From: owner-runequest-rules@lists.ient.com (RuneQuest Rules Digest) To: runequest-rules-digest@lists.ient.com Subject: RuneQuest Rules Digest V4 #105 Reply-To: runequest-rules@lists.ient.com Sender: owner-runequest-rules@lists.ient.com Errors-To: owner-runequest-rules@lists.ient.com Precedence: bulk RuneQuest Rules Digest Friday, August 24 2001 Volume 04 : Number 105 RuneQuest is a trademark of Hasbro/Avalon Hill Games. All Rights Reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS [RQ-RULES] Illusionary Flatulence [RQ-RULES] Correction on RQ History Page Re: [RQ-RULES] History of RQ [RQ-RULES] More RQ history details: [RQ-RULES] Five points of magic. Re: [RQ-RULES] History of RQ Re: [RQ-RULES] New weapon lists updates [RQ-RULES] More RQ history details: [RQ-RULES] DMD: Asam for RQ/Greyhawk RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to add "Yeah, I agree" or "No, I disagree." Or be excoriated. If someone writes something good and you want to say "good show" please do. But don't include the whole message you praise. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. 3. Learn the art of paraphrasing: Don't just quote and comment on a point-by-point basis. 4. No anonymous posting, please. Don't say something unless you're ready to stand by it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 15:52:59 -0400 (EDT) From: bjm10@cornell.edu Subject: [RQ-RULES] Illusionary Flatulence > To be picky, I'd say that a normal Gloranthan illusion of a steak *would* feed > you, although there probably are magicians who could conjure one that didn't. I'd say that this would only be true if its duration is at least 8 hours, just to keep things balanced. > eat illusionary beans, do you produce illusionary flatulence? If so, does Farts are always the most real of all real things, every Trickster knows that. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 15:57:27 -0400 (EDT) From: bjm10@cornell.edu Subject: [RQ-RULES] Correction on RQ History Page A minor detail: Cults of Prax and Cults of Terror gave very little information on Eastern Genertela. Eastern Genertela was still the "very mysterious place beyond the Wastes, even beyond the Plateau of Statues". CoP and CoT gave information on central Genertela. PS: for those who wonder, it's /gen-r'-t@-l@/ ("hard g" and stress on second syllable) and not /Dzen-r-tel'-a/ ("soft g" and stress on third syllable), although the second is ruder. *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 14:02:02 -0600 From: "Stephen Posey [TurboPower Software]" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] History of RQ "peterm/maranci.net@mail.maranci.net" wrote: > > I've put up heavily expanded "History of RuneQuest" on my site. I'd thank the > person who gave several suggestions here, but my ^#%$^ing Deja email account > is frozen (and will be dying at the end of the month--thanks Google!). So I can't > go back and see who it was. But many thanks, nameless person! Very cool. I appreciate your efforts in creating this. > Anyway, I added a lot of material, making it a sort of guide to what RuneQuest > is/was and what happened to it over the years. Despite the corrections, I'm sure > I've missed things and made some new errors. Any suggestions, corrections, or > additions would be very much appreciated! I don't know how much of a completist you're trying to be; but as for supplements I notice the omission of "Plunder" under the RQ2 list. I'm presuming you're not wanting to include expressly non-Gloranthan supplements like "Questworld" and "Gateway Bestiary"? I'd kind of like to see mention of the "Foes" and "TrollPack" predecessors ("Scorpion Men & Broos", "Trolls & Trollkin", etc.) somewhere too. > If you drink illusionary water, do you create illusionary urine? If you eat > illusionary beans, do you produce illusionary flatulence? If so, does it > produce illusionary noises? Is the smell illusionary, too? And if you eat illusionary Chinese food do you just think you're hungry again an hour later? ;-) Stephen Posey slposey@concentric.net *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 16:17:01 -0400 (EDT) From: bjm10@cornell.edu Subject: [RQ-RULES] More RQ history details: Glorantha's original material was in its "West", which is why the "West" (not introduced until the 3rd edition) is much more vanilla fantasy in feel. This was the part of Glorantha that started out as a D&D (original tan booklets) campaign. The 1984-before Ken Rolston was hired era of Avalon Hill: According to scuttlebutt, the reason so very little new stuff was published is because AH wasn't getting material to publish from Chaosium, which was the filter for all Glorantha material. It seems that AH was under the misapprehension that non-Glorantha material was also to come through them. Regarding RQ:AiG--there was a lot of strangeness going on there. At about that time, GS dismissed the entire RuneQuest game system as a haven for power gamers and rules lawyers. It also seems that the Powers that Be at AH and Chaosium weren't talking to each other and neither of them was really talking to the folks designing RQ:AiG. The splitup: I think that Chaosium was also prohibited from releasing any new fantasy-genre BRP game for a certain number of years. Regarding Oliver's difficulties: An appelate court overturned the original verdict against him on the basis of judicial misconduct, but then they went and reassigned the same judge to the case... Mavra (Peter Adkinson---note the "d" in the name) was not fired by Hasbro. He had demanded a "cannot dismiss" clause in his contract when selling WotC to Hasbro. What happened was that the axe fell from Hasbro when the WotC collectable card game division profits slumped. Firings were pretty much only in that