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RuneQuest Starter Set - PDF

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CHA4035-PDF
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Magic, Myth, and Might in a Box!

The RuneQuest Starter Set contains everything you need to play the world’s best roleplaying game of gods, cults, magic, family, and fantasy!

Chaosium Unveiled: Inside The RQ Starter Set

Watch the unveiling video to see the book for yourself. Remember that you get the PDF when getting the physical copy.

In RuneQuest, everyone uses spells and anyone can be a warrior. The gods provide powers to their mortal worshipers, and can intercede on their behalf. Each RuneQuest adventurer is unique, defined by their Runes, culture, and cult—all chosen by the player.

What is Roleplaying?

In a roleplaying game, everyone works together in a team, each playing an adventurer character. One player—the Game Master—runs the game and presents the story and adventure plots to the other players.

Dice and the rules of the game determine the success or failure for your character’s actions—all while you are propelled into epic and adventurous situations! The emphasis is on having fun.

What's Inside

The RuneQuest Starter Set contains books, dice, maps, and enough content to keep a group engaged and entertained for several roleplaying sessions. The box also includes 12 pregenerated character folios, giving each player a wide range of playstyles and backgrounds to choose from.

Starter Set contents

Rules & Tools

RuneQuest Starter Set - Book 1 Rules - Cover

The RuneQuest Starter Set has four manuals broken into rules, setting, and scenarios. The package includes a set of premade character folios, maps of Jonstown and the surrounding areas, and a Strike Rank Tracker for epic and dangerous RuneQuest combat.

Shield Spell Example

SoloQuest

Cover of the SoloQuest booklet

Learn to play in the best way possible—by playing! “The Battle of Dangerford” is a single-player scenario designed to teach you the rules of the game as you play. Take on the role of Vasana as she joins her Sartarite brothers and sisters in an epic clash against the invading Lunar Empire.

Soloquest option

Scenarios

Three scenarios designed for up to 5 players.

Adventurers entering a house

In A Rough Landing, fresh from the Battle of Dangerford, the adventurers run afoul of aggressive dark trolls, and must resolve a problem in a nearby farming community.

Buildings on Fire

A Fire in the Darkness sees the adventurers asked to investigate a string of fires in Jonstown. Clues lead them to the under-city tunnels in search of the source of the blaze— is it possible that the prime suspects are not what they seem?

Adventurers in the Rainbow Mounds

In The Rainbow Mounds the adventurers arrive at the mysterious cave complex to confront a group of Trolls menacing the nearby village. In the labyrinthine tunnels of The Rainbow Mounds, the adventurers discover an unimaginable new foe.

Maps & Handouts

Runes and Augments Reference

Each scenario has its own collection of maps and notes, each presented in full colour. These play aids enhance the RuneQuest experience, and help you immerse yourself in the mythic world of Glorantha.

Vasana Adventurer Folio

What's Next?

Once you’ve devoured everything the RuneQuest Starter Set has to offer, you’ll want to expand the world of Glorantha at your tabletop! .

RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha Front Cover

RuneQuest: Adventures in Glorantha: Everything you need to play RuneQuest, including rules for character creation, cults, magic, sorcery, managing your household, and growing your RuneQuest family.

RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary Front Cover

RuneQuest: Glorantha Bestiary: Over 180 monsters, beasts, and adverarys for your RuneQuest games, including new playable races, such as Ducks and Trolls!

RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack

RuneQuest: Gamemaster Screen Pack: The Gamemaster Screen Pack enhances your games of RuneQuest with scenarios, setting information, reference tables, and maps that increase the flow of play!

The Pegasus Plateau

The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories: Set in the mythic fantasy world of Glorantha, this features seven complete ready-to-play adventures, taking you from ghoul-haunted catacombs, into mystic ruins, across Prax, and up the Pegasus Plateau!

Downloads for this Product

 
Reference Sheets
 
Pre-Generated Adventurer Folios
 
Blank Adventurer Folio

Watch Live Play: RuneQuest Starter Set

Curious about the scenarios? Watch the Live Play on the Stream of Chaos

What The Critics Say

RuneQuest Starter Set Reviews

  • "This is truly an amazing product. On so many levels. I think, most importantly, it showcases Chaosium's approach to their business and consumers. Game companies aren't forced to do Starter Sets like this. And they usually don't. Chaosium makes products for fans."

    — RPG Imaginings, RQ Starter Set Review - Twitter.

  • "If you've wanted to try out RuneQuest, this is the product for you. If you're a GM wanting to get into something more about a deep, profound spiritual world than killing monsters and taking their stuff, buy it."

    — Edward Jones, OzRPGDice, RQ Starter Set Review - Facebook.

  • "If only there were a single, streamlined product we could point new players to, a concise entry point that explained the rules, introduced the setting, and made it all effortless to learn and play. Something that showcased what makes this fantasy RPG unique.
    Oh wait, now there is...
    If you have ever been even mildly curious about Glorantha or Runequest, here is your chance to explore. You will know exactly after exploring the Starter Set if this is the game for you."

    — Andrew Logan Montgomery, The RuneQuest Starter Set Review.

  • "The absolute perfect starter set that comes in a box... there are several wonderful starter sets out there but this is going to set a new high as to what it provides."

    — OrcusDorkus, YouTube Review.

  • "Everything to lull you into being a hardcore Glorantha dweller. Did Chaosium outdo themselves here? I’d say yes."

