svensson

From what little research I've done [mostly from a medieval sailing technique class I took], hair fiber rope was considered the best historically. It had a greater tensile strength than most plant fibers and withstood rot far better. It was also extremely expensive. You are right that a rope and grapnel is a lot of dead weight to lug around when every half-an-ENC counts. So is a shovel, a prybar, a cook pot, a wood axe [yes, a wood axe has important differences from a battle axe], and a dozen other things every Boy Scout has in their ruck. And every one of them is utterly useless... until you desperately need it. They're like guns that way... you never need them until you need them really badly. This is the reason why I didn't include any of that stuff in the pack. Players can carefully consider what they want to carry and buy it themselves.

Well, the PC doesn't get an Allied Spirit until she reaches Rune Status. And according to the RQG Core Rules, if she gets an Allied Spirit it will reside in her Sword [the sword of her former master]. There's a certain chanbara samurai movie symmetry to that. And every samurai who ever lived would have understood the dogma of Humakt. Whether they approved of it is an entirely different matter. Humakt isn't all that into familial ancestral fealty... oh, he'll keep an oath once it's given, but the whole 'born to serve my grandfather's daimyo' thing might need some convincing 😂

Well, it's not as if I didn't know that nitpicking wasn't gonna happen 😄 All of the items I listed are examples of the type. Your tunic could be a linen peplos instead of a woolen wadsarki, it doesn't matter which. As I said, cultural fashions were not considered... you have an undertunic as your 'underwear' and a thicker overtunic [of whatever style or fashion] for warmth. I specifically didn't include buckskins because they have an Armor Point value and are therefore dealt with in the Armor sections of each rulebook. Socks were a rarity in Dark Ages and Ancient footwear. Of the graves that have been excavated, very few knitted socks have been found. However, it is true that a few HAVE been found, especially in Roman and Scandinavian finds. A good middle ground would be foot wrapping cloths, large squares of woolen cloth that, when wrapped correctly, insulate the foot. And everyone knows that you can use grasses stuffed into your boot to insulate as well. Of course someone will be able to tell where you've been from your clothing. That's one of the things that 'travel' is for! Unless an adventurer specifically pays attention to their appearance, they can quickly end up looking like they hit the homeless shelter for their clothing and their reputation will suffer for it. Torches have three very important advantages over lamps: they're cheap, they stay lit in wetter and windier conditions, and they're sturdier than a ceramic lamp. For that matter, they don't spill expensive oil all over the place. As for the rations, again these are exemplary. If you want to substitute salt pork with pemmican, cheese curds and black beans, feel free. As for wine, yes, the wise adventurer would include some alcohol to keep themselves from getting dysentery [etc.]. You can conveniently buy a skin of wine right over there ----> The whole point of this pack listing is that it is generic equipment for a starting adventurer. There is no REI in Glorantha where a novice adventurer can buy a 'Kit, Expeditionary, Basic' as a whole packed unit set. My goal here was to save your players time by providing the bare bones basics of camp survival, and let them concentrate on more important things... like forgetting to buy a rope 😁

This is an 'adventurer's pack' of starting equipment from the RQG Core Rulebook and the Weapons and Equipment Guide. It is designed to be as utilitarian as possible but does not take such circumstances as extreme temperatures, cultural fashion, crafting kits, or social status options into account. Dyes are Northern European 'homespun' colors, mostly plant-based. Price: 25L Encumbrance: 5 ENC CLOTHING: Your clothing is well-worn, well-fitting, and comfortable. Any repairs are well-done and securely patched. These are the clothes you wear when you’ve got heavy work to do. They are the average clothing of a free craftsman, not your 'Godsday-go-to-temple' outfit [you'll have to purchase that]. Item functions are described or self evident - Hat: A full-brimmed working/traveling hat of thick wool felt - Overtunic: A loose-fitting, woolen tunic; Common dyes [brown, green, grey /off-white, a dull muddy red]. Sleeves are ¾ length [mid-forearm] and tunic length is about mid-thigh. - Undertunic: Closer fitting than the overtunic. Longer in the sleeve and hem than the overtunic. Tends not to be dyed. - Braccae: [pronounced BRAY-KAY] Your underwear. Undyed, loose fitting, knee-length breeches that ties with a drawstring. - Trousers or Skirt. Woolen leg coverings, dyed as with overtunic. - Ankle Boots: Soft leather boots that tie just above the ankle [like moccasins], dyed black, reasonably waterproof; or Sandals: Roman legionary sandals without the hobnails - Cloak: A rectangular blanket-cloak made of wool; common dyes [green, brown, grey /off-white, or a dull muddy red] - Belt: A leather belt with a bronze ring buckle - Jewelry: 3 pieces of common jewelry, made of brass, bronze, or copper; I would suggest that one of them is a cloak pin or brooch. EQUIPMENT: - Backpack, a frame-less leather, wicker, or wool bag that ties closed with thongs and is carried with shoulder straps. - Blanket: a blanket of heavy wool, undyed - Canvas Tarp: a 2 m x 1.5 m oiled canvas tarp. Very waterproof, but smelly and it will stain clothing. - Cutlery /Eating Kit: a Cup, Fork, Bowl/Plate and Spoon made of ceramic, horn, tin, or wood - Firemaking Kit: a fire-starting kit [probably bow and board] and ready tinder in a small waterproof leather pouch - Knife: a small utilitarian tool made of bronze - Torches: 5 torches made of grass or sticks and soaked in oil or wax, 1 hour burn time - Rations: 1 week of preserved foods; Breads might be hard bread [hardtack], bannocks, flatbread, or crackers made of wheat, oat or rye flours; Meats are dried or salted beef, fish, horse, or mutton; Dried Fruit, might be raisins, dates, cranberries, prunes, etc., Tea, about one-quarter kilo [about half a pound] of black or herbal tea - Waterskin: leather or gourd water carrier; holds about 2 liters of liquid

We have a saying here in the States, one that I fully subscribe to and try to live up to: "Democracy is held up by 4 boxes: - The soap box of free speech - The ballot box of an informed voter - The jury box of doing your duty as a citizen - And the ammo box of its defense." Many people think there's something right-wing and threatening by that last one. There isn't. The defense of democracy certainly requires police and military personnel, but it also requires fact-checkers, it requires investigative reporting, it requires those willing to stand up and be heard. There are many different kinds of 'ammo' in this world, not just the kind that goes 'bang'.

Ballot is already in the box.

The spirit is returned to it's Founder [Hykim and Mikyh by default] for whatever fate it is promised in the afterlife. Eiritha allows the spirit to exist in a place perfect for that particular herd beast for a time and it is then returned to the Mundane Plane to regenerate the species on Glorantha.

My own reading of Glorantha materials regarding Spirits is kind of 'Shinto-esque' ['Shinto-ish'?]. That all objects of significance... a pool, a baby, a tree, a stone... have an innate and latent existence that humans call 'a spirit'. Most often these spirits are not awakened and are therefore of no more [and no less!] consequence than a rock in a farmer's field. But some are awakened and are worthy of reverence or fear depending on each individual's interpretation of and interaction with them. They become, for lack of a better term, a Shintoist kami. In talking about this with Sven Lugar, I was told that this is pretty much in line with Greg Stafford's beliefs, although Sven said pretty emphatically that Greg wouldn't have put it quite that way. And that, for my game table, is Maximum Game Fun. YOUR Glorantha no doubt varies.

Oh, we are definitely in a wonderful time to be a Gloranthaphile. Many questions have been answered, many more posed, great interest is generated and there's something for old grogs and brand new RuneQuesters to do and enjoy. There are several other worthy games that I'm a fan of that I wish were as resurgent [Tekumel, for example]. As for RQ3 being easily RQG compatible, well, I'm gonna disagree too. Converting Sorcery between the two would be a major headache, and if you were to give many NPC's a one-to-one credit for their RQ3 one-use Divine spells, you'd end up with some initiates with a POW of 25 who knows every single special Rune spell of a major cult and all the subcults as well!

My respects and regards to all who've served wherever you are and whenever you did. "Civilization sleeps comfortably in its bed but for the sake of rough men [and women] who stand ready to do violence on it's behalf." -- George Orwell First photo: Bald eagle at the cemetery of Ft. Snelling MN, by Frank Glick [amateur photog] Second photo, My wife, Erin, and I at the Auburn WA Veterans Day Parade [also the first decent photo of me in officer's uniform] -- she's the cute one. 😄

Chalanna Arroy healers all know a calming song to bring allied berserks out of the fit. Failing that, and if I was the ref, I would rule that the berserker would immediately fall unconscious at the end of the spell [and therefore unable to heal herself] and that she has a short number of rounds for a healer to reach her. And by 'short' I mean 2 to 3 tops. This presumes that the berserker IS NOT below zero HP in the 'instant kill' locations [head, chest, abdomen]. This is the great risk of powerful spells like Berserker and Fanaticism. They're rather 'all or nothing' affairs.

I'd assumed that the 'Gateway' stuff [Vikings, Ninja, RQ Cities, etc.] wouldn't get reprinted. I'd asked a question earlier about a 'genericized' RQ and was told that was a no-go. I fully respect the idea that RQ3 is a major conversion job, especially with the high-speed /low-drag stat blocks in several of the supplements. Just converting some of the NPCs and beasts in 'Strangers in Prax' would be a major headache, much less the Dorastor bad guys. Many of the commentators are absolutely right that reprinting the River Voices campaign is all that's really needed for River of Cradles, although the Heroquest rules for the Cleansed One subcult would be a VERY welcome addition. I understood RQ3's reluctance to deal with HeroQuests as a mechanic, but it was almost unfair to dangle that bait without giving us the fish! 😁 I mean, who wouldn't want to know about an HQ that could remove Chaos Taint?! I think Sun County and Shadows on the Borderlands would be the most valuable conversions /reprints. Dyskund Caverns is a wonderful example of just how vicious the Thanatar cult is, and the whole disempowering of Muria plot was pretty frikkin' good too.

