Which is your Favourite Edition of RuneQuest . . . . . .

[Rurik]

I noticed a lone copy of Pendragon in our stock the other day... anyone want to sell me the idea of swiping it for myself?

Swipe it.

A very good system. Somewhere between BRP and HeroQuest. D20 based. Concrete rules but many narrative elements. For example Passions (such as Hate(Saxons) 15) and opposed Vices and Virtues (Lustful/Chaste, total 20 - if your lustful goes up by one your chaste goes down one). Very fitting for chivalric role playing.

Also a rules for running your estate, having a family, etc. It is designed for a multi-generational campaign that starts in the days of Uther and goes on 80 or so years, so you will ultimately play your first characters grandson or great grandson (should you play the complete campaign.

And finally Pendragon Pass, an adaptation on the net for using the Pendragon system with RQ magic in Glorantha. The multigenerational aspects and passions adapt very well to the Dragon Pass area.

EDIT: I forgot a full battle system that works if your character is just a participant, a knight with a minor command, or the commander of the entire army.

 

[Enpeze]

I noticed a lone copy of Pendragon in our stock the other day... anyone want to sell me the idea of swiping it for myself?

Well if you like King Arthur stories? If it is like the older version, it will be great for some people.
For me the background is a little bit too...heroic? Of course the mechanic is a far variant of BRP. So if the MRQ-King Arthur setting comes out (also from Stafford?) it should be useful. Or MRQ King Arthur should be useful for Pendragon or whatever...

 

[mthomason]

Cool - how well does it work as an Arthurian sourcebook? (or is there something else I should get with it?)

 

[Rurik]

Cool - how well does it work as an Arthurian sourcebook? (or is there something else I should get with it?)

The source material has been excellent. I read it just for pleasure. The Rulebook has good source material (including information on the different sources of arthurian legend and which elements they used from which. It is mostly Mallorian Arthur with T.H. White being the next biggest influence).

The just released Great Pendragon Campaign looks to be a monster of a sourcebook. It seems atgxtg has just bought it, so hopefully soon he can give some insight.

 

[atgxtg]

I don't beleive the topic has anything to do with Pendragon. :twisted:

Ha! Not many degrees of separation. Pendragon is written by the guy who owns RQ.

Actually, I love Pendragon, and the source material is among my favorite to read for pleasure.

Is it (The Great Pendragon Campaign) combined reprints of old material or is there a lot of new content?

A bit of both. It is sort of like a mix ob the old Pendragon Campaign book and Boy King. What is nice is that it covers 8 phases, and goes through evewnts in a year by year fashion. It's got some new stuff too (British Christians and Byzantine Orthodox), as well as some old things with new twists (like the 4d6+10 longbow). Lots of stats for creatures and people too.

You can actually run an entire campaign with just the rulebook and this campaign book. It is 430 pages! That gave Geg a lot of room to get sidetracked writing up five pages of new toruney rules or stuff on siege warfare. The book has fifty pages in the five appendices.


Besides, the Aurthian book is perhaps the one MRQ setting I'm looking forward to.

 

[atgxtg]

Hey, depending on how far we can really go with a Pendragon thread on a RQ site...

Well the book would be very useful for a MRQ Aurthian Camapign sorucebook too. SOme of the stats would need tweaking, but the big name players are the same, and so is the story. To a GM setting up a campaign it could be invaluable.

But hey, we should really do an Anturian RQ/Pendragon thread rather than completely derail this one.

 

[The Greek]

The Gray (Grey?) Knight is still one of my all time favourite scenarios for any system. I really liked reading the pendragon stuff, rarely get to play it, though.

 

[mthomason]

*switches the rails over to http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=273101#273101 before this thread goes any further off-topic*

 

[Rurik]

The Gray (Grey?) Knight is still one of my all time favourite scenarios for any system. I really liked reading the pendragon stuff, rarely get to play it, though.

Well it appears this threadjack is officially sanctioned.

Keeping a Pendragon Campaign going does seem to be troublesome. :?

It is a good thing the material is so good just to read.

 

[wartorn]

Ok I voted 3rd Edition AH (some of you are shuddering I'm sure - I even liked the artwork! ) But that will change I'm sure once I've gotten a hold of the other sourcebooks and a great setting.

 

[atgxtg]

Ok I voted 3rd Edition AH (some of you are shuddering I'm sure - I even liked the artwork! ) But that will change I'm sure once I've gotten a hold of the other sourcebooks and a great setting.

Ahem, to paraphrase an eailer statment. We are talking the rules, not the source books.

SO even in the Gloranthan 2nd Age book rocks, that doesn't make the MRQ core book a better rule book, just a rule book with a good supplement.

Heck, if we counted supplements, then RQ2 would walk away with the win.

 

[Rurik]

Ok I voted 3rd Edition AH (some of you are shuddering I'm sure - I even liked the artwork! ) But that will change I'm sure once I've gotten a hold of the other sourcebooks and a great setting.

