styopa

This is 100% true. While certainly magic scales up to powerful stuff, RQ magic doesn't work at all mechanically like 5e where certain conditions cascade effects (apparently unexpectedly from the devs point of view) into other conditions causing mechanically unexpected results. (ala corruption druids in 5e, who just got nerf-batted because of this). I don't know how better to explain it, it's just not that mechanical a system Spirit magic and Sorcery are really more or less buffing/debuffing magics (with some exceptions); divine is too but also with some flash-bangy direct effects. 5e is mechanically a much TIGHTER game which has clear advantages for those of us with a wargamey bent *but* the tighter the if-then rules, the more they're open to (frankly) exploitation by clever players. RQ just ain't like that.

That's a great list. Thanks Peter.

There are plenty of ubermages. cf. the Brithini Delecti, sort of.

I think it's fair to say some gears don't perfectly mesh. RQG is a major rework of a ages-old game system, trying to gather the best bits of subsequent editions, and then adding on a couple of neat bits like runes and passions. It's in the early stages - the current edition already has some significant improvements in clarity and explanation, for example over the first version. BUT...if you're ok with putting in a little effort to sand smooth the parts to your own satisfaction, it's an immensely rewarding system and NOT a carbon-copy of anything else out there. The "issues" such as they are are pretty peripheral, and can usually be figured out common-sensically by gm and players, even if they're utterly new. I agree that RQG starts characters at too high of a power level for people new to the game (in D&D terms, think of handing someone new to RPGs a 7th or 8th lvl character) and would highly recommend a lower-power starting level for new players and GMs to minimize those moving parts as much as possible early on. There are various suggestions how to do that in these boards as well as tips in the RQG rules already. A great, comprehensive (I'm not kidding) system analysis of RQG is https://projects.inklesspen.com/fatal-and-friends/wrestlepig/runequest-roleplaying-in-glorantha/ if you want to get a feel for how the pieces work.

Please do!

Dustin's probably working his proverbial fingers to the bone right now.

Looking forward to it. Since you won't self-promote, I'll link it https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC9EqFqKBETCBse8JuOOYOg/videos?disable_polymer=1 Well lit, and decent sound quality/volume puts you immediately in the upper half of youtube products.

Same.

I don't have a problem with SHAMAN 2nd sight (innate, via the fetch) being intrinsically better than that from a spell. Since the Shaman is simultaneously on BOTH sides of the veil, they can see both sides. Otherwise, I'd say 2nd sight only lets you see stuff on your side.

It's why we've long since HRd even in RQ3 that a) a parry vs a natural weapon attack can harm the attacking thing (ie why even dumb animals tend only to bite as a last resort, when enraged, or when they feel no risk in the attack). b) you CAN parry with just your hands (watch any video of a knife attack - people try to do it all the time), for a default 3AP (+whatever armor is on the arm/hand). Anything in excess of that automatically goes to that arm/hand, obviously. RQGs rule about parrys vs even ineffective attacks forlds that in nicely.

What if I *want* it to be true? /sob /disappointed

An absolutely fair point. I was speaking from an ethnocentric US viewpoint, which is absolutely not universal. Good observation. Not to sound elitist, but my observation is that the D&D standard elves/dwarves/dragons/dungeons thing tends to eventually wear thin, and longer-term players of a certain outlook tend to want something more from their setting and game. This OF COURSE depends a huge amount on the GM...certainly 5e *can* deliver a subtle, rich, varied, non-canonical world FRP experience. ...but it's not what you get opening the box, so to speak. One of our players - the one deeply into sorcery (math major in college, surprised?) - admits he's basically forever spoiled against D&D because of his deep, visceral dislike of Vancian magic. Loves the Dying Earth books as much as I do, but as a world to PLAY IN, Glorantha's magics just seem so much more authentic and "realistic".

That alone is going to be worth it for me.

Thank you!

As much as some might like to resist it, D&D is the cultural default, trope setting for frpgs.

It's not a bad effort, imho number of action points is HUGE and the breakpoint is *just* above human avg, so slightly-better-than average will crush average, all else being equal. The SFX were too determinative and action-movie for me. SRs in RQ were honestly one of the systems that needed fixing but doing so was an early sacrifice on the "we have to be backward-compatible withe rq2' altar. Our HR system reverses it (so you want a high Dex SR to go first, and is all quickness based, with longest weapons striking first only when closing.

If sometime ends up with an extra rule book (for free) that they don't want, I'm sure there will be people (probably from my own game group) that would be happy to buy a 2nd hand copy.

You're in a pretty unique situation, having already bought 2 copies. I imagine they'll try and help you if they can. But imo it's a little harsh to start out expecting disappointment. Why? Have they actually disappointed you already?

If I understand MOBs post, if you have the ruleset printed, where you would have had a coupon for a slipcase and the other books, you're going to get a FULL slipcase (ie including another hard-copy of the rules) instead of partially-empty slipcase. So you're getting another printed rulebook (ie the latest version) FOR FREE. This hardly sounds like cheating anyone? In fact, as the earlier posters here commented, it seems almost too good to be true. Which is why we're awaiting perhaps restatement from MOB/Rick whomever.

We did SoI (basically because we didn't really even question it) for a good 10 years. I'd built up some reasonably smooth change-of-statement mechanics. Then I played some 5e, and saw that I really wouldn't lose anything as a DM by letting people just decide what they were doing when they did it and dumped the complications. Combat hasn't been one whit less 'crunchy' and goes significantly faster, actually.

RQ combat classically has been Statement of Intent (before anything else in the round; we used to have players state their actions in order of lowest INT characters first) Count down through the strike ranks, where players take their actions in pursuing their Statement; everything that happens on SR6 happens on SR6 for everyone simultaneously (or highest dex first, if it matters) It's an impulse-based quasi simultaneous system.

