The Book
THE COMPANION is a sourcebook of articles, stories, and pictures useful to or entertaining to RuneQuest referees and players alike; its wide variety of subjects and forms will stimulate new adventures in any campaign or fill up quiet evenings at home.
The Companion fills a void left by the demise of Wyrms Footnotes, a magazine dedicated at the last solely to RQ articles; it was then the best source for RQ rules variants and steadily published new Gloranthan arcana.
Frustratingly to many, the earliest issues of the Footnotes were never reprinted, so that only savvy collectors had access to important material for RuneQuest® and White Bear & Red Moon (since retitled Dragon Pass). The most RQ-pertinent of those essays and illustrations appear here.
But the majority of the Companion is new material – a lot of research and writing has occurred since the first issues of WF in 1976!
Contents Include
| Jonstown Compendium – excerpts from this massive chronicle make clear obscure mythic relations and reveal contemporary and ancient history. | Expanded RQ Cult Compatibility Chart – updates and revises slightly the way that all Chaosium-published cults view each other. |
| Cults Index – this is an up-to-date list of all cults published by Chaosium. | More On Trolls – Additional information about trolls which has come to light since Trollpak. |
| The Skullbush – a previously-unmentioned bush startles those travelers new to Prax. | Walktapus Cooking – a gourmet’s guide to walktapus cuts, including a well-tested recipe; handy reference card. |
| Smell of a Rat – a story of fine detective-work in the Lhankor Mhy cult. | The Maze of Shaxry Oborok – Take your favorite character (or the one you like least) into Shaxry’s domain. A RQ solo adventure, playable several times. |
| The Holy Country – including a 2-page map, this study relates myth and history of the land between Dragon Pass and the sea. | Prince Argrath’s Entry into Boldhome – A personal record of the hero’s return to the Sartar capital. |
| A History of My Black Horse Troop – Sir Ethilrist tells of his battle with a very hungry foe. | Cad Goddeu – the late Gene Day’s 2-page illustration of this ancient struggle. |
| Unicorns – a basic essay about these wonderful beings, including ecological notes. | Dispatch From Fadabius – first-hand description of Dragon Pass events during the Hero Wars. |
History, Stories and Play-Aids
Details
Original Credits:
- maps: Charlie Krank
- editing: Lynn Willis
- artists: Rick Becker, William Church, Gene Day, Kevin Ramos, Steve Swenston
- authors: Bill Johnson, Sherman Kahn, Alan LaVergne, Jim McCormick, Ron Nance, Sandy Petersen, Greg Stafford
- proofreading: Sherman Kahn
Classic Edition:
- Proofreading by Susan O’Brien
- Layout by Nicholas Nacario
- ISBN# 978-1-56882-520-5
- System: RQ2
Editions
The RuneQuest Classic Edition Kickstarter recreations are identified as Classic editions.
| SKU | Name | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHA4023 | RuneQuest Companion | 1983 | |
| CHA4023-PDF | RuneQuest Companion | 2019 | 2nd edition Classic PDF. |
| CHA4023-S | RuneQuest Companion | 2019 | 2nd edition Classic Softcover. |
| CHA4023-S-POD | RuneQuest Companion | 2020 | 2nd edition Classic Print on Demand (POD). |
Contents
- Welcome To The Runequest Companion
- An Expanded Cult Compatibility Chart
- This revised chart contains listings for all of the cults published by Chaosium.
- An Index To Runequest Cults, collected by Sherman Kahn
- This alphabetical listing of cults is divided into two categories: Gloranthan and Non-Gloranthan cults.
- The Jonstown Compendium by Greg Stafford
- A glimpse into the workings of the Lhankor Mhy knowledge-storage systems.
- The Harlot Of Alone by Ron Nance
- A touching fragment translated from the diary of an unknown soldier.
- The Maze Of Shaxry Oborok, A Solo Adventure for RuneQuest by Alan LaVergne
- A RuneQuest solo adventure! The wily magician Shaxry Oborok has fashioned this maze to challenge the most experienced adventurers. Dare you pit your skills and magics against his?
