pachristian

Shaman's Mask Description: A carved wooden mask, depicting a stylized face, with an inlaid spirit rune. Other runes are often visible, depending on the spirit type invoked. The face is decorated with beads, quits, hair and shells. It may have metallic "eye" disks. The mask depicts a certain kind of spirit, if that spirit had a humanoid face. Cults: Spirit cults around the world; depending on the tradition, either Daka Fal or the Horned Man created the first mask. Knowledge: Most spirit followers are aware of the existence of such masks. Many non-spirit followers have stories and superstitions about masked shamans. History: Shamans use masks to protect their identities from hostile spirits, and to help draw the attention of friendly spirits. Masks have been used since before time began. Procedure: A shaman selects a particular type of spirit he wishes to invoke (ancestors, healing spirits, etc.). The shaman must carve and decorate the mask himself. He must have both skill in woodcarving and in spirit lore to create the mask. He carries the mask with him into the spirit plane, into the realm of the spirit to be invoked, and invests a bit of his soul into the mask (1 POW point in Chaosium RQ, 5 IP in Nash-Whittaker RQ). Powers: When a shaman summons a spirit of the type depicted on the mask, three things happen: First, the mask strengthens the summoned spirit (+5 POW, +20% to the spirit's relevant skills). Second, spirits of the opposing type must make an opposed check (POW vs. POW or Willpower vs. Willpower, depending on your game system), or be demoralized in the presence of the mask wearer. In short, a shaman wearing a healing spirit mask strengthens the healing spirits he summons, and weakens disease spirits in the area. Third, the mask obscures the shaman's identity to spirits in general. Malign spirits are less likely to be able to identify and target the shaman at later points in life. The downside of the mask is that spirits in general are drawn to it: Such masks are normally kept wrapped in blankets and carried in sealed boxes. If exposed to the world, spirits tend to drift towards the mask to inspect it. Most then drift on, but may come back. Sort of like humans slowing down on the road to rubberneck a traffic accident. In particular, spirits of the type invoked by the mask and repelled by the mask are drawn. In other words, a clueless collector who hangs a health spirit mask on his wall may find everyone in his house to be particularly healthy - some of the time - but then out of nowhere, disease could strike his house, or some other spirit may wander in at just the wrong moment and infest his house. A spirit mask left exposed for a long time is an invitation to the spirit world to meddle in the affairs of a house. Value: A mask for a type of spirit that a shaman knows how to invoke, and wants to invoke, is quite valuable. A shaman will generally trade 1-2 potent bound spirits for such a mask, teach a moderately powerful spell, or owe the giver a favor. Few shamans work in a cash economy. For those that do, assume the mask is worth the same as a 1 POW point matrix.

I can't help you for straight RQ. I've signed up to run Mythras/Classic Fantasy at Dundracon 2017. I'm waiting to hear if my event was accepted. I ran RQ6 last year, (and Call of Cthulhu 7th ed.) and am weighing running a game of straight Mythras.

