@danrenwick.bsky.social
...connection to their traditional country. A link that seems deeper and more profound than in other cultures. And of course, non-Glorantha fans are probably wondering what the dwarf 'production line' is.
Sorry for taking over your thread, Susan!
Sorry for taking over your thread, Susan!
November 28, 2025 at 12:57 AM
...connection to their traditional country. A link that seems deeper and more profound than in other cultures. And of course, non-Glorantha fans are probably wondering what the dwarf 'production line' is.
Sorry for taking over your thread, Susan!
Sorry for taking over your thread, Susan!
Completely agree; there are exceptions. But the way you described elves and dwarves is a good example of their uniqueness. Elves have a unique spiritual link not just to any forest, but to their *home* forest. It's an evocative and beautiful idea that reminds me of Indigenous Australian spiritual...
November 28, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Completely agree; there are exceptions. But the way you described elves and dwarves is a good example of their uniqueness. Elves have a unique spiritual link not just to any forest, but to their *home* forest. It's an evocative and beautiful idea that reminds me of Indigenous Australian spiritual...
It's a unique setting that broke a lot of the rules of fantasy RPGs even before they were created. I know you can pretty much only be human or troll, but the setting absolutely drips with culture. You just can't be elves or dwarves because they're too weird and alien and they hate everyone else.
November 27, 2025 at 2:08 AM
It's a unique setting that broke a lot of the rules of fantasy RPGs even before they were created. I know you can pretty much only be human or troll, but the setting absolutely drips with culture. You just can't be elves or dwarves because they're too weird and alien and they hate everyone else.
Ducks should always be ominous, mysterious, and sinister.
November 25, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Ducks should always be ominous, mysterious, and sinister.
Not only that, but if you put tariffs together with big income tax cuts, you get a massive wealth transfer from average people to the rich.
November 19, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Not only that, but if you put tariffs together with big income tax cuts, you get a massive wealth transfer from average people to the rich.
A cute way to introduce Glorantha to people is to say, "We'll be setting the adventure in Sartar, home to Conan-like hill barbarians who are violently conservative and traditionalist. Their traditional law also recognises six genders."
November 12, 2025 at 2:06 AM
A cute way to introduce Glorantha to people is to say, "We'll be setting the adventure in Sartar, home to Conan-like hill barbarians who are violently conservative and traditionalist. Their traditional law also recognises six genders."
..which adds a whole political and diplomatic dimension, such as inter-clan warfare and politics. And that's just one little rule. The long list of skills seems to encourage people to try different approaches to solving problems other than combat, which again adds a whole other dimension to RQ.
October 22, 2025 at 12:22 AM
..which adds a whole political and diplomatic dimension, such as inter-clan warfare and politics. And that's just one little rule. The long list of skills seems to encourage people to try different approaches to solving problems other than combat, which again adds a whole other dimension to RQ.
I've played a lot of both Runequest and 13th Age Glorantha, and I think Ron Edwards was right: the system radically changes how people play. As I mentioned in another post, the ransom system means that the fastest way to advance your character in RQ is to ransom captives rather than crawl dungeons..
October 22, 2025 at 12:17 AM
I've played a lot of both Runequest and 13th Age Glorantha, and I think Ron Edwards was right: the system radically changes how people play. As I mentioned in another post, the ransom system means that the fastest way to advance your character in RQ is to ransom captives rather than crawl dungeons..
I believe in complete player/GM supremacy. Once you start playing a certain setting, that setting belongs to you and your players, not to Wizards of the Coast, Chaosium, Paizo, or whoever.
October 19, 2025 at 7:16 AM
I believe in complete player/GM supremacy. Once you start playing a certain setting, that setting belongs to you and your players, not to Wizards of the Coast, Chaosium, Paizo, or whoever.
It's fun having elves view humans as vermin polluting the earth, and dwarves viewing all living things as vermin polluting the earth.
October 6, 2025 at 4:04 AM
It's fun having elves view humans as vermin polluting the earth, and dwarves viewing all living things as vermin polluting the earth.
