Last Faction Hero WHO Donation

Thanks to everyone who purchased our boardgame, Last Faction Hero, while it was available as a Pay-What-You-Want title for charity during the month of May. As promised, Chaosium is donating some USD 1579.50 (less itch.io fees) to the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 Solidarity Fund!

Eternal Con 2020– Jeff’s Panel

So the organisers cancelled the 2020 edition of the Eternal Con, but some people (who live in Germany) did travel to the Schloss, staying there as ‘individuals’ since there was no way an official con could be seen as happening.

Amongst these individuals, Jeff Richard from Chaosium who broadcasted his usual ‘ask me anything’ panel on YouTube. Luckily the broadcast was captured; here it is for your enjoyment.

Short summary:

(the recording missed the part about the Cults of Glorantha book)

Q: What happens to HeroQuest?
A: Announcements soon, but people may have noticed QuestWorlds already!

Q: Will there be a Lunar supplement?
A: We are putting together the right team of writers.
But the huge size of the Lunar cults chapter within the Cults of Glorantha book, plus the Lunar material within the Guide of Glorantha, should already enable you to run Lunar campaigns.

Q: Are there any differences (in content) between the English-language edition of Call of Cthulhu or RuneQuest and the translations? Is any of the original stuff written for the translated versions going to be published back into English?
A: We are translating some Polish CoC material into English and we are really excited by the additional French-language material that Philippe Auribeau is putting together for the French edition of RQG.

Q: Next RQG book in print?
A: Starter Set, similar to the CoC starter set. It will have everything needed to run RQG games, with a focus on Jonstown with two adventures.

Q: Pavis & Big Rubble book
A: Robin Laws has finished writing the Big Rubble book, it is currently being used as the in-house Chaosium RQG campaign. It takes place after Pavis has been raided and it really changes the feel of how it’s played— it’s not under Lunar occupation any longer: YOU are the occupiers!

Q: Glorantha East & West
A: We actually have a fantastic Kralorela manuscript, but I think it’s not the best time to publish it, because there is no good way for a party of characters from Dragon Pass or Prax to travel there, which means it is an entirely new setting. I would prefer to wait until we come out with the Nochet book, which opens up the rest of the setting more broadly [because characters can then travel by boat from Nochet].
About the Malkioni and the Invisible God... the Invisible God is not in the Cults of Glorantha book because it is too different and so big... it would be the tail that swallows the dog, so it’ll end up being its own book, that’ll also include Sorcery.

Q: The Nochet book?
A: A team is putting it together, with encounters and adventures based on the beautiful map that we have made available.
The manuscript isn’t final yet, though. But I hope to have the book out in 2021.
Nochet is a very important city, it’s the biggest and most cosmopolitan city in the world.

Q: A revision of HQG?
A: No.

Q: A book about how to better narrate stories for CoC?
A: The Keeper Rulebook already has some great tips on how to be a good keeper. But it’s an idea worth looking at.

Q: The Ring of the Nibelung as a Pendragon setting?
A: Great idea, but how to combine the historical elements and the myths to create a kind of ‘monomyth’ like Greg Stafford did for Pendragon?

Q: What is the Sartar book going to feature?
A: How to make a Sartarite character, how to create a clan, how do tribes function.
Complete and detailed gazetteer.

Q: Status of Barbarian Town?
A: This is a book that Sarah Newton started drafting and putting together. Alas she’s had a lot of personal stuff going on in her life, but it is definitely a book I’d love to get moving again!

Q: What is the God Learners’ Secret?
A: It’s a secret.

Eternal Con 2020– Cancelled!

Contrary to what I wrote a few days ago, the 2020 edition of the Eternal Con has been cancelled after all. On 13 May, the government of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has banned indoor events, and this has obviously led to the cancellation of the con, since the town of Bacharach is located in Rhineland-Palatinate.

A New Gaming Podcast

Steve's profile picture on twitter...

My online RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha gamemaster, Steve aka Orlanth Rex, has taken advantage of the lockdown period to start a role-playing games podcast. His main idea is to capture the thoughts and the afterthoughts that occur to him during or after our fortnightly online games; as he explains in his introduction, online sessions are much shorter than face-to-face ones and usually get to the point (i.e., gaming) so there’s no time left to discuss meta-gaming stuff.

