Christoph Kohring

On 10/25/2015 at 10:03 PM, Steve said:

This was raised on the Glorantha G+ forum but not answered officially there, so I thought I'd try here.

For those who didn't see the beginning of the discussion, here it is!

This is my last order from Chaosium. The Red Cow volume II was out now so that I redeemed my coupons for the PDF of both volumes & got both hardcopies tpgether. It was also a good time to buy the slipcase for TGtG to put my Moon Design Publications books in a Chaosium "box". CoC for noobs à la Dr. Seuss sounded fun, so what the heck I took it.

And I also bought a copy of the Crucible Seven second printing of HQ:CR even though I already own a copy of the first edition first printing. Why you might ask? Because it is such a bloody good book & it is a bloody shame that it is going out of print without ever getting any errata as well as any revised printing & I "needed" a spare!

17 hours ago, JonL said:

It's the Orlanthi All, clearly.  She's the one in seven who doesn't have it. 🤣

"Orlanthi All" wazzat? Sure ain't canon (anymore)... Besides, we're talking Humakt here who isn't exclusively "Orlanthi" & for whom things are definite, precise & clear-cut (pun intended). 😎

Kidding aside, as we all (sic) know, what this shows is a bit sad. It's summer 2018 & there still isn't any errata for either S:KoH (2009) or HQ:G (2015) & the Humakti Swordfighting ability is just one example among others. Hell, HQ:CR (2009) -that oh so tight, crisp & lovely document- is going out-of-print just as we are talking & never got any errata or revised printing.

Erratas & typo fixing are part of quality control, customer care & plain good manners (!?) but have never been a forte of Moon Design Publications to say the least. Let's cross fingers (a Humakti gesture?!?) things might improve with nuChaosium...

(By the way, "one in seven" ? Isn't that a bloody Lunar thing?!!)

On 1/19/2016 at 10:48 PM, Christoph Kohring said:

Funnily enough there is a sample Humakti starting hero in the rules -Karganvale the Vengeful Mercenary-  but sadly she doesn't have any specific Sword Fighting ability... 

... but of course, because "[all] Humakti have the Specific ability of Sword Fighting at least at the same rating as their Death Rune [...]" (S:KoH p. 170 & HQ:G p. 165) she's got Swordfighting 6W, now doesn't she? The only question is if she gets it for "free" !

2 hours ago, Ian Cooper said:

I'm not sure that we need worry about repeats, plus I think that Life is problematic for the chief of a war clan, whereas Harmony can be rationalized better with his personality

Hey, it's your book!

Stasis is out for religious reasons. Movement would be lame. Disorder, Illusion & Truth don't fit. Death would be ironic & Life a bit too much, so yes that leaves Harmony as a Power Rune. Maybe it's Broddi who should have Life instead of Harmony?!?

On 5/29/2018 at 2:47 AM, Jolt said:

How common is the Plant Rune in Sartar?

Very! After all, it is not as if Sartar were devoid of vegetation now, right?!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist... )

To come back to your character, as Ian said, according to the published cults that we have as of right now, he could become an initiate of Argan Argar & with some nifty Breakout Ability from the Plant Rune & maybe also from the Life Rune would be all set for a life of unorthodoxy.

On 9/14/2016 at 12:13 AM, Ian Cooper said:

Good spot. Let's go with Christopher's suggestion of Harmony instead.

Considering that Red Cow's Broddi Strong-Kin already has Air/ Harmony/ Mastery, why not make war clan Gwandor/ Jotoring/ Two-Pines chief Kulbrast Offirson Air/ Life/ Mastery instead?!?

25 minutes ago, tedopon said:

More to come I'm sure as I read and eventually integrate what I like into our RQ6 game.

RQ6.5, between RQ6 & RQVII?!! ?

5 hours ago, Mankcam said:

Just wondering why the change in direction again? 

Lack of money?!? Lack of time (CoC7 QS, RQII, RQVII, etc... )?!? Lack of interest (in HQ... cos' RQVII, D&D:G [aka 13thAiG], CoC, KoK, etc... )?!?

The recycled artwork from Moon Design/ HeroQuest publications is indeed disappointing, but the life of a Glorantha fan has been filled with so many disappointments already that who really cares, right?!! ?

On 8/21/2017 at 11:01 PM, Runeblogger said:

How much was the copy of the draft?

$50.

On 16/08/2017 at 2:23 PM, goldenwheeldancer said:

Also, aren't white and red the colours of Runequest?

´Cause... White Bear & Red Moon!

3 hours ago, Ian Cooper said:

Marsh...marsh..goddamit

You've been errated! ?

On 04/08/2017 at 7:38 AM, Mark Mohrfield said:

I may be wrong about this, but the Runes associated with some of the Corpse Stars seem off to me. 

Yep, same to me!

2 hours ago, soltakss said:

But, does she play RQ, 13th Age in Glorantha or D&D?

She plays HQ:G if she knows what is good for her. ?

