Jump to content

Playing RQG in 1621 (the Cradle's year!). How do you adjust chargen?


smiorgan

Recommended Posts

Sorry if this has been already discussed. 

I have a (metric) ton of RQ2 and RQ3 Gloranthan material. A good share of it unplayed. 

The compatibility with the new RQG is high and it's very inviting to use it. The main issue is character generation, since the old material is set before 1621, while the new one moves forward to 1625.

Is there an official/ semi-official fix for the family/own history? I have not seen it in the rulesbook.

Smiorgan

 

Edited by smiorgan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, smiorgan said:

The compatibility with the new RQG is high and it's very inviting to use it. The main issue is character generation, since the old material is set before 1621, while the new one moves forward to 1625.

Just bump everything back 5-6 years.  Assuming you want a character roughly aged 21 in 1621, they are born in 1600 and parents are born ~1580.  Grandparent history remains as-is.  Parents history can start with the 1602 events rather than 1608.  Character's history starts with 1616 and anything that would indicate killed is changed to 'was nearly killed'.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is one of the reasons I was asking about the timelines of Glorantha products in another thread. For people who want to use the family history rules for character creation, hacking together generational details for different starting dates will be part of the prep. After all, I'm seeing some people online saying RQG is the game that is making them interested in playing in Glorantha for the first time. They may want to go back a decade -- or more! -- to explore interesting things that they didn't get to play out.

Edited by creativehum
  • Like 1

"But Pendragon isn’t intended to be historical, just fun.
So have fun."

-- Greg Stafford

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, creativehum said:

... hacking together generational details for different starting dates will be part of the prep....

More than just "part of the prep".

I've been a Glorantha grognard for a long while and while never a navel-contemplating lore-nerd, I think I'm pretty familiar with Gloranthan timelines...and I would shudder to try to accomplish what Jeff has built with that background generation.

To me, the intricacy of it is woven so deeply, I couldn't even imagine putting something like that together for, say Seshnela.  Frankly speaking, I fear that building that for other regions is going to be a major challenge for the publishing of any subsequent campaign settings set elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get that.

But from my point of view, if the Referee wants to focus his PCs on a Homeland, and he is going to build his or her version of the homeland (which is the only sane and healthy way to handle such an undertaking) it is a chance for the Referee to sort out the historical details of influence that matter to that Homeland and to the PCs.

Notice what I'm saying: I'm not talking about getting it "right." I'm talking about the Referee nailing down the history of his or her history his or her group will be playing.

Keep in mind this doesn't have to be done at all. The rules let anyone jump past this process -- and my guess is many people will. But for those who are drawn to such rules for character generation, making up myths, historical details, and more for their version of that homeland for their version of Glorantha seems like it would be valuable, even if an involved process.

Edited by creativehum

"But Pendragon isn’t intended to be historical, just fun.
So have fun."

-- Greg Stafford

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, styopa said:

I've been a Glorantha grognard for a long while and while never a navel-contemplating lore-nerd, I think I'm pretty familiar with Gloranthan timelines...and I would shudder to try to accomplish what Jeff has built with that background generation.

I haven't picked up the PDF yet. Is the background history much more detailed that the one in Pendragon?

Chaos stalks my world, but she's a big girl and can take of herself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Atgxtg said:

I haven't picked up the PDF yet. Is the background history much more detailed that the one in Pendragon?

I, too, haven't picked up the book yet, but I too mapped the family history background to Pendragon. It's elaborate, but it can be done. I also assume there are elements for building Clan history or such as found in the HeroQuest products.

But it might be much, much more involved than I'm assuming!

"But Pendragon isn’t intended to be historical, just fun.
So have fun."

-- Greg Stafford

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I once did up a history for a Pendragon campaign that started back before the Pendragons and while it took some time to research and write up, it wasn't difficult. But in Pendragon you are only tracking glory and passions, with a lot of stuff sort of standardized (+1000 glory for a heroic death). I don't know how much more detailed and complicated the lifepath in RQG is.

Chaos stalks my world, but she's a big girl and can take of herself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, creativehum said:

I also assume there are elements for building Clan history or such as found in the HeroQuest products.

No, not yet, though a couple sample clans are noted as well as descriptions of the main Homelands.

4 hours ago, styopa said:

Frankly speaking, I fear that building that for other regions is going to be a major challenge for the publishing of any subsequent campaign settings set elsewhere.

As you note, something like Seshnela might be a challenge.  You'd have to start with the Guide and see what dates come up, look through some of the key events occurring and go from there.  

But for areas like Maniria, the Lunar Provinces, Heortland, the Right- and Left-Arm Islands, a good starting point is the Events table from WF 15.  That gives you army activity/campaigns and invasions/raids by others.  Work out the significant dates, look for other events from the Guide (or for the Lunar Provinces from the Redline History in Glorantha Sourcebook), and assess who the actors likely were and effects on tribes/cities, etc.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

No, not yet, though a couple sample clans are noted as well as descriptions of the main Homelands.  

The thing is, there is now so much material a Referee can grab from almost two decades worth of published material to hack together something if he or she wants. Certainly the Heortling clan backgrounds are usable straight out of various HW/HQ publications. And if one wants to create one for a group of Lunars, the Heortling questionnaire serves as an example.

As for the family histories: Agreed. Certain Homelands with light information would certainly require a bit more elbow grease. But even in these situations, as you say, rummaging through the Guide to Glorantha and then confidently extrapolating from those details could provide the Referee with enough material to create family history tables. After all, the Referee is playing in areas the are not yet developed. By definition, it is up to the Referee to fill in the blanks as desired. (That is a bug or a feature, depending on how one views it.)

Edited by creativehum

"But Pendragon isn’t intended to be historical, just fun.
So have fun."

-- Greg Stafford

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, creativehum said:

But even in these situations, as you say, rummaging through the Guide to Glorantha and the confidently extrapolating from those details could provide the Referee with enough material to create family history tables. After all, the Referee is playing in areas the are not yet developed. By definition, it is up to the Referee to fill in the blanks as desired.

Definitely!  And plenty of opportunity for a GM to create events that fit with their campaign (even adding into what's provided in RQG).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...