Glorantha Preview

[MongooseMatt]

Continuing our line up of previews of the new RuneQuest game, we are proud
to present the first peek of the Glorantha sourcebook, focussing on the
Second Age. You can download it from;

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/home/series.php?qsSeries=39

 

[Enpeze]

nice....I like it.

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

5. Forgetting number 4 can get you killed.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Very good indeed!

 

[Ravage]

Oops... I'm talkign abotu the extra magic bit that appaeared too!

Lots of snippets to chew over...

Spells seems stackable which is cool.

Spirit combat... hmm ok... I wait to se the second page - as long as the rq resistance table is there...

On a side note - and tremendously picky and yeah, yeah I Know the rulesbooks arent glorantha specific, but I wouldnt have used the wrod steel in the enchantment secion - bronze is all thats around as remnants of the god's bones. Only Mostali can manufacture steel no? As I say picky, but I'm a Glornatha nut

Keep it up : I still think the previews are great ideas!

 

[Ravage]

SO... Glorantha supplement....

This looks really cool...

So Safelster... somewhere new to me.... googles abound, and started to digest this:
http://www.eiderweb.net/safelster/background/index.html

AGain, and sure hope w'ell be able to thumb proto copies at Continuum next week

 

[homerjsinnott]

Looks very good, better than RQ 5ish.

 

[WildHealer]

Oops... I think I've been missing something... ;-)

Your Glorantha preview refers to Pamaltela as "the tropical, less hospitable land of Pamaltela, where grass does not grow".

No grass? Big news to me - I thought Pamaltela was characterised by great rolling savannah, especially inland. BTW - less hospitable, depending on your point of view, but more fertile - Pamalt, Pamaltela's "great earth spirit" (roughly...) didn't die in the Gods' War, whereas Genert did. Pamaltela's a damn sight more fertile as a result than Genertela.

What's the deal with the grass, though? Is this some weird Second Age thing?

Thanks,

Sarah

 

[Urox]

So Safelster... somewhere new to me....

Yeah... it's an interesting choice.

Safelster is one of those melting pot areas, where you have both western culture and barbarians, along with all four elder races.

It's also the home of the Borists -- Tap loving Chaos wizards!

Speaking of Tapping, it will be interesting to see how MQ handles that unpleasant ascpect of Sorcery...

 

[Mark Mohrfield]

What's the deal with the grass, though? Is this some weird Second Age thing?

No, it's not just in the Second Age. It's been known since at least 1994 when Tales of the Reaching Moon #11 came out. From page 11, "The Plain is covered with several types of ground cover, but includes no grass-type plants." Sweet clover and overnighter are mentioned.

Glorantha Introduction to the Hero Wars states on page 211 that "the grassy plants cannot grow in the soil here. In the mythic days Pamalt rejected the grass goddess, favoring instead the many clover-like plants that instead cover his lands."

Apparantly the lack of grass is why horses are so rare in Pamaltela.


Mark Mohrfield

 

[WildHealer]

There ya go - Gregged again...

Pamalt's mythology (on the Glorantha website, etc) clearly mentions the aforesaid "vast grasslands", etc, etc - but that is originally from Wyrm's Footnotes, despite its 1998 copyright... Guess this has been retrofitted and it's not grass as in "grass", but grass as in "something else which looks a bit like grass from a long way away". For now at least...

My campaign has never made it that far, so no big deal. At least it's not Elmal...!

Thanks for the refs,

Sarah

 

[Archer]

Whow, at least one book has color.
Beyond that, there is not much to say.

 

[homerjsinnott]

There ya go - Gregged again...

Pamalt's mythology (on the Glorantha website, etc) clearly mentions the aforesaid "vast grasslands", etc, etc - but that is originally from Wyrm's Footnotes, despite its 1998 copyright... Guess this has been retrofitted and it's not grass as in "grass", but grass as in "something else which looks a bit like grass from a long way away". For now at least...


Sarah

Probably cause "vast cloverlands" sounds so silly . In shape and form they are grasslands, having the same landscapes and fauna (except horses).

 

[Cobra]

There ya go - Gregged again...

Pamalt's mythology (on the Glorantha website, etc) clearly mentions the aforesaid "vast grasslands", etc, etc - but that is originally from Wyrm's Footnotes, despite its 1998 copyright... Guess this has been retrofitted and it's not grass as in "grass", but grass as in "something else which looks a bit like grass from a long way away". For now at least...


Sarah

Probably cause "vast cloverlands" sounds so silly . In shape and form they are grasslands, having the same landscapes and fauna (except horses).

Chill out, dudes. Maybe grass means, um, you know... weed?

C

 

[Adept]

I'll definitely be getting the Glorantha - Second Age book (not sure about the rest) since I'm a Glorantha nut.

That said, the preview bits read very much like Robin Laws' work, and I'm not all that keen on his style or approach (seemed like a likeable chap in person though). The "how to be a godlearner" and "themes of glorantha" lists read very much like the play examples in HeroQuest, and are a bit too much beer&prezels for my taste.

Then again, if such an approach make Glorantha easier to approach for most gamers, I quess it is a good thing in it's own way.

 

[Dead Blue Clown]

I'll definitely be getting the Glorantha - Second Age book (not sure about the rest) since I'm a Glorantha nut.

That said, the preview bits read very much like Robin Laws' work, and I'm not all that keen on his style or approach (seemed like a likeable chap in person though).

As far as I know, Robin D. Laws has only written the Glorantha corebook so far. Don't quote me on that, though. His writing style is very, very distinctive, huh? When I first read the 2nd Age book, I was caught between being amazed at the writer's vision for the setting (and his vast knowledge of the setting) and unsure about the strange formality/informality balance of the writing which, as you noted, resemble previous editions of HQ.

 

[atgxtg]

Anyone know if there will be any long form cult write-ups?

 

[Urox]

When I first read the 2nd Age book, I was caught between being amazed at the writer's vision for the setting (and his vast knowledge of the setting) and unsure about the strange formality/informality balance of the writing which, as you noted, resemble previous editions of HQ.

Hrm...

I'm really hoping that Second Age doesn't mimic HW/HQ too much. While endlessly stealing cows back and forth may be more culturally relevant, it doesn't make for very interesting adventure IMO. I've always been more of a fan of Glorantha as high fantasy, than Glorantha as a purely socialogical simulation.

Since us non-Mongoose people haven't seen the full Second Age book, we'll just have to wait it out another month or two...

 

[CharlieMonster]

Much as I like HQ I have to join my voice to those hoping RuneQuest will be something different. With the right players HQ is an amazing game, but if it has a weakness, it is a little too vague / freeform, which means it's hard for novice and even some more experienced players to get a handle on.

Hopefully it will hark back to the best of "old style Glorantha," like Pavis & Griffin mountain and draw on some of the best modern RPG (Deadlands, Tribe8, De Noblis and :shudder!: World of Darkness)

Besides I'm an old fashioned player and I quite like counting my loot! :lol:

 

[Urox]

Besides I'm an old fashioned player and I quite like counting my loot! :lol:

What?!? Don't you just love that rush you get when you spend a Hero Point to cement +1 Wealth?

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

Anyone know if there will be any long form cult write-ups?

I really hope so. The GoG writeups were a travesty compared to CoP/CoT.