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25 minutes ago, EricW said:

Agreed. You asked for suggestions, I provided a suggestion. You don’t have to accept it.

Eric, your "suggestion" was: "I don't think you're playing the game right." That isn't a suggestion. I didn't ask for your opinion on how I handle my group or how I Keep. I posed specific questions in my post. And you didn't contribute to either of them.

11 hours ago, EricW said:

I think you're being very kind to your PCs, allowing them to quest for such power with their sanity intact.

There is no one "right" way to play Call of Cthulhu.

I was wondering this too. Thanks for asking.

My players will likely choose to enter the Dreamlands shortly (this choice is possible in my game) and I want to give them a great experience. The purpose of the excursion is for them to find levels of Gate knowledge that "doesn't exist" in the Waking World. Once again, my spin. They have a Cat of Ulthar ally who has been with them for a while, giving them subtle aid and dropping them Dreams periodically. But, now they will likely choose to walk the staircase.

So far, I've mostly focused on Dreamlands 4th and Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man to give them their own "QOUK" but with the end goal of finding the Gate knowledge. I need to rely on published materials for a lot of what I do as I have limited prep time.

Tentative plan:

1) Staircase as presented in Dreamlands

2) Intro to the Lost Woods and Ulthar

3) Suggestion to visit Randolph Carter, loosely following the Ilek-Vad chapter of Sense. Along the way they meet the Black Man and get their first real introduction to one of the major Outer Gods of my campaign (so far it has been just lesser independent races). Saving Randolph Carter will get them the knowledge they need.

4) Seek out The Book of Keys and Gates highlighted in Sense.

Does anyone have any suggestions for other Dreamlands scenarios that might fit into this? Or other "tasks" they may need to complete in order to "earn" the Book of Keys and Gates? I also considered that training/practice of the Dreaming skill could be a component. They will have to warp their experience to ultimately get the book. I will not be using the "notch" system in Sense.

Update: I think that I'd also like to add another sandbox option where they can get a tip to visit a sage/sorcerer that can give them insight on the main campaign villain (Serpent People).

7 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

100% is not "technical perfection". It's technical *mastery*. It's the point at which you should be able to achieve the task desired, under normal circumstances, with no hinderances, to a passable level, within the expected timeframe.

Also worth noting that, even at 100%, a character will still only attain a critical success 5% of the time. 100% skill only guarantees a Regular success.

Thanks for posting TC! As others have said, it's your game and you can choose to alter any parameter. There is no rule that says that anyone has to play any RPG "as written."

As an avid Call of Cthulhu Keeper, I've come to appreciate what a well-constructed scenario looks like. Whether sandbox, branching, or linear, there are a lot of potentially great elements that give players and GMs options to tell fun stories. That said, CoC is a game of avoiding combat. Heck, a lot of the rewards for scenarios are based upon preventing a group of people from being harmed or simply getting out alive in retreat. And I love that. But every game is different and it just strikes me as prudent for Chaosium to have IPs that complement each other so well.

So, I'm coming to Runequest with a largely DND-focused martial perspective. I'll be the first to admit that I saved scenario reading in my slipcase until now simply because I made the poor assumption that it would be "here is the list of things to fight and where they are." Sweet Orlanth, was I fool. Reading Defending Apple Lane is teaching me how combat might look very different in Runequest from what I am used to. And I like what I'm reading. If you are a reader of DND supplements, you know the drill: "There is a monster here. It attacks the PCs." Absolutely riveting. <<< (That's sarcasm.)

Defending Apple Lane is breathing life into the enemies, their goals, and their plans of action. These enemies, in an intro adventure, hold back reserves, have contingency plans, have perspectives for taking and ransoming prisoners, have retreat conditions, and future plans if they do retreat. I'm not saying these things don't exist in DND supplements. They just read as afterthoughts in those supplements, or are tactics/strategies that are "reserved for boss monster entries." And there is indeed an optional boss monster here - Redeye the Boar. But you better take "optional" very seriously before choosing to fight it. You gonna get wrecked. I've always appreciated martial games where things outside your skill set can exist anywhere your characters may be. And anyone assuming that they're going to take out Redeye where he is presented, without a detailed plan, is in for a shock.

But I'm not done. I'm also noticing how the reward structure for this scenario plays into the themes of the wider world as a whole. Will you become Thane of Apple Lane? Sounds great. It comes with  extensive responsibilities. Head to Clearwine, get recognized, defend the village, watch out for the common good, you have five households under your jurisdiction. The scenario can get the group the classic "home base," but deeply rooted in the culture of the world. That is modeling how Glorantha works at it's finest. It's truly a teaching scenario. As a professional educator, I appreciate sound modeling that invites new players joyfully to the hobby.

