What setting for RuneQuest II?

[TrippyHippy]

RuneQuest looks like it'll be supported by quite a few different settings. I remain something of a Glorantha virgin, to be honest, but the materials still look interesting to me. I have a lot more knowledge of the Eternal Champion stuff, having picked up Stormbringer way back in the 1980s as one of my first RPG experiences though. Lankhmar captures the american pulp styled 'sword and sorcery' as close as you'll get since Conan is no more. Deux Vult appears to want to capture the dark medieval style, and the ever popular Vikings genre (and maybe another Japanese or oriental setting) will probably not be long away either.

What other settings are there? Westerns? Ancients? Pirates? Industrialised world fantasy (i.e like Shadowrun)? Futuristic space fantasies? Specific licensed settings (like Middle Earth?) or home brew?

Vote and comment as you wish....

 

[TrippyHippy]

For the sake of being different, and representing my current adopted country - how about a Polynesian/Pacifica setting with Maori warriors doing Hakas and defending their sacred isles against invading Imperialistic colonial aliens...

 

[Fiddler]

The Red Seas from 2000ad.

It has pirates, evil necromancers, ice giants, undead vikings, George Washington, Native American gods, a visit to Asgard and magic weapons.

This was all in the Old Gods story line.

 

[andakitty]

I am (probably) going to get Hellfrost for Christmas, and I am not sure I will use the Savage Worlds system, so I have been thinking about a conversion. It has a strong Nordic/Germanic feel and the stats look like a pretty good match with BRP or RQ. It all depends.

Mostly on how comfy I get with SW. It's a possibility, though.

 

[Vile]

As the poll says "play" I plumped for Glorantha, because I still like the old place and I'd like to check out Pavis in the Second Age. However,

For the sake of being different, and representing my current adopted country - how about a Polynesian/Pacifica setting with Maori warriors doing Hakas and defending their sacred isles against invading Imperialistic colonial aliens...

Interesting you should say that, because if I had the chance to GM, I would ponk my players in my preferred homebrew, a kind of South East Asian fantasy version of of a 17th century Carribbean piracy campaign. Home port - the Fragrant Harbour, where the Lizard King grows his green lotus, that most delectable of recreational herbs ... :twisted:

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

As a GM I would most likely use MRQII for "other" settings (although it's likely that I would use more dedicated and "focussed" systems instead).

Those settings that I might consider MRQII for would possibly be:

Medieval
Barsoom
Tékumel - Empire of the Petal Throne
Ming Chinese

Historical RQ Plea
Please, one thing about already published RQ settings that really bugs me is that, if any 'Land of Ninja' or other Japanese setting is published, remember that Buddhism needs to be a MYSTICAL belief structure in RQ—not a Divine one (which if the authors knew even the slightest amount about the subject they would soon realise).

There are RQ rules for Mysticism, which could be adapted easily from the already "pseudo"-Buddhist Draconism of the Dragonewts. So why not use them rather than make a Divine foul-up, erroneously trying to use incorrect (and slightly racist) Western anthropological views from the 19th century?.


However, as a player, it would be Glorantha.

 

[The King]

What a vicious poll. We should have at least 3 answers.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Fortunately, in the real world, you can buy more than one setting....:wink:

However, in the meantime, what's your favourite!

 

[SnowDog]

Given the timeframe when it is feasible for me to be able to run RQ the Deus Vult should be out and I could start running it.

Yes, I know that Slaine has not been announced for RQII but Wraith Recon is so should it be in the poll?

 

[TrippyHippy]

'Other' will have to suffice....

Believe it or not, but there was a limit on the number of entrees.

 

[Mongoose Pete]

Over the years the two mainstream settings I've mainly played in are Glorantha and the Young Kingdoms. However, as a GM I've used the various incarnations of RQ to run a multitude of campaigns, everything from ancient Rome, heroic Arabian Nights and even hard STL Sci-fi.

During the playtests I used RQII to run a mini campaign set in Lloyd Alexander's Prydain. As a GM Tékumel would be cool to run, but I have to say that if I can find the time I'd love to write a killer version of Dune for RQII.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I'm actually coming round to that type of thinking with Dune, myself.

