Apple Lane Reviews

[pookie]

Retrospective: Apple Lane I—A review of Apple Lane: Two Beginning Scenarios - Gringle’s Pawnshop & The Rainbow Mounds (Scenario Pack 2), the classic scenario supplement published by Chaosium, Inc. in 1978 and 1980 for use with RuneQuest.

http://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2019/03/retrospective-apple-lane-i.html

#reviewsfromrlyeh #rpgreview #rpgreviews #Fantasy #Chaosium #RQII #RQ #RuneQuest #Applelane #RuneQuestClassics

[pookie]

Retrospective: Apple Lane II—A review of Apple Lane: Save the Hamlet From Scurrilous Scoundrels, the third edition of the scenario (previously published as Apple Lane: Two Beginning Scenarios - Gringle’s Pawnshop & The Rainbow Mounds (Scenario Pack 2)) originally published by Avalon Hill for use with RuneQuest III.

http://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2019/04/retrospective-apple-lane-ii.html

#reviewsfromrlyeh #rpgreview #rpgreviews #Fantasy #Chaosium #RQIII #RQ #RuneQuest #Applelane #RuneQuestClassics #AvalonHill

[Joerg]

I have one disagreement with the first review, about the position of Apple Lane warranting that number of adventurer-service.

IMO there is only one reason why there is a sword-master's guildhouse, an Uleria temple, an ironsmith and the Temple to all Deities in this hamlet, and that's because it would be more properly be named Gringlestead.

Gringle used to be the wealthiest individual in the kingdom, an accomplished heroquester and a royal companion. This is as high nobility as you can get short of becoming a tribal king.

Gringle chose to make his retirement base camp in his rather frugal pawnshop rather than an ostentatious hall. His strongroom probably could have been used for a Scrooge McDuck style gold bath prior to him being offered the Lunar tax farming for the kingdom of Sartar - an offer he couldn't refuse. Unlike other tax farmers, Gringle poured much of his personal wealth into keeping the Tax Demons away from his homeland.

He still enjoys the other perks of his retirement seat, most notably the presence of the Uleria temple.

 

Gringle's choice not to live in a fortress comes to bite him in the pawnshop scenario and subsequent raids, so it isn't an exemplary retirement seat for an accomplished heroquester. We never learn his clan or tribe, which suggests to me that he was adopted into the royal clan at some point. With the royal clan effectively disbanded in 1602, Gringle was sufficiently well regarded and connected to remain independent.