Ah, Runequest. Where to start?

For those who, like me, are latecomers to the hobby in general (I got my start in 1992, the heyday of 2e and the dawn of White Wolf): Runequest is a game with a history. I’ll have to skip it, though, in the interest of brevity; it’s been told in other places with far more propriety than I could hope to gather (like this comprehensive recap by RPGnet's Shannon Appelcline). Suffice to say that, early in its history (late 70s to early 80s), it played a very respectable #2 to D&D’s overwhelming #1; it pioneered skill-based (as opposed to class-and-level-based) character creation and unified task resolution mechanics; and it introduced an original setting, Glorantha, its boon and its bane. With that out of the way, let us dive into the game itself.

Lest I forget, a disclaimer: throughout this review, I use a lot of comparisons with D&D. I love D&D, and I’ve played it much, much more than Runequest (mostly AD&D 2e and previous, but I have a fair bit of experience with 3e and even 4e). These comparisons mean to illustrate how Runequest diverges from the world’s best-selling fantasy RPG and I do not feel they do either game a disservice. As I stress throughout this piece, those who approach RQ expecting yet another retread of D&D under a different ruleset will be disappointed.

I was a bit miffed not to have a hardcover option available when I made the purchase, but the softcover is beautiful and looks sturdy. The lush cover illustration depicts a female warrior, in arms and armor that bring a Greek hoplite to mind, doing battle with a monstruous reptilian humanoid. It’s a homage to the Runequest 2nd edition (Chaosium) cover, and it says two things right up front. One, this is not one of those fantasy games (“fantasy heartbreakers” in Ron Edward’s phrasing) that seeks to ape D&D under a distinct ruleset; Runequest is its own thing. Two, this is a game with a history, and the authors’ acknowledge and respect it (though rest assured, this is no retread of previous iterations).

The foreword by Steve Perrin (one of the original Runequest authors) remembers the origins of the game, and the introduction by the authors recapitulates its history. Again, it feels like the authors are going out of their way to establish their game as the One True Heir to the Throne of Runequest.

Chapters 1-3 encompass character generation. There are seven Characteristics, all of which are rolled on 3d6, except for two (Intelligence and Size) which are 2d6+6 for humans (human characters are explicitly the norm but it’s trivial to generate a non-human player character from monster stats). Characteristics serve as the basis to calculate Attributes, such as Damage Modifier, Action Points (number of actions per round), Luck Points (your usual bail-your-ass, re-roll points) and Magic Points. Players then choose a Culture (Civilised, Barbarian, Nomadic or Primitive) and have the option of fleshing out their characters by rolling on random tables for background events, social class and family; and by assigning Passions, powerful emotional bonds rated much like skills which can be rolled to influence in-game events. Next comes the choice of Career (occupation) which is less of a character class in the D&D mold, and more like a package of starting skills.

Chapter 4, Skills, details the d100-roll-under task resolution mechanic and lists available Skills.

Chapter 5, Economics & Equipment, goes into a bit of detail on economics, such as discussing bartering and haggling and seasonal availability of goods, before plunging into your usual list of arms and armor. A fair bit of attention to historicity here: not oberwhelming, but for instance, you will find the longsword listed under “Two-Handed Weapons”, and veteran D&D players who are used to glossing over shields or slings would do well to reconsider their prejudices when playing Runequest.

Chapter 6 is something of a catch-all mechanics chapter dealing with everything from aging to traps to Passions to healing from injury.

Chapter 7 is the Combat chapter. Historically, Runequest’s blow-by-blow depiction of combat and straightforward use of hit locations is wildly successful with those who regard D&D’s (especially the TSR-era editions) as too abstract. Combat Styles are discussed; introduced in Mongoose Runequest II (now marketed as Legend), by the same authors, the concept is expanded beyond mere weapon skills and into specific martial art forms, each with specific in-game benefits ranging from Blind Fighting (reduces visual penalties by one grade) to Trained Beast (allows PCs with fighting mounts or animal companions to use their own Action Points to defend the beast).

Also further expanding on material introduced in MRQII/Legend, Action Points dictate a “combat action economy” of sorts as you distribute these points (each equivalent to a single simple action in a round) into offense, defense and movement. This is a change from previous editions (pre-MRQII) and adds a new layer of complexity to combat which may or may not sit well with all groups.

Finally, MRQII/Legend’s Combat Maneuvers have been rechristened Special Effects and their write-ups clarified. They are inflicted by the winnerof an opposed combat skill roll, based on the difference between degrees of success; and they occupy roughly the same niche as critical hit tables in games such as WFRP and Rolemaster, only they can be offensive or defensive. Special Effects can be as simple as Disarm Opponent, as suggestively named as Kill Silently (not an auto-kill, but devastating) or as uniquely Runequestian as Compel Surrender.

