Trotsky

Don't worry that was only the very first chamber they explored - they have put things into motion. I like the slow build up.... The construction is indeed a puzzle....

Here we go - next part of the campaign... Link to Google Drive Document

Here is the updated campaign log - and fate of the dwarf... Link to Google Drive document

Like many others in the campaign we play, combat is a last resort and relatively uncommon – only occurs when there are really no other options (there is an exception to this at the moment with our Orlanthi noble adventurer who due to in-game events is really very angry and likely to swing before thinking). The campaign has not been running that long (around 16 sessions) but we have had a few small combats, a larger one with about twelve on each side and a small battle. For the battle we used battle skills and the simple modifiers found in the back of the Six Season in Sartar book. For the one which was around twelve on each side – of which four were player characters. I came up with a simple resolution system beforehand. We were playing Six Seasons in Sartar, in that NPCs are given a Character Rating (CR) – it is a quick way to gauge how powerful a NPC is. You could just give NPCs a rating between 1-6. The adventurers and their opponents fought using the RAW but for everyone else I had a two die roll resolution. For each individual combat: I rolled 1D6 :adding the difference in CR of the combatants (with a +2 for each additional character in the same engagement). If the total was 6+ then a resolution roll was made. If not then the combat continued. Resolve Combat Roll: each involved character rolled 1D6 + CR Higher total won the combat – loser was unconscious or dead. Winner took a number of Hit Point damage equal to the loser’s original die roll – location was random but no area could be equal or below 1. On drawn rolls both characters took damage as above. Winner lost magic points equal to 1D6 (assumed to have used them in the fight). Now this could definitely be improved – and was only put together just before we played but led to a dynamic fight which was focused on the player characters. Also fun for me as the GM because I didn’t know what was going to happen.

Hi Jape, this is something I have made up. The group I play with are working through the consequences and events after the Six Seasons in Sartar campaign. I keep a campaign log - should update today - I will post a link...

Yes I get that and I am not really disagreeing with anyone. I suppose because one of my early experiences of Glorantha was with the board game Dragon Pass and the mass combat there was so different than regular Bronze Age warfare that I really want to try and preserve that uniqueness. But it is all just a game – a game in which you don’t have winners and losers - so as long as we are all having fun it doesn’t really matter.

Absolutely - really makes a significant difference in play...

I have found this discussion very interesting. I am coming back to RPG’s after a 30+ year break so my experiences of RPGs is from a long time ago... Most of my adult life I have been a board wargamer and are used to rules in those games being very tight with no interpretation required (such as Advanced Squad Leader, Star Fleet Battles etc). I don’t have those expectations in a RPG. When people here talk of house rules or spot rules – I always thought that what RPGing was all about. Discussing with players, devising what makes sense, living and dying by the roll of a die… This is not a criticism of anything anyone has posted but a genuine interest in how we all play the game differently. I also find the discussion on real historical weaponry interesting – I am learning a lot – not sure how relevant any of it is to Glorantha though, real world physics do not really apply there.

Well the adventurers never got around to examining any dwarf corpse… They made so much noise that an Iron dwarf came to investigate. They soon realised that they couldn’t communicate and tried to appease the dwarf by showing them a Mostali device they had plundered from a previous chamber. Well that did not go down well! I thought we were set for a tense fight in the confined space of the Mostali chambers – but it did not pan out that way. The two warriors of the group – an Orlanthi and a Humakt saw that behind the dwarf there was a deep shaft containing some strange constructions – so they charged him. Using the knockback rules they caused a 3m knockback. The Dwarf tried to prevent himself falling - but failed to stop himself being knocked down the shaft – to his doom. They left the corpse in the bottom of the shaft for the trolls who they were working for – although the Orlanthi warrior requested they throw the dwarf’s iron armour out their cave when they had ‘finished’ with the corpse. He is hoping it will be there the next day. The main thing they learnt from their investigation of a Mostali construction is the stuff in there is really weird and it is better not to touch things (although I am not sure how much they have taken that message to heart…they know what I am talking about)

It is still there somewhere - because I can re-download ...

Thanks again everyone, the group I play with are currently exploring an old Mostali construct and there is a possibility they may encounter a dwarf. The encounter has the possibility of not going well, so I was trying to get a handle on that. With a product like Trollpak I have access to a lot of information on Trolls and I have used the Aldryami quite a bit. We did play in Pavis back in the day - but our Flintnail friends were just pretty standard fantasy dwarves all those years ago. I wonder if anyone has thought of a dwarf/Mostali supplement for the Jonstown Compendium - maybe details of a dwarf city - it does seem like there is little information on them?

