A Runequest reading list

[Sparklelord]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for a somewhat prioritized Runequest/Glorantha reading list.

I have just started up Runequest and read the basic materials, ie. the boxed starter set and the rulebook, beastiary, GM screen materials. But now I am a little confused as to what books I should consider buying and reading next to get a good idea of the Glorantha setting and be able to provide detailed backgrounds and descriptions for my players.

I come from the King of Dragon Pass and Six Ages games, so my main image of Glorantha is "it's very fantastic and deliciously random."

Just making it all up is a time honoured tradition for me, but I like to have a base for my imagination. And since Glorantha honestly is quite inspiring, I would like to know more of the setting.

Is there a sort of recommended reading list?

I would for example like to know the merits of reading the cult books versus the Glorantha guide set. In what order should the cult books be read? Is the Red Book of Magic great enough in material presentation to be a must read? Is the item book very optional? Are any of the story books good for playing or idea mining?
That sort of concerns.

Does anyone have good advice?

[Scotty]

If you are playing in Dragon Pass, the new Lightbringers and Earth Goddesses are a must, followed by the soon to be published Mythology book.

This may also help: Content Comparison of the Glorantha Sourcebook with the Guide to Glorantha.

Ultimately it's a wallet vs interest call, you're going to get lots of differing opinions about this!

[Squaredeal Sten]

Just to read background, both history and myth, you might get the Glorantha Sourcebook.  https://www.chaosium.com/the-glorantha-sourcebook-hardcover/.

To get some of the original RQ2 charm, buy Cults of Prax and read Biturian's adventures.  Yes some of the cults are in there and it's generally a good orientation on them also,  but those RQ2 writeups are being superceded by the RQiG cults books as they come out.

But a lot of the setting is included in the RuneQuest in Glorantha rules, which are not just rules.  Have you studied the homelands section of that yet?  Just asking what you have read to date.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by Squaredeal Sten
Spelling / typing

[mfbrandi]

If you haven’t already, try browsing the Well of Daliath — that may give you an idea of which topics are going to interest you, then picking the books which are right for you should be easier. And you will learn that there are Theyalan words for ratite (perhaps not so surprising) and prokaryote (which was maybe not so obvious).

IMHO, the Guide to Glorantha can be a bit of a slog, so if you are not mad keen on fantasy atlases and money is tight, I wouldn’t make it a priority. It is a useful reference, though.

3 hours ago, Sparklelord said:

Are any of the story books good for playing or idea mining?

Do you mean things like King of Sartar and The Complete Griselda? KoS is better to have read than it is to read, but it doubtless has loads of nickable ideas. Griselda is fun and a reminder of what RPGs were like back in the day (when one didn’t have to say “TTRPG” to be understood).

Enjoy! 😉

[jajagappa]

6 hours ago, Sparklelord said:

I have just started up Runequest and read the basic materials, ie. the boxed starter set and the rulebook, beastiary, GM screen materials. But now I am a little confused as to what books I should consider buying and reading next to get a good idea of the Glorantha setting and be able to provide detailed backgrounds and descriptions for my players.

Given where you are coming from, here's my suggestions:

• Glorantha Sourcebook - helps put some context/summary around the setting, places, and deities
• Cults of RuneQuest - the Lightbringers and the Earth Goddesses books are indispensable to understanding more about these deities for your players and their character backgrounds
• Weapons and Equipment - this is much more than just a list of weapons and equipment, but covers trade, unique items, and a lot of detail to flesh out the world

Stop at that point and let yourself absorb the above. Then determine where you want to go from there.

Other notes:

• Red Book of Magic - is useful if you want all spells in one handy reference.
• Cults of RuneQuest - the Prosopaedia is useful if you want a handy reference for lots of deities
• Pegasus Plateau, The Smoking Ruins - scenario books that allow you to continue campaigns for your players if you like pre-made scenarios

There's also lots of content available on the Jonstown Compendium - sourcebooks for particular places, scenarios, extended campaigns, overviews of warfare or sailing the coasts. Any of which might be useful once you've got an idea of how you want to move forward.

 

[Jason Farrell]

I'll be that guy who adds that, dependent on your particular interests and the interests of your players, there are some JC (Jonstown Compendium) books that you may find as essential or moreso than some of the official, Chaosium produced books.

For example, are one or more of your players interested in playing Hsunchen?  Then Children of Hykim is something you need.  Plan to run a campaign in Esrolia/Nochet?  Then you're going to want to check out the Nochet: Queen of Cities book by Harald Smith.  Planning to venture into Sun County?  There's a whole series of great Sun County books.  And so on. 

[Brian Duguid]

You've had some good recommendations above. I'll especially second the recommendations for the Glorantha Sourcebook, and all the pointers towards the Jonstown Compendium. This is a very good starting point:

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/421667/jonstown-compendium-catalogue-2022&affiliate_id=1107865

However, I'll take issue with one thing.

On 9/29/2023 at 9:10 AM, Sparklelord said:

I have just started up Runequest and read the basic materials, ie. the boxed starter set and the rulebook, beastiary, GM screen materials. But now I am a little confused as to what books I should consider buying and reading next to get a good idea of the Glorantha setting and be able to provide detailed backgrounds and descriptions for my players.

You already have all the books you need to do that. Everything from here onwards is just gravy.