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  Simon E. Phipp(Geo Cities)
  Simon E. Phipp(Work - Birmingham)

"The Players" Copyright (c) 1997 Simon E. Phipp
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Glorantha is Copyright Greg Stafford and all rights are reserved.

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# The Players

In the main campaigns I have fond memories of the people I played with. Here is a quick biography of those people. They are my recollections and may well be inaccurate - memory plays awful tricks. If you want anything changed, let me know.

These are the main players in the campaign:

## Dorastor/Holy Country Campaigns

### Andrew Harding

Andrew is a Computer expert working for a contact agency, so he can see all these people earning fortunes with the same skills he has. Surprisingly enough, this has not made him bitter and twisted. He was already bitter and twisted years and years ago!

Andrew is the biggest Doctor Who fan I have ever known nd knows everything about everything regarding the good Time Lord. Look at his website for all the things you ever wanted to know about The Doc.

I lived with Andrew and Stuart for far too long and succeeded in forcing Andrew to buy Tom’s house just by breathing the same air as him. At the end, I could wind him up by simply walking into the same room as him. I know, it’s a knack - you can’t learn that you have to be born special!

I count Andrew as one of my closest friends, but wouldn’t tell him else he’ll get ideas above his station. (By the way, he knows the Archbishop of Canterbury personally - I know someone who knows the Archbishop of Canterbury personally!) He’s the closest thing to a toff I know, although to tell him that would kill him. If you’re reading this, Andrew, only kidding!

Andrew played several characters in the Great Campaign - Pektok, Rilldick and Brankist. His favourite by far is Brankist. Rilldick survived into the Dorastor campaign but retired discouraged after the Two Headed Dragon killed him by just being there (he looked at it, what can I say?)

Andrew is happily married and lives in Coventry still, one of the few who have stayed there.

### Stuart Hunt

As I said before, I lived with Stuart and Andrew for years. Actually, I lived with Stuart for 6 years and both of them for 4 years or so. Good gaming times were had by all.

Stuart is probably my closest friend and someone I know I can trust, which is awfully close to being sentimental. He is also a pain in the arse.

At University, Stuart started off by doing Physics and Chemistry and decided that he liked the Physics but hated the Chemistry, so he changed hi course to Chemistry! Apparently this was because Chemistry was easier than Physics. This tells you what he is like.

He loves to argue, often taking an opposing point of view that he does not agree with just to wind people up. He twists and turns the argument, usually arguing a different point completely and finishing by saying that he meant that all along. This is major league annoying.

Fortunately he knows more about Glorantha than anyone else I know and will discuss it for hours and hours. (Funny thing is, despite playing RQ in Glorantha for 14 years or so, most of it in the same campaign, we have heated discussions on Glorantha and interpret it quite differently, what hope for the rest of the people who play in Glorantha?)

Stuart became a Mormon about 2 years after I did - I don’t claim any credit for this as I was as shocked as he was when he told me he was joining the Church.

Stuart now lives in Newport, Gwent, and has a nice big house, a wife and a son John James.

### Andrew "Tom" Taylor

Called Tom because when he joined the campaign there was Andrew Harding, Andy Edgell, Curly Andrew (can’t remember his surname) and Andrew Taylor came along (oh, call me Tom). I did not know he was called Andrew until I rang his house when Andy was there and asked for Andy, "speaking" says Tom which threw me completely. (Stuart found out when Tom’s mum was visiting and Stuart called round. After an hour of conversation, she said that she didn’t want to be rude, but who is this "Tom" you keep talking about? "Your Son" said Stuart, "why do you call him Tom?", "Because that's his name" he syas, feeling a right prat.)

Tom was am Economics student who went into Accountancy, joined Marston’s Brewery, then MacDonalds (he looked nice in his uniform when he had to serve behind the counter) then was head hunted back to Marstons where he sits on the board. He is the most successful of our group and is a shining beacon to us all. Pity you have to be an accountant to achieve this - a price too harsh, I feel.

When I first knew Tom, he hated my guts and would not allow me in the house. Fortunately he has come around and I count him as one of my closest friends.

Tom played Bolgar, Brother of the Bull, who he created to annoy Ian Wilson who played Aegis (his original name was "Bolgar, Brother of the Bull, Aegis is his Priest") and was the archetypal Storm Bull. He also played Solarus who9 became a Hero and was retired, but came back at the end of the Dorastor Campaign. Tom played Dennis, Master Magus and Jonathan for a while. He had the most characters but really preferred Solarus.

