I was very excited about this book, as I love bestiaries. There are many reasons for this: they are filled with new creatures, new takes on old creatures, they help fill out a setting’s feel, and usually spark my imagination with many adventure ideas. Some of my favorite ones have actually changed the course of my planned game, as they have presented a better idea or foe than I originally thought of (I am thinking of you Anima: Those Who Walked Amongst Us).

So when Design Mechanism sent me three PDFs (including Monster Island) reading this one, reading this first was a no brainer. Man was I surprised. This is not a bestiary, at least not in the traditional sense. The RuneQuest team presented a complete adventure setting in this book. And after I got through it, I feel they made a great call.

I enjoyed Monster Island. Perhaps more than I would have enjoyed a straight bestiary. It took me a while to get to this thought, as I was expecting three hundred pages of monsters and had certain expectations going in. But, it is a great example on how to apply RQ6 to a setting idea; what level of detail I would need to flesh out where, and where the mechanics really need to interact with the setting.

The book is a great buy even just as a bestiary, but you get so much more than that.

This ia an essential supplement for anyone planning on running a second age campaign although I was annoyed to discover that it was essentially a direct duplication of the Glorantha Second Age core rules under a different name which made it a bit redundant for me, although for the special purchase price I can't get too upset. That said it is well produced and full of detail on the different factions of the age

Almost certainly the best-written, best-organized core rpg rulebook I've seen in 20+ years of gaming.

While not a lot of support material currently exists for RQ6 -- as of this writing -- the transparent nature of the underlying Basic Roleplaying (BRP) game system means that materials from the Mongoose Runequest II line (e.g. the Monster Coliseum monster book), and even the Basic Roleplaying line (e.g. Classic Fantasy), can be adapted into RQ6 with a minimum of heavy lifting by the Gamemaster.

If you've ever wanted to give RuneQuest a try, start with this edition.

An excellent product in many, many ways. Full marks from me.

En general, este libro está bien, incluye información para dirigir una campaña en la ciudad de Pavis en la Segunda Edad y ofrece ideas para aventuras, enemigos y tramas diversas. Además, incluye 5 escenarios, alguno de ellos con ideas buenas.

Por el lado negativo, si el máster ya conoce Pavis a través de los suplementos que hay ambientados en la Tercera Edad, este libro puede ser decepcionante, porque aporta poco nuevo. Además, hay demasiado espacio en blanco en el libro, que podría haverse aprovechado mejor incluyendo más PNJs, por ejemplo. Algunos detalles de los escenarios dejan mucho que desear.

Para una reseña más extensa, ver:

http://frikoteca.blogspot.com.es/2011/03/resena-de-pavis-rises_22.html

I had played RQ2, RQ3, RQ: AiG, and my current Glorantha campaign uses Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying. The two versions of RuneQuest produced by Mongoose were intriguing, but they seemed out of sync with my expectations. I knew that RQ6 was going to be a part of that family, but I was hoping that the emphasis on streamlining the system, as well as a promise to return to the original feel of the game would result in something akin to the RQ2/RQ3/BRP progression.

It does not.

It feels a lot like MRQ and MRQ2, neither of which fit my tastes.

I don't want to go into detail because I believe it is, in fact, a subjective comparison. Fundamentally, I like my combat rounds to run in strike rank order. I like variable point spells. I like skills to have a culturally adjusted base chance rather than to have the base be the sum of two attributes.

I am sure that you can have a fine gaming experience using this rules set, but I was hoping it would feel like a modern RQ2 rather than a revision of MRQ2.

For now, I will stick to BRP with some bits from RQ3 and RQ: AiG thrown in.

Pretty good and fairly encompassing take on the Durulz and the few related birdfolk of MRQs take on Glorantha marred in some cases by attrocious art. Solid and useful supplement if you have any of the flightless wonders in your RQ game though.

Well written well put together pages are not to busy Ive enjoyed Rune Quest for years. I do miss not having a soft cover option.

