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A new Judge Dredd RPG from Mongoose Publishing (//http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1698) is coming out in July.

Author: Lawrence Whitaker
Series: Traveller
Price: £30.00
Format: Hardback (256 pages)
Shipping date: July 2009

Mega City One - a vast metropolis where each of 360 million citizens is a potential lawbreaker. Patrolling these mean streets are the judges, tough lawmen of the future, trained to keep the peace and equipped to take on the criminals of the 22nd Century. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd, for he
is the Law, and you'd better believe it creep!
Judge Dredd is a new setting for the Traveller roleplaying game, in which you take on the role of Mega City One judges, patrolling the streets astride your Lawmaster bike, ready to defend the city's civilians against an array of foes.
Lavishly detailed as a full colour hardback, Judge Dredd will take your Traveller games to somewhere they have never been before!

I'm currently working on some sort of release event for this in the shop.

Cheers,

Dave

Woo, and dare I say, Hoo!

Gees, I still need to source some of the mandatory DTwenty/Runequest  material for Slaine and The Judge Dred because i abit of a completist.

Now I might need to ge those Traveller rules, but not right now.

Different from the earlier cover I saw and if you remember the first prog cover that was issued when 2000AD magazine could be downloaded online.

That was the one.

Please excuse my ignorance here haven't role played in an age BUT is that £30 just for the source book? Seems mighty steep?

Also is that Traveller as in the Sci-Fi role playing game that was created around the same time as Dungeon And Dragons. Didn't that have a reputation for being a bit cumbersome and is it safe to assume that's changed now?

I'm having a bit of a chuckle at getting my head round that people old enough to be into Judge Dredd can simultaneously still be young enough to find the time to do role playing games! Anyway, good show.

Quote from: "Colin_YNWA"Please excuse my ignorance here haven't role played in an age BUT is that £30 just for the source book? Seems mighty steep?

I know what you're saying about the price, however it does favour well with the price of something like the Warhammer 40,000 RPG at £40 and the supplements for that are £30-£35.  There are of course other games like D&D where the Player's Handbook is £20 although that doesn't give you a setting, just the rules and if you're going to run a game then you likely need the Dungeonmaster's Guide and Monster Manual (another £20 each).  The Traveller core rulebook is £25.

Quote from: "Colin_YNWA"Also is that Traveller as in the Sci-Fi role playing game that was created around the same time as Dungeon And Dragons. Didn't that have a reputation for being a bit cumbersome and is it safe to assume that's changed now?

Yep the same Traveller although the rules have gone through a lot of streamlining with the current version.  You can still die during character creation though!  I still think it's the best Sci-Fi RPG out there for anything that isn't Star Wars or Star Trek.

Quote from: "House of Usher"I'm having a bit of a chuckle at getting my head round that people old enough to be into Judge Dredd can simultaneously still be young enough to find the time to do role playing games! Anyway, good show.

Well I'm 36 in July and I'm definitely still into both and I'm not alone in that!  Mind you I'm obviously insane given I'm opening a games/comic shop...

My old GM (of a quarter century ago, mind) has allegedly bought the new Traveller core rules, so I feel it only my duty to buy the Dredd world book.  What Ush says is however sadly true.  Like many nerdish 30- and 40-somethings I buy the occasional RPG book mainly for the fun of reading and speculating, and largely just adventure in my mind.  The closest I seem to get to a real-world session these days is oohing and ahhing over friends' collections of original D&D modules.

On the positive side, I have just persuaded the (former roleplayer) missus to play the wonderful Carcassonne (just a board game obviously, but it's a start), and her addiction is in full flight, so there's hope!  

Some questions:  
Who did the spiffing cover?  I'm assuming the 'NR' isn't Norman Rockwell, and it doesn't look like Nigel Raynor...
What's the interior art like?  Is it sourced from the comics like in the great GW version, or if new is it from established Dredd artists?

