From: MOBTOTRM@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Date: Wed 07 Aug 1996 - 15:02:10 EEST
G'day all,
____________________________
Splatterpunking Vadeli Thots
I really got a kick out of Loren's wildly-MGF-able idea that Vadeli
At the risk of inducing Martin Laurie to launch into a veritable 'onslaught'
can't cast their Immortality spells if they having living parents or
living offspring. Brilliant! (Can we pinch this for the rumour page in
Tales?)
of postings defending himself:
>As for the clinical description of the Blues methods, I think there is
>a bit of hypocracy coming in here from MOB anyway. I played Rune Metal
>Jacket and found the Lunar creation of the regimental standard to be
>pretty gross (good though) yet that wasn't "alluded too", it was pretty
>graphic.
I don't feel hypocritical at all, and I think this mendacious comparison is
unwarranted. However, readers of the Digest can make up their own mind.
Here's the excerpt from 'Rune Metal Jacket' that Martin refers to (spoiler
for RMJ follows):
***
"With the full moon rising above him, Dushan and the officers of the fort
lead out the chosen PC, who looks drugged and blissfully unaware of
his surroundings. The priest's party stands before the standard, its
white banner fluttering listlessly in the breeze.
In a hushed, reverential whisper, Dushan addresses the Cohort: "Here we
have the winner of the Games, the Perfect Soldier. You see before you
what the Goddess has wrought within him. He is as he is because of Her.
He is as you would wish to be, a reflection of your selves, made up of
you in part, making you in part. He is one, yet contain multitudes.
Multitudes dedicated to the Goddess. He is legion, he is the standard
to which you are all held. So I speak, so the Goddess affirms."
With this, a red glow emanates from the Lady Dushan, Civius and the
other officers, the Winner, and the whole Cohort, including the PCs.
This glow coalesces around the Winner, raises him up over the dias and
the white training banner he stood in front of. With great care,
almost tenderness, the glowing force impales the Winner on the
standard.
With supernatural force, blood erupts from the Winner, showering the
entire legion with red. The Winner's blood soaks the white banner,
turning it a deep crimson.
Eerily, only a single drop strikes each legionnaire, just at the shoulder
where their white cloak is pinned on. With eldrich speed, this single
drop spreads across the cloak of each soldier, causing the cloaks to turn
red as well.
The Cohort is now blooded."
***
I apologise in the unlikely event this passage has induced nausea in anyone.
However, I'm glad that this shocked Martin when he played Rune Metal
Now, if I was setting out to be "pretty graphic" no doubt I would added a
With great care, almost tenderness, the glowing force impales the
...about how the standard prised apart the luckless Winner's buttocks and
See, it's depressingly easy to write SplatterPunk; I could do it too if I
Jacket - it was meant to shock, as it is the plot-twist, the pay-off at
the end of one part in the scenario, and is written in that context.
paragraph or two after here:
Winner on the standard...
[excessively anatomical description of stake's journey through victim's
digestive system, his bodily juices and excrescences dribbling down the pole
and puddling in the dust, the scream welling up in his throat turning into a
foamy gargle as a mixture of blood and bile rises etc etc ad nauseum...]
wanted Martin. However, the passage has sufficient dramatic effect as it
is, I think.
A fan:
I find my attitude on this topic has already been best expressed by the
>That is SICK!!
Martin L.:
>>Why thank you, one tries ones best.
estimable David Cake:
>Whereas to understand that they do horrible things, but for reasons
>deeply connected to Vadeli culture and magic, which we can partly
>explain but not fully, makes them interesting enigmas (that the GM
>can experiment with) rather than an exercise in how to appall people.
>
>Gloranthan roleplaying has such a following largely because it is
>adult. To realistically confront moral horror such as war or rape or
>torture is something that is part of adult roleplaying. To see how gross
>you can be is adolescent.
________
Garhound
Someone posted a while back asking for information about Garhound (the site of
the Contest scenario in Sun County). If you vist Loren's website, there is
a link to Bryan Maloney's campaign page, which is set in Garhound and contains
some interesting background. Worth a look!
Cheers
MOB
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