Petersen’s Campaign Log (1984)

RuneQuest III Campaign Log

by Jeff Okamoto

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Dramatis Personae

  • Game Master Sandy Petersen

Main Characters

  • Bruce Dresselhaus (Bruce, Slagstone, Tira, Borax, Cimex, Martlet, Harvard)
  • Steve Leary (William Emrys, Ferric, Caswallon, Gunnar, Jankali, Acari, Broken Flint, Maac, Joseph, Ancellus, Alfarson, Uller, Geraldon, Tathar, Zim, Erik, Terion, Argus (N), Starfall, Bandobras, Firebird, Lulu (N), Lanter)
  • Jeff Okamoto (Moloch, Varn, Fred, Thingol, Benderri Ingilli, Wolingafartel, Minx Ingirid, Kreilos, Fletcher, Vela)
  • Craig Sauer (Lutro, Tudor, Gulblomst, Lem, Foxell, Gasp, Staymar)
  • Paul Sweeney (Elwood, Gerfanglesnortz (Gorfang), Ergolin, Ralkin, Dash, Harmast (N), Asmoufr, Ishmael, Talker, Big Rock Falling, Szyzygy)

Minor Characters

  • Al Dewey (Zarina)
  • Ken Felder (Gren, Grimbutt)
  • Jeff Hatch (Dohza, Ivasti, Dropped, Azzoo) John Holmes (Jaranx, Glorion)
  • Bob Jones (Jorj, Tortho, Boo-boo)
  • Zoran Kovacich (Alex, Tim the Encounter, Enkavar, Gai)
  • Ben Monroe (Miles, Norac, Mugumma, Fenric, Bevisric, Tommy Flanagen, Jihad) Jim Schreiber (Tor, Ilaire)
  • Greg Stafford (Wahagrim, Grosko) Emily Sweeney (Efger)
  • Matt Walker (Simon the Fanatic, Mars the Merciless, Worfang, Simon, Eugene)
  • Bit Parts: Shawn Boundy, K. L. Campbell-Robson, John Carnahan (Moi), Bruce Clegg, Morgan Conrad, Tadashi Ehara, Dana Huber, Ann Irwin, Kevin Jacklin, Charlie Krank (Ir), Tim Minas, Eric Petersen (Smersh), Rob Ramsdell, John Sapienza, Jr., Ian Starcher, Alastair Sutherland, Ray Turney

This document is protected by Lhankor Mhy, god of knowledge. May those who profane its pages suffer from Brain Fever.

Copyright © 1984-1990, 1992-1994, 1999, 2004, 2005 by Jeff Okamoto. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/ ). Version 2.0.

Dedication

  • To Alice and Arthur Petersen, whom we watched grow before our eyes;
  • To Grant and LincolnPetersen, who were born during the game;
  • To Wendy Petersen, for whose hospitality we are indebted; But most of all,
  • To Sandy Petersen, for the best five years of gaming.

Foreword

I cannot even remember what year it was when we started. I believe it was 1983, for I had just started college and had completed playtesting ElfQuest for the Chaosium with Steve Perrin. I had begun playtesting RuneQuest III when Sandy Petersen took over the semi-official “House Campaign” from Charlie Krank. This is the Log of that Campaign. It started out on Monday nights at the old Chaosium location in Albany, California.

Because Sandy was also running another RuneQuest campaign at his house in El Cerrito, he decided to merge the two together. This brings together the two largest elements in the Campaign

— the Quest, and Harmast Nightblade, although he was at that time simply an NPC.

The story of Mistvale and the exigers was epic in scale. It was a repeat of The Seven Samurai with us as the samurai. We spent over a year’s worth of our Saturday nights in that set of valleys, with Paul making decisions of strategy and diplomacy as Harmast Nightblade. Harmast eventually took the Path of the Hero and earned the power to defeat the exigers.

Our journey through the plains of Pamaltela was different from anything we had ever seen before. The intriguing custom of the Meeting Contest shows how these people live, with a hospitality and innocence seldom seen in Genertela. The always-annoying Mister Man was an ever- present thorn in our side, and the inspired conversations with the hoolar were golden opportunities for Sandy to let his wicked imagination run wild.

All good things must come to an end, and the end was painful for us all. Sandy decided to leave the Chaosium for Microprose and a job designing computer games. He took his family to Baltimore and the campaign ended with Harvard becoming a Wind Lord and marrying the Hulda maiden Lulu.

I’d like to summarize what I will always remember most about the players with whom I spent the most time. In alphabetical order, Bruce was always the stalwart fighter, who never quite made it to Rune level until the campaign ended. Steve aspired to be as steadfast as Bruce, but his dice rolls were just a little bit shy of the mark. I will always remember the shock of Ben realizing, months later, that it was weak batteries that were causing his DragonBone to roll “00” while Norac was fighting Iul. And finally, Paul, always willing to play characters just a little different from the norm.

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