Nick Brooke

I can’t help feeling some people were happier playing D&D, with all the inherent alignment bollocks and “Detect Evil” spells.

Must be a language issue. Carry on!

And now it harms Bad People and interferes with Enemies of the Empire. That's progress, mate.

Not sure I follow you. Are you suggesting the Seven Mothers somehow used Chaos to bring back the Moon Goddess? Can you cite any sources for that?

Which example would you suggest? Because the Crimson Bat is one of the most prominent symbols of the Lunar Empire and the Lunar Way, a glorious proof that the Red Goddess’s reconciliation of Cosmos and Chaos can work for the betterment of mortals.

Hold on, Morgan: I agree that the Crimson Bat is a chaotic abomination. It has demonstrably been tamed by the Red Goddess, and is used by her Empire in the service of Lunar civilisation. It is the best example of how the Lunars can make constructive use of Chaos to make the world a better place. If I said that it wasn’t a chaotic abomination, I’d be lying to you. And I can say all of that without sinking to its moral level.

The RuneQuest Effect prevents us saying anything definitive about the Lunar Empire's extremely clever plan to marry Pavis to the Red Goddess, because any campaign that touches on it will have done its own thing. But it's reasonable to say that the classic Pavis campaign is set between 1615 and 1620 (ish), and there's no suggestion the recalcitrant Pavic priesthood has succumbed to Tala Errio's blandishments by the time of the Cradle. As for when it started: if you read my bit in Tales of the Sun County Militia, you'll know Pavis was likely a second choice, but the Empire's (and the Red Count's) plans to marry Yelmalio into the Lunar pantheon were already well under way when they were thwarted by Solanthos' coup in 1613. Probably Lord Belvani helped prepare the ground for this when he was Sun County's Ambassador to the Lunar Empire (sic), before the Red Moon first came to Prax. Remember, though, that he might have consciously been stitching Varthanis II up, even then. He's tricky like that. I don't remember a booklet for the Pavic freeform (like the ones we got for Heroes of Wisdom and Rise of Ralios). I suppose the setting was better known to RuneQuest and Glorantha fans than either the Jonstown Library or the Safelstran city-states.

But you can see them too, right? And that’s the point.

Danfive is closest to Orlanth, a notorious murderer and outlaw. Yanafal Tarnils is Eurmal, who both stole and cheated Death. These are equivalencies that a Seven Mothers missionary might be thinking of, but is unlikely explicitly to preach. So you didn't hear them from me.

Valley of Plenty is available to purchase once again from the Jonstown Compendium! The authors say: Due to popular demand, we are re-releasing Valley of Plenty! We will be releasing an updated, deluxe edition later this year, but if you want to jump into the exciting life a Dundealos tribesman, you can purchase this PDF version now and receive the new PDF version when it's released at no additional cost! More details here.

Gimme those Liquified Spore Drinks. What could possibly go wrong?

Here’s The Lonely Lozenge Guide to Sog City, incorporating the University of Sog City Conference Guide.

The coloured version of your map is by Klaus Viljanen

And hope your air elemental isn't affected by all that hazia smoke...

Jonstown scenarios set in Prax: there isn't anything that's exactly what you're after. Stone and Bone comes closest (a skirmish vs. scorpion men), but that has some social bits at the start where you'll probably want to press fast-forward ("Don't tell me the plot, just give me something to hit!"), and the page-count isn't "minimal." The same team (Beer With Teeth) brought out The Gifts of Prax, The Lifethief and The Temple of Twins, which all have appendices of random Praxian encounters. You could ignore all the main plots ("Ugh! Social encounters and mythology, again! What's wrong with these people?") and just try to beat those up. The Sandheart series is set in Sun County, Prax, and has an entirely non-clan context (you're Sun County cops); if you wanted to pick up one book with some wacky Praxian randomness, volume four has some encounters: that's The God Skin & Mad Prax. The second scenario in volume two is a fairly old-school wilderness trek and (small) dungeon job (Fortunate Sun), but it's got some plot, and you'll hate the first scenario, which is all about talking to farmers and working out what's going on. The Rubble Redux books (Insula of the Waning Moon and Rising Sun) have combat encounters in the Big Rubble. Lots of statblocks and floorplans, not many social bits. Korolstead is a old-school megadungeon complex with loads of floorplans. The Ruins of Bonn Kanach is an old-school lost city to explore. Some of the Holiday Dorastor books are dungeons (or deadly settlements) for Rune level parties to explore: start with The Temple of Heads, maybe? These ones aren't set in Prax, but they don't have lots of clan stuff and social NPC interactions (which I get the impression you're trying to avoid). Jamie Revell's stuff set in Prax has lots of NPCs (inc. some you can fight), but I'm not sure they're what you're after: they're more setting books than old-school dungeon-bashes. If you want dungeons with a truly minimal page count, Davide Quatrini's short scenario outlines (two or three pages each) might be what you're looking for. He doesn't really use iconic RuneQuest monsters, most of the time, and you'll be doing a lot of work yourself to flesh them out. (They aren't my cup of tea, to be honest).

