Quote from: flyingmice;848429Am I the only one who has written a game - actually two games - *around* animal riding?

Go on...

Quote from: jibbajibba;848262A lot of RPGs suffer from this issue, not horses per se but the idea that teh only excitement you can get is from Combat.

If you watch an action movie a lot more excitement comes from chases and other physical challenges outside of combat but most RPGs fail to have any rules for these or just relegate them to a "Climb Check", "Ride Check"

A you decide if you can ride or fall off approach would be mocked if applied to combat. You decide if you win or not.

Why not? If all you are doing is riding from point A to point B then does it really need a whole array of skill checks just to figure that out?

As for saying if my character knows riding or not. How does that effect anything else other than they know riding or not? Assuming I dont know and want to try. That could be as simple as stat checks or just RPing out trying to get the hang of it.

As for best chase rules. I liked the ones from the Indiana Jones RPG from TSR. That covered the full array from on foot, to horseback, to cars.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;848433Go on...

Well, I don't know if anyone else ever did one. I'm kinda used to writing the first or only RPG in some weird-ass sub-sub-sub-genre, so it wouldn't surprise me. I just would never have guessed this would be one.  

-clash

Quote from: Beagle;848280Do ponies usually ride on others in that setting?

Of course, otherwise how would they get more little ponies?

Quote from: flyingmice;848429Am I the only one who has written a game - actually two games - *around* animal riding?

Gurps Horseclans?

Quote from: flyingmice;848443Well, I don't know if anyone else ever did one. I'm kinda used to writing the first or only RPG in some weird-ass sub-sub-sub-genre, so it wouldn't surprise me. I just would never have guessed this would be one.  

-clash

I think what Shipyard meant was: "Please tell us about the weird-ass riding base RPG's you created, we are quite interested in your work."

Quote from: Beagle;848501I think what Shipyard meant was: "Please tell us about the weird-ass riding base RPG's you created, we are quite interested in your work."

Yes, that's what I meant.

What would be the best James Bond RPG book(s) to find the most elaborate version of their chase rules?

I'd also be really interested to know of any other systems that make a serious attempt to provide detailed rules for riding (combat, travel, and chases).

I forget if there's anything in Aftermath, Phoenix Command, or Danger International.

Unless I'm forgetting something, I've never heard of a game actually designed around animal riding.

Quote from: Omega;848499Gurps Horseclans?

Ah! That may be! I don't have that particular supplement, but it's a good possibility!

Quote from: Beagle;848501I think what Shipyard meant was: "Please tell us about the weird-ass riding base RPG's you created, we are quite interested in your work."

Oh! Sorry! That would be In Harm's Way: Dragons!, an older game based on riding dragons in an alternate Napoleonic Wars era; and Volant - Kingdoms or Air and Stone, a more recent game, is based to a somewhat lesser extent - it is entirely possible to play Volant without using giant bird riding, and I am currently running such a game - on riding giant birds and bats. Both games have extensive rule subsets for dragon/bird riding and combat, acrobatics, and the like.

-clash

There has to be something in Dragonlance, right? I know nothing about it, but it should be all about dragon riding?

Not a rider, but from what I gather from talking to horse people, Temperament needs to be included, and horses should be divided into breeds. (Runequest lets you do that by tweaking the stats and Pendragon did that.) Most games ignore both.

Another aspect of horse flesh I use in my Honor+Intrigue campaign is Quality. (I've seen that used in various rules over the years, e.g. Pendragon also Black Vulmea's Flashing Blades site.)

Their are five levels of Quality: Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent, and Superb.
 
Horse Quality affects speed, lifeblood (Hit Points), and cost. Quality can also be used as a proxy for stamina. Horses without sufficient rest, food, or water decrease in quality. Below Poor the horse dies.

Quote from: jibbajibba;848243James bond Chase rules work fine with horses.

If you wanted to do it really well you would add I think 3 stats for the horse
Temprement, Stamina and Speed

Use the Speed as you do in James Bond standard ie if your Canter (cruising) speed exceeds the Gallop (top speed) then you simply escape/capture.
Stamina means if you gallop for Stamina turns your top speed reduces each round by x.
Otherwise usethe James bond system and just add Temprement as a special effect under some circumstances

Willful - if you fail a DC check the next DC check is at +5 DC
Fearful - If you try to make a stunt +5 DC
Docile - In the first round of a chase automatically reduce "success" by 1 class
Etc
Etc

This sounds like a good start and I'm pleased to see that you included temperament as a stat.

Quote from: soltakss;848274RuneQuest/BRP/Legend/D100 It all works well, but i am not sure it represents the "best" rules.

The rules are simple, but I wouldn't describe them as a good simulation of horses or riding. This is why I didn't immediately mention Runequest. It seems bare bones serviceable rather than "best" in class. Whereas the

Quote from: flyingmice;848429Am I the only one who has written a game - actually two games - *around* animal riding?

I was going to say, "Probably. I figure you're use weird that way. ". But I'm going to say that riding flying beasts, but not horses, camels, and such doesn't meet the criteria.

WEG's Star Wars D6 included animal riding. It's no more elaborate than the piloting or other skills, but it can use the same chase rules and modifiers designed for speeder bikes and space ships and animals include speeds, orneriness, and such so it is one step better than Runequest/BRP in that sense.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;848057Which game has the most elegant and effective animal riding rules? Which one has the clunkiest and most off-putting?

Here's how I handle it in ZWEIHÄNDER ->

Local Movement
Increase local movement by 3 yards if on a pony, 6 yards if on a riding horse and 9 yards if on a war horse.

Entering Combat On An Animal
If a pony, make a (Challenging -10) Handle Animal Test. If a riding horse, make a (Standard +/-0%) Handle Animal Test. If a war horse, make a (Routine +10%) Handle Animal Test. Upon success, you can take advantage of the following benefits:

1: Melee and Ranged Attacks
Whenever attacking with melee weapons atop, add +10 Base Chance. When attacking with ranged weapons atop, subtract -10 Base Chance.

2: Better Protection
Add +1 Damage Threshold, due to height of the animal.

FINAL NOTE: Miscellaneous Usage
Some Talents allow you to Dodge - using your Ride Skill - in the saddle. Other Talents allow you to ride faster, while others allow you to mitigate the penalties for ranged attacks.

Easy peasy!

Quote from: Bren;848607I was going to say, "Probably. I figure you're use weird that way. ". But I'm going to say that riding flying beasts, but not horses, camels, and such doesn't meet the criteria.

Ah! He didn't say that - or if he did I missed it!

I do have a plan on my back burner to do some sort of cavalry game, which would use the rules for Volant Bird riding adapted to 2D.

I use my trusty handbook series of farming from 1920's as a basis what horses do and do not. There are surprisingly good information about farming for players who really want to get nuts and bolts for their homesteads.

You need 4 breeds for most of human history but in 20th century you get many many more. Horses have temperament which affects how they behave in different situations. The quality of care is also important for overall ability of horse to perform at all. There are all factors that affect "attributes".

However, the real problem from modeling standpoint is the work load and endurance. These two issues are mostly ignored by players and game designers as none too exciting for humans as well (only Twilight:2000 comes to mind as reasonable system).

Thus having rules for them would be real first step for having same for horses. It is also a step I do not believe game designers are ready to do due small interest given to long-term endurance and fatigue rules in general.