svensson

As you say, to the unprofessional eye there isn't a lot of difference in merchant steamers. I have a thought might... maybe?... help a bit. Have you thought of looking up World War Two Liberty Ships? You know, the quickly built merchant ships that the US churned out by the hundreds to replace those lost to U-Boats? A quick search turned up several images that might be suitable for you. You'll have to 'demilitarize' them somewhat... telling players that the AA guns aren't there... but they are the essential ship you're looking for... a coal or oil-fired boiler ship designed to haul lots of cargo. Note: Include 'WWII' in your search or you'll end up with a Carnivale Cruise ship. Wikilink on Liberty Ships below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_ship

A specialty of the Donadar cult 😉

With Weapon Attack and Weapon Parry now being the same skill [in earlier editions, they were separated and each had their own percentages], I can see your point. But a staff has more functionality as a nonlethal weapon than a bow does and the additional Magic Points are pretty important. I would have to think long and hard about a Healer [be it Chalana Arroy or Apollo/Hippocrates] training to Trip or Disarm attackers and whether that constituted 'doing harm', but Parrying is still OK in my opinion.

But wouldn't you go to an actual craftsman for that? Maybe something temporary? Not bad suggestions. And I'm wondering about the typo myself.

A question came up in my game last night about the skills received in the Healer occupation in RQG character generation. Healers get 10 percentage points in the Devise skill. Why is that? As I understand it, Devise is the skill to use or design most mechanical devices more complicated than, say, a pulley or lever. With it, players can figure out the workings of a water mill or pick a lock. So, why would a Healer need that skill? Splinting a bone is pretty simple stuff and is easily covered in First Aid. The availability of reliable magic to knit flesh and bone pretty much does away with most of the Bronze Ancients and Medieval period's more advanced tools [traction rigs for beds, screw clamps, etc.]

Maps would be rare, for one thing. Not many people have need of an actual map because 90% of the directions they'll receive will be via landmarks. "Follow the river about half a day's walk until you come to a stream feeding in on the other side. You'll know it's the right stream because it has a great big boulder on the shore where it enters the river. From there turn left...." I agree that Lhankor Mhy, Issaries, and the very existence of reliable magic would tend to make maps more accurate, but they're certainly not going to be topographic or surveyed. For that matter, you'll notice that very little of the Glorantha art as done by Gloranthan artists uses perspective at all. All this tells me that maps will tend to be 'poetic' rather than absolutely GPS accurate. If it was my game, I'd rule that the map in the frontspiece [the map between the cover and the credits page] of the Glorantha Bestiary would be a good example of a high quality map.

Lately, I've been thinking about giving out 'utility' items as rewards to players in my faux-Atlantis game. These are items or spells that have no specific combat function [unless the player is being REALLY clever] but make an adventurer's life a little easier. These are not designed to utterly remove problems or skill check opportunities, just to be a tool for help with them. The items ought to have little combat use and should not prevent the players from being clever... they should be tools not solutions for problems. Some examples include: - Well fitting boots or sandals that reduce fatigue from marching - A cloak that magically keeps the occupant in a comfortable temperature range; it won't help against Fire or Cold combat magic, but the occupant won't get heatstroke or frostbite - A 'heat rock' that warms food or drink without the need of an open flame Any other suggestions for such items? The items could be alchemical, or master-crafted, or magical [of a very low level 'cantrip' type] in nature. They should be hard to acquire and of enough assistance to be a reward but not powerful enough to be quest goal in and of themselves.

