alley-cats

RuneQuest's world of Glorantha is unique because Greg Stafford, who created it, didn't encounter fantasy literature till he was in college. Instead, he read mythology, like Edith Hamilton and Thomas Bulfinch. So when Glorantha was created, it was a world of myth, NOT fantasy or swords & sorcery. The gods were central to the myths in a way that is not so common in other systems, and gives the game an unusual feel.

Gaming tips from Sandy Petersen. House rules are better than a rules-heavy game that covers everything. Why? Because you can never find a specific rule when you need it. You have to go poring through all the books searching for that one thing, and gameplay stops cold and it sucks. Just make up something. You're as smart as the game's creator, and you know your gaming group's style better.

For those still unaware, I am the original author of Call of Cthulhu the roleplaying game. I run my games in the 2020s, not the 1920s. Sometimes people ask me how to make games scary in the modern era. I suspect they think that cellphones and the internet, the bad guys won't have a chance. This sees things backwards. The cultists have cell phones too. More to the point, modern technology is horrific and dehumanizing in a way not seen in the 1920s. I'm certain the King in Yellow has a TikTok feed. Our easy communication is a vulnerability - a method to more fully doom humanity. In The Shadow From the Steeple, Robert Bloch tells us Nyarlathotep is behind the Manhattan Project. Because of course the Great Old Ones WANT us to have nukes. In Lovecraft's tale The Dunwich Horror, Wilbur Whateley's plan to destroy the world is thwarted because he can't get his hands on a complete version of the Necronomicon. But today, the Necronomicon would be on Project Gutenberg. Every kook and psychopath on Earth would be trying out its formulae and the good guys would be completely overwhelmed.

3) the Bee goddess has died, and we must go to Hell and recover her or all the crops in the land will go unpollinated. Also, to get her out, a member of the party has to marry her.

2) escort a hideously-deformed princess who is to be married to a barbarian king. We (the escorts) didn’t know if the king is aware of the bride’s condition. The princess is constantly trying to convince us, her escorts, to deflower her, so she’ll be unfit to wed the barbarian and can return home.

Here are some RuneQuest scenarios I’ve run or played in. I admit they could all be modified to another system. 1) the Elephant Riders of Prax are almost extinct. They have one (1) elephant left, a pregnant female. The tribe numbers a couple of hundred. We have to help them get their elephant across Prax and into the Wastes, where there is rumor of a bull. But the Lunar Empire wants to capture the elephant for magic rituals. The adventure includes comedy trying to get the elephant through awkward terrain, combat vs enemy raiders and bandits, and pathos with the poor forsaken tribe.

Every game contains ambiguous rules. A roleplaying gaming group can easily come up with a situation not covered by the rules. Every gaming group is different - the players have preferences or enjoy certain types of events. The point of the game is fun for everyone. Not slavish application. THEREFORE a gamemaster is required to make rules interpretations, assumptions, and adjustments. Claiming otherwise is putting your fingers in your ears.