Jonstown Jottings #99: Old Owl Tower

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.

—oOo—

What is it?

Old Owl Tower is a scenario for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha in which the Player Characters are asked to investigate the source of a horde of mythical creatures which are attacking a village.

It is sequel to The Gate of Dusk and a possible corollary to the scenarios, ‘The Pegasus Plateau’ and ‘Crimson Petals’, from The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories: Seven Ready-to-Play Adventures for RuneQuest.

It is the second part of a series of scenarios which explores the future of the Locaem tribe.

It is a full colour, ninety-one page, 289.29 MB PDF.

The layout is clean and tidy, though a little tight in places, and it is decently illustrated, especially the NPCs.

The cartography is excellent.

Where is it set?

Old Owl Tower takes place in Owlstead, the main settlement for the Owl clan, and nearby, but all with the lands belonging to the Locaem tribe.

It is set after the DragonRise in 1625 or early 1626.

Who do you play?
Old Owl Tower does not require any specific character type, but Player Characters who are capable warriors are highly recommended as is a Lankhor Mhy initiate, whilst a Shaman will potentially be overwhelmed. Knowledge of Dark Tongue could be useful.

What do you need?
Old Owl Tower requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha and the RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary, whilst The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories: Seven Ready-to-Play Adventures for RuneQuest might be useful, but is not required to run the scenario.

What do you get?

Old Owl Tower is, initially, a straightforward and even old-fashioned scenario. A village in peril. Monsters attack. The Player Characters are asked to investigate and determine the source of the trouble. Numerous reasons are suggested as to why the Player Characters have come to Owlstead, but the primary one is they are visiting Owlstead as emissaries of the Wind Lord, Farinst of the Richberry Clan, who wishes to become the king of the Locaem Tribe, the previous one having been killed in the Dragonrise, and wants to know if he will have the support of Dringar, chieftain of the Owl Clan. Ideally, the Player Characters will have protected Farinst whilst he underwent a ritual to improve his chances of becoming king as detailed in The Gate of Dusk.

The initial steps in the investigation are quite easy, the monsters having left a trail that the Player Characters can follow. as they proceed along the trail, the landscape begins to change, becoming bright and vibrant, the air fresh and full of strange insects, life itself appearing to bloom in pleasing fashion. However, once the Player Characters reach and enter the ‘Old Owl Tower’ of the title that the dangers truly begin, or at least when they get to the end of the complex below. Between the entrance and the end of the complex below is a series of highly detailed rooms that will interest a Lankhor Mhy Player Characters, but not others. However, exploring does help, even though the characters and the players may not be aware of it.

Ultimately, what the Player Characters will find at the end of the complex is an artefact dating back to the time of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends which allows the user to peer into God Time! Unfortunately, the process is actually two way and the Player Characters are likely to find themselves facing interlopers who have got themselves lost in the present! This encounter is likely to begin with a fight and end with some challenging explanations.

In many ways, the most interesting part of Old Owl Tower is what happens after the situation in the complex has been resolved. A neighbouring clan gave a scholar permission to investigate the complex despite it not actually sitting on their lands. The scholar is aghast at the duplicity of the neighbouring clan, though its chief is unrepentant if confronted. Perhaps it will take the involvement of the ‘new king’ to resolve the matter? As a reward, the Player Characters could also be adopted into the clan, especially if they are willing to remain and guard the complex. This would also strengthen ties to the Owl Clan and the Locaem Tribe as a whole. The scenario provides a surprising number hooks, both long term and short term, which the Game Master could develop to support a campaign based in the lands of the Owl Clan and the complex itself. Ultimately, Old Owl Tower is very much a campaign scenario rather than a standalone affair.

Almost a third of Old Owl Tower is devoted to a lengthy bestiary, including many creatures past ages before time began. The maps are also provided separately.

Old Owl Tower has a solid set-up and an intriguing conclusion, plus a surprisingly thought through and supported aftermath. However, the middle section is not very exciting and it is not going to interest very many characters, let alone their players. If the players can abide the exploration middle part of the scenario, then they will have opportunity aplenty for roleplaying and good storytelling—and more so if they stick around long after the events of the scenario.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—Old Owl Tower is a good campaign scenario and sequel to The Gate of Dusk, pulling the Player Characters into the ongoing story of the Locaem Tribe, and that is how it is best used.

