Revisiting the MERP round sequence time intervals

This post will try to examine the MERP time that each round sequence occurs and compare it with some of the other games that I have reviewed.

MERP uses 10 second round intervals. While representing a larger chunk of time compared to many games, some games use abstract, variable, or summary time which can represent much larger chunks of time.

Here are some round intervals for several games.

Standard times
MERP and Rolemaster Express rounds are divided into 10 second intervals.
For D&D and Star Frontiers, each round is 6 second intervals.
OpenQuest and Legend use 5 second round durations.
JAGS uses 1 second rounds or segments.

Variable time
Hackmaster uses variable action speed measured in seconds based on each specific weapon, armor, or spell. Weapons range from 7 to 14 seconds per attack. Most spells are 1 or 2 seconds. Some are up to 10 seconds. A few have minutes or hours for casting times.

Abstract time
Dungeon World uses abstract time for moves which varies according the story created from the fiction conversation.
HeroQuest RPG focuses on the outcome  or summary of the story rather than the play-by-play of actions.

Used MERP collector's edition

Finally, I decided to buy a MERP rulebook. With RM core release date stil unknown. And dissatisfied with RMX, I might as well do something with my original preferred system.

This is hardback and hopefully will last long.

Since it is no longer supported, I'll try to mix up some mixed content with 5e x 5, JAGS, and 5e stuff.

Time off the last two months

The blog has been quiet the last few months because of life events. I hope to write up something or continue something soon.

Star Frontiers: Expanded - sample adventure (part 2)

Star Frontiers series
Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn Gameplay (Part 1) Character Creation and rules summary
Star Frontiers Game Play: part 2: first adventure
Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn Gameplay (Part 3) The chase
Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn Expanded character. 
Star Frontiers: Expanded - sample adventure

Star Frontiers is once available again.  Also there are Star Frontiersman and Frontier Explorer downloadable magazines.

This is from the expanded rule book on page 58, the Sample Adventure.

I've realized that the rules are much heavier than the basic rules. So I find the rules too cumbersome for solo gaming, I'll default to the basic rules for hopefully quicker resolution.

Continued

The river after an area of trees continued to curve up the gentle terrain.

A few hours later, the river turned into a swampy area. The swamp edged north and south as far as could be seen on both sides.  Ahead west however he could see patches of land and what looked like solid land on the other side. The river seemed to continue further on the other side.

Swamp

Ethest pulled out his pocket computer and checked the map. The swamp would severely add hours to his journey if he skirted the outside.

Ethest decides to try crossing the swamp directly instead of walking around. He also still has a time limit somewhat, and light wouldn't be around forever.

He could see several dry mounds scattered throughout the swamp. He could maybe speed up the travel time by moving from island to island. But who knows what was in the swamp.

He readied his laser pistol, secured his backpack, and headed towards the swamp.

Logic (60) check to see if he can find the best traveling path. +10 since the islands are viewable. 60 + 10 = 70. Roll = 59

After a few observations and some calculations, he manages to figure out a reasonable path. He could see a series of smaller islands off to the left, which seemed to travel in the direction of a few larger islands in a chain going towards the western side of the swamp.

Swamp travel. A little difficult (-5) with a Strength (55) of mediocre. 55- 5= 50. 97 fail.

Almost immediately he found himself stuck in mud. The frogs creaked, insects buzzed, and sounds of movement surrounded him as he realized his boots were stuck.

His heart beat louder in his ears.

He'd better try to get out again. Taking a deep breath of the stinky swamp air, he tried again.

Roll 26. success.

He heard a suction slush as he forced his boot out of the mud at a different angle. Finding a less muddy area, he freed his other foot as well.

After a brief pause, he looked ahead, found his path, and continued on.

This time, the mud was less deep and he made his way from one small island to the next.

As he was approaching one of the islands it began to move.

That wasn't an island.

His heart returned to a rapid pace. He froze on instinct as the rapid movement of two things that he had mistaken for reeds began to flutter.

Soon the head of a Slither turned towards him. He better not move.

The Slither's head moved side to side looking for whatever was moving.

Ethest tried not to move, not a single movement, not even a breath.

Suddenly a sound splashed from over his right in the distance.

The slither sprang quickly, all of its legs and body pushing and slithering towards that sound.

Ethest didn't move a muscle.

He heard a loud chirping sound, a sound of the rushing Slither, and a splash.

Slowly he turned his head. The Slither had caught something.

While it was distracted, he slowly continued on, hoping to create some distance between himself and the creature.

Roll 19, success.

He easily made his way across several of the islands.

