In this Issue

First, a myth of how bees and wasps got their coloration in "Gorakiki's Fingers".

Next, we look at the History of Aggar,

then take a detour to the land of Gloranthan Miniatures and Hordes of the Things (HoTT).

Greg Stafford graces us with the Rathori Creation myth,

and then the meat of the issue: a Pelorian modification for the Britannia boardgame from Keith Nellist.

Fabian Küchler gives us his thoughts on the Chaos Feature contest that was run on the Glorantha mailing lists,

and we finish up with a little something from Roderick Robertson.

Gorakiki’s Fingers

John Harding

When the Uz lived during the time of endless eating in Wonderhome, Gorakiki was a servant of the first mother. Gorakiki was wise and good, serving her mistress well. She had a natural affinity for the all the animals of Wonderhome but her favorites were the black bees.

Most Uz regarded these as useless pets for children, but many still liked how the bees felt to their darksee. When they swarmed in the fungal forests the beating of their wings and their chitinous bodies made many Uz drunk with darksee pleasure.

Then came the time of great pain when the Burning Death came to Wonderhome. The Foul Burner killed many Uz, but some knew how to escape and one of them was Gorakiki.

The bees came to Gorakiki and cried, “Save us from the burner, two legged mother!” So she took the black bees in her right hand.  The black wasps came to her and cried, “Though we are not your favorites, two legged mother, we are cousins to the bees. Will you not save us as well?”

Gorakiki took the black wasps in her left hand and the rest of her many legged friends had no choice but to run behind her. She ran and jumped and escaped to the hurtplace but many of her animals burned as she fled.  Not even the bees and wasps escaped. The foul burner had scorched them through her fingers. Where the space between her fingers had let the death light through they were burned yellow the color of the foul burner's light. The bees and wasps were remained yellow and black ever after and to this day some Uz call the stripes on Bees and Wasps "Gorakiki’s fingers".

Notes by Warncliffe of Jonstown

The trolls “darksee” or darksense is odd to us humans but it gives as much aesthetic pleasure to the trolls as our own hearing and sight. I once asked a troll of Dagori Inkarth why trolls got drunk on the swarm of bees in this story. He told me that the  bees were much bigger than the “komor” kind and he attempted to describe why everyone got drunk.

Unfortunately either I failed to really understand him or he lacks the wit to express himself properly. What I did glean from the conversation was that both “the insides and the outsides” of bees were aesthetically pleasing to trolls. What this means I could not fathom but then who can truly understand the ways of the dark men

History of Aggar

David Millians

Godtime

Emperor Urvairinus the Conqueror of Dara Happa defeated the Ram People of the south at the Field of Hurdurus in his second campaign, and this may be reference to the ancestors of the later hill peoples of southern Peloria. They wore curly horns and wooly fleeces instead of clothing and may have been sheep hsunchen. They worshipped a huge, iron ram towed on wheels. The Dara Happans knew them to be the descendants of Uldoviham, the first to leave the safety of Anaxial’s ship after the Great Flood. Uldoviham was said to have mated with beasts to produce these barbarian peoples.

Horse tribes, possibly the ancestors of the Hyalorings, fled southward during the Darkness.

Sylilan legends tell of Suvar, son of Perakosus, a deity with some similarities to Lodril. Suvar was a hunter, and he and his brothers worshipped the capricious goddess Ku Kwatta. Distressed by the angry barzkarto, creatures of two bodies bound together, of the forests, he traveled deep into the earth to gain ErNear’s wisdom. After meeting her, he is able to chip obsidian heads for axes and uses these to separate the barzkarto into two pieces, for which they are grateful and remain friendly, helpful spirits to this day for those who know their ways.

The Suvarians are also said to have fought the Ram People. The Suvarians’ Old Man explodes, surrounding their enemies and burning them to ashes. Later came the Erlandings, children of the storm gods of thunder and lightning, Erlandus and Ovadorudus. No one emerged completely victorious in this clash of storm and fire.

First Age

In 98 ST, World Council explorers discovered humans in Aggar. They were known as the Skanthi and had their own indigenous customs. They seem to have evolved into the Aggar and the Talastari, and much later the name Skanthi came to designate only the easternmost branch of the latter. The Skanthi had only a peripheral involvement in the Dorastan Council. Their neighbors in Vanch were known as the Sankenites and worshipped Antirius. King Aram was a great hero of this time, beloved of Kero Fin and the holder of her sacred Diamond Necklace.

The Vingkotling tribes of Aggar were the Vestantes of Vestanteland (southern Aggar), a Summer Tribe, and the Penentelli of north Aggar (a Winter Tribe).

Later in the age, the inhabitants of this region were known collectively as the Penentelli. They were of Heort’s People, and their leaders served the Overking Haradangian of the Stravuli, who dwelt in Vanch and Tarsh.

Rastazar of Aggar gained the Necklace of Kero Fin after negotiating a peace between King Haradangian and King Arlastor of the Berenneth Orlanthi. Rastazar joined the Dorastan Council in 352 as the Speaker for Storm.

King Valarastans of Aggar’s fourth son was known as Swenith. His son Jothitorang Gnawbone bore Ingkathir the Wealthy, who married Eralasinna, daughter of Borthjord the Poet. His eldest of three sons was Lokamayadon. Lokamayadon sought peace with elves and married a Brolian princess, Erilindia. He was master of the Three Lightnings and founded the Brotherhood of the Storm. His ways are now known as evil and he is said to have replaced the worship of Orlanth with that of Ragnaglar.

Eringulf Vanak Spear was a hero of the late First Age. He gained his namesake spear in contests at the Hill of Gold in Vanch.

Aggari warriors fought the foreign invaders and their changeling leader at the end of the age. Many died with Orlankor Silvesword in the lowlands in a battle with Beast King Vorwah. Side columns of Arkat’s army sacked all of the accessible hill forts. The western hills above the Erinflarth retained the scars of Arkat’s passage and were to do so until at least the end of the Third Age.

Second Age

Contact with the surrounding country recommenced through trade to the west with the cities of Lakrene: Voranel, Urnandle, and Endeel.

The Empire of the Wyrm Friends gained nominal overlordship of Aggar in the ninth century. A hierarchy of obligations was established in which lowlanders collected taxes from those in the hills, who in turn levied the wealth of those living still further into the hinterland.

897 was known as the Year of No Summer, for spring failed to come.

The EWF system led to resentment and rebellion. Cities in Aggar and Saird were razed as contrary to Orlanth’s way. With its armies needed elsewhere, the EWF sent in dragons to quell the hillmen. They were opposed by Javin the Westerner and his followers.

Alakoring Dragonbreaker, another enemy of the EWF, was from Ralios but later dwelt in Aggar, where he settled and raised a family, always fighting the empire. He is most famous for killing Drang, the Diamond Storm Dragon. He later seized lands in Dragon Pass and developed more fully the Orlanthi system of kingship.

Many of the Javini and others marched off to Dragon Pass in the late eleventh century. They joined Emperor Kurnardros of Dara Happa and many allies in this massive invasion. They were annihilated in the Dragonkill War.

Third Age

Early in this era, Chaos began to emerge from Dorastor in various destructive forms. Most of these fell forces made their way down the Erinflarth River or into Talastar and were never a coherent menace to Aggar. With the Dara Happan defeat of a chaos army at Oxbow in 1107, though, the sun worshippers influence along the margins of Aggar increased markedly.

During the early part of the Third Age, Halikiv trolls raided the humans of the Aggar region so continually that it was nearly abandoned by them.

The rise of the Red Moon, who the Aggari know as Shepelkirt, in 1248, also known as the first year of the First Wane, heralded new changes for Aggar.

Hwarin Dalthippa established the Sylilan Sultanate in the Second Wane. The Orlanthi to the south and allies among the river folk, followers of a water deity known as Bold Vareleus, formed the Cynnelfin Alliance to oppose the Conquering Daughter’s rise to power in the region. One of the leaders of this movement was Gwythar Longhair. Around 1330, Imperial forces intercepted him as he helped transport river people across Aggar, and the Orlanthi were victorious. Gwythar opposed Hwarin Dalthippa at Mirin’s Cross during her first Road Campaign and was defeated and bound as a guardian of her famous bridge there.

Hwarin Dalthippa had subjugated the Aggari by 1348 (2/47), making them tributary kings of the Red Emperor.

In 1375 Bina Bang, famous Blue Moon heroquester, visited the trolls of Aggar.

During the wars with Sheng Sheleris (1375 - 1460), Aggari raiders penetrated into Holay and Sylila, though the latter remained strong throughout most of this period.

The Mad Sultan and his followers rampaged through the lowlands and occasionally troubling Aggar before they were tricked into Dorastor. Their madness demonstrated the evil of the Lunar Way to many hill Orlanthi.

In 1520, the Uroxi of Talastar and Aggar drove into Dorastor to throw back the chaos dwelling and strangely organizing there.

The Lunar Empire established the Provincial Government for the southern tributary kingdoms, including Aggar, in 1545 (6/28) to organize the conquest of Tarsh.

In 1561 the Errio Clan came to power in Sylila. They used a combination of diplomacy, bribery, subversion, and conquest to dominate the region, including Aggar. Though Orlanthi in ancestry, this powerful clan became thoroughly Lunarized.