30 minutes ago, Mankcam said:

RQ needs to be compared with the likes of D&D, Rolemaster, GURPS, etc, [...]

RQ is incomparable! It is incomparably better than D&D, Chivalry & Sorcery, Rolemaster, etc... for instance.

What HQ & RQ have in common are: no classes, no levels, no alignments, no armor class, no increasing hit points, no XPs, skills/ abilities, religion/ cults that make sense, etc...

In fact, one of the few things that RQ & D&D have in common is characterics but not much more (equipment, weapons & armor lists?!?). 

Besides, everybody in this community (except for Rob Heinsoo, Jonathan Tweet & Newt Newport) knows that D&D is badwrongfun, no?!! ?

2 hours ago, Steve said:

This is getting boring now, @Darius West, go and troll somewhere else please.

What do you have against trolls, @Steve?!! We are all Uz, after all!?! ?

(Sorry, couldn't resist! ? )

On 26/07/2017 at 1:48 PM, Paid a bod yn dwp said:

Is it necessary to have Sartar Kingdom of Heroes, and the Sartar Companion to play the Coming Storm/Eleven lights ? 

Yes, definitely!

The cults described in HQ:G are all the short version of cults fully described in S:KoH (Orlanth, Ernalda, Humakt, Issaries, Lankhor Mhy) & P:GtA (The Seven Mothers). 

The Red Cow campaign takes place among one clan of the Cinsina tribe of the Jonstown Confederation in the Kingdom of Sartar... which kingdom is more fully detailed in S:KoH & SC!

In addition, the cults of Chalana Arroy, Elmal, Urox the Storm Bull & Yinkin are only available in S:KoH whereas the cults of Argan Argan, Babeester Gor, Eurmal, Heler, Kolat & Odayla are only to be found in SC. P:GtA also includes Pavis, Flintnail, Yelmalio, Lanbril, Zola Fel. The first two are mostly unknown in Sartar, which is not the case of the next two... The cult of the River of Cradles -Zola Fel- is, of course, unknown in Sartar but it gives a good idea  of what the description of another river cult like Engizi, worshipped by many in the Red Cow along the Creek, might look like.

Jonstown, its library & Mynarith Purple are described in SC & used in TEL. The Orlmarth clan & the Cinder Pits are described in S:KoH & used in TEL. So are Runegate, the trolls & the Sazdorf clan described in SC. The dragonewts of Dragon's Eye & the Dragonewt Wilds are, if not next door neighbours to the Cinsina, close by & a dragonewt road goes through tribal land. They are described in SC. The Crimson Bat Comes to Sartar in SC... & to the Red Cow in TEL! Boldhome described in S:KoH is... but need I say more?!!

Basically, to play the Red Cow campaign you not only need TCS, TEL & HQ:G, but also S:KoH as well as SC & it is good to have P:GTA, HQ:CR, KoS, TBoHM & TGtG.

As is written in The Coming Storm on page 5:

"THIS IS NOT A STAND-ALONE GAME!

The Coming Storm is not a stand-alone game. It is a supplement for Moon Design’s Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes, a game set in the high fantasy world of Glorantha. This supplement does not describe the game’s various core traits, present its rules for combat or provide a complete setting. These can be found in [...] HeroQuest[:] Glorantha, Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes and the Sartar Companion.

Mmmh, let's see...

I would have written the choices this way:

• Hero Wars: Roleplaying in Glorantha (2000)

• HeroQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha (2003)

• HeroQuest: Core Rules (2009)

• HeroQuest: Glorantha (2015)

• A hybrid i.e. HeroQuest: Glorantha but with fixed ratings from HeroQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha

But, hey! that's just me...

To answer your question, I shall be happy to use HQ2.1 (HQ:CR -with the promised modifications from HQ:G published on the website- as well as HQ:G itself) once it has been properly... errated!

For me both fixed ratings, edges, APs & all the rest are dead & buried with HQ1 (i.e. both HW:RiG & HQ:RiG).

I agree with Christian Braun who wrote elsewhere that: "HeroQuest [2] is the RPG I always dreamt of. It's simple, yet lets you do everything you ever wanted to do. It's not a game for rule freaks, it's a game for people who like a game that supports your imagination."

As @Mark Mohrfield elsewhere once wrote: "The Curse of Glorantha is that it simultaneously has the reputation of being too serious ("You need a degree in anthropology to play") and too silly ("It's got Ducks!")."

For me it is a blessing!

And ducks. Of course...

On 27/06/2017 at 2:34 PM, Steve said:

How's the progress coming on The Eleven Lights, @Ian Cooper?

The PDF is coming out this week, says Ian here:

The RQ:RiG QuickStart is out now, so the errata discussion should resume here in the open, I presume.

On 07/01/2017 at 7:16 AM, Mankcam said:

BTW does anyone know if there is to be a reprint of HQ2 anytime soon? I have HQG, but would prefer to see these rules without the Gloranthan trappings if possible.

