An Old Guy Returning to Glorantha

[JAA]

I am returning to Glorantha after many years. Due to the lack of shelf space, I now get everything in pdf.

I used to have (from a sketchy memory) Avalon Hill's rules, The City of Pavis softback book, Griffin Mountain softback book, Avalon Hill Gods Box (possibly two), Avalon Hill Trolls Box. I think I had elves and dwarves boxes too. I had a load of magazine publications, Apples Lane and Snake Pipe Hollow adventures. I had some mongoose pdfs about the age before my favourite age with the Lunar Empire.

I want to get back into Glorantha, but am a bit bewildered at what I need to get. The bits I liked were the Evil Lunar Empire. I liked Prax and Dragon Pass. I loved the Trolls. I was keen on Elves and Dwarves and Dragonewts. I liked the Pavis city and Griffin Mountain books.

I want everything in pdf.

I want the basic new current rule system, and some things to get me back to the Gloranthan setting I loved. Simpler rules suits me fine. It is the setting that counts. I am a member of DriveThruRPG (due to my Paranoia and Traveller fix).

What do I need? What is the Guide to Glorantha pdf? What do you actually get in it?

[jajagappa]

If you want simpler rules/current rule system, then start with HeroQuest: Glorantha.  It has the rules and the overview that will get you back into the game.

You note you liked Prax/Pavis and Dragon Pass.  Get the following:  Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes, Sartar Companion, and Pavis: Gateway to Adventure.  Those will give you the details on those settings plus HeroQuest campaigns/scenarios.  For details on a specific clan, there is also the recently released The Coming Storm (part 1 of the Red Cow clan material) - this includes background on the Telmori and is near the old Sazdorf troll clan (for which there is a scenario in Sartar Companion.

Then if you want the complete canonical background on the world of Glorantha, get the Guide to Glorantha.  It provides details of all major regions of the world and a huge range of insights on the Elder Races (trolls, elves, etc.), cultures, and upcoming Hero Wars.

[Pentallion]

Before you go buy HeroQuest rules, know that that is a completely different game system than Runequest.  If you're looking to get back into Runequest Glorantha, then it's not what you're looking for.  However, a lot of good material can be found in it.  And you can convert HeroQuest stat blocks to Runequest, but it's pretty much up to you to actually create stat blocks from scratch because there isn't any easy conversion table and most of the character stat blocks in HeroQuest make absolutely no sense if all you have is the Runequest rulesbook.  If you've already got RQ, then I'd say stick to that. 

Guide to Glorantha is useful for any games system.  It is just wow.  That's all I can describe it as.  Just Wow!

[davecake]

HeroQuest is a very different game system to RuneQuest, very minimalist in many ways. Its very satisfying for some sorts of game, and not so much for others (particularly, combat heavy games are probably not well suited to HQ). 13th Age is different again, and kind of the opposite - great for games that focus a lot of combat and not much else. 

I would say get Sartar:Kingdom of Heroes, Sartar Companion, and Pavis regardless of what rules system you want to play in. The Coming Storm is a lot more focussed on a smaller area of Sartar, but is also pretty great. That will give you the updated collected info on most of the areas you liked.

It will be years, if ever, before all the background info in those books is available for other game systems, and most of it is either systemless or very close. Even things like the cult writeups in those books will be useful (there is a lot of info in those 'long form' cult writeups that can be easily combined with rules from other games). 

The Guide is systemless, and wonderful, and will give you masses on useful information. What you get in it is basically two or three things. First, you get a solid introductory section, with information on the basic monomyth, the major cultures, the Elder races, the broad sweep of (Genertelan) history, the metaphysics and hero plane, etc. Second, and the bulk of the two books, is maps and detailed discussion (at least down to city and major landmark level) of the entire inner (mortal) world, in a similar format to the old Glorantha box (so including some overview, major individuals, cultural notes, summary of hero wars conflicts, etc for each area) but in more detail and much much better maps. Third, you get a collection of extra material that goes into detail about a few of the more unusual aspects of the world including some things that were big secrets previously - maps of the mythic history, information about the coming hero wars, the first age, the Sky, The Gods Wall, the Red Moon, etc, 

[Rick Meints]

On Chaosium.com you can buy the following PDFs:

Guide to Glorantha
Pavis & Big Rubble
Griffin Mountain
Apple Lane
SnakePipe Hollow
Cult Compendium (Cults of Prax and Cults of Terror)
Borderlands & Beyond (has Plunder and Runemasters in it)

You can also get the RuneQuest 2 Rulebook (called RuneQuest Classic) or the Heroquest: Glorantha rules if you want a rules system to go with the above.

http://www.chaosium.com/glorantha-classics/
http://www.chaosium.com/runequest-pdfs/
http://www.chaosium.com/glorantha-1/

Edited August 25, 2016 by Rick Meints

[Evilroddy]

JAA:

The PDF's are only a starting point. It is your creative impulse which will breathe life into Glorantha. While Greg Stafford was the Cosmic Egg which spawned this wondrous world we all share and enjoy, it has grown and been enriched by all who play in it. It is the product of the I Thought, We Win nurturing which almost three generations of gamers and fans have poured into this magnificent cosmos. So, while canon and orthodoxy may be important to some, creativity and imagination are the forces which will drive the bubble in which the Lonely Lozenge floats up out of the void of chaos and infinite possibility. You make Glorantha now, so take up the mantle of creation and cry, "Ecce Omnia! Fiat Verum Gaudium!".

Cheers and good gaming.

Rod Robertson.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Evilroddy

[Steve]

Quote

@Rick Meints Is there any particular reason why the Fangs PDF isn't available for purchase at chaosium.com?

 

[Rick Meints]

FANGS should be available in the free downloads section.

 

Free Downloads

Check out our free downloads to get you up and started:

Player Handouts - Character creation and all the tables you need to play the game

Fangs - A set of sample monsters statted out so you can use them immediately.

[styopa]

On 8/24/2016 at 0:20 PM, JAA said:

What is the Guide to Glorantha pdf? What do you actually get in it?

Basically, it's the Encyclopaedia Gloranthica.  Seriously, if you want a comprehensive encyclopedia of everything Glorantha, it's there.  Pictures of money, there.  Architecture, there. Weather, there.  Name it, plus a ton of stuff you didn't even know existed.