The whole Cults book series is a wonderful thing. I'm looking forward to breaking into each release! I agree that the Lunars haven't had so much of the detail treatment before - hopefully The Lunar Way will resolve that 🙂
I'm an intermittent visitor there - most of my Glorantha experiences have been through reading the page. As a game, RuneQuest is something very special.
@@WillyMuffinUK Greg Stafford was a prince of a man. I met him at a game convention, must have been the early 90's, and surprised him by asking him to sign a book he had contributed to on sacred masculinity. He was deeply into shamanism, and was, if memory serves, on the board of directors for the Institute for Trans Cultural Shamanism. When I was fighting cancer, I was able to contact him through them, and he took the time to speak to me over the telephone, helping me address the psychospiritual aspects of my illness, for which I will be forever grateful. He was a lot more than just a game designer, and I truly mourned when I learned of his demise.
@@FraterMerovius You can see a lot of that nature in his writing - which, unfortunately for me, is the only contact I had with him. When I do this Milieu videos, there's obviously an amount of research, to fill in gaps in my own knowledge. Some of that takes the form of re-reading books I haven't picked up for a while. For this, my wife and I are going through King of Sartar. In that book especially you can "feel" Greg's presence in his ideas. I would have loved to have met him. I do think we would have found a fair overlap in the way we view the world. Probably not a complete one, but a reasonable slice of common ground.
Awesome video! Glorantha is indeed unique! Our first Swedish rpg was "Drakar och demoner" and was very influenced by the BasicRP/runequest system, and even had Ducks! It's since been reinvisioned and released as Dragon Bane. Thanks for the vid, top notch as always!
I have mentioned it in a previous video - on Basic Roleplaying (the base rules thst were extracted from RuneQuest and later used to build Call of Cthulhu and so on). I haven't checked Free League's new version out yet, though - Dragon Band looks interesting!
Thanks I really enjoy these videos, they're great to have on when playing a game so you can absorb the information. I wanted to mention the three Glorantha video games by A Sharp. King of Dragon Pass, Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind and Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out. They're a prickly prospect for most gamers as they require you to think like a tribal leader, not a video game player, but I think they really capture the feel of the world. Secondly I wanted to call out a Glorantha adjacent setting, the video game Morrowind. The designers, Michael Kirkbride and Kurt Kuhlmann, were both already fans of weird fiction and either played or were aware of Runequest. Then you throw Ken Rolston into the mix and it's no surprise that Morrowind ends up feeling very close to Glorantha.
I have to admit to never having seen the Glorantha computer games, let alone playing them. Would be interested to know if they're still available. Morrowind is an interesting world. Unfortunately, it won't be one I delve into in this series - I'm sticking to pen and paper RPG worlds (and worlds from literature that have been given s pen and paper treatment). But maybe, sometime in the future. Alongside Morrowind, I can also think of a couple of other computer RPG worlds I'd like to delve into. For now, I've a heck of a list to get through!
Very enjoyable trip down memory lane. I never was into RQ/Glornatha in my heyday of RPGing but always enjoyed what little time I spent there. However, I did play quite a few games of Dragon Pass, “the Crimson Bat devours one unit” is still the stuff of nightmares. 😅
Wonderful as always. The one thing RuneQuest delivers is that "spirituality" of the magic system. I just about cant but help play a Shaman of some stripe every-time I play. Or a Runepriest or a ... you get the idea. Its so evocative the way the magic "is" the world, is the gods, is the peoples. Though Im slightly split. Tekumel is also a real favorite - and having finally run the EPT original version of the game at the table I'm very into Tekumel now too. Nowhere near as developed its also very evocative of an original cultural milieu. To be honest Im attracted to all these types of games Talislanta, Jorune, Assunder; these are my types of game. Strange cultures and civilizations eking out a place in a truly different landscape. Maybe thats because of my love of Barsoom and John Carter? One thing is certain RuneQuest is such a compelling game; I really love second edition. Yet with the most recent books passions combined its such a top shelf product.
I think you're a bit like me, in that regard. With so many pseudo-medieval/Western European-style game settings out there, those that are off that beaten track are refreshing gems to explore.
