The Glorantha Sourcebook is a systemless look at the world of Glorantha (which means that you can use it for RuneQuest, HeroQuest or 13th Age).

The approach follows along the lines of the massive, two-volume Guide to Glorantha, though this is more focused. There are two histories, one of Dragon Pass and one of the Lunar Empire, which sets up the two main factions of modern Glorantha (the nearly 40 pages on the Lunar Empire, which embraces ideas of chaos and apotheosis that are taboo in other cultures, is probably the best overview on the subject to date). There is also a broad look at the important non-human races, magic, and Glorantha’s peculiar concept of time.

The rest of the book is given over to the rich mythology of Glorantha, which is the inevitable destination of any Glorantha book, honestly. In this case, it takes the form of a theogony, an intricate accounting of the genealogy of the various pantheons. You’re either going to love or hate Glorantha’s focus on religion. I am generally not one for lore, but I find this stuff fascinating, in part because it seems so weirdly familiar – much of Gloranthan myth is built out of themes and archetypes remixed from the real world myth. Not to sound hippie dippie, but it has a kind of mystical resonance. And unlike a lot of game lore, it figures strongly in construction and execution of the games. Adventuring in Glorantha means interacting with living myth.

The Glorantha Sourcebook is an excellent introduction and guide, and probably the exact amount you’ll ever need to run your own Glorantha campaign. Perhaps best of all is the strong visual aesthetic, which mashes up the styles of many bronze age cultures. Glorantha has kind of lacked this in the past and having it now really breathes life into the world and fires the imagination. Strongly dig that painting of Orlanth, the storm god, in particular.