RuneQuest, RoleMaster and the Podcast

As you might have noticed, I haven't written anything new recently due to some minor trials and tribulations, but I'm still here. In fact, I managed to release the first episode of "Season 4" of my podcast, which details the topic of spell-switching (previously mentioned on this blog) among other topics.

Besides that, I've been reading my Character Law rules book for Rolemaster Classic, as well as going over material, old and new, for Rune Quest (which I intend to run this year).

I haven't played Rolemaster in about 30 years, and to be frank, I thought that the level of crunch and reliance on complex tables would be a serious put off for me today, as these days I tend to eschew crunch in favor of simplicity.

Rolemaster Classic is a revised version of the 2nd edition of the game, which is the one I used back in the day, and I must say I'm quite impressed with the quick reference layout, options and numerous examples. Despite the complexity of the rules, there's a clarity and economy of language that is absent in many popular games today. Whether I'll get it to the table again is another question, but reading it again has reminded me why I was so enamored with it all those years ago.

Meanwhile, one game I do intend to run this year (actually delayed from December 2021) is Rune Quest Glorantha.

While going over the campaign I intend to run (Six Seasons in Sartar), I got sidetracked into looking up old adventures for Rune Quest 3, including The Money Tree (from the Advanced rule book) as well as When Mad Gods Laugh and A Tale to Tell (both from White Dwarf magazine). It then hit me that I was no novice to this at all - I'd GMed all of these adventures and more back in 1987 when I was 13!

Looking back, I realized that I'd GMed for many different systems - some of them quite complex - between the ages of 11 and 14. Those that I clearly remember include AD&D, Rune Quest, Stormbringer, MERP, Rolemaster and WFRP. In the case of AD&D and MERP/Rolemaster, I must have clocked up a good few hundred sessions each during those early years. That's pretty hardcore, and probably also explains my lack of athletic ability!

Anyway, in case you're interested, here's a link to my latest podcast episode:

https://anchor.fm/menion/episodes/Spell-switching-in-Old-school-DD-e1g9iok


Comments

  1. Roll to SaveWednesday, 13 April, 2022

    I know what you mean about early days of role playing. I was talking to a friend about that recently, and decided to count what I had run. Between 1985 and 1991 I ran games for:
    Maelstrom
    Fighting Fantasy
    WFRP
    Call of Cthulhu
    MERP
    Heroes Unlimited
    Paranoia
    Dark Conspiracy

    The thing that surprised me when I started thinking about this was the fact - like you mention above - that I run HUNDREDS of these sessions. We played at lunchtime every day, and we often played at weekends and in the evenings.

    Curiously, that list only includes games I ran - I was exposed to (and bought!) waaaay more games.

    Truly, it was a golden age!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MenionWednesday, 13 April, 2022

      Yeah - I'd be well up for running at least one of my games weekly, but I clearly have more time than other people!

      Delete

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