Squaredeal Sten

Thanks, that is food for thought. I can see the difficulty with upstream traffic, with the rapids, with the Uz on the south bank. Seems to me that New Crystal would have a good location for trade if the Beast men let it through. If not then New Crystal is a backwater.

At this point the clearest map I have is inside the cover of Glorantha Bestiary. Or, wait, the Argan Argar Atlas - The Creek-Stream river flows into a marsh east of New Cryatal city, so i take it that's the Dammed Marsh. Is there a navigable route through the marsh or past its edge? After that the river turns west, apparently through a canyon (new River), to be or to merge with the Runnel River, and around the Building Wall it becomes the Lyskos River. All the time on the edge of the Shadow Plateau. I don't see an indication of rapids in the Atlas map, unless that's the five white lines in the canyon. Yes the map key says rapids or waterfalls. Yes that would indicate a portage. Or maybe a carry by cart or mule to reach larger river craft west of the rapids and canyon. I have never seen much about new Crystal, Valadon, or Monros cities..

Just how hard is it for merchants to trade by water along the Creek-Stream rive route from Colymar lands (basically from Duck Point) to Nochet? In a previous thread today, From other discussion i got the idea that the Ducks used to handle river traffic on this route, mostly using reed duck boats. I haven't seen much discussion of the river passage through Best Valley (do the Beasts interfere? How do they feel about humans floating through?), nor discussion of what happens when you go past the western edge of the Shadow Plateau. What happened to this river traffic when the Duck Hunt was active? When the Lunars invaded Esrolia? Seems to me that if you as a trader get to Esrolia post-Dragonrise, you may be able to breathe safely. But do the queens in Nochet really exert control throughout Esrolia? What happened when Belintar went down?

Maybe we can have another thread on the Creek-Stream River route from Colymar lands to Nochet. I'll do that. But back to the Boldhome-Heortland route: IMHO it's bad for business when that friendly Orlantghi prince is controlled by the Lunars, rebels either extort from or attack the caravans, then the prince is assassinated, while all during the early 1620s the Lunars actively create anarchy over the part of the trade route south of Sartar? Then we have a couple of years of war zone anarchy reminiscent of RW Somalia, barely interrupted by Kallyr's regime which was still working on exerting control and never lit the flame of Sartar. Then more anarchy until Argrath shows up. And Argrath's focus has to be to the north, on the Lunar threat.

From time to time people have posted archaeological information in these forums as insights into what 'bronze age' really means - This YouTube lecture is an interesting window into the Real World (RW) bronze age, and to what was involved in obtaining precious materials. Amythest was a precious stone, not sem-precious, four or five thousand years ago. There are many cool things to observe here: 1) Prospecting for precious things in the desert was a thing. Not just in California in 1849, but in the Bronze Age. Why not put some of this in RQ adventures? 2) But BIG royal mining expeditions were also a thing. 1500 people! Many of them working the logistics and security, not the actual miners. Think of the logistics. Think of the adventure hooks! 3) Interesting settlement maps here. 4) Locally made stone mining tools. 5) How the mining work was actually done... Heat treating the stones. Which involved cutting the sparse local trees - which must have contributed to desertification. Thought: We ought to think more often of Issaries traders trading on behalf of monarchs - (as well as on behalf of clans, which is already part of the RQG background). It seems to me from the little i have read that the modern model of private traders is not a good picture of RW Bronze Age long-distance trade, especially early bronze age. Your Glorantha and mine do vary from that. But let's think again about issaries who are not working with their own capital.

As far as I recall, the only modules meant to work One On One are things like the Soloquest classic collection, or the Starter set solo quest which is also on line from Chaosiumm. They are really meant for solitaire play But those will occupy you for a while. A lot of modules are meant for parties of three or four. You can try scaling the opposition in these. Fighting one wolf instead of the pack. But when you reach the Big Bad, as written - then a lone starting character adventurer is likely to get eaten. Also many are designed for Adventurers with a mix of skills. You would lose that. Also the social flavor of play. So one adventurer adventures are certainly doable. But most that you can buy don't fit that. If you are GMing the question is how fast can you write your own material.

