| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
oneiroi gate
Acolyte
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Aug 2012 : 15:02:38
|
Hail fellows & well met!
I figured this would be the best place to come and ask!
I've been looking for a fantasy world to run RuneQuest 6 in and I think I've found it; or rather re-found it: the Realms.
I played lots of AD&D 1st and 2nd Edition Realms and I read most of the novels up until the 3.5 D&D came out; so a while as past! I've read through some stuff and (seemingly like a lot of folk) I was slightly aghast at what the 4th Editon wrought! However, I've just read the GenCon News and seeing the possible Forgotten Realms 'bible' has me interested (I'm a Anthropology grad)!
My immediate thoughts are that there aren't any significant problems with using a non-D&D system.
Getting the PC races correct in RuneQuest is quite easy. Although, I don't see any significant differences mechanically between the types of Dwarves, between Sun and Moon elves and a few others (cultural differences but not biological). I also intend to allow Planetouched but have them as near Human without the new 'daemon's walking down the street look'. Further, I'm really against the Dragonborn - because they too seem too monstrous and exotic from the off. Though I am thinking of 'depowering' them, and making them a 'Lizardfolk' (excuse the name) type race; i.e. more natural and less scary to little Hobbit Halfling children.
So two questions. One, has anyone run the Realms with any other ruleset - and did it work out ok? Secondly, I want to start the game within the lastest timeset BUT with the hope of 'The Sundering' making things interesting; so any ideas on a 'The Sundering' prelude..?
|
" [...] The more the power is exercised the higher and stronger becomes the character; till the height of heroism is reached in men who renounce the pleasures of life and even life itself for the sake of winning for others, perhaps in distant ages, the blessings of freedom and truth.” James George Frazer, The Golden Bough |
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2012 : 18:32:21
|
I've always felt that Runequest flavor would work well in the Realms, and I've toyed with the idea of using the rules there, but have never done so.
I have added bits of it in here and there over the years - the 'Creatures of chaos' work well in a ToT/Wild magic/Spellplague region (and your players never know where you stole it from).
Dragonewts are cool - I'd put them in Chult (replacing the yuan-ti). RQ's trollkyn(sp?) fit the Moonshaes perfectly (there is one such troll in the 1st Moonshae series).
I also consider Eastern (Kara-Tur) giants Gloranthan giants. No real reason for that, other then we have very little lore about the K-T giants, and I have always like RQ's take on them.
As for the flavor - its really not that far off. Glorantha isn't the only world where some 'cosmic being' fell to earth. 
The bronze-weapon thing is hard to work in - you'd probably have to loose that (which is a shame, because it was very flavorful). You could always say iron is adverse to magic, so steel can't be used to forge magical weapons, and therefor magical weapons must all be made from non-ferrous material. Going way-off canon there, but that shouldn't matter in your home game.
Come to think of it, I have to write that one down...  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 28 Aug 2012 21:51:29 |
 |
|
|
oneiroi gate
Acolyte
United Kingdom
4 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2012 : 16:33:36
|
Thanks for the reply.
Who knows, I may shift to D&D5 when it finished but untill then, and dependant on whether its any good, I'II be using RQ6.
The hardest decision is what time period to place in and the such. I'm mostly knowledgable about the ToT and less so about the Spellplague. However, I've just read some more about it (Spellplague) and there are some things I do actually like; I should say 'some' again.
The aim of reducing the number of gods was a good thing, but they seemingly got rid of the interesting ones and left some really dull ones. Also, I've no idea what to do with Gnomes and their pantheon; they seem so out of place being neither Dwarf of Halfling. Though I've never been a fan of 'demi-human' deities - I think there should just be the same as human with a few exceptions.
So, I think I'm going to use 4th Edition age but with things changing towards the Sundering. I prefer keeping with official lore as much as possible to gain interest in my games. Although, Eilistraee and Kiaransalee, Moander, Myrkul, Bhaal coming back along with my favourite Leira!
|
" [...] The more the power is exercised the higher and stronger becomes the character; till the height of heroism is reached in men who renounce the pleasures of life and even life itself for the sake of winning for others, perhaps in distant ages, the blessings of freedom and truth.” James George Frazer, The Golden Bough |
|
|
|
Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4436 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2012 : 17:13:17
|
While I'm not familiar with Runequest, I have thought about running a Forgotten Realms game using a few other systems. The first one was a class-less system called Fuzion, but as I delved into the rules and modules, it because evident that the Fantasy mechanics wouldn't transfer well to what I imagined a FR game to be.
Others, I'm sure, have used GURPS (Generic Universal Role-Playing System) which is another classless, point-based system. I looked into this as well and it does seem to have a LOT of potential, but their rules aren't free to download and I haven't the cash to buy another system.
I've also used a variant of the d20 system called E6. It's basically v3.5 edition of D&D but the levels stop at 6th and you progress laterally (ie. Feats) instead of the numbers getting into ridiculous numbers. The downside is that spells don't reach past approx 4th level, and thus super-crazy things don't normally happen.
Also, one might try FFS's Warhammer and Warhammer 40K as a RPG system. I only looked at it slightly and it defintily has a crazy feel, but I'm sure one could look at it and convert it pretty easily to a Realms-style game. |
|
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2012 : 22:02:09
|
Why not run a post-apocalypse campaign - one immediately following the death of Mystra (and the start of the Spellplague)?
That means you can borrow whatever you want from any era, and even add your own material in, without violating any canon what-so-ever. Why paint yourself into a corner with any particular time period when you can have it all? You could even add in all the Runequest elements you want - it simply won't matter in a world where "magic is running amok, and the landscape itself changes at a moments notice".