Note that we do tend to discuss what happened during the adventures on Twitter with Steve and the other players, both publicly and via private messages, but I reckon the aim of the podcast is really to take a back seat of sorts and mull over this little obsessive hobby of ours.

The first episode is available here, anyways, if you are interested in such matters (and you probably are, if you’re reading this).

Games featured in Episode One:

• RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha
• D&D 5th edition
• Liminal
• Würm - The Ice Age Roleplaying Game
• Swords & Wizardry
• The Fall of Delta Green
• Old-School Essentials

Eternal Con 2020

I have just received an e-mail from the organisers: the Eternal Con 2020 is taking place as scheduled, from 29 May until 1st June at Castle Stahleck in Bacharach.

Alas, alas, even though the lockdown is gradually being lifted starting tomorrow 11 May, the French government has forbidden any travels abroad until 10 July, so I won't be able to attend the con. My heart bleeds.

Lockdown Challenge Day 26: Star Wars REUP

Star Wars REUP

My son is watching the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series, which takes place in the Star Wars universe between episodes II and III of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Despite my dislike for the prequel trilogy, I must say what little I have seen of The Clone Wars (mostly seasons 5 and 7) is really, really good. The writers have managed to take all the most fascinating and underused elements of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and have built several riveting and intertwined story arcs around them. There is also much more insight into the history of the Star Wars universe, and in particular into what the Force is, into the history of the Jedi–Sith confrontation; you get to know how the clones were programmed to carry out Order 66; you get to know a lot about the history of the Mandalorians… It’s a smorgasbord of Star Wars trivia and obscure knowledge weaved into gripping 22-minute episodes.

As a true-blue Old Schooler, I have always considered that the one and only role-playing game to play in the Star Wars universe was West End Games’ role-playing game based on the D6 engine. I thought it was long dead and buried and then I found out that an active group of fans under the collective name Womp Rat Press had been keeping the game alive… Their work is available, free, improved, and beautifully illustrated under the name of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Revised, Expanded and Updated– or “Star Wars REUP”.

So here’s my character created in the Rise of the Empire era. Shakta is a young, naïve padawan, always ready to follow her master in the most extreme situations and irrespective of how reckless the plans are!

Character Name: Shakta Hiago
Gender/Species: Female Togruta
Age: 17
Height: 1.73m
Physical description: Tall, slender but relatively muscular. Brightly-coloured head-tails with alternating tangerine and slate stripes.

DEX 4D
  Lightsaber 5D
KNOW 2D
  Intimidation 4D
MECH 2D
PER 3D
  Search 4D
STR 3D
  Stamina 4D
TECH 2D
  Droid Programming 3D
  Droid Repair 3D

Force sensitive?: Yes
Force Points: 2

Force Skills 
Control 1D
Sense 1D
Alter 1D

Force Powers
Control: Enhance Attribute
Sense: Life Detection
Alter: Telekinesis

Lockdown Challenge Day 25: Ryuutama

Ryuutama is a Japanese TTRPG that has been translated into a number of European languages. The fun thing with Ryuutama is that not only do players get to choose their character class, but the GM (the Ryuujin) also gets to choose hers! She can be a green dragon, a “standard” GM; an azure dragon, a character-interaction-oriented GM, a crimson dragon, a battle-oriented GM; or a black dragon, a harsh GM. I may be mistaken, but I believe Ryuutama is the only role-playing game that officially differentiates between various GM personae. The Ryuujin also has a level and may die! Since I’ve never played Ryuutama I have no idea how all this translates into the game, but I find it fascinating.

Anyway, back to ‘normal’ player characters– called travellers. I could choose between the following seven classes: Artisan, Farmer, Healer, Hunter, Merchant, Minstrel, Noble, and I have chosen to create an Artisan, the kind of character concept ‘regular’ role-playing games seem to ignore.

Stats are not rolled but chosen as even numbers whose total is 24 (the scores must be even because each score will translate as a type of die to be used). The four stats are STRength, which is actually more like a mix of Strength and Constitution, DEXterity, INTelligence, and SPIrit (a mix of Power and Charisma).

Name: Benidama
Age: 32 years old
Gender: Male
Favourite colour: Red

Class: Artisan
Level: 1
Job: Baker
Skills: Trapping, Crafting [Food], Repair
Type: Technical

STR d4
DEX d8
INT d6
SPI d6

Hit Points 8
Mental Points 12
Carrying Capacity 7

Mastered Weapon: Bow
Accuracy 12
Damage 8