Khedrac

Another thought is that I think Cthulhu may be one of those area where players who don't GM (Keeper) may prefer not to read to avoid spoilers.

People are often happy to discuss a fantasy world (or science fiction universe) whether they GM or not - knowing more usually just adds colour to the game.  But with CoC the basic wolrd is our own history, so a good library or bookshop is a better place to add depth to the world and characters. All we can really discuss here is the Mythos (and whether we accept what other authors have tried to do to it).  Now whilst I quite like reading Lovecraft, I don't GM CoC, I only play it (which is more than I currently manage to do for Glorantha) so I avoid the CoC forum here becasue I don't think there is much that I can learn that I want to know...

And then there was the Glorantha boxed set - mine is the version where the Genertela book has two copies of pages 19 to 26 and 75 to 82, but lacks pages 27 to 34 and 67 to 74 (I got photocopies of the missing pages from a friend who had got a full copy).  One starts to ignore terrible artowrk and content re-printing when they cannot even get the correct pages into the product...

17 hours ago, Richard S. said:

I must ask: why a dragonewt cult? (sorry for killing the joke but I'm actually confusticated on this one).

Because Dragonewts are the only Gloranthans known for regularly coming back from "death" in a new body.

I wish I could be there, but I cannot.  All I can say is "good luck and have fun" – oh and post back here to let us know how it goes!

I always thought that the humans (well Waha) definitely cheated, but somnehow the Morocanth still won, which strongly suggests they managed to cheat better...

8 hours ago, Ebaninth said:

I am keen for the new version to address the high 90% skills.  Our games would get to rune levels but we then tended to immediately retire as we were sick of the attack/parry/attack/parry/attack/parry/attack/parry/attack/parry/Fumble Attack or

attack/parry/attack/parry/attack/parry/attack/parry/attack/parry/Fumble Parry.

Please address this.  I always thought limiting skills to 80%, with anything higher reducing the opposing skill had potential...

Regards

A simple way in RQ3 to deal with this is simply extra opponents.  The BRP/RQ combat mechanism makes 2 on one fighting very dangerous as it is nigh imposible to defend against 2 people at once (unless you can split your parry or dodge it is dodge one, parry the other and not attack).

So 2 skill 45% opponents are a fair match for one 90% skill character - he can either quickly kill one while hoping the other misses him (which is the technique where one has lots of armour, magic or mundane so hits are unlikely to get through); or he can split his (or her) skill and take both on at one at even skills.

Now, most 90+% skilled characters probably do have armour points to spare, and probably can ignore low skill human oppostion (unless they get a lucky crit), but consider trolls or other high-strength races - even an incompetent troll can do huge damage if they connect - that blow needs to be negated somehow...

19 hours ago, Rick Meints said:

Probably about 90%, unless you really dig sorcery.

Thank-you, that is really good news.

I like the idea of sorcery, and would love to have a working set of rules, but I agreed with those who said that the RQ3 rules didn't work.  I also liked Sandy Petersen's suggested revised rules, but they required far more set-up and planning for any NPC users, even if they were more viable for actual PCs...  As such, I think I can write RQ3 sorcery off as "not a great loss".

I really must try and get round to getting my copy then...

I originally contributed in the Kickstarter enough for a PDF copy but for various reaosns never actually sorted out registering and downloading it.  That's a good question, at this late date is it still possible to track my original contribution and sort out my acquisition?

5 minutes ago, HorusArisen said:

How compatible are the RQ2 supplements? On a percentage scale. Has anyone said?

1 minute ago, Rick Meints said:

Probably 90%.

THis is encouraging, but as someone who missed RQ2 (I picked up the Moon Design reprints), what would you estimate the Avalon Hill RQ compatability to be? 80% or higher?

Tatters of the King is the major adventure path for Carcosa and the King in Yellow.

Been there, done that, didn't come back because my character went insane just at the last minute...

8 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

I think what RQ3 desparely needed was some sort of setting to work with. All the RQ2ers were used to and expected it. I was hoping that we might had gotten a Mythic Europe book. I didn't mind expanding RQ beyond Gloratha, but I did mind that Glorantha kinda got put on hold. Most of the early RQ3 supplements were either reprints of RQ2 stuff, or were so all encompassing that they lacked the level of detail that made RQ2 great.

I think that may have depended on what you already knew about Glorantha...

For me (in the UK) what complicated things was that the core Glorthantha information (i.e. what was in book 5 of the Deluxe box - things like the Chaos Feature table) wasn't readily available.

The primary available version of RQ3 in the UK was the Games Workshop re-book which was basically Deluxe RQ without the Glorantha bits.  The Deluxe box was available, but it was rare and it was not obvious that you needed it.

At school we playing in Fantasy Europe, and didn't have any problems.  At University (where there was a running group Glorantha campaign) my first GM used his own world maps for the initial major campaign arc (because he didn't have access to a Glorantha map) and then threw us a "200-year jump" to put us in the common Glorantha at the end of it (as now he did).  About the only genuine Gloranthan material used for that first camapign arc was the deities - because Gods of Glorantha was available.

People have complained that it didn't really give the "feel" of Glorantha because the cult descriptions were too short.  I would revise this - it didn't give the feel of Greg's Glorantha; for those of us who had no other Glorantha material it gave a definite wonderful new and different feel that to us was "Glorantha", there had been nothing like it before (if you had never seen 2nd Ed.).

The other early Glorantha products were of much less use, Elder Secrets definitely had interesting bits, but most of it was only of limited applicability to any given campaign (starting with the point it makes that if the party gains decent contacts with any elder race the others will avoid them - means you only get to use one section at a time).  The Genertela box had huge amounts of brief information (the main thing we used it for were starting skill bases) but a number of them (e.g. mine) had a large block of pages missing with another block re-printed in their place (thankfully a friend was able to give my photocpoies of the pages from his book - and if anyone tried to sue of copyright grounds I will point out that I have a fully legal right to those pages from my copy, I just don't actually have the originals). Etc.

I now have a copy of book 5 (I managed to buy Deluxe RQ second hand, though it came in 2 boxes not 1), and I would say that publishing the standard RQ without the Glorantha book was a major impediment to developing Glorantha later, but those of us who were new to RQ were quite happy gaming in Mythic Europe.

Look also at AD&D at the time - Forgotten Realms was coming out, Greyhawk was out, but unless you read Dragon you had no information beyond the boxed set. Most games operated in the DM's own creation.  Mythic Europe had some huge advantages as a world - everyone had a fair idea of the map and what the countries might be!

That's Avebury not Stonehenge - it's a much bigger ring (most of the village is inside it) but there are no cross stones on top.  There's about 20 miles apart so I suppose that is close enough for someone in the Severn Vale.  Actually - I remember this story form the year they posted it - nice find!

That has got to be the best April Fool's announcement I have seen this year, it's awesome.

Seriously though, there are a lot of good reasons for assuming hoax without knowing the date.  For me the primary two are orientation and style; the Uffington White Horse is actually one of lots of White Horses in the area (growing up to me White Horse meant the one at Westbury) but nearly all the others are much more realistic, to miss-quote Tery Pratchett the Uffington White Horse isn't a carving of a horse but a carving of the spirit of a horse - now compare the horse to their projected duck - the duck is much more realistic and yet they are so close together I cannot buy the idea of two different tribes so why the total difference of styles?  Secondly, though it is hard to judge from their aerial shots, I think the duck would be on its back when viewed from a distance...

Tatters of the King is a large adventure centred around stopping the King in Yellow coming to Earth - will that do?

Note: - I played it as a player and I think we all enjoyed it, though my character didn't 'come back' from the end (rolling 00 on a SAN check when into single digit SAN got the GM to pull me aside and tell me my charachter was now trying to help bring about the King's arrival).

16 hours ago, 21stCenturyMoose said:

Not quite.

1. The original Chaosium edition.

2. The Chaosium second edition (this is widely considered the "classic" edition and was the subject of the recent Kickstarter).

3. The Avalon Hill edition.

4. The cancelled and unpublished 4th edition from the 1990s.

The first Mongoose edition was just called "RuneQuest" and didn't have an edition number.  It was commonly called "MRQ", or later, "MRQ1".

The second Mongoose edition was called "RuneQuest 2" (which was a little confusing as you now need to be explicit about which RuneQuest 2 you're talking) and was commonly called "MRQ2".

6. Design Mechanism's first iteration.  This was the sixth published edition, and was commonly called "RQ6".

Mythras doesn't have a RuneQuest edition number because it's not a RuneQuest edition.

It remains to be seen what we'll settle down to calling the upcoming Chaosium edition, although IIRC Chaosium themselves are calling it "RuneQuest 4" on account of it being the 4th edition with which the original team were involved; IIRC they may also be simply calling it "RuneQuest".  We may end up calling it "RuneQuest 7" or something else; who knows?

Just to make life more confusing, this misses a publisher - Games Workshop.

Avalon Hill (well I assume it was them) licensed Games Workshop to produce hardback book versions of their boxed sets for the UK.

These books are also usually regarded as RQ3 and are the same version of RQ, just slightly differently arranged.  They seemed concentrated on the Fantasy Europe setting because the Glorantha booklet from the Delux box set(s) was not included in the re-ordered core rulebooks (Basic Runequest and Advanced Runequest).

11 hours ago, Mugen said:

Concerning question 5), rules say that spells can be boosted to overcome protective magic. For instance, if an opponent has cast a protective spell to prevent you or your buddies to cast spells on you.

