Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
Tags

General Questions Sticky

A topic by Gila RPGs created Dec 15, 2022 Views: 2,807 Replies: 97
Viewing posts 1 to 37
Developer

Any questions you have about RUNE  can go here!

Been reading through and beyond excited to start having a crack at it. Even more excited for my physical book!

Quick query! In the Rulebook on page 66 for physical play it encourages printing the character sheets and grid in the 'Resources' file. I cannot seem to find this file on my list of downloads, the only things available to me are the two variations of the rulebook and the Realm Atlas. 

Any help would be appreciated, cheers.

Developer

Just added the file to the itch page!

(+1)

I can't seem to locate the Resources file itself, though I do see the DevLog post about it. 

Many thanks!

Also unable to see the Resources file even though I just got email notification that it was available.

Developer(+1)

You'll find it listed as a "demo" on the page, free to download for anyone.

Question:  I'm assuming you cannot just wait and kill time in a location until day/night switches.  Is that correct?  You'd need to take one of the actions, which means often you might have to move around to get back to a spot in the opposite clock time.  

I’m actually wondering too as I’ve just come across this “issue/question.” I’m assuming that you do have to move around and can’t wait for time to pass? This would probably increase play time by a lot of you decide to Rest and have the enemies populate again…

what do mercenaries do then they roll a 4? the card says a roll of 4 hits two different actions.

Developer

Edit for this is incoming. The 4 is for the second row, and the first row should be 1-3!

(2 edits) (+1)

Sat down with Rune for the first time today and wound up playing through 2.5 realms (Grim Coast, The Island pamphlet, Hollow). (Have played even more before edits.) Enjoyed the game but have yet to see any items that would tempt me away from my Sword/Shield/Amulet of Dawn/Fate's Foe combo. The loadout was extremely effective but also encouraged me to turtle where possible to regain Health via Amulet. Milking that as much as I did felt cheesy enough that I might consider a nerf there: maybe limited uses per fight? (If you clarified that a player must use dice results and apply Harm when possible, that would also make this strat less effective.)  That said, I have a few questions about the intended function of some mechanical elements. Some of them pertain to specific realms, so I'll post those in the relevant thread.

  1. Starting Runes - Getting Started instructs the player to choose one Rune, but the Runes section explains that the player can equip three. What's the intention here? Does the player unlock additional "Rune slots" by defeating Rune Lords (up to a max of three)? And is the player considered to have access to the starting Runes they did not choose whenever they become capable of equipping more?
  2. Multiple Harms - When multiple instances of harm target the same enemy (different weapons, Fate's Fury Rune, etc.), does the enemy's Block value apply only once against the total Harm (rather than against each instance)? I'm assuming so since all Harm is dealt simultaneously (in the same way that all enemy damage is summed against the Engraved before Block is applied).
  3. Enemies w/ Multiple Ranges - If any enemy's attack lists multiple ranges (I encountered this when facing the Rune Lord of the Iron Vale), which determines their movement?

jason78ka: For what it's worth, I assume 4 belongs to the row 2 attack of the mercenary. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for two icons on that row.

Developer

There are some balance changes incoming soon!

1. The intention is you get more runes from the Rune Lords, yes. You do not get access to the starting runes again.

2. The Block value is only applied once, against the total amount of Harm.

3. The always move towards the closest range. So if an enemy has 2-3 range, they will want to move towards 2.

Thanks for the clarifications, Spencer. We're talking past each other on #3, though. I'm with you as far as contiguous ranges are concerned. However, Drauzhal's Chosen's action on a result of 6 lists two separate, non-contiguous ranges: Same and 2. In a case like this, which should determine movement? The closer of the two (Same in this case) seems the more likely interpretation for the sake of simplicity/consistency.

Developer

yep, the closer is what you go for (same)

(+1)

Are there specific licensing things to keep in mind for creating 3PP content? I didn't see any in the physical book. 

Developer

You are free to make anything you want for the game. The RUNE Creator Kit gives lots of advice on how to do that!

(+1)

page 35 range says is tracked by the number of spaces away. Do we count them orthogonally or diagonally?