No—Old Owl Tower is much too tied to the Locaem Tribe and its future, and it really does not start to get interesting until the very end of the scenario and in its aftermath.

Maybe—Old Owl Tower is easy to run and its strong ties to the Locaem Tribe could see the Player Characters attempting to forge stronger ties between the Locaem Tribe and their own.

Jonstown Jottings #93: The Gate of Dusk

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.

—oOo—

What is it?

The Gate of Dusk is a scenario for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha in which the Player Characters are hired to provide protection during a ritual in which the participant wants to prove himself worthy to be king of his tribe.

It is a possible corollary to the scenario, ‘The Pegasus Plateau’, from The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories: Seven Ready-to-Play Adventures for RuneQuest.

It is the first part of a series of scenarios which explores the future of the Locaem tribe.

It is a full colour, forty-two page, 117.50 MB PDF.

The layout is clean and tidy and it is decently illustrated, especially the NPCs.

The cartography is excellent.

Where is it set?

The Gate of Dusk takes place at the titular ruins located at the western tip of lands belonging to the Locaem tribe.

It is set after the DragonRise in 1625 or early 1626.

Who do you play?
The Gate of Dusk does not require any specific character type, but Player Characters who are capable warriors are highly recommended.

What do you need?
The Gate of Dusk requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, the RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary, and The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories: Seven Ready-to-Play Adventures for RuneQuest.

The Gate of Dusk also references The Smoking Ruin & Other Stories, The Book of

Heortling Mythology, Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes, and the Sartar Companion. None of these are required to run the adventure.

What do you get?

The Gate of Dusk is a tale of intrigue and desperation set after trying times have befallen the Locaem Tribe. Beset by potential rivals, if not enemies all around, the tribe has been greatly weakened by the Dragonrise, which killed both its king, Gavial Brightspear, and many of the heads of the tribes’ clans who would have been candidates to take his place. Several of the clans have put forward candidates to undertake the Crown Tests that will ultimately confirm one candidate as king. This includes the Wind Lords, Farinst of the Richberry Clan and Krulta of the Zethnoring Clan, both rivals. However, Farinst is planning to undergo a ritual at the Gate of Dusk that will improve his chances of being acclaimed king.

The Player Characters will accompany Farinst to the Gate of Dusk and are expected to protect him over night. However, his rival, Krulta, has other plans and by the time the Farinst and the Player Characters arrive, she will already have set them in motion. The Player Characters have the opportunity to explore the Gate of Dusk and potentially realise that something is amiss. The scenario will culminate in attacks on those within the Gate of Dusk. Honour forbids Krulta from killing anyone associated with her tribe, but that does not extend to the Player Characters, nor does it include others who are interested in disrupting the ritual.

Ideally, the Player Characters will be able to protect Farinst and hold off the attackers, whilst Farinst successfully undergoes the ritual. He will become an important contact and possible ally for them. However, this is not the only possible outcome, and The Gate of Dusk discusses these as well as possible adventure hooks for the Player Characters, and the idea that a Player Character might want to pursue the path to become king of the Locaem tribe! The scenario also explores a number of possible sequels and adventure ideas in terms of followup.

In terms of background material, The Gate of Dusk provides an overview of the Locaem Tribe and its most notable members, a detailed description of the Gate of Dusk, the nature of Crown Tests for the Locaem Tribe, and more. There is also a set of twenty-five rather nice foldable characters and defenders, which along with the maps can be imported into a VTT or cut out and used on the table.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—The Gate of Dusk is an easy to set up, one or two session scenario that lays the groundwork for further scenarios and the future of the Locaem Tribe, and good for a Sartar-set campaign.

No—The Gate of Dusk is too combat-focused and either the Game Master is not running a campaign set in Sartar or not near the Locaem Tribal lands, or the Locaem Tribe might be enemies of the Player Characters. (That said, have a king of a rival tribe owing you a favour...)

Maybe—The Gate of Dusk is easy to run and add to a campaign, but its defensive nature feels familiar and perhaps the politics of the plot will not interest the Player Characters?

Jonstown Jottings #92: Night at the Sunshine Inn

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.