At the larger island, he thankfully pulled himself on the the larger of the islands. He drank from his water container, took a brief breather, and then continued on.

Roll 05, success (critical success)

Not only was the  rest of the swamp easily traveled, he also found some edible berries which helped him replenish some of his strength without slowing down his travel and time. He ate enough to fill his stomach enough.

Despite the troubles and surprises earlier in the swamp, he ended up at least cutting his travel time in half compared to travelling around the swamp.

The stream or river continued gently up the valley, more oil streaming down the flow from upstream.

Several hours later, nearing sunset, he spotted something large and metalic sticking out from foliage ahead.

Nearing the object, he could smell the scent of oil, fuel, and something burnt.

It was the engines, buried into a hillside.

First he better report.

He pulled out his computer and found his location. Transferring the map location to his communicator, he recorded the information into his communicator. He checked it a few times, but no one was in range. Having this recorded into the emergency information communicator beacon would be helpful in case something went bad for him, although not as strong as the larger ship beacons, his communicator could signal several kilometers.

Ethest then turned his attention back to the wreckage of the ship

to be Continued

Patriotic

Defend your nation with a secret service rpg.

Star Frontiers: Expanded - sample adventure

Star Frontiers series
Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn Gameplay (Part 1) Character Creation and rules summary
Star Frontiers Game Play: part 2: first adventure
Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn Gameplay (Part 3) The chase
Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn Expanded character. 
Star Frontiers: Expanded - sample adventure

Star Frontiers is is once available again. Also there are Star Frontiersman and Frontier Explorer downloadable magazines.

This is from the expanded rule book on page 58, the Sample Adventure.

I've realized that the rules are much heavier than the basic rules. So I find the rules too cumbersome for solo gaming, I'll default to the basic rules for hopefully quicker resolution.

Synopsis

A ship has been missing a few days and is believed to have crash landed on the plane. Ethest must locate the ship, rescue any survivors, and find out why the ship crashed.

Begin

An aerial search spotted a barren grove of trees possibly burned by the ship engine. The ship could not be seen from the air. He was dropped in the barren trees, given a homing device. The aircar will return in 20 hours.

Barren Trees

The trees are bare and burned, however smaller foliage is not burned. The homing device detects a signal coming from the southeast. I see something that looks like a billowy cloud in that direction.

Ethest easily walks across the barren area and enters the forest. As he walks towards the forest he makes note of the sun location in the sky.

Rolling an INT/LOG (60) check modified +15 due to the cloud help and tree shadows, though in the denser forest, to help maintain the correct direction to the cloud compared to the signal. 60 +15 = 75. Roll = 63.

Although the traveling is slowed by the density of the deciduous forest and the cloud direction is soon confusing and mostly blocked, thankfully an occasional glance at the smoke cloud and shadows helps confirmed that the signal and smoke are in the same direction. Ethest walks 4 hours through the green forest.

Soon the signal is really close.

He began to look around the area and saw the signal beacon snagged in a tree hanging around 10 meters above ground. As he approached closer, he can see a parachute tangled in a branch above.

He strains to make out any indicator of what happened when a form floats onto the tree, several vine-like tentacles lowering quickly towards him. It's a strangler chute!

Reaction Speed (70) check. Roll of 91 = fail.

Ethest was too slow to move away from the tentacles. A current of electricity tingles through Ethest's body stunning him for a few seconds.

When he regains his senses, he tries to escape once again.

RS (70) check. Roll of 55 = success.

Having regained his sense, he awkwardly rolls out from under the tree avoiding several tentacles.

Once out, he winced in pain, noticing the red burn mark along shoulder where the strangler chutes tentacle touched.
 
"Damn, you cursed creature," he said to the jelly sack-like creature that floats upon air currents. The wind had just happened to carry it to this tree at this moment.


He put a little bit of water onto a cupped hand and sprinkled some onto the throbbing shoulder.  The water wet his jumpsuit soaking the area which help to lessen the pain of the burn.

He swigged a few times to quench his now dry throat. Each drink seemed to go from his throat pouring out to his skin, sweat gathered on his brow.

I better be cautious, he thought, now he looked once again upward.

He then figured that the strangler chute had drifted with the wind blowing from the southwest. Maybe the beacon drifted from that direction as well.

Getting up from the ground, he dusted off dirt, old leaves, and twigs from rolling on the ground. Following the direction the creature had drifted in from, he adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and walked on.

It wasn't long before the forest began to thin and soon he was walking down hill through some grassy field.

