Glorantha
21st century
### 21st century

In 2000, [Issaries, Inc.](/wiki/Issaries%2C_Inc. "Issaries, Inc.") published *[Hero Wars](/wiki/HeroQuest_%28role-playing_game%29 "HeroQuest (role-playing game)")*, a new Gloranthan role\-playing game unrelated to RuneQuest. Its next iteration in 2003 was named *[HeroQuest](/wiki/HeroQuest_%28role-playing_game%29 "HeroQuest (role-playing game)")* and later in 2008, [Moon Design Publications](/wiki/Moon_Design_Publications "Moon Design Publications") published an updated second edition. 2016 saw Moon Design publish *HeroQuest Glorantha*, completely integrating Glorantha into the rules. 2006 saw *RuneQuest* licensed from Issaries by [Mongoose Publishing](/wiki/Mongoose_Publishing "Mongoose Publishing") with a second edition in 2010\. In 2012, [The Design Mechanism](/wiki/The_Design_Mechanism "The Design Mechanism") published the sixth edition of RuneQuest, with no Gloranthan content. Glorantha returned in 2018 with Chaosium publishing *[RuneQuest \- Roleplaying in Glorantha](/wiki/RuneQuest_-_Roleplaying_in_Glorantha "RuneQuest - Roleplaying in Glorantha")*.

#### *Hero Wars* and *HeroQuest*

The *HeroQuest* game system, written by [Robin Laws](/wiki/Robin_Laws "Robin Laws") in collaboration with [Greg Stafford](/wiki/Greg_Stafford_%28game_designer%29 "Greg Stafford (game designer)"), is a complete departure from *RuneQuest*. The former leverages quick contests and open, almost free\-form style of skills and abilities to emulate a mythic structure of play, with rising and falling tensions that contrast with the more naturalistic focus taken by *RuneQuest*. Owing to this approach, in approach some *RuneQuest* fans found it difficult to adjust to *HeroQuest*. A rewritten second edition was published in Spring 2009 by [Moon Design Publications](/wiki/Moon_Design_Publications "Moon Design Publications"). It was supported with comprehensive Gloranthan sourcebooks *Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes* (2009\), *Sartar Companion* (2010\) and *Pavis: Gateway to Adventure* (2012\).

#### RuneQuest

In 2006, *RuneQuest* was licensed to [Mongoose Publishing](/wiki/Mongoose_Publishing "Mongoose Publishing") by [Issaries](/wiki/Issaries%2C_Inc. "Issaries, Inc."). Their new edition of the rules, were not set in Glorantha, and required a further supplemement, *Glorantha – The Second Age* to play. Written by [Robin Laws](/wiki/Robin_Laws "Robin Laws"), it was set in the Second Age of Gloratha's history against the backdrop of The God Learner empire and the Empire of Wyrm's Friend. In this edition, Mongoose produced 17 supplements and adventures based in Glorantha, alongside their generic fantasy background.

A second edition *Mongoose RuneQuest II* was published in January 2010, but Mongoose Publishing's licence for Gloranthan material lapsed in May 2011\. The *RuneQuest II* game system has been retitled "Legend", and contains no Gloranthan material. A new company, The Design Mechanism, was formed by the authors of *RuneQuest II*, and ownership of the Gloranthan supplements produced for the "RuneQuest II" line was transferred to them (PDF versions continued to be sold). There are close links between The Design Mechanism and Moon Design Publications, with The Design Mechanism founders writing material for both companies. Their new edition of the RuneQuest rules, *RuneQuest: Sixth Edition*, did not have a Gloranthan setting.

In 2018 Chaosium published [RuneQuest \- Roleplaying in Glorantha](/wiki/RuneQuest_-_Roleplaying_in_Glorantha "RuneQuest - Roleplaying in Glorantha"). Wholly set in Glorantha, it advanced the in\-game date to 1625, and focuses once again on Dragon Pass. Along with its two slipcase companions, it provides a complete overview of this region. Again the village of [Apple Lane](/wiki/Apple_Lane "Apple Lane") in the homeland of Sartar is used as a starting adventure setting, but updated to the year 1625\. Two further supplements concentrate on specific areas within Dragon Pass.


What are the key features of the HeroQuest game system?