I'm not the greatest Larry Niven fan (specifically his writing style and his habit of revealing crucial plot elements right at the end - a kind of science fiction version of Agatha Christie), but I do like his Ringworld book and its creation. I suppose it was the first book I encountered which had a proper sci-fi setting.
As a RPG game Ringworld by Chaosium is nothing special, buts its the sheer amount of background source material that you really enjoy. I have the box set, but I dream of the day it gets a re-release so I have a better chance of meeting someone who also wants to play it.
Does anyone know of what's the status on this?
Out of print for ages, as far as I understand.
The game's premise is awesome. The sandbox idea is cool too. I've never played the game personally, but I've heard about it.
Last I heard, the Ringworld RPG suffered from getting caught in the middle of a lawsuit from the computer game company that did Niven & Pournelle's Inferno. I don't know if Chaosium can ever resolve that one legally so that Ringworld can be re-issued. I'd like to see it updated and republished myself, mainly because I am a Known Space fan.
The fact that the game is powered by the BRP system, and its one that works for fantasy and science fiction, its the perfect sandbox game.
It would be a shame if it never got republished because of someone else's issues...
Quote from: Lawbag;379107It would be a shame if it never got republished because of someone else's issues...
You mean like JK Rowling's issues with role-playing games? :rolleyes:
Yeah. I still haven't gotten over it. No Official Harry Potter RPG. For fuck's sakes. Talk about a lost opportunity.
Quote from: Benoist;379110No Official Harry Potter RPG. For fuck's sakes. Talk about a lost opportunity.
No doubt, talk about a golden cash cow.
Quote from: Drohem;379113No doubt, talk about a golden cash cow.
Not from her perspective. It's kind of debased copper from where she's standing.
Quote from: Benoist;379110You mean like JK Rowling's issues with role-playing games? :rolleyes:
It isn't like the JK Rowling situation. It is better described in this thread (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=499639)from the Mongoose Publishing forum. Larry Niven and Chaosium love the idea of the Ringworld RPG, it is just that the rights to do so are owned by an agent who wants to license them for a movie or TV mini-series.
Quote from: Benoist;379110You mean like JK Rowling's issues with role-playing games? :rolleyes:
IP Nazis?
Quote from: Peregrin;379147IP Nazis?
Well I don't remember the exact quote, but Rowling does seem to have a problem with RPGs in particular.
That's just stupid. On her part. That's just colossally stupid. If she'd licensed such a thing...ahh...don't get me started.
There was interest some time ago in doing a Known Space RPG that had Niven's approval, but the Ringworld rights interfered again.
The Ringworld rights apparently incorporated many signature elements, such as Kzinti, Puppeteers, etc. that to remove them from a Known Space setting would be utterly ludicrous.
Damned if this doesn't make me want to run a Ringworld campaign... I have the core set and the companion, and may even have the two issues of Different Worlds with articles.
Quote from: Benoist;379150Well I don't remember the exact quote, but Rowling does seem to have a problem with RPGs in particular.
From what I gather, she's afraid that putting it into the RP realm will "open up" her material, and since part of their branding is strict protection of the IP as well as consistency, putting the license out for use in a medium more amorphous would be working against that.
Hell, she hates fanfic, too, so *shrug*. Most writers would take such things as flattery.
On topic, though, I really wish they'd re-release Ringworld. I've seen it, and it looks awesome, but I'd really like to, you know, have a
real copy rather than relying on illegal sources just so I can read it.
Quote from: Lawbag;379096As a RPG game Ringworld by Chaosium is nothing special
I beg to differ. The writing, editing and production values are top-notch, and it is a very workable game, with as you said, comprehensive background information. One of the high-water marks of 80s RPG design.
I have the old RW RPG, not in perfect condition but still readable, and I think it was absolutely top notch in all ways, even the B&W art was great. Loved the illo of the kzin head going from normal to combat mode. (At the time I had little experience with rpgs, so didn't mind the chargen system. Now I prefer custom character creation models.)
