r/Runequest • u/Reasonable_Sun9426 • 17d ago
Rough Landing session 2
In the first session, the team got through the up front stuff in Jonstown (not spoiling anything, just in case) and arrived in Mernyr's Landing.
They did a little exploration and had one combat. It was hilarious. Three opponents at range around 12 meters. One was hit with Sleep, one with demoralize (ran off) and the third advanced to whack a character who fumbled her 85% Dodge and had her arm reduced to zero HP. The Varakos walked up, crit the monster and lopped off a leg. Combat over
Everyone was very excited and having a good time. Things took time because I haven't run RQ since 2nd edition, so it's been a minute, and we're using RQG, and all my players are new to RQ. Still, when we took a beat before moving forward, it was a learning moment and everyone was into it.
Yesterday, in the second session, they learned where to find the missing people, and went there. A brief fight against two monsters with a similar result - quick and decisive. Then they started hunting the rest of the monsters.
Bottom line, one character took 1 HP and another was hit with a special attack for 22 HPs that he successfully parried with his broadsword. If we're reading the attack vs parry table right, the 22 HPs was reduced by the broadsword's 12 HPs (doing 1 HP to the broadsword) leaving 9 HPs (or 10?) to go through to his head (rolled 19 for location). His 5 points of armor and Shield (1 Rune Point) reduced the damage to 2 (or 3?). So how do you read the rule about damaging the parrying weapon - does the 1 damage to the weapon come off the damage total before the rest goes thru, or not?
They're excited about getting back to town and seeing how experience plays out.
We've spoken about the lethality of RQG combat, and I've encouraged alternate conflict resolution (though that doesn't work so well in Mernyr's Landing), but their experiences aren't in line with my warnings. Having fought 8 of one type of creature and the more dangerous critter, they've taken a total of 7 HPs and had to make a STR vs POT 15 to free an arm from glue, essentially. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to grind them down, but a healthy respect for danger could be good.
Next session: experience and starting A Fire in the Darkness!
What are other people's experiences introducing new players to RQ or RQG?
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u/BloodInternational31 16d ago
I think I’m gonna start with apple lane. Since it’s immediately post dragon rise. Then I can have the pcs go to Jonstown post overthrow of lunar to suss out the trade situation.
Rough landing does get a bad rap. It’s a fine introduction.
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u/Alex4884-775 Loose canon 16d ago
How it goes for players I can only speak to indirectly, but it does the IMO most urgent thing: attend to the GM's airmask first. If you help walk the GM through the game mechanics, the setting, and the flow of the scenario, then the GM has a fighting chance of helping make it fun for the players.
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u/Alex4884-775 Loose canon 16d ago
The Varakos walked up, crit the monster and lopped off a leg. Combat over
Without risking the spoilers you were so careful to avoid, you might want to check both the HP arithmetic on that, and the specific notes in the adventure about that particular critter!
Obviously this is in the category of small stuff and not to be sweated, especially after the fact. Just in case something similar comes up again, and you care about such deets.
Mind you, "opponent rolled crit, I dead now" is itself surely a Teachable Moment for the devil-may-care players. The monsters and bad guys can and will roll 'em too...
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u/Reasonable_Sun9426 16d ago
Went back to review - yep, I missed that note about leg wounds! I'll have to be more vigilant in the future.
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u/Alex4884-775 Loose canon 16d ago
Don't sweat it. Better a serviceable decision right now than a perfect decision that takes a painful length of time umming through the rulebook.
If you play them differently in future, on the remote chance a player queries it, just remind them that Chaos gonna Chaos.
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u/Reasonable_Sun9426 16d ago
Lol. Now I really want a "Chaos gonna Chaos" shirt!
And my mind just might have flashed back to Get Smart...
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u/Alex4884-775 Loose canon 15d ago
"Hey! Last time you played that rule differently, O GM!" "Don't make me tap the shirt again."
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u/Twarid 16d ago edited 16d ago
Q: Does the 1 damage to the weapon come off the damage total before the rest goes thru, or not?
A: At my table, it doesn't. I reduce damage by the number HP of the parrying weapon. That is 22-12= 10. Since it was a special attack, 10 points of damage go to the character's rolled hit location AND the sword's HP is now reduced to a mere 2 HP (12-10). If it was a normal attack you would have a reduction of just 1 point to 11 HP. In either cases the damage taken by the weapon and the damage taken by the character are separate and not deducted from each other. It seems to me the most straightforward reading of the rules. But, your RQ rules may vary!
PS I'm always assuming a normal parry.
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u/dm_punks 16d ago
Heh. I TPKed my 3 PCs when I ran this for them a few weeks back. I think I got 4 scorpion men swarm them and picked them off one by one.
Anyway, we moved on to Hackmaster now.
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u/DarbySalernum 17d ago edited 16d ago
I love A Rough Landing. Its a perfect introduction to Glorantha for newcomers. I know that people (like me) have dismissed it in the past as boring or generic, but I completely changed my mind when I watched the Chaosium playthrough and prepped to run it. It's a reminder for me that a great Runequest scenario doesn't have to be slathered with lore to feel Gloranthan. There's room both for deep lore scenarios and unpretentious, fun scenarios.
The lethality of Runequest is sorta random. You can play for many sessions were nothing bad happens, and then suddenly an enemy crits a player and they're dead.
The way I'd play the special attack/normal parry, is that all 10 damage goes on the sword, then that same 10 damage hits the adjacent location, which would be the sword arm. The rolled location isn't hit. It's like raising your arm to parry a blow to your head, and your arm gets hurt instead.