Overview - Basic Roleplaying (Chaosium)
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- A history and review of Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying, now with a new 2023 release under the Open Roleplaying Creative (ORC) licence.
BRP is extracted from a number of Chaosium's games, including RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, Stormbringer, Nephilim, and more.
Previous Chaosium/BRP related videos:
RuneQuest (history to 3rd Edition): • Review - RuneQuest 3rd...
RuneQuest (during the inter-Chaosium period): • Review - RuneQuest, 19...
Moorcock/Stormbringer: • Overview - Michael Moo...
Pendragon: • Review - King Arthur P...
Product Links:
Basic Roleplaying Quickstart: www.drivethrur...
Basic Roleplaying Universal Engine: www.drivethrur...
Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying page: www.chaosium.c...
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It's nice to see Sweden's "Drakar och Demoner" (DoD) in the list of RPGs using BRP. The game became a hit in Sweden, eventually selling over 100,000 copies in various editions (in a population of then about 9 million). It was the gateway game for many Sedish roleplayers, including those leading the Swedish charge on the international RPG scene (even thoug Free League's Year Zero engine is the common denominator for most of those games). Free League's "Dragonbane" fantasy RPG is the latest version of DoD, this time aimed at the international market, the core of the game still being BRP.
It's followed a similar trajectory (in my view) to Das Schwarze Auge in Germany - alternatives to D&D that became popular in their own language of origin.
I didn't know that about Free League's Dragonbane. Thank-you for that. Nice to see DoD living on in some form!
...oh THAT'S what Dragonbane is?? I've heard a lot of people talking about it as a D&D competitor specifically and it being a BRP game got totally lost in the sauce. A BRP game trying to satisfy the 5e crowd sounds awesome actually, now I need to pick it up :D
I was good to see DoD mentioned also, however his history did overlook the BRP rules variants produced by Oriflam in France and Stratelibri in Italy from the mid-1980s to early 90s.
Oriflam published French translations of Stormbringer, Hawkmoon, and various supplements including some of their own making (some of which were translated into English, reorganized and expanded, and published by Chaosium as Perils of the Young Kingdoms, Sea Kings of the Purple Towns, and Rogue Mistress); they also produced a number of supplements for Hawkmoon, including a wonderful 2nd Edition of the game (sadly none of which were ever translated to English).
Stratelibri published a basic rulebook similar to 2nd Edition BRP and several supplements including ones for Dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt, Wild West, and even a licensed book for the Aliens franchise.
Yeah the Swedish "Drakar and Demoner". Liked to see that in this list. I think it was based on Stormbringer though (but almost the same).
But you can't forget all the other Swedish RPGs in that time, that also was based on variations of the same system.
Like "Mutant" (At least the "Mutant 2089" cyberpunk version), "Chock" and even "Kult".
Kult did mix it upp alot though. Changing some core systems and rules so it became rather special.
Love these old games and systems.
They where simple and fun, and more logical than DnD. With how armour works, is skill based instead of "level" and had "size" as a stat, etc.
=)
Cheers.
@@jadedlotuz5095 No, DoD was based on BRP and Magic World, which were published by Chaosium just like the BRP-based Stormbringer.
There were a lot of Swedish RPGs in those early years. Khelataar, Wastelands, Western, Eon, Neotech, En Garde!, Kult... Then there were the translated games. Many of the people involved in those early games are still active.
The second golden era of Swedish RPGs is now. Free League, Helmgast, Åskfågeln and Eloso are four publishers that publish games that release games of a very high standard. I'm happy to have contributed to a few of them in a modest way.
Well said, Willy. I always found BRP to be the most intuitive ruleset. It was heartbreaking when the d20 tsunami of the OGL devastated Chaosium and the other mid-level publishers.
The whole OGL opened some horrible floodgates. It isn't a bad idea, though, and I'm hoping BRP under ORC will produce some good counter-flooding!
I’ve only played the Call of Cthulhu version of the BRP rules, but I love that game enough that the ‘core system’ is on my ever-expanding shopping list, somewhere between yet more Battletech minis and a house.
Is the house to live in, or for game storage? (question my wife asks on occasion...!)
