Winter, 2011

In this Issue

We start with a look at the various types of boats and ships that sail Kralorela's waterways and coasts.

Jane Williams gives us an adventure for Burns Night (Jan 25) - the hunting of the terrifying Marsh Haggis.

David Millians gives an overview of the chaos found in Kralorela,

Keith Nellist gives us his third Britannia-styled game, the History of Fronela.

Finally, Roderick Robertson gives two tools: a Lunar-Theyalan Calendar Converter, and the first (of many, I hope) paper terrain models - the Orlanthi round hut.

David Millians

Kralorela has ancient traditions of travel by water and the construction of vessels. Kralori dragons do have strong connections to water and rivers, and some scholars, in fact, theorize that the ancient Kralori relationship with the Blue Dragon of the Sea indicates a water origin for the race, but this has never been proven.

Kralori craft range along all of its rivers and throughout the Suam Chow and nearby waterways and islands in the Sea of Kahar. A few larger ships travel even farther, reaching all of the major ports of Glorantha. Most, though, are small boats, crewed by a few fisherman, sometimes home to an entire family. The coasts of Kralorela host countless boat towns, many of which migrate with the seasons and their livelihoods, much to the chagrin of local magistrates. Sha Ming and Lur Nop, both major cities in the south, are famous for their “boat cities,” flourishing communities on their shores. Both the government and the military make use of boats, most famously in the empire’s intricate system of ferries and the impressive war barges. Smugglers and poachers are common too.

Kralori boatwright traditions vary widely throughout the empire. Technical details, materials, and rituals all diverge. Northern boats tend to be wide, higher, and heavier in general, reflecting the region’s rougher waters, while those in the south are traditionally leaner and lower. It is generally common to paint eyes on the front of the

Kralori boats and ships vary in size and usage but fall generally into a few categories, detailed below, in generally ascending size.

Jow

Any Kralori boat can be a jow. This is the general word for a boat.

Chaa

The Kralori word for raft is “chaa.” Local people construct this simplest of craft for many purposes, sometimes disassembling it afterwards. A few chaa, like those made of timber from the jungles of Boshan and floated down its mighty rivers, are very large.

Crew: 1 or 2

Significant Abilities: Easily Disassembled 15, Shallow Draft 14, Stable 17, Sturdy 13

Typical Names: none other than their owners’ often contemptuous nicknames for them

Kwang, Laan, Pyan, Ting, or Tze

Small boats go by many names. Most are similar to a coracle, rounded frames of wood, covered with hide and then sealed, floating atop the water and best-suited to smaller waterways and lakes. They sometimes find use as transportation in wet areas, but mostly they are a craft for fisherman, frog hunters, and reed gatherers. Piloting these boats requires some care, as they essentially float atop the water.

Crew: 1

Significant Abilities: Agile 2W, Large 10, Navigate Streams and Marshes 5W, Unstable 10, Sturdy 13

Typical Names: Catboat, Fish Bucket, Lucky Skiff

Banka

The banka is a small canoe outrigger, similar in size to the kwang, its cousin, and common in the south. These boats carry lateen sails and have a sharp prow like the nose of a hunting fish. They are always highly decorated. Bankas have more in common with East Islander boat traditions than Kralori and are not popular

Crew: 1 to 8, usually an even number

Significant Abilities: Agile 8W, Large 15, Sail Fast 10W, Shallow Draft 10W, Small Cargo Space 15, Stable 15, Sturdy 10

Typical Names:

Sanbaan

The sanbaan is a small, flat-bottomed craft, typically ten to fifteen feet long, much like a scow or punt. It has a flat bow and stern and is propelled by oars or single sail. Some have a small sheltered section of deck or even a small house. A rear paddle is the most common means of propulsion, but many sanbaans have a short mast and a traditional Kralori square sail. These sturdy sails can be adjusted to allow them to sail into the wind.

The sanbaan is found throughout the waters of Kralorela and may be its most common watercraft. Sailors use it for fishing and transportation in all coastal areas and rivers.

Crew: 1 to 6 or more

Significant Abilities: Agile 13, Large 5W, Sturdy Rigging 5W, Sail Fast 2W, Shallow Draft 10W, Stable 15, Sturdy 3W

Typical Names:

Bwo

The Kralori barge is known as the bwo, and the Kralori have raised the barge to a high level, as evidenced by their ferries, paddle boats, and war barges. The basic barge, though, is a simple craft, flat-bottomed, high sides, and propelled by oars. They are usually between twenty and fifty feet in length and roughly half as wide.

Crew: 6 to 20

Significant Abilities: Large 15W, Large Cargo Capacity 10W, Robust Rigging 10W, Stable 10W, Sturdy 10W, Travel up Estuaries 5W

Typical Names: Chi Ting Ferry #12, Scarlet Parrot, Uncle Hsing’s Baby

Dhow

The Kralori and some East Islanders use dhows. They are best known for their hardiness, strong square sails, and long flags flown to placate the dragons in the sky. These vessels are the primary type of ship found in Kralori waters.

The river dhow, also known as a chwan in the north, or a joong in the south, has a rounded stern and a high poop deck. Its bottom is flat and has no keel, though some use a retractable keel, leeboard, or large rudder to prevent sliding across the water in strong winds. The dhow has stern-mounted rudder, adjustable to the water’s depth and fenestrated, allowing easier control.

The dhow’s sails are made of bamboo slats or on rare occasions silk. They can be adjusted inward to the ship’s main axis, allowing these craft to sail into the wind. Each sail is composed of multiple battens, which add strength, each with its own line, giving greater control. As well, tears can’t spread farther than a batten, making the sails more resilient.

The hull of a dhow is divided into separate compartments, accessed separately from above. This reduces the chances of sinking by isolating any flooding of the boat to one section. Legends state that a son of Aptanace the Sage discovered this technique, inspired by the compartments of bamboo used in the first raft. Many dhows also have bilge pumps.

The large ocean-going dhow, known as tsows, can be over one hundred feet in length and have a single mast with a triangular or lateen sail. Dhows trade with Teshnos, the northern East Isles, and even as far as Kethaela. Long-distance tsows often carry Kralori compasses, whose needles always indicate the direction of the imperial capital.

Crew: 5 to about one hundred

Significant Abilities: Agile 18, Large 15W3, Large Cargo Hold 12W2, Robust Rigging 15W, Sail Fast 12W, Stable 20, Sturdy 8W, Travel up Estuaries 17

Typical Names: Emerald Cloud, Luminous Butterfly, Prosperous Bounty, Proud River Empress

Doolu

The doolu is a type of paddle wheel boat unique to Kralorela. They incorporate elements of the bwo and the dhow, having a shallow draft but a definite prow. Their most remarkable feature, however, are the propulsion wheels that line their sides or rise at their sterns. The simplest doolu has a single rear wheel or two on the side, driven by men, sometimes many men, at foot-treadles. Free men may work private ferries, but most receive their power from convicts or zombies. A few have wood and coal powered engines designed by dwarves.

Depending on their design and the placement of their paddle wheels, doolu vary in appearance and function. Many also have sails in the traditional Kralori style. Most are used for transport of people, goods, or both. Some dragonboats, detailed below, use paddle wheel technology.

Crew: 6 to several hundred

Significant Abilities: Agile 13, Large 5W3, Large Cargo Hold 2W2, Powerful Engine 10W, Robust Rigging 15W, Sail Fast 18, Stable 20, Sturdy 8W, Travel up Estuaries 17

Typical Names: Admiral Wang’s Delight, Serpent of the Waves, Thousand League Traveler, Wheel of Water

Faang

Faang is a term applied to a yacht or other pleasure vessel. This word applies just as well to the crafts of nobles as to the floating brothels of Chi Ting. Faang describes the opulence of a boat, not its design, and faang include bwo, dhow, and doolu craft. Even a few luxury sanbaans count as faangs.

Pangh Aow Jow - Dragonboat

These are the great imperial ships of the Kralori. The common terms includes both the navy’s mightiest war barges (pangh jan bwo) and the vast, luxurious vessels of the nobility (pangh faang). Examples of each are provided below.

Imperial Battle Barge

These vessels cruise the waters around Kralorela in great fleets, equaling a small city in their activity and logistics. In the greatest battles, they can join together as a vast surface large enough for massed forces and even cavalry charges. Crew: 400, plus 500 marines Significant Abilities: Ballistae & Fire Slingers 10W3, Cavalry 15W2, Dragon Waters 10W3, Large 15W4, Large Cargo Hold 10W2, Marines 15W2, Ram 15W3, Robust Rigging 10W2, Sail Fast 10W, Stable 15W3, Sturdy 15W3 Typical Names: Iron Glory Lotus, Resolute Might of the Treasured Golden Commander, Shell of the Great Jade Turtle, Vibrant Exclamation of Imperial Will

Imperial Golden Dragon

This massive vessel is the emperor’s own yacht for excursions on the Suam Chow. He has not used it in more than a century, but it is kept ready for him at all times.

