RuneQuest: The Hunt for the Storm Calf (Adventure Review)

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When it comes to fantasy tabletop role playing games, most of the spotlight is on Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder, or more recent entries like Daggerheart and Draw Steel. Yet for almost 50 years, the RuneQuest RPG has retained a small, but loyal fanbase and influenced a number of other major games with its emphasis on skill progression instead of levels, gritty combat and unique high fantasy world of Bronze Age gods and magic.

It’s been several years since we’ve seen any new RuneQuest adventures (known as “scenarios”), with the most recent being The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories, which launched back in 2021. Now, we have a new scenario entitled The Hunt for the Storm Calf, which is a standalone one-shot designed specifically for new players. You can pick it up now as a PDF for $6.99 USD from Chaosium or DriveThruRPG.

So is it worth hunting down this new RuneQuest scenario? Below, mount up and run down all the details.

What is “RuneQuest: The Hunt for the Storm Calf” about?

RuneQuest: The Hunt for the Storm Calf is a 36-page standalone scenario designed for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha (often abbreviated to “RQG,” which is technically the 7th edition of the game). Notably, Chaosium suggests that the scenario works best with the RuneQuest Starter Set (which offers a slightly more simplified and streamlined version of the base RQG rules) and is really meant to introduce new players to the world of Glorantha. It can likely be run in about 2 to 3 sessions of play (my group and I did it in two long sessions, but all were fairly experienced RuneQuest players).

The action takes place in the rolling plains of Prax, a region inhabited by nomadic raiders loosely based on the real world Mongol Empire, with the scenario also drawing much of its inspiration from the now out-of-print Khan of Khan RuneQuest card game which was released back in 2017.

The adventure begins during an annual religious ceremony in which all the Praxian tribes gather to pay homage to their gods, Earth Mother and Storm Bull. There, the High Priestess announces a challenge: whoever brings in the most cattle at the season’s end will be declared Khan of Khans. Before the tribes can begin their raids, however, a miracle occurs: Storm Calf, one of Storm Bull’s sacred progeny, descends from the heavens onto the plains. Capturing or taming the divine creature all but guarantees victory and untold prestige for whatever tribe can get to it first.

Players are asked to help the Queen of the Sable Tribe regain her people’s lost honor by capturing the Storm Calf before the other Khans. Players will then have to navigate the various factions (including the the stoic Rhino Tribe and the fierce Unicorn Women) and face down physical obstacles (including skirmishes with other riders and encounters with the inhuman Morokanth).

For Gamemasters, the scenario does a decent job of walking you through the various events, with clear summaries of NPC motivations and suggestions for how the story might unfold and a few maps. That being said, it can be pretty heavy on the lore and if you’re a first time RuneQuest GM there’s a lot to digest and understand on top of what are also some fairly crunchy rules.

For players, on the other hand, it’s a solid introduction, with the scenario also included six pre-generated characters. All of them are members off the Sable Tribe, but have enough meat, both narratively and mechanically, to give a solid foundation of what RuneQuest is all about.

The scenario also does a great job of avoiding railroading. It isn’t just another “fetch quest” or monster hunt, and players have a lot of agency in how they actually go about completing their mission. It also does a great job of introducing players to the three core pillars of play: exploration (offering a surprisingly deep overview of the region), combat (which can be incredibly brutal in RuneQuest) and roleplaying (immersing players into a world where it’s not uncommon to see gods and powerful spiritual beings walking among the earth).

Is “RuneQuest: The Hunt for the Storm Calf” worth picking up?

Pros

• A solid introduction to RuneQuest: For new players, it’s a fantastic first step into Glorantha and showcases RuneQuest’s own unique approach to the core pillars of exploration, combat and social encounters.
• Player agency: The scenario is fairly wide open, offering players plenty of room to decide how they want to tackle the various physical, cultural and spiritual challenges they’ll face along the way.
• Easy onboarding: The pre-generated characters make setup quick, while clear PC motivations keep players engaged (and is something we don’t usually see in other TTRPGs).
• A solid price point: At just $6.99 USD for the PDF, you get a decent amount of bang for your buck.

Cons

• A challenge for new Gamemasters: While the text is approachable, completely new GMs will still need to understand the basics of RuneQuest’s percentile system, rune magic and spirit combat (although pairing it with the Starter Set solves this issue).
• Limited maps: The provided maps are functional but minimal. A more detailed topographical map of Prax would help GMs visualize the journey between tribes and key locations.
• Heavy on lore: If players and GMs aren’t already familiar with RuneQuest’s extensive mythos, the scenario can be a lot to process.
• Narrow scope: While the scenario covers a lot of ground (quite literally), there isn’t a ton of exposure to some of the other cultures and species of Glorthana. It also have been great to see more gazeteer-style background information to ease GMs in. It also would have been great to offer PCs the chance to play as other factions, rather than getting locked into the Sable tribe.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

While The Hunt for the Storm Calf isn’t withouts its flaws (including not exactly being the most friendly to new GMs), it’s still a fantastic scenario and a solid introduction for new RuneQuest players. If you’ve been thinking about trying one of the most underrated fantasy TTRPGs of all time, this is one scenario that’s worth hunting down.

Final Review Score: 18 out of 20

You can pick up a PDF of The Hunt for the Storm Calf now from Chaosium or DriveThruRPG.