From: Carlson, Pam (carlsonp@wdni.com)
Date: Tue 09 Jul 1996 - 01:36:00 EEST
I'll try real hard here to come up with new stuff, and not violate "Rule
#3".
>Which puts Lunar apologist on even shaker ground.
Why do Lunars need apologists? Does any Gloranthan society need an
apologist? Does Sheng? Does Arkat? Harrek? Even the KOW has
proponents on the Digest.
> It seems to me that those pushing the destruction of the Monomyth are
also pushing
the Red Goddess as the true and proper religion of Glorantha.
I guess some folks could assume that these two are linked. In my mind
they are not. While I am a vigorous opponent of the monomyth, (stomp,
stomp, stab!), I in no way think of the Red Goddess as the true and
proper religion of Glorantha. It is fun to look at Glorantha from Her
POV, but it is also fun to look at the world from the Orlanthi "No one
can make you do anything" creed, or the simple wisdom of the Telmori:
"If it moves, eat it; if it doesn't, pee on it".
If you reject the monomyth, it's easier to see how (nearly) every
Gloranthan religion/society is as valid as any other. If you read the
history of Glorantha, it's plain to see that these cultures conflict
over the centuries, each gaining the upper hand for a while. They are
_all_ pretty brutal by our 20th century/Western standards, but very few
of them are evil, and all are worth understanding.
The Lunars are fun because, as an empire with an ideological agenda,
they allow players and GM's to toy with modern ideas. (The political
commissar in "Tarsh War" selling off the soldier's beer ration to
finance more "Little Red Books" comes to mind.) MGF is lost if you
reduce this culture to a horde of genocidal maniacs and non-persons.
The Orlanthi are fun because they allow people to play with mythic Saxon
& Celtic cultures. (Like decorating your chariot with heads instead of
fuzzy dice.) MGF is lost if you turn them into mechanical killers.
Please notice that the rabidly pro-Lunar comments of Nick and Peter are
all tongue-in-cheek. Just as, I'm sure, your "Better Dead than Red"
slogan is!
I think David B's whole question is: "Why wouldn't the Orlanthi see the
Lunars as "Evil Incarnate?" Lots of people have already answered this.
In short - because the "Orlanthi" and "Lunars" are both made up of
individual humans, with different experiences, who are capable of
thinking for themselves.
Pam
------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.7 : Fri 13 Jun 2003 - 16:51:24 EEST