Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

What is White Bear & Red Moon?

Posted on March 4, 2021

So you might be wondering what is with all these posts referring to White Bear & Red Moon?

  1. WBRM is the foundation for RuneQuest. It underpins what we are presenting in the new RuneQuest line and is key to understanding the Hero Wars. More than any single reference source, this is the one that lets you understand the inspiration behind the setting – and gives you a fell for the dynamics of what is coming.
  2. We are relaunching the game this year. Susan O’Brien and I have been working hard on giving WBRM the same sort of visual, graphic, and clarity upgrades that Galeforce Five recently gave the classic Dune board game.

As I work on the RQ Campaign book, the connection between it and WBRM becomes ever stronger.

Steve Perrin says

WB&RM originally designated its counters with the runes we all know from RQ instead of the usual military iconography. Looking for a unique name for the RPG, and not wanting Greg’s work on the runes to go to waste, I cobbled runes together with heroic quests to get RuneQuest. You’re welcome.

Steve Perrin, March 2021

Steve & Rick say

Rick Meints – Avalon Hill sold more copies of the game Dragon Pass than Chaosium sold of WB&RM.

Steve Perrin – WB&RM was sold by word of mouth and minimal advertising in an envelope, no way to display it without work by the game store proprietor. Dragon Pass was boxed, with a catchy title on the spine. It’s all marketing.

Rick Meints – I have no opinion on which version is superior, I never played Dragon Pass. At one point I got Into an epic game of WB&RM with Dave Hargrave and Greg and I think one other, so there were four players. I think Dave won in the way such games are usually won, he had the best position when we had to put it away. I think I was playing Sartar, the fourth player had the Lunars, and Greg and Dave had strong independent forces. I think Dave was centered on the nonhumans with the Inhuman King leading and Ironhoof as his Superhero. Greg had Cragsider and Androgenous in the positions.

Steve Perrin – The original map for Shadows Dance was very small. Warren James brought it home (he was our housemate at the time) and attached it to the DP and NG maps we had pinned to the wall. A couple of years later I was about to sell it as a bit of Glorantha trivia when Greg spotted it and said it was the only map he had. Warren could be acquisitive that way.

Rick Meints – WB&RM had 3/4″ hexes. Dragon Pass had 5/8″ hexes. Regardless of that, it was 5 miles per hex

Dragon Pass editions
Dragon Pass with no hexes
Japanese edition (with friends)
Photo credit, Rick Meints

Jeff Richard

Next
Previous
Avalon Hill, Dragon Pass (board game), Hobby Japan, Maps, Rick Meints, Steve Perrin, White Bear / Red Moon

Sections

  • Search Tips
  • Current RuneQuest Glorantha Publications
  • RuneQuest Glorantha Corrections and Q&A
  • Catalogue
  • References for Glorantha
    • Gloranthan Canon
  • Gloranthan Documents
  • RPG Systems & Versions
  • Gallery
  • Role-playing in Glorantha
  • About This Site
  • Get involved!

Latest Posts

  • Boldhome Embassies

    In general, Gloranthan kingdoms and empires send representatives to each …
  • Yanioth the Red-Haired Huntress

    Yanioth Two-Sight was born in 1577, the daughter of Arene …
  • The Founding of the Colymar Tribe

    Colymar was the son of a farmer of the Orshanti …
  • Chaos and The Great Compromise

    The Spike held Glorantha together in the Gods Time. The …
  • Notes on The Red Goddess and Chaos

    In 1220 ST, great stirrings in the world centered in …

Links

  • Chaosium
  • Glorantha on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest Glorantha on MeWe
  • Glorantha Wiki on Fandom
  • Prince of Sartar Webcomic
  • Glorantha G+ Archives on Tapatalk
  • Search mailing list archive

Latest from BRP Central

  • Timeline Please
  • Out now in hardcover: The Meints Index to Glorantha, 3rd Edition
  • Hyalor Cult?
  • Active sorcery spells
  • Request for info: The "taming" of the Telmori
  • Why would a Golden Bow shaman be adventuring in Sartar? (Alternate question: How old should a shaman be to have an assistant?)
  • help with heroquest idea?
  • Monster Empire
  • Kallyr was busy
  • Adventures in Nochet, Esrolia

Popular Tags

2007 Avalon Hill Boldhome Chaosium Chaos pantheon Cult demographics Cults of Runequest (preview) Ernalda Esrolia (homeland) FR G+ post Greg Stafford Guide to Glorantha (preview) Humakt Issaries Jar-eel Kralorelan pantheon Lunar Empire Lunar Pantheon Magazine Malkioni pantheon Map Maps Michael O’Brien Mongoose Nochet (metropolis) Nomad Gods Oriflam Orlanth Orlanthi pantheon Photo reference Population demographics Prax (homeland) Praxian pantheon RQ3 RQG Sandy Petersen Sartar (homeland) Spirit Cult Subcult Tales of the Reaching Moon Troll Pantheon Yelm Yelmalio Yelm Pantheon

Recently added or updated

  • Boldhome Embassies

  • Yanioth the Red-Haired Huntress

  • The Founding of the Colymar Tribe

  • Chaos and The Great Compromise

  • CHA4032 RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary – Q&A

  • Protected: CHA4042 – The Prosopaedia (2023)

  • Zaytenera

  • Zotulla

  • Zong the hunter

  • Zzabur

  • Zorak Zoran

  • Zaktirra

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 16 Sorcery Spells Q&A

  • CHA4034 Red Book of Magic – Chapter 02 Rune Magic Spells Q&A (A-M)

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 04 Homelands Q&A

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 07 Combat Q&A pages 206-225

  • London Calling… A wonderful presentation on the Guide to Glorantha project (2013)

  • CHA4035 RQ Starter Set – Book 1 Rules – Q&A

  • CHA4039 The Smoking Ruin and other Stories – Q&A

  • Teelo Norri

©2023 The Well of Daliath | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme