14 May 2025

Kralorela Q&A

I have been tidying up my stuff a lot recently — or rather the missus coerced me into tidying up — and at least the good thing is that I have recovered a lot of beloved belongings I’d thought lost, like the RQ3 boxed sets or the Mongoose RuneQuest Lankhmar books. One of the things I’ve found is my notebook with all my scribblings from Eternal Con 2017, and in particular the notes I took at a Q&A Jeff Richard gave during the con. They are already on the blog, but its always good to re-read the original. Here is the snippet about my current interests (I am running a campaign set in eastern Genertela):


Q: Why doesn’t Godunya do anything against Can Shu?

A: Ignorance is part of the balance of the universe. And at least it’s controlled where it is [in Chern Durel]. If Can Shu were to be crushed, who knows where Ignorance would re-surface... maybe in Kralorela itself?


Q: What is the procedure to find a new emperor?

A: Who knows? There isn’t anybody left around from the last time this happened!


Q: I want to know more about Orathorn.

A: It will be in the 13th Age in Glorantha Sourcebook.

[Well, I’ve just checked, and except for a paraphrase of what we already know about the Nights of Horror from the Guide to Glorantha, there is absolutely nothing new ☹️]



11 May 2025

RuneQuest Stat Blocks

RuneQuest is a wonderful role-playing game (for me it is even the best RPG ever) but one aspect of the game has to be recognised as a pain: its stat blocks. For the gamemaster, RuneQuest’s strength — ‘monsters’ are as lovingly detailed as its player characters and have the same characteristics — is also its weakness, as each opponent has to be painstakingly statted.

Obviously, and since the very beginning of RuneQuest’s history, NPCs’ and monsters’ stat blocks have tended to be reduced to whatever is indispensable to run an adventure.

Let us have a chronological look at them.


FANGS and FOES (1980)

These were collections of randomly-generated NPCs for the unprepared gamemaster. The general aspect of the entries was as follows:


where Def was the RQ2 skill of Defence (which has disappeared in all subsequent editions), T.F. was the Treasure Factor, ENC the Encumbrance (standard/maximum), Spl SR the spell strike rank, and the three labelless numbers the sum of the DEX and SIZ SRs, the attack bonus, and the parry bonus (which could be different at the time). The rest is self-explanatory, with an emphasis on combat statistics: localised hit points and weapon stats.

My Opinion: There’s a lot of information in a very compact stat block. It is excellent for its purpose (a catalogue of randomised NPCs), but I wouldn’t use this format in an adventure.


RQ2 SCENARIOS

Let’s use Snake Pipe Hollow as an example. Here is one of the adventurers the PCs may encounter while exploring the caverns of Chaos.


This is much more readable than the stat bloc from Fangs/Foes, because it’s not as curt, and it seems like it is giving more information. The info provided, however, is pretty much the same. The only extra entries are Languages and Magic Items, and there is a ‘Treasure’ line instead of a Treasure Factor.

My Opinion: As a stat block, it uses up a lot of real estate on the page. I don’t think it’s better than the curt Fangs/Foes format. For a gamemaster in a hurry, however, I must recognise that it is important that the stat block be readable, and in this aspect it’s better than the Fangs/Foes template.


RQ3 SUPPLEMENTS

RuneQuest 3 started a policy of making a difference between important NPCs, who sometimes get several pages of description, and unimportant NPCs, who get a treatment similar to what was the norm in RQ2, e.g., to use an example from the RQ3 edition of Snake Pipe Hollow:


This is similar to the RQ2 treatment, except that the hit location chart has its own space between the characteristics and the weapons block.

My Opinion: Differentiating between important and unimportant NPCs is good. For the latter, however, I still think too much real estate is being used.


RUNEQUEST: ROLEPLAYING IN GLORANTHA

After a long hiatus, RuneQuest returns to us in 2018 in its fourth Chaosium edition. With the addition of Runes and Passions, the basic NPC template has had to accommodate these new entries, of course. Depending on the supplement, the basic NPC template alternates/hesitates between these two formats:

from RuneQuest: Gamemaster Adventures (CHA4029)

from Lands of RuneQuest: Dragon Pass (CHA4037)

These formats provide pretty much the same information as in the older editions, with the addition of Runes, Passions and Ransom.

My Opinion: I think the bottom example is quite good: all the characteristics are on the same line, and the attributes, being to the right of the hit locations block, do not take up any extra space. The second template tries to optimise the space it uses up on the page, but I still think it could be reduced.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS

OK, it is good to criticise, but it is better to provide solutions, and I can hear you all saying “Awright, smarty pants, how would you do it?”

Well, here are my recommendations.