Developer

Orthogonally

Does that mean that you can hit a diagonal character if you have range 2? (for example, the Ruined King's phase 2 range is 2, can he hit me if I'm diagonal to him?)

Developer

Yes

Got a quick rune question.

Do I roll again when I use Fate's Fury, or is it just a copy of one of my weapon attacks from that turn?

Thanks!

Developer

Roll again!

Does that mean I get 3 dice that round? (I've been playing that I can just assign both dice to the same weapon the round I use Fury)

Hey! It's more of the suggestion than a question but I didn't want to start a new topic. I've just bought the game off of The Lost Bay Studio and been thinking, maybe adding an entry for Rune on BoardGameGeek would be a good idea? I'm sure Rune would be appealing to folks outside the RPG communities & there are lots of solo gamers out there who would love your game. I know its technically not a boardgames but lots of games in kinda similar vein are there & thrive so maybe it's something to consider (there's also RPGGEEK but a game can easily be listed on both sites) Anyways, fantastic job and I can't wait to put my hands on a physical release!

Not sure if I'm blind and missing it in the rulebook, but do Unique enemies and Runelords regenerate their Health if they kill the Engraved? Or do they have their current wounded state when the Engraved come back to try again?

Developer

They would go back to full health!

Oh no!!! hahahaha I'm gonna have to edit in corrections to the videos!! BTW I have uploaded an Overview video to YouTube already, and yesterday did 5 hours of recording for playthrough vids...... phew!! Great game, many thanks, hopefully I can generate some more interest for ya!

Developer

oh wow thank you so much, I really appreciate it!

What happens to singular clocks when you leave a realm to return later? For instance, do the Draco Lands clocks reset or do they remain as they were when you left?

Developer

Hmm that's a good question! I honestly think you could go either way, it depends on the complexity and difficulty you're going for. It's a little more book keeping to take note of clocks to return later, and it does keep the pressure up when you do eventually return. However, I understand if some folks want to take leaving a realm as a sort of reset.

(+1)

Thanks for the reply. Great game, keep up the good work!

Any thoughts about co-op rules?

Developer

I don't have any plans for them in the immediate future. It would involve thinking about how to co-op both exploration and combat. Combat would need a bigger grid probably, and adjustments to the order of resolving things. It's doable, but would require a lot of changes that I'm not planning on making anytime soon!

That's fair! Thanks for responding!

Am I allowed to look through the locations on the map prior to travelling to them, or should I wait until I get there to look at them?

Developer

I mean there isn't a rule against it, but it might ruin the fun of discovery. Plus, it might diminish the difficulty because you know what to expect. I wouldn't recommend it, but you certainly can if you want!

Just realized that the only starting equipment that lets you attack the Same Square is the Flame Spell, is this working-as intended or should the Long Sword and Axe be Same & Adjacent? 

Developer(+1)

That's intended! Same range weapons are very rare. Enemies however can attack at Same often. This is to create tension. Enemies can get you into a spot where you cannot strike back, making you think about your positioning even more. 

It does feel a little unnecessarily punitive to me, but this could also be sour grapes about my build moving only a single square at a time (Long Sword + Sling + Strider Boots). Thank you for your answer! 

Question:  Cleave's targets are enemies.  Does Cleave damage all adjacent enemies?

Developer

all enemies adjacent to the target 

"The block value is only applied once for the total amount of harm."

Question:   The total harm applying guard is the sum of all harm taken from multiple enemies, and the guard value he applies only once.  Is this correct?  Or apply the guard value to the sum of each harm of multiple enemies? 

Developer

Block is applied to the total Harm incoming. If two enemies are attacking me, for 1 and 2 Harm, I have 3 total Harm coming my way. My Block value would subtract from that value of 3. 

Certain realms have clocks which progress "after completing an action at any Point." Let's say I enter a Fight, but die. Does this mean I have "completed" the Fight action for the sake of that clock? Or is the Fight not considered completed?

(I think I know the answer, but I figured I would ask anyway.)

