Runequest: Roleplaying in Glorantha

[SeaJay]

Have you GM'd/played it, what's it like, any good?

Is it a good introduction for players with next to no experience with Glorantha?

 

[soltakss]

I haven't played/GMed it yet, but I'd guess it would be a good introduction to Glorantha.

 

[Bilharzia]

I played it when it was just called "RuneQuest" in the 80s....hyuk hyuk...well, it's largely the same ruleset as RuneQuest 2 but with passions and rune skills. I've got the rulebook and I was running the Borderlands campaign on Roll20, I passed on the GM hat to someone else as all the players wanted to try RQG (I was running Mythras).

The current RQG is very strongly focused on the Dragon Pass region and making characters with a detailed backstory from the region, so if that's what your players are interested in, it should be a good introduction. The demo adventure is solid Glorantha and a good intro in itself. PCs themselves are in a much more heroic mold straight out of character creation, very much unlike the old RQ they are generally much more powerful god-infused types.

 

[Trippy]

It's physical presentation is a good introduction to Glorantha, and there is certainly enough setting material to be getting on with. It also gives a clear outline of 'what to buy next' if you want to get in further.

The system is deliberately based on the second edition, with add ons. It's a celebrated system that is percentile and presented clearly - but it's not as simple as D&D5, say. I've yet to play it though.

 

[SeaJay]

Thanks all for the info

I read a review that said whilst it's a great game, it has a few balancing issues (not sure where). Anyone know if this is the case and if so, to what extent?

 

[Bilharzia]

Most of the reviews I've read have been over-the-top in praise, some to the point of hyperbole. The system itself is as good as RQ2/3 with some refinements and additions. I don't know about balance (or what that really means) but as it stands it surprised me in what it didn't cover. It doesn't have a creature chapter so the bestiary, including the non-humans, is a separate book. Sorcery looks as unusable in play as it was in RQ3, spirits and Animism haven't been developed much so although the picture of Shamans, the spirit world and how it works in Glorantha is clearer, sprits aren't any more interesting than they were in RQ2.

For me these are the biggest issues that don't compare well to Mythras, but it seems that a big part of the appeal of RQ2 is nostalgia for the older players and the lavish presentation of Glorantha which is the best it has ever been, and the local detail is good if that's what you're after, but the system itself just has me shrugging shoulders, it's more-or-less the same as RQ2 except the PCs are now low-level butt-kickin' demi-heroes, ready for the hero plane or bust!

 

[Trippy]

Most of the reviews I've read have been over-the-top in praise, some to the point of hyperbole. The system itself is as good as RQ2/3 with some refinements and additions. I don't know about balance (or what that really means) but as it stands it surprised me in what it didn't cover. It doesn't have a creature chapter so the bestiary, including the non-humans, is a separate book. Sorcery looks as unusable in play as it was in RQ3, spirits and Animism haven't been developed much so although the picture of Shamans, the spirit world and how it works in Glorantha is clearer, sprits aren't any more interesting than they were in RQ2.

For me these are the biggest issues that don't compare well to Mythras, but it seems that a big part of the appeal of RQ2 is nostalgia for the older players and the lavish presentation of Glorantha which is the best it has ever been, and the local detail is good if that's what you're after, but the system itself just has me shrugging shoulders, it's more-or-less the same as RQ2 except the PCs are now low-level butt-kickin' demi-heroes, ready for the hero plane or bust!

Yep, there is a point to be made that when the Mythras developers were charged with the task of adapting their, as was then, RuneQuest 6 system to the RuneQuest: Glorantha project, they were told they had to condense their rules down to be able to fit into a 300-350 page book or so. The current version of Mythras does precisely that.

However, the current version of RuneQuest: Glorantha but out by Chaosium isn't really complete without having both the Core Rules and the Bestiary books, and you'd probably want the Gamemaster's pack too. Without the Bestiary, for example, you cannot play any non-human characters like Elves or Dwarves or Ducks (which I like!).