Quote from: "TordelBack"Some questions:  
Who did the spiffing cover?  I'm assuming the 'NR' isn't Norman Rockwell, and it doesn't look like Nigel Raynor...
What's the interior art like?  Is it sourced from the comics like in the great GW version, or if new is it from established Dredd artists?

I unfortunately don't know!
Mongoose Publishing (who are making the game) are part of the "Rebellion Group" as I understand it so I think it's safe to say they'll have a plethora of material at their disposal.
If anyone is looking for some roleplaying groups then I can recommend checking out http://www.ukroleplayers.com/ (http://www.ukroleplayers.com/) which is the definitive location to finding a group of gamers in the UK (funnily enough).  I know of a number of groups in Scotland but beyond that UKRoleplayers is your best bet.

Quote from: "TordelBack"My old GM (of a quarter century ago, mind) has allegedly bought the new Traveller core rules, so I feel it only my duty to buy the Dredd world book.  What Ush says is however sadly true.  Like many nerdish 30- and 40-somethings I buy the occasional RPG book mainly for the fun of reading and speculating, and largely just adventure in my mind.  The closest I seem to get to a real-world session these days is oohing and ahhing over friends' collections of original D&D modules.

Have to be honest that's the angle I was coming from. I haven't played any for the best part of 15 years and haven't had the time to do so since finishing University really. My interest comes from a sense of nostalgia and I'm curious to see how things have developed in the last 15 years and would like to just check out a system. BUT for £30 just for a source book I guess I'll just have to stay curious!

QuoteBUT for £30 just for a source book I guess I'll just have to stay curious!

On the plus side Colin, the small paperback version of the Traveller Core Rules is about 15 quid, give or take.  They also look rather lovely, with their retro Black Book styling.

Quote from: "TordelBack"

QuoteBUT for £30 just for a source book I guess I'll just have to stay curious!

On the plus side Colin, the small paperback version of the Traveller Core Rules is about 15 quid, give or take.  They also look rather lovely, with their retro Black Book styling.

I had forgotten about the Pocket Edition of the Traveller rules.  It is indeed £15 and is also the rules that'll be used for the planned Strontium Dog RPG and various other games like Hammers Slammers.
The first Judge Dredd scenario pack is already planned for August and it's called Bad Moon Rising.

Author: Lawrence Whitaker
Series: 2000AD RPGs
Price: £15.00
Format: Softback (128 pages)
Shipping date: August 2009
The first complete adventure for Judge Dredd, Bad Moon Rising starts with a quiet, humdrum investigation for the Judges, but it soon becomes apparent that the crimes being committed are anything but normal.
Why are murders being conducted seemingly at random? Why are the Narks suddenly silent? I this a new plot against Mega-City One? Or a very, very old one?

Quote from: "KingdomOfAdventure"Mongoose Publishing (who are making the game) are part of the "Rebellion Group" as I understand it so I think it's safe to say they'll have a plethora of material at their disposal.

Are they ? I assumed they were still independant. My mate set the company up, and when they aquired Dredd as their first licence he asked me if I wanted to help write for them. I really regret not taking him up on the offer. I guess it was because most of my other friends big ideas dont get as far as Mongoose have

I must admit that I'm still not convinced that Traveller is the best system for Dredd (or Strontium Dog for that matter, despite the Harrison/Durham Red connection). I'd sooner use the Storytelling rules or Savage Worlds. However, it should be a darn sight better than the D&D variant.

Despite still being an RPG enthusiast, I'm not that excited about this game regardless of the rules. Given that so few people actually know how to handle Dredd and the setting properly, goodness knows how this will work out.

Regards

Robin

Quote from: "JamesS"Are they ? I assumed they were still independant. My mate set the company up, and when they aquired Dredd as their first licence he asked me if I wanted to help write for them. I really regret not taking him up on the offer. I guess it was because most of my other friends big ideas dont get as far as Mongoose have

I know they're now either part of Rebellion or very closely aligned (whatever that means).
http://www.rebellion.co.uk/ (http://www.rebellion.co.uk/) in the Media section has Mongoose as one of their brands.

