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?GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar is a scenario for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.It is a five page, full colour, 1.92 MB PDF.
The layout is clean and clean. It is art free, but the cartography is excellent.
Where is it set?
GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar is set in Sartar, but need not necessarily be set in the lands of the Colymar tribe.
Who do you play?
Player Characters of all types could play this scenario, but is best suited for Orlanth worshippers. A Lhankor Mhy priest or scholar may find some of the background to one of the scenarios to be of interest. In addition, Player Characters with the Passion ‘Hate (Aldryami)’ will be challenged by one or more of the encounters.
What do you get?GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar is a hunt for a lost artefact, the throne of Colymar, the founder of the Colymar tribe. Whoever finds it will greatly add to his reputation, as well as bring great prestige to his king or chief, especially if they are of the Colymar tribe. The identity of that king or chief will very much depend upon the year in which the Game Master sets the scenario. Leila Black Spear and Prince Argrath are suitable candidates depending upon the year, but there are many others.
To find the Throne of Colymar the Player Characters have to make an overland journey, perhaps suffer an encounter or two, and come to Chief Colymar’s home. The building is only described in brief detail and whilst there is some lore to be discovered if the Player Characters can get past its protection—the scenario does not suggest any specific solutions—the emphasis in the scenario is more on the encounters with monsters and creatures, random and otherwise.
GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar is not badly written, but it is underwritten. As presented it is not a whole scenario, but rather the end of a scenario. Despite the fact that true Player Characters are on a quest to find an ancient artefact, there is no investigation and no research involved in the scenario, no sense of mystery or magic, there is no sense of peril or urgency, there are no rivals also searching for Colymar’s throne. Simply as presented, the scenario starts at the home of Chief Colymar.
Similarly, for the home of an ancient tribal chief, the descriptions of his home are underwhelming. As to the description of Colymar’s throne—there is none. It could be that it is nothing more than a chair, but it could also have been something more… As equally, could GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar.
Is it worth your time?
Yes—GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar contains the germ of an interesting scenario if the Game Master is willing to write the first half and inject it with a sense of urgency and mystery that its author did not.
No—GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar is half a scenario and half a scenario is no scenario at all. Cheap, but avoidable.
Maybe—GLORANTHA: The search for the Throne of Colymar contains the germ of an interesting scenario if the Game Master is willing to write the first half and inject it with a sense of urgency and mystery that its author did not.
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