Grassy Field

He followed the treeline down, now traveling much swifter, glad that he could now see everything around him.

Other strangler chutes drifted in the wind. Wing rippers glided in formation across the fields. One dove to the ground. When it appeared in the air again, something was in its mouth.

Off in the distance, a river or stream in the distance.


He walked down the gentle slope towards the stream.

Stream

Once at the stream, he readied to fill up his water container if it was clean. Most of the water seemed clean enough. He lowered the water container and started the filtration unit.


As it hummed, he looked across the 10 meter wide flowing water.


Then something caught his eyes.
I
Narrow ribbons of something glistening floated down from the stream from the west.

Oil!

"The ship is upstream!" he said, now happy for more help on his mission to find the ship.

To be continued

Fable #1: Bird takes Snake to the moons

Myths Series
Myth making: my plan
What are myths, legends, and folklore? Definitions (Quotes)
Joseph Cambell : Myths

Myths: Types and functions

Mythology: How they are created

Myth #1: Blood and Water - Begin

Myth #2: From them, all become

Type of Myth #1 & #2; Fable #1: part 1

Fable part 2: bird symbolism

Myths and Fables: ponderings  & decisions
Fable part 3: snake symbolism
Fables part 4: building a basic action & reaction 
Fables part 5: add magic

I've pieced together a short Fable tale for Aioskoru based on my notes and decisions created over the past few weeks. Here is Bird takes Snake to the moons.

I wanted to write something more positive and imaginative than the prior two myths.

Bird watched each day as snake would stare at the sky in the evening.
"Why do you look at the sky," asked bird one evening.
"Oh. How I long to visit the moons," snake said.
Bird, having visited the moons before, was intrigued at snakes wish.

"Let us go to the moons," bird suggested to snake.
Bird flew down and picked snake up by the beak.
Up and up they flew.

They flew first to Gaon. 
Gaon is speeding, the fastest of the moons. It seemed much lie a speckled egg.

Next they flew to Vrim.
Vrim the largest of the three was filled with strange birds, different serpents, and other beasts.

Finally, they flew to the furthest moon Duna.

As they were nearing Duna, a bright flaming ball flying fast across the sky shot a wing of bird, sending them to Duna's surface.

Bird's wing was injured. Bird tried to fly once again. The wing was too injured to to fly.
Bird mourned for both of them. "How can we return to Aioskoru?"

"Fear not Bird," Snake said,"We will be able to fly from this wonderful moon."

Their fall had attracted strange small creatures. Hairy, with many legs, and squeaking the furballs gathered at the outskirts of the lush purple field that they had landed.

Snake began to slither, hiss, and dance. Snakes body swayed side to side, tongue flickered, and tail flipped in a slow rhythm.

A green cloud gathered and grew around the body of Snake.


Snake slithered to Bird, danced near the injured wing, and that cloud moved to Bird's injured wing.

The furballs squeaked louder as the wing burns began to fade, skin and bone mended, and feathers grew quick. 
Bird's wing returned to its original condition.
      
 With a happy song, bird picked up snake, the furballs squeeked as they flew once again back to Aioskoru.

Bird and snake remained friends throughout their life
 

Bird takes Snake to the moons
© 2017 Ken Wickham

 

Fable built using the following notes which I have gathered over the last few weeks.

 The dangers of expending too much power (magic) when using powers.

bird guide
snake healing

bird does something that leads to snake interaction. 

 

Aioskoru Notes

Aioskoru   Type   Terrestrial World

Orbital Radius   1.93 x 108 km   (1.29 AU)

Period   1.12 x 104 hours   (1.29 earth years)

Physics   Standard iron/silicate

Gravity   9.76 m/s2   (1.00 x earth)

Hydrosphere   50 % water, 10 % ice

Atmosphere   Standard breathable

Civilization   Species

Special   3 small moons

Day (Deyn)

24.4525 our earth hours per day

Week (Gaon)

9 days per week based on one complete orbit of the smaller moon Gaon around Aioskoru.

Names in common human language of the nine days of the week, mostly describing how the moon looks, in order from new moon. 

"Nemeyhns","Sohwldeyn","Heytimeyhns","Semimeyhns","Meyhnsdeyn","Solomeyhns","Dorudeyn","Emdeyn","Dhemeyhns"

Month (Vrim)

36 days (4 weeks) per regular month. 37 days for some months. Extra day months falling at the final months of the year. A month is mostly based on the orbit of the larger moon Vrim, which is 36 days. Several months have the extra day to help fit the months into the year, and leap years.

