What races do you let your players be

[Mage]

I'm starting my campaign soon and was baasically thinking to let the players pick whatever they want out of the playable races in the monsters book.
Do you guys ever find this causes problems? I was thinking of urnning rune of chaos first. I just noticed a few non humans would probably be run out of town, and if someone picks a troll they will probably just beat the bad guy senseless with ease.
Also, if a player were to pick a big creature or non human, would you apply 'socal' penatlies.
I mean, a troll should have to pay extra for armour their size right? And it would be hard to get some armour onto an arachan? And I could only imagine an insane innkeeper letting a tuskrider's mount in, let alone a tusk rider using the room.
Just some thoughts.

 

[elgrin]

I basically let my RQ players be anything I consider reasonable, e.g. I would disallow a Centaur/Minotaur for starting player-level groups as those things are so damned hard.
That said, I have played in RQ games where the GM has desired a single race/single cult with no problems and enjoyed it.
The proviso I make is that I expect them to keep to character in relation to the other characters in the group. The usual Troll/Dwarf/Elvish/cult-based antipathies have to be played into and around the game as it progresses. I like nothing better than putting them in situations where they finish up having different aims and having to reason out their PC responses in the group.
IMHO in the end the decision will be yours in how much you want the PC interaction to be either a fundamental part of the game or a light background. My experience is that the less homogeneous the party the more time is spent with the PC's having to sort out their responses to each other.

elgrin

 

[Halfbat]

My experience is that the less homogeneous the party the more time is spent with the PC's having to sort out their responses to each other.

Yep. That's the key in RuneQuest as the races appear far more strange that the classic Huamn-Elf-Dwarf combo. Human or close-human can work well but the more violent races are probably best dropped. That said, if the whole group is from one of the other races it can lead to a very interesting campaign.

One of the good things about RQ, though, is that even amongst humans the cultures and cults can force radically different outlooks and its the interaction between _them_ you have to look out for, too.

That said, a list of reasonable possibles for PCs is:

- Humans
- Trollkin (an advanced one - allow a few rerolls)
- Dark Troll (maybe a little less skilled than the humans - possibly even a Snow Troll)
- Duck
- Dwarf (possibly - may need a good player)
- Elf/Aldryami (ditto)
- Dragonewt Scout (aloof and exploring - might need a good player - key would be whether or not he is within or outside the dragonewt cycle)
- I've found our own (Sceaptune Games) Riverfolk work well mixed with humans...

Less likely, but ones I _think_ are potentially possible, but demanding:
- Dragonewt Warrior
- ???Halflings
- Newtling
- Wind Children

Ones I've found really don't work:
- Broo
- Ogres
- Tusk Riders
- "Goblin" races - too similar to Tusk Riders in outlook
- Were creatures

Hope this helps!

 

[Aramanthus]

I personally would let players play anything in the game.


In a Rune Quest game nearly 2 decades ago a friend ( who was the GM) allowed us to bring any character into the game. He helped them convert them. Everyone else brought very powerful characters from AD&D, Pendragon and another fantasy game which eludes me at this time. I brought in the only character from a different genre. I got to play Captain America in this Rune quest game, it was a scream! I still have the character.

 

[Rasta]

I let my players be whatever they want. You just need to be more creative on why the characters are interacting with eachother. For example I've had a lot of fun running a game where the party was a chaos gang: 2 broo raiders, broo shaman, ogre sorceror (god learner), ogre warrior (heortling), and a great troll (who was raised by broo). It was necessary that everyone (non-broo) joined the cult of Malia to avoid catching diseases from their comrades. Broo are natually born into cults of both Malia and Thed. This allows for some unique (although disgusting) interactions. While we (as a group) could never enter a town of any kind, and we couldn't effectivly trade or buy goods, we could take them by force! It was a hack 'em slash 'em game of raiding, debauchery, and disease. I created a system of "money" for the broo and others who wished to make sacrafices to Thed or Malia or even Cocoademon, which included ears of victems, hands and heads of chaos fighters, and slaves. Not to mention taking cattle, sheep, or whatever to repopulate the gang.

