Before Blood of Orlanth

[Host of Angels]

I intend to run the majestic and wonderful Blood of Orlanth, but it asks for at least seasoned adventurers. My plan is to run with the Orlanthi version of the scenario, but I want to start with novice characters and was looking around for a few introductory adventures I could use.

Any ideas? I found My Brother's Feast in Signs and Portents 44 - which looks pretty suitable. Any others out there that would give a Gloranthan flavour to the players (who do not know Glorantha)?

Cheers

 

[weasel_fierce]

If they are orlanthi, let them start off by doing some orlanthi things.. cattle raiding, a feud between clans, a minor quest to aid their families, that sort of thing.

Maybe start them off with a "coming of age" quest.

 

[The King]

Indeed, you can give them experience by playing some RQ3 adventures (Apple Lane, Griffin Mountain, Snakepipe Hollow, etc.) before playing this campaign.

 

[juhanfg]

Indeed, you can give them experience by playing some RQ3 adventures (Apple Lane, Griffin Mountain, Snakepipe Hollow, etc.) before playing this campaign.

All of them quite nice but all of them in the third age and requiring some mayor changes if you want to have a consistent background.

There is no Delecti, no Balazar as such and to go into Snakepipe Hollow you also need some pretty tough characters if you want to survive.

Raiding is always possible, blood feuds and such.

 

[Host of Angels]

What about the other scenarios in Signs and Portents that are written for RQ, but not specifically Glorathan flavoured. I guess I want some short chunks that introduce some of the ideas and mechanics of the game. The players are dye-in-the-wool D&D gamers, so there will have to be a bit of a shift in play style for them.

 

[elgrin]

What about the other scenarios in Signs and Portents that are written for RQ, but not specifically Glorathan flavoured. I guess I want some short chunks that introduce some of the ideas and mechanics of the game. The players are dye-in-the-wool D&D gamers, so there will have to be a bit of a shift in play style for them.

They do run quite well as I have played some of them with my group and any inconsistencies are the reason we are GM's; half the fun is in papering over the cracks.

elgin

 

[Host of Angels]

Which ones did you run?

 

[elgrin]

Host of angels,
I am at work at the minute and so will later edit this post with a list of the two or three I have run: and the send list I intend to run as a PM.

EDIT :
I have currently run :

Apple Lane - All the scenarios
A non-boardgame version of 'Rumble at the Tin Inn' from White Dwarf
'The world's shortest yet Technically complete RQ adventure' from S&P
A wedding scenario based on some HQ stuff I read
From 'Vingettes' in S&P, 'The Broken Man' & 'Lost for words'
and 'A recipe for Disaster' from S&P

Like you my players are starting as beginners.

elgrin

 

[The King]

Indeed, you can give them experience by playing some RQ3 adventures (Apple Lane, Griffin Mountain, Snakepipe Hollow, etc.) before playing this campaign.

All of them quite nice but all of them in the third age and requiring some mayor changes if you want to have a consistent background.

Major changes? I don't think so (rules-wise excepted). These adventures are Glorantha-generic and you can easily play them anywhere and anywhen.

Snakepipe Hollow is indeed for experienced characters but as is Blood of Orlanth (I don't have this book yet), so may be one can play it just before BoO.

I would also have my characters play some heroquests so that they know what it is and what to expect.

 

[Host of Angels]

According to BoO, the characters need to be "at least Seasoned". Veteran and above, it states will need increased opponent difficulty.

And seasoned is only 50 more free skill points, a couple more characteristic points and runes. So, the characters are still pretty green.

I want the players to start as born and bred in Sky End Stead (the initial location) - to give them a real link to it and a reason to get involved. Hence the need for a few initial quests to season them and introduce the key NPCs.

 

[The King]

Hence the need for a few initial quests to season them and introduce the key NPCs.

The problem is that there are many more heroquest with heroquest rules than with runequest.

 

[Host of Angels]

Alas alack - I also find myself without any older RQ material. I only have Mongoose stuff

 

[The King]

You can find old RQ stuff on ebay and there is also the RQ2 reprint from Moon Design (though there are much more change to perform with them than with the material I already mentioned before.