King Phargentes of Tarsh killed King Larnstal of Aggar.

The Red Emperor wore the Mask of Celestinus until 1574 (7/3) and died in his bed surrounded by his sacred choir. Militaris was his next Mask and came from Kedevi in Kostaddi. He was the victor at the Battle of Grizzly Peak and ruled until 1586 (7/15).

A Provincial Governor independent of the Lunar kings of Tarsh was established in 1579 (7/8).

The Mask of the Red Emperor was known as Reclusus from 1586 (7/15). He is known for buying Talastar as described below. He also organized the Kalikos Expeditions.

In 1590 Talastar was wholly converted to the Lunar Way in one stroke on White Shirt Day. The Bilini refused to join, and in 1595, Hrodar Grizzlebeak became their king with the old, traditional regalia of Talastar.

The Seventh Wane began in 1571 (7/1). Lunar missionaries are busy in Aggar, especially in the lowlands and at the court of the High King. Some Orlanth temples, mostly small shrines, have been sealed or destroyed after local rebellions, but the Lunars primarily continue their policy of replacing Orlanth’s cult with that of Molanni.

Reclusus Moonson ascended in flames in 1599 (7/28) after his own fiery spectacle and meeting out of justice in Glamour. Ignifer arose as the next Mask and ruled until 1607 (7/36), when Argenteus came to power.

Rascius is the grasping, covetous, one-eyed king of Aggar in 1621. He responds only to generous gifts.

The magician Akgarbash of Laurmal lives in Aggar. He is known to turn bandits and sometimes visitors into giant frogs to feed his giant storks.

HoTT Glorantha

Richard Crawley

What’s HOTT in the Land of Miniatures?

There’s a fairly active group of Gloranthan miniatures gamers in Europe ( Mostly in Britain but Gregory Privat flies the GloryGeek standard with honour in France) who go by the name of the GloryGeeks. For most of them the rules of choice are a set of generic fantasy wargames rules called Hordes of the Things. So what is HOTT (as its friends know it) and can it say anything of interest to other Glorantha fans?

Kallyr vrs Lunars

HOTT has its origins in a set of ancient wargames rules (that’s rules for playing wargames with the troop types of antiquity – not a really old set of rules) called De Bellis Antiquitatis (“Of Ancient War” I believe.). DBA set out to be an alternative to the complex, expensive, slow playing rules that then dominated ancient wargaming. Armies were reduced to just twelve stands of perhaps three or four figures each. Games were playable in an hour and armies and matching terrain could be constructed quickly and relatively cheaply.

HOTT took the basic mechanisms and said, “We can use these rules to reconstruct the battles of fantasy fiction”. In the fantasy version, Heroes are hugely powerful and can always find a mount when they need one, Paladins are unworldly and resist magic, archers are steady and resemble machineguns in their firepower, Dragons are aloof and ultimately cowardly, and giants (called Behemoths in the rules) are all too likely to crush their own troops if they recoil from an enemy. And so on for many other tropes of the fantasy genre. In some ways HOTT is to wargames what HeroQuest is to conventional RPGs.

HOTT’s unambiguous (some would say legalistic) style of writing particularly suits tournament play – though there’s little in the way of win-at-all-costs attitude on display. It was at the largest of the tournaments (at Berkeley in Goucestershire) that the idea of the GloryGeeks was born. A small group of Gloranthaphiles who had migrated to wargaming rather than RPGs realised they could recreate battles in Glorantha using HOTT rules.

In fact, there was little difficulty in merging the two. Sartarite tribesmen are clearly HOTT Warbands, Lunar hoplites are Spears and if Kallyr Starbrow isn’t a Hero my name’s not Jane Williams… erm, well, you know what I mean. One of the central principles by which most HOTT players work, however, does have something interesting to tell us here.

Lunars vrs. Praxians

As a rule we try not to introduce “house rules”. Anyone can say “Harrek is a Hero but he also acts as a Paladin and gains that class’s anti-magic ability”. You can certainly do that and because Superhero counters in Dragon Pass protect other units you’d have a case. However, you risk disturbing the game’s very finely balanced set-up. So we try instead to find a solution within the rules that achieves the result we want. My solution is to make Harrek an “ordinary” Hero and give the role of Paladin to Gunda the Guilty. Together they then make a powerful, fast-moving striking force. There’s no rules reason to keep the two elements together but tactically it’s a smart thing to do and so we end up with a scary force that can achieve great things (especially if Argrath has come along for the ride).

This shoe-horning of Gloranthan troops into HOTT categories can be fun and can produce new insights. Lurkers and Water Lurkers represent those small threats that appear so often on fantasy fiction as the hero crosses difficult terrain. They rarely determine the course of the whole story but can steer the good guys to a particular course of action. Shelob is a classic example from Tolkien.

My Sartarites are allied to the Durulz and I thought a Water Lurker would be a nice addition. It made an nice joke to make my Water Lurker a team of Duck skirmishers riding into battle on the back of a giant Triceratops. The only clue to a casual observer that this isn’t (as it appears to be) a powerful, army crushing Behemoth is the fact that it stands knee-deep in marshy water. I think Glorantha is a brighter place if travellers on the edge of the Upland Marsh can be ambushed by Ducks on dinosaurs!

A Big Battle inside and outside the walls of Pavis

There are many other examples of this creative use of a restricted palate of troop types and many other tales we could tell. With our editor’s permission I’m sure my fellow GloryGeeks will do so. Look out for the Crimson Bat as a Dragon, Trollkin as Bad Going and many more previously unsuspected aspects of the military history of our favourite cuboidal world.

If you’d like to know more about recreating Gloranthan battles with miniatures, I’d recommend the GloryGeeks Yahoogroup: Games.groups.yahoo.com/group/GloryGeeks/

and Gregory Privat’s excellent website: gloarmy.free.fr/

Richard Crawley

The Elements of HOTT

Hordes of the Things armies are built up of “elements” each with a small number of figures on a single base of fixed frontage (60mm for 25mm scale figures, 40mm for 15mm or smaller scales). Actually the base size and the number of figures on each base aren’t crucial as long as all have the same frontage. The rules include witty descriptions of what each troop type represents and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Rather than reproduce them here, I’ll try and provide a more Gloranthan context.

Airboats represent slow-moving aerial vessels with some capability against ground troops. Good for blocking some enemy troops’ advance or retreat. Armed Lunar moonboats would certainly be classed as Airboats.

Lunar Moonboat by Gregory Privat

Artillery includes any machines throwing rocks, big arrows or cannonballs at the enemy. Good for seeing off heroes who wander into its line of fire but vulnerable to being overrun in close combat. The Dwarf of Dwarf Run’s Cannon Cult is an obvious Gloranthan Artillery element.

Canon Cult by Gregory Privat

Beasts fast moving troops that are equally at home in good or bad going. They can be useful on the flanks of an army but they tend to die in droves if caught in the open by mounted troops. I tend to classify scorpionmen as Beasts and I think I’d also use the same classification for Telmori (whether two- or four-footed).

Telmori by Simon Miller

Behemoths includes any oversized elements that rely on their sheer bulk to overwhelm the enemy. Giants, Jolanti, and Quakebeasts are typical Gloranthan behemoths (but a really big Giant might be classified as a God). They tend to flee in panic from magicians and can be very dangerous to (friendly or enemy) troops behind them if forced back in combat.

Lunar Behemoth by Simon Miller

Blades represent heavy foot troops, typically with armour and powerful hand-weapons and often skilled fighters. They are slow moving but will stand firm against most foot troops although they are less useful against mounted troops. My Sartarite army includes a Humakti Duck standard guard classified as Blades.

Humakti Blades by Simon Miller

Clerics in HOTT are usually identified with “organised monotheistic religion” but form follows function in HOTT and they can equally well be shamans or theist priests in Glorantha. Their magic is defensive in nature and although they fight reasonably well, their main function is to protect troops from enemy magicians.

Lunar College of Magic by Simon Miller

Dragons are aloof and ultimately cowardly. Although powerful in combat, they flee the battlefield if things aren’t going their way. A True Dragon is beyond the scope of most games but Dream Dragons would fit in here, as does Simon Miller’s wonderful, massive Crimson Bat model.

Crimson Bat by Simon Miller

Flyers, like all aerial elements in HOTT are hard to co-ordinate with the rest of your army but with their high speed and ability to arrive behind the enemy line at inconvenient times, they can be a battle winner. Jane Williams uses Sylphs and Vanganthi as Flyers to considerable effect in her Sartarite force.

Orlanthi Flyers by Simon Miller

Gods can be lots of fun. The ultimate high reward, high risk element, they arrive if you roll a six at the start of your turn and do nothing else but bring them on. They will then flit around the battlefield causing mayhem and being invulnerable to most enemy troops. The problem comes if you then roll a one at the start of your turn. The God gets bored and wanders off, counting as destroyed! This can lose you the battle. I have Oakfed in my Praxian force as a God. If refighting Moonbroth, Oakfed would be in both sides’ orders of battle with the first to summon him getting to control him.