—oOo—

What is it?

Night at the Sunshine Inn is a scenario inspired by Night of the Living Dead for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha in which the Player Characters are hired by an Issaries merchant to guard a shipment of ore being transported from Jonstown to Boldholme.

It is a possible sequel to the scenario, ‘A Rough Landing’, from the RuneQuest Starter Set.

It is a full colour, seventeen page, 3.66 MB PDF.

The layout is a bit tight and it is lightly illustrated.

The cartography is excellent.

It needs an edit.

Where is it set?

Night at the Sunshine Inn begins in Jonstown, but will take the Player Characters east to the Old Tarsh Road and from there to a stop at the Sunshine Inn overnight, before (supposedly) travelling onto Boldholme.

It is set after Scared Time, 1625.

Who do you play?
Night at the Sunshine Inn does not require any specific character type, but Player Characters who are capable warriors are highly recommended.

What do you need?
Night at the Sunshine Inn requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack, and the RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary.

What do you get?

Night at the Sunshine Inn sets up a tale of revenge as the Player Characters find themselves at an inn which is suddenly attacked in the night. their initial challenge will be in properly arming themselves and donning their armour as the Chaos of the attack plays out around them. The Player Characters will need to hold off three waves of attacks from a band of Scorpionmen and their allies over the course of the night. Effectively, this is ‘tower defence’ style scenario, though much like the Zombies mode for the Call of Duty computer games, the Player Characters have access to timber, nails, and a hammer so that they can board up broken doors and windows between attacks. It echoes the classic ‘Gringle’s Pawnshop’ from Apple Lane.

By the time morning comes, the fact that their employer never turns up—he was supposed to join them at then Sunshine Inn—and the person he wanted them to meet at the inn is not there, should suggest to the players and their characters that something very odd is going on here. The likelihood is that the Player Characters are going to want to ask him some questions. He is a rather shifty-looking character, so that may tip the players and their characters off to the fact that he is up to no good.

Night at the Sunshine Inn is a simple scenario, primarily combat focused, though there is opportunity for roleplaying and interaction with the other customers at the Sunshine Inn. The Game Master may want to reduce the Reputation reward as it is a little high and since its climax is the defence of a single location, actually run it as a battle with miniatures to keep track of everything as there are a lot of combatants. One aspect not explored is what happens to the Sunshine Inn afterwards and what effect the attack has upon the fortunes of the Goodhaven clan that own it.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—Night at the Sunshine Inn is a quick and dirty scenario that provides a single session of action and combat that can be easily inserted into a campaign or run as a side mission when a player or two cannot make it.

No—Night at the Sunshine Inn is simplistic and combat-focused and the antagonist may be too shifty for the players to trust him, let alone their characters. Plus, the Game Master may not yet have run the scenarios from the RuneQuest Starter Set.

Maybe—Night at the Sunshine Inn is easy to run and add to a campaign, and may serve as a change of tone and pace between more interesting and sophisticated adventures.

Jonstown Jottings #91: Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood!

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.

—oOo—

What is it?

Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! is a scenario for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha which details an escort mission in which the Player Characters are tasked with guiding a Tusk Rider ‘ally’—or intelligence asset—of Queen Leika, along with his unruly boar tusker deep into unfriendly territory along the new border between Sartar and the Lunar Empire, where a blood sacrifice can be made.

It is a possible sequel to the scenario, ‘Defending Apple Lane’, from the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack.

It is also a guide to the Boarsbeard Clan, a clan whose members have either been kidnapped by Tusk Riders and instead of being sacrificed, were offered to the Dark Spirit of the Bloody Tusk cult, or whose ancestors were. Many of them are not simply Pig-Hsunchen, but Tusk Brother Wereboars! Plus, the Cult of Sawtooth, dedicated to a legendary renegade guardian of the Stinking Forest, whose members consist of a weird mix of Aldryami, Trolls, and Tusk Riders, many of whom serve as scouts.

It is a full colour, seventy-six page, 59.91 PDF.

The layout is tidy and it is very nicely illustrated.

It needs a slight edit.

Where is it set?

Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! begins in Clearwine, but will take the Player Characters north to cross The Creek and from there make their way to Skull Ruin in the Bone Hills near the boundary of the territory between Alda-Chur and Herongreen.

