Runequest

Second Love
And lo, there came a time between the coming of the White Box and the rise of the Wizards of the Coast when my gamer's eye grew restless and did seek for a new mistress of adventure. That which had once glittered so irresistibly, had dulled, it's secrets discovered, it's puzzles solved. Unto this came Runequest, fresh, mysterious and exotic, it seemed somehow more real and demanded so much more attention to master.
Runquest in 1981 was in it's second edition and is written with a unique and specific setting in mind called Glorantha. The rules do not use classes, are percentile based and skills differentiate one character from another. Magic is common and most all PCs will know at least a few spells, but it is also less spectacular and more subtle feeling than White Box magic. There is an emphasis on PCs interacting as part of society, belonging to various societal groups such as a tribe, a cult, a guild and so on. These memberships are important to character growth and not just background. The combat mechanic is detailed and demanding of both players and referees. It is also deadly, even at the highest levels. all these game elements combine to give the hobbyist a feeling that Runequest is a simulation of life in the imaginary setting of Glorantha as well as a game for enjoyment.
Glorantha as a setting was introduced in a pair of boardgames, White Bear & Red Moon and Nomad Gods. It is the creation of Greg Stafford who owned The Chaosium which published the Gloranthan boardgames as well as Runquest in those days. The main adventuring area of Glorantha differs from the typical D&D setting and more closely resembles our bronze age as opposed to our middle ages. Myth plays an enormous part in Glorantha gameplay and the heroes are closely connected to the gods in a manner that reminds me of Homeric epic.
Having discovered Runequest at a time when our group was looking for something new, something more "realistic" than the game we had been playing for some years, it became our go-to roleplaying rules for approximately the next decade. The Chaosium supported Runequest and Glorantha with many fine supplements and play aids at the time and we discovered many things about the world of Glorantha. Eventually this new treasure ceased to entice us the way it once had, and with nostalgia we probably recalled only the best from past gaming so we returned to the original game.
Gamer legend has it that at one time, back before Runequest was written, in a land called California, there were those brave gamers who played a version of the white box using a setting known as Glorantha. Inspired by this vision, I have attempted to reverse engineer such modification of the white box so that the old game has a recognizable Gloranthan feel. Such is my enthusiasm for the setting and the white box rules. It has been a rewarding endeavor, one I will probably share more about in a future post.