New RQII Character Sheet

[MongooseMatt]

Just to let you know, we have posted the new character sheet for RuneQuest II. You can download it from;

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1755

 

[Deleriad]

As someone who is really looking forward to RQII I hope this isn't the final character sheet because the one I'm looking at using Adobe Reader 9 is spectacularly ugly. On the plus side it doesn't have alternating shaded boxes so at least it's cheap to print. On the negative side it appears to be using Comic Sans as a font and has what look like real usability issues: e.g. the weapon skills appear to be on a different page to weapon stats, similarly hit points and fatigue.

Perhaps this is a prototype that has been mistakenly uploaded. If not I guess it's supposed to look "old school."

 

[Vile]

Oh, for the old Games Workshop RQII character sheets of the 1980's, which managed to fit more information than this on a single page, and look professional about it ...

 

[Rurik]

On a positive note base skills seem to be handled pretty much exactly how I do it in my houserules - every skill is is either stat+stat or statx2, no exceptions. I agonized over cutting SIZ as a negative stealth modifier but it was too messy to keep. This is nice and simple and consistent.

Too bad there is no SRD so that will reflect this improvement.

On a related note I allow characters to add one of the base stats to their experience roll for improvement - when making an IR for Atheletics either STR or DEX could be used as a modifier to the roll. Seems to work very well.

Have I bitched about the fact there is not an SRD yet?

Oh yes, I have. Oh well. I'll have to wait until next time to bitch some more about it.

 

[Deleriad]

On a positive note base skills seem to be handled pretty much exactly how I do it in my houserules - every skill is is either stat+stat or statx2, no exceptions.

I did the same though I kept the SIZ modifier. Would probably have bitten the bullet and dropped it in the end though. I did notice there's an "Improvement Modifier" as an attribute.

 

[Rurik]

On a positive note base skills seem to be handled pretty much exactly how I do it in my houserules - every skill is is either stat+stat or statx2, no exceptions.

I did the same though I kept the SIZ modifier. Would probably have bitten the bullet and dropped it in the end though. I did notice there's an "Improvement Modifier" as an attribute.

I didn't want to do something like (DEXx2 + INT - SIZ) as the base for Stealth, but would have had to to keep all base skills in the Characteristic times two range for starting percentage. In MRQ1 stealth gets screwed because it is DEX+10-SIZ, but SIZ is rolled on 2d6+6 while DEX is rolled on 3d6.

Good catch on the Improvement Modifier. It looks like there will be one global modifier (INT based at least in part I suspect). MRQ Needed a modifier, as Improvement Rolls are limited unlike older RQ iterations. It sucks when you get 3 IR's and miss two rolls. A modifier will help a lot.

So character sheet aesthetics aside the early info about MRQ2 all looks good.

 

[Loz]

Good catch on the Improvement Modifier. It looks like there will be one global modifier (INT based at least in part I suspect). MRQ Needed a modifier, as Improvement Rolls are limited unlike older RQ iterations. It sucks when you get 3 IR's and miss two rolls. A modifier will help a lot.

RQII contains both a characteristic-based modifier and the Improvement Modifier.

You'll have to wait for the game for more details.

 

[zozotroll]

So it looks like we need a third page to contain all the rest of the skills

Thank you very much for not making another printer and eye unfriendly shaded sheet.

 

[soltakss]

Lots of white space, large fonts, a picture of a man for hit locations, a big logo, a quater of a page taken up by the logo and background descriptions, everything about a character sheet that I don't like.

Games publishers normally produce character sheets that I would never use, except for the excellent RQ2 Sapienza sheets.

Still, it gives an idea of what to put on a character sheet.

 

[SnowDog]

Granted, the character sheet is quite spartan. I am glad that the font is quite large because my eyes are not what they used to be Still, the sheet could be more appealing (the same applies to basic Traveller character sheet). Anyway, I am sure I can live with it at least for the starters.