Who do you play?
Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! does not require any specific character type, but Player Characters who are capable warriors and a skilled negotiator are recommended, as is an Earth priestess.

What do you need?
Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack, and the RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary.

What do you get?

Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! sets up an interesting moral quandary for the Player Characters. They are chosen by Queen Leika Blackspear of Colymar to escort a very strange ‘intelligence asset’ deep into the territories between liberated Northern Sartar and pro-Imperial Alda-Chur, newly disputed as a result of the Dragonrise. This ‘intelligence asset’ is Penjurlhi, a Tusk Rider, an ‘Aramite’ held captive by the Queen. (One option here is for Penjurlhi to have been captured by the Player Characters as a result of playing through ‘Defending Apple Lane’ from the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack.) Penjurlhi has knowledge of the secret routes that the Tusk Riders use to conduct their raids which he is willing to share with the Queen. Unfortunately, Penjurlhi is losing the connection he has with his Tusker and the giant boar is growing increasingly erratic and dangerous. The connection can be reforged, but this requires a sacrificial rite—including a blood sacrifice—at a secret location known as Skull Ruin. This is a series of caves in a snake-like hill and it is in possession of an infamous bandit called Gornorix.

The Player Characters have a chance to discuss the mission with the queen and her advisors before they leave as well as Penjurlhi. They must then travel their way north, arrange means of crossing The Creek, and from there make their way to Skull Ruin. Along the way, an encounter with a Troll warband reveals that the Player Characters are not the only ones interested in Skull Ruin, as Gornorix is holding one of their number captive. It is this Troll captive who will be the unwilling victim sacrificed as part of the ritual to reforge the connection between Penjurlhi and his Tusker.

The quandary for the Player Characters depends upon their views on blood sacrifice. Many cults practice it, but not necessarily with a sentient being. So do the Player Characters follow through with Queen Leika’s orders and let the Troll captive be sacrificed? Do they instead side with the Troll warband and antagonise first Gornorix and then Queen Laika? Or do they find another way of resolving the situation? Numerous options and their possible outcomes are discussed in some detail, helped by the clearly presented motivations of the various NPCs. Full stats are provided for all of the inhabitants of Skull Ruin and the Troll Warband, along with a guide to running the assault/defence of the Skull Mountain, depending upon whom the Player Characters side with. There is also a full list of random things to be found in the caves if the Player Characters have the opportunity and more importantly time—searching some locations can take hours!—to comb through every location. That said, there is a lot of treasure held at Skull Mountain and the adventure includes some nicely done magical items, such as the Plinth Stone Club, made from a piece of a shattered Dragonewt plinth stone, that either drains or transfers Magic Points or drains Rune Points!

The scenario is rounded off with a set of scenario hooks that the Game Master can develop as sequels. In addition, the scenario details the Boarsbeard Clan, whose members are tolerated by both Heortlings and Tusk Riders and are often used as intermediaries between both. The strange Cult of Sawtooth, based in the Stinking Forest, is also fully detailed. Both Boarsbeard Clan and the Cult of Sawtooth should provide a ready source of interesting, often powerful NPCs. The very full Cult of Sawtooth write-up is accompanied with some advice on how to use it and some adventure ideas as well.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! is an excellent scenario which requires careful roleplaying and negotiation upon the part of the Player Characters, whilst still having plenty of scope for combat and action, as well as a moral dilemma at its heart. (The extra background is a bonus.)

No—Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! is a challenging scenario morally and the Player Characters may not want to have to deal with blood sacrifice. Plus the Game Master may not be running a campaign in Sartar.

Maybe—Skull Ruins: Tusk Riders Need Blood! is a challenging scenario morally and one reason it may not be easy to set up because the Player Characters did not capture a Tusk Rider in ‘Defending Apple Lane’ from RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack, and instead killed them all!

Jonstown Jottings #84: Tarkalor’s Keep

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.

—oOo—

What is it?
Tarkalor’s Keep is an adventure location for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha which presents a simple situation that the Game Master can run and prepare for a single session’s worth of play.

It is an eleven page, full colour 2.03 KB PDF.

The layout is tidy, the artwork and cartography rough, but serviceable.

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

Where is it set?

