RQII Generic Fantasy setting
- Thread starter danbuter
- Start date
PrinceYyrkoon
Mongoose
It's a hard sell to call Glorantha a 'generic' fantasy location indeed. The world is shaped like a lozenge for a start. Not to mention all sorts of other crazy shit. :lol:
'Generic' probably means 'similarity to/echoes of medieval Europe' for the vast majority of us.
I'd say RQ does have a generic setting, or something close, in the Young Kingdoms/Eternal Champion stuff. 'Tragic Europe', definitely, as well as the Corum stuff due, fits the bill to me.
'Generic' probably means 'similarity to/echoes of medieval Europe' for the vast majority of us.
I'd say RQ does have a generic setting, or something close, in the Young Kingdoms/Eternal Champion stuff. 'Tragic Europe', definitely, as well as the Corum stuff due, fits the bill to me.
TrippyHippy
Emperor Mongoose
PrinceYyrkoon said:
Well, the Multiverse aspects of the the Eternal Champion series certainly lends it to being 'generic' as such, although Elric and co are pretty weird in their own right it has to be said. That said, I am really enjoying the surrealism and open-option elements of Elric thus far - it's probably my favourite RQII setting to date (possibly familiarity, but also because it appeals to my sensibilities).
I'd also highight the upcoming Wraith Recon as an ex-D&D setting, maybe that would fit the bill. And of course there is also Deus Vult which is actually set in a low fantasy Medieval Europe too.
On the other hand, I don't necessarily think that RQII should aspire to being a D&D clone. I get that some players may want a simpler, straighter, entree setting (which is still what I would have seen Conan as being), but for me RQs real niche isn't Tolkienesque High Fantasy as much as it is classic Swords and Sorcery settings.
If the setting is going to be "vaguely western european medieval" then, please, please, please
1) have some in-game "history" that believably justifies feudalism other than the ever popular "its cool" or "we can't think of anything better" ones ...
2) Have an economics system based on some believable distribution of precious metals ... and not with ~37-45 gram gold coins (i.e. 1/10th of a pound, presumably avoirdupois, but possibly standard) ...
3) Work out that there's a correlation between the types of weapons used in a period and the most common armour available, and that this does NOT mean that weird shit weapons from all over the history of creation are likely to exist in the game "here and now" as a result ...
4) Realise that societies in the real world, even those supposedly static ones, do NOT remain technologically or socially static for many thousands of years if they resemble western european ones in any substantive way ... so no multi-thousand year long "Third Age of Social Stasis", for example ... you'd be hard pressed to get a "TAoSS" of a century or so, and only if you didn't look very hard at the history of the era ...
... and more, so that it makes some sort of sense.
Either that or take a "toolbox" approach and discuss the various possible building blocks of a "medieval like" society and let individuals make up their own ridiculously unrealistic worlds :lol:
Phil
1) have some in-game "history" that believably justifies feudalism other than the ever popular "its cool" or "we can't think of anything better" ones ...
2) Have an economics system based on some believable distribution of precious metals ... and not with ~37-45 gram gold coins (i.e. 1/10th of a pound, presumably avoirdupois, but possibly standard) ...
3) Work out that there's a correlation between the types of weapons used in a period and the most common armour available, and that this does NOT mean that weird shit weapons from all over the history of creation are likely to exist in the game "here and now" as a result ...
4) Realise that societies in the real world, even those supposedly static ones, do NOT remain technologically or socially static for many thousands of years if they resemble western european ones in any substantive way ... so no multi-thousand year long "Third Age of Social Stasis", for example ... you'd be hard pressed to get a "TAoSS" of a century or so, and only if you didn't look very hard at the history of the era ...
... and more, so that it makes some sort of sense.
Either that or take a "toolbox" approach and discuss the various possible building blocks of a "medieval like" society and let individuals make up their own ridiculously unrealistic worlds :lol:
Phil
aspqrz said:
I can only agree. To someone who knows just a bit about economics/vice versa a classical world seems pretty ludacris.
If RQ had to obtain any licenses for a generic fantasy setting (which I would think was cool), I would love it if it was either:
- Eberron (okay, not so generic - but great!)
- Greyhawk (how much more generic can it be?)
- Dragon Age: Origins (would draw a crowd I think).
Or make it's own, which is probably what it will end up as. It is cheaper (no license buying) and can be tailored as you'd like (see above).
