Re: Malkioni rule

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From: Close friend of Little Elvis (WALLMAN@VAX2.Winona.MSUS.EDU)
Date: Mon 18 Apr 1994 - 07:00:47 EEST


Thanks for the comments. After my delay, this topic may be dead already, but...

Sandy, Sen of Peter replies:
>>In general, I find the western civilizations to be much more
>>difficult to use for a game setting than good old barbarian
>>settings.
>
> I find this to be a very interesting comment, especially
>since AD&D(TM), Pendragon, and most trash fantasy books almost
>exclusively use this type of setting. Not that I disagree with Ed's
>comment, but look at Safelster -- it's the classic Fantasy Setting,
...
>>We had two Malkioni soldiers playing once and no one could tell them
>>apart
> As you say, a failure in roleplaying. I'd like to point out
>that anyone who can tell two different Orlanthi warriors apart should
>be able to make two different Malkioni soldiers without much trouble.

I should admit that I do not play these games, and my favorite campaign was RQ vikings. So personal preference is playing a large part here. But I still look at the options available to Orlanthi compared to Malkioni. There are seven or more "personas" to choose to emulate in the society. Each has rich myths and varying levels of accomplishment. Orlanthi PCs are usually from any of these cults. Malkioni PCs are from a max of 4 types, and the Invisible God never did or does anything until you are dead. What a role model!

>>In earth's middle ages Europe wealthy merchants would purchase
>>nobility and priesthoods. Does this happen in Glorantha's west?
>
> I can't imagine it doesn't. Hmm. Confusing double negative
>there. Let's rephrase that. Of course!
>
>>does a growing wealthy middle class threaten the nobility in
>>Glorantha?
>
> Why not? A shortage of wizards, or excess of soldiers, or

I guess my complaint here would get down to the lack of published material. These two items are not in the published materials so they have to be made up (i.e. more work). There are few mentions of social upheavals in the western cultures, and the overall impression I get is that society is stable (social structures, not political). Fuel for social conflict is heaped upon every Orlanthi chapter. But then, there are more Orlanthi chapters so maybe just that is the problem.

The other things Sandy says are sound replies to my complaints so I have no response to them. Violent retort maybe, but no response.

>From: JARDINE@RMCS.CRANFIELD.AC.UK
>

Lewis says:
>
> Remember that there are quite a few different Malkioni Churches.
>1) They ALL regard the others as heratics of various degrees.
> Remember the reponse of the Medieval Church to heratics (burn them)!
>2) A few of the herasies allow Tapping... These are realy BAD GUYs.
>3) If you need a realy Horrible opponent try an unaligned sorceror or
> God forbid a Vampire.

Yes, but here is my gripe about Malkioni sects. Some comparisons:

YELMALIAN FARMER: Why are trolls evil?

YELMALIO PRIEST: Because their god beat up our god and stole our god's fire powers! You can see this every time some trolls use magical fire to fight us.

ORLANTHI FARMER: Why is the Red Goddess evil?

ORLANTH PRIEST: Because she threatens to take control of the middle air, the domain our god should rightfully rule. You can see this every time you look up in the sky!

MALKIONI PEASANT: Why are the Galvosti evil?

MALKIONI WIZARD: Their wizards tap non-Malkioni. These wizards make up less than 5% of population, you probably will never meet one, and they don't really tap our people, but they are EVIL! PURE EVIL!

What do we know about these heresies? Their descriptions are ho-hum. Their differences seem to revolve around a single spell (tap) that not only the average person will not know, but probably only the more powerful wizards will. Maybe I just have trouble relating to a society model that would do things like burn down the Jewish quarter for the shaky reasoning that they killed Christ.

The only real interesting heresy is the Stygian heresy which is described like all the rest in a paragraph here and there.

Again, my gripe might just be lack of material. But that is why I am anxious to see in the TOTRM Malkioni issue. Just two issues off so that would put its arrival date in June, 1999. :-) 

Ed						YOYO
Wallman@vax2.winona.msus.edu			Yelmalio's favorite toy
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