observations of adopting RQ6 to Glorantha for new players

[GamingGlen]

My group is taking a break from Pathfinder (the regular GM is taking summer classes during our normal play time), so I'm introducing them to RQ.  I'm using RQ6 as the base, with some MRQ2, and RQ3 for Glorantha references (Gods of Glorantha being top on the list) since I'm starting them in Dragon Pass as Sartar barbarians (down with Lunars!).  I even look in the RQ2 hardcover book at times.  Some things I'm finding are...

 

1) as much as I prefer setting-free rules, adopting RQ6 to Glorantha is a damn pain in the ass (read: lots of re-writing, mostly from GoG).  (also, the RQ6 rulebook is way too wordy, but that's another topic)

2) Dragon Pass cult write-ups are spread all over the place.  I have a lot of 3rd party publications as well as some of Stafford's notes.  I feel like I'm working at the research and they (my players) are not even paying me.  I don't even know how much they'll read (maybe I should ask?) even if I try to keep it condense down to basic rules.  I hope there's a quick follow up supplement to the new RQ detailing more about Dragon Pass with all the Orlanthi pantheon cult writeups and perhaps a few others.  If you're going to have a setting built into the rules there better be a lot of information about it somewhere besides on the internet (and from a game store owner's perspective, help me sell more books).  D&D/PF have a near stranglehold on fantasy RPGs around here.

3) Due to watching new players making characters in Traveller and D&D/PF: quick start rules better be quick and concise.  Maybe even have partial pre-gens or templates (want to play a barbarian warrior?  Here's the skill points already allocated for that theme).  I just looked at one of the Free RPG day sci-fi games which states they have quickstart character generation.  HAH!  It's spread about their comic-book-like presentation and confusing as they explain the game mechanics at the same time.  IMO, it all sucks.  I can come up with a better Traveller quick start system (working on one now), but I digress.

 

As an example, the Issaries' spell Create Market I re-wrote for my RQ6 game:

Create Market

Area (tens of meters), Duration (hours), Rank Acolyte

This spell creates an invisible protected zone.  The boundary must be set with seven one-meter long staves carved with the likeness of Issaries before the spell is cast. This spell simulates the effects of the spells Clear Skies, Fortify (applies to structures used for the sale of goods at ½ the effect), and Pacify.

 

The original spell doesn't list how many staves you need.  I went with 7, since that seems to be THE number in Glorantha.  (one could make a mini-adventure about an Issaries trader missing one of his staves and the PCs go search for it, maybe finding that a competitor or his agent has stolen it.  But then, what Issaries trader doesn't carry a spare?)

Another example for Odayla, after reading the Glorantha wiki following links involving the Beast rune (being immune to non-iron was a bit much):

Beast Form Bear

Duration (minutes), Rank Acolyte

(Similar to the Beast Form spell found in the core rules except for the changes written here.)

The caster turns himself into a grizzly bear, retaining his INT, POW, and CHA, but exchanges his STR, CON, SIZ, and DEX values for that of an average grizzly (25, 13, 34, and 13, respectively), plus add 1 to each of those values per point of the spell’s intensity, adjusting skills appropriately.  He gains the natural abilities of the bear, including the natural armor points of the bear’s hide (3).  Also, only iron weapons do their full damage to the bear, all other physical attacks do half damage.

One question I have about this shapechange, what are the skill percentages to use?  The bear's, or the better value of either the bear or the caster?

Thanks for listening, now back to my research and re-writes (I just know my gamers are eagerly awaiting new info I post on our FB group page.. hahahahaha)

[g33k]

1) I like setting-free rules, too, insofar as they allow my group to pick ONE rule-set and learn/know it across all our games, whether sci-fi or fantasy or Weird West or whatever.  BUT this requires any specific pre-existing game-world to have a version of the world implemented within that game-engine; e.g. Glorantha could be run with GURPS, but it'd be a PITA to create all the GUPS-mechanical implementations of the Gloranthan game-world.

I actually like game-world-specific rules, in practice, because the specific worlds are so much a part of the RPG experience for me.

2) MoonDesign's Cult Compendium is Your Friend!

3) I believe the "Mythras Imperative" PDF is a freebie, at least for now.  It should give you a pretty good RQ6 quckstart!  Pre-gen's are even quicker (for the players), of course!

Edited June 21, 2016 by g33k
fixed typo

[Roko Joko]

Sounds like you've done your homework but just in case:

What's not all over the place is Gloranthan Cult Onepagers which is a big fan project to collect adaptations of writeups for RQ6.  (IIRC it does require you to refer to the sources for spell descriptions.)

There's the Encounter Generator thing http://skoll.xyz/mythras_eg/about/

If you find get one, there were distributed ~50 (?) pre-publication copies of Adventures in Glorantha (the second unfinished Adventures in Glorantha, not to be confused with the much earlier and also cancelled project of the same name which was AKA RQ4) which was Glorantha rules and stuff for RQ6.

[Pete Nash]

If you could somehow get your hands on a copy of RQ6:AiG, it contains all the converted Rune Spells and Battle/Spirit/Folk Magic from every official Gloranthan supplement. Which would save you an awful lot of work...

[Mankcam]

Even if I end up playing Glorantha with CRQ4, I still want to get my hands on a copy of RQ6:AiG, it sounds pretty cool!

[Soccercalle]

Would pay a shitload of money for a copy of the RQ AIG rules that were presented at GenCon last year.

[Belgath]

Been using RQ6:AIG i've enjoyed it quite a bit. We lost two of are players do to work. So got a couple openings if you would like to see AIG in action.

[Mugen]

.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Mugen

[umbraldragon]

Ahem... for those of us who do not own RQ6 AiG, the Gloranthan Cult One Pagers and the Encounter Generator really do a lot of the work for you.  I am currently converting Dorastor-Land of Doom, to Mythras.  Big project for me.  First time to convert older RQ stuff.  Finding it very challenging, but also learning a lot about Glorantha.  Cool...:)