Soccercalle

I wonder if the "price" in permanent POW for a non-common Rune Spell is 1 or its number of Rune Points (for example 3 for Thunderbolt). I thought it was the later but then I read on page  314 that "At the tribal temple to Orlanth (a major temple) she (Vasana) sacrifices 2 permanent points of characteristic POW to increase her Rune points to 7. She also gets to select two more cult special Rune spells that she can cast. She chooses to gain Earth Shield and Wind Words.". Earth Shield is a 3 point spell but it seems that the POW cost is only 1. I wonder if that is a typo or if the price for all Rune Spells is 1 POW, no matter the no of RP.

And a related question if it is a typo. Is Command Cult Spirit a spell that you buy once (for the price of 1 POW) and stack for medium or large Elementals. Or do you have to pay more POW to be able to cast larger elementals?

2 hours ago, pookie said:

Take a look at A Short Cut, which I review here. You could adapt that.

I will, seems very Interesting. But the author writes that it takes place after the Dragonrise. But I guess that I can adapt it.

Some of my players are away and I am looking for a single scenario that can be played for just some of the PCs outside my main campaign. It should be able to be played in Northern Sartar in early 1620 with a group with one Issaries Priest, an Orlanthi God-Talker and a soon-to-be Sword of Humakt.

Most JC scenarios seems to be set in the post-Dragonkill period.

If Yelmalio will get Shield from Yelm. Does that mean that Yelmalio loses Sunspear?

I wonder if someone somewhere has written summaries of the episodes. I would love to listen thru them all but the time isn't there.

Even if I can sound critical to Chaosiums strategy when it comes to releasing new content am I certain that they do what they think is best for the line and ultimately the community of players and GMs. @Jeffis very generous with information on FB and answers most of our questions. But it is easy to get frustrated when you have to wait years for essential products. 

9 minutes ago, g33k said:

All I really need is the data.  I'll get the hardcopies whenever available, but I want the text ASAP; and if the PDF can be had 8 months befor the print, I'm 8 months happier!

+1 

I want the long write-up of the cults with all the sub-cults and spells. And I want it ASAP. I will gladly pay for art and hard copies when they become available.

5 minutes ago, g33k said:

As far as the PDF releasing before the print -- AFAIK, that's still the policy.  There was a 1-time exception for the Starter Set, because it was an almost-pointless thing to release in PDF-only version.

Nope, as I have understood @Jeffthe system has changed. Chaosium even had a video early this year where the pdf was "promised" to be finished in "late first quarter". That can of course be delayed but not for more than 1-2 months. I think that is a bad decision until the global shipping crisis is over and the delay between pdf:s and hard copies are down to a couple of months. 

Both the Sartar Book and the Cults Book are essential. So is official rules for heroquesting.

I decided to start my campaign in 1619 just because I can't trust Chaosium to publish information about the setting that makes it possible to play an epic and/or political campaign after 1626. I remember playing in the 90s when the campaign was stuck in 1621. IF Chaosium wanted to end the system with early pdf-releases they should have waited until AFTER the global shipping and paper crisis is over. I know that Chaosium think that art is important but most of my players never see the art. We play online and I describe the settings and I may sometime share something from the books.

The Cult Book was so close to being finished in 2018 that it was actually included as something that you could already by in the GM Screen Pack.The core rule book is also mentioning the upcoming GM Book as if it was something already published.

I love all the texts that Jeff publishes in Facebook and appreciates that. But Chaosium must not be to obsessed with publishing a "perfect" tome every 3-5 years. They need to publish books that are just "very good" 1-2 times a year. I read that they put a lot of emphasis in maps but I think that I already have 10-12 different maps of Sartar and Prax that is good enough. That you really need as a GM is the distance and some information about encounters.

It is not good that the only really "new" stuff for old-timers published since the GMs screen pack is the two scenario books and the Jonstown description + Jonstown scenarios in the Starter Set. That, btw, is of excellent quality. 

The Sartar Book and the Cults Book are also essential for community writing. I get that Chaosium will never be able to publish a lot of scenarios. But they need to publish books with all the information needed for other people to write scenarios set in 1627, 1628, 1629 and so on. 

Maybe Yelmalio should have a spell like "Morale" which is a ritual that gives everyone in a regiment Fanaticism. But instead of being better in attacks they should be better in shield parries and/or spear (but only in formation). Its a worthless spell for adventurers but a good one for a Yelmalio regiment.

I don't want to prolong the debate put I have a house rule where the trance spell never can more than double the original skill. A Humakti with 120% broad sword should even with trance be much better than someone with 80% broad sword. Otherwise the second one can easily be much better if they have a bit more magic points available.

2 hours ago, icebrand said:

Yeah i just put shield/absorption/reflect in the standard rune spell list. Everyone is chill now. I also buffed reflect because noone ever used it.

1) Oh they fought very effectively trust me.

2) this has absolutely nothing to do with having shield or not.

Why is there a weak PC without any warning anyway? *SUPRISE!!! YOUR CULT WAS A JOKE CULT!!!* It's like they want to ruin the fun.

Issaries is an S tier god, so they are probably buffing him anyway 🤪

I don't think i ever seen a scenario that doesnt have combat, and i own almost all of them. The closest thing is the one with the lamia that enslaved the town i can't remember the name.

Plus, RQ is a combat based game, it's plain to see just check the depth of the combat rules compared with any other skill, or like... 4/5 spells are combat spells, etc.

