RuneQuest Summary

So the RuneQuest game ended on a high. The players accomplished their goal and everyone had fun, which was key. What was a little sad was that a couple of the players said they enjoy the game, the puzzles and the story, but didnt really enjoy the RQ system. As previously mentioned, I ran the game using the Chaosium 2nd Edition (Games Workshop boxed set edition) of the rules. I love the system and it really works for me, but these 3 didnt.

Ive tried to understand why, and it comes down to access to the rules. I guess they wanted something more tactile than 1 printed cofy the rules along with PDFs. I have quite a bit of RQ material, but will save it for another group of players for another time.

Anyway, 3 new players have joined our group of 4, meaning the numbers are making it easier to allow games to happen, as in the past 1 player dropping out meant the game was cancelled until the following week. Still Ive got this Sunday and Dark Heresy to look forward to, then 2 weeks have to be relocated to a new venue whilst one player has their parents-in-law arriving. Im sure we'll get there in the end, just a standard month of gaming every Sunday without interruption. Please?

RuneQuest fill in Campaign

Well my little fill-in RuneQuest campaign came to an end.
It was a Pavis/Big Rubble and Tomb of Horrors mash up.
Whilst the players generally enjoyed the story and action, they didnt enjoy the system. This is something I feel is my fault rather than the system. I choose to run the original Chaosium 2nd Version, which also meant getting hold of the rules apart from my copy an absolute nightmare.

Still it filled the gap whilst we waited for our Dark Heresy GM to get his act together.

We played DH for 1 session, before disbanding for a couple of weeks because of weddings, holidays and christenings.

Life after MERP

So whats next on the GM front?

Well, we have L5R all ready from our other GM, which I believe is going to be a double barrel campaign, i.e. he is going to be combining 2 adventures into 1.

This suits me fine as it gives me more time to canvas for whats next and give me time to develop some ideas.

Off the top of my head;

Werewolf: Dark Ages - I need to finish off the 3rd part in my time-travelling trilogy.

MERP - I'm sure the guys wont let this game disappear, as they all seem to be having a blast.

Deadlands - this one kinda died because of 2 players who didnt like the system or the world. Of the remaining players, they all loved it. Of the 2 players who didnt like the game, 1 has left and the other is an infrequent attendee.

And as for new games, well there is Hollow Earth Expedition a pulpy action game that manages to merge every element of the genre I love. And then there is the very new Starblazers RPG, a space opera RPG I have been anticipating for a year or so now.

I am sure there are others, like RuneQuest, a game I had prepared before MERP took over, that Id like to run, say a Big Rubble/Pavis game.

MERP PDFs Online

Life is starting to get back to normal after a break with no internet.

Our Legend of the Five Rings game has ended its 2nd story arc and has gone on the back-burner for a couple of months whilst I run one of the following games. I tried to woo my group with either RuneQuest, MERP, Vampire or to give 3/4th Edition DND a shot.

Oddly they all jumped on RuneQuest, until I realised that I have left all my RQ material with my parents in Spain.

So with less than a week to go, I have decided its going to be MERP, which the crew seem happy to indulge me on. Whilst searching the internet for character sheets, as Ill be using the 2nd Collector's Edition of MERP I stumbled across this website which not only is a great source of MERP related goodies and information, but is also home to virtually every ICE/MERP product in PDF form.

www.merp.com

Now I have no idea of the legal nature of a website holding such documents, after all its illegal isnt it? The website does appear to claim that seeing as ICE (Iron Crown Enterprises) doesnt exist, or that TE (Tolkien Enterprises) has no claim over these products, they are essentially public domain.

Either way, ICE and TE have issued Cease & Desist order and managed to get them to removed a couple of the PDFs listed.

I cant imagine they will exist for long, so Ill leave it to your conscience as to whether you want them for free or buy them on Ebay.

E Gary Gygax

I deliberately not posted anything regarding his death on this blog as I dont feel there is anything else to add to the combined heart-felt loss at his death.

I think it is fair to say that without Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, (2 games I didn't really play much as I cut my teeth on Tunnels and Trolls and RuneQuest and neither of which would exist without the 2 aforementioned games) there would be no role-playing games, pencil and paper or computer/console games.

These games have shaped my life more than I could possibly imagine. I genuinely could not envisage my life without role-playing. Thanks to GG I really did conquer new worlds, meet new people and kill them!

RuneQuest I Mongoose

Just managed to get hold of the new RuneQuest PDF from Mongoose, and the first thing that struck me was how empty the book was. Oh and the OGL license was a bit OTT. Its like Mongoose have hired WOTC lawyers and given the license to be mean.

Im a traditionalist, and believe RuneQuest is Glorantha. So we shall wait and see if this new RQ is any good.