RuneQuesting

RuneQuest by Chaosium - Avalon Hill publisher

I personally find the publication history of many game systems to be a fascinating story in itself. This is no doubt partially due to my memories of them as they were unfolding. The role-playing game (RPG) hobby began with publication of the original version of D&D in 1974. Written by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, it was published by a fledgling company - arguably formed just because the authors failed to sell their novel game idea to Avalon Hill (and maybe other game publishers). A decade later and Avalon Hill is likely feeling the loss of a profitable opportunity, having said "no" to Mr. Gyagx and Mr. Arneson and then having watched from the sideline as the new RPG phenomenon rapidly expanded. 

RuneQuest was first published in 1978 by another fledgling company known then as The Chaosium. Founded in 1975 by designer Greg Stafford, The Chaosium gave Mr. Stafford a way to produce his boardgame designs, including White Bear and Red Moon (Dragon Pass as it was retitled in the Avalon Hill version), Nomad Gods and King Arthur's Knights. RuneQuest, was published by Chaosium, as an RPG including Mr. Stafford's fictional Glorantha as its default setting. Glorantha is also the setting for the tabletop map/board games White Bear and Red Moon and Nomad Gods (and several more recent versions of RPG).

The Chaosium (later changed to just Chaosium) published two editions of RuneQuest in the late 1970s. An effort on Mr. Stafford's part to leverage Avalon Hill's wider distribution network had apparently led to a partnership between Chaosium and The Avalon Hill Game Co. for the 3rd edition of his FRP game. The 3rd edition RuneQuest (1984) arrived in stores packaged in Avalon Hill's signature bookshelf box. Three versions of the boxed edition can be found - Deluxe Edition contains the full game which includes 5 booklets, a map and player aids; a Players Box (pictured above) containing the Players booklet and Magic booklet, a Gamemasters Box containing the remaining three booklets as found in the Deluxe box, and a Standard Edition box containing two abbreviated booklets, but enough system contents to still run a RQ game. A bit later, the Deluxe version was rereleased as a softcover book with the contents of all 5 Deluxe booklets in one volume.

The 3rd edition of RuneQuest is an obvious evolution of previous RuneQuest editions and most of the same mechanical features of the previous editions are present, but it differs in a significant way by removing the Glorantha material as its "default setting" and replaces it with reference to a "fantasy Europe" setting that is very briefly described. The full Deluxe set contains a single Glorantha booklet for reference if one would like to role-play using that setting. Other Glorantha materials would be released by Avalon Hill as follow on products, but at a glacial pace.

I recall having greeted the Avalon Hill version of RuneQuest in 1984 with eagerness and having quickly embraced the changes it introduced to the game, changes which at the time, seemed both minor and an improvement - mostly. Having enjoyed RuneQuest for a few years while also struggling with Glorantha as a setting, I welcomed the "fantasy Europe" alternative and quickly started to develop my own "dark age" version of RuneQuest. My enthusiasm for the 3rd edition was further enhanced when Avalon Hill released their Vikings setting box (1985) - a favorite product that I cherish to this day.

Simply put, "my RuneQuest" became a dark age low fantasy Europe RuneQuest.