svensson

OK warning: Long post. If there's one good thing about the COVID lockdown [and God knows we could all use some 'good things' right about now], it's been that I've had time to get my gaming thing a bit more together than in previous years. One thing that I'd been meaning to do for years and finally got around to is teaching my grand-nieces and nephew the mind worm that is tabletop RPGs. Naturally, I've avoided d20 systems and am teaching them RuneQuest. But let's be honest here... Glorantha is a pretty big milieu to drop on 'tween' and early teenaged first-time gamers. The only exposure they've had is some computer/console games and a few movie franchises. So now Uncle Carl and Aunt E are taking upon ourselves to introduce them to the wonderful world[s] of fantasy gaming. But I needed a more generic novice-friendly milieu to get them started in. So naturally, I fell back into movies. BUT WAIT! It's not the two franchises you think! Instead of LotR or Thrones, they were interested in Percy Jackson and the Olympians! Yeah, that kinda threw me at first too. So what I did was watch the first PJO movie, and the Clash of the Titans remakes to give me some inspiration and came up with an 'Atlantis of my very own' setting and a starting shipwreck adventure to give them the idea of the basic rules. So I have some questions for the Elder Brain Trust. What I've got at the table is a niece in her 30's, her daughter [grand-niece] in her early teens, another grand-niece in her 'tweens', my experienced gamer wife. So yes, it's a table full of girls. Their characters are shipwrecked 'Atalans' [Atlanteans before the downfall] who must work together to retrieve as much equipment as they can from the hopeless wreck of their ship, and then find out where they are and how to get home. What I've done so far is this: - given them a copy of the RQG Quick Start adventure to familiarize them with the rules; - generated starter characters for them... they're just average every people [no super stats or magic powers] but of different professions and training; - given illustrations from my Osprey collection to give them visual cues as to what to expect [Atalans are fully Iron Age Greeks, the rest of the world is pre-Bronze Dark Age Mycenae] - introduced them to the magic systems; - run a couple of games where I familiarized them with what happens in a tabletop game and we've done some challenging skill checks; - warned them that the next session would include combat. So my questions for you all are these: a] Are there any non-Glorantha milieux out there that use the RQG rules as yet? [With the Runes affinities, Passions, etc.] b] Does anyone have any suggestions for RQ cults based on the Greek mythos? I've seen Warlords of Alexander, but I'm looking for additional materials c] Can anyone suggest anything else I might do with a table full of young women to keep their interest? Thanks for you time everyone

Hey everyone, been awhile since I've posted. I just saw the AbChaos about the upcoming Starter Set, and I am seriously stoked about this. I've always maintained that one way to teach a new player a system is to offer them a Solo adventure for them to learn at their own pace. And oftentimes, even we grognards have something to learn about this mechanic or that when we play through them. So I'm VERY excited to see this addition, or perhaps 'return to the old days' is a better term.

I've seen the Red Book of Magic mentioned in the FB group as a sorcery magic expansion. Is there more information about it or a shelf date?

The outdoor maps are color coded for terrain in an intuitive and easy to understand manner. Depending on the scale, you can find every single settlement, mine, hunting lodge, etc. in a given region. The interior maps code not just building /room features, but also includes construction materials of the walls, floor, and roof, what type of roof and at what height, stair cases [including circular stairs] are easy to read, etc. You can find some examples for free download at Lythia.com, the Harn fan content website. Map keys are available for free for download at drivethru.com.

There were two reasons for that. The first was that I had the POW /AP calculations wrong. I thought they were 1 POW per AP per location. Turns out they were 1 POW per AP but that AP was the entire body. So yes, I fully agree that's over powered. The second was that when I started looking at some of the RQ3 humanoid boss fights [especially in Strangers In Prax], I thought that high levels of Armoring Enchantment + regular armor + high level of sorcerous Damage Resist was just too damned much. Count Julan or Nose Ring [the two melee types in the Lunar Coders] could tee off on multiple warrior cult rune lords each, *without* magical support from their priestess or magus. Nose Ring by himself would require 24 pts. of damage before you even nicked him. Count Julan is worse. He's got 33 pts. of chest AP before injury.

For some reason I always thought that was the case, 1 POW = 1 AP in ONE location. It's one of the reasons why the Lunar Coders [and other 'boss level' human NPCs] seemed to have a whole lot of deus in the machina. Nose Ring's Armoring Enchantments alone are a solid decade of plowing one's POW gain rolls into the AP enchantments. It always seemed to me that the Lunar Empire HAD to have sorcerers Tapping people to supply that much POW. It wouldn't be the first thing Red Chaos lied about, after all. So in the end, my 3 AP per loc limit is EVEN MORE limiting and thus reasonable. And you know, the funny thing about all this is just how incredibly powerful RQG characters are compared to their earlier counterparts [ESPECIALLY RQ2 characters] and yet somehow Armoring and Strengthening Enchantments are 'overpowered'. I'm not saying anyone is wrong about it. Only that I find the irony really funny.

