Non-Middle Earth games...

[Aldaron]

Just curious if anyone's used the CODA Lord of the Rings rules for any games not set in Middle Earth?

I'm presently converting my nascent home-brew D&D campaign over into CODA. I was having headaches with it as D&D, because I wanted a more realistic combat system, and "low-powered" magic, but couldn't quite get it right with D&D.

The LOTR rules, however, are perfect. Looks to me like it'll give it a "Harnic" flavour without the incredible complexity of the Harnmaster system.

Anyone else done this?

[Ineti]

Other than Trek Coda, I haven't done anything major with the rules set. I've been noodling on a Deryni Coda game and a Star Wars Coda conversion, but I'm not very far into either. Real life getting in the way and all that.

[Aldaron]

Actually, Star Wars CODA would be kinda fun...you could adapt a lot of the d20 SW Class/Prestige Class stuff to Profession/Elite Profession.

The Force would be a bit of a pain...but you could probably get around it with Weariness tests, etc.

Then again, I'm still a huge fan of the old D6 WEG Star Wars rules...elegant, simple and oh-so-very effective!

I've toyed with the idea of converting the old 2300AD game into CODA - you could use the Trek stuff pretty much as-is, with only a few tweaks and a couple of extra professions.

[ReptileJK]

Yeah Ineti, I think you and I had commented on this a while back (or maybe we were just talking about the WOTC StarWars game, I can't remember) I"m almost 30, ya know, and memory fails me alot.

Anyways, I think that the CODA system could be used in the Star Wars world pretty easily. If thought through, even Force-related skills and powers, could be done pretty easily. As was stated previously, with weariness tests. Yet, "Force Using" is alot less subtle than Magic in Tolkien's world, and (believe it or not), the "magic" system would probably have to be BEEFED UP, to allow jedis to do the things they can do in the movies. Furthermore, in the WOTC game, your actually using alot of TN, etc., for skill tests, which is similar to the Coda system in alot of ways, so that would be easy to convert.

I'm pretty happy with the WOTC game, actually. We play it quite frequently. In my opinion, the combat system is relatively realistic. There's lots of rules for combat under many different conditions, and with many factors taken into account.

Anyways, I think the Coda system would work well for Star Wars. Even though Mongoose Publishing just put out a Conan game, I think that the Conan world by Robert E. Howard would be great for the Coda system (although rules for combat without armor would have to be created, since everyone in that world ran around in a loincloth ) .

[Ineti]

Originally posted by Aldaron
Actually, Star Wars CODA would be kinda fun...you could adapt a lot of the d20 SW Class/Prestige Class stuff to Profession/Elite Profession.

The Force would be a bit of a pain...but you could probably get around it with Weariness tests, etc.

Yeah, a lot of the classes and orders could be converted, but I think I'd probably be really ambitious and head back to the source material (the films) to get inspiration and to really make the game fit the setting. I didn't care for much of the EU.

As for the Force, my initial thought would be that it could work similar to the LOTR spell casting system, where all the Force skills and powers and such are 'spells' and each one requires X number of Force picks to get. Force-sensitive would be an high-priced edge.

Still noodling with it though.

[Ineti]

Originally posted by ReptileJK
although rules for combat without armor would have to be created, since everyone in that world ran around in a loincloth ) .

Not necessarily. You could omit armor and still use the Defence score--it would just refer to the character's natural ability to avoid damage. Sort of like taking LOTR's edge Armour of Heroes and have it apply to all characters.

[Manveru]

Here's a key question for defining force powers in CODA, me'thinks:

Does a character's skills and powers go up because they've increased their their ability with the Force, or does their ability with the Force increase because a character increased their Force skills and powers?

I think there's a very strong intuitive aspect to the force that comprises it's 'subtlety', it's subjective qualities. The trick to pulling off the atmosphere, mystery, and magnitude of the Force in CODA (or any game), imho, is to not make it a simple list of 'stunts'. I think that the 'stunts' should derive from something more essential.

The other difference between Magic in ME and the Force in SW, is that the Force is in everyone (let's forget about Episodes 1-3 for now, shall we? ;-) and so, technically, everyone HAS it, unlike Magic in ME. So defining the Force only through something like Order Abilities wouldn't make sense.

The most logical thing I can see is to have 'everyone' Force stuff, and 'Jedi'/'Force User' stuff.

The best candidate to me for representing the 'everyone' Force stuff, is to replace Courage points with Force points. But I don't think that Force points could be used exactly like courage points in CODA. That would also dove tail nicely into using Force points to invoke certain Edges, as CODA requires that some of the Edges in LotR be invoked by Courage points. I can see the possibility of their being a wide variety of these kinds of 'Force' Edges and Order Abilities. A few universal ones, and then the majority for the 'Force User' Orders.

