Griffin Island

[Rulandor]

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, when I was into RuneQuest 3, I had two versions of the Griffin Island adventure supplement. Unfortunately, sometime during the last fifteen years I sold both copies.

I loved this setting. Are there any plans to revisit Griffin Island for MRQ? That would be so nice!

 

[Osentalka]

The ORIGINAL "Griffin Island" was called "Griffin Mountain", and was set in Glorantha.
This book is available in the Gloranthan Classics line of Moon Design.
Just have a look at www.glorantha.info OR www.glorantha.com OR www.tradetalk.de


Cheers

Osentalka

 

[yojimbo]

Moon Designs' reprint of Griffin Mountain contains all the contents of the original 1981 Griffin Mountain along with the extra material that was incorporated into Griffin Island. With a new layout and art it's well worth buying.

 

[soltakss]

Since Mongoose RQ is set in the Second Age then I doubt if the area of Griffin Mountain will be visited, which is a shame because there is so much going on their in the Second Age.

The Votanki throw off the EWF and start to raid them.

The Dragonewts in their caravan city are destroyed or thrown out.

Balazar comes to found a kingdom, enslaves some giants, builds some citadels, befriends the Votanki and goes of to the Dragonkill.

Bluface is mentioned around this time.

The Vampire of Gork Hills is up to no good.

There is probably some dispute between the Elder races - the humans are said to have set them against each other at this time and fill the gaps left behind.

Cragspider has completed her Uzdo HeroQuest and is worshipped as a deity, although she hasn't got the Black Dragon yet.

Gonn Orta might have founded his Castle by this time or he might found it in the Third Age - I can't find a reference for it, but it would be fun if he were around.

I also can't remember when the elves disappeared from the Elf Sea. Maybe around this time? What caused them to vanish?

What else? The Faceless Statue has left the Throne unguarded. Dagori Inkarth, across the Rockwoods, is stirring.

So, lots to do, but nothing like the Third Age stuff about Balazar.

 

[Sinisalo]

You can run several campaigns off what you have just written there, you shameless tease. So if Balazar is on his way you can also watch him trick the giants into building the citadels. All great fun

 

[Rulandor]

Thank you for the links to the 2nd Edition Griffin Mountain material.

It is a pity, though, that the generic Griffin Island from Avalon Hill seems to remain out of print forever. What a shame that I sold this box years and years ago.

 

[Loz]

Votankiland and the Elder Wilds will be getting some treatment for Second Age - but please don't hold me to any kind of timetable.

As Simon's already said, very rightly, there's stacks going on there during the Second Age, but its a very different place to the Griffin Mountain of the Third.

Not sure if Gonn Orta is active or not; but it would be fun to find out.

 

[Voriof]

Votankiland and the Elder Wilds will be getting some treatment for Second Age - but please don't hold me to any kind of timetable.

As Simon's already said, very rightly, there's stacks going on there during the Second Age, but its a very different place to the Griffin Mountain of the Third.

Not sure if Gonn Orta is active or not; but it would be fun to find out.

He should be, according to the literature. IIRC, he was a young, active giant very busy helping the Jolaniti with their freedom from the Dwarfs. I think he was one of the last true giants born as all the subsequent births were plundered by the God Learners as they floated out to the Great Whirlpool in Cradles, first on the high seas and then at their outpost of Robcradle (which later became Pavis).

Jeff

 

[Hervé]

We really had a blast with Griffin Mountain back then, that I might get the new edition even if we don't play in Glorantha anymore! Chaosium approach was so different than the standard monster bashing of D&D. By the end of the 70s, Chaosium had already set the standards of modern mature role playing (something WTC failed to achieve with the D20 system! :wink: )

 

[Luna]

Votankiland and the Elder Wilds will be getting some treatment for Second Age - but please don't hold me to any kind of timetable.

As Simon's already said, very rightly, there's stacks going on there during the Second Age, but its a very different place to the Griffin Mountain of the Third.

Not sure if Gonn Orta is active or not; but it would be fun to find out.

I'm fund of adventures! Do you think finding him is an adventure one?




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4396710

 

[Ssendam]

The reprint of Griffin Island ... what "version" Runequest is that aimed at.

In fact, all of the Moon design stuff, are they doing just reprints or are they re-issues in MRQ?

 

[Rurik]

The reprint of Griffin Island ... what "version" Runequest is that aimed at.

In fact, all of the Moon design stuff, are they doing just reprints or are they re-issues in MRQ?

It is a straight reprint of RQ2 material, as are all of the Moon Design Gloranthan Classics line books.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

The reprint of Griffin Island ... what "version" Runequest is that aimed at.

Griffin Island was published for RQ3, and is the "Non-Gloranthan" version.
I'm not sure Griffin Island has been reprinted. There are Avalon Hill and Games Workshhop Versions, but they are both around 20 years old...

Griffin Mountain was the original (published) version from Chaosium, again with a Games Workshop edition printed in the UK. This is based in Glorantha, and is for RQ2. It was reprinted by Moon Design as part of the "Glorantha Classics" line. These are reprints of the RQ2 material.

In fact, all of the Moon design stuff, are they doing just reprints or are they re-issues in MRQ?