If you don't want to read about drug-crazed Zorak Zorani victory orgies (featuring tireless troll zombie sex-slaves), stay well away from my book. Yeah, it was annoying that Sun County went full-on "war on drugs" (of course hazia is illegal), without thinking about the broader context. My article "Letter from a Monopolist" (reprinted in A Rough Guide to Glamour) gives a more nuanced picture of Lunars, the hazia trade and smuggling in Pavis and Prax. If you roam around the streets and back alleys of any normal city looking like you're tooled up and asking for trouble, the local watch and garrison will keep an eye on you and will be ready to step in. There's an interesting nuance to the Lunar ban on Sartarite types wandering around heavily-armed and armoured: you can't properly perform some Orlanthi ceremonies unless you're wearing and carrying the right wargear. More on this in my Manifesto, of course.

Something to consider: hazia grew much better in Sun County after the magical events of the Summer of Love (Red Count Varthanis II’s inaugural heroquest), if it even grew there before. The Aldryami of the Garden had a lot to do with that: see Sandheart Volume One for details (such as they are). So with Aldryami magic it can flourish in surprising places. (We know of another source in Dragon Pass from the scenario The Smoking Ruin, and I expand on that in The Duel at Dangerford, Appendix 2.)

People only ever thought hazia was “illegal” because the Lunars insisted it should be a taxed monopoly, and the Sun County puritans didn’t like people using it religiously or recreationally. In post-Lunar Sartar, those constraints don’t apply.

How do you deal with Orlanth being Vinga? Same difference.

A very good point. Remember, most of the irritating Storm Khans and Storm Bullies who try to stop Waha Khans taking pragmatic decisions for the good of their tribes have sodded off West into Argrath's meat-mincer. And a greater proclivity for leaders (not just in Prax) to take abhorrent decisions "for the greater good" may be symptomatic of the rise of Wakboth (the Devil of Moral Evil), a feature of crisis at the end of this and every other Age.