What would be the point to learn more that 1 spell point if you could spend as many points as you want in it ?

Right, there's a difference between a boosted spell and a higher power spell.

For example, take a typical variable spell like bladesharp.

Bladesharp V costs 5 magic points and adds 5 to damage and 25% to your attack chance.  A Dispel Magic II will fail to affect it but a Dispel Magic V will dispel it.

Bladesharp II costs two magic points and 2 to damage and 10% to attack chance.  A Dispel Magic II will dispel it.

Bladesharp II backed by 3 magic points costs 5 magic points and adds 2 to damage and 10% to your attack chance.  A Dispel Magic II will fail to affect it but a Dispel Magic V will dispel it.

So, if you want more than +10% and 2 damage you need more than 2 points of Bladesharp in memory - assuming you can 1) find a teacher, 2) afford the cost) and 3) have spare memory to learn the spell.  If you don't need more two points then yes, just learn Bladesharp II and back it with magic points when you need dispel protection.

The ability to twist a Bladesharp I into a Bladesharp VI (possibly lasting longer as well) is Lunar magic (basically sorcery for spirit magic) and is a very different thing.  The skill that is equivalent to Intensity is Amplify and allows for increasing the number of points of effect without increasing the number known.

The fanzine Enclosure (issue 2, May 1998) has a cult writeup by Jeff Erwin.

I also am sure I have a "Yinkin Ratcatcher" variant somewhere (just a few lines) for a city-based sub-cult.

On 07/09/2016 at 4:52 PM, g33k said:

Gandalf -- like all the "Istari," or wizards -- is one of the Maiar.  But they have accepted limitations (just how much isn't clear, but pretty hefty) on their ultimate powers and abilities.

Sauron is also a Maia -- but he is a follower of Melkor/Morgoth (one of the Ainur/Valar, even higher-power beings; like a Seraph, in classical angelology...) .   Sauron's master imposes no limits on his powers to live in Middle Earth.

The Maiar, in the fullness of their power, are about as far beyond Elrond in power, as Elrond is beyond the average Man.

 

Yes, and again no.

In Tolkein's Middle Earth the Maiar (and to an extent the Valar) are not beyond 'mortals' in power.  They are beyond most in power, but not all.

Sauron (when he had all of his power) turned himself into a werewolf in order to fight a dog and lost.  Yes, he was beaten by a dog, OK one that was foretold to lose to the greatest wolf ever, but still.  For that matter this implies that said wolf (which Morgoth had raised) was also tougher than Sauron...

Elrond is probably a better healer than Gandalf (OK Gandalf definitely is limited in what he can do) - but so probably is Aragon.

Morgoth came very close to losing when he dueled an elf king (I forget which - Fingolfin?)

Feanor created things beyond the ability of any of the Valar.

All that said, I agree that magic is usually "off stage" in Tolkein's Middle Earth which makes it hard to balance in a game.  Most magic is the fashioning of items (from the Silmarils through the rings of power down to the Arnor daggers from the barrow)  There is very little actual casting of spells.

nclarke good warning - thank-you

Probably not the right topic for this, but I originally took part in the kickstarter contributing enough for a pdf copy - then never got round to downloading it.

I recently tried sending a message on the Glorantha.com site about this but got no reply.  Does anyone know the best way for me to get in touch so that they can verify my identity and let me get my pdf?

I think it is also worth remembering that most printed 2nd and 3rd Ed NPCs have ransom values - most intelligent creatures will surrender and call for ransom once things start going badly in a fight.  Once the players meet opponents doing this they may think to try it themselves too - let them and have it work (unless figthing most chaotics).  This should reduce the lethality of combat somewhat.

Given that one of the man differences betweenn Griffin Mountain and Griffin Island is that trolls are repalced by sorcery using orcs - and I know that RQ3 sorcery was new and fairly unlike RQ2 sorcery and I don't remember orcs in RQ2 I would be very surprised if any backwards developemnt was done to go from GMountain to GIsland.

40 minutes ago, Falconer said:

By any chance can you give a page reference, please? Thanks!

Booklet: Lord Skypen's Mansion

Page: 3, bottom sidebar.

Interestingly although the front cover of the box says "9 Gateway adventures) i.e. non-Glorantha, the sidebar mentions Aldrya's cult. In factall of the mentioned cults are Gloranthan

Point out to them that he has been exiled and dishonoured by the Lunars.  Perhaps they can show him the superiority of Orlanthi ways - and get him to convert!

Except, for elf/human crosses I think it's not supposed to be possible in Glorantha and Pavis is (probably) unique.  That does say some interesting things about Pavis' parents - they must have been pretty awesome types in their own rights, I wonder if it is possible to find out more.