etc.), the book contains original creatures such as goat-headed creatures called broo, and the headless three armed giants called maidstone archers. Some of its traditional fantasy creatures differed notably from the versions from other games (or fantasy or traditional sources); for example, elves are humanoid plant life. Unlike other fantasy RPGs of the time, RuneQuest encouraged the use of monsters as adventurers. Setting The setting included for the current, and all but one of the previous editions has been the world of Glorantha. The well-developed background of the setting offers a breadth of material for players and game masters to draw from. At a time when many RPG settings were cobbled together, RuneQuest offered players a vibrant living world, giving them a much more developed fictional world with established geography, history, and religion. The Dragon Pass area This region of Glorantha is the default setting for RuneQuest adventures. Set on the northern continent, it consists of five homelands each with their own distinctive cultures: Sartar, Prax, Old Tarsh, Lunar Tarsh and the Grazelands. The whole area is extended upland, with several passes through the surrounding mountains, each leading to different regions. This, together with its regional history, has led to a "melting pot" of cultures, with unusually-high variety and concentration of non-human species, particularly for a largely-rural setting. This combination of geography and culture creates the backdrop of the Hero Wars, the original setting for the Dragon Pass board game that RuneQuest was created for. Cults and religion A key element of RuneQuest's flavor is an adventurer's membership of religious societies. Referred to as cults, these usually have three levels of membership. Lay members are informal members with no insight in to the true nature of the cult. Initiates are directly connected to a god or greater power of the cult. They received magic in return. Rune levels are priestly, martial leaders or shaman, working for the god's ideals and goals. The basic rules describe 21 cults, whose availability is related to an adventurer's rune affinities, homeland, and occupation. Supplements All editions of RuneQuest have had supplements published for them. Reception In the September–October 1978 edition of The Space Gamer (Issue No. 19), Dana Holm commented that "Since this game contains a logical system, almost anything can be added to the matrix it presents. A gem of a game. You won't be disappointed." In the February–March 1979 edition of White