Simply a well put-together rpg system that contains all a GM or Player needs in one pdf! Highlights include:

• A setting-generic system. Creative GMs can mold RuneQuest to fit just about any fantasy campaign idea they have.

• Immersive Character Creation. Being a huge fan of point-buy character creation, RQ fits the bill with a very in depth and fun way to create a character that oozes detail.

• Passions. A new way to add drive and goals to your character. Also easy for players to relate and express their character's goals.

• A revised magic system. Almost worth the price of admission alone! The magic is colorful and vibrant. Not just the "same old stuff" gamers have come to expect.

• Combat Effects. Instead of Maneuvers, we now have effects in combat. Same idea, but much better!

• Creatures. Not only do we get a decent creature section, but also guides to creating your own monsters!

Overall an rpg for "intermediate" players and game masters, but well worth the learning curve. For those who have yet to try the RQ rpg, now is the time to start!

D. Semmes

Well colour me impressed. When I saw that Mr. Nash and Mr. Whitaker were working on another edition of RQ I was frankly underwhelmed. Could they really change enough to make the rules worth buying? Obviously I was the one lacking in imagination. Having finished reading (or at least heavily skimming) the rules I am very impressed.

I quite like the changes made to character generation. Instead of getting specific points in a skill, say Stealth 10 for a Primitive character you get a pool of culturally relevant skills to add points to. You also get to choose three skills from a group of Professional Skills (ones you cannot have without training like Navigation). You then add 100 points to any of these skills. This allows you to focus your character on areas your interested in while still being believable from a cultural viewpoint.

Next you get to do the same thing with an occupation and then finally you get 150 points you can spend as bonus points on skills you already have plus you may have the option depending on the GM to add another combat style or professional skill.

The other change that I like is the additional of levels of difficulty which substitute for the old modifiers. So instead of saying it's negative 20% to hit a running target with a ranged weapon the GM can say it's Hard to hit a running target which imposes a 1/3 penalty to the shooter (i.e. 60% becomes 40%). There's also a set of fixed values for the difficulty grades if you prefer avoiding all that math.

They've also added Passions for characters so your character can love someone or feel loyalty to something. Or of course Hate an enemy. You can use these Passions to modify your skills or act as opposing skills. For example say you're representing the city you love but have to interact with someone you Hate. You could do an opposed roll of your Loyalty and Hate to see which Passion guides you.

I quite the changes made to the magic systems available as well. Common Magic is now Folk Magic and the spells have been somewhat reduced in power but the colour surrounding them has been increased. Hard to explain but now Bladesharp instead of adding X points to your skill and damage rolls sharpens your weapon so it goes up one die level. For example a shortsword goes up to a D8 instead of a D6 for the duration of the spell. And stays sharp after the spell ends. Nice. The other four types of magic look really cool as well.

As other reviewers have mentioned this is an extrememely well-laid out set of rules with lots of suggestions for the would-be GM. There are very few typos mostly grammatical in nature.

A very worthy successor to the RuneQuest line. Bravo!

This review might be a little premature, because I'm still at that excited-post-download phase when I'm feverishly clicking through the 458 pages.

I'll say again ... Four-hundred-and-fifty-eight pages of RuneQuest goodness.

This definitely has the look and feel of an older RQ or BRP title. The mechanics and the writing style is very accessible, with the occasional black and white ink drawing.

The rules, setting and atmosphere (with a bent towards ancient, mystical, classical) is generic enough to adapt to different campaigns, whilst providing enough detail for interesting springboard points especially regarding character (and monster) backgrounds, magic, skills, "passions" cults -not to mention the gritty effects of chaos. As well as the dice mechanics, there's plenty of tips and guidelines and optional rules.

I'm also happy to say that it appears to be an "everything-you-need-to-play" publication. (I hate buying supposed "core" books only to find that there's no monster list or many references to "essential" accessories.)

As I type it's still $25 which is a good price for a volume of this size. I'm looking forward to seeing a hard copy -surely it will be a thick tome - so the PDF on a tablet will certainly be more portable for fast rule checking at the table.

