Is Glorantha Dead?

From: MOB <mrmob_at_ozemail.com.au>
Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2000 15:33:27 +1100


G'day all,

Is Glorantha Dead?

I too, was going to respond to Andreas's comment that RQ was dead, and argue against it: after all, I find myself at the moment playing through the epic "Cradle" scenario for the first time using good old RQ, and it's a load of fun. Get that "Pavis/Big Rubble" reprint if you haven't done so already!

However, in the last Digest Rick noted that I myself have said in print that RQ was dead, so I'd look pretty stupid arguing against myself:

>MOB used to label Runequest as moribund (dying), but his Vale RQ
>speech shifted his descriptive label to "gone". I try to see things
>more optimistically, as long as I can set the terms of my definition.

I now want to attempt to have my cake and eat it, and pretty much agree with Rick. I know I gave the game a fond farwell in that Questlines II article ("Vale RQ - MOB sez farewell to a game we all know and love"), but, to put what I said there into perspective:

  1. AH had just announced "RuneQuest - Slayers", and the only thing this new game was going to keep from the original was the name. In the article, I actually called it a "bastard stepchild", but now I think I can say that if "RuneQuest" itself ain't dead, "RQ - Slayers" was definitely stillborn).
  2. Taking Chaosium/Issaries on their word, I thought the replacement game "Hero Wars" was just around the corner, or at least due out sometime in the coming year. It is now February 2000. I WROTE THAT ARTICLE IN *NOVEMBER 1997*!!!

Ergo, RQ remains the default game system, simply because nothing has yet replaced it. And Rick et al is continuing to publish new (or at least refreshed) material to enable players to keep using that system.

I ended the piece by saying "Vale RQ, long live Glorantha". However, it appears that reports of RQ's death have been greatly exaggerated, not the least by me.

Terra asked:

>I don't know some meaning of these words:
>MOBing (Michael O'brien is?)

If "MOBbed" is meant to mean the same as "Gregged" then read above, where I have obviously MOBbed myself.

Cheers,

MOB


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