While these books will undoubtedly make an impressive slipcase when it's fully released, the total content needed to fully play the game amounts to 449 pages for the core rules, 210 pages for the bestiary and aproximately 150 pages for the GM Pack.

 

[Voros]

I've yet to read the new RQ but I prefer RQ 2 relative to Mythras as to me Mythras adds just one too many extra systems onto an already complex combat system.

 

[Dumarest]

I've yet to read the new RQ but I prefer RQ 2 relative to Mythras as to me Mythras adds just one too many extra systems onto an already complex combat system.

In other words:
​

 

[Bilharzia]

Well, Herr Mythras, a good effort, decidedly so, but occasionally, there are only so many systems a player can use in the course of an evening, just cut a few and it'll be perfect.

 

[Trippy]

I've yet to read the new RQ but I prefer RQ 2 relative to Mythras as to me Mythras adds just one too many extra systems onto an already complex combat system.

I never really read it that way - the various combat effects are really just an expansion on the idea of 'impales' from RQ2 - made a bit more freeform and individualistic. In fact, RQ:G has expanded on this too - for different types of weapons.

 

[Endless Flight]

I’m fairly new to Mythras and it doesn’t appear to have too many subsystems. The book itself is not intimidating. It’s not able to stop bullets like Pathfinder or HERO.

 

[Mankcam]

I find the RQG character sheet to be a bit unwieldy by today's standards. I would have greatly preferred something simplier like some other versions of BRP, notably Revolution D100 or OpenQuest, except with Hit Locations, Passions & Runes.

Other than that, its a great version of RQ and showcases the Gloranthan setting really well.

In regards to Glorantha, RQG provides an overview of the world and how things work mythically and metaphysically. However it then drills down to one region called Dragon Pass, and focuses on that as a pivotal micro-setting. It is the cross roads of cultures and recent upheaval and conflict, with a time of monumental disruption and more conflict closely looming. An excellent time to set stories in!

For me it has been the highlight of RPG releases this year.

 

[Voros]

I’m fairly new to Mythras and it doesn’t appear to have too many subsystems. The book itself is not intimidating. It’s not able to stop bullets like Pathfinder or HERO.

I never really read it that way - the various combat effects are really just an expansion on the idea of 'impales' from RQ2 - made a bit more freeform and individualistic. In fact, RQ:G has expanded on this too - for different types of weapons.

To be fair to me even RQ 2, which is a concisely stated rule set, is crunchier than I prefer, I would like something closer to CoC or Pendragon in terms of crunch. There's Openquest but I find it lacking in flavour personally.

I want to run RQG but think I may strip it down mechanically, keeping the backgrounds and passions but simplifying combat.

 

[Bilharzia]

I never really read it that way - the various combat effects are really just an expansion on the idea of 'impales' from RQ2 - made a bit more freeform and individualistic. In fact, RQ:G has expanded on this too - for different types of weapons.

Slash & Crush were optional rules for RQ2/3, Mythras special effects are certainly derived from the idea but because they get triggered in a completely different way they're much more common and they allow combat to get away from cutting everything to pieces which unfortunately RQG still maintains. There's no doubt Mythras is more involved than RQG but it also gets away from the extended slugathon melees that you could get stuck in for too long.

 

[TheophilusCarter]

To be fair to me even RQ 2, which is a concisely stated rule set, is crunchier than I prefer, I would like something closer to CoC or Pendragon in terms of crunch. There's Openquest but I find it lacking in flavour personally.

Maybe Magic World?

 

[Ulairi]

Thanks all for the info

I read a review that said whilst it's a great game, it has a few balancing issues (not sure where). Anyone know if this is the case and if so, to what extent?

What review did you read? I’ve ran it and I’m running it. When it comes to balancing issues I’d really need to know what specifically they said they had issues with. I’m the Palladium guy so whe it comes to balance my ability to play through may be different than others. I tend not to think RPGs really are capable of having “balance” issues because as the referee I know how to adjust the game to make sure each player has their own opportunity to shine and be of consequence.