As written, Tarkalor’s Keep takes in the disputed territory between the lands of the Varmandi and the Malani clans, close to Apple Lane. The suggested time frame is during dark season of 1626 after the death of Kallyr Starbrow. However, with some adjustment, the scenario can be placed anywhere where there are rival, sometimes feuding clans.

Who do you play?
Tarkalor’s Keep does not require any specific character type.

What do you need?
Tarkalor’s Keep requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha; Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers for information about the Cult of Gagarth; and the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack for its information about the Varmandi clan and the surrounding area. The scenario, Vinga’s Ford, also contains useful information and could be run as an uncconected prequel to Tarkalor’s Keep.

What do you get?

Tarkalor’s Keep presents a situation that the Player Characters are tasked with investigating and resolving. With tensions high between the Varmandi and the Malani clans, the Varmandi clan chief, Korol Serpent Tongue, suspects that they are responsible for the reports of the recent occupation of nearby Tarkalor Keep. He wants the Player Characters to investigate, confirm his suspicions, and if so drive them out in readiness for occupation by his own clan warriors.

The majority of Tarkalor’s Keep is devoted to describing Tarkalor Keep and its current occupants—and it is not who Korol Serpent Tongue thinks it is. In fact, the situation is nowhere near as straightforward as the tower being occupied by Malani tribesmen. The occupants are in fact two-fold, making the best of living alongside each other, using the tower as a refuge. The dominant group consists of Gagarthi outlaws, whilst the other consists of cowed Seven Mothers worshippers. The former are not welcome in good society because they have been exiled from their tribes for the crimes they committed, whilst the latter are unwelcome across Sartar because of the recent occupation of the region by the Lunar Empire. Neither group is spoiling for a fight, but the situation is difficult and neither group wants to be driven out, especially at this time of the year. Ultimately, the situation at Tarkalor’s Keep is one that the Player Characters are going to have to resolve and it is unlikely that this is can be done to the satisfaction of everyone concerned, whether that is the occupants, Korol Serpent Tongue, or the Malani. The choices made by the Player Characters will have ongoing ramifications on the campaign.

Tarkalor’s Keep includes the stats and background for all its NPCs, plus a description and floorplan of the keep itself. There are ideas too as to possible outcomes, but they are only suggestions. What the scenario does lack is suggestions as to the rewards that Korol Serpent Tongue might offer the Player Characters.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—Tarkalor’s Keep presents a short and knotty problem that the Game Master can quickly prepare and drop into her campaign, especially if based at Apple Lane.

No—Tarkalor’s Keep involves the Gagarthi, is in Sartar, or its suggested time frame is in the future of the Game Master’s campaign, so is not suitable for the campaign.

Maybe—Tarkalor’s Keep presents a short and knotty problem which with a few adjustments can easily be set wherever the Game Master has set her campaign.

Jonstown Jottings #82: Caravanserai

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.

—oOo—

What is it?
Caravanserai is a mini-campaign and supplement for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha in which the Player Characters establish operate a Caravanserai, a combined inn and rest stop on a trade route, the likes of which they will have probably stayed at during their adventures.

It is a sixty-one page, full colour 3.50 MB PDF.

The layout is mostly tidy and the artwork excellent.

Where is it set?

Caravanserai is set at Two Top village, home to the Red Hand clan in southern Sartar, just south of Wilmskirk near the Heortland road. However, notes and suggestions are given if the Game Master wants to set it elsewhere.

It is set after the events of the Dragonrise.

Who do you play?
Caravanserai is designed for a group of adventurers looking to settle down, or at least establish a base of operations. Ideally, one of the Player Characters should be an Issaries merchant, who should possess or have access to 2,500 Lunars.

What do you need?
Caravanserai requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, the Glorantha Bestiary, and The Book of Red Magic. RuneQuest: Weapons & Equipment is a necessity. Plunder may also be useful as will Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers and Cults of RuneQuest: The Earth Goddesses.

What do you get?