    — EuroCultAV, EuroCultAV Holiday Gift Guide Part II – Books and Board Games.

  • "What if D&D took its cues from mythologies rather than pulp fantasy?" asks Dicebreaker. "That’s the question at the heart of RuneQuest, the critically-acclaimed RPG from game design legend Greg Stafford. RuneQuest offers a chance to play mythic heroes seeking adventure in a deep setting like few other RPGs."

    — Dicebreaker, 10 best tabletop RPG boxed sets for new players.

  • "The RuneQuest Starter Set is a fantastic product... One of Chaosium’s goals was to make this product useful even for veterans of RuneQuest and Glorantha, and I think they have greatly succeeded here.

    — Godlearners, Review: RuneQuest Starter Set.

  • "Oozes class, quality and care throughout... I wish this had been around when I started playing RuneQuest over 35 years ago!"

    — Bud's RPG Review, RuneQuest Starter Set for RuneQuest Glorantha by Chaosium.

  • "The perfect introduction to RuneQuest... it really does set a standard by which other starter sets are going to be measured. Chaosium did that already with the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, now it has done it again with the RuneQuest Starter Set."

    — Reviews from R'lyeh, A RuneQuest Starter.

  • "A gentle learning curve for Glorantha... I have no idea what more Chaosium could do to make the game easier to get into short of sending out RuneQuest referees to go door-to-door offering introductory sessions."

    — Refereeing & Reflection, A Gentle Learning Curve For Glorantha.

  • "Chaosium’s RuneQuest team has nailed it! Raising the bar to new heights, they have put together a Starter Set that other companies can only dream of emulating. One with concisely written and focused rules, in easy to understand language supported by copious examples and just the right amount of lore to whet your appetite, yet enough to give you a firm sense of the world in which you are about to embark. It’s further bolstered by a SoloQuest explicitly designed to teach new players the rules along with three adventures intended to gradually build a player’s knowledge through experiential learning. And we cannot forget all the other goodies you get in the box as well. All of this at an affordable price!"

    — Rolling Boxcars, Perfection in A Box – A Review of the RuneQuest Starter Set.

  • "The purpose of starter sets is to introduce new players to a game system, so that not only do they understand the rules and the setting with ease, but they also have the tools to make a starting game quickly. The RuneQuest Starter Set exceeded that and more."

    — Really Dicey, RuneQuest Starter Set - Rules Overview & Product Review.

  • "It is the best RPG boxed set I've seen, and certainly the best value. Honestly, if you are into RPGs at all, you need to pick this up. You will regret it if you don't."

    — M.T. Black, best-selling RPG author (Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus), DM's Guild, Twitter Review.

  • "This starter set is outstanding... I recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys fantasy RPGs and wants to try a long-lived unique setting and well tested rules."

    — Charles Dunwoody 'Played It' Review, EN World, RuneQuest Starter Set: Played It Review of a Mythic World of Magic and Conflict.

  • "An excellent introduction to the game... There is enough material in the box to actually play RuneQuest with one of the fourteen pre-generated characters. The Soloquest enables the buyer to sample the rules without needing a gamemaster. In fact, I came away from the starter box with more confidence in my grasp of the game than I felt after reading the main rule book."

    — James Nicholl Reviews, Just Lots of Little Frames.

  • "It's got a dash of Conan The Barbarian, a little bit of Greek mythology, and it has a really fun rules system that's actually been used in a tonne of different games."

    — The Character Sheet on ComicBook.com, RuneQuest For D&D Refugees! A Guide To Starting RuneQuest In 2023! (YourTube).

  • "Near perfection from Chaosium... pretty much a flawless example in how to introduce new and past players into a game’s world"

    — 5D Podcast, RuneQuest Starter Set – Near perfection from Chaosium.

  • “This box set is fantastic and if you want to try some Bronze Age, ultra-high Fantasy, with some brutal combat, dense but malleable lore, and more than half a century of history.  For its price, it’s a phenomenal deal.  You could play for weeks, if not months with just what’s in this box, and what’s in this box will continue to be useful if you push further in and buy the full game.”

    — Matthew J Constantine, Tabletop RPG Review: RuneQuest Starter Set.

  • "Maximal Bronze Age Fantasy – RuneQuest has stood the test of time… because it offers something different than standard medieval fantasy fare."

    — Dave Thaumavore, Let’s explain how Runequest works through its latest Starter Box | RPG Review.

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Publisher:
Chaosium
Year Released:
2021
Format:
Full Color PDF
ISBN:
978-1-56882-524-3
Page Count:
180 pages across four books and handouts)
Authors:
Greg Stafford, Jeff Richard, Jason Durall
Cover Artist:
Ossi Hiekkala
Artists:
Andrey Fetisov, Jon Hodgson, Kalin Kadiev, Roman Kisyov, Michelle Lockamy, Jan Pospisil, Scott Purdy, Naomi Robinson, Simon Roy, Chris Waller
Adventurer Artists:
Jon Hodgson, Scott Purdy, Roman Kisyov, Dimitrina Angelska
Cartography:
Matt Ryan, Olivier Sanfilippo, Tobias Tranell
Layout:
Simeon Cogswell
  • Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star 5
    Great starter set

    Posted by Tim Clark on 5th Dec 2021

    The Runequest Starter Set in pdf form is a great set of scenarios and more and I can't wait to introduce new people to Glorantha using it. Impressive art, detailed booklets and some truly impressive cartography. One of the best starter products I have ever purchased and very handy to have the pdfs to back up the physical product.