Ahem, to paraphrase an eailer statment. We are talking the rules, not the source books.

SO even in the Gloranthan 2nd Age book rocks, that doesn't make the MRQ core book a better rule book, just a rule book with a good supplement.

Yeah, watch out, atgxtg is pretty fascist about this one.

Though the poll question doesn't specifically say that. I actually voted RQ2 partly because of the feel and the excellent support material. RQ3 might have had more complete rules, and taken more steps forward than back - but I definately counted it's sterile feel and the lack of good new material against it.

 

[atgxtg]

Yeah, watch out, atgxtg is pretty fascist about this one.

Fascist? I've never been called that before. Where is that good for nothing trollkin when I need him?

Actually, I think if we did include supplements it wouldn't be a fair comparison. MRQ doesn't have that much out, and what it does have really can't match up to the sheer volume of good RQ2 supplements. Something like "Cults of Prax, Borderlands--contest over"

 

[Rurik]

Actually, I think if we did include supplements it wouldn't be a fair comparison. MRQ doesn't have that much out, and what it does have really can't match up to the sheer volume of good RQ2 supplements. Something like "Cults of Prax, Borderlands--contest over"

Well the core rules is what put me into the old RQ categories over the one MRQ category, but the factors I mentioned decided which old RQ I voted for.

 

[Adept]

For the poll, I'm going with RQ-2.

RQ-3 is the version I gamed with for a decade (both as a player and a GM), and I only got my hands on RQ-2 material later.

I must say I hope I'd had the RQ-2 books earlier on. Talking about battle magic POW (as opposed to MP) is clumsy, and spiritual destruction is too easy, but I just love how everything in the rules support Glorantha gaming.

RQ worked good when tailored for Glorantha, as opposed to generic fantasy. Stormbringer is tailored for it's genre, as is CoC, Elfquest and Nephilim... so should Rune Quest.

[Got to love the new Ralios book, by the way! I just got it.]

 

[atgxtg]

For the poll, I'm going with RQ-2.

RQ-3 is the version I gamed with for a decade (both as a player and a GM), and I only got my hands on RQ-2 material later.

I must say I hope I'd had the RQ-2 books earlier on. Talking about battle magic POW (as opposed to MP) is clumsy, and spiritual destruction is too easy, but I just love how everything in the rules support Glorantha gaming.

RQ worked good when tailored for Glorantha, as opposed to generic fantasy. Stormbringer is tailored for it's genre, as is CoC, Elfquest and Nephilim... so should Rune Quest.

[Got to love the new Ralios book, by the way! I just got it.]

Well, unfortuantely, we are poised to see MRQ do the same thing RQ3 did. A generic core book is okay if you talkor it in the supplement. FOr example you could use RQ for the Strombringer RPG as long as you put the Young Kingsoms stuff (demon magic, elementlas, Lords of Chaos, Beatlords) into the strombringer supplement.

 

[Turloigh]

For the time being, RQ3 remains my favourite, but that's mostly because MRQ is a bit far from being complete. I'd like to withhold judgement until the RuneQuest Companion is released. When are you going to end this poll, Lieutenant?

 

[AKAramis]

mRQ, because it's gotten more play in 2 days than my RQ3AHDeluxe got in the last decade.

 

[WildHealer]

Based just on the "core" rules, RQ2, even though I've gamed exclusively with RQ3 since 1984/5. RQ2 had neat, concise rules, single book, nice atmosphere, and a cool system of gradual character improvement.

I recall spending an angst-ridden 6 months to a year converting over to RQ3 - mostly as I wanted to "stay up to date". In the end I ignored things like the fatigue rolls and %success rolls for spirit magic & rune magic - they just seemed too finicky & didn't add much. Also the RQ3 rules felt all rather diffuse and bland.

I'm now desperately trying to find a reason to like MRQ. Not doing too well however - it's "out-blanding" RQ3 for me at the mo, plus all the rules howlers are just making me step back.

On the supplements front, I'd have to say RQ2 also just for atmosphere - Borderlands, Griffin Mountain, Pavis & Big Rubble, Cults of Prax, Cults of Terror really were landmarks in RPG design. The RQ3 renaissance stuff such as Dorastor and all the Prax books were cool, but didn't have the impact.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the supplements will be MRQ's saving grace at this moment: the Ralios sup looks really nice.

One idea for a poll: are there any RQ die-hards out there who have played consistently for years & years WITHOUT gaming in Glorantha? I've a pet theory that RQ and Glorantha are inextricably linked and both give their "zing" and "pizzazz" magic (technically speaking) to the other.

 

[mthomason]

I've a pet theory that RQ and Glorantha are inextricably linked and both give their "zing" and "pizzazz" magic (technically speaking) to the other.

Oh, I believe you're right where the RQ name is concerned, after what I've read here over the past month or so

When I look at the RQ core rulebook I see "Open BRPalike System Core Rulebook", more than I see the word "RuneQuest", and I think if people thought of it like that it might go down a lot better amongst long-term players.