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

Maybe Mongoose could have open competitions for designing character sheets?

Treat the posted example as the "official starting point" showing all the info that needs to be included and run from there.

The best for each game could be judged (possibly by a poll, or by the Mongoose), and then become the "official" character sheet available from the Mongoose site, replacing the "temporary" ones that are initially posted.

It could even become a reasonably cheap (and low-risk) community involvement project for Mongoose each time they produce a new game or setting, announced on the lists and in S&P each time.

Think of all that lovely free advertising.

 

[Ssendam]

Maybe Mongoose could have open competitions for designing character sheets?

I think that's a fantastic idea.

 

[Rex]

I would second that because especially over on the 2000AD side of the forums, there are some guys that have put together some fantastic character sheets.

~Rex.....Demands that the Ducks be a Definitive Master Race of Uber Power in RQII and have their Own Character sheet as befitting a race of their majestic Stature.

 

[Paladin]

Maybe Mongoose could have open competitions for designing character sheets?

I think that's a fantastic idea.

3rded. Free copy of the corerules is a simple enough prize and more than worth the cost to MP.

 

[Mongoose Pete]

Sounds like a very good idea to me too.

 

[TrippyHippy]

As someone who is really looking forward to RQII I hope this isn't the final character sheet because the one I'm looking at using Adobe Reader 9 is spectacularly ugly. On the plus side it doesn't have alternating shaded boxes so at least it's cheap to print. On the negative side it appears to be using Comic Sans as a font and has what look like real usability issues: e.g. the weapon skills appear to be on a different page to weapon stats, similarly hit points and fatigue.

Perhaps this is a prototype that has been mistakenly uploaded. If not I guess it's supposed to look "old school."

Print it as a 'two up' sheet - on one landscape sheet side-to side. It comes out quite readable I have found. That's basically what I want - everything simply and clearly laid out on one sheet.

 

[nezeray]

I'll put my vote in here: Anything that is Form Fillable or a word doc/excel spreadsheet (open office doc even!).

When demoing for a company it's nice to have a character sheet that you can type the data into, so you don't make people try to read your handwriting.

The contest idea is very cool too.

James / Nezeray
If career was based on handwriting, I'd be a neuro-surgeon.

 

[SnowDog]

Form fillable character sheets are fine for demos and NPCs but I don't see much use for them in normal use. There are usually so much changing during the game (say, skill levels and hit points) that you would have to constantly print a new sheet.

But yes, a design contest would be cool!

 

[nezeray]

Form fillable character sheets are fine for demos and NPCs but I don't see much use for them in normal use. There are usually so much changing during the game (say, skill levels and hit points) that you would have to constantly print a new sheet.

But yes, a design contest would be cool!

Actually if it's one that you can Save (with acrobat reader) then it's a great thing for in game, you can use a laptop and update on the run. Obviously everyone doesn't have a laptop, but many of us geeks do.

An idea would also be to have a box for the "default" or "old" value and a box that is empty for use at the table. Then you can update the sheet when you get back to a computer.

I do agree that forms aren't for everyone, but most you can also print off without filling in the blanks and use them as a "normal" character sheet.

James / Nezeray

 

[SnowDog]

Actually if it's one that you can Save (with acrobat reader) then it's a great thing for in game, you can use a laptop and update on the run. Obviously everyone doesn't have a laptop, but many of us geeks do.

An idea would also be to have a box for the "default" or "old" value and a box that is empty for use at the table. Then you can update the sheet when you get back to a computer.

I do agree that forms aren't for everyone, but most you can also print off without filling in the blanks and use them as a "normal" character sheet.

James / Nezeray

Yes, I have a laptop, too. The thing is that it's the only computer at our house and my wife would get pretty upset if I took that with me to run a game

But yes, to have it calculate default values or something that doesn't change all too often, it would be useful. Still if you could just print blank versions of the sheet, it would be a win-win for all kinds of uses.