Quote from: baragei;825515Perhaps, but it begs for an abridged version!

Oh dear, just remember that you asked for this...

Well, my original intent was that after my players unsuspectingly playtested Monster Island for me, I would run a final scenario where they would discover the Throne of the Gods!

[A carved jade artifact which unbeknownst to the PCs would not only elevate the first person to sit on it to godhood, imparting complete awareness of everything on the island; but in addition, permit them to unlock the one-way portals so the other characters could return home if they wished.  The idea being that I'd hand over a mint copy of MI to which ever player claimed the prize and pass over the GM's hat to them.]

By the time I got around to launching the end-game, most of the original PCs and even the second stringers had died (and I'd already given them each a copy of MI in gratitude for the entertainment they'd provided). However, the latest characters were just as egocentric so looting an artifact appealed to them.

In order to find the throne, they abandoned Port Grimsand on the point of being destroyed by Oodaku (the octopus kaiju which had come in revenge for what the party had done to the Oodaku tribe), cut a deal with the serpent people and worked out the final resting place of archmage Ybion (whose soul was trapped within one of the Giant Tikis on Ruaumoko). During the rescue mission his ghost possessed one of the PC's and guided them across the island to the hidden valley where the throne was guarded by an immortal legion of vegetated zombies, and a demon infested tree.

To cut a rambling story short, for some reason and despite in-party bickering as to who would claim the right to sit on the throne, at the climax of the scenario none of the PCs seized the chance - simply letting the possessed PC to get there first... with inevitable consequences when the player now controlling Ybion ran with the power trip and scenery-chewing, not even trying to reestablish control.

So the utterly insane and treacherously vengeful as hell Ybion set in motion the final sinking of the continent, with all the remaining kaiju awakening and fighting each other as the sea swallowed the island for once and for all. I think Captain Cook (the NPC buffoon who started the whole campaign off with his traditional British arrogance against the Hawaiian natives) was the only survivor, killing the last remaining PC right at the end as an act of GM maliciousness.

Still, it was a truly epic way to finish the game!

Quote from: Simlasa;825517Did it involve giant kaiju stomping on everything?

Yes!

Quote from: The Butcher;825581Haha, sounds awesome! Where did you place MI? And who were the PCs?

In its own alternate parallel. The original party were members of the crew of HMS Resolution who along with Captain Cook were not killed on the beach in  Kealakekua Bay, but were thrown through a magical portal by the natives as sacrifices to the gods. They of course arrived on Monster Island and began suffering the myriad of nightmares of English gentlemen cast into a living hell.

QuoteAnd most importantly, how did you handle (a) vehicles and (b) gadgets?

I handled both as disposable plot elements.  You don't really need rules for how fast the Aston goes, or how much damage its machine guns do. Its simply a tool for getting one of the PCs to make Drive skill checks in an opposed test against the mooks or agents pursuing them. In the movies it doesn't matter how good Bond's vehicle is, the other bad-guys vehicles sill interact with it.

Likewise with the gadgets. I gave them an inflatable, jet powered sled suit and a dead bear inflatable balloon (which they used to escape the sub base in Murmansk), tranquilizer dart wrist watches, and a few other gizmos - all one shot items which effectively trumped whatever my NPCs were doing whenever the gadget was used - provided of course they could aim/trigger the thing correctly with a skill roll of some sort.

No need for detailed mechanics for a one-off week long mini-campaign.

Great stuff Pete! It must have been particularly satisfying, as the creator of Monster Island, to destroy it so comprehensively and Ragnarokely! Bit like setting fire to the piano at the end of your turn on stage ....

What I do with RQ6.

"What settings are you playing in? Published products, or homebrew?"

I am running a Gloranthan campaign started from Pavis and moved across the sea to the beautiful island of Loral where the players have settled for a bit with the natives. Those in the know know that the other name for the island is Monster Island. Eventually we might reach Fonrit.

"How are you finding the rules make themselves felt in play? What are your thoughts on the Combat Special Effects?"

I just love the special effects - they make the fights really cinematic and unpredictable. Sorcery is great as well.

I have been creating enemy encounter templates for RQ6 with RQ Encounter Generator. There is now approx 1800 templates from Broos, Afadjanni Corsairs, Fonritan sorcerers to Lunar Hoplites. Most if not all creatures from Anaxial's Annex, Anaxial's Roster, Gloranthan Bestiary, RQ6, Monster Island and magazine and supplement sources have been templated so you can easily generate enemies quickly for your campaign.

https://notesfrompavis.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/rq6-encounter-tool-feature-recap-for-busy-gms/

There are few posts on how to run Gloranthan campaigns with RQ6 before Adventures in Glorantha
https://notesfrompavis.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/starting-a-glorantha-rq6-campaign-before-adventures-in-glorantha/

There are also some charts and tables compiled for RQ6 here
https://notesfrompavis.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/rq6-charts-and-tables/

Most if not all Gloranthan cults have RQ6 One pager created here
https://notesfrompavis.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/gloranthan-cult-onepagers-main-page/


--h

My Glorantha/RQ6 blog with Glorantha Cult One-pagers and RQ Encounter Tool updates

Quote from: hkokko;829216I have been creating enemy encounter templates for RQ6 with RQ Encounter Generator. There is now approx 1800 templates from Broos, Afadjanni Corsairs, Fonritan sorcerers to Lunar Hoplites. Most if not all creatures from Anaxial's Annex, Anaxial's Roster, Gloranthan Bestiary, RQ6, Monster Island and magazine and supplement sources have been templated so you can easily generate enemies quickly for your campaign.

Your Encounter Generator has been a godsend for my Monster Island campaign. Using that plus the excellent random tables from that supplement and some of the adventure seeds and games practically write themselves!

The Combat Effects really are excellent. Fights are not only full of gritty detail but they also flow really well and provide edge of the seat excitement!

It's really been one of the best campaigns I've ever run. Real swords and sorcery goodness.

Thank you - Credits: RQ Encounter Generator is the brainchild of skoll (in thedesignmechanism forums). He is the developer of the software, I am part of the development team and have created fair amount of content but it is crowd sourced so anyone can...

Monster Island truly is one of the great source books for GM.

What are combat effects?

Quote from: Raven;829321What are combat effects?

Scoring a level of success (success v failure, critical v success, critical v failure, and so on) over an opponent, you earn a Special Effect. Effects are varied and range from tripping an opponent through to compelling surrender. The choice is the player's and these choices are very important to the flow of the fight. Some can be fight enders; others can give a distinct advantage.

Ok, so maneuvers from MRQ 2/Legend then. That's cool. I thought it might be something different.

I've been looking at reviews of Monster Island because of this thread. It's... very tempting.

Don't hesitate! Go for it! Monster Island is a superb supplement. You won't regret it.

Quote from: Raven;829354Ok, so maneuvers from MRQ 2/Legend then. That's cool. I thought it might be something different.

I've been looking at reviews of Monster Island because of this thread. It's... very tempting.

Quote from: markfitz;829357Don't hesitate! Go for it! Monster Island is a superb supplement. You won't regret it.

Monster Island is a gem full of terrifying goodness. If you've wondered about what a deranged decadent society of ancient sorcerers looks like, or a complete alternate set of weapons and armour for a mythic pacific island setting, or how much you'll get for three bundles of hummingbird feathers, it's here, if you make it to port before that warparty catches you.