Saturday, February 20, 2016

Mythras and Classic Fantasy - Design Mechanism Ramps Up


The Design Mechanism has announced that Runequest 6's name change will be Mythras going forward. The name is derived from "myth" and the deity Mitra/Mithras which is pretty cool. Announcement here.

They also have a preview of Classic Fantasy up for review (here). I admit, I wasn't a fan of the Classic Fantasy Monograph for BRP....it needed some work, and felt like a shoehorn of D&Disms into a BRP framework. That said, the preview for this new version has me intrigued, and hopeful as well that it will be more complete and focused (for example, it has a bestiary and treasure section, arguably important components of dungeon delving).

Part of me still feels like Classic Fantasy is an exercise in "missing the point" of BRP systems....but on the other hand, if it's done well then I really can't argue; a focused "refinement" of the RQ6/Mythras rules aimed at hitting that D&D sweet spot with a D100 system sounds kind of cool, actually.


OH! And did I mention I like the font in CF? Let's hear it for normal fonts!

4 comments:

  1. What is the point of BRP as you see it? I've always thought RuneQuest should be looting Fantasy tropes a bit more and getting away from the Bronze Age.

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    1. I think Mythras may well do what you are thinking it should (look to Luther Arkwright as a starting example). For BRP...the Big Gold Book generic system, anyway....I think it's the last bastion of generic systems that hold to a realistic feel while still being accessible. Mythras may end up replacing it depending on what Chaosium ends up doing....it's all in flux. I do know that every book TDM has produced to date has been really interesting, and they also got away from Bronze Age feel in the Monster Island book, which was over-the-top lost world meets Sword & Sorcery type stuff, with Kong Island meets Kaiju mixed in.

      Regardless....no other system out there that I know of is hitting the same blend of historic and realism that BRP/RQ have been, with any level of market saturation. I think it's necessary that they keep it, although I completely agree it needs to expand beyond just that focus and show it can do more.

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  2. While Moon Design pursues the Glorantha setting for the new Chaosium RuneQuest, the DM should keep going with mythic earth settings as their concept in my opinion. Settings like Mythic Vikings, Mythic Roma, Mythic Greece, Mythic Eygpt, etc. They have done exceptionally well with Mythic Britain and need to continue in the same vein i think. Classic Fantasy is a fun side project, but I would hate to see it overshine the main game

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  3. While Moon Design pursues the Glorantha setting for the new Chaosium RuneQuest, the DM should keep going with mythic earth settings as their concept in my opinion. Settings like Mythic Vikings, Mythic Roma, Mythic Greece, Mythic Eygpt, etc. They have done exceptionally well with Mythic Britain and need to continue in the same vein i think. Classic Fantasy is a fun side project, but I would hate to see it overshine the main game

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