Runequest: Roleplaying in Glorantha

[Mankcam]

RQ plays a bit simplier, as you only get a Special Effect when you roll a Special Success, so it's not like you get stumped for choices like can sometimes happen in Mythras. The Special Effect is typically based upon the weapon type, so there really isn't a choice (although I houserule that you can choose to replace that at the time with some of the Spot Rules outcomes if you prefer a manuver instead. But no head scratching, otherwise we go straight to the Weapon Effect).
But overall combat feels 'cleaner' in this way. Also there are no Action Points, you get a Strike Rank value (based on quickness and weapon length, impacted by weight). This value tells you how many times you can act within a combat round and when you act within that combat round.
Seems to work well, it's a bit chunky but it helps make the combat feel tactile. Its also generally good at keeping things moving, as it doesn't dramatically change much during the combat scene (unless the GM wants to play it that way), so you really only need to calculate it once. Just keeps everything rolling at a decent pace.

I don't think many medieval settings suit the flavour of the Glorantha, certainly not something based on the Middle Ages, however an early feudal Dark Ages setting could work. You could drop it in many regions, but personally I would tend to retrap it to feel more ancient. However if it works for you, then that's cool.

 

[SeaJay]

I think you're right. Anyway I only really wanted the medieval setting because I think the feudal system generats pretty interesting social dynamics. But feudalism is nothing more than some guy who has a bigger stick than anyone else and that can be incorporated anwhere.

These seems good deals

www.magicmadhouse.co.uk/chaosium-runequest-roleplaying-in-glorantha-core-rulebook-p292737
https://forbiddenplanet.com/262974-runequest-roleplaying-in-glorantha-core-rulebook-hardcover/

 

[Mankcam]

Yeah that's a very good price, you'll pay much more than that from the Choasium site but they'll automatically provide the pdf version as well.
But those prices listed are a good buy, and its best to go thru a local retailer (I take it you are in the UK)

It's a good time to check it out

 

[TheophilusCarter]

Runequest Quickstart

 

[soltakss]

I assume Dragon Pass gets more info than other locations?

Dragon Pass and Prax/Pavis get a lot of attention. At least, they have done in the past.

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?

No Action Points or Special Effects in RQG, so if you like Mythras but don;t like those then it might be a good fit.

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

On the one hand, not really, as Glorantha is a so-called Bronze Age setting.

However, on the other hand, most big cities are often played quite medieval, so you should be OK. There';s nothing wrong with putting a medieval spin on any Glorantha city, really.

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.

I think they are a bit different, but I view rules as guidelines anyway, so don't really care about what the rules say.

 

[T. Foster]

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

The West of Genertela is feudal/medieval in flavor - knights, castles, jousting, etc. The magicians there employ sorcery, which is more quasi-scientific than the rune magic and spirit magic used in the Dragon Pass and Prax regions.

However, in the Third Age both of the main Western regions have been decimated by magical catastrophes.

In Fronela, a curse called the Syndics Ban isolated each individual fiefdom from the outside world by an impenetrable wall of mist that has only recently started lifting, region by region. Some areas persevered and even prospered during their period of isolation and came out strong, in others everybody starved and died, and one area became the hyper-aggressive Kingdom of War that is in currently rapidly expanding and despoiling its less-prepared neighbors. One large area, between Fronela and the Lunar Empire, is still bound by the Ban and nobody knows what will emerge when it finally lifts.

The other Western region, Seshnela, was recently invaded by a race of immortal purple giants who came from across the sea, from the Land of Dusk, and slew all the lords and sent the people fleeing into the hills, from which they are plotting their return to their now-despoiled lowland homes.

Both of these regions were detailed in the RQ3 era but have never received as much coverage as Dragon Pass, Prax, or the Lunar Empire in central Genertela, all of which have an ancient-world flavor.

 

[SeaJay]

The background/history/fluff is quite different to anything else I've encountered. Really interesting.

I think I'm just going to go with the Glorantha flow rather than twist it into something it's not.

 

[Bilharzia]

Flavour-wise the Harryhausen films hit the right note for me:

 

[Dumarest]

Flavour-wise the Harryhausen films hit the right note for me:

That's because you have good taste.

