I started playing RQ in 1979 when I was 12. I refereed a fairly crap and childish game, but then I was still a child, so what do you expect? However, I was a wargamer (that's British style, with minatures, not US style board games) and RQ had a level of realism about the rules that seemed right.
By 1980, most of the people I played at school with converted to RQ from
"Brand X," another well known system, knowing nothing of Glorantha, just
that it was fun to play the game.
In 1982 and 1983 I started paying more attention to roleplaying - I still haven't got that one right, but I'm trying. As more and more about Glorantha was published that I could save my pittance for, I became more interested in the world. However, it was the game that was important, not the world. The world was the backdrop to explore the lives of the characters against.
In 1984 RQ was the game played by most people in the University RPG society I belonged to. This was no small concern: There were a good 30 games going on most weeks. Every game bar one was Glorantha based.
Also in 1984 AH and Chaosium had an illicit affair and produced "RQ III: The Racket." I assume this was some real life Hero Quest by Chaosium to find out how Thed felt when she bore the Devil.
In 1987 only 2 RQ campaigns were left. It has never recovered. As a mate
of mine said to me a couple of weeks ago (expletives deleted to protect
the ears of the young and impressionable) "While they were w***ing about
with Vikings, we wanted to know was what the f*** happened to Rune
Lords?" Ironically, Vikings was good, but imagine if GS had come up with
"Orlanthi" instead?
Before 1987, Chaosium had loads of people in it's pocket, all supporting Glorantha, even if it was indirectly. As long as RQ was a good, cheap, game to play, people would play it. As soon as it stopped being that, people voted with their feet. Glorantha may make a come back, but only if "Hero Wars" is a good game: If it's too world centric (i.e. you must be a committed Gloranthaphile to even understand the introduction) there's going to be a problem. RQ appealed to people on all levels: It was a good system that had the added bonus of having a decent background world. "Hero Wars" is going to have to appeal to a few more people that those who already know about Glorantha.
Anyway, on that positive note, TTFN
Ash
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #33
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