wraith recon and runequest

[andakitty]

You once said 4e was a better fit for this and that RQII didn't have powerful enough magic to fit the setting. Now you are announcing an upcoming wraith recon rpg using RQII.

So why did you change your minds, what was the process and/or reasoning for doing so, and just what is being done to overcome those old perceived problems?

Please post a preview soonest.

 

[Mongoose Pete]

You once said 4e was a better fit for this and that RQII didn't have powerful enough magic to fit the setting. Now you are announcing an upcoming wraith recon rpg using RQII.

So why did you change your minds, what was the process and/or reasoning for doing so, and just what is being done to overcome those old perceived problems?

As the author of the RQII version I'll try to answer a few of those questions.

Why did Matt change his mind? I have no idea. Perhaps it was the fact that RQII has become more popular than expected, or maybe it was seen that the revised combat system actually granted great opportunities to actually replicate the short and swift fights you see in Special Ops media.

What was the process? I was sent the WR books and asked to analyse and report of the difficulties of changing the core system from 4e. After reading I proposed a list of changes which was agreed upon, and I made a significant overhaul of the core book.

What was done to overcome perceived problems? Amongst others were...
1) The necessity to replicate in RQII some of the countless number of sapient species running about in Nuera, a very significant issue with D&D
2) The need to create in-depth backgrounds for those races and try to weave them properly into the history of Nuera
3) Needing to slightly refine and include the enchanting rules for Sorcery so as to support the whole SpellCom/D&D Magic Items issue
4) Innovate a new rank system so as to limit magical resources to Wraiths on a mission.
5) Remove every mention of character level
6) Create new cults to replace Clerical powers and create Grimoires for SpellCom artificers and Order of Magnus warlocks
7) New background professions for the Dardarrick military, to replace D&D character classes
8) Revise the setting so that it is not so black and white, good and evil. Cults, nations and creatures are now shades of grey, with their own valid perspectives.
9) GM advice and campaign guidelines emphasise the use of alternate methods of mission completion rather than non stop combat. Moral issues have been introduced too.
10) A new scenario.

There are other minor changes, but those above are most of the big ones. It was a serious project which took a lot of time.

Wraith Recon is now dark, gritty and morally ambiguous... and less never ending combat encounters and blowing the hell out of things with OTT spells.

Powerful magic will be specifically explained in the SpellCom book which I am writing now. It will be based on a metaconcert concept, allowing coordinated RQII sorcerers to replicate some of the huge battlefield magic which wizards could do in 4e.

Any hopes for a preview will have to wait I'm afraid. The manuscript is still going through layout and will then have to be proof read first. I have no idea how long that will take, it all depends on what is currently in the print queue.

I hope that helps a bit. :wink:

 

[andakitty]

Oh, wow. In a good way. Thank you for that fast response. Questions well answered.

It sounds very, very interesting. I hope it makes it in November.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Wraith Recon is now dark, gritty and morally ambiguous... and less never ending combat encounters and blowing the hell out of things with OTT spells.

This.

The big change is that Wraith Recon is no longer a D&D setting, which gave us the opportunity to change the actual feel of the setting.

It is now less Starship Troopers and more Apocalypse Now, if that makes sense...

 

[MongooseMatt]

It sounds very, very interesting. I hope it makes it in November.

Very much on schedule for November! It is currently slated for release at the start of the month.

 

[Loran]

and metaconcert magic will be very interesting progress of RQ rules to simulate powers displayed usually more at wargame or empire management level and not so often in rolepaying game sessions.
But how do you do as a GM, when your players just want to go at the great battle of their time, where walls rise from the land and meteors fall from the sky?

I like the idea that there is a superior level of magic but requesting 25 magicians to cast it... It is spectacular while being not accessible to the players, just simply because they aren't 25 around the table

 

[Mongoose Pete]

I like the idea that there is a superior level of magic but requesting 25 magicians to cast it... It is spectacular while being not accessible to the players, just simply because they aren't 25 around the table

You get the idea. Wraith Recon teams might get to call in a metaconcert level magical strike as forward observers or saboteurs, but it'll be a key part of their mission, rather that something they can do themselves at will.

 

[Loran]

Do you think these rules will be compatible with Glorantha ?
Lunars and later Argrath are said to be expert at this... This will allow us to play the Dragon Pass wargame at a RPG level!
Suddenly I see the wargame as a full campaign support with macro and micro developments...

 

[zozotroll]

just those rules alone would make this a buy for me. I have always wanted to reproduce the magical regiments.

 

[Mongoose Pete]

Do you think these rules will be compatible with Glorantha ?
Lunars and later Argrath are said to be expert at this... This will allow us to play the Dragon Pass wargame at a RPG level!
Suddenly I see the wargame as a full campaign support with macro and micro developments...

Yes, it should be an easy port.

 

[Radioactive Ape Colin]

Will it include its own bestiary (if only for warbeasts, guard creatures, mounts, etc. likely to be encountered in missions or on the battlefield) or will it be reliant on Monster Coliseum for this? Bear in mind I own nothing RQ2-related yet; how good WR is (as well as C&C is) will determine whether or not I buy into RQ2.

Colin

 

[Mongoose Pete]

Will it include its own bestiary (if only for warbeasts, guard creatures, mounts, etc. likely to be encountered in missions or on the battlefield) or will it be reliant on Monster Coliseum for this? Bear in mind I own nothing RQ2-related yet; how good WR is (as well as C&C is) will determine whether or not I buy into RQ2.

The core WR book does not include a specific bestiary I'm afraid, although it does expand greatly upon a small core of humanoid races, from which the main Dardarrian antagonists are comprised. The reason being that the book (as far as I'm aware) is about 250 pages long, and there simply wasn't space to squeeze in a lot of generic fantasy creatures, many of which already exist in Monster Coliseum.

Future scenario packs will contain dedicated stats for those creatures encountered during the mission.

 

[Radioactive Ape Colin]

Thanks for the response, Pete; much obliged.

Colin