If you look at the recent Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, that is a case study in game introduction for new players. The revamped writing of those three classic scenarios is coming from the perspective of easing players into how Call of Cthulhu "works." The same thing is happening with Defending Apple Lane.

Am I the only one that thinks that Chaosium is just leading the HOBBY right now with writing and production values? I know I'm fan-gushing a bit here, but if not here, where?

I did not know that Robin Laws was involved in Runequest. Cool.

6 minutes ago, PhilHibbs said:

Your god knows because you know. You are a part of the god, you literally become an avatar of the god for a moment every time you cast a rune spell, and every time you participate in a worship ceremony. Initiation isn't just words that you say in order to get a wafer and a sip of wine on Godsday, and to stop your mum from pestering you. it's a commitment of your soul. Your god will know if that soul that you have committed is tainted.

If you are illuminated, then you can learn to partition your soul into bits that are your god, and bits that are not, a sort of cognitive dissonance, but that's a different subject.

I appreciate this summary as a new player.

21 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Thank you for your clarification Ellie.
In honesty your first post scared to the old/new gorgnard here (that's me:) that there was to be a regime change away from what I loved to something very new and scary. Good to see that you will be as welcoming to us old long winded long in the tooth and very unlikely to change old farts as well as the newcomers that you will want to carry the games forward.

Cheers

 

I think the key is that there is space for everyone in gaming so long as everyone is welcoming to everyone.

As a person brand new to Glorantha but very experienced with the internet and role-playing, I can't express how much I appreciate this post. In my time, I've seen games rise and fall and an immutable truth that keeps cropping up is that players of any game have a hand in how the game is perceived and thrives. We all have a responsibility to a little bit of PR for games we love, whether we want to or not.

I will admit that I have stopped reading some of my posts as the discussions shifted.  I have a very positive feel about this board and a super majority of fans have espoused a "YGWV" open approach to gaming! But I can also imagine that gamers with less patience could reach a tipping point.

So happy this is coming to Switch.

If, in the family history section, the rolls advise you to "add X Passion," but you already have it, what is the outcome? +20% to that passion?

On 4/8/2019 at 12:42 PM, EpicureanDM said:

It's a good read, but it's very high-level. What it lacks is the sort of practical cultural detail that will help you create the feel of Glorantha at the table. Almost all of the information in it is lore that a PC might gather from a successful Lore skill check. But you're often looking for ground-level details when you're playing a game. Things like:

1. What does a village look like and how does it operate? How do the players fit into that?
2. What are the laws and customs of local folks that the players should understand since they come from that culture? For example, Orlanthi conceptions of justice are significantly different than our modern instincts. You can't fall back on D&D's familiar pseudo-medieval or proto-Renaissance ideas if you want to portray it properly. 
3. What sorts of social and religious obligations are the PCs expected to conform to? What punishment results from disobeying or disregarding them?

What about the Sartar Companion?

For the last week I've been thinking about getting the Glorantha Sourcebook, but I'm now wondering if the two Sartar books are more relevant for "day-to-day" game execution.

53 minutes ago, svensson said:

1. Nope. My wife used to work for WotC and DnD. If you own any 3.0 /3.5 stuff, her name has a good chance of being in it. As we used to joke, 'Dirzzt Do'Urden was our sugar-daddy'

I co-designed and wrote the text for the Star Wars Strategy Showcase puzzles for Star Wars Miniatures that appeared on wizards.com in the mid/late 2000s. Not even close to the level of work it sounds like your wife did. Her name is on my shelves.

As an educator, I'm used to being "on camera." I have another YouTube Channel about mechanical pencils with a decent amount of Subs. We all dabble in a lot of things, right?

First video is uploading, focusing on an Intro and selecting a Homeland. I'm going to go all-in on Family History for the series.

Update: 

8 minutes ago, soltakss said:

We did! 🙂

My mistake. Thank you!

7 minutes ago, soltakss said:

In Sartar, Mon is the Enemy, due to the Lunars, so there won't be many general spells tied to the Moon.

I like the idea of a Sartar character learning the Moon Rune secretly so as to "know thy enemy." Lots of conflict possibilities there!