Oh, God nope! That's as bad as an episode of 'The Rat Patrol' 😁

Well I own most if not all the AH RQ3 titles, but through use have gotten rather battered and 'well-loved-through-use'. The titles I'm thinking of are River of Cradles, Sun County, Shadows on the Borderlands, Dorastor Land of Doom, and Strangers in Prax. Some of the smaller folios [Haunted Ruins, Into the Troll Realms] would also be nice to see. I understand that Snakepipe is due for a 'super dungeon' treatment, which will be fun, and Apple Lane has been updated already.

As an aside, in the late 70's Robert Duvall and Donald Sutherland did 'The Eagle Has Landed'... a Jack Higgins novel about a Nazi attempt to kidnap or murder Churchill. This was an average effort at best, but what it did have was Donald Pleasence as Heinrich Himmler. Pleasence just plain nailed it. He somehow contrived to seem very 'squishy', almost a milquetoast, and still seem sinister and threatening. Just an incredible interpretation in an otherwise decidedly average movie. In the same way that I'll never think of Abraham Lincoln or Adolf Hitler without hearing their respective actor's voices, Donald Pleasence's characterization of Himmler just sticks in my mind.

So is there ever going to be a chance of RQ Renaissance RQ3 titles ever being available? River of Cradles, Sun County, etc.? Yes, the rules have been superseded, but there was some VERY high quality writing in them and a lot of good scenarios just asking for conversion to RQG.

And to the OP, you an get a D/L of classic RQ2 Pavis and the Big Rubble for $25 US at drivethru.

Aren't the Eleven Lights a Sartarite branch of the White Bull Society as magical adepts? IIRC I read that in the campaign, but I don't have the book immediately handy.

Probably should be on there, now that you mention it. That and 'The Pacific'.

And for the record, my list of Historically Accurate Films is, in no particular order: Lincoln [I will never be able to think of Abe Lincoln without hearing Daniel Day Lewis voice again] Arn: The Knight Templar Downfall /Die Untergang [ditto Bruno Ganz's Hitler] 1917 All Quiet on the Western Front [2022] Generation War Pharaoh's Army [a 1995 movie about the US Civil War at the personal level] The Northman [2022] Come and See Honorable Mentions: Cross of Iron, The Revenant, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Generation Kill [the occupants of a HumVee singing 'Teenage Dirtbag' is the best version of that song anywhere by anybody], Deutschland '83, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Pacific

For those you setting your Cthulhu campaigns in the Twenties, let me add a video reference in addition to 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'Peaky Blinders' [along with the several 'Hammer-esque' CoC movies out there]... If you have not seen the recent German 'All Quiet On The Western Front', see it. If you only ever see one World War One movie, this is the one you should see. And I say that as a lifelong military historian and as a historical reenactor [although I reenact the US Civil War]. Every single point of reference that I know to look for is perfect in this movie, from the use of the correct uniforms and helmets [there are distinct differences between the 1916 Stahlhelm and the later WWII versions] to the rifles [ditto], to even the gas masks. The film goes beyond the book in that it portrays the internal struggle of Germany to surrender from various German points of view [based on rank, social class, etc.] and the intransigence of the French. The film makes the French out to be very vengeful and hard-hearted, but that's hard to argue against that from the German perspective... especially with 20/20 hindsight regarding the influence of the Treaty of Versailles on later history. As a historian, I have a short list of films and TV series that I think capture their subjects most accurately. 'All Quiet' has displaced a movie that I love and which has been on that list for 30 years... that's how accurate this film is. This is just as poignant an observation of the Centenary of World War One as '1917'. HOWEVER, COMMA, BUT: - This movie is incredibly visceral. It does not blink, shy away, or gloss over any aspect of trench warfare. In fact, it demands you look at it. It's as ugly a picture as the Belarus/Russian 'Come and See' from 1985. DO NOT see this movie on a full stomach. - This movie challenges a lot of preconceived notions about War One... even some you may have been taught in school... but those challenges are backed by the historical record. While a German production of a German story that tells of the German point of view, it makes a laudable attempt at historical accuracy. However, you may find yourself with 'Yeah, but what about' moments. WHY DOES THIS MATTER IN A GAME: War One is as central an event to CoC as the US Civil War is to a game of 'Boot Hill'. The War, and its related events [including the Influenza Plague of 1918-20], isn't merely 'within living memory' to your PCs, it is single greatest catastrophe in the lives of your PCs. If they didn't fight in the War, they know someone who did. If they didn't lose someone in the War, they know someone who did. World War One was a man-made Human Species Die-Back event, an industrialized Black Plague, and it effected everybody.

I'm kinda down with the idea of a trollkin Karrg's Son lording it over an Uz tribe somewhere... insofar as the Mistresses let him, of course. The idea of a SIZ 10 trollkin slapping around SIZ 18 Uzko warriors has a certain appeal. 🤣

MAKE THE COLONIES GREAT AGAIN!

This warning posted to you by my future descendant, Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, Colonial Marines... [Note: My last name is Hicks and I really was a corporal in the US Army when this movie came out... and caught untold crap for it]

Trust us. We're the Empire. We know what we're doing and we're here to help....