Stephen L

Jeff had a very good post on Orlanthi property, which covered land. I found very helpful... https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/11889-orlanthi-property

P142 of the core rules covers this:

Still difficult to justify 5 HP in contrast to a quarterstaff, which has 8 HP. At least on build alone. Perhaps it takes into account that it's awkward to parry with? But I'm not convinced, as then Mauls and war hammers would seem high to me (who has *no* experience, beyond EVA foam swords, which whilst excellent fun are hardly informative!)

If you’ve already roleplayed then you’re best placed to judge how to take things. My kids are old enough to enjoy roleplaying, but I threw them straight into the broken tower, and they loved it. I had spent ages agonising over how to introduce them – the simplicity of Pendragon was very enticing, but in the end, I plumped for Glorantha, because I though the magic would be a big pull – the idea that their adventurer has special powers has been something the kids really like. I’ve not simplified the rules at all, and the kids haven’t had a problem. They’ve played usual starting age adventurers (21), which wasn’t an issue. (Ironically, when I refereed for adults, I usually started with one or two adventures as coming of age, either as squires or something that marked them out before they were initiated). I was worried about the violence, and we have glossed over some of the more gruesome moments. But it’s not been worse than, for example the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings (which the kids have loved). The kids have liked combat, or rather action. They like planning things. They don’t like too much talking. Negotiation or arguing with people is fine if its brief, but if it’s an end itself, it gets boring. Obviously, as parents, we’re very keen on a strong moral compass of doing the right thing, and evil must be fought, so combat isn’t casual, but it has been an element, and one that’s worked well. Scenario ideas. You could try the Lost Valley in the Smoking Ruins, or Renekot’s hope in Pegasus Plateau are excellent settings. The Pegasus Plateau scenario might work really well, and you could ideas from some of the other scenarios in either book. Whilst the combat of Grove of Green Rock might not work, something based on the reseeding of an elvish forest might be a great idea. However, the children have most enjoyed home brewed scenarios. They loved a scenario immediately following the Dragon Rise, where they rescued the prisoners from the Lunar Manors. They were very engaged planning how to rescue the prisoners, and then, when the Lunars just wanted to escape, and set fire to the buildings as a diversion, fighting amidst the flames was very atmospheric. Obviously, you’ve got to be careful. Heroically rescuing people from the flames works well, but human immolation would have been a bad way to have gone! The last adventure has been rescuing a tribe of Hadrosaurs from complete extermination by Spinosaurs went down really well. But I’ve posted elsewhere.. https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/12041-gloranthan-campaign-ideas

My campaign has been hijacked by the younger players, and has become focused on pet fetishes. The Humakti Duck in the party, has decided that he is going to be a dinosaur rider. So there have been forays to Tink to see Forang Forash, who has told them about the path of mastery, i.e. a second age sage, who learned the skills of dinosaur mastery, with the book hidden in a lost tower in Delecti’s Marsh. However, this has been superseded after the killing of the Dragon of Thunder hills, and the grateful Dragonnewts split the Ducks tongue so that a) he’s got a lisp, and b) he can now cast a spell to communicate with dragon kind. Flash back to a Lunar Sorcerer with a Dragon speciality, who fled into Delecti’s marsh on the Dragon Rise. Though he was expecting a welcome (the ego of some academics sorcerers), Delecti instead killed him, and, with a sense of irony, bound him into a zombie Allosaur. Said sorcerer has fled to the Spinosaur flats, and, in his first steps at world domination, has dominated two Spinosaurs, who he’s using to decimate the local Hadrosaurs (their usual tactics don’t work against Spinosaurs working together and with spirits with dispel magic…) Party turn up, off both Spinosaurs, and the Zombie Allosaur, and pack of Deinonychuses. All of which impressed me. One Spinosaur was kept fanatical, chasing the duck with flight cast on it who kept its attention with a chain of disrupts, leading it off a cliff. So now the party have the undying gratitude of last surviving Hadrosaur of the tribe, with a clutch of 5 eggs. And next stop is Pegasus plateau (I might have to pretend the Hippogriffs are Pegasi, to avoid tears…). Also, there I’ve heard muttering about Alynxs. I’m probably going to have to something about. And I did (once) have a campaign planned. Perhaps one day we might progress some of the ideas for that…

