So, as you may or may not know, I am a complete newcomer to Runequest (a game which was never big 'round these parts).

I've picked up MRQII core and Monster Coliseum in my recent European tour, and I love what I see, but I'm still not sure of what I want to do with it.

And I want to do something with it, especially after some players hinted that they might want a return to fantasy gaming after I'm done with Traveller.

Glorantha is a brilliant world, but a hard sell for most of my players. Also, I find the Third Age Dragon Pass debacle far more interesting than the Second Age's rival empires, and only the former is easily obtained and in-print.

Deus Vult has the characters working for a sprawling secret organization, which kind of turns me off. I like my fantgasy PCs to be adventurers, not operatives for some shadowy conspiracy (I'm certain that there's fun to be had in this sort of game, but it's just not what I'm looking for). Ditto for Wraith Recon.

Elric is interesting, because (AFAIK -- I'm no Elric scholar) vast swathes of the Young Kingdoms are only barely (if at all) described in canon, leaving wide open spaces for the enterprising GM.

Hawkmoon is a book I've only recently acquired and which I intend to read (as soon as I'm done with the Tales of the Dying Earth omnibus), but I've thumbed through the MRQI version and I've liked it.

And of course, there's always the option of recycling my perennial D&D-ish "I can't believe it's not several Earth cultures, historical and mythical, stitched together, plus dwarves and elves" sandbox. That's not a half bad option, but it does feels somewhat silly -- I mean, if I want to play D&D, I'll play D&D. I'd like to focus on the differences; the gritty and lethal combat, the relevance of myths, joining cults to learn magic, and so forth.

The one thing I'm sure is that I want a low-magic setting. So the ubiquity of Common Magic must somehow be curtailed. How have other settings handled this? Do I fold Common Magic into Sorcery and/or Divine Magic?

I've considered picking up one or more setting books (mostly Elric and/or Deus Vult) to see how they handle these things, and possibly to see a few more cult write-ups and other things.

I've looked around the net, but other than Pseudoephedrine's excellent Moragne setting, I haven't found any good homebrew settings written up to use as examples.

So if anyone can point me towards some good homemade settings, or just share their own homebrewing MRQII experience(s), it'd be great help.

Cheers!

Thanks for the shout-out on Moragne

There's some duplication between spell lists, so you can simply remove common magic from the game without having to alter sorcery or divine magic. The main effect it will have is to reduce starting PCs armour point values and ability to heal, since Protection and Heal are the two most popular common magic spells. I'd put longer intervals between fights without them.

One thing to bear in mind is that common magic is not as game-dominating as magic in D&D. Common magic, with a few exceptions, doesn't let you violate the laws of physics and throw fireballs around, etc. Because of that, you don't need to tamp down and control the distribution an use of magic in the same way you might need to in a D&D game.

Cults are the most involved part of world-building. That's partially from picking skill and spell lists for them, but it's also because they're such an important part of PC development over the long-term. Remember, a cult isn't necessarily just a church or a sorcerous order - any sort of life-defining institution can be built as a cult. I have cults that are clans of Fake Fantasy Scotsmen, monastic orders, and knightly assocations, as well as the church and various sorcerous orders.

There's not a ton of support for anything other than super-specific cults custom built for a particular game world at the moment, so you're going to have to build your own unless you do play in a pre-built setting.

You want to make sure the cults you create are neither too powerful nor too weak. Personally, I find the sample ones in the corebook a bit weak, though not unplayably so. My complaint about them is that as a PC, I would join them, learn all their secret shit super-quick, and then have no reason not too jump ship. My goal as a cult creator is to give PCs reasons to stick with their cults over the long term, and to encourage them to have multiple cultic affiliations.

A good cult should have, IMHO:

2-3 runic associations. A major religion gets three, a minor one gets two. This gives PCs options about which runic affiliations they want to develop.