Names in common human language of the thirteen months mostly describine the seasons, in order from solstice. "Sneigwei","Yegos","Bhelos","Alghei","Rekos","Bheis","Egas","Osem","Ehteros","Deguos","Hesenos","Keweros","Gelos"

Duna moon - 42 days per cycle

Fable Notes

by American Heritage - Fable
1. A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans.

https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=fable

A fable's emphasis is on a "moral." Examples include Aesop's fables, such as the stories of the tortoise and the hare, and the fox who complained about "sour grapes."

http://www.mythome.org/mythII.html

Comparison

Fact to Meaning Continuum
Historical account      Legendary Occurrence      Mythical Event  Folktale based on cultural truth
Fact   <                            ----                                   >     Meaning

Myth vs Fable
Fable                                                                                   Myth
Morality  <                             ---                                   >  world issues and functions

• The dangers of expending too much power (magic) when using powers.
• How powers can be used for both good and bad purposes.
• Powers can be used in unusual ways besides obvious purposes.

bird guide, atonement, resurrection, wisdom, hope, help, courage, happiness, splendor, or wisdom

snake healing, rebirth, benevolent, inspiration, creator, intelligent, without morals
fear, threats, untrustworthy, dangerous, and vengeful

• The dangers of expending too much power (magic) when using powers.
• How powers can be used for both good and bad purposes.
• Powers can be used in unusual ways besides obvious purposes.

Structure of fable

At the minimum, looking over the Aesop fables from both the bird and snake symbolism posts, a basic structure of the two interacting with each other either directly or indirectly.

bird + action.... reaction
snake + action.... reaction

Direct interaction
snake does something to bird.
bird does something to snake.

Indirect interaction
snake does something that leads to bird interaction.
bird does something that leads to snake interaction.

Bird and snake actions

Bird most often sings, eats, or flies.
Snake most often bites or slithers into hiding.

So based on these, I can have:
A.) Bird sings and the snake hears the song and then the snake reacts.
B.) Bird eats and snake sees bird eating and then the snake reacts.
C.) Bird tries to eat snake, and the snake reacts.
D.) Bird tries to fly, snake does something to prevent, impede, or change the flight of the snake for some reason.

H.) A snake tries to bite a bird, and the bird reacts.
I.) A snake slithers, and the bird reacts.

Not all birds sing.

J.) A bird crows, quacks, screeches, pecks wood, winnows, mimics, hoots,

Of course, not all birds can fly.
K.) A bird that can't fly is fleeing from a snake.
L.) A bird that can't fly seeks help from a snake.

And some birds can swim.

Built using the following notes

M.) A snake sees a bird swimming and has some plan.

And some snakes can swim as well.
N.) A water snake is swimming, and the bird reacts.

For snakes, I think that the healing, resurrection, and renewal symbolism of snakes from some cultures comes due to snakes the shedding of skin.
O.) A snake sheds its skin, and the bird reacts.

Pythons may also wrap and strangle their prey.
P.) A snake strangles something, and the bird reacts.
Q.) A snake tries to strangle the bird, and the bird reacts.

Birds may also be known for their talons.
R.) A bird attacks the snake with its talons, and the snake reacts.
S.) A bird grabs something with its talons, and the snake reacts.

Snakes hiss.
T.) The snake hissed at the bird, and the bird reacts.

Rattlesnakes rattle.
U.) The rattlesnake rattled, and the bird reacts.

Cobras rear upward, hoods flattened.
V.)  The cobra reared its head, and the bird reacts.

Possible magic for the creatures

Beyond the meaning found in various cultures, there is obvious magic powers that could be assigned to bird and snake.

Elemental Powers

A.) The bird flies in the air. Air elemental powers are obvious powers that a bird may have.

An offensive air power is some sort of air, wind, tornado, hurricane, gust or blast of air.

Defensively, air might redirect some sort of threat - like a defensive wall of air.

Utility wise, air is important for breathing. Lack of air leads to death.

B.) Snakes slither on the earth and sometimes hide in holes, cracks, and under logs or rocks.

Elemental wise, snakes are closer maybe to earth powers.

Many snakes are known to be venomous.  Snake poison and toxins may weaken, make sick, paralyze, or kill prey.

Powers not normally associated with the animal
Sometimes powers not normally associated in natural animals may be assigned to the animals.

Mythology reveals the fiery phoenix and firebird, electric thunderbird, winged feathered serpent.

One site shows snakes with clairvoyance, shape shifting, and hypnosis.

So whether or not I go with more obvious powers or powers extending the natural snake abilities, powers have and do get assigned to birds and snakes.