Crew: 600

Significant Abilities: Agile 10W2, Dragonscale Hull 10W3, Fly 10W3, Glorious Golden Fire 10W3, Large 5W4, Opulent Palace 10W3, Robust Rigging 15W3, Sail Fast 10W2, Travel Underwater 10W3

Jane Williams

Our regular gaming session happened to coincide with Burns Night, and the gaming nibbles got expanded to include haggis, tatties, neeps, and a collection of malts. So the game that night had to be appropriate, didn’t it? But the campaign is set next to a Marsh: we could hardly hunt Highland haggis there! Thus was born the Marsh Haggis, for which my apologies.

Gloranthan gamers: we’re at the edge of the Upland Marsh, and I’m sure I don’t need to say more.

Non-Glorantha gamers: there’s very little Gloranthan content here. All you need to know is that the Marsh is a dangerous place, at the centre of which lives Delecti the Necromancer, creator of Zombies and various other Undead. This little lot should fit into any pseudo-medieval universe where bad puns are welcome.

Background

The Marsh Haggis is descended (in both senses) from the well-known mountain haggis. This famous beast hardly needs describing: the round, hair-less body, the long luxuriant white tail in which it wraps itself when asleep, the asymmetrical leg length enabling it to run around mountains, the plaintive wailing cry that echoes from peak to peak in the mating season.

The marsh haggis (pl. haggi) is a similar beast in many ways. The body is somewhat more streamlined, befitting its aquatic existence, but the asymmetrical legs and the furry tail remain (the tail shorter and flatter than in the mountain species). Young haggi have a mere stump of a tail to begin with. This combined with their leg length means that in their youth they can only swim in circles: a safety measure, ensuring that they can never get far from their parents or deep into the Marsh. As the tail grows, its usefulness as a steering device increases, and adult haggi can swim in any direction they wish.

The main physical difference between the marsh haggis and their mountain brethren is in fact the main reason they are hunted, despite the difficulty of the task. Marsh haggi swim underwater whenever they can, breathing through horny tubes growing from their noses. A young haggis has but one tube (or "pipe"), but a mature male may have half a dozen in different lengths and at varying angles. Swimming among the reeds, with only the tops of their pipes visible, a haggis is very hard to spot. If a hunter does see a pipe moving (and bubbling, perhaps), the traditional cry to give chase is "Thar she blows!".

When the haggis has been caught, the flesh can be eaten as normal (though some people dislike the rather fishy flavour), and the tail is used as a fashion item for trimming clothes, or as a belt pouch. However the hairless body skin (or "bag") is carefully preserved, with the pipes intact. When it is sewn back together, the pipes enable it to be used as a "musical" instrument: or at least, as a signaling device. Great prestige is derived from the number of pipes on the bag, though any beyond the first three serve little practical purpose and are known as "drones": a flattering description of the quality they add to the sound.

There are two methods of hunting the marsh haggis. One is a group activity, often involving the whole clan. Beaters walk through the reed-beds, driving the haggi into open waters where their pipes can be seen, and nets are used to scoop them up without damaging the precious "bag". This results in large numbers of haggi. but often of inferior quality. The greatest catch can be obtained by hunting at night, when the haggi have gathered in family groups to sleep in the reeds. The beaters then carry torches, using fire to scare the haggis families out. (Reeds are extremely non-flammable, so fire is a new concept for most haggi. But they retain the instincts of most small mammals when it comes to running away).

Among the Marshedge clan, this has become an annual celebration, known as "Burn Night". A reed-woven effigy of a giant male haggis is soaked in some flammable liquid and set alight, before the entire clan set off into the Marsh, waving torches and nets as needed. A bonfire awaits them on their return, and small haggi may be cooked whole in the ashes.

The second method is used by solitary hunters in search of the highest quality specimens. They take a bag from the previous year’s hunt, and use it to imitate the female haggis mating call. Male haggi will then approach, seeking a partner, and will fight amongst themselves for the honour of mating. The winner of this struggle will be the oldest, wiliest haggis in the area, and is the prize the hunter seeks. Catching such a beast can be dangerous in itself, though one would not think so from the tales told by rival hunters on "Burn" Night. ("Wee, sleekit, cowering, timorous beastie", begins one famous poem on the subject.) The actual capture method varies: some hunters engage the haggis in a wrestling match in the mud, while others prefer to net or lasso it from a distance, taking the risk of being towed through the Marsh until the beast tires.

This method has been introduced to the Highlands with some success, though the clansmen there have so little taste that they actually use the "Bag-Pipes" as they call them as a form of music.

(And having finally invented a "fact" so outrageously silly as to be obviously Untrue, we’ll stop there!)

Plot

It is Burn Night. The Haggis has been woven, and soaked in spirits. Once it is alight, the players are off haggis-hunting. They may be Beaters, or net-holders: their choice. Beaters are running through a swamp at night looking for small moving shadows: make the most of this! Net-holders are waist deep in murky water, with things swimming in it. Again, make the most of this. Atmosphere. Creepiness. Getting very, very wet and muddy. Losing equipment in the mud. All good fun. If you wanted to get rid of any annoying magical items, this would be a good time.

When the first wave of haggi strikes the nets, test against the PCs strength to see if they manage to keep hold of their section of net. If not, they have fleeing haggi to retrieve (mud-wrestling!): you might even manage to drown them as they're trampled under a herd of stampeding haggi if you're feeling mean.

The main hunt goes well. The beaters meet up with the net-holders, and help retrieve and subdue the struggling haggi. Those hunters with some energy left (like, say, the PCs) then draw the nets through the pool to retrieve any stragglers. At this point disaster strikes. At a point in the net right by the PCs, a huge, hideous haggis-like creature appears, dragging the nets with it. It’s pallid, scarred, bloated, festering, rotten: a Zombie Haggis! One of the experienced hunters recognises it from legends of the Marsh. "Mouldy Dick!" he cries.

(And we pause while all the PCs groan, and make suggestions about what the hunter's name is. )

There is a fight. Well, there had to be, didn’t there? Possible results:

They win, heroically! The body is dragged back to the bonfire and burnt, with the Pipes being kept as a trophy.

Or does Mouldy Dick escape to fight again? He’s famous for that, after all…

Does the aged hunter lasso Mouldy Dick, and get towed into the Marsh, never to be seen again?

Some complicated combination of the above, such as only a group of PCs could come up with?

Rules, stats, and so on

All you need is the combat stats for normal Haggi, and for Mouldy Dick. I'd suggest you make them up to fit your system and the combat strength of your players. I was using RQ3 and a group of 15-year-old beginners, some of whom were Ducks. If you're using 10th level AD&D, you'll need to rescale things a bit.

Haggi come in sizes and ferocity varying between rabbit and wild boar. They attack by stabbing with their pipes. The pipes also count as armour on the head, and they have fairly tough skin. Swim and Dodge should be good, and Mouldy Dick at least should have high strength and weight: enough to drag, say, a small boat, a net, and three or four PCs.

There's only one Rule you need to stick to: have fun!

David Millians

Traditional Genertelan Chaos is rare in Kralorela. The Kralori will claim that this is part of their national excellence and purity, but the reasons no doubt lie deep within their myths and traditions. The Kralori are certainly threatened by creatures and forces that may derive from the same ultimate source as Chaos, and some God Learners saw Chaos in Sekever and its minions, but recognizably Chaotic creatures appear little in their lore and lands.

In the modern ages, the God Learners and other foreigners have introduced Chaos beings and cults into Kralorela, but they remain small and little known or understood. Native Kralori tend to react to them with their traditional fears and methods, which are as effective as most other approaches.

Broo

Broo tend to fare poorly in Kralorela itself, for there is little wilderness in which they can establish themselves. The lowlands in particular teem with humanity, and Kralori culture does not have much in the way of a herding tradition, so their domesticated animals are fewer and less available.

Broo do rarely appear in the mountains and hinterlands. A few of these wander in from the eastern Wastelands, but these are rare and face the hostility of all creatures, for their malignancy and foreign nature is recognized.

Also rare but a deeper threat are broo whose nature fools Kralori Hsunchen. Some scholars speculate that this trait appeared one or more times and survives in following generations of broo, while others think it is a trait of all Kralori broo. There are also stories of God Learners and Shang Hsa May-His-Name-Be-Cursed releasing broo among the populations of Hsunchen that opposed them.

