Glorantha for Beginners (2012)

Submitted by RoM on Thu, 11/10/2012 – 06:16

Tomorrow I am going to run a one-shot adventure (maybe starting a new series) with people who don’t know Glorantha at all. Some of them haven’t even played any roleplaying game yet.What is the best adventure to start with? I want to show the players the uniqueness and spirit of Glorantha. It should be a story that is only possible in Glorantha, something special, non-generic. So I want something with gods and heroes, magic and the Other Side. Not so much dungeon crawls or hack and slash. On the other hand I don’t want to ask too much of my players. If they are overwhelmed they might not play again. So please give me your opinion for the best introduction into Glorantha.

RAINING FISHES

Submitted by Herve on Thu, 11/10/2012 – 14:45.

My first ever HQ scenario : RAINING FISHES, from the HQ1 book. Fishes are falling from the skies. The clan chief says “go look it up”. Three page long. Efficient, fun then sinister, full of wonder. And you can set it up almost anywhere.

Submitted by Heort on Thu, 11/10/2012 – 13:09.

Why not “Chasing kites”, from the HeroQuest 1 rulebook? I’ve used it with beginners two times, it works. Straight and short story, signs from Humakt, a plot related to a clan’s deep secret…Other possibility: “The ghosts of the ridge”, in Sartar Companion. There too, an ancient secret, with emphasis on traditions and laws of the Orlanthi…At last, a great story from Fabian Kuechler, “Call of Humakt”, deeply gloranthan with nice otherworld stuff, but unfortunately it is not published… yet. 😉

Thanx to all

Submitted by RoM on Thu, 11/10/2012 – 16:09.

Thanks for all the tips. I guess I will have a sleepless night now, reading all the stuff you told me. Hopefully my players will appreciate it 🙂

First game

Submitted by David on Thu, 11/10/2012 – 11:43.

I’d opt for the opening scenario of the Colymar Campaign in The Sartar book – starts in a ceremony on the otherside – you can get the players to interact with the goddesses and get magic abilities.
Alternately there’s are two flashback scenario before that – The Battle of Hofstaring’s Flood and Larnste’s Table.
New players in my game found the sequence of flashbacks then the opening scenario great fun as it allowed them to explore their characters before the main game kicked off.
We Choose occupations, then Flashback 1 – then picked runes, , then clan generation, question 29 is flashback 2, then a bit more character work, then the main scenario, the feast of beasts. Make sure all the heroes get a role in the heroquest and the chance of some new magic.
One of my players found Ernalda unattractive and so went after her mother – which played out nicely later in the game.
There are Ducks, beastpeople, politics, magic, the call to adventure, boasting and dancing – what more could you want.

—–

David Scott

one possibility is to create a clan

Submitted by Charles on Thu, 11/10/2012 – 10:12.

What about creating an Orlanthi clan using the online generator? Lots of gods and heroes!

Against: it is preparation for a game, not playing the game.
For: the players get to drive it and can ask questions about the consequences of their choices and who is this god that they are choosing anyway.

maybe not at first

Submitted by RoM on Thu, 11/10/2012 – 11:02.

That’s a good idea. But I think I wouldn’t do that on the first day. Maybe on the second, when the players know what Glorantha is and how RPGs work.

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