Major NPCs

For major NPCs, the gamemaster needs to have a maximum of information available under their eye, because the slightest oversight could ruin an encounter. Here is how I typically describe major NPCs:

NPC Name

Male/Female, Species, age XX, from //place, member of //organisation, initiate of //cult

STR XX CON XX SIZ XX DEX XX INT XX POW XX CHA XX

Hit Points: XX Move: 8

DEX SR: X SIZ SR: X

Runes: list all Runes in alphabetical order with their value, e.g. Air XX%, Death XX%, Fire XX%, Stasis XX%, Water XX%.

Rune Points: 3 (Cult)

Rune Spells: All common Rune spells plus Catseye, Command (Hawks), Sunbright.

Magic Points: XX

Spirit Magic: Co-ordination (2), Lightwall (4), Multimissile 2.

(variable spells have their value without parentheses)

Spirit Combat Damage: 1D6+1

Passions: list all Passions in alphabetical order with their value, e.g. Devotion (Yelmalio) XX%, Hate (Trolls) XX%, Honour XX%.

Reputation: XX%

Armour: heavy scale hauberk (5 pts.), plate greaves and vambraces (6 pts.), closed helm (5 pts.).

(name each piece of armour and indicate the corresponding armour points)

Skills: list all Skills in alphabetical order with their value, e.g. Battle XX%, Climb XX%, Cult Lore (Yelmalio) XX%, Dodge XX%, Homeland Lore (Sun Dome County) XX%, Listen XX%, Move Quietly XX%, Scan XX%, Spirit Combat XX%, Track XX%, Worship (Yelmalio) XX%.

Languages: list all language skills in alphabetical order with their value, spoken first, read/written last, e.g. Firespeech XX%, Heortling XX%, New Pelorian XX%, Praxian XX%, Read/Write New Pelorian XX%.

Ransom: XXX L

 

Location     D20            Armour/HP

Right leg      1-4              6/6

Left leg         5-8              6/6

Abdomen    9-11           5/6

Chest           12               5/7

Right arm    13-15         6/5

Left arm       16-18         6/5

Head            19-20         5/6

 

Weapon                          %          Damage            SR         PTS

Short spear                    45         1D6+1+1D4      6            10

Dagger                             45         1D4+2+1D4      7            7

Medium shield              35         1D4+1D4          7            12

Composite bow             50         1D8+1                2            7


Minor NPCs

The information needed for minor NPCs corresponds more or less to the two RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha examples above.

Typical XX

Member of //organisation | initiate of //cult

STR XX CON XX SIZ XX DEX XX INT XX POW XX CHA XX

Hit Points: XX Move: 8

SR X (DEX: X SIZ: X)

Runes: list only the major Runes, in alphabetical order with their value, e.g. Air XX%, Death XX%.

Rune Points: 3

Cults: Orlanth Adventurous, Humakt

(list the most common cults for this kind of NPC)

Rune Spells: All common Rune spells plus Leap 1+, Shield 1+.

Magic Points: XX

Spirit Magic: Bladesharp 2, Heal 2, Protection 2.

Passions: list only the major Passions, in alphabetical order with their value, e.g. Honour XX%, Loyalty (city militia) XX%.

Armour: heavy scale hauberk (5 pts.), plate greaves and vambraces (6 pts.), closed helm (5 pts.).

Skills: list only skills above 50%, e.g. Battle 55%, Climb 90%, Cult Lore (XXX) 75%, Dodge 75%, Homeland Lore (New Pavis) 60%, Listen 70%, Scan 65%, Track 85%.

Languages: Speak Heortling XX%.

Treasure: XX

Ransom: XXX L

 

Location     D20            Armour/HP

Right leg      1-4              6/6

Left leg         5-8              6/6

Abdomen    9-11           5/6

Chest           12               5/7

Right arm    13-15         6/5

Left arm       16-18         6/5

Head            19-20         5/6

 

Weapon                          %          Damage            SR         PTS

Short spear                    45         1D6+1+1D4      6            10

Dagger                             45         1D4+2+1D4      7            7

Medium shield              35         1D4+1D4          7            12

Composite bow             50         1D8+1                2            7


Very Minor NPCs/Mooks

Jondoe the NPC

POW 11

Hit Points: 12

Armour: such and such (3 pts.)

Combat: Uses a <weapon> at XX%, at SR 5, does 1D8+1D6 damage

Magic: Has XXX, XXX, XXXX. Will cast XXX to raise his <weapon> to XX% before entering mêlée.


Comments: I like how I present information for major NPCs and for mooks. Everything needed to run an encounter with a major NPC is there. For mooks, it is just the bare bones. No localised hit points are indicated because, say, if the mook has 12 hit points it is likely that the GM has a screen that breaks this down into how many hit points each location has. Also mooks would often have the same amount of armour protection in each location.

