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Date: Tue, 3 Aug 93 07:15:32 +0200
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From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 03 Aug 1993, part 1
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Sender: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM
Precedence: junk
Status: RO
The RuneQuest Daily and RuneQuest Digest deal with the subjects of
Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha.
Send submissions and followup to "RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM",
they will automatically be included in a next issue. Try to change the
Subject: line from the default Re: RuneQuest Daily... on replying.
Selected articles may also appear in a regular Digest. If you
want to submit articles to the Digest only, contact the editor at
RuneQuest-Digest-Editor@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM.
Send enquiries and Subscription Requests to the editor:
RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Henk Langeveld)
---------------------
From: ddunham@radiomail.net (David Dunham , via RadioMail)
Subject: Re: Chalana Arroy
Message-ID: <9307310605.AA04148@radiomail>
Date: 31 Jul 93 06:05:19 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1341
>Greg Fried here.
>
>1) Do any campaigns out there allow Chalana Arroy cultists to use weapons in
>combat? In the Chaosium publications, CA cultists often have staff skills,
>but I assume this is purely for parrying attacks.
In my campaign, whether a Healer can parry is up to the temple. Many
Barbarian Belt temples do allow parrying. Solar temples definitely don't
(and the Pendragon religious virtues also vary depending on the pantheon
the Chalana Arroy temple is part of).
>2) What does your campaign charge for the identification of magical items?
>My players do not have the means to identify items they come across, and I
>am not sure what the cost of this should be.
Casting a spell should cost the (Lhankor Mhy) priest's standard of living
for however long it takes him to renew it. For just using the Evaluate
skill, I was charging 1 Lunar/item.
David Dunham * Software Designer * Pensee Corporation
Voice/Fax: 206-783-7404 * AppleLink: DDUNHAM * Internet: ddunham@radiomail.net
---------------------
From: kokko@eemeli.enet.dec.com (The Stars Are Right)
Subject: RE: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 31 Jul 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <9307311334.AA19506@vbormc.vbo.dec.com>
Date: 31 Jul 93 17:34:22 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1342
Re: Rogers asking for a map of Boldhome
The map for Boldhome is/was available in the Rough Guide To Boldhome (very good Convulsion 92 freeform game book, which has all sorts of good info on Boldhome and other stuff. Should be very rare ;-(
hannu
---------------------
From: drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu (David Cheng)
Subject: Chaosium wants Gloranthan Short Stories
Message-ID:
Date: 30 Jul 93 18:01:17 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1343
Chaosium is looking to publish a collection of Gloranthan short stories.
If any of you have a creative muse with this bent, please send your
material to: Greg Stafford
Chaosium Inc.
950-A 56th Street
Oakland, CA 94608
Please note the difference between "Glorantha" and "RuneQuest."
As anyone who has been 'Gregged' can tell you, Stafford's concept of
Glorantha has evolved to the point where stories that sound like RQ
adventures just won't cut it with him. Magic is an area he specifically
mentions: 1) "There is 90% less healing in Glorantha than RQ would
lead you to believe"; 2) "Many magical effects are not instantaneous,
unlike the current rules for Battle and Rune magics."
Happy writing,
*David Cheng drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu / d.cheng@genie.geis.com
Ask me about RuneQuest-Con! (212) 472-7752 [before midnight]
---------------------
From: f6ri@midway.uchicago.edu (charles gregory fried)
Subject: spells et al.
Message-ID:
Date: 31 Jul 93 18:58:28 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1344
Greg Fried here.
Dustin:
I liked your spells, but since I'm more of a RQ2 player, I probably won't be
able to playtest them. My guess is that the Sense Past is a bit too
powerful. It can turn up quite a lot of very precious information! Death
Hands is very amusing, and doubtless very useful, with sufficient
limitations.
---
Thanks, all, for the input of Chalana Arroy in combat, and for costs of
identifying magic. I think those of you who permit CA cultists to fight
against undead and non-living opponents are correct. On the other hand, CA
seems to me to be SUCH a pacific deity that it seems out of keeping for
cultists to be lusting for loopholes that would permit them too enter the
fray. JUst because something is ritually permissable doesn't mean that it is
in keeping with the values of the cult. I like to think of the CA cultist as
something like a Quaker pacifist -- even if an enemy doesn't possess the
spark of life, the cultist is unlikely DISPOSITIONALLY to want to fight. BUt
I can imagine exceptions.
50-250 Lunars for an Identify Magic seems about right; 1000 is too much (at
least in my campaign economy -- that's three year's wages for a laborer!).
GF out.