Tom is famous for many things, one of which is the "Dark Crystal" episode. A good few years ago, a new fantasy film came out so they all went to watch it. Tom knew nothing of the film, except that it was a fantasy. The cinema was pretty full of kids and their parents with one row full of men in their mid-twenties. The lights went down and all the kids who were talking quietened down and a hush fell over the theatre. On screen, a couple of figures slowly walked up to a blasted tree and reached it. The camera zoomed in on them as they removed their hoods. A voice rings out across the silent cinema "They’re fucking Muppets!" The silence changed to a stunned one, then the mothers started tutting when a loud voice rang out "Mummy, what does ‘Fucking’ mean?" Ho, ho, ho.

## The Great Campaign

The Dorastor Campaign grew from an earlier, Multi-GM campaign which lasted for 5 years or so, of which I played for 3 years, being part of another campaign beforehand.

This Great Campaign had some more players.

### Adrian "Ady" Garrett

Ady can best be described as a "Combat Hippy". He loves RuneQuest 2 and will never play RQ3 or higher. He also plays Car Wars and can beat me at Dragon Pass every time we play.

The first time I played with this campaign on a regular basis, Trollface warned me that there was another player who was really annoying playing the most iritating character possible (Zac) but that he wasn’t here this week. Next week, Ady breezed in full of energy and really threw himself into the game. I saw him in the bar a couple of days later and he spent 2 or 3 hours talking about RuneQuest, his character, Glorantha and everything else under the Sun, as if he had known me for years. Every time we meet up, normally at people’s Wedding’s these days, he is as friendly as he always was, bless him.

Ady spent a good few years working for 6 months of the year, saving up money and them bumming around the world for 6 months, going to Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, India, The Far East and Australia. As we did not have a life, Ady was the one we lived through. He has settled down recently, doing a Masters Degree and getting a job in Computing. I have lost touch with him but will hopefully get back in touch when I return to Ireland. With Trollface, Ady is a very good friend.

Ady played Zac and Boris the Dwarf (with accompanying handles).

Zac had a pair of Vorpal gloves. When asked why they were Vorpal, Ady said "I dunno, because they'e Orange?"

### Andy Edgell

Andy deserves special mention as the best Fumbler and the player of the most stupid characters imaginable. He was once chatted up by a girl for a good 10 minutes without realising it. He was also chatted up by a bloke in a bar "I haven’t seen you here before", "no, I don’t come much", "what do you do ".... "I’ve got a flat just down the road", "that’s handy for the bar", "would you like to see it", "well, my friends are all here" at this point the chap left and we gently broke it to Andy what had been happening. He hadn’t a clue.

Stuart was watching a recorded boxing match when Andy came in. One fighter was creaming the other one, so Andy said he would win. "No, I reckon the other one will" says Stuart. When the adverts came up, Stuart wound the tape on and started playing again. "He’s getting slaughtered" says Andy. "How about a bet" says Stuart. "OK, says Andy". Stuart then winds the tape on a bit and at the end the losing fighter pulls a lucky punch and floors the other one. "Well, I am amazed" says Andy, "I wouldn’t have expected that - how did you guess?" Then Stuart wound the tape back and showed him the last round. At last the penny dropped.

Once, they were all watching a film when Edward Woodward walked on. There was a five minute pause when everyone said "Who would, would Edward Woodward", "Well he should", "Why would Edward Wodward" "Well, Edward would, wouldn’t he" and so on. Eventually, Andy looked up and said "Who’s that, Michael Caine?"

You couldn’t invent Andy.

He worked on the EuroFighter, programming its control systems and came up to Coventry once with a set of plans and led us through the whole thing. He reached a part about a special design on the wing and said "don’t tell anyone this bit, it’s top secret" and then told us all about it!

His trademarks were acting stupid, driving like a maniac and wearing shirts two sizes too small so the buttons always popped. If you poked his stomach he chuckled like the Pillsbury Doughboy - it was uncanny.

Andy is now a contractor on an obscene wedge of money, still drives like a maniac and wears proper shirts which fit.

He played Broze DemonSlayer and Masher, two of my favourite characters because they were SO stupid.

### Ian Wilson

Ian did Classics at University and was perpetually 18 for a good 10 years, until age caught up with him and he got a good job in Computers and settled down.

He played Aegis, an Orlanth Storm Bull combo, and did one of the most impressive things ever seen in RuneQuest. The scenario ended with a pyramid with tiers of Chaos nasties and something to get at the top. The idea was to fight your way up. Aegis cast his Shield, Truesword and Berserker and teleported to the second from top tier where there were three Chaos Demons - RH Bastard Sword Split - Crit, off with its head, Crit, down it goes, LH Bastard Sword Crit off with its head. No more Chaos Demons (Antiparrry was devastating in RQ2). Next round, Teleport up to the top tier near the Vampires, INTx1 to come out of Beserk, RH Bastard sword, delay to the head Crit, one dead Vampire, LH bastard sword, delay to the head, Crit another dead vampire and one stunned GM.