On the other hand,  I am still dissatisfied with my ‘Minor NPC’ stat block... it is still too large. I guess I could reduce the information for hit locations, armour and weapons (weapon hit points, for instance can be found on the GM screen).

Suggestions are welcome!

19 March 2025

Nu RuneQuest − Habemus nomen!

There has been a short announcement of sorts about the new RQ rules, which clears up a few uncertainties:









































BTW according to this announcement, the new game is going to be called RuneQuest: Fantasy Roleplaying.

Also this is kinda cool in an Olde Schoole way as Pavis and the Big Rubble were the locations where Steve Perrin and friends playtested the Chaosium Game (the working title of RuneQuest) back in the 70s)!

28 February 2025

Nu Tunnels & Trolls

Well, a mere fortnight after the announcement by Chaosium of a new e̶d̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ version of RuneQuest, Rebellion Unplugged has announced that a new edition of Tunnels & Trolls is in the works and is going to be published in 2025.

Yay! Talk about living in interesting times.

A lot of people were worried that the new T&T wouldn’t be true to its roots (or even that Rebellion Unplugged would be sitting on the licence), but the announcement today mentions that Scott Malthouse (of Trollish Delver fame) is one of the people working on the new ruleset. Scott is a true blue fan of Tunnels & Trolls, so I know we can only expect Good Things from the new edition.

Yay! Can’t wait!

13 February 2025

Mike Mearls About the New Rules

Mike Mearls has been interviewed by Luke Gygax on his Twitch TV channel.

Obviously, he addresses Nu RuneQuest; the ‘meaty’ part starts at 00:33:30 and ends at 00:40:30, so it’s a mere 7 minutes to listen to.

If you still don’t want to listen to it, here is the salient information:
1. Nu RuneQuest is not a new edition; it’s more like Pulp Cthulhu vs ‘normal’ Call of Cthulhu.
2. Nu RuneQuest will concentrate on adventures set in Pavis & Big Rubble: dungeon crawling, treasure hunting, dealing with chaotic foes…
3. In the rules, social actions will be as important as combat [c’mon this is already the case in RQ...]



10 February 2025

Nu RuneQuest

So Jeff Richard dropped a bomb today on Facebook. Here it is, verbatim:

New RuneQuest? 
The cat is out of the bag! Mike Mearls, Jason Durall, and I have been secretly working on refining and streamlining the RuneQuest rules for the better part of a year! The rules are in final playtest (and any playtesters present please do not comment on them publicly until we give the word). And man we are EXCITED! Loads more info very soon, so watch this space.
But sharp eyed folk might want to carefully review some of my posts over the last year!

OK I’m way too lazy to review Jeff’s FB posts over 12 months, but someone over at BRP Central noticed that he posted a lot about Pavis & Big Rubble. I thought this was because the new Pavis & Big Rubble book would be the next in line, but someone smart wrote that Nu RuneQuest may drop all the extra chargen shit and concentrate on Pavis & Big Rubble as a single locale for starting PCs, with a fair bit of dungeon delving.
Anyway, it is clear to me that the reason Jeff hired Mike Mearls is that Mike has been successful with D&D 5E and Jeff wants to sell RQ to new players looking for a simpler FRP game rather than to (or on top of) us grognards.

Then obviously the next question is: on top of the complex chargen chapter, what is going to be removed from the core rules in Nu RuneQuest? On Bluesky, Facebook, BRP Central, everybody is speculating... Some think the rules are merely going to be streamlined (everything in one place, errata included, Passions/Runes going to work in boon/bane mode); some others are expecting major overhauls like removing the SR system altogether.

Anyway, you may sign up to the playtest rules — but then you have to also sign an NDA. I’m signing up so don’t expect anything from me from now on.

Oh, and BTW, how should we refer to Nu RuneQuest? ‘New RQ’? ‘RQ 2025’? ‘RQG 1.1’?

12 January 2025

Tunnels & Trolls Back in 2025?

Remember? Two years ago, Rebellion Unplugged purchased the Tunnels & Trolls licence from Webbed Sphere who were idly sitting on it.

We haven’t heard much since; however, a few days ago, Rebellion Unplugged posted the following on Bluesky:

2024 is drawing to a close but we're already looking ahead to 2025. We see big, big things on the horizon that may change TTRPGs forever... Illustration by @nathanandersonart.bsky.social

[image or embed]

— Rebellion Unplugged (@rebellionunplugged.bsky.social) 20 décembre 2024 à 11:45

That sounds rather... bombastic, but here’s hoping.