Developer(+1)

the fight is not considered complete

Hi! I just got the game and I am loving it. I just had two quick questions:

  1. If you go to a Point with an incomplete Fight, are you forced into combat? Or can I decide not to engage and turn around?
  2. On the Grim Coast, do you have to complete the Fight before you can do any other action, or only other actions in the same day/night part. For example, if I go to Point 2 during the day, can I Search and Learn, or do I have to complete the Fight at night before I can do anything else?
Developer

I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

1. You aren't forced into a fight, you can decide to move on!

2. You only need to finish a fight for the same time of day to access the points from that same time of day. 

(+1)

Thank you for the quick replies. I honestly never thought I needed to combine my love of Soulslike and Solo Tabletop, but here we are.


Also, and this is unrelated, but I appreciate how moddable you made it (e.g. how easy it is to make new Realms). And, while I understand this is more niche, I would love to see a level of community engagement similar to Mork Borg and it's third party library. You definitely deserve it!

(+1)

How is the Sling starting item meant to be used?

A player taking it can only take another starting item that make them move 1 if they are lucky (or 2 on a 4 with the axe) and as nearly all enemies want to make their attack from the same square or adjacent after the first round the player is likely to always have people on top of them or adjacent meaning the range 2 to 3 sling basically becomes useless for most of the fight.

Just chiming in here, as I also think the sling could use some sort of tweaking. I picked it and the longsword as my starting build along with the striding boots. I played through the Grim Coast realm and I don't think I ever used the sling unless I literally had nothing else to do. There was just never a situation where using it would have been strategically better than using the longsword.

I got my ass handed to me so many times during that realm (I think the rune lord took me like 6-7 attempts). I first chalked it up to me being new to the game and not fully grasping the rules at that time, which was certainly true to an extent. But when I moved on to the next realm, this time using a longsword and shield, I found that I was doing WAY better in combat!

Perhaps that simply speaks to the necessity of having a shield, or at least some sort of weapon that provides Block, rather than the sling's weakness though.

hello ! A Quick (but maybe not so easy) question : will you create any more content for this wonderful game ? Because it's fantastic ! 

Developer

I definitely will! Just not sure on the timeline yet. 

I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

Question: "Erupting Flame" is listed as "enemy" only at 6.  If it's 4,5, will Engraved in the same place also take damage?

Developer

The Engraved does not take harm from the 4 and 5 of Erupting Flame.

(1 edit)

Hi!

I bought the physical game at a store. I didn't understand the realms when read it... until I realised that there are donwloadable with the pdf version of the game. Is there any option to buy the realm atlas separately? Or I must buy the pdf version too?

Thank you so much.

Developer

Hey! Shoot me an email at gilarpgs at gmail dot com and I'll get you a PDF key!

Hey there, I bought the physical book at a store last month , and later discovered it was on itch.io. I'm going to email you about a key as well!

(1 edit)

Hey Any chance for community copies would love to play the game but I'm going through hard times financially

Hey y’all! 
I just received my RUNE Kickstarter package and I am so excited to start playing, but I want to make sure I understand if there is an intended “order of operations” for what I should be doing.

I set up my character with random starting equipment, and then should I be following a certain set of steps to make my way through the realm or am I able to choose any of the actions between Exploration and Combat?


Thank you!

Developer

Hi!

You don't have to select your starting equipment randomly, unless that's what you wanted to do.

After that, you pick which realm you want to explore first. I recommend the Grim Coast included in the book. From there, read the opening pages of the realm. It will teach the realm's rules and anything you need to know. When you're ready to start, you start at Point 1 on the map, and are in exploration mode. You can move between connected points, completing actions, until you do a fight and go into combat mode. Do that again and again until you kill the rune lord!

(+1)

Thank you so much! This makes perfect sense I am so pumped! Thanks again!

A quick intent question, because I'm second-guessing myself! The Red Crown allows you to deal +2 Harm if you've got foes adjacent to you. 

