Best places for a Lunar game in 1625?

[DannyK]

Now that The Lunar Way has come out, I am thinking about running a Lunar game for a few friends and wondering where to set it. In the early setting around 1621, the Lunars are all over the gameable environments of Prax, Pavis, and Sartar.  After the Dragonrise, they’re in retreat all over the map and focused on internal issues. 

Where would be a good place to set a Lunars game in 1625? Lunar Tarsh seems like an obvious option, anything else? Surviving Lunar colonists lying low in the  Grantlands?

Is it tenable to play a wandering band of Lunars exploring Genertela without getting into a lot of fights with angry locals?

[metcalph]

There are Lunars in Ralios, Fronela and Kralorela who thrive without the protection of the Emperor.  I'm sure they could wander all over Genertela and just be seen as exotic strangers.  

[DannyK]

I forgot Imther, the book “Edge of Empire” looks very appealing but I don’t know much about it.

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, DannyK said:

Now that The Lunar Way has come out, I am thinking about running a Lunar game for a few friends and wondering where to set it.

Where would be a good place to set a Lunars game in 1625?

I think there are four reasonably good starting points, but really depends on what you want out of a Lunar game.

1) Glamour - the heart of the Lunar Empire, and very much an urban setting/game. Would recommend Citizens of the Lunar Empire and Rough Guide to Glamour if you want to go in this direction. Citizens has a lot of potential adventure hooks, and you could run it like a fantasy soap opera. 

2) Furthest/Tarsh - the centerpoint for Lunar provincial campaign. While the Lunars have been forced back into Tarsh due to the Dragonrise, they've still got plenty of power here. Would recommend the Furthest book for this along with Chaosium's Lands of RQ: Dragon Pass (which has a good overall survey of Tarsh). If you like a more martial group add in Peter Hart's Adventurers in the Lunar Provinces which has character background for soldiers as well as his Hydra adventure. You could certainly have characters (merchants, etc.) who are dealing with the fallout from the Dragonrise.

3) Dorastor - Simon Phipp's extended works cover this area on the fringe of the Lunar Empire. Lots of Chaos though. Could be tied into a Tarsh campaign if you're trying to gain Chaos allies against Sartar. Otherwise, you're trying to survive in a rather hostile environment.

4) Imther - my Edge of Empire focuses on this smaller Lunar province along the border with Balazar (so can be extended with the RQ Classic Griffin Mountain and Jon Hunter's Back to Balazar). Imther is a cultural mix - Lunars, Yelmalions, Earth cults, and Orlanthi coexisting but dealing with their own leadership issues and increasing rebellion against the Lunars. Edge of Empire includes local clan and character backgrounds (and sandbox events) so you can craft adventures dealing with dwarfs (in the mountains), rebels, rival clans, and the aftermath of the dragonrise.

[jajagappa]

Actually there is a fifth locale as well: the Arrolian city-states of Fronela. The JC work Red Moon and Warring Kingdoms covers that area. It's written for 13th Age Glorantha rather than RQ, but all the details about cultures, etc. are all applicable.

[Godlearner]

7 hours ago, jajagappa said:

3) Dorastor - Simon Phipp's extended works cover this area on the fringe of the Lunar Empire. Lots of Chaos though. Could be tied into a Tarsh campaign if you're trying to gain Chaos allies against Sartar. Otherwise, you're trying to survive in a rather hostile environment.

For Lunars, this is a real playground. It works well no matter which view of Chaos you take. 

[soltakss]

11 hours ago, jajagappa said:

3) Dorastor - Simon Phipp's extended works cover this area on the fringe of the Lunar Empire. Lots of Chaos though. Could be tied into a Tarsh campaign if you're trying to gain Chaos allies against Sartar. Otherwise, you're trying to survive in a rather hostile environment.

These are co-written by Leon Kirshtein (Godlearner).

The Lunars are part of the founding charter of the Renekotling Clan, so they are an established presence. Dorastor itself has the Other Broo Legion (A bunch of Yanafal Tarnils Broo soldiers), the Mad Sultanate (Crazed Lunars covered in the forthcoming Holiday Dorastor: Perilous Plains), and Etyries Merchants with trading stations dotted throughout Dorastor. The Lunars have an aim to cure the Mad Sultan and incorporate the Mad Sultanate back into the Lunar Empire. They also want to increase their presence in Dorastor, through trade and conversion. With Hahlgrim's War being partly sponsored by the Lunars, there is going to be more opportunities for a Lunar Campaign in the future.

3 hours ago, Godlearner said:

For Lunars, this is a real playground. It works well no matter which view of Chaos you take. 

Yes, Lunars can be of the "Chaos is objectively bad, so we should kill it", "Chaos is neither good nor bad, it just is", or "Chaos can be a force for good, so we should embrace it", and all fit nicely into Dorastor. I can see a party of Lunar Adventurers doing well in the Dorastor Campaign.

 

[Soccercalle]

It really depends. But a Lunar Tarsh campaign focused on intrigue and the dart war between Pharandros and Fazzur would be very tempting. At least if you want to ”tie-in” to the Hero Wars.

[svensson]

Lunar Tarsh IS the obvious answer, but Jonstown Compendium has published quite a bit about the Empire so you have a selection there.

I personally think a Grantlands campaign where Lunars have to survive the purges of 1625-7 would be damned interesting and there's a lot of pathways that could follow. OTOH, that'd be a HELL of a lot of work too... If you do think to head that direction, let me suggest the RuneQuest Starter Set Adventure Book. It contains a very realistic adventure for a party assisting some Lunars hiding out in the city of Jonstown after the Dragonrise.

[Zebraman1]

I'm pretty sure @Jeff has written before about how after the initial uprisings following the Dragonrise Lunars in Sartar who stayed weren't killed out of hand. Playing a group of Lunars who for some reason have decided to stay in a city like Boldhome might be good if the PCs are interested in playing the other side of being a pro occupier faction after Liberation.