I actually like the LotR Weariness rule for casting in the context of Force powers more. A master of the Force does not really ever appear to get very Weary now, do they? It seems like a true jedi is 'channelling' the Force more so than 'powering' it himself. And these masters seem to exude an efficiency and ease in their Force power manifestations, much as a martial arts master has come to the point where they can achieve maximum effect with minimum (or most efficient anyway) effort. I'd say that effective use of Force powers means that the Force User is putting up less 'resistance' to the Force, letting it 'flow' easier along the channel of their will. And conversely, a beginner in the Force would have years of overcoming their internal blocks to Force use that put up resistance, and therefore cause more Weariness.

So, successful (or at least > Marginal Success or something, perhaps > Complete or Superior for exceptional powers or manifestations) use of Force Powers results in no Weariness, but a clumsy Force user would pay the cost when they fail (thinking of Luke here, in the ESB with the whole 'lift the x-wing out of the swamp' fiasco).

Y'know, the more I think about it, the more workable it looks. Some cosmetic changes to terminology, and a decent amount of redefinition of mechanics, and you're well on the way to a CODA SW system. Now, about those starship rules ... ;-P

[Ineti]

Originally posted by Manveru
Now, about those starship rules ... ;-P

That's what the Star Trek Starships book is for, with modifications.

I like the ideas on the Force in Coda; that's generally where I would go with it. I'd probably make sure there were additional or more interesting effects if the hero scored significantly high successes.

[aelius]

The Force rules in the latest edition of D20 Star Wars work just fine as they are. All that is really needed to convert them to CODA is going through and converting the classes over and calculating the conversions for difficulty levels. It only took me a few hours to do it. There are Jedi in the Triangle campaign and the rules work fine.
That's one advantage the D20 system has for me. I don't like it, but it converts to CODA very easily.

[Jason Durall]

Originally posted by ReptileJK
Even though Mongoose Publishing just put out a Conan game, I think that the Conan world by Robert E. Howard would be great for the Coda system (although rules for combat without armor would have to be created, since everyone in that world ran around in a loincloth ) .

Two points:

Until I had heard about Mongoose's game, I was working on a CODA port for the Hyborian Age of Conan, but didn't get very far on it.

Fashion in the Hyborian Age of REH was a lot more sophisticated than just loincloths, you know...

[GandalfOfBorg]

Im still working on a Harry Potter RPG using both LOTR and Star Trek. I have it almost done; just need to finish the chapter on equipment, basic ruleset, and how to run a game of Quidditch.

[Aldaron]

Originally posted by GandalfOfBorg
Im still working on a Harry Potter RPG using both LOTR and Star Trek. I have it almost done; just need to finish the chapter on equipment, basic ruleset, and how to run a game of Quidditch.

Err...GoB...can you put me on the mailing list for that??

I've just started doing some research and gathering some information for the very same thing...but I don't want to reinvent the wheel!

I'm more than happy to contribute towards what's being done, as well...let me know if you want a hand!

[ReptileJK]

"Until I had heard about Mongoose's game, I was working on a CODA port for the Hyborian Age of Conan, but didn't get very far on it."

Cool. The Mongoose game just came out. looks pretty neat, but the core book is about $50!!!, which is too rich for my blood at the current moment. The neatest part, in my opinion, is that the description of Conan's world and the Hyborian Age was actually written by Robert E. Howard! They took his own notes that he used to keep places and races straight while writting and made it a chapter of the Rulebook.

"Fashion in the Hyborian Age of REH was a lot more sophisticated than just loincloths, you know..."

Yeah, this was basically a joke. Seems like any picture of Conan that you see these days was done by Boris Vallejo, and we all know what his art work favors.....naked folks with swords.

[ReptileJK]

Originally posted by Ineti
Not necessarily. You could omit armor and still use the Defence score--it would just refer to the character's natural ability to avoid damage. Sort of like taking LOTR's edge Armour of Heroes and have it apply to all characters.

Good point. As I responded to Jason Durall as well, my comment about loincloths was sort of a running joke amonst my friends and I regarding Conan. We are all very big fans of Robert E Howard's works. Just that alot of the pics of Conan that you see were done by Boris V. , and they're kinda comical.

[GandalfOfBorg]

I have completed most of the important aspects to a CODA Harry Potter RPG. What I have so far is posted at my RPG Tools website and is available for any and all to peruse at your leisure. Comments and suggestions are most welcome. If any would like to playtest the rules I have, please do so and send me your comments from your trials.


Happy Gaming


Matt aka GOB