Why I won't be buying MRQ

salazar

Mongoose
Like many of you, I've been waiting for MRQ for the best part of a year. I've really, really wanted to like it. But, sadly, from the previews I've seen - the last straw being the latest Companion preview - it looks like I'll take my dollar elsewhere.

Why?

1. The writing style is verbose and unclear, like that of a high school student. This is common enough in contemporary RPG writing, but I have a limited tolerance for sophomoric prose these days. I graduated from English class many years ago, and am able to think - and write - logically and clearly. I feel like I am the captive audience of some spotty munchkin when I read the overlong sentences replete with mixed tenses found in the previews.

2. From what I've seen so far, the game adds nothing new. I'm far from an old RQ2/3 stick-in-the-mud. I wanted to see a new take on the game, incorporating some of the refinements of the last 20 years of game design. But I have seen nothing of the sort. It looks like a rehash, with little of value added.

3. The splitting of the game into multiple books. The main book is 120 pages and the Companion a mere 96. For god's sake, who wants a 96 page hardcover? Just put them together. A 216 page book is hardly intimidating. And it's even worse when you can't even use sorcery or have a "Civilised" background without the Companion.

Personally, much as I had been hoping to rely on the pull of an in-print game to draw in new players to my campaign, I will be sticking to my RQ3/Stormbringer 5 house-rules, and hoping that in the end Deluxe BRP might be a better answer.

Salazar
 
The writing is just fine; your accusation of 'sophomoric prose' is ludicrous. I am an English literature major, by the way. :)

I doubt anyone cares whether you buy the game and why. I'll have to pick up two copies just to make up for you, now. :p
 
I'm certainly reserving judgement until I've read at least the corebook, then decide if additional books are worth buying. But I have a feeling that this will be such a refreshing change from the only game I've been able to run due to player demand (guess what that is). Also, I firmly believe that the basic rules need very little tweaking despite being 20+ years old. RuneQuest was so far ahead of its time and it's not like the best-selling game on the market has brought anything new to the table...people eat that up left and right.
 
Greetings

I am aiming to buy at least the core rulebook. At UKP 15 it's reasonably affordable and I don't buy much in the RPG line.

Regards

Edward
 
I stand by my charge of the writing style being dreadful. It is full of redundant adjectives and mixed tenses.

Yes, I might be more demanding than the average reader, being an academic accustomed to merciless proof-readers taking the scythe to my own work, but I don't experience the same groan factor when I read well-edited material such as RQ3 or even D&D3E. On the other hand, I feel like I am losing IQ points every time I read something like:

"the Between Adventures chapter provides rules for making a living while inside a city - legitimately or not".

Is it the legitimacy of the character being inside the city which is being referred to, or the legitimacy of the living being made? The grammatical construction suggests the former, but the sense suggests the latter. Andakitty, you may have been a Lit major, but if you had submitted that to me as one of my students, the red pen would have been out straight away.

I can't be bothered going through a piece like the Introduction page line-by-line: let's just say that it could have been reduced in word count by 1/3 while expressing exactly the same ideas, and making much better reading.

Maybe not a deal-breaker in itself, but fuzzy writing suggests fuzzy thinking, and that's not encouraging.

Salazar
 
Salazar, just try to get over yourself. Look in the mirror for a fine example of a 'fuzzy thinker'. Too bad you are not half as smart as you think you are. If I had been in one your classes (you teach! :shock:) I'd have promptly dropped it. You sound like a nightmare. And once again, try to imagine how little ANYONE cares what you buy!
 
Personally, I would say it is way too early in the game (pun intended) to make these kinds of sweeping remarks. How can anyone get a true feel for any game system from a few example pages that were pulled from various points out of the book? I agree we are all well within our rights to have an opinion on any given subject, but your flippant manner and all around bad attitude has crossed the line of good taste. I would even say that you are damn close to violating the forum policies on trolling… I hope you have gotten the reaction you were after.

Mangus
 
There will not be any more reaction from me. I'll simply skip his posts. Now that I think about it I am ashamed I rose to the bait. :oops:
 
andakitty said:
Wait a minute! What if I don't like it! :shock:

Well, you could star up a thread. I'm sure no matter what the system is like, there will always be at least one person who thinks that it is the best RPG ever produced. 8)

I somehow, always managed to find that guy and get into a discussion with him at gaming conventions. :?

Or, there is always eBay. :D


JUst imagine what Mongoose will have to do if no one likes it! :shock:
 
andakitty said:
Oh, I don't think that's going to be a problem really.

So just call me Pollyanna. :D

I don't thing so either. Considering some of the games that have been successful over the years, I suspsect that MRQ will secure a place for itself, regardless.
 
andakitty said:
There will not be any more reaction from me. I'll simply skip his posts. Now that I think about it I am ashamed I rose to the bait. :oops:

To be fair, it was a pretty good troll. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 for style and give him a +1 for the academic claim.
 
The perfect roleplaying system does not exist, but, we are always looking for it... So remember:


"There are some things that it
is better to begin than to refuse,
even though the end may be dark."
-Aragorn, The Two Towers.
 
RMS said:
andakitty said:
There will not be any more reaction from me. I'll simply skip his posts. Now that I think about it I am ashamed I rose to the bait. :oops:

To be fair, it was a pretty good troll. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 for style and give him a +1 for the academic claim.

What? someone says that he won't be buying a product and gives valid reasons and he's trolling?

Andakitty.
I for one am interested in why someone isn't going to buy RQV (and Mongoose should be too), please don't make sweeping generalisations.

It feels like some of the replies to his commments were a case of "please don't bring up problems that might stop me buying a product I want to be great".

I'm still undecided on RQ V so I want to hear both sides of the story. If you want to counter someones criticisms, try to say why you like the product.
Don't accuse them of trolling, which is a moderators call.
 
homerjsinnott

I didn't call anyone a troll, indeed I was making a refutation to start with...someone else used the term 'troll', to which I DO agree. I made no sweeping generalization. I rather thought that was done well enough by the original poster.

What I DID do was say that his statement about the writing style is ludicrous, and I stand by that statement. The second post was in response to his insulting tone. I stand by that too. If you want to take his histrionics seriously that's your lookout, but don't take me to task about nothing, OK? The only statement I replied to was the 'sophomoric writing' one. And trust me, I really don't care whether he buys the game or not. That's just how I feel. As for bringing up problems, believe me, I had already been thinking about the number of books, the price, and so on. As had others, so he brought nothing new to the table, nor does he have anything to say that I am interested in hearing.
 
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