New to RuneQuest-Glorantha

[Scout]

What an awesome setting. Been roleplaying over 35 years and only just got into Glorantha. 

I bought the RQG pdf and I'm loving it. Here's hoping for many years adventuring on Glorantha. 

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Scout

[Thyrwyn]

Welcome aboard!

[soltakss]

Glad that you love it, welcome to the journey.

If you have any questions, just fire away - You'll almost certainly get a lot of answers.

[Scout]

Page 60: Sartar

It says battleaxe +10% but there are only 1H Axe and 2H Axe listed on the character sheet. 

Also on page 60 it says "Where the listed skill is a broad category of weapons (such as 1H Axe), you should pick a weapon within that category (such as Battle Axe)"

Again there's no entry to write in battleaxe, there's only 1H Axe and 2H  Axe.

On page 208 the table lists a 1H Axe and a 2H Axe as battleaxe. That took some digging to figure out.

 

Edited December 25, 2018 by Scout

[soltakss]

Yeah, RQ2 moved from having a single skill for each weapon to a more generic skill in RQ3, so from having RH Battle Axe 60% to 1H Axe 60%, the rationale being that using a hatchet and a battle axe should be similar enough to use the same skill. I think that RQG might be in the middle of that move, so might have some things as the single weapon and some things as the generic skill.

[Scout]

I'm wondering how much "wonder" is in Glorantha. By wonder, I mean things that make a player go 'Oooh that's so cool." 

I use Earthdawn as an example. Earthdawn has exotic races like T'Skrang (lizard men), Obsidimen (8' tall humanoids made of stone), Windlings (12" tall winged faerie types), and  kaers (underground complexes filled with traps and treasure by people who fled there to escape the scourge - a 400 year period when horrors entered the world and ravaged the land). Magic items that have to be researched through adventuring to find their secrets that allow you to unlock their magic abilities. It's a pretty exciting setting. 

How would Glorantha compare?

Gods walk the earth, plant-like elves, dwarves fashioned from earth(?), the cosmology and planet itself are pretty cool. What else is there, how does RQG present magic items?

[jeffjerwin]

10 minutes ago, Scout said:

I'm wondering how much "wonder" is in Glorantha. By wonder, I mean things that make a player go 'Oooh that's so cool." 

I use Earthdawn as an example. Earthdawn has exotic races like T'Skrang (lizard men), Obsidimen (8' tall humanoids made of stone), Windlings (12" tall winged faerie types), and  kaers (underground complexes filled with traps and treasure by people who fled there to escape the scourge - a 400 year period when horrors entered the world and ravaged the land). Magic items that have to be researched through adventuring to find their secrets that allow you to unlock their magic abilities. It's a pretty exciting setting. 

How would Glorantha compare?

Gods walk the earth, plant-like elves, dwarves fashioned from earth(?), the cosmology and planet itself are pretty cool. What else is there, how does RQG present magic items?

The Red Moon.

Gonn Orta the giant.

Dragon's Eye

Magasta's Whirlpool

The Dragon-ships of the Waertagi

The Juggernaut

The Mother of Monsters

The Dragon-rise

There are many many others...

[soltakss]

36 minutes ago, Scout said:

I'm wondering how much "wonder" is in Glorantha. By wonder, I mean things that make a player go 'Oooh that's so cool." 

Almost every time I read a Supplement, to be honest.

36 minutes ago, Scout said:

I use Earthdawn as an example. Earthdawn has exotic races like T'Skrang (lizard men), Obsidimen (8' tall humanoids made of stone), Windlings (12" tall winged faerie types), and  kaers (underground complexes filled with traps and treasure by people who fled there to escape the scourge - a 400 year period when horrors entered the world and ravaged the land). 

Pretty much the same. Glorantha is known for having playable PC Non-Human races, so has deep background on the "normal" races, plus things like Ducks, Wind Children, Morocanth, Newtlings, Centaurs, Minotaurs, Satyrs and Fauns. Dragonewts alone are cool in almost everything you hear about them. 

Glorantha has Three Ages, since History began, and a load of stuff before that in God Time. Each Age has left behind ruins chockablock full of interesting and dangerous things. Opposing Temples can be raided and destroyed, mainly Chaos Temples, but not always.

The thing about Glorantha is that there are no Good Guys and Bad Guys, it's all relative to who you are and what you believe. So, to many, Trolls are Bad Guys, but to Storm Bull worshippers, many Trolls are Good Guys as they destroy Chaos. For most people, Chaos are Bad Guys, but the Lunar Empire treats it as a useful tool. To Orlanthi, Yelmites are Bad Guys and to Yelmites, Orlanthi are Bad Guys, so which is right?

