Lordabdul Posted December 6, 2021 Author Share Posted December 6, 2021 The Journal of Runic Studies #25 is out! Advice for new Glorantha gamemasters, new Jonstown Compendium releases, LOTS of comments on Jeff's latest notes, a whole bunch of RuneQuest mentions around the web, and some ancient warfare expertise, and more! 1 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted December 13, 2021 Author Share Posted December 13, 2021 The Journal of Runic Studies #26 is out! Early reviews of the RuneQuest Weapons & Equipment book, news of Elfpak, Gloranthan blog and miniatures round-up, where to build your village, and more! I keep seeing the number of subscribers and visitors growing, so thanks to everybody reading it, and especially the few people who send feedback, corrections, or just a simple "this is nice"! 2 1 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted December 20, 2021 Author Share Posted December 20, 2021 The Journal of Runic Studies #27 is out! A new #Glorantha newbie interview, Jonstown Compendium releases, lots of notes from Jeff with the usual (hopefully insightful!) annotations and commentary, and more! 2 1 1 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted December 27, 2021 Author Share Posted December 27, 2021 The Journal of Runic Studies #28 is out! Seasonal correspondences between Glorantha and Earth, an in-dept RuneQuest Starter Set review, LOTS of Jeff notes, where to find Phoenicians, and more! 1 2 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 From a snow lodge somewhere in northern Fronela, the Journal of Runic Studies #29 is out! Several miniatures-related news and pictures, the last Monster of the Month, annotated Jeff notes on Jrustela, Harrek, heroquesting, a new RQG podcast, and more! 1 2 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted January 10, 2022 Author Share Posted January 10, 2022 The Journal of Runic Studies #30 is out! New gamemaster month, lots of annotated Jeff posts on everything Malkioni, some nice art and miniatures to look at, and more! Disclaimer: I didn't know much about Malkioni lore until this weekend, so feel free to correct me or add to my annotations here! 3 3 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrentS Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 (edited) I really enjoyed this last edition of the journal (what an enormous amount of work to put these out so regularly, thank you). I didn't know a lot of detail about Malkionism.....for me it's always been part of the far away something other that is the backdrop of core Dragon Pass/Praxian Glorantha.....but in simplistic terms I've understood it to be a Gloranthan equivalent of gnosticism, a belief in individual human connection to some vague, all pervasive, all powerful but insensate cosmic principle (in this case, the Invisible God). Your summation supports and develops that idea, I think. I'd suggest that the ancestor cult angle is a form of veneration, rather than worship, a way to emulate and tap into the success of predecessors who successfully channeled the higher power, for the personal benefit of the individual, as you've said. Of course, given that it has been such a pervasive belief system across many cultures through a long stretch of Gloranthan history, it will have variation in different times and places, and may have taken on the flavour of ancestor or even deity worship in some regions. I also think it's great that it's open to interpretation and not clearly defined, as befits the nature of both gnosticism and Glorantha. All part of the rich and nuanced tapestry of the world. Good stuff 🙂 Brent. Edited January 11, 2022 by BrentS 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted January 13, 2022 Author Share Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) On 1/11/2022 at 2:13 PM, BrentS said: I really enjoyed this last edition of the journal (what an enormous amount of work to put these out so regularly, thank you). Thanks! It's always great to hear, since otherwise it feels a bit like blogging into the void 😅 And yeah it takes a few hours along the week -- I tend to time-box it, so if you spot a lack of annotations on a Jeff Note, or a link to a video with only very minimal commentary, it means I didn't have time to do any research or watch the video or whatever 😋 By the way, if anybody wants to help, I'll gladly take it! Pick a post from Jeff or a Glorantha-related video or article from anywhere, and write a couple paragraphs on it. It would show up as "guest entry by..." -- the only editorial line so far is that it needs to be newbie friendly (i.e. someone who only has the RQG slipcase), and needs to be positive or constructive. On 1/11/2022 at 2:13 PM, BrentS said: I'd suggest that the ancestor cult angle is a form of veneration, rather than worship How do you picture the difference? Edited January 13, 2022 by lordabdul Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrentS Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, lordabdul said: How do you picture the difference? It's probably a spectrum, from simple honouring of deceased ancestors through to active religious devotion. If we were looking at historical precedents.... The imagines (pronounced with a hard "g", not as in the English word "imagines") or death masks of familial ancestors that were kept on display in the houses of Roman patrician families would be at the honouring/veneration end of the spectrum. These served a practical function. They were not only a means of honouring ancestors but visual reminders of the legacy of prominent family members, reinforcing status in society. For funeral processions they were taken down and worn by mourners, again publicly reaffirming family temporal power and status......although given Roman spirituality, you'd also wonder if there were a minor mystic element to symbolically bringing dead family members back to life to walk the streets. Further along the spectrum would be the ancient Greek concept of herodom, with shrines in most poleis dedicated to real or legendary city founders. Greek heroes bridged the mortal and divine (much as they do in Glorantha) and were protected and propitiated through sacrifice for the welfare of the community. This is a more strongly religious / spiritual approach to ancestor worship. The Romans also did this in their own way in the Imperial period with the deification of the genius of deceased Emperors.....which certainly had a political function for unifying the empire but I think it's also clear that there was a state sanctioned belief in the divine power of Rome's premier citizen. The extreme end of the spectrum would be the belief among ancient and tribal peoples across the world in the immediate and enduring presence of their ancestors and the need to ritually appease them to prevent their malign influence and gain their blessing. We can't be certain but the bodies buried directly beneath the floors of the houses of the builders of Catalhoyuk, in close proximity to their living descendants, are highly suggestive of this. I feel like the way spirit cults are represented in Glorantha approaches this sort of direct devotional ancestor worship. On the other hand, the Malkioni humanist approach to spirituality strikes me as pragmatic and rationalist, with its ultimate expression being the God Learners. So I may be completely wrong but it feels to me like they would tend toward honouring ancestors for the legacy of their status and achievements and the reflected temporal power it lends to the worshipper.....with maybe a smidge of mystic overlay....as in the example of the Roman imagines. How this would be handled in mechanical terms in Runequest I don't know. Brent. Edited January 13, 2022 by BrentS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 The Journal of Runic Studies #31 is out! Rick Meints' Chaosium history classes, Alda-churian population, keeping your PCs prisoners, miniatures, and more! 3 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 Oh hey did I miss the one from last week? Sorry about that! (it's here!) The Journal of Runic Studies #33 is out! My first published RuneQuest adventure, characteristic vs skill rolls, annotated notes from Jeff on Grazelanders, Lunar cults, Holy Country cities, and more! 3 1 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 The Journal of Runic Studies #34 is out! Chaosium anecdotes, RuneQuest dice, annotated Jeff Notes on Belintar, Argrath, Moonson, and Safelster, Pavis Companions, eagle hunting, Joerg's thoughts on Baz & Gaz's recent podcasts, and more! 1 1 1 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share Posted February 28, 2022 Apologies, I missed a couple of the last journal issues... meanwhile, the Journal of Runic Studies #37 is out! A return to the RuneQuest Starter Set, CHA bonuses, alcohol in Glorantha, trolls, ducks, kitbashing, an improved rulebook index, mythology in movies, wave rocks, and more! 2 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Duguid Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 The first bit in #37 is missing a link to the Starter Set review update, I believe. Quote -- An Unofficial Buyer's Guide to RuneQuest and Glorantha lists everything currently available for the game and setting, across 60 pages. "Lavishly illustrated throughout, festooned with hyperlinks" - Nick Brooke. The Voralans presents Glorantha's magical mushroom humanoids, the black elves. "A wonderful blend of researched detail and Glorantha crazy" - Austin Conrad. The Children of Hykim documents Glorantha's shape-changing totemic animal people, the Hsunchen. "Stunning depictions of shamanistic totem-animal people, really evocative" - Philip H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted March 2, 2022 Author Share Posted March 2, 2022 17 hours ago, Brian Duguid said: The first bit in #37 is missing a link to the Starter Set review update, I believe. Oops indeed! Thanks. 