I lived with Andy and Ian for 1 and a half years in Stoke in Coventry and they were dead sick of me at the end. I still see him at weddings etc. and he’s OK.

### Kit Pimm

Kit did Maths, I think, but he could have done Computer Science. He also was a judo bod and liked sports. He was technically blind but this didn’t stop him riding a bike or tying to drive a car. He’s a mad bugger.

He was sitting in a pub when a drunk came up "What are you staring at?" "I’m not staring, I’m blind." "Blind, are you, well blind this" along comes a huge swing which anyone could have avoided, but Kit didn’t see it. Fortunately, Ian and Gail were playing pool nearby and Gail whacked the drunk around the head with a pool cue. They were all banned from there, for some reason.

Kit works for British Rail in Crewe, where I lived for two years, but we never got a chance to meet up. Funny really, we intended to but I worked nights and never got the chance.

I can’t remember what character Kit played.

### "Curly" Andrew

Curly was a Microbiology student doing a PhD and was married at University. This made him odd for several reasons.

He kept his dice in a radioactive container and told us of the hundreds of dead pigeons on top of the Microbiology Institute but just grinned when we asked how they died.

Curly hated being called Curly but there were too many Andrews around.

He played Raven and Trog. Raven was an elf Priestess of Aldrya and Yelorna, a Wood Lady and Unicorn Rider. She had a number of Power Arrows which powered attacks, had 250% Elf Bow attack and had Arrow Trance. This meant that at important times, she was guaranteed a Critical hit at least, and often critical impaled, doing 25 or 30 points of damage (she also had a Speedart 4 matrix) This blew the heads off numerous demons, vampires and Heroes. Most of them would grab the Power Arrow as a last act and snap it in two. She started off with 24 and ended up with 5 or 6. Devastating. She was also the third best in combat after Derak and Zak.

Trog was a Minotaur who rode on a Triceratops. His forte was to tick as many weapons in combat as he could. He would attack with a battle axe and mace, tick one attack and the other parry, then attack with the second and parry with the first. Then he would change to a morning star and spear, or sword, always trying to get the best combination. Because he had an INT of 7 or 8 we allowed him to do this as he never made gain rolls. He also went into battle Rage at the drop of a hat, but his ally had a spell which calmed him down - it just needed to overcome POW. Unfortunately, Trog was attuned to a 10 point Resistor and resisted at POW 28, his ally had 18 POW and a 5% chance of bringing him out. Fun, fun, fun.

Curly was famous for his ongoing scenario - The Acid Pits - where entry was via a Dragon who charged magic items for carrying them to the top of a mountain, or by climbing the mountain where an Illuminated Griffon would appear, ask someone a riddle and go away. He stopped this when a party consisting totally of Illuminated characters started asking him riddles. The Acid Pits were hideously gross and always had the treasure "just around the corner". Why did we keep going? Because they were fun.

He wrote a Chaos Demon Generator for his computer once and came in with a printout of 50 demons for his games. We sneaked a look and never allowed him to run again.

Once, he ran a scenario where an Ent-like being offered to tell us the "Secret of Fire" if we did something for him. Afterwards, he leaned down low, looked around to check that nobody was listening and quietly said "It’s hot and it burns things!" Well, we were so impressed that we went around telling every NPC we met the Secret of Fire, during every session he ran. Eventually he apologised, watching him squirm was reward enough.

When asked how his PhD was going, he said "On the Cosmic Scale it is imminent". He went to Swindon and vanished from the face of the earth.

### Innes

I don’t know his surname either. I think Innes did Maths, most of us did, but I couldn’t swear to it, maybe it was Applied Maths. He played a Humakti famous for having a Bladesharp 8 matrix and SlimeSlicer, a sword which I gave out which did +4 damage and more against Chaos. When the two were combined he was absolutely awesome in combat.

What was annoying about Innes was that he would turn up for a game, play for an hour or two, then go off to do something else, come back at the end, roll best on the Treasure Roll and take the best items. He would also make all his skills and would roll 3 or 4 on his POW gain rolls. He had a pair of dice which only he could read. When challenged, he would sit there smugly while we held the dice up to the light and his 01 would always be right.

He belonged to a parachute club and was packing chutes when Ady did a parachute jump - that really freaked Ady out.

