DreadDomain

I suspected RQG would be easier to absorb by newcomers. Good to see your experience supports my suspicion. All agreed, supplements from RQ2/3/G are all usable without needing to pre-convert numbers. Heck, I fiddle the numbers for RQG too as required. This is a side question, perhaps for another thread but I am curious to know (I don't want to debate your opinion, I just want to hear/read it) what changes were made in RQ2 that turn you off. I find it fascinating that someone stayed with RQ1 You can do the same in RQG. The amount of Glorantha you want to eat is entirely up to the GM and players. Some of us want to read the Guide of Glorantha and the Sourcebook back to front before we jump in but we do not have to. The core book gives enough information for a newcomer to use only its content and build on it without adding any more layers of sugar (YGWV). The family background part of character creation is entirely bypassable. Or don't spend a minute on them and make your own ruling/clarification/handwave. Your game will be as good or better.

Looking good indeed. Gee, the Jonstown Compendium collective are putting fantastic products out there really bolstering the RQG offering...

That is why I could see a significant Storm Bull communities make the Sandstorm Hills their hunting ground. There are plenty of chaos to chase around and there are a number of grazelands, oases and serpents around it. I could see them roam from one to another. All good examples of why I saw this group/community/clan/tribe as more than just a warband. To remain in the Wastes long enough and keep raiding chaos centers, you need more than just a band of Storm Bull berserkers. They need to herd, heal, find water, conduct divinations, chases spirits, etc. It needs to be supported. More reasons to have them in the area! All agreed. I have used "settled" and "semi-permanent" in my description but I did not mean by that build villages and start farming the land (uhh... clearly not in the Wastes). I guess I meant two things really. First, they would roam the area around Sandstorm and other places of significance like Vrak Kargh Vozh and the Raging Storm, and make their (unending) mission to cleanse and monitor the Chaos Box, the Tunneled Hills, the Krjalki Bog, etc. Second, as expressed above, they would be more than a warband. One of the 8 High Khans could have made the area, his hunting ground, his mission. Clearly, they would not always be there, the area can only support so many people. Ah Ministry! I loved that band back in the days. Not my favourite album though. Nothing to derail really. Those are all good ideas. Hmmmm... not a bad idea either. I could probably see a number of Uroxi joining the group. I guess you are saying that Uroxi could have settled the place in the true sense of the word... I was not necessarily picturing Conan but as a stereotype, "Big, Burly, Brutal, Berserker, Barbarians" comes to (my) mind. I would see Stormbulls and Uroxi amongst the premier "Big, Burly, Brutal", much more so then Orlanth, Humakt or Ernalda (who all have Strength). The RBoM only reinforces that view since many beast gods provide a strength rune spells. Bear, lion, boar and elk beast gods all have it but not the bull himself? To make my position clear, I am not saying that Storm Bull not providing any strength spell (rune or spirit) is bad, wrong or broken and even if I did, I don't think I would change anyone's mind. I simply find it odd and I suppose no amount of attempt to convince me will change my mind. Correct, not all chaos fighting can be done from the back of their animal, CQC, tunnel fighting is also part of the job. Thanks for your post Darius, lots to consider.

May or may not be a mistake: Devising New Rune Spells (p5) says that "no Rune spell should cost more than 3 RP yet there are afew spells costing 4 or 5 (Fang of Wachaza as an example)

The description also doesn't say anything about (quoting the Well): "You should dedicate the Rune points to the spell when you gain the spell, when you first gain the Rune points (through POW sacrifice), or when you regain them through worship." Has this part being thought through and being removed (which is a good thing in my opinion, too much hassle to track multiple RP pools for no real benefit to the gameplay)

Perhaps but it still not what is written in the books. Not really, The in-world effect is simply to have the spell (not the RP) restored/reset with worship. No need to have an other mechanical effect tied to it. Still you bring a good point. The new description remains vague about the loss or not of the spell but also if and when you can recast it. Now, it is clearly indicated under fumble but remains silent about the RP being tied to the one-use spell. If it is the case, it is a pretty important detail to mention. There is no way to guess this from the write-up. Close but not quite the same. In one case, I can sacrifice a POW and learn another rune spell. In the other case, I must choose One-Use spell again when I sacrifice my POW. If it is the case, when I sacrifice a POW and learn another rune spell (which is what I understood)

While this interpretation/clarification was made a while ago and documented on the Well, I suggest it is now superseded by the RBoM. The brand new published write-up of one-use spell does not even vaguely mention or hint at dedicating RPs to one-use spell when learned. Nor does the core book. Not to mention the mess of now having to manage how your RP pool is divided between your one-use spells (you might have more than one) and your general pool. The write-up in the RBoM might be somewhat vague about losing the spells or not while cast (I believe you do not lose it) but the fonctioning of it is simple, easy to implement and does not involve any kind of extra special tracking of RPs. Sounds easier to me.