---------------------
From: JLROGERS@utkvx.utk.edu (Jim Rogers)
Subject: RQ Replies
Message-ID: <01H17GEGMQOU8ZFH2H@utkvx.utk.edu>
Date: 31 Jul 93 17:40:43 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1345
Gang,
X-RQ-ID: 1337 Brian Kondalski, re Priest/Lords in RQ 2
We ran a couple of RQ 2 campaigns (ah, those salad days!). I can't
help you with alchemy, as we avoided that stuff like the plague.
As far as Rune Priests/Lords goes, here's how we did it. (1)
Keep reusable rune magic; (2) had to maintain the priestly POW at least 18;
(3) When you go priest route, or qualify as lord from priest, you do _not_
gain (or you _do_ lose) the 1-10 auto DI. Must use the priest version of
pre-sacrifice; (4) We always resisted spells at current POW, not max POW.
That's from memory, and might be skewed from RQ 3. Was the max POW
resistance for lords, maybe?
X-RQ-ID: 1339 Neil Robinson
How about Pendragon? I've heard some good things about it, and am
planning on getting the 4th ed., coming soon. In our campaigns, much
inspiration was gained in non-combative (1) politics; and (2) mysteries.
Inspiration can be gained from the wide range of mysteries out there,
murder to spy to puzzles. Not big for me, as I preferred politics. There,
the inspiration mostly would come from reading in history and popular books on
politics. Subjects ranged from clan/tribal to international intrigue or
just getting in something much bigger than yourself. Most memorable for us
was an ill-fated Sartar Contra force, who ended up as refugees on our stead
in Hendrikiland. Lots of money and effort basically dumped down a hole,
but lots of fun. Good way to end up on the Red Emperor's Ten Most Wanted
List too.
---------------------
From: jarec@cix.compulink.co.uk (Simon Basham)
Subject: Peaceful Adventures
Message-ID:
Date: 1 Aug 93 13:05:54 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1346
Hi all,
In reply to Neil Robinsons question about peaceful adventures for new
players I would recomend a journey either up or down the Zola Fel by boat.
This is an ideal oppertunity to set up little cameo encounters in trading
ports and with the local river people/Newtlings etc. Any encounters of a
more violent nature can be balanced by having armed crew on the boat,
allowing the party to get involved as much or as little as they like.
RoC has some nice River journey vigniettes (do you spell it like that ????)
which are non combative as serve to introduce such cultures as the Lunars
and the Sun Domers.
On another note I`ve just picked up SoB and on first skimming I am very
impressed, are we seeing the first signs of an end to the RQ recession and
a new glorious second age????
I liked all three of the scenarios, despite two of them having previously
been in White Dwarf as these have been reworked sufficiently so as to
greatly improve them. The CoC meets RQ idea is nicely carried through in
GV and the artwork throughout is consistently high. All in all 9/10.
Jarec@CIX.Compulink.Co.UK
---------------------
From: jarec@cix.compulink.co.uk (Simon Basham)
Subject: Peaceful Adventures
Message-ID:
Date: 1 Aug 93 13:05:59 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1347
Hi all,
In reply to Neil Robinsons question about peaceful adventures for new
players I would recomend a journey either up or down the Zola Fel by boat.
This is an ideal oppertunity to set up little cameo encounters in trading
ports and with the local river people/Newtlings etc. Any encounters of a
more violent nature can be balanced by having armed crew on the boat,
allowing the party to get involved as much or as little as they like.
RoC has some nice River journey vigniettes (do you spell it like that ????)
which are non combative as serve to introduce such cultures as the Lunars
and the Sun Domers.
On another note I`ve just picked up SoB and on first skimming I am very
impressed, are we seeing the first signs of an end to the RQ recession and
a new glorious second age????
I liked all three of the scenarios, despite two of them having previously
been in White Dwarf as these have been reworked sufficiently so as to
greatly improve them. The CoC meets RQ idea is nicely carried through in
GV and the artwork throughout is consistently high. All in all 9/10.
Jarec@CIX.Compulink.Co.UK
---------------------
From: dg557@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Justin Ronald Cann)
Subject: subscribe
Message-ID: <9308012032.AA19833@hela.INS.CWRU.Edu>
Date: 1 Aug 93 12:32:04 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1348
--
From Moonpile at Freenet. | Weave a circle round him thrice,
You can also e-mail me at: | And close your eyes with holy dread,
| For he on honeydew hath fed,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge --> | And drunk the milk of Paradise.