Kale's Token Description: A bronze token, about 3 cm across. The token is shaped like a movement rune, surrounded by a ring. The outer side of the ring is engraved with a hymn of praise to Heler, in his role as god of loyalty and friendship. The font is tiny, and difficult to read. The inner side is engraved with an equally tiny hymn in praise of Kolat, in his role as guardian of the spirit. Cults: Mastakos, Heler, Kolat. Knowledge: Known to some members of the cults referenced above, particularly those who live near Boldhome, or in the Stormwalk Mountains. History: Kale, an adventuring shaman of Kolat, realized at one point that one of his companions had, without being asked, been present to watch over his body, and to help take care of him while he was learning to be a shaman. A little ashamed of himself, he realized that she had always been present to watch over him, and he had hardly noticed. The opportunity to rectify this came when on heroquest, and he was able to bargain with the god of travel. He asked his god, and Mastakos, for the ability to be summoned by his friend. The gods refused initially, but Heler stepped in, and persuaded them to support the shaman. Once created, and used, the token remained, and possessed the power to be 'recharged' by someone who understood its powers and reason. It has passed beyond the hands to the original creators, and may be found somewhere in or around western Prax, or Heortland. Procedure: The original token was created on heroquest. Empowering it for use requires the person to be summoned (the "summoned") to visit temples of Heler, Kolat, and Mastakos, in that order, and offer up prayers and sacrifice in each temple. They must identify who will receive the token. The summoned must feel a strong sense of personal loyalty to the individual to whom they will give the token. At the end of the procedure, the token holds a tiny piece of the summoned's soul. This piece of soul contains some of the knowledge of where in the world they are, and their memories of the person. The token can only be used once by any given pair of individuals. Powers: The person with the token can summon the individual who empowered it to their presence, once. The individual summoned has a couple of seconds to grab personal items, before they are transported. They appear next to the summoner at the start of the next combat round. The token will only work for the identified summoner. In a game setting, this is a "use don't abuse" item. It is intended to allow one character to come to the aid of another, regardless of distance between them. It is for an "I need you now" scenario. The Gamemaster is encouraged to have the token fail if it is used cynically, to make money, steal stuff, or in a calculated way to bypass security. The token, after all, is based on movement, but is allowed to work because of loyalty. The summoned has a tiny piece of their soul in the hands of the summoner. There are side effects. If the two are a long ways apart (hundreds of miles or more) the summoned will suffer a disquieting sense of not being in the right place. If the ring is on a different plane of existence as the summoned, that individual will find their memory of the summoner disrupted; "uh, your name is Lorena, uh, right?". Soul-affecting spells targeting the summoner, may strike the summoned instead (GM's discretion). Finally, death does not break the bond between summoned and summoner. Should the summoned die, and then be called, their spirit will appear to aid the summoner. Treat the summoned as an ancestor spirit, with appropriate skills and abilities. If the summoner ever willfully and knowingly discards the token, that will break the enchantment. The summoned will feel great pain (broken loyalty hurts!) but the bond between summoner and summoned is broken. Value: About the same as a Guided Teleport matrix.

I can't argue with that - I like getting down into the demographics, but I know that it is specialized knowledge for fools like myself. I've never run for a group of players who cared... So focus on playability and all will be well! So - when will your book be out?

I'm curious what the age demographic for Prax and praxians is. I'm sure it varies by tribe, but do you have an overall estimate? One estimate I saw for real-world nomads was: 0-14 years = 41%, 15-24 years = ~20%, 25-39 years = ~18%, 40-54 years = ~14%, 55-64 years = ~3%, 65 and over ~3%. Male/Female split ~51% male, 49% female, although it varied by age (older people more likely to be female). In practical terms, it means that in a clan of ~400 people, there are about 40 'young bucks' (males who are old enough to fight and young enough to not know better), and ~36 men of fighting age who know enough not to look for trouble. Would these numbers viable for Prax? or do you have some alternate numbers? (I liked the work you did on population growth - shows you think about this kind of thing).

Has anyone out there set up rules for Hrestoli advancement in the Nash-Whittaker RQ systems? I put this in the Glorantha section because I thought I'd get more response. Their standard system of order advancement is Rank 0 (common) - nothing, Rank 1(dedicated) - 5 skills at 50%, Rank 2 (proven) - 4 skills at 70%, Rank 3 (leader) - 3 skills at 90%, and Rank 4 (overseer) - 2 skills at 110%. Hrestoli advance through the castes of Commoner, Warrior, Wizard, Leader. My thought is that a character would have to qualify for the rank of "Leader" in his existing caste, to apply to become a common member of the next caste. The skills required for each caste may have some overlap, but not much. Can anyone tell me about their experiences with a Hrestoli-based game?

Shamans in classic RQ - in my own not very humble opinion - were rather lame. In RQ3, with a better line-up of spirits and some more options, they were somewhat better. I really like the Nash-Whittaker Runequest Shamans - very evocative of Voudoun Magic, and quite unique. I started building a warrior-shaman in the last RQ game I was in. So what are we going to get for the new RQ?

Good work! (Again). I have several players who will benefit most dramatically from this.

I am one of the few people who liked the RQ3 Sorcery system - which I used in two different campaigns each of which lasted ~1 1/2 to 2 years. The system worked very well, if you respected the checks and balances built into it. Throw one out and *POW* you were in trouble. That being said, I was never happy with the various sorcerer NPCs in the adventure packs. Now this new system will be very different, mechanically, and it will be a lot of fun figuring out what it can do. Most of the people I know who complain about a game's magic system, their complaint really boils down to: "I can't just blast things with the magic system..." This is not a problem, in my book.

First: I've run it as gritty swords and sorcery, and as high fantasy. The core metaplot is the barbarian kingdom of Sartar rebels against the Lunar Empire, and that rebellion sparks the hero wars, which draws the greatest heroes from all over the world to fight on one side or another. When not dealing with that plot line, you can run the game as politically or apolitically as you wish: The city of Pavis is a hearkening back to old school days - New Pavis sits outside the vast ruins of Old Pavis, effectively a giant dungeon, and it can be played as such. Second: Glorantha a "bronze age world" - kinda-sorta - is a place where religion, government, and daily life are not separate. A character's "Cult" is part of his lifestyle - if you're a merchant you follow a mercantile god. Your cult is also your trade guild, your source of magic, and sometimes your social circle. Roko Joko was right to say it's sort of like your character class. It's also kind of your alignment. But it's not a set of rigid boundaries: Just because your character is a dedicated honorable death-worshipping swordsman does not prevent you from learning to track, or swim, or even master making lace doilies. That's the beauty of the system. Likewise, there is low-level magic available to everyone; as you rise in your cult you gain access to cult secrets. You may choose to specialize in magic. But no one person can do everything - you have to pick and choose. The main factions, in the most conventional games are the Lunar Empire Vs. the Kingdom of Sartar. However, in Glorantha, as in the real world, things are not as neat as good-guys and bad-guys. There are Sartarites who support the empire, and Imperials who sympathize with Sartar. Not to mention plenty of mercenaries who will take whatever side they think will pay better. Worry less about "factions" and more about play.

For a good reference on horses check out: The Medieval Warhorse: From Byzantium to the Crusades (History/prehistory & Medieval History), by Ann Hyland (Sutton Publishing, 1994).

I, for one, have always rejected "it works that way because it's magic" argument. Ecosystems work in the real world for a reason, and when you override a variable for convenience sake, saying "it's magic" you risk throwing the whole system into disarray. And players are very quick to exploit that disarray. So, M. Helsdon, and Mr. Scott, I salute you both for doing solid work. The relatively barren Chaparral of Prax gives the reason why the Pentans don't overrun the place: It's not worth it to them. That good grazing that exists near the snow line is paid for by Praxians and Pentans alike with blood. Many praxian beasts eat different fodder than the others - much like the African savanna - and so an area that has been stripped clean to the rhino tribe may still have good grazing for the bison - who when they move on still leave grazing for the High Llama. and so it goes. I'll chime in on stirrups, just because I'm a troublemaker: There is no evidence that stirrups were revolutionary. Alexander the Great had shock cavalry using lances, without stirrups, the Plains Indians hunted and fought with spears and bows (and rifles) without stirrups... *sigh* My opinion is that that yet another victorian fantasy to "prove" that civilization was advancing and that they were the pinnacle of civilization.

I did not see the Horned Man, or Oakfed, on your list. As they are both "Greater Gods of Prax" since Nomad Gods, I would have expected them; Although the Horned Man might be under "Other Hidden Paths". And perhaps Oakfed is offered proprietary worship instead of direct worship. I did like the Horned Man write-up in Mongoose Publishing's Cults of Glorantha book. All in all, this is good work, and an important reference.