As to lawyers and "IP nazis" keeping a RW or KS rpg off the market, it just goes to prove Shakespeare was onto something...
I found it funny that the Harrp Potter author has something against RPGs. What, they're satanic or something? Does she know how many people think her work is a "gateway to satanism"?
I had issues with Ringworld, myself - game balance wise. I played in a campaign of it for one session and gave up after rolling the worst character ever - it has age-based skills and unlimited PC lifespans and I rolled up a 17 or 18 year old character (I forget which, but 1 off minimum). People over the other side of the table were running out of skills to pump to 100 (I distinctly remember someone putting 80% into sewing), whereas even with a helpful GM giving us weeks of training time en route I couldn't actually pass a check to tick my improvement box. From what I heard, after I left, my PC was eventually doped up and used for Rishathra (sp?) with ghouls.
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;379208I had issues with Ringworld, myself - game balance wise. I played in a campaign of it for one session and gave up after rolling the worst character ever - it has age-based skills and unlimited PC lifespans and I rolled up a 17 or 18 year old character (I forget which, but 1 off minimum). People over the other side of the table were running out of skills to pump to 100 (I distinctly remember someone putting 80% into sewing), whereas even with a helpful GM giving us weeks of training time en route I couldn't actually pass a check to tick my improvement box. From what I heard, after I left, my PC was eventually doped up and used for Rishathra (sp?) with ghouls.
Sounds like you had a bad group.
Also, this is why I HATE random character creation systems and prefer points buy based systems.
As a comment on the BRP system, an old saying tells us you can learn from your failures as well as your successes, so maybe BRP needs(needed) to have an option to let you get a skill check on skills you tried but failed at.
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;379208From what I heard, after I left, my PC was eventually doped up and used for Rishathra (sp?) with ghouls.
you're right, that's a terrible game flaw but that outcome is fuckin' hilarious!
I suppose I should be happy that my character was useful for something. ;)
His other great moment in-game was critically fumbling an Oratory (I think) roll to cheer up a depressed party member and doubling their recovery time. :)
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;379255I suppose I should be happy that my character was useful for something. ;)
His other great moment in-game was critically fumbling an Oratory (I think) roll to cheer up a depressed party member and doubling their recovery time. :)
from what I remember of RW and the known space line in general, people could develop psionic abilities in a variety of ways.
Seriously, if I were running that game and your random rolled character was such a dud I'd have arranged for something to give you some useful psi power.
"well, whatever that alien slug was you seemed to have recovered from the bite it gave you, but the damned thing is, after recovering you suddenly seem able to hear people near you thinking..."
I own the RPG and it's supplements. I also owned the computer game. It is a great setting. And a lot of the artwork is excellent.
Ringworld was one of three approximately equal game influences on the design of the original StarCluster, along with Traveller and SPI Universe. One of my favorite old SF games.
-clash
I never got to play much of it but it's a treasured game for me. I like a lot of the variations it had on the other BRP systems of the time. Loved the illustrations and 'feel' of the graphic layout.
Melding it with some of the optional rules from the current BRP system book could shuttle off the random character stuff (if that's a problem).
I can't see it ever coming back though... unless Mongoose somehow snags the rights to it (do they do anything that's not a licensed setting?)... and then spackles the setting out over a wide series of substandard books with high price tags that never really live up to the potential.
The single outstanding feature of the game for me was the Ralph McQuarrie cover art. Any reprint MUST have this as well...
Yeah, that's a great bit of box art!
I wasn't even into Niven at the time but that painting pulled me right on over and sold me the game... I'm shallow like that.
I'm a big fan of Niven's "Known Space," and the RPG is one of the Holy Grails I've tried to find since the 80s. It's always been just out of reach for me. The shops I went to that would have carried it back in the 80s never seemed to have it, even though they always seemed to have every other Chaosium product. The advent of the internet was little help - everytime I bid on it on eBay, someone would come along and run the bids into the stratosphere. I mean, I want it, but I'm not paying $100 or so for it. I've pretty much given up on getting it until a new edition of it appears, which may mean I'll never get it.