RUNEQUEST (news?)

[Balgin Stondraeg]

I know which is why I want the runequest stuff 8) also if their is a gritty arthur setting or even beowulf will know I and my group will go for it 8)

Harnmaster. Apparently Harnmaster is a lovely roleplaying game with rules similar to Runequest set in a gritty dark ages european setting. I haven't played it yet but apparently the combat's even more lethal than Runequest but suffers because they didn't separate the attack and parry skill so you can murder someone with a shield a bit too easily.

Harnmaster's reputedly good but it's also really difficult to get hold of. I heard a nasty rumour about a Harnmaster 2nd ed that'd be Harnmaster d20. That would just be wrong on so many different levels.

 

[Mac V]

I don't know much about Runequest. I've never played, but I have heard nothing but love from those who have. I really hope they do not radically alter the game. I'd like to give it go with the new edition. I will not pick it up as D20. I guess I'm just burned out on D20. I don't mean any disrespect in saying this, but I also hope Mongoose does a better job editing this game than they have in the past. I will not buy any "revised" editions of the game. If the original is a mess, I'm out. That being said, I'm looking forward to more info.

 

[Banesfinger]

Since the RuneQuest Core Rulebook comes out in July '06, has anyone heard how playtesting is going?

Any news on the mechanics of the game? (using d20? d100?)

How will the release of Deluxe Basic Role Playing (Chaosium) affect mongooses' version? (These were the base mechanics of the original Runequest, also due out this summer.)

 

[Gallowglass]

Since the RuneQuest Core Rulebook comes out in July '06, has anyone heard how playtesting is going?

Not finished. We are expecting the next (and given the announced schedule and publicaiton dates, I assume "final") draft imminently (it was aiming for "end of Jan" and has slipped a bit).

I won't comment in any detail (that doesn't seem appropriate) but I will say that personally I think each version we've seen was better than the previous.

Any news on the mechanics of the game? (using d20? d100?)

Well, as of the last draft the playtesters have seen, basically d100. If you've played previous editions of RQ it will have a familiar feel: but up to that last draft it's NOT just a variant/update, but clearly a new system, even if some terminology and concepts are similar (or at least, have the same name).

How will the release of Deluxe Basic Role Playing (Chaosium) affect mongooses' version? (These were the base mechanics of the original Runequest, also due out this summer.)

Who knows? Given the relative "depths of pocket" I suspect the question should be phrased: "How will Mongooses RuneQuest affect Chaosium's Deluxe Basic Role Playing?"

And, I should point out that BRP was derived from RuneQuest, not the other way round - RuneQuest was first published in 1978 and BRP was developed from it circa 1980.

Cheers,

NDM

 

[Balgin Stondraeg]

even if some terminology and concepts are similar (or at least, have the same name).

In other words: ducks are in (right?). Broo too I hope (we all liked fighting hordes of broo).

I'd be interested in knowing how difficult (or easy) it shall be to convert old RQ adventures (published in White Dwarf) to the new Rune Quest system before I actualy commit to buying it (space and money, space and money (but more an issue of space than money, at the moment)).

 

[toddd240]

I hope this is a new beginning to the old runequest world of glorantha I fell in love with over 20 years ago.

 

[MongooseMatt]

I hope this is a new beginning to the old runequest world of glorantha I fell in love with over 20 years ago.

That will be far more true than you might guess. . .

 

[toddd240]

I hope this is a new beginning to the old runequest world of glorantha I fell in love with over 20 years ago.

That will be far more true than you might guess. . .

That is good to hear.

 

[Mac V]

Any ballpark estimates when we will see a preview?

 

[Halfbat]

Any ballpark estimates when we will see a preview?

I know "me too" is frowned on, but I missed the call for playtesters. Seconded.

I ran RQ for _years_ from when it was first released, loved the system, and find it very amusing to see some of the skill principles dovetailed into d20. Getting a pre-release version of the rules would allow me to relaunch a campaign that's hold waiting for RQ rather than d20...

Pleeeeeease can we have a preview copy?