Maran Gor by Simon Miller

Heroes are the classic one-man-with-the-strength-of-an-army. They always count as mounted, even if portrayed as on foot, because heroes in fiction “can always find a mount when they need one”. Hero-Hero or Hero-Paladin fights tend to be short and bloody with one or the other dying heroically. Heroes can be ensorcelled by Magicians. This takes them off the board but leaves the possibility of their escaping and reappearing behind the enemy’s army to kill the General or capture the Stronghold. In my Troll army (representing the Loricek Clan of Pavis) the Zorak Zoran Death Lord is a Hero. Aerial Heroes fight like Heroes but move like Flyers. They cost an arm and a leg but a couple of these (the maximum you can have) can scare the man rune out of your opponent. Count Julan on a Wyvern might make a very nice Aerial Hero.

Harrek the Berserk and Jar-eel the Razoress by Simon Miller

Hordes are another fun element type. They represent those troops whose effectiveness is solely due to their being present in huge numbers. A HOTT Horde has a pitiful combat factor but is dirt cheap to recruit. Behemoths treat them like speed bumps. Hordes die in vast numbers but, for a minor cost in the General’s attention, can be brought back again on the army’s baseline. Trollkin are the Horde par excellence (though there is a school of thought that says they should be classified instead as Bad Going).

Zombie Horde by Simon Miller

Knights is the category for any mounted troops who rely on impact rather than manoeuvre. They can often plough through foot troops but if they don’t overcome missile troops in the first turn they can come to grief in the second. My emerging Tarsh-Lunar army has Yarandros’s Chargers as Knights but Beast Valley Centaurs or Rhino Riders may also use this description.

Lunar Knights by Gregory Privat

Lurkers start the game off-board. They can only be deployed on the turn after an enemy element has entered Bad Going and only in combat contact with that element. They represent those lurking creatures that pop up when the author needs to introduce some peril. My Chaos army includes a couple of Jack-o-Bear Lurkers.

Jack o' Bear Lurker by Richard Crawley

Magicians in HOTT are powerful but not overwhelmingly so. They can “bespell” elements at a distance a bit like precisely-targeted artillery. The details of the spells they use are not explicit – something that helps HOTT to function generically. It’s down to the player to decide what the spell is actually doing to its target. I treat Muriah, Witch Queen of the Broos, as a Magician.

Lunar Magicians by Simon Miller

At first sight the Paladin with its explicit link to the holy warrior of medieval romance may seem an element with no home in Glorantha. However, because the Standard of Sun County (like a Paladin) never retreats, I have chosen to represent Vega Goldbreath as a Paladin. Paladins, powerful but fragile, share with Clerics the ability to interfere with magic and are often found paired with Heroes to make a scary, fast-moving attack force.

Vega Goldbreath by Richard Crawley

Riders is the key unit type for Praxian armies. Faster than Knights and Beasts but likely to be beaten by the former in combat, they include any troops who skirmish mounted. A useful troop type if the table isn’t dominated by Bad Going, Riders can keep up with Heroes and are often found protecting their flanks. Brian Pierpoint’s Dragonewt army includes swarms of demi-bird-riding ’Newts classed as Riders.

Sartarite Riders by Gregory Privat

Shooters turn the sky dark with their missiles. Many troops have missile weapons but not all are Shooters. Trollkin slings and Esrolian throwing axes are ignored – we treat them part as part of their elements’ close combat factor. Shooters in HOTT can attack units in front of them at a distance. They are generally good for breaking up the enemy’s formation but will occasionally kill an enemy element by shooting too. Good troops to have in bad going, they can be vulnerable if caught in the open by Riders. My Dwarf army includes crossbow and musket armed Shooters.

Sun Dome Temple Archers by Gregory privat

Sneakers are that fantasy fiction staple, the small group of seemingly harmless types who gain access to the enemy’s stronghold or take out the enemy general at the crucial moment. They move fairly quickly and are reasonably hard to kill but they are only useful against the enemy’s Stronghold or his General. My Sneakers include a pair of Blue Moon Troll assassins, depicted trailing a Moon Moth towards their target.

Ninja Penguin Keets by Jane Williams

Spears are quite common in Gloranthan HOTT armies. They form a good, solid centre to an army and are quite strong (especially if deployed “two deep” when they will happily take on Heroes on equal terms) but can be carried away by charging knights or warbands. Gregory Privat’s Sun Dome Templars are classic Gloranthan Spears.

Sun Dome Templars by Richard Crawley

A Stronghold is present in every HOTT game. The defender’s advantage in choosing the terrain for the game is balanced by the attacker’s (limited) choice of his direction of attack and his ability to win the game by capturing the defender’s Stronghold. Players tend to put a fair amount of effort into designing nice Stronghold models. Jane Williams’s motorised Old Wind Temple was a particularly good example.

Orlanthi Stronghold by Simon Miller

Warband are tribal foot troops relying on a wild, barbarian charge. Fast moving (a widely adopted rules amendment trialled at the first Glory Day speeds up Warbands and slows Shooters) and happy in Bad Going, Warbands can often overwhelm slower moving foot – just don’t let them get caught in the open by Knights or Behemoths. The majority of any Sartarite army will be Warband.

Orlanthi Warband by Gregory Privat

Water Lurkers are among the rarer troops types. The act like “conventional” Lurkers (see above) but can only be deployed in rivers or marshes. Although they cost little to include in your army, you will never get to use one if there’s no water on the battlefield! Apart from the Duck Marsh Patrol mentioned elsewhere in this issue, typical Water Lurkers could include water elementals, sneaky Newtlings or even Mostali submersibles!

Duck Marsh Patrol by Richard Crawley

Finally, every army has a General. These can be of most element types (not Dragons, Gods, Sneakers or either type of Lurker) and get bonuses in combat. Losing your General is often fatal, though, but don’t hide them behind a hill either; they need to be able to see what’s going on or your control of the army will break down when things get tough.

Sun Dome Command by Richard Crawley

Rathori Creation Myth

Greg Stafford

Here is what the shaman tells you to get ready for the journey.

How Our World Was Made

The Golden Embryo was first. I could show you the egg that both Samburan and Nature came out of if you wish. No spirits or powers can be gotten there. If you have not prepared yourself fully, you will have your mind burned and your toes and fingers and nose fall off.

In the Golden Embryo the world incubated until it was ready. The egg shell cracked around its center and split open. It hatched. I could show you that hatching. No spirit or powers can be gotten there. If you have not prepared yourself fully, then your eyes will break, your thighs shatter, and your liver exit through your anus.

Inside of the two parts of the shell was first Nature, simple and complete.

Then came movement of a spot to another spot. The spot was the snake's head and the movement was its body, and it continued to move. The serpent moved first inside the shell, around the upward curve to the peak, where the sun stands at noon, and then the lower. He kept going to the lowest point, then returned to his starting place. This movement separated the Skyworld and the Underworld, with the natural world between. Then the serpent went outside the shell, and again went over it and under it. Finally, it horizontally took its tail in its teeth, itself feeding upon itself, and encircled the crack in the shell where it still lives.

In the center of those lies Nature, the natural world with its powers and divisions. This was the First World, and within it were the First Beings.

Samburan is in the center. Samburan is that part of Nature that wishes to be united with its other parts. Samburan was born with a great desire, and it departed from the center and began its movements through the rest of the world. Samburan went upon the Great Journey. Wherever Samburan expressed his desire then there arose out of that area a spirit. He visited the Six Inner Worlds wherein he met the First Beings.

Vethen the Infant was the first, who was the Starting Place. Then Yom Sunspot was the second, who was the moving power and the sun, and Tara the Noon World was third, the Overhead Keeper of the Sky Spirits. Inidros was the Den of Dens and the next First Being, where our ancestors were later born, and then Inikos, the Pit of Pits, was the First Being of the Underworld. Somabaton was the First Being who kept sounds, including all music and singing, and taught how to fast. Dreselos was the First Being of dancing, both in a circle and in lines.

After Samburan had completed his journey he knew everything, and in that way he was able to learn even more and to see, then visit the Spirit Plane. It was a beautiful and empty place. After this, he was no longer Samburan, but was Bukaran.

Bukaran naturally told of this place to the other Beings. At first everyone was happy and excited, but then the First Beings learned that they could never see this most miraculous place, because they could not move about like Samburan had. This made them unhappy. Bat and Sakkar spread dissent among the First Beings, and the waters were sad and the rocks lamented their loss.

Bukaran wished to give them their wish, and so he went upon the Great Mountain to sit and speak to the other spirits until he had an answer. After the Great Period, he knew the answer.

Bukaran went once again upon the Great Journey. At each place that he stopped he taught the being there a part of the Cross Dance. Then Bukaran cut off a piece of himself and left it there. Sometimes he burned it, sometimes he buried it, sometimes he left it out to become desiccated or rotten, and sometimes it was devoured in holy communion. After a while, Bukaran had cut himself entirely to pieces and nothing was left. He was absent from the world.

The First Folk were thus made, each in their own region. The Folk were parts of the First Beings who could find the Spirit World. The First Folk and the First Beings regularly danced and played together. This allowed the First Beings to learn of the Spirit World, too, so that they were happy.

The First Folk

First among the First Folk was Inisunings, Rathor, born in the west. His father was Rathor's Liver [intelligence], his uncle was Inidros, and his mother was Frona, covered with mixed forests and hills.

Peloria

Keith Nellist

Peloria is a variant of Lewis Pulsipher's boardgame Britannia, currently available from Fantasy Flight Games.