As it is unlikely that our team of adventurers will come across many Mostali during their adventures, I want to make them come across as exotic, unique and interesting. So in my Glorantha I am going to give them organs that are equivalent to organic creatures but have them made of non-organic materials. I really want to emphasise they are the antithesis of growing living things. So blood might be an equivalent to a liquid clay, bones a metal ore, muscles made from flexible strands of an itacolumite-type rock, maybe specific organs represented by different types of stone. Of course they will not be exact replicas of our rocks but close enough to aid description. As trolls eat anything I am sure this would not be a problem for them. So on a related note - what are peoples' thoughts on Mostali spirits?

Thanks Psullie - that's where I started from - I think might go with the bone and muscle being different types of inorganic materials.

Thanks soltakss, so I am working from the bestiary and although it mentions the clay dwarves it gives almost no information about them - it states that the one most commonly encountered Mostali are the Iron Dwarves - so I am working from that at the moment. As dwarves are crated rather than born I am wondering how to represent a dead one. trying to find my way with the Mostali - back in my RQ2 days I don't think we ever did much with them.

I have a feeling the players in our game will want to 'utilise' the body somehow - this is the Bronze Age after all and 'stuff' is not in abundance... An Iron Dwarf would have his armour of course which is valuable...

Curious about what a dead dwarf/Mostali is like? Thinking about the Iron Mostali, what would a dead one be like? Would it be flesh, bones and blood or something more inorganic? Looking for some flavour to add to an adventure...

Interesting discussion - I never played RQ3 so know little about it. I tend in RPGs to prefer more wriggle room - if the players have a good idea then we tend to come up with a roll or method to resolve it - too many rules I feel limit this creativity a little. I like the dice giving results that really push forward the narrative. I play mainly war games such as ASL and other quite rule dense games so it is liberating to have a little more freedom. But hey the great things about RPGs is that there is no one way to play them.

Again as I said it depends how you view those 12 second rounds. All those things you mention above I assume is abstracted by the melee round - something the GM and players narrate as the battle progresses. I find the combat to be relatively dynamic - the tension really builds as each side tries to better the other - just like a scene from Iliad. But it is cool if you do something else.

I guess a lot is to do with how you perceive what is happening in that 12 seconds of a combat round. I see it as either spending the round parrying or dodging. I don’t see how you could do both – it is not as if the strike ranks are related to a specific time increment. The strike rank just gives an order for your effort for the round to come to fruition. I don’t see how you could simultaneously parry and dodge over a combat round.

I not sure these types of micro-elements of combat are needed – but of course everyone is free to add and subtract things as they wish. A melee round is already 12 seconds long: that is already 12 seconds of combat manoeuvres, feigning, shuffling, moving back, thrusting forward, watching for an opening, etc.. So combat is already pretty abstracted with just the most decisive moments of that 12 seconds requiring a die roll. I think the RAW combat withdrawing work well already, retreating, knockback attempt or fleeing. I think in every one of the combats the group I play with has been involved in has used at least one of those. We have been using the second parry or dodge is at -20% and that is simple and works well. I still kind of miss the separate attack and parry percentages but no enough to retrofit them to the game. Player character’s have not made much use of the dodge skill yet, relying more in their parry and armour to save them – but I am sure its time will come…

We have now completed the excellent Six Seasons in Sartar and the adventure continues. Changing the format now to be a Lunar History of the insurrection in Sartar 1620-25. Link below: Lunar History of Insurrection in Sartar 1620-25

We have recently finished it and had a great time. Hope it goes as well for you - please keep us in the loop.

Thanks for all the interest we have recruited a new player now.

Thanks for your interest coffeemancer, we will bear it in mind but are really looking for someone who could regularly commit.

We meet regularly at 7pm (GMT) on Wednesdays and typically play to until around 11pm. We play on Roll 20. There are five of us (GM and four players). Unfortunately one of the players has had to drop out to until at least January – so we are looking for another player to swell our ranks. All are welcome but we’re particularly interested in players who are either new or relatively unfamiliar with Glorantha and Runequest. However, experienced players are also welcome. Currently all the group are from the Haraborn Clan (a 13th clan from the Colymar) although a new character does not need to come from there. We have: Binta, daughter of Gunta of Twin Stone Stead – an Ernalda healer Sarooth, son of Gordanger of Twice Blessed Stead – Orlanth Adventurous noble and son of the clan chieftain Araldar, son of Stoyan of Hill Base Stead – Orlanth Thunderous and an assistant shaman Themis, son of Serendaral of River Bend (cotter) – a Foundchild Hunter with family links to Prax We have just completed Six Seasons in Sartar and it is now Sea Season 1620. We are a pretty friendly laid back group – using the rule system to enhance our play rather than always following every rule nuance. Anyone interested needs to be aware that YGMV is a major consideration in the game and some of the events you might anticipate may or may not occur! I have been writing a saga of the exploits so far, which you can find here: Saga of the Haraborn If you are interest drop me a line or ask questions here and one of the group will surely reply…