 

[Trifletraxor]

If you've played previous editions of RQ it will have a familiar feel: but up to that last draft it's NOT just a variant/update, but clearly a new system.
NDM

A new system!? Curses!!! The old rules are excellent! :evil:

 

[toddd240]

If you've played previous editions of RQ it will have a familiar feel: but up to that last draft it's NOT just a variant/update, but clearly a new system.
NDM

A new system!? Curses!!! The old rules are excellent! :evil:

For me as long as they get Glorantha right I'll be happy

 

[Gallowglass]

If you've played previous editions of RQ it will have a familiar feel: but up to that last draft it's NOT just a variant/update, but clearly a new system.
NDM

A new system!? Curses!!! The old rules are excellent! :evil:

For me as long as they get Glorantha right I'll be happy

Where as for many RQ fans, Glorantha is frankly a footnote, as we used the rules in our own settings...

Speaking as some one involved in the open playtest, I have no idea what the current rules are like: the last iteration we saw was a long way from finished, had promise, but WASN'T an evolution of RQII/III. And now the Yahoo group has disappeared and I have had no "official" notification of what's going on.

Unofficially, it appears that Mongoose have closed the Yahoo group, switched to a private playtest of the next (and final) iteration of the rules, largely rewritten to make them MUCH closer to RQII/III#...

For Glorantha fans, the new Second Age material sounds good (Stafford has oversight, and Robin Laws amongst others has been mentioned as being involved, so that side of things seems in good hands), but as for the rules, we'll have to see what actually reaches the shelves...

Cheers,

NDM

# Someone involved has suggested that the stat blocks are interchangeable, which would be a huge improvement on the last iteration I saw.

 

[Halfbat]

Unofficially, it appears that Mongoose have closed the Yahoo group, switched to a private playtest of the next (and final) iteration of the rules, largely rewritten to make them MUCH closer to RQII/III#...

Thanks for that Gallowglass. That is useful news indeed: I hope it pans out as you suggest. I was be hoping that the new Runequest wasn't too far away from the fantastic set of rules I used to know.

 

[Longsword]

I was be hoping that the new Runequest wasn't too far away from the fantastic set of rules I used to know.

Agreed! I think their commercial success will largely depend on how close they get. An update to RQ I will buy and support. A new system named 'RQ', I will not.

 

[Turloigh]

Agreed! I think their commercial success will largely depend on how close they get.

As much as I love the old RQ, I'm afraid this may not be completely true. The success of the new game will not depend on us oldsters, but on its appeal to new gamers. While RQ3 was the closest thing to perfection I have ever seen in an RPG system, it *was* a little complex in places.
That being said, I believe approaching the old rules is a good idea, especially when thinking about the newbies. I sure hope this game succeeds (and kicks some d20 butt in the process).

 

[Gaheir]

I think the success of the game WILL be dependent to quite an extent on those of us who've loved RQ for twenty years. We will be the ones to pick it up immediately, and either push it enthusiastically or dismiss it. An enthusiastic response by those who rush to buy it will lead to word of mouth sales and probably to in-store game sessions demo's, which are key to the success of any new product.
Gaining that quick energy can be vital, and would certainly be easier than overcoming the disappointment of the core fans of the title. It would be easier to create an altogether different game with a different title and market it.
I'm hoping it comes close to the original, and enhances, rather than a wholly different product.

 

[Turloigh]

I think the success of the game WILL be dependent to quite an extent on those of us who've loved RQ for twenty years. We will be the ones to pick it up immediately, and either push it enthusiastically or dismiss it. An enthusiastic response by those who rush to buy it will lead to word of mouth sales and probably to in-store game sessions demo's, which are key to the success of any new product.

I sincerely hope you are right, Gaheir. (More power to us, the gamers!...)

I'm hoping it comes close to the original, and enhances, rather than a wholly different product.

I don't think we need to worry. From what I've seen during the playtest, the old RQ was still recognizable. And I've been hearing good things about Ken Hite (who writes the final version of the rules).

- Mark M.

 

[Jim Digriz]

I, like most of the posters I've read fell in love with this game in the 70's. I didn't mind 2nd edition except for the very poor quality releases that followed. Eventually it just turned me off the game totally as more and more rubbish was released by AH.

25 years later my mates and I have dragged out good old 1st edition RQ and started playing again. The rules do have some flaws but we are really enjoying ourselves anyway.

I sincerely hope the rules changes in the upcoming new version aren't too dramatic. As long as the 'basic D100 system' remains and the individual combat stays as detailed I think I'll be more than happy.

Bring it on!

 

[TRose]

I hope that they keep the Rune magic similiar. I always love the idea that members of different cults had different and unique spells. The only complaint I had about the Rune magic( magic that came from the Gods) was the need to renew them at the right size temple. If you joined a smaller cult the gm might have to twist things around so you had a temple where you could learn and renew spells