There are two Platinum and a dozen Gold best-selling English-language scenarios on the Misktatonic Repository, Chaosium's community content programme for Call of Cthulhu on DriveThruRPG. (NB: Gold best-sellers have sold more than five hundred copies, Platinum more than a thousand.). Almost all of these are available in print-on-demand editions. Platinum Best-Sellers: The Idol of Thoth - This classic 1920s scenario by Joe Trier, set in Boston and Arkham, was one of the first Miskatonic Repository releases back in December 2017. It's from Stygian Fox Publishing and is beautifully produced, with 29 five-star customer ratings. Viral - This modern scenario was a runaway viral sensation, boosted by a Seth Skorkowsky review. The authors, Bud Baird and Alex Guillotte, are working on a sequel (Quarantine) and other projects (inc. Inversion, their next release). Video trailer; print-on-demand edition. Gold Best-Sellers: Full Fathom Five - This whaling saga is by Paul Fricker, co-author of 7th edition Call of Cthulhu, and includes weevils, sea-shanties, and gorgeous artwork by John Sumrow. Paul's other scenarios on the Repository are Dockside Dogs and My Little Sister; they are all available in print-on-demand. Carnival of Madness - Alex Guillotte and Ian Christiansen have produced a bunch of 1970s scenarios: this one has stunning cover art, is available in print, has a video trailer, and you can get handy fliers printed as handouts. If you're interested in Alex's merch, follow this link. Of Sorrow and Clay - A classic 1920s Appalachian scenario by Graham Patrick, this was boosted by an Ain't Slayed Nobody actual-play podcast featuring special guest players. There is a print edition. (Almost all of these have print editions) The Highway of Blood - Another 1970s production from Alex & Ian, this is a gritty grindhouse sandbox experience with rules for cinematic car-chases. Video trailer; print edition. The Pipeline - A rare 1980s outing for Alex & Ian, this one is a survival horror story set in the Arctic with extensive cinematic survival rules. Video trailer; print edition. The Grindhouse Ultimate Collection, Volumes 1-3 - Technically, only The Grindhouse: Volume One is a Gold best-seller, but this collected edition includes those two scenarios plus five more, so you'd be crazy not to get the lot. If you are crazy -- always a risk on this forum -- just pick up the first volume. There are now eight Grindhouse scenarios by Alex & Ian: three volumes each include two scenarios, the collected edition has a bonus scenario, and there's a festive Holiday Special. They're inspired by low-budget splatter movies of the seventies, and are gorgeously presented in small paperback format. Video trailer; print editions available (x5 books). The Dragon of Wantley - This is Stuart Sellens' first outing, a classic 1920s scenario set in Yorkshire. He has since created Host and Hostility, a book of Regency Cthulhu scenarios, and contributed to community projects including Hometown Horrors and In Strange Seas. Print editions of The Dragon of Wantley and Host and Hostility are available. And now, a folk-song (the horror! the horror!). Shepherd of Moths - The best-selling title from Marek Golonka's Zgrozy series, originally released in Polish (three other Polish-language Zgrozy releases are Gold best-sellers: Future Echoes, Vernissage, and Cthulhu się dzieje!) An English-language print edition of Zgrozy's greatest hits is in the works. The Miskatonic Repository Convention hosted a Zgrozy panel: video. Branches of Bone - A Cthulhu Dark Ages scenario by Michael Reid (MJRRG), in which Viking raiders attacking an isolated monastery bite off more than they can chew. Video trailer; there is a print-on-demand edition. The Mummy of Pemberley Grange - The best-selling entry in Allan Carey's Seeds of Terror series, twelve one-shot scenarios designed to be easy-to-run and perfect for new players. One of the Seeds, Hand of Glory, won a Silver ENnie award in 2021. Sorrow in Tsavo - Bridgett Jeffries' scenario adds mythos elements to the true story of two man-eating lions in Kenya, filmed as The Ghost and The Darkness (1996). Her second scenario, Carousel of Fear, is also available in print on demand (as is this!). Cursed - Al '"Diesel" Smith is a prolific author, with works including Field of Screams (Pulp Cthulhu), Cursed (a modern scenario), Victor Frankenstein: Reanimator (for Regency Cthulhu), and most recently Forbidden Seas and Perilous Coasts (for the Regency Cthulhu community project In Strange Seas). Print editions of Field of Screams and Cursed are available.

The Well of Daliath has paydirt on Dunstop: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/dunstop/ https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/dunstop-2/ It's mentioned in passing in @Jeff's recent Tarsh comments: For the Orindori clan, you can read up on Vostor Blacktooth and his descendents in the Glorantha Sourcebook or King of Sartar. Fazzur Wideread's character sheet in Wyrms Footnotes has some family details, possibly also contained in those sources (I haven't cross-checked).

In case anyone doesn't know what @SunlessNick is referring to, here are some links: Host and Hostility, three scenarios about encountering dodgy Regency suitors, by Stu Sellens (author of The Dragon of Wantley). PRINT EDITION! Debutantes and Dagon, a framework for creating Regency characters and improvising scenarios, by Evan Perlman. The Well of All Fear, a scenario set in the spa town of Buxton, by Kat Clay (author of The Hammersmith Haunting). In Strange Seas, a Royal Navy supplement by Evan Perlman plus five scenarios by different authors. (I've linked to the bundle, because you'd be mad to miss it!) As a Community Ambassador, I'm particularly delighted by the collaborative teamwork that went into In Strange Seas, but these are all exemplary products.

Yes. Coyotes with access to the ACME catalogue are extremely dangerous, it is known.