My initial view was that Traveller, as the sci-fi game, would be the port of call - but actually the mystical, socio-cultural and archaic anti-tech elements of Dune actually make a tie in to RuneQuest probably a better fit.

On the other hand, any likelihood of getting this license soon?! No, I thought not... :roll:

 

[Malakor]

I'm getting excited about seeing the RQII rules and will most likely dust off my homebrew that I ran with MRQ when it arrived and continue the adventures there, but Deus Vult sounds VERY interesting as well.

I'll at the very least mine it for ideas, if not actually run the setting at some point.

 

[Deleriad]

I'll probably continue running a campaign in Glorantha but there are other settings I would like to see. I have a particular fondness for settings where most characters don't have magic.

Swords & Sorcery setting other than Lankhmar. Might dust off my old Thieves World copy.

Long been tempted to run A Song of Ice & Fire in RQ.

Could be tempted by a Swords Against Cthulhu campaign if such a thing existed.

 

[Rurik]

Swords & Sorcery setting other than Lankhmar. Might dust off my old Thieves World copy.
.

Green Ronin's TW Books are excellent (though d20, there is still a lot of good source) and they compliment the old Chaosium stuff very well. They are also dirt cheap because of the D20 dump (as in $2 - $5 per book including the big hardcovers) or the whole gift set for $25. http://www.greenronin.com/store/category/thieves_world.html

And honestly, this is the best d20 implementation I've seen. I actually played in it for a bit - my first D&D in over 20 years. Good Magic System, no Alignment, limited healing, rules for infection, very gritty for a d20 game.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I'll probably continue running a campaign in Glorantha but there are other settings I would like to see. I have a particular fondness for settings where most characters don't have magic.

Swords & Sorcery setting other than Lankhmar. Might dust off my old Thieves World copy.

Long been tempted to run A Song of Ice & Fire in RQ.

Could be tempted by a Swords Against Cthulhu campaign if such a thing existed.

Heh. Getting a license to do Call of Cthulhu based on RQ rules would be mildly ironic....:roll:

A Song of Ice and Fire is another license that has previously been done in D20, but might be a popular setting for RQ fans. I do think it's a shame that Conan couldn't be done in RQ rules though - is there any other major license that stands out as a crowd puller? Glorantha still seems the most popular choice though. It's interesting that few people have chosen the Eternal Champion stuff yet....

 

[Rurik]

It's interesting that few people have chosen the Eternal Champion stuff yet....

I'd have given a second vote if I had one to the EC line. I use MRQ with Glorantha first and foremost - had I more time for gaming I'd love to play some Elric, Hawkmoon, or Corum.

My very first Moorcock novel was "The Eternal Champion" and though technically a 'minor work' in the EC universe I'd love to see that setting covered.

 

[Mikko Leho]

A Song of Ice and Fire is another license that has previously been done in D20, but might be a popular setting for RQ fans.

Already redone by Green Ronin:

http://greenronin.com/sifrp/

is there any other major license that stands out as a crowd puller?

Barsoom seems to be constantly popping out. It has garnered many "clones" over the years.

 

[SnowDog]

As a GM Tékumel would be cool to run, but I have to say that if I can find the time I'd love to write a killer version of Dune for RQII.

Yeah, Dune would be awesome!

 

[TrippyHippy]

As a GM Tékumel would be cool to run, but I have to say that if I can find the time I'd love to write a killer version of Dune for RQII.

Yeah, Dune would be awesome!

'Holy Grail' territory...maybe?

There may an issue with getting the license itself - I recall that the Herbert estate are pretty tricky and it would be expensive, although there has been talk of a new movie that would eventuate in about 2 years, I guess (the last director quit), so there could be a big tie in.

If it ever did happen - BIG IF! - there could be a bit of a benny between Traveller and RuneQuest fans about which system was used.

I do think that there is a distinct difference between the Traveller and RuneQuest systems, insofar that Traveller tends to encourage the inner-engineer in all of us, whereas the RuneQuest system is a bit more organic in style (especially if they remove the combat tables). Like I say, I actually think this is a specific sci-fi title that fits the RuneQuest style a bit better than Traveller. Ironically enough, if they were to ever get Call of Cthulhu license, or maybe something like War of the Worlds, I'd probably prefer to use the Traveller system instead, but maybe that's just me....