From: Nick Brooke (100270.337@CompuServe.COM)
Date: Thu 11 Nov 1993 - 01:13:35 EET
> The important thing IMO is that the scenario should be a discrete unit:
> it should not rely on background knowledge; it should include enough
> background to run the game (and no more). Above all, a scenario is not
> a good place to introduce major new fragments of Gloranthan Lore and
> should not be used as an excuse for such.
I dare say you know we aren't going to agree. The advantage of a Gloranthan scenario with a detailed location and culture is that it makes it simple to get into a part of the world. If all scenarios are generic, there's no easy way to break into the complex Gloranthan background. Gentle presentation through a well-crafted scenario (like Gaumata's Vision or Troubled Waters) is a great way of learning how the world works.
A scenario written to fit a specific part of the world is at least going to be instantly usable in that location. "Seven Samurai," after all, came out in a non-generic form, and was subsequently pillaged/emulated by others. I would not like to see a write-up of the plot of "Seven Samurai" in terms of Fighters, People, etc. All the variations on that theme have local colour splashing out all over.
There are any number of works of fiction available in loads of media (books, plays, films, comics) that can be adapted for RQ scenario ideas: I don't think this is a good argument for turning the one purely Gloranthan medium (the Gloranthan RQ scenario) into a source of generic plots. As a time- pushed occasional gamemaster ('cos I spend so much time Grey-Sageing instead of getting role-playing sessions ready to run), I really appreciate the convenience of slipping into a comfortable, easy-to-read, sensibly written, Gloranthan scenario.
Gloranthan lore belongs in Gloranthan games. You can't really divorce the two, and it would be a terrible shame if you tried: a sterile thing to do. I'm not sure how you distinguish a "major" fragment from any interesting mention or use of stuff: to make such a value judgement, you have to read the source first! And new Gloranthan material can and should be presented *anywhere* -- even on this Daily.
At the end of the day: who else publishes Gloranthan stuff we can use? I am dead set against the de-Gloranthification of RuneQuest materials: there are any number of non-Gloranthan games, books, movies, etc. out there, if that's what you want to play or convert. But leave the real thing alone!
All this IMHO, of course. And until I write a scenario myself, I can't really complain about what we get from the various publishers... so it's lucky I've had no real cause to (since Daughters of Darkness).
I like the idea that proper use of 'Contagion' (secret names, spittle, nail clippings, etc.) gives a boost to your chances of overcoming an opponent in POW v POW resistance rolls. However, your proposed boost to rituals through 'Similarity' probably covers the same ground: if you're trying to hurt a person through ritual magic, why not make the magic more likely to affect them rather than more likely simply to succeed (as cast chance can already be boosted under current Ritual rules by Ceremony skill)?
Your point on extending spell range for 'curses' appears valid, esp. when viewed in the light of David Dunham's "Detect Antelope" example. Given a more animistic model for Spirit Magic, there would be little difference between casting a spell at someone over a great distance, and sending a big spirit over there to beat the crap out of them. The former would generally lead to more interesting game effects (though weird spirits are always an entertaining possibility). Perhaps we can blur or abolish the distinction?
I prefer to assume that appropriate objects and rituals *must* be used in any casting of ritual magic, rather than grant a bonus to casting chance if they are in fact employed. Less paperwork, more realism. This would mean that 'Correspondences' were a dead letter -- though a rag-bag of examples of neat ideas for foci, matrices, etc. would be nice to see. (And no, I don't mean really *clever* powergaming ideas: I mean sensible ones based on the material culture of the people concerned).
> WOMEN AND MEN AND MARRIAGE
> (This particular marriage custom is not universal, but it is fairly
> common, and it sure brings culture shock to Genertelan PCs in a hurry.)
The flipside of it (old men who have a harem of young women) is what happens in Dara Happa, surely. The obverse (old women with a harem of young men) can be found in Esrolia. The unusual thing about this Pamaltelan form is that it is cyclical, and monogamous within each phase of that cycle. We Genertelans will perhaps be more scandalised to see the reverse of our own marriage custom practiced in conjunction with it, rather than astonished by the disparity in ages in itself.
IMHO, natch!
> NEXT TIME I WRITE: Details on Jmijie the Wanderer and the Oases.
> And more on Doraddi society.
I can hardly wait...
Looks like MOB's being 'scooped' good and proper!
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