Bill the barbarian

5 hours ago, Lloyd Dupont said:

I have a few large battle coming up in the campaign and I am not too sure how to role play them.. any tip?

I hate to say it but...

So seriously, should I decide what I want the party to have to react to! Or do I let what I know of what the players would enjoy dictate how the battle goes? Either or... Will a running retreat from the Balrog with a fave NPC crying out "You shall not pass!" be cool and will the players dig it? Or are they just about ready for the victorious battle scene from 300 as they wade though victim after victim after victim, all falling bloodied and quite possible headless and limbless Think about it, do you roll your dungeons? Or do you created cult and mold them with care? 

Go to 3:47 if ya want to save time. Or watch it all... (2nd choice is better)!

On 8/21/2021 at 3:03 PM, Dragon said:

That seems to be a good balance. 

I am in favor of players trying their low skills. It makes sense as a person trying something to eventually get better. 

On the weapon-swapping front, one of the experienced player when I first learned RQ played a quite smart Storm Khan. His primary tactic, in every melee was to stroll in with his two handed spear until it impaled. He almost never tried to pull it out. Just left the victim, usually in shock, and moved on to his broadsword and shield. His allied spirit would then cast Fireblade on it. So any most big battle he would get 4 checks: javelin, spear, broadsword, and shield (and in those days, spear parry). Of course, we would also get non-battle checks like perceptions, devise (set noise traps for sleeping), orate, etc.

I would encourage the same set of tactics. Now, if that Storm Khan decided to drop his Fireblade near the end and finish off the last scorpion man with kicks and fists, I would not allow the checks. 

First point full agreement. 
Second point, I quite agree and this is why I think all should take spear and shield with a secondary(or primary depending on how ya look at it) sturdier weapon. Should the spear break, and if it is being attacked this could well happen, r if it impales (mostly a happy event), the sturdier weapon comes into play. 
Third point, GMs decision innit, but I still agree.  The ticks should be at least earned. Hey, you do you, and if your happy you are mostly doing it right.

On 8/21/2021 at 6:25 PM, Arcadiagt5 said:

In the case of the heavily armoured Babeester Gor initiate I was referring to in my previous comment? ENC.

 

Yep, I am a fan of this maligned rule! ENC rules!

Cheers

1 hour ago, Scotty said:

Given that, any practical guidelines you have used in your games may be helpful to others.

Simple, If you have a trainer, or the resources, Once a season he can use all of these:

• An adventurer may train a single skill with an instructor per season OR research a single skill
• This still allows three weeks adventuring.
• This still allows your your normal occupation and community roles. The adventurer still receives Experience Between Adventures (page 416).
• The adventurer is now “Fully Booked” and can do no more, or Sacred Time roles will be penalised in Additional Penalties to the Occupation Income Roll (page 422).

And do not forget POW gains as well... This could easily offer ten ticks per season.

occupation rolls here will be training or research rolls.

On 8/19/2021 at 1:19 PM, Richard S. said:

Shamans are generally seen as weird, scary, but necessary outsiders among Orlanthi.

Damn, that sounds like the praxian adventurers!

On 8/19/2021 at 8:47 PM, EricW said:

I think of Shamen like someone who spends all their time on the phone, only half their attention on their surroundings- bumping into stuff, talking to people nobody else can hear, reacting to jokes nobody else shares, occasionally useful information like “a bunch of people just got murdered by Broos a bit further down the road”

 

Not the first time I have seen this trope to be... I still like it. 

13 hours ago, soltakss said:

It's your game, but why can't a non-Colymari be assigned as a Thane?

 

YAY!!!!!

Very cool, thanks MOB.

Jinkies, as Velma would say. Yer not a meddlesome kid is ya? Like that Ian fella? Oh, did I mention it was a mystery! Bring a pencil and notepad... maybe a knife... to sharpen the pencil, of course (what did you think it was for?)!

er...

Just finished a playtest of a great Cult of Chaos Scenario winner from a couple of years back, "Trouble at Days Rest".  Had a great time, but played with 66 percent newbies. This time, looking for knowledgeable players of RQ, Roll20 (familiarity will be good, but we will be playing more of a Theatre of the Mind with visual aids game rather than a war-game/battle-mat type game) and Skype to try it one more time (with feeling). Can play anytime this week or next. Game will last from 0900 hours to 1500 hours GMT-6. 