@Joerg Gloranthan humans aren't cannibals. Or, I don't see how you would call them such. I would think humans would see the consumption of human flesh as Chaotic behavior. OGRES and GHOULS are cannibals, and I would think most humans would want to separate themselves from that behavior. Elvish 'cannibalism' is just that a Green Elf can pluck a leaf off of a Brown Elf's head and eat it and it's no bother. I DON'T contend that Elves consume the entire body of their dead like Uz do. But they don't cremate their dead, as Orlanthi do, either. They place the corpses beneath the forest floor to nourish all the life within it. And, well, you're not likely to get cholera or dysentery from decomposing plants. My 'when in Rome' comment is that strangers tend to follow the local customs when in a foreign environment. The wise traveler tries to do so within certain broad sensibilities. Steamed eyeballs are a delicacy in some parts of the world, but I'd have to work pretty hard to eat one myself. When American service-women take liberty in Arabic countries, they are given a shayla to wear [it's a type of head scarf, as the hijab is another type, in the same way that a keffiya and a shamagh are different head scarves for men] to avoid offending local rules. So while an Elf would not be expected to eat meat, they would be expected to be patient while others did so. OTOH, a human would have to expect to bring his own rain covering in an Elf Woods, as the Elves do not build them themselves, and refrain from any use of fire while visiting them. Cults offer similar rituals, but they won't be precisely the same. I know several Baptist missionaries who support churches in Kenya. I am told that the liturgy is the same in all the points of dogma, but the practice of that liturgy can be very different. The music is often very different and Kenyans use more dance in worship than most American churches do, for example. I think of that as a good analogy for bridging the racial divide in the same cult. Ernalda is going to look very different in Tarnisi's Grove than it will in Clearwine Temple, but the basic beliefs, holidays, and core ritual practices will be the same. I don't think that being a member of the same cult makes a foreigner identify with the local culture. I think it gives them an avenue to understand the local culture if the person chooses to take it. You're going to find xenophobes in every society, people who refuse to see the common bonds with anyone they don't know personally. But common religious beliefs [not practices, beliefs] are a way to bridge that gap for those willing to try. Would a Vronkali Green Elf engage in the Riddle Contest with a human Orlanth cultist? That would depend on whether or not he had a Gold Wheel to bet and whether and how familiar he is with human cultures. Remember, the Riddle Contest is demanded by ORLANTH not Yelmalio. As for sleep schedules, I would think that no type of Aldryami gets much sleep in Sea Season... the bursting of new growth effects them as much as the ferns and shrubs and trees. They may not be able to calm down enough to sleep, though that's a YGMV situation. But Aldryami are tied to the Man Rune as much as the Plant Rune. They can adjust their sleep schedules to account for watch schedules. What's more, the Gardeners plant many alarm-plants on the most common avenues of approach specifically to warn them of incursion by anyone who isn't supposed to be there.

Well, an initiate of two cults must abide by the strictures of both of them. This means that an initiate of Chalana Arroy may never used a bow to fire at an enemy. No, I don't buy the 'shoot to wound' argument. 'Do No Harm' and all that. But I see no reason why their initiation seed could not grow into a staff with AP to block with and the extra MP to power Spirit Magic with.

OK, it is probably germane to note that Aldryami are near-cannibals. The Fertility Rune acknowledges Death as part of the cycle of Life... that which was once a consumer will one day be consumed themselves. This, Simba, is the circle of life..... As for Aldryami relations with humans, it's possible to be an 'elf-friend' on an individual basis even if the local Aldryami don't trust humanity in general. Besides, it's a golden RP opportunity. Elves [as differentiated from Dryads, Runners, etc.] will be as uncomfortable in any Human society as a Human would in an Aldryami one. Efforts will have to be made by all parties to be forgiving and understanding of one another in order to get along. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do' and all that... This discomfort is eased by the elf being a member of a cult that the local humans can understand. The discomfort never goes away, really: no matter the cult the Aldryami will have motivations that are never completely understood by Humans. But being able to bridge the society gap with religious rituals is a comfort to both parties and one method of making the mysterious less threatening. So if an Aldryami character wishes to initiate into a second cult, it will largely depend on their profession /role within Aldryami society. After all, the Elf Bow of a High King Elf subcult initiate is going to do a Chalana Arroy initiate very little good. At my table, I'd rule that their Elf seed become a staff instead, but that's me. Most Elves become members of the Marching Aldryami, the forest's active defenders. This tends to lean towards a warrior /guardsman outlook, although support caster [Ernalda] or healer [Chalana Arroy] or herald /negotiator [Issaries] are also valued roles.

I's think that was more an Ernalda thing, but ....

When in doubt, use the Godsday in the middle of Sacred Time as the High Holy Day. While Earth is associated with eroticism and sexuality, 'Clayday' just doesn't have a very attractive ring to it.

We'd like to have you for lunch. I think you'd go well with mushroom gravy and a gallon of Powzie.... 🤣

We're waiting [with baited breath and mighty anticipation] for the God of Glorantha and Proserpaedia for RQG to come out. That'll be THE reference about the gods, myths, etc. and will correct /revise a fair amount of inconsistencies. Be patient on that one... it's in the works, but it's a lot of work. The big hold up right now appears to be artwork. Until that comes out, and I'd recommend getting this anyway, check out the Cults Compendium for RQ2. That has the 'who likes who and how much' table we're all referring to in it. RQ3 had a boxed set called Gods of Glorantha, but it is sadly out of print.

[laughs at shameless - -though wholly understandable- - plug]

There are ways to play an Aldryami in a primarily Human game. The basic choice for you is 'Aldrya or Aldrya and Who'. That is to say, 99% of eligable Aldryami are initiated into the High King Elf subcult of Aldrya at maturity. Some also initiate into a second cult if it provides significant enough benefits. The most common second cult among adventuring Aldryami is Yelmalio. The key benefit to Yelmalio is that it provides a way for Aldryami to ritually interact with most Humans... it's almost like a 'cultural diplomatic service'. Between the familial links with Ernalda and a Yelmalio link, an Aldryami has access to most human cultures in Dragon Pass. In order to initiate into a second cult, both cults have to Friendly or Associated with each other. The following cults are available to an Aldrya initiate: Chalana Arroy, Daka Fal, Ernalda, Eiritha, Gorakiki, Mallia, Nysalor/Gbaji, Pavis, Seven Mothers, Yelm, Yelmalio, Yelorna, Zola Fel [River Gods]. I admit a couple of these are surprises... Mallia [mother of Disease], Nysalor [the Illuminate], and Seven Mothers. The first two is because of their obvious Chaos affiliation and the Seven Mothers surprises me because the Lunar Empire burned down two healthy Elf Forests [including the Shanassee Tree] during its expansions - - I would have assumed they'd not be on friendly terms at all under those conditions.

Maybe I'm just a geezer, but the idea of charging money to ref a game is... almost offensive... to me. I've NEVER paid a ref, I can't imagine a scenario where I would pay a ref, and the only thing I ask as a ref is my fair share of the pizza we buy. I dunno, maybe it's because I've never been in pay for play game or maybe it's because the expectation for a game referee has always been that you're supposed to be able to have a job AND your hobby. And that is the real sticking point for me: THIS IS A HOBBY, NOT A JOB. Charging someone for the privilege of having a game with someone who has a personality and can do voices isn't what this hobby is about. You wanna be a voice actor, go do that, but don't expect me to pay you for that while you interpret work somebody else wrote in a milieu a third guy imagined. AFAIC, paying a referee for a role playing game is like paying somebody to sing on a karaoke machine.

Welcome to the board, Nemesis! There's a lot of information in previous editions for different races and oddball cults. In RQG [the current edition], I'd suggest getting the RQG Bestiary. It has rules for playing Aldryami [Elf], Mostali [Dwarf] and Uz [Troll] characters. In addition, there is information on the Beast-Men [centaurs and Minotaurs] and some odd human cultures, like the Agimori of Prax. That ought to get you started.

