RuneQuest
RuneQuest is a tabletop role-playing game of heroic fantasy, first published in 1978 by Chaosium, Inc., and set in the richly detailed Bronze Age-inspired world of Glorantha, where players create adventurers who engage in magic, combat, and cultural exploration using a skill-based percentile (d100) system without character classes or levels.[1][2][3] Developed by Steve Perrin, Ray Turney, and others as Chaosium's inaugural RPG, RuneQuest pioneered the Basic Role-Playing (BRP) system, emphasizing realistic mechanics for skills, combat, and magic that reward player choices and in-game experiences over abstract progression.[2][3] The game's core rules allow all characters to wield magic through Rune affinities tied to gods and cults, integrating mythology deeply into gameplay and daily life in Glorantha, a setting where divine myths influence history, society, and personal destinies.[4][1] Over its history, RuneQuest has seen multiple editions, with the current seventh edition (released in 2018) refining the rules for greater accessibility while preserving the focus on lethal, tactical combat—featuring hit locations, weapon breakage, and impaling attacks—and immersive elements like family, community, and cultural rituals. As of November 2025, Chaosium has announced a revised core rulebook expected soon and a new edition planned for 2027 at the earliest.[5][3][6] Influential in the RPG industry, it has inspired numerous supplements, scenarios, and adaptations, including video games such as the upcoming RuneQuest: Warlords (releasing December 2025) and fiction, and remains celebrated for its depth in portraying a world where heroes navigate the tensions between mortals, gods, and chaos.[1][7][8]History and Development
Origins and Early Editions
RuneQuest was developed by Steve Perrin, Ray Turney, Steve Henderson, and Warren James, and first published by Chaosium in 1978 as the company's inaugural role-playing game.[9] Drawing inspiration from Greg Stafford's world-building in Glorantha—initially explored through the 1975 board game White Bear and Red Moon, which Chaosium reissued in 1978 alongside RuneQuest—the game emphasized a skill-based system without character classes or levels, allowing flexible progression through experience and training.[10] The initial print run of 5,000 copies sold out by May 1979, reflecting early enthusiasm for its innovative approach.[11] The first edition rulebook introduced key mechanics such as percentile dice (d100) for resolving skills and hit locations in combat, providing a realistic and tactical simulation of actions and injuries. It included a light background on Glorantha, portraying a Bronze Age-inspired world of myths, gods, and cultures, though the setting was not fully detailed until supplements.[12] This edition laid the foundation for the Basic Role-Playing (BRP) system, which Chaosium distilled from RuneQuest rules in 1980 as a generic framework.[13] The second edition, released in October 1979, refined the core rules with expansions to magic and cult systems, integrating deeper elements of Glorantha such as rune affiliations and religious initiation that tied characters to divine powers and societal roles.[11] Accompanied by the influential supplement Cults of Prax, which detailed tribal religions and sold over 1,200 copies in its debut month, this version solidified RuneQuest's reputation for immersive world-building.[14] In 1984, under a licensing agreement with Avalon Hill, the third edition appeared in a boxed set format containing multiple books for players, gamemasters, magic, creatures, and Glorantha-specific content.[15] It expanded combat rules for greater tactical depth, introduced a more structured sorcery system, and further wove in Gloranthan mythology, including godly conflicts akin to those in Stafford's earlier board games like Nomad Gods (1978).[16] This edition marked a shift toward broader accessibility while preserving the game's emphasis on realistic simulation and cultural immersion.[1]Licensing and Later Editions
In 1984, Avalon Hill acquired the rights to publish RuneQuest and stewarded the third edition until 1994, producing boxed sets that included core rules divided into player's and gamemaster's packs, along with supplements focused on the Glorantha setting.[15] During this period, Avalon Hill released the Genertela: Crucible of the Hero Wars boxed set in 1988, which provided detailed regional sourcebooks covering the continent's lands, cultures, and history to support campaigns in the early Hero Wars era.[17] This stewardship emphasized modular boxed products but faced criticism for shifting away from Glorantha's depth toward more generic fantasy elements, though Chaosium retained creative control over setting-specific content.[18] Following Avalon Hill's acquisition by Hasbro in 1998 and the lapse of the RuneQuest trademark, legal disputes in the 2000s complicated ownership, with Chaosium unable to use the name for new publications while relying on its Basic Role-Playing system.[18] Issaries Inc., founded by Glorantha creator Greg Stafford, acquired the RuneQuest trademark around 2006 and licensed it to Mongoose Publishing, which released a new edition from 2006 to 2008 under an Open Game License (OGL), adapting the Basic Role-Playing core to generic fantasy settings while allowing third-party content creation via the RuneQuest SRD.[19] Chaosium reprinted the second edition rules in 2016 as RuneQuest Classics, following a successful Kickstarter campaign that made them available in print and PDF formats. Meanwhile, Issaries licensed the trademark to Mongoose Publishing, which released a new edition from 2006 to 2008 under an Open Game License (OGL), adapting the Basic Role-Playing core to generic fantasy settings while allowing third-party content creation via the RuneQuest SRD.[20] Chaosium regained the RuneQuest trademark in 2016 and launched RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha (RQ:RiG) in 2018 as the current core edition, commonly referred to as the seventh, featuring full-color hardcovers, integrated rune magic tied to character runes, and passion mechanics for roleplaying depth.[5] Unlike earlier editions' guild- and cult-based advancement through training and experience checks, RQ:RiG simplifies passions as central traits that augment skills and spells, emphasizing personal motivations over structured guild progression.[21] In 2023, Chaosium released a deluxe slipcase set compiling the core rulebook, Glorantha Bestiary, and gamemaster screen pack, providing a premium collection for the edition's Bronze Age Glorantha focus.[22]Recent Developments
In 2015, Moon Design Publications joined Chaosium's ownership group, bringing the rights to Glorantha and positioning Chaosium as the licensed publisher for RuneQuest; by 2016, following the expiration of prior licenses such as that held by The Design Mechanism for RuneQuest 6, Chaosium gained full control over the RuneQuest trademark and began a revival of the line.[23] This culminated in the 2015 Kickstarter for RuneQuest: Classic Edition, a reprint of the second edition rules, which raised over $206,000 from more than 2,000 backers, demonstrating strong community interest in the game's legacy.[24] The revival continued with the release of RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha (RQ:RiG) in 2018 as the seventh edition and current core ruleset, emphasizing integrated Gloranthan lore and skill-based play. The 2020s saw expanded publications supporting RQ:RiG, including the RuneQuest Starter Set in November 2021, which provides beginner-friendly rules, pregenerated characters, and introductory adventures in an accessible box set format.[25] Complementary supplements followed, such as The Red Book of Magic in December 2020, compiling over 500 Rune and spirit magic spells with new rituals and creatures for deeper magical exploration. The Cults of RuneQuest series further enriched deity worship mechanics, with volumes like The Prosopaedia (July 2023), Mythology (October 2023), The Lightbringers (August 2023), and The Earth Goddesses (August 2023) detailing cults, myths, and societal roles; additional volumes continued into 2024. In early 2025, Cults of RuneQuest: The Gods of Fire and Sky was released, introducing 13 new cults including Shargash and Yelm, alongside rules for associated magic and heroquesting.[26] Community and digital initiatives have bolstered accessibility, with free Quick-Start rules available since 2017 to introduce core mechanics without purchase.[27] The Jonstown Compendium, launched on DriveThruRPG, enables fan-created content for RQ:RiG and Glorantha, reaching a milestone of 50,000 sales by October 2023, fostering an "all-new RuneQuest Renaissance" through indie supplements and scenarios.[28] RQ:RiG integrates with Chaosium's QuestWorlds system for narrative-focused play in Glorantha, allowing groups to blend tactical combat with heroic storytelling across editions. Events like Chaosium Con UK in May 2025 previewed upcoming content, including previews of revised rules and new adventures.[29] In September 2025, Chaosium announced a Revised RuneQuest core rulebook, expected in the near future and featuring a shorter format with streamlined combat and clearer presentations while retaining core systems; this revision incorporates extensive playtesting to refine elements like rune affinities and heroquesting.[6] The development of a new edition of RuneQuest has been delayed to 2027 or later to fully integrate these refinements, prioritizing quality over speed. Additionally, RuneQuest: Warlords, a turn-based strategy video game set in Glorantha developed by Slitherine Software, is slated for release in 2025, expanding the franchise into digital strategy gameplay, with a release date of December 9, 2025.[30]Core Gameplay Mechanics
The following describes core mechanics from the seventh edition (2018); as of September 2025, a revised edition is in development.[6]Character Creation and Attributes
Character creation in RuneQuest emphasizes a detailed, narrative-driven process that integrates a character's physical attributes, cultural background, and personal history within the world of Glorantha, without relying on traditional character classes. Players begin by generating core characteristics, selecting a homeland, outlining family history, choosing an occupation and cult, and assigning initial skills and rune affinities. This system, refined in the current edition RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha (RQ:RiG), evolves from the purely random attribute generation of early editions to incorporate storytelling elements that tie characters to Glorantha's mythology and societies.[31][32] The seven core characteristics define a character's physical and mental capabilities: Strength (STR), Constitution (CON), Size (SIZ), Intelligence (INT), Power (POW), Dexterity (DEX), and Charisma (CHA). In RQ:RiG, these are typically generated by rolling 3d6 for STR, CON, POW, DEX, and CHA, and 2d6+6 for INT and SIZ, assigning the results in order or as preferred by the group. These values influence derived traits such as hit points (calculated from CON and SIZ), strike rank (from DEX and SIZ), and damage bonus (from STR + SIZ total). For example, a combined STR + SIZ of 25-32 grants a +1D4 damage bonus, representing enhanced melee impact from physical prowess.[31][32][33] Players then select a homeland from Glorantha's diverse regions, such as the storm-worshipping Orlanthi of Sartar or the imperial Lunar Empire, which provides cultural bonuses to skills, starting languages, and rune affinities. For instance, Orlanthi characters often gain affinity with the Air rune, reflecting their cultural ties to storm gods, while Lunar characters may align with the Moon rune. This choice also introduces passions—intense emotional bonds like Loyalty (to clan) or Hate (toward rivals)—rated at percentages that can augment actions in play. The family history phase further personalizes the character by tracing generational events from 1570 ST onward, adding specific passions, skills, or even curses based on interactions with Glorantha's turbulent history, such as conflicts during the Lunar occupation of Sartar.[31][32][34] Unlike class-based systems, RuneQuest characters are defined by their skills, which start at a base of 5% for most abilities across categories like Combat, Magic, or Knowledge. These bases are modified by cultural background (e.g., +10% to Customs for Heortlings), occupation (such as a warrior adding +15% to Brawl), and family history events in RQ:RiG, allowing for highly customized proficiency without predefined roles. Rune affinities, derived from culture and cult, provide percentage ratings (e.g., 60% Air for an Orlanthi initiate) that influence magic and personality, emphasizing the game's integration of personal traits with Glorantha's mythic framework.[35][31]Skill-Based Resolution and Combat
RuneQuest utilizes a percentile-based resolution system where tasks are resolved by rolling a d100 and comparing the result to a character's skill percentage; a roll equal to or under the skill succeeds.[33] Degrees of success provide varying outcomes: a critical success occurs on a roll of 01 or equal to or under one-twentieth of the skill (rounded up), granting maximum benefits like ignoring armor in combat; a special success is equal to or under one-fifth of the skill, offering enhanced effects such as doubled damage with impaling weapons; a standard success is equal to or under the full skill; a failure exceeds the skill; and a fumble (typically 96-00) results in severe penalties or mishaps.[36] In opposed contests, such as chases or debates, both participants roll against their relevant skills, with the higher degree of success prevailing; ties are unresolved unless one fumbles, or both fail, leading to a stalemate.[33] This d100 mechanic, foundational since the game's 1978 debut, eschews random initiative dice or class restrictions, prioritizing skill mastery and tactical decisions over luck in sequencing actions.[9] In RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha (2018), the system evolves to include augments from passions or runes, where a successful passion roll adds +20% to a skill (up to +50% for critical augments), integrating character motivations and mythic elements into resolution without altering core dice mechanics.[36] Combat emphasizes detailed simulation through strike ranks, which dictate action order without dice rolls, calculated as the sum of a character's DEX strike rank modifier (e.g., 2 for DEX 13-15), SIZ modifier (e.g., 1 for SIZ 15-21), and the weapon's inherent strike rank—resulting in faster weapons like daggers (SR 1) acting before slower ones like greatswords (SR 4).[37] Each 12-second melee round divides into phases for melee attacks, missile fire, and magic, with actions resolving in ascending strike rank order to reward positioning and timing over chance.[37] Attacks follow the d100 skill resolution against the attack skill, opposed by the defender's parry or dodge; successful hits target specific locations via a d20 roll, as shown in the hit location table below:| d20 Roll | Hit Location |
|---|---|
| 01–03 | Right Leg |
| 04–06 | Left Leg |
| 07–09 | Abdomen |
| 10–12 | Chest |
| 13–15 | Right Arm |
| 16–18 | Left Arm |
| 19–20 | Head |