RuneQuest Warlords is a brand new “battle-scale turn-based strategy game” set in the world of RuneQuest’s Glorantha, out now.
RuneQuest and video games don’t have much of a history together. But what there is, is legendary. I’m talking about the many paths of King of Dragon Pass. This is a game that had a big impact on the people who played it, which in the fullness of time translated into influences on other games that came later, including Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls. And now there’s a new game in town: RuneQuest: Warlords. Unlike Dragon Pass, this is a turn-based strategy game set in the world of Glorantha. It’s newly out on Steam, let’s check it out!
RuneQuest: Warlords – Now On Steam
You might be wondering, why a turn-based strategy game for Glorantha? But after all, the game started out as a board game. It’s the whole reason Chaosium exists; Greg Stafford founded Chaosium to publish White Bear and Red Moon, a wargame about the conflict of the Lunar Empire and the barbarians of Sartar. You’d play with units setting out to exert their “zones of control” on the board and plan your conquest.
RuneQuest: Warlords seems to lean into that. Although the story at the heart of it is one between the Talastar Tribes against the ravening hordes of Chaos. There’s a single-player campaign that takes you through the story of one brave champion trying to stem the tides of Chaos, and you will have to make allies along the way.
But what’s interesting is the grid-based mechanics at play here. As in the old RuneQuest board game, units have Zones of Control that dictate enemy movement. You get special hero characteristics and, of course, the magic of Runes to help you defeat the overwhelming odds.
“Set within the rich lore of Glorantha, the game faithfully brings to life the landscapes, cultures, and conflicts beloved by tabletop fans. The 18-mission campaign follows Hahlgrim Ironsword of the Bilings Tribe as he gathers allies, battles monstrous foes, and confronts betrayal in a saga of vengeance and survival. In single and multiplayer Skirmishes, players can command any of the three major powers competing for survival and dominance: the Talastar Tribes, hardy Orlanthi defending their homeland; the Chaos Hordes, monstrous foes driven by corruption and destruction; and the Lunar Empire, a disciplined force wielding both sorcery and political might.“
Outside of the single player game, you can play as one of three factions: the Lunar Empire, the Talastar Tribes, and, of course, Chaos. Each has their own list of units to play with. It’s the sort of thing I think strategy players might really enjoy. Especially the skirmish/multiplayer mode.
I don’t know if this one is for me, personally. But I am excited to see the world of Glorantha getting some more love and notoriety. I hope it does well enough that this isn’t the only one we see.
And hey, who doesn’t love fighting the hordes of Chaos? In any world!
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