Great video! I've always struggled with Glorantha and 'bringing it to the table' even after over 40 years of RPGing. I just get (a) overawed by the detail and (b) am paralysed by all the options. Any tips to overcome that Willy (or maybe a video on it) would be really appreciated!
Not a bad idea - probably for every game! Off the cuff, though, my simplest advice is to keep it simple. Start small. Allow yourself, as a GM, to explore things alongside your players - perhaps a few steps ahead so you can guide them. If you try and absorb the detail all at once, then - yes, that'll just leave you like a rabbit in the headlights. And don't feel like you have to "know" every detail. I've been visiting the place on and off for quite a while, and I'd like to say I'm reasonably familiar with a lot of Glorantha, but I'd admit to only "knowing" Prax, because - for whatever reason - that's the region that called to me most, and hence where our RQ games have spent most time.
@@Rich_H_1972 The wildness of it. You have this thin strip around the River of Cradles that holds some level of civilisation, then a whole lot of wild and vicious. Even within the civilised spots, there's (at least, in the period we play) the aspect of it being a remote outpost of Lunar occupation. The Big Rubble provides a source for off-the-cuff expeditions (which helps to give time to figure out "what's next"). Danger and conflict everywhere, angsty borderland politics, nomad incursions that make the angsty politico opposites have to cooperate from time to time for survival. Sun Dome fanatics that can be both friend and foe. And the landscape reminds me of Life of Brian. No, seriously!
Beautiful video sir. I'm very new to tabletop roleplaying and felt that both the system and setting of D&D lacked in substance. I came across RQ while looking for a game that was skill-based and, having a keen interest in comparative religion, I fell in love with the setting. Do you have any advice for new players?
Thank-you! If specifically RuneQuest, I really can't recommend Chaosium's starter sets enough. RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, and Pendragon all have one. They take you by the hand, give you a solo scenario to try the rules out, and a starter scenario when you're ready to sit down with a group to play. Everything you need to get going, in a digestible form.
I agree that the game is better with the Hero Wars impending, rather than arrived. One of the reasons why late Runequest has a heavy focus on the oncoming Hero Wars is that the modern authors prefer to operate at a much higher power level (and thus interact more completely with the cosmic), whereas in the old game it was a struggle to reach rune level. Although there is a paradox in that the roles of the main protagonists are considered set and inviolable in that context. At best a player character could do is just hope to carry the cloak of those heroes. Thus player characters are at best (officially) witness to the events rather than participants and shapers. Which I personnally find to be quite disappointing. [As a disclaimer the climb to rune level was pretty much avoided completely in Greg's original (1976ish) Sartar campaign. People geenrated chaarcters at the appropriate level. The game did suffer from the lack of the 1978 Heroquest (which contained the next stahe of the game), but then during the playtest of that the players acted like typical D&D players, or in Gloranthan terms, they were "superheroes" that saught power for themselves, rather than "heroes" who acted on behalf of others. And did what greg had already considered to be bad juju in the process. For Greg, who was lookong to evolve a transformative experience through the game, it was a disappointment.]
The shadow of expectations constructed by D&D looms large... I've had that in Traveller games, too, where people have asked "how do I level up?" I'd like to think that YGMV gives us some flexibility with respect to Argrath and co. Having the Hero Wars still way off in the distance is one of my preferred tweaks - an easy one, too, since all that's needed is to take listed timeline dates with a pinch of salt.
I mean, I've played a little cricket - but I'm not Australian! (I know you meant the actor, but I have to confess having had to Google him to remind me who he was - and the Australian cricketer of the same name came up higher in the results!)
@@WillyMuffinUK I remember him mainly for voicing the villain in the AD&D computer game Baldurs Gate 2.But it's okay, you don't sound too villainous here.
I am incredibly hyped for the Lunar Way book. More detail on their cosmology is really something we’ve needed since RQG released.
The whole Cults book series is a wonderful thing. I'm looking forward to breaking into each release! I agree that the Lunars haven't had so much of the detail treatment before - hopefully The Lunar Way will resolve that 🙂
Terrific video. Thank you. Writing for RQ has been a terrific privilege for me.
Thank-you - for the compljment and the writing!
Your affection for RQ and its world has been evident for some time.
Do I hide things that badly?
@@WillyMuffinUK Only what you intend to my friend.
