Review: Life and Traditions Under the Sun Dome

There is so much to love about Life and Traditions Under the Sun Dome by CJ Håkansson and Malin Rydén. At a whopping 298 pages this is not a light skip across the surface of Sun County – it’s deep dive. As ever, the layout is spot on (well done, Nick) and I really like the art. I presume a lot of this has been pilfered from other sources, but they really help to evoke a sense of place.

The book covers history, traditions, peoples, cults, law & order, food…just about everything.

What I like most about this tome, is that it will help inform players and GMs alike and help shape campaigns and adventures. I will pull out a few examples:

• The authors take the time to explain how various cults operate within the county. There is considerable time spent on the role of Babeestor Gor, and the way she is represented chimes with my views on the cult. • Under the Law and Order section, the text box listing what crimes are included as Disturbing the Peace is both informative and funny. I can see this being an excellent way to engage characters on both sides of the law. • I loved the inclusion of the Guardians of Decency – a morale band of concerned citizens that can be used by gamemasters in various ways. • There are various random tables, from weather to encounters to interesting NPCs. I love a table!

Oh, and I must mention the forms in the appendix. Being a civil servant , I love a form. I’ll will make very certain my players fill out as least one of these the next time they set foot in Sun County. Well done to all involved. All in all, a very splendid book and worth your pennies if you are likely to visit Sun County soon.

Dome Above!

Wow, this is a great great great publication. It's an absolute beauty to behold; lovingly researched, expertly written and a gorgeous array of art (both figures and background). Superb stuff!

My personal interest in the Jonstown Compendium is to peruse the many different ways in which people construct scenarios. As odd as it sounds, I like to see what is lurking in other people’s heads and how this is interpreted into their adventures. The variation in approach between authors is always a curiosity to me and to my mind there is no right or wrong way.

The Black Spear is both audacious and brave, being very different to the other scenarios published under the aegis of the Jonstown Compendium. It takes a wild ride through Glorantha, throws up many curve-balls and surprises, imparting much interesting ‘Gloranthan Lore’ along the way. And what I truly love about it is that it is unlike anything I would create and as such I have learnt from it. Perhaps the next time I put pen to paper I will be a bit more daring.

The Black Spear takes the gamemaster and players alike back to some familiar haunts but replays them in a completely different fashion. Without giving too much away, a great example of this is a visit to a cave complex. This might have some players ‘tooling up’ for a hunt and kill mission, but Black Spear takes a very different turn and comes up with something truly inspirational, fun and Gloranthan. Love it.

What’s more, the book is beautiful to behold. Wonderfully written, colourful, bold and clear, it is full of useful boxed text and packed with superb art from Mike O’Connor.

It’s a must have.

I have a perverse interest in creating stat blocks– I think I actually enjoy it. But there does come a time when it gets tiresome. At this point it is way easier to recycle old stat blocks from old scenarios.

And then along comes Pimper’s Block – a huge resource for gamemasters – a cornucopia of characters to choose from. And there is more besides, with extra information on skills, cults and culture, ransom and more. Looks like I won’t need to recycle stat blocks anymore!

A great source of NPCs and information.

Citizens of the Lunar Empire is a sourcebook and setting for a gamemaster to capitalise on and, after reading it, I now have a strong desire to run an urban detective story. But it is more than that – it is also a great source of information about the cities and citizens within the empire (I loved reading the character vignettes to see what cults these citizens worshipped).

The book is well written. A great attention has been paid to getting the mood right e.g. The beautiful sound of a close harmony duet wafts out into the street. Alongside the main text there is a lot of boxed text with examples, extra detail and quirky information. There are also plenty of character hooks for the gamemaster to exploit.

Great character pen-pictures are beautifully augmented by the many images. The art is excellent and brings the people of Glamour (the city within which the sourcebook is based) to life. These images are counterposed by a series of geometric drawings of the insula (the city block) which gives the reader very clear instructions on the block’s layout and feel. These two contrasting styles (the curves of the character images and the straight lines of the buildings) are woven together throughout the book and it is very effective.

The book is clear and crisp to read and lovingly laid out. Oh, and the front cover is a delight.

There is so much to commend about this book.

When I was fifteen I bought ‘Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars’ by Duncan Head. I treasured it, re-reading it over and over.

The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass feels to me like Glorantha’s version of this book …but with so much more detail. The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass has been lovingly put together and it is clear that the author understands ancient warfare and Glorantha very well.

Great book – lovely art and a very enjoyable to read.

This confidently crafted adventure is situated in Prax. It involves moral choices and a well-woven mission that brings the players into contact with a great mix of encounters. ‘Prax is a harsh land where the elements are unmixed’ - what a great line – I felt like I learned something after reading this adventure.

There are three standout reasons why I think this publication is great.

Firstly, learning Lunar secrets! In the 90s, when I played most RQ, the source books spoke of Lunar characters and hinted at this and that, but I was never quite sure what the truth was. Now I can delve deeper as these secrets are mined in the back-storeys of the characters. Great Sister, The White Moon Cult, The Black Army and much more is presented to the reader and I found reading about the characters, institutions and more a great joy. That said there are still enough unfathomable depths left for a GM/reader to make their own decisions about the exact truth for their games (YGWV).

Secondly, is the art by Dario Corallo. There is some superb art in this publication. Brilliant cameos of various well-known celebs - Danny DeVito, Michael Caine, Sean Bean, Tom Hanks and many more. Very impressive. I also love the sun-worshipping hoplite image on page 164 - very lovely.

Thirdly is the nod to 1990s culture (MoonRock Café etc) which maybe more of a draw to readers of a certain age, like me.

In a summary, a lavish publication full intriguing characters, impressive art carried and smartly put together to create a cogent and readable document of over 200 pages.

So that is that then – Now I have Legion, I never need to roll up any more broo stats!

Legion is a lovingly written sourcebook full of horrendously wonderful baddies to be set against a party of RuneQuest adventurers. Not only does it include legions of these horrors (from rune masters down to lay members) but there are also some great extras, including new diseases (I love the Dermal Glue art – yuk!) but also now a free adventure that I am looking forward to running.

Well written with great art and a good sharp feel to its layout, I thoroughly recommend this publication.

This is a great collection of NPCs. Useful, clear and well thought out. Great stuff!

The vibrant front cover drew me in and I knew even before reading that this would be a confidently written adventure.

It starts with a clear introduction and a breakdown of the contents. The writing is well-crafted and the style is easy to read (and fun to read) with plenty of ideas on how to play aspects of the adventure. A good amount of further reading is suggested throughout. The adventure is packed full of Gloranthan goodness and I learned a lot just in the first few pages. Despite this detail, the cogent style makes for easy reading.

The adventure starts the characters in a Sartarite Army marching to war. The enemy is also on the move and the characters are sent to guard Dangerford in case they attempt to flank the Sartarite army. What follows puts the characters centre stage and gives them the opportunity to interact with one of the major personalities in Dragon Pass.

In short, The Duel at Dangerford is a bravely written self-assured adventure. It dares to put the players at the centre of the major story line in Dragon Pass and it works very well. Any player will feel like their actions are making a real change to the outcome of the brewing war. Super stuff!

I am really looking forward to ant follow-up the author might be planning.

There is so much goodness packed into A Rough Guide to Glamour. There is a vivacity to this publication, and it is obvious that it has been written with a collective passion. The layout is impressive and is over-brimming with great art both of the city and the characters within it. I particularly liked the profiles of the Very Important People in Glamour. The panoramic view of the city is also superb.

After an introduction to the great city, a map and gazetteer stake out areas of interest, many with accompanying images. This is admirably supported by the Rough Guide section.. On a first read through I was struck by the opulence of the city, but the more you read it is clear illusion hides much urban decay, even in the Lunar Capital. The Centre for Strategic Research sounds very intriguing but I was drawn in by the decadent image of the baths

There are a series of great little storeys. It was nice to see Jaxarte pop up again (from Sun County fame) and I did much enjoy the Letter from a Monopolist.

And of course, there is also two superb Cult write-ups – one for The Red Emperor and the other for the glorious Glamour herself.

There is so much in this book - lovingly written, great illustrations - I would thoroughly recommend it.

Really enjoyed this. Some richly drawn characters that I can see being useful as either key links to furher adventure or can be called upon quickly to enrich an urban encounter in Pavis and beyond.