What setting for RuneQuest II?

[Johnny Napalm]

Hi all,
I've been playing around with the idea of using MRQII for a Mythical Greece campaign as it is the original Gods, Monsters and Heroes setting for all Western imagination/fiction. And the new MRQII seems perfect for what I want!

I've just finished a quick super hero game using a blend of 'Squadron UK' and 'Bash' and before that I ran a 9 year 'Dragon Warriors' campaign with home rules and some stuff nicked from RQ 2E. Now I'm out of the loop from my gaming group, for a while at least, as I have a son due to be born in under a week and life is about to turn itself upside down. But, I'll still need somewhere for my imagination to play and plan over the next few months of sleepless nights...

I'm getting into all things Greek: I've read the Iliad and am now reading the Odyssey (which is just brilliant and so evocative) to give me the feel and timbre of the time.

The material I've got to help me so far is:
1/ All the new MRQII stuff, nuff said.

2/ Mythic Greece by I.C.E. - which is such a well researched book, and is probably my greatest source of gaming assistance, full of excellent details both factual and gaming. The best details on history, pantheon, culture and geography that I have found in an RPG. It also has a system that links the Gods with the PC, with them having a ‘Watcher God’ who may aid them in times of trouble and expect them to accomplish great deeds in their name but also a ‘Hunter God’ who works to spoil their aims and cause trouble for them.

3/ Agon - a new and too simple Greek RPG, but it does have a fun ‘random island generator’ at the back that fits very nicely into the theme.

4/ Arete - another new and simple RPG, with a good explanation of what it was to be a ‘Hero’ in ancient times as opposed to the modern ‘Christian’/Victorian version.

5/ Typhon - a 40mm skirmish game with loads of cool ideas

6/ Trojan War (a D20 –“spit”- source-book that has good rules on divine favour, devotion and rituals)

7/ Warlords of Alexander by Paul Elliott (not quite the right era but very well put together nonetheless and the professions throw light on possible types of character).

8/ And numerous architectural, historical, mythological and geographical reference books and maps. I’m very excited about the ‘Greece and the Aegean in the 5th Century Bce’ wall map that’s coming out by Routledge (ISBN-10: 0415584418)

I intend to pretty much use the MRQII rules as written; limiting weapon and armour types to the period and Character Generation will be as per the rules but I want the characters to have some heroic fate (touched, favoured or sired by the gods), so each Player can choose 1 'Heroic Ability' at set up to represent this - this is similar to the PC set up idea in the ‘Mythic Greece’ game (see above).

Hero Points will be granted to the players by acts that entertain or glorify their patron Deity and the Monster Coliseum has everything you need by the way of mythical creatures for this period.

And of course MRQII Magic will just drop straight into this world setting as is: the cults and gods of Glorantha are just replaced with the Greek Pantheon. Sorcery will be frowned upon and perhaps is only wielded by strangers from other lands or maniacal warlocks on remote isles.

That’s where I am at the mo, just reading, writing and dreaming at this stage.

Cheers, Johnny
p.s. let me know if you have any other excellent source material.

 

[languagegeek]

My first reading of MRQ II inspired a setting resembling the NW Europe Neolithic just prior to the coming of the Beaker culture (~2500 BC). There is a bit of imported bronze in the hands of influential families, but these items are too precious to actually use as tools or weapons (for now). Mesolithic hunting cultures still exist and are in active contact (trade, exogamy) with the neolithic farmers. A couple of non-human races are also around but largely stay away from the human societies. The arrival of exiled necromancers from the Eastern Mediterranean begins the story -- after buying Necromantic Arts :wink:

I'll probably be using the RAW with minimal tweaking, although in a pre-literate society, Runes and Grimoires have taken on interesting twists, e.g. spells are recorded geometrically

EDIT: Thanks PhilHibbs, I've fixed the link here as well.

 

[PhilHibbs]

geometrically link fixed

 

[soltakss]

Hi all,
I've been playing around with the idea of using MRQII for a Mythical Greece campaign as it is the original Gods, Monsters and Heroes setting for all Western imagination/fiction. And the new MRQII seems perfect for what I want!

Sounds good to me.

Have you seen the RQ Alternate Earth http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/alternateearthrq/ site? It has some information on Mythic Greece. The Bronzepunk rules look pretty easy to convert to MRQII.

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

'G.U.R.P.S. Greece' is worth a look too.

 

[GrayPumpkin]

I'm currently leaning towards a homebrew using the old Questworld maps. Ancient world feel of Runequest, but my own cultures, more human centric, keeping chaos as the enemy maybe even some mythos stuff bleeding over.

 

[Breschau of Livonia]

My first introduction to RuneQuest was the Avalon Hill RQ3 game. I had no prior history with RuneQuest and really enjoyed the much maligned Fantasy Earth setting. To be perfectly honest, I've never cared for Glorantha. I've always felt like an outsider looking at Glorantha. I know for many people RQ = Glorantha but that's never been the case for me.

My current game is a cross of homebrew and Fantasy Earth. Right now it is called "The Vinland Saga" and by its name it shouldn't be hard to guess what it is about. The year is 1005 and a group of heathen Icelanders, unhappy with the recent Althing's decision to embrace Christianity, has begun founding a colony in Vinland - actually fairly far south of Leif Erikson's settlement, in modern day Manhattan. A Lenape scout received a mystic vision of the Norse arrival and knowledge of their language - and a vision that they would need to work together.

They've just met Dwarfs living in the Hudson valley (though I've played loose with geography). The dinosaurs will be arriving soon.

 

[Rasta]

For fantasy settings, I only play Runequest and I only play in Glorantha. I've tried playing in other settings, but I love Glorantha so much that I always come back.

 

[Lord Kjeran]

Chello!

I voted for Glorantha, just because I like ducks! However, I would also enjoying playing or running RQII in Tekumel, Lankhmar, or Thieves' World. I can also see converting Greyhawk for use as well.