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Legend
 
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Average Rating:4.2 / 5
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Samuel B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/25/2012 03:17:31

I had played RQ somewhere along the line but no so I'd remember it.

I am fairly new to GMing so am on the lookout for decent games to sink my teeth into. For only 66 pence ($1) I bought Legend and read it through. I have now set up a game, two of my three players have generated characters and soon we will be ready to go.

The rules need a certain amount of house-rules, but the book even says this is acceptable as Legend is rules only without setting so it can be bent and warped to your own needs.

I have the dead-tree version being delivered sometime soon too.

This is totally worth buying, and a great system to play with. Buy!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Christopher R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/09/2012 13:02:16

Pretty good adaptation of the RuneQuest/Rolemaster rules. Gives them more broad potential for application while still maintaining the "feel" of Glorantha. Its also more complete and laid out more sensibly than the 2nd edition rules. The book is pretty attractive and you can tell some thought went into the design; the art is not personally my favorite but it has its charm. The price for the PDF is the biggest draw! For $1.00, you definitely get your money's worth. Strongly recommended



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Chris H. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 02/03/2012 13:13:40

Mongoose's Legend is the spiritual successor to the RuneQuest game originally developed and released by Chaosim Games and Avalon Hill, back in the 70s and 80s. Mongoose's Legend is the actual successor to their own RuneQuest game, rebranded and given a life extension after Mongoose gave up the license on the RuneQuest name. Much like the earlier incarnations of the RuneQuest game, Legend does one thing very well: it gives gamers a grittier alternative to the 800lb. gorilla of fantasy role-playing...Dungeons & Dragons.

Inspired by, and derived from, the Basic Role-Playing System that has powered games such as RuneQuest and Call of Cthulhu, Legend is a fantasy game that relies on character attributes and skills, rather than classes and levels, to define the capabilities of a character. This might not be for everyone, and Legend would take some stretching to reach some of the power levels of that other fantasy role-playing game, but what Legend does...it does well.

Character generation in Legend is a snap. Legend offers two manners with which to create characters: the tried and true random method as well as a point buy method. Either of these are capable of creating well-rounded and interesting characters. Coupled with guidelines for Veteran characters, you can make characters that run the gamut from starting adventurers to seasoned pros, in no time at all. Cultural Backgrounds and Professions let you decide who your character was before becoming an adventurer, leaving it up to you to determine what your character is going to be through play. Having the option of both random determination and focused point buy should make a spectrum of gamers happy. Heroic abilities give your character the sort of "legend"ary capabilities to grow into that will make them the match of any fictional creation.

Task resolution is simple and everything is based off of the percentile dice, giving an intuitive way to explain what characters are capable of doing to both non-gamers, and gamers who may not be experienced with percentile-based game systems.

Legend postulates a world filled with magic, more so that many other fantasy games available on the market. One of the things that sets this game apart from many other fantasy games is the concept of Common Magic. Common Magic, simply enough, is the inherent magic of the universe, those magical effects that anyone can use without having to go through the training and experience of most magic-using characters in other games. This helps to create a richer fantasy world where magic is a part of the every day. This might not be fancy or powerful magic, but it can be life (and game) changing. This is one element that has been with RuneQuest since the very beginning, and it surprises me that has not been adopted by more fantasy games. Having common, everyday magic within the reach of everyone makes for a fantasy that is so much more fantastic that what you find in a lot of role-playing games.

The graphic design of Legend isn't fancy, but that isn't a problem. The black and white design is clean and easy to read. The illustrations, also in black and white, do a very good job of setting the tone for the game, and its implied world. Legend may not have a default setting, like when Mongoose published it originally under the RuneQuest brand, but the implied world that comes across through the text, the art work, and through design choices like Common Magic, makes for a rich implied world that is just waiting for you and your gaming group to fill in with the exploits of your characters. If Legend is not in your gamer's toolbox of fantasy games, you should fix that with this PDF. Even if you do not play Legend, the ideas presented in this game can be brought across to any fantasy game and enrich it with its different approaches to the genre.

You can find an expanded review over at my blog: http://dorkland.blogspot.com/2012/02/talking-about-mongooses-legend-role.html



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by jonathan c. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/22/2012 07:18:41

Legend presents a solid version of the d100 system that is more playable and easier to understand than Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying and the price is hard to beat but there are so many nits to pick that I doubt I will actually be running a game with it anytime soon. There are so many little things wrong with this game that it's hard to note them now, but what it boils down to is that it's very hard at times to get clear cut answers out of these rules. The examples are often incomplete and contradictory (probably because they were cut and pasted out of the first Mongoose edition of Runequest). The game would be much improved if Mongoose would just release some errata



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Dean P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/21/2012 17:59:50

A very well put together re-write of an old favourite system. Keeping itself to clean basics, Legend allows itself to be an excellent core system for any would be world creators. If a percentile system is the way you like it, then you can't go far wrong with this little gem.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Curt M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/11/2012 17:54:33

My only complaint about this PDF, especially since the Spirit Magic PDF is available for free, is the lack of maritime rules, as these are already open content. That being said, this $1 PDF is a great medium to get playability out of various RQI and RQII PDFs either still available for purchase here on RPGnow, or still downloadable from previous purchases of now out of print PDFs. If you're like me, you "found" Runequest Pirates during RPGnow's "Talk Like a Pirate" festivities.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Alexander L. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 01/10/2012 06:40:26

Originally posted at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/01/10/tabletop-review-legend/

Legend is the latest game from Mongoose Publishing, released towards the end of 2011, and just beginning to build up a head of steam. The game touts itself as a generic fantasy role playing game (FRPG), and one that is best suited to gritty, heroic play.

The character building experience is a mix of styles that have seen their ups and downs during the years. The seven basic characteristics, for example, share five in common with every edition of D&D since the 1970′s, with the addition of a variant on Wisdom in the Power stat, and a seventh stat in Size, providing a gestalt of height, weight and bulk for your character.

The figured characteristics – attributes in Legend parlance – include such old chestnuts as hit points, but also a rudimentary hit location system that breaks the body down into seven distinct locations, each with it’s own hit point value. In addition to some common attributes like damage bonuses and magic points, something called Strike Rank is determined, which works out to be a static initiative stat to which additional dice are added to determine order of action in combat.

The skill system is the real meat and potatoes of the character building process, with a combination of common “everyman” skills that each character starts with, augmented by their cultural background, prior profession, and a pool of extra points to be distributed, within reason, amongst all possible skills.

The backgrounds and professions deserve a bit more attention. Within parameters set by the game master, players may choose to be Primitive, Nomad, Barbarian or Civilized. Your choice determines some set bonuses to certain skills, as well as access to a handful of advanced skills depending on the background you choose. In addition, you make some initial selections of combat styles that your character will be versed in, from Sword & Shield to 2H Spear to Blowgun. Again, your choices will be narrowed down by your culture of choice. Your background also determines your starting cash. No real attempt has been made at balance here, necessarily, but the differences do allow for some real distinctions to be made in future role-play.

Professions are limited by your background – for example, anyone can be an Animal Trainer, no matter where they come from, but an Alchemist requires that you be Civilized, while Herdsman requires that you not be, only an option for Primitive, Nomad or Barbarian characters. The profession further increases specific skills, opens up more potential for advanced skills and combat experience, and, for a handful of choices, provides access to magic skills.

Magic is an interesting thing in Legend. There’s a skill that your GM may include in your basic skills, or may choose not to – Common Magic. Some games may take the assumption that nearly everyone has a smattering of magic, and that’s where Common Magic comes in. Some games will not, and will insist that players invest points or professional background in learning the mystical arts.

The next steps take the game back in a more traditional direction, with random dice rolls determining real background information, from the state of your parents, how many siblings and extended family you have, and your family’s reputation and connections at the start of the game, all of which lead to potentially starting with Allies, Contacts or Enemies. Finally, a single percentile dice roll will determine a single defining background event from a long table. Bowing to more modern conventions, the game does allow for re-rolls where results make no sense. This tool gives newer players, or those who are feeling uninspired, something to grasp onto in terms of a pre-made background, and some real story hooks for the GM.

Character building is remarkably quick, and once the math involved becomes second nature, can seem almost deceptively simple. Something that you’ll see started in the character building section, and carried throughout the entire book, are inset examples of whatever is being discussed. You can read through the entire process of creating a character in the character creation section. Later, you’ll be able to read about combat examples, including one that’s a couple pages long and spans multiple combat rounds. It’s easily the best design choice in the book, and most of the examples are genuinely useful to the new player or GM.

