Runequest: Sun County by Chaosium

Seth Stauffer

Glorantha is a very well-respected setting in the world of tabletop role-playing games. Yet, like in any TTRPG, there’s always room for adding more to the story. Enter Sun County. This book is a revised and updated reprint of the 1992 edition, intended to enhance clarity. (As per Chaosium, this supplement has not been modified for the current iteration of RuneQuest. Follow the link above for more information.)  Some things age, like milk, and others, like wine. Sun County finds itself in the latter category.

A vibrant setting, characterised by a harsh, sun-drenched environment, is described with informative and focused writing. The book offers insight into various factions, cults, character options, and more. At the end of the book, there are even several modules to help usher people into the setting. They’re all quite good, although my favourite is ‘The Garhound Contest,’ where PCs face various challenges. It’s the kind of thing that’s both fun and frustrating, making it perfect for a short gaming session. The notes from fictional characters are a nice touch for adding flavour to the text.

I had difficulty finding things I didn’t like in this book. It’s a product of its time, and the design and layout appear somewhat dated, but that doesn’t detract from the text. What I did realise while reading this is that it isn’t a supplement for people who prefer low-prep gaming. There is so much nuance and insight strewn throughout the book that truly appreciating it will require time and effort from the reader. Also, for anyone running a game, please be prepared to answer questions, as the book contains a wealth of information that can be challenging to recall. This level of content may require pausing a session to locate specific ideas and rules, an activity that may not appeal to everyone. Sun County might be a reissue of an older supplement, yet it has aged remarkably well. The introduction by Shannon Applecline does a great job of explaining how Sun County came to be and is worth a reader’s time before delving into the main text. Although it’s less than a hundred pages, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the amount of information available. Despite its brevity, the content is abundant here. The text felt condensed, which may be off-putting to people looking for options they can pick up and plug directly into a session with minimal effort. This type of product offers a depth of content that is truly impressive, extending the already iconic Glorantha campaign setting even further.