I think RuneQuest Glorantha is brilliant. Like others have said it’s fundamentally RQ2 but with fantastic production values and the Glorantha material is great for new players. I like that the book focuses on Dragon Pass for two reasons: It makes it much easier for new players to get into the game and understanding Glorantha and apparently the iPad Dragon Pass games are very popular and anything Chaosium can do to get computer gamers to want to play role-playing games is okay with me.

Mythras when I read it seemed more complicated to me, than RQ2. I admit that I’m one of those grognard that knows what I likes and likes what I knows, so ymmv when it comes to RuneQuest Glorantha but I highly recommend the book and the book is very reasonably priced.

 

[Mankcam]

Maybe Magic World?

Such a travesty that Chaosium has this on the back burner. An old school BRP game with simpler rules than RQ and an fantasy sandbox setting.

Ideal for new players to BRP, and those who do not want Glorantha. Perfect for playing old Stormbringer scenarios, and easy enough to convert old TSR D&D modules to provide lots of dungeon crawling and such.

I really think Chaosium should take another look at this one

 

[Dumarest]

Such a travesty that Chaosium has this on the back burner. An old school BRP game with simpler rules than RQ and an fantasy sandbox setting.

Ideal for new players to BRP, and those who do not want Glorantha. Perfect for playing old Stormbringer scenarios, and easy enough to convert old TSR D&D modules to provide lots of dungeon crawling and such.

I really think Chaosium should take another look at this one

What's the degree of compatibility between Magic World and Mythras?

 

[Mankcam]

What's the degree of compatibility between Magic World and Mythras?

Both games are versions of BRP, and as with all BRP games they are broadly compatible, but there are some differences. Experienced GMs could easily handwave it however, its no huge drama. Similar stat blocks in many ways, but skills have different names and such (however all abilities are still measured in D100%, so that's the main thing).There are some notable differences however, they are more like cousins, rather than being siblings.

Mythras is a descendant from when Mongoose Publishing was involved with the RQ licence; it uses the MRQ SRD. The two main Mongoose authors for that line went independent and formed their own company, so they have spent a significant amount of time tinkering with the system. The stat block resembles the Chaosium BRP stat block, but there are obvious differences. No Total Hit Points in Mythras, it has only limb HP instead. Skills are consolidated, which is a good thing. Despite such, the Mythras character sheet remains reasonably detailed.

Combat is much more involved than standard BRP, which can lead to lots of cinematic combat options, but sometimes leads to player inertia in the combat round. Not a big issue for experienced Mythras players however, mainly just those new to the system.

MagicWorld is a version of Classic BRP, whereas Mythras stems from the MRQSRD offshoot.

MagicWorld is a fantasy build of the Chaosium BRP Core Book ( which is a loose compilation of various Classic BRP rules, designed as a generic GM toolkit).

MagicWorld is a distilled version, so its a compilation of rules mechanics mainly from Stormbringer, but also some RQ3, as well as some new stuff. It has quick char gen, a simpler character sheet and plays quicker at the game table.

BRP is a medium-crunch system. So if you place RuneQuest in the middle of the boat, then Mythras sits in the heavier end, with Magic World being up in the lighter end.

Mythras is supported with a decent little range of immersive settings, and works very well for serious games, especially with psuedo-historical settings. I guess Mythras is more of a committment in some ways, but a good one at that

MagicWorld is more faster paced when it comes to char gen and combat scenes. Lends itself to more incidental play than Mythras.

The only issue is that Magic World isn't currently supported beyond the pdf version of the books (a core book and an additional magic book). Chaosium may cast their eye towards it again, but at present they have their hands full with the renewed RuneQuest and Call Of Cthulhu lines of BRP.

Which is disappointing, as Magic Worldd is perfect for using with old BRP Stormbringer modules, and it lends itself well to old classic fantasy modules which are easy enough to convert (ie TSR D&D). I could easily run DCC scenarios with it if I dont want to use DCC as a system.

 

[Bilharzia]

Mythras stems from when Mongoose was involved, it uses the MRQ SRD. The two main Mongoose authors for that line went independent and formed their own company, so they have spent a significant amount of time tinkering with the system. The stat block is similar to Chaosium BRP, but different. No Total Hit Points in Mythras, it has only limb HP instead.
Skills are consolidated, which is a good thing. Despite such, the Mythras character sheet remains reasonably detailed.