These broo usually live among a Hsunchen population, violent warriors that soon meet their end in combat or more often through some social crime, but the Hsunchen often remain ignorant of the nature of the creature. Occasionally, a broo with cunning and carefully-used chaos features or magic is hailed as a Horned Halfbeast and assumes great power over local Hsunchen, breeding and spreading its kind. True Horned Halfbeasts, Kralori, and even local Huan To seek to destroy these creatures when they appear, but some rule a remote valley for years at a time.

The deer folk seem to be most vulnerable to these broo, though a local official in the far south of Boshan Province reported the capture and execution of a “demonic, horned tiger man,” perhaps a broo.

Gorp

Gorp itself is rare in Kralorela, known only from a few locales poisoned by foreign cults and sorcery. The Burnt Well of the False Magistrate in southern Modaings Province is thought to have a large colony of gorp in its depths. The locals throw offerings into the well to keep its “spirits” strong, for they are thought still to be consuming the mortal remains of an evil official that served under Shang Hsa May-His-Name-Be-Cursed.

Harpy

Flocks of harpies nest high in the Shan Shan, far from inhabited areas. They raid the local Hsunchen, also sometimes attacking caravans and army scouts. Hsunchen and Kralori, who know them as the Fay-Djwa-Noo, both say that harpies have dwelt in these high places forever. The Kralori tell stories of greedy, lusty women that long ago learned the secret of flight and tried to rise and seize the sun, perhaps the Eagle Phoenix Emperor Metsyla, but their own insolence struck them down and made their evils visible on their bodies.

Augraban, a God Learner scholar, died collecting specimens in central Kralorela, as he tried to prove his theory that western and eastern harpies were different species.

Jack-O-Bear

There has never been a Jack-O-Bear in eastern Genertela. Even the God Learners were unable to introduce them as part of their experiments. The reason for this is unknown

Krarshtkid & Krarshtide

Krarsht, known in Kralorela most commonly as Loo Jow Sa Mo, has a small presence, and its demonic servants cluster at its secret places or in places far below the surface of the earth.

Scorpionman

The offspring of Bagog existed in Kralorela in the Second Age, but there have been no reports of them there in the later Third Age. There may be small colonies in remote areas or in Ignorance.

Walktapus

On occasion fishermen have pulled walktapi from the depths of the Suam Chow. There have not been any reports of land-dwelling walktapi since a few incidents in the Second Age.

Roderick Robertson

This is a little grid I whipped up for a PBeM game a few years ago. I found it useful for comparing when Holy Days fell in both the Lunar and Storm pantheons. You can also use it to run a game where Imperial Papayrus-work uses the Lunar system, but your barbarians use the Storm calendar. "When did that decree come out? Lesilday/5? That's....uh...."

I have made an Excel spreadsheet for download, as well.

Lunar Day

Veriday

Lesilday

Gerraday

Rashoday

Ulurday

Nathaday

Zayday

Moon Phase

(Dragon Pass)

Full Half

Crescent-Go

Dying

Black

Crescent-Come

Empty Half

Full

Theyalan Day

Godsday

Freezeday

Waterday

Clayday

Windsday

Fireday

WildDay

Lunar Week

Theyalan Week

Theyalan Season

1
(Sacred Week 2)

Luck

Sacred Time

Lunar New
Year's Day

2

Disorder

Sea

Theyalan New Year's Day

3

Harmony

Sea

4

Death

Sea

5

Fertility

Sea

6

Stasis

Sea

7

Movement

Sea

8

Illusion

Sea

9

Truth

Sea

10

Disorder

Fire

11

Harmony

Fire

12

Death

Fire

13

Fertility

Fire

14

Stasis

Fire

15

Movement

Fire

16

Illusion

Fire

17

Truth

Fire

18

Disorder

Earth

19

Harmony

Earth

20

Death

Earth

21

Fertility

Earth

22

Stasis

Earth

23

Movement

Earth

24

Illusion

Earth

25

Truth

Earth

26

Disorder

Darkness

27

Harmony

Darkness

28

Death

Darkness

29

Fertility

Darkness

30

Stasis

Darkness

31

Movement

Darkness

32

Illusion

Darkness

33

Truth

Darkness

34

Disorder

Storm

35

Harmony

Storm

36

Death

Storm

37

Fertility

Storm

38

Stasis

Storm

39

Movement

Storm

40

Illusion

Storm

41

Truth

Storm

42
(Sacred Week 1)

Fate

Sacred Time

Keith Nellist

Part 1: Introduction

The History of Fronela begins with the Dawn of Time, the land a mostly empty wilderness, populated by a few primitive beast peoples. Only on the coast is there any human civilisation – the descendants of Brithini colonists and the Brithini themselves in Sog City.

This is a “Flow of History” game where the 4 players take on the role of Nations struggling for survival and power in the cold lands of Fronela. Events unfold and new peoples arrive to conquer, settle, or disappear from history in the lands on either side of the Janube River.

This game requires that you know or have access the rules for Britannia.

Design notes for History of Fronela

This game follows on from my attempts to make games about Gloranthan history ; the History of Peloria and the History of Kralorela. I’m still working on the Composite History of Dragon Pass, and the History of Jrustela.

I’d like to thank Jamie Revell , Laurence Whittaker, Greg Stafford, Peter Metcalfe, Jeff Richard and others for their works and ideas on Fronela that I have used as I saw fit as source material. Any inaccuracies or errors are my own. I used Genertela, Crucible to the Hero Wars (RQ3 boxed set); Glorantha; Introduction to the Hero Wars (Hero Wars) , The Middle Sea Empire (Stafford Library), Guide to Fronela (Mongoose 2nd Age) as primary sources, with references from Anaxial’s Roster (Gonn Orta, Grotarons), and Trollpack (the troll history).

The format needs you to get the 4 Wiggles together to play boardgames – each with a colour; one can bring Fruit Salad, another can do Magic Tricks and you may need to wake up Jeff occasionally. I did consider splitting the nations differently - for example I considered a Malkioni, Barbarian, Beastman, Elder Races split, but decided that this was unbalanced and missed the factional fighting between Malkioni which is an essential part of Fronelan history. The 4 way split was simply based on previous games – it could have been 3 or 5, but a 4 player game allows for more player interaction without too much player down time. Plus, there are only 4 wiggles. I am sure the game could be split differently if Captain Feathersword turned up but I have not included any interactions with Waertagi or any mer-people so this may not be the game for him.

I wanted to make kingdoms one of the central themes of the game, but failed in making it as central as I’d have liked despite several attempts at getting something balanced that did not favour the early Kingdom creators too much. I also wanted to include some of the “names” from Fronelan history. Unlike Peloria, where there are too many named Kings, Heroes and Princes to include, Fronela has far fewer personalities which makes it far more workable to include them.

I wanted to differentiate the way the Malkioni worked from the Beast People and Barbarians, and the castes seemed a good way to do this. Later on I used this feature to highlight the priorities of certain Kingdoms. Getting the balance right between Soldier, Wizard, Farmer and Lord is an important part of Malkioni tactics. Initially, I had the Godlearners, Carmanians and Kingdom of War as separate factions, but felt I could remove these later and make the losing Malkioni factions come back as these new groups.

There may be a lot of dice rolling in the game – especially population increase and combat. I prefer dice rolling to record keeping, so this is my solution to hassle of keeping track of population points in Britannia – replace it with a dice roll.

The Elder Races moving along the edges of the areas fit nicely with my view of the Elder Races in Fronela mostly working at the borders of human lands. The trolls sneak around popping up in unexpected places, the Battle of Nebuchaxa occurs fare from human eyes, no one really sees Grotarons, except for occasional appearances as mercenaries. I decided to leave out the Aldryami altogether treating them as more of a terrain feature than an active presence. I could have left out the Grotarons too, but they’re my favourite Gloranthan Elder race and I’m pleased to have included them, although my bias did not go as far as making the Glorious Grotaron Empire an in game reality. I missed out Chaos monsters and Waertagi, even though I think they could have been represented for similar reasons to the Aldryami.

I did try to get an element of theme into the 4 player split; Black is “River deep, mountain high” featuring two mountainous giant races, and the river pasture-favouring Bull People. Grey is “Cold Hearts, Grey North” with the Grey Malkioni most likely to embrace the cold logic of the Godlearners, the Trolls living on the Glacial remnants of Borklak’s Kingdom, and the grey reindeer and Wolverine People both from the northern side of Fronela. I chose Azure as a colour because it comes from the favoured colour of the Knights of modern Loskalm, the theme of Azure being “Stasis and Change”. The Mostali represent Stasis, while the Beast People are either the unchangingly-violent Woolly Rhino people or migratory Porcupine People. The modern Kingdom of Loskalm itself is a result of efforts to create an idealised Kingdom by avoiding change. The Brown player “Tooth and Tusk, Hoof and Horn” is the player with the most powerful beast people – the Bear and Wolf People. They come last among the Malkioni and Barbarians so those groups would often have to fight to make room for themselves. This was the colour that was going to control the Kingdom of War before I made that faction as result of the gameplay rather than a nation.

