Beoferret

Decent point. I was simply thinking about how impact weapons, especially maces, could knock someone wearing a helmet for a loop with a head strike, even if the helmet maintained integrity, etc. Perhaps it'd be better to keep stunning or unconsciousness as effects coming from damage taken, even if it's just one point.

Thanks for the update! I'm really looking forward to this. Out of curiosity, will it include a solo adventure (like in the CoC Starter Set)?

Any sense of when this might come out? Anyone have any new info as to what the Starter Set might include?

The following is inspired by the following thread and the resources folks pointed out in it. Thanks everyone. Anyhow, I've read multiple comments, in reviews and on the forum, noting that crushing damage weapons have a relatively weak form of special damage (unless your character has a good damage bonus.) So the question becomes, how does one beef up crushing weapons without running too high of a risk of unbalancing them? I think I have an answer. According to Rune Fixes 1 (https://www.chaosium.com/content/FreePDFs/RuneQuest/Rune Fixes/RQ - Rune Fixes.pdf), under "Subduing": "An adventurer may use a weapon to stun an opponent if the player states that the adventurer is using the flat of blade or the haft/hilt of the weapon to make an aimed blow to the head at the end of the melee round. Subtract the value of any protective armor (including magical protection) from the rolled damage and use a resistance roll to attack the number of hit points in the head with the remaining damage. If the resistance roll succeeds, the target is stunned and unconscious. During the Bookkeeping Phase of each subsequent melee round, that character’s player must make a successful CON×1 roll to recover consciousness." Why not provide the same effect to any blow to the head from a crushing weapon, whether aimed or not? For many strikes, e.g. from a great troll swinging a maul, this won't really come into play - the damage is already high enough to kill or incapacitate. But with this simple tweak, maces, clubs, etc wielded by regular humans suddenly gain a reasonable (and reasonably realistic) effect on top of the existing potential special damage that makes them more worth consideration without outclassing other types of weapons. To go along with this I would add 1) using the resistance table even if damage doesn't get past armor (e.g. an attack causing 2 pts damage to a head protected by 7 pts armor, would still have a 25% of causing stun), and 2) a division between stunning and full on knocking someone out (perhaps a stunned adversary cannot attack, has half move, and defends at half their parry or dodge; with recovery - after a minimum one round of being stunned - being CONx3/CONx5 if no damage got through armor and CONx1 if damage did get through armor.) Thoughts?

Awesome! Thanks for the write-up. I love reading accounts like this. It's really nice to get some insight into how a scenario plays out and how GMs choose/have to make modifications for their players. I read through the adventure, but missed some of the problems that you found.

And while this is off-topic, I'd strongly recommend the Prince of Sartar webcomic to your players, especially chapters 1, 5&6 - at least at first (I think they're probably the most accessible for anyone coming to Glorantha and Runequest from D&D.)

What about The Eagle? Reframe it as a Lunar officer going into Sartarite lands to recover a magical unit standard. And it comes complete with a shamanic ritual! Clash of the Titans too? Anything in the swords and sandals genre. Oh, The Beastmaster!

That sounds like a good solution. Or even a broad "Hunting animal lore/training" skill that could cover all relevant animals and then be added to the starting skills for the hunter profession.

Do Lunars, especially those from Tarshite lands, have a code of hospitality? If so, is it anything like Orlanthi hospitality? The reason I'm asking: I've been drawing up an adventure that involves a Lunar manor holder (acting as a Sartarite thane) who is hosting an unsavory guest who might act in ways that nullify any protections provided through customs of hospitality.

Hello all. In a game I'm about to start, one of the characters is a hunter follower of Yinkin who's got a vrok hawk companion animal (because taking a shadowcat would be too "stereotypical.") So, how does he end up controlling/commanding the hawk and how can he train others. Ride skill can be used for training and commanding horses, etc. Herd enables you to train and command herding critters. What about hunting animals (whether avian or otherwise)? Suggestions?

I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but what I have I've loved. I'm actually thinking about using Renekot's Hope for a starting point for the campaign that I hope to start in the not too distant future. The only thing that made me sad was that "The Grey Crane" uses a conceit that I put into an adventure I'm working on (with a goal of publishing through the Jonstown Compendium): a Lunar officer/noble who's sympathetic to and interested in Sartarite/Orlanthi culture and people combined with a 2nd in command who feels the exact opposite way. Eh. I'll forge ahead anyways.

I had given some thought to running this in my locality, but then chickened out. Still, I've been really curious about how well this organized play campaign went; both for Chaosium and for players & GMs. Did enough people participate to make it worth putting together future organized play campaigns? How well did the scenarios flow together? Were they fun? Were some more fun than others? And were they ok for beginning CoC players and GMs?

I'm not sure how often this would really make a difference in game play, but I've been considering introducing the 7th ed Call of Cthulhu rules for determining character move rate into my RQG game. In short, for those who don't know, compare a character's SIZ with their STR and DEX. If SIZ is bigger than both STR and DEX, then the character has move rate 7. If both STR and DEX are higher than SIZ, then the character has move rate 9. Otherwise, the character has the standard move rate of 8. I like the idea, but I honestly don't know how much difference it'll make in overall practical gameplay, having only gm'd one session of RQG to this point. Anyone have any input?

Inspired by Delecti, I'm engaging in a little thread necromancy here. I've been thinking a bit about this basic issue of SRs and multiple attacks, which hasn't entirely sat right by me either. One of my big complaints is that as per pg. 137 of the RAW a single round takes 12 seconds. I know that each SR isn't supposed to represent a single second, but ... Well, it just seems really weak to only allow the majority of characters one attack every 12 seconds, even taking parries into account. In 5th ed DnD a combat round takes 6 seconds (with one attack action for characters at low level), while in GURPS a combat round (allowing an attack and parry) is a single second. In my view, this makes RQG characters seem capable of less than in other games. And it doesn't strike (no pun intended) me as enjoying much verisimilitude (anyone who trains with real weapons is welcome to comment on this). So, I'd like to propose two partial solutions: a) Declare that rounds are six seconds long. Pros: rules as written in regard to SRs, combat, and multiple attacks suddenly make more sense and have more verisimilitude. And it's simple. Cons: Doesn't solve the above question of reach and short weapons in close combat. b) Keep rounds at 12 seconds, but allow everyone to have multiple melee attacks per round, not just those with over 100% in a melee weapon skill. Then either assign attacks, after the first, a penalty similar to attempting multiple parries or just halve skill right off the bat. (Personally, I'd go with the first option.) At the next combat round, everything is reset - representing combatants reacquiring footing, position, etc. - possible corollary: allow attacks after the first to be made using weapon and DEX SR, representing that folks are now duking it out at the same approximate range. Not sure if this would work though without a clearer mechanism for taking weapon reach into account, say like GURPS does. And regarding getting in close... What do you all think of the following solution: to get into close combat (for punching, going stabby stab with a knife, etc.) vs a foe wielding a weapon with longer reach (let's say a spear), the prospective close combatant has to either forego a parry vs that weapon (relying solely on dodge for defense) or parries that weapon (spear) at a penalty (like half skill or something.) Afterwards, the two fighters are now in close combat; all unarmed or close-combat weapon attacks are made using the DEX SR of the combatants and anyone using a weapon longer than a dagger either has a penalty to parries or can't parry at all. Close combat can then be broken the next round by the spear/sword/dagger-axe wielder retreating a meter or two or shoving/kicking the close-in fighter back; thus creating space again and returning their advantage. Phew. That was a lot. Sorry everyone.

Personally, I like to think of vingans as a lifepath, permanent or temporary, that's mainly for scrappy, adventurous tomboys (and some butch lesbians as well.)

But how many rune points does that cost? Can you embiggen the effects by spending extra magic points? 😀

Good point. Though I suppose this creates two possibilities: a) PCs traveling in areas where their cult isn't popular or present are paying a higher price for being footloose and fancy-free (and will be extra stoked when they encounter some of their fellow cult members, shrines, etc. - role playing possibilities!) and b) that one of the benefits and costs of becoming a Rune Priest or Rune Lord is that you have to be an active and regular participant in the social life of your home (whether original or newly chosen.) Also, a PC's cult ties could certainly be a source of adventure hooks as they wander! One of the best things, in my opinion, about all the cult, family, and clan ties that RQG throws at PCs is all the role playing possibilities and the character depth they provide (something I try to give even my throwaway D&D characters).

This is my sentiment, in a lot of ways. A certain degree of rootlessness (or at least a hiatus from obligations) allows for more adventuring away from home and for exploration (as Vasana's saga implies - how often is she checking back with the Colymar before she pledges to Argrath?). I also am trying to square how PCs who start off with certain professions that imply strong ties to a particular area (e.g. farmer) can have some of the excitement of traveling around Glorantha. I'm definitely not interested in encouraging full-on murderhoboism (not that such characters would last all that long), but would like to provide players with some reasonable, setting appropriate avenues for having some of the character freedom they're probably used to from other games. That said, I really appreciate how the setting provides a means of pointing out the costs of various degrees of rootlessness (and the advantages of being rooted.) I imagine that PCs who are not on a mission from their clan, temple, lord, etc. are seen with greater degrees of distrust by those they meet, are more likely to be killed instead of captured during a fight (since no one's going to be upset at the killer or pay a ransom/wergild), more likely to be betrayed, etc. There are good reasons for embedding oneself in a web of social obligations that only allow for adventuring as a side pursuit. (And do you think there's a special secret Ernalda rune spell for "settling down" one's mate?)

So..... if one wanted to provide pathways for adventurers who were more of the standard-type, without completely losing the fun social context that RQG inserts characters in, how would you folks model it? My thoughts so far are running along these lines: 1) PCs have temporarily bought out responsibilities - They've received permission to go adventuring and exploring for a long period, but have to provide financial/material compensation to their family, thane, clan, etc. for the time they expect to be gone (to make up for the loss of labor, etc that their departure will cause.) Compensation may also include having to provide a share of what loot they've gained to the relevant authorities upon coming home. PCs with permission to adventure for their own benefit retain some social support (aid and ransom, but it may take a long time to ask for it and then receive what's offered.) If they don't return home when promised, they'll be treated as runaways and then maybe exiles. What they do in the outside world and how they are treated may impact their people's relations with others. 2) PCs are runaways - Young or otherwise, they've cast off the yoke of social expectations, but now lack most social support (no one to provide aid) and cannot rely on being ransomed, if necessary (and even if their tribe/clan/family is willing to ransom them, it might take a long time). Runaways may be tracked down by their family, etc. and may be ordered to return home or face exile. May have to offer restitution for all those responsibilities they avoided while away. What they do in the outside world and how they are treated may impact their people's relations with others. 3) PCs are exiles - characters have freedom, but at the expense of all social support and they might be attacked/otherwise severely sanctioned (e.g. enslaved, given a highly visible tattoo or mutilation marking their dishonor, etc), if they ever return to where they were exiled from. What they do in the outside world and how they are treated has no impact on their people's relations with others. 4) PCs are truly rootless - For whatever reason (maybe their village was wiped out and family killed during the wars against the Lunars; maybe due to a religious vow; etc.), they are completely free to choose their course in life. They can expect only basic hospitality when traveling through places like Sartar and have no social support beyond what any immediate friends, followers, or employer can or will provide. What they do in the outside world and how they are treated has no impact on their people's relations with others. From my reading of the Glorantha setting, these all seem reasonable and provide some potentially fun roleplaying fodder. Thoughts?

By any chance will this pin be available for purchase through Chaosium, at some point? I'd love to have one and can think of several people I'd buy this for (as an X-mas stocking stuffer.)

More critters, folks!

I absolutely love this. And I may inflict this upon some poor PCs in the very near future. If you were interested in creating a circumstance in which the PCs get captured or completely robbed (or everything except for their loincloths), but without using a combat-style encounter, just use a bunch of mana flies. The adventurers get knocked out, only to come to once everything's been stolen or they're disarmed and in the middle of being tied up. Wacky hijinx ensue....

Any chance we'll see an official write-up of the Cult of the Tiger? This was first introduced in the Aug/September 1980 issue of Different Worlds magazine for those who don't know. That issue was my first intro to rpg's and has a really evocative piece of cover art (in my opinion.)

Any thoughts on what and how strong Delecti's response would be? I'm imagining that taking on one or a couple of trees and/or uprooting a few boundary rods would lead to several dancers in the dark eventually showing up (along with a contingent of zombies and skeletons) to reestablish their preferred boundary. But at what point (if ever) does Delecti decide to cut his losses for a few yards of land? And at what point do adventurers provoke retaliation against entire communities near where they're operating? This is definite encouragement!

Actually, I haven't read that. I did go over (quickly, admittedly) the article about the Upland Marsh in Wyrm's Footnotes #15.