Mythras does not use the MRQ SRD, Mythras is the renamed RuneQuest 6 which was a complete re-write of Mongoose RQ2 which was a re-write of MRQ1.

MagicWorld is a fantasy build of the Chaosium BRP Core Book ( which is a loose compilation of various Classic BRP rules, designed as a generic GM toolkit).

MagicWorld is a distilled version, so its a compilation of rules mechanics mainly from Stormbringer, but also some RQ3, as well as some new stuff. It has quick char gen, a simpler character sheet and plays quicker at the game table.

Magic World is almost entirely based on Elric! with the Moorcock specific details stripped and replaced with a more generic fantasy setting.

Neither system is based on brp as a common root, they're both derived from existing, specific systems, Mythras is closest to RQ3, MW very close to Elric!
Things like character attributes are closely compatible, skill levels roughly compatible, magic is the hardest to reconcile but possible.

 

[Mankcam]

Mythras does not use the MRQ SRD, Mythras is the renamed RuneQuest 6 which was a complete re-write of Mongoose RQ2 which was a re-write of MRQ1.


Magic World is almost entirely based on Elric! with the Moorcock specific details stripped and replaced with a more generic fantasy setting.

Yes I did phrase that incorrectly, my mistake. I actually meant that Mythras had its origins with the MRQ SRD line of BRP, but went down its own path after that. Yep its basically RQ6 under a new name.

Magic World is primarily based off Elric!/ Stormbringer, but also has elements from the RQ3 rulebook. From memory, mainly stuff from the GM booklet/chapter of RQ3. Those rules may have also appeared in the BGB however, so that may have been consulted rather than RQ3 itself. I think some of the RQ Bestiary also made it into Magic World as well, (but I don't have the book on me to check). Certainly the lion's share of the rules, including the combat chapters, that's definately all Stormbringer

Both Mythras and Magic World are BRP, its more of an umbrella term these days rather than anything official

 

[Trippy]

My preference for system, overall, would always be Pendragon.

However, what I will say about RuneQuest: Glorantha is that it is clearly a work of passion. You can see this in every single page of the book - the creators really care about it.

 

[Mankcam]

Yeah RQG is absolutely beautifully produced. I hope it gets shelf space in the stores, as it is up there with the biggest titles in regards to production quality. Such a colourful book, it really drives home that Glorantha is a ancient-world fantasy setting.

 

[Vile Traveller]

Such a travesty that Chaosium has this on the back burner. An old school BRP game with simpler rules than RQ and an fantasy sandbox setting.

Chaosium has pretty much everything other than CoC and Glorantha on the back burner, and given that they fired the author the moment they took over I doubt MW is near the top of that back burner.

 

[SeaJay]

I just went through the (quite brilliant) review and picked out the parts that raised a few red flags:

https://elruneblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/review-of-runequest-roleplaying-in.html

> Crushing weapons have a big disadvantage when compared to other weapons and should have been better balanced

> The mechanic for opposed rolls can produce many ties - which lead to the skill equivalent of combat "whiffing" (admittedly easily house ruled)

EDIT: Actually, if this is how combat is worked, wouldn't that make for whiffing combat?

> The maximum level of spirit and rune magic you cast is not capped. Expect every humakti initiate to cast his Sword Trance rune spell (1 rune point to cast) powered with 11 magic points for a +110% to his Sword skill! If you pair that with the rule for skills over 100% all enemies of the humakti are going to surrender on sight

> Adventurers are supposed to adventure once every season at the most, and when they come back, they have the chance to improve their skills (a personal view here; I know why they included it but I have never liked this kind of rule as I find it too restrictive ((it's also in The One Ring too))

 

[Trippy]

Chaosium has pretty much everything other than CoC and Glorantha on the back burner, and given that they fired the author the moment they took over I doubt MW is near the top of that back burner.

