Episode 15: People of Glorantha: The Tusk Riders

Our guest for this episode is Dom Twist of the Beer With Teeth writers’ (and gamers’) collective, known for his contributions both in a couple of Chaosium publications (Pegasus Plateau‘s Crimson Petals, and Weapon and Equipment Guide) and for various Jonstown Compendium publications by Beer With Teeth (including Dregs of Clearwine, Cups of Clearwine, Stone and Bone, and Rocks Fall).

Dom is another returnee to the podcast, debuting in episode 4: Writing Adventures in Glorantha.

This episode was recorded in early August 2022.

News

More up to date updates are available from Ludo’s weekly Journal of Runic Studies newsletter.

The Weapons & Equipment Guide made its debut in hardcover at GenCon after a previous PDF release late in 2021. Dom points out that this is going to be the last publication with a PDF release before the printed product. Ludo refers to a statement of Rick Meins reported (and commented) in issue 59 of the Journal of Runic Studies.

Ludo reports on the dates for the next Chaosium Con, which will happen April 13 to 16, again in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Dom talks about his plans to go to Continuum 2023 (first time it changed to annual turnover) and Dragoncon.

Children of Hykim by Brian Duguid is out on Jonstown Compendium.

We discuss the rune point cost of turning into a totemic beast.

Dom is enthusiastic about the quantity and quality of the Jonstown Compendium and the RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha releases.

The first volume of Duckpac was out at the time of recording, but by now there are already three of the announced four volumes available.

Chaosium interview with Jeff Richard on game balance.

Main Topic (“It is boaring”)

Ludo presents Dom as the person referred to us as an expert on these guys.

We assume that listeners have at least the RuneQuest rulebook and Bestiary, but Ludo does a 20 seconds presentation of the Tusk Riders

Public Knowledge

What would the average Gloranthan know about the Tusk Riders?

Jörg points out the chance of the adventurers parents having participated in the Boar Hunt of 1606, and Ludo mentions the one of 1622 that adventurers could have participated in themselves.

Dom states that in the eyes of the average Gloranthan of the region, the Tusk Riders are evil: they raid, not just for food and loot, they also want to capture and torture people for their magic.

Dom explains that each Tusk Rider is paired with one of these giant Tusker boars, pretty clever beasts totally dedicated to their riders.

Dom compares them to Sir Ethilrist’s Black Horse cavalry.

The Tusk Riders are heavy cavalry who move unimpeded through forests

We talk about gaining the alliance of a large number of Tusk Riders by sacrificing an entire unit of militia as sacrifices to the Bloody Tusk.

Jörg points out that they breed like pigs, too, replenishing their numbers within very few years.

Ludo talks about what happens to their captives, whose spirits remain enslaved after being tortured to death. We speculate how much of the details of this are known to their foes, and how much of the in-world lore about the Tusk Riders is factual and how much is hear-say or superstition.

We agree that the Tusk Riders are bad to the bone, and thus an excellent foe or boogeyman to throw at adventurers, whether in person or whether just as rumours.

Publication History

Ludo brings up their exonym “Orcs on Porks”, at least among roleplayers.

Dom reminisces about orcs in RuneQuest and other systems.

Jörg boars with the publication history, beginning with RuneQuest 1st edition which already had stats for most of the creatures mentioned in White Bear and Red Moon/Dragon Pass and Nomad Gods.

In White Bear & Red Moon (WBRM) they already had that alliance requirement of sacrificing a unit of soldiers, and a couple of other traits later realized in their expanded descriptions.

Ludo points out that there were Tusk Riders that could be hired as mercenaries or used as adversaries in Snake Pipe Hollow, one of the early