Mmmh... as HeroQuest: Core Rules is not out of print yet, there is not need for a reprint, right?!! HQ:CR is magnificent even though it is a bit like RQIII: devoid of any Glorantha reference until the very end (Book 5 in RQIII & the last chapter in HQ:CR).

Magatheus the Sinister Sorcerer already has the Flaw Outlawed by the Lunar College of Magic at 6W (cf. HQ:G p. 55) whereas Vargast the Thunderer has Hunted by the Lunar Empire 12W as a flaw (HQ:G p. 53). (Karganvale may very well not be technically outlawed: she just followed her boss & kinsman Vargast in exile... )

Slightly corrected:

THE PROUD THANE
Hero Name: Vargast the Thunderer
Community: Outlaw from the Orlmarth clan 13

THE VENGEFUL MERCENARY
Hero Name: Karganvale
Community: Exile from the Orlmarth clan 13

THE SINISTER SORCERER
Hero Name: Magatheus
Community: Retainer to House Delaeos (originally from Furthest in Tarsh) 13
Flaw: Outlawed by the Lunar College of Magic 6W

What is funny is that -except for Samastina- Vargast, Karganvale, Herrox, Orensulva & Magatheus should in fact all have:

Community: Retainer to House Delaeos 13

Glorantha Wiki got it right!

On 9/5/2016 at 7:43 PM, Christoph Kohring said:

In S:KoH as well as in P:GtA your character did indeed have a Community keyword. Sadly not so anymore in HQ:G where the HW:RiG/ HQ:RiG concept of a Culture keyword was reintroduced & where you only have a Community ability.

I didn't like Cultural Keywords both in HW:RiG as well as in HQ:RiG & was overjoyed when they were replaced by just Community Keywords in S:KoH & P:GtA. After all, if you are a member of the Orlmarth clan then you also belong to the Colymar tribe as well as the Sartar Kingdom, you are from Dragon Pass in Genertela & you are a Heortling Wareran human. Thus a Community Keywords includes cultural "trappings" very neatly & elegantly as well. Are there exceptions to the previous? Yes, but they are very few & in between. An Orlmarthing huscarl could of course come from Esrolia, the Tarsh Exiles or Prax, for example or be a Duck, a Minotaur or a Dragonewt.

Besides, who ever increased his Heortling Cultural Keyword?!? Whereas it makes perfect sense to increase one's Community Keyword to improve, say, one's standing in the community...

Let's see how would it work for the sample characters from The Coming Storm: The Red Cow Volume I who are, after all, all members of the Red Cow clan:

THE VENGEFUL HUNTER
Hero Name: Olend Many-Moods
Community: Red Cow Clan 13
Hate Dinacoli +1

THE RATTLE-BORN WARRIOR
Hero Name: Londrol Spear-Rattler
Community: Red Cow Clan 13
Hate Dinacoli +1
Housecarl to Kangharl Black-Brow +1
Member of the Tormakting Bloodline +1

THE FEARLESS HEALER 
Hero Name: Maklami Friend of Heroes
Community: Red Cow Clan 20 
Adopted Daughter of Broddi Strong-Kin +1
Fine jewelry, clothes, and cosmetics +1
Follower of Enastara the Red +1

THE HONORABLE THANE 
Hero Name: Rastalulf the Tall
Community: Red Cow Clan 13
Rival to Kangharl Black-Brow +1
Loyalty to Enerin Bristle-Beard +1

THE LAUGHING MERCENARY 
Hero Name: Barbessa Laugh-Much
Community: Red Cow Clan 13
Follower of Orstalor Spearlord +1
Follower of Borngold Many-Brothers +1

THE HARD-BITTEN CATTLE RAIDER
Hero Name: Koschei the Weary
Community: Red Cow Clan 13
Sworn Man to Kangharl Black-Brow +1
Member of the Tormakting bloodline +1

And how does it work for the sample characters in HQ:G? Here we go:

THE AMBITIOUS NOBLE
Hero Name: Samastina Delaeos
Community: Member of House Delaeos 13

THE PROUD THANE
Hero Name: Vargast the Thunderer
Community: Exile from the Orlmarth clan 13

THE VENGEFUL MERCENARY
Hero Name: Karganvale
Community: Exile from the Orlmarth clan 13

THE ENERGETIC PRAXIAN SPIRIT-TALKER
Hero Name: Herrox
Community: Member of the Blue Llama clan 13

THE CURIOUS SCRIBE
Hero Name: Orensulva
Community: Member of Nochet Temple of Knowledge 13

THE SINISTER SORCERER
Hero Name: Magatheus
Community: Outlaw from Lunar College of Magic retainer to House Delaeos 13

On 08/09/2016 at 8:49 PM, soltakss said:

I play that everything is a keyword. It just makes more sense to me.

Everything is a keyword except for breakout abilities. Elegant... why not? Makes sense indeed!?!