Thank you for this, I have been a traveller to Glorantha since 1985. It and RuneQuest are my favourite world, and RPG, respectively.
I'm an intermittent visitor there - most of my Glorantha experiences have been through reading the page. As a game, RuneQuest is something very special.
Great video!! I actually met Stafford back in the day.
Ah, one of the RPG pioneers I wish I had met. I will admit to a touch of jealousy!
@@WillyMuffinUK Greg Stafford was a prince of a man. I met him at a game convention, must have been the early 90's, and surprised him by asking him to sign a book he had contributed to on sacred masculinity. He was deeply into shamanism, and was, if memory serves, on the board of directors for the Institute for Trans Cultural Shamanism. When I was fighting cancer, I was able to contact him through them, and he took the time to speak to me over the telephone, helping me address the psychospiritual aspects of my illness, for which I will be forever grateful. He was a lot more than just a game designer, and I truly mourned when I learned of his demise.
@@FraterMerovius You can see a lot of that nature in his writing - which, unfortunately for me, is the only contact I had with him.
When I do this Milieu videos, there's obviously an amount of research, to fill in gaps in my own knowledge. Some of that takes the form of re-reading books I haven't picked up for a while. For this, my wife and I are going through King of Sartar. In that book especially you can "feel" Greg's presence in his ideas.
I would have loved to have met him. I do think we would have found a fair overlap in the way we view the world. Probably not a complete one, but a reasonable slice of common ground.
Awesome video! Glorantha is indeed unique! Our first Swedish rpg was "Drakar och demoner" and was very influenced by the BasicRP/runequest system, and even had Ducks! It's since been reinvisioned and released as Dragon Bane.
Thanks for the vid, top notch as always!
I have mentioned it in a previous video - on Basic Roleplaying (the base rules thst were extracted from RuneQuest and later used to build Call of Cthulhu and so on). I haven't checked Free League's new version out yet, though - Dragon Band looks interesting!
Your Channel shall have my 2 magic points next Holy day .
Thanks .
May ⚫️ Darkness protect us all during the Hero Wars.
I'm just hoarding up favour with Chalana Arroy for the bandages we're going to need...
Thanks I really enjoy these videos, they're great to have on when playing a game so you can absorb the information. I wanted to mention the three Glorantha video games by A Sharp. King of Dragon Pass, Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind and Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out. They're a prickly prospect for most gamers as they require you to think like a tribal leader, not a video game player, but I think they really capture the feel of the world.
Secondly I wanted to call out a Glorantha adjacent setting, the video game Morrowind. The designers, Michael Kirkbride and Kurt Kuhlmann, were both already fans of weird fiction and either played or were aware of Runequest. Then you throw Ken Rolston into the mix and it's no surprise that Morrowind ends up feeling very close to Glorantha.
I have to admit to never having seen the Glorantha computer games, let alone playing them. Would be interested to know if they're still available.
Morrowind is an interesting world. Unfortunately, it won't be one I delve into in this series - I'm sticking to pen and paper RPG worlds (and worlds from literature that have been given s pen and paper treatment). But maybe, sometime in the future. Alongside Morrowind, I can also think of a couple of other computer RPG worlds I'd like to delve into. For now, I've a heck of a list to get through!
Very enjoyable trip down memory lane. I never was into RQ/Glornatha in my heyday of RPGing but always enjoyed what little time I spent there.
However, I did play quite a few games of Dragon Pass, “the Crimson Bat devours one unit” is still the stuff of nightmares. 😅
That's the problem with bats of mythological proportion!
thank you ... much appreciated ...
Thank-you
Wonderful as always. The one thing RuneQuest delivers is that "spirituality" of the magic system. I just about cant but help play a Shaman of some stripe every-time I play. Or a Runepriest or a ... you get the idea. Its so evocative the way the magic "is" the world, is the gods, is the peoples. Though Im slightly split. Tekumel is also a real favorite - and having finally run the EPT original version of the game at the table I'm very into Tekumel now too. Nowhere near as developed its also very evocative of an original cultural milieu. To be honest Im attracted to all these types of games Talislanta, Jorune, Assunder; these are my types of game. Strange cultures and civilizations eking out a place in a truly different landscape. Maybe thats because of my love of Barsoom and John Carter? One thing is certain RuneQuest is such a compelling game; I really love second edition. Yet with the most recent books passions combined its such a top shelf product.