6-10 common magic spells it offers its members. The ones in the corebook just offer "all", which I don't like because it makes them too similar and gives you no reason to belong to more than one cult until you've learnt all the common magic you'd ever want to learn. Of course, if you do go with a low-magic game, then you can leave this out.

6-10 spells or spirit-types it offers to its members. I try to make these fit an appropriate theme rather than cover a rounded set of bases. My assumption is that in most cases, even NPCs will belong to more than one cult at a time, and so will get off-theme spells they need elsewhere. Remember for divine magic that you want there to be some spells that initiates can cast, some that acolytes can, and some that rune priests can so that a char can't just become an initiate and learn every spell.

2 myths. One with a high compliance percentage (70%+), one with a low percentage (~50%). The high one tends to be vague and express the ethical ideal of the cult. The low one tends to be more specific and details certain specific acts the cult member is expected to perform.

6-10 Cult skills. For divine magic using skills, this is Pact & Lore (Theology) + 4-6 others. For sorcerous orders, it's Sorcery (Relevant Grimoire) & Manipulation plus 4-6 others. For Shaman cults it's Spirit Binding & Spirit Walking plus 4-6 others. For everyone else, it's 6-10 skills, preferably with a couple of cool advanced skills. I try to give 1-3 combat styles out as part of these.

Follower rules are fairly simply structurally, and allow you to develop your cult's personality. I tend to rename the levels, and make acolytes and higher actual priests (as opposed to initiates and higher), with Rune Priest levels representing a "high priest" of some sort.

I'm running a dirtbag Sword & Sorcery in a homebrew setting that is best described as Republican Rome by way of Lankhmar with a touch of Moorcock thrown in for good measure. So far it's been a wild time, and I've have to say that MRQII is my go to game for fantasy from here on out.

In terms of rules choices, I think it's important to treat MRQII like a toolbox. Keep in mind that just because any character can learn magic in MRQII doesn't mean every player will. In my game only one of my five players knows any magic (Common and Sorcery) and only one other has shown any interest in earning Divine Magic.

My tweaks were:

Personally, I cut Spirit Magic from my game, simply because it was the least appealing form of magic to me.

I went with the option of making Common Magic an advanced skill (with starting PCs getting their critical range in magnitude points to start).

I also sketched out a number of comparatively weak Divine Cults and I'm encouraging my players to become common members or initiates of multiple cults. As players start to interact with different cults, I'm filling in more and more detail. Frankly, coming up with multiple pantheons of gods with myths, common magic and spells is a chump's game.

Thought I'd post a little of my setting stuff, below is the pitch I used to give the players some flavor for the setting and a few of the Gods/Cults I sketched out.

Athos: Jewel of the West

Athos the Great and Endless.

Athos is the largest of the many city-states on the peninsula of Thaylios. Gateway to the Northern and Western lands, the bustling harbor of Athos is the richest port on the Silver Sea. For citizens and non-citizens alike, Athos is a nexus of opportunity, danger and wealth.

Athos the Dangerous.
Athos’ riches attract all kinds. Foreign priests from far-distant cults. Decadent faded-folk from their crumbling citadels. Barbarian sell-swords from the hill and northern tribes.  Dwarves looking to escape the constant war and work of their deep forges. Savage Ducks looking to prove their might. Sea nomads plying their foreign wares. Sorcerers seeking exotic knowledge.  Thieves and adventurers from other cities

Athos the Filthy.
In the shadows of the great hill-top villas, are the alleys and docks of Athos. A million languages, smells and people can be found drinking, scheming, hustling and fighting in these districts. Life is cheap in Athos.

Athos the Crusher of Dreams.
Many come to Athos to seek their fortune. They hope to find work in the employ of a great patron or the way to a long-lost, loot-filled, Venn tomb. Most find only death.

And this is as much work as I put to paper for my gods until there is a reason for the PCs to interact with them. In the back of my head I’ve got some mythology and rituals for each, but until a player expresses some interest or the characters veer into them I’d rather focus on the parts of the world they are interacting with.

