I've been gaming in Glorantha for nearly 40 years and I'm loving your enthusiasm. No other game has given me as much enjoyment at the table, or away from it just reading the background. Many people get put off by the depth of the world, but remember that the characters only know what's on their doorstep. You can learn about it as a GM or player as you game, there is no need to become a scholar of Glorantha to play. I was spoilt because I played RQ before DnD. After that the levels, alignments and classes of DnD seemed silly and arbitrary compared to the choices and freedom that RQ offered. An often repeated saying of Greg Stafford's was "Your Glorantha will vary". Rather than being precious about his creation, he shared it with other authors and encouraged us to do as we like with it. "Violence is always an option but there is always another way."
Also, just because the world is so deep doesn't mean it has to be taken too seriously. I've run games based on The Jungle Book, Casablanca and The Magnificent Seven. The toughest character in my current game is a berserker duck, backed up by a baboon shaman named The Arsebiter.
D&D feels silly to me too, though it's fair to say I haven't really given it a fair shake. Mostly I've played B/X and a few 5e one shots. But it's just not for me. As a big CoC fan for the most part, making the RQG transition keeps a lot of the same familiar mechanics from BRP and that distinctive problem solving flare but adds a different flavour and a new and incredibly deep lore landscape. Plus the bronze age weapons and deep connections to eastern mysticism inspired Gods. Where, exactly, is it going to take us I wonder.
Heya. I'm what I suppose you would call a veteran of RQ - having played since the boardgame White Bear - Red Moon. Indeed in one epic year of "wasting my life" I played a RQ campaign near on 10 hrs a day, 7 days a week for just about an entire year. That said, getting started on Glorantha and RQ can be daunting. My recomendation is Start small. Just a village in Dragon Pass somewhere. Or more remote. Balazar. Far NE of Dragon pass in an isolated tribal area. But start with a player (and GM) base of knowledge that mostly matches the characters. The young-ish characters know little about the wider world too. They know the local area and something about the nearby areas. Maybe a little bit of current events and some history. But that's it. Expand from there. Make up your own stories as you go. Introduce key Gloranthan elements as YOU learn about them. "The trader tells you that trolls have been spotted in the woods. Trolls. Oh. They're huge beastial man figures with teeth like swords and hunt in the darkness". Cue a troll-hunt scenario. etc.
I am in the same place as Soul Chicken. I have the Quick start rules. Now my difficulty will be selling the game to my players. I hit the notification bell, and am looking forward to your next installment.
Jackhole I have played in Glorantha since 82 so even though I have played a whole load of systems from D&D to Shadowrun i always go back to Runequest. I love the simulation style of combat which is deadly and as far as the background goes take in as much as you need. Greg Stafford was never precious about his world use it to tell the story you want
Your RQ, and your Glorantha will vary. That is part of the fun! It's exciting to hear your thoughts on an old favorite and I look forward to more vids. I discovered RQ in about 1980 and have been learning about it and exploring it off and on ever since. The new edition is beautifully written and illustrated. The old Chaosium RQ 1e and 2e material is also available again thanks to a Kickstarter. There has never been a better time to dive into Glorantha and RQ. It is a system that deserves more play.
@@questwise4077 Pavis and The Big Rubble are Steve Perren's home campaign and are great together as a sandbox setting. (I think they are now available again, at least in digital.) The old Chaosium products are so different from TSR and Palladium stuff in that it is less easy to use straight out of the box. Chaosium won't give you many fleshed out adventures to run (and the ones they do are pretty weak, except for Balastar's Barraks), but the world detail is so rich that a creative person can get lots of mileage from it. Cults of Prax (and Cults of Terror) outlines the rune cults and pretty well set the standards for game treatment of religions. During the Avalon Hill RQ 3 era there were a few good new supplements as well as revisions of older Chaosium titles. Their Doraster, River of Cradles and Sun Dome County stand out in my mind. A lot of the older 2e material focused on Prax. Moon Design and the HeroQuest game materials have focused more on Dragon Pass and Sartar. Alas, the Lunar Empire remains largely uncovered in much detail. Griffin Mountain is an outlier, but another good product. (Basically Greg Stafford made room for a campaign that Paul Jaquays and Rudy Kraft had written for another world.) Sorry for the lengthy response, but much like the Palladium worlds, there is a lot written for Glorantha and I love talking about this game setting. (And I didn't even touch on the Mongoose era offerings.)