Well, first off, welcome to the board! CoC does have some pretty non-happy assumptions from the get-go. 'Mankind is doomed and there is no saving it' is kind of a downer. I'd start off with being up-front with everyone... Call of Cthulhu is a horror game, emphasis on 'horror'. The most important conflict or struggle in the game is holding on to your humanity and sanity while at the same time becoming an effective fighter against the 'devils in the dark'. How that is received will depend on the campaign you want to run. An 'Innsmouth' cycle might have a very negative effect on a table with a lot of women in it, for example [the forced breeding of monsters aspect]. I'd suggest starting small, maybe a 'rescue a child from cultists' type adventure to give everyone a sense of the game but not getting into the real 'tentacles' yucky part. That will come later 😉 Another suggestion is to find a year to begin the campaign in and do some research on what's happening that year. Who is the popular singer? What theater show is bringing down the house? What movie is all the rage? What are the fashions? What is the latest whizz-bang invention? Another aspect that you will probably want to look into is the firearms laws of the nation you'll be starting in. Ironmongery laws are going to be a lot different the UK than they are in the US. Many male characters will have had some military experience during the Great War if they're old enough. Most European males have a near certain chance of seeing the Western Front. Characters with extensive combat experience might have SAN damage to start with, perhaps in exchange for skill points in the Soldier profession.

Then the abilities granted should directly reflect the Runes of Death and Truth and be most effective against Undead and oathbreakers respectively.

But aren't you looking for inherent powers, not just item abilities? Or is the goal of the Heroquest to acquire a legendary item? We have two examples of Heroquesters who were successful in their quests and are described by RQG statistics: Queen Leika of the Colymar and Sarostip of Jonstown. Both of these worthies have legendary items in their possession, but both have inherent abilities granted by their questing. My thought on this is that Heroquests for items are of a lower magnitude than Heroquests to gain inherent abilities. My reasoning on that being that items are, by their very nature, temporary. After all, items can be stolen and an item's power is only available when the character is actually using the item in question. This isn't to trivialize 'item quests', however. Some items are legendary enough to require MAJOR Heroquesting. Something else on this subject occurs to me: Humakt's system of Gifts and Geasa/Geases indicates a 'power versus sacrifice' system in his cult. It's not too far-fetched to extend that into his Heroquests as well. We have the example of Sarostip Prince-Killer who can kill with a glance, but the cost was the vision in one eye. Both the ability and the cost are directly stated as being the results of the same Heroquest.

Hmmm... powerful anti-undead blessings for a successful Heroquest.... Hmmmm.... OK, just a couple of ideas off the top of my head: - Sever Spirit on Undead at will w/o needing Rune Points - Any Undead slain by the hero is automatically released to their afterlife and can never be raised, resurrected, or bound again. The corpse immediately turns to dust and cannot be reformed or reanimated. - Any Undead must make a POW v. POW /MP vs. POW roll against the hero or act as if Demoralized

Not snarky at all. I already did tell them.

That's kind of what I'm getting at. We don't know what kind of game it'll be and that's certainly something I'd like to know!

I'm of two minds about the length of time in development... On the one hand, the 12-year-old wants to open his present NOW!!! On the other, I have a deep and abiding affection for three RPGs /settings: Runequest/Glorantha, Traveller/OTU, and L5R/Rokugan. I would LOVE to have computer RPGs developed with the attention to detail and love of the milieu that I have coupled with the same skill and innovative that have given us the stellar titles that so many of us love... the writing of Baldur's Gate, the open world exploration of Witcher 3 etc. etc. And on the third hand, I don't want the game to be a hustle wrapped in a boondoggle like Star Citizen and I don't want it to have the launch day issues of Cyberpunk 2077. Let me note that I pre-ordered CP77 and played it on PC. I got my money's worth in the game, but I completely understand those who wanted to play it on console being pissed off. They were sold a bill of goods and that bill didn't deliver. Nevertheless, I'm still pretty impressed with CDPR for the amount of transparency they had, their wilingness to refund the full purchase price immediately, and the efforts they made to fix the problems. Not many game companies would take that level of responsibility, certainly not Bethesda Softworks, or BioWare, or Ubisoft... all of whom once had stellar reputations but then pee'd all over them in the last 5 to 8 years. Quality takes time and I certainly don't want to rush Black Shamrock. What I would like to see is some kind of progress announcement. I'd like to know what kind of computer game they're developing. I'll be a lot more excited about an RPG than I would for a fantasy battle simulator, for example. And if the average development time for a new property is 5 years, then 3 years isn't an unreasonable time frame to start previewing the early Alpha development.