I mean theres nothing wrong with roleplaying but you don't really need many rules for that, do you? And if you do there are many other games with actual mechanical depth for that.

No, that doesnt happen in my games sorry.

That affects all rune magic through 

You make a lot of good points. And I agree that RQG in many ways are a combat focused RPG. Where most of the detailed rules are about combat. 

But I have a lot of players who thinks that long detailed melee sessions are quite boring. They love the investigations, the relations and the drama. They also complement each other. A group of five Yanafal Tarnils Rune Lords would probably win more battles than a group with say Vinga, Humakt, Orlanth Thu, Odayla and Issaries. But I can think about a lot of adventures where the second group is more useful, and much more fun.

Shield is a good spell but I usually run 2-3 scenarios every season. With limited availability of temples and holy days. So the players know that they may need to be careful with spending RPs.

I think it very much depends on the campaign and the types of scenarios and players. If combat is the ultimate arbiter for the outcome, then combat Rune Magic is essential. But I have scenarios that often uses stealth and communication. In that case can an Issaries priest be more important than the Humakti. I have have adventures where the players never used their melee skills but often Fast Talk, Intimidate, Scan, Hide or Track. We had one adventure where we needed a champion for a duel and the Humakti was a great asset. But more often they avoid combat. A lot of them are former CoC Players.

Interesting. Where did you find write-ups of Hwarin Dalthippa and Jakaleel?

One of my NPCs is married to a PC and will probably be pregnant when the Windstop happens. She is an Ernalde assistant priest.

i wonder if the Windstop will lead to a miscarriage. If so, I am thinking of having her turn a bit mad and vengeful. A result could be for her to join the Babeester Gor cult and wanting to bring revenge on the Lunars for the lost child.

This felt like a good narrative but when it occurred to me that this maybe could be quite common. We know that the Windstop puts Ernalda to sleep and we know that it will lead to a lot of dead children (already born or stillborn). Wouldnt most Sartarite Ernaldan mothers turn to BG in that situation?

Thanks. I thought it was in Sartar as it is described in the Sartar Companion book for Heroquest.

I am trying to find the "Old Wind Temple" (where Londra is). But can't find it on the map.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

My PCs may soon visit the Old Wind Temple. I think that Londra of Londros retired there. I am thinking of having them meeting her. I dont need the stats and imagine that we may se a write-up in a future product (maybe the Sartar book/campaign). But I wonder if there is any official information about her personality. She is both an Humakti Sword and an Orlanth/Vinga Windlord which, IMHO, often have quite different personalities. I want her to be someone that "stands out of the crowd" som any information about her personality would be welcome.

2 minutes ago, g33k said:

In all honesty, I wrote very tongue-in-cheek above; but I know for a fact that MANY people actually prefer PDF's (for various reasons) and don't auto-buy the hardcopies.

(unlike you and I)

I want to have both. But of course, I can afford it and use them for different things. 

1 hour ago, g33k said:

Typically (that I have seen) it's only a matter of a month or two extra wait from when the first warehouse gets product, 'til when the final warehouse does.  Which is 1st & which is last depend on where they print, of course.

The long wait is between the date when the pdf can be distributed and the date when the physical books becomes available.

3 minutes ago, Rick Meints said:

You are welcome to consider buying the PDF prior to purchasing the printed book a "pre-order". That's not a term we are going to adopt for the discount coupon you get if you buy a PDF though. We are sticking with the traditional use of the word "pre-order" which means paying in advance in full for a yet to be released item. Just to be crystal clear, I was trying to only say: We do not take pre-orders for printed books via the Chaosium website. 

NOTE: Kickstarter is a very different situation. Fortunately, very few people confuse the chaosium website with the Kickstarter website...

I understand that. But I think most of us who has bought the pdf:s have been planning to also buy the printed book when it becomes available. So in that sense it is a kind of pre-order. But of course it is not the usual definition of a pre-order. 

On 5/12/2022 at 8:14 PM, Rick Meints said:

In general we do not take pre-orders on items. V1 of Chaosium Classics will be for sale soon.

I think people see your "buy pdf and get a coupon" as a pre-order. An excellent system and a pity if you discontinue it. I get that you wanted a coordinated release for the Starter Set. But asking people who have been waiting for heroquest rules for 40 years or the Cults Book since 2018 to wait an extra year is very problematic. I understand that writing, art and layout takes time. But its not fair to prolong the wait for 6-12 more months for physical books to reach all ware houses.

1 hour ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

An other option than @svensson smart option

if, after you get our so expected precious, you see a frustration among your players, during an adventure, they may enter some other world, past remains or I don’t know and, if they survive the ridiculous challebge, so ridiculous that they see it is ridiculous, and they see that you give them an automatic pow gain with exactly the amount to pay a new spell… if they don’t understand … let they meet Cwim 

I am often a quite nice fella so I would probably compensate my players. But hopefully in a way that is fun and makes sense. (My players may disagree on the nice part when I run an upcoming scenario I am playing).

11 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Depends on what you mean by "changes".  These will be the long form writeups, so will have much more detailed information on myths, the cult in the world, cult organization, subcults, associated cults, and the like.  E.g. Yelmalio gets Shield from his father, Yelm.  Yelm, Ernalda, and Orlanth all have a large number of subcults and associated cults.  But I would not expect to see any significant changes in the core of the cult (e.g. initiate or runemaster requirements, Rune spells for the cult itself).

Thanks. Its mostly significant changes in rune spells available that interests me. So that PCs spend permanent POW on ”worse” spell than what will soon be availabe.