New to RuneQuest-Glorantha

[PhilHibbs]

3 hours ago, Scout said:

I'm not sure that is what they mean because they are instructing you to find the percentage of the failure range. At least that's what I think.

But the fact remains that 96-00 is 5%, not the 4% that you calculated that it should be.

[Scout]

6 minutes ago, soltakss said:

Any decimal that is 0.5 or higher, round up, if it is below 0.5 then round down.

So, 20.5 rounds up to 21 and 20.49 rounds down to 20.

That's what I thought

Thanks for clarifying

[creativehum]

13 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

Well, the Book of Sires is supposed to do something similar with Pendragon. I think something along those lines could work for Glorantha-at least for a particular region, say Dragon Pass, and for a certain number of years, maybe a century or two. In some ways it could be easier in Glorantha, because the calender and date for given events more firmly established, and there is less contraction among the sources. 

It would be a project though. And even if someone did start earlier, there'd be little support material to help them. All the older RQ stuff only goes back about a decade in Gloranthan time. So if a GM pushes the clock back by 20 years, he won't have much to help him work up adventures. 

I suspect, reading your posts, you haven't had a chance to look at RuneQuest Glorantha yet. 

If this is the case, you should know that the core book provides a timeline for grandparents and parents that begins with the birth of the grandparents in 1561.(The default beginning of a campaign in the book is 1625.)

So the Family History Timeline (similar to the one found in King Arthur Pendragon) already stretches back few decades. I am only asking for a few decades more. That is, far enough back that one could ramp up into play to the earlier years found in various Gloranthan products (to 1613 or so; Apple Lane, The Sartar is Rising Campaign). This only requires another decade or two of additional material.

Your post suggests two things:

1. Going back a century "or two." That seems an extraordinary project, and not one I would advocate. Again, in my post I suggested going back a few decades. Maybe only one or two. I have no idea how or why you expanded the notion so greatly. Such a thought could only discourage anyone from thinking about this notion at all.
2. There is little support material. I find this a strange comment. Going back a few decades one finds a great wealth of material for the history of a Sartar campaign history scattered across many, many publications. Some extrapolation for finer events and details might be required. But it can be done.

As for myself, I'm really much more curious about going back to the collapse of Heortling resistance at the Battle of Grizzly Peak. I'd really like to explore time with a Sartar tribe that knows trouble has closed in, but hasn't yet arrived. What do they do? Attack? Build up defenses? Go on with their lives with the hopes the Lunars will stop. It would mean adding Family History material going back to 1520. Which is still only four decades more than already included in RQG. But that's my own obsession.

All in all, what I am suggesting is much simpler than what you are proposing, both in terms of scope and information available.

[Scout]

I'm reading all this background here and thinking .... what? This setting really is something else!

If anyone figures out how to fudge the numbers so my group and I can experience Apple Lane (and Snake Pipe Hollow), please post it up. We've never had a look at Glorantha and I am very excited to GM it. 

[soltakss]

5 minutes ago, Scout said:

If anyone figures out how to fudge the numbers so my group and I can experience Apple Lane (and Snake Pipe Hollow), please post it up. We've never had a look at Glorantha and I am very excited to GM it. 

You can run RQ2 Apple Lane and Snake Pipe Hollow pretty much as they are with RQG. 

When people say that they can't be updated, what they mean is that RQG is set several years in their future and things have changed. The scenarios should work OK, though.

[Scout]

18 minutes ago, soltakss said:

You can run RQ2 Apple Lane and Snake Pipe Hollow pretty much as they are with RQG. 

When people say that they can't be updated, what they mean is that RQG is set several years in their future and things have changed. The scenarios should work OK, though.

Ok thanks for clarifying

[womble]

If you want to play in the default RQG setting, the 'Apple Lane 1625' information, with changes of personnel, a potted history of recent events, a nice iso drawing and some local maps are published with 'modern' production values in the Gamemaster Screen Pack.

The major elements that will be missing from RQ2 and 3-era material are Rune affiliations (needed for the characters to cast Rune Spells - you have to roll under a relevant Rune score to cast a Rune Spell), Passions, and the reusable Rune Magic of Initiates. In earlier versions, Initiates only got one casting of a Rune Spell per sacrifice for it, so it wasn't uncommon to come across Initiates with no Rune Spells, or only one or two, in case of emergencies. Now every Initiate under RQG rules will have at least one Rune Point and access to the Common Spells and one of the Special spells available to their Cult. There's the chance they might already have some unreplenished Points, naturally, but having all your antagonists 'running on empty' will ring a bit false after a while...

