Need good intro to HQ

[motherlessgoose]

I am considering buying HQ.  I have perused the rulebook in the store and was at first highly turned off by the price.  I was also taken aback by how different it is than other RPGs.   The concept of the heroquest is still a little foreign to me.  

Finally yesterday I picked up the book again and read how the heroes are really supposed to act out myths as a form of ritual.  THAT piqued my interest.  I am very much into real world mythology.  The idea of "ritual is acting out a myth" probably came from Joseph Campbell, I'm guessing.

Where is a good primer on the Net for what is really going on in HQ.  I have no idea what the Hero Wars really are.  What's up with the gods fighting?  I do not understand what the different otherworlds are.  I just need a good FAQ for Glorantha.

Also, it looks like the background for the Glorantha setting is sparse.  Is the rulebook really playable by itself?  What's up with the Hero Wars books? Are they compatible with HQ or should I wait for HQ supplements to replace them?  From looking at the Issaries and Warehouse23 website I cannot tell the difference between Hero Wars stuff and HQ stuff, do I need to?

What books do you think a brand-newcomer to Glorantha should get?

[pete_darby]

Issaries has got as good a set of introductory pages for Glorantha as I think are around... Just follow the New Here link form the top left. The highlighted section on that page is the best advice you're going to get before going forward.

Yes, it really is playable from just the Rulebook. In fact, it's probably "playable" from just the Hero Book, though I'd be more comfortable running it from the main rulebook.

You don't need to know what stuff was published as HW and what as HQ... there are quite few substantive changes (mostly towards making things easier), and those that make a difference are covered in errata on the Issaries website.

I think a brand newcomer can do very well with just the HQ book; what to get next depends on what your group wants to play. Heortling culture has plenty of stuff available, and some more coming, Lunar cultures have a good book, and lots more coming, Dragon Pass has a Gazeteer newly out, it's very good for Lunar, Heortling, or "other" games set in that area.

For more background, but still focused on Heortlings, is the "novel," King of Sartar, which gives you an authentically unreliable "historical" record of the "current" events of the Hero Wars.

I'd also recommend having a look at the yahoo groups deidated to HQ and Glorantha... these range from the sepcifically newbie friendly HQ-rpg, and HQ-rules for more mechanical, less Glorantha focussed stuff.

Then there's the Glorantha Digest, for more in depth stuff, and Open-Heroquest, for abuse. Really, it's compulsory. Watch the most respected glorantha fans, writers and players insult each other about their politics, nationalities, drinking preferences, and occassionally mention Glorantha.

I'd stay away from that one for a while, then.

And, of course, the Forge's forum, which I think I'm right in saying is more focussed on actual play than the other groups.

Hope this helps, hope you decide to take the plunge. BTW, if you're into Campbell, the history of the 2nd age (when you get to it) can kind of be read as Greg Stafford gets heavily into Campbell, then revolts against the Monomyth, so Glorantha does too...

[Mike Holmes]

In case you weren't aware, the site Pete's talking about is at: http://www.glorantha.com/

If you want a taste of the rules, download the quickstart under support.

And get the game and play it. Yes its different - it's better. Also, Heroquesting can be as large or as small a part of the game as you like. The game isn't just about Hero Quests. These only happen on special occasions, and are just an interesting option for play when it comes time that they make sense to use.

Mike

[motherlessgoose]

Are the quick start rules the Demo or is that in the Hero book?

[Mike Holmes]

The quickstart is just rules, though there's a demo at the site as well, I think. Lots of stuff there, actually. More than enough to get you going.

Mike

[Bankuei]

Hi M,

The last issue of Daedalus has several articles about HQ, specifically dealing with mythology.  You can find it at:

http://www.chimera.info/daedalus/index.html  

Chris

[Scripty]

The Daedalus stuff that Bankuei mentions above is good, IMO, and gives you an idea of the types of games that you can run in the setting.

You could also get the Hero's Book. It's only $11-12 and has most of the basic rules for HeroQuest in it, along with a smidgen of setting information about the Lunars and the Heortlings. It's good, IMO, and helped me wrap my head around some rules that were still a bit fuzzy after reading the core book (whether that was reading the information over again in a new publication or the sprinkling of new examples is anyone's guess).

For some reason, my FLGS is convinced that the Hero's Book doesn't exist, so I've bought my copies from Warehouse 23: http://www.warehouse23.com/

They were really nice and fast too. With the Hero's Book and the Game Aids download, I'd say you have all the material you might need to run a game in another setting using the HQ rules.

But, IMO, the Narrator's chapter in the corebook is quite handy. Some of the best printed advice (for any game) I've seen outside of Robin Laws' Guide.

Besides if you think of the corebook as not just a corebook but a Player's Handbook, DM's guide, Monster Manual, an adventure module, a setting sourcebook (like "Forgotten Realms") and a couple of wizard and cleric splatbooks, the price seems more reasonable. To get a comparable value out of D&D, it would cost you (easily) $150.

I still consider the HeroQuest book (even at $40) to be among the best values I've ever bought in an RPG. Right up there with my Call of Cthulhu book.

[Ian Cooper]

Don't forget HeroQuest Voices. It is free and gives you and your players a great insight into the views of Gloranthan cultures. IMO the two-page Homelands work best when supplemented with their voices entry:

http://www.glorantha.com/products/3001.html