The first RuneQuest character I ever played was a knight-sorcerer in RuneQuest 3. Coming from Pathfinder 1E and Dungeons & Dragons 3.5E I loved the idea that you could play anything you wanted due to the skills-based Basic Roleplaying (BRP) engine. Our game added in a bunch of insane spells from Sandy Petersen's RuneQuest sorcery … Continue reading The Esvulari & the Aeolians
Tag: mythology
The Old Gods in RuneQuest, Part 2
This week's article is a continuation from last week exploring the Old Gods in RuneQuest. Last week focused on defining and describing these entities. This week explores ways that adventurers can interact with them. If last week was 80% lore, 20% gameplay, I'd say this week is closer to 50/50. As a reminder, this article's … Continue reading The Old Gods in RuneQuest, Part 2
The Old Gods in RuneQuest, Part 1
[Tosti Runefriend] quested to climb the primeval Spike, seeking the secrets of the Runes from the very feet of the Celestial Court. Glorantha Sourcebook, page 44, "Companions of Argrath" In Glorantha's mythology, the Old Gods are those early deities of creation which are recognized as fundamental aspects of the cosmos. However—like Ouranos of Greek mythology, … Continue reading The Old Gods in RuneQuest, Part 1
Lay Membership in RuneQuest
In Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity, anthropologist Roy Rappaport says that rituals "are public, and participation in them constitutes a public acceptance of a public order, regardless of the private state of belief." Being the sort of person I am, Rappaport's work has been doing an awful lot to poke my brain … Continue reading Lay Membership in RuneQuest
Using “Cults of RuneQuest”
Chaosium has released three Cults of RuneQuest volumes out of a prospective ten. Last week (and the week before) we explored the latest volumes' content. Now what? How might players, gamemasters, and creators utilize and engage with the bevy of new myths, cultures, and powers presented in these works? That's what we'll explore today. As … Continue reading Using “Cults of RuneQuest”
REVIEW: The Lightbringers
They're here. Last month Chaosium released the first volume of their new Cults of RuneQuest series, the Prosopaedia. And as promised, last week they simultaneously released the next TWO volumes in the series: The Lightbringers and The Earth Goddesses. This week I'm reviewing The Lightbringers, and next week will be The Earth Goddesses. Finally, I'm … Continue reading REVIEW: The Lightbringers
Why Read Epic?
What do you think of when you hear the word "epic?" For many it's just an adjective. For others, it's Epic Games—the creators of Fortnite and other games. And for more, the first association is with epic fantasy, a portion of the modern fantasy genre focused on heroic tales of good and evil. These are … Continue reading Why Read Epic?
REVIEW: The Prosopaedia for RuneQuest
After an 18-month hiatus without official RuneQuest material from Chaosium, that oasis sprang to life last week. On July 13th Chaosium published the first volume in their much-anticipated series "Cults of RuneQuest," The Prosopaedia. Fans have been awaiting "the cults books" since the current edition's 2018 release, and if I were to measure the depth … Continue reading REVIEW: The Prosopaedia for RuneQuest
The Golden Bough & Glorantha
When I first began to write, my reading habits shifted. It was slow, at first, and I did not notice it. Over time I came to read dominantly nonfiction—especially about the ancient world. Although this had long been of interest to me, I discovered that the more I studied, the more detailed my creative work … Continue reading The Golden Bough & Glorantha
Calling on Ernalda
This week's post is a short story I wrote to explore what the process of summoning and binding an earth elemental in RuneQuest feels like to the characters. Originally I was planning to set this at the Clearwine Earth Temple, but my fingers put it in Sylthi instead. Hah, oh well! The story's RuneQuest mechanics … Continue reading Calling on Ernalda
Akhelas 