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Those who know me well, and indeed, the poor unfortunates who regularly read the articles on here, will confirm that despite my best intentions I’m rather poor at keeping ones finger on the pulse of what’s hot in the pop culture world. Though to be honest I’m not completely sure that ‘keeping one’s finger on the pulse’ could be considered an infringement of an individual’s personal space and may not necessarily be a justifiable defence in a court of law.
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Anyhoo, I digress, though in truth I have history when it comes to missing out on being amongst the cutting edge happenings – Missing out on Star Wars in 1977 (though just being 10 maybe was an excuse) until it’s 2nd run in my local town where my first viewing was amongst a theatre full of people already on their 20th ….. perhaps the first of many examples of being late to the party.
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However, I think I may now have broken my own record of party lateness by firmly becoming obsessed with a role playing game that came out only a little while ago…… well 44 years ago to be exact. Over the past couple of years I have become ever more lost down the RPG rabbit hole after slowly reigniting my old love of the genre. Traditionally, like many people, my first and major background was in D&D and so I became firmly entrenched in that whole genre for many years, often at the expense of other areas. So titles such as RuneQuest were ones I was familiar with, in that they existed, though less so with their content…… I was a D&D boy, right?!
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So when the fine people at Chaosium agreed, in return for an honest review, to send me a copy of the (relatively) recent release of the RuneQuest Starter Set….we’ll I thought it was about time after 44 years to dip my toes into this fabled roleplaying world.
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“The mythical fantasy world of Glorantha was created by Greg Stafford in 1966. It was first published in 1975 as the setting of the strategy boardgame White Bear, Red Moon in 1975 by The Chaosium, a quirky three-person company from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Glorantha’s deep, rich background and embedded cultures were unique to boardgaming, with influences drawn not from quasi-medieval Europe, but the myths and societies of the ancient Bronze Age world.
Soon after, Glorantha became the setting for a roleplaying game, RuneQuest, published in 1978 and written primarily by Steve Perrin, also from The Chaosium. In RuneQuest, everyone uses spells and anyone can be a warrior. The gods provide powers to their mortal worshipers, and can intercede on their behalf. Each RuneQuestadventurer is unique, defined by their Runes, culture, and cult—all chosen by the player.
In the half-century since its creation, hundreds of works—games, stories, novels, card games, board games, computer games, etc.—have expanded and deepened the world of Glorantha”
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So without further ado, let me talk you a little about the RuneQuest starter set – and of course, it almost goes without saying that this is an entirely honest and unbiased review.
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The RuneQuest Starter set
The RuneQuest Start Set is packed full of roleplaying delights… and then some.! The first thing to to notice is the slightly larger than usual sizing of the box itself, which for some may be slightly off-putting as fitting in a standard sized bookshelf may prove problematic. However personally speaking I regard it as barely an inconvenience. Opening the box, there are the following delights:
- Book 1: Rules
- Book 2: The World of Glorantha
- Book 3: SoloQuest
- Book 4: Adventures
- 14 Ready-made Adventurers
- 2 Blank Adventurer Sheets (folios)
- 3 Handouts/player aids
- 3 Maps
- 1 set of polyhedral dice
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The RuneQuest Starter Set has four softcover manuals broken into rules, setting, and scenarios. The box also includes all the dice you need to play the game, a set of premade character folios, maps of Jonstown and the surrounding areas, and a Strike Rank Tracker for epic and dangerous RuneQuest combat. There’s a ton of stuff packed into that there box!
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The artwork on each of the four books, as it it is throughout the whole of the starter set, is glorious. I must admit to not having read too much of book 1 (Rules) as yet as I’m planning to use it alongside the SoloQuest game in a short while.
On the other hand, Book 2 (The world of Glorantha) has been devoured in all its stunning glory. As previously mentioned, for years I had been aware of the RPG and in particular, the level of detail and texture given to the setting of the game, namely the mythical world of Glorantha. But my god, nothing had prepared me for the absolute attention to detail of this Bronze Age setting. This is a place where magic is woven into the fabric of everyday life. Myth had become reality and reality has become myth. So alongside the human race you find all sorts of mythical beast such as trolls and other fantastical beings….some peaceful, many that are not.
Of course, there isn’t time in the starter set to explore the full depth of Glorantha, instead it focuses on the Dragon Pass region. The Dragon Pass is one of the most important regions from a militaristic viewpoint in all of Genertela. The town of Jonstown provides the main focal point in this set.
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Apparently, Chaosium suggest that to play is the best way possible to learn –
by playing! And I couldn’t agree more. “The Battle of Dangerford” is a single-player scenario designed to teach you the rules of the game as you play. So in a few moments I will be dipping my toes for the first time in uthe world of Glorantha as I assume the role of Vasana as she joins her Sartarite brothers and sisters in an epic clash against the invading Lunar Empire.