I've been assuming that (a) The Red Crown can't increase your Harm dealt if you don't deal harm, and (b) the Red Crown's harm bonus doesn't apply to secondary effects such as the axe's Cleave; rather, it increases primary Harm from your weapons. But as I think about it, I'm really unsure what the intent is! Am I reading the rules correctly? 

Developer

A. That's correct, it can't give you +2 Harm if you aren't dealing some sort of Harm to begin with.

B. That one is more open to your interpretation. I can see reading it either way, boosting or not boosting the Cleave damage. Personally, I would read it as only boosting the primary harm of the weapon, and the Cleave effect is still just 1 to the adjacent enemies. But! I can also see a cool reading where the red crown fills you with rage and your Cleave is extra potent. I leave it in your hands to interpret it the way you'd like!

Thanks!

(+1)

Hi! 

I am playing my first game and I have a couple of questions for the Ghoul 4-5 action (Move 2, Harm 1, Gain 1 Health).

- Can the Ghoul gain health above its initial value? (4)

- Is the health action resolved on step 2 (since it is a "non-harm action") or on step 5 (inside "complete other actions")?

Thanks!

Developer

Hey!

1. The intent is that the Ghoul cannot go above its maximum health.

2. This would take place in step 2.

Awesome! Thanks a lot!

Hi again! :) 

A couple of questions about the combat against the Writher:

- Can the Writher place multiple spike pods in the same square?

- If I get a 6 with Erupting Flame weapon, but I don't have any enemy to make the damage to, do I still suffer the 2 harm?

Thanks again!

(I am already loving the game! :))

(3 edits)

Ok, I think my second question does not make sense. You don't need to assign all your dice to your weapons, right? In any case, I have a similar question about the Red Crown: If the criteria is met, do I suffer the harm even if I don't attack? Also,  do I apply the effect (bonus and harm) every time I attack? Thanks!

Developer

1. Writher doesn't place one in a space that already has a pod.

2. Like you mentioned, you don't have to assign dice. If you can't hurt anyone with the spell, or the crown's effect wouldn't be triggered because you aren't dealing  harm, then you don't suffer the negative consequences. You apply the effect once per round.

(1 edit)

Thanks for the (amazingly) quick answers. I think I got in a comfortable situation in this combat. I already defeated the zealots and I can wait to get range attacks with my Erupting Flame to beat the Writher without getting close :)

Hi!

When you get a death penalty, does it replace the previous one, if you have it? Do they stack, instead?

Thanks!

Developer

I generally play that it replaces the previous one, otherwise it starts to get into a pretty nasty death spiral!

Thanks!

Hi again :)

Does "Erupting Flame" second attack ("Deal 2 Harm to all in your row or column") need line of sight?

Thanks!

Developer

Hello again! My intent with it is that you do not need line of sight, as you are erupting flames all around you and wouldn't need direct line of sight to have that sort of effect.

(1 edit)

Nice, thanks! I also think that makes more sense. If not, sometimes you can get in a weird situation in which you don't have line of sight on the same row/column, but you have if you move to a diagonal, that obviously is of no use for that attack.

Is there a way to generate random realms or stuff? I really like the game but i finished every realm i found pretty quickly.

Developer

There isn't a way to generate random realms because the realms are very intentionally designed. There will be more released in the future!

Oh okay. I guess i will also mess around creating rolling tables and stuff, it wont be as special as designed realms but i think i can make it work.

Quick Question!

In the Grim Coast, I defeated the Necromancer, but the Skeletons got me before I could finish the fight. Since the Necromancer is Unique, but the fight was not over, I'm not sure what to do since the fight is not done but unique enemies don't respawn. I have three thoughts:

1. Necromancer remains dead, and the fight is unfinished and I have to fight the 3 skeletons alone without the Necromance because he's unique.

2. Necromancer remains dead, and skeletons dissipate after killing me so fight is complete.

3. Since the fight was not "completed" the Necromance respawns and I have to fight him and the skeletons again.

I'm leaning towards 1, but I'm not sure and I know I can interpret it any way I choose, but I want to keep it as pure to your intent as possible.

Thanks and really loving this game!

