[Rq-rules] MRQ "A Real Runequest Game"

[Bruce Mason]

On 01/08/07, Peter Maranci <pmaranci at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> From what I've heard, MRQ has grafted mechanics onto the RQ/BRP system which
> were never present in any previous edition, not even in embryo.
As someone who has played RQ2, RQ3, AiG (an old printed copy) and MRQ,
I would say that the family tree looks something like
Rq1 - RQ2 - RQ3 - AiG
                \ -  MRQ
Which is to say that I think MRQ is an attempt at revisioning RQ2 in
the current atmosphere.

For me, the biggest changes between RQ2 and RQ3 were: Fatigue Points,
Sorcery, rejigging of Spirit Magic and Divine Magic, single percentage
point increments, different hit locations for melee and missile
combat, massive changes to the SR system, addition of dodge. RQ3
always seemed more complex than RQ2.
The biggest changes between RQ2 and MRQ are: removal of resistance
table and General HPs, removal of SRs, removal of skill category
modifiers, collapsing specials and criticals into criticals, addition
of opposed rolls, yet another rejig of spirit magic.

To me it seems that RQ3 was founded on the presumption that what
role-players wanted was more crunch in the system, MRQ is founded on
the presumption that role-players wanted the reverse. Plus one was
designed 20 years after the other so I suspect that if RQ3 were being
designed now, it would come up with the same answers as RQ3 did then.
I also suspect that if you took all the names off the books and showed
someone who knew nothing Rq2 and then showed them Rq3 and MRQ and
asked which is closest to Rq2 that MRQ would get the nod at least as
often as RQ3.

This is not to make any value judgements about any of the versions
involved. From what I've heard about BRP, I suspect that I'll end up
running something that is based on that with bits of MRQ added in.