I will respectfully submit that based on the Guide, only a portion of the land true desert; most of it is scrubland - in fact in the Genertela book from Avalon Hill (no longer considered canon, I know) it states that once you get past vulture's country, the land is no worse than Prax. So I'd argue that the "wastelands" are similar to the SouthWest United States - California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. This area was a thriving area for the indigenous tribes - and the Commanche in particular were successful nomads. You can't really compare them to the Praxian tribes, as they were hunter-gathers, not herdsmen' but the potential was there. So I will concede that Prax and the Wastes produce less of a population explosion than the Eurasian steppes, they would still support a growing population. Hmm - so I partially agree with your point, but still believe that the Beast-Nomads of Prax would have a growing population.

Actually, Mr. Scott is using a very conservative population growth figure. Nomadic Pastoralism is a very successful survival strategy: The nomads of the Eurasian steppes exploded outward in raids/wars/invasions against Europe and China on a regular basis: Scythians, Sarmations, Avars, Goths, Turks, Bulgars, Khazars, Magyars, and, of course, Mongols (and I left out a few). And this is all within the roughly 1600 year period that matches "time" in Glorantha. I think what limits Praxian growth - and perhaps has saved civilization - is the divisiveness of the tribes. It's even harder to unite the praxian tribes than, say, Huns or Mongols. So what probably limits population growth is that the thing praxians like to do best is kill other praxians! Note that their two great multi-tribal leaders - Tada and Jaldon - are both accorded demigod status among Praxians and demonic status by the people of Dragon Pass. Honestly though, while I have immeasurable respect for Mr. Scott using realistic population and migration information on Prax, what I need for my players is "stuff to do". All previous editions of RuneQuest have worked on a "short adventure followed by short training period" model. Deviating from that model creates difficulties. Assuming the newest edition of the rules will follow that same pattern, as a GM I will want to see information like: 1) Under what conditions will I be welcomed at a Praxian tribal camp? If I'm a Praxian, traveling away from my tribe, is there a way to be welcomed at another tribe's camp, or at least be accepted as a neutral?What about my non-praxian friends: What can I do to ensure they are welcomed? 2) What do I need to do to get training on Prax, if I am not a member of a tribe? 3) Is there a way to get treasure - and more importantly, dispose of it for training or other benefits - while on Prax? Do I have to go to Pavis to sell the loot I found on the platau of statues? 4) Can we have some uniquely Praxian adventures? For example, a cattle raid, or a clan war that the players can take part in? Can we have those adventures relate to or tie into other adventures for other parts of the world? 5) What is unique to Prax? As a GM I may want to lure my Tarshite adventurers to the place - what can I offer them? 6) How do I run the setting so the female players do not feel discriminated against? Waha-based culture has a clear division of labor between men and women. The rulebook needs to explore options for female Praxian characters who break the traditional mold. I'll give you a hint: Creating a cult or subdivision that is "women's version of male-cult-x" does not do the trick. That's what's known as "separate but equal" in this country - and Nobody respects it. And yes, I know that we're talking about a bronze age world, but we don't play with bronze age people; we play with modern people, men and women, who need to be treated fairly as players, to enjoy the game. Always make that distinction: What's fair to the character may be unfair to the player. BTW: I really don't expect the answers here, in the forum Mr. Scott - but I hope you will think about my questions while writing your book.

I'm tardy on this, but Rapier Miniatures does a decently-priced line of scorpion men: http://www.rapierminiatures.co.uk/page/Range/28mm_Beastmen.html

By the way, I was almost done typing that first post when you published your second post - so I posted anyway.

My only request, by the way, is that you load the game with adventure seeds. We need adventures for praxians, and we need adventures for strangers visiting the lands for the first time. Always keep the game player-centric, that's my motto!

