Announcing the Jonstown Compendium: a community content resource for RuneQuest and Greg Stafford's World of Glorantha on DriveThruRPG

[MOB]

Chaosium is pleased to launch the Jonstown Compendium, a new way for independent creators to publish and distribute their own original content set in Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha...

Welcome to the Jonstown Compendium!

Greg Stafford’s world of Glorantha is one of the most extensively developed and renowned fantasy settings of all time. A world of mythology, gods, and heroes, ready for you to discover and explore through the roleplaying games RuneQuest and HeroQuest Glorantha (Questworlds). The JONSTOWN COMPENDIUM is where you can find —and create —self-published material set in Glorantha. Creators can offer their work free of charge, set a price, or offer it as pay-what-you-want.

What can I find in the Jonstown Compendium?

You'll find original scenarios, background material, cults, mythology, stats for NPCs and monsters, and more, exploring the mythic universe of Glorantha. Read our Content Guidelines for what is and isn't allowed in the Jonstown Compendium.

How do I publish content for the Jonstown Compendium?

Your first step is to read the Jonstown Compendium Content Guidelines. Our creator resources include templates for you to use that meet our specifications for Compendium content.

After creating your content, go to your account page and look in the "My Content" section. You can use the "Add a new title" link after you agree to the Community Content Agreement.

Once content is published, it can be found with the rest of the Jonstown Compendium. You'll be able to check your sales history, view reviews, and check on book royalties using your Account page on DriveThruRPG. The My Money section of your Account page will allow you to withdraw royalties via PayPal.

INITIAL RELEASES

Here are the five initial releases for the Jonstown Compendium by community creators - the first of many!

TALES OF THE SUN COUNTY MILITIA VOL 1: SANDHEART
Jon Webb ($3.95, 39 page PDF)

This 39-page volume contains information to run a campaign as solar worshippers set in Sun County in Prax. The characters play the role of Sun County militiamen based at the border hamlet of Sandheart. They are the law. The first half of the volume provides a description of Sandheart and its surrounds, six characters ready to play, spirit cults, important NPCs and further details on how to generate new player characters. The second half details an introductory scenario – No Country for Cold Men – pitting the militia against a group of violent lawbreakers. Volume 2 is in preparation.

THE ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF DRAGON PASS
Martin Helsden ($24.95, 382 page PDF)

The timeless appeal of the legends of the Hero Wars has resulted in an enduring interest in the period. Surviving texts, supplemented by archaeological evidence, are used here as the basis of this reconstruction of the combatants of the initial phases of that world-shattering conflict. Focused on Dragon Pass and the surrounding regions (Peloria, Pent, Prax and Maniria), this volume presents details of the warriors, soldiers and mercenaries of the opening periods of the Hero Wars, their arms and armor, their cultures, histories and organization, the terrain they traveled, the battlefields on which they fought, their fortifications, their magic, and their gods. Army Lists provide details of the regiments and other entities which fought in this epic conflict, supplemented by numerous illustrations of the participants.

THIS FERTILE GROUND
Michael Paul O’Sullivan ($4.99, 22 page PDF)

Chasteberry Vale is deeply imbued with Fertility magic. It is sacred to the wild Leporid, where they engage in martial contests each Sea Season. It is home to Esrolian settlers, recent arrivals inspired by a divine prophecy to protect the valley’s magical trees. A dispute over access to the land has grown violent escalating tensions between to the two groups. The disappearance of young lad from a neighbouring village threatens the involvement the wider community and destabilise the region. Can a peaceful settlement be reached? Is violence the only option? Set in the Beast Valley, This Fertile Ground is a short adventure that explores the conflict between the Beast and Man Runes. It is aimed at newly generated adventurers or those with limited experience. Optional plot hooks are provided to facilitate introducing the scenario to your group. 

YOZARIAN'S DUCK BANDITS
Ernesto María Orellana & Xavier Llobet ($4.00, 36 page PDF)

Play a Gloranthan duck in this fun and action-packed one-shot scenario! Yozarian's bandit ducks are a ragtag band of robbers wandering a harsh world that is even harsher for the small but proud Durulz. Now they may have the chance to either get rich or be the heroes of the story. What path will your players choose? Or will perhaps their passions choose for them? Run the scenario to your friends and find out! The PDF includes a scenario for one session of play, two maps ready to print, 5 pregenerated player characters ready to play, fully statted non-player characters and seeds for further adventures. As a sequel to the original "The Money Tree" scenario, "Yozarian's Bandit Ducks!" is also a good choice for beginning gamemasters and players.