---------------------
From: kjm@panix.com (Kevin Maroney)
Subject: Mailing Listy
Message-ID: <199308012152.AA20307@panix.com>
Date: 1 Aug 93 13:52:21 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1349
SUBSCRIBE kjm@panix.com
---------------------
From: runei@ifi.uio.no (Rune Andre Isene)
Subject: Glorantha MUD;RQ4
Message-ID: <199308020033.AAyrsa02620@yrsa.ifi.uio.no>
Date: 2 Aug 93 04:33:25 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1350
About the name-it really is Rune.It's not an uncommon name here in
Norway,what with our Norse ancestry and all.The word "rune" is an
old Germanic/Old Norse term meaning "secret" or "mystery",and it
came to denote the system of writing which the Norse invented,
the original Runic alphabet-or the "futhark" as it is properly
called.
I should tell you that the previous mail in my name has been from
my brother Jan.He's the computer buff of us,and he's got my acct.
password on loan,as he's deprived of access himself for the time
being.It's he who's hatched out the Glorantha MUD idea, which I
think is great.I have no idea what legal issues are involved;
I guess Jan will have to take it up directly with Mr.Stafford or
the Chaosium. I don't see why one can't respect the integrity of
Glorantha while using it as basis for a MUD. Even though it can't
be said about the MUD crowd, I think the MUD concept per se is
sophisticated enough to allow for a serious treatment of the
subject matter.
I haven't followed the debate on the rules revision, but here are
my comments on RQ4:
Frankly, do we need another reworking of the rules at all? IMO,
time has passed by the old RQ system.The new third (fourth?)
generation of RPGs, initiated with Pendragon and best exemplified
by Ars Magica, has brought in a new approach to game mechanics,
just as RQ did in its time. The RQ game system is really a bit
old-fashioned! But for all it's faults it's interesting as it is
-reasonably realistic without being too unwieldy. If I were to
revise it I'd end up chucking too much of the basic approach,
which I'm not sure I'd like. I'm a bit sentimentally attached to
the system; besides it's very tangled up in the world of Glorantha.
I don't think I can envisage Glorantha with a radically different
system. On the other hand, what we don't need is more hair-
splitting rules tinkering like some of the discussions on SIZ/reach
and experience that we've seen on the digest.I would rather that
energy be spent on publishing more background material and
more scenarios. (Then again, maybe those of you working on this
will come up with sth great. Etonnez-moi! )
What I would like to see, however (and this has been touched upon
by previous commentators), is more WORLD mechanics (as opposed to
game mechanics). That is, rules for applying the game mechanics to
the plethora of questions about how the human body and the world
at large works. These rules should answer questions like: How much
water do you (and your impala) need to travel in the Wastes? What
happens if you go on half rations? How does altitude sickness
affect you? What is your chance of succeeding at a day's hunt?
etc. ad nauseatum. But we don't need a rules revision for this-
just publish a "Gloranthan Survivalist's Manual" or somesuch.
On a finishing note: in future correspondence Jan and I will try to
make it clear which of us is writing. Hope this hasn't been too
private for the digest.
-Rune
---------------------
From: JLROGERS@utkvx.utk.edu (Jim Rogers)
Subject: Two Questions
Message-ID: <01H18W6XD2EG8ZDY2V@utkvx.utk.edu>
Date: 1 Aug 93 18:15:46 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1351
Gang,
After commenting again on others' submissions, I thought I'd add in
a few of my own to stir things up.
1. Has everyone noticed that Storm Bull (Urox) Khans do _not_
recieve the 1d10 Divine Intervention that Orlanth Wind Lords, Humakt
Swords, and even Uleria priestesses receive? Do you think that this is an
error in GoG, repeated in RoC? How do you play it: rules, or assume it's a
mistake (intentional or otherwise)?
2. A more GM-ruling type question. Would seperate castings of
stackable Divine Magic stack? In other words, would a Shield 1 cast on one
round, followed by a Shield 2 on another, result in a Shield 3 or 2?
Corollaries: Would it matter if the same character were casting the
spells? Or, if the recipient were someone other than the caster?
Many replies are solicited. Thanks!
Jim R.
---------------------
From: STEVEG@ARC.UG.EDS.COM (Steve Gilham Entropy requires no maintenance)
Subject: Sorcery & Rune Magic
Message-ID: <01H190MVBX3600ATPO@UG.EDS.COM>
Date: 1 Aug 93 17:15:22 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1352
For the utter completist, the latest "Scenario" (the Virgin games
free sheet) has a couple of sides devoted to Sorcery spell
availability by Malkioni type (All the schools from GoG, plus the
Vadeli), including a decent range of options for the Form/Set,
Animate & other variable type spells.