Is that wise? I seem to remember one review of this man's material ran: "a boyish enthusiasm for ... acid damage"

Gosh I started RuneQuest a young kid (11 ish) back in 1980. I played a bit in other people's campaigns before that, Heroes (of the Dark Ages) mainly, and one or two sessions of D&D, enough to decide I didn’t like it. I decided to start up something for myself, and bought RuneQuest, mainly on the advice of a old veteran, who must have been at least 20, opining that it would be far too difficult for someone my age, definitely a clincher. I interested a friend, and we got going, soon gathering others, until we were about 5 or so. Happy days. I remember roleplaying the whole weekend, without the need to go to bed… Mostly we just wrote our own scenarios, with only the background that was in the core rules, with a rotating GM duty. But I did run Borderlands. We tried the odd other game, Chivalry and Sorcery, Traveller, and Call of Cthulhu, but RuneQuest was front and centre. I saved up every penny I could, to buy RQiii (which was eye-wateringly expensive when it first came out, certainly for a kid my age), and continued campaigns with that over the years. A mix of things, some Vikings, some Glorantha. The original group had fallen away, and when I went to university, I met with the girl I’d marry, and introduced her to roleplaying. But by now, it was a bit more sporadic. Also, I was now almost exclusively the GM. Enjoyed Pendragon a lot. That lasted a few years into the millennium, before gradually petering out as life got far too busy. And now the kids are old enough (despite getting married ridiculously young, we took a long while to come round to the idea of children), I found the new RuneQuest in Glorantha. Wow, the stuff of dreams! Set up a group, and got going… just in time for lockdown. However, we’ve continued over skype/teams and are having a fantastic time. Being UK based, we missed the entire “satanic roleplaying” furore (unless it made it here as well?). We did hear about it going on in America, but I never got negative reactions beyond the level of patronising amusement. But I do wonder about how Chaosium, as an American publisher, is going to fare with Aquelarre... Nope, we were too busy roleplaying. And going to an all boys school meant I didn't know people came in two sexes until I went to university. There was a lot of speculation over what to put in the sex box of the character sheet though.

I'd suggest a similar ballpark to Turtleshell, used for a Cuirass, which is 4 point protection. If you're envisioning it as plates used unaltered, I'd go with 4 pts, and if they are sections, held together by leather, then 3 pts. I'd probably go with 1 Enc. In return, heavy scale hauberk, made with (dream) dragon scales, there a question for you.

Poole Harbour is quite an amazing place - a valley sunk after the last ice age, and one of the largest harbours in the world. Brownsea Island would be a perfect place to have an adventure against a secret Saxon camp... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poole_Harbour As an aside, the first good beach you get to (in my opinion) on the south Coast (heading from the East) is just off the harbour - Knoll beach, Studland.

That, in itself, isn't a reason to have different skills. A skill will always have a bonus/penalty based on the circumstance used, so I could see an adventurer composing an epic, to be recited by another, so that their skill is an augment. If they have an impediment, if they had recited it, there would have been a penalty. To turn it on it's head, I can't think of any composers who are not musicians. But the clincher for me is how playable it makes it. My players are using a lot of sing and orate. If they needed other skill sets, to be used in combination that would be a blocker. Or they'd have to think ahead and commission things. To be blunt forward planning really isn't their strong point. My youngest player is 7, and he spontaneously breaks into song at the drop of a hat. Think of Brian Blessed but as an opera singer. It is not be in any way encouraged. He is, however, very finely suited to the duck that he plays.

I prefer, create, and re-create (rather than recite), as that's more what it feels like to me. And I'd use the same skill for both. Working out the nuances between the two seems overly complex. And, as the good Nick Brooke says, to be any good requires inspiration, although that has escaped my attention thus far in all the artistic endeavours of the adventures in my campaign. Though as said artistic endeavour has only been used to boast about their deeds, I think we can take it read that it's a subject they're easily inspired by!