### Ian Moran

Ian did Maths and didn’t need to do any work. He then did a PhD and didn’t do any work. He became an Actuary and passed his exams first time. He was a clever dick.

Ian could never keep still and was always twitching and jumping around.

He played a baboon and also a character who Bolgar Brother of the Bull captured, tortured, killed and gave to the Eternal Battle for destroying a Storm artefact. He was the one who attacked the Dwarfs because "Dwarfs are always loaded". His forte was to do really annoying things (There was a trap on a door, who can disarm traps? "I can" says he pushing his way to the front. "What’s the basic?) He also would escape harm while everyone else was killed.

I met Ian at a convention and played a few games with him. He still hasn’t changed, he sat at the back, looking for people coming up behind then ran away so he wouldn’t get hurt! In fact, I’ve been to all the Convulsions with Ian and Conjunction. He’s a good laugh apart from being a prat, and knows a hell of a lot about Glorantha.

### Paul "Trollface" Raynor

Paul did Maths at University and then became an accountant. He was a brown belt at Judo for years and was a fat bastard. He slimmed down to get his black belt, met the biggest Black Belts imaginable and was slaughtered. He put the weight back on and scraped through. He passed his accountancy exams in record time (only took 4 or 5 years) and lives in London.

We’ve been to all the conventions together and he will talk about RQ/Glorantha for hours.

I went down to London to run the Cradle scenario for him. He introduced me to everyone "Dave, this is Simon, he’s ugly. Naz, this is Simon, he’s ugly. So-and-so, this is Simon, he’s ugly. So-and-so, this is Simon, you’re both ugly!" He wasn’t called Trollface for his ruggedness himself.

Paul played Galagartorak, the master Illuminate and priest of daka fal, and Apollo, a Yelmalion Light Son who was Shergar’s best friend, companion in arms, mentor and sponsor. On one HeroQuest, Shergar achieved his longest standing ambition when he took a drugged Apollo, stripped him, had passionate sex with him then cast Heal Body to cure all the wounds (Shergar is a male Centaur sex maniac who is celibate during Fire Season and makes up for lost time). All the players knew, Paul knew but Apollo did not. This was the highlight of the scenario. Paul now maintains that it never happened. Like Shergar, Apollo thinks that Sun County Yelmalians are girly wimps and built a Temple north upriver to try and kill them as they go by.

Apollo was the true yelmalian, he thought that the racial type was perfect (brown hair, brown eyes). He used to wear Klu Klux Klan robes. That was until he gained a disguise feature that changed his appearance each and every day. There was a chance that he would be changed to be Agimori or Kralori in appearance in which case he would don his robes and hood and hide for a while.

Apollo was a good laugh and Shergar would ride with him any day.

### Ken McGarron (I think his surname is right)

Ken was a huge bloke with a beard. He looked like a Hells Angel. Once he went into a biker bar, sat down with Stuart and started on his beer. Someone put Status Quo on "Oh, not Status Quo, they are shit" says Ken. Stuart puts his beer down and drags him from the bar - how was ken to know that Bikers in England love the Quo?

He once played a Live Action game where he played a gargoyle NPC. There he was, 18 stone, big, bushy beard, made up really well, horn and everything. He jumped out in front of the party, terrified someone who whacked him on the nose with a shield. Result one stunned gargoyle with a broken nose.

Ken had a son recently who was born with hair and teeth. and nobody was surprised!

Ken played Noram who was a Zorak Zoran/Storm Bull combo. Then he joined Orlanth, gained Sorcery, joined Humakt, Yelmalio and Yanafal Tarnils. He claims he is not Dark Side, just very, very flexible. His idea of not using a shield is just to hold it and hit people with it. Ken often had things run "back home" for Noram which resulted in abilities and items. It was only after he left that "back home" was used as a euphemism for cheating. Poor Ken.

### Pete Olive

Pete did Computer Science and made explosives in his back garden. Once he laid a batch down on toilet paper when he heard a bang,went outside and saw a pile of feathers strewn across the lawn. Where the surprised pigeomn went nobody knows.

He had a shotun fetish and kept one under his bed with a blank cartridge in one barrel and a live one in the other. That way, he could shoot at the ceiling without doing damage and then point it at any intruder. He sold it after he ws burgaled when he was out and thought of it getting into the wrong hands. Actually a nice bloke was Pete.

He once rolled upm a Cthulhu character with 200% shotgun and no other skills (he could put his pints anywhere he wanted to, was a farmer and had a shotgun). On that scenario they dropped depth charges on the Deep Ones. They played Cthulhu liked they played RuneQuest.