Each round represents roughly 100 years, although the first round ends in 75 S.T, so started before Time and is of indeterminate length. I am still unhappy that I didn’t come up with a name for round 12, despite some suggestions. I did consider “Xemstown” but that seemed to put too much emphasis on the troll kingdom. “Peaceful Interlude” might have worked if I thought that this remotely described the situation in Fronela during this period. The last round ends in 1675, well into the Hero Wars, and in theory including such events as the Elven Reforestation, the trolls chewing the Glacier off and setting it afloat on the Neliomi Sea to plug Magasta’s Pool and flood the world, and the return of the Waertagi dragonships to Sog. I did not include these events in the game but they can be simulated - from the human civilisation point of view - by the players tipping all the counters off the board, folding the board up and putting the whole game away.

The 100 year split just came about because I wanted roughly 16 Rounds, and saw no reason to start later or finish earlier. I didn’t start at zero as I wanted to have the Sunstop as a break between Rounds, and it seems to fit later events too. The Dawn, with Hrestol wandering around, also needed to finish closer to Hrestol’s martyrdom than 100 S.T.

Naming of regions offered a few challenges; often I could only find a modern name for an area, or couldn’t link a described area to a specific area on the map (mostly from the Mongoose 2nd Age Fronela book) As such, we have a few anachronous names - Galastar, for example - or names that were for a whole region only applied to a single area: Syanor, Oranor and Jonatela, for example are all names for regions that overlapping or are the same area , but I’ve used them for separate areas. I’ve taken some liberties with Mountains, with regions in Junora and parts of Rathorela.

I wondered whether to name the Beast People with their “proper” name: Telmori, Rathori, Zonati etc., but felt that this just made things more obscure.

Going through the game round by round, we start off with a few units on the board, and the imminent arrival of Malkioni factions from the Neliomi Sea. This can be seen as new ideas as well as just new people, spreading among those Malkioni already. The two special units this round, Hrestol and The Blinding Eye, represent the good and bad things happening in the Dawn. I was pleased to be able to have Hrestol’s caste breaking reflected in game terms. Tactically, players need to be aware of what is going to happen in the next round to ensure they have their units in the best areas.

Round 2, Colonies in a Cold Land, sees the rest of the Ancient Horrors appear. I am not sure if I think they are too powerful, or cost too little, but I wanted to add in a few elements that were Fronelan. The Prince of the Malkioni rewards the leading player so is a bit at odds with the idea I’ve adopted in later Rounds which is to give additional help to the player with the least resources to stop a victory spiral. I was going to call this round Colonies of the Silver Empire, as a link to the history of Seshnela, but was persuaded that this wasn’t accurate. The Barbarians arriving in Charg are Orlanthi awakened by Lightbringers and successfully moving to the empty hills from Fronela from Brolia, Talastar and possibly Ralios.

Round 3, Barbarians and Beastmen could also be called the Battle of Twelve Beasts, and is supposed to be a big battle between the Beast People and the incoming Barbarians. Population pressure from the Barbarians should be making them expand in any case. The arrival of Telmori should keep combat on the agenda.

Round 4, the Kingdom of Talsard reflects the growing unity of the Barbarians. I did try to have a complicated voting system to reflect barbarian Orlanthi politics but simplified it into the person of the King of Talsard. I did not include the momentous events of the Sunstop; neither Coteries of Wizards killing pagan gods, or any other of the mysterious events around that period of no-Time, but it can be assumed to have happened.

Round 5 introduces 4 characters from Fronelan history that help define the 4 Malkioni factions – the King of Akem represents the rulers of that Kingdom, Arinsor the Chaos Wizard represents the Gbajists who came to corrupt that Kingdom, while Talor the Laughing Warrior and Varganthar the Unconquerable Knight start by fighting each other but end up allied against their common foe. I Would have liked to include the Gate of Banir as some sort of unit, which needed one or more of the Five Ancient Horrors to get rid of, but I could not find a way to do that. The Battle of Nebuchaxa, far from human eyes, is also expected to also happen in this round, a battle between Mostali and Trolls that drives the Trolls from Oral Ta. If the players are human they should try not to look or remember what happens in this phase. Round 5 is the first instance of a Malkioni faction doing a switcheroo on its counters, in this case the Kingdom of Akem faction losing all its farmers and gaining Soldiers. This is a mechanism that reflects people changing allegiance, with Malkioni Factions representing ideas and religious beliefs rather than some ethnic group, rather than simulating Farmers becoming Soldiers. The Kingdom of Akem had Orders of Chivalry and appears to have been a cruel oppressor, so the Faction that rules that Kingdom becomes militaristic. It may not be clear from the rules but the number of counters is limited and part of the game. Each Malkioni faction has a 10 Soldier counters, for example, and these can be either on the board or off it but there cannot be 11 Soldiers counters.

Round 6 has the first appearance of the Kingdom of Loskalm, which I interpreted as a political solution to the problem of the cruelty of the Kingdom of Akem and a move away from strict religious rules and more pragmatic leadership. This is where the switch from Wizards to Lords come from. Lords value land, and coordinate the other Malkioni units.

Round 8 introduces the Godlearners. Again I wanted the give some choice to the factions. The Syranthir unit is supposed to be a good option for the faction with the least to lose, while the Godlearner ally is supposed to be a good option if you already have a strong base.

Round 9 is expected to be dominated by whoever gained Arim Adalla. At the end of the round the extra Soldiers and Lord represent the rabble army of coastal people displaced by the Closing of the Oceans and sent north by the Emperor through the Aldryami forest of Erontree. They are a bit out of sequence since the Closing has not appeared on the board yet.

Round 10 sees the return of the Malkioni faction that disappeared with Syranthir. They are now Carmanians led by Shah Nadar, who has come to Fronela to chew gum and kick ass, and he’s all out of gum. King Gwainric is designed to bring back into play a Malkioni faction that might have lost all of its units, and is neither a Godlearner nor a Carmanian.

Round 11 just sees Jonat and his companion Xem appearing from the South and creating their Kingdoms.

Round 12 is Nameless. Perhaps it should have been named the Nameless round out of respect for the Nameless Man who is blamed for a lot in Glorantha, Crucible of the Hero Wars. Another alternative “Xemtown!” sounded too much like some sort of Musical, and I didn’t have any more inspiration.

Round 13 features the Kingdom of Valmark, a Kingdom based on trade along the river, and influenced by all the people along the shores. I did consider making the Janube an “area” similar to a sea, that can be moved on but not stopped in, which would make all areas adjacent to the river close to each other, but decided against that option.

Round 14 was originally going to introduce a new nation tribe called the Red Moon Refugees, but I decided to use an approach similar to the Malkioni Factions with Tribes given the option of removing some units. The Zoria unit is the reward, who takes over the Zoria area. It may not be clear from the rules but the Barbarian Tribe that gains Zoria can enter the Zoria area.

Round 15 sees Black Hralf appearing to helping and encourage Beast Peoples and Barbarians to slaughter anyone they can. Malkioni fleeing to the Glacier represent Prince Snodal and gain the advantage of the King Siglat counter in the following round.

Round 16 is the Syndics Ban so the turn order is not the same as previous rounds. It reflects what happened to people locked in their small areas within the Syndics ban. King Siglat, the son of Prince Snodal, the architect of the Ban, helps his Kingdom become an ideal state.

Round 17 is really the Thaw, but I’ve called it the Kingdom of War in line with the Kingdom theme. It sees the appearance of Harrek the Berserk, Lord Death on a Horse, Lunar Moon Boats, Harrek the Berserk again (and again, and again, until he sacks Sog City and disappears). Lord Death on a Horse brings back the Malkioni Faction was doing the least well, and helps them get revenge, and a chance of victory.

I am disappointed that I was unable to include or explain the lush and luxurious hair enjoyed by Fronelans, something which alienates me from the region, nor more have any of my pet theories about Grotarons included (that they’re Vadrudi butlers, servants from of the Castle of Wild Storms now a ruined pile of boulders called the Maidstone Mountains).

Part 2: Rules Variations

SEQUENCE OF PLAY

The game is played through seventeen rounds, each made up of nation turns, where one nation is the active nation. Each Nation turn is made up of 5 phases which can be summarised as Spawn (2 phases), Move, Fight, Die.

The winner of the game is whoever has accumulated the most Victory Points at the end of the Game. Victory points are awarded according to nation specific criteria.

SET UP

ROUNDS

Start of round special events

Nation turns, in order

Population increase

New Units

Move

Combat

Battle

Retreat

Overpopulation

End of round special events

END GAME, DANCE OF VICTORY!

NATION TURN

Population increase phase:

Roll D6 per relevant area for the active Nation - 5+ gives a new unit for that area, as long as there are enough counters. The player can roll for For Beast People, this is normally Totem areas but refer to the specific nation.

For Malkioni, it is any area already occupied by the faction who nation-turn it is, with a +1 on the D6 roll per Farmer in an area.

For Barbarians, it is any area occupied by their tribe.

Elder races either do not get a roll (Gonn Orta), or only one roll (Trolls, Valind's Glacier; Grotaron, Maidstone Mountains; Dwarfs, Nidan Mountains)

New Units arrival phase

As described in the specific Round details.

Move phase

The active nation can move all units in its nation.

Units must stop if they enter an area containing units of another nation. The exception to this is if they can overrun an area with larger numbers than the current occupant. The active nation must have one more unit than the current occupant of the area left behind in the area. So if an area contained 2 units, then the active player could move 3 units into the area, and any additional units through the area.

Combat phase

The attacker decides on the order that battles take place, this can switch between areas, so an attacker could choose one area and continue until that area is resolved, then go to another area, or switch between areas until all are resolved.

Special Retreat: some units, or circumstances allow nations to be retreated before the first combat roll. These are dealt with under the nation details.

Battle

Each normal unit receives a combat dice.

All combat dice in an area are rolled simultaneously. 5+ indicates a casualty.

There are modifiers for terrain, and also some units (Gonn Orta, Wizards)

-1 on attack rolls in Rough

-1 on attack rolls in Mountain

-1 on attack rolls for ElfWood

-1 on attack rolls for Sog City.

The attacker chooses both the attacking and defending casualties.

Retreat

After the first round of combat for the current combat phase in each area, a player may elect to retreat some or all of his units, either attacking or defending, if there is somewhere to retreat to. Attackers must retreat to the area they came from. Defenders can normally retreat into any empty adjacent area, or an adjacent areas containing their own units (even if it is involved in combat).

Repeat the Battle/Retreat cycle until all areas are resolved.

Overpopulation phase.

Any units in an area more than the maximum for the active nation and area type are removed.

Part 3: Turns

SETUP

Black Malkioni

1 Soldier, 1 Wizard, 2 Lords in Tarins

Bull

1 unit in Tawars

Grotaron

1 unit in Maidstone Mountains

Mammoth

1 unit in Upriver

Gonn Orta

1 unit in Western Nida

Reindeer

1 unit in Tastolar

Woolly Rhino

1 unit in Black Forest

Bear

1 unit in Rathorela

Bobcat

1 unit in Oranor

Trolls

4 units (1 in Oral Ta, 1 in each Glacier area)

Mostali

2 units in Nidan Mountains

TURN ORDER

(rounds 1 to 15)

Black Malkioni
Grey Malkioni
Azure Malkioni
Brown Malkioni
Bull (Black)
Grotaron (Black)
Badger (Azure)
Mammoth (Brown)
Gonn Orta (Black)
Reindeer (Grey)
Woolly Rhino (Azure)
Bear (Brown)
Skunk (Black)
Wolverine (Grey)
Porcupine (Azure)
Racoon (Brown)
Bobcat (Azure)
Owl (Black)
Trolls (Grey)
Mostali (Azure)
Wolf People (Brown)
Barbarian (Black)
Barbarian (Grey)
Barbarian (Azure)
Barbarian (Brown)

Round 16

Prince Siglat’s nation has the first nation turn.

Malkioni faction that controls most clear areas South of the Janube (not including the first player).

Malkioni faction that controls the most areas out of the two remaining that have not have a nation turn.

The fourth Malkioni faction has all its units removed from the board

Round 17

The Malkioni Faction controlling Dormal has the first nation turn.

Barbarian nation with Moon Boats

Bear People

Harrek the Berserk

The Malkioni faction controlling Lord Death on a Horse

Harrek the Berserk (again)

The rest of the nation turns are taken in the normal order except Harrek has a turn between each turn until he disappears in Sog City. Once he disappears, the next nation turn is that of the Malkioni faction of the Harrek player.

ROUNDS

ROUND 1

The Dawn, ends with c.75 ST.

At the start of the Round Hrestol and The Blinding Eye appear

HRESTOL

This unit starts in the City of Sog at the start of the Round and is moved by each nation up to 2 areas before the population increase phase of each nation turn. He can then also be moved as if he is a unit of the nation during their nation turn.

He can be used as if he is any one sort of Malkioni unit during that nation turn:

As a Farmer he gives a +1 to population increase rolls for the area he is in (even for Beast People)

As a Wizard he gives a +1 to combat dice if attacking another nation.

As a Soldier he gets a combat dice.

As a Lord he can enable Soldiers, Wizards and Farmers to move.

Note that during a Barbarian tribe nation turn, if he is in an empty area, that tribe has a population increase roll.

Hrestol cannot be killed but is removed at the end of the Turn.

BLINDING EYE

This unit starts in Timms, at the start of the Round and is moved by each nation 1D6 spaces in their movement phase as it were a unit of their own nation. In the combat phase all units in the same area as the Blinding eye are eliminated. The Blinding Eye can only be moved to attack other nations if accompanied by another unit of the active nation. The Blinding Eye always ends each nation turn in an area on her own.

The Blinding Eye cannot move in any spaces adjacent to Hrestol. At the end of the turn the Blinding Eye is removed from the board having been banished by Hrestol.

New Unit Arrivals

Grey Malkioni

2 Soldier, 2 Wizard, 1 Lord from Neliomi Sea

Azure Malkioni

2 Soldier, 3 Wizard, 1 Lord from Neliomi Sea

Brown Malkioni

2 Soldier, 3 Wizard, 1 Lord from Neliomi Sea

Badger

1 unit place anywhere

Skunk

1 unit place anywhere that is not adjacent to any other units

Wolverine

1 unit place anywhere north of Janube

Porcupine

1 unit place anywhere north of Janube

Racoon

1 unit place anywhere adjacent to a river

Owl

1 unit place anywhere

ROUND 2

Colonies in a Cold Land. Ends 175 ST.

At the start of the Round 5 Barbarian units for each player are placed on board:

Black Barbarians (CHARG)

Grey Barbarians (WAR MOOR)

Blue Barbarians (SOUTH SHORE).

Brown Barbarians (SULLEN HILLLS).

All other units in those areas are eliminated.

At the start of each Nation Turn a nation may elect to call upon one ancient horror that is not on the board, apart from the Blinding Eye.

THE HAND THAT TAKES

This unit is stacked in any active nation controlled area. It may steal (remove) one unit of another nation from any one other area or junction which does not leave the area empty, during the movement phase of the active nation at a cost of sacrificing one unit from the active nation per unit removed. The Hand is also then removed from the board and is available to be called on by the next active nation.

The Hand That Takes can also change one area containing a river into swamp, immediately eliminating all units in that area, reducing the maximum population of Farmers to zero and making the area Rough terrain. Dilis, Zoria, Jorri, Tarins, Pomons and Upriver contain rivers. This can be done from any distance and costs one unit sacrifice by the active player controlling the Hand, but can only be done once per game.

THE VOICE OF LIES

The Voice of Lies is used to control another players unit from an inactive nation during movement phase and then another unit during the combat phases. The units controlled must be adjacent to the Voice at the start of the movement phase and at the start of the combat phase. The Voice can control special units, such as the King of Talsard, or Talor the Laughing Warrior. The Voice cannot be killed but remains on the board for the rest of the game. If it is left in an area with no units, another nation may pick it up. If it is involved in a battle it can be picked as a casualty, but instead of being removed from the board, it changes sides.

THE UNSEEN FACE

The Unseen Face is a doppelganger of another unit already on the board. For example it can act as if it has the abilities of, for example, Gonn Orta, The Voice of Lies, The King of Talsard, Talor, a Wizard, or a Wolverine People. If it encounters its double then the Unseen Face is removed from the board, but it can be summoned again, by any nation that eliminates one of their Wizard units. If the original unit is eliminated and is a unique unit then the Unseen Face is also removed. The Unseen Face can be killed, but the unit is then available for the next active player to summon at the cost of 1 Wizard.

THE UNSPEAKABLE NAME

Any area containing or adjacent to the Unspeakable Name does not gain a population increase roll. It may be moved by the controlling player by another unit carrying it. It cannot be killed in combat. The Unspeakable Name remains on the board for the rest of the game.