36 minutes ago, Scout said:

Magic items that have to be researched through adventuring to find their secrets that allow you to unlock their magic abilities. It's a pretty exciting setting. 

Same in Glorantha, to a certain extent. Lhankor Mhy has a spell, Analyse Magic, that allows you to work out the powers of an item, but by far the best way is to push Magic Points through it, try it on or try to attune it.

36 minutes ago, Scout said:

How would Glorantha compare?

Equally as cool, it has kept me entertained for over 30 years, for example.

36 minutes ago, Scout said:

Gods walk the earth, plant-like elves, dwarves fashioned from earth(?), the cosmology and planet itself are pretty cool. What else is there, how does RQG present magic items?

RQG has basic magic items, but has a new Supplement coming out that should introduce more.

Historically in RQ (as I have played RQ2, RQ3, RQ4, RQ6 and have seen the current RQG, so I can't keep track of the different versions), there are several generic "Types" of Magic Item:

• Spell Matrices - Spells enchanted into an item that allow you to cast the spell, as if you know the spell
• POW Crystals - Blank Crystals that allow you to store Magic Points, for later use, or to trap a Spirit for similar purposes
• Powered Crystals - When attuned, allow you to cast spells better, resist spells /spirits easier and various other things
• Iron - Has more HPs than normal Bronze and can damage certain creatures, really good against trolls and Aldryami (Elves and Dryads)
• Other Rune Metals - Have similar effects to Iron, but each metal has its own special effects

However, there are loads of one-off magical items, either published or things you can make up yourself.

 

Edited December 25, 2018 by soltakss

[HreshtIronBorne]

Mispost

Edited December 25, 2018 by HreshtIronBorne

[HreshtIronBorne]

11 minutes ago, soltakss said:

However,m there are loads of one-off magical items, either published or things you can make up yourself.

Throw Soltakss in your Google and you'll find yourself some phenomenally interesting Glorantha items, objects, PCs, NPCs, just tons of Glorantha goodness. 

 

I have absolutely LOVED looking through the rich history of your Glorantha Soltakss.

Edited December 25, 2018 by HreshtIronBorne

[Scout]

With Earthdawn magic items, it's more a case of (for example):

Bracers of Aras
Maximum Threads: 3
Mystic Defense: 12 Tier: Journeyman
Bracers of Aras are made of flexible, silvery metal that wraps around the wrists and forearms of the owner. The flexibility is a result of the elemental water that has been forged into the bracers. The elemental water pieces used in the crafting of the bracers resemble aquamarine gems, each piece approximately one inch across. These arm bands are made from metals found only in mines located along the shore of the Aras Sea, and are encrusted with pieces of elemental water. The color of the elemental water gems constantly changes, oscillating with a swirling effect across the spectrum from deep aqua to bright blue.

Thread Rank One
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the bracers.
Effect: The owner gains +1 to Physical Defense.

Thread Rank Two
Effect: The owner gains +1 to Mystic Defense.

Thread Rank Three
Key Knowledge: The owner must learn the Name of the mine from which came the metals used to create the bracers.
Effect: The owner gains +2 to Physical Defense.

Thread Rank Four
Effect: The owner gains +2 to Mystic Defense

Thread Rank Five
Key Knowledge: The creators of the Bracers of Aras formed the gems from a mixture of elemental air and water. The ratio of water to air varies for each set of bracers. The owner must learn the ratio of water to air used to create the bracers he wears.
Effect: For 1 Strain, the owner gains a +3 bonus to Swimming tests.

Thread Rank Six
Effect: For 2 Strain, the owner may breathe underwater for 10 minutes
 

That sort of thing. You might not need to find out some secret for every rank (e.g. Rank 2, Rank 4, etc), you just need to spend experience points. Otherwise, you need to go out and so some adventuring/exploration/intelligence gathering to unlock your magic item. I guess I'm asking not what cool powers a magic item has but how they are unlocked.

[soltakss]

7 minutes ago, HreshtIronBorne said:

Throw Soltakss in your Google and you'll find yourself some phenomenally interesting Glorantha items, objects, PCs, NPCs, just tons of Glorantha goodness. 

 

I have absolutely LOVED looking through the rich history of your Glorantha Soltakss.

Thanks!

[soltakss]

1 minute ago, Scout said:

That sort of thing. You might not need to find out some secret for every rank (e.g. Rank 2, Rank 4, etc), you just need to spend experience points. Otherwise, you need to go out and so some adventuring/exploration/intelligence gathering to unlock your magic item. I guess I'm asking not what cool powers a magic item has but how they are unlocked.

Ah, I see, thanks.

No, Glorantha doesn't have anything nearly as complex as that. However, it is quite possible to have an item where some powers are revealed later on.

