Memory Lane Part 13: From Dungeon Delver To Runelord

 1982 was a pivotal point for me in many ways. 

Alan and I had rapidly made ground into discovering the hobby, and we'd also introduced a few friends who had tried out D&D but not really had that 'Eureka!' moment that we'd had.

We were buying and painting miniatures wherever we could get them, having three or four places to buy them in Sheffield, and also, on a day trip to the coast, found Q.T Models where I met and formed a friendship with the great Dave Hoyles, who was one of those 'O.Gs' who don't get the recognition they deserve, and who brought some fantastic models and inspirational painted displays in the store cabinets.

Anyone of a certain age, will get rather excited when 'Q.T Hoplites' come up in conversation or indeed 'Q.T Samurai'.

Sadly, Dave sold the Q.T ranges and they changed hands a couple of times. Indeed, I offered well above the asking price earlier this year when the ranges came up for sale, but the seller decided to sell elsewhere. The models have not yet resurfaced, so possibly another great range has gone.

But, as I said, I was into painting, albeit back then, I was using a neat, block painting style, using enamels and adding eyes etc with felt tip pens. My Mum, was actually a pretty decent figure painter in this style and it was she, who came up with the permamnent felt tip method. Done properly, it was very effective.

I'd also begun to highlight with enamels, and my first real success was on a set of the Fantasy Tribes Zombies. I was so proud, that I took them, after school one afternoon, back to my junior school, where we had been encouraged and nurtured in many ways, including the arts and crafts (11 year-olds being let loose with enamelling kilns being a prime example) Limpsfield being an experimental school model which turned out very rounded individuals, who were then ground back down at the end of 4 years when they passed into local comprehensives.

Anyway, I took the models, all wrapped in tissue and proudly went to show my old headteacher, who inspected them and asked if they were 'used in those role playing games, I've been reading about?'. Aha! my ex Boss was obviously still on the ball, and I confirmed his observation was bang on the money.

And here is where I think the die was really cast, because John Bainbridge told me that since I'd left, a games club run by in Steve Roberts, was being run on Monday nights in one of the mobile classrooms (porta-kabin structures, because the school was becoming so popular, 4 more classrooms were needed and there was no way to build permanent structures without major disruption) and that he'd write me a brief letter of introduction, the reslut being that I joined this club and met the late and very great, Steve, as outlined in part one of this series.

Anyway, It was here that I found that three local kids, I knew albeit a year and a half younger than Alan and I were members of the club and so, within a few weeks, and under the disapproving eye of Steve, we were allowed to play D&D as long as we also played 'proper' wargames. No problem there...

And so, we were playing all kinds of games, Steve bringing vast numbers of models from his own collection for us to game with and generally manhandle, opening new worlds for us to explore. As the club grew, we actually moved into the main school, adjacent to the library, which contained some great books, and, because the Limpsfield library was actually part of Sheffield City Libraries, 'proper' library tickets could be used to grab some of these tomes.

'Giants' by David Larkin was one of my favourites, and a copy still sits on my shelves today. Being in the style of 'Faeries' by Brian Froud, it's a wonderful book about the Giants of myth and folklore and is wonderfully illustrated. In fact, I think that it was an inspiration for The Citadel Giant... I have no proof, but look at the book and you'll see what I mean. At the time of writing, I'm actually working on The Citadel Giant, recreating the one I won the painting competition at SAlute with, and which now resides in the cabinets at Wargames Foundry.

Anyway, we hammered those blue book BAsic rules, and soon I was looking for the Expert set, finding a copy in Beatties, which was on the loose from a boxed set I assumed. So, I popped a £3.99 price tag on it and walked up to the counter - RESULT!

And so, I was in the D&D big time, and craving more than two nights at gaming clubs, I noticed an advert on the Games Workshop notice board for Sheffield Runelords, which met on Monday nights.

Yes, yes, it was going to clash with Steve's group, but Alan and I were getting a bit bored with the same gaming faces, and besides, I was going with Steve to SWS (more at a later date) so I still got to spend time with one of my first gaming idols. Additionally, I had heard the Runelords club was where the GW staff, those bearers of the Holy Word and the natural arbiters of gaming taste and trends (this was the 80s, and they were not the man-child Grim-Bots (TM) you get today, who make those bible-blind ,sheep shaggers of Cromwell's day look like libertines) hung out on Mondays, bestowing dark blessings on those whom they may find interesting enough.

So, Alan and I made our way down there, me with my ADIDAS kitbag filled with my D&D stuff, walking in like the young gods we were - to be totally fucking ignored!

But, as we looked awkward and lost, we were scooped up by Kev Fisher, Nog Northing, the great rules writer Bob Cooper (another forgotten pioneer) and maestro of figure painting with gouache (look it up kiddies) Daz Hodgkiss. We were told that they didn't play D&D there but generally played Runequest and we were qwelcome to sit and watchk and, if we thought it was for us, and got the rules, we could join the game in future.

Well, we were hooked...

What's more, when a compact, suave and witty guy - I think he was called Andy Ritson, I didn't pay him much attention, you understand - arrived with a few boxes of Runequest Broo miniatures, stunningly painted to a standard I'd never seen before. And he was selling them at £2 each which to a kid on £3 a week was a fortune, so we missed out.

HOWEVER: Last year these same models came up on Facebook, being offered at a similar price by a cutthroat dealer, and I recognised them and grabbed a few to add into my Fantasy armies as brigade commanders for my own 200+ Broo, carefully repairing and varnishing the work of my now, old friend, Andy, whom I still believe (and he'll give me shit as usual, but it's the truth) to be the person who made me the painter I am today. HUSH, Andy... Just rejoice that you changed a spotty little twat's life for the better.

Anyway, a week later, and Alan and I were back at the club with the RQ boxed set, Cults of Prax and a freshly painted box of Adventurers, and choosing Humakt as my cult of choice, I was under the direct command (literally) of Bob Cooper's Runelord.

Bob was very much into the spirit of the game's background. I was used to the freer party relations of D&D, so, every time my Lay Member of Humakt, stepped over the line and failed to show Bob's character respect, I got a bloody hard kick to the shin's from Bob's leather soled and Goodyear welted brogues. It fucking hurt...

But I roleplayed better as a result and it meant that when I met Bob again at SWS, I already had a foot in the door with the Grognards, so it was worth the bruises.

And so began the journey into Runequest, and the beginning of more life long friendships, disputes and experiences, which, I'll no doubt cover at a later date, but for now, I will bid you adieu.

TTFN