Jonstown Jottings #97: A Broo Did It And Ran Away

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and The Companions of Arthur for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon, the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha 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.

—oOo—

What is it?

A Broo Did It And Ran Away is “A 5 page plot with 2 parts” for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha which presents a short mystery that the Game Master can run as a single session’s worth of play or possibly longer.

It is a two page, full colour 534.26 KB PDF.

The layout is tidy, the artwork rough, but serviceable, and it does need an edit.

The scenario hook can be easily be adapted to the rules system of the Game Master’s choice.

Where is it set?

As written, A Broo Did It And Ran Away takes place in the same lands as the Player Characters’ clan. This can be in Sartar or any settled land. Ideally, it should be located adjacent to a forest and near some hills, and it should be run during Earth Season.

Who do you play?
A Broo Did It And Ran Away does not suggest any specific character type, but as it ends in a fight, combat capable Player Characters are recommended and ideally, it should not include a Storm Bull, as an NPC fulfils this roll and drives the plot.

What do you need?
A Broo Did It And Ran Away requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha only. The RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary may be useful, but is not essential to play.

What do you get?

A Broo Did It And Ran Away does give the scenario’s antagonists away in its title, but it is easily adapted to a campaign and run in a single session. It opens with the Player Characters helping out their clan during earth Season by getting the harvest in, working the fields owned by Adestra and her husband, Barkos. When a Storm Bull starts attacking the field that the Player Characters are working, claiming that it is tainted with Chaos, then something odd has to be going on. To investigate, the Player Characters will need to calm the Storm Bull and look round the field, and beyond. Adestra seems nervous. Is it just because there is a Storm Bull claiming that one of her fields is tainted by Chaos or does she know something more?

Ultimately, the Player Characters’ investigation will force to Adestra to respond. She may confess all or she may make an attempt to solve the problem herself. Either way, the clues will point to a hermit who has recently moved into the area and begun living in a nearby cave. Confronting the hermit will reveal who and what she actually is and lead to a nasty combat in a confined space. This requires careful adjustment by the Game Master to match the threat with the combat capabilities of the Player Characters.

However the scenario ends, the Player Characters should learn that Adestra has been a fool rather than evil. Nevertheless, give what she has done, there should be consequences. This will be handled by the chief of the clan, but it may be an interesting situation to roleplay if one of the Player Characters is the clan chief or even just the Thane of Apple Lane.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—A Broo Did It And Ran Away presents a combination of a small mystery, a small, but brutal combat, and a small dilemma that can easily dropped into a campaign on clan lands and played in a single session.

No—A Broo Did It And Ran Away is just a tiny bit too silly, perhaps too brutal a fight, and a Game Master’s campaign may necessarily take in clan lands.

Maybe—A Broo Did It And Ran Away is serviceable enough and perhaps a scenario that the Game Master might want to keep is her back pocket to run in between other scenarios or when not all of her players are present.