Chapter 8-13 deal with magic and give us a glimpse of what I feel to be another one of Runequest’s defining characteristics: its unique metaphysics. Folk Magic is what was referred to as Common Magic in previous editions: small rituals, charms and prayers everyone may use. Animism, called Spirit Magic in some older editions, consists of communion, binding and pacts with spirits. Mysticism, new to RQ6, refers to extraordinary physical and mental feats borne of esoteric discipline, not unlike the extraordinary feats popular culture often ascribes to ascetics and East Asian monastic orders. Sorcery is methodical, formulaic magic. Theism (formerly Divine Magic) stems from pacts with gods.

Chapter 14 details Cults, another staple of Runequest. Characters who wish to learn advanced magic, as well as certain skills, are expected to join a cult. This chapter also extends the structure behind cults to other organizations that are not necessarily religious or magical in nature, such as barbaric warbands, mercenary outfits or even a craft guild or venture company.

Chapter 15 is a well-stocked bestiary in which the usual suspects (dragon, giant, goblin) mingle with more obscure myth (the Greek acephali, the Australian bagini, the positively disgusting Medieval European bonnacon) and of course, ordinary animals (bear, wolf). The good old broo are also featured, as “Chaos hybrids”, and with no mention of Glorantha in sight.

Speaking of which, this is as good a moment as any to observe that not only there is no mention of Glorantha in the core rulebook. Most of the examples given in the book – typically in small italic script by the lateral margin – follow the story of Anathaym, a female warrior in what looks like a thinly disguised Greek (specifically Cretan or Mycean) fantasy pastiche.

Chapter 16 is a fairly concise and no-nonsense GMing advice chapter t hat does a pretty good job of helping the aspiring GM make sense of the tools presented in this particular box, with a bit of general GMing advice on the side. Nothing life-changing; maybe a good read for the beginning GM, but I’m not sure RQ6 is what I’d think of as an introductory game.

Five appendices round out the book; one on a miniatures-friendly “tactical movement” system; the second, a random “chaos features” (think horrific mutation) table; the third, non-human hit locations; and the last two are a character sheet and a combat tracking sheet.

Runequest is one of the giants of our hobby, one of the few traditional fantasy roleplaying games who’s eked a niche for itself outside of the colossal shadow cast by D&D. Lawrence Whitaker and Pete Nash used their critically acclaimed MRQII/Legend revison of the system as the starting point and further refined their innovations, clarifying Combat Styles and Special Effects, and expanding the Cult system into a more wide-ranging mechanic for all sorts of factions. This is what a new edition of a classic game should feel like, in this reviewer’s opinion: it plays to the strengths of the system, further refining the design goals the original authors laid out, and preserving the essence of the game – the lethal combat, the subtle emphasis on characters who belong to communities as opposed to D&D’s vagabond starting PCs, the diverse systems of magic – and enhancing it with new mechanical tools. I’ve called it the Cadillac of Runequests before, and I stand by this assesment.

If you’re looking for something lighter, older editions of Runequest and Stormbringer, or the excellent Openquest, may be a better fit. But if you want the single most complete BRP-powered fantasy RPG, accept no substitutes.

Great review: succinct yet informative!

If I could only play on FRPG for the remainder of my life, this one would be it.  (Fortunately I do not face such a grim fate!)

A well-written and measured review.

Blimey, that's a good synopsis. I now know more about RQ6 than I did before, and I own the book!

Thank you very much for such a positive, well-balanced review. Its much appreciated!

Quote from: Akrasia;616752Great review: succinct yet informative!

Quote from: Killfuck Soulshitter;616935A well-written and measured review.

Quote from: Vile;617188Blimey, that's a good synopsis. I now know more about RQ6 than I did before, and I own the book!

Thank you for the kind words! It was a bit daunting, to review such a monster of a tome, and I hope I wasn't boring or repetitive.

Quote from: Loz;617509Thank you very much for such a positive, well-balanced review. Its much appreciated!

No problem! I'm not much of a reviewer, but I really this one deserves every accolade it can get.

Awesome review, Butch! Its very comprehensive and yet really concise the way I like it.

I ll suggest it for some pals that asked me about RQ6.

Now we just need to play the damn thing!

First I should say that I started playing AD&D(in 1998 at the young age of 17) and I never managed to get along with other rpg systems even though I tried. I didnt like the lethality of combat in other systems as I always figured that in a game the purpose is to have fun, and this was felt by my group of players as well (I was the DM of course).