@@freddaniel5099 I definitely appreciate the thorough response! This is a world I definitely want to explore more and with such a wealth of material, and history, I didnt know where to start.
@@freddaniel5099 Don't forget all of the Hero Quest stuff as well. I've been using scenarios from the Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes book for my RQG campaign recently, and the Gathering Storm books are bloody excellent.
Welcome to Glorantha. As with Roy Duffy, I'm loving your enthusiasm for the game that got me started in role-playing three and a half decades ago and hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have over the years. While it can be used for short, one-off games to while away a few hours every now and then, for me the true beauty of both the system and the background is only really discovered when you immerse yourself in it for those long, multi-generational campaigns. I look forward to following you on your journey. :-)
I've never played RQ. I've read various things here and there that you touched on in the video, but the way you painted a picture made it much more engaging, and fuel for the creative fires. 😎
Greg Stafford is a real life shaman , so you see that influence in the setting, he is an awesome game designer, making a charecter for the game is so much fun
I've played RQ on and off since the early '80s. I really enjoyed the AH version because it did separate RQ from Glorantha, which allowed me a generic platform for My World. I have jumped on the band wagon with the new RQG and am running a campaign online. Not enough interest locally. 😥
Bryon1187 One day matey I would love to play in your game one day. I’m running a taster session in Nottingham this week and have already made a couple of converts who love the visceral feel of the game
I think a good place to recruit would be from the local call of cthulhu scene. Speaking as a CoC enthusiast, the familiar BRP mechanics with a different bronze age flavour with not always horrible gods is super appealing.
Runequest was my close second choice for my system and setting. I chose to build my own Hyboria using GURPS with help from Modiphius but I am still very interested in playing Runequest. I'm looking forward to this series.
I've been gaming in Glorantha for nearly 40 years and I'm loving your enthusiasm. No other game has given me as much enjoyment at the table, or away from it just reading the background. Many people get put off by the depth of the world, but remember that the characters only know what's on their doorstep. You can learn about it as a GM or player as you game, there is no need to become a scholar of Glorantha to play. I was spoilt because I played RQ before DnD. After that the levels, alignments and classes of DnD seemed silly and arbitrary compared to the choices and freedom that RQ offered. An often repeated saying of Greg Stafford's was "Your Glorantha will vary". Rather than being precious about his creation, he shared it with other authors and encouraged us to do as we like with it. "Violence is always an option but there is always another way."
Also, just because the world is so deep doesn't mean it has to be taken too seriously. I've run games based on The Jungle Book, Casablanca and The Magnificent Seven. The toughest character in my current game is a berserker duck, backed up by a baboon shaman named The Arsebiter.
D&D feels silly to me too, though it's fair to say I haven't really given it a fair shake. Mostly I've played B/X and a few 5e one shots. But it's just not for me. As a big CoC fan for the most part, making the RQG transition keeps a lot of the same familiar mechanics from BRP and that distinctive problem solving flare but adds a different flavour and a new and incredibly deep lore landscape. Plus the bronze age weapons and deep connections to eastern mysticism inspired Gods. Where, exactly, is it going to take us I wonder.
Heya. I'm what I suppose you would call a veteran of RQ - having played since the boardgame White Bear - Red Moon. Indeed in one epic year of "wasting my life" I played a RQ campaign near on 10 hrs a day, 7 days a week for just about an entire year. That said, getting started on Glorantha and RQ can be daunting. My recomendation is Start small. Just a village in Dragon Pass somewhere. Or more remote. Balazar. Far NE of Dragon pass in an isolated tribal area. But start with a player (and GM) base of knowledge that mostly matches the characters. The young-ish characters know little about the wider world too. They know the local area and something about the nearby areas. Maybe a little bit of current events and some history. But that's it. Expand from there. Make up your own stories as you go. Introduce key Gloranthan elements as YOU learn about them. "The trader tells you that trolls have been spotted in the woods. Trolls. Oh. They're huge beastial man figures with teeth like swords and hunt in the darkness". Cue a troll-hunt scenario. etc.
Thanks for the advice, sir!
Humans are the most interesting PC race in any setting. Change my mind.