Although the board, pieces, scoring and some of the rules are different, the derivation is obvious. The sweep of history and the rise and fall of various ethnic, cultural and military groups, along with the timescale of approximately 100 years per turn, and the use of victory points to drive the simulation, come from Britannia. I would recommend playing the original game to understand this version. I would also freely admit that Britannia is probably a better balanced game than Peloria.

My prototype consisted of a painted map of Peloria on a board and used 1:72 scale plastic soldiers. Counters might be less fiddly and just as effective, and I believe that a reasonable paper board could be printed from the map files provided here.

The rules of Britannia are relatively simple, but there are some significant changes to them in this version. There is no submission in this game, no raiding, no forts or burhs (although Aldryami forest has a similar effect). There are additional terrain types - mountains and elf forest, as well as some special pieces - dragons, the Bat, and other unique features. The seas of Peloria (Sweet, Elf, White) are not as important to the game as the seas surrounding the British Isles.

There must be four players for the History of Peloria to work properly, each taking control of four Nations. These are not actually nations, but a combination of ethnic, cultural, religious, military and racial groups. These Nations are not allied and, even though they are controlled by the same player,they may even fight each other sometimes. They cannot, for example, move freely through each others' territory.

The game starts at the Dawn, and we find Peloria relatively sparsely populated by the shivering, cold and hungry survivors of Prehistory. In the Oslir valley Horse nomads are powerful, while to the south the Theyalans bring the Light and Orlanthi religion to the benighted peoples they find huddled in darkness. In Pelanda, to the west, another culture survives. In Alkoth, the fierce “Killmen” spread terror to surrounding regions.

Each turn gives the Nations opportunities to increase in population, conquer territory, and fight their enemies. New forces will appear throughout the game; some new barbarian hordes from the South, Aldryami spreading their seeds with a plan to reforest the whole world, troll caravans, exiled Fronelan mercenaries carving out a new empire. We will see the myterious Empire of Wyrms Friends, the Gbaji Wars, the heroic Call to Heroes and the appearance of the Red Moon Goddess. Finally, we reach the start of the Hero Wars in turn 16.

The best options for a player are not always obvious. He must balance his opportunities to score points with preventing other players from scoring. Current Victory Point scores are not secret so everyone should know who is in the lead. This may not be a reliable guide to who will win as the different Nations and players have their best scoring chances at different times in the game. With this in mind, we present a strategy guide.

Part 1: Rules Variations

Turn Order

Player 1: Hirenmador
Player 2: Hyalorings
Player 3: Veshtargos
Player 4: Alkoth
Player 4: Pelanda
Player 1: Pelorians
Player 3: Theyalans
Player 1: Praxians Appear in Round 3
Player 2: Aldryami Appear in Round 4
Player 1: Telmori Appear in Round 5
Player 4: Digijelm Appear in Round 5
Player 4: Soldiers Appear in Round 5
Player 2: Barbarians Appear in Round 6
Player 3: Carmanians Appear in Round 9
Player 3: Balazarings Appear in Round 9
Player 2: YOUF Appear in Round 10

NATION TURN

1) Population Increase phase

Count occupied areas (2 x normal areas + rough terrain areas + population points)

Each count of 6 adds one unit. Left over points on the population track.

If no more units are available, population track set to 5. Nation maximums are listed in the Nation section.

Place new armies in areas occupied by the nation's armies. Some Nations have additional limitations about where they can place units.

If there is nowhere to legally place a unit, the unit is lost and the Population Track is set to 5. Stacking limits apply when placing new units (but remember the single overstack rule).

New Units listed in each Round also appear in this phase. New Units usually appear in certain locations, but they are not restricted by the rules for Population increase - for example, Soldiers appear in Esvulthil even if other enemy units are already there.

2) Movement phase

Move any all or none of a nation's units.

Normal units move 2

Cavalry move 3

Units must end move when entering rough terrain. [Except during invasion turns]

No movement in sea areas. [except: Pelandans, who cannot stop there]

No movement in permanent forest areas [except Aldryami]

No movement in Mountain areas [except Digijelm and Telmori – treat as rough]

Stacking limits apply at the end of normal movement phase. [Except - no stacking limit in Invasion turns]

Overruns

units must stop when moving into an area containing an opposing nation's units. [Exceptions – Digijjelm, Dragons]

If moving units outnumber the opponents units, the excess units may move though the area. [Exceptions - Cavalry units only need to equal the defenders to overrun. Forests can never be overrun]

Stacking

Stacking limits are effective at the end of every nations movement phase and when retreating.

Terrain

Limit

ROUGH

2 units

OPEN

3 units

OPEN WITH RIVER

4 units

OPEN IN TRIPOLIS
(Henjarl, Vonlath, Esvuthil)

5 units

Only one Forest counter is allowed in any area. No forest counters can be located in Mountains, Forest, Hungry Plateau or Sea areas.

Overstacking

Each nation is allowed one single overstack.

Unlimited amount of armies in open terrain.

4 armies in rough terrain.

3) Battles phase

When two nations occupy the same land area after the movement phase, battle occurs. One die for each unit is rolled. Battle continues until all units of one or both nations are eliminated or retreats. Some units receive more dice per unit. [Alkoth 2, Dragons 4, the Bat 6].

Rolls are made simultaneously for each round of battle, and units removed. For combined armies (cavalry and infantry) the attacker decides which dice result to allocate to which unit. This gives an advantage to mixed armies.

A normal unit eliminates another on 5+

Rough terrain gives -1 to attackers die rolls in the first round.

Attacking cavalry has +2 on die rolls for the first round of battle.

Defending cavalry in open terrain is only eliminated on 6+ to eliminate in the first round of battle.

Only 5 units may attack in any one area.

Retreat

After the first round of battle a nation may retreat some or all of its units. (defender first, then attacker)

Defender moves to any adjacent solely occupied areas, or adjacent vacant areas that it could normally legally move to.

Attackers retreat to the area they moved from to reach the battle area.

Stacking limits apply to retreats.

If no legal retreat area is available, the units must remain in battle. Telmori can retreat to any empty Mountain area even if they are not adjacent to it.

4)Overpopulation phase

Count land areas occupied. Remove number of armies in excess of (3*land areas). Removal cannot empty an area.

Special Turns

Invasion During an invasion turn the invader has two movement and battle phases (i.e. phases are 1,2,3,2,3,4). Movement is not stopped by rough terrain.

Scoring

Nation Scoring

Each nation has specific victory conditions which are used during "Nation Scoring" turns.

Jenarong Emperors

Emperors Through Force of Arms

Each Round with Jenarong Emperor scoring gives each nation has a chance to claim Emperorship and make that nation the Imperial Nation

To be the Imperial Nation it must possess one piece of Regalia more than previous successful claimant. If the Nation of the current Emperor is destroyed then reset to Regalia needed to zero.

There are 10 pieces of Regalia that a True and Complete Emperor must possess.

These start either in the possession of a Nation, or in a specified area. An Emperor may move the Regalia (except for the Crown of Rule) within areas that his Nation holds. Once a particular piece of Regalia is joined with the rest, it cannot be split up. Once they are part of the Imperial Regalia they remain as part of the Regalia.

The Accoutrements

Piece

Initial Location

Notes

Low Crown of Rule

Vonlath

cannot be moved at all

Sandals of Protection

Hyalorings

Vestments of Disclosure

Darsen

Girdle of Command

Henjarl

Bow of Domination

Veshtargos

Roost of Tholm

Kestinlands

Sceptre of Order

Esvuthil

appears in Round 2, Pelorian Turn

Orb of Authority

Vanch

appears in Round 3, Pelorian Turn.

Feathered Cap of Mernita.

Birin

appears start of Round 4. It can only be possessed by nation possessing the Bow of Domination.

Mantle of Sovereignty

Darjiin

appears in Round 4, Start of Turn.

Victory Points awarded to the Imperial Nation equal to the number of Regalia possessed.

Rites of Khordavu

The Ten Princes assembled the Regalia so that there could be a True Emperor.

In Rounds 4 and 5 the Regalia can be moved to Vonlath by the Imperial Nation.

Each Nation, in their Nation Turn, can claim to be Emperor as with the Jenarong Emperors.

The Bow of Domination does not count for Khordavu Emperors.

If all the Regalia are assembled, the Emperor gains 10VP.

Complete Emperor

The Imperial Nation can still be claimed by any Nation, but since the Regalia are likely to be in Vonlath, possession of this area should normally usually determines who is Emperor. The Complete Emperor gains 1VP per area controlled by their Nation that is connected to Vonlath.

Call to Heroes

Turn 13

During the Call to Heroes all the Nations of Peloria were at peace with each other so that a great army could be assembled to destroy the dragons and dragonewt nests and plunder their treasures. This was called the True Golden Horde. They marched to Dragon Pass and were all eaten by Dragons.

The YOUF fought against the Golden Horde, going to Dragon Pass to defend their squamous inhuman allies. They, too, were eaten by the dragons.

At the end of Turn 13 conduct a secret bid. Each Player writes down how many units he is going to remove from the board from each of his Nations.

Appropriate Nations are: Theyalans, Barbarians, Carmanians, Soldiers, Pelorians, Pelandans, Praxians, Alkoth, Balazarings, Hirenmador, Hyalorings, Veshtargos, Youf19. (Units from Ralios and Karia, who cannot cross Kartolin or the mountains, cannot be removed).

