Where to begin?

[Alai]

Given the quality of the reply, I can forgive the grave robbing....but must you then committ the cardinal sin of mentioning a HW clan generator without including a link?   ;-)

Mea maxima culpa!  Correct link is mailto:anyoneandeveryone@glorantha.com, subject "Why isn't this in print yet". <g> OK, the _clickable_ link, to the Java applet version, is:
http://glorantha.com/tools/clan_start.html

There are some difficiencies:  lack of much in the way of input as to what do with the generated stats; output can be tricky to print out in some browsers...  But the process of generation itself I can commend unreservedly.

[Jonas]

There will be a new version of the clan generator in Orlanth is Dead, which should be out in a month or so. I've been told the online version will be updated as well. This version will be geared more toward explaining the impact on characters - the current one is lifted from the computer game King of Dragon Pass and provides stats for the clan that aren't terribly useful in a typical HW game. With the new generator you will learn that your clan has attitudes ("Hate Aldryami 1w") that heroes can adopt as their own (like the virtues of gods) and that mythic events have influenced what magic your wyter can do.

I agree completely about creating the clan first, BTW. For a Narrator who knows a lot about Glorantha it's easy to fill out the text of the questionnaire with much more detail, essentially providing background information and engaging players in narrative decisions at the same time. How perfect is that?

[Alai]

There will be a new version of the clan generator in Orlanth is Dead, which should be out in a month or so. I've been told the online version will be updated as well. This version will be geared more toward explaining the impact on characters - the current one is lifted from the computer game King of Dragon Pass and provides stats for the clan that aren't terribly useful in a typical HW game. With the new generator you will learn that your clan has attitudes ("Hate Aldryami 1w") that heroes can adopt as their own (like the virtues of gods) and that mythic events have influenced what magic your wyter can do.

I'm glad to hear about the in-print version -- I had a hope bordering perhaps on being an expectation, that this would be the case, but mystified as I was by its non-appearance over the last _four years_, I wasn't counting my chickens.

I have to quibble with the other comments. While I don't know the ins and outs of their joint development, the web-site version is significantly different from KoDP's; it has more and different questions. What was principally missing was either rules for "playing the clan" in any way that made sensible use of the clan stats directly (though this is by no means beyond the wit of man), or of relating it to character generation, as Jonas says. I'm glad to hear this has been done.

I agree completely about creating the clan first, BTW. For a Narrator who knows a lot about Glorantha it's easy to fill out the text of the questionnaire with much more detail, essentially providing background information and engaging players in narrative decisions at the same time. How perfect is that?

Easy it's not!  And it's especially annoying to solict input for such things, when the majority of your audience will rightly say "What clan generator?", or at best "And this thing works how?". (Let's face it, "on-line", and not even readily downloadable is about the worst possible place for a purported game aid.) A very good idea it is, mind you. I started my current game in 1600, so I had some work to do as those 20 years are action- (and hence question-)packed. It's one of my favourite aspects of "the new game" (that's not HQ vs. HW, that's HW vs. RQ <g>), at least in its first two incarnations, and I have reason to hope the new version will be better still.

Cheers,
Alex.

[Jonas]

the web-site version is significantly different from KoDP's; it has more and different questions

Yeah, but not as different as the new one. :-)

Easy it's not!  And it's especially annoying to solict input for such things, when the majority of your audience will rightly say "What clan generator?", or at best "And this thing works how?". (Let's face it, "on-line", and not even readily downloadable is about the worst possible place for a purported game aid.)

Oh, sorry, I was talking about the new print version. Having gotten a sneak peek at it, I got so fired up that I promptly forgot about the old one.

I think it'll be easier to solicit input when you can sit down with all your players, show them the book and say "This clan generator".

Also, I was mainly talking about starting a new game. Retrofitting stuff into an existing campaign is never easy.

[Stefan Drawert]

let me quickly add some suggestions:

- the Narrator's Book is essential for the tone of the game and for the added magic rules, which really set Glorantha apart from your average FRPG-setting.
- as suggested by others before, go and buy the Glorantha Book. you won't be able to do it without, no way.
- Gloranthan Visions is nothing more than a nice goodie. either the stories aren't  essential or they are viewable for free @ www.glorantha.com [that is the Lightbringer's Quest and Morden Defends The Camp]

basically you're done with this.
but, depending on what or where you want to play, there'll be further essentials....
if you won't play in Dragon Pass, you won't need to buy anything, but you'll have to fill all the gaps yourself. [there are some sources for the lands outside of DP, but either they are OOP or too esoteric to be recommanded easily]
if you want to play in DP King Of Sartar is a MUST-buy, though pure background material.
Thunder Rebels is focused on one DP culture and repeats or refines lot's of stuff from KoS, but you still will need the game information.
Storm Tribe is VERY useful for actual gaming, otherwise it's not essential.  
The same is true to Barbarian Adventures & to a lesser degree to Anaxial's Roster, though the latter isn't DP-setting bound.