The rest of the book is dedicated to the rules of play, including how skills work, and how they interact with one another. The percentile based skill system does allow for some really wonderful, realistic nuances. My favorite is that, as your skill improves, your ability at improving it decreases – the mechanic being that, to increase your skill, you must roll higher than your existing skill percentage or it only increases by a single percentage point at a time, instead of two to five points that would come from a successful roll. This makes the learning curve gentle at first, over time becoming steeper as mastery is achieved. Another interesting choice is determining the level of success in cases where both competing rolls succeed. There, assuming no one has rolled a critical success or failure, the higher roll is the better result, so long as it is below the skill level in question. Counterintuitive, but a novel way of determining the level of success, and a way of rewarding rolls that aren’t at the low end of the scale.

Combat is complex at first, but quickly becomes easier to use with experience. The system of levels of success, combined with various combat maneuvers that become available depending on the interaction of attack and defense skills leads to a system that is exciting, cinematic and a real breath of fresh air compared to many of the, “I hit it with my sword” style systems in place today. You needn’t invest time in coming up with flowery ways to say, “I hit you for three points of damage” with Legend, as you may well be able to say, “I feinted in with my sword, but then caught you on the wrist with the edge of my shield, sending your spear flying out of your reach.” Sure, I had to embellish a little, but the fact that disarming, trips, weapons being pinned, or being impaled in flesh, are all possible, legitimate results of a pair of combat rolls.

Once those mechanics are out of the way, several chapters describe some different magical systems. This is, initially, GM territory. The GM has to decide which, if any, of theses systems is available for use in her game. Common Magic is designed to be just that – magic available to the common man. There are spells to make you a better blacksmith or a better orator, right alongside spells to deflect other spells or make your weapon magically sharper. A step up in power, but also in responsibility, comes from Divine Magic, the magical gifts of supernatural beings in exchange for sacrifices of your own personal power. Finally, a chapter is given on Sorcery, a nod to the grimoires and long periods of study from much of fantasy fiction.

The most interesting thing about all three magical systems is the lack of focus on simple, boring damage-dealing spells. You’ll not find yourself taking analogues to Magic Missile, Fireball or the like, though a few spells that do simple damage are included. The bulk of the spells are what would be better known to the kids with their MMOs as “buffs” and “debuffs” – spells to improve yourself and your own chances, or to reduce the odds of your opponent succeeding. Between that, and the assumption of ubiquity of magic, it changes the whole feel of the game. No longer are wizards the sole purveyors of powerful magic – everyone, including the sword master, knows his way around an invocation or three.

Magic, and the way that it is presented, dovetails nicely into the next section, which deals with the creation of guilds, factions and cults. These groups not only include groups of like-minded professionals with a common trade, but also include all religions in the world, as well as sorcerous orders where spells and rituals are shared. It is by way of these cults that spells are learned, and other benefits gained. The problem here is that, unlike literally the rest of the system, which can just be thrown together in a modular way, this will require a real investment of time on the part of the GM. There are some samples in the book, but they consist of a single cult, and a single sorcerous order, and an assassin’s guild. They could be used exactly as they’re written, but each one demands that others be built alongside to serve as allies and adversaries in the larger scale of play during the game.

Thankfully, the last chapter of the book is a GM’s guidebook, to help make some of the tough decisions that are inherent in any generic system. The bulk of the world-building happens here, and I think it’s full of valuable advice. That said, it doesn’t take away from the daunting task of building your world to your own satisfaction. A Legend GM is going to be very, very busy with preparatory work before the first characteristic gets rolled.

Now, I will state flat out that I am a real fan of the systems presented in Legend, but that is in no small part because they have a long and storied history that I have had to put on the back burner while I described the game. Legend, until very recently, was simply called RuneQuest II. Might ring a bell for some of you, either from that time, or as far back as 1978, when the first edition of RuneQuest came out. Many of the rules from that old hardbound red book (I owned it myself, back then) are alive and kicking in this new, generic game.

What’s the story here, you might ask? Well, when the game was RuneQuest II, it came with a default universe into which you could set your characters – a place called Glorantha, which was as fully-realized a game world as any I’ve ever encountered. For reasons of business, Mongoose was no longer allowed to use the RuneQuest name or the copyrighted materials related to Glorantha. So, because they had a great deal invested in the system, they took a knife (or perhaps an axe) to the rules they’d written, and excised every bit of Glorantha they could.

