[RQ-Rules] Re: New RQ

[Simon Phipp]

Alban:

> Did anybody hear of this :
>  
> http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=201322
>  
> According to this post, a new edition of RuneQuest will be released next
> year by Mongoose, but with completely different system.
> As there is a call for RQ fans to help in designing this new game, I guess
> some of you may be interested.

I wondered why all my subscribed RQ groups all fired off at the same time.

Tony Den:

> Any statement lie this has me worried. While I am sure everyone would love
> updated and new RQ material, I think we all fear the butchering of core
> rules at the same time.
> 
> Looked on Mongooses site and found this forum, not much help
> http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/forum.php
> <http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/forum.php> 

At the moment, I would guess that all forums are split between comments such
as "Cor, what a jolly good idea" and "What? Another version of a dead game?"
or between the "Let's have more Gloranthan RuneQuest" and "Let's have
non-Gloranthan RuneQuest". Things should die down after a while and some
proper information should come out.

Gianni:

> Doing a search with the string 'runequest' on their sites yields the
> following: Gloranthan rolegame, new system.
> 
> Now do we need YET ANOTHER Gloranthan rolegame??????

YES!!! If it is RuneQuest.

Nick Middleton:
> ah, but according to Greg Stafford's own post at RPGNet it's _not_ a new
> system: it's the old one re-written just enough to avoid Copyright
> issues...
> 
> Does this bother anyone else as much as it does me?

I'm not bothered about the copyright issue - that's why copyright lawyers
earn fortunes.

What I am bothered about is the obvious amount of shit-stirring that is
involved.

1. Issaries launches HeroWars and the HeroQuest in order to produce a
Gloranthan RPG that is not RuneQuest.

2. Chaosium decided to reprint the Basic Roleplaying Monographs for
non-Glorantha, probably to cash in on the anti-HeroQuest groundswell amongst
die-hard RQ fans.

3. Issaries buys up the RuneQuest Trademark.

4. Issaries licenses another company, not Chaosium, to produce a versio of
RuneQuest, which they can do as they own the trademark, and which they have a
history for as RQ and Glorantha went hand in hand.

The only thing I can see is that Issaries are deliberately going up against
Chaosium with the RQ/Glorantha combination.

Now, many RQ die-hards will say that they won't touch it as it is Gloranthan.
But, equally many will say that they would buy it as it is where Glorantha
belongs.

Tal Meta:
> > ah, but according to Greg Stafford's own post at RPGNet it's _not_ a new
> > system: it's the old one re-written just enough to avoid Copyright
> > issues...
> 
> Actually, what I got was that Chaosium's ABRPG was the old system with 
> the serial #s filed off; Mongoose's proposed system is more in a line of 
> a v4 rewrite, with updated mechanics for the 21st century.

>From the press blurn at Mongoose, they are looking at ways to improve the
rules, that's why they are asking people which rules were good from the old
versions. At least they are asking. It couldn't be RQ3 or RQ2 again as they
are owned by various people, but it could be a reworking of the rules as the
basic rules appear to be non-copyrightable.

Nick:
> For those who can't follow the link "The game will be the same system, not
> the same copyrighted words."
> 
> seems pretty unambiguous to me...


But, "the same system" is in itself ambiguous. RQ3 was the same system as RQ2
as was RQ4.

As to the future, I heartily welcome a new version of RuneQuest. I have been
playing HeroQuest for a year and it is not the same. Better in some ways, but
not what I love, which is RQ.

What remains to be seen is how it is going to be supported. How long will it
be before Issaries stops helping them with Gloranthan products? How many
people will buy the Gloranthan and non-Gloranthan versions? Don't forget that
HeroQuest is going non-Gloranthan with the Questworld series. Can we cope
with HeroQuest and RuneQuest versions of the same worlds?

My first thoughts were "Yippee!" but I can't see how it is going to work,
unless Issaries is going to scale down HeroQuest and go back to RuneQuest,
which would be interesting ....


Simon



	
	
		
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