Location, Location, Location
- Thread starter DamonJynx
- Start date
RandomNumber
Banded Mongoose
DamonJynx said:
Yep - I'm on the North Shore.
RandomNumber
Banded Mongoose
DamonJynx said:
Actually - how do you guys get Mongoose stuff in Aus? I've been getting it shipped from the UK which isn't so bad now that the pound has gone down the toilet. Is there a local distributor who charges reasonable prices?
Cheers,
RandomNumber
Banded Mongoose
Thanks taxboy That makes a lot of sense. I'm getting up to speed with how to buy RPG's after a 15 or so year hiatus. Time was, i'd save up pocket and birthday money and get a train to London to visit Game Centre on Tottenham Court Road. Now I can download straight into my iPad... I need to go lie down.
I bought my MRQII and Elric stuff through Drivethrurpg.com(downloadable PDF's). The only issue I have with that is, that the bloody things are not bookmarked or linked. As they're secure documents you can't do that yourself either. I don't know what software the guys use for typesetting or however that works on the publishing side, but you'd think they'd be able to produce a linked PDF. I do that all the time at work just using MS Word and Adobe.
The Tin Soldier in Sydney and Penrith (my LGS) do have some Runequest stuff but it's not cheap, probably cheaper ordering it direct from Mongoose and paying postage.
There's another place in Melbourne - Milsims.com.au that have mail order and they're a fair bit cheaper than Tin Soldier, haven't tried them for RQ though.
Hey randomcub, are you starting your own group, or looking to join one?
The Tin Soldier in Sydney and Penrith (my LGS) do have some Runequest stuff but it's not cheap, probably cheaper ordering it direct from Mongoose and paying postage.
There's another place in Melbourne - Milsims.com.au that have mail order and they're a fair bit cheaper than Tin Soldier, haven't tried them for RQ though.
Hey randomcub, are you starting your own group, or looking to join one?
RandomNumber
Banded Mongoose
DamonJynx said:
Hi there - turns out Tin Soldier is about 10 mins walk from work so I'll take a look, thanks. I actually downloaded some supplements last night from Drivethru. I guess I just have to get used to not being able to hold the book and turn the pages... A lot more convenient though.
I'm not in a group at the moment. I wish I was but between work, kids and everything else that's not a realistic proposition at the moment... more's the pity. I'm going to have to settle for hanging out here and reading the books on my iPad. RPG voyeurism...
I haven't lost my love of RQ over the years but I'm mainly taking another look at it of late as a mate of mine (Simulacrum) is shortly to have his RQ campaign published by Mongoose - Age of Treason. I'm really looking forward to seeing a campaign I played in over pizza cartons and beer bottles actually see the light of day!
RandomNumber
Banded Mongoose
Whereabouts are you, BTW - Penrith?
RandomNumber said:
I guess I'm lucky, I have the best of both worlds. I can print them off at the work and bind them. So long as I don't go too crazy the boss is OK with it.
RandomNumber said:
Hey, that's pretty damn awesome. What setting does it use? I remember reading about that somewhere, a forum perhaps? But good on him. With the rates publishers pay, things like this are a real labour of love...
I'd like to write for the hobby, unfortunately, like yourself, life gets in the way... and I have to admit, it's much easier talking about it (writing), than it is doing it!
RandomNumber said:
Yes. Out in one of the suburbs of Penrith.
RandomNumber
Banded Mongoose
Hi there,
Yeah, it's pretty cool that Simulacrum's campaign (Age of Treason) is going to hit the press. I got back in touch with RQ, and Mongoose, in the process of trying to help out with re-reading the drafts. I'm pretty sure he's not doing it for the money!
I'm hoping that Simulacrum is hanging out here somewhere and will pitch in with a bit more background but, essentially, it's a very gritty, humanocentric fantasy world. It's not high fantasy. Echoes of movies like Centurion, Gladiator etc but noting that the campaign pre-dates those movies by about 15 years. We loved playing there and the campaign lasted for years of monthly sessions. The campaign hangs together very well and feels authentic - in large part because Simulacrum spent many years of under grad and post grad study in areas which lend themselves very readily to understanding both history and the fabric and motivations of ancient and classical societies. In short he dossed around for several years reading old books whilst the rest of us worked for a living ( :wink: ). All makes for a great campaign though.