The operation was a success, but there were a few complications.

The first thing that might catch your eye is references in the examples, or in spell descriptions, or scattered through the rules, to creatures like Trolls, or Trollkin, or Broo – monstrous races that are part and parcel of the Glorantha universe that somehow managed to stay in the game. Trolls I could have excused – they’re a very nearly generic FRPG trope – but the others are distinctly RuneQuest in nature.

Also, you’ll see periodic references to spirits, again in examples, or in spell descriptions. Heck, some of the spells tell you whether they work on spirits or not, and others are designed to protect you against spirits. And yet, nowhere in the rules are there any official reference to what spirits are, what they can do, or how characters might interact with them. Again, this is the detritus of having once been so closely married to the RuneQuest II default world.

Neither of these issues is a deal-breaker, and the folks at Mongoose have released a free PDF add-on with the old RuneQuest II rules for spirits, and a fourth type of magic, Spirit Magic, along with rules on being a shaman that expand on the shaman profession listed in the main book. It’s available on their website as a free download, and I hope it’ll be integrated into the main PDF eventually.

The one really glaring hole in the game, however, came when they removed the section of the RuneQuest rules on animals and monsters. With so many of them being directly related to, or even perhaps copyrighted material from, RuneQuest, their removal made sense. But to have taken them all, and not left the statistics for the normal animals was probably a mistake. Now GMs have no point of reference to work from, and there never were rules or suggestions on how to create your own critters from scratch. This is the biggest issue with accepting at face value that the book is a complete game – without those rules, you’re left with humans fighting humans. No wilderness encounters, no gladiatorial combats with lions or bears. Not even stats for the horses the characters might be riding. Thankfully, they released a supplement, Monsters of Legend, that fills the hole, but unlike the additional rules on spirit magic, it’s a full product, and you’ll have to pay for it.

With those caveats in place, I have to say that, as a fan of RuneQuest, I love this game. I love that it’s been made deliberately generic, and expanded so significantly from the time I first played RQ back in 1980.

I’ve spoken with Matt Sprange at Mongoose, and there are a series of add-ons, either available now, or for pre-order, including world books for Elric of Melnibone, Deus Vult, where characters are secret agents in the service of the Catholic Church, fighting the supernatural, and Age of Treason, a totally new world, with a focus on political machinations. In addition, the “ of Legend” series of books will be more rules without a specific world associated with them. Monsters of Legend is out now, with Arms of Legend (weapons and armor), Vikings of Legend (pillage and plunder on the high seas around Scandinavia) and Arcania of Legend: Blood Magic (the first in a series that introduces yet more forms of magic) available for pre-order and coming soon. Anything that has a title in the form “ of Legend” will have the added benefit of being entirely open content as well.

Who ought to buy this game? Fans of fantasy role playing will probably like the open framework. Fans of allowing characters to do and become whatever they will, outside of the strictures of classes and professions will welcome the wide open skill and magic systems. Anyone looking for a game that could easily map onto historical game play, excising the magic entirely, will find a perfect tool in Legend.

One group in particular, however, ought to probably avoid it – anyone who invested in the most recent RuneQuest II books. Much of the content is word-for-word identical the core RuneQuest II manual. You might benefit from the world books I mentioned above, but you don’t need to duplicate your purchase unless you just want to see the new artwork or to support Mongoose in their other operations.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Robert R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/28/2011 18:25:47

Legend is a updated version of a classic and flexible game that started with Runequest back in 1978. It can easily be adapted to almost any setting, and some examples with the older versions are Call of Cthuhlu, Ringworld, Elfquest, Hawkmoon, Elric, and Superworld among many others. To aid with this adaptability, they removed the Glorantha specific items that were always so prevalent in the other RQ versions. Something that our groups usually did anyhow as we were never fans of Glorantha.

My group is really looking forward to this, and at the current price of $1, it's a great deal that any multisystem gamer can't pass up. On the other hand, if you only ever play one game system, you really should branch out and try this.