The first time your players interact with Lunars could be an unexpected surprise for them. Rather than typical Lunars, they might be Doblian Dogeaters, who worship Sakkar, the Sabretoothed God of Fear, not the Seven Mothers. Or on the opposite end of the scale, Danfive Xaron worshippers are fun.
October 6, 2025 at 3:16 AM
The first time your players interact with Lunars could be an unexpected surprise for them. Rather than typical Lunars, they might be Doblian Dogeaters, who worship Sakkar, the Sabretoothed God of Fear, not the Seven Mothers. Or on the opposite end of the scale, Danfive Xaron worshippers are fun.
Oh, and also, if the RQ system is too complicated and you want a gentle introduction to the lore, the Questworlds campaign the Valley of Plenty starts you off as kids who know little about the world. It's like Goonies in Glorantha and it's fantastic.
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3...
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3...
Valley of Plenty - Chaosium | Jonstown Compendium | DriveThruRPG
Due to popular demand, we are re-releasing Valley of Plenty!
The new file is now available. Enjoy the updated adventures and new cults for your Horse Orlanthi!
Valley of Plenty is a campaign source ...
www.drivethrurpg.com
October 1, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Oh, and also, if the RQ system is too complicated and you want a gentle introduction to the lore, the Questworlds campaign the Valley of Plenty starts you off as kids who know little about the world. It's like Goonies in Glorantha and it's fantastic.
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3...
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3...
At least in regard to the lore, I disagree. You really can just buy Starter Set, tell your players that "Sartar is a bit like Conan's barbarian tribes," and start playing.
You don't need a deep knowledge of the lore any more than you need a deep understanding of the 30s to play Cthulhu.
You don't need a deep knowledge of the lore any more than you need a deep understanding of the 30s to play Cthulhu.
October 1, 2025 at 4:29 AM
At least in regard to the lore, I disagree. You really can just buy Starter Set, tell your players that "Sartar is a bit like Conan's barbarian tribes," and start playing.
You don't need a deep knowledge of the lore any more than you need a deep understanding of the 30s to play Cthulhu.
You don't need a deep knowledge of the lore any more than you need a deep understanding of the 30s to play Cthulhu.
Diceless resolution is pretty normal in text roleplay, where it tends to turn into a jointly-written story. Once you're in the frame of mind of "writing a story together" then some outcomes for the story become more logical or interesting, while the dice might pick the less interesting options.
September 4, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Diceless resolution is pretty normal in text roleplay, where it tends to turn into a jointly-written story. Once you're in the frame of mind of "writing a story together" then some outcomes for the story become more logical or interesting, while the dice might pick the less interesting options.
There's a good Thanatari bad guy in one of the better-known JC scenarios. He lured one of my players into a dark room, crept behind him, and I was shocked at how dangerous garotte is. If one of my players ever gets bored with their characters and wants a change, that would be a dramatic way to go.
September 2, 2025 at 5:51 AM
There's a good Thanatari bad guy in one of the better-known JC scenarios. He lured one of my players into a dark room, crept behind him, and I was shocked at how dangerous garotte is. If one of my players ever gets bored with their characters and wants a change, that would be a dramatic way to go.
Speaking of bland, I probably shouldn't have linked to IGN, who just listed all the big dragons and wyverns. This is a better example of the sort of weirdness I mean.
bogleech.com/halloween/ha...
bogleech.com/halloween/ha...
BOO-GLEECH
bogleech.com
September 2, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Speaking of bland, I probably shouldn't have linked to IGN, who just listed all the big dragons and wyverns. This is a better example of the sort of weirdness I mean.
bogleech.com/halloween/ha...
bogleech.com/halloween/ha...
So in true Glorantha style, you'd dial up the weirdness. So.. I don't know.. maybe the head of the Jack-O-Bear is shaped like a pumpkin, but is huge, glowing orange and slowly throbbing like a heart-beat. Anything to weird the players out.