But you didn't post any images of a scantily-clad Caroline Munro or an even-more-scantily-clad Jane Seymour.

 

[TheophilusCarter]

But you didn't post any images of a scantily-clad Caroline Munro or an even-more-scantily-clad Jane Seymour.

Isn't that what we keep you around for?!

 

[SeaJay]

Does anyone know what the name of this adventure is that they are playing? It sounds good.



SPOILER:
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There is a scene toward the end where a purple dragon changes into a goddess.

 

[Voros]

Does anyone know what the name of this adventure is that they are playing? It sounds good.



SPOILER:
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There is a scene toward the end where a purple dragon changes into a goddess.

Believe most if not all the WebDM stuff is homebrew.

 

[Dumarest]

Isn't that what we keep you around for?!

I wouldn't know where to find such things!

​

 

[SeaJay]

@ Voros - Ok thank you

Could someone recommend a good starter adventure for a group of players (GM, included) that have never played in Glorantha before? Preferably a freebie but not essentially so.

 

[Bilharzia]

@ Voros - Ok thank you

Could someone recommend a good starter adventure for a group of players (GM, included) that have never played in Glorantha before? Preferably a freebie but not essentially so.

The adventure in the quickstart is a good one - The Broken Tower.

 

[Dumarest]

@ Voros - Ok thank you

Could someone recommend a good starter adventure for a group of players (GM, included) that have never played in Glorantha before? Preferably a freebie but not essentially so.

Freebie adventure: Sariniya's Curse
http://thedesignmechanism.com/downloads.php

Some other good freebies there as well!

 

[SeaJay]

The adventure in the quickstart is a good one - The Broken Tower.

I'm reading that right now

 

[SeaJay]

Freebie adventure: Sariniya's Curse
http://thedesignmechanism.com/downloads.php

Some other good freebies there as well!

I'd prefer something that has a Glorantha feel about it. Something that imparts a bit of the background to the players.

 

[Bilharzia]

Freebie adventure: Sariniya's Curse
http://thedesignmechanism.com/downloads.php

Some other good freebies there as well!

I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense as it has nothing to do with Glorantha. It can of course be adapted to a Gloranthan setting but is only going to confuse new people. The adventure itself is great.

 

[Bilharzia]

I'd prefer something that has a Glorantha feel about it. Something that imparts a bit of the background to the players.

There's not much else that's free and a good intro, other than the old RQ2 campaigns themselves. Good starters are Borderlands, River of Cradles and Griffin Mountain. River of Cradles is a good one as it assumes a party of new adventures (also includes pregens) and acts like an introduction to Prax, the river Zola Fel and Pavis, so you could run this then move on to the Borderlands campaign.

 

[Dumarest]

I'd prefer something that has a Glorantha feel about it. Something that imparts a bit of the background to the players.

I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense as it has nothing to do with Glorantha. It can of course be adapted to a Gloranthan setting but is only going to confuse new people. The adventure itself is great.

Sorry, got my wires crossed with the Harryhausen enthusiasm and didn't notice the request for the Glorantha setting. I'll have to refer you to our resident Glorantha experts as that's not my bag.

 

[Voros]

The free Runequest Quickstart comes with an adventure The Broken Tower.

Alternatively I’d say go with the classic beginner module Apple Lane.

 

[T. Foster]

I second the recommendation for Apple Lane. It’s considered a classic for a reason.

 

[SeaJay]

Thanks all.

So, Apple Lane and then Broken Tower?

 

[Bilharzia]

Thanks all.

So, Apple Lane and then Broken Tower?

The 'tone' of each are quite far apart, and there's a 30+ year time difference between when each was written so I'm not sure how well they will work together. I've heard that Apple Lane is being re-written for the more lightning-bolts-at-your-fingertips style of RQG.

 

[Ulairi]

The 'tone' of each are quite far apart, and there's a 30+ year time difference between when each was written so I'm not sure how well they will work together. I've heard that Apple Lane is being re-written for the more lightning-bolts-at-your-fingertips style of RQG.

It is being rewritten. I'd recommend he start with the Broken Tower and just run the game from there.

