jajagappa

Running various Glorantha games on and off over the past 30 years. These are the main 3: 1) Imther Campaign - ran 10 years (was an in-person game with sessions typically once per month; used RQ3) Set in: … Imther! Primarily but also included Sylila/Jillaro, Balazar, and a trek to Gonn Orta's castle. Aside from the excursions into Balazar/Elder Wilds, it was largely my creation and was the material that appeared in my short-lived fanzine, New Lolon Gospel. Time period: 1616-1619, if I recall correctly. Setting/canon: it built off of roughly two sentences in the old Griffin Mountain book: "Imther is another client state. It fell to the Conquering Daughter in 1347. Its barbarian population is mixed herders and farmers; the state controls the Imther Mountain mines." That was all the "canon" I had, though Yelmalio was one of the primary gods (and evolved from Cults of Prax) and the Conquering Daughter writeup was based on the text of the Lunar Second Wane from Wyrms Footnotes #12. A number of pieces from my campaign have subsequently become canon. Note: as I commented on in Jason's Summoning Runequest GM's thread "Don't be afraid to create or add to Glorantha. If you want or need a new myth, a new spell, a new cult, a new clan or city, add it. It's your game - your personal touches will add to and enrich it for your players." 2) Orlmarth Campaign - running 4.5+ years now (a play-by-post game on RPGGeek using HQG) Set in: Sartar. Based on SKoH and HQG, plus material from a variety of other sources (including the Harvest Festival from old RQ3 Sun County) and whatever else I come up with. Time period: 1617-1618 (so far) Setting/canon: largely canonical, but I also create a fair bit (e.g. heroquest settings). 3) Into the Hero Wars Campaign - running 1.5+ years now (a play-by-post game on RPGGeek using the new RQG) Set in: Sartar. Based on RQG, the Quickstart scenario, and RQG Bestiary/Adventures, plus older HQG material. Time period: 1626 (so far) Setting/canon: largely canonical, but as with my other Sartar campaign I tend to develop my own scenarios and expand on existing settings. Other: also had a more short-lived Nochet Campaign using HQG. Drew on a lot of the Nochet-related material and maps I've put together (and which you can find searching in these forums).

And that is what counts! It did sound like a fun game (but couldn't resist responding 😉 ) Oddly, despite having the old gods book for many years, I could really never make sense of why anyone would want or use the Hallucinate spell. It's only been with a couple recent posts (including this) that it's hit home how a Trickster can utilize and take advantage of it.

And you admit it! 😲 Clearly a heretic! Naming one of the two forbidden books that all in the tribe of Glorantha have forever forsworn! At this point you should be expecting the RuneQuest Inquisition and be prepared for … The Comfy Chair! (Or at least a pair of Moon demons to drag you to the deepest pits beyond the Adamantine Gates where Ikadz forever tears apart your soul.)

Agree. But perhaps the River Gods did not want to share such knowledge to those who brought fire to water.

Here are some of the entries from my Nochet text for those bloodlines associated with the Nochet Sun Dome temple: Little Vanntar: For long the temple of Yelmalio was banished from Nochet and Esrolia, yet Green Ernalda called him back and, garbed in the Robes of Loyalty, he returned. House Pelgraeos granted Yelmalio a small corner of Pella’s Garden and this has become known to all nearby as Little Vanntar based on the origin of most of its inhabitants. K9. House of the High Sun. The bloodline responsible for the Sun Dome Temple lives here in this squat stone court. K10. Long Hall. The bloodline of Montar Blazingeyes resides here. They are known for their strict adherence to the vows and geases of Yelmalio. K12. The Footstool Inn. Innkeeper Dorasa Sharptongue says the name comes from the golden brick her ancestor took from the Footstool of Yelm in the wars with Dara Happa. No one who stays there believes her, but it’s a busy inn with much traffic from the Great Market. K14. Temple of Green Ernalda. Here the women of Little Vanntar celebrate Ernalda. K15. The Sun Dome Temple. This is not like the glorious Sun Domes of Sartar or Saird, but a rather poor bee-hive like building of stone blocks painted yellow-gold on top. (For possible appearance, see: http://aphs.worldnomads.com/rachel_and_daniel/16402/P2080185.jpg ) Despite its inglorious appearance, the local warriors are keen fighters though they use substantially shorter spears to maneuver through the streets of Nochet than their northern brethren. K16. Gold Finch Hall. The chieftain of the Gold Finch clan lives here and keeps order and truth prevalent throughout Little Vanntar. The chieftain and his family always are charged by Yelmalio to never eat the meat of birds, and the little gold finches that live in the district keep the chief alert to danger and threats. K37. Hall Pelgraeos. This clan is magically strong and traditionally serves the shrines of both Pella and the Three Flames. The Orendar [i.e. chieftainess] of the hall rules over Little Vanntar, but has granted the privileges of the Earth and Sun to the local Yelmalions.