So what exactly makes Armoring Enchantment so 'broken'? Now, in my games I put a limit on how many AP can be put one location [3 AP /loc]. Any more than that and I start wondering if someone is trying to game a Chaos Feature without the Chaos. I can see where somebody would find some epic long term characters with lots of AP Enchant to get broken as Hell. The Lunar Coder Nose Ring is pretty off the charts with an average of 8 AP per location. Plus regular armor [described as 'leather', which I interpret to be 2 pt.]. Plus sorcerous Damage Resistance. That guy could take an RPG to the chest and shake it off like a Schwarzeneggar movie...

So, I came to BRP via RuneQuest, which is probably higher magic than you'd prefer. A milieu that I really enjoy for the 'low-to-mid level magic' preference is Harn, by Columbia Games. It's an incredibly complete Middle Ages setting [roughly comparable to the Early Crusades era in Europe] with some of the best maps in gaming. And hands-down the BEST interior building /cave /dungeon maps. Some caveats: - Harn has its own game mechanics that its magic and religious systems are designed for. That'll take some conversion to set up. - When setting up the Shek-Pvar [Harn's wizards], you'll have to have a real handle on the BRP Sorcery rules. - For some people [myself included], the Sorcery rules can be pretty complicated. Other people I know absorb them just fine. I dunno, maybe I'm just thick in the head... - Harn is *seriously* medieval... one of the basic articles you have to read and understand is on Manorialism [or as I call it 'Serfdom for Dummies - It's not as bad as you think!']. This is NOT the setting for the murder hobos that run around on Golarion or the Forgotten Realms. Anyway, that's my two Clacks worth. You can find everything Harn on drivethru.

Any plans on bringing back Armoring Enchantment in RQG? The Conversion Guide says 'currently unavailable', which might imply that it will be at a later date. Or not.

I'd like to see a high end Lunar team in the same vein as the Lunar Coders in Strangers in Prax. And I'd like to see a post-Lunar update to Prax and the Rubble.

Thanks. I'll do that.

Is there a thread to directly ask Chaosium a rules question, be it RQG, CoC or any other game in the Library of Chaos?

Thanks to all the commentators for their ideas and thoughtful replies. I appreciate the input. The Ref in the game I'm in and I are keeping track of the discussion.

The description doesn't say. RQG, pg. 40, Random Boons table; it reads: "20 You have a spirit bound in an animal or item. It has a POW of 3d6 and a CHA of 2d6. See Binding Enchantment, pg. 249." The Binding Enchantment discussion on pg. 249 is no help either. In my particular character specifics, the character got a large onyx with the bound spirit as a Random Boon from Queen Leika of the Colymar. I rolled an item with a Strength 2 matrix in it for a family heirloom at the end of character generation, and the referee and I agreed that it made more sense to impart the spell into the onyx stone. I then said that the stone was mounted as a pommel for my sword [my character is Humakti]. So now I have a POW 15 CHA 10 pommel stone with a Strength 2 spell, and I'm wondering if the spirit can somehow learn more spells and how I would go about doing that.

In the new RQiG, my character really hit a dinger and got a Bound Spirit as a gift. See RQG pg. 40 Random Boons and Gifts Table This Spirit has POW and CHA attributes only, but does have the Strength 2 Spirit Magic spell. Can this spirit learn any other Spirit Magic spells? On the one hand, it already possesses one spell. On the other, it has no native intelligence by which to learn any more [no INT stat] What do you guys think?

No worries. I misunderstood. And probably not for the first time today

We may need to split this topic into Fact and Fiction categories. I can't imagine a Gloranthan campaign that couldn't gain something from David McCaulay's Pyramid, as just one example. Or Nick Hunter's Daily Life in Ancient Sumer.

Hey, it's just my opinion, Bill. Your mileage will no doubt vary. And I said it might have been a matter of writing style. Beagle is just an author that doesn't appeal to me very much. I'm very picky about what I recommend because I'm a little embarrassed about some of the crap I read as a kid that I thought was just the cat's ass back then. Just two examples; 'Mack Bolan' and 'Gor' novels, ok? 😣 Let's just say I've become more discerning since... But you have to read a fair amount of stuff you don't like in order to decide what you do like and why your opinion is the way it is. I'd still recommend avoiding Mack Bolan and Gor though... hehe

You know, I read 'Folk' twice, once while I was in the SCA and once after I had quit. Both times I found it to be somewhat off-putting for my tastes. I chalk it up to the writer's style and leave it at that. But then, I'm also the guy who didn't like SM Stirling's Change novels... the idea that reenactors would survive better than other people after some kind of apocalypse is ridiculous on its face if you know anything at all about us. We'd all be just as buggered up anyone else after the Tylenol and coffee ran out