THE THROAT OF WINTER
Austin Conrad ($5.00, 26 page PDF)

Winter Descends on Dragon Pass! When the child Rolf goes missing after a blizzard, his parents Rastolf and Serla grow frantic. They come to the village of Apple Lane begging for help from any who will listen. They come seeking any who will brave the wind and snow of winter to find a little boy. They come seeking adventurers. The search will lead adventurers to a mysterious cave, known to locals as the Throat of Winter for the howling winds which blow forth. Inside, they face a terror from before the Dawn—Krampus. In this Gloranthan take on Scandinavian myth, the adventurers will find their bravery and Loyalty tested as they decide how best to protect Apple Lane from the demon’s predation. This site-based adventure is intended to provide one to three sessions of RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha play for four to six beginning to intermediate adventurers. While it is integrated into the Colymar campaign provided in Chaosium’s Gamemaster Screen Pack, this adventure is designed for use in any Dragon Pass campaign.

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by MOB

[MOB]

Congratulations to Jonstown Compendium creator Martin Helsden. Not only is his 'Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass' a Copper Best Seller less than 24 hours after release, it is currently the #2 best-selling product on DriveThruRPG:

[Bill the barbarian]

3 minutes ago, MOB said:

Congratulations to Jonstown Compendium creator Martin Helsden. Not only is his 'Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass' a Copper Best Seller less than 24 hours after release, it is currently the #2 best-selling product on DriveThruRPG:

 

Amazing, is this the beginning of the second RQ renaissance (First being something you and Ken Ralston were involved in)?

Good on ya, Martin!

Edited December 4, 2019 by Bill the barbarian

[MOB]

Wow, the top 5 best-selling community content items on DriveThruRPG are all works from the JONSTOWN COMPENDIUM - congratulations to their creators!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?filters=45683&src=by_the_fans

 

[MOB]

On 12/5/2019 at 6:33 AM, MOB said:

Congratulations to Jonstown Compendium creator Martin Helsden. Not only is his 'Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass' a Copper Best Seller less than 24 hours after release, it is currently the #2 best-selling product on DriveThruRPG:

A new 20 page Jonstown Compendium work by best-selling 'Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass' creator Martin Helsdon, and once again superbly illustrated by the author:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/297497/Temples--Towers

Edited December 12, 2019 by MOB

[Nick Brooke]

Jon Webb {@Incendiary Pig)'s Sandheart is one of the outstanding entries in the Chaosium's Jonstown Compendium community content store: a sandbox campaign framework for police procedural investigations on the fringes of Sun County, the xenophobic Uptight Spartans in the Wild West setting with which Ken Rolston and Michael O’Brien launched the RuneQuest Renaissance of the early 1990s.

Because I like what he's doing so much (hey! it's old school!), I reworked his B&W Sandheart campaign map, and the detailed map of Cliffheath from The Corn Dolls (not shown), into full-colour versions, which have just been added to your Library if you bought the books via DriveThruRPG.

[Goldennose]

Is it prohibited to make a book, that is basicly NPC Statting of Coming Storm and Eleven Lights HQG-books? We have though of maybe doing RQG-conversion book of that great campaign. All NPC:s, Monsters etc. This is just a plan. But if it is prohibited, then that`s it.

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Caras

[MOB]

On 6/26/2020 at 10:47 PM, Caras said:

Is it prohibited to make a book, that is basicly NPC Statting of Coming Storm and Eleven Lights HQG-books? We have though of maybe doing RQG-conversion book of that great campaign. All NPC:s, Monsters etc. This is just a plan. But if it is prohibited, then that`s it.

Not permitted, sorry.

[MOB]

An update about POD releases:

 

[g33k]

1 hour ago, MOB said:

Not permitted, sorry.

