Bell Digest v930914p4

From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 14 Sep 1993, part 4
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Sender: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM
Precedence: junk

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)

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From: watson@computing-science.aberdeen.ac.uk (Colin Watson)
Subject: Re: A newbie's perspective
Message-ID: <9309131308.AA12370@condor>
Date: 13 Sep 93 13:08:15 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1659

-To: Chris Cooke  (A newbie's perspective)

Ah, this takes me back. I remember when we started our RQIII campaign...

Anyway, here's some advice which you can take or leave:

>For me, the most daunting aspect to getting started is the HUGE amount of
>information available.  My solution was to just keep it simple.

Don't worry Chris, it only seems a lot because it's new to you. When you get
the hang of things you'll find the RQ rules are rather nice: consistent, self-
derivative and elegant. (Compared to AD&D).
Have you chosen a campaign setting? Are you using Glorantha? If so you'll
find there's a *lot* of Gloranthan Lore to learn. (Maybe the Digest can help
with an "intro to Glorantha"? Anyone? :-)

>The main resistance from my new players was convincing them this was as much
>fun as AD*D for fantasy roleplaying.  The difference being the mechanics(how
>combat/magic/etc works).

RQ certainly has an earthier feel:
 1/ Combat is more deadly. (It's sooo easy to die in RQ:)
 2/ Characters take a long time to progress.
 3/ Magic is less flashy.
And arguably:
 4/ Characters never become Really Powerful. (One-on-one with a dragon? No way)
 5/ Magic is less powerful (than AD&D).

For these reasons it becomes all-the-more important for the characters to
have a good background to work with. They need a sense of belonging in the
campaign. A raison d'etre. Or whatever. Because the PCs will never (?) become
the Dominant Force in the game universe purely through their personal power
(as can happen in AD&D).
And this all makes for better roleplaying (or at least less Powergaming).
Most of our RQ group were die-hard DnDers when we started six years ago. Now
most of them would never consider playing AD&D; they are more attached to
their RQ characters than they ever were to their D&D characters.

BTW we've found that keeping track of the campaign time-line is important in RQ.
Time between adventures becomes very relevant - for training, re-growing
limbs etc. More so than with D&D.

>I used(am using) the Greenbrass quest as a lead-in
>with a couple simple encounters of my own to let them get a feel for it.

This could be a short, sharp, shock for the players. Greenbrass has a couple
of encounters which could turn Really Nasty for starting PCs. Be prepared
to tone-down encounters to suit the ability of the PCs (this advice goes
for *any* published material  - published RQ scenarios tend to err on the side
of grossness; don't be afraid to reduce skill percentages or remove spells
from the opposition). Someone once wrote "numbers always tell in RuneQuest"
(or words to that effect. Was it in the RQII Appendix?). If you're outnumbered 
then you're in big trouble. Bear this in mind when you set up encounters.
I don't know how your group deals with Character Death. It can scare players
off if they get killed early on. Be nice to your players.

>Being an ex-DM of more years them I'll admit, I was worried as to how they'd
>take to RQ's differences.  Conclusion ?  Style of play - not what rules you
>use.  

Absolutely. Tell us how you get on. Gook luck!

CW.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The bigger they are, the harder they hit. (And they say SIZ isn't everything?)"
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From: thebeast@MIT.EDU
Subject: Pavis Pak
Message-ID: <9309131506.AA20568@alfredo>
Date: 13 Sep 93 15:06:19 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1660


	Does anyone know where I might be able to get my hands on a
copy of the RQII "Pavis Pak".  I've got some ideas for running some
portion of my campaign near there and would like to get some more
background material and ideas.

	Also, can anyone point me in the direction of things published
about the Block?

	Thanks in advance,

		-Dave Henry
 

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From: nrobinso@sirius.UVic.CA (Neil Robinson)
Subject: Footnotes Questions
Message-ID: <37008.nrobinso@sirius.uvic.ca>
Date: 13 Sep 93 18:16:43 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1661

I was browsing through my copies of Worms Footnotes, and had a few
questions.

WF 5:
On the map on page 33 they show the Western and Eastern Continents
(Lands of Dusk and Dawn respectively).  I know the Eastern Continent
is now the Eastern Isles, but what about the Western Continent?

WF 7:
They have a brief description of Goblins and Hobgoblins, detailing
them as chaotic monsters (and not related to elves).  Are these
just 'non-standard' monsters meant to make Glorantha more normal
to ex-DNDers?

And the last question?
Does anyone every have an Orlanthi who is a member of the Orlanth
Lightbringer Cult?  We tend to stick to Orlanth Adventurous, but one
of our games is just starting heroquesting and the Lightbringer cults
seems more appropriate.

Hey! No rules questions..... :-)
Neil Robinson              | "Never underestimate the power of human
nrobinso@sirius.uvic.ca    |  stupidity." - L. Long
2996 Dysart Rd. Victoria B.C. V9A 2K2     (604) 385-1642

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From: ddunham@radiomail.net (David Dunham  , via RadioMail)
Subject: Cult of Tyram?
Message-ID: <199309131805.AA07493@radiomail.net>
Date: 13 Sep 93 18:05:07 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1662

On p. 53 of Dorastor, Soulwaste the Hellwood Elf is an initiate of Tyram.
Who is this deity (or subcult)?


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From: Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM (Greg Stafford c/o)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Sight, Illumination, etc...
Message-ID: <9309132106.AA08317@glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 14 Sep 93 01:06:55 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1663


On 9 Sep 93, Simon Hibbs wrote:

> What we need to do is capture an illuminate, a godlearner and a
> dragonewt, dope them up on sodium pentathol and tie them up in a room
> with a tape recorder. Hey, you could try this during Home Of The Bold
> at RQCon! I know there is a dragonewt in boldhome and there must be an
> illuminate among the lunars. I suppose Greg could fill in for the
> godlearner?

From: Greg Stafford
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 93 14:15:00 EDT
 
I think that I would rather be Forang Farosh!

- g


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From: clay@cool.vortech.com (Clay Luther)
Subject: Severed Head Ghosts
Message-ID: <199309132149.AA01384@cool.vortech.com>
Date: 13 Sep 93 11:49:55 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1664

Well, here's a rulesy question:

My players had the good fortune to encounter some severed head ghosts.  However,
I really could find (written down) what the results of possession by a 
severed head ghost are.  Fortunately, the players were able to protect
themselves from the ghosts, so it didn't matter.

However, for my edification, what are the results of possession by a 
severed head ghost?  Rather than lengthy explanations (which would no
doubt bore some people), page numbers and references are just fine.

[Had one of the players become possessed, I was leaning towards INT eating
insanity.]

Thanks!

-- 
Clay Luther                              clay@cool.vortech.com
Software Engineer                        Kodak Health Imaging Systems
Yelo's gift was a necklace of clam shells from the Ouel Stream strung on gut
string with a delicate knot of reeds which performed the role of pendant.