Soccercalle

I am running a RQG campaign with Six Seasons in Sartar as the "main campaign". But I have also included the "Colymar Campaign" from the Herowars book "Sartar - kingdom of Heroes". The two first parts (Red hands of Hofstaring and Howling Tower) have been quite easy to adapt for RQG but I feel quite overwhelmed with running such a large HeroQuest as the one saving Hofstarings soul from Lunar Hell. I wonder if anyone have run it for RQG and if they have any advice? I have the book "Secrets of Heroquesting" but dont really see how that can help me. I am waiting for the official HQ rules and are not interested in pools for Hero Points. I have no idea how the official rules will work (but I know that Runes and Passions will be very important). I have one "lead character" for the quest who is an Orlanthi trying to win the hand of Ernalsulva. And I guess that the rest of the players - and maybe som NPCs - can fill in as the rest of the Lightbringers.

Yeah. In the old Cult Compendium they wrote that the Cult had few priests but a lot of acolytes. I guess that means few temples but many travelling troupes. @Nick Brookewrote on FB that the title will now be called Player. So it will maybe be the same. Travelling rune-priests with troupes.

A question. It seems that the parts of the Cults book will wait a few months more. I have one PC in my group being an initiate of Donandar. The other PCs are initiates to cults that are described in the core rules. We have based the Donandar PC on the long form in the Cult Compendium and the spell descriptions in the Red Book of Magic. The Cult Compendium says that an acolyte (god-talker in RQG) must have 90% in two entertainment skills and CHA below 8 or over 13. Does anyone with inside information know if this will still be the case in the Cults book or if it has fundamentaly changed? I guess that the old CHA rules was based on appearance and that a low stat meant being ugly. But CHA in RQG has more to do with your connection to god and spirits. So being a God-Talker with CHA 5 seems wrong in RQG.

In the best world the both of us get what we want. Two versions. One without art for the people that prioritize the information ASAP. And one with art for the people that prioritize the art.

Yep. And I am sad that they didn't released it without art. They could have released a second part with the rest of the cults and the prospedia later. And an art appendix for people who wants to have that. I am more interested in the storys and rules.

I remember when it was promised in late 2018 😉

Yeah I own it and really like it. My question was if I would get something more if I also bought CoP and CoT. But I guess not.

I think this actually is a bad strategy from Chaosium. A lot of us players started in the 80s and 90s and are now in an age where we dont get younger. We have been waiting for HeroQuest rules since the Carter administration. We prefer great products today to perfect products in the future. It would be much better if Chaosium released shorter books instead of waiting for the perfect tomb. When the RQG was released the three books (core rules, bestiary and GMs screen) was released one by one (even if you later could buy them together in a slipcase. That was a great strategy! They could have done the same and actually promised a cults book in late 2018. Of course, only with 30-50 cults instead of 100. And with great (instead of perfect art). But that would have given us three years to play with long versions of the Lightbringers and other of the most important PC cults in the Air and Earth Pantheons. The Lunar and Chaos cults could have been released six, twelve months or twenty-four months later. If you look at what has been published in the last three years (2019, 2020 and 2021) it's a great Starter Set (but the scenarios and the description of Jonstown is really the only thing that old players really could appreciate, Pegasus Plateau (good scenarios, but not better than the ones in JC), the Red Book of Magic (mostly old information in a new format), Weapons and Equipment (good book but much less important than a campaign setting, if you dont think managing and owning land is MFG) and finally a coloring book (the only official product I haven't bought). So in three years. Mostly a description of Jonstown, rules for trade and owning lands and some scenarios. This makes the first years of Avalon Hill a productive era for Glorantha. And I really appreciate all other information that especially Jeff puts out there in social media. And I dont doubt for a second that he and Jason works very hard. But I think Chaosium should prioritize INFORMATION in the form av campaign settings and cult descriptions. Adventures can mostly be handled in JC (IF THE COMMUNITY HAVE THE SETTINGS AND CULT DESCRIPTIONS). And finally, I am not a person who is uninterested in art and new maps. But I think that core information about the setting and cults is so much more important. I can live with good art. It doesn't have to be the greatest.

I have bought some of the classics in PDF, including Borderlands & Beyond and Cult Compendium. I now see that you can buy Cults of Prax, Cults of Terror, Pavis and Big Rubble both as PDF and as print-on-demand. I wonder how "complete" Cult Compendium is and if I would get something more if I buy Cults of Prax and/or Cults of Terror.

That would be easier with official rules for heroquesting from the beginning. And nor after 40? years 😉 But I as a GM will of course help them. But I think its part if the fun that they will to fight for it and play low-level for a while. We are more than half way thru Six Seasons and a all of the players really appreciate playing novice teenagers. Most of them are RPG veterans and think this is cooler than starting with rune level characters. I guess that they will reach rune level appr after the first third of Company of the Dragon. They will probably - if they live - be heroes when we play your Black Spear campaign.

