I'm still reading the rules to heroquest, but I've already decided that "me likey". So at times when I can't read the rules (work is so pesky), I've been thinking about campaigns. One thing I've always wanted to do, and been reminded by Master & Commander (read the books, too), is a sea campaign.
Anyways, long ramble for a short question - if you were just starting out with Glorantha, and were going to run a campaign centered on the ocean, where would you start it?
-Jeff
Good question. I'd retrace the voyages of Dormal.
He opened the oceans and is revered as a hero or god by many cultures in Glorantha. He also traveled extensively, starting in the Holy Country. All you need is a good reason for doing it, and a nefarious enemy (or three) trying to stop you. This is where you need to play a little fast and loose with Gloranthan history and myth, but of cousre that's what the Hero Wars are all about!
Perhaps the adventurers are trying to recover an artifact of Dormals that was lost during his voyages, or to rediscover some secret of his that was lots. Perhaps there have been visions sent by Dormal that somethign terrible will happen unless a great ritual is performed and only by retracing his voyage can all the elements of the ritual be discovered. You need his Compass, his Rutter (log book), the net he used to catch a magical fish, etc.
Of course there are others trying to beat you to it, some perhaps for chivalrous reasons, but others in order to foil or pervert the ritual. Undoubtedly the Vadeli will have some vile reason for wanting to scupper your plans.
Sorry it's such a bare skeleton of an idea, but Dormal isn't one of my special interests.
Simon Hibbs
Simon has mentioned Dormal and there are the great dragonships of the Waertagi from before the closing. In Sog City there is a cult of the Ship and City which preaches the return of a least one. I've seen some information on the web extracted from the University of Sog City Conference Guide which is out of print although 2nd hand copies turn up sometimes. The setting most easily available though is the Wolf Pirates and the cult of Ygg which is on Issaries web site. There's other stuff on the web and in the Glorantha digest archives but it might be difficult for a beginner to fit into the rules.
Some tantalizing bits along these lines can be found at http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72320&perpage=10&highlight=Heroquest%20Pirates&pagenumber=3
Hey all, thanks for the tips and links.
Now I need a week off to rummage through it all. :-)
-Jeff
Taking inspiration from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, how about a game based on a journey to the Uttermost West of Glorantha? There would be islands for almost any situation the narrator wanted to introduce, and I think you could do interesting things with shipboard relationships and HQ mechanics. The game begins when the ship leaves port and ends--who knows where?
Quote from: droogThe game begins when the ship leaves port and ends--who knows where?
The question would be why? Is this an emulation of some Hero Quest or something? Or just some advanturous folks off to find what they can find?
Mike
A number of possibilities present themselves, several of which have been touched on already. Another two are:
- A game set in Glorantha's Second Age centered around the Jrusteli Empire (aka the Middle Sea Empire) would be ideal if you want Wizardry to be the most common form of magic. David Dunham ran just this sort of campaign during the Hero Wars playtest and described the major settlements on the isle of Jrustela here (http://www.glorantha.com/greg/jrustela.html). There is plenty of information on the Web. Google searches on the terms Jrustela (http://www.google.com/search?q=Jrustela&btnG=Google+Search&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8), Jrusteli (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Jrusteli&btnG=Google+Search), Middle Sea Empire (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22Middle+Sea+Empire%22&btnG=Google+Search) and God Learners (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22God+Learners%22&btnG=Google+Search) should turn up quite a bit of information.
- The East Isles are another perfectly splendid place to set a campaign. The "Ten Thousand Islands of Wonder" allow for considerable narrator freedom to create his own cultures without fear of being contradicted by canon. While there is some material about specific islands and island confederations (Haragala, Korola (http://www.geocities.com/Paris/8689/korola.html), Golden Mokato, Vormain), the majority remains "undiscovered". I would suggest picking up a pair of of Greg's "Pre-finished Works": Missing Lands (http://www.warehouse23.com/item.cgi?ISS3005) and Revealed Mythologies (http://www.warehouse23.com/item.cgi?ISS3006). Many previously unknown details about Glorantha's oceans and the religions of East, West and South will be found within. Also, Nils Weinander wrote up the Korolan Isles above, is one of the authorities on the East Isles, and also is one of the webmasters for Issaries. Run this Google search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22Nils+Weinander%22+%22East+Isles%22&btnG=Google+Search) and you are bound to come across all manner of goodies.
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In fact, I was just commenting earlier today to an acquaintance that I would like to run a swashbuckling high-seas campaign set in Glorantha, full of pirates, exotic island cultures and keets in abundance. Think of Pirates of the Caribbean (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0325980/) meets Whale Rider (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0298228/) meets 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0046672/)... and then some.