Only lately I came across Elric of Melnibone, and being an avid fun of Michael Moorcock, I decided to read the book and see what this "new" system is all about. What a revelation! Yes, the combat is most definitely lethal, but the philosophy of the rules reminded me of AD&D, simple to grasp (bear with me, THAC0 is not complex in my opinion), covering what needs to be covered, effective, and most definitely able to represent a setting like the Young Kingdoms perfectly, being lethal and all (I do plan to make an Ancient Greek/mythic setting as I am Greek myself, I will post it as a pdf if/when I do manage to finish it). I do not wish to start a dispute about complex/simple, in my eyes, having so many years of rpg experience, most things look simple, except the damned d&d 3e and onwards, which I never liked.

Then I found runequest 6. I still havent read it all, but all I can say is that I adore it, I adore its combat (it seems to be less lethal though, with no downgrading taking place, I would like someone to point out if thats the case), as it has many tactical options, and generally it seems, and most definitely is, a rulebook that is complete in all the essence of the word. I am not going to play d&d again, that is for sure, and I havent even tried RQ!

Now, I will admit that I didnt purchase the books (yes, I admit I downloaded them illegaly), as I was not sure what it was about, but I am so thrilled that I going to buy the core rulebook ( I am not interested in the least in Glorantha, I prefer Elric and the settings I create myself), and Elric and just use rq6 combat rules in Elric. One question though, are the books available in Greece's hobbystores? I prefer to buy locally to tell you the truth. I do apologise for downloading them, but 1.) I cant find the books locally (I am Greek but I reside in Serbia) 2.) I cant fork out so much money for something I see for the first time in my life. (do help me find those books, I will DEFINITELY support this rpg).

Finally I want to congratulate everyone responsible for such a fine game, it captivated me just by reading the rules. Never had this happen to me before. Any chance there is an Ancient Greek setting already by the way?

Great review.

When is the hardcopy out? Is it already?

I believe they are considering a Kickstarter to fund a hardback. No idea when they will announce this however.

QuoteNow, I will admit that I didnt purchase the books (yes, I admit I downloaded them illegaly), as I was not sure what it was about, but I am so thrilled that I going to buy the core rulebook

I'll turn a blind eye to the piracy bit, as its clearly steered you to wanting to buy the core rules. And that's excellent news. Thank you also for the kind, supportive words. I'm glad you adore the game!

Quote( I am not interested in the least in Glorantha, I prefer Elric and the settings I create myself), and Elric and just use rq6 combat rules in Elric.

Did you know that the latest edition of Elric of Melnibone (which I also love), published by Mongoose, uses the earlier version of RQ6, called 'Legend' now? That Elric book is about 99.5% fully compatible with RQ6. I should know, I wrote both books...

QuoteOne question though, are the books available in Greece's hobbystores? I prefer to buy locally to tell you the truth. I do apologise for downloading them, but 1.) I cant find the books locally (I am Greek but I reside in Serbia) 2.) I cant fork out so much money for something I see for the first time in my life. (do help me find those books, I will DEFINITELY support this rpg).

As far as I know, the game isn't available in Greek stores. It is available directly from Design Mechanism, and also from Leisure Games in the UK, and one or two stores in Germany, which is nearer for you. Why don't you drop me a Private Message and see how we can get you a copy?

QuoteFinally I want to congratulate everyone responsible for such a fine game, it captivated me just by reading the rules. Never had this happen to me before. Any chance there is an Ancient Greek setting already by the way?

Yes, my partner, Pete Nash, is going to be writing an Ancient Greek setting next year.

Thank you again for the endorsement. Send me a PM and we can talk more.

Lawrence

Quote from: Piestrio;666270Great review.

When is the hardcopy out? Is it already?

The hardcopy - although its softback - is already out. Has been for a year.

For a hardback, yes, we intend crowdfunding the production of this, and the campaign will be launched very, very soon (I'm talking days...) and will be using Indiegogo.

No need to thank me for my words, the game is superb and worthy, and this comes from an AD&D fun, so it cant be just my imagination, as I have no prior experience with such a system. I am already advertising it to all my d&d friends, and being Greeks, I am sure that the Ancient Greece setting will appeal to them.

Soft cover here:

http://goo.gl/HpLEq

Quote from: Loz;666397The hardcopy - although its softback - is already out. Has been for a year.

For a hardback, yes, we intend crowdfunding the production of this, and the campaign will be launched very, very soon (I'm talking days...) and will be using Indiegogo.

Hmm...I was going to order the softcover in about a month, but it might be prudent just to wait on the hardcover, if that's the case, and the price is comparable.