Coming [Chaosium] Coming in 2026: Greg Stafford's long-anticipated Gloranthan novel, A Pyre for Gods and Heroes

[Michael O'Brien]

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Glorantha, 411 S.T.

A generation ago, the sun stopped in the sky. By the time it began moving again, the world had been changed. A new god had been born. A new empire risen...

In the barren hills between Dragon Pass and Prax, those who reject the new ways live scattered and hunted. Soon, they will be extinct. For the worship of their chief deity, Orlanth, is forbidden, and without him, an entire generation of boys will never become men. Any who attempt the ancient rites of passage die.

Against this stands an outlaw, Vargast Redhand, and a boy who will change the world of Glorantha forever.

That boy’s name is Harmast Barefoot.

Experience Greg Stafford’s legendary world of Glorantha a whole new way! A Pyre for Gods and Heroes, Greg’s long-anticipated novel, takes you back to Glorantha’s First Age, and into the early career of one of the fabled setting’s greatest heroes.

Special Leatherette Limited Edition for Collectors!​

A Pyre for Gods and Heroes will initially be released as a special edition for collectors, as part of Chaosium's 50th anniversary celebrations. This leatherette limited edition will be individually numbered. The cover design, depicting the Gloranthan constellation Orlanth's Ring, is by Chaosium’s Monika Godyń. Monika's stunning leatherette design work can be seen on such Chaosium special edition titles as Cthulhu by Gaslight, Call of Cthulhu: Arkham, and the Pendragon Magnum Opus edition.

If you’d like to be informed when the special collector limited edition goes on sale, sign up with your email address here and you’ll be first to know!

A Pyre for Gods and Heroes​

• Publisher: Chaosium
• Author: Greg Stafford
• Additional Development: Jeff Richard, Andrew Logan Montgomery
• Foreword: Rick Meints
• Editor: Susan O'Brien
• Leatherette Cover Design: Monika Godyń
• Page Count: 440
• Format: Special Limited Edition Leatherette (indivudally numbered), to be followed by US Trade Paperback, e-book, Kindle, Audible.
• Year of Release: 2026

Greg Stafford's A Pyre for Gods and Heroes will be the first release in a new RuneQuest Fiction line from Chaosium.

Read an Excerpt from Greg’s Novel!​

"Invitations"

About Greg Stafford​

Acclaimed as one of the greatest game designers of all time, Greg Stafford (1948-2018) founded game publisher Chaosium in 1975, and from the outset (to quote his own words) “was never content to imitate, but instead published games that were original in their style of play, content and design”. Under Greg’s leadership, the company quickly became renowned for its originality and creativity, releasing tabletop roleplaying games including RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, and Pendragon that have continued to have enduring popularity, critical acclaim, and widespread appeal for decades. As a friend, mentor, guide, and inspiration to generations of gamers, “the Grand Shaman of Gaming” influenced the universe of tabletop gaming beyond measure. RuneQuest is set in the mythic world of Glorantha, Greg’s own original creation.

A Pyre for Gods and Heroes is Greg Stafford’s first published novel.

About Glorantha​

Glorantha is one of the oldest and most influential fantasy role-playing settings: a world made by the gods but shaped by the deeds of mortals, where magic is part of everyday life and mythology is the basis of reality. A magnum opus of legendary designer Greg Stafford, Glorantha is the mythic Bronze Age setting for the RuneQuest tabletop roleplaying game, the video games King of Dragon Pass and RuneQuest: Warlords, and board games including White Bear and Red Moon, Dragon Pass, Khan of Khans, and Glorantha: The Gods War.

Greg Stafford began accumulating Glorantha's myths, legends, and other lore in 1966.

 

[Michael O'Brien]

​

As many Glorantha fans will know, Chaosium founder Greg Stafford long harbored aspirations to be a published novelist, and worked on perfecting his “Harmast’s Saga” novel over many years – decades even – stopping and starting several times. Greg would sometimes read and share his work-in-progress at conventions; today there are different, incomplete fan versions out in the wilds of Gloranthan fandom, but no complete “novel” per se.

Starting in 2015, Jeff Richard, Greg’s frequent creative collaborator, and editor Susan O’Brien, who knew Greg personally, began – with Greg’s blessing – the task of gathering these manuscripts together and constructing a master text. The plan then was to work with Greg to “fill in the gaps” and, at long last, publish a novel pitched for Glorantha fans and the general reader alike.

Jeff and Susan made solid progress. Altogether the tale Greg wanted to tell was about 90% complete. And for the parts yet to be done, Greg left himself notes about what was needed. Sometimes these notes were detailed drafts, sometimes dot points, sometimes there were even diagrams.

Sadly, Greg’s untimely passing in 2018 put paid to this three-way approach. Work on the ‘Harmast’s Saga’ project was shelved as we mourned Greg. Jeff and Susan went on to other creative endeavours…

Six years later:

2025 was to be the 50th anniversary of Greg’s company, Chaosium. In November 2024, just before Pax Unplugged, the Chaosium management team met in Philadelphia to plan various ways to commemorate that milestone. One of the things enthusiastically agreed to was getting Greg’s novel done, at last. In the company’s anniversary year we could honor Chaosium’s founder by fulfilling what had been a life-long ambition of his.

And that’s where Andrew Logan Montgomery, author of the best-selling Six Seasons in Sartar and recipient of the 2022 Greg Stafford Memorial Award, comes into the picture. Joining Jeff and Susan, Drew spent the last five months helping to get Greg’s book done. And now, at the very close of 2025, it is. But, as Drew says, “Make no mistake. This is Greg's novel. First. Last. Foremost. Any choices we made, we made from reading the tea leaves of Greg's often cryptic notes and constantly asking, "Greg, where were you going with this?" Being something of a whacked out magician myself, I will not deny there were several times the old shaman paid me a visit to keep me on track.”

A Pyre for Gods and Heroes is a book that RuneQuest and Glorantha fans will certainly enjoy, but is also an accessible introduction to Greg’s mythic Bronze Age universe for non-gamers too. We’re proud to say this is a book that you could hand to a non-gamer friend and say, "read this, THIS is why we love the setting."

Download and read an excerpt from Greg Stafford’s A Pyre for Gods and Heroes here:

"Invitations"​

Special Leatherette Limited Edition for Collectors!​

A Pyre for Gods and Heroes, Greg Stafford's long-anticipated novel, takes you back to Glorantha’s First Age, and into the early career of one of the fabled setting’s greatest heroes. It will initially be released as a special edition for collectors, as part of Chaosium's 50th anniversary celebrations. This leatherette limited edition will be individually numbered. This will be followed by a US Trade Paperback version, e-book, Kindle, and Audible.

If you’d like to be informed when the special collector limited edition goes on sale, sign up with your email address here and you’ll be first to know!