Sun Dome Character Creation for Runequest Glorantha

Runequest Glorantha

Below are my version of the rules RQG for character creation for Sun Dome characters.

With cults and professions the common ones can be chosen at any time. For the rarer ones I would suggest consulting the GM before hand as they are rare and may have a bearing on the game.

Summary:

The culture surrounding most of the Sun  Dome temples is a Heortling sub culture, which aspires to emulate Dara Happa Culture but also reflects many of the aspects of its surrounding culture as well.

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Mundane & Background Spirit Magic for RuneQuest

Runequest Glorantha

Though not everyone agrees I have never considered the spirit magic list within any version of Runequest to be exhaustive, they are just list of Spirit Magics which are most applicable to game play.

Magic is not extraordinary  in Glorantha and is something most people practice as a day to day principle. The concept that magic is a rare thing for adventures and powerful characters only  is something which in my opinion is alien to the world of Glorantha and belongs in other (lesser) fantasy universes.

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Expanded Character Heirlooms for RuneQuest Glorantha

Background, Runequest Glorantha

One of the nice features of RQG has been the family heirloom table on RQG pg . However due to size available in the book we have a limited table with 20 options, which means that quickly many characters will have exactly same items. I found this out testing 3 or 4 characters and checking through the pregens.

Thus to enhance the variations and options we have extended that list out to work on a  d100 roll and have subsection for matrixes. The aims to give a much higher degree of variation in what can be found and to save refs having to come up with variations on the fly.

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Balazaring Character Creation for Runequest Glorantha

Runequest Glorantha

Below are my version of the rules RQG for character creation for Balazaring characters.

With cults and professions the common ones can be chosen at any time. For the rarer ones I would suggest consulting the GM before hand as they are rare and will create a close proximity to significant location, events and NPC’s which may have a bearing on the game.

Summary:

The Balazarings are a hunter gathering people found only in the land of Balazar to north of Dragonpass. The vast majority of Balazarings are clan based people, who are semi nomadic within their clans traditional hunting grounds.

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One off Special … Pavis NPC

NPC's

Going back many years this is a version of the first RQ character I who I could call truly my own. Now polished, brought up to date and provided with both RQ and WOD Glorantha stats. I’ve dipped out of Balazar and to the mean streets of Pavis.

Often to be found quietly drinking and doing business in Gimpy’s in a evening, this unassuming figure could be of benefit to many groups of characters.

Tulina, Human Female, Aged 20,  Senior Apprentice of Lhankor Mhy

First impressions of Tulina depend upon where she is met. If about official temple business she comes over a diligent slightly stressed apprentice with many things to do and neither the time or the organisational ability to fulfil them all. Continue reading One off Special … Pavis NPC →

Why use Miniatures in Glorantha?

28mm Minatures

In my last post I reviewed some Dark Age warrior figures by Gripping beast, amongst other things it created the feedback  of why? do people still use models at the table top?

Slightly odd questions, but I think fair ones. So if we are talking about using figures in Glorantha what is it that we will use them for;

  1. The main usage is to visualise the positioning and movement of characters and NPC’s in combat. It makes communication at the gaming table clearer and less prone to misunderstanding.
  2. To help create in players minds a defining visual look of characters and NPC’s
  3. Also it helps us visualise and define our world of Glorantha.
  4. Because it’s fun and some grown men (and women) still like playing with little plastic soldiers.
Orlanthi Fyrd Part Painted

What do I want from Glorantha miniatures?

What I want from my figures is best defined below;

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Using Ancient Miniatures In Glorantha – Review GBP Dark Age Warriors

28mm Minatures

This post is hopefully  the first in a series posts about using currently available 28mm ancient miniatures for Gloranthan Games( Runequest, Heroquest, 13th Age, etc ).

I’ve been wanting to look at using plastic historical figures from the ancient period in Glorantha, for a number of reasons;

  • Ancient era figures reflect Gloranthan humans to a much higher degree of accuracy than most fantasy ranges available
  • Costs are brilliant at about 50p a miniature, that’s much better value than anything available for fantasy figures at the moment in plastic or metal.
  • Plastics are much more ‘mod-able’ than metal figures, so conversion jobs should be relatively easy.
  • There are a fair selection of ancient figures in 28mm plastics available at the moment, and most have parts that can be swapped between sets without too many difficulties. this should allow for conversions and bespoke figures.