You can infer as much in statements made - Magic World ain't their bag, baby.

 

[Séadna]

To be fair to me even RQ 2, which is a concisely stated rule set, is crunchier than I prefer, I would like something closer to CoC or Pendragon in terms of crunch.

Have you taken a look at the stripped down version of Mythras, Mythras Imperative?

I'll be doing a summary of the core of the Mythras system for the Mythras thread and the Irish game once Christmas madness is over.

 

[soltakss]

I read a review that said whilst it's a great game, it has a few balancing issues (not sure where). Anyone know if this is the case and if so, to what extent?

Well, Greg Stafford famously said "Game Balance is for Pussies" and "F*ck Game Balance", so I don't think it is a high priority.

Having said that, Character Generation is balanced, to an extend, as everyone goes through a similar experience to calculate starting skills. Characteristics are randomly rolled, so that affects Game Balance, especially if you have a non-human with good stats.

What isn't balanced is Magic, especially where Cults are concerned. Cults grant Spirit Magic and Runemagic, depending on the type of powers the deity worshipped has. So, a member of a Healer Cult might have a Heal Body Spell but a member of a martial cult might have Truesword. Now, in combat, Truesword is much more useful than Heal Body, so that could be seen an not balanced. Similarly, a Minor Deity might only grant one Runespell, but a Greater Deity might grant half a dozen, so that could be seen as poorly balanced.

At the end of the day, I think that Character Generation is a means to an end. Once you have your PC, you guide it to whatever you want it to be.

In RQ2, Soltak Stormspear was almost incapable of rolling skill increases once he reached 100% in a skill, except where swords were concerned, then he'd make them a lot of the time, but Derak the Dark Troll rolled many skill increases over 100%, which affected the PCs' advancement. Was it Balanced? Not at all. Was I bothered? Not a bit.

 

[K_Peterson]

To be fair to me even RQ 2, which is a concisely stated rule set, is crunchier than I prefer, I would like something closer to CoC or Pendragon in terms of crunch. There's Openquest but I find it lacking in flavour personally.

You'd likely be better served by going in the direction of Stormbringer, Elric!, or Magic World if you want to match the "crunch" of CoC. Simpler chargen, simpler combat, but still very gritty and entertaining.

I don't mind the RQ2 system but I'm not much of a Glorantha-head, and if I ever GM'd it I wouldn't want to run it in some kind of lock-step, canonical fashion. I was always more inspired by some RQ Glorantha elements rather than desperate to explore that world. So, R:RiG has no appeal to me, even with its shiny artwork and setting depth.

 

[Mankcam]

I just went through the (quite brilliant) review and picked out the parts that raised a few red flags:

> Crushing weapons have a big disadvantage when compared to other weapons and should have been better balanced

> The mechanic for opposed rolls can produce many ties - which lead to the skill equivalent of combat "whiffing" (admittedly easily house ruled)

These two are well known among the BRP comunity and have some common house rule fixes. I'm not sure why they weren't looked at by the authors, but I know that they wanted to stick to the RQ2 main mechanics as much as possible, after the success of the RQ Classic edition.

Slashing Weapons do a Special Success of double weapon damage, whereas Crushing Weapons do double damage bonus. The later is an issue if the character has little or no damage bonus. Common houserule is in that case that the Crushing Special Success does +D4 damage or double damage bonus, whichever is higher. It's just a house rule, but it feels better than RAW.

The second issue is that higher success levels win in opposed rolls, which often leads to stalemates when both parties roll the same success level, typically a standard success. One way around this is to include an additional success level as in CoC 7E, the Hard Succes, which is half of the character's Skill roll chance (ie: if a character has 70% for a Standard Success, then they achieve a Hard Success if they roll under 35%).

It's certainly no rules-break, as RuneQuest kind of already has the concept of Hard Successes in some situations. For example, a Spot Rule like 'Aimed Blows' (targeting an opponent's specific limb or vital location during combat) calls for a character to roll under half of their Weapon skill roll, that can easily be reworded as calling for a character to roll a Hard Success with their Attack roll.

