Play grounded, gritty fantasy heroes tied to myth, cult, and clan, with percentile skills and dangerous, detailed combat.
Percentile (d100)Fantasyd100roll underclasslesshigh lethalitylifepath creationfaction playCampaignsNeeds a GM
5.9
Geek rating
From 6 firsthand play reports in 2 r/rpg threads. The threads alone average 7.3.
Player rating—/ 10
No visitor ratings yet.
Discussion6.2/ 10
152 r/rpg posts named it, October 2023 to October 2026.
Rules weight
Medium. Hype 2.2 for its age.
Have you played it?
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Didn't work for usOne of our best
What players say
At the table
Both threads are mostly advice, so little firsthand play is on record here. Those who have played or run RuneQuest describe a lethal but avoidable game, centered on community and episodic play.
What works
Players call the newest edition fun, with plenty of supported content. (thread)
Older RQ2-era material, such as Dorastor, runs with light conversion. (thread)
Healing magic that reattaches limbs is available to starting characters, which makes play more forgiving. (thread)
Time skips can be loose, from "the morning after" to a whole season in a sentence or two. Downtime rules and background community events make the world feel lived in. (thread)
Fights are rarely to the death. Fleeing, surrender, ambushes and bounties keep encounters workable. (thread)
What tables struggle with
Character creation is complex, with many options at the start: Rune magic, spirit magic, shamanism or sorcery, Runes and Passions. (thread)
Starting characters are far more capable than in RQ2, so the old scrappy, deadly feel needs house rules to recover. Some archaic subsystems, such as Strike Ranks, are called overcomplicated. (thread)
D&D-minded players have to adjust to every fight mattering rather than wearing the party down. (thread)
Numbers are the main balance risk, because PCs must split their skill across multiple foes. (thread)
The three-months-per-session framing worries new GMs, though veterans say it isn't followed strictly. Professional adventurers fit the setting poorly. (thread)
Who it suits
Groups who enjoy Glorantha's community-rooted, episodic play and are fine with downtime between adventures.
Tables that will avoid, flee or ambush rather than treat every fight as winnable.
In players' words
"I am currently running an open-world campaign in Dorastor: Land of Doom from the 90s." (thread)
"It isn't as deadly, starting characters are way more competent than RQ2." (thread)
"Use the downtime rules and simply deal with the seasons passing in a sentence or two." (thread)
The threads behind it
Each thread is rated for the play it describes, from the firsthand reports in it. Load one here or read it on Reddit.
7.0
RuneQuest / Mythras which to get.
The thread is mostly advice on RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha versus Mythras, so little of it describes actual play. The few people who have played or run it call it fun and say it works well with older material, but they also say it is complex and that starting characters are far more capable than in RQ2. 3 firsthand · 23 comments
I'm abaout to run a Runequest Campaing, any tips from veterans?
This is mostly a new-GM advice thread with few explicit firsthand accounts. The people who have played or run RuneQuest describe a flexible, episodic, community-focused game where time skips are easy to handle and fights are lethal but avoidable. 3 firsthand · 10 comments