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The glorious artwork too is on full display on the covers of the 14 (yes, 14!) pre-generated character sheets. This is a bountiful amount to keep one going for an age…though I feel that the non-inclusion of adventurer creation rules and guidelines is a mistake. I appreciate that for many like myself who are familiarising themselves with RuneQuest, the adventurer creation rules we’re omitted possibly in order not to overwhelm new visitors such as myself. I understand that reasoning, though I still would have preferred they were included. I know that many RPG aficionado’s enjoy creating and crafting their own characters – believe me I’m no exception. In fact I have been known to simply do no more some weeks than just sit with a pile of blank D&D character sheets and while away the hours designing character after a character (often a variation on a Drow. I like Drows, ok?. It’s an obsession) complete with an elaborately detailed back story.
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In the Adventures book there are three scenarios designed for up to 5 players. In A Rough Landing, fresh from the Battle of Dangerford, the adventurers run afoul of aggressive dark trolls, and must resolve a problem in a nearby farming community.
A Fire in the Darkness sees the adventurers asked to investigate a string of fires in Jonstown. Clues lead them to the under-city tunnels in search of the source of the blaze― is it possible that the prime suspects are not what they seem?
In The Rainbow Mounds the adventurers arrive at the mysterious cave complex to confront a group of Trolls menacing the nearby village. In the labyrinthine tunnels of The Rainbow Mounds, the adventurers discover an unimaginable new foe.
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Each scenario has its own collection of maps and notes, each presented in full colour. These play aids enhance the RuneQuest experience, and help you immerse yourself in the mythic world of Glorantha. However the down side is that the quality of paper tends to be a little on the light side and I could forsee issues with long term durability when used, re-used and passed around between players over time.
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SoloQuest – “The Battle of Dangerford”
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The Battle of Dangerford is a solo adventure for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha. It is a story of mythic adventure in Glorantha, Greg Stafford’s epic fantasy setting. It is also designed to lead you through the basic rules of the game in a gradual and entertaining way. While RuneQuest adventures will most commonly be run with friends, this one is just for you.
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To navigate this scenario, readers follow a thread of linking text passages. Their path depends on their choices, and their successes in skill checks or combat. The only things required to play this scenario are the game rules, this booklet, the adventurer sheets for Vasana and Vostor, a pencil, and a set of dice. If you have the RuneQuest Starter Set, then you should already have most of what you need… only a pencil is required.
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Way back in the dim and distant 1980’s a reading phenomenon reared it’s head in the form form of books where you essentially chose (sort of) the direction that the story could take by identifying a choice of next numbered passage to read. It was a limited form of narration fluidity that had it’s occasional merits though the novelty aspect didn’t last long.
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The SoloQuest book and game here takes a similar format . In this scenario, you take on the role of Vasana, Daughter of Farnan. This formidable hero is a capable warrior, trusted leader, and dedicated initiate of the Orlanth Adventurous cult.
In this adventure, she has sided with Kallyr Starbrow, leader of the Sartarite rebellion against the Lunar Empire. It is God Day, Movement Week, Earth Season. Kallyr is about to lead her troops against the Lunar Empire’s war leader, Fazzur Wideread, at a critical ford across the strategically important passage of water known simply as “The Creek.” The sides are evenly matched, and even a single stone could shift the scales. Depending on how Vasana carries herself, she could sway the battle, and change the fate of Dragon Pass
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I have to say that the inclusion of this option is genuinely inspired, offering the chance for RuneQuest newbies such as myself the chance to play a simplified version of the game but at the same time enabling one to becoming familiar with the mechanics and rules of the game. In my research around the game one of the main constants is that the core rule book, while excellently detailed and informative, can also be a little overwhelming and confusing in parts for those lacking in familiarity with the mechanics. Using this method of familiarising oneself is deliciously enticing and clever. The “The Battle of Dangerford” is at its best in how it provides new players and Gamemasters with a solid foundation of the rules, Gloranthan cultures, and lore.
The game took me a couple of hours to play and I enjoyed every second of it.
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So, what’s the final verdict?
The RuneQuest Starter Set is, apart from a few aforementioned considerations, pretty much a flawless example in how to introduce new and past players into a game’s world. The level of thought, work and talent that has gone into this product is as high as any that I’ve recently come into contact with, with only Free League’s recent starter set for the updated ‘The One Ring’ coming as close for quality.
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The rules contained are easy to understand and are not simply a ‘copy and paste’ from the original core rule book – real effort has been taken by Chaosium to gather new players under its wing and provide an authentic taste of what the game has to offer.
If the aim was to use the starter set to enthral, entice and envelope new players to the world of Glorantha, then in my case they have succeeded…… and you know what? It only took me 44 years to find that out.
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Chaosium was founded by visionary game designer Greg Stafford in 1975. For more than forty years, Chaosium has captivated gamers, readers and mythic adventurers worldwide. Its award-winning roleplaying games, boardgames and fiction have been acclaimed as some of the most engaging and innovative of all time.
www.chaosium.com
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