From: Erik Sieurin (BV9521@utb.hb.se)
Date: Sat 14 Sep 1996 - 17:43:18 EEST
Just to add to a somewhat weird debate:
One of the major heroes IMG is a heroine. I don't bother with her
menstrual problems. We simply ignore them. Similarily, I don't care
how you wipe your ass after visiting the loo.
However, this isn't because "in Glorantha women don't menstruate" or
"in Glorantha people doesn't need to excrete". It is because we don't
care about these things. To say "I don't want to worry about it, so I
say the problem dosen't exist" is ridiculous - just ignore the damn
thing!
It's like the issue of ammo when playing Star Wars RPG. You never
count the ammo of your blaster, you just blaze away, because that is
part of the genre - if the heroes EVER has to worry about such
things, it is because its a special part of the plot. It is NOT
becuase blasters don't need ammo.
I personally hate and loathe "Why does we have to worry about X -
Glorantha is a FANTASY world?" as an argument. It props up every now
and then. Every fantastic thing you put into a fantasy world, every
thing that is there, should be put in to cause a cool effect of sense
of wonder. The more fundamental the change is, the more difficult the
suspension of disbelief becomes.
If you think it is a cool idea that women have no trouble with
menstruation and pregnancy in Glorantha, by all means say it is so. I
disagree, but never listen to people like me in such matters.
But please, please, don't do it because "it's unfair to women or
children or whatever". If the troubles of the real world soil the
fantasy just IGNORE THEM!
And please, please, don't change every aspect of human life because
"Glorantha is a fantasy world". Glorantha is really fantastic enough
as it is. It is a goddamn lozenge with very active deities and
gazillions of weird magical natural effects, with heaps of exotic
cultures where everyone uses supernatural techniques as a part of
daily life. To actually BELIEVE in this when playing your character
(and if you don't believe it isn't much fun) takes a lot of strain -
don't increase it with trivial matters.
Personally I think that a certain area, people or age where some
mundane trouble like menstruation, hunger, egoism or stupidity
doesn't exist is a GREAT idea - but only as a contrast to the rest of
the world. Running a character from such a background will be
challenging and interesting, and having normal characters
encountering the background will also be heaps' o fun.
Erik Sieurin
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