This is Advanced RuneQuest (1987). Where the Avalon Hill RuneQuest was split into Standard and Deluxe, Games Workshop opted to call the Deluxe version Advanced, sticking to the established nomenclature of D&D. Aside of the inclusion of a starter adventure (which I am pretty sure is not in the Avalon Hill box) and the removal of the Glorantha-specific source material, this is the same text as the Avalon Hill rules.

I think the art problem is a bit clearer in this volume. To me, RuneQuest is firmly rooted in the bronze age. Some of the art in this book gets to that, though with a strong Conan/Frazetta influence (that feels distinct to me from general bronze age stuff, but you might think that is hairsplitting, which is fine). But then, there is a lot of stuff that is just…generic fantasy art. Nothing about that demon feels like RuneQuest. A lot of the art has armor that is too advanced. I love the woman warrior in studded leather and the adventuring party by Colin Sullivan, but they just ain’t RuneQuest to me, because RQ is something specific. Which is really a larger problem with the Avalon Hill version more broadly – it was trying to be a generic fantasy RPG and in the early days of the line, stripped out everything distinct about RQ in service to that. Honestly: RQ doesn’t work right without Glorantha. At any rate, GW was really just following Avalon Hill’s lead here.

Love that sorcerer portrait too. Totally straight up Games Workshop aesthetic there. By Nick Bibby, who I’ve never heard of (so often the case with GW artists. Speaking of, if you know anything about Colin Sullivan, drop me a line and tell me more – I can’t find anything on the guy).