PRINCE OF ALL MALKIONI

Whichever faction has the most Lords at the end of the round claims the title of Prince of All Malkioni, and gains this unit, which acts as a Lord but can be stacked with another Lord in the same area.

ROUND 3

Barbarians and Beastmen. Ends 275 ST.

3 Wolf People arrive at High Llama Pass in the Wolf People turn.

ROUND 4

Kingdom of Talsard. Ends 375 ST. (Sunstop)

At the start of the Round the King of Talsard appears stacked with the Barbarian Tribe with the largest population. If it is equal, then the Tribe that comes first in the turn order sequence gets the King.

KING OF TALSARD

The area containing the King of Talsard has no population maximum.

The King of Talsard acts as a normal barbarian unit except that instead of being killed in combat he changes sides.

At the end of the Round the King of Talsard disappears, and is replaced by two normal units of the Tribe he was in at the end of the Round.

ROUND 5

Kingdom of Akem. Ends 475 S.T.

At the start of the Round there are four units, one of which must be chosen by each Faction during their nation turn. The unit is chosen before the Population Increase phase, so Black has a choice any one of the four, while Brown gets whoever is left.

KING OF AKEM

The unit acts like a Malkioni Lord. The faction that chooses this unit loses all the Farmers it controls from the board and gains ALL of its Soldiers from off the board. The King of Akem staying on the board until he is eliminated, but the Soldiers replacing Farmers is a one off effect. If the King of Akem is left in an area with no units, he is removed from the board.

ARINSOR THE CHAOS WIZARD

Arinsor acts like a Malkioni Wizard. This faction replaces all its Farmers with an equal number of Wizards. For example, if two Farmers are removed two Wizards are gained. If a player has all his Wizards on the board he doesn’t gain any extra counters.

TALOR THE LAUGHING WARRIOR

Talor acts like a Malkioni Lord. He grants +3 to the combat roll of any Soldiers stacked with him.

VARGANTHAR THE UNCONQUERABLE KNIGHT

Varganthar acts like a Malkioni Soldier. Units stacked with him cannot be killed. Beasts People and Barbarians in combat in areas adjacent to Varganthar gain +2 to their combat rolls.

If Talor and Varganthar meet in combat the attacker must retreat after one round of combat.

Comment:
Kingdom of Akem 402-410, organised with Orders of Chivalry.
Varganthyr the Unconquerable Knight leads barbarians in rebellion.
385 beginning of the Kingdom of Akem
390 Mostali destroy Oral-Ta.
428 Prince of Northpoint marries Queen Karimli, founding kingdom of Loskalm
475 Agria and Tawars join Loskalm.

ROUND 6

Kingdom of Loskalm. Ends 575 ST.

KING OF LOSKALM

At the start of the Round the factions must make a secret bid how many Wizards they are prepared to change to Lords to become the King of Loskalm.

If this is equal then if one of the contenders controlled Talor, they win.

If neither controlled Talor, then whoever controlled the King of Akem loses.

If there are still contenders then whoever controlled Varganthar wins.

The winner changes a number of Wizards to Lords as determined by his initial bid.

Arinsor the Chaos Wizard, Talor and Varganthar are removed in the overpopulation phase of the controlling nation.

ROUND 7

Settlement of Junora. Ends 675 S.T.

SCORING ROUND

Comment:
650 Kingdom of Akem dissolved.
690 The Kingdom of Loskalm begins campaigns and settlements in Junora.

ROUND 8

Wars of Succession. Ends 775 S.T.

At the start of the Round players make a secret bid on behalf of their Malkioni faction of how many of their units they want to ally with the Godlearners. When these are revealed the lowest bid receives Syranthir Forefront, while the highest bid receives Arim Adalla.

For an equal lowest bid, the faction with the fewest units on the board gains Syranthir. If still equal, the player with lowest current VP score gains Syranthir.

For an equal highest bid, the faction with the most units gains Arim Adalla. If equal, the player who won Syranthir chooses who gets Arim Adalla from those who had the equal highest alliance bids.

Nations that allied with the Godlearners must remove the number of units they pledged to ally with the Godlearners during the Nation turn of Arim Adalla. These should be removed in nation turn order. The exact same units are put back on the board at the end of the Arim Adalla player overpopulation phase, also in nation turn order, in any areas that still contain the same nation, or in empty areas.

SYRANTHIR FOREFRONT

Syranthir acts as a combined Lord, Wizard and Soldier unit.

Units stacked with Syranthir can retreat before the first round of combat.

Syranthir's faction gets an additional Nation Turn at the end of Round 8 (that is, after the Brown Barbarians). All units, excluding Farmers, from his nation are then eliminated.

Any units in the Sweet Sea that are removed gain the nation 2VP each.

ARIM ADALLA

Arim Adalla acts as a Lord. The faction with Arim Adalla gains all of their off-board Wizards and Lords in the Neliomi Sea during their New Arrival phase.

SCORING ROUND

ROUND 9

The Empire of Sea and Land. Ends 875 S.T.

At the end of Round 9 Arim Adalla is removed and up to 4 soldiers and 1 Lord of his faction appear in Erontree.

ROUND 10

Nadar the Avenger. Ends 975 S.T.

At the start of the Round the player who controlled Syranthir Forefront is given Shah Nadar, and associated Soldiers and Wizards. The Closing is placed on the Neliomi Sea eliminating all units there. Then, the faction with the least number of units on the board gains King Gwainric the Good, to be placed on the board during their New Arrivals phase.

SHAH NADAR

Acts as a Lord. Appears in the Sweet Sea.

The controlling player gains all of his Soldiers and Wizards on the Sweet Sea.

THE CLOSING

The Closing marks the ban on sea travel caused as a side effect of Zzabur’s magic.

KING GWAINRIC THE GOOD

Acts as a Lord. If there are none from his faction on the board he may appear in any empty area. He gains a Solider and a Wizard in the new arrivals phase of the controlling player.

ROUND 11

Kingdom of Jonat. Ends 1075 S.T.

At the start of the Round Jonat appears in Western Nida.

JONAT BIGBEAR

Jonat is a unit that moves along the edges of areas and stops at Junctions. Any Nation that has units adjacent to him in their movement phase can move him along any edge adjacent to their active units. Jonat gives those Nations controlling him a +1 bonus when attacking in any combat adjacent to Jonat.

Jonat cannot be moved into a junction inhabited by an Elder Race, including XEM.

XEM

Xem was a Dark Troll companion of Jonat. He is always on a junction one edge from Jonat. He is put on the board by the active player in the overpopulation phase and can be placed in any empty junction adjacent to Jonat’s junction.

Jonat cannot move into the junction occupied by Xem. Xem can attack any adjacent nations as if he is a Troll unit. At the end of Round 11 the Xem counter represents Xemtown, the centre of a troll kingdom. Any population increase rolls in areas adjacent to Xem appear as Troll units stacked on the junction with Xem.

At the end of the Round all Nations score 2 VP per unit for being adjacent to Jonat. Elder races on Junctions to do not receive any VP, but those in areas do. Jonat is removed.

ROUND 12

Ends 1175 S.T.

SCORING ROUND

Xemtown is removed from the board at the end of the round.

ROUND 13

Kingdom of Valmark. Ends 1275 S.T.

VALMARK

The Kingdom of Valmark was a barbarian kingdom basing its power and prestige on the trade and transport benefits of the Janube. It is therefore focused on a point along the River somewhere between Sog City and the Sweet Sea. At the start of the Round a Valmark unit is placed 6 junctions upriver of Sog City (adjacent to Southbank, Dona and Karstall). During their nation turn any nation, including Elder Races, adjacent to the river at the beginning of the overpopulation phase can move the Valmark unit either upstream or downstream one junction. At the end of the Round Nations adjacent to the river Valmark unit receive VP in the following ways:

Directly adjacent to the Valmark: 5VP per area.
One space up or down stream: 3VP per area.
2 spaces up or down stream 1VP per area.

Example:
Valmark remains in its original positions: Mortasor, East Point, Junora and Retrint score 1VP per area, Galastar, Timms, Einpor, North Shore and Troll Shore score 3VP per area. Southbank, Dona and Karstall score 5VP per area.

ROUND 14

Zoria. Ends 1375 S.T.

At the start of the Round, each Barbarian tribe notes how many units it will remove from the board in order to gain the Red Moon Refugees. The players then reveal how many units they would remove and the Tribe that pledged to remove the most gains the Queen of Zoria unit. If pledges are equal the player that would have the least barbarians left on the board gains the unit. If still equal then the player with the lowest current VP score gains Zoria.

