Quick and Easy Combat System

[rustorod]

Which of the 3 has the quickest/easiest combat system, Legend, RQ6, or BRP? I have a group of teenagers that gets board with long combat. We were going through Middle Earth with the old MERP system and it got long and drawn out. We switched to AD&D and it moved quicker. I want to run a some adventures in Middle Earth, but want to use Legend or one of the other systems.

Thanks.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Which of the 3 has the quickest/easiest combat system, Legend, RQ6, or BRP? I have a group of teenagers that gets board with long combat. We were going through Middle Earth with the old MERP system and it got long and drawn out. We switched to AD&D and it moved quicker. I want to run a some adventures in Middle Earth, but want to use Legend or one of the other systems.

Thanks.

If you want something simple, I'd be tempted to use OpenQuest - there's even a variant optimised for Tolkienesque high fantasy called Age of Shadow and the core rules are free in PDF format from RPGNow:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product/93513/The-Age-of-Shadow:-Role-playing-Game

 

[Dan True]

I think Legend and RQ6 are about the same. I prefer RQ6 however, as many of the errors in Legend have been handled.

It does take some time however. You can make RQ6/Legend combats quick, quicker than AD&D where you at high-level can have to remove hundreds of HP. In the beginning however, RQ6 combat is slow because people are unfamiliar with it - but when they get the hang of the manoeuvres it can move very quickly indeed - most of the time in my fights are spent looking at the overviews for CMs/SEs.

- Dan

 

[jux]

Can anyone comment the Magic World?
http://www.chaosium.com/article.php?story_id=508

 

[rust]

Can anyone comment the Magic World?

Not yet, what has been posted about it on BRP Central is very
promising, but since it has not yet been published any recom-
mendation would seem somewhat premature.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Can anyone comment the Magic World?

Only that I'm really looking forward to it

 

[Da Boss]

I can't comment of RQIII but Legend and BRP are similar in quickness - each with their own quirks - BRP is probably more adpatable to your own style - especially if you have the big yellow book but requires more work to get it how you want -0 but that does require more work in advance.

Legend retains issues with how the system is explained (esp Combat styles), movement and dealing with mooks- RAW the Combat maneuvers are a bit poor when using mooks -need to adapt them a but.

Its quite a different game with little or no armour and low magic which may be the case if your playing in Middle Earth

 

[PeteN]

If you want simple then go with Openquest. If you want fast then go with Legend/RQ6. BRP tends to lose out on both fronts, being more fiddly to set up and bogging down at higher skill levels.

 

[Prime_Evil]

If you want simple then go with Openquest. If you want fast then go with Legend/RQ6. BRP tends to lose out on both fronts, being more fiddly to set up and bogging down at higher skill levels.

I suppose that because BRP is intended to be a universal system, it attempts to gain additional flexibility at the cost of additional complexity. It's all about the level of granularity that you prefer - BRP takes the 'kitchen sink' approach, while OpenQuest takes a minimalist approach. By contrast, Legend and RQ6 attempt to find a 'sweet spot' somewhere between those two extremes. RQ6 is a bit more polished than Legend in this area as it has integrated feedback from experience with the system in play, whereas Legend is pretty much a straight reprint of MRQII. However, if you are looking for a system that is cheap, Legend is a great bargain. In addition, if you want to produce derivative materials customising the system to your own needs Legend is published under the Open Game License.