1 hour ago, svensson said:

[PS, Sorry about the line-through crap. I have no idea where it comes from. It pops up on my posts now and again and I can't seem to get it to stop. Yes, I've tried the button at the top of the tool bar]

I actually thought you were being coyly political about DND by using strikethrough.  😜

And I take spreading the hobby and keeping it inclusive very seriously and always have. I think one thing that a lot of gamers just don't understand is that popularity and engagement follows the kind of experiences new players have. And you can break a game's community when it becomes too toxic. Boards where experienced players seem more annoyed and standoffish with questions or insights (or don't respond at all) aren't helping their games.  😕

That said, I've decided I'm going to go ahead and post a series of videos about detailed character creation in RQG on my YouTube Channel (RPG Imaginings). I'm not pretending to be an expert. I think it's fun to see new players working through something for the first time. It will not be definitive or the best. I'm doing it because people are more likely to dive in when someone helps them. The first of a multi-part series for each character creation step will go live later today.

13 minutes ago, svensson said:

Partner, you ain't the first person to let DnD tropes and expectations send your character generation sideways You ain't the first person that's happened to today.

Just remember one very important thing about RQ character generation and parties... there are NO '4 food groups' in an RQ party. You don't divide the party into 'tank, blaster, healer, skill monkey'. In RQ, EVERYBODY tanks at some point, everybody is a skill monkey, everybody has some healing. Sure, a Chalanna Arroy is gonna be way better at healing, but don't sell that Heal 2 Spirit Magic spell short. It can and will save your life.

LOL, thanks.

I'm kind of at "where the hell has RQ been all my life" point right now. The "four food groups" mentality makes role-playing games so bland. The attitude that "these are your choices and here's how its optimized" is just so incredibly asinine, sad and basic. Part of the reason why I've gotten into BRP in general (this and CoC) is because it is a deliberately simpler/more elegant system that compels creative decision-making.

Are my examples of use of the Moon ruin kind of on the right track for creative use?

9 minutes ago, svensson said:

Moon provided you with a bump to your POW when you generated your stats. Furthermore, you can use Moon to inspire almost any magical action you care to undertake. Is your Orlanth Adventurous attacking a Seven Mothers Initiate? Use Moon to put some *oomph* behind the spells you use on him! Nothing quite like using someone's own basic rune against them!

Clearly I need to do a more thorough reading. I think that my DND background is causing me to unintentionally disrespect this setting. Looking back at pages 44-45, I see that each rune has that list of suggested "augments." I love this concept and it's flexibility.

9 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Yes, story line and personality building. I know there is a better strategic answer but to make sure this point gets made... And of course your rune choices will have an effect of spell casting and augments, but if story comes first this should work out fine (even, and   especially, if done wrong).

A mechanic example might be that I use the Moon rune to try to augment my Spirit Combat? A story/investigative example might be that I encounter some arcane location and I use my Moon rune to try to figure out what magical influence has been present?

3 minutes ago, svensson said:

Relax, my friend. Sometimes 'glaring errors' are what makes a given character fun! I once put together a 'thief' character that couldn't open locks! Turned out that he was a smuggler [and a devout member of both Issaries and Eurmal, thank you], not a second story man. He could talk you out of your boots in a snowstorm, but couldn't sneak for beans.

I see what you're saying. I'm not opposed to challenge driving creativity and role-playing. As I've said before recently, this group of gamers doesn't seem like the type whose going to say *scoffs* "you've built this wrong!" I've encountered that kind of gamer frequently and I'm a bit sensitive to it. It's part of the reason why this Community seems to be a breath of fresh air for me.

Next question: Picking Runes. Clearly there is some "back planning" that is involved with this, right? I picked "Moon" for one of my high-level runes and I'm not finding many Moon focused Rune spells for Sartar/Orlanth. I have Air, which seemed obvious, and I picked Movement as one of the 75s. But it looks like Moon isn't going to really do anything for me. So, the actual question/realization is: Characters should be picking Runes that are aligned with their culture and deity so that they can actually use them. Correct? 

5 hours ago, Crel said:

Another element to think about is at what point you want to stop stockpiling POW (unless you've become a Rune Priest) because it'll be too hard to succeed on a POW gain roll. POW Gain rolls are rolling below (21-POW)x5% for humans, because 21 is the human species maximum. (Rune Priests get a flat +20% to these rolls, but are also required to maintain POW 18 for priesthood.) At POW 13, you've got a 40% chance to gain 1D3 POW at the end of each season if you've successfully gotten a POW Gain experience check by using magic--whether Worship, Spirit Combat, or overcoming another's POW with your own spell.

Woah. I'm surprised no one else mentioned this. As a Call of Cthulhu player, I was not aware that you can gain characteristics. And I now see that POW has a check box! I'll read some more.