The way I read it, it means they can use an axe and use their skill % in mauls or maces instead of their Axe skill %.

It's only Fumble and Critical. Fails says "... and the spell is not cast". Still make the description a bit odd. The paragraph should simply say if the spell is lost or not.

Actually, I am confused again. I thought it was clarified that when casting a "One-Use" spell you loses the RP (they do note replenish) but kept the knowledge of the spell (you do not have to resacrifice to learn it again). The section does not explicitly said that you lose the knowledge of the spell when you cast it but the last two bullet points strongly imply it (otherwise, why mention it for these two cases specifically).

Unless you have a profound love for RQ2 and/or have internalised it, I see no reason for new players to use Classic over RQG. Mind you, I am certainly not saying Classic is bad, it is the reimpression of one of the most influencial RPG of the 70's and 80's, but it was written decades ago and it shows in its (lack of?) organisation. Classic will also give you character that are way less capable than RQG. Glorantha, while implied in Classic, is also not really integrated into the rules, which may be a bug or a feature for you. RQG is built on the classic chassis of RQ2/RQ3 with notable additions from Pendragon. Runes are now much more integrated into the mechanics, magic and settings. Character creation is streamlined and easier and calibrated to give you quite capable characters from the start (but with a lot of room to grow). The sense of belonging to a community is enhanced and the background story gives you a character that feels more fleshed out straight out the gate. Also, the book(s) looks way, way, way better. The art is stunning and coherent. It breathes Glorantha.

I have no opinion on the Mongoose one, never read it. Now I am very intrigued about what it might be...

This book is lining up to be fantastic indeed!!

The only two I can think of are "Trolls: A Guide to the Uz" from Mongoose (which I have never seen, I had given up on Mongoose by then) and "Uz: The Trolls of Glorantha" from The Unspoken Word which I have and thought was good if not Trollpak good.

I might be mistaken but I think another challenge is that there is no way to know that a file has been updated.

Who said anything about that? I don't remember much about Ars Magica so the troupe suggestion might be what I am trying to describe. A live example of my suggestion cam be seen in the White Bull campaign on YouTube.

Absolutely. Coming from CoC, you already know that combat can be lethal so you should not be to surprised about this. On the positive side healing magic is quite common in RQ, make sure both of them have access to some of it through spirit magic or rune magic of their own or though an object. RQ is heavily based on community so after a game or two where you guys get a feel for the game, have them get a small group of followers (1 or 2 per characters) that they (the players) would manage without having full agency of their decisions (that's with the GM). It provides them with immediate extra support and people to boss around but also create roleplaying opportunities as the followers might not always agree with what it is asked of them because it is too dangerous or clash with a passion (time to roll, orate or intimidate!) All of this. However, to the first point I would choose Pavis or Clearwine (described in the Gamemaster Pack) because they are well described (even more so for Pavis) and there are plenty of available adventures around them. Of the lot, I would advise against Glamour for a few reasons. First, the core book, and most supplements published to date, assumes the action takes place around Dragon Pass and Prax. Using Glamour as a lauchpad cuts you off from all of that. Also from a rules perspective, Lunar magic and cults is not (yet) as well supported. In addition, Glamour is written in a slightly humorous, tongue-in-cheek way which might give you and your players the wrong idea about Glorantha.

Why do you say that? Sorcery doesn't seem to be any more problematic than any other parts of the rules. People have questions, like this one, and they get answered. Rulewise, Steal Breath doesn't seem problematic to me. The next edition? If the sorcery rules are only meant to support Lankhor Mhy characters, that is not unreasonable at all (assuming the rules would come out later in an appropriate supplements). Having said that, having them in the core book give people the freedom to explore and use them in their games even if it is by extrapolating from the example traditions on page 389. Actually, without any more prompt, it is unreasonable to assume that people will see it as more evil compared to any other forms of killing. Coming from previous editions of RQ, I know tapping is seen as evil and I was quite surprised that it was not mentionned in the sorcery chapter. A sentence on it under the tap technique on page 384 or a text box discussion "Evil Sorcery" would have gone a long way.