@@WillyMuffinUK sometimes I wonder myself
Ahh BRP, the game system that powered Daggerfall & Morrowind where even one of the RQG developers called it Morrowind the Table Top Game. Maybe one day I'll be able to convince the troupe to play a BRP game, but that would be after our Shadowrun, Mage The Ascension & Fallout GUPRS campaigns lmao.
That low on the list?!
Mind you, with Book of the Kindred currently on the loo reading list, I'm very tempted to put a VTM campaign together.
@@WillyMuffinUK it's not that's is "low" out of callousness lmao it's more low because I get idea crazy when I come across a new RPGs that I have to reel myself back. I haven't read book of the Kindred but I do have a few clanbooks; Tzimisces, Tremere, Gangrel, Malkavian, & Lasombra to be exact. vampire is probably the easiest to run because struggling with your own humanity and losing your past life is something we can all relate to in one way or another, that's how our ST runs it.
@@bigtastyben5119 It's a good game for self-examination, for sure.
I get a bit "ooh shiny!" about games. I've learned over the years to reel myself in a bit, though, otherwise we'd never get anything done! 🤣
@@WillyMuffinUK so many RPGs so little time to play them :(
@@bigtastyben5119 Too true, my friend, too true.
Thanks for your review! I totally agree with you.
Although I love RuneQuest and Call of Cthulhu, I did not expect too much from BRP, when I got it a dew days ago, knowing the system is quite old. But boy was I wrong. This is perhaps THE universal (medium-crunch) roleplaying game, with decades of rpg experience fused into one easy, intuitive, streamlined, but expandable system. It only has about 250 pages, but these pages are brimfull of ideas, rule suggestions, useful lists and tables, creature data, possible adaptations to the most diverse gaming worlds, different magic and power systems,... Just reading through the pages inspired me to many new ideas for playing.
BRP is a fantastic system. I've never not been able to do what I want with it, within a "medium crunchy" (love that term!) mode - everything from Emma Peel and John Steed fighting off diabolical masterminds, to deepest darkest medieval England, and all sorts in between. I do have to say it's not my favourite system for sci-fi or superhero games, but pretty much everything else.
This was my game for the longest time. I started with Worlds of Wonder, thanks to my dad. His game group had abandoned D&D pretty much as soon as RuneQuest hit the scene.
Though I've run Call of Cthulhu many times over the years, it's been a long time since I just used BRP for something else, and I think I'm going to need to change that. When the new hard copy comes out, I'm definitely grabbing it.
I'm in the throes of updating my own campaign to latest BRP - hence the impatience for a print copy myself!
Ahh, this one warmed my heart, Ian. I don’t think I can do anything, but just agree with everything you said. I am a dedicated GURPSian, but we could talk long into the night about the pros and cons of that system, primarily the work load of places on the game master. Having said that, software and online resources a lot of the sting out of the mass and erasing through a character sheet issues it had back in “the day.” I’d be curious to hear you compare the two.
I'll get to GURPS eventually. I will give GURPS one thing, though - it's sourcebooks are fantastic.
8:20 is where the game mechanics explanation begins
Ah, one day I might index these things.
I just want to say, I received my copy today and it's an absolutely gorgeous and well made book in addition to being a LOT of content. the folios are stitched and the paper feels almost like card stock.
Considering it's twice to three times as thick as the standard D&D book and only about $10 - $15 more in cost, it's really an amazing deal.
Chaosium knows how to put a book together
My favorite system!
Nice overview of a somewhat convoluted history. RQ2 was my first big step away from D&D and I never looked back.
I'm looking forward to the new BRP printed book (not POD I hope).
Also, I'm happy Chaosium didn't have the core system default to the system changes in CoC7e.
I kind of like the way they went with Cthulhu 7th, but totally agree that BRP should stick to the base. I am a little surprised it isn't in there as an option, but it would be redundant alongside Effort, Idea, etc.
Excellent overview, here. It's a little sad when you see the coverage of games like Runequest (2nd edition from 81?), Stormbringer, and Worlds of Wonder and you remember that you had all of those....until your mother threw them out. Ouch! 🍻
Ouch, I feel your pain 😥
My first editions Runequest, Warhammer (the three booklet set in a box), and Worlds of Wonder, got donated to a local youth club...