Youf removed from the board count as Exit via Dragon Pass for Youf VP.

The quantities are then revealed and the units removed.

Whichever Player (not Nation) removed the most wins VP equal to the total number removed.
The player who removed the 2nd most receives 20VP.
The Player who removed the 3rd most receives 2VP
The Player who removed the Least receives zero VP.
In the case of ties, reduce by one level.
If two players tie for first place, they both receive 20VP. If two players tie for 2nd place, they both receive 2VP, as does the player who came third. If all players tied, they all get zero. If three tie and the remaining one is greater, the three receive 2VP each, the winner receives VP per unit. If two sets of two tie then the winning pair receive 20 each and the losing pair receive zero.

Shah of Carmania

Turns 14, 15, and 16

Any single Nation with twice as many areas as any other single nation in areas north west of the Barbarian belt( i.e. not including Charg, Baloris, Brolia, Broken Pot, Anadikki, Talastar, Lakrene, Skanthi, Aggar, Dog Plains, Dragon Pass, Ivory Plinth, Imther, Tork, Votankiland, Karia, Ralios) can claim the title of Shah of Carmania.

The Shah of Carmania gains 10VP.

Special Terrain

Kartolin Pass

Located between Karia and Dorastor. This difficult pass is easy to defend so units may not be moved from Karia to Dorastor if enemy units are on their own in Dorastor. They may cross if another unit of the same nation can be moved into Dorastor from another direction in the same movement phase (thus, a Nation in Dorastor cannot be attacked from Karia unless it is also being attacked from another direction).

Hungry Plateau

This area does not provide population points to anyone except Praxians, who treat it as open terrain. It can only be entered from Kostaddi by normal units. Units that can enter mountains (Digijelm, Telmori) can enter it from other areas. Aldryami may never enter here.

Deathline

After turn 13 (The Dragonkill, also known as The Disaster. This was followed by the Inhuman Occupation when trolls, tusk riders, beastmen and Aldryami ruled Dragon Pass), the Deathline prevents any units other than Digijelm, Dragons or Aldryami entering or leaving (or leaving the board via) Dragon Pass. This may leave units stuck in the Ivory Plinth and Dragon Pass.

Part 2: Turns

Set up

Hirenmador: 4 Cavalry in Naveria
Hyalorings: 3 Cavalry in Saird, 2 Cavalry in Sylila
Veshtargos: 6 Cavalry spread over Pent, Ezarkos, Althil, Velthil, Jarasan, Birin
Alkoth: 3 Killmen in Henjarl
Pelanda: 1 Infantry in each area: Karasal, Pelanda, Red City, Oronin, Bindle, Old Darklands, Eol, Vanstal, Worion, Jhor, Suvaria (total 11)
Pelorians: 1 Infantry in each area: Lenshi, Dog Plains, Imther, Kostaddi, Dikoria, Darsen, Rinliddi, Kestinlands, Dara Ni, Lakrene, Darjiin, Sanken, Vanch, Dara Ni. (total 14)
Theyalans: 4 Infantry in Dragon Pass, 2 Infantry in Ivory Plinth

Accoutrements:
Low Crown of Rule: Vonlath - Cannot be moved
Sandals of Protection: Any Hyaloring Area
Vestments of Disclosure: Darsen
Girdle of Command: Henjarl
Bow of Domination: Any Veshtargos Area
Roost of Tholm: Kestinlands

Turn 1 Warlords

"The warlords drove their chariots over the shattered earth and brought back life. These were still miserable times and the evil Warlords who ruled would not be considered Emperors today."

Theyalans: Invasion turn

Victory Points: Jenarong Emperor

Turn 2 World Council

"There were barbarians and ruins to the east and west but no wonders. A tribe of cannibals lived in the north whose magicians summoned huge herds of beasts."

Theyalans: Invasion Turn; 7 new units

Accoutrements: The Sceptre of Order appears in Esvuthil at the start of the Pelorian Nation turn

Victory Points: Jenarong Emperor

Turn 3 Monster Army

"General revolts broke out to try to overthrow the nomad overlords. A great horde of Monsters came called the Monster Army.”

Theyalans: Invasion turn
Praxians: Invasion turn; 10 new units in Dragon Pass

Accoutrements: The Orb of Authority appears in Vanch at the start of the Pelorian Nation turn.

Victory Points: Nation scoring, Jenarong Emperor

Turn 4 Argentium Thri'ile

"The March of Khordavu tells the epic of the Ten Princes who restored the Empire and put an Emperor with the Mantle of Sovereignty on the throne. The horse nomads were driven to the empty plains to the east."

Hirenmador: Invasion turn
Hyalorings: Invasion turn
Veshtargos: Invasion turn
Praxians: Invasion turn
Aldryami: 3 new units; one each in Rist, Erigia, Elder Wilds.

Accoutrements: The Feathered Cap of Mernita appears in Birin at the start of the Round. The Cap can only be possessed by the nation who possesses the Bow of Domination.
The Mantle of Sovereignty appears in Darjiin at the start of the Pelorian Nation turn.

Victory Points: Rites of Khordavu

Turn 5 Imperial Army

"The Empire became more powerful and became aggressive against foreigners. A General from the Army usurped the footstool and, in Vanch and Rinliddi the army was used for Injustice."

Soldiers: Invasion Turn; 10 new units in Esvuthil.
Digijelm: 6 units in Troll Mountains (Blue Moon Plateau, Yolp, Eastern Rockwoods).
Telmori: 2 units in Mountains of Ralios.

Victory Points: Rites of Khordavu

Turn 6 Arkat's Crusade

"The first Complete Emperor incorporated the High Council of Genertela and together they created a new God, Nysalor. The Hero Arkat led an army of barbarians and monsters in a crusade from the West and then from the South to destroy the new god, which he called Chaos."

Barbarians: Invasion turn; 24 units. Must start placing armies in Ralios until overrun, then Karia, then in Dragon Pass.

Victory Points: Complete Emperor

Turn 7 Reforestation

"A great army of woodmen came out of the woods burning down human habitations and killing domestic beasts. Many thousands of square miles were reclaimed by the people of the woods."

Aldryami: Invasion turn

Victory Points: Complete Emperor

Turn 8 Empire of Gloom

"The nations of Pelanda united under their tyrant and marched against Dara Happa. A Spolite became Emperor and the gods turned their backs on him. He was a heretic and evil, his body was fed to black dogs."

Pelandans: Invasion turn

Victory Points: Complete Emperor, Nation scoring

Turn 9 Syranthir

"The New Light of Denesiod founded a new dynasty. In the west, foreigners from Fronela led by a man called Syranthir established themselves and helped overthrow the Spolites."

Carmanians: 6 Cavalry appear in Charg.
Balazarings: 3 Units appears in Votankiland.

Victory Points: Complete Emperor

Turn 10 Empire of Wyrms Friends

"Dragon worshippers from the south send missionaries, warriors, and eventually dragons, to conquer Dara Happa"

YOUF: Invasion turn; 20 infantry Dragon Pass. In the overpopulation phase 3 YOUF infantry of the player's choice are changed into Dragons.
Carmanians: 10 new infantry appear in any area they control.

Victory Points: Complete Emperor

Turn 11 Dara Happa Stirs

"The Dragon Sun was an impossible emperor, but passed all the tests."

Pelorians: Invasion turn
Theyalans: Invasion turn
Soldiers: Invasion turn
Digijelm: Invasion turn
Barbarians: Invasion turn
YOUF: Invasion turn

Victory Points: Complete Emperor

Turn 12 Generations of War

"The Youf were driven back from Dara Happan territory"

Balazarings: Invasion turn
YOUF: Invasion turn

Victory Points: Complete Emperor, Nation scoring

Turn 13 Call to Heroes

"The Emperor accepted peace so that everyone could join him against the common enemy, the dragons. The True Golden Horde marched south and was eaten by the Dragons."

Victory Points: Call to Heroes

Turn 14 Carmanian March

"The Dara Happans fell victim to an ancient magic. Now it is known as the Carmanian March." There were outbreaks of Broo trouble from Dorastor."

Carmanians: Invasion turn
Telmori: Invasion turn

Victory Points: Complete Emperor, Shah

Turn 15 First Battle of Chaos

"The Zero Wane, Battle of Seven Horses, First Battle of Chaos, Battle of the Four Arrows of Light, Battle of Castle Blue, the Red Moon rises"

Hirenmador (The Warlords, who had been forced from Peloria had built up strength in Pent and returned to both fight for and against the New Moon as both mercenaries and loyal converts. They called themselves the Char-Un.): 2 new units in Pent

Hyalorings: 2 new units in Pent

Veshtargos: 2 new units in Pent

Pelorians: Invasion turn. The Bat appears in Eastern-most Carmanian occupied area. Any units killed in this area changed to a Mad Horde which are treated as if they are part of the Telmori nation.

Victory Points: Complete Emperor, Shah

Turn 16: Empire of the Red Moon

"The Era of Rule and the Era of War. Jannisor's Rebellion"

Hirenmador: Invasion
Hyalorings: Invasion turn
Veshtargos: Invasion turn
Alkoth: Invasion turn
Pelorians: Invasion turn
Theyalans: Invasion turn
Praxians: Invasion turn
Soldiers: Invasion turn
Aldryami: Invasion turn
Telmori: Invasion turn
Barbarians: Invasion turn
CarmanianS: Invasion turn

Victory Points: Complete Emperor, Shah, Nation scoring

All quotes from the Fortunate Succession.

