Changing Games

From: Guy Hoyle <ghoyle1_at_mail.airmail.net>
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 10:28:05 +0000


> Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 23:24:04 GMT
> From: mikec_at_room3b.demon.co.uk (Michael Cule)
> Subject: Changing Games
>
> >> Robin Laws ...he is slated to write Glorantha the Game)
>
> Well, that's good news. I loved NEXUS (although I wasn't that taken with the
> game system) and his work on pieces of OVER THE EDGE was good too.
>
> > I played a RuneQest 4 demo from Avalon Hill. So I suggest no-one hold
> > their breath. They are still in the very early stage of game mechanics and
> > nowhere near ready to playtest. It basically appears to be a mutated form
> > of RQ3: fewer stats, different hit locations and a very detailed combat
> > system (10 - 20 different fighting styles were discussed: whirling attack,
> > crushing attack, upward swing, etc.) They haven't worked out the magic
> > system yet and the game we played was set in a standard fantasy world.
> > They also talk of doing a crusades era campaign set as well.
>
> Which is not good news. How the hell are they planning to maintain backward
> compatibility if they are going to change the number of stats. Oy Oy Oy!

They don't have to; all the previous Gloranthan RQ material is out of print, and the rest didn't ever sell very well. So AH is starting all over again, basically keeping only the name RuneQuest. They figure that most RuneQuest fans will follow Glorantha. Their concern is to draw in enough new gamers to make RQ financially viable.

All this IMHO, of course.

Actually, a Crusades-era game sounds pretty good to me, though you might have some political-correctness issues. I was always sorry that Fantasy Earth didn't take off more.

Guy

- ----------------------------------

Guy Hoyle (guyhoyle_at_iname.com)
http://web2.airmail.net/ghoyle1/
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