@parazatico9030 Sorry to hear that, but at least those went somewhere that they (I hope) got some use, and introduced new players to those games?
That's a good way of looking at it!@@neuromancer9k
Great review. I very much appreciated the history section.
Thank-you - glad you found it useful 🙂
Oh I like this…
I hope so!
BRP and savage worlds are my two systems to go.
One reminds me of old school and when I discovered roleplaying game... I was amaze and it make me feel that again.
I also use savage worlds for more cinematic games. ( because after all : it's fast and furious )
Always pick the right tool for the job - every set of rules brings it's distinct feel to the table.
What a great video! Thanks so much for sharing with us.
Thank-you - I'm glad you found it useful!
Didn't even know about this one, I appreciate the in depth explanation & overview of the book, definitely put it on my radar! Might pick it up if/when I can find it in stock somewhere.
Seems like it'd be very interesting to read through & run/tinker with
BRP has always been one of the pre-eminent "tinker with" games 🙂
Great vid! Thanks! :D
Thank-you!
Useful info, thanks.
You're welcome 🙂
For me I love and appreciate both systems equally. I think in all cases, whether you're using hit and armor class, etc. under the "old" way Vs. the B.R.P. way, as long as your players are on board and having an excellent time, in the end, that's all that truly matters. B.R.P. has changed the game in a positive way, however, and I hope more and more open their minds to this fantastic concept.
Same. I enjoy different systems for different reasons.
Another great video Willy, only watched today. How do you say that BRP compare to Savage Worlds?
Thank-you 🙂
I'd say BRP is more complete and complex, and Savage Worlds is more narrative and faster-paced. Although BRP can do heroic, depending on which options you select, it's default isn't "comic book heroic of D&D proportions" - on that scale, Savage Worlds is much closer to D&D.
Flipping the above around, BRP is better at depicting "real world" (or facsimile...) than Savage Worlds. This is probably best exampled by Call of Cthulhu (a game built on BRP), where characters are "normal and fragile".
Anyway, in short - I like both, for very different reasons.
You've done it again, another masterpiece review. I already got it based solely on your review. I've been looking for this type of game since 1980
Thank you for those kind words - and I hope it serves the purpose you've been looking for.
@@WillyMuffinUK well so far I'm loving it. Thanks for your deep insightful reviews, they have led me and my group to games we never knew were out there.
@@jackrussel9573 It's my pleasure 🙂
A man with a British accent talking about rpg history is peak.
Accent? What accent? 😉
GURPS 1995? I think you accidently misspoke there. Still, a solid video of the overview of BRP systems. :)
It's 1985 in my notes... if I read them out wrong, let this stand as a correction!
@@WillyMuffinUK Yeah, I started thinking that maybe it was just a verbal slip up. Or my hearing is going. Though it did still sound like 1995 when I replayed it. No worries it was really well done video. :)
@@Acmegamer Thank you 🙂
I think the AC system is supposed to be about avoiding SIGNIFICANT hits as opposed to being hit at all. Generally though, people say things like “Hit” and “Miss” when talking about dive roll results in D&D.
Yes, it's an abstraction. The best explanation of AC - and hit points - in D&D remains Gygax's within the 1st Edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide.
D&D's system is heavily abstracted as it was initially used to describe the erosion of cohesion of units of soldiers (within Chainmail). It works for suoerheroic fantasy.
The BRP system was originally constructed on an individual combatant basis, preferring a rough simulation of realism over abstraction. It works better for modern and historical settings, and heroic fantasy, because of this. It also makes combat more intrinsically narrative and deadly.
Both systems have their merits, and are useful for different styles of play and setting. With their different definitions of "hit" and "miss" 😉
There are no significant hits until the last one. That is what makes BRP more fun to play.
@@danielward7747 Presumably you mean "there are no significant hits until the last one in D&D"? Because every hit in BRP has some significance!
@@WillyMuffinUK Not enough to worry about in D&D. But yes in BMP (RQ) EVERY attack is important. That is why I like it.
Very good review, albeit that the rotating Vitruvian Man tends to induce a trance.
That's the idea - RUclips hypnotism!