Caravanserai begins with the Player Characters on the road, stopping for the night at a caravanserai, that one of their number, ideally an Issaries merchant, has fond memories of as a busy, but pleasant place to stay. Unfortunately, in the wake of the Dragonrise, the fleeing Lunars burned the place to the ground and killed its owner, Korister. When Korister’s ghost comes the Issaries merchant in a dream, begging him to rebuild it, the Player Character should have an inkling of what a money-making opportunity he is being given should he and his companions decide to agree to the ghost’s demands. This sets up a mundane, but nevertheless interesting campaign framework as the Player Characters negotiate with the local clan for permission, arrange for the building of the new caravanserai, hire staff—old and new, furnish the caravanserai, and more. The fun bit of the more is deciding what to do with the ghost of Korister. One option would be to exorcise the ghost, but the fun option would be to bind Korister as the caravanserai’s wyter, keeping him as a permanent, but incorporeal presence at the inn. Essentially, what this sets up is the Gloranthan equivalent of the BBC and CBS television series, Ghosts. It also shifts the way in which the Player Characters can become involved in adventures. They will come to the Player Characters rather than the Player Characters going out to find them, the equivalent of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine versus Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The first part of Caravanserai guides the Game Master through the set-up process of the Player Characters having to make decisions of getting the buildings designed and built, who to hire, and what to outfit the place with. There are consequences if the Player Characters get it wrong, but in the long term these are minor and being located near a major trade route helps. This also requires some accounting, and Caravanserai actually comes with its own Excel sheet to help the Game Master and players alike track their characters’ monies. Fortunately, double-entry bookkeeping is not required, but the third end of the supplement consists of a guide to building and outfitting the caravanserai, what it consists of, how to make a profit and where that profit comes from, along with a guide to using the included ‘Caravanserai Annual Profit Worksheet’. The fact that it includes the latter may be more than enough for some players to want to avoid this supplement, but the degree of detail enforces the aim of Caravanserai in wanting to give the Player Characters the opportunity to have real lives and closer ties to Gloranthan society and economy.

In between the set-up and the guide are two scenarios. The first, ‘Epidemic’ deals with an outbreak of wasting disease which threatens both the Red Hand clan and the operation of the caravanserai. As the outbreak threatens the caravanserai’s staff, the Player Characters are pulled into clan affairs in a desperate attempt to stop both the disease and word of it from spreading, locate its source, and thus preventing the closure of the caravanserai. Like the set-up, this will require some decent roleplaying upon the part of the players if their characters are to solve the mystery and resolve the situation. The second scenario is ‘The Bad Guest’. It is a classic set-up for an inn. A guest dies at the inn, but lacks sufficient funds to pay for his stay. He did behind, though, a treasure map! If it is accurate, its contents could pay for the man’s stay and probably have funds leftover. Since this adventure is inspired by Treasure Island, it involves pirates—in this case Wolf Pirates—and betrayal, but the treasure is worth it.

Although ‘The Bad Guest’ is a decent scenario, it does take the Player Characters away from their newly built base of operations, which partly undermines the point of the scenario. It would have been nice to have been given further scenarios, or at least adventures hooks, which take place in the environments of the inn and Red Hand Clan land, or come to the inn, thus pulling the Player Characters further into the community. Similarly, whilst a lot of the NPCs are given stats for and if not, at least a good thumbnail description, there are not many in the way of stats or details of visiting customers. Also lacking are any floorplans for the caravanserai. The supplement does suggest allowing the players to draw what they want as long as it is too not unreasonable and allow that, but some sample floorplans would have been useful. As would some sample visitors and patrons. In the long term, some more adventures would also help to keep the adventurers at their inn. Another issue not fully explored is what roles the Player Characters might take at the inn when not adventuring.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—Caravanserai is an interesting supplement which showcases another side of Glorantha and makes it both playable and interesting—especially for an Issaries merchant.

No—Caravanserai is just too mundane, plus it involves accounting, and who needs that when we are wanderers and adventurers?

Maybe—Caravanserai is perhaps a bit too ordinary an idea for some players and their characters, but the adventures can easily be repurposed and the Player Characters could be working for a money man, instead of one of their number being the money man.

Jonstown Jottings #73: The White Upon the Hills

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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The White Upon the Hills is a scenario for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.

It is a twenty-two page, full colour, 2.84 MB PDF.

The layout is clean and tidy. Both artwork and cartography are decent.

Where is it set?
The White Upon the Hills is set in the Stael’s Hills in the Northern Malani Lands in Storm Season 1626 during the Great Hunt.

