MMO he was doing (he does a few fairly successfully and I'd done one like it before for him which he liked). My initial pitch was based on my own campaign which I regarded as classic. He apologized and said 'listen.... that might be normal to you but to me? It's pitch black and gloomy. I want something with dragons, elves, good guys, ruins and the whole shabang'.

You sort of need that as your gateway into fantasy RPG - THEN you can get clever and pitch weirdness (and incidently - Love AoL setting - really nice it's just not quite what the above is).

I agree with this utterly. You want to get people into a rules set, give them something they know. And gradually introduce them to new ideas.

And even better idea would be to give away the fantasy book as a .pdf for free from the website... an easy way to get people going and playing with the book, and include adds for the other settings with discussions about "this novel is kinda like this setting book or ours, this movie is kinda like this setting book of ours.."

Because Tolkien is not generic fantasy (a big fan here)... and I came to RQII/Legend because to me it seemed ideal to do Tolkien in. But when I want cheese n' crackers fantasy, I'd still love to play RQII/Legend. A setting sourcebook would be awesome to introduce my friends.

 

[DamonJynx]

Because Tolkien is not generic fantasy (a big fan here)... and I came to RQII/Legend because to me it seemed ideal to do Tolkien in.

What do you mean by 'generic'? Humanocentric? Swords & Sorcery?

 

[danskmacabre]

I think that Mongoose should muscle into Classic Rolemaster and Shadow World... ICE is a fail anyway. I don't know of any RM fans that wouldn't like Legend! They did something with HERO system a long time ago, monsters and npc's had two stat blocks. Shadow world is high fantasy, has lots to offer and is old enough to have some pull in the RP world especially if mixed in with Space Master (classic).

Many years ago I used to run Rolemaster with Shadow world (off and on over 10 years). It's a great world.
I mostly ran it on the continent of Jaiman in Tanara and also a Frontier town at the Northwest corner of Jaiman.
You'd have to get in touch with Terry Amthor, the author about using it as an official setting for Legend.
I agree, it would fit well with Legend.

 

[hanszurcher]

Shadow World would be a good candidate.

I'd also love to see a line of Thieves' World setting books for Legend.

Perhaps ElfQuest...

 

[Mankcam]

Well if Glorantha has got the boot then Shadow World would be great to pick the slack up I reckon. It's a huge world, only partially detailed in all those old Rolemaster supplements, a great place to sandbox.

I'm sure the licence would be much cheaper than going after The Hyborian Age again, or the numerous other published settings that take the eye, such as the Young Kingdoms, Middle-Earth, Malazan, The First Law etc. I doubt ICE is going to develop it further, especially since they now have the HARP rules in a new fantasy setting.

Worth considering, given all the back catalog that could be pillaged for narrative alone.

 

[alex_greene]

I do like Age of Treason as a setting for the above reason.

The game is wide open for the creation of a whole bunch of new core line sourcebooks to follow on from Monsters of Legend and Arms of Legend.

Something on heroic abilities, and the creation of memorable NPCs at all levels from basic mooks through to mortal archenemies and rival adventurer parties (Heroes and NPCs Of Legend), a guide on the creation of ruins and design of adventures for GMs (Adventures and Ruins of Legend), a Legend version of the recently-launched Traveller Campaign Guide (Chronicles / Campaigns / Cycles / Sagas of Legend), and three items all essentially covering the same thing, only on the small, medium and grand scales - Factions of Legend, Empires of Legend and Worlds of Legend. Perhaps something akin to GURPS Illuminati or Shadowrun's "Spy Games" and "Conspiracy Theories," too, focusing on the design of secrets and mysteries, shifting loyalties and politics, conspiracies and power plays behind the scenes (Secrets and Mysteries of Legend) ...

Who wants to start work writing on them?

 

[jwpacker]

For everyone who is clamoring for more Hyborean adventures, I understand that SJ is re-releasing their old-edition GURPS: Conan books in PDF. It'd need tweaking, of course, but would likely be great material to mine from.

 

[Prime_Evil]

It's good to see that SJ Games has brought GURPS Conan back into print - albeit in electronic format. They also have Munchkin Conan on the horizon, so it looks like they have a good relationship with Paradox. However, hopefully there is still a chance that Mongoose will get permission to print a Legend conversion of their Conan RPG - a Runequest-powered version of the Hyborian Age is something that I've always dreamed of!

I'm a bit disappointed that there's been a delay with the Spider God's Bride adventure though - I'm really looking forward to that one. But at least we may see more Age of Treason in the near future...

 

[alex_greene]

I do like Age of Treason as a setting for the above reason.

The game is wide open for the creation of a whole bunch of new core line sourcebooks to follow on from Monsters of Legend and Arms of Legend.

Something on heroic abilities, and the creation of memorable NPCs at all levels from basic mooks through to mortal archenemies and rival adventurer parties (Heroes and NPCs Of Legend), a guide on the creation of ruins and design of adventures for GMs (Adventures and Ruins of Legend), a Legend version of the recently-launched Traveller Campaign Guide (Chronicles / Campaigns / Cycles / Sagas of Legend), and three items all essentially covering the same thing, only on the small, medium and grand scales - Factions of Legend, Empires of Legend and Worlds of Legend. Perhaps something akin to GURPS Illuminati or Shadowrun's "Spy Games" and "Conspiracy Theories," too, focusing on the design of secrets and mysteries, shifting loyalties and politics, conspiracies and power plays behind the scenes (Secrets and Mysteries of Legend) ...

Who wants to start work writing on them?

Apparently, this has somehow spawned an entirely new thread.

*_* My name spawns new threads. I wonder if speaking it aloud will cause stones to shatter?

 

[Marrethiel]

I do like Age of Treason as a setting for the above reason.

The game is wide open for the creation of a whole bunch of new core line sourcebooks to follow on from Monsters of Legend and Arms of Legend.

Something on heroic abilities, and the creation of memorable NPCs at all levels from basic mooks through to mortal archenemies and rival adventurer parties (Heroes and NPCs Of Legend), a guide on the creation of ruins and design of adventures for GMs (Adventures and Ruins of Legend), a Legend version of the recently-launched Traveller Campaign Guide (Chronicles / Campaigns / Cycles / Sagas of Legend), and three items all essentially covering the same thing, only on the small, medium and grand scales - Factions of Legend, Empires of Legend and Worlds of Legend. Perhaps something akin to GURPS Illuminati or Shadowrun's "Spy Games" and "Conspiracy Theories," too, focusing on the design of secrets and mysteries, shifting loyalties and politics, conspiracies and power plays behind the scenes (Secrets and Mysteries of Legend) ...

Who wants to start work writing on them?

Apparently, this has somehow spawned an entirely new thread.

*_* My name spawns new threads. I wonder if speaking it aloud will cause stones to shatter?

:!:

 

[torus]

I think that Mongoose should muscle into Classic Rolemaster and Shadow World...

That started me thinking: Legend + Rolemaster crit tables = combat awesomeness!