Quote from: Mike HolmesThe question would be why? Is this an emulation of some Hero Quest or something? Or just some advanturous folks off to find what they can find?
Mike
Could be either or neither--Prince Caspian is off to find seven of his father's friends who were lost at sea. Something like that would be better HQ than just a raid-and-trade mission. Perhaps the prehistoric voyage of a Vadeli mariner holds the secret to defeating the Kingdom of War. Whatever.
The East Isles would make a terrific maritime game with a Southeast Asian flavour. It could feature Kethaelan or Malkioni traders going mad in the tropics (think Somerset Maugham), or it could be all native with sampans, exotic martial arts and Vormaini pirates.
It's not the Ocean, but Felster Lake, I've always thought, could be used for some sea-going fun. A little Mediterranean campaign, slipping into court intrigue on land.
One of the Argraths - Gareth Shaprsword - circumnavigates Glorantha with Harrek the Berserk, the White Bear, and his crew of Wolf Pirates. King of Sartar gives most of the information on this. The chronology goes something like:
1621- An immense cradle containing a giant baby floats down the River of Cradles. Garreth Sharpsword leads a band of Sartarite rebels in taking the cradle before the Lunars can capture it, and piloting it down river to the ocean.
- There they meet Harrek the Beserk and a wolf pirate fleet, and embark with them on their voyage to plunder the world
- They visit Teshnos (where there appears to be a fight involving elephants); Teleos; Yanchi City; Laskal; Oenriko Rocks; Jrustela; Pithdaros; and Noloswal.
1624 - The Wolf Pirate fleet returns to Palmetela.
Probably Glorantha's greatest viking raid ;-)
Harrek is Glorantha's Conan equivalent - so lots of Conan the Buccaneer style S&S mixed with vikings and pirates seems appropriate. Ideal as a world-spanning game. You should be able to get enough out of Glorantha and from the Missing Lands 'unfinished work' to run this.
You probably want to have the heroes ship as scouts probing out ahead of the main fleet to avoid deprotagonizing your heroes. IIRC the forthecoming Masters of Luck and Death has a wolf-pirate hero band called the sea-skippers in it if you are short for inspiration. But generally a wolf-pirate hero band would be a ship. Wolf pirate ships often have a living prow, with the guardian being bound into it - so the ship becomes the groups guardian being (YGMV).
So you can definitely do this in the Hero Wars period.
i believe II is working on a Seas & Sailors book which will lead into a 'at sea' game - though dealing with later events in the Hero Wars than Harreksaga.
HTH.
by the way the Wolf Pirates are of two origins: Ygg's Islanders (who are sterotypically ruthless viking - Ygg is a norse poetic name for Odin - think the Kirk Douglas movie 'The Vlkings' for details) form the core recruited by Harrek but they are supplemented by pirates drawn from everyone else in the entire world.
Yep, a character from absolutely any origin can be rationalised as a wolf pirate. Ideal huh?
In addition the RQ supplement 'Strangers in Prax' has some great Jonathan Tweet episodes with a Moby Dick flavour if you can track it down on e-bay. One key point made there is that sailors are rare. The oceans have only been open twenty years. Sailors are also mistrusted. Everyone remembers the last being sea-going empire the God Learners with hatred. The multi-culturalism of sailors, who have experienced diverse influences and ways, is considered dangerous, alien, and threatening by most of the conservative cultures of the end of the gloranthan third age.
Hi to all
I am the Issaries co-ordinator for the Sailors and Oceans books and would welcome any who feel they can contribute episodes/campaign ideas to an official campaign book. I have an official campaign outline and some ideas but am always open to those who are serious about contributing.
You can contact me on
gloranthan@hotmail.com
Quote from: LudochI am the Issaries co-ordinator for the Sailors and Oceans books...
Welcome to the Forge, Martin!
QuoteI have an official campaign outline and some ideas...
I'd be curious to see (sea?) what you have in mind. Most of my seagoing interest lays in the East Isles, Vormain and Trowjang, but I'm always up for discussing the lozenze at large. :)
I know this thread has been dormant for a while, but the next issue of Tradetalk, the German english language HQ magazine, has some articles that will be if great interest to anyone thinking of running a seaborne game set in Glorantha. It has excelent articles on Golden Kareshtu (think Ottomans/Barbary Coast), and the Kumanku islands (think idylic island archipelago conquered by the above). The article on Kumanku by Simon Bray is particularly excellent. There are articles detailing other parts of the Pamaltelan coast, and some articles I haven't seen, but IMHO these are the highlights.
http://www.tradetalk.de
Simon Hibbs
And from the Issaries products page, Masters of Luck and Death (due out this month) has the Sea Skippers hero band.