I think you're a bit like me, in that regard. With so many pseudo-medieval/Western European-style game settings out there, those that are off that beaten track are refreshing gems to explore.
Great video! I've always struggled with Glorantha and 'bringing it to the table' even after over 40 years of RPGing. I just get (a) overawed by the detail and (b) am paralysed by all the options. Any tips to overcome that Willy (or maybe a video on it) would be really appreciated!
Not a bad idea - probably for every game! Off the cuff, though, my simplest advice is to keep it simple. Start small. Allow yourself, as a GM, to explore things alongside your players - perhaps a few steps ahead so you can guide them.
If you try and absorb the detail all at once, then - yes, that'll just leave you like a rabbit in the headlights. And don't feel like you have to "know" every detail. I've been visiting the place on and off for quite a while, and I'd like to say I'm reasonably familiar with a lot of Glorantha, but I'd admit to only "knowing" Prax, because - for whatever reason - that's the region that called to me most, and hence where our RQ games have spent most time.
@@WillyMuffinUK Great advice, thanks! What was it about Prax and the surrounding area that 'called' to you?
@@Rich_H_1972 The wildness of it. You have this thin strip around the River of Cradles that holds some level of civilisation, then a whole lot of wild and vicious. Even within the civilised spots, there's (at least, in the period we play) the aspect of it being a remote outpost of Lunar occupation. The Big Rubble provides a source for off-the-cuff expeditions (which helps to give time to figure out "what's next"). Danger and conflict everywhere, angsty borderland politics, nomad incursions that make the angsty politico opposites have to cooperate from time to time for survival. Sun Dome fanatics that can be both friend and foe. And the landscape reminds me of Life of Brian. No, seriously!
Beautiful video sir. I'm very new to tabletop roleplaying and felt that both the system and setting of D&D lacked in substance. I came across RQ while looking for a game that was skill-based and, having a keen interest in comparative religion, I fell in love with the setting. Do you have any advice for new players?
Thank-you! If specifically RuneQuest, I really can't recommend Chaosium's starter sets enough. RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, and Pendragon all have one. They take you by the hand, give you a solo scenario to try the rules out, and a starter scenario when you're ready to sit down with a group to play. Everything you need to get going, in a digestible form.
I agree that the game is better with the Hero Wars impending, rather than arrived. One of the reasons why late Runequest has a heavy focus on the oncoming Hero Wars is that the modern authors prefer to operate at a much higher power level (and thus interact more completely with the cosmic), whereas in the old game it was a struggle to reach rune level. Although there is a paradox in that the roles of the main protagonists are considered set and inviolable in that context. At best a player character could do is just hope to carry the cloak of those heroes. Thus player characters are at best (officially) witness to the events rather than participants and shapers. Which I personnally find to be quite disappointing.
[As a disclaimer the climb to rune level was pretty much avoided completely in Greg's original (1976ish) Sartar campaign. People geenrated chaarcters at the appropriate level. The game did suffer from the lack of the 1978 Heroquest (which contained the next stahe of the game), but then during the playtest of that the players acted like typical D&D players, or in Gloranthan terms, they were "superheroes" that saught power for themselves, rather than "heroes" who acted on behalf of others. And did what greg had already considered to be bad juju in the process. For Greg, who was lookong to evolve a transformative experience through the game, it was a disappointment.]
The shadow of expectations constructed by D&D looms large... I've had that in Traveller games, too, where people have asked "how do I level up?"
I'd like to think that YGMV gives us some flexibility with respect to Argrath and co. Having the Hero Wars still way off in the distance is one of my preferred tweaks - an easy one, too, since all that's needed is to take listed timeline dates with a pinch of salt.
Yey! \o/
🙂
Your voice reminds me of David Warner
I mean, I've played a little cricket - but I'm not Australian!
(I know you meant the actor, but I have to confess having had to Google him to remind me who he was - and the Australian cricketer of the same name came up higher in the results!)
@@WillyMuffinUK I remember him mainly for voicing the villain in the AD&D computer game Baldurs Gate 2.But it's okay, you don't sound too villainous here.
@@John-k6f9k Ah, well thank-you for that 🙂