However it is very efficient when it comes to breaking the stalemate in regards to Opposed Rolls, as a Hard Success beats a Standard Success. I was quite surprised when this was not put into RQG, especially after seeing it work so well in CoC 7E. It would not change things dramatically, but you get quicker resolution with combat and such.

Anyway just pointing out two very easy fixes to these issues, and I was disheartened that something like this wasn't in RQG. I guess they want to have RQ newbies go thru the same issues that us grognards faced, heh heh

 

[SeaJay]

Thanks for that Mancam

 

[SeaJay]

So, what's Glorantha like?

Really though, out of the thousands of settings out there, why do you think Glorantha has such appeal in the community? I'm coming to this like a fish out of water. I want to experience Glorantha because it is different to "Tolkienland."

What I have heard is that most creatures are not just there to be hit, they have their own cultures and place in the world. A character's home is important to them and not just a name on a character sheet, and everyone can use magic. The actual structure of the world is very cool too.

Other than the immense history and background material, that's about all I know. I literally have next to no more detail beyond what I wrote above.

 

[soltakss]

So, what's Glorantha like?

Big, very detailed and mythically rich.

I started playing RuneQuest in 1982 and Glorantha was the main reason I have continued playing it ever since.

Really though, out of the thousands of settings out there, why do you think Glorantha has such appeal in the community? I'm coming to this like a fish out of water. I want to experience Glorantha because it is different to "Tolkienland."

Why does it have such appeal?

It is one of the few settings where who you are and what you believe make a difference.

Your culture is important, your religion is important, the deities you worship are important and what you have done is important.

Taking them one at a time:
Your culture is important - To a certain extent, your culture describes who you are. Are you a Sartarite fighting the evil Lunars, a Praxian Nomad holding out against the Lunars and Pavisites, a Pavis Citizen shouting "No Surrender" to the Praxians or an Esrolian trying to keep the peace?

Your religion is important - Tied in with Culture, your religion also defines you. Are you a Malkioni, following logic and the Saints, a Lunar following the Red Goddess and her Saints, an Orlanthi following the Storm Tribe, an Ernaldan following the Earth Tribe or a Praxian following the Spirits of Prax?

The deities you worship are important - Even more so than a general religion, the deity you worship describes how you should behave and how you should react to others. So, someone worshipping Orlanth Adventurous is a freedom-loving Adventurer, someone worshipping Humakt is a death-dealing soldier who hates undead, someone worshipping Storm Bull is a chaos-hating berserker, someone worshipping Yelamlio is a light-loving farmer or Templar and so on. Cults give a structure, provide likes and dislikes and provide access to magic. A worshipper of Orlanth is likely to be friendly to a worshipper of Storm Bull, but hostile to worshippers of Zorak Zoran, whereas a worshipper of Storm Bull will be friendly to both worshippers of Orlanth and Zorak Zoran. It's that kind of complexity that makes Glorantha interesting.

What you have done is important - Your actions have consequences and affect what happens to you. So, if you kill the son of a ruler, then you will be hunted down. If you kill a Chaos Monster you will be called Monster-Slayer. If you run away from a battle you will be called Brownlegs. Of course, the same could be said for any RPG setting, but it is more of a thing in Glorantha, I think.

What I have heard is that most creatures are not just there to be hit, they have their own cultures and place in the world. A character's home is important to them and not just a name on a character sheet, and everyone can use magic. The actual structure of the world is very cool too.

Absolutely.

Trollpack was a supplement that described trolls and their place in the world, no longer were they just monsters to be feared, they were potential allies and friends, or could be PCs to play. Trolls, Elves, Dwarves, Ducks, Centaurs, Minotaurs, Wind Children, Morocanth, Newtlings and many more creatures have been described and can be played as PCs.

Other than the immense history and background material, that's about all I know. I literally have next to no more detail beyond what I wrote above.

It is a very deep and satisfying setting, full of twists and surprises.

There is an awful lot of information around, either in old supplements, new supplements or on the web.

