So writing to counter some of the 'dump on RuneQuest Glorantha' posts here. We've played a full year and a half Pavis campaign using the new rules and have found them perfectly usable, and actually not all that different from RQ2 or RQ3. The setting itself is brilliant. I think you are running into a lot of "I'm used to X edition of RQ and change sucks" opinions.
1) The rules walk through creating a character and have supplemental information alongside incorporating the setting.
2) Yes, lore is baked throughout, but it's in service to the content. It might have been parsed out separately, but then I think you are basically doing what RQ3 did which is mythic earth instead of Glorantha. If that's what you want to do, just use RQ3 or Mythras, but this latest edition is about Glorantha. Glorantha actually does "mediterranean" really well with Pavis and environs. There are a ton of published adventures and content in the Pavis and Borderlands regions so you won't be hard pressed to find material.
3) The game details how runes are manifested in the world and how they are employed by characters. If you're going to complain about runes in a game called RuneQuest, well... The game book does fine with giving a single translation for each symbol, and once you start using them, they become second nature
4) I'll agree the lifepath is a bit much for a player new to Glorantha, but I think this section can be easily ignored or just used as bit of flavor if you don't want to go through it. It is clearly listed as optional.
5) The Resistance table has always proved useful, but the opposed level of success rolls can be used easily if you are familiar with the CoC 7th system. BRP rules are infinitely flexible, and many players games mix and match the BRP engine as desired.
As to the game itself, this edition is the most complete edition ever published for Glorantha. There are mountains of great adventures old and new to draw on, and content is coming out continuously at the Jonstown Compendium on DriveThru RPG. Pick up Pavis and the Big Rubble and Borderlands, and you have enough for multiple years of adventuring. Glorantha is a weird world, but it captured nicely in the new edition. Some of the great new things, which are not radically different than RQ2/3:
- Rune Magic now uses Rune Points which can be sacrificed and replenished in a game friendly manner that is clearer than the old RQ2/3 sacrifice POW system.
- Runes are incorporated into the game now in a way that actually affects gameplay and is similar to the way Pendragon Personal Traits work.
- Passions are captured, which allow for more roleplaying opportunities.
- Sorcery has been rewritten to more closely tie the system to Glorantha
- MUCH more Glorantha lore out of the box.
If the OP is actually interested in Glorantha, RQG is the best supported version available. There's plenty of old and new material available at Chaosium's site and on Drivethru.