In short it's a great game system that does not use either classes or levels and is primarily based on skills with a percentile task resolution system. Your character options for development are as wide open as your GM will allow. You want a mage with a zweihander, no problem. A sneaky little priest that moonlights as a cat burglar, it's covered. A burly monster hunter that knits his own sweaters, it can be arranged. Do what you want, not what the cliche says you have to.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Robin S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/23/2011 12:47:54

Legend is a slice of history, and a different taste of role-playing to Dungeons & Dragons. Legend is, at the core, the Runequest system brought up to date. That, my friends, is a Very Good Thing indeed. Where D&D is a Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and Cleric entering a claustrophobic dungeon, Legend is a group of brave Celtic warriors wearing kilts and yelling at the top of their lungs in an open field. There’s a raw energy about this system that’s hard to quantify. It’s a game that just bursts out and begs to be played.

Outstanding.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Marcus N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/09/2011 12:39:56

Having never played Mongoose Runequest, but having seen earlier incarnations, I was sceptical of the system. When the Legend system can up on DriveThru for $1, I grabbed it, thinking that it would give me a chance to evaluate the system for practically free.

Now, I'm hooked - Legend is now on my book buying list and also on my PDF buying list and I could see several expansions that would be possible with the system.

Basically, you have a statistic, which helps to define the starting point for a skill, which can then grow from there, giving a % number that you need to roll under. For opposed rolls, the highest succeeding number wins the contest. It really is that simple.

Legend is also an OGL product, so if you want to create your own system, you are free to do so... making this one of the best $1 you'll spend in a while.

All in all, a good system... although I have yet to playtest it, it has to be noted.

Oh and good support on the Mongoose forums helps too.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Iain M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/05/2011 21:02:53

I've played Runequest since the early 80s, and this in its previous incarnation was the best version of the rules to date. Now it has been reissued under the OGL, I hope it really takes off as a setting-neutral, Glorantha-free RPG (and I say that as a Gloranthaphile!). There are some quirks - the charge rules still don't work and the magic systems can become extremely powerful very quickly - but it's an excellent, flexible system that deserves much love. I have an extensive review of the previous version at my currently dormant blog, The Rune Under Water, which you can find via your favorite search engine if you're interested.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Ade J. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/03/2011 08:12:49

Great set of rules - nothing really new but should bring them to a wider audience. I am now writing some product for this on the basis that it will do for Mongoose what the Savage Worlds did for Pinnacle - Good rule set, great price, excellent accessability



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Billiam B. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 12/02/2011 20:11:04

RQ-style game with lush black and white illustrations.

I'm loving what I'm seeing so far, but the Games Mastery section seems a little light - a handful of pages at the back tagged onto what feels like a player's guide; no bestiary, or NPCs, no sample quests, but in using RQII (Mongoose) system, the range of source material out there is quite substantial. One explanation is that since Legend is very "human" centric - the adversaries can be generated using the main rules - but what lovely rules!

The character backgrounds have just enough general facts to provide history back-story and motivation, which an inventive GM will merge with the gameworld. The format is novice-friendly with examples of character a called "Alaric" throughout.

I'm drawn to the familiar here, but I realise that a more thorough read may reveal subtle nuances specific to this game.

For the moment it is a mere one dollar. Clearly Mongoose Publishing is trying to get us hooked! :)

Billiam B. http://bit.ly/rpgblog



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by Mark K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/02/2011 16:37:28

The product is in perfect condition on the final product. I am able to read every word and it is easy to access.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Legend
Publisher: Mongoose
by David B. S. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 12/01/2011 19:59:12

The next evolutionary step in Mongoose Publishing's Runequest RPG- now called Legend. It doesn't appear that much overall has changed. Its 100% compatible with all the previous RuneQuest II books, including Elric of Melnibone, Deus Vult and Wraith Recon. So if you have invested in earlier products, you can still use them!

Legend has a more "generic" fantasy feeling than the Glorantha campaing setting, allowing GM's to more easily plug in their own campaigns- whether they be "homebrew" or versions of other games on the market. But Glorantha is supported.

The mechanics look as though they are primarily the same as MRQ2, having been tweaked and cleaned up. Cultural Backgrounds and Professions are still there. And unfortunately, some of the art from the previous core rulebook is there- but not enough to annoy or disappoint. A major change is the inclusion of only 3 forms of magic: Common, Divine and Sorcery. This may put off some older fans of MRQ, but new players will not miss a thing. The magic system is fun to play!

And best of all, the entirety of text in the Legend core book has been designated as Open Content! A definite no-brainer purchase in my opinion. Enjoy!



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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