All of the Moon Design "Glorantha Classics" material is for RQ2 - THere are 4 volumes - "Pavis & Big Rubble", "Griffin Mountain", "Borderlands & Beyond" and "Cult Compendium" - the first 3 listed are all campaign packs based on Chaosiums original boxed sets, while the last is a combination of "Cults of Prax" and "Cults of Terror", together with other cults that were published in various magazines.

Moon Design are also the current publishers of HeroQuest - This material is either entirely new (like "Blood over Gold" or "Champions of the Red Moon") or a mixture of brand new material and new versions of existing material (the forthcoming Sartar, Pavis and Cults books). All of this material will be for Heroquest (existing books for HQ1 and future books for HQ2, which is due on 1 July)

 

[Blackyinkin]

Hi,

I have been running Griffin Mountain using MRQ for a year now, it works really well. I converted the cults across very easily, many of them are already published, Foundchild, Yelmalio, Humakt, Orlanth, Kyger Litor, Zorak Zoran, Aldrya and so forth. I simply used the text from Glorantha.Com for the Lunar Cults and adapted the spells across, many of which were already in place (Madness, True Sword etc) and then converted the old ones such as mindblast. For the game stats I generally used the orginal ones, I used POW x5 for Persistence and CON x 5 for Resilience rolls. I find the Runequest Enemy editor a great aid as well.

The game has been really successful, the conversion took me perhaps a couple of hours to establish the rules. If anyone wants to have a copy of my converted cults they are welcome.

I heartily recommend all the Moon Design Classics to any RQ player, but then again I did illustrate them all so I may be biased

Simon

 

[The King]

I heartily recommend all the Moon Design Classics to any ....
Simon

Volume 5 should include maps IIRC. Do you know when it will be released?

 

[Blackyinkin]

Hmm....

Rick has not revealed this information to me, I would ask him directly. However I would imagine that Moon Design is going to primarily focus on the Heroquest line. Which I must say having read through the Sartar Book is instantly convertible to Runequest and will be having lots of maps in it. The new HQ mechanic is actually almost stat free, so in many ways these books will be primed to set up and play with MRQ. I also think that MRQ will be able to cope with converting Third Age heroes well using Legendary Abilities, which in my campaign are mainly gained through Heroquesting.

Simon

 

[The King]

I had a discussion with him some times ago (2-3 years) and he told me that he had this in mind. I think it would be a great idea to cover up all the regions described in the Glorantha Classics. I just hope he would use a paper with such a grain as was used by Avalon Hill for its Gloranthan line (i.e. River of cradles).

 

[The King]

He should be, according to the literature. IIRC, he was a young, active giant very busy helping the Jolaniti with their freedom from the Dwarfs. I think he was one of the last true giants born as all the subsequent births were plundered by the God Learners as they floated out to the Great Whirlpool in Cradles, first on the high seas and then at their outpost of Robcradle (which later became Pavis).

Jeff

But wasn't the giant baby saved in the episode of the cradle battle against the Lunar empire (Argrath deeds)?

 

[soltakss]

Gonn Orta was born in the Darkness, wasn't he? Maybe he was one of the last True Giants born, but the GodLearners came over 500 years after the Dawn, so there were ample opportunities for Cradles to float down the Zola Fel. Whether they did or not, I'm not sure. I vaguely recall the God Learners being attracted to Feroda specifically to study the Cradles that were robbed along the river, so presumably they were already being robbed by other people. I also seem to recall them moving to RobCradle because they kept missing some Cradles at Feroda. So, the evidence points to their having been other Cradles that survived, so Gonn Orta is unlikely to have been the last.

The Giant Baby in the Pavis/Big Rubble pack was the first for so many years. For some reason the Giants stopped sending Cradles down the River of Cradles. Maybe the end of the EWF affected them or the Godleaners did something to hurt them.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

I don't recall the specifics of Gonn Orta's birth, but I do seem to remeber hin being a "young" giant

the GodLearners came over 500 years after the Dawn, so there were ample opportunities for Cradles to float down the Zola Fel. Whether they did or not, I'm not sure. I vaguely recall the God Learners being attracted to Feroda specifically to study the Cradles that were robbed along the river,

Cradles were undoubtably being sent down the Zola Fel, otherwise there would have been no reason to come to rob them! The more pertinent question is whether any survived (And one assumes even without cradle-snatching on the Zola Fel, there is not a 100% survival rate of babies sent floating down Magesta's whirlpool...

so presumably they were already being robbed by other people. I also seem to recall them moving to RobCradle because they kept missing some Cradles at Feroda. So, the evidence points to their having been other Cradles that survived, so Gonn Orta is unlikely to have been the last.

IIRC Robcradle "became" Pavis and Feroda "became" Corflu - In which case It's not that the cradles eluded them at the mouth of the reiver, but that the cradles were already robbed by the time they arrived...

The Giant Baby in the Pavis/Big Rubble pack was the first for so many years. For some reason the Giants stopped sending Cradles down the River of Cradles. Maybe the end of the EWF affected them or the Godleaners did something to hurt them.

I thought they stopped because none of the cradles made it through. Whether this was a case of them consciously avoiding the risk, or a consequence of a lack of young giants leading to no new Giant Births I don't know.