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Stunning cover! Looking forward to this and would curious to know more (page count, table of content)

Thanks, I did not know that. I must admit that I did not follow/support Legend when TDM went their own way so I am not surprised it flew under my radar.

And in game terms, does High Priest = High Khan and Priest = Khan? I actually prefer it to not be limited to a season. Seems tedious to have to chase your spirits every season.

It actually makes a lot of sense. True but he could take her as a concubine. Or it could be his sister. Or heck, just a kidnapped healer. As you said, story hook. I somehow thought it was forbidden to be a shaman and a Rune Lord. Actually, what is a high priest of Storm Bull in the context of RQG. How do you become or qualiify to be one? How is it different than being a Rune Lord? Also, in RQ2, didn't they lose the spirit once used (or after a season), is this now diifferent in RQG? Sure but it's more fun to brainstorm like this. It gives me stuff to think about.

When I mentionned "semi permanent settlement" I was more alluding to a Storm Khan adopting the area as his hunting ground, using the hills, oases and grassland as his launchpad to raid Chaos area. I guess the idea emerged from reading various sources which led to a few thoughs that fed on one another. Based on Cults of Prax, Storm Bulls act with total disregard for tribal taboos. This led to the thought that they are probably less concerned about the taboos of the animal tribes and more concerned about destroying chaos. They seem to primarily focus on the cult leadership, reporting to their priests and khans above all, which over time I assumed developped into some tribes structured more or less around the cult structure. The tribe being the cult, the cult being the tribe. Such a tribe, would need to more than Storm Bull cultists to function beyond being just a band. I might be over reaching here. This is useful and seems to support my idea. The Sandstorm Hills are well positionned to be at the center of a vast hunting ground for Storm Bull cultists. Surrounded by the palace grasslands, close to oases and serpent rivers, within striking distance of foul stuff to kill and, above all, close to their god, close to the Raging Storm. I could easily see a Storm Bull "tribe" (for lack of a better word) make the whole area their sacred hunting ground. I mean, why wouldn't they? Sure no one else would, but they would. Surely Storm Bull cultists would want to bring CA healers with them when they hunt Chaos. Good point though, they would certainly not be the most numerous of the lot. I must admit that part confused me in Cults of Prax and I don't quite understand how to make a Storm Bull shaman in RQG. Maybe Gods will explain it better? Until then, Strength, or Bull's Strength may end up on my list of Storm Bull's spell. I always assumed these High Khans were in charge of full functionning tribes (much smaller than Sartarite tribes of course) and not just gang leaders and the numbers above seem to support the theory. I assume a Khan and his 100 initiative roam and graze as a unit (a clan, a gang, a band) and I also assume that this unit has to be supported by healers, herders, nurturers of some sort which might double their rank. I also note that other High Khans are not mentionned, which is another fragment that nourished my idea above. What if one High Khans would make his sacred duty to clear that (quite big) area? The Raging Storm Tribe! Yes, it's very helpful and it did keep my mind going. More than happy if you respond to tell me more about how it really works canonically (or semi canonically)

I was wondering lately about the potentially presence of a Storm Bull community centered around the Sandstorm Hills. Given the significance of the area, including the hills themselves, Vrak Kargh Vozh and the Raging Storm, and the proximity to spots where the Storm Khans would want to raid or at least aggressively monitor, like the Chaos Box, the Tunneled Hills or the Krjalki Bog, I could see Storm Bull cultists had being drawn to the area to settle there in a semi-permanent way to rage their unending battle against Chaos. Given the hostility of the area, surely this community would be composed of a mix of Storm Bull, Chalana Arroy and Eiritha followers with the odd Waha cultist and oasis people. I can't see a large following of any other cults (well except from the Lords of Terror themselves) wanting to live there. If such a community would exist and would have settled there a long time ago, I assume they would be descendants of the animal tribes, perhaps mainly from the Bison tribe? Would they still be part of the tribes culture or, as Storm Bull does, would they have become their own thing? What would the Sandstorm Hills look like? Like Sahara desert hills akin to the Algerian Hoggar mountains? Like the Australian outback like the Rainbow Valley in the Northern Territory? Like the Mesas in the American West? A side observation that struck as odd, only realized this for the first time in decades, the Storm Bull cult, or associate cults, does not provide any Strength spells... such a spell would seem so appropriate for the Bull!