Want to Moderate a Game; Which of 2 Games?

Hullo, folks,

I'm considering running one of two games here on Gamers' Plane, and so figured I would post here to recruit, and see what folks favour.

The two games in question are the PRIMEVAL RPG published by Cubicle 7, and the brand new RIVER OF HEAVEN RPG published by the folks at D101 Games.
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The Primeval RPG is a modern-day science fiction rpg that is based on the successful Primeval UK tv series. As mentioned, this is a science fiction roleplaying game set in the modern day, in which temporal portals (called "Anomalies") are opening from the past and future into the present day, and your job as player characters is to contain the creatures and beings emerging from the Anomalies, while keeping the Anomalies and knowledge of them secret from everyone else. The player characters work for the Anomaly Research Centre (ARC), and is set in the U.K., though the game could also be run in a different country as well, such as the U.S. and/or Canada. Oh, and needless to say, this game has lots and lots of dinosaurs!

On the other hand, the River of Heaven RPG is a cutting edge science fiction roleplaying game, that uses the OpenQuest mechanics (a lite version of the BRP rules). [i]River of Heaven is a hard science fiction rpg, set against the backdrop of the early 28th Century, in a universe that is pre-Singularity. That is to say, while humans are able to modify themselves through genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and other means, they have not progressed to the point of being Transhuman. What makes the River of Heaven universe so interesting is that there is no faster-than-light (FTL) drive, though there have been a couple of alternative means (Visser Cube and Stepship) devised, but not by humans; the first from the Machine Civilisation, and the second through the work done by the supposedly destroyed species known by Humans as Spooks. That said, interstellar travel takes time, and the laws of time dilation are definitely in effect. :)
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The reason I'm posting this thread is because I love both games enough to run them, but am undecided on which one I should moderate in PbP. Regardless of which of the two games I run as a PbP (and I will likely run the other game somewhere down the road), I want to say here that I've got the basics worked out for what I want to do with either PbP game and have a basic strategy mapped out, though this can and will be modified with input from the players in said PbP game. Regardless, I would like to moderate the game for up to 6 to 10 players, and play the game with reasonable amounts of posting from both player and Moderator (though that will vary according to peoples' schedules and the like).

In any event, I'd like to hear from folks who are interested in playing in these games, and what fellow gamers' preferences are for which game system they'd rather play in. And any comments, questions, and the like are also welcome in regards the two games.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to any comments, questions, thoughts, and of course feedback, in this regard.

Thanks for your time and patience. Look forward to hearing what people have to say. :)

I don't own either game, but I'm always a sucker for a Sci-Fi game and like the concepts of both. I noticed River of Heaven at DTRPG awhile back and thought it was interested, but didn't need to get sidelined into yet another RPG at the time. After comparing both I think I like River of Heaven more (as a concept) and would be willing to grab a PDF of it. Plus, it's not hard to add dinosaurs to a space game like that... T-rex in space!

As games go, I prefer taking a narrative bent even with "crunchier" games. What are your leanings toward narrative vs simulationism?

Hullo, RustInPieces,
River of Heaven is really quite a solid game of science fiction, but it's definitely hard science fiction, not sci-fi, and as such has a different "feel" to it. That actually makes it difficult to add dinosaurs to the game, as they just don't fit well within the context. While the adage that any medium can be improved by the presence of dinosaurs, it's not something I want to do with River of Heaven; I've got a game that I can use for dinosaurs, and that's called Primeval. :)
Hmm... By their nature, PbP games tend to be more narrative in style and feel, not to mention content, but it's easy enough to have game rules in such things, and "crunchier" games don't suffer in that regard too much. I tend to like to have an even balance between narration and rules stuff in PbP games, but it also depends on the system to some extent and the fact that, let's face it, players like rolling dice, too. But in PbP games, roleplaying the character (to the extent that it can be done in anything other than face-to-face gaming) is more important, and is done through one's narrative writing abilities.

Does that address your query? :)

From what I see, I like the idea behind River of Heaven better than what I know of Primeval. Primeval seems more like dinosaur hunters got mixed up with time travel to me. I'm checking out the first episode to get a better idea though. For the moment count me in if you run River of Heaven, but I'll be considering Primeval.
Yup.