If you search messages paired by me ( there aren't many ) it will take you back to some of my earlier posts this year on the Age of Treason setting - it did come up in this forum after a teaser in The Mongoose house mag.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Yeah, it's pretty cool that Simulacrum's campaign (Age of Treason) is going to hit the press. I got back in touch with RQ, and Mongoose, in the process of trying to help out with re-reading the drafts. I'm pretty sure he's not doing it for the money!
I'm hoping that Simulacrum is hanging out here somewhere and will pitch in with a bit more background but, essentially, it's a very gritty, humanocentric fantasy world. It's not high fantasy. Echoes of movies like Centurion, Gladiator etc but noting that the campaign pre-dates those movies by about 15 years. We loved playing there and the campaign lasted for years of monthly sessions. The campaign hangs together very well and feels authentic - in large part because Simulacrum spent many years of under grad and post grad study in areas which lend themselves very readily to understanding both history and the fabric and motivations of ancient and classical societies. In short he dossed around for several years reading old books whilst the rest of us worked for a living ( :wink: ). All makes for a great campaign though.
If you search messages paired by me ( there aren't many ) it will take you back to some of my earlier posts this year on the Age of Treason setting - it did come up in this forum after a teaser in The Mongoose house mag.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Ahhh.
Thought I'd seen it somewhere before. I'll keep an eye out for it.
The beauty of these things is that even if you don't use the whole setting, there are often bits and pieces you "borrow" in their entirety or that spark ideas for your own games. Whether it's a new way to use a skill, or an idea for a scenario, it's all good.
Thought I'd seen it somewhere before. I'll keep an eye out for it.
The beauty of these things is that even if you don't use the whole setting, there are often bits and pieces you "borrow" in their entirety or that spark ideas for your own games. Whether it's a new way to use a skill, or an idea for a scenario, it's all good.
Simulacrum
Mongoose
DamonJynx said:
I hope I've achieved that - aside from a detailed setting that focuses on one region and therefor has plenty of room for more to be revealed in future supplements, the book is crammed with rules additions and mods to tailor the system to the setting. Some of these will be generically useful - there is a lot of flesh added to the bones of social and communication skills such as Oratory, a bunch of stuff on how to use bribery alongside persuasion skills such as Influence (and even Seduction), and literacy (via a new Advanced skill called Education that you will get if you come from a "civilised" background). Military know-how is elaborated on with the Command skill, and there is extensive elaboration on Unarmed (Brawl) skill and how to use it with impromptu weapons. IMO the RQ2 combat rules are the first set that really makes a bar-room brawl as interesting as a stand up fight with arour and weapons, so it's great to add more to that.
Religion has a makeover to fit the setting, with cults being only one way to meet your deity. Most gods take private callers too, and the religion of the central culture to the book is powered by sorcery-type rituals. There is plenty of scope for characters to form their own cults if they so choose, as there can be many and rival cults honouring the same deity.
Sorcery works slightly differently, with longer spell durations possible, and there are detailed rules for both alchemy and enchantment that priovide a coherent alternative system. However the meytaphysical environment is one in which many different systems can co-exist as alernative sciences or philosophies - so you can port in your favourite approach if you want (and Blood Magic will be a great souce of additional approaches). Spirit magic is different as the emphasis is on spirit intrusion to the physical world rather than departures into the spirit world - Spirit Walking is a rare feat, but spirit manifestation is not.
Overall the feel is quite S&S, but I have retained the ability for any character to learn a little magic - Divine magic in particular - because that in my view is one of the great enduring charms of playing RQ compared to a class-based system. The adventures in the book, which comprise an extended campaign, are military themed. The basic premise is that ordinary citizens called up for army service are confronted with a situation in which they earn the right to call themselves adventurers when they hit civvy street again, and show themselves to be "different" from the average joe, as a PC should be.
Anyway, that's enough of a summary for now - I hope we'll have some preview pages (and a lovely map) up as a preview within the week.