In X-RQ-ID: 1337, b_kondalski@vssi.trw.com (Brian J. Kondalski)
asks about Lord/Priests & Priest/Lords.
I would assume that the RuneLord beoming a Priest would need POW
18, keep RuneLord DI, gain re-usable runemagic, & have his DEX
skills frozen. Going the other way, it would be a case of
gaining the new DI, still needing POW 18, keeping the ability to
re-use runemagic, and unchaining those DEX skills.
This leads to tough career decisions - does one accept ordination
from initiate status if one only has mediocre DEX, and no longer
have the time to get the DEX to 18 to get the RuneLord skills -
balancing immediate power gain vs long term advancement.
---------------------
From: staats@Athena.MIT.EDU
Subject: Converting AD&D Modules to RQ
Message-ID: <9308021541.AA11636@bolognese>
Date: 2 Aug 93 15:41:35 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1353
Greetings!
Some interesting comments on this one to date. I have found that it is
fairly easy to convert creatures and magic items to RQ II/III equivalents. It
is also true that trying to tie each module in with Glorantha is extremely
difficult. (You can only use the "lost treasure of the dwarvish city" idea
so many times before it gets a bit stale.) Now, if you have a modified
Glorantha (no lighting bolts yet, I must be safe ;-) ) or just a world of
your own creation then it should be easy to work the modules into your own
campaign.
Here are some general guidelines. THAC0 converts fairly directly to
attack percentages. 1 HD creature = 55 percent chance to hit. Then for every
decrease in THAC0, add 5 percent to the chance to hit. AC is only slightly
more difficult. You have to look at the creature. If the creature has a hide
that protects it then just give it one point of armor for every 2 points its
AC is below 10. If it has a low AC because it is quick and agile then add
5 percent to the dodge from a base of 40 percent for every point its AC is
below 10. There will be some creatures which will be combinations of these
two approaches. You should calculate how large you think this thing is and
give it an appropriate SIZ. For CON, you can mostly use 3D6. For intelligent
creatures use either 3D6 or 2D6+6 for POW. For animals, use 2D6 as a base
for POW. Assign what you think is an appropriate INT. For DEX, you should use
the RQ creatures as guides. For things that capture creatures through quick
movement, e.g. a giant spider, 4D6 or higher might be appropriate whereas for
a giant slug D6+3 or 2D6 are probably about right. I usually use the
following approximate conversion for STR: AD&D --> RQ
(3 to 17) --> (the same); (18/01-18/25) --> 18; (18/26-18/50) --> 19;
(18/51-18/75) --> 20; (18/76-18/00) --> 21; (greater than 18) --> +3 to STR.
That is a rough guideline; for example, you don't want to exceed racial
maximums in general. The area of damage per attack can be a little tricky.
A kobold's attack of d4 is OK while 3d10 is just too high for RQ (except
perhaps during a HeroQuest). Here are some sample damage values that seem
to work: Bites (Small/Medium/Large) --> (D3/D6/D8); Claws (D4/D6/D8); etc.
Breath weapons and special abilities have to be handled on a case by case
basis. (A gorgon's breath seems a bit deadly for RQ.)
Magic items are actually quite a bit of fun to translate. Items that
increase perceptions or abilities translate quite nicely. In general though,
try to make many of the items into limited use items. A teleportation wand
is nice, but it is also a little game unbalancing. Cloaks of invisibility
are the same. There are just some items that you will want to discard. A
flying carpet with limited uses could be nice. Also, it is appropriate some
times to have to provide magic points to make an item work. Cubes of Force,
Amulets of the Planes, etc. are always disintegrated in the conversion from
AD&D to RQ. :-) A ring of flying becomes 2D6 doses of "Beef Jerkey of
Levitation." It generates more roleplaying on the part of the players if
they are handed resources which have to be conserved.
On the area of spells, there are two approaches. You can either
convert the spells into RQ equivalents, or you can modify the RQ sorcery
system to accomodate the new spells. The Rolemaster (Trademark) Spell Law
(trademark) book has a good guideline for the amount of magic points most
spells should cost. Just as with magic items though, you must be careful
not to unbalance the game. A 10D6 fireball is WAY too powerful for RQ.
You are most likely going to want to limit damage to a maximum of 3D6. Also,
that is worth about 15 MP; so, it should take almost two entire rounds to
cast. You will always want to allow the RQ players some version of a save.
So, the 9th level mages 5d4+5 no save magic missles become a simple disruption
spell, BUT a 9th level mage equivalent in RQ should have lots of henchmen,
magic point storage, magical protection items, etc.
Oops! I have to fly! Hope this proves useful!
In service,
Rich