Author Topic: Next books, adventures and conversions  (Read 1582 times)

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Offline Kullervo

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Next books, adventures and conversions
« on: January 22, 2015, 08:17:34 AM »
Hello! I'm a newcomer to HARP Fantasy, i've have just bought the core book, College of Magic and Martial Law, fantastic! It's the system that I ever have looked for, easy in its basics, realistic, but with a lot of possibilities and options.

I apologize my english. I can understand quite well, but my skill is W3 or W4, ha ha...

I like to buy the other books, but I don't know if there will be new editions of Monsters, Loot, The Codex, etc. The old books: are they full compatible with HARP? Have I to wait more time to see the new publications? Could it be a good idea buying them now?

I'd like to found a full list with all the adventures and campaign setting with HARP stats. I know the Cyradon core book, and Cleaning House, and the The Echoes of Heaven. Any adventure more?

I'm looking for conversion rules to adapt d20 adventures to HARP. I bought lots of book with adventures, most of them are unused, because I like very much some D&D worlds, but the system isn't fit to me ever. I have played many times with D&D, but I don't want to GMing, specially 3 & 3.5 versions, almost a game for miniatures with too much rules that seem to be patch rules. Other wise HARP is perfect to me for GMing. MERP was my first RPG, and I played RM too, and HARP has got the best of ICE games, and easiness too.

Thus I'm intested to get adaptations, not to get rules from d20, only the settings and the histories. Tables and easy ways for converting NPC stats and bonus, skills, spells, hits, and so.

Finally, is it posible a spanish translation of HARP in the future? A lot of people in Spain love MERP even in nowdays, and I think that HARP could be probably a beloved RPG. I know that everyone that have readen and/or played likes it. But it's only a few people.

Wondefurl HARP!

Offline Zhaleskra

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2015, 10:30:58 AM »
You can use the older books with HARP Fantasy without too much trouble, some things might need a few changes to fit well.

The new monster book will be called the Bestiary, I'm sure some ideas from the Codex are going to be split across multiple books: for example, "evil themed" professions will be going into Something Wicked. As I don't have the new College of Magics, I do wonder if some of the Codex professions were transferred to it. It would make a lot of sense.
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Offline markc

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2015, 03:06:21 PM »
Kullervo,
 Welcome to the ICE Forum.


 Many here do not have English as their first language and in my case it is my first through fifth language  ;D ,  and like most I struggle at times to get my points accross on this electronic format.


 The official work is as Zhaleskra said above and I do not have any more info than he does about when books will be published.


 As to the conversion of D&D 3.5 to HARP, I would do a search of the archives and see what turns up and I might also start a new thread and see just what others have done
MDC
Bacon Law: A book so good all PC's need to be recreated.
Rule #0: A GM has the right to change any rule in a book to fit their game.
Role Play not Roll Play.
Use a System to tell the story do not let the system play you.

Offline pyrotech

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2015, 04:18:44 PM »
Hello,

I've got the Monsters and Loot books, but not Codex.  In my opinion Monsters is almost completely usable in Harp Fantasy.  The monsters creation rules changed some between revised and fantasy but it shouldn't really cause any problems unless you are trying to directly compare monsters from one source to another.

It has been a while since I read Loot but I think the magic items in it would work fine (again there may be a few balance issues but no rules issues with these).  I'd have to review the rest of it to say.

I don't own Codex but from what I've heard many of the spells would not mesh well with the Fantasy and new CoM spells.  Codex has had the reputation of having some unbalanced spells in general and I doubt the new spell creation/pricing rules match these very well. 

So in my opinion the M:aFG is very usable with Harp Fantasy (and I still use it myself, even with Harp Sci-Fi).  Loot is mostly compatable and usable but might have some less useful sections.  Codex would be the one I would expect to have the most problems with the newer rules.