Hullo, RustInPieces,
Glad to see that you're keeping an open mind about both games. :)

PRIMEVAL tv series, Series 1, Episode 1, is a brilliant episode that opens a lot of questions up, and really hooked me into watching the series when it started up. Some interesting mysteries, some good science, and some neat CGI effects made for a great premiere episode.

Let me know what you think on the Primeval RPG vs. River of Heaven RPG issue about the PbP when you've reached a firmer decision. :)
Good stuff. :)

Well, I spent a few hours watching the New World remake last night, by accident, which nearly turned me off to the whole thing. The New World one seems like cheap thriller/horror elements that could use a dose of reality. But the original has a sense of fancy and realism at the same time that's more enjoyable than the new one.
Thematically I prefer River of Heaven ... but based on some real life experience, I think Primeval would be fun to play as well. So I could very easily play a big game hunter who's in the story as a tracker/outdoorsman of some sort. In fact, I do have experience hunting here in the US and have seen fresh grizzly tracks from 5 feet away.

Would I need to buy the rulebook for Primeval or could I play without? Looks like 2D6+Attr as a basic system. I'm a little reluctant to pay $25 for a PDF.

I don't know that I have a firmer decision at this point. Where I was leaning toward River of Heaven before, I think I'm more interested in Primeval now. But we'll see how many players we can scrounge up. ;)

Hullo, RustInPieces,
PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD was an interesting attempt to spin-off the series, and while it had a lot of interesting ideas in it, it forgot about the stuff that had made PRIMEVAL UK great and what it was. P: NW was thirteen episodes in total, and it was the final two episodes that gave the show real promise. But by that time, it was too late for the series. The original PRIMEVAL UK had some good stuff going on in it, that sense of fancy and realism that you mention, and the game allows players and GMs to go beyond the series, and use other concepts and ideas as the basis of campaigns and the like.
Out of curiosity, where are you in the U.S.? (I'm in Ottawa, Ontario, so...)

I might as well tell you that I've been more inclined the last few days to run the PbP of Primeval RPG rather than River of Heaven, since I've missed the dinosaurs in my roleplaying of late, and have had some ideas for various adventures and the like for the game.
Nope, you wouldn't need the rulebook for the Primeval RPG to play the PbP at all. :) In the game rules section of the forum and its threads, I'd post everything that folks will need to for character generation, as the game is really suitable for new gamers as well as veteran players. That, and it has a really simple set of game mechanics in terms of the system it uses. With some lovely touches like the Threat mechanics, Temporal Damage, and Exposure. :)

The basic system is

Attribute + Skill (+ Trait) +/- Modifiers = Result vs Target Number (TN)

Quite a simple mechanic, when all is said and done. :)
There is that. :) I do have another player already lined up to play in the game, so that's 2 players already if you want in. :)

Well, when you put it that way, count me in. :)

The system sound nice and easy to pick up. It reminds me of Fate (Skill [+ Aspect] [+ Stunt] vs TN) or perhaps classic Traveler.
These days I live in Maryland, but I used to live in the Rockies. So when an adolescent grizzly move out of Yellowstone back in the early 2000s, he actually came by my town and disappeared. About 1 week later my dad and I saw grizzly tracks ~40 miles away in still falling snow (only about 3-5mm of it). You don't appreciate how big those things are till you've seen the "small" tracks in person.

Hullo, RustInPieces,
Okay, then.., I will. :) (Check out the list of forums, and you will see that the Primeval game one is listed there, though it is currently not open for players. I need to write a separate thread now here or some such, methinks. :)
A lot of folks say that. The system is actually a variant of the Vortex system, that is used for the Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space RPG, the Rocket Age RPG, and the Pulp Fantastic RPG. It was the second version of the Vortex rules.
Yeah, I know. I've seen grizzy tracks during a camping trip in my youth. Scary stuff.

Now just think about the size of the prehistoric cave bears...

Anyway, look forward to gaming with you in the world of the PRIMEVALverse. :)

Hey so I got the invite for Saltmarsh but I can’t join?

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