The Appendix in the core rules deals with how you can approach modifying the stats between editions. It's pretty straightforward.

 

[Scout]

Page 148: Example (2nd column):

Harmast has 4 hit points in the head and a total of 10 hit points. He takes 10 points of damage in a single blow. His armor protection (1 point) is subtracted, meaning he has suffered 9 points of damage in the head. He takes 9 points of damage to the head, which is more than twice his total for the head hit location, but less than three times. It knocks him out. Harmast is now unconscious, with 2 total hit points remaining and will lose 1 hit points each melee round until First Aid or healing magic is applied"

Seeing as the Head can take more than twice its hit points in damage and Harmast took 10 which is reduced by 1 due to armor, shouldn't Harmast be left with 1 total hit points, not 2?

The rules make a point of calling out a 'Limb' can't take more than twice its hit point in damage - so I assume the head can.

Edited December 29, 2018 by Scout

[womble]

I believe you're correct that the example is inaccurate.

 

[Scout]

Page 149: Example (2nd column second example)

"Her skill in First Aid is 20%. Sorala gets a 4 on the first injury, a special success! Rather than the normal 1D3 for a success, Sorala heals 1D3+3 hit points"

Special success heals 2d3, not 1d3+3 (that's a critical success)

 

Edited December 29, 2018 by Scout

[Kloster]

44 minutes ago, Scout said:

Page 148: Example (2nd column):

Harmast has 4 hit points in the head and a total of 10 hit points. He takes 10 points of damage in a single blow. His armor protection (1 point) is subtracted, meaning he has suffered 9 points of damage in the head. He takes 9 points of damage to the head, which is more than twice his total for the head hit location, but less than three times. It knocks him out. Harmast is now unconscious, with 2 total hit points remaining and will lose 1 hit points each melee round until First Aid or healing magic is applied"

Seeing as the Head can take more than twice its hit points in damage and Harmast took 10 which is reduced by 1 due to armor, shouldn't Harmast be left with 1 total hit points, not 2?

The rules make a point of calling out a 'Limb' can't take more than twice its hit point in damage - so I assume the head can.

IIRC, the head is a limb. That's why Harmast can't take more than 8 points in 1 hit (twice his original head hit points), and that's why he ends with 2 points.

Kloster

[Scout]

2 minutes ago, Kloster said:

IIRC, the head is a limb. That's why Harmast can't take more than 8 points in 1 hit (twice his original head hit points), and that's why he ends with 2 points.

Kloster

Not sure if the Head is called a limb anywhere else in the core rulebook, but on page 148 it says...

"Limb: An adventurer cannot take more than twice the possible points of damage in an arm or leg from a single blow"

Edited December 29, 2018 by Scout

[Kloster]

4 minutes ago, Scout said:

Not sure if the Head is called a limb (that sounds really odd) anywhere else, but on page 148 it says...

"Limb: An adventurer cannot take more than twice the possible points of damage in an arm or leg from a single blow"

I've just checked ... and I was wrong. Limbs are arms and legs. Head, chest and abdomen are a different rule and you were right, Harmast should have 1 remaining hit points.

Edited December 29, 2018 by Kloster

[Kloster]

10 minutes ago, Scout said:

Page 149: Example (2nd column second example)

"Her skill in First Aid is 20%. Sorala gets a 4 on the first injury, a special success! Rather than the normal 1D3 for a success, Sorala heals 1D3+3 hit points"

Special success heals 2d3, not 1d3+3 (that's a critical success)

 

P149, Specials AND Criticals are 1D3+3.

Kloster

[Scout]

3 minutes ago, Kloster said:

P149, Specials AND Criticals are 1D3+3.

Kloster

 

Page 149: "A special success heals 2D3 damage; a critical heals 1D3+3"

[Scout]

Page 152: In Sight (end of paragraph)

"The gamemaster may choose to change the time scale from melee rounds to"

The sentence seems incomplete. 

[Jeff]

This is NOT the thread to raise rules questions or bring up possible errors. There's an entire thread dedicated to that which Jason regularly replies to. 

[Scout]

Can we expect the Drivethru pdf to be updated with the latest errata soon? I just downloaded it and it still has some errors in it that have been corrected in the (I assume) Chaosium pdf offering. 

[soltakss]

16 hours ago, Kloster said:

I've just checked ... and I was wrong. Limbs are arms and legs. Head, chest and abdomen are a different rule and you were right, Harmast should have 1 remaining hit points.

