Red Moon Rising (Learn to Play Runequest!)

Creating your character

Character Creation will follow the standard process in RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, with an Expanded Family History section. If you've never played RuneQuest before, you're in for a treat, as the Family History section is one of the most fun Character Creation minigames I have ever run. You see, we don't begin Character Creation with you - we start by meeting your Grandparents, and following them on their adventures, then your Parents in their time as well. It's the most fun and interactive way to learn the history of the world as it applies to your characters, and through the stories of your parents and grandparents, your character gets shaped and molded in turn. Character Creation will happen during Session 0, and again as needed throughout the story. If we have a new player joining the Company, their first session will be dedicated to running the creation process, then rescuing/meeting up with the new member of the Company, who will no doubt have some vital clue or knowledge or skill the Company needs right then, and the night will probably end with their being initiated into the Company proper, and receiving their first lesson from the Company's mysterious Draconic Patron. No matter whether you join this game on the 1st, 10th, or 100th session, we will work you into the story and make you a part of the Clan. Come join us!

Preparing for the session

The very first step is to message me here on SPG and send me your best email and your Discord Handle. I will then respond with a Link to the Pre-Game Survey. This MUST be completed prior to joining the game, as it is necessary to implement certain safety tools and helps me get to know you better. No application will be approved without completing the Pre-Game Survey. I will then reach out to try and schedule a short One-on-One interview to go over the Survey and explain how I do Safety Tools, how I run games, and talk concepts for your new character. I am happy to answer any questions you have about the game at that time. Then I will send you a Discord Server Invite to the Private Server where we coordinate our sessions and RP between sessions, so you can meet the rest of the Clan. We are a very welcoming bunch, and you'll soon be adopted into the family. I then recommend downloading the Zoom Client, as this is what I use to run the game's Audio/Visual connections. As it will be run over Zoom, a reliable internet connection and a microphone is the bare minimum technologically necessary, but I do like it when I can see my PCs' smiling faces, so if you have a webcam and are willing to be 'on camera' with me, I would greatly appreciate it. If you happen to have a copy of Runequest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, I would recommend reading through the Chapters on Adventurers (Character Creation), Skills (What Characters learn how to do), and Rune Cults (To know which Gods to pray to for what). After that, reading the Homelands Chapter would be good, and then the Spirit Magic Chapters. If you do not, do not worry about it - the GM will explain as we go along. After that, I recommend sign up on Foundry, where most of my games are hosted. I will need your Foundry Email/ID to add you to the game. These steps take a few minutes at most, and then you'll be ready to go for the next session! DO NOT READ THE COMPANY OF THE DRAGON. (Duh, Spoilers!)

What Overlord Jim brings to the table

I have been a passionate Fan of Glorantha since I discovered it by accident while reading a review in a Game Magazine for a video game called King of Dragon Pass. I wouldn't play this game for several years until I found it on GoG, but once I finally did I was hooked and drawn into the world of Glorantha, one of the most awesome fantasy worlds I have ever seen - and I've read a whole lot of fantasy books to know! By chance I was reading the back page of the manual and discovered that this setting was part of a Roleplaying Game before it became a Video Game. I looked up this "RuneQuest" and the rest is history. I fell deeply in love with Glorantha, and it is a love I am eager to share with you. I think once you get to know this world, you will never look at any other the same way again. As a GM, I am a big believer in the Rule of Cool, which I've been using since long before it got its name. While in my Learn to Plays, I tend to stick closer to Rules as Written, I have never met a Rule I won't bend to allow a Player's Cool Idea a chance to succeed. I am your character's biggest fan from the moment I meet them. I want your characters to be Big Damn Heroes, and everything I do behind this screen is to help you do that. My Villains will be terrible, so that your confronting them can be glorious. My worlds will be full of evils both grand and banal, so you always have something going wrong you can make right. I want you to become Heroes with a Capital "H", and I will cheer on your characters every step of the way. I have a confession to make: I love combat. I am a relentless action junkie who loves nothing more than throwing your precious characters to the wolves - figuratively and literally! My monsters howl for your blood and will gnaw on your bones if you don't fight smart and watch each other's backs. RuneQuest combat is particularly deadly, and I want you to know there is no such thing as a Trivial Encounter - Harast the Guardsman can roll a critical hit and then roll a headshot and you're dead, instantly. Bear that in mind as you explore Glorantha. You are an outlaw band, and you can go anywhere and do anything you want. I hope you do some exploring, it one of my very favorite things to see in a game, taking you somewhere no one has ever seen so you can have the Moment of Discovery. There is always Terra Incognita, even in a world as well explored as Glorantha - you just have to know where to find it. My favorite part of all, though, is the roleplaying. I live for that moment when I watch you become the character, speaking their words, affecting their mannerisms, and making choices that ring true for the Character above all. My current group in RuneQuest exemplifies this, and it is an absolute joy to watch them become their characters every week. I invite you to a deep immersion with your character, and can't wait to see you become them. I look forward to meeting you and your hero!

Homebrew rules

I have made lots of modifications to finicky bits of BRP, but they are minor changes at best to smooth out the rough edges so everything can run better.

How Overlord Jim creates a safe table

I run all my games and my server as a safe space for everyone. Pronouns and identities are to be respected, and we do not take offense when people make mistakes trying to honor those choices. I do not tolerate people making my clients - who often become my friends - feel unsafe and uncomfortable. This is an expected baseline for everyone in my games and on my server. I use a Pre-Game Survey to implement Lines & Veils. Once compiled, the Lines & Veils document will be posted on the Discord Server and reviewed as necessary, such as when new players join and their Lines & Veils are added. We will discuss them in Session 0. We use the X, N, and O Cards, and you can use them visually or submit X N & O Cards by PM, but the visual usually gets my attention faster. It is my usual practice to do a mid-game break, and we can do breaks as needed after intense scenes. I encourage high quality roleplaying and thus am prepared to deal with Bleed as it occurs. I often forget to do my Stars & Wishes, please remind me so I get better about that. I am always open to constructive criticism, it's how I improve as a GM, and I'm always trying to run a better game than the last one. As you can see from the rather extensive set of warnings, this game can have a lot of dark spots. The World of Glorantha is modeled on Earth's Bronze Age, and there's a lot of ugly, mean, and all-too-human darkness in that era of history. As stated above, though, all darkness that exists in my worlds is always there to be confronted. Find the Chaos Cultists and burn down their temple. Confront the Monsters and save the Clan's Herds. Defeat the Lunar Commander and free your friends from imminent crucifixion. Evil exists to be defeated by Heroes. Be the Heroes.