Regards,
-Pyrotech

Offline Zhaleskra

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2015, 07:57:49 PM »
I'd be curious to know which Codex spells people thought were unbalanced. For example, I gave a mage in a convention game the Scattershot spell (Shotgun without the gun, basically). The energy weapon and shield spells were interesting, but it is confusing when Shadowblade can mean three things: the magic weapon, the profession, and the spell.
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Offline Kullervo

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2015, 05:24:56 AM »
Thank you, all of you!

So, I'll wait a little more for Bestiary, probably I've got enough creatures for several campaigns.

Offline Kullervo

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2015, 07:19:54 AM »
About The Codex:

I can see that it contains a new profession: Druid. It seems to me very atractive, I played very times with animists in MERP/RM, and I like very much play in woodlands. Does anybody play with this "Druid"?

A "Character Law" or Companion with some new professions, talents and training packages could be a amazing new book!

Offline Tommi

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2015, 07:24:36 AM »
I have all the  books  (even 1st edition ). IMO Monsters a Field Guide needs most updating. The way monsters are built using system in MaFG (and other older books) will produce different monsters than current version. Esp. Monsters only talent  "survival instinct" was not balanced or plausible. If you have access to older version pdf  you can compare current and older version of monsters in core books and see the typical changes.  It is quite easy to see how you should change MaFG creatures. It can be made  even during game play.

Grimoire, codex etc.: there are some differences in PP costs but generally changes are within 20%.

Loot is fun book that has large parts that can be used as is. Magic item creation might be one of the bigger changes.

I have mixed feeling on Martial Law.  There is good and bad material e.g. armor costs explode and are not in line with core HARP (old or new) - more in line with D&D exponential pricing.

Edit
In college of magic, codex, grimoire,  harpers bazaars there were certainly a lot new professions.

Offline Zhaleskra

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2015, 08:01:30 AM »
I took a stroll through my PDF of Codex last night. Spells from HARP Core usually have their PP Cost increased by 2-3 points.

On the Druid, I have not built one, but I like the HARP Druid more than the pre 3.5 D&D Druid. Even with 3.5's changes to their druid, I like that "wildshape" is a spell in HARP. Yes, the HARP Druid is very close to the RM Animist.

Generally, I dislike when RPGs name a class/profession "Adventurer" or "Hero", but I like how HARP's Codex made the Adventurer the "jack of all trades, master of none" class that had been relegated to Bards until 3.5 in D&D. HARPs "bards", the Harpers fit more what I think a bard should be about.

I like how Loot covered things that could be important to characters aren't just money and equipment.
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Offline Bruce

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Re: Next books, adventures and conversions
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2015, 10:47:54 AM »
Hello Kullervo and welcome to the ICE forums. I agree that HARP Fantasy is an awesome game with loads of options but yet still a simple system. Though Rolemaster will always be my favorite RPG of all time I think HARP is a lot easier to bring people into and play.

As far as using the older pre-2011 books with the newer ones, some things work and some things don't. I'd have to say though when it comes to the creatures and spells that most things don't work well. To me (and especially some of the players I've had) the difference is noticeable enough to create balance problems during play.

IMHO it depends on how you use the older books, if not primarily for inspiration. When it comes to the additional spells from the older books you can convert them over using the spell creation system in the newer College of Magics. Loot: A field Guide is probably the most usable of the older books and as far as I can tell there aren't any imbalance issues. The least usable book is Monsters: A Field Guide. The best way to understand it is to compare the creatures from the old and new core books. For example: A Giant Ant in the new book has an initiative of 7, a DB of 18, 125 hits,and a 57 OB.  Whereas the Giant Ant from the old book has an initiative of 20, a DB of 90, 85 hits, and a 70 OB. The initiative and the DB from the older Giant Ant makes for a much tougher and deadlier opponent, and since it is only a level 2 creature it shouldn't be that deadly. The difference in initiative alone makes for a deadlier enemy.

Maybe you could somehow compensate or change the numbers, it is whatever works for you.

Bruce
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