If you want to get into Glorantha, do it in little bits. Start off with somewhere cool, for example Pavis/Big Rubble and work outwards. Don't read the Guide to Glorantha from start to finish, as it is far too much for someone new to Glorantha, even though it is an excellent source of information.

Get into Glorantha by playing in Glorantha, that's by far the best way.

 

[SeaJay]

That's a great summary Soltakss, just what I was looking for. It sounds incredibly interesting.

Thank you

 

[AsenRG]

It is a very deep and satisfying setting, full of twists and surprises.

There is an awful lot of information around, either in old supplements, new supplements or on the web.

If you want to get into Glorantha, do it in little bits. Start off with somewhere cool, for example Pavis/Big Rubble and work outwards. Don't read the Guide to Glorantha from start to finish, as it is far too much for someone new to Glorantha, even though it is an excellent source of information.

Get into Glorantha by playing in Glorantha, that's by far the best way.

Amusingly enough, that's exactly how I got into Glorantha. I joined a historical RQ game, then the guys I played with invited me when they wanted to add another PC, though I hadn't heard about the setting. I played a follower of the thieving aspect of Orlanth, FWIW.

And I didn't even have the system, other than knowing - roughly, because parts of it were houseruled or mixed with other editions of RQ and CoC - how skill checks, damage and wounds work. But soon enough I was fighting Broo, and participating in a Hero Quest. Facing a Rune Lord of Cacodemon in a battle with my beginning PC, with 50% difference in skills, was fun!
(And I'm not being sarcastic, here. I'd bet he was going to remember being duped like the moron he was!)

 

[Mankcam]

Like anything, it's best to start in a small microsetting region and eventually work outwards into the wide world. Or, just stay in the microsetting and let it become more real and alive. Somehow Glorantha tends to do that, it's places and cultures start to feel like they really exist.

As a setting, Glorantha is definately up there with Middle Earth. I'm not talking tropey Middle Earth, I'm talking the lore and depth of Tolkien's Middle Earth Legendium. Glorantha is up there with that. However there are also moments it doesn't take itself too seriously. Rather like it's creator, there are times it can be a bit quirky, almost like releasing the pressure from the weight of it's lore and insights. So that sense of old school fun shows up occasionally, its all part of Glorantha.

It feels outside of time in many ways, and the feel of the world is both ancient and fantastic. Fantastic not is the pulpy sense, fantastic meaning a sense of wonder. Yet it also is very mundane and often gritty as well, which centres everything with a sense of realism.

The ancient flavour pervades everything, so it's cultures are influenced by real-world ancient civilisations like the Babylonians, Synthians, Myceneans, Vedic, Celts, Persians, Asiatics, etc as opposed to the usual medieval flavour we see in most high fantasy. These days it's not unique regarding this aspect, but it does still set Glorantha apart from many settings.

I think the best introduction to the setting is the current Gloranthan Sourcebook, although hard core fans will definately love to have the massive tome of The Guide To Glorantha.

However as far as gaming goes, the upcoming RQ GM Screen Pack looks excellent, it definately drills down on a small region to introduce people to the setting, the Orlanthi village of Apple Lane, which many of us were introduced to back with RQ2, as well as detailing the regional centre of Clearwine Fort. Some great locations to sand box in and immerse into the setting at a small scale.

 

[SeaJay]

Thanks all.

I assume Dragon Pass gets more info than other locations?

 

[Mankcam]

Thanks all.

I assume Dragon Pass gets more info than other locations?

Definately. Probably always will, as there is so much to focus on there, several cultures, lots of conflict. It is the default address for the new RQ, it will take alot to do it in the detail that they have described. However I hope they eventually get to branch out much further into other regions as well.

 

[SeaJay]

Well, seems a good time to finally get into Glorantha. I'm familiar with Mythras so the system should be no problem. I don't like the combat special effects nor action points (?). I know there's no combat special effects but are there action points?

Also, is there a location that's similar to a medieval setting (i can always drop one in there I guess)?

Finally, are the quickstart rules up to date with the final rules in the core rulebook? I think I heard they were a little different, at least in the earlier days of its release.