Quote from: "Robin Low"I must admit that I'm still not convinced that Traveller is the best system for Dredd (or Strontium Dog for that matter, despite the Harrison/Durham Red connection). I'd sooner use the Storytelling rules or Savage Worlds. However, it should be a darn sight better than the D&D variant.
Despite still being an RPG enthusiast, I'm not that excited about this game regardless of the rules. Given that so few people actually know how to handle Dredd and the setting properly, goodness knows how this will work out.

I'm a big fan of Savage Worlds myself so I can see what you mean but I'm glad to see the game being done with a system which was built for Sci-Fi settings, particular for gritty Sci-Fi at that.

heh, that takes me back, I used to play the original Dredd RPG, a well as the old boardgame. It's been donkeys years since I RPGd, but amongst my ancient progs recently recovered from the parental loft, I found lots of my old AD&D/Traveller stuff, including my own version of Strontium Dogs for (original) Traveller, all nerdishly type written and a couple of D&D modules (Citadel of Fire and X1:The Isle of Dread)

There was also a stack of old White Dwarf magazines, nice to see Thrud again! - In fact would anyone like these? Several are coverless, but most are in decent nick and go back as far as the early teens (I think No 10 is the earliest) and up to the thirties. There are a couple of features relating to the old Dredd game in there somewhere. Anyone who can collect from Manchester or pay postage can happily take 'em off my hands. Let me know if you want a list. Any not wanted may end up in the recycling 'cos I've barely got room for my comics!

Quote from: "TordelBack"

QuoteBUT for £30 just for a source book I guess I'll just have to stay curious!

On the plus side Colin, the small paperback version of the Traveller Core Rules is about 15 quid, give or take.  They also look rather lovely, with their retro Black Book styling.

I always liked how the Traveller rules came as little individual booklets rather than a muckle great box or hardback doorstop. Only played it a couple of times in my early teens but it seemed more open than other games I'd played.

QuoteI must admit that I'm still not convinced that Traveller is the best system for Dredd (or Strontium Dog for that matter, despite the Harrison/Durham Red connection). I'd sooner use the Storytelling rules or Savage Worlds. However, it should be a darn sight better than the D&D variant.

Mmmm.  The problem I always had with the creation and development of characters in the old GW JD RPG was how to make a party of Judges unique, beyond the sort-of-odd implausible mix of Street/Tech/Med//Psi types.  'Emergency Stop' only took you so far.  The solution was  for the players to focus on personality, attitude and player-based crime-solving rather than stats and abilities, so yeah, the Storytelling rules would suit.  Even the looser D20 versions (like the excellent Saga-edition Star Wars) seem to put too much emphasis on characters being about 'building' a unique set of abilities to work at all well with a group who have all spent 15 years in the same school and each do much the same thing day in day out.  However, despite (or maybe even because) of its detailed character generation system Traveller was always a lot more about the role than the (nattily summarised) numbers.  And depending on your tastes a SF setting works well with the kind of quasi-realistic heft that Traveller can give it.  

There's far more than one way to play a Dredd game, and I suspect Traveller could suit at least one of them.

Quote from: "TordelBack"The problem I always had with the creation and development of characters in the old GW JD RPG was how to make a party of Judges unique, beyond the sort-of-odd implausible mix of Street/Tech/Med//Psi types.  'Emergency Stop' only took you so far.  The solution was  for the players to focus on personality, attitude and player-based crime-solving rather than stats and abilities, so yeah, the Storytelling rules would suit.  Even the looser D20 versions (like the excellent Saga-edition Star Wars) seem to put too much emphasis on characters being about 'building' a unique set of abilities to work at all well with a group who have all spent 15 years in the same school and each do much the same thing day in day out.  