Part 3: Nations

Player 1

Hirenmador

Start the game with 4 Cavalry in Naveria
Unit Limit: 8 Cavalry
Nation Scoring: 1VP per area
Exit: 2VP per unit exiting via Pent
Kill:
Aldryami, Carmanians 2VP
Warlords 1VP

Pelorians

Start the game with 1 Infantry in each area: Lenshi, Dog Plains, Imther, Kostaddi, Dikoria, Darsen, Rinliddi, Kestinlands, Dara Ni, Lakrene, Darjiin, Sanken, Vanch, Dara Ni. (total 14)
Unit Limit: 24 Infantry +1 Bat
Special Rule: -1 to die rolls in battle. (including for the bat)
Special Unit: The Crimson Bat appears in turn 15 in Eastern-most Carmanian area. Acts as Cavalry with 6 attack die.
Units killed by the Bat in Turn 15 are converted into Telmori (they are actually the Mad Horde, not wolf men, but they act in this game as if they are Telmori) and placed in the area where they were killed in the Pelorian Overpopulation phase.
Nation Scoring: 1VP per unit
Kill: Aldryami, Carmanians 2VP

Telmori

(Includes other Chaos Monsters).
Appear in Round 5 with 2 Infantry in Mountains of Ralios
Unit Limit: 5 infantry
Special rules:
Cannot be killed.
Treat Mountains as rough terrain.
Ignore the Curse of Dorastor.
Must retreat after the first round of battle, unless all the opposition killed or retreated. If there is no legal retreat they are moved to an empty Mountain or Cursed Dorastor.
Nation Scoring: None
Capture once: Dara Ni, Vanstal, Vonlath, Tork: 4VP
Kill: anyone 1VP

Praxians

Appear in Round 3 with 10 Cavalry in Dragon Pass
Unit Limit: 10 Cavalry
Special rules:
Population increase for Hungry Plateau.
New units on Hungry Plateau only.
Nation Scoring: Hungry Plateau 6VP
Capture once:
Vonlath 5VP
Saird 2VP
Kill:
Warlords 5VP
Aldryami 2VP

Player 2

Hyalorings

Start the game with 3 Cavalry in Saird, 2 Cavalry in Sylila
Unit Limit: 8 Cavalry
Nation Scoring: 3VP per open area
Capture once:
Darjiin 4VP
Naveria, Dara Ni 2VP
Exit: 3VP per unit exiting via Pent.
Kill: Warlords 2VP

Aldryami

Appear in turn Round 4 with one infantry unit in each of Rist, Erigia, Elder Wilds.
Unit Limit: 10 Infantry, 10 Forests
Special Units Forest is created in any area that Aldryami gain possession at the end of the battle phase - move zero
Nation Scoring: Each forest counter on board 4VP.

Barbarians

Appear in Round 6 with 24 Infantry. Must start placing armies in Ralios until overrun, then Karia, then in Dragon Pass.
Unit Limit: 24 Infantry
Nation Scoring:
10VP if Dorastor cursed.
1VP per area.
Special ability:
Curse Dorastor. If Barbarians hold Dorastor they may curse it making it uninhabitable to any but Telmori. This is done after the overpopulation phase. Units in Dorastor are moved to any adjacent area (without other nations in it) - i.e. Karia, Talastar, Skanthi, Anadikki. Place the Curse Counter in the area.
Kill: The Bat 4VP

YOUF

Appear in Round 10 with 20 infantry Dragon Pass. In the overpopulation phase, 3 YOUF infantry of the player's choice are changed into Dragons.
Unit Limit: 20 Infantry, 3 Dragons
Special Units
Dragons act as Cavalry with 4 attack die, Ignore other nations when moving and can move in mountains as if Rough Terrain.
Nation Scoring: none
Capture once: Any area 1VP
Exit: 1VP per unit exiting via Dragon Pass
Kill: anyone 2VP

Player 3

Veshtargos

Start the game with 6 Cavalry spread over Pent, Ezarkos, Althil, Velthil, Jarasan, Birin
Unit Limit: 8 Cavalry
Nation Scoring: None
Capture once:
Spol 4VP
Bindle, Oronin 3VP
Old Darklands, Pelanda, 2VP
Esvuthil, Korer, Dikoria, Lenshi, 1VP
Exit: 1VP per unit exiting via Pent .
Kill: Anyone 2VP

Theyalans

Start the game with 4 Infantry in Dragon Pass, 2 Infantry in Ivory Plinth
Unit Limit: 30 Infantry
Nation Scoring: 1VP per area
Capture once:
Dorastor 10VP
Karia 4VP
Die fighting: Anyone 1VP
Kill:
The Bat 4VP
Aldryami, Alkothi 1VP

Carmanians

Appear in Round 9 with 6 Cavalry in Charg
Unit Limit: 8 Cavalry, 20 Infantry
Nation Scoring: 1VP per area
Turn 12: 1VP per unit in Charg
Capture once:
Vonlath, Rinliddi, Saird 4VP
Sanken, Kostaddi, Althil 2VP
Kill:
Alkothi, Dragons 4VP
Anyone else 2VP

Balazarings

Appear in Round 9 with 3 Units in Votankiland
Unit Limit: 5 Infantry
Nation Scoring: 1VP per unit
Capture once: Dog Plains, Dragon Pass, Ivory Plinth, Saird 2VP
Kill: Anyone 1VP

Player 4

Alkoth

Start the game with 3 Killmen in Henjarl
Unit Limit: 12 Killmen
New units in Henjarl only.
Each Alkoth unit has 2 attack die when attacking.
If units are not connected to Henjarl via Alkoth or Soldier controlled or empty areas they are removed in the overpopulation phase.
A new Alkothi appears in Henjarl automatically if there are none left. That is, in the population increase phase of any Alkoth nation turn where there are no Alkothi units alive, a new unit appear in Henjarl. It will need to fight any enemies currently in possession of Henjarl.
Nation Scoring: 1VP per area
Kill:
Any units in Darjiin 5VP
Any other units 2VP.

Pelandans

Start the game with 1 Infantry in each area: Karasal, Pelanda, Red City, Oronin, Bindle, Old Darklands, Eol, Vanstal, Worion, Jhor, Suvaria (total 11)
Unit Limit: 24 Infantry New units can only come from original areas.
No population growth for rough terrain.
Special Rule If not connected via controlled areas to an original area then units are converted into Pelorians in the overpopulation phase.
Nation Scoring: 1VP per unit
Capture once:
Vonlath 6VP Esvuthil 4VP
Henjarl 2VP
Birin, Darjiin, Darsen, Dikoria, Doblian 1VP

Digijelm

Appear in Round 5 with 6 units in Troll Mountains (Blue Moon Plateau, Yolp, Eastern Rockwoods)
Unit Limit: 12 infantry
Special Abilities:
Digijelm can move through any Nation, other than the holder of Darsen or Aldryami, without stopping. Inhuman Occupation. Digijelm can ignore the Deathline and enter Dragon Pass and Ivory Plinth.
Can move in Mountains, treating them as Rough terrain.
Nation Scoring: 1VP per unit.
Capture once: Naveria, Dikoria, Doblian, Talastar, Votankiland, Jarst, Karia, Ralios, Arir: 1VP
Kill: Aldryami 2VP

Soldiers

Appear in Round 5 with 10 Infantry in Esvuthil
Unit Limit: 10 Infantry
New units in Esvuthil, Henjarl and Vonlath only
Nation Scoring: 1VP per unit
Die fighting: Barbarians 3VP
Capture once: Vanch, Rinliddi 10VP
Kill: Aldryami, Pelandans, Theyalans, Barbarians Warlords, Carmanians, YOUF 1VP

Part 4: Player Strategy Guide

These strategies are by no means tried and true. They are just the things that players should be aware of:

Player 1 controls four rough and ready nations. These are not, at least at the start of the game, the civilised leaders of Dara Happa: Pelorian peasants; chariot driving nomads; werewolves; and outlandish beast riding nomads. Despite this they start the game in a more powerful position than any other player, with lots of units in good positions (the Pelorians), and a good chance to be the Jenarong Emperor (the Hirenmador Chariot Lords) or even the Pelorians with the number of Accoutrements they pick up.

The main tactic of the Pelorians is to run away, strategically. That is to say, in such a way that they block movement of their enemies and allow the Hirenmador, and later the Praxians, to move where they need to move. The Hirenmador need an avenue to escape to Pent, while the Praxians need a chance to kill other Horse nomads en route to the Hungry Plateau. There are not many tactics with the Telmori, who are limited by a lack of units, but that can cause annoyance to other players if used effectively.

The Call to Heroes is a chance to score lots of Victory Points but is hard to do and requires some hard thinking about what others may be able to sacrifice. The Pelorians should gain some advantages in the last few turns when they form the New Moon Queendom and their terrifying Crimson Bat devours their enemies, or drives them mad.

Player 2 controls some wild nations: Storm barbarians on a chaos killing crusade; the inhuman Aldryami plant people of the deep forests; the bravest of the Horse Nomads; the squamous hordes of the Empire of Wyrms Friends. They begin the game in a weak position, with only the blond haired Hyaloring horse people in Saird and Sylila. They have a few options, but none of them are very good. As long as they can survive, they have a reasonable chance to score a few points.

Player 2 needs to remember that almost everyone else hates the Aldryami: Pelorians, Hirenmador, Telmori, Praxians, Carmanians, Theyalans, Veshtargos, Balazarings, Digijelm, Soldiers and Alkothi all get points for killing them. Player 2 has two huge invasions - Arkat's crusade to destroy Gbaji, and the dragon armies of the Youf. The Youf invasion, then disappearance, with the Call to Heroes will probably decide the outcome of most games as there are lots of Victory Points at stake.

Player 3 needs to act fast - they are invaders, raiders, mercenaries. They start with the Theyalans, most likely spreading out into the hills of Talastar and Brolia, and remaining in the hills for the rest of the game. Because they score for areas possessed and for dieing while fighting, they should always spread themselves thinly with risky attacks that might result in Death (and Victory Points) or Conquest (and Victory Points for Area possession).

The Veshtargos, brutal horsemen who appease Deshkorgos and his minions, need to charge across Pelanda and conquer parts of it before there are too many Pelandans, and then they need to run away, killing people as they go. The Balazarings are out for plunder and opportunities to loot. They will not make a huge difference but may harass someone, or pick up 2 Victory Points by retreating into a scoring area. The Carmanians need to attack hard and drive their armies into Dara Happa whenever the chance arises, possibly picking up 18 points for capturing territory, let alone all the points they get for killing people. They have to consider the results of the Call to Heroes carefully, especially balancing points gained from, for example, being the Shah of Carmania.

Player 4 lurks in darkness, controlling the forces of the underworld, darkness and death. The Pelandans, in the West, need to bide their time until they have sufficient forces to invade Dara Happa without being cut off from their homelands and losing their culture, and before the Carmanian invasion.

The Alkothi are sat right in the middle of the action and can keep attacking and keep coming back, but they will feel hemmed in by their restricted mobility. There are points to be scored by killing people in Darjiin. The Soldiers too, will feel hemmed in, but need to force their way South to fight the Barbarians, or North East to capture Rinliddi, or South East to capture Vanch. They might even try North West so that Darsen is controlled by a Digijelm friendly nation. The Soldiers and Alkothi are good candidate to march to their glorious deaths killing dragons in the Call to Heroes but need to consider what others might do.

Player 4 has a good chance of some Imperial Nation points, with either the Alkothi or the Soldiers, and also has some involvement in the Call to Heroes, although less likely to win than the Player 2 or 3. The inhuman Digijelm, known to some as Trolls or Uz, need to avoid contact with others as much as possible as they have little to gain and can often slip into their target areas when they are empty. They can move about, scoring their points for capturing their areas, then hiding in the mountains or behind the deathline after the Dragonkill.

Amidst the Chaos

Fabian Küchler

Learning from the Chaos Feature Competition

The Chaos Feature Competition struck me as yet another great Glorantha Fandom project. Alas, I did not find the time to contribute myself, but after some serious nagging from Matthew, nothing could keep me from eagerly scanning the results and vote for the best ideas! It was hard to make a choice so I was skimming through the results again and again to find my favourites. I soon realised I needed some criteria to judge the ideas and narrow my list down. I became more and more fascinated. What lay before me were not only some great, witty, clever or funny Chaos Features, but the creative output of a large part of the Glorantha tribe! Looking at all the ideas I knew that there was something to be learned. I began to wonder: Are the contributors all GM’s or even writers? What game system are they using? How does their creative process work? How do they judge their ideas? I was sure analyzing the results would turn out to be a fruitful creative lesson. What criteria does a good Chaos Feature need to fulfil? How do you design a true Chaos Feature?

Be Chaotic!

A lot of the entries made me wonder: is this really Chaos? Some features were clever, sophisticated and much too intelligent for my taste. Does Chaos really produce these complicated, smart and almost delicate features? Chaos mutates, twists, deforms and produces dangerous abnormities that mock the reality of Glorantha. Ask yourself if your feature is truly chaotic or rather something that looks like the result of very complicated science experiment gone wrong.

Creepy is good. Dangerous is better.

Another observation was that some features, while being really chaotic in nature, were just creepy. Creepy is cool for a chaos feature but it also should pose a danger at the same time otherwise it is mere colour. If you can do creepy you should be able to do creepy and dangerous.

Only Funny on Paper?

Some entries were fascinating to read, but I soon realized they are only funny on paper. They were creations too special for a simple encounter but also lacking the necessary clips to attach their chunky bodies easily to a story. It would be hard to integrate them into a plot without disturbing an existing narrative. Remind yourself that you create for an interactive story not a literary one. The feature needs to be put into action without many words and it needs to do something that players can experience and interact with. An additional rule of thumb: if your name for the feature does not already tell an awful lot about what it does and you need a lot of description it might be just too complex.

Don’t make the Storm Bulls Laugh!

Some Chaos Features where just pretty darn useless (from a Chaos point of view). And I am not talking about the ones who clearly follow the good old tradition of Glorantha jokes. While I am sure that Chaos also produces a lot of substandard material that does not mean it should turn up in a game without a good dramatic reason. Some features were just so colossally ineffective that you pity the chaos creature or even wonder how it could survive with it at all.
Imagine yourself being Storm Bull and look at your feature. What do you think? If you feel like laughing you might have to redesign. Making the Storm Bulls laugh to death might be an interesting option though…

Design for the Story not the Game System

Of course some entries were very rules orientated. While not a bad thing per se, this approach tends to produces result that are, well – 'rulesy'. They have the advantage to be used and resolved instantly in game play but seem to force imagination into a more technical or mechanical direction. Designing for the story instead for the rules looks preferable. A Chaos Feature should add drama beyond the cold horror of rules lawyers. It should affect your game story. On the other hand a chaos feature should surely be useable and interact-able within your game system.

Show, not Tell

When you have a Chaos Feature you should be able to show it. It should be as vivid an image as possible. What is the use of a Chaos Feature if you need forever to describe or explain it? Or the players have a hard time to even recognize it or find out only later after they killed it? Chaos should and make a lasting, memorable impact and not cause a dizzy head or confused looks. To be able to show a Chaos Feature means to be able to tell a story with it. Ideally you should be able to create a lasting scene with it and make it the main obstacle for the players to overcome.

Is it New?

Why make the effort to think up stuff (especially for a contest!) if not for producing something innovative by pushing our imagination further? The result should be new, inspiring and, if possible, change the way we see or use a Chaos Feature in a game.

In conclusion

I realized that a Chaos Feature could be more then just a shocking deformation of a creature that players disturb in its lair or that disturbs your players on their Tula. A great Chaos Feature can not only personalize a great antagonist but also drive a scene or even a whole story.

My personal Chaos Feature Competition winner is: Merges with Mount by Jamie MacLaren.

Merges with Mount

Any creature that the chaotic can sit on or ride becomes an extension of the chaotic, if the 'mount' is intelligent then there is a continual power struggle for dominance between the two parties requiring concentration and strength of will.

Not only does this feature not really require a description it is utterly chaotic, horrible, fascinating and inspiring. It comes with a vivid picture and is frankly almost the only Chaos Feature I could remember from the whole bunch weeks afterwards. Its effect is not danger or damage - it is sheer terror. I can’t imagine a player who would not filled with terror imagining his character could become the mount of a chaos creature! This feature has story value! It makes me want to use it in a game. Jamie, I salute you!

Sweet Sisters of the Compassionate Moon

Roderick Robertson

The Sweet Sisters of the Compassionate Moon are a missionary society dedicated to bringing the benefits of the Lunar Way to benighted lands. To this end, they build and staff Mission-Orphanages in the provinces and conquered lands, where parentless children are brought up in the light of the Lunar Way and prepared for life in the Empire. Once the children are of age, they are normally enrolled in the Army, to serve the Goddess in far-away lands.

The society solicits funds inside the Empire by holding meetings where the squalid conditions of Sartar, Prax, or the Redlands are related by Missionaries. These talks are illustrated by Magic-lantern shows of the filth and squalor that the natives of these lands live in, their laughable attempts at “Culture” (including bare-breasted women, where such will titillate and shock the audience), and pictures of starving children.

The society is not a religious organization, though it has close ties with Denomination of Pinugia the Protectoress. They were founded by, and follow the precepts of, Idomenia the Childless Mother, a heroine of Pinugia. The Mission is divided into two parts: Fund Raising and Missionary work. A Fundraising team normally consists of several speakers (often a “Missionary recently returned from the Sartar/Pent wilderness”; an “Orphan who has made good” – almost always a soldier in the army; and one or more Society Women of the city where the talk is taking place), plus attendants and helpers who collect the money and hand out leaflets about the ills of the world outside the Empire and How Your Donations Help Save Children. The Mission has a small office in Mirin’s Cross that oversees the missions in the Provinces, and another in Palbar in Oraya, for those in the Redlands. The headquarters of the organization is in Raibanth.

Public and Private Faces

On the surface, the Sweet Sisters are a benevolent society, selflessly dedicated to making the world a better place for those less fortunate than themselves. This was goal of the Mission that Idomenia started 100 years ago.