Zegra Triumphant   
Sky King, Giver of Law   
Runes: Air/Law/Light
Divine Spells:   
Initiate   
Clear Skies   
Lightning Strike   
Dismiss Air Elemental   
Acolyte
Beast Form- Eagle
Call Winds   
Cult Skills:   
Drive, Oratory, 2H Spear, Lore: Law, Courtesy
   
Hune: Whisperer of Secrets   
Uncle Trickster   
Runes: Chaos, Luck, Communication
Divine Spells-   
Initiate   
Alter Target   
Illusion   
Laughter
Acolyte   
Fog   
Cult Skills:   
Disguise, Evade, Influence, Commerce, Play: Lyre
   
   
Salasyn: Godess of the Lost Seas   
Sister of Tears and Lost Souls   
Runes: Water/Harmony
Divine Spells:   
Initiate   
Heal Wound
Blessing   
Ebb and Flow
Acolyte
Advanced Healing Spell/s   
Cult Skills:    
Boating or Ship Handling, Resillence, Lore: Geography, Swim, Play: Flute

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;427294Cults are the most involved part of world-building. That's partially from picking skill and spell lists for them, but it's also because they're such an important part of PC development over the long-term. Remember, a cult isn't necessarily just a church or a sorcerous order - any sort of life-defining institution can be built as a cult. I have cults that are clans of Fake Fantasy Scotsmen, monastic orders, and knightly assocations, as well as the church and various sorcerous orders.



A good cult should have, IMHO:

This is very, very helpful. Thanks!

Quote from: Tipsy;427528I'm running a dirtbag Sword & Sorcery in a homebrew setting that is best described as Republican Rome by way of Lankhmar with a touch of Moorcock thrown in for good measure. So far it’s been a wild time, and I’ve have to say that MRQII is my go to game for fantasy from here on out.

Your game sounds a lot like what I want to run.

Your examples are pretty good. I guess you're both right, cults are easy enough to write up; I'm not sure about the "Myth" part (which Tipsy seems to have glossed over -- is that intentional?).

I am also quite curious about the MRQII Elric magic system. The emphasis on pacts, summoning and runes/sigils might make for a great gritty dark fantasy game. Can anyone share anything about that? I've been googling around for MRQII Elric reviews but I've found none.

First off, sorry for the long post.

I'm probably picking up Elric from my FLGS on Boxing Day (33% off of a $40 book makes it worth the wait) as I think the summoning and pact rules may worm their way into the campaign in the new year.

In terms of glossing over the myths in my write-ups it comes back to the toolbox approach. The key is that if it isn't relevant to your game, as your players are playing it, it just isn't that important.

None of my players are particularly interested in heroquesting, following the footsteps of a particular god or becoming devoted to a cult. If anything, one of my players is desperately trying to break his ties with the cult he was born into. Consequently breaking down each gods' myths into the MRQII mechanics seems unnecessary.

This was particularly true during prep for the game prior to chargen. My campaign has around 6 pantheons of divinities (corresponding to different cultures) that were sketched out to varying degrees and were available during chargen. Most of this was extremely loose because, lets face it, how much detail do you want to add to a Goddess if none of the PCs have a reason to worship or know about her?

Honestly, in the early prep for my game, I found the association of combinations of 'runes' (I prefer to think of them as platonic concepts) with specific deities a more useful tool in brainstorming the importance of a god to to a setting, its myths, spells, etc. I would also recommend being brave enough to create your own 'runes' as they fit with the tone of your game.

That said, the focus on myths in MRQII (and RuneQuest in general) has helped my world building in that its really helped me think through and sketch out some key myths and conflicts for each of my pantheons, some of my locations and a few of the key gods.

MRQII is perfect for Conan.  You can even take the different combat maneuvers and spells from Conan D20 and convert them.