Not much of a comfort when he has had his head chopped off, though.

[womble]

8 minutes ago, soltakss said:

Not much of a comfort when he has had his head chopped off, though.

Not quite 'off'... that'd take another 3 points of damage, and he'd be dead from total HP as well as a severed or maimed 'Head'.

[Pentallion]

On 12/29/2018 at 8:54 AM, Scout said:

I'm reading all this background here and thinking .... what? This setting really is something else!

If anyone figures out how to fudge the numbers so my group and I can experience Apple Lane (and Snake Pipe Hollow), please post it up. We've never had a look at Glorantha and I am very excited to GM it. 

Ask and ye shall receive!  Since you are looking to start back in 1613, you're adding 12 years to the Family Timeline.  Characters that are born in 1604 with RQG are now being born in 1592.  Your grandparents were born in 1549.  Though your parents would be born in 1570, we're gonna fudge it ahead one year earlier.  Your parents careers start in 1597, fudging that back two years.

Year1549 Events:  Your grandparents were born this year.

Year 1569 Events:  Homelands All.  Prince Tarkalor crowned King of Dragon Pass and the Prince of Sartar.   Your parents were born this year.

Modifiers:  Lunar Tarsh -8. Old Tarsh -5.  Prax -8

1-10:  Nothing happens.  11-12:  Dies of Random Causes.  13-20:  Witness crowning of Tarkalor.  Gain Loyalty (Sartar).

Year 1582 Events:  Straight out of RQG

Year 1592 Events:  You are born.

Year 1597 Events:  Your grandparents career now ends.  Your parents career begins this year.  Other than that, this is straight out of RQG. 

All Events from 1602 to 1608: Identical to RQG except they happened to your parent(s).

Year 1610 through Year 1613 Events:  Your career starts now.  Your parents retire.  All references to "died" are replaced by "nearly died".  If you fight in any battles, give yourself +5% Battle for merely surviving, +10% Battle if you converted "killed at the Battle of..." or "died with great glory" to "damn! that was close!" (in addition to the other 'rewards'.)  Oh, and toss in a scar.  (gnarly scar if you used to play Stormbringer)

 

And there ya go!  Easy peasy.

Edited December 31, 2018 by Pentallion

[Larry Lovecraft]

Been loving this thread...I am about as fluent in Glorantha as you Scout, and this has been great to follow...I had a few of the same questions.

[Scout]

11 hours ago, Pentallion said:

Ask and ye shall receive!  Since you are looking to start back in 1613, you're adding 12 years to the Family Timeline.  Characters that are born in 1604 with RQG are now being born in 1592.  Your grandparents were born in 1549.  Though your parents would be born in 1570, we're gonna fudge it ahead one year earlier.  Your parents careers start in 1597, fudging that back two years.

Year1549 Events:  Your grandparents were born this year.

Year 1569 Events:  Homelands All.  Prince Tarkalor crowned King of Dragon Pass and the Prince of Sartar.   Your parents were born this year.

Modifiers:  Lunar Tarsh -8. Old Tarsh -5.  Prax -8

1-10:  Nothing happens.  11-12:  Dies of Random Causes.  13-20:  Witness crowning of Tarkalor.  Gain Loyalty (Sartar).

Year 1582 Events:  Straight out of RQG

Year 1592 Events:  You are born.

Year 1597 Events:  Your grandparents career now ends.  Your parents career begins this year.  Other than that, this is straight out of RQG. 

All Events from 1602 to 1608: Identical to RQG except they happened to your parent(s).

Year 1610 through Year 1613 Events:  Your career starts now.  Your parents retire.  All references to "died" are replaced by "nearly died".  If you fight in any battles, give yourself +5% Battle for merely surviving, +10% Battle if you converted "killed at the Battle of..." or "died with great glory" to "damn! that was close!" (in addition to the other 'rewards'.)  Oh, and toss in a scar.  (gnarly scar if you used to play Stormbringer)

 

And there ya go!  Easy peasy.

This is ideal!

Thank you very much Pentallion

[Bill the barbarian]

On 12/29/2018 at 10:23 AM, womble said:

In earlier versions, Initiates only got one casting of a Rune Spell per sacrifice for it, so it wasn't uncommon to come across Initiates with no Rune Spells, or only one or two, in case of emergencies. Now every Initiate under RQG rules will have at least one Rune Point and access to the Common Spells and one of the Special spells available to their Cult. There's the chance they might already have some unreplenished Points, naturally, but having all your antagonists 'running on empty' will ring a bit false after a while...