Who do you play?

There are no requirements or suggestions for the Player Characters to play The White Upon the Hills, but worshippers of Odayla, Yinkin, Foundchild, and the like will have good reason to play this scenario.

What do you need?
The White Upon the Hills requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha only.

What do you get?

The White Upon the Hills explores the consequences of a misinterpreted myth and the revenge wrought as a result. The Player Characters are invited to participate in the Great Hunt, and annual ritual. This can be because they are members of the tribe, rivals, or outsiders, but whatever the reason for joining, they want to prove themselves as hunters. As they set out on the hunt, they discover that the Stael’s Hills are suffering from a blight, a white poison which seems to adhere to everything. After rescuing a surviving hunter whose party was attacked by a strange beast, the Player Characters are drawn into the efforts to cleanse the hills of the ‘White Blight’ and potentially, its source. This involves a number of rituals to prepare the tools necessary before essentially, they go out again, on a ‘great hunt’ to confront the antagonist at the heart of the scenario and the blight that fallen across the land.

The scenario is short and straightforward, but the permutations of any actions taken by the Player Characters are all worked out, with failure leaving the lands either blighted or burnt, and success, potentially healing the hills, and beyond. Given how the scenario is based upon myth, it is pity that the possible reinterpretations of that myth are not explored in light of the efforts of the Player Characters. In the general, the scenario is physical in nature, but it is possible to pursue less physical means in finding a solution to the problem that the scenario presents.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—The White Upon the Hills is physically and spiritually challenging scenario that wilderness type characters will enjoy.

No—The White Upon the Hills is too location specific or it might too physical a scenario for the Player Characters for their players to enjoy, and thus not suitable for the Game Master’s campaign.

Maybe—The White Upon the Hills requires some adjustment to be set elsewhere and elsewhen, but with some adjustments to its themes and motifs, it can be done.

Jonstown Jottings #72: Died in the Wool

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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Died in the Wool is a scenario for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha.

It is a fifteen page, full colour, 26.08 MB PDF.

The layout is clean and tidy, but tight. The artwork is basic and the cartography decent. It needs an edit in places.

Where is it set?
Died in the Wool is set in the Afritha Valley and the hills of Oakland in the territory of the Lysang Clan in Sartar in Earth Season, 1626.

Who do you play?

There are no requirements or suggestions for the Player Characters to play Died in the Wool. Player Characters with the Passion, Hate (Trolls) may be at a disadvantage.

What do you need?
Died in the Wool requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha and the Glorantha Bestiary. The RuneQuest Starter Set will also be very useful as Died in the Wool can be run as a sequel to its adventures, whilst Trollpak and In A Merry Green Vale may also be useful references. Neither is necessary to run the scenario.

What do you get?

Died in the Wool is a mini-mystery which transforms into a classic sports film. The Player Characters arrive in the village of Lambwich to find several angry villagers are haranguing, Lady Shade, a Dark Troll merchant. Several of the sheep from the villagers’ flocks have gone missing, and as an outsider, they blame her. Whether asked by Lady Shade, the villagers, or a village elder, or simply because they want to intervene, the Player Characters find themselves investigating. The sheep abductions have been happening at night, in the dark, and yes, that does mean that trolls are involved. However, when revealed, the motivations for the abductions are not as malign as the Player Characters might first think. The trolls are not stealing the sheep to eat or to harass the villagers, but to use as practice for games of Trollball.

Ideally, Died in the Wool should be run after the Player Characters have played through ‘A Rough Landing’ from the RuneQuest Starter Set as the same trolls that appear in that scenario appear in this one. It turns out they are practicing for an amateur trollball game, but they are missing both equipment and team members. What follows is an entertaining ‘get the band back together’ sort of tale leading up to a finale where the Player Characters can attend a trollball game, harass the opposition, make a few side bets, and so on, all balanced against the fact that the villagers still have grievances about their missing sheep, and those have to be rectified. Although the scenario involves a little investigation, it is primarily a roleplaying focussed scenario. Unless the Player Characters initiate it themselves, there is no combat involved in the scenario. After all, Trollball is violence enough for everyone.

