My trickster Illostan finally gets caught by Prince Temertain's guards—he thinks he's friends with “Temmy” and wants to give him more “presents”—and needs to Fast Talk to escape the situation. To improve his chances, he both casts the spell Clever Tongue and rolls an augment with his Harmony Rune (“No, I really am his friend!”). … Continue reading Unwritten Rules: Bonus Stacking
Tag: RPG
REVIEW: A Bad Day at Duck Rock
When there's smoke in the air and Ennio Morricone's warbling Western sting fills your ears, you know someone is destined to have a bad day. Hopefully, that won't be you! This week we're taking a look at A Bad Day at Duck Rock, Peter Hart's first foray onto the Jonstown Compendium. Bad Day is an … Continue reading REVIEW: A Bad Day at Duck Rock
Out Now! Treasures of Glorantha 2
Treasures of Glorantha 2: Relics of the Second Age is now available. Click here to get your copy! This book is the essential guide to lost magics of the Imperial Age. Within you will find the lost secrets of a dragon-worshiping empire, powers stolen by god-manipulating sorcerers, and other arcane mysteries. Treasures 2 contains thirty … Continue reading Out Now! Treasures of Glorantha 2
Landscape Animism on Akhelas
Landscape Animism on Akhelas Let's take a break from RuneQuest and Glorantha this week, and return to Akhelas. Akhelas is this site's namesake, a fantasy setting which has its roots in scribbles from before I actually started, well, writing-writing. My most recent articles about Akhelas outlined magic's function in the setting based on the world's … Continue reading Landscape Animism on Akhelas
Weariness in RuneQuest
The RuneQuest core rules offer a pretty flexible “fatigue-lite” system based on encumbrance (ENC) for how much stuff an adventurer can carry. While writing a new RuneQuest adventure which occurs through most of a single night, I found I wanted an additional tool for describing an adventurer's weariness. Artificially adding ENC based on how long … Continue reading Weariness in RuneQuest
Behind the Scenes #13
January's just passed us by, so it's time to peek into what I've been working on… over on my Patreon! I write these blogs each month as a small way of saying "Thanks!" to those who go above and beyond to support my creative work. No one should ever feel obligated to chip in, but … Continue reading Behind the Scenes #13
REVIEW: Sacred Earth, Sacred Water
Considering the consistent quality of their publications, I'm a big fan of the indie RuneQuest publisher Beer With Teeth (BWT). Skimming over my archive, it looks like I haven't actually reviewed their work on my site! A travesty, I tell ya. I love how their Clearwine books delve into Sartarite daily life on a personal … Continue reading REVIEW: Sacred Earth, Sacred Water
REVIEW: Islands of the Lost
Well, now that all the end-of-year breaks and wrap-ups and whatnot are over, it's time to return to our regularly scheduled content! Without further ado, let's dive on in. Disclaimer 1: I received a free PDF copy of Islands of the Lost from the creators in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! Disclaimer 2: … Continue reading REVIEW: Islands of the Lost
RuneQuest’s Unwritten Rules
I love RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha (RQG), but it's hard to claim that the game is "simple." With features such as two task resolution systems, three magic systems, and inconsistent circumstantial bonuses or penalties, any argument for "simplicity" would be based on my familiarity with the system rather than its actual properties. That said, rules … Continue reading RuneQuest’s Unwritten Rules
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
Akhelas 