It ain't necessarily so. Though I mostly disagree with the direction that RQ RiG seems to be taking in making characters so much more powerful that their daily counterparts are (D&D anyone?), I have seen many comments from people high up in the Chaosium organism who have said that the players are extraordinary and that the average initiate does not have at least 3 RPs minimum and 3 Rune spells as well as all the spirit magics, etc that come with the office. That is kept for the extraordinary PCs.

On top of that, your game may vary so...

[womble]

5 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

It ain't necessarily so. Though I mostly disagree with the direction that RQ RiG seems to be taking in making characters so much more powerful that their daily counterparts are (D&D anyone?), I have seen many comments from people high up in the Chaosium organism who have said that the players are extraordinary and that the average initiate does not have at least 3 RPs minimum and 3 Rune spells as well as all the spirit magics, etc that come with the office. That is kept for the extraordinary PCs.

On top of that, your game may vary so...

Yeah, I've seen some of the people behind the game claim that. However, in my eyes, there are a few things which tend to encourage me take Jeff's vision over Jason's.

First, the 'ordinary people' (random farmers, herders) you meet in so-far published RQG material are 'point-a-year' Initiates. With a Capital 'I' (as opposed to 'initiated into adult society' initiates, with a lower-case 'i'). While the progression from there is...patchily executed (Kareena has fewer RP in 1625 than she has  sacced POW in classic Apple Lane ?20? years before, f'r'ex), this is the least important point in my reasoning: new game lines can take a while to settle down, and sometimes designers make a set of stats 'what it needs to be to tell the story that's being told'. However, the rules and background material, including pre-RQG stuff and current, make explicit statements that there is a high proportion of Initiation in (at least) Sartarite society, into specific Cults.

Second, RQ has always, and it seems to me, it tries to continue to be, a game where the same rules apply to NPCs as apply to PCs. If a PC gets an automatic POW gain roll at Sacred time, based on 5 x the difference between their current POW and their racial max, so do the NPCs. And if PC Initiates can freely commit their Soul Force to their God and get a Rune Point, so can the NPCs, and they'll want to because Rune Spells are great (and the world is dangerous).

Third, in Glorantha (specifically, and that's where RQG is directly focused with quality collimation), your relationship with your God is IMPORTANT. Setting aside the mythic necessities, the material advantages of being a good little Orlanthi and going to as many Worship ceremonies as you can reach merit both effort and commitment. The disadvantages of your community's magic failing because you decided to stay in bed do not bear contemplation. So it seems to me that, as in the Real World, most people need to have a job to get on with their life, most Gloranthans need to get Initiated. It's not like it's hard to get Initiated in one of the Gods of your Pantheon, nor are the requirements to remain Initiated in Good Standing particularly onerous: medieval folk tithed 10% to the Church for nebulous promises, whereas your Sartarite farmer will see their crops come in better than their neighbour's if they have a family member with a snootful of Rune Points and 'Bless Crops', and the neighbour doesn't.

So, the second and third points, for me, support the background materials' statement of Initiation with a capital I being pretty much the default state of being for adults in Sartar, and pretty much everywhere that's theistic.

To address the point of PCs being 'exceptional', I believe the game system's blindness to whether you're a PC or an NPC means the PCs become exceptional by the actions they take under the direction of their players. They start off in play as exceptional because they went off to Nochet, or Aurochs Hills or Pavis or wherever, and their siblings, cousins and neighbours largely did not. But those relatives and acquaintances still have the opportunity (notwithstanding religious oppression, or suppression) to get their POW gain rolls annually, and their routine actions would mean they would tend to take those opportunities (though obviously that's not their motivation, nor how they view the world: they're just making sure the sun keeps coming up by participating in Sacred Time/High Holy Day rites). PCs will become more exceptional as time goes on because they'll be getting POW gain rolls and skill rolls in lots of skills other than Farm, Herd, Animal Lore and Plant Lore every season, not once or twice a year.

Another thing about this take on the world is that it destroys the notion of the 'first level farmer'. That 40-year-old field hand probably has a full CHA of Rune Points and either Lightning or Thunderbolt, can Heal Wound at least, and his Farm skill is way over 100 unless he's an immense dullard. He may even have traded soul force for Enchantments since he can contribute to the Priests' workings and needs something to do with his excess POW. This seems to me to be entirely in keeping with the game system's ethos.