QUEEN OF ZORIA

At the start of the nation turn the barbarian tribe that possesses this unit removes the amount of units he pledged and places all of his units removed from the board into the Sweet Sea. These represent the refugees from the Red Moon.

The Queen of Zoria herself is placed in the Zoria area. Any other units in that area must retreat. Zoria cannot be killed, or moved.

ROUND 15

Black Hralf. Ends 1475 S.T.

BLACK HRALF, SON OF THE DEVIL

Black Hralf is a unit that is placed on any junction/mountain by the Grey Malkioni, and is then moved in each nation turn by the controlling player, up to 4 junctions in the movement phase. Beast People and Barbarian Tribes in areas adjacent to the Black Hralf junction gain +2 on combat dice rolls against Malkioni Factions. Malkioni Factions in areas adjacent to Black Hralf may retreat before the first round of combat because he is so terrifying.

The Malkioni Faction that loses the most units during their overpopulation phase on Glacier terrain gains the King Siglat counter for Round 16.

Beasts and Barbarians gain additional 1VP for each Malkioni unit killed in Round 15.

ROUND 16

Syndics Ban. Ends 1575 S.T.

At the start of the Round, a magical Ban on movement and communication falls on the whole of Fronela, cutting off Kingdoms from each other.

This round reflects what happens during the Ban. The nation turns are in a different order to normal.

Elder races not in areas (that is, those on junctions) are removed. (Grotarons not in mountains, Gonn Orta not in a mountain)

KING SIGLAT

The player controlling Prince Siglat has the first nation turn. King Siglat acts as a Lord.

He is placed in an area with one of his active units. All connected areas gain an automatic population increase. Units may only move within areas already controlled. In the overpopulation phase, Soldiers have a maximum of 1 per area. This nation receives Dormal at the start of Round 17.

The second nation turn belongs to the Malkioni faction that controls most clear areas South of the Janube (not including the first player). This is the Kingdom of the Jonatings. It does not have a population increase phase. In the overpopulation phase, Soldiers and Wizards have a reduced maximum of 1 per area. This player receives Harrek the Berserk.

The third nation turn belongs to the Malkioni faction that controls the most areas out of the two remaining that have not have a nation turn. This faction loses one unit per area instead of having a population increase phase. All Soldiers are removed in the Overpopulation phase. This Player receives Moon Boats at the start of Round 17

The fourth Malkioni faction has all its units removed from the board (and becomes the Kingdom of War).

This nation receives Lord Death on a Horse at the start of Round 17

Beast people do not have a nation turn (no population increase, no move, no combat), but they are all reduced to a max of 1 per area except for Bear People, who sleep through the whole thing.

Barbarians and Elder Races simply miss a turn

ROUND 17

Kingdom of War. Ends 1675 S.T.

At the Start of the Round Dormal the Sailor appears in the Neliomi Sea, eliminating the Closing.

Instead of the normal turn sequence the nation turn order is dependant on the special units gained last Round.

DORMAL THE SAILOR

The Malkioni Faction controlling Dormal has the first nation turn. Dormal acts like a Malkioni Lord. He disappears at the end of the nation turn, sailing off to the edge of the world.

Units may only move one area during this round. Inactive nations cannot retreat in this nation turn.

MOON BOATS

This unit is allocated to one area of the Barbarian nation in the players control. The released area (not nation) has a normal turn but units can only move into one other area during this round. Units cannot be retreated into areas that have not been released from the Ban.

HARREK THE BERSERK

The Bear People slept through the Ban, but wake now, and have a normal nation turn. Units cannot be retreated into areas that have not been released from the Ban.

Harrek appears in the overpopulation phase stacked with one of the Bear People units (chosen by the player controlling Harrek), and takes any Bear People units eliminated by the overpopulation phase into his personal army that then moves with him.

The player controlling Harrek the Berserk has a “nation turn” of his own. He can only move into areas that have been released from the Ban or Sog City. He must move to Sog City via empty areas if he can. He cannot move back to an area he has just left.

He follows this sequence:

Move:
1 round of battle, any enemy units getting an eliminated result join his army. Harrek cannot be eliminated , but units in his army can be.

Move:
1 round of battle, as before.

If he ends a combat phase with no opposition he stops, and the next nation turn occurs.

Once he reaches Sog City he disappears, and his army is also removed from the board.

LORD DEATH ON A HORSE

This unit acts as a Lord and appears in any unreleased area, eliminating all units there.

During the new Arrivals phase, this unit receives ALL of the Soldiers of the Malkioni Faction, and 4 Wizards.

Harrek the Berserk (again)

The rest of the nation turns are taken in the normal order except Harrek has a turn between each turn until he disappears in Sog City.

Once he disappears, the next nation turn is that of the Malkioni faction of the Harrek player.

SCORING ROUND

DETERMINE WINNER, VICTORY DANCE!

Part 4: Nations

Each of the 4 players controls a number of different groups generally refered to as Nations. For barbarians, a Nation will be referred to as a Tribe. For Malkioni, a Nation will be referred to as a Faction. For Beast People, a People.

These nations are not aligned with each other despite the overall control by the same player so, for example, Black Bull people cannot move through Black Malkioni faction areas without stopping and fighting.

Malkioni

There are 4 Malkioni factions, one per player: Azure, Black, Grey, Brown.

There are 4 unit types for Malkioni factions, derived from the traditional 4 castes:

Farmer

Can only move if starting in an area with a Lord and can only move one area.

Can retreat, but not into empty areas.

Gives a bonus of +1 to the population increase roll per area.

No combat dice.

Terrain maximum populations: 4 in clear terrain, 1 in rough terrain, zero elsewhere.

Soldier

Can only move if starting in an area with a Lord.

Attack and defend normally.

Unlimited moves in clear terrain but must stop on leaving Rough, Mountain, ElfWood, Glacier.

Can retreat.

No Maximum per area.

No maximum populations except: Elf Woods, Mountain, Glacier, Seas – Zero.

Lord

Can only move to attack other nations if accompanied by at least one Soldier.

Moving into an empty area or one only containing Farmers is not attacking.

Unlimited moves in clear terrain but must stop on leaving Rough, Mountain, ElfWood, Glacier.

No combat dice.

Can retreat.

Max 1 per area except: Mountain, Elf Woods, Sog City, Glacier, Seas – Zero.

Wizard

Can only move if starting in an area with a Lord.

Unlimited moves in clear terrain but must stop on leaving Rough, Mountain, ElfWood, Glacier.

No combat dice.

Can retreat

Adds +1 to the result of a Soldier roll.

When defending, may reduce combat roll of attacker by -1, or increase combat roll of defender. An attacker who cannot kill a defending

Wizard must retreat. (e.g. if there are two Wizards and one normal attacker). An attacking Wizard who cannot kill a defender must retreat. (to avoid stalemate).

No maximum populations except: Mountain, Elf Woods, Glacier – Zero.

Scoring:

Malkioni factions score in the same way:
1 VP per Lord at end of Scoring Round.

Elder Races

Grotaron (Black)

Population increase as if they were a Beast People with a totem area of the Maidstone Mountains.

Can move along edges, stop at Junctions. Mountain areas are considered to be Junctions.

Can also move into areas.

Can retreat.

Move 3 ‘steps’ per movement phase. A step being a move along one edge from one junction to another, or from one area to a junction, or from one area to an adjacent area. Cannot cross seas.

Cannot move into Junctions occupied by other units.

Scores for visiting Mountains, 1 VP per mountain.

Gonn Orta (Black)

Can move along edges, stop at Junctions. Mountain areas are considered to be Junctions.

Can also move into areas.

Move 3 ‘steps’ per movement phase. A step being a move along one edge from one junction to another, or from one area to a junction, or from one area to an adjacent area. Cannot cross seas.

Cannot move into Junctions or Areas occupied by other units, unless they can retreat.

He reduces combat rolls of all adjacent units by 1.

Cannot be killed, but can retreat. He loses 1VP if he kills a unit, even in self defence.

Scores for visiting different nations, 2 VP for each different nation that Gonn Orta is adjacent to in his Overpopulation phase.

Loses 1VP per round until he leaves the board via a land “edge” (he cannot wander into the Neliomi Sea)

Trolls (Grey)

Population increase as if they were a Beast People with a totem area of Valind's Glacier.

Can move along edges, stop at Junctions. Mountain areas are considered to be Junctions.

Can also move into areas.

Can retreat.

Move 3 ‘steps’ per movement phase. A step being a move along one edge from one junction to another, or from one area to a junction, or from one area to an adjacent area. Cannot cross seas.

Can move into Junctions occupied by other units to attack them.

