RuneQuest and Glorantha ideas

[Baron Opal II]

So I want to know more about everyone's experience with Glorantha and RuneQuest.

As I've said elsewhere, I'm married to D&D, but RQ is part of an on again / off again throuple. That said, I haven't run a game with that system or in that world for a couple decades or so.

I'm a big fan of Glorantha, although more from a mythopoetic design standpoint than anything else. It greatly informed my worldbuilding. I have run a couple campaigns and one-shots. Wrote a couple things that were published in fanzines back in the day.

I greatly appreciated the Power attribute and its relation to magic. I appreciated how it fueled Battle Magic and could be expended for Rune Magic. I appreciate the cult structure and how it granted access to magical and social power. Sorcery is okay- it never fit as seamlessly as other powers did. Mysticism just left me scratching my head. I hope that came to be more refined after RQ 3-4.

I liked how cults were bite-sized explanations of culture, religion, and who your friends and foes likely were. Especially the occasions when you could encounter and enemy, recognize some insignia, and potentially parley with them.

Other races were as alien as you could make a potentially playable race. I'm sad the other races never got the UzPack treatment.

RuneQuest made me realize how much I loathe skill-based games. Traveller? Fine. I only need to keep track of 3-6 skills or so. RQ? I can't simply write out a character sheet on some note paper and not wonder what I'm missing.

I probably wouldn't run it again, but I would happily play in a game of it.

 

[kronovan]

- If you cold switch it all to another system, which system would it be?

It would without a doubt be 13th Age, as there's an official, quality adaptation of Glorantha for it. Not to mention I'm a big fan of 13A. I'm also a fan of Mythras (RQ6 with serial numbers filed off) though and I could see running it with those rules too.

- If you like the current BRP system, what matters most to you about it?

I own BRP-UGE, Call of Cthulhu, Delta Green and Mythras, which to some extent all share the BRP DNA. The d100 core dice mechanic is what matters most to me, because I've found it's an easy one for players to grasp - even those new to TTRPGs. Having played with those flavors I listed, I'm familiar with how they change thresholds/degrees of successes for dice rolls, but all of them have worked well.

- If you like a different version of it, what one or two really stand-out mechanics that keep you coming back to that version of the game?

Icons and how the authors of 13A Glorantha adapted them to the Gods/Goddesses of the Pantheon. I've had a fun time as GM and player with Icons and like how they work, influence adventures and drive narrative. 13A Glorantha has a nice variation to the way Icons are presented in the CRB.

- If you have never gotten into RuneQuest or the setting of Glorantha, why? What were some of biggest things that pushed you away (aside from overall loredump and rules)

I got into Glorantha, but my path to RQ and the setting was via a round about way. I 1st got into Mythras, because I was homebrewing a Historical Fantasy setting and it seemed like a good fit. At the time BRP-UGE wasn't out and I went looking for a print copy of the BRP Big Gold Book, which proved to be rare in my country at best. One of my FLGS I enquired at, emailed Chaosium about it and they either didn't have BGB's in print or no distributor for my country. So they just authorized that FLGS to give me a free PDF for Runequest Roleplaying in Glorantha. It was some time before I delved into the PDF, but I liked enough of what I read to eventually purchase the Glorantha Sourcebook.

I'm not so keen on the RRiG rules. And while I can see where'd it be light lifting to run Glorantha with Mytrhas, I know my circles of players would prefer 13A. I've no doubts that I'll eventually get to running adventures in Glorantha, but I'll have to be after my 13A World of Midgard campaign concludes.

 

[Wolfpack48]

I really got into Glorantha (and BRP) when RuneQuest 3 came out. At the time, the whole system felt very elegant, and it scratched a getting-away-from-classes-and-levels itch I was feeling at the time. Once we got used to using skills, it moved very quickly, and we didn't even feel like the extra hit locations were much of a challenge, just rolled an extra dice, and we appreciated the dynamic feel of blocking and dodging. Armor Points made much more sense to us than Armor Class. Also appreciated the connection to Call of Cthulhu which we also got into at the time.

As far as Glorantha itself, we had a critical mass of folks who were also fans of the setting -- the Borderlands and Pavis campaigns from the RQ2 game translated quite well, and we loved the outpost/desert setting. I think the thing I appreciate most about Glorantha (beyond the lovely religion and cult focus) is its weirdness. I mean one of the adventures was about a giant's baby cradle floating down a river. A city where you have to go through the empire's bureaucracy to get to the giant ruins and then pay a treasure tax when you return. I think in order to really feel Glorantha, you need to dive into weirder stuff than elves and dwarves and just do off beat stuff. I do think the creators were "smokers of herb."

RQ Glorantha, pretty much uses the same rules as RQ3, with more detail for Divine Magic, and more integration with cultic runes. I like it, but it may push beyond a level of complexity some players won't like. We finished a 5-year campaign recently and had a blast.