We used to play Bridge with Pete for a while (well, Andrew and Pete used to play while me and Stuart filled in and annoyed them - I could play whist bbut hated the enforced bidding codes of Bridge).

I can't remember what character Pete played but he GMd with a vengeance. He used to draw a line on the map and say the next encounter started there, so the PCs could camp near it and get a good night's sleep. He also used to have Dwarven Cheerleaders at the back waving pom-poms while the Iron Dwarves creamed the party with fire, brimstone and big axes.

Pete recently had a kiddy. They're breeding like rabbits now.

## The Early Campaign

I started off playing in a different campaign in my first year at University. I have since lost touch with these people which is a great shame. Maybe if they are reading this they could get in touch.

### Dave Rewhorn

Dave was a Third Year Law student from Coventry studying 5 miles away from home. He was a bit odd, but a great laugh. When we were all talking, he mentioned that he payed a game called RuneQuest and would we like to have a go? A few of said OK, sounds like a laugh and off we went. The thing that I can remember most about Dave was the evil grin on his face when he screwed the party. I still imagine Ogres as having that kind of grin. He got me started on an obsession which has lasted for 15 years. Two of his NPC were Bonker who used a mace and Thruster who used a spear. Bonker always helped us and Thruster always stitched us up. We never learned though and still kept accepting help from Thruster.

As far as I know, Dave practices Law in Coventry. One day he'll get it right.

### Sarah Taylor

Yes, a wumman RuneQuestor, strange as it may seem.

Sarah was a Maths student in the same year as I was. She came from Bristol and for a month could not understand Cath who came from Shefffield. They used to pass in the corridor and exchange pleasantries but hadn't a clue what each other had said.

She did all the easy courses and actually did a lot of work and came out with a better degree than I did. Strange how easy courses and hard work makes a difference. I should have tried it.

Sarah started off with a character which I inherited and changed slightly, eventually to become Soltak Stormspear, my favourite PC.

### Andy Pope

Andy was a third year engineering student which says it all really. He shacked up with Sarah early on and as far as I know are still together, and good luck to them. They live in Bristol, I think.

Andy played an assortment of characters, including a dwarf which got my Elf drummed out of Aldrya. We became Humakti Assassins after that, hired swords to kill anyone at a price. A good camaign this was.

He had a catchphrase "Run Away" which he used at every opportunity. It was only afterwards that I saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail and realised the significance. I still think of him when I see the film.

### Mike Howard

Mike shared a room with me for the first year and I must have driven him crazy.

I can't remember what character he played, but I think it was an Orlanthi. All I can remember was that he tried to kill the king of Trilus and said that the King had pulled him into a kinky torture chamber for a night of kinky passion, so he had to kill the king. We blasted Dave for being a sick and twisted GM only to find out later that Mike had made it all up after trying to kill the king for money. Had us all going, though.

I think Mike lives in france now but I am not sure.

### Michel Schenke

"Herman the German", Mike was a German postgrad Maths student who specialised in Group Theory, one of my favourite areas of Maths. He played RuneQuest with a vengeance, always playing barbarians. he photocopied the rules and took them back with him. I wonder if he still plays.

### Martyn "With a Y" Stone

Martyn "With a Y" was a Politics and International Studies student from Windsor.

He was into meteorology and constantly predicted the Ice Age was coming. The Greenhouse Effect did him in, though so he gave up. He was also into Sherlock Holmes in a big way. Funny chap was Martyn.

He played a series of Humakt and managed to chop his own head off in a spectacular fumble. We laughed and laughed.

Once, we fought a group of Dragonewts and were all killed except Martyn's character. He put all of in a cart and drove us back to get resurrected, pausing only to cut out my character's tongue and throw it away because I was an annoying sod. The Chalana Arroy priestess did not have any regrow limbs so I was Marlin the Mute from then on. That was really annoying.

Later on, we did Snakepipe Hollow and he ran away from Big Club and jumped into a pile of ashes only to jump out of the gorp with no clothes on and a nasty surface burn. Naked amongst a group of broos he managed to DI. Fortunate really. Mike's character had just called Big Club "Twat Face" which was unfortunate as he was incredibly sensitive about his looks. Ah well.

Martyn lives in Embasy, near Skipton, Oop North and became a mormon years before I did. He still has a copy of Snake Pipe Hollow (RQ2) that is mine and has never given me it back. Typical accountant.

Well, that’s everyone I can think of. If I have missed anyone out, I apologise. Hopefully that gives people some idea of wwho was playing in the campaigns.

Looking back, far too many of them ended up in Accountancy or Computing, it must be unhealthy.

Next is the PCs.