Roleplaying in the setting of "King of Dragon Pass"

 David Dunham's fantastic iPhone version of the classic computer game "King of Dragon Pass" is getting the critical and popular attention it deeply deserves. Set in Glorantha, it is centered on an Orlanthi clan that resettles in Dragon Pass circa 1330 S.T. From there, your clan explores its surroundings, interacts with its neighbors, forms a tribe, and, with luck, tries to unite the Orlanthi into a Kingdom. Fantastic stuff and if you don't have it already, GET IT!

If you want to play a Paper and Pencil RPG of King of Dragon Pass, you could do far worse than start by picking up a copy of Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes. Many of the themes and issues in "King of Dragon Pass" are also imbeded into the Moon Design RPG book "Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes".  Sartar is also clan centered, with the same clan creation process as King of Dragon Pass, although in most games you play individual members of the clan, rather than the collective clan leadership. Same cults (and many more), same heroquests (and many more), and same social structure.

The big difference is that Sartar is set over a century after the events in Kingdom of Dragon Pass. Dragon Pass has been conquered by the Lunar Empire, a powerful empire from the north that worships the Red Moon Goddess, an enemy of Orlanth and the Lightbringers.

However, it is simple enough to take the material in Sartar and set back the clock to the time of King of Dragon Pass - especially if you have already played that game.

My advice - if you already have Sartar, buy King of Dragon Pass. If you have King of Dragon Pass and want to play a roleplaying game in the same setting, get a copy of Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes.