Specific Settings Vs. Generic Fantasy

When I was a kid, I saw advertisements for Runequest in Dragon Magazine, and reviews of Runequest material, and it all seemed to revolve around cults. At that time in my life, cults were shadowy, dark organizations that were best avoided. And then there were ducks. Overall, it seemed a game and setting that I'd rather pass on. Many years of seeing more about Glorantha as a setting, working in a game store and reading a lot of the source material, and taking time to really think about it and put it all together led me to an intense desire to not only play in Glorantha, but push the weird to it's limit. My aldryami are not elves with an affinity for trees, mine are trees in human form. My goblins are not just akin to fungus, they are actual mushroom people. And historical bronze age weapons and armor are being used, as much as possible.

Runequest ad from way back in 1981!

Which is what I have been pursuing with this project, Five Leagues In Glorantha. Because many of the differences between Glorantha and a generic medieval fantasy setting are visual (and a lot is also social, but that doesn't show up as much in a wargame,) I have had a great time building, converting, and painting my miniatures and terrain. Let me tell you, Glorantha is a blast and the scenarios write themselves after the framework is rolled up. Using the Lunar Empire's invasion of Heortland in 1617 is a wonderful way to tie a lot of elements together on the tabletop. And the constant threat of Chaos lurking in the back, broo and mutants and cultists, is a perfect opportunity to pull out all those old miniatures again.

But a specific setting can also be a bit limiting. Nordic Weasel Games has a couple of expansions for Five Leagues From The Borderlands that simply do not fit well into the mystique of Glorantha. The Goblin Hills is exactly what it sounds like, a small campaign about stemming a goblin invasion. While it could be tailored to Glorantha with a little work, the idea of "normal" fantasy goblins has a certain appeal as well. A recent release (as of this writing) is The Old Kin, which is kind of the classic lizardman-culture-predates-humanity trope that permeates a lot of fantasy literature and settings. Not just lizardmen, but also easily encompasses fishmen and frogmen. I love fishmen and frogmen! Deep Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos! But, not a big part of the Glorantha setting. Again, I could make it work with a little tweaking. But I really like both of these supplements as written, and I have the urge to use them as they are.

Ral Parha Elf Swordsman, Before And After

Another interesting thing about a bronze age fantasy setting with a lot of unique races and cultures is that, while there are a lot of opportunities to go full weird and have a great time with the theme, there is not much chance to include other things. For example, I recently found one of my earliest miniature purchases, an old Ral Partha Elf sculpted by Tom Meier (and surprisingly still available) which was in terrible condition. So I stripped the paint, and gave him a colorful facelift in line with my modern miniatures. But, he's not something I would expect to see in Glorantha. I mean, I could use him, but he doesn't fit the setting in my head.

Dammit Moody!

And then, on Facebook, my friend Moody shared these guys. He is also a Gloranthaphile like me, but he has a lot of other interests as well. And now I want these miniatures. And I want to use them. Here at home in solo skirmish games. But they simply do not fit into Glorantha.

So what's a guy to do? I am just going to have to start a second Five Leagues From The Borderlands campaign, done as a generic fantasy setting. I'll use the new rules from The Old Kin, and have steel weapons and armor, and elves, and goblins, and ogres... basically a side trip for when I want to do the stuff not normally available in Glorantha. It will never eclipse my beloved ducks, I am sure, but it is definitely on my radar as something to plan now.