In the mid 1990s, Avalon Hill began work on a fourth edition of RuneQuest subtitled Adventures in Gorantha, however Stafford did not approve of the project and it was canceled. Avalon Hill, to assert their trademark to the RuneQuest name, instead hired new designers on the project to start over with a fresh approach. Slated for a 1998 release, RuneQuest: Slayers, did not resemble previous editions in regards to rules and focused on a low-magic setting inspired by pulp sword and sorcery fiction.
In the mid-1990s, Avalon Hill planned to release a fourth edition of RuneQuest called "Adventures in Gorantha," but the project was scrapped after the creator, Stafford, disapproved. To secure their trademark rights, Avalon Hill hired new designers to create a new version of RuneQuest called "Slayers" which had a different rule set and focused on a low-magic setting inspired by pulp fantasy novels.