Now, yes, but in previous ages not so much, the line was far more blurred. Playwrights typically actors in the troop like Shakespeare. I'm on shaky ground with theatre, but I know in music, musicians historically were far more composer performers. And I'd suggest that in an age of low literacy, and before music notation was invented, it would be almost impossible to exist as a writer / composer if you didn't also perform. *My* take in Glorantha is that both the creation and performance of art is accessing the same divine (runic) muse, and flows from the same source of inspiration. Personally, playing doesn't feel I'm doing something very different from composing. If I'm playing, I'm trying to see past the notes to the inspiration the composer had, that can only imperfectly be captured in the notes. And composing, I'm trying to capture imperfectly what's going round in my head. Both are a similar activity of expressing something in musical form that's deep down. Not that I'm very good at either!

I'd have thought that POD is more expensive than traditional distribution. Oh, just checked your profile - is it the Spanish postage that's off-putting?

The art is setting the bar really low. Then it's no effort at all. Now why aren't my spoiler tags working...

Ah yes, I know those - obviously Anglo Saxon bishops (if I remember the compiler correctly) were perhaps less straight laced than nowadays. However, my youngest player is 7, so they might not be age appropriate.

Many thanks, Jajagappa, very nice riddles, not too difficult, that you don't have a clue (which is no fun), nor too easy, so that you feel clever when you do guess. I'd have needed a clue for the 2nd, but I peeked! For the first, I guessed the second answer you gave, but thought the guess poor. I suggest 2 lines that make it more Gloranthan, and making the first answer as the only possible. I run through hills; I veer around mountains, I leap over rivers and crawl through the forests. Sometimes I'm royal, ordained by Princes, Ofttimes I'm poor, at the behest of tinkers. Step out your door to find me. What am I? I’m not sure about this one, I’ve made up… Mark I storm's passing, quivering, shafts I speed, inclining, I mark my assent, yet to yield and submit, also am I. What am I? One I found (not original) that might suit my needs: Only one colour, but not one size, Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, Doing no harm, and feeling no pain. What is it? There's an idea. But I’ve posted a Glorantha folk song instead. How difficult can one of those be!

Had Another go at the second

Yup - they're quite easy.

Nope - but if you let me know how to add spoilers, I'll add the answers!

A couple with Runes as answers (not original, the second is from JJR Tolkien): A spirited jig dancing bright, Banishing even darkest night. With food and I wax and thrive, With drink and I wither and die. It cannot be seen, it cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, Lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills. Comes first follows after, Ends life kills laughter. What am I? Another "creature" one, which will do for the younger players in my group: I have a tail but no mouse am I, I have scales but no fish am I, I have wings but no bird am I, I have a tongue that's forked, but no snake am I.

If anyone finds them useful, I've updated the downloads with some squads of NPCs I’ve generated. It is now version 1.3 to add loads of baddies. In addition to the Orlanth and Lunar fold, there are now Uz, Chaos monsters, Beast men, Dinosaurs of all types and… Ducks. Be warned, now the program can do Chaos features. a link for those interested: https://basicroleplaying.org/files/file/833-npc-squads-txtzip-npc-squads-pdfzip/

I realise I should have started the ball rolling, so a quick homebrew, that needs polish: Hooves, four have I, my head is racked with my pride, the drum of ardour sounds my name, but for wife I take she who is ever last, Who am I?

Good morning all, I’ve finally reaching the point where the players will be participating in Kallyr’s failed light bringers quest, and I’ve decided that, for one episode that involves them, will be riddle based (nothing illuminating). For the main mythic reason that I think my players will enjoy it. The last time I used riddles in roleplaying was a *very* long time ago, when I ended up making them up myself, which, though satisfying, is quite time consuming. Any one any ideas for a good source? If they have a Gloranthan bent, so much the better. Stephen.

It gets about a page in Heortling Mythology from the Stafford Library. From (my admittedly very poor) memory, Heort gets the Only Old One's help to fight chaos in the I fought we won. If I was the GM, I wouldn't balk at making them Chaotic. Throwing in a few chaotic features always liven things up!