Jonstown Jottings #42: QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds

 Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, the Jonstown Compendium is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s mythic universe of Glorantha. It enables creators to sell their own original content for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, 13th Age Glorantha, and HeroQuest Glorantha (Questworlds). This can include original scenarios, background material, cults, mythology, details of NPCs and monsters, and so on, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Glorantha Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Glorantha-set campaigns.

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What is it?
QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds presents one-hundred-and-one backgrounds for characters from Sartar created using the character creation rules found in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.

It is a one-hundred-and-ten page, full colour, 4.78 MB PDF.

The layout is clean and tidy, and whilst the only illustration, ‘Ons voorgeslacht in zijn dagelyksch leven geschilderd’, is on the front cover, it is appropriate.

Where is it set?
QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds is set in Sartar in Dragon Pass.

Who do you play?
No specific character types are required to use QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds. Instead, QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds can supply a background for whatever the type of character is being created.

What do you need?
QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha only, although HeroQuest: Sartar-Kingdom of Heroes may be useful when refering to the twenty-four classic tribes used in QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds.

What do you get?

One of the features of RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha is that the process of character creation results in nicely detailed characters with both personal and family background. However, as much as the end result is nicely detailed, the process is a lengthy one and if the process is followed through on the complete family history, then a great number of different names is required to fill out all of the family relationships. There is of course a quick method provided in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, but the results are not as involved or interesting.

QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds—the ‘QAD’ short of ‘Quick And Dirty’ is a potential solution to this problem. At least for Sartarite characters, other homelands being covered by other entries in the QAD: Family Histories series. The supplement provides one-hundred-and-one pre-generated family histories, each with a potted history, list of family and extended family members, starting passions, and effects upon the character from the history, such as skill increases, reputation increases, boons, heirlooms, and so on. All of which had been generated using the ‘Step 2: Family History’ of the character creation process in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.

Each entry fits on a single page and is organised into five sections. The Heritage section lists the homeland, tribe, clan, lineage, and family trade, and the Ancestral Focus section the character’s favoured family members—grandparents, parents, and so on, who will appeared the Potted History which lists the events they were involved in, including the character, from 1582 to 1625. The History Effect lists the effects that the history has on the character’s Passions, Skills, extra money, and so on. Lastly, the Family Relations section provides the names and dates of the character’s grandparents—maternal and paternal, both parents and their siblings, and then the character and his or her siblings and their dates. These are all arranged neatly into separate boxes—the Family Relations almost like a family tree, and so are easy to read.

QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds explains each of its sections and some of the choices made by the author in a very clear manner. In particular, the does differ slightly from the process given in ‘Step 2: Family History’ of the character creation process in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha. To counter the high possibility of a character’s predecessors all dying during the process of Family History generation, it allows for guardians and other relatives to play a role in the Family History. It also addresses some of the issues with the ‘Step 2: Family History’, such as possessing both a Hate and a Loyalty to the same individual; family trades which seem incongruous, for example, Grazelander fishers; and the distinction between the passions, Hate (Lunars) and Hate (Lunar Empire). For the most part, QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds—as do the other titles in the series—that the player and the Game Master be inventive when addressing these issues and explore the possibilities they suggest. For the passions, Hate (Lunars) and Hate (Lunar Empire), QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds assumes that the two passions are different and that Hate (Lunars) refers to specifically to Lunar Tarsh as ‘Lunars’ and Hate (Lunar Empire) to the Empire itself. Should there be a clash, it is suggested that a possible alternative be taken, like Hate (Chaos), or substitute Hate (Lunar) with Hate (Lunar Empire). 

Using an entry from QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds negates the need to work through ‘Step 2: Family History’ of the character creation process in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha which lends itself to multiple applications. First, it can be used to make a Player Character quicker and more easily, whether a player needs a replacement character following the death or retirement of his previous one. Second, if a player does need a replacement character following the death or retirement of his previous one, it can be used to flesh out an NPC already in play which the player can take over as his Player Character, either temporarily or permanently, rather than find some way of introducing a wholly new Player Character at a moment’s notice. Third, it can be used to help create Player Characters quicker and more easily if a playing group is planning a quick session of RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha. Fourth, it can be used to flesh out NPCs quickly and easily, including during play, whether that is to determine their history or whether the Player Characters want to see if they have anything in common with the NPC, especially in terms of their histories. Fifth, it can be used to round out part of a Player Character’s or NPC’s background. For example, in presenting various family members in the Family Relations section, QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds is also providing lists of names which can be used to fill out details about the Player Character’s or NPC’s own family.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds takes all of the hard effort of the dice rolling and note taking of character creation in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha and reduces its most involved step to a single roll. Simple, easy, and quick, whether you need an NPC detailed or a new Player Character ready to go.

No—QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds takes all of the fun and the inspiration out of the most interesting step of character creation, and simply mechanises it. Plus RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha already has a quick method. Further, your campaign may not be in Sartar or involve Sartarites at all.

Maybe—QAD: Family Histories – 101 Sartarite Character Backgrounds is a potentially useful tool, but is definitely not vital to playing or creating either NPCs or Player Characters in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.