Adventure for two begginers?

[Jape_Vicho]

Last summer I successfully ran the marvelous CoC adventure "The Haunting" for two family members who had never played TTRPG games, and they loved it. Now we are planning another session in the following weeks. I love CoC, but I love RQ even more, and wanted to try to get them into it, but I'm having trouble thinking of a pre-written adventure that is short and suitable for two PCs, so I wanted to ask for help here. Does anyone have experience GMing for only 2 PCs, preferably for total Glorantha virgins, and wants to share some wisdom?

I think most RQ adventures are a bit too combat heavy for only 2 players, or too long. Cattle Raid has that problem IMO, too long and too dangerous. A rough landing seems a little better? Maybe by cutting on some enemies?  I'm open to check out adventures on the Jonstown Compendium ofc.

[DreadDomain]

Not sure I have a lot of wisdom to share but I have played The Broken Tower (from the Quickstart) and A Rough Landing with my 2 daughters who were playing Vasana and Yanioth. I had played Call of Cthulhu with them previously, so they had a grasp of how BRP works but as my youngest said, the characters in RQ have a lot more options to play with. While CoC is super easy to manage, mainly d100 rolls with level of successes with options to spend Luck or push rolls. Even combat in CoC is quite seamless. RQ, being more complex, I had to help them manage spells and what they do, explain what the runes mean, and how they interrelate with the spells.

For combat, the strike rank tracker from the Starter Set was really useful for them to understand when they were supposed to act. I was also managing the attack/defense matrices myself because having the players manage the results themselves always pull them out of the story and engulf them in the mechanics.   

[jajagappa]

59 minutes ago, Jape_Vicho said:

Does anyone have experience GMing for only 2 PCs, preferably for total Glorantha virgins, and wants to share some wisdom?

My current group is 2-3 PC's, and none are combat-oriented. As the characters include a merchant, a wagon driver, and a sage, they basically comprise a small trade caravan. The focus of their activities is on trade (naturally) and serving as investigators for their current patron. They've got an NPC bodyguard for some protection.

As I tend to create my own scenarios, I can't comment particularly on ones that are available. However, if you gear scenarios towards stealth, investigation, and problem solving vs. combat (i.e. much as you would with CoC), it should work fine.

[Nick Brooke]

I think my JC scenario The Duel at Dangerford would work just fine with two players, as long as one of them is a warrior.

(I wouldn't recommend it for @jajagappa's group, mind you...)

[Ian Absentia]

Going a little off-script, I've had my best success in introducing one or two new players to Glorantha through loosely adapting classic fairytales.  Young people learning the rules of the real world, but subbing in details from Glorantha.  My favorite for a single player has been "The Herd Boy's Dilemma" which is really just Jack and the Beanstalk/The Hobyahs; for two players, a variation on Hansel and Gretel/Red Riding Hood works well.  Both feature peripheral introductions to Gloranthan cultures and customs; deep dives into the specifics have not gone over well.  The surprise that monsters can talk and may even have rights alone may be worth the price of admission.  The Woodsman-in-the-Wings, ready to save the PCs if things go too wrong, is usually a member of an exotic cult or military order who serves as a springboard for local-yokels to leave home and see the world.

!i!

[Note: It occurred to me that the scenarios I described above were used pre-RQG, when starting characters were far less competent.  However, for an introductory adventure, perhaps more focused characters would be less daunting to new players.  A couple of specialty skills/abilities, no laundry lists of background details.]

Edited August 6, 2023 by Ian Absentia

[Nick Brooke]

When I retold a classic fairy tale for Glorantha, the “Woodsman in the Wings” was Zorak Zoran (singing a Tree Chopping Song).

[Akhôrahil]

”Cattle Raid” in the GM screen pack should work. Cut away an opponent or two if you want to balance it.

[Austin]

On 8/6/2023 at 5:01 AM, Jape_Vicho said:

I think most RQ adventures are a bit too combat heavy for only 2 players, or too long. Cattle Raid has that problem IMO, too long and too dangerous. A rough landing seems a little better? Maybe by cutting on some enemies?  I'm open to check out adventures on the Jonstown Compendium ofc.

I'd try out the second adventure in the Starter Set - its name is something about Fire, can't recall exactly. On the upside, it's got investigation which should help mesh their CoC experience. On the downside, it's got investigation which may make them feel RQG is too similar to CoC. "The Pairing Stones" in The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories would also work well. It's probably got one fight or duel in it, but a lot of it is social interaction and engagement. It's a contender for my personal favorite RQG adventure.

@Lordabdul's A Short Detour could be interesting. It has a pretty tough fight at the end, but I think it has potential to be a striking introduction to Glorantha's polytheistic relativism. I'd recommend reducing the final combat to just 1 or 2 antagonists (however the story plays out). The White Upon the Hills could also be a fun intro adventure - though I'll admit I remember less about its difficulty level than these other suggestions. It does a good job playing into the mythic/religious themes of the setting, which I tend to think is good for attracting new players.

From my own stuff, The Queen's Star could work well. I tried to set it up for cinematic action w/ one gritty duel at the end. You definitely could murderhobo it, but intense combat isn't required. If you played it with one warrior & one non-warrior from the pregens I'd recommend having the warrior deal with snobby Fire aristocrats, and the non-warrior interact with the plebs, until they piece together the clues and start breaking things themselves. (Don't worry if something breaks; it's supposed to break.)

[JRE]

Many people consider it a cop out, but you can add some NPCs to help them in combat scenarios, mainly to change the odds, not to roll the dice and steal the focus. So you do not reduce the opposition, but the thane and two warriors you convinced to help you distract the guards so you can focus on the main villain. If you win, victory is assured, if you lose, who cares about what happens on the side.

As we have only two PCs, they actually travel as a small caravan or mule train, depending on terrain, including one or two hired guards, sometimes a fellow traveler capable of defending themselves. And usually, if in a mission from a temple they can get some guards / minders, such as having always a half file with them in Sun County. A bother, but helpful in case of a fight.

[smiorgan]

I suggest running Vinga's Ford available in the Jonstown Compendium on Drivethru - by Beer with Teeth.

It has a strong theme, a little investigation, exciting but simple combats.

One thing that works well with beginners is exploring the RQ subsystems in isolation. Combat+Magic+Spirit Combat+Runes+Passions in one scene can be overwhelming. But you can create a fun experience by setting up a series of scenes where these systems are used in isolation or in combination with simple skill rolls.

Roll relevant passion or Rune to augment a skill in a social context.

Track and hunt non-dangerous animals (use stealth and missile weapons)

Fight non-magic using and non-parrying monsters.

Face a danger or trap and risk getting hurt out of combat.

Use magic out of combat, to heal or to investigate.

Have spirits engage the characters in spirit combat.

Have the adventure occur around a relevant holy day so that characters can worship their gods.

Do not forget to play the end of season phase after the adventure with experience rolls and everything.

 

 

[Brootse]

The Broken Tower is an exellent starter adventure. The Money Tree from the 3rd edition is imo an even better starter adventure, even if it is somewhat less Gloranthan.