Mikko Leho said:
msprange said:
The production values are sky high, with a leather cover that most companies would use for limited editions, and it looks great on a shelf!
I have to disagree you there, while the content of RQ2 is solid, the looks leave much to be desired at least when compared to other RPGs out there today. RQ2 looks like an ugly duckling compared to the likes of Pathfinder, Legend of the Five Rings, Eclipse Phase, Shadowrun etc. It does not really have to do with colors or the lack of thereof but more with consistent style. For instance Fantasy Craft featured only black and white illustrations, but they were mostly done in the same style and with class. With RQ2 you get the feeling of different illustrators pieced together with no direction.
I like the leather bound cover. Would it sell better if it had a snazzy color cover? Who knows. I like the color covers for the source books, but leather bound covers for core books are classy. A picture of my copy of the core book appears at http://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/65531/runequest-ii
Unfortunately, it looks a little dark on that page, but if you click on it to enlarge it, it looks pretty nice. In fact, most of the images of RuneQuest 2 books posted on rpggeek.com are mine. So I'm doing what I can to spread the word outside of this forum.
I'm overdue for some RuneQuest purchases. I was going to buy the Abiding Book, but was handed a notice to vacate my apartment recently. I've just now moved into a new (and better) apartment (with a gaming room!), but I'm still in the process of getting caught up financially. Security deposits where I live are fairly high, and my previous landlord is not being very cooperative about returning my deposit for the old place. After my next paycheck, however, I'll be in a better position to indulge in some new Mongoose stuff.
Last Christmas, I bought two core books for some friends. We've been too busy to play, but in the next month we should be able to make time.
They like the MRQ2 system, but so far seem a bit non-plussed by Glorantha. They have, however, expressed a willingness to try this setting if I'm the GM. One of those friends is a huge Elric fan, and has volunteered to be GM for that setting. I also bought the Second Age Glorantha source book for another long time gaming friend, but he still espouses a preference for Third Age Glorantha. Maybe as he reads more about the Second Age, he'll develop a taste for it. I used to be more inclined towards Third Age, but after reading several of the source books (Glorantha core book, Races Vol 1, Blood of Orlanth, Jrustela, etc.) I've come to embrace the Second Age as my default setting.
All four of us are in our early to mid-forties and finally make enough money to buy high quality role playing books with nice leather covers. Unfortunately, we now have less time to play than we did in our twenties, but we are trying to change that.