 

[Mogul76]

I haven't read Blood of Orlanth yet, as I don't know where to buy it here in Switzerland and the PDF version has still not been released :-( (please, don't forget your online customers, Mongoose!). I wouldn't necessarily advise GM's who are new to Glorantha to buy the old RQ supplements such as Apple Lane and Snake Pipe Hollow. Please don't misunderstand me. The books aren't bad. But they were written at the end of the 1970's and definitely convey an old-school feeling (i.e. a lot of dungeon crawling, classical traps, a massive amount of stats, etc... If you intend to use them, you'd better be a micro manager ;-) ). Moreover, it can be quite difficult and expensive to obtain the old RQ books.

I also think that Snake Pipe Hollow is a bit far away from the characters' home. If I understand correctly, the adventure starts near the Solthi River. Snake Pipe Hollow is at least 340 km away. The distance to the Upland Marsh is "only" ca. 170 km. So, why not venture there (once the player characters have gained the necessary amount of experience) and meet some ducks in the process? ;-)

I'm not sure as to when exactly the Upland Marsh was created in the second age (Delecti appears to be a living human being in the Glorantha - The 2nd age sourcebook). But this in itself could also be an interesting campaign. It would be nice if someone
with more Gloranthan knowledge could answer that question.

I do have a few constructive suggestions, though: Get a copy of the HeroQuest supplements / adventures such as Dragon Pass and Storm Tribe as well as Barbarian Adventures, Orlanth is Dead and Gathering Thunder. Even though these books focus on the 3rd age, they'll provide you with plenty of ideas which could be suitable for the 2nd age. Especially Barbarian Adventures provides a good overview of Orlanthi clan life and politics.

Product description: Every day, danger and opportunity confront the Orlanthi barbarians of Sartar. Those heroes who step out in front of their communities to face these challenges take the first step on the long, hazardous road to the Hero Wars. Everyday
activities such as cattle raids, blood feuds, and riding patrol teach players what it means to be a Heortling. Introductory adventures familiarize players with the everyday risks of life in the hills. Are your heroes brave enough to defy their Imperial oppressors? Will they cast themselves into the conflagration of the Hero Wars?

You can buy the PDF version of Barbarian Adventures and Orlanth is Dead for USD 10.00 at DriveThru RPG. Dragon Pass and Gethering Thunder can only be ordered as hard-copy books. I haven't read History of the Heortling Peoples but it sounds pretty interesting and it is still available as a PDF. Also try to get in touch with A Sharp, the creators of the excellent "King of Dragon Pass" computer game. According to their website, they are willing to send a copy on CD for USD 19.00, if you can't find it anywhere else. Besides being an excellent computer game, KoDP is an excellent source of information on the heortling peoples and contains gorgeous artwork. And, best of all, KoDP is set approx. 3 centuries before the start of the Hero Wars! You'll find more information about KoDP at: http://a-sharp.com/kodp/.

If this is not enough, you can of course try to acquire the older RQ material. However, Apple Lane and Snake Pipe Hollow would be on the bottom of my list. Instead, I'd rather advise you to get:
- Tales of the Reaching Moon Issue 18 - Sartar Special;
- Possibly (pls. refer to the question in the 3rd paragraph): Tales of the Reaching Moon Issue 19 - Upland Marsh Special;
- Tradetalk #7 – Non Humans Special Issue;
- Tales of the Reaching Moon 7, 18 and 20: Orlanthi HeroQuests, tribe (Lismelder ) and clan (Greydog) descriptions.
- If you read German: Schatten in den Hügeln (description of an Orlanthi village + adventures set near / in the Upland Marsh, if I remember correctly);
- If you read German: Ort ohne Wiederkehr.

- If you already own Snake Pipe Hollow and like dungeon-type adventures: RuneQuest Adventures #6: The Stinking Forest.

There's probably much, much more I currently can't think of.

I hope this helps.

Mogul

 

[gamesmeister]

I'm not sure as to when exactly the Upland Marsh was created in the second age (Delecti appears to be a living human being in the Glorantha - The 2nd age sourcebook). But this in itself could also be an interesting campaign. It would be nice if someone
with more Gloranthan knowledge could answer that question.

Not long before the DragonKill, which means circa 1100ST (around 150 years from the current timeframe)

 

[The King]

I'm not sure as to when exactly the Upland Marsh was created in the second age (Delecti appears to be a living human being in the Glorantha - The 2nd age sourcebook). But this in itself could also be an interesting campaign. It would be nice if someone
with more Gloranthan knowledge could answer that question.

Not long before the DragonKill, which means circa 1100ST (around 150 years from the current timeframe)

Indeed. Delecti did this to hide himself. his means he knew something was on its way.