Willing to run one game with newbies but really want experienced players first and then if I have enough requests with newbies will try for a newbies game as well. A newbies game will take two days.

This game will be run at a convention after the play test, so:

a/ must not have played or know story of Trouble at Days Rest ( I mean, really). 
b/ must be willing to not mention the play test or its results until after GenCon... No spoilers SVP so we will do a hand shake Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA). 
c/ must not want to play it at Gen Con... (nobody would do that, right? That’s cheating, no?)
d/ willing to commit to one day's play for 6 hours with Intro, Break and Post Mortem included (two days of five hours if you are a newbie and if we get enough response to have an experienced group as well as a newbie group).
e/ RQRiG rule book, Skype account, Roll20 Account

f/ and most important: a sense of fun and a desire to help out! 

Will need your email address for your Roll20 and Skype accounts.
 

PM moi with days you can play in the next two weeks and check that you meet all the requirements above. 

Cheers

2 hours ago, pachristian said:

Forgive me if this topic has been raised already.

12 hails Babeestor Gors and 3 Our Orlanthies... next!

2 hours ago, pachristian said:

For the experienced RQ:Glorantha GM's. How many checkmarks, on the average, do you expect a player-character to get each adventure? Each play session?

 

No idea, depends and changes depending on who’s asked. I have never seen an official count for RQ but Mythras says 4 a session. Add this to your 4 occupation ticks, one research/training and one POW and this should be fine for most and not enough for everyone else.

2 hours ago, pachristian said:

Do you keep a running count? 

You pretty much have to, in order to be able to check them doncha? Or do I misunderstand your point? Do you mean do I watch the players like a hawk.. well maybe, but usually it is because they forget ticks... I like what @soltakss said, trust your players, but me, I would hate to see them miss a check. They don’t come by that often and one has a 50/50 chance of missing even when one earns a tick in the long run.

2 hours ago, pachristian said:

Finally, how do you prevent "Checkmark farming" where players request to gratuitously roll on skills to get checkmarks, whether or not they have a bearing on the current adventure?

Play for a while, and see what is feels like  to get ticks or not get ticks. I find this will balance a GMs point of view. I run more than I play, so getting in a game every now and again is mandatory for me. Let’s me see how it feels...

ETA

Quote

I don't. First, it can help advance some characters, and second, if it does not block the game and the enjoyment, I don't care. The history and the pleasure we have playing are what is important.

As @Klostersays, let people have fun!

Cheers... and don’t forget those hail Babs...

49 minutes ago, PhilHibbs said:

Interesting, but super off topic!

HOW HERETICAL!

Trying to react with a thanks and getting an error, so manually... thanks for sharing MOB!

Well. Hmm, at a big loss of words here. I will try...

Thanks Mr Perrin for all the great games over the decades!  I have heard it said we are not Homo Sapiens (Wise Man) but Homo Fabula (Story Man)! If so, you and Greg were our shamans to that wonderful place where stories became real! Thanks for everything and my deepest sympathies to your friends and family!

Well. Hmm, at a big loss of words here. I will try...

Thanks Mr Perrin for all the great games over the decades!  I have heard it said we are not Homo Sapiens (Wise Man) but Homo Fabula (Story Man)! If so, you and Greg were our shamans to that wonderful place where stories became real! Thanks for everything and my deepest sympathies to your friends and family!

On 8/11/2021 at 9:39 AM, skulldixon said:

Just popping in to make a suggestion - this came up in the Discord the other day and I think it would be a great help to players.

Adding the associated Rune next to the Skill category (or Skill if its different) for ease of reference. 

Example:

I was working on that a couple of years ago, but took the past couple of years off to do a couple of failed projects. Good to see others taking it up. 

Glad to return all your assistance with Roll20, now, if I may ask a favour... please use spoilers as I have players here on BRP central ... and I am running Munchrooms yet again. 

Cheers

1 hour ago, coffeemancer said:

I cast "summon @Bill the barbarian"

Poof <cough, cough>, er yes...

5 hours ago, dvdmacateer said:

Has any of you ran Munchrooms from Trollpak?.  I offered to run this but the prep for it has made me think I may have bit off a lot more than I can chew.

it is a bit of work, I have run it a few times from the trollkin point of view and quite enjoy running it, but yes the prep is there and hard to avoid... the biggest thing is it will require a bit of a change to start and that the GM take note of a few realities...