I hear and obey@@WillyMuffinUK
@@parazatico9030 🤣
Great Video, though the spinning is a bit annoying ... I was looking at Basic Roleplaying SRD to use for a game idea I have... "I may not use similar systems to those in their games" I have not played their games, do I need to buy them all to be sure I do not accidentally infringe on them?
It depends what you're doing. Most BRP-based games are based on specific properties - Cthulhu, King Arthur, Glorantha, Michael Moorcock's works, etc. So if your idea doesn't infringe on any of those properties (which would mean you'd be infringing on the properties themselves...), I don't see any unique game concept you have infringing on anything Chaosium would have already done. If your game concept is based on another property, you'd need to check more than the requirements of the SRD.
Also note that the BRP SRD falls under the OGL. In my opinion, you'd be far better off using the latest edition of BRP which falls under the ORC licence.
@@WillyMuffinUK I only found the SRD with OGL... If I am understanding you correctly, the new BRP-Book (Print/PDF) is completely under the ORC License and I can use its contents in any form for my own projects provided I display the "powered by..." Logo. Does it have magic in it? Or do I create my own - would probably do that - and hope it is not similar to any of the ones they have made and if I want to be on the safe side I would need to buy all of their games with a magic system to make sure it is not similar to any of theirs? In that case it may be easier to create a simple d100 engine without worrying about anything because any similarities would be purely coincidental?
@@JensD.Racherbaumer Yes, the new BRP includes magic. I don't work for Chaosium - specific legal questions you would need to contact them directly.
There is no requirement to buy other games associated with BRP to produce your own BRP-based game. The mechanics in the core book are open under ORC.
A game I'm working on at the moment uses baseline BRP core, but with divergent rules in some areas - including magic. BRP is flexible enough to be able to take it in many different directions.
great stuff as usual. i have a question i would like to ask. i have my own view on the matter, but i am curious to hear your take on it... mostly because it can be useful to other people.
is this an old school game/ system in the sense that i can bring in parts of other old school games (say, the AD&D magic system, for example, as a magic subsystem; or GURPS psionics; or a Palladium character class; or...) with little or no effort?
also, you touched on the fact that the basics of the systems are the same through all the versions, but what makes this 2023 version different from the 2008 one?
It's not an old-school D&D-based system ("old school" covers far more ground than Gygax!), so although you could bring in whatever systems you like from wherever, there will be some work to do. The fundamental differences are that BRP is d% rather than D20 (not too much of an issue - Pendragon is nominally a BRP-based game, and that uses D20 - it's fairly easy to go from %-base to 20-base), and it does not use classes or levels.
So, if you wanted to introduce something like spells per level, you will need to do some work to define what exactly translates as "level".
Differences between 2008 and 2023 include better organisation (in my opinion), further options brought in from Chaosium games not previously mined for BRP core, and, of course, the 2023 edition is covered by the ORC licence, where the 2008 edition is not.
If you have the choice between the two, my advice would be to go for the 2023 edition. If you already have the 2008 edition, and aren't too bothered about perhaps publishing under ORC, you'll be fine with the Big Gold Book.
Hope that explains things!
@@WillyMuffinUK it surely does :) thank you.
That new cover is bad and just wrong.
I quite like it. A bit busier than the BGB, but it has its own feel to it.
I agree. Another vanilla knocked-up-on- Photoshop effort.
The new cover is awesome, there is nothing wrong with the cover what so ever.
@@ravenshadowz2343 I guess I just prefer hand drawn and painted illustrations. Showing my age, probably.
@@parazatico9030, I'm an oil painting student, some of my fellow students who started out with all the classical drawing and painting tools, have went on to become digital artist, I'm assuming you have not seen the digital tools that are used to create digital art.
For them to draw and paint with one of them they have to use software such as CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, etc. They have to learn all the shortcuts to make digital drawings and digital paintings easier to do.
They must also learn to use a digital drawing tablet, with some sort of digital stylist, so the knowledge that they learn from classical drawing and painting will give them an edge on learning over other students that never took drawing or painting courses.
There's a lot going on in that painting on the cover, it's not a simple task to create that, it's a complex pieces that has been created.
Thank you for your reply!