In addition, Died in the Wool includes notes on Orlanthi sheep herding, the myth ‘Voriof finds his place’—how Vorioth, son of Orlanth came to be his father’s sheep herder, a discussion of Trollball and its variations and basic rules, and a depiction of the field for one of these variations, ‘Country’ Trollball. The Player Characters are not expected to get involved in the game and there are no rules for that, the game itself being handled through narrative events.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—Died in the Wool is an entertaining roleplaying scenario which works as a solid introduction to Troll customs and a good sequel to the RuneQuest Starter Set.

No—Died in the Wool is location specific and does require the local inhabitants to raise sheep, which might might not fit the Game Master’s campaign. The scenario is not suitable for groups who prefer action to interaction.

Maybe—Died in the Wool requires some adjustment to be set elsewhere and elsewhen, since it ideally should be run after the events of the RuneQuest Starter Set.

Jonstown Jottings #64: A Short Detour

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, th 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?

A Short Detour: An Adventure for RuneQuest Glorantha is a scenario for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha in which the adventurers come to the aid of a mother and her son and become involved in a moral dilemma.

It is a forty-one page, full colour 3.74 MB PDF.

It is cleanly and tidily presented and some of the artwork is decent.

Where is it set?

A Short Detour: An Adventure for RuneQuest Glorantha is set in northern Sartar and could easily be take place near Apple Lane as detailed in the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack.

It is set during Sea Season, 1626.

Who do you play?
There are no specific roles necessary to play A Short Detour, but this can be an interesting scenario for a Lhankor Mhy. A Storm Bull may short circuit the scenario. Martial characters will be needed as combat is likely to be involved (in which case the Storm Bull will be useful).

What do you need?
A Short Detour: An Adventure for RuneQuest Glorantha requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, as well as RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary and The Red Book of Magic.

In addition, Cults of Terror will be useful for its background information. Depending upon how the scenario plays out, Holiday Dorastor: The Temple of Heads, may also be useful as a sequel.

What do you get?

A Short Detour: An Adventure for RuneQuest Glorantha is a short, simple, and straightforward adventure which as written takes place in northern Sartar, but can be adapted to other areas if necessary. The Player Characters encounter, Renuvela and Nemiast, a mother and her son trying to fend off a sounder of boars. After they come to their rescue, she asks the Player Characters to escort them her and her son to Runegate.

This sounds like a simple situation, but if the Player Characters agree, it quickly plunges them into a moral dilemma. Renuvela and Nemiast are being hunted by two different factions with an interest in his future. One group wishes him ill for what will be seen as the ‘right’ reasons, whilst the other wishes him well for the ‘wrong’ reasons. At the heart of the scenario is the agreement the Player Characters will have made with Renuvela and Nemiast and their honouring that agreement even as the truth about the pair is revealed. Ideally, this should lead to a clash between their Passions and their Honour for the Player Characters. In addition, in terms of roleplaying, the scenario challenges the differing viewpoints of the players and their characters within Gloranthan cultures.

A Short Detour requires good roleplaying upon the part of the Game Master in portraying both Renuvela and Nemiast, but she is given good advice to that end, and further supported with a set of highly detailed NPCs, each with well explained and clear motivations. Some of them are delightfully vile and Machiavellian, but others are simply cannon fodder that the Player Characters will enjoy putting to the sword.

The scenario discusses numerous possible options and outcomes, and this includes what can be seen as an optimum outcome, though getting to that is extremely challenging when faced with the rival demands of the others involved. The scenario is supported with an abridged version of the myth behind its plot, notes on the nature of tattoos, and an essay on the nature of the Chaos Rune and its effect in play. This falls into ‘Your Glorantha May Vary’.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—A Short Detour: An Adventure for RuneQuest Glorantha confronts the Player Characters with a moral dilemma and excellent opportunities for roleplaying supported with some fantastic NPCs.

No—A Short Detour: An Adventure for RuneQuest Glorantha confronts the Player Characters with a moral dilemma which may not fit the group’s play style and a discussion of Chaos which may not suit the Game Master’s campaign.

Maybe—A Short Detour: An Adventure for RuneQuest Glorantha confronts the Player Characters with a moral dilemma which may not fit the group’s play style and a discussion of Chaos which may not suit the Game Master’s campaign.