However here are a potential few drawbacks which I have to acknowledge;

  • Some ancient cultures are just too distinctive and don’t have Gloranthan equivalents ( eg Romans)
  • As we are not war gamers we don’t need units of 40 of 1 type of figure, so variation and flexibility within a box is essential.
  • The realistic nature of gender balance in sets of historical miniatures doesn’t reflect the more revisionist/modern gender balance found in most fantasy systems and Glorantha ( ie it is no good for female charterer models ).

But I believe careful product selection can mean we deal with the first two , but the third can only be worked round, but that doesn’t mean the historical route a bad option for male figures.

Gripping Beast - Dark Age Warriors Box
Gripping Beast – Dark Age Warriors Box, RRP £22.00

The guys over at Gripping Beast miniatures were good enough to provide a box of their Dark Age Warriors for review purposes. Continue reading Using Ancient Miniatures In Glorantha – Review GBP Dark Age Warriors →

Mercenary Companies of Holay

Background

When in worked potential mercenary companies that could be stationed in Elkoi I worked through a wider range of possibilities, and looked at a range of mercenary companies(smaller than regiment sized) working in the Holay region which the lunar government could send on garrison duty in Elkoi, or would just be in the operating in an around the province.

The Grey Lancers

A mercenary unit which traces its history back to the independent kingdom of Holay, and its place as an elite unit of the queens household. It is still is associated with nobility of Filichet and many younger sons of noble houses will serve a 7 year stint in its ranks.

Mounted exclusively on Grey horses, based out of Filchet. The five companies of 20 heavy cavalrymen are exclusively in the employ of the provincial army, it is rare but the provincial army may rotate two companies at a time through Elkoi.

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Lunar Deserters – NPC’s for Balazar

Encounters, Lunars

The following three NPC’s can be found surviving out in the wilds of Balazar. They are deserters from the Sons of the Moon the mercenary company currently in garrison duty in Elkoi.

They will be somewhere between Elkoi and Trilus. They will be  avoiding obvious threats, official lunar parties, but looking for safety in numbers with other civilised or friendly travellers.

If players to not change the course of events it is likely these three will become retainers of Quintas at least in the medium term.

These NPC’s can easily moved and placed anywhere along the edges of the Lunar Empire.

Eshan the Wolf

Lunar Deserter, Initiate of Seven Mothers, Male 21

Eshan, is a lunar deserter the leader of this small group. Wandering the wilds of Balazar trying to work out what he should do next. He was a young talented half crescent leader in the Sons of the Moon, a mercenary company who were serving in garrison duty in Elkoi. He was tipped to be going places in the company before he deserted.

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Personal Horror in Glorantha

General Glorantha, Runequest Glorantha

Glorantha is not  primarily a horror setting as such, but many of chaotic and some none chaotic elements of it would fit into a horror game with ease. However my intention  in this article is not  to address traditional horror but rather the slightly different theme of personal horror.

The difference between the two is in classic horror the pc’s are protagonists and the horror comes from an external threat to them and the world.

In personal horror the element of horror comers from what the players character could become and the wrestling of the monster within, or even more horrifically being blind to it and failing to see the evil which you become.

A number of facets of personal horror games are;

  1. Personal horror has a protagonist that stands on an edge between hero & monster
  2. The game is used not to escape from but to take a critical look at ourselves and those around us
  3. We use this as an opportunity to explore the darker side of our nature and that of those around us
  4. A characters struggle to retain humanity, morality or higher self despite internal and external pressures

There can be many facets to this. In white wolfs  World of darkness  games the themes of desire, violence, vengeance,  power and control are all examined. Differently in each game, but if played well the games can give us an often frightening insight into aspects of us that we may not wish to even acknowledge in the real world.  ( Played badly they too often often ended up being super heros with fangs )

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