Inspiration from the sources

From: Keith <keith.nellist_at_Rzt2patIsRkY0AP9nRngCzHcll9I5xiQgy-zW0414DfH4kt3o9CS3hSFCLf1sG>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:36:36 -0000

I've often got ideas for games from the histories and background stories from Gloranthan sources. More ideas than I'll ever have time to actually make happen, or to do anything more than just make a few notes on. I thought the WorldofGlorantha might join me in exploring a few RPG campaigns, one off adventures, or even board games, inspired by a few brief notes from any old Glorantha source. Here are a few examples:

1. Bina Bang Adventures. Inpsirational source text:
   >From Uz Lore p31
   "In 1375 she led some fellow priestesses to the Aggar trolls as a missionary for her cult. She was beset by the usual difficulties, and bashed the usual number of conservative, xenophobic Kyger Litor priessess."

This is an RPG campaign where the player characters form a band of Troll priestesses (and warriors, scouts, camp followers) from the Blue Moon Plateau, on a mission to Aggar. The leader of the band becomes the Bina Bang. The campaign would cover a fairly long time period - 20 years in Aggar, building up a cult/community with followers etc., ending in an army of hungry and vindictive Karrgs Sons coming to Aggar. "beset with the usual difficulties" indicates to me humans, elves, dwarves, dragonewts, chaos, and other problems for an adventurous band of trolls to bash, using magic, martial prowess.

2) Charnjibber!
Inspirational source text:
>From Gloranthan Bestiary p14

"At the start of the dry season, charnjibbers are rather smakll, taking the form of rats and lizards. As the season progesses the creatures gradually increase in size as they manage to pull down and eat bigger and bigger prey."

This is either a solo computer game where you fight and eat creatures, or some sort of competitive board game where each player-charnjibber attempts to end the dry season as the top charnjibber, by taking risks on the size of creature it takes on. The charnjibber almost seems designed to be the main character of a game like this - it doesn't die it just goes down a level to its previous incarnation.

3) The Lead Hills
from Uz Lore p33.
"When it died, its body blocked the Creekstream River where it entered into the Styx Grotto, and stopped much of the flow. Then the Pharoah's armies rushed into the underground and defeated the trolls with surprise."

A big dungeon crawl adventure. The player characters are in Pharoahs army, and are one of the groups that rush into the Styx Grotto, to defeat trolls. While they do that the Damned Marsh is being created while Pharoah digs the New River to allow the CreekStream River to reach the sea. The players don't know if the Pharoah will succeed with his civil engineering or if the backed up river will flood over the body of the beast and reflood the Grottos, or before the brain of the beast bubbles up again at Blackwell.

4) Krarshtkidzone
from cult compendium p318:
"There are quarters for the Rune Masters of the temple, the ceremonial halls, and the feeding pits for the Krarshtkids, and many labrinthine connecting tunnels, and tunnels which go nowhere. Pits opem without warning, and streams occasionally break through in unexpected places. The first exploration of a Krarsht temple is both a sacred thrill and a mortal terror for the consecrating Tongue"

Although this has potential for a one off RPG scenario, I prefer it as a re-themed and modified Carcassone - with tiles representing tunnels (roads), ceremonial halls (cloisters), feeding pits (erm...farms?) Rune Master quarters (cities) and meeples replaced wtih Krarshtkids, Tongues, Jaws, Lips and Krarshtides.

That's a start. More to come.