Alternate Cults in RQ

[skarl]

Has anyone done alternate cults in their RQ settings?

I was never a big Glorantha fan myself, but I like the monsters and basics, so RQ6 is a definite winner for me.

Since most characters use magic in RQ I decided to go with a Dunsanian base, using the Gods of Pegana as my core pantheon and branching out from there to include various deities of monsters and villains from a variety of sources (including Mythos deities and some CAS gods as well), most of which are merely tucked into the category of the Thousand Home Gods.

Using the work of Lord Dunsany as a core and as a big fan of his writing (my username is a character from his writing) I am trying to emulate a sort of Dreamlands like quality into my setting as Dunsany inspired Lovecraft to create the Dreamlands and obviously borrowing material from that supplement will meld in well.

Has anyone else created pantheons for their RQ games? I did a Google search for similar ideas, but didn't find anything.

[Baragei]

I tried drumming up a similar question on Reddit(http://www.reddit.com/r/Runequest/), but the worm was left wriggling on the hook.

[skarl]

Sheesh. I would have thought someone else was running alternate pantheons. It seems natural to branch out and house rule that sort of thing.

[Harshax]

Tal Meta once did the entire Greyhawk pantheon in RQ3 stats and it was AMAZING.

http://talmeta.net

You might need to email him.

[soltakss]

Has anyone done alternate cults in their RQ settings?

What do you mean by alternate cults?

If you mean cults that are not described in RQ/BRP/Legend then yes - have a look at the websites in my signature for some examples.

If you mean variants of cults that have been described then I have done a few.

If you mean brand new pantheons, then I haven't done many as most of my gaming is in Glorantha. Merrie England contains a writeup for the "Pantheons" of medieval Catholic Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

I was never a big Glorantha fan myself, but I like the monsters and basics, so RQ6 is a definite winner for me.

Since most characters use magic in RQ I decided to go with a Dunsanian base, using the Gods of Pegana as my core pantheon and branching out from there to include various deities of monsters and villains from a variety of sources (including Mythos deities and some CAS gods as well), most of which are merely tucked into the category of the Thousand Home Gods.

Using the work of Lord Dunsany as a core and as a big fan of his writing (my username is a character from his writing) I am trying to emulate a sort of Dreamlands like quality into my setting as Dunsany inspired Lovecraft to create the Dreamlands and obviously borrowing material from that supplement will meld in well.

Sounds good to me.

Has anyone else created pantheons for their RQ games? I did a Google search for similar ideas, but didn't find anything.

Pantheons tend to be very setting-specific and can take a lot of work.

I wrote up some Dark Age cults at http://www.soltakss.com/indexnongloranthan.html#aePantheons but they are very sketchy indeed.

It all depends on what you are after.

I would love to see the major pantheons of Mythic Earth written up (Celtic, Viking, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Babylonian, Canaanite, Aztec, Mayan, Incan and so on) but I can't find anyone who has done that yet.

[threedeesix]

Tal Meta once did the entire Greyhawk pantheon in RQ3 stats and it was AMAZING.

http://talmeta.net

You might need to email him.

Wow, a name from the past! Harshax, where yah been?

Rod

[Harshax]

Been on hiatus from gaming but RQ6 brought me back. Thanks for the warm welcome!

[seneschal]

Re: Realism Rule #1 ...

... but if I wanted gritty realism, I'd go watch the news instead of role-playing. In a game, I want to be able to one-punch King Kong, fire freakin' laser beams from assorted portions of my anatomy, leap through the air like a wuxia star, outsmart the combined intellects of Lex Luthor and Doctor Doom, and radiate such suavity that I make James Bond look like Rick Moranis.

[Baron]

Dammit Seneschal, how do I +1 / Kudos your comment?!

[tzunder]

I am writing some up for my setting. There's a simple set of 4 in Book Of Quests.

We'd love to see your writeups.

[skarl]

I am writing some up for my setting. There's a simple set of 4 in Book Of Quests.

We'd love to see your writeups.

Thank you for the replies, everyone.