I am interested. Prax is one of my favorite areas - has been since playing Nomad Gods back in the dark ages. In fact, I used the location for a D&D in the spring of '78... it was the reason I bought this new brown game from a couple of guys with a table at Origins that year.... So observation the first: The Guide to Glorantha (vol 2, page 440) gives the population of the five great tribes as 420,000 beings. You give them a population of 2,500 at the dawn. Now that is only an average growth of 0.316% per year, if that's steady growth. That means that the total population of the great tribes of Prax would have been about 10,000 people when Arkat defeated Gbaji, and about 85,000 during the Dragonkill. Also note that this means the bulk of the population growth is in the last century or so; a 37% increase in population every century. I'm not arguing with these numbers - just thinking about their impact on games set in ages other than the end of the third age. Question the first: Is an average growth rate of population assumed (giving me the numbers above), or did the population initially grow very rapidly, and then drop off? Nomad Gods described Prax as a "a barbaric land that had thrown off civilization many times". Question the second: Is the warlike culture of the Praxian tribes related to population growth? It seems to me that there would have been very little need to fight over resources during the dawn age or the imperial age; but as the third age wore on, tribal growth could have forced people out of Prax itself and into the wastelands; shortage of resources may, logically, lead to a more warlike culture. Hmmm - maybe the priestess-dominated Sable people and Morokanth are the conservatives ones, not the warrior-dominated Bison tribes. Interesting thought. Certainly the praxians seem to have plenty of myths about a green age when there was peace and plenty. It makes me wonder how the gods war affected Prax.

All well and good gang, but we're getting off topic. This email assumes that Belgath wants to run RQ2 on Roll 20, and make it a good game. When you sit down behind that GM screen, you have one responsibility: To make sure all the players at your table have a good time. That doesn't mean that they should be given a bunch of easy wins, or a pile of unearned treasure, but it does mean that you GM fairly, and with an eye to what the players want to do. Belgath, your initial post implies that the Classic RQ system was directly responsible for the player's complaints. You also state that you know the RQ6 rules "like the back of your hand". This implies that you've run RQ6. Classic RQ combat runs faster than RQ6: Did you have similar complaints when running RQ6? What did you do to manage player expectations? And can you clearly state what your players expected as part of the game?

Oh - Run a few games of Call of Cthulhu for them. That will help them get out of the mindset of "I am a super-stud who can and should kill everything in my path and take its treasure". Much easier to run RQ once they drop that mindset!

When you make rules variants - think it through! In RQ, everything affects everything else; what you thought was a minor change may have major consequences on the game.

Well rats. BTW, I had a lot of trouble signing up for their newsletter. I kept signing in, and it kept refusing to acknowledge. The problem seemed to be a ".net" email address. Last I heard their system admin was looking into it.

Welcome to the wonderful world of RQ2! The real challenge is player expectations: In D&D style games you get experience for every fight you're in - in in Classic RQ you avoid fights unless you have to be in them. In D&D, fights are generally to the death - in CIassic RQ you stop as soon as somebody is disabled. I love the rules, but there is a list of problems. Like you, I had a book full of house rules to make the game playable. Some hints: (1) Have the players find a Healing-6 matrix on their first adventure. (2) Until the players are used to the game, do not give them any opponents with damage bonuses - there's a world of difference between a d8+1 broadsword (average damage 4.5 points) and a 1d10+1+1d4 bastard sword (average damage 9 points). (3) Encourage players to diversify their characters. D&D players tend to create their RQ characters as specialists "I'm the fighter" "I'm the thief"; instead, play up the advantages of the system by encouraging the "fighters" to cast spells and sneak, and for crying' out loud make sure the self-proclaimed 'magician' has some decent melee skills! It sounds like you're not a beginner at this - you know what to do.

Agreed! In an ideal gaming world, the players would be able to scale up from role-playing to skirmish fighting and back down seamlessly. Imagine you are escorting a caravan across Prax, and get attacked by nomads - the game immediately scales to skirmish scale - say twenty or so on a side - your PC's, fifteen or so allies, against a band of nomads. At the end of the conflict, you drop seamlessly back town to individual scale, and account for your wounds and magic points expended.