The first three chapters cover Character Generation. Chapter One is Basic Character Creation and probably the best place to start.
I'd like to remind you that my RQ experience is with RQ2 and RQ3. MRQ and Legend, pieces of which I may own, are not part of my play experience. Additionally, My RQ experience probably topped on in 1992 at the latest - some I'm at least 20 years removed from the game. I might not be new to it, but I am far from conversant in it. I may bring less baggage to the review, but I probably also bring game memories that have been buffed and sweetened with the passage of time.
Oh, almost forgot something about the layout of the RuneQuest 6 PDF - it is two columns with a sidebar. The sidebar during the initial character generation chapter deals with Anathaym, the female warrior that graces the cover. Se is uses as the example to follow as one goes through the steps of character generation.
On to the Chapter 1. We are introduced to the usual RQ Characteristics of STR, CON, SIZ, DEX, INT, POW and CHA. Not horribly different than the attributes on associates with the usual OSR style games. Most are generated using the 3d6 method, but INT and SIZ use 2d6+6. (I don't remember the boost to POW and INT in RQ 2+3).
From these Characteristics you determine your Attributes: Action Pts, Dam Mod, HP, XP Mod, etc. It's a list of 10, and some seem very new to me.
Action Points determine the number of actions a character can take in a combat round. Most characters will fall in the range of 2 actions, but some with high scores in INT and DEX will get 3. I haven't gotten to the combat section get, but I would assume an extra action is a nice boon for a PC.
Here's something I don't recall seeing in most RPGs - The Reasons Why... Why does INT and DEX affect your number of action points? In RQ6, it's spelled out for you:
The Reasons Why…After the Attributes we are shown the Standard Skills. The starting score of these skills is equal to either 2x a Characteristic or the sum of 2 Characteristics. These are things like Ride, Unarmed Combat, First Aid and the like.INT: Clever characters can more easily exploit openings and opportunities that lend them an edge in combat҉҉DEX: Agile characters react more quickly and can therefore act more often during combat
The chapter concludes with a with visual aid for the basic character generation process. This is probably one of the better character generation aids I've come across in an RPG - as very few included anything like it. I'm including a screen shot below for review purposes.
Crap - that was just covering the first chapter ;)
The 2d6+6 rolls for INT and SIZ go back a long way, at least to the second edition of RuneQuest; they're there to avoid the danger of creating a player-character with the intelligence or size of a rabbit!
ReplyDeleteThe character generation graphic is another common BRP feature; it's been in every version of the rules I've seen, although I don't recall seeing it in the Games Workshop RuneQuest III.