Anti-glorantha rant to moongose.

[Exubae]

I wonder how well a manga/console-esque background would sell, I suppose if it is done well it could be good... Not my cup of tea though.
I find all the over size swords (Exalteds baldes are more use as oars then weapons), bulbous eyes, and the all looks and no depth feel to manga style games a bit on the lame side, but if there is a market Mongoose should exploit it.

 

[cerebro]

All monsters from Glorantha that are in the monster coliseum have that corny feeling Chonchon, Fachan,Grotaron,Ducks

The D&D monsters are WAAAY cornier than any of Glorantha's. As already mentioned, at least gloranthan monsters are based on myth

But what do you say of these D&D monsters?:
http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article73.htm

XDDD

Please, if you don't want corny monsters, don't even mention D&D...

But they got the sense of getting rid of them. You still have them. Based on myth...they still suck.

 

[cthulhudarren]

The D&D monsters are WAAAY cornier than any of Glorantha's. As already mentioned, at least gloranthan monsters are based on myth

But what do you say of these D&D monsters?:
http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article73.htm

Please, if you don't want corny monsters, don't even mention D&D...

But they got the sense of getting rid of them. You still have them. Based on myth...they still suck.

I gotta agree with Cerebro. The ratio of cool:lame monsters in D&D is much higher than in Glorantha, unfortunately. Other than that, I think Glorantha is solid, though I like a more naturalistic cosmology.

 

[PrinceYyrkoon]

This is a weird thread.

My first impression was to think 'Nah'.

But then, I realised what the OP was talking about. It's a move towards more user-friendly fantasy settings, (not necessarily 'generic' ones), those familiar to younger gamers through console games like Oblivion or Fable, whatever. The kewl factor.

They don't want the in-yer-face weirdness of what they see as unapproachable settings like Tekumel or Glorantha, for them, perhaps even the Young Kingdoms seems too much like work and research.

I'm not being funny here, either. Maybe there's a point. For rpgs to survive, maybe they have to take this into account. It's like the BBC being said to have 'dumbed down' (their phrase, not mine), or Marks & Spencer peeling and dicing your potatoes for you.

The younger roleplayers want something new and radical. I maybe agree that Glorantha might not be the way forward. Maybe it belongs in the past.

 

[Mark Mohrfield]

But they got the sense of getting rid of them. You still have them. Based on myth...they still suck.

Again, according to whom? When I think of Glorantha, I think of things like trolls, monsters who have a whole complex society complete with history, religion, etc. You just don't see that sort of thing often in frpgs.

 

[Darran]

I started with RuneQuest back in 1981 and stuck with it and Glorantha since [though for the past ten years I have played Hero Wars/HeroQuest mostly].

I think that RQ can handle many settings and its strength to some extent is the collection of settings it supports now.
It could always do with a few more new settings though, whether licensed IP, official, unofficial, third party, original or unoriginal.

I think that Mongoose should take a leaf out of Paizo's book and look closely at the subscription model like the Adventure Paths they did.

 

[Jujitsudave]

But what do you say of these D&D monsters?:
http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article73.htm

Oh wow that was funny!

 

[ThatGuy]

But what do you say of these D&D monsters?:
http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article73.htm

Oh wow that was funny!

Good Lord. *wipes eyes*

That was funny.

I personally liked the Asswere :lol:

 

[Jujitsudave]

Some of those I've actually used!

 

[Psuedosirus]

I am always amazed that RQ/BRP/Openquest is outsold by D&D when it is mechanically superior to D&D in virtually every respect. Apple vs. PC, I suppose.

But the hard-wire link to Glorantha can't be helping. I think a simple, possibly free basic booklet on "World Building for RQ" would serve the game very well. It also needs more exposure at conventions. If Mongoose paid me, I'd be happy to do both.

 

[cerebro]

You just don't see that sort of thing often in frpgs.

And look like over grown Tapirs...why?. And since this is my post, according to me guys. This is my opinion. You can still think a Troll, that looks like a overgrown Tapir, looks cool,fine. Thats your taste. I happen to think they look bad and don't inspire fear.

 

[cerebro]

I think that Mongoose should take a leaf out of Paizo's book and look closely at the subscription model like the Adventure Paths they did.

Amen!. Those are selling veeery well. They are great.

 

[Mark Mohrfield]

You just don't see that sort of thing often in frpgs.

And look like over grown Tapirs...why?. And since this is my post, according to me guys. This is my opinion. You can still think a Troll, that looks like a overgrown Tapir, looks cool,fine. Thats your taste. I happen to think they look bad and don't inspire fear.