I'd also recommend joining the BRP forums, https://basicroleplaying.org/

We are real friendly over there.

 

[Spartan]

RQG is what finally prompted me to dive into Glorantha. I'm a longtime fan of lore-heavy settings, such as Middle-Earth, Hârn, and Tékumel, but didn't quite grok Glorantha. I own RQ 2, 3, and 6, but never got much mileage out of them. Then along came RQG and I finally "got it". I'm now prepping to run the quickstart.

 

[Séadna]

The slipcase, similar to 7E Call of Cthulhu's one, is out tomorrow. It has the Core, Bestiary and GM Screen pack. If you already got the core they will be selling empty slipcases for a limited time.

Blog - Chaosium Inc.

Chaosium Blog

www.chaosium.com

 

[Arcane_Avatar]

I thought (as per BRP Forum) that they weren't doing part empty slipcases any more due to the inability of their fulfilment partner in the US to cope with that.

 

[Séadna]

This is what they say:

nb we previously announced we would not be selling empty slipcases, due to the logistical challenges involved. After further discussion with our fulfilment partners we now are able to

 

[D100Homebrew]

I already had the RQG rulebook, so today I used my Bestiary PDF discount coupon to buy the printed Bestiary and an empty slipcase. They are selling empty slipcases on chaosium.com after all. They must have changed their minds.

 

[Trippy]

I ordered mine, with the purchased PDF's offset as discounts.

I bought it for the Ducks.

 

[Lessa]

The best intro to Glorantha is called

King of Dragon Pass.

It's a rpg/strategy/storytelling videogame available for PC, android and IOS. It's also a very good game in itself.

 

[Mankcam]

Well I'm a Chaosium collector, so I ordered two slipcase sets - one is a 'playing set', and the other, the leatherette box set, is purely for bookcase eye-candy.

My kids won't eat well this month, heh heh

I'm actually more of a Fate GM these days, it's so much easier to prep and handwave, but I could not resist such good production of my old favourite setting, so having these RQG slipcase books is gonna make me happy

My poor kids, they look starving!


(PS: No need to report me to Dept of Families, I have actually been saving my birthday and Christmas money for this. My kids are fine! )

 

[Mankcam]

Here's a vid of the RQG standard slipcase set just to tease us and hold us over until they arrive:

 

[Voros]

With shipping to Canada it is too rich for my blood. I'll have to wait to find it at my FLGS or Amazon.

 

[SeaJay]

I can't get on with the crunch of the rules and setting of Gloarntha but wow that looks a great package.

 

[Mankcam]

I love BRP games, and have played RuneQuest since the mid 1980s.
I am still surprised how much of the core RQ2 mechanics remain intact in the new edition of RQG. There are smoother ways to run things to how we did 30 years ago, even with crunchy systems. The core BRP system has moved on since then.

I really wish they had considered developing a chassis akin to BRP OpenQuest (slightly less than D&D 5E in crunch), and just added Runes, Passions etc.

Using the original core mechanics structure kinda feels like a step back in some ways, despite the new bibs and bobs they attached to it.
For starters, the core characteristics have minimal impact, and there are far too many skills for my tastes these days.
After playing Fate Core and more contemporary BRP systems (Mythras, OpenQuest, Call of Cthulhu 7E), then RQG is gonna feel a bit clunky in parts.

I suppose the learning curve is quick however, it's basically RQ2 + Pendragon, using Glorantha as the setting.
The life path family history during character generation feels very immersive, and the setting of Glorantha is portrayed really well in the new books.

So I have mixed views with it, but still very happy to have the new edition returning it to it's former glory.

 

[Lessa]

Count me up for the "no, thanks" crowd on RQ:G crunchiness.

I would gladly play it if the GM built my character for me. But I would never create it myself, nor GM the game.

These days my crunch ceiling is OSR, Fate Accelerated, PbtA, Cortex, etc.

 

[AsenRG]

Count me up for the "no, thanks" crowd on RQ:G crunchiness.

I would gladly play it if the GM built my character for me. But I would never create it myself, nor GM the game.

These days my crunch ceiling is OSR, Fate Accelerated, PbtA, Cortex, etc.

I'm sure there should be some pre-made characters in the quickstart!