if you dig for more on the Orlanthi in DP, the pc-game King Of Dragon Pass [not to be confused with the novel above] is a must. basically it's a kind of Civ with Orlanthi. Great stuff for those who don't need a 3d engine for a game to work.

you can easily skip ALL of RQ1/2/3, the more interesting bits are available on aforementioned homepage [the Cults Of Terror cosmology is very recommended], and also all the fanzines prior to Hero Wars' date of publishing. some are still useful, but I don't think there's anything needed for a beginner. Of the newer fanzines, be sure to check out both books from Unspoken Word, Tarsh In Flames and Uz-the Trolls of Glorantha, but only if you need that specific information for your needs.
stay away from those Works In Progress, for they'll confuse all but the most illuminated and don't add anything mundane & useful [yet...].

the Griselda book of short stories is quite a good read, but kind of generic and therefore non-essential, too.

concluding, all you really need are the first three books [the core books :)]. then decide the what, who and where of your game and based on this your list of must have's will maybe grow considerably.

that's it AFAIC,
hope this helps,

Stefan

[epweissengruber]

Welcome to the lozenge!

When I first read Runequest (c. 1981), I thought to myself: oh, I get it, its the fractious Greek city states versus the Persian empire. Heroic little guys pull off the impossible.  I was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off. But Stafford's suggestive world allowed me to carry it off.

Listen, all it took was 1 look at the highly suggestive map, and I was hooked!  Boldhome (my god, what is that like)? Pimper's Block? Stormwalk Mountain? Snakepipe Hollow?  Note that these are all suggestive names in ENGLISH, not RPG blather like Malrovia, Kalamar, Kerdjian. Sometimes I wish the Glorantha had more names like these.

In any case, you can get this lovely map at:
http://www.issaries.com/new/images/dragonpass_rq2.jpg

I would follow the Sorcerer and Sword tactic and begin with this map. NOTHING Issaries publishes in the future will affect the core of this world.  It is your Glorantha.


Perhaps Gloranthan Visions would be a good buy in this case.

Perhaps ... but don't get hung up on detail. You might have your players involved in some crazy scheme to escort Eastern mystics to the Dragon's Eye, so you will have a brief side trip into Kralorea.  I think that GV would give you all the detail you need to carry that off (NB there are no stats)


My main concern as a GM is not "but I don't know enough to make it real Glorantha (tm)," but rather "when I can afford the time/money to get more 'official' info, how much re-writing and ret-conning am I gonna have to do to use it?"


Lemee see ... why don't you wait a little while for HeroQuest to come out. If you can't wait, I still think the Narrator and the Player's books are all you need (I am a fanboy so I bought them all).

Also, little bits like:
What is the geography of Dragon Pass?
Norwegian weather, Colorado rockies

How long have the Lunars occupied Heortling lands?
Depends: about 20 years I think. You can place your game at the beginning of the invasion or during the rebellion.

Is there any real difference between Sartars and Heortlings?

Heortling is the culture, Sartar was the kingdom

And if so, how should this be reflected in keywords and abilities?

What if I want to inclued Durulz or Uz?
the stats in the Narrator's book are enough, same with the Uz. For trollfiends you can buy the Uz supplement.


Few, if any, of the great and intriguing illustrations actually refer to material presented in the rules. They tease. So, because of the captions, I know that elves are plant-creatures with a semi-group mind. But how do I model that in play? How feasable are Aldryami PCs?

The non-humans are very complicated in Glorantha. They riff on standard fantasy tropes, but have very complex structures (such as the 9 types of Gloranthan dwarf!). The mechanics are very simple.

I think that all Gloranthans (human and non-human) have to decide when they obey the dictates of their culture and when they have to break out into the unknown. Will I leave motherforest to protect my new human friends, an elf might ask. Can I trust this mortal with a my city's newest technology, a dwarf might wonder. These are story premise decisions, not mechanics. And there are no mechanics for complicated things like the communal forest sense of the elves.



And how do I answer these questions without either making it all up (and increasing the re-write/ret-con involved in using published stuff later) or spending many nights sifting through the web?

the Glorantha site has old encyclopedia entries culled from older supplements, and any big questions can be settled quickly.

Lon