BRP Issues List

[Sunspoticus]

Hi, as a concerned BRP Ruleset owner/GM and a software dev too, I've seen tons of messages about problems with this ruleset. I think we can all agree this ruleset needs some serious updating. This post is an attempt to collect all issues in one place for SmiteWorks et all to look at and address.

• Please add bugs you have seen & steps to reproduce the bug/error.
• Wishlist items are valid as well. That will give the devs an idea of what us customers want

I'll start off.

1. Update underlying UI (dynamically sizable windows, proper image scaling better character minis, character status on tokens)
2. Re-write Ruleset against CoreRPG model. (I have begun this actually).
3. Add other basic BRP content to either base ruleset -OR- as seperate modules
4. Convert Call of Cthulu to BRP basis
5. MagicWorld extension
6. Merrie England extension
7. The Laundry extension/adventure modules

[Blackfoot]

One problem I found was that Characteristics didn't link to weapon attacks (I can't remember about other skills). This is a problem because it means that effects and spells that enhance characteristics don't automatically enhance the linked abilities.

[wbcreighton]

I have a couple of questions question regarding BRP and the d100 family.

Are you rewriting the ruleset for SmiteWorks or Chaosium ?

Is it possible to write a d100 OGL engine ruleset on top of Core ? Which would allow extensions to be written to modify the ruleset to work for BRP, Openquest, Legend, CoC, Runequest 6th, etc.

[Stollesson]

My wishlist

1. Shields should have a own category in the weapons list.
2. Have both armor and weapon list on the same page in the PC-form for smother battles.
3. In the combat tracker on the player side you can today only do a hitlocations roll for melee, needs one for missile weapons to.
4. Be able to do a correct hitlocations roll from PC-form depending on who they have targeted. Then the players don't have to see the combat tracker at all.

[RosenMcStern]

One problem I found was that Characteristics didn't link to weapon attacks (I can't remember about other skills). This is a problem because it means that effects and spells that enhance characteristics don't automatically enhance the linked abilities.

This ruleset is really not automated to the point of taking into account cast spells. At this stage, you are explicitly supposed to do the calculations yourself when you enter combat after receiving a spell.

Convert Call of Cthulu to BRP basis

This really is something that should be done ONLY with Chaosium approval, so it cannot be marked as an issue. My guess as a Chaosium licensee is that they would prefer Call of Cthulhu and BRP to be kept as two distinct entities, for commercial purposes. But really, any official answer for this must come from Chaosium - either through Smiteworks or directly.

Merrie England extension
The Laundry extension/adventure modules

Even more complicated. These two are third party licensed products, and require permission from the publisher, too. In specific, Merrie England would require permission from me, and from Simon, the author, as well. A permission that - I wish to be frank - I am not willing to give, for the reasons explained below.

An extension has been in the making for BRP Fantasy Europe for several years, covering products such as Merrie England, Stupor Mundi and Crusaders of the Amber Coast. It might even include the multi-scenario campaigns from these supplements as loadable modules, and in fact half of the campaign for Crusaders is already converted to Fantasy Grounds. Work on it was interrupted because of the instability of the underlying ruleset, particularly after the arrival of the shining new CoreRPG that potentially solves all of BRP issues.

Be warned, however, that such products would not be "free" products but come in the same format as the BRP Rome/ Veni, Vidi, Vici additional content pack, with additional weapons/skills/spells and each individual scenarios as loadable plug-ins.

Edit: I forgot to add, I fully support the efforts to port BRP to the new Core ruleset. I would contribute myself if time was not an issue.

[Shaun]

Great to hear that somebody’s going to take a look at updating this ruleset. I’m new to FG but have a looong history with BRP/RQ.

My main gripe with this ruleset at the moment is:

You can't create an NPC "Race" template with default armor points, which makes it impossible, for example to use wandering monsters/random encounters with randomly rolled stats and hp. If you select one of the standard hit location tables on the combat page for an NPC (eg: “humanoid”), as soon as you select “Race” on the creatures main page (in order to get the randomly generated stats) the armor and hp locations disappear from the creatures combat page and AP don’t appear in the combat tracker.

Other features from the more sophisticated rulesets I’d like to have in this one are the auto-rolling tables, and more details in the “item” creation options, and more drag n drop functionality for things like equipment lists would be good.

I've also sporadically encountered a glitch that NPC damage bonus sometimes doesn't get rolled, but I've not been able to pin down under what circumstance it happens.

Ideally, since one of the most appealing things about BRP is its flexibility for use in very different settings, I think this is the area that needs to be the main focus of an approach to updating it, rather than providing ready-made extensions for different settings, which may well, as already mentioned, present copyright issues. What’s needed I think is a ruleset with easy to customise lists skills, equipment, weapons, armor, etc.

If the ruleset gets entirely rewritten, I wonder if it would be good idea to base it on Legend since its OGL? If the new version fo the ruleset were easy to customise, GMs could then make changes to suit whichever d100 rules they’re using, and no permissions or royalties would be involved.

[Blackfoot]

This ruleset is really not automated to the point of taking into account cast spells. At this stage, you are explicitly supposed to do the calculations yourself when you enter combat after receiving a spell.

This is something that other rulesets do and is not all that difficult to implement.

[RosenMcStern]

This is something that other rulesets do and is not all that difficult to implement.

Certainly not, but it would constitute an addition, not a porting.

Moreover, the "standard" magic systems are there more for reference than for actual use in play. Practically all supplements use personalised magic systems, so a "built in" implementation of the magic in the BGB would have a very limited use for most campaigns.

[Blackfoot]

Certainly not, but it would constitute an addition, not a porting.

Moreover, the "standard" magic systems are there more for reference than for actual use in play. Practically all supplements use personalised magic systems, so a "built in" implementation of the magic in the BGB would have a very limited use for most campaigns.

Huh? We'll have to disagree on this point. Anyway the thread was about issues in BRP, lack of functional effects for stat adjustments is one of them.

[Shaun]

Another glitch I've just remembered: If I have exported a module including NPCs, sometimes when I open that module, particular NPCs will have weapons entries added to them from other NPCs. Not a major issue, but can be annoying. I also sometimes get a script error message when activating the BRP rules modules, although they still seem to load ok.

I think the main priority on my wish-list would be the auto-rolling tables, is there anybody with knowledge of how this ruleset works who can suggest how that might be added to the current ruleset as an extension, or by adding/changing some code somewhere?