Would Chaosium consider publishing such an item themselves (presumably PDF-only, as it's pretty small; but maybe a small item like the Quickstart, etc)?

Likewise for a product that RQG'ified the RQ2/RQClassic campaigns?

 

[7Tigers]

On 6/26/2020 at 2:47 PM, Caras said:

Is it prohibited to make a book, that is basicly NPC Statting of Coming Storm and Eleven Lights HQG-books? We have though of maybe doing RQG-conversion book of that great campaign. All NPC:s, Monsters etc. This is just a plan. But if it is prohibited, then that`s it.

 

see

 

[g33k]

12 hours ago, 7Tigers said:

see

 

In other words -- it might happen... but only published through Chaosium (due I presume to (c) considerations) & they're too busy; so some freelancer would have to do the work.

See the linked thread.

[Nick Brooke]

I hear the 25% off Summer Sale at DriveThruRPG is into its last three days. Don't forget to pick up any Jonstown Compendium titles you were curious about this weekend! And if you've enjoyed your recent purchases, please consider leaving ratings -- or even short reviews -- on the product page at DriveThru, to inform other customers.

(Declaring a selfish interest: I summarise those ratings and reviews in my Jonstown Compendium Scenarios & Sourcebooks index, so if nobody provides any feedback there's less work for me to do maintaining it and I can get on with writing about Glorantha. It's just 38 cents for 23 pages until the end of the weekend, when the price spikes to 50 cents)

[MOB]

We discuss how writing for the Jonstown Compendium is a way to "get your foot in the RPG industry door", in this PAX Online panel coming up later this month...

 

[MOB]

Jonstown Compendium creators – the May 1st submissions deadline for the 2021 ENnies Awards is fast approaching! Did you know there is a dedicated ENnie award for community content? Somewhat confusingly this category is called 'Best Organised Play':

 

BEST ORGANISED PLAY—These are adventures created for an Organized Play (OP) program, either by the company owning the Intellectual Property (IP) or those given open permission to do so by said company or by a third party commissioned to do so.

 

If you'd like to enter your creations into the ENnies, all the details are at the link: https://ennie-awards.com/entry-form

 

Note: although the judges decide which categories an entry will be considered for, I suggest you note in the Product Description section that your work is an "Organised Play" release for the Jonstown Compendium on DriveThruRPG.

 

Good luck to everyone who enters! If your work is fortunate enough to be shortlisted by the judges we'll certainly promote it when the public vote opens!

 

PS One other bit of advice. On the form, put 'RuneQuest' at the start of the title of your work, e.g. 'RuneQuest - The Smoking Plateau'. That way, if your title does get nominated, the voters will clearly see yours is a RuneQuest release when looking at all the choices. And we'll be sure to be getting as many RuneQuest fans voting as we can.

[Psullie]

Does anyone know what 'the current year’s submission timeframe' means? I checked the FAQ's on the Ennies website and cannot find any specific dates, is it the calendar year?

[Nick Brooke]

2 hours ago, Psullie said:

Does anyone know what 'the current year’s submission timeframe' means? I checked the FAQ's on the Ennies website and cannot find any specific dates, is it the calendar year?

I think it's "starting from when last year's Ennies nominations closed, right up until this year's Ennie's nominations close." But I agree the website is very unclear, and the key dates are not as prominent as they ought to be. Amateurs.

[Goldennose]

I am thinking of doing a source/campaign book for a group of islands in East Isles. Is there some legal issues that I have to think of? Can I use 3ed Gods Book as reference for Island Gods and spells for example?

 

[Nick Brooke]

8 minutes ago, Caras said:

I am thinking of doing a source/campaign book for a group of islands in East Isles. Is there some legal issues that I have to think of? Can I use 3ed Gods Book as reference for Island Gods and spells for example?

The Jonstown Compendium guidelines and FAQ should help: you can find the latter in Facebook's Jonstown Compendium Creators' Circle group, or on Chaosium's blog.

One key thing to avoid (that's come up recently) is that you shouldn't plan on copying or paraphrasing extensively from previously published books. Chaosium doesn't really want you to do this: the idea is that you will use this platform to sell your own creative output, not our old books (perhaps reorganised and/or with some new bits tacked on). If people who own your book need to buy our books to use it, we would see that as a win! Now, for very old, out-of-print and no-longer-available material, we might take a different view, but in every case you would still need to ask.

