Underground adventures – ancient ruins, caves, tunnels, etc. – are particularly exciting in RuneQuest.
First – combat in Darkness is filled with perils. Missile weapons are often close to useless. Melee weapons get huge penalties unless you have a good source of light. Unless there is a Yelmalio cultist in the party, this usually means some poor sap has to carry a lantern or other light source.
Second – it is very easy to get lost underground. I’ve seen parties hammer bronze nails into rock, draw stuff with chalk on the walls, and even bring string! One group made incredible use of a Pavis Pointer to orient themselves underground.
Third – your opponents don’t have these disadvantages. They are likely familiar with the twists and turns of wherever this is, and either have their own light sources or worse – in the case of trolls – can “see” in darkness!
Combine that with RQ’s dangerous combat system and the limited magical resources characters have (two minutes are over in a flash, and even fifteen minute Rune spells don’t last that long if you are stumbling around in the dark), and underground adventures are more frightening than battles or a trip to the Devil’s Marsh!