Well, I'm glad to see that I was wrong about there not being inspirational literature out there. In more sci-fi selections, let me add a couple that might have been overlooked by many of you... Equally as old and arguably as deep as Glorantha is Prof. MAR Barker's Tekumel. This milieu is wonderful for one very key reason: There are almost no touchstones to Western mythologies in it. No Celts or Saxons or Vikings. No Thors or Fionn McChools. No Charlemagnes, no Barbarossas, no Caesars or Versingetorixii. Tekumel's history revolves around the idea that Western civilization burned itself out before Mankind reached the stars, that some kind of major celestial disaster happened, and that 10000 years later, on a metals poor world, the cultural descendants of Amazonia and the Ganges are into their fourth or fifth civilization. This setting is useful for seeing how slavery fits into an old and sophisticated civilization, how nobles [and those who want to become nobles] strive for honor and glory, and difficulties and price that high status can bring someone. It makes for some fascinating reading. Here are the two most commonly available novels: 1. Man of Gold Barker, MAR 1984, DAW 1. Flamesong Barker, MAR 1985, DAW

Greg Stafford had a lot of tools in his mythic designs, some of which we kind of overlook. Nowhere have I seen a list of recommended books beyond the standard product list for inspirational Gloranthan books or art that can help folks along. I'm certain that there is something out there, but I can't remember it specifically, and given my hobby as a historian I pay attention to bibliographies. Having said that, let me offer a couple or three books that might just be useful or helpful. The first two are historical novels that I have found to be well researched and well thought out. While neither have magical elements, both show the magic of belief [beliefs in fate or luck, for example] and both show politics extremely well. The first is 'Lion of Ireland' by Moran Llewellyn. This describes the life of Brian Boru and his role in repelling the Danes at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. While this is historically rather late for Gloranthan material, the book does a great job in portraying a clan based culture under a great deal of pressure from outside forces along with the political infighting endemic in Irish politics in an early medieval context. The second is 'First Man In Rome' by Margaret McCullough. This book is a thick tome that is almost an education on Republican Rome in and of itself. Even the glossary in the back [which takes up almost a third of the book] is of use. I use this as inspiration for the infighting and bloodthirsty nature of Lunar society and Dara Happan culture. 1. Lion of Ireland Llewellyn, Morgan 1980, Houghton-Mifflin 2. First Man in Rome McCullough, Maureen 1990, William Morrow

Except that there aren't any formal schools in Orlanthi culture. Most learning happens on the home steading with additional religious instruction during Holy Day ceremonies. Only the most curious and precocious children pursue an education beyond learning the trade /craft /clan role of your elders and the expectations of your cult. As a result, Orlanthi literacy rates are very low, certainly under 20% and most probably lower. Even in the Lunar Empire education as we know it is more along the Greco-Roman model rather than what we on Terra Prime think of as schooling. In this model a noble family [or several] hire a pedagogue to privately instruct the children of the household. Once the children are grown, this pedagogue acts as the household sage, genealogist, and advisor in matters of ethical or legal import until the grandkids require their letters and sums. Commoners seeking an education look towards a learned teacher who takes up a corner in the marketplace and instructs children for a fee paid daily in cash.

EVERY Orlanthi male, and no few women, are fyrdmen [the clan defensive militia]. Unless a man is an initiate of Chalanna Arroy [or a similar pacifistic deity], he is expected to help defend his hearth and home, tula, and temple [ANY temple in the clan's worship scheme] with his blood and his blade. And even the pacifists are expected to lend aid in an emergency by seeing to the wounded or casting defensive spells. Male Ernalda Initiates are directed to the Barntar the Plowman cult in a similar way that Orlanthi warrior women are directed to Vinga the Adventuress, so the cult does have a place for you. It would be hard to feed a clan if the Earth Mother didn't have a place for men! And being an Ernalda cultist isn't a bad thing; it offers a range of spells that are not normally seen in a warband or military company. Imagine being the only warrior in your warband with access to the Heal Body spell.... Perhaps your warrior is a man who would much rather be at the plow and caring for a steading instead of sleeping wet-assed in woods on some patrol or with a mercenary company, but his life just didn't work out that way. He wouldn't be the first warrior in Dragon Pass with that kind of past. Remember the movie Zulu, where the great big, taciturn farmer boy risked his life to attend to a newborn calf? Kinda like that...

Aaaaannd now I'm looking up the Walktapus recipes from the RQ2 Runequest Companion... I've been known to say to friends on Memorial Day Sunday to enjoy their cook out... yeah, it's a cook out. If it was BBQ, you woulda started last Thursday lol

Ah, so you've seen the Catholic /Episcopalian liturgy then.... [And I say that as an Episcopalian myself. I call it 'Diet Catholic: all the ritual, half the guilt']