That's kinda the problem with a Judge Dredd rpg over all. I used to love the old Dredd system, as I recall the combat really worked well. But my friends weren't so keen as basically you were stuck with play only slight variations on a theme. We got around this briefly by actually creating a gang of preps seeing how that worked. Truth be hold I think it worked really well as you had far more freedom of character and therefore role play. The only problem was we spent so long discussing how to refine the rules to make the campaign work we soon slipped back into the old Marvel RPG.

Shame cos I think done well a Dredd World game based on trying to be a Prep would be great fun.

Mongoose are also working on a new version of their skirmish wargame - Gangs Of Mega-City One.  In that each player controls a small group of perps, Judges or even Kleggs and fight it out.  I don't know what the timeframe is for the release of that but again it's something I plan on stocking.

Is this sinmilar to the one that came out during the early part of this decade?

Quote from: "Something Fishy"Is this sinmilar to the one that came out during the early part of this decade?

Yep, they're revamping it.

Ah cool, thanks.

Quote from: "KingdomOfAdventure"Mongoose are also working on a new version of their skirmish wargame - Gangs Of Mega-City One.  In that each player controls a small group of perps, Judges or even Kleggs and fight it out.  I don't know what the timeframe is for the release of that but again it's something I plan on stocking.

Now that sounds like a load of fun.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/14709 (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/14709)

This is a review of the original version of the game.  The new one is expected to be more flexible and have more gang options.

Here's another by... some guy:

http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/reviews/e ... city.shtml (http://www.2000adreview.co.uk/reviews/extra/2005/misc/gangsofmegacity/gangs_of_mega_city.shtml)

Quote from: "His Lordship rac"Here's another by... some guy:

He sounds dodgy to me  

Oh he is... he's a bloody mentalist.

Quote from: "His Lordship rac"Oh he is... he's a bloody mentalist.

What like this - The Mentalist (//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mentalist)?

Yup.

Groovy

I knew you were going to say that.

Awesome powers of perception.

Speaking of the Judge Dredd Rpg,i am having a clear out at the moment(to fund my original artwork addiction) and i have just listed the original Games Workshop Dredd rpg,the hardback book version ! and all the supplements on Ebay ! all complete and in first class condition.......item number 200340816569

QuoteMongoose are also working on a new version of their skirmish wargame - Gangs Of Mega-City One.

I 've brought the current one. It's not what imagined it could have been but good enough anyway.

 I originally imagined the rules might translate well into a computer game like "Wathammer 40 K Dawn of War' and I was bit off the mark.

besiudes, you can always make up your own rules.

I 'm also hoping for a Slaine version invovling tribes of the Earth goddess, vs Drunes, vs Formorians and so on.  Because they are sort of like gangs also.

I'm probably misremembering, and I'm a long way from the attic, but I think the Judge Dredd Companion that SteveMillar is hawking up-thread contained a system for randomly generating Citi-blocks.  I wonder will the Traveller version contain a similar system, maybe even one that generates districts and sectors, seeing as the stellar/planetary generator was always one of the great strengths of the Traveller ruleset?   Proportion of 'Dust Zones, number of LuxApts, mopad ownership, that sort of thing...  Dammit I want the Low Life, Angeltown and the Pit broken down into cold hard numbers!  (Also that Dockside Sector where Rico II was originally posted, and most of the Dredd vs Death game seemed to take place...).

Also, the key question that must be asked of any JD RPG:  Titan - Saturn or Jupiter?  

I saw the cover for this at the weekend. Flippin' lovely work. The artist also draws comics for Zarjaz & FQ, which is even nicer for me.

Drifting a little off topic but wasn't it the cover to 'Judgement Day' (see above post) that coursed so much bad blood between Mike McMahon and Brett Ewins?

It was indeed this cover that caused all the trouble ! i have had a quick flick through the companion and i couldn't see anything about random city blocks ! though there are cut-aways of four different blocks with statts for each...hope you don't think this post is a cynical ploy to bump this thread up to " hawk my wares " has TordelBack says !!