[HreshtIronBorne]

Freaking FULL MOON SWORDS!! I am personally a superfan of High Level Glorantha play where you can really get into the myths and tussle with powerful and epic entities. 

 

Also, read about Arkat and Nysalor. Read about the creation myths of the Orlanthi. All of the mythology of the different cultures are a living, breathing reality. 

[HreshtIronBorne]

7 minutes ago, Scout said:

That sort of thing. You might not need to find out some secret for every rank (e.g. Rank 2, Rank 4, etc), you just need to spend experience points. Otherwise, you need to go out and so some adventuring/exploration/intelligence gathering to unlock your magic item. I guess I'm asking not what cool powers a magic item has but how they are unlocked.

Nothing quite like that, as far as I know. There are some examples that might shed some light in a RQ Classic book called Plunder. There is Also a thread on the forums here called Plunder 2 that you should be able to search up pretty easy. 

[Scout]

Well the cool thing about the way magic items are handled in Earthdawn, is that it is easy to incorporate into any other rpg. I've done it for two already and Glorantha will be the third. 

[Joerg]

The coolness of Gloranthan developments lies less in items and way more in personal advancement of the character. Magical abilities or otherworldly allies gathered on heroquests, personal contracts or enmities with the deities as the result of the players entering the realms of the deities, or the underworld, or similar. Not to mention personal relationship to movers and shakers of the recent history and the near future, and the ability to jump into the middle of that and shoulder one such major event (or at least a decisive component of it), and possibly averting one big thing or bringing in a new, unheard-of big thing.

And with the kind of feedback board here, it is possible that the coolest thing of your house campaign can leak over into other peoples' campaigns, and into the general body of lore and scenarios. No guarantee for that, however cool the event may have been in your campaign, though.

[styopa]

I'd say Glorantha is less materially oriented ...certainly, there are ample magic items but far less focus on items particularly.   Think less "King Arthur and Excalibur" and more Gilgamesh.

It's less about the stuff, and more about the individuals, the "hero's journey", and now with RQG, the society and their place in it.

[Scout]

Thanks all for the advice. 

Page: 28

It says to roll for your grandparent's occupation in step 1 and again in step 2 (along with your parent's).

Is this errata?

[jps]

Welcome on board. Concerning the cool things, classics revisited: say Aldryam,i not Elves, say Uz, not Trolls, Mostalli , not Dwarves. Plus, the lunar empire, the Crimson bat and so many legends and cultures. You'll love it.

[soltakss]

1 hour ago, Scout said:

Well the cool thing about the way magic items are handled in Earthdawn, is that it is easy to incorporate into any other rpg. I've done it for two already and Glorantha will be the third. 

HeroQuest has this as standard, almost. In HeroQuest, you get a Magical item which is effectively an Ability with a Score and certain things as Breakouts. You can add to the Breakouts as you discover more about it.

 

So, in your example, you could start off with Bracers of Aras 20 (Mystic Defence +1), then add things to it, to eventually become Bracers of Aras 20 (Mystic Defence +2, Physical Defence +2, Swimming +1, Breathe Underwater +1).

[Scout]

@ Anunnaki - Thanks for the explanation and for your earlier post (very interesting and I enjoyed your summary of both ((brilliant)) games). I'm still not sure your explanation is correct though because (quoting)

Page 28: 

Step 2.1: "Roll for your grandparent’s occupation on the Occupation table, or pick a result"

Step 2.2: "Use the Occupation table to choose or randomly determine your grandparent’s and parent’s occupations"

If I follow the steps as indicated, my grandparent has two occupations. 

@ Soltakss - In that case, it looks Glorantha is ticking all the right boxes for me. 

Edited December 25, 2018 by Scout

[Scout]

Brilliant

I think what I might do is use 2.1 for the grandparent and 2.2 for the parent. 

[Scout]

I think I was told Apple Lane is being reprinted to bring it into line with RQG. Is this true and do we have an ETA? 

I am looking to GM a campaign set in Glorantha for the very first time and so after I run The Broken Tower I'll be looking for other adventures. I'm not very good at making my own because I seem to have developed a mental block that's lasted forever. 

[Scout]

Page 51: "You may now distribute 50 points among any of your adventurer’s Rune affinities. Remember that if a Power or Form Rune affinity is raised, the value of its opposing affinity must be reduced so that the total equals 100."

Let's say I have Fertility 75 - Death 25.

I spend 5 points to raise Death to 30 so Fertility drops to 70 to maintain the 100 points ratio.

Why am I bothering with the pool of 50 points? Why can't I just modify them all without worrying about a pool of 50 points to play with? It seems redundant.