Mostali (Azure)

Population increase as if they were a Beast People with a totem area of Nidan Mountains.

Can move along edges, stop at Junctions. Mountain areas are considered to be Junctions.

Can also move into areas.

Can retreat.

Move 4 ‘steps’ per movement phase. A step being a move along one edge from one junction to another, or from one area to a junction, or from one area to an adjacent area. Cannot cross seas.

Can move into Junctions occupied by other units to attack them.

Mostali receive 2VP for each mission achieved. Their missions are assigned randomly once the first mission has been accomplished. They gain a new mission upon completion of the previous mission.

Mission

The first Mission is to Occupy Oral Ta. After each Mission is achieved roll 1d6:

Kill one unit of Wizard

Kill one unit of Racoon (Brown)

Kill one unit of Trolls (Grey)

Kill one unit of Barbarian

Kill any one unit inhabiting of an Elf Wood

All Mostali units return to Nida, then removed from board (disappear underground).

Beast People

There are Twelve Beast People represented in this game.

Population increase roll for any totem area not possessed by another nation.

Beast People cannot enter Sog City, unless they are part of Harrek’s Army.

Totem Areas

Bull People (Black)

Tawars, Dilis, Retrint, Junora, Einpor, Karstall, Troll Shore, Dona, Southbank. Galastar, Timms, East Point

Population Max 2 per area, except Sea, Mountains, Glacier = 0

Score 2VP for each Bull People unit eliminated in the Sweet Sea.

Badger People (Azure)

Upriver, Zoria, Troll Shore, Badger Wood, Dona.

Population Max 2 per area, except Sea, Mountains, Glacier = 0

Mammoth People (Brown)

Upriver, White Bear Wood, Mammoth Wood.

Population Max 2 per areas, except Seas = 0

Reindeer People (Grey)

Western Glacier, Eastern Glacier, Porent, Tastolar, Tastolar Highlands, Gharkhor, Oral Ta.

No Population Max, except Seas, Mountains = 0

Woolly Rhino People (Azure)

Troll Shore, Black Forest, Porent.

Population Max 2 per area, except Sea, Glacier = 0

Rhino Score 4VP for killing each Malkioni unit.

Units attacked by Woolly Rhino can retreat before the first round of combat.

Bear People (Brown)

White Bear Wood, Mammoth Wood, Bear Wood, Badger Wood, Rathorela, Grizzly Wood. Eastern Glacier.

Population Max 3, except Sea, Mountain, Glacier = 0

Bear People score 1VP for each unit they kill when defending.

Skunk People (Black)

any two empty areas adjacent to each other but not to any other Skunk are totem areas for skunk.

Population Max 1, and cannot be adjacent to any other skunk units.

Wolverine People(Grey)

Winter Wood, East Winterwood, Gharkhor, Oral Ta, Porent, Tastolar, Black Forest, Upriver, White Bear Wood, Mammoth Wood, Bear Wood, Grizzly Wood, Rathorela.

Population Max 1

Wolverine Score 5VP for attacking and killing Owl People.

Wolverine Score 1Vp for each unit that attacks in their Nation turn.

Wolverine People have +1 on their dice rolls when attacking.

They cannot retreat.

Porcupine People (Azure)

Easval, Winterwood, East Winterwood, Porent, Upriver, Zoria, White Bear Wood, Mammoth Wood, Bear Wood.

Population Max 2, except Sea, Glacier, Mountain = 0

Porcupine Score 2VP once for each of their totem areas that they spend an overpopulation phase in.

Porcupine People can retreat before the first round of Combat.

Racoon People (Brown)

White Bear Wood, Zoria, Badger Wood, Troll Shore, Dona, Karstall, Southbank, Timms, Eastpoint.

Population Max 2, except Sea, Glacier, Mountain = 0

Racoon People can only attack for one exchange then must retreat.

Racoon People Score 1VP for each unit that attacks in their Nation turn.

Bobcat People(Azure)

Erontree, Oranor, Yerring, Jonatela, Syanor, High Llama Pass, Sullen Hills, War Moor.

Population Max 1, except Sea, Glacier =0

Bobcat People Score 1VP for each unit they kill while attacking.

Owl People (Black)

any empty area, including Mountains, but excluding Sea. Population Max 1, except Sea = 0

Owl People Score 1VP for each unit they kill of Bear and Wolverine People.

Wolf People (Brown)

High Llama Pass, Nidan Mountains, +any areas currently possessed by Wolf People.

Population max 2, except Sea, Glacier = 0 and Mountain =1

Wolf People Score 1VP for each unit they kill.

Beast people move 2 areas per turn outside of their totem areas. They have unlimited movement within their totem areas.

Paper Models: The Orlanthi Round Hut

Roderick Robertson

One of the things I wanted to do since I first dreamed up with Rule One was to provide paper buildings for Glorantha. There are many paper building manufacturers out there, but few (or none) with a Ancient/Dark Age feel of Glorantha.

So, I present my first foray into the fascinating world of Paper Buildings: Orlanthi round huts. For my first attempt, I made simple walls, a thatched roof, and some decorations and doorways. At the bottom of this article is a link to download a zipped PDF with the buildings.

Construction

To work with paper, the tools are simple: printouts of the building, a work surface, scissors, glue (either white/PVC glue, or gluesticks), cardboard (if you want sturdier buildings), a straightedge and boxcutter/hobby knife (especially if you'll be cutting cardboard). I find that cereal box-cardboard is about the stiffest you want to get for making round huts - any thicker and it's tough to curve, and the overlap becomes unsightly.

First, print your buildings. The attached file provides walls & doors for five huts, but only one roof, so you'll have to print the roof page once for each hut you plan to build. The files work in either Color or Black and White - the walls are a simple light cream color, and thatch naturally turns grey as it gets old, so you don't have to use up your color cartridges just to make some buildings.

Then, cut out your buildings. For buildings with long, straight cuts like the round hut walls, a paper cutter may prove useful. Don't worry too much if you cut inside or outside the lines of the walls - the upper edge will be hidden under the roof edge. And you can always print another page of walls if you mess up too badly. The tabs on the top of the wall will hold the roof on, so don't cut them off!

To help the roof tabs bend. use a straightedge and some sort of tool to scribe the line at the top of the wall - you don't want to cut the paper, just score it so it can fold easily. You won't need an extreme bend in the tab, as the roof is relatively steep.

The quick and dirty way of making walls: simply staple the two ends of the wall to each other. The staples will be covered by the door and the roof, so you don't have to be pretty. You can also use tape or glue, but glue a bit longer to dry, and the walls need to be held together while it sets.

I assembled four sets of walls in about 2 minutes. One has the green "woman's magic" band glued on at the top of the wall. The doors are glued over the join in the paper, hiding the staples.

To make a more sturdy house, use thin cardboard as a backing for the paper. I find it easier to cut out the wall (including the tabs), then glue it to the cardboard, leaving the tabs sticking out above the cardboard. Put some wax paper over the wall, and rest a heavy item (a dictionary works well, and you can see mine in the background).

One trick to using white glue - spread it around with your finger before pressing two pieces of paper together. You'll be able to slide the join a little to get edges to match up, and you won't get unsightly ripples in your paper.

Bend the cardboard to shape. I overlapped and glued the cardboard, which made a rather unsightly edge, and made the building somewhat lopsided. Next time I will try butting the two ends together, using a paper patch to hold them together. I used simple paperclips to hold the cardboard while the glue dried; a clothespin would work as well. This sturdy dwelling would become the Chief's House; I added the orange "Orlanth" band to the bottom of the wall, then covered the join with the orange door.

Now make your roofs. Cut the thatch out, then make a single cut to the center of the roof. It helps if you cut a small bit out of the center of the circle as well - you'll find that it helps when making your cone. To make the cone, simply slide one end of the circle under the other, and continue sliding until you have the roof pitch you want. I slide about a third of the circle under to attain these roofs. Once I've got the roof to the correct pitch, I use a bit of tape to secure the interior flap, then use white glue on the outside flap.

Bend the wall tabs slightly inwards, then cover them with glue. Slide the roof down over the tabs, and smooth the tabs onto the interior of the roof. You should be able to put the hut down and let the glue set. You may need to go back and re-glue the tabs if they don't stick the first time.

All done! Here are the five buildings in a group portrait. All told, I spent maybe an hour building my huts, from opening the file to having them ready to play. The longest time was waiting for the glue on the cardboard hut to dry.

The Village in Action

An invading force of Lunar spearmen, aided by peltasts and backed up by magicians, takes on the village fyrd, aided by magicians, Vanganthi and a band of Babeester Gori.

The chief and his wife (and his two bodyguards) enjoys good weather before his hut.