I also shoe-horned Balazar/Dragonpass (Griffon Mountain) into The Shaar, but never got that far south to use it. Its a damn good fit. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 28 Aug 2012 22:02:53 |
|
|
|
ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2012 : 23:41:55
|
| There was a crossover FR adventure a long while back for AD&D1 and Dragon Quest: DQ1 The Shattered Statue. I don't remember if DragonQuest and RuneQuest were the same rules system or not. |
--
http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
|
|
|
The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31727 Posts |
Posted - 29 Aug 2012 : 00:43:44
|
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
There was a crossover FR adventure a long while back for AD&D1 and Dragon Quest: DQ1 The Shattered Statue. I don't remember if DragonQuest and RuneQuest were the same rules system or not.
I don't think they were exactly the same. As I recall, there were some complaints made by fans back in the day that the DragonQuest combat system was entirely too complex when it came to comparisons with other similar games like RuneQuest. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 29 Aug 2012 00:44:43 |
|
|
|
ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 29 Aug 2012 : 03:30:10
|
Interestingly, Dragonquest was SPI's foray into RPGs. Then TSR bought SPI. I used to love those big, counter games made by Avalon Hill and SPI. I used to own quite a lot of them. Avalon Hill was bought by Hasbro. WotC bought TSR. Hasbro bought WotC.
So now Hasbro owns both SPI and AH, and no-one makes those cool counter games anymore {sigh}. Even GDW is long gone.
I used to even have a subscription to Strategy & Tactics - each issue came with a mini-game. It was awesome.
And no, I am familiar with both sets of rules, and DQ was nothing like RQ. The only 'crossover' product I am aware of was the original Thieves World RPG supplement, which contained rules for several systems, including D&D and RQ, and even Traveller. It was pretty damn cool. I probably got more mileage out of that box then any other accessory I ever bought.
Runequest has hit locations. Hit locations are the bomb. Aftermath did it better, but those rules were unbelievably complex (as were ALL FGU RPG rules). Maybe when 5e comes out, I'll adapt the Aftermath rules of aim and hit locations to it.
Runequest has a very unique flavor, combining clerical and arcane magic into Runepriests. It also used a non-level based system of skills. Dragonquest was pretty generic - some of the material from the original rulebook (the starter adventure) made it into the Hordelands box. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
|
|
|
combatmedic
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 02 Sep 2012 : 17:22:04
|
I have a battered copy of Dragonquest. It's not RQ. Similiar names, different systems.
I also have the Shattered Statue module. It is indeed a two system mod.
RQ would work well for FR, I think.
I agree with pretty much everything Markus wrote.
Dragonnewts in Chult sounds great. You might also rework Dragonnewts to be Saurials, or maybe connect them with the 'Reptilian Creator Race.' A missing link between the reptilian races and dragons?
D&D already has at least a few presumably non-ferrous metals used to create magic arms and armors; adamant and mithril spring to mind.
The 'everybody casts' spells bit might seem strange, but it actually works. If you assume that being an initiate in a god's cult is the same as having a patron deity, and everybody in the Realms has a patron god (except goofballs like Elminster as presented in the OGB-- where 'none' is listed as his patron), it works. Blacksmith initiate of Gond knows one minor 'spell' that's really just a paryer to help him forge metal. Soldier initiate of Tempus knows 'blade sharp', which is a prayer to make his sword cut deeper in a fight. Nothing flashy or high powered for 99% of the NPCs in the setting.
Have you seen Openquest?
It’s free. It might work well for you if you don’t own all the old RQ stuff.
Oh, and don’t forget the ducks!
|
YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :) |
|
|
|
Elric Stormrider
Acolyte
2 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2013 : 23:43:14
|
I know this is an old post but Im preparing to run an FR campaign using the RQ 2 rules soon, next month. I found many of the ideas presented here to be interesting enough, with the exception of shoehorning Glorantha specific canon into the Realms. It really doesnt sound like a good fit to me. Especially when cosmology makes so much of the "reasoning" behind those specifics.
A couple of small changes and boom its ready to go. Im kind of really excited for this one. Its been a short wait for me to get a game going again and its almost as thrilling as opening that first boxed set in 1981. :-)
Besides, who needs Ducks when you have Halflings? |
Edited by - Elric Stormrider on 04 Mar 2013 23:45:37 |
|
|
|
Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2013 : 00:51:09
|
Ducklings? 
I'd love to hear how your campaign goes - keep us posted, if you can.
*Grammatical edit |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
|
Edited by - Markustay on 13 Mar 2013 13:05:52 |
|
|
|
xaviera
Learned Scribe
Canada
149 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2013 : 14:47:57
|
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Interestingly, Dragonquest was SPI's foray into RPGs. Then TSR bought SPI. I used to love those big, counter games made by Avalon Hill and SPI. I used to own quite a lot of them. Avalon Hill was bought by Hasbro. WotC bought TSR. Hasbro bought WotC.
So now Hasbro owns both SPI and AH, and no-one makes those cool counter games anymore {sigh}. Even GDW is long gone.
Ah, those were the days...
|
Writings on Sharess: Thoughts & Prayers by Xaviera ~ High Priestess of Sharess |
|
|
|
Elric Stormrider
Acolyte
2 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2013 : 19:45:39
|
My RQ Realms campaign is going very well. Considering its being run on Roll20 with only about 4 hrs of play time per week, with occasional sidebars for RL. I started with a published scenario to get the feel (its been a few years since I ran a game) for running and using Roll20. We're about to finish the first published module, N4 - Treasure Hunt. This is not the first time I've used RQ in the Realms with very little in the way of changes to the basic system. I use Lunar Sorcery (from the RQ3 Gods of Glorantha book) for the High Magic (wizardry) and its working out great.
Always remember its RQ not D&D with skills. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Running the Realms: RuneQuest