Precisely this. The barrier is the barrier. These are all spirits 'stuck' on this side of the screen.

Sorry man, I'm RQ3 context...on that scale, I'd probably be somewhere around the price of iron? Maybe? In the west, likely it would be higher - around 800-1000. *BUT* I think the unit-price would go UP with larger and larger chunks. 4 ENC of 0.5 ENC truestones might only be 2500p, but a single 4 ENC truestone would be easily double that.

Except adamants magic apparently then fades very, very rapidly with time? in re Truestone, the GtG has little to say, with a few references to it in massively durable magical constructs (the Juggernaught, the Capstan of Curustus, as well as a commentary that often people call anything they don't know 'truestone'. It is mentioned as an actual Trade Good, so while rare and valuable, it's not priceless. Adamant is referred to just as infrequently, mainly mentioning things made of it (doors, pillars, spikes) and tools which can cut astonishingly hard things. IIRC general conversation over the years is that Truestone is refined into adamant, but only Dwarves know how and (I'd expect) it's a) not easy and b.) a pretty tightly controlled secret even within their society. So based on that I might submit the following assertions: Truestone is raw ore. It is the stuff of raw Law, the raw material from the Spike which was shatterred across Glorantha. As such, it is as dangerous to touch as Raw Chaos (think acids and bases - they're opposites chemically/atomically, but both really nasty ...Life only exists in BETWEEN them). Law is not Stasis, but is conceptually connected to it. Touching either primal chaos (which is a goop) or a chunk of Law (Truestone) would immediately do 1d3 per round to unprotected flesh. Chaos is trying to turn everything it touches into chaos goop: it turns solids to liquids, and liquids to goop at this 1d3 HP/AP per round rate per ENC of Chaos. Basically, nothing can 'hold' it permanently, although things can hold it as long as their structure holds out. Magically, it's nearly as dangerous, each round's direct contact causing a random spell known by the caster to discharge: Roll 1d12 for the SR the effect 'pops' in that round (there's no way to stop it by breaking contact that round...it's going to happen, this is just WHEN). That number is also indicating the largest spell value that can be triggered: for Divine it's half the roll, for Spirit magic spells it's the roll, and for Sorcery it can be any spell but that's the MP going into it (distribute points randomly across duration, intensity, range). Select randomly across available spells that fit that limit. (Remember that spirit/divine spells are known sequentially, so someone who knows Heal 3 *also* knows Heal 2 and Heal 1...that would be 3 possible spells). Target is 1d3: (1 on the caster, 2 on the chaos substance, 3 on a random bystander within range). An attack spell hits that target; a buff spell buffs that target (so it might not always be bad). Unfortunately, the consequence is always negative: the memory of that spell is burned away unless later learned again. The rune points used for the spell (for divine) are lost permanently. The MP used (for spirit magic and sorcery) are burnt away and will not come back unless restored with a later POW gain roll (ie the character will always have X less MP than their POW until that happens). Yes, this is nasty for sorcerers as their art is intrinsically about manipulating magical laws and thus they are particularly vulnerable to the touch of chaos. Finally, the touch of chaos will likely (20*ENC vs target's POW) impart chaos feature(s): 1 for a success, 1d3-1 for special, 1d6-2 for a crit..yes, a crit might actually take AWAY a chaos feature. It's REALLY unpredictable!) Truestone (Law) tries to order everything it touches, turning air into liquid (thus it always feels cold near it) and liquid to crystal. So in fact Truestone is much more easily handled, once this layer of ice around it has transformed to crystal enclosing the Truestone itself. Accessing the truestone power requires scratching off this layer physcially exposing the truestone. Truestone integrated into a piece of armor or structure will reinforce it by constantly trying to order/stabilize it, repairing 1d3 AP/HP per round per ENC of Truestone. Truestone will absorb spell abilities (select as per Chaos, above), holding them as one-use castable within the Truestone by anyone who holds & can compel it. Spells can be absorbed through the protective layer crystal from anyone touching it, but compelling the casting FROM the Truestone requires skin contact. This casting does NOT use the wielder's RP/MP, and is not otherwise manipulateable. Merely having Truestone in one's possession will grant the bearer +20% cast chance (& effects, if possible) of any spell with the Stasis or Law rune, and -20% to any Movement or Chaos spells. Chaos and Law coming into direct contact are annihilatory; I'd suggest d100 damage at the point of contact PER TOTAL ENC of the two combined, halved for every meter of distance from that point. Yes, it's enough to...blow up a mountain. This ignores the 'protective layer' around Truestone. Adamant, the metal refined from Truestone (I'd assume this would take some sort of concentrated magical heat beyond even the heat of magma; it refines at a rate of 2ENC Truestone : 1ENC of Adamant) becomes an exceptionally hard, silvery metal. It has 5x the AP of bronze, and does direct, full damage to AP/HP of any parrying weapon or physical structure being attacked. It does double damage against constructs and essentially magical /summoned creatures (elementals, demons, etc) and any target with a chaos taint (who all find themselves uncomfortable in its exposed presence). It is unharmed by, and does triple damage to Gorp. It loses all inadvertent magic-absorbing properties BUT anyone touching an adamant construct MAY (voluntarily) cast spells into it which are then 'held' and castable by anyone else later touching that article. The maximum amount of "spell" it can hold is ENC in MP, or 1/2 ENC in RP or a mixture of the two. The later 'caster' would cast the magic at the original input caster's ability/POW/etc.

Huh? NAFAIK....where were crits and fumbles in AD&D?