Nickbergquist
Mongoose
Well, session six is in the bag and the group has pretty much unanimously decided to make RQII our permanent main game for the weekly wednesdays. They are all quite comfortable with the mechanics, and all scheming to figure out what strange and interesting directions to advance their characters. Me, I am patiently (not really!) waiting for Arms & Equipment, Monster Coliseum and Necromancy to show up, as I desperately need those books to get maximum advantage out of my new long term RQII campaign plans....my "3-4 session intro game" having turned in to the start of a year-long weekly delve in to the mysteries of Runequest.
I think the party's last game cemented it beyond all doubt: In the deep warrens of a forgotten orc warlord's tomb, the party first was attacked by four orc mummy guardians, and what looked momentarily like a TPK turned in to a blaze of victory as the blacksmith-turned-mummy-smiter managed to down three of them--two with critical strikes!--and save everyone through careful planning. Our wolven (custom race for the campaign) later managed to blow up the altar from which the resonant psychic manifestation of the ancient orcish warlord was emanating, appearing in the infernal form of an immense centipede with an orc's head, to devour the victims of his goddess. The party had previously gotten its hands on some gun powder (long story) and managed to blow up the altar and the manifestation before it took full form...although everyone was well within the blast radius and almost died. Still, they were all pumped; elements of supernatural horror, the fear of death followed by a surprise streak of lucky brutality....all with enterprising but young adventurers who know they're in over their heads but can't help their curiosity!
The superior customization of RQII is what grabbed them, I think. Everyone is realizing that they can start "thinking out of the box" in ways not possible in other games. I had one player asking me, "Can I learn a second field of magic?" (his character has common magic). When I explained that a really good RQII mage will belong to a cult and shoot for rune priest status or better, own a grimorie or two, may or may not commune with spirits, and always keeps his bladesharp handy....that was when I think my players realized that they weren't in Kansas anymore....!
Anyway, just thought I'd ramble on a bit about it. Myself, I'm already working out stats on some key villains. I'm mostly doing conversions; this campaign setting has been used in multiple systems, but it started up in 1992 with Avalon Hill's RQ and continued with the first MRQ from 2007-2008, so I'm having fun updating all that and prepping the region of my campaign where all the action happens, near the border of two distinct kingdoms, one of which is a haunted land permanently touched by the fact that it is a kingdom founded by the survivors of the Apocalypse, on soil where gods died; the neighboring kingdom was settled by the "victors" of that conflict, who still practice a dark form of technomancy and live in a period reminiscent of a steampunk version of the Three Musketeers.
I guess what I'm trying to say is....thanks Loz, and all the rest! This game is filling a much needed niche for my group.
I think the party's last game cemented it beyond all doubt: In the deep warrens of a forgotten orc warlord's tomb, the party first was attacked by four orc mummy guardians, and what looked momentarily like a TPK turned in to a blaze of victory as the blacksmith-turned-mummy-smiter managed to down three of them--two with critical strikes!--and save everyone through careful planning. Our wolven (custom race for the campaign) later managed to blow up the altar from which the resonant psychic manifestation of the ancient orcish warlord was emanating, appearing in the infernal form of an immense centipede with an orc's head, to devour the victims of his goddess. The party had previously gotten its hands on some gun powder (long story) and managed to blow up the altar and the manifestation before it took full form...although everyone was well within the blast radius and almost died. Still, they were all pumped; elements of supernatural horror, the fear of death followed by a surprise streak of lucky brutality....all with enterprising but young adventurers who know they're in over their heads but can't help their curiosity!
The superior customization of RQII is what grabbed them, I think. Everyone is realizing that they can start "thinking out of the box" in ways not possible in other games. I had one player asking me, "Can I learn a second field of magic?" (his character has common magic). When I explained that a really good RQII mage will belong to a cult and shoot for rune priest status or better, own a grimorie or two, may or may not commune with spirits, and always keeps his bladesharp handy....that was when I think my players realized that they weren't in Kansas anymore....!
Anyway, just thought I'd ramble on a bit about it. Myself, I'm already working out stats on some key villains. I'm mostly doing conversions; this campaign setting has been used in multiple systems, but it started up in 1992 with Avalon Hill's RQ and continued with the first MRQ from 2007-2008, so I'm having fun updating all that and prepping the region of my campaign where all the action happens, near the border of two distinct kingdoms, one of which is a haunted land permanently touched by the fact that it is a kingdom founded by the survivors of the Apocalypse, on soil where gods died; the neighboring kingdom was settled by the "victors" of that conflict, who still practice a dark form of technomancy and live in a period reminiscent of a steampunk version of the Three Musketeers.
I guess what I'm trying to say is....thanks Loz, and all the rest! This game is filling a much needed niche for my group.
