I noticed you guys harbour pretty warm feelings for Rifts. But

Sorta... eh? The different realities are creative, but somehow none are as compelling as the RIFTS geography.

>>51806785
I think you missed the point of Torg - it all takes place on Earth same as Rifts.

At a certain point, there's just too much colorful bullshit happening all at once and the ground evaporates out from under you because you lose any frame of reference. It's the Talislanta effect.

>>51807830
I know nothing about Talislanta

>>51807872
Great, underrated setting that was way ahead of its time.

>>51807872
Look it up, it's all freely available. It's this old RPG with a ton of art and content, but it's crippled by how much shit it has going on. Like, it has this gigantic map with every region laid out in detail, each with its own new race, but every race is basically just green super tall humans or some variation like that and there's really no terra incognita for you to get away from it all. It's simultaneously too detailed and too weird, which is why you've never heard of it.

File: kobold2.gif (20KB, 325x214px) Image search: [Google]

20KB, 325x214px

>>51805360
All hail King Torg!

>>51807975
Which is a shame, because the description sounds like something right up my alley.
>but every race is basically just green super tall humans or some variation
So if there's really not much detail when you get down to the gist of it, what's the issue?

>>51805360
Deus Volt in the name of the Cyber-Papacy!

>>51808126
It's not that they aren't detailed, it's that they aren't interesting or original. Some of them really are, the setting has plenty of cool things, the real issue is that they basically colored in the rest of the map with uninspired fluff instead of leaving it blank.

It's like, would you rather your game came with a map of a city and the outlying area that was really detailed but left distant lands vague and to your imagination, or would you prefer a world map that takes up all the space available first and foremost before it really gets down into the individual stuff?

This also makes finding a jumping off point harder than it probably should be. There's no clear frame of reference, which makes it pretty unrelatable without it being particularly novel.

It's absolutely worth taking a look at, though. The above is about the worst I can say about it. You might really like it.

File: cyberpope.jpg (175KB, 500x688px) Image search: [Google]

175KB, 500x688px

>>51808367
The Catholic church should really learn a thing or two.

>>51808401
What I would really prefer is if the world was fully fleshed out, but all of its regions were cool and original. I actually don't like when settings leave entire areas blank, in practice that just means that no GM would ever consider setting an adventure there. At which point, why making the region at all?

>>51808455
It's a difference of taste, then, I suppose. I don't necessarily want blank regions, I just want the edge of the map to not wrap around the whole world. I want there to still be dragons in the old sense of the word out there, not just more known places.

Talislanta is probably as close as it gets to a fully fleshed out world like you're describing. It has a vibe that just doesn't really do it for me, though. It's more World of Warcraft than it is Clark Ashton Smith, it's like high fantasy in a place I'd want swords and sorcery. But that's absolutely just a matter of opinion, and I'd be happy to be convinced that I'm wrong.

It's mechanically interesting, too. You pick an archetype and go play, it's much less about advancement than D&D.

>>51807741
Yeah I got that. I bought a copy of the game back in the 90s. Still, it's sufficiently unexciting that even this TORG-dedicated thread is spending more time discussing Talislanta.

>>51809208
No, it just means people are unfamiliar with Torg.

>>51805360
German game company ulisses spiele will be creating an all new version of TORG later this year via KS [titled Torg: Eternity]
http://www.ulisses-us.com/games/torg/

Updating the Rules

We had four core principles with regards to updating the rules.

The rules must be easily identifiable as being Torg.
The resolution of actions must be fast and easy
Reduce the number of sub-systems while keeping the Torg flavor.
Changes must provide benefits. No changes for the sake of change.

Balancing these principles was not easy. We experimented with different ideas, different systems, and eventually hammered out a rules set we think meets each of those goals.

Some things we knew for sure we needed to keep, in order to keep it feeling like Torg.

An ‘Eternity shard’ d20 core die (That’s right! It’s coming back!)
The Drama Deck.
Possibilities.
The logarithmic scale.
Interaction Attacks and Approved Actions.

>>51810307
[CTD]

The Core Mechanic

The core mechanic for Torg Eternity is the same as it originally was: roll a d20, re-roll and add on 10s and 20s, then compare the result to a bonus chart. We did investigate eliminating the bonus chart, but the knots we tied ourselves into trying to keep the rest of the rules looking like Torg were too much. Getting rid of the bonus chart (while keeping the d20) would have made the game completely different.
Mishaps

We now standardize rolls of 1 (and occasionally larger ranges) as a Mishap, with result in various effects such as disconnection and weapons malfunctions.
Success Levels

There is no action total and effect total, just the total, which you compare to a Difficulty Number (DN). You don’t have to remember what bonus you rolled as you resolve your action. There are only three success levels: Standard (equal to the DN), Good (DN+5), and Outstanding (DN+10). The exact amount you succeed by doesn’t matter, only those ranges. It’s quick and easy to determine how well you succeeded in an action.

Many actions, spells, miracles, and psionic powers have more powerful effects on Good or Outstanding results. If you get a Good result when attacking, you get to roll a bonus die (two on an outstanding hit).
The Bonus Die

The bonus die is a d6, and gives a bonus to damage equal to the roll, and this die explodes too! On a roll of 6 (or the eternity symbol on the custom ‘Eternity shard’ d6), it counts as a 5 and you roll again and add, continuing until the die no longer explodes.

We realize that this will likely be the main controversial new mechanic, but we’ve found that it’s quick and it works. Plus, exploding dice are fun!

It’s the combination of the quick and easy resolution of actions via only three success levels combined with the bonus die that allows us to keep the bonus chart and not have it too unwieldly.

>>51810315
>Dev blogs
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-1-updating-a-classic/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-2-reality/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-3-characters/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-4-core-earth-and-the-living-land/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-5-aysle-and-the-cyberpapacy/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-6-spells-miracles-and-psionics/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-7-nile-empire-and-tharkold/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-8-pan-pacifica-and-orrorsh/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-9-the-drama-destiny-and-cosm-decks/
http://www.ulisses-us.com/torg-eternity-preview-10-combat-basics/