I think this is good points. On the other hand. Some in my group are dedicated players that love and read everything. Other have careers and kids. I want the game to be fun for all of them. Even for the people who can't prioritize to learn everything about all the steps of the Lightbringers Quest.

True. My players were new to the setting and the system. So they didnt optimize their skills for reaching Rune Level. Humakti abd Orlanthi have weapon skills around 90 but some other skills started around 50.

I totally agree. But it will still take time to become a Rune Lord if you only have rolls for skill improvements every season. But if you have 2-3 adventures every season with skill rolls and are generous with extras like +1 in CHA now and then it will be much quicker.

On the last pages of Gloranthan Bestiary Chaosium have a page with other products that you could buy. One of them is called "Runequest Gods of Glorantha". The bestiary was published in 2018 so they can definitely not mean the yet-to-be-published "Cults book". Are they talking about some updated version of the Avalon Hill book "Gods of Glorantha"? Or is it another word for the "Cults Compendium" that you can order in pdf?

Very interesting thread. I have (like some others) house ruled that you can at maximum double your sword skill with sword trance. I Humakti with 80% can go to 160 and a Humakti with 110% can go to 220%. Otherwise the skill level would be much less important than the magic. Another house rules for skills over 100% is that I only lower the parry level with half of the skill over 100. So if Harry the Humakti with broad sword 140% fights Larry the Lunar with Shield 80%. I dont lower the shield parry to 40% but only to 60%. It will still give Harry a huge advantage but Larry will at least have a chance. In reality this house rule often just makes the battle lasts one or two MRs longer. Harry will probably still win.

True. But I play the Six Seasons in Sartar and starts with 15 yo olds. They are not yet at Rune level but will probably reach it much before the 5 year rule.

A related question. The rules state that you need to have been an initiate for 5 years before you reach rune level. I guess that players that aim high (like in this thread) and start with younger characters may reach rune level skills before that age. Do you see the 5 year rule as something to follow? I guess that it really must be up to the god and/or the chief priest. And I guess that Londra was a Sword of Humakt long before she was 20.

Ralzakark who may be the most powerful being in Dorastor was killed by the human Uroxi Oddi from Talastar. I wonder how powerful Oddi is.

As a general rule I think its good that we dont have half elves or half orcs or whatever in Glorantha. At the same time we have stories about the Gods having relations with different species and official RQG products mentions NPCs with ”troll lovers”. Have anyone thought about having characters or NPC from mixed species. My take is that it is extremely rare with such relations and that it cant produce kids without strong magic. Maybe an Uleria heroquest or divine intervention.

How about Storm Bull Detect Chaos and Telmori? The later got a chaotic taint by Gbaji.

I would very much prefer to have Jeff and Jason work with new stuff like the Cults Book, Sartar book, GM Book etc than spending time on old products. I own Strangers in Prax and plan to play the first two first adventures in a campaign set in 1620-21. The third part needs new Sorcery rules.

That's true. I actually think that it makes the game better that there is different kind of strong rune spells for battle. We have Slash, True Sword, Berserker etc. If all warrior cults had the same battle spells (for example True (weapon) and Shield) it would be quite boring.

I think that Humakti have a strong weakness in not being able to be resurrected. That should be compensated by having spells that other cults doesnt. True Sword is a strong war spell that doesnt belong to all fighting cults.

Maybe not. The character in question were raised by an Chalana Array priestess but later joined Orlanth. I consider a lay member as someone who participates in some rituals (holy days) and respects the traditions. But they are not forced to follow the rules, and get no benefits. In "my Glorantha" most male sartarites are lay members of Orlanth and most female are lay members of Ernalda (if they are not inititates). Even if you are a not an initiate of Orlanth you follow the "How Orlanth woo Ernalda" rituals when you proposes for marriage. And you respect that your king and clan chieftain are priests and/or initiates of Orlanth Rex.

The Wind Stop in late 1621 makes it impossible to use rune magic from Orlanth or Ernalda. How have people played this? Have players stayed loyal and only using their spirit magic or have they switched allegiances to other cults? I guess that this is a typical YGWV issue but I wonder how you think about it. One of my Orlanthi players is also a lay member to Chalana Arroy and the step to that cult would not be too far. Another question regarding the Wind Stop. Would you consider Vinga an aspect of Orlanth or a separate deity with regard to using rune magic during the stop? I think that it must be considered an aspect/sub cult. It would be strange if for example Kallyr and Leika could keep their magic by just being women.