 

[juhanfg]

Ones I've found really don't work:
- Broo
- Ogres
- Tusk Riders
- "Goblin" races - too similar to Tusk Riders in outlook
- Were creatures

Hope this helps!

I have to disagree with the ogres. Having one ogre in a group where none of the others are aware can be quite fun to play. You obviously need a good player that has the wits to hide it and at the same time be able to satisfy the urges of the race.

To be honest even a whole group of anti-heroes can be fun to play. Avoiding uroxi fanatics, setting up a hidden base, going on rampages/pillaging expeditions. The problem is that you cannot expect to find published adventures that cater fro this kind of group so it would be more of an effort for the GM and also the players.

 

[Magistus]

To be honest even a whole group of anti-heroes can be fun to play. Avoiding uroxi fanatics, setting up a hidden base, going on rampages/pillaging expeditions. The problem is that you cannot expect to find published adventures that cater fro this kind of group so it would be more of an effort for the GM and also the players.

Playing an an Anti Hero is a lot of fun. In fact one of the best adventures I remember was one of our Heroes, we posing as Anti Heroes for a while was a lot of fun.

 

[weasel_fierce]

You have to do a bit of thinking about why the party fits together, but I dont like to make blanket rules of "this can never happen".

I generally use humans for introduction though

 

[Mage]

Thakns for the input guys. My players have done warhammer and D&D, and I thought having an open race thing would be different.

I love the idea of having an Ogre hidden amongst the players.

The only races I would not include would probably be halflings (too tolkien), great trolls (if this was an option nobody would pick a snow troll or dark troll) and broo.

I would only let players be a dragonewt if they can acquire a dragonewt rune and can succesfully integrate it. After that I am easy about it, but I fel some of the players would just not be abel to play some of the races right, but would make suitable tusk riders or trolls...

I would tell the players to be weary of trollkin or goblins, but not ban them from play, only hobbits, great trolls and broo.Still though, with the rune of chaos supplement I wonder how they would not be driven out of the village if they looked too weird (I do not think a tusk rider or troll would be welcome). Then again, it may freak out villagers just as easily if a waertagi, wind child and Slarge strolled in as cool as a breeze.

Captain America in a runequest game? Insane, but I like it.

 

[B_Steele]

Hey, since RoCh was my baby, I'll give you a few tips to get some of the wierder critters in the city -

1> Just spruce up the types of critters watching the events that happen. If the city feels "less human" overall, it won't be seen as nearly as weird to have a Trollkin or maybe a Timinit.

2> Play up a little prejudice against them from the townies, but always have someone nearby reminding them that the competition comes first, the old woman demands it.

3> If someone goes all the way and grabs a Centaur or Minotaur (which are quite playable, especially after the Player's Guide to Glorantha *shameless plug*), have much of the populace fear them outright...but not to the point of torches and pitchforks. When the baddies start to make things difficult, the town will be glad to have such a beast of a PC around!

4>And as for the "big bad" at the end of the scenario...if your PCs are too tough because of race for the battle as listed, just drop a few more points into the gent and all will be well I'm sure.

Good luck, let us know how it works out.

Cheers,
Bry

 

[Trifletraxor]

If someone goes all the way and grabs a Centaur or Minotaur (which are quite playable, especially after the Player's Guide to Glorantha *shameless plug*), have much of the populace fear them outright...but not to the point of torches and pitchforks.

Centaurs are tough, but quite unplayable. Think of all the times that you have played and have been forced to leave your horse behind. Can't come into houses, can't dungeon crawl if there's any steepness or squize points, can't climb, etc. It's been tried once, VERY quickly found out it wouldn't work.

SGL.

 

[Mark Mohrfield]

I demand that all my players be humans. However, I'm far more permissive when dealing with their characters

 

[juhanfg]

I demand that all my players be humans. However, I'm far more permissive when dealing with their characters

This made my evening... :lol:

 

[Mage]

Thanks guys!