Developer

The intent was option 2, but I totally see going back to finish off the skeletons as a thing you'd want to do!

Great! Thank! and again, really enjoying the game, cant wait to play Reap as well!

I'm sorry if I'm being annoying, but I have another question.

I saw this text in the book under Range:

"For example, a Sling has a range of 2, meaning it can only hit enemies that are exactly 2 spaces away. The term adjacent is used to describe any space orthogonal to the current or targeted space on the grid. This does not include diagonal spaces."

Does this mean that only adjacent attacks have to be orthogonal, but range of 2 can be diagonal? Meaning if I'm at A1, and a target is at B2, are they 2 spaces away if I count A1->B1->B2? Or is it straight line only? I could see diagonal working in that case since spells and arrows and such should have reach in my opinion, but again I'm trying to keep to the original intent of the rules.

Thanks again and having a great time playing!

Developer

You've got it right, diagonal counts for Range 2!

ok great! that made sense to me so I'm glad I'm digesting the rules the right way. Thanks again for the quick reply!

I have just ordered a physical copy of RUNE and after perusing the Creator document to design realms I have thought about perhaps designing a RUNE realm at some time. I am new to this universe. Is there any suggested documents about the world so that I can get some sense of what content would work. For example, I love dungeon delving would a exclusively dungeon setting be permitted? Could I make up my own monsters or is there a bestiary I should follow?

Developer

You are free to make anything you want for the game! You do not need to worry about building on the "canonical" world of RUNE, and are encouraged to create your own things.

Does the Red Crown Gear provide the +2 harm for each unique harm source? 
I have the erupting flame spell equipped and landed a 4 (hit all same and adjacent for 2 harm). I happen to be surrounded lol. Does red crown add +2 to each hit? 

Developer

Yep, it would add it to each for your flame spell!

Hey! Nice game! I’m curious to know if you considered using a hex grid rather than a square grid for combat? And how do you think a hex grid would change the game mechanics and combat strategies? 

Developer

I didn't make it a hexgrid because I wanted the combat to feel small and for range to matter, even in a 4x4 space. With a hexgrid, many more spaces are adjacent or within range than a square grid, where diagonal spaces would be considered range 2. 

Thanks for replying so quickly, and Happy New Year!

(1 edit) (+1)

When you choose your starting equipment and rune, the ones that you didn't select are gone forever right? Or, if you can swap things out, is that only possible at a particular point? e.g. at the sigil, or after leaving/re-entering a realm?

I'm basically wondering whether I can respec this poor idiot of mine or if I'm better off starting fresh with a new engraved XD

PS - Just got lost in the game for hours there and it really did give that soulsy feel in ways that I really wasn't expecting! In particular, going into a fight that I tiptoed through before and wrecking all the enemies while having pretty much the exact same build/gear - that felt like actually getting to know enemy patterns in souls games. Awesome work!

Developer

They are considered gone, as there are no other ways to earn them in the other realms. However, if you want to swap out or respec with some of the other starting equipment, I don't see any harm in trying it! You want to find that build that's the most fun for you before you dive deep.

Thanks so much for the quick reply! To be honest, I like the finality and hardcore approach - part of me really does want to see this character push through a bit more, so I'll persevere before 'starting a new save' XD

Ooh one more question if you don't mind: when you die/rest, only the fights are reset, correct? I'm wondering if search actions that yield consumable items are once-off, which my gut tells me they are.

(Mild spoilers for The Grim Coast below)

My character has: Great Axe, Basic Shield, Strider Boots, and Fate's Hunter. Pretty slow and needs a lot of good rolls! 2 points of Lore but my max health is at 8 now for reasons I'm sure you know...absolutely getting wrecked by the harder enemies I met and kinda loving it. Thanks!

Developer(+1)

So glad to hear you're enjoying the game! 

That's correct, only fights reset on death/rest.

Good luck on the Grim Coast!

Deleted 49 days ago
Developer

I'm deleting the question above, not because it's a bad question, but because it contains a realm spoiler! 

Please leave realm specific questions in the Realm Questions board, where spoilers are allowed.