Pyramid Review
RuneQuest
Published by Mongoose Publishing
Written by Matthew Sprange
Cover by Bob Cram & Dan Howard
Illustrated by Eric Bergeron, Scott Clark, Alexandre Draude, Juan Manual Espinosa, Ryan Horvath, Danilo Moretti, Tony Parker, Phil Renne, & Chad Sergesketter.
130-page b&w hardcover; $24.95
These days, it seems that nothing remains out of print for very long. The trend of returning to gaming classics begun in 2005 continues in 2006 with the re-publication of RuneQuest and not by anyone you would expect. First published in 1978, RuneQuest offered integrated skills and combat mechanics employing the Basic RolePlay system that would go on to power so many of Chaosium's future titles. It also offered an integral setting in Glorantha, a highly detailed Bronze Age world in which anyone could learn any skill or spell, there being no set professions or classes. Only with the publication of RuneQuest III in 1987 by Avalon Hill did the game move away from Glorantha and offer something more generic.
This new RuneQuest -- Rune Quest IV? -- published by the UK's largest RPG company, Mongoose Publishing, sits somewhere in between being a generic fantasy RPG and being written with Glorantha in mind. The default, assumed setting is Glorantha, hence the lack of creatures such as Goblins and Orcs, and the inclusion of Gloranthan stalwarts such as the Broo, Trollkin, and the poor old unhappy Ducks. The objective of the game is obtaining runes, symbols carved into stone or wood and imbued with . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: August 18, 2006
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