Thanks to everyone above for responses!

My current plan is to complete my character and I'd like someone to check it, if possible. Like, not a detailed point-by-point check, but just look at it for glaring errors. I'm looking at the numbers for pre-gens and my characters numbers are WAY lower than the pre-gens. I don't know if this means that I'm leaving out bonuses or if I'm just picking kinda random choices that should be more "stacked" bonuses. I picked Hunter for my Occupation and I see that this is not recommended for a Sartarite.

I see that there aren't really video guides on YouTube for character creation. That leads me to want to make one on my Channel, but it would be a "Watch a New Player Mess This Up!" video, not an actual guide.

So, total newbie and I have a literal crap ton of rules questions. I don't want to be the guy that starts a billion threads and maybe there is a better place to ask small questions than here? Let me know. What if new players posted very simple questions in this thread so they were all in one place?

I'll start simple with a few:

1) I picked Orlanth Adventurous as my Cult/Subcult because it seemed logical to start Sartar. The rulebook says that you get +20 to one cult skill and +15 to another. Can one of those bonuses be stacked with the "+10 sword skill" for Adventurous? Or do I have to pick Orate/Sing/Stormspeak?

2) The rules refer to additional Rune spells being attainable by "sacrificing POW." So, if I start with 12 POW, I could go down to 11 to get another spell. How exactly does POW regenerate? Coming from CoC, so sacrificing POW is something I would do if I were trying to get my character to go insane.  Do people tend to pick high POW scores at creation and immediately buy it down for a bunch of spells?  What's "typical?"

3) I see the benefit of the family history section and I plan to do it when I have more time. Sartar has three bases passions. The "skip family history" box says to "add three passions." Is this IN ADDITION to the base Sartar passions?

8 hours ago, drablak said:

Armor p.108 and hit location table p.127. Armor is not often used, and normally you roll LUCK to see if the armor is hit, but there is an optional rule to roll 1d20 for hit location.

Thanks for the correction on the hit location table. I didn't mean to say that there isn't armor at all in CoC. I can see how what I typed doesn't match what was in my head. What I meant is that you don't regularly track armor and hit points for individual body locations as a regular part of CoC like in RQ. A CoC investigator doesn't gear up with a head piece, vambraces, leg pieces, etc. That may exist as a variant rule in Dark Ages. As you say, someone might be wearing a vest, and you check to see if the vest is hit. But it doesn't alter the fact that your hit point total is what would be reduced, not a chest region hit point value. TC clearly wants to know if they are similar and I think it is fair to say that they are not.

2 hours ago, g33k said:

It is crunchy & simulationist, and still quick.  40 years on and I still consider it a top-tier exemplar of rules.  Hit+locations and HP/location (and armor/location) are integral parts of RQ combat and indeed the setting itself.  I don't recall if CoC7e has this as standard, or optional, or not at all, though the basic core d100 roll-under is of course BRP.

CoC does not have hit+locations nor armor for separate locations, and as far as I know not even optional. As someone very experienced with CoC and a veteran role-player for quite some time, the elegance of Runequest's utilization of BRP was immediately interesting to me. I've never seen a game do so much with so little. And I mean that in a complementary way.

I don't think RQ and CoC combat can be fairly compared. CoC is, by its nature, a very anti-combat game and the mechanics reflect that in their hyper-simplicity. I do think that the TC should pick up the RQ quickstart because it sounds to me that they will like RQ combat based upon the bits they like about CoC combat.

1 hour ago, g33k said:

I cannot speak for the other distribution centers, but I know that -- at least in the U.S. -- there has (in prior "big" product pushes) been a considerable time from when the orders begin rushing in, until the distribution center is able to physically fulfill the order.  The warehouse folk have to pull cases, open, pull books, fill the slipcases, wrap them, pack that, etc; and Chaosium isn't the only customer they have.

I think they also do them in order of consumer purchase. I don't know that for sure, of course. I basically have started to schedule time to purchase within an hour of release to be part of the "first wave" of shipments. The sooner after orders open that I purchase the quicker I've received product. I know that it isn't always possible for people to do that. If you can purchase lickety split after it opens it may increase the chances you are in the first "wave" of shipping. That obviously doesn't help anyone right now. But for future releases...

On 4/8/2019 at 11:28 AM, Runeblogger said:

As loathsome as slavery is, you might be surprised to know that unfortunately there are currently more slaves than in any past period of history, at least according the the NGO A21. 

Oh, I understand. This isn't an issue of ignorance. It's an issue of how big of a curtain or wall people want in their games.