White Bear and Red Moon is a fantasy board wargame set in the world of Glorantha, created by Greg Stafford and published in 1975.
[1] The game depicts the wars between the mighty Lunar Empire and the barbarian nation of Sartar, led by Prince Argrath, with many smaller countries and individuals available as allies to either side.
Like other games of the board wargame genre, it has a hex map, many cardstock unit counters, and a number of rules themes.
It was substantially revised and republished in 1981 under the name Dragon Pass, first by Chaosium and then in a nearly identical reprint from the Avalon Hill Game Company in 1983.
Nomad Gods is another Chaosium board game that shares many rules in common, is set in a neighboring region of Glorantha, and can be regarded as a sequel of sorts.
This game includes a considerable amount of chrome, simulating the variety of heroes, creatures, and magic that were involved in the battles.
"[2] In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer noted the game had "Eight scenarios of increasing complexity; the total effect is highly complicated."
Palmer also warned that the game required a large amount of luck, but also involved "absorbing diplomatic possibilities of played with a number of participants.
In a short rulebook, it provides an insight into the religions, governments, and ideologies of whole peoples; descriptions of weird and imaginative alien races; the rationales for several competing kinds of magic; and the biographies of the greatest heroes of the age.
[6] Johnson commented that "The rules for Dragon Pass are no cleaner than those for White Bear and Red Moon.
"[6] Steve List reviewed Dragon Pass in Ares Magazine #14 and commented that "While in some ways it is less "magical" than its predecessor, it is a better product in general and can be appreciated by the average gamer and dedicated fantasy fan alike.