Musical Instruments

[pawsplay]

Since a musical instrument is not considered equivalent to a kit, since there is no skill for it, I thought my idea of Study (lute) was a pretty good one. Isn't that what Interests are for? That way, it might give +1 to Impress some dandies, but maybe the GM rules that Study (lute) isn't relevant to a gang of orcs.

[Crafty_Alex]

That's just fine. You can houserule to your heart's content...that's the idea behind Mastercraft!

[TheAuldGrump]

See, this is why we can't have nice things.

Sure, we could vary up the instruments and add mechanics for them but I suspect you're not considering the big picture. Where does it end? How many instruments do we include? If we include mechanics for them does it means we have to include mechanics for each and every item in the game?

Before you know it, the gear chapter would be hundreds of pages long and utterly indecipherable. Most importantly of all, it wouldn't be fun. Allow me to point you back to my sig line for over a year now...

In game terms, reality is broken.

It's not a supposition or a thesis. It's a fact. There's simply too much of reality to represent adequately in any way in an RPG without overwhelming the audience. Same goes for mechanics - there really is such a thing as too much and it really is a Bad Thing (tm).

Musical instruments simply aren't critical enough to play to warrant more detail than we're giving them here. If, in the future, we see dozens of pages in the License to Improvise forum detailing stats and perks for nyckelharpa use, then maybe we'll consider the BIG PDF OF MUSIC GOODNESS but it certainly doesn't belong in a core book. That way lies madness.

Or, you could have Musician's Kit 50s, and let folks make up what is in their particular kit, be it an assortment of lesser instruments or a Clàrsach. Different wording, but same end result as the generic Musical Instrument 50s.

I kind of need to rework the pricelist for my own games - prices for Victorian England can actually be found, so I can cheat and just call a silver a shilling, at least in regards to money in hand. (It is worth mentioning that the basis for the British pound was a Troy pound of silver. After that the coins get sort of odd, thrupence an' bob....)

One of the sometimes PCs in the Scoobypunk game had a hurdy gurdy as his instrument (and a monkey as familiar...).

The Auld Grump

[Wolverine]

Sure, we could vary up the instruments and add mechanics for them but I suspect you're not considering the big picture. Where does it end? How many instruments do we include? If we include mechanics for them does it means we have to include mechanics for each and every item in the game?

...then maybe we'll consider the BIG PDF OF MUSIC GOODNESS...

I can see it now:

Fantasy Craft: The Musical

Your Song, Your Music, Your way.

Turn your adventures up to 11! Bring the joy of music to your Fantasy Craft games with over 480 pages of new rules, covering everything from musical instruments to different types of songs. The world's most versatile gaming ruleset will even let you take your adventuring party on tour, swinging axes by day and playing them by night.

[Morganti]

Sure, we could vary up the instruments and add mechanics for them but I suspect you're not considering the big picture. Where does it end? How many instruments do we include? If we include mechanics for them does it means we have to include mechanics for each and every item in the game?

...then maybe we'll consider the BIG PDF OF MUSIC GOODNESS...

I can see it now:

Fantasy Craft: The Musical

Your Song, Your Music, Your way.

Turn your adventures up to 11! Bring the joy of music to your Fantasy Craft games with over 480 pages of new rules, covering everything from musical instruments to different types of songs. The world's most versatile gaming ruleset will even let you take your adventuring party on tour, swinging axes by day and playing them by night.

Laugh point. Legit.
lol

I am now picturing a Trombone hero class.

[Gentry]

With big disarm bonuses.

[Goodlun]

One thing that's very important to divorce from your thinking about FantasyCraft, is that you don't just buy your fluff" gear, you only buy things that have mechanical benefits.  Your 75sp holy symbol gives a +2 to your turning check DCs, if you don't think you need that as first level, don't buy it.

A low level priest doesn't have to purchase a weapon(yay!) so can spend the extra silver on things like a medicine kit (important) and armor (pretty good to have) and pick up the holy symbol after killing some bad guys, and taking their stuff

Its a slight disconnect from what alot of folks are used to, myself included, but, thinking of it terms of "does it provide a mechanical benefit? if no, i can reasonably assume my character has it, and doesn't need to use its stake to purchase it, if yes, it will be listed in the gear chapter with a cost, and a benefit listing"

Hope this helps

I sort of found this relevant to this conversation as I agree with the concept in general for most of the equipment.   

[spinningdice]

Sure, we could vary up the instruments and add mechanics for them but I suspect you're not considering the big picture. Where does it end? How many instruments do we include? If we include mechanics for them does it means we have to include mechanics for each and every item in the game?

...then maybe we'll consider the BIG PDF OF MUSIC GOODNESS...

I can see it now:

Fantasy Craft: The Musical

Your Song, Your Music, Your way.

Turn your adventures up to 11! Bring the joy of music to your Fantasy Craft games with over 480 pages of new rules, covering everything from musical instruments to different types of songs. The world's most versatile gaming ruleset will even let you take your adventuring party on tour, swinging axes by day and playing them by night.

I fondly remember a Ravenloft Campaign where the players (fairly randomly and without any prior idea) decided to play a travelling musical group. It actually worked pretty well once I got into it - play somewhere until you've exhausted your welcome, then move on. Has lots of plot hooks to get people flowing, and the players got a kick out of becoming recognised once we'd been playing a little while.

[ThatBlastedSamophlange]

Having skimmed over the thread I think the two best options I would use are the study of a particular instrument, and I'd allow someone with a musical instrument to replace charisma with either a dexterity for stringed and rythm instruments, and constitution for wind ones.