Quote from: "Robin Low"I must admit that I'm still not convinced that Traveller is the best system for Dredd (or Strontium Dog for that matter, despite the Harrison/Durham Red connection). I'd sooner use the Storytelling rules or Savage Worlds. However, it should be a darn sight better than the D&D variant.

I tried using Savage Worlds for a Strontium Dog one-shot, and that actually worked rather well. Savage Worlds gives you an awful lot of customisability in terms of Edges, which works rather well with Stronts if you're willing to write up each mutation as a list of effective Edges and Flaws.

I've not yet had a crack at Dredd, although the real problem there is going to be getting a suitably diverse group of PCs. The problem is that Judges are all going to have a fairly similar skills profile, unless you've got some kind of contrived multi-divisional team together, although Savage Worlds should work quite well there in that different Edges should make the same skills play out in interestingly different ways.

If I do try to run a Dredd one-off, I'd be tempted to have the players as cits rather than Judges - possibly go for a brief along the lines of "There's a Block War/zombies/robots/Judge Death rampaging through your block. Survive."

This looks amazing! I'm also excited that it's out for the Traveller system, as opposed to D20, which I never felt was as good for sci-fi, as it was for Fantasy.

I think Dredd makes for a good, but somewhat limited RPG setting.  I used to play the GW version in the 80s and would compare the experience as most close to Ghostbusters (//http://www.gbfans.com/games/#ghostbusters-role-playing-game) (which I've just found is now available for free online) and Paranoia.

The D20 version was okay as far as it goes.  I was initially quite excited by the idea of D20 but the system really is quite limiting.  I'm not sure I can justify buying a whole new suite of books for the game again.  From what I've been able to make out of the Traveller "System Reference Document" it seems a little over complex.

I bought the Savage Worlds rulebook the other day and I have to say it is along the lines of what I'd want to see a system for JD to look like.  I've noticed there is a Savage Worlds Dredd conversion available already (pdf (//http://www.savageheroes.com/conversions/SavageJudgeDredd.pdf)).

Any update on this?  Anyone seen a copy yet?

Quote from: TordelBack on 09 July, 2009, 10:28:28 PM
Any update on this?  Anyone seen a copy yet?

It doesn't actually get released for another 2 weeks so that'll be a no.  I know a few people who've seen preview stuff and it looks like they've done a great job.

The preview material was 60% illustrations ripped from 2000AD, a OTT page border, Traveler rules and 5% source material. As I mentioned elsewhere however, it's got the same company behind that rattled off the lousy D20 Dredd RPG. Full colour doesn't make it a better book (the D20 rulebook was listed as 'full colour', when only half a dozen pages were in fact so).

- John

John, when you say the preview material was (mostly) Traveller rules, do you mean that the core rules may be largely reproduced  in the Dredd volume?  Because that'd be a draw for me - anything to avoid the grotty illustrations in the current (otherwise pretty great) Black Book. 

Hello,

No, unfortunately, you have to buy the Traveler Core Rules to play Traveler Dredd (so I understand). Not acceptable for a £30 book!

It may not surprise anybody that JDRPG has never been a big seller (although sometimes the initial rulebooks do okay because of their novelty factor), so promoting it as a Traveler spin-off is one way to try to pull in customers who wouldn't normarily buy Dredd (or 2000AD). BUT, the very notion that Dredd can't survive without the Traveler connection doesn't instill much confidence in the line.

For other RPGers comments re Mongoose's consistently poor production, check out this thread. It got quite busy:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=446796

I'm far less interested in 'having a pop' at Mongoose (hundreds have done it for me) than desperately wanting a decent licensee for JD products.

- John

Heh, that's a grim read alright!  Seeing as Dredd is Rebellion's baby, maybe they'll exert some quality control, and some of their considerable design talent, over this product.  'Spose we'll see soon enough.

Absolutely! I'm hoping for the best.

- John