@Mongoose Steele
Rune of chaos was good, I'd like to see more pre-written scenarios for runequest. One thing I must say though is that I like the villian for Rune of Chaos, with the regenerating, cool axe and that odd face mask he has.

It's also cool the way there is a section at the end of where you can take the next session, but I cannot see him coming back to life or becoming a recurring villian, unless there is more behind this Victor Malfout.

Also, he integrates that Chaos Rune very fast *AHEM*.... I'll put it down to the fact he is chosen by chaos...

 

[Halfbat]

I'd like to see more pre-written scenarios for runequest.

There are a few in S&P and some OGL stuff around, too.

 

[Utgardloki]

Originally I was going to make a rule that all PCs be human unless the player got my specific permission (i.e., the player has an idea for a nonhuman character and I agree that it will fit into the game).

But then I started sketching out ideas for an Atomic Kingdoms game, which is based on the Iron Kingdoms setting but advanced 400 years into the future. The thought of having a gobber and a satyrix in the same party seems like wonderful idea?

However, unlike D&D, the Runequest game has no provision for a level adjustment to balance different races. Granted, the level adjustment mechanic breaks down with powerful creatures, but that only discourages players from making insane choices like creating a mind flayer PCs -- I can live with that. With more sensible creatures like lizardman or gnoll, I have trouble seeing how this could work without some sort of level adjustment.

What can a GM do in Runequest to ensure that nonhuman PCs do not overshadow the human PCs?

 

[B_Steele]

Centaurs are tough, but quite unplayable.

Actually, my wife has been playing a Zebraur for quite a while in my Glorantha game and has dealt with it quite well. She does alot of "I'll guard outside" and "can we go around instead of through?", but it is the price for being an absolute tank in combat.

I just recently drew up a pretty saucy EWF Orlanthi Dragonspeaker to be a sort of mid-range bad guy, and she totally slaughtered him...I guess I just have to amp it up a notch... :twisted:

Anyway, anything can be worked around, but the GM and the players have to realise that some racial drawbacks are not set in statistics at all.

Cheers all,
Bry

 

[weasel_fierce]

Runequest assumes that things are as they are. A troll is more powerfull in combat than a human, but will have difficulties in other areas. In a question between setting and game, RQ falls firmly on the setting.

The D&D notion of "we must penalize so it will be equal" fails to address that being able to kill people faster isnt the only factor of roleplaying. The ogre gets a level penalty because he kills faster, but he's largely worthless in a game of elven politics.

Honestly ? My answer is "see what your players want to play and go from there".

We played the original warhammer rpg for years (where elves are heinously powerfull compared to humans) and never had a shortage of people playing humans.

 

[Utgardloki]

I have memories of a 2nd edition D&D campaign, where I played a human paladin, and everybody else was nonhuman. I resolved never to play another human in 2nd edition again, unless it was a human paladin. It just was not worth it to play a human in any other class.

I haven't yet drawn up Iron Kingdoms races in terms of Runequest stats. Perhaps what I can do is adjust skill points for nonhumans, so an ogrun or trollkin will be tougher than a human in brute force combat, but the human will have more skills to even the tables, especially since in the IK setting, ogrun and trollkin don't really have a large social penalty.

I may have to generate some sort of character points system like in BESM D20.

 

[Mage]

@Halfbat
Thanks for the info on scenarios.

@Utgardloki
I can tell you what wil stop non human NPCs overshadowing anything, having a mob chase them out of town with a horde of fire and pitchforks. Not sure how that will be productive in anyway, but that'll show 'em!

With the way I am going to run the Village of Wofe from village of chaos, if it doe snot look near human (wind child, maybe centaur, duck, elf, dwarf) then people will be apprehensive about it (Slarge, Waertagi, Trolls, Orcs, dragonewts, etc.). It'll be a bit like frankenstein in that regard. Still not sure what i'll do. I suppose I should just wait to see what the plaers want to be first.