Nice work, Design Mechanism! This is a respectable descendent of a noble line.

-Billiam B. http://bit.ly/rpgblog

This is the 6th Edition of RuneQuest, and it is something special -- a real thing of value. It's one of the few RPG books that have come out this year that I think should be enshrined as an example of good RPG writing.

This book will turn you into an expert on the game of RuneQuest, and I don't say that lightly. It talks not only about the system, but also about the history of RuneQuest -- its prior editions, its importance in the early industry, and its many twists and turns. But that's only a few pages. The bulk of this 456 page book is constructed with solid gaming goodness -- a complete Fantasy RPG to realize your favorite setting.

ON THE WRITING

The meat of the book (the rules, character creation, magic, and so on) is written with succinctness and systematic clarity. For example, the section on Characteristics and Attributes follows the following pattern in its paragraphs:

-- differentiation of Characteristics (basic stats) and Attributes (figured Stats) -- name of Characteristic / Attribute -- short explanation of what the Characteristic / Attribute represents -- general rationale for the stat -- what characters with high values in this stat are like (roleplaying-wise and mechanics-wise) -- what characters with low values in this stat are like (roleplaying-wise and mechanics-wise) -- what happens when the value is reduced to zero

This approach is emblematic of the writing style of the game: in only 5 short pages, you're presented the rules for Characteristics & Attributes, the general game design rationale for them, their implication in terms of story and mechanics -- which includes tables for the calculated values of Attributes and the formulas for the basic skills whose starting values come from these Characteristics and Attributes!

Added to these pages is a nice one-page excerpt of the character sheet with various callouts that display tables explaining how the information for each field is to be calculated or filled in.

Added to that is Anathaym's saga -- an example of a character (and, later on in the book, her adventuring party) and how the rules in game system shape her life.

It seems that the writing, organization, and layout of the game was really done with an eye to reducing page-flipping back and forth between sections (though there are really useful sidebars that identify other pages with related rules, an organized and surprisingly detailed 1 page Table of Contents in the front, and a lovely 9 page Index in the back to help you if you can't find something).

THE CONTENTS

RuneQuest is one of the earliest skill-based systems -- it's built around a character concept and random or limited resources to build that character concept. You can have a cantrip-casting warrior, a sword-swinging spirit talker, a martial artist wizard, and so on if you build it properly. This edition is no different, and in fact both streamlines and expands the options for character.

Chapter 1 breaks down the basics of Character Creation, tackling Characteristics, Attributes, and Basic Skills

Chapter 2 talks about Culture and Community, identifies different generic fantasy cultures lists the Standard Skills, Professional Skills, Combat Styles, and Cultural Passions associated with each. It also has a table for unique background experiences in a character's life, a table for generating Allies and Enemies, and an explanation of what Passions are (an optional rule that gives bonuses and penalties to the characer based on their drives, their loves and hates, etc.).

Chapter 3 tackles Careers and Development, hitting you first with 70 example (!) professions and their related skills, with a nice table showing how they're grouped by cultural background. It then talks about the impact of Age, gives a broad view of Equipment and Magic (which have their own chapters) for finishing off your character.

Chapter 4 talks, again in a very organized and succinct fashion about the nitty-gritty of Skills in terms of the types of skills, the different types of skill rolls in the game including reattempted skill rolls, augmenting skills, and opposed skill rolls.

Chapter 5 goes through not just Equipment, but Economics as well. It covers not just things that adventurers might buy, but also income and social class, bargaining and bartering, food, clothing, and accommodations, vehicles, and siege weapons.

Chapter 6 is the Game Mechanics section and, for me, shows that the game philosophy for RuneQuest is broader than mere combat (which gets its own Chapter, thank you very much), because it tackles a lot of things here beyond the typical character improvement rules, suggesting rulings for things like Asphyxiation, Blood Loss, and Falling, tackling the use of game resources like Luck Points, and a very important discussion of Action, Time, and Movement.