1 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted March 7, 2022 Author Share Posted March 7, 2022 The Journal of Runic Studies #38 is out! French RuneQuest overview, details on the upcoming Culbrea campaign, Jonstown Compendium sales, annotated information on the Lunars, Coeur de Runes, Mycenae, and more! Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 Looks I I forgot yet another week 😄 Issue #39 is here. But now, the Journal of Runic Studies #40 is out! A new Glorantha Initiation series episode, a fancy map bundle, the Windstop, a big "art history" series, and more! 5 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid a bod yn dwp Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 14 hours ago, lordabdul said: Looks I I forgot yet another week 😄 Issue #39 is here. But now, the Journal of Runic Studies #40 is out! A new Glorantha Initiation series episode, a fancy map bundle, the Windstop, a big "art history" series, and more! Nice work collating all that. I have some broad brush strokes now on Gloranthan artistic styles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Duguid Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 I always enjoy your additional interpretation of the information that has appeared recently. The Gloranthan art pieces did make me laugh though: we've come a long way from what may have been the first ever article on Gloranthan art, back in 1989! I'm still hopeful that there remains a place in Glorantha for Phil Neilson's charming artwork "Anchoritenus and the Grand Flagellation", I wish I had a good quality copy to share here! 1 Quote -- An Unofficial Buyer's Guide to RuneQuest and Glorantha lists everything currently available for the game and setting, across 60 pages. "Lavishly illustrated throughout, festooned with hyperlinks" - Nick Brooke. The Voralans presents Glorantha's magical mushroom humanoids, the black elves. "A wonderful blend of researched detail and Glorantha crazy" - Austin Conrad. The Children of Hykim documents Glorantha's shape-changing totemic animal people, the Hsunchen. "Stunning depictions of shamanistic totem-animal people, really evocative" - Philip H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted March 22, 2022 Author Share Posted March 22, 2022 2 hours ago, Brian Duguid said: Anchoritenus and the Grand Flagellation What book is this found in? Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Duguid Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 Tales of the Reaching Moon #1. The article described by none other than Rick Meints in MIG II as "It started a bad trend". I like to think now that it was very much 33 years ahead of its time 😄 1 Quote -- An Unofficial Buyer's Guide to RuneQuest and Glorantha lists everything currently available for the game and setting, across 60 pages. "Lavishly illustrated throughout, festooned with hyperlinks" - Nick Brooke. The Voralans presents Glorantha's magical mushroom humanoids, the black elves. "A wonderful blend of researched detail and Glorantha crazy" - Austin Conrad. The Children of Hykim documents Glorantha's shape-changing totemic animal people, the Hsunchen. "Stunning depictions of shamanistic totem-animal people, really evocative" - Philip H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oracle Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Wulfraed Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Skulking rat-weasel on left, something staring at its tongue on the right, Boris Badenov in space suit and bent-frame glasses in the middle... And something I'd expect to find in a Penthouse comic behind him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordabdul Posted March 29, 2022 Author Share Posted March 29, 2022 The Journal of Runic Studies #41 is out! The end of the RuneQuest Starter Stream, the Pendragon Battle system, notes on Esrolia and Pavis, various reviews and articles about Glorantha, geomorophological landscapes, and more! 1 Quote Ludovic aka Lordabdul -- read and listen to The God Learners , the Gloranthan podcast, newsletter, & blog ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jajagappa Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 5 hours ago, lordabdul said: notes on Esrolia On your question: I’m not sure what the “Gors” refers to here. It might refer to the Gors of Maran and Babeester? Yes, including Babeester Gor, Maran Gor, and possibly even Gorgorma (Dendara's shadow), given the context that "some are skulls, and some are even terrifying". These are "nymphs" of the dark side of the Earth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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