I am in the same place as Soul Chicken. I have the Quick start rules. Now my difficulty will be selling the game to my players. I hit the notification bell, and am looking forward to your next installment.
Jackhole I have played in Glorantha since 82 so even though I have played a whole load of systems from D&D to Shadowrun i always go back to Runequest. I love the simulation style of combat which is deadly and as far as the background goes take in as much as you need. Greg Stafford was never precious about his world use it to tell the story you want
There is a TON of mythology available, but you don't need to know everything. I keep adding to my campaign setting as I learn new stuff.
I Didn't Realize you had a Channel Bro, You just got another Sub man, Great Video.
Your RQ, and your Glorantha will vary. That is part of the fun!
It's exciting to hear your thoughts on an old favorite and I look forward to more vids.
I discovered RQ in about 1980 and have been learning about it and exploring it off and on ever since. The new edition is beautifully written and illustrated. The old Chaosium RQ 1e and 2e material is also available again thanks to a Kickstarter. There has never been a better time to dive into Glorantha and RQ. It is a system that deserves more play.
Thanks for watching, Fred! What products would you recommend I pick up beyond what is currently offered by Chaosium?
@@questwise4077 Pavis and The Big Rubble are Steve Perren's home campaign and are great together as a sandbox setting. (I think they are now available again, at least in digital.)
The old Chaosium products are so different from TSR and Palladium stuff in that it is less easy to use straight out of the box. Chaosium won't give you many fleshed out adventures to run (and the ones they do are pretty weak, except for Balastar's Barraks), but the world detail is so rich that a creative person can get lots of mileage from it. Cults of Prax (and Cults of Terror) outlines the rune cults and pretty well set the standards for game treatment of religions.
During the Avalon Hill RQ 3 era there were a few good new supplements as well as revisions of older Chaosium titles. Their Doraster, River of Cradles and Sun Dome County stand out in my mind.
A lot of the older 2e material focused on Prax. Moon Design and the HeroQuest game materials have focused more on Dragon Pass and Sartar. Alas, the Lunar Empire remains largely uncovered in much detail. Griffin Mountain is an outlier, but another good product. (Basically Greg Stafford made room for a campaign that Paul Jaquays and Rudy Kraft had written for another world.)
Sorry for the lengthy response, but much like the Palladium worlds, there is a lot written for Glorantha and I love talking about this game setting. (And I didn't even touch on the Mongoose era offerings.)
@@freddaniel5099 I definitely appreciate the thorough response! This is a world I definitely want to explore more and with such a wealth of material, and history, I didnt know where to start.
@@questwise4077 anywhere. Start anywhere. I don't think it really matters.
@@freddaniel5099 Don't forget all of the Hero Quest stuff as well. I've been using scenarios from the Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes book for my RQG campaign recently, and the Gathering Storm books are bloody excellent.
Welcome to Glorantha. As with Roy Duffy, I'm loving your enthusiasm for the game that got me started in role-playing three and a half decades ago and hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have over the years. While it can be used for short, one-off games to while away a few hours every now and then, for me the true beauty of both the system and the background is only really discovered when you immerse yourself in it for those long, multi-generational campaigns. I look forward to following you on your journey. :-)
I've never played RQ. I've read various things here and there that you touched on in the video, but the way you painted a picture made it much more engaging, and fuel for the creative fires. 😎
Greg Stafford is a real life shaman , so you see that influence in the setting, he is an awesome game designer, making a charecter for the game is so much fun
Was, unfortunately. RIP Mr Stafford.
I've played RQ on and off since the early '80s. I really enjoyed the AH version because it did separate RQ from Glorantha, which allowed me a generic platform for My World.
I have jumped on the band wagon with the new RQG and am running a campaign online. Not enough interest locally. 😥
Bryon1187 One day matey I would love to play in your game one day. I’m running a taster session in Nottingham this week and have already made a couple of converts who love the visceral feel of the game
I think a good place to recruit would be from the local call of cthulhu scene. Speaking as a CoC enthusiast, the familiar BRP mechanics with a different bronze age flavour with not always horrible gods is super appealing.
Runequest was my close second choice for my system and setting. I chose to build my own Hyboria using GURPS with help from Modiphius but I am still very interested in playing Runequest.
I'm looking forward to this series.
Wecome to Prax youngster...as you're now a Lhankor Mhy initiate you'll have to look to that beard...too short comrade.