Chapter 7 is about Combat, is grouped into headings and sub-headings tackling the various combat topics, including: Components of Combat, Combat Styles, Weapon Size and Reach, combat ranges, hit locations, and special effects.

Chapter 8 talks about Magic in general, which you should not skim through lightly. It talks about what magic is, how they're tied to runes, and sets the basis for understanding the various magical traditions available in RuneQuest 6, such as: Folk Magic (Chapter 9), Animism (Chapter 10), Mysticism (Chapter 11), Sorcery (Chapter 12), and Theism (Chapter 13). Each of these establishes these various magical traditions, describes the 'spells' of each, and explains the various additional rules that really differentiate them from one another in terms of philosophy and game mechanics and game options.

Chapter 14 tackles the Cults and Brotherhoods that explain the organizations and movements that can provide formalized instruction in the the magical disciplines tackled in other chapters. It really gives you a lot to create your own factions, old dinosaurs, movers and shakers, and up-and-comers in your own setting -- and what these mean for your players and their characters.

Chaper 15 tackles Creatures and Spirits in terms of story and mechanics. There are rules here designing your own creatures, and rules on being able to have Player Character Creatures as well.

Chapter 16 is focused on the GM and Games Mastery, including the "Petersen Rules of Good Gaming" (from Sandy Petersen, of course) and lots of advice on running games, sticky situations for GMs, and different styles of play using the system.

Finally, we have a collection of Game Aids, including the character sheets, a series of tables for non-human hit locations, and a combat tracking sheet.

THE TECHNOLOGY

Just one last thing here: I purchased the PDF and was so intrigued by the system and the writing that I began to highlight and annotate my PDF using the default Acrobat Reader. I was surprised when I was asked to save the file -- and it asked me if I wanted to save it under another file name. When I did so, it began saving a lighter version of the file (optimzed for web browsing it said) that weighed in at around 40 MB, much reduced from the 104 MB filesize. I get to have a pristine version of my PDF & a highlighted / annotated version! Sorry, geek moment.

Also, the hyperlinking is very useful in the PDF, and makes the whole thing easier to navigate through and read.

I heartily recommend this book for Fantasy RPG enthusiasts looking for a detailed, but customizable system to help your create and realize your own setting!

If anybody knows about the seminal history of RuneQuest, and realize the work and passion that has gone into the making of this version of it, it's an instant download. Best fantasy system ever designed in my view, and that isn't (just) fanboy hyperbole. If you are interested in realistic simulation, anthropological verisimilitude and anything to do with classic myth creation, then this game has a lot to offer. The cover is nice too, and the interior layout is very clean and readable, and all the bells and whistles in search engines and the like. Plenty of support to, as you can utilize all the old RQ, RQ2, Legend and to a degree BRP supplements with it with no difficulty whatsoever.

Beautifully laid out with evocative line art pictures. All black and white images, except the cover, so you won't waste expensive ink printing it. There is no irritating images behind the text making it hard to read on your tablet or a low res print outs. The text size is very readable on my android tablet. The pdf has useful bookmark, contents and page links, which go the correct place. I printed it on my 600dpi laser printer at 2up A5 size and it look wonderful, crisp and legible. I have not spotted and spelling or grammar mistakes so far, unlike in previous versions from else where. There have been many enhancement and improvements to the rules, some of them like the new difficultly rules may be controversial with some but work well in practice. The minor changes to combat create great effects like, spears being useful and dangerous, unlike in other game systems.

All you need and more to run an adventure in Glorantha.We started off with far less and enjoyed the games but this adds so much more to the setting.

Awesome overview of the historical scourge known as the Vikings! Real life timelines abound, cultural information at every turn, and most importantly, whenever you play a Viking character you will find that there is no reason to create a backstory that makes your character want to kill and explore as this describes essentially every Viking that ever lived!

I cannot speak to the system itself as I have not used this download in a RuneQuest II game, however, the information contained within this book/download was well laid out, easy to use, and I found it easy to convert to the system that my group uses.

Highly recommended as both a RPG tool and as a amateur historian, a pretty accurate source of Viking context and information.