From: Rune (rune@ace.com)
Date: Wed 01 Dec 1993 - 07:03:54 EET
I'd like to follow up on a couple of recent threads; unfortunately, since catastrophic Net-access changes have forced me to subscribe to the Daily from this (very accident-prone) system, I can't reply directly. I only hope that this gets through at all!
There were some inquiries about Runic magic systems. In particular, someone asked about a system resembling or based upon _Ars Magica_.
I did write a large Runic magic system quite some time ago, which appeared here (or maybe it was in a regular monthly Digest). However, that system was *not* based on Ars Magica. Another system which came out shortly afterword (I think) *was* based on that system, and did have several points in common with my own.
If anyone wants a copy of my system, I can attempt to send it from here -- though I'm not sure that this system will be up to the task, and in any case the system didn't spark much interest the first time around.
2) Starting Out With RQ
In response to a request for information about introducing new players to Glorantha: To the best of my recollection, the things that most interested me about RQ when I first started playing was that everyone got magic, and the cults. I can remember the gleeful older players yelling "WAHA!" to this day. 8^>}
Beyond that, I just picked up Glorantha over time. A process of osmosis, I guess.
As it happens, I've been working (intermittantly) on a large campaign -- or maybe it would be better to call it a campaign framework -- designed to bring groups of disparate characters together and get them involved in Glorantha. Parts of it may eventually surface in several publications (a crude form has already appeared in _The Wild Hunt_ APA). Right now I have it down to a detailed five-page outline. If whoever posted the request for info about introducing characters to Glorantha wants to drop me a line, I'll email it to them.
3) It's Alive?
Does anyone know the status of RQ with Avalon Hill these days? Apparently they're announcing nothing but the all-in-one softcover edition. I find it ominous that Sandy Petersen's Prax material wasn't snapped up by AH...
Along those lines, here's an idea: if the Avalon Hill -- Chaosium agreement forbids Chaosium or third party companies to publish RQ material, why not start publishing it on the Net? I'm not talking about the fine but disorgranized material that currently is being published here. What I'd like to see is organized material, entire sourcebooks if you will, available for FTP from some central site. True, you couldn't charge for this -- but we seem to have here a unique opportunity to do something unique in roleplaying. It's quite possible that there has never been a larger or more-qualified group of fans of an RPG system in regular contact with each other. Perhaps under the auspices of the Daily huge quantities of organized, quality RQ material could be generated. This might be the cutting edge of gaming -- a system in which the *majority* of new material is generated and distributed via the Net! Should the time come when AH or some other company had the resources to publish RQ material on paper, the Net material would be a ready supply.
Of course, it's a pity that those without Net access would be cut off from this process. But I can't think of any way around that problem, and it seems that this might be the only way for RQ to survive at all.
-->Pete
Peter Maranci Malden, Massachusetts rune@ace.com or rune@trystero.com or pete@slough.mit.eduIf you can't reach me at one address, try another -- they all have problems.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.7 : Fri 10 Oct 2003 - 01:32:31 EEST