The tapir troll was only one cover from Mongoose, most artists have depicted them differently. This cover, for example

http://www.glorantha.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ISS2003-cover-small.jpg

But it's not really their appearance that makes them so unique. The fact is, Trolls are a kind of people. To quote the late John M. Ford, "In some games a player character troll is just a big, dumb, tough, ugly human. In RuneQuest, Trolls have their own society, gods, reasons for being." And that is the kind of thing that makes Glorantha so special. Glorantha has elves that are sentient mobile plants. It has dwarves who see themselves as parts of a machine. It has dragonewts, who reincarnate through successive deaths and who transform through different forms through their lives, eventually becoming true dragons. It has scorpian people, broos, intelligent baboons, and dozens of other intelligent non-humans. To me, that's much better than another bunch of minor variations on the standard elves/dwarves/halflings of most rpgs.

 

[cerebro]

You just don't see that sort of thing often in frpgs.

And look like over grown Tapirs...why?. And since this is my post, according to me guys. This is my opinion. You can still think a Troll, that looks like a overgrown Tapir, looks cool,fine. Thats your taste. I happen to think they look bad and don't inspire fear.

The tapir troll was only one cover from Mongoose, most artists have depicted them differently. This cover, for example

http://www.glorantha.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ISS2003-cover-small.jpg

But it's not really their appearance that makes them so unique. The fact is, Trolls are a kind of people. To quote the late John M. Ford, "In some games a player character troll is just a big, dumb, tough, ugly human. In RuneQuest, Trolls have their own society, gods, reasons for being." And that is the kind of thing that makes Glorantha so special. Glorantha has elves that are sentient mobile plants. It has dwarves who see themselves as parts of a machine. It has dragonewts, who reincarnate through successive deaths and who transform through different forms through their lives, eventually becoming true dragons. It has scorpian people, broos, intelligent baboons, and dozens of other intelligent non-humans. To me, that's much better than another bunch of minor variations on the standard elves/dwarves/halflings of most rpgs.

Oh come on!. Are you mocking me. Truly you most be joking to pull that cover in defense of the trolls. And when was the last time you played anything else but Runequest?. Every system now has well defined monsters.

 

[Psuedosirus]

Really? We're talking tapirs now? Although they are the very heart and soul of Glorantha, I think we may be off topic a bit.

 

[Mark Mohrfield]

Oh come on!. Are you mocking me. Truly you most be joking to pull that cover in defense of the trolls.

I do like the cover, but the reason I linked to it was to demostrate that the tapir-style trolls where an anomaly.

And when was the last time you played anything else but Runequest?. Every system now has well defined monsters.

Finding any that are as well-defined as Glorantha's is a rarity. Even more than twenty-five years after it's publication, Trollpak is still one the best portrayels of a non-human race rpgs have produced.

 

[Darran]

You just don't see that sort of thing often in frpgs.

And look like over grown Tapirs...why?. And since this is my post, according to me guys. This is my opinion. You can still think a Troll, that looks like a overgrown Tapir, looks cool,fine. Thats your taste. I happen to think they look bad and don't inspire fear.

Here is an image of the anatomy of a troll.

And the cover of the infamous Trollpak!

 

[Exubae]

cerebro wrote:

Every system now has well defined monsters.

The difference with RQ and other RPG the 'Monsters' aren't seen as just sword fodder. In Glorantha the sentient 'Monsters' have reasonably well formed well formed cultures and 'Myths', something that adds a good degree of depth and enjoyment to the game.
You also get the feeling that the background for sentient races was developed before the game was released rather then retro-actively shoe-horned on to them.
I admit to feeling a certain negativity to Ducks and their Howard like depictions, but they're tucked away in small areas of Glorantha and can be for the most part ignored.

I still can't see your issue with Myth outside the Gloranthan setting (though I can see the point of ignoring Heroquesting), it gives religiously biased characters something to help portray and motivate their characters.
It also helps shift your mindset from roleplaying with a 21st century mentality.

From a personal perspective I admit I'm a bit of Glorantha-fan-boy, and I can see holes in Glorantha, but overall its a sound backdrop for gaming.
But they're not the only backgrounds we use, I also find Elric, BRP Rome and Lankmahr cool settings, we've also been toying with converting Warhammer 40K to RQII, which should be pretty straight forward.

 

[Vile]

The big innovation of RuneQuest (and not neccessarily Glorantha) was that monsters were from the start treated the same as humans - they got cultures and stats that made the term "character races" obsolete. I think that's a contribution which is often overlooked - in fact, very few systems even now are so egalitarian. 3.5e, for example, allowed it but didn't make it a matter of course - some conversion was still required.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

Really? We're talking tapirs now? Although they are the very heart and soul of Glorantha, I think we may be off topic a bit.

Gloranthan Trolls are nothing like Tapirs - Morokanth are Like Tapirs, - Maybe the OP is confused by his determination to hate Glorantha without actually knowing anything about it?