Mythras vs RQG - which is easier to run for first timers?

[PoppySeed45]

As it says above, my group has decided to go for Glorantha, and I ran two sessions in Heroquest, decided it wasn’t crunchy enough, and thought I might run it in RQG. Looking at RQG, weirdly, I sort of felt Mythras might be easier and more “straightforward”, including in combat. IS it smoother in combat? Also, I feel like maybe the Shaman rules are a bit tighter in Mythras compared to RQG. Indeed, the main thing I like rules wise in RQG is the direct tie to the runes - otherwise, yeah, I’m not sure.

Mind, I don’t have RQ6, but Mythras - are they different at all? Is RQ6 more Glorantha than Mythras? 

Also, I’d be teaching the game to experienced gamers, but still, first time with d100. Is it easier to teach than RQG?

[RosenMcStern]

If you want an "open the book and play" experience, the answer is clear.

Mythras does work with Glorantha, and I have used its ancestors MRQ2 and RQ6 in plenty of Gloranthan adventures for years - and I mean literally. Many people still use it with great success to adventure in Glorantha. 

However, neither Mythras nor RQ6 are designed to do Glorantha "out of the box' , while RQG does. You will need to do some adaptations, produce suitable background entries for Gloranthan cultures, revise the way cults work (they provide common magic, too in Glorantha) and rebalance many spells and magical effects. This is all work that is perfectly doable, and depending on your personal tastes it might produce a result that is more satisfactory than RQG for your group. But it is also work that you would be completely spared if you use RQG.

 

[ThornPlutonius]

Mythras is essentially a rebranded RQ6 with some errata applied.  They can be considered the same thing for all practical extents and purposes.

[Belgath]

I  use the 95% Mithras rules and Add in the RQG rules for rolling up PC and the rules for the rune Affinities. I also use some of the rules from RQG6 and RQG4 but as there is only 50 copy’s of each of Those books and maybe really hard to get your hands on them.

[Runeblogger]

If you want to run games in Glorantha, RQG is the easiest.

[Raleel]

5 hours ago, Belgath said:

I  use the 95% Mithras rules and Add in the RQG rules for rolling up PC and the rules for the rune Affinities. I also use some of the rules from RQG6 and RQG4 but as there is only 50 copy’s of each of Those books and maybe really hard to get your hands on them.

Just the rules straight from RQG on the PCs and Affinities?

[Belgath]

18 minutes ago, Raleel said:

Just the rules straight from RQG on the PCs and Affinities?

Yes. I had played with the full RQG but my kids did not like the combat rules and felt to restricted in what they could do. I do use the RQG spells but with the Mythras rules. Now if I had a group that wanted The combat more crunchy and dangerous I would use the RQG rules. 

[g33k]

I will just add the standard note of caution concerning   all    those      Special  Effects .

Some folks just hit those and it's instant analysis-paralysis.  They never engage, or they pick 1-2 and never go beyond.  My group was that way.  I had to hand-hold them with RQ6 and even pick effects for them.

Other groups don't have as much problem.  It bears thinking about, so you have some ideas ready if it becomes a problem.  You'll be the best judge of whether your group will engage well with this, or if it'll be a problem...

One solution (that I haven't tried personally, but is reported as a good option) is to get TDM's "Combat Cards" -- the GM can use these to help players, by pre-selecting a nice suite of them per weapon and/or per combat-style, and a rew generally-useful ones, for the player to hold/use at their discretion.  Then when they are comfortable, they can move up to have all relevant Special Effects from the full rules.   See:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHov_eOK_wE

 

[PoppySeed45]

24 minutes ago, g33k said:

I will just add the standard note of caution concerning   all    those      Special  Effects .

Some folks just hit those and it's instant analysis-paralysis.  They never engage, or they pick 1-2 and never go beyond.  My group was that way.  I had to hand-hold them with RQ6 and even pick effects for them.

Other groups don't have as much problem.  It bears thinking about, so you have some ideas ready if it becomes a problem.  You'll be the best judge of whether your group will engage well with this, or if it'll be a problem...

One solution (that I haven't tried personally, but is reported as a good option) is to get TDM's "Combat Cards" -- the GM can use these to help players, by pre-selecting a nice suite of them per weapon and/or per combat-style, and a rew generally-useful ones, for the player to hold/use at their discretion.  Then when they are comfortable, they can move up to have all relevant Special Effects from the full rules.   See:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHov_eOK_wE

 

Thanks for the caution! I was planning to at least print up some Effects list and like that; this group handled Burning Wheel combat matrix (and the one for Burning Empires!). so I'm not actually too worried on that score. Just the first few sessions will be awkward, as always.

[SDLeary]

Another option...

Roll a Special Effect or two into the Combat Style description... This is what you learned to do with these weapons. If they would like to learn more, have them spend some amount of advancement to acquire.

SDLeary

Edited March 5, 2019 by SDLeary

[svensson]

So I want to get a game going in my local area, but I'm tired of having to buy a rule book, get read up on the world /milieu /genre enough to present the material, convince people to play, and then run into a dead end when the game dies, or it gets sold to another company that *drastically* rewrites the rules. [for example, the various iterations of Middle Earth, Star Trek, Star Wars etc.].

To solve this, I dug out my old RQ2 Questworld box set, dusted off the Kanos continent, and am putting together a transplanted Earth society on that continent. 'Just add magic' so to speak. And it's NOT a society you'd expect, either.

My struggle with all this is convincing players 'raised' on leveling systems and experience points that there is an alternative that is more homogeneous and 'natural'... that they can do anything they want if they're willing to spend the time and effort, but that they'll only get better in skills they spend time and effort on.

With all that, I've found that the big advantage RQG has is the long back story that players can read up on if they wish to. There's lots of illustrative art, and lots of hand waves that help a player get into their role. With Mythras/RQ6, not so much.