Tzunder, I will do writeups of the Gods of Pegana as well as other deities of a similar sort. I am toying with making a blog for my game, which I just might do. I have written an OSR blog for nearly 4 years now as as well as dipping into an X-plorers blog too, so i might be able to pull of an RQ blog.

[1000buffalo]

I kinda enjoyed the alt cults from Monster Island. I don't recall seeing them in previous RQ materials.

[Pete Nash]

I kinda enjoyed the alt cults from Monster Island. I don't recall seeing them in previous RQ materials.

You wouldn't have, since they are my own delusional takes on deities mentioned in passing by CAS. But for the most part they are somewhat Dunsany-esque in their morally questionable, frivolous way. Monster Island is packed with alternative cults for animists, sorcerers and theists.

[1000buffalo]

You wouldn't have, since they are my own delusional takes on deities mentioned in passing by CAS. But for the most part they are somewhat Dunsany-esque in their morally questionable, frivolous way. Monster Island is packed with alternative cults for animists, sorcerers and theists.

I was being a bit coy ... I was pretty sure they were all new in RQ history. But I like.

[skarl]

You wouldn't have, since they are my own delusional takes on deities mentioned in passing by CAS. But for the most part they are somewhat Dunsany-esque in their morally questionable, frivolous way. Monster Island is packed with alternative cults for animists, sorcerers and theists.

And I believe that is the best template to use, as presented in Monster Island,which I just received a couple of days ago and have been devouring (I love the nods to CAS, by the way).

It would be interesting to have a database of deities for a GM or player to use in their games to add variety. At least in my opinion.

[TGryph]

I did my homebrew cult writeups for RQ6, very heavily influenced by the ones in the Cults of Glorantha. I also did a writeup for the Cult of She Whe Dwells Beneath the Black Water for my scenario in Book Of Quests, but it was deleted for space. Cult writeups are very easy, especially if you have a copy of the aforementioned Cults of Glorantha.

Tryph

[BryanMaloney]

I just put up a cult for the Angelcyningdom campaign I am planning, it's the second message in the thread.

http://basicroleplaying.com/showthread.php/3658-Niwe-Angelcyningdom

[BryanMaloney]

I do not remember if I already posted this or not, so I'll post it. I have started writing cults up, and the first one (Gaderunglice Cyric--Congregational Church) has been posted on these boards at http://basicroleplaying.com/showthread.php/3658-Niwe-Angelcyningdom. I suppose it would count as "alternate" and just post a link to avoid cluttering up this thread. If I have already posted this, but the post just hasn't shown up, simply consider me silly and absent-minded. The writeup is, of course, subject to revision. It amounts to my attempt to develop a set of Cristlic (Christian) template writeups for RuneQuest. Before anyone gets upset, I'm a Christian, myself.

[tzunder]

I did my homebrew cult writeups for RQ6, very heavily influenced by the ones in the Cults of Glorantha. I also did a writeup for the Cult of She Whe Dwells Beneath the Black Water for my scenario in Book Of Quests, but it was deleted for space. Cult writeups are very easy, especially if you have a copy of the aforementioned Cults of Glorantha.

Tryph

Can you post it here?

[tzunder]

Ok, so the lure of cults in Monster Island and new beasties caught me and whilst I was there, well it would have been rude not to buy one of the last collectors' editions.. wouldn't it?

[smjn]

Ok, so the lure of cults in Monster Island and new beasties caught me and whilst I was there, well it would have been rude not to buy one of the last collectors' editions.. wouldn't it?

Well, it depends on how many you owned already. If you had more than one, then it probably was more rude to prevent someone else from having their only copy.

[QueenJadisOfCharn]

I want to write up a couple of alternative Cults for my own use. One is a Cult of Wakboth (still Glorantha, but Cacodemon is the closest to this actually existing) and another of Melkor/Morgoth. I want the Devil and crypto-Satan to be frenemies, keeping each other in check for their own reasons; all the while a little miffed at Kajabor for being too weird to be useful. Throwing some Young Kingdoms and Lovecraft in there. Cult of Azathoth/Nyralathotep. My Universes are not nice places to visit.