If you feel the need to quote one or more key passages in your book, you will need to obtain permission from Chaosium (which may not be forthcoming), and you will need to add appropriate copyright and permission statements at the start of your book. This can be done! It has been done! Often! (My books contain plenty of examples; Houses of Teshnos is another recent case in point). But the Jonstown Compendium rules, by themselves, do not permit you to quote or extensively paraphrase Gloranthan material owned by Moon Design Publications.

I'm happy to go into more detail if this would help. We want playable stuff set all over Glorantha, from the Glacier to the Great Wastelands and beyond! But Chaosium is first and foremost a publisher, and wants to sell its own books. 

[Bill the barbarian]

1 hour ago, Nick Brooke said:

One key thing to avoid (that's come up recently) is that you shouldn't plan on copying or paraphrasing extensively from previously published books. Chaosium doesn't really want you to do this: the idea is that you will use this platform to sell your own creative output,

Perhaps do what Austin Conrad does with his Monsters of the Months. Reference the Chaosium product briefly and it’s page number and recommend buying it for more info. He even references your books Nick in the recent MotM, as a great source, gives the name of the product and sends folk to drivethru to buy it!

Quote

In addition, A Rough Guide to Glamour by Gidlow et al., also available on the Jonstown Compendium, provides useful supplementary detail about Lunar culture and belief.

From MotM V2 Issue 4, available from Drive thru soon

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Bill the barbarian

[Nick Brooke]

2 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Perhaps do what Austin Conrad does with his Monsters of the Months. Reference the Chaosium product briefly and it’s page number and recommend buying it for more info. He even references your books Nick, as great sources where applicable, gives name of product and sends folk to drivethru to buy it!

The old and updated FAQs cover this pretty well, to be honest, especially with the James Lowder Addendum on paraphrasing.

Austin Conrad @Crel is doing it exactly right.

And my books are always great sources! Everyone should buy them!

[Bill the barbarian]

Alright Nick, howdya do that. I had not even posted when you responded!

ETA sorcery!

Edited April 30, 2021 by Bill the barbarian

[RandomNumber]

Hello,

Apologies if this is a rather foolish question.

After a 25+ year hiatus I have started writing some RQ material and am using the Jonstown Compendium templates to do so.  For one thing they are lovely and for another it will make the job of sharing the material easier in the future (should I be brave enough).

However, I'm using Word and noticed that the Word template has different Header formats (Albertus and dark red) to the PDF templates (Georgia and dark red then a bronze colour). The published material seems to use the PDF template not the Word template. 

Could anyone please tell me the font settings for the PDF template headers as I would like to adopt them in my Word documents?

Many thanks,

 

 

 

[Nick Brooke]

The header formats in InDesign that created the section you've pasted on the right are:

• Header 1: Gentium Basic, Bold, 18 pt, Small Caps, coloured "RuneQuest Vermillion"
• Header 2: Gentium Basic, Bold, 16 pt, Small Caps, coloured "RuneQuest Copper"
• Header 3: Gentium Basic, Bold, 14 pt, coloured "RuneQuest Copper"
• Stat Sub-head: Minion Pro (same as body text), Bold, 11 pt.
• Body Text: Minion Pro, 11 pt.

All of the above have optical kerning set to +50; the nearest equivalent in Word would be to bump up the character spacing (Font > Advanced > Spacing > Expanded) by a bit, but it won't be exactly the same.

RuneQuest Vermillion is C21 M100 Y100 K39, same as R134 G17 B20 or hex #861114. (Please note that this colour exceeds 240% total ink coverage and cannot be used in our print-on-demand books - I always swap it for RuneQuest Crimson, C22 M100 Y100 K18 = R167 G30 B34)

RuneQuest Copper is C28 M58 Y99 K9, same as R180 G114 B43 or hex #B4722B.

Finally, please remember that you can change the Chaosium templates as much or as little as you like for your own publications.

[Nick Brooke]

You'll also want to install the Albertus MT Standard font if you're using Chaosium's Word template - it isn't showing up in your screenshot on the left.