Getting dragged back into it

We moved into our current home two years ago. I had been out of the role-playing game thing since 1988, yet I had a ton of games and game-related stuff that I kept moving with me. Between not wanting to move them ever again, and some changes in my job that made me worried about my cash flow I decided to sell off my gaming stuff.

And sell I did. Gone were my copies of the D & D Holmes Basic set, Gangbusters, Top Secret, Call of Cthulhu, Thieves World, a bunch of microgames, Panzer Blitz, Worlds of Wonder, Runequest and many more. (But kept my 1st edition AD&D and the OD&D white box)

And selling this stuff off made me interested in what was going on in the RPG market. I started reading blogs and found a couple of books on the subject.

And then I started playing D & D again, the current version. The rules seem less weirdly arbitrary than the versions I played, but I'm not a fan of the class and level system and 'armor makes you harder to hit' combat. That just seems goofy to me.

So I'm thinking about running something again. My rules of choice back in the day were Runequest and other Basic Roleplaying derived games. I picked up the Basic Roleplaying 'Big Gold Book', Magic World and the Advanced Sorcery supplement and like them a lot. I've read Runequest Essentials and it seems to be the best iteration of those rules I have seen, but have not yet sprung for the complete ruleset. But seriously thinking about it.

I've got some notes on a campaign, and already tried making up a new monster which ought to be here somewheres. I wonder if I have time to actually put something together. And who would play if I did? We already have lots of scheduling issues with the folks I play with now.

The Fleshpecker

Here is the Fleshpecker, an avian monster for Magic World, Basic Roleplaying, RuneQuest and related games.

Fleshpecker

The Fleshpecker is a large (hawk-sized) carnivorous relative of the woodpecker. It is known for plucking the internal organs out of it’s prey via repeated attacks with its bill. The Fleshpecker’s modus operandi is to anchor itself to its opponents with its claws and then peck the life out them and eat their tasty internal organs..

Characteristic	Roll	Average
STR	1D3	2
CON	1D4+2	4
SIZ	1D2	1-2
INT	2	2
POW	2D6	7
DEX	3D6+15	26

Move: 2 (10 flying)

Hit Points: 3

Damage Bonus: -1D6

Armor: None

Attacks: Claw 60 % 1D3-db (bleeding)

Peck: 65% 1D4 (impale)

Skills: Dodge 60%,Search 60%

The fleshpecker will make two claw attacks at it's DEX rank in an attempt to grab its opponent. Each claw that hits will stay locked on until the Fleshpecker flees or is knocked off.

Once both claws have grabbed the opponent, the Fleshpecker makes 2D4 peck attacks starting 5 DEX ranks later, with each peck occurring 1 DEX rank after that. If the Fleshpecker is not dislodged, it makes 2D6 peck attacks each round after it has grabbed onto its foe.

The Fleshpecker cannot dodge while both claws are grabbing a foe.