division. Mavra resigned after he realized that he no longer even had the power to prevent one person from being fired from what used to be "his" company. However the roleplaying division at WotC has turned out to be the most profitable of WotC's divisions in the long term, so Hasbro is giving them a fairly free hand. It may be kewl, d00D, to blame everything we don't like on "heartless accountants", but the reality is that it is other *gamers* who are keeping the lid on RuneQuest, not accountants. Ryan Dancey has flatly stated that he is of the opinion that roleplaying will be immensely improved if all other systems are eliminated and subsumed under the D20 or OGL licensate satrapy. Thus, it is a designer and *gamer* who has the power and desire to keep RuneQuest out of publication, not a "heartless accountant". One last question: When did "Wing it, baby!" become "cutting edge"? *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 16:23:22 -0400 (EDT) From: bjm10@cornell.edu Subject: [RQ-RULES] Five points of magic. I've put up a diagram of the five types of magic that I'd like to play around with. It can be seen at http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/bjm10/mag.html *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2001 18:47:35 -0400 From: trentfs@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] History of RQ Peter Maranci wrote: > I've put up heavily expanded "History of RuneQuest" on my site. I'd >thank the person who gave several suggestions here, but my ^#%$^ing >Deja email account is frozen (and will be dying at the end of the >month--thanks Google!). So I can't go back and see who it was. But >many thanks, nameless person! I think that's me. AFAIK I'm the only one who responded to this list with comments on the earlier draft, and I see that the new draft incorporates some of them. >Anyway, I added a lot of material, making it a sort of guide to what >RuneQuest is/was and what happened to it over the years. Despite the >corrections, I'm sure I've missed things and made some new errors. >Any suggestions, corrections, or additions would be very much >appreciated! Since this new version seems to contain more meta-commentary and value judgments, something that might be worth mentioning is the correspondence between the shift in style and tone of Greg/Chaosium's Glorantha material and Sandy Petersen's leaving Chaosium in 1989(?) (as well as, perhaps, some mention of his subsequent fame/infamy as designer of DOOM). If you're not sure what I mean, compare pretty much any Sandy-era RQ/Glorantha product (e.g. Trollpak, Glorantha: Genertela, Elder Secrets) with anything that's come out of Chaosium* since (e.g. King of Sartar, GRoY, Hero Wars). Perhaps it's mere coincidence, but it seems to me that when Sandy left Chaosium, with him went the desire to keep Glorantha clear, accessible, and largely non-contradictory (as well as the notion that Glorantha could (and even should) be funny). Is the 'new Glorantha' more true to what Greg's vision was all along? Quite possibly. But I still prefer the old one. *Note: this only applies to Greg/Chaosium/Issaries material; not AH's RQ Renaissance, TotRM, Sandy's old posts to the RQDigest, or anyone else who continued operating in 'old Glorantha' mode well into the 90s (and up to the present day? I must confess I haven't been current with the Gloranthan fan-publication scene for several years...). Trent *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 23:49:44 +0200 From: "Paul.S:Sommer" Subject: Re: [RQ-RULES] New weapon lists updates Hi Just aquick mention that since the recent moon publications Pavis and the big rubble has come out I have updated 2 good and useful lists 1.A price list for pavis including accomadation prices etc (not my own work just updated ) 2.A runequest weapons list with many weapons /prices (again not my own work merely updated) Both files are in pdf format , if you would like a copy e-mail me. Ciao Paul Sommer *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 09:37:49 -0400 From: Viktor Haag Subject: [RQ-RULES] More RQ history details: bjm10@cornell.edu writes: > It may be kewl, d00D, to blame everything we don't like on > "heartless accountants", but the reality is that it is other > *gamers* who are keeping the lid on RuneQuest, not > accountants. Ryan Dancey has flatly stated that he is of the > opinion that roleplaying will be immensely improved if all > other systems are eliminated and subsumed under the D20 or OGL > licensate satrapy. Thus, it is a designer and *gamer* who has > the power and desire to keep RuneQuest out of publication, not > a "heartless accountant". I can confirm this. When I approached WotC about buying the DragonQuest property, they were particularly frosty on the subject. They seemed willing to consider licensing the property, but had absolutely no interest in selling it. I don't see why one should be surprised. It's simply bad corporate policy to sell or release intellectual property unless you absolutely have to (i.e. insolvency). Dancey's just being a good businessman; he can dress up his claims in D20-speak if he wants, but it's still just decent business sense. Which raises the, somewhat, interesting point. What if you used the OGL to make a D20 version of RQ? I'm sure that some of the core mechanics in the OGL could be used, and expanded, to produce 'RQ4' for those who want a little more crunchiness to their mechanics than Hero Wars offers. BRP isn't the beall and endall, afterall. I haven't looked at the OGL in detail, but if you use *some* of the D20 open system stuff, are you forced to use all of it? Can you pick and choose the bits of the reference document you want to incorporate in your own work? - -- Viktor Haag : Software & Information Design : Research In Motion +--+ "In many cases the argument over which shell is best for interactive use is based upon which key to press for completion." *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 00:40:51 -0400 From: Tal Meta Subject: [RQ-RULES] DMD: Asam for RQ/Greyhawk I gathered inspiration from a variety of sources for this pantheon, but a good many came directly from 'The Centaur Papers' by Stephen Inniss and Kelly Adams back in Dragon 103. This particular deity is a sort of side tribute to Colonel Asam for those of you who know who he is/was... Oh, and chenxa is what the centaurs call themselves, IMC... ASAM Runes: Death, Ice, Motion Asam Sometimes known as the Lance of Black Ice, Asam is the chenxa deity that oversees Warfare and the coldness of Death. Cult in the World Asam's origins are lost somewhere in the mists of time. Most account him a mortal son of Fanthros whose Path brought him back to his father's house with the most dire of gifts; nearly all of the myths concerning this grim deity are cautionary tales of one sort or another. While not a warlike race per se, the chenxa often find themselves embroiled in conflict with other races through little fault of their own. A chenxa tribe on the march to new territory can easily be mistaken for a mounted army, and some human and olven nations have been known to seek out chenxa tribes to serve as light cavalry or archery corps within their own armies. Such arrangements are often made when a chenxa tribe seeks to pasture their flocks within the artificial 'borders' that the little hobchen (as the races of man and olve are known to the chenxa) so dearly imagine they have drawn on the face of the world. Those chenxa who honor Asam greet such opportunities without mirth, but with much solemnity and ceremony. Asam's followers generally honor their lord on the 28th of Coldeven, the last day of the year. Lesser holidays mark the dates of famous battles in a tribe's history, or the death of a tribe's greatest war leader. Regular services are observed on the 28th day of each of the other months, as well. Shrines to Asam are take the form of a palanquin fashioned from stained leather, bones, and (7m) shafts of ironwood. The leather is stained black with dyes made from licorice root, and the ironwood rods are elaborately carved with the history of the tribe's conflicts. The bones that fill the body of the palanquin are usually (but not always) the skulls, leg, arm, and pelvic bones of the tribe's greatest warriors. Asam's shaman-priests typically paint the ritual scars on their bodies (black, red, and gray) symbolizing the gulf of death, bloodshed, and the pallor of the Fallen. Allied spirits, when obtained, often inhabit either the follower's lance or take the form of a raven familiar. Lay Membership Requirements: Most males in a tribe will at least observe the holidays of this cult, and train with the lance against the time such knowledge might be necessary. Skills taught by the cult include Dodge, Maneuver, Speak Languages, First Aid, Lores (chenxa, euroz, jebli, world), Weapon Style (Close Charge), Scan, Ceremony, Lance attack, Javelin attack and Shield parry. Initiate Membership Requirements: Those males who show the most aptitude and ability will be asked to join the cult and learn it's inner mysteries. Once accepted, they shear their hair (head and tail) to symbolize the life they are leaving behind, accept the three scars upon their cheek, breast, and hindquarters, and take on a vow of chastity. Spirit Magic: Most spirit magic is available from the shamans of this cult, but they are only usually willing to teach Coordination, Demoralize, Icelance, Mobility, Protection, and Solace. Priesthood / Shamans Requirements: Standard for shamans. Larger tribes may have several lesser shamans assisting an acknowledged Blacklance (full priest), while smaller tribes get along with only a shaman and his assistants. Shamans of Asam, when not training the young, advise their leaders in times of both war and peace. Charged with knowing the ways of the traditional enemies of the chenxa (euroz and hojebli) their counsel is always welcome when traces of either are encountered. While it is possible to bring a chenxa back from death, one whose body has cooled and set in rigor may not be so raised, at the risk of drawing an angry ghost from Asam's Pavilion instead of the spirit of the deceased. Virtues for Asam include Altruistic, Calm, Honorable, and Warlike. Common Divine Magic: Call Followers, Command Cult Spirits, Divination, Enchant Holy Symbol, Group Casting, Initiate, Sanctify, Soul Sight, Spellteaching, Warding, Worship Asam. Special Divine Magic: *Black Lance of Asam, Charge of the Damned, Hurling, Morale, Retrieve Weapon. *As Fang of Wachaza, but the lance takes on a black, icy sheen. Shamanic Taboos Vow of Chastity No Possession No Self-Ressurection Associated Gods Linroth: provides Fleetfoot - -- talmeta@cybercomm.net - Heretic, Dilettante, & God-Machine AIM - talmeta ICQ - 12594453 Homepage - One day my Boss asked me to submit a status report to him concerning a project I was working on. I asked him if tomorrow would be soon enough. He said, "If I wanted it tomorrow, I would have waited until tomorrow to ask for it!" (New business manager, Hallmark Greeting Cards.) *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. ------------------------------ End of RuneQuest Rules Digest V4 #105 ************************************* *************************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@lists.ient.com with the line 'unsubscribe runequest-rules' as the body of the message. RuneQuest is a Trademark of Hasbro/Avalon Hill Games. 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