Pitch me the current RuneQuest
Wolfpack48
Adventurer
Well, first thing to realize is that while Glorantha has bits of different alt earth feels, it is NOT alt earth, and has its own flavor and quirks. Look for a casual relation to real earth, not a direct one.
But the most simple reason is that Jonstown is in Sartar which is different culturally from the plains of Prax.
But the most simple reason is that Jonstown is in Sartar which is different culturally from the plains of Prax.
I believe many of the places were named for Greg Stafford’s players in the 1970s: Stafford was born in 1948, so your dating is spot on.
Baron Opal II
Hero
Jonstown is named after a player named John. Nochet is named so because when a player asked if the town had a name, Greg answered "Not yet." That's what I've been told, anyway.
aramis erak
Legend
Greg has a warped sense of humor. Anachronisms are intentionally placed by Greg in a number of products with his hands in the making of them.
Some (as noted by others) are due to players. Others are just because Greg was in a chaotic mood.
He was a founder of The Chaosium, after all.
Wolfpack48
Adventurer
Thought I would write just a bit more about RuneQuest Glorantha itself, and why it's a great game:
First off, cults are a central part of the game an essential to every character. The gods are active (and real) in the world, so they influence everything in daily life, and the magic they offer is instilled in everyone. There are no "magic users" because everyone uses magic. That said, there are different kinds of magic in the world. Spirit Magic is the everyday magic used by all peoples. It is generally lower powered but can be more powerful if properly manipulated. Rune Magic is granted by the gods through worship, and is generally the most powerful, but most narrow in scope -- it will generally align with the god's sphere of influence. Most people know of and follow multiple gods but can choose to be initiates of a single god and gain that's god's Rune Magic. A character is also aligned to the runes of his deity, and these runes can voluntarily or involuntarily be accessed to augment skill or tests experienced during play. With experience, the character may become a Rune Lord which has powerful Rune Magics associated with the status. Sorcery is learned magic, and is more esoteric in nature, employed by fewer practitioners, and more typically in the west northern continent.
Combat in RuneQuest can be brutal. Hit points stay pretty much static throughout the game, but armor and magic can provide protection if hit, and there are many ways (shield/parry/dodge) to avoid getting hit in the first place. But combat is not to be taken lightly, and a critical or special hit, if it gets through defenses can cause a lot of hurt. That said, there are many mundane and magical ways to heal.
Glorantha itself is a strange yet familiar setting. You'll see echoes of the bronze age throughout, with the Lunars having a similar feel to ancient Rome, and the Heortlings a civilized "barbarian" people. the plainsmen of Prax, the zebra (and other beast) riders, the tapir-like Morkanth who herd beastmen, intelligent baboons, the Telmori wolf worshippers, the cursed ducks (a divine joke), the trolls, who can literally eat anything, the mechanistic Mostali, the Aldryami plant people, dragons the size of mountain ranges and their smaller cousins the dragonnewts, and the chaos worshipping broo who are hated by all. And much more. There is a vast mythology backing all these peoples and there is no single truth, only the world as viewed by different cultures and creatures. There is no need to know everything to start, it's best if the world is discovered one adventure at a time.
First off, cults are a central part of the game an essential to every character. The gods are active (and real) in the world, so they influence everything in daily life, and the magic they offer is instilled in everyone. There are no "magic users" because everyone uses magic. That said, there are different kinds of magic in the world. Spirit Magic is the everyday magic used by all peoples. It is generally lower powered but can be more powerful if properly manipulated. Rune Magic is granted by the gods through worship, and is generally the most powerful, but most narrow in scope -- it will generally align with the god's sphere of influence. Most people know of and follow multiple gods but can choose to be initiates of a single god and gain that's god's Rune Magic. A character is also aligned to the runes of his deity, and these runes can voluntarily or involuntarily be accessed to augment skill or tests experienced during play. With experience, the character may become a Rune Lord which has powerful Rune Magics associated with the status. Sorcery is learned magic, and is more esoteric in nature, employed by fewer practitioners, and more typically in the west northern continent.
Combat in RuneQuest can be brutal. Hit points stay pretty much static throughout the game, but armor and magic can provide protection if hit, and there are many ways (shield/parry/dodge) to avoid getting hit in the first place. But combat is not to be taken lightly, and a critical or special hit, if it gets through defenses can cause a lot of hurt. That said, there are many mundane and magical ways to heal.
Glorantha itself is a strange yet familiar setting. You'll see echoes of the bronze age throughout, with the Lunars having a similar feel to ancient Rome, and the Heortlings a civilized "barbarian" people. the plainsmen of Prax, the zebra (and other beast) riders, the tapir-like Morkanth who herd beastmen, intelligent baboons, the Telmori wolf worshippers, the cursed ducks (a divine joke), the trolls, who can literally eat anything, the mechanistic Mostali, the Aldryami plant people, dragons the size of mountain ranges and their smaller cousins the dragonnewts, and the chaos worshipping broo who are hated by all. And much more. There is a vast mythology backing all these peoples and there is no single truth, only the world as viewed by different cultures and creatures. There is no need to know everything to start, it's best if the world is discovered one adventure at a time.
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