As the Cradle passes out of knowledge after the encounter with Harrek, this is not surprising. I think it is just an Unknown. Clearly the river waters were unaffected by the Closing - they continue to flow to Magasta's Whirlpool and to the Underworld. It may well be that the Cradle is effectively "enfolded" within the waters of Zola Fel and considered part of them so that nothing further inhibits its passage. Still an Unknown.

Movement and Truth are the ones my players have used the most. Movement applied to lots of things from actions like Climbing or running or Riding, to better coordination in combat. Truth particularly to help with Lore rolls, but also actions like Evaluate or better Insight into other's motives. Fertility or Harmony to help with healing. Harmony to help with certain Communication skills. Illusion has value with actions such as Act, Disguise, Sleight, or Stealth skills. Disorder might be used in combat, or possibly in Communication skills such as Fast Talk or Intimidate. Stasis has applicability to artistic or craft endeavors, or to hold ground in combat. Death, well combat is obvious, but could be with skills such as Prepare Corpse or dealing with Spirits.

W in my game! 😉 Sounds like Computer Use 1W against a Very High difficulty scoring a Major Victory.

That would work - just reduce the number of Rune Points by one (whether already used or not).

I had missed that change as well. So what happens to the poor initiate who has already used all their Rune Points? Do they have no chance for DI, or must they sacrifice 1 point of POW? I'd probably rule the latter in my game.

Except Arkat's Hold on the way to Esrolia is rather suspect (particularly since I think they refused refugees during the Great Winter). And there's a small temple to Black Arkat in Nochet - probably thought to be a place where strange foreigners from Ralios and trolls go. And of course the persistent rumors that Sir Ethilrist descends from Arkat (probably encouraged by Ethilrist himself).

Marked - yes, it's the three little huts in the lower left. Labeled - no. So, if you don't like Greenbrass and want something else there, easy to deal with. And if you want to resurrect Greenbrass from the old RQ3 scenario, you can do so.

Obviously, find a sucker (i.e. adventurer). Make it worth their while to make the trade for the enlo - they are Hoomanz, what do they know! An Issaries merchant is also possible, but they might be a bit brighter than your average adventurer.

Yes. That's why if you happen to roll the same as your POW, you die and are transported to your god's home in the afterlife.

We have no idea what the Cradle encountered after it left Corflu other than Argrath kept Harrek from plundering it, and joined Harrek instead. Perhaps a Dormal initiate was picked up in Corflu, or Argrath convinced a Wolf Pirate Dormal initiate to aid the ship, or Pinchining was able to invoke magic to pass through the sea, or giant magic countered the effect, or being destined already for Magasta's Pool and the Underworld the Cradle was pulled directly there by the forces of the Closing and the Doom Currents. Lots of possibilities, but we simply don't know what happened next.