• Spoiler

  • Run it over a few seasons for RQG (RQ3 has it in three distinct attacks in Dark Season with each one adding new attackers and strategies until the full compliment is sent in in the third attack, and is much better for the poor GM and the players alike). This will allow the party to return home for occupations/healing/repairs/reinforcements/refuels as needed. Also, it will be much easier to chew in smaller bites. 
  • It will be dark, unless the party  can find away around this with spells or torches/lanterns/fires or...
  • The trollkin will not be fans of fires in their homes. In fact I had the mobs be downright frightened and a bit of a pain around fire. 
  • A real disadvantage/advantage are the mobs, which will they be for your group? Will, they eat all the adventurers organic gear or food? Will they thwart the Troll attacks with earth moving tools. Used well, they should be great to have around. Feel free to add as much slapstick as you can!
  • Get around the above by having an all troll/trollkin group (except the slapstick)! 
  • Have the adventurers choose how to spend cash and who they will hire be a separate day from the attacks so you can research the hirelings between games. They are complex so will need a bit of thought to use well.
  • Feel free to copy and paste all spells (or bookmark them) to be used by both forces to one easy to find place for reference... and pre-do effects from Strength spells and other such characteristic effecting spells. 
  • If using multiple fronts as RQ2 and RQ3 recommend do not roll the non-visible fronts and use handwaving based on the adventurers plans and known troll plans as well as to serve the story. 
  • If you do not have the RQ3 trollpak ask me about using the three different assaults ramp ups. 

  As this will be a fair bit of work, make life easy by not including Passions and augments. You will need Runes for the few initiates (and better) and Rune Spells as well. See the note on doing prep on spells. 
  
  Good luck and let us know how it went. 
   

   

  53 minutes ago, Runeblogger said:

  I have run it, years ago. It was fun, but tough for the PCs. Lots of planning and fighting. A bit like "The seven samurai".

  Yep! 

On 8/5/2021 at 2:08 AM, Akhôrahil said:

Huh. So priests are actually a bit extraneous? You can have them as magical specialists, but you don't really need them? "Priesthood of all initiates"?

Not if you wish POW gains...from worship*

*ETA

53 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

And a Heal Wound with 6 magic points will do the job.

Just did a bit of a deep dive, through RBoM and the WoD and I can not see evidence of this. It is a good HR but where would I find this RAW?

cheers

52 minutes ago, Arcadiagt5 said:

To add to some of the recent comments: the system, and most importantly timing, for rune point replenishment is an essential part of the game. It makes players plan for when they head out on journeys, and creates nervousness after a big fight if there’s weeks before the next holy day and they're tapped out. 

 

Sure, how can I say no to that! Its Glorantha written large all over for one thing, it gives the players something to control and keep track of and make part of their overall strategy. Best of all it gives a reason to bring out one of the best parts of RQG— the lovely and very myth evoking calendar!
As difficult as it is to annunciate (see upthread), it is very easy to play and to make it easier, take @Eff’s excellent advice and share the work with your players. More agency!

3 hours ago, lordabdul said:

Interesting. During play, what was that fixed INT stat used for?

It differentiated animal intelligence from sentient intelligence. This could be important for creating sorcerous familiars if using Create Familiar (Intelligence)—I believe this was the name.  There were other areas where Fixed Int made a difference, in regards to magic and skills, but the decades have faded the knowledge for me, anyone?

5 minutes ago, coffeemancer said:

I'm sure you can figure SOMETHING out...

As the first person to come up with the correct answer, I am sure ya win something!

23 hours ago, Joerg said:

A skill or ability scroll should cost at least in the region of hiring a trainer to achieve a similar raise using the guaranteed increments. Not being able to read the script or language will lower the price a buyer will be willing to pay, but a buyer reasonably fluent in both may become the equivalent of a trainer.

 

A good, point, knowing a price does not mean a buyer will pay that price. Until sold the value is less relevant.

On 8/2/2021 at 3:43 AM, PhilHibbs said:

You aren't selling a treasure map, you're selling a dream.

I have heard that before, in reference to lottery tickets.

Winter Adventures

The JC has at least one: The Throat of Winter

There is a free winter adventure here in BRP (can not remember name)

The opening adventure of RQ3 The Vikings if you have access is ripping good!

Too cold, great for adventure (John Carpenter's The thing in a Glorantha setting, anyone?)!

Write one and share it with us on the JC!

Thanks for the seasonal list above!