September 2, 2025 at 2:32 AM
So in true Glorantha style, you'd dial up the weirdness. So.. I don't know.. maybe the head of the Jack-O-Bear is shaped like a pumpkin, but is huge, glowing orange and slowly throbbing like a heart-beat. Anything to weird the players out.
A lot of ideas from the 70s haven't really dated well. For example, I don't mind dinosaurs in Glorantha, except that the idea is a bit bland. I'd rather see more fantastical creatures that are called dinosaurs, but are like the weird creations you see in Monster Hunter.
www.ign.com/articles/bes...
www.ign.com/articles/bes...
The 25 Best Monster Hunter Monsters - IGN
www.ign.com
September 2, 2025 at 2:29 AM
A lot of ideas from the 70s haven't really dated well. For example, I don't mind dinosaurs in Glorantha, except that the idea is a bit bland. I'd rather see more fantastical creatures that are called dinosaurs, but are like the weird creations you see in Monster Hunter.
www.ign.com/articles/bes...
www.ign.com/articles/bes...
Another thing I love about RQ: Glorantha is that ransoming prisoners is the quickest way to advance your character. Instead of raiding dungeons, you instead have an incentive to raid the annoying neighbouring clan, the Lunar Empire, etc. It adds hugely to politics, culture, diplomacy, etc
August 17, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Another thing I love about RQ: Glorantha is that ransoming prisoners is the quickest way to advance your character. Instead of raiding dungeons, you instead have an incentive to raid the annoying neighbouring clan, the Lunar Empire, etc. It adds hugely to politics, culture, diplomacy, etc
Having climbed the mountain of lore to the point where I understand the Dragon Pass region fairly well, I'd say that all you need to begin playing is the Runequest Starter Set. I love the lore, but you should only read it for fun and story ideas. Beyond the lore basics, no more reading is necessary.
August 12, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Having climbed the mountain of lore to the point where I understand the Dragon Pass region fairly well, I'd say that all you need to begin playing is the Runequest Starter Set. I love the lore, but you should only read it for fun and story ideas. Beyond the lore basics, no more reading is necessary.
Out of interest, in which cult could you start as a Runelord? I'm not a powergamer or minmaxer. Just curious.
July 26, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Out of interest, in which cult could you start as a Runelord? I'm not a powergamer or minmaxer. Just curious.
The bright side of a recession is that it might take out morons like Putin and Elon Musk. The post-2008 Great Recession led to the Arab Spring which ended the reigns of a number of autocrats. Arguably Russia and Putin are in a far worse position now than they were in 2008.
April 5, 2025 at 1:27 AM
The bright side of a recession is that it might take out morons like Putin and Elon Musk. The post-2008 Great Recession led to the Arab Spring which ended the reigns of a number of autocrats. Arguably Russia and Putin are in a far worse position now than they were in 2008.
Glorantha is evocative, ridiculously original and sui generis for an RPG setting, and taps into a part of history-inspired fantasy that few others do. Like Cthulhu, at its best, it marries the realistic and the completely bonkers. And the more you know about the lore, the richer the tapestry gets.
March 27, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Glorantha is evocative, ridiculously original and sui generis for an RPG setting, and taps into a part of history-inspired fantasy that few others do. Like Cthulhu, at its best, it marries the realistic and the completely bonkers. And the more you know about the lore, the richer the tapestry gets.
Lands of Runequest: Dragon Pass is perhaps more practically useful, but I love the descriptions in Lands of Thunder. It's my most used book for GMing in Sartar.
February 6, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Lands of Runequest: Dragon Pass is perhaps more practically useful, but I love the descriptions in Lands of Thunder. It's my most used book for GMing in Sartar.
Personally I think it's an absolute knockout and one of the richest and most colourful Gloranthan lore guides around. Hopefully it'll be reincarnated in some form for Questworlds because it's a gem.
February 6, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Personally I think it's an absolute knockout and one of the richest and most colourful Gloranthan lore guides around. Hopefully it'll be reincarnated in some form for Questworlds because it's a gem.