That faith in "the market" doesn't fit the situation because we have been told there is only one road route into Heortland. The alternative is by water via The Creek Stream river route to Nochet and then by sea across Choralinthor Bay. That's very circuitous if you start out in Boldhome. Maybe not too bad if you start in Clearwine. But the sea crossing is now subject to piracy by the Wolf Pirates, see Jajagappa's description in this thread. So there are not many competing routes. It is not a competitive market situation at the macro level. Only at the merchant level. There is actually a historical situation that matches my pessimistic model. That is medieval Europe. As I understand it in France the local nobility burdened trade with tolls. It lasted centuries. Even without a single clear choke point on the map. Even the rise of the monarchy did not totally erase it, and the monarchy did grant monopolies. Intra country free trade did not completely come true until the Revolotion. Perhaps one of the French participants on the forum will correct or affirm my impression. Another historical example: Why are there many picturesque castles on the Rhine? No the medieval petit monarchs were not building to enhance modern tourism. Each castle was a point at which they could charge tolls.

I believe you mistook what I wrote about monopoly. if only one trader has lower tolls then he or she has a de facto monopoly, without anyone "granting" one. His competitors will not be competitive, because they won't be able to match his prices. So no piece of paper with the word "monopoly" on it is needed.

As i understand it from this [preview of Boldhome, https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/facebook/runequest-on-facebook-july-2021-highlights-2/#ib-toc-anchor-31 "The Bronze Workers Guild of Boldhome smelts bronze out of copper by alloying it with tin (both of which are mainly brought to Boldhome by caravans from Esrolia or Tarsh " Their Tarsh source is going to be on the other side of enemy lines after the Dragonrise, and war means more demand for bronze. So I'd expect the price of bronze in Sartar to go up. And the Holy Country is falling into anarchy post-Belintar, so that source becomes problematic too.

I have been thinking about that. And the incentive structure may be wrong. It's a multi-player game and the first who reduces his tolls (or his banditry) on a major road will reduce his own take substantially, but most of the benefit will accrue to the other players (clans, kings, bandit leaders and also of course the merchants). To get everyone to do it would require an overall ruler or a confederation that might act as a group or perhaps an Issaries heroquest. So it may be Issaries Goldentongue traders as a class ( with a few Argan Argar ) trying to restore a lower level of tolls . By diplomacy assisted by magic and maybe violence or threats? Problem is there is no Issaries pope. So one major temple might take the lead - or not. Looks to me like an opportunity for heroic leadership. On the other hand an Individusl Issaries who acquired some leverage over a clan might negotiate lower tolls for himself only, to acquire a monopoly over the route. Looks to me like an opportunity for heroic feats but with a different goal than benefitting everyone with free trade. Which will the players choose?

Translate, a rune spell, would give the user the equivalent of a Rosetta Stone for any written language. Anyway, if you can suspend disbelief enough to believe in an intelligent (awakened) snake, why choke on it being able to talk? Folk tales and at least one bronze age legend I recall, have talking animals. Now, I would be tempted to play little awakened animals with a little squeaky voice.

I have heard of that. Just my personal taste as a GM - charging money would make it feel like work. As it is GMing Runequest is something I wanted to do for more than 30 years, and although it may take work, it's not work.

Do you habitually give a weather report for each game day? If not. How often would you say you have weather in your games? I ask because I started out religiously giving date and weather, and rolled weather in accord with regional seasonal weather tables. I gradually stopped that except when the scenario demanded it. But I am now thinking that's a mistake because a sudden weather report may telegraph an event.

Only a heroquest from King of Dragon Pass. So it's Gloranthan background, but a transition from an electronic game system.

Did anyone ever name who Broyan's lieutenants were, or detail the Olontongi clan/tribe? I ask because my adventurers are headed that way. Although they are headed to Smithstone to buy bronze, so Newtown and Whitewall are just on the way. And I intend to encourage them not to stay at Whitewall long, between the ghosts and the chaos. Though ghosts have stopped bothering this group much: Last Friday they squeezed a spirit spell out of one like squeezing a lemon.

While in my campaign the adventurers had a shift on guard duty at Kallyr's bier. They knew Leika's position and desires. They had decided to give their loyalty to her and not Kallyr. So they lit the pyre. It was sort of a "will no one rid me of this troublesome priest" event: Leika didn't tell them to light it but she sure implied it. Deniability. She could truthfully say she didn't order it, even (especially) under Lankhor Mhy truth magic. . But my adventurers are pretty sure that Leika is pretty sure she owes them. And can rely on them. This is much better than just writing a Loyalty(Leika) % on the character sheet.

I have an opening In my RQG game conducted on Zoom. It began as a Six Seasons in Sartar game, with detours into other material. It's not for a fixed period. Began a couple of years ago. We play Fridays at 7PM U.S. central time.

Gonna Orta lives where giants like to live. And people with strong magic come to him to trade magic. He sits between Prax and Balazar, and his "castle" blocks a rare pass. So it is not a trade route for everyone, just for Gonn Orta. As for where he gets it, he tends to take two in trade for each one he gives. And he is an Issaries with an early history in Peloria. Presumably that is where he first made his stake.

In a sub-episode in The Seven Tailed Wolf, there is a reference to trade with the Dragonewts. Around Tink as I recall. But not exclusively there. What would Dragonewts have that humans want? What would humans have that Dragonewts want? I'm thinking that dragonewts don't wear clothes so won't want cloth. They use obsidian blades so won't have as much use for bronze as the other intelligent races do. They hunt and eat, so food is OK. Their motivations are hard fior people to understand. So ?? What can you imagine they will trade for? Now what do they have that humans want? Obsidian makes very sharp knapped blades, but they also have the disadvantages of other knapped blades in accord with W&E. Magic? The dracgon magic in the Bestiary doesn't refer to enchantment but they do enchant, shown by the Dragonewt roads. What would they produce?

I am thinking that nearby villages / clan seats on the trade road north or south may compete to be the new regional market town and place where you can find services such as scribes. Healers. It seems to me that there is a competitive safety advantage for both merchants at a market and scribes etc: Neither activity benefits from being just down hill of a place where gorps may spawn. Why run risks? Whittewall in next to a river whose headwaters seem to be half way to Wilmskirk. But I judge it is not navigable by anything deeper than a raft or a canoe, at least until it gets closer to the Marzeel River. Or was Whitewall the northern limit of navigation? I don't see anything that appears to be a river port on the earlier map which David Scott provided. Alynx landing might sound like it. But looks small. I am not sure what other chaos besides gorp might pop up in Whitewall. Krarshtkids? IMHO broos would not generate spontaneously. Scorpion men might come from the Footprint but not teleport in.

So no one is staying at Geo's these days (i.e. 1625-1627 ST). There is an inn in Newtown according to the map key. Newtown will be a very new settlement, few amenities. But a local market for the surrounding clans. It would seem to make sense for periodic priestly visits to the Orlanth temple, perhaps with an escort of Humakti, to gradually clear the ghosts from the priests' path in. It would seem to me that other spots on the trade road would begin to take over Whitewall's economic functions. Not having to be taxed by a major city's king and Earth temple, their people might even end up more prosperous. If they can get beyond the anarchy left in the wake of the Lunars. Being in Heortland rather than in Sartar, they will not have the benefit of whatever stabilization might come from Kallyr's and then Argrath's governments.

The Guide to Glorantha would appear to fit that description, and it's already available. https://www.chaosium.com/the-guide-to-glorantha-slipcase-set/

Thanks. Looks like Geo's inn was not destroyed. Serious damage in the hilltop citadel, many buildings destroyed, both palace and ordinsry houses. Less danage in the "new town ". Walls and gates breached but not razed. Some temples still standing. Open questions: what is the state of the population? And of their housing? Surrounding farming clans? So did New Town not exist in 1618?

What is the status of Whitewall in 1627ST? It is 5-6 years after the Fall of Whitewall. And before that there were years of Lunar seige. Presumably the inhabitants were driven away or enslaved, including the farmers who osed to feed the city. The temples desecrated, the walls broken and perhaps razed. The Crimson Bat even visited. All this would Indicate to me that there is no reason to visit the place unless you are studying ghosts. But it has been five complete years since the fall, two since the Dragonrise. I would think the surrounding clans would come back to their land. The Lunars might even have encouraged them to come back and pay taxes. As for the city itself, deserted? Haunted by the ghosts of those lucky enough not to have been eaten by the Bat? Or populated but a shadow of itself? Did the Lunars erect their own temples there? Is there a population of Lunar converts, now at odds with their neighbors? Or is it still considereal Orlanthi sacred ground? Would Broyan have tried to restore it in his brief time after Nochet? That seems to me something a king might do in peace. But Broyan really didn't have any peace.

IMHO a question is how much you want the players to be immersed in Glorantha. In Glorantha assuming a bargained-for obligation to sacrifice is a big deal. It would reflect on both INT and Honor if forgotten. In the RW sacrifice is an ancient fiction. Easily ignored. My bias would be toward making it a big deal. Yes to dreams and then apparitions. INT and also Honor rolls flashback if you want to be nice.