[smascrns]

Originally Posted by Tori Bergquist

Nice, thorough review. Although I am in "the other camp," of MRQ supporters, who largely I think have given up on trying to dispute the matter of MRQ's merits with the detractors

I don't consider myself a MRQ detractor. On the contrary, I had high hopes about it but these just didn't materialise. I tried to explain why, that's all.

MRQ is definitely comrpised of "Hard Skills." So a high STR character isn't worth as much as a high atheltics PC in MRQ terms. This is a design feature I like because it prevents runaway high-attribute issues, making it more realistic to retain focus on skill development.

Nothing against that but then, why retain the characteristics at all? I mean, why having characteristics with such a limited usage? They are there mostly for two purposes: Determining the initial value of the skills; determining the attributes. Other then this they serve almost no purpose. If that's so, why not drop them altogether? Note: I don't expect an answer from you as much as to vent my puzzlement on this design option.

speaking as someone who intensely disliked the unnecessarily cumbersome strike rank system from older editions, I much prefer the current system. It's just proven much easier for me to execute from a mechanical standpoint in my gaming groups.

(If I ever run RQ again I'll use my own house rule for this purpose.) Back to the issue, my main issues are about the combination of SR and action phases, on one side; and the fact that the rules don't take into account things that were present in the past editions and that made sense to factor into SR. Personaly I don't see any major advantage in a system when compared to the other at the game table, but MRQ is very, very illogical, and that's something that interfers with my own ability for "suspention of diesbelief".

Now, for the idea of INT as a deciding factor in number of actions: I think the smartest guy in the world isn't going to think his way in to a faster reaction time if he's not physically fit. The fastest players on the battlefield ought to be those who act on instinct, and have the dexterity to match.

I couldn't agree more. The problem is that INT in MRQ (as in RQ and most games) does not measure instinct, on the contrary it measures conscious thinking. So, the impact of INT in SR should be negative but this is the exact reverse of what the rules dictate.

I strongly believe that if this system had been called anything other than Runequest, and had not been tied to Glorantha in any way, that it would be getting none of this flack and attention from a very vocal minority.

I'm sure you're right. But then, if RQ had been reduced to the fixation of nothing else than "a very vocal minority", why did Mongoose go for the RQ? Brand? Why did Mongoose start the game development cycle by asking for the input and support of that "very vocal minority"? Why did Mongoose work MRQ from going back to the old and outdated game preferred by that "very vocal minority"? If there was nothing to gain from picking the RuneQuest brand, the Glorantha link and working from the RQ ruleset, why did Mongoose do it?
You forget that RuneQuest remained a lurking and lively OOP game due to that "very vocal minority". It was their continuous support that kept the brand with enough notoriety to be a commercial asset today. It was their continuous support that made the RQ ruleset worth looking at as the basis for the development of a new game.
That "very vocal minority" is perfectly justified for the flack. Needless to say, Mongoose has also all the legitimacy to do as it did, but it has to accept the flack with grace.

I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else of anything in particular. I'm just giving a perspective for people to evaluate the two games, and next decide on which they want to play, that's all.