- Dan
Mikko Leho
Mongoose
Eberron and Greyhawk are Wizards of the Coast properties and not available, even LotR or Harry Potter are more probable licenses. Dragon Age has already been taken:
http://greenronin.com/dragon_age/
http://greenronin.com/dragon_age/
Mikko Leho said:
Yeah, I know it is unrealistic. One can hope though, especially since Wizards seem to want to abandon the Eberron setting in 4th edition.
But, they probably won't allow it either way.
Regardless, if mongoose should spend time and money featuring a generic fantasy world, then they might as well try to draw a crowd by using an already existing one.
- Dan
Mikko Leho
Mongoose
Dan True said:
Isn't Wraith Recon just that?
Midkemia? Pretty "generic", and I don't mean that as a criticism. Earlier stories are entirely human, but elves are introduced later on. There has been a long association between midkemia and RQ but it never really blossomed into a full campaign setting.Dan True said:
*edit* And the snake people are great bad guys.
PhilHibbs said:
Sign me up! I love Feist's early novels and The Riftwar Saga remains one of my all time fave book series. I would definitely be interested in some Midkemia setting material.
the snake people (Pantathian Serpent Priests?) do make some great bad guys as do the Moredhel (Dark Elves).
tarkhan bey
Mongoose
I reckon that Mongoose should be looking for its own fantasy setting, not a generic Tolkienesque world but a 'Savage World of Swords and Sorcery'. A setting that could evoke the worlds that we see through the eyes of Frazetta and Vallejo.
In short, Conan Rpg for MRQ2 with the numbers filed off.
I recently bought 'The Savage North' based on its description as Conan with the numbers filed off. I was deeply disappointed.
(Not that its a bad piece of work, its quite good actually and does have quite a few nice little ideas in it.)
However, Goblins and dungeon crawls with multiple hard to kill monsters do not add up to my take on the Conan tales.
There's a certain seriousness required to do Conanesque and thats most definately missing from it. The 'jokes' are awful. Did the guys who wrote this seek to emulate the early humour in WFRP by using 'Geordie' dialect instead of German? My players have read Viz for years. Theres no way we can take Newcastle, Sonderland, Wai ai, Howay the Hunter etc. in any way seriously. :roll:
Sorry, rant over.
Anyway, something like Thulsa's World of Xoth would be VFG.
In short, Conan Rpg for MRQ2 with the numbers filed off.
I recently bought 'The Savage North' based on its description as Conan with the numbers filed off. I was deeply disappointed.
(Not that its a bad piece of work, its quite good actually and does have quite a few nice little ideas in it.)However, Goblins and dungeon crawls with multiple hard to kill monsters do not add up to my take on the Conan tales.
There's a certain seriousness required to do Conanesque and thats most definately missing from it. The 'jokes' are awful. Did the guys who wrote this seek to emulate the early humour in WFRP by using 'Geordie' dialect instead of German? My players have read Viz for years. Theres no way we can take Newcastle, Sonderland, Wai ai, Howay the Hunter etc. in any way seriously. :roll:
Sorry, rant over.
Anyway, something like Thulsa's World of Xoth would be VFG.
Simulacrum
Mongoose
Check out Age of Treason when it is released (see S&P88). There are aspects to it a Conan RPG fan might enjoy. At least in the area where the book has its focus you won't meet any goblins (or other "humanoids") but you will meet dangerous, magic-enhanced foes - and you should find the setting suitably gritty and realistic. I'd like to say "serious" too - but although there's no slapstick humour to it, if you are dealing with realistic human characters and their motivations there's always some humour to be found.
Look, make it generic enough and it's bland and soulless and crap.
Give it some flavour and people seem to think it's not "generic" enough.
Let's cut to the quick here. What is meant is:
I want a standard D&D world, not much more complex than Basic D&D or AD&D 1st ed.
Well you can build that in no time at all with the core RQII books. Elves, dwarfs, trolls, they're all there. Smallfolk can be handrolled, and you decide if a trollkin or a troll is an orc or a goblin.
Then off you go.. OR if you really really want to recreate D&D with a d100 game (shudder) then just buy the BRP Classic Fantasy book:
http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=5045
Give it some flavour and people seem to think it's not "generic" enough.
Let's cut to the quick here. What is meant is:
I want a standard D&D world, not much more complex than Basic D&D or AD&D 1st ed.
Well you can build that in no time at all with the core RQII books. Elves, dwarfs, trolls, they're all there. Smallfolk can be handrolled, and you decide if a trollkin or a troll is an orc or a goblin.
Then off you go.. OR if you really really want to recreate D&D with a d100 game (shudder) then just buy the BRP Classic Fantasy book:
http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=5045