- Walktapus Cooking, translated by Bill Johnson
- From Beat Pot Alewrin’s very own cookbook. Now you, too, can enjoy these savory delicacies favored by Lunar citizenry.
- The Holy Country by Greg Stafford
- The mythos and history of the magical land located to the south of Dragon Pass.
- A Species Spotlight: Unicorns by Sandy Petersen
- An intriguing study of these often misunderstood creatures.
- The Dispatch Of Fadabius by Ron Nance
- A translation of a letter from a loyal scribe, Fadabius Sunneil, to a friend in Furthest. It provides insight into the troubles in the Dragon Pass region during the Hero Wars.
- Illusion Magic by Greg Stafford
- For the first time, illusion theory and spells for use in RuneQuest
- Rune Spells: Frame, Motion, Odor, Taste, Sight, Sound, Substance
- For the first time, illusion theory and spells for use in RuneQuest
- Skullbush by Sandy Petersen
- A look at the only food crop unique to the Praxian environment. This article also includes a price list of oilseed-derivative products.
- Prince Argrath’s Entry Into Boldhome, by Ron Nance
- An eyewitness account of the Liberator’s triumphant entrance into the beleagured Sartar capital.
- The Smell Of A Rat by Alan LaVergne
- A tongue-in-cheek investigation starring the greatest detective in all Glorantha.
- A History Of My Black Horse Troop by Greg Stafford
- Wisdom from one of Glorantha’s greatest heroes, Ethilrist. In this fragment, he recounts his battle with the monstrous Hungry Jack.
- An Illustration Of Cad Goddeu, The Battle For The Trees
- Drawn from the Red Book of Hergest, the late Gene Day illustrated this conflict of ancient legend.
- More On Trolls by Sandy Petersen
- Sandy Petersen reviews his treatment of trolls in Trollpak and provides new information.
- The Ivory Plinth by Greg Stafford
- Originally a chant of the Tusk Riders, this is the only portion uttered by Ydom-Yee, famous traveller.
- Runequest Errata
- This is the final presentation of these corrections and additions to the RuneQuest rules.
- Companion Questionnaire
Related Pages
- CHA4001 RuneQuest (1978, 1979, 2015)
- CHA4002 Balastor’s Barracks (1978, 2016)
- CHA4003 Apple Lane (1978, 2016)
- CHA4004 Trolls and Trollkin (1978, 2016)
- CHA4005 Creatures of Chaos 1: Scorpion Men and Broos (1978, 2016)
- CHA4006 Militia & Mercenaries (1979, 2016)
- CHA4007 Snake Pipe Hollow (1979, 2016)
- CHA4008 Cults of Prax (1979, 2016)
- CHA4009 Foes (1980)
- CHA4010 Gateway Bestiary (1980, 2018)
- CHA4011 Plunder (1980, 2016)
- CHA4012 Rune Masters (1980, 2017)
- CHA4013 Griffin Mountain (1981, 2018)
- CHA4014 Cults of Terror (1981, 2016)
- CHA4015 Borderlands (1982, 2018)
- CHA4016 Trollpak (1982, 2019)
- CHA4017 SoloQuest (1982, 2018)
- CHA4018 Questworld (1982)
- CHA4019 SoloQuest 2: Scorpion Hall (1982, 2018)
- CHA4020 SoloQuest 3: The Snow King’s Bride (1982, 2018)
- CHA4021 Pavis: Threshold to Danger (1983, 2019)
- CHA4022 Big Rubble (1983, 2019)
- CHA4024 RuneQuest Old School Resource Pack (2016)
1983, 2019, A History of My Black Horse Troop, Alan Lavergne, Argrath (Prince of Sartar 1627-1629), Beat-Pot Aelwrin, Bill Johnson, Black Horse Troop, Boldhome (large city), Chaosium, Cult Compatibility, Ethilrist, Gene Day (artist), Greg Stafford, Holy Country, Hungry Jack, Illusions, Ivory Plinth (Temple of the Bloody Tusk), Ron Nance, RQ2, Runequest Companion, Sandy Petersen, Sherman Kahn, Skullbush, Skullbush (Praxian plant), SoloQuest, Tusk riders, Unicorn
Page Last updated: 2026-07-19 14:46:27