A Quick Review of the RuneQuest Starter Set

[svensson]

This is a cut-and-paste from my 'Starter Set Ordered' topic on the Glorantha thread.

 

I got the box this morning and I'm equally impressed with it.

It's far, FAR more than 'RQ Lite', which is what I rather expected it to be. It's more like 'Intro to Glorantha' and I couldn't be happier about that.

First let me say that the maps are a VAST improvement over those in the RQG main rules. Legible, clear, and copyable for handouts. Excellent work there.

The Rules booklet [Book 1] is 'rules lite' to some degree, but not as much as many other efforts. It's 61 pages of the essential mechanics and it touches ALL the high points: basic skill rolls, all three forms of magic, worship, the economy, the environmental effects [falls, disease, extreme temps, etc.]. There's everything you need to play the game in those pages. Please note: it does NOT include character generation, but there are plenty of pre-gens supplied, see below.

Book 2 is 'The World of Glorantha' where the mythology and history of Glorantha is introduced. You also get a full-fledged city in Jonstown and its surrounding clan politics. It's a more generic, city-centered extension of The Red Cow Saga and is based after the Battle of Dangerford.

Book 3 was the one I had the most anticipation for... the Solo Quest. In it, we follow the iconic heroine Vasana Farnathsdaughter as she fights the Battle of Dangerford with Prince Kallyr's warband. As with all RQ SoloQuests, these adventure result in good things [Vasana being hailed a hero as Sartarite troops celebrate in the defeated Lunar's camp -- an Ancients warfare trope if ever there was one] to Vasana dying ignominiously. The rules are fully explored, from worship, to Passions, to actual battle with opponents fully as skilled as she is [and therefore very dangerous indeed]. I had great anticipation for this booklet, and those anticipations were met very well.

Book 4 is 'The Adventures Book', wherein we deal with the fall out from the Battle of Dangerford and return to the Rainbow Mounds -- and find out that there are more dangerous things in the dark than White-Eye the Troll!

We also get another half dozen fully generated Player Characters, including a Humakti, a Eurmal tattooist, a White Healer of Chalana Arroy, a Sartarite Storm Bull, a Pure Horse People Maran Gor [nope, not Yelm!], a Sable Rider from Prax [nope, NOT a Waha, Eiritha OR a Seven Mothers] and a 'civilized' Axe Sister of Babeester Gor.

Additional resources included are a set of dice, a couple of blank character sheets, a small quick reference document, a strike rank tracker for combat, and maps of Northern Sartar and the Rainbow Mounds large enough to game on.

The artwork is superb, as we have come to expect from this Great Reboot of Our Favorite Game.

If I have any complaint at all, it is this: the covers of the booklets are paper, not cardstock. Care will have to be taken to avoid tearing in use. All in all, that's a pretty minor issue considering the very reasonable price-point of $ 29.99 USD.

Let me also offer a personal note:

I'm privileged to be a friend of one of the Original Rune Questers, Sven Lugar. It was VERY heartwarming to see him recognized and referred to in the product. My wife and I got a particular laugh out of a 'Sven' playing Harmast in listed combat examples. It was a 'happy smile moment', which is very different from my usual 'sarcastic laugh' moments.

[Nevun]

On 11/20/2021 at 6:10 AM, svensson said:

 

If I have any complaint at all, it is this: the covers of the booklets are paper, not cardstock. Care will have to be taken to avoid tearing in use.

That's probably the only complaint I have too. The artwork is superb. The Pregen characters will be very useful. But I can't see the books lasting anything like some of the original 2nd ed books.

[jajagappa]

5 minutes ago, Nevun said:

But I can't see the books lasting anything like some of the original 2nd ed books.

As long as they hold up as well as most of my 3rd ed covers I'll be happy.

[svensson]

20 hours ago, jajagappa said:

As long as they hold up as well as most of my 3rd ed covers I'll be happy.

Then I'd advise you to keep the booklets stored in the box! The US publisher issued RQ3 with comparatively sturdy cardstock covers and good quality paper, so they've lasted through continued use. Barring, of course, the occasional coffee ring [on the cover of my River of Cradles .. my own damned fault] 🙂🙂

[Baron Wulfraed]

1 hour ago, svensson said:

Then I'd advise you to keep the booklets stored in the box! The US publisher issued RQ3 with comparatively sturdy cardstock covers and good quality paper, so they've lasted through continued use. Barring, of course, the occasional coffee ring [on the cover of my River of Cradles .. my own damned fault] 🙂🙂

My Avalon Hill "Deluxe Edition" box set for RQ3 has 0.004" thick cover paper. The current Starter Set has gloss finished covers of 0.003" -- but due to the glossy finish "feel" more durable.

[jajagappa]

18 hours ago, svensson said:

The US publisher issued RQ3 with comparatively sturdy cardstock covers and good quality paper

Neither the RQ3 box set nor the Gods of Glorantha box set had cardstock covers - that was only with the individual books (e.g. Into the Troll Realms or the later Sun County, etc.). 

17 hours ago, Baron Wulfraed said:

My Avalon Hill "Deluxe Edition" box set for RQ3 has 0.004" thick cover paper. The current Starter Set has gloss finished covers of 0.003"

Yes, that sounds about right.  The Starter Set is much more colorful though!

[Kloster]

4 hours ago, jajagappa said:

The Starter Set is much more colorful though!

Not very difficult, though!

[svensson]

5 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Neither the RQ3 box set nor the Gods of Glorantha box set had cardstock covers - that was only with the individual books (e.g. Into the Troll Realms or the later Sun County, etc.). 

Yes, that sounds about right.  The Starter Set is much more colorful though!

 

5 hours ago, jajagappa said:

On 11/23/2021 at 10:30 AM, svensson said:

The US publisher issued RQ3 with comparatively sturdy cardstock covers and good quality paper

Neither the RQ3 box set nor the Gods of Glorantha box set had cardstock covers - that was only with the individual books (e.g. Into the Troll Realms or the later Sun County, etc.). 

 

Ah, those. Yes, you're right about the 'AH in boxes' sets. I always kept them in the boxes for storage so they've lasted a good while, but it is true that the Gods of Glorantha booklet took more of a beating than the others.