Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 As you can note by the big ol' index above, I played a lot of RUNE last month! As someone who has both made a few Realms and played a ton, here are my opinions (not rules or anything! Just my observations) on what helps make a good realm. On realm mechanic design: ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 For the final RUNEvember Realm, I entered the Cogrealm of the Mechanist! The whirring, ever-dancing fragment of Obron known as the Cogrealm has been a beacon of light and progress even in the grimmest days of the shattering. Wielding the wondrous power of Uncertain Mathematics, the people of Cogrealm can create machines and devices that defy the paltry limitations of reason and physics. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 This time, I entered my own Shrouded Hamlet. (CW: alcohol, fungi) The village of Cammillon was once known as a vibrant fixture in river trade, famous for a rich, exclusive liqueur that bears its name. Export of barrels and bottles had increased greatly as it became well known, until they suddenly stopped completely. A thick fog had slowly crept over the village, and none who entered afterwards returned. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 This time, I explored/am exploring/will explore Echo Crater! Approaching the edge of the crater you pause to rest and oversee the challenge ahead. An entire realm, sunk into the earth years ago and no record of what happened. You however feel the pull of a rune towards the old sorcerer’s tower. You carve your sigil into the rock, and swear to defeat the rune-lord who desolated this land. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 This time, I approached the Dread Manse! Its owner was a well-respected lord, until one day he was never seen again in daylight. Rumors of horrifying vampirism persisted, which were soon confirmed as fact. His newfound dark magic was powerful enough to shade his mansion from the sun and he has not been seen in decades. Rumor has it that he hunts when night is darkest. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 The city of Giernan was a place of ambition and prosperity, as well as poverty and despair. Widening social castes gave way to hatred, and something truly abyssal was brought into the city. Unrest became disorder, and men became monsters. The city was sealed off from the outside and you were trapped. Then everything began to burn. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 This time, I washed up on Abrus Island! Agonizing coughing. Heaving expulsions of salt water. Then, finally, a laborious inhale. You live. Wiping sand and blood from your face, you try to piece together the events of the previous night: a sudden severe storm, a giant waves, the crack of the ship’s hull, pain, darkness. You’ve washed ashore here, wherever that might be. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 For this session, I returned to Coral Rock: The sigil seared into the ground shimmers like the bright, crystalline sea that laps against the coastline. A gulch between two hills fills with water, turning the north end of the peninsula into an isolated landmass. Overview and Realm Mechanics Aside from my own Realms, this is the only one I'd played prior to this. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 This time, I ran through The Cracks Betwixt, another pamphlet Realm! When something shatters, it leaves behind cracks. Over time, those cracks fill with all sorts of interesting things. All sorts of filth. All sorts of riches. Obron is no different. When the world shattered it left behind cracks of all kinds, and time has filled them plenty. Somehow, you find yourself there now; in The Cracks Betwixt. ...
Session 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 For this session I revisited my first Realm, Cragcliff Reformatory! The very name elicits an involuntary response: it conjures up an image of a horrible, nightmarish facility designed solely for the purpose of detaining magic-users of all kinds, run by the infamous former mage-hunter, Inquisitor Tremain. You had thought it to be nothing but legend. You were wrong. The beasts that captured you were simply too fast; you were overtaken very quickly. ...