Moneys raised by the efforts of these Sweet Sisters are funneled through the organization and dispersed to the Mission-Orphanages. There it is used to build suitable buildings, buy food, clothing and other necessities for the children, and to provide a living for the Mission staff.

Under the surface, though, lurks a slimy morass of self-interest and personal aggrandizement.

The majority of the Sweet Sisters are in the Fundraising office of the Mission and are, indeed, selfless workers that believe the public face of the cult. They are used primarily for fund-raising inside the empire, and are almost never allowed to leave the security of the Empire to visit the orphanages they support.

The administrators of the Mission, starting with Lucendilla RedWine and wending down to the actual mission workers, are in it strictly for the money. In all, only about 3% of the funds raised are actually used for the children.. The rest is siphoned off at various parts of the process.

Administration

The head of the Mission is Lucendilla RedWine. She runs the offices of the Mission with an iron hand, and skims off the majority of the funds directly to her own treasury. She is married to Debendorthus Scaler, a mid-level bureaucrat (Dispenser of Fish) in the city government of Raibanth.

Beneath Lucindella are the heads of the regional branches: Aggapinugia Oversight who runs the Mirin’s Cross offices and leads the Provincial branch, and Aristis the Eunuch in Palbar. Below these two worthies are the heads of the various missions, who actually run the Mission-Orphanages and oversee the staff and children.

The Goals of the Mission

While the missions are intended to provide the teachings of the Goddess to the children, their primary function is to raise soldiers for the Lunar Army, particularly those regiments which are sponsored by the League: the Raibanth Cuirassiers, the Argent Archers, and the Spear-threes of Raibanth.

Children are accepted into a mission at any age until age 10. Children older than 10 are considered to be untrainable. Since many children, especially the younger ones, don’t know how old they are, they are assigned an age by the Mission staff. All children are considered one year older at the end of Sacred time.

From the time they enter the Orphanage until their “14th birthday”, the children are expected to attend Mission class every day, in addition to any chores they may be assigned. A Mission-Preceptor is assigned to each Mission, to lead the weekly Holy Services and teach the children of the Light of the Moon and Their Place In The World – which is to do what they are told.

On “graduation” from the Mission, most boys and some girls are inducted into one of the three regiments listed above. A few may have shown aptitude for another path, and will be sold as a slave to a household in the empire as an administrator, gladiator, or sex toy.

Fitting the Mission Into Your Campaign

The Sweet Sisters are part of the Heavenly Sister Outreach, which is part of the same League that sponsors your Campaign Villain (if Non-Lunar) or your heroes (if Lunar).

It is intended to be both a source of pity (for the actual orphans), and outrage (the greed which drives the administration of the Mission). A typical orphanage should remind players of the early scenes from “Oliver Twist”.

A Typical Mission – The Runegate Mission-Orphanage

The Mission-Orphanage of Runegate is a three-building compound about a mile from the Sartarite “city” of Runegate, which was visited by the Crimson Bat during the Pacification of Sartar in 1602. The Mission-Orphanage was founded one year after the Bat. It took in the children of the warriors of the surrounding tribes who had been killed at Runegate. Since then, the supply of orphans has been somewhat slow, though during the Great Winter of 1621-22 the rate climbed back up.

The Mission is surrounded by a tamped-dirt wall (not the best choice of building materiel in Sartar, but it is cheap). The buildings are made of local stone and timber, built in the Sairdite style. The roofs are not thatched, but covered in rough-hewn planks and covered with dirt and grass.

The Dormitory is simply one large room, with one small chamber next to the door for Pardikol. The beds for the children were made long ago, cheaply, and have since treated roughly by several generations of orphans. There is a small fire pit at one end of the hall, where the children burn their cow-dung patties for heat. In the winter, it is usual for all the children to sleep in a huddle around the fire, with all the (thin) blankets over them. Pardikol has a brazier in his room, and burns coal for warmth.

The Chapel doubles as the schoolroom, where the Light of the Goddess is brought into the minds of the children. It is also where Eloina sleeps, and where the janitorial supplies are kept.

The “main House” is where Flower and Geltath live, and houses the main kitchen, the offices, and (under a floorboard) Geltath’s hoard of around 50 Lunars.

Mission Personnel

Flower-of –the-Moon, Headmistress

A graduate of the Mission, She was brought up in the Filichet Mission in Holay. Flower runs the orphanage like a Victorian work-house. Children are forced to perform hard and demanding tasks, such as unwinding old rope and re-winding it into new rope to sell, collecting and plucking Red Thistles for their down to be exported and the meat for the children to eat, and collecting and shaping cow dung for their only fire in the winter.

Pressure Points

Flower of the Moon has aspirations of rising up the Society’s ladder to head of the Provincial office of the Sweet Sisters. To do so, she will have to remove Aggapinugia Oversight from that post. She is collecting evidence of his crimes and peccadilloes. She has a journal listing what, in her eyes, are reasons Aggapinugia should be replaced and She put in his place.

Flower and Geltath’s marriage is hardly a happy one, and each is seeking to end it. Flower is planning on killing her husband. She is training up a small group of two boys and a particularly nasty girl to do the deed. She will, of course, blame the crime on their pre-orphanage upbringing. At the current time, the fulfillment of her plan is at least half a year away.

Flower detests children. She is also mean and petty. She works her children hard, hours are long, and there is only one meal – of thin, boiled thistle soup – a day. Punishments vary from a simple ear-twisting or hair-pulling, to burial in “the Pit” – a typical Sartarite storage pit, covered with a wicker lid, over which is shoveled enough dirt that the child will not be able to dig its way out.

Flower is sure that Eloina’s cheerfulness is a cover for something more nefarious. It’s just that she has never been able to catch the Preceptor in anything other than a cheerful and upbeat mood. Ever.

Geltath Fernikos

A former orphan of the Mission (the Vul Mission-Orphanage in Tarsh), Geltath is thin to the point of emaciation, his face that of a death-mask surrounded by matted grey-blond hair. His clothes were once sumptuous, but now are so soiled with grease and filth that even a beggar would turn up his nose at them.

Geltath is Flower’s Husband, and is ostensibly in charge of procurement for the Mission. As such, he is provided with 10 Lunars every 2 (Lunar) months by the Society.

Pressure Points

Rather than spend the bi-monthly stipend on the children, Geltath tends to drink at least half of it, and squirrels away as much as he can before Flower can take it from him.

Geltath is planning on using his funds to travel – anywhere, as long as it is away from Flower. He has heard that the East Isles are a paradise-on-Glorantha for a man of intelligence and distinction – which he considers himself to be, against all evidence (and Flower’s shrill chastising) to the contrary.

Geltath detests children, almost as much as he resents his wife. He casually kicks or slaps any child he finds himself with “to maintain discipline”.

Pardikol One-eye

Pardikol is yet another graduate of the Mission (the first “graduate” from the Talfort Mission). He served several years in the Argent Archers before losing his eye in a tavern brawl. He was “retired” from the unit, and went back to the only home he knew, the Mission. He is responsible for the security of the Orphanage, which usually means keeping the kids from escaping, and tracking down and returning those that do.

Pardikol pities the children in the mission, but truly believes that the Mission is better than what these children will face in the “outside”. He tries to augment their meager dinner with hunting, but his handicap means that he is not nearly as proficient with a bow as he once was, and what kills he does bring in are more often served to the Mission Staff rather than the children.

Pressure Points

The way to Pardikol’s heart is through the children. He will do (almost) anything for them. He wil even give his own dinner to a particularly pitiful waif.

Pardikol trains the children in basic combat techniques. If the children ever get rebellious, they can be a more formidable force than would outwardly sem.

Sister Eloina, Preceptor

Sister Eloina is a bright-eyed naïf, who sees “potential in these beautiful children” and “bright futures for all my darlings”. She literally does not see the squalid conditions of the orphanage. This condition is caused by a failed Illumination, which has caused her to see only the good around her, and never the bad. She always has a big smile and a hug for “her little ones”, and they love her in return. She is the only bright spot in their otherwise dreary lives.

Eloina’s training was in the streets of Kevrinth. She is a self-taught, enthusiastic holy-person, but cannot read the Rufus Scripts, and those parts which she has memorized are sometimes rather strangely scrambled. Yet she is a preceptor, able to provide a conduit between Sedenya and her flock.

Due to “budgetary concerns” (and her fortuitous handicap), Eloina is also the maid-of-all-work at the Mission, and is rather harshly used by Flower. She is responsible for all cleaning and cooking in the Staff buildings, and organizes the children in cleaning the Dormitory.

Pressure Points

None, really. She is cheerful, obedient and totally unable to see the bad in people. What is there to pressure?

Using the Runegate Orphanage in your Campaign

If your heroes are Sartarites, the Orphanage serves as another example of the Lunar lack of compassion. Even without knowing the background of the order and how it operates, the Orphanage serves to take perfectly good Sartarite children and turn them into soldiers who will be used to fight their own kind.

If your heroes are Lunar, the Mission serves an example of the “Bad within the Good” – the flotsam on the edge where the Lunar Ideals meet un-enlightened human greed.

The orphanage is a “soft target” – not even worth rolling dice to see if the heroes eliminate it in combat – they do, period (unless they are a band of starving trollkin, of course). Pardikol isn’t even a worthy combat opponent for a Sartarite farmer, let alone a band of hardened warriors.