The Guide p.344 notes: "Bolthor Brighteyes, the king of the Talastari, asks Hahlgrim to lead an army into Dorastor to confront the Chaos Horrors led by Ralzakark." And p.700 "While a guest of King Bolthor of Talastar, the warrior-priest Hahlgrim (and his companion, his young cousin Paulis Longvale) was betrayed by his liege. The king and his thanes burst into the royal apartment where Hahlgrim was staying. Bolthor demanded the return of Ironbreaker, an ancient magical sword that had been part of the royal regalia but had been given to Hahlgrim by the king in exchange for fealty." Talastar is the kingdom west of Sylila north of Aggar and south of the Yolp Mountains. The King of Talastar is effectively the "overlord" over the various tribes such as the Bilini and presumably receives tribute from all the Talastar tribes (and gives some tribute to the Lunar Empire in turn). See the Guide p.341, "In 7/19 (1590), Talastar was listed among the lands that follow the Lunar religion and the Lakrene Council was recognized by the Red Emperor as the rightful King of Talastar. The Bilini, a particularly fierce tribe on the border with Dorastor, rebelled, shattering the short-lived kingdom. After a three-way war between the Bilini, Lakrene, and the Satrapy of Sylila, Lakrene is now under the protection of the Satrapy of Sylila, and the Bilini hold their traditional lands and maintain their Orlanthi ways. Several families claim the title of king, but are simply glorified clan chiefs. Seven tribes are dispersed along the major river valleys: Tenlings, Vosdalings, Lingstings, Arkablings, Bilinings, Ulredings, and Skanthings." Bolthor is one of the Lunar "Appeasers", and I think is king of not only Talastar but also the Bilinings tribe and rules from the fortress called the Hold. Also noted on p.341: "The king of the Bilini wears Ironbreaker, a dwarf-wrought sword made for one of the lieutenants of Arkat the Destroyer." The Lingstings are centered at a Sun Dome temple and are traditional foes of the Bilinings.

Guaranteed to break the ice at parties, though!

A lot is going to depend on the scenario. If it's combat heavy, with few opportunities for spirit interaction, than Vishi Dunn will seem like a poor choice.

That's because HQG already adds points to the highest two runes (that accounts for 12), occupational keyword, and distinguishing characteristic.

But should there ever have been? This is still one god. That your clan followed the Thunderous aspects, and another clan followed the Adventurous tradition, means that you see the impact of Orlanth differently. But those heroes who seek the ways of Orlanth learn that these are all just aspects of him - and why they are heroes. The heroes shape Orlanth as they shape themselves. Depending on the timeframe looked at, HQ also went way overboard on fragmenting the gods into micro-gods (particularly the HW/HQ1 period).

Definitely a few ways to play it. Looking back at some of my prior results, the heroes do get the victory in the contest, but generally have some element of failure: Beorht nearly gets tangled up with Harrik's wild swings of his staff. But the attack is unexpected, and the beast's flank is sufficiently exposed for Beorht to get an opening and gouge the beast's hide. Garnath trips on one last rock at the last minute, his striking blow goes astray, but still catches the beast by surprise in the flank. Garnath hits another rock as he falls, and though painful, he rises again. Harelmal realizes that those flashes of fire are not from the demon battling Aren and Last Tear, but are two more demons flying in from up the valley. He guesses they have but moments before those arrive. Ingwald staggers under the blow but stays firm and pushes back up causing the demon to stumble over the rocks. Though Breya does not get a clean blow against Heavy Earth, she hits a weak spot in the earth spirit's leg and suddenly Heavy Earth crumbles about her!

It pretty much maps to the effects noted in the Missing Lands p.101 which was published in 1998, but likely written a decade earlier, so don't think there's any retcon there.

Yes. No. In the former case you succeeded to some degree in achieving the result of your contest. In the latter case, you failed to achieve the contest, but brought no harm to yourself. And no. The Fail vs. Fumble is an interesting case. How I try to play that is that the hero did not succeed in achieving what they sought to do, but some other opportunity or approach presents itself. @Oracle can likely comment on whether I succeed with that or not though! 🙂

The good news is that the guard was sleeping, and didn't wake up when you bumped into the stool, but unfortunately the door is locked and the guard has no key. You'll have to find another way.

That is one of the nice things with HeroQuest!