From: David Cake (davidc@cs.uwa.oz.au)
Date: Wed 02 Feb 1994 - 05:48:22 EET
>
> 2) Ducks. Everyone knows the importance of ducks in Glorantha.
> Where else can you turn when you run out of trollball trollkin?
> Seriously, their omission had nothing to do with the ancient
> council of conspirators that drove the ducks from their
> ancestral home of Ganderland and has been the secret driving
> force behind their slow extinction ever since....honest <g>.
> Actually, they were simply left out because the creatures section
> is not quite complete. Ducks and a few other creatures are planned
> for inclusion, once we trim a few other creature descriptions down
> to size (elementals in particular), so fear not.
>
Can I make an extremist suggestion here? I feel that a major goal of the RQ4
effort should be to absolutely minimize the number of supplements that need
to be reissued. In accordance with this, I am in favour of making the Divine
magic Rune Lord/Acolyte/Priest rules deliberately vague (so that GOG is
assumed to supersede where appropiate), keeping pretty much the same hit
location tables at least for non-humans (so that Gloranthan Bestiary is still
perfectly useful) and in general keeping a perspective on rules design that
means that nowhere is compatibilty destroyed where the benefit of the the
new rules is small enough that the need to reissue a valuable old supplement
is worse than the problem fixed (please bear this general principle in mind
when considering various rules nitpicks, guys).
But there is one area where the new rules definately supersed the old
ones, and the supplements that use them, and they so they should, because the
new rules are a big improvement. This is character creation.
Now, in order to ensure that valuable old supplements do not need to
be reissued, I suggest a bold step - including all the updated parts in RQ:AiG
This could take a fair few pages, aybe 10 or so -BUT THINK OF THE ALTERNATIVE.
Waiting 3 years before AH/Chaosium get around to reissueing Elder Secrets and
the Players book of Genertela. I think that all the character creation rules
from both these supplements - including all the silly non-humans - should
be included in RQ-AiG, along with any updates to old supplements deemed
necessary. Only the absolute minimum of rules is needed, no description or
whatever.
NB: part of my drive for this strategy comes from seeing the update
from Shadowrun 1 to 2. This change involved very major changes to the rules,
including reworking most of the combat system and the magic rules - and they
needed to re-release only one of at least a dozen supplements. Part of the
reason was a summary of updated rules for various gadgets and critters in the
back of the rulesbook. Lets make the RQ changeover between editions as easy,
especially considering the disasters caused by the need to re-release all the
RQ2 supplements, most of which still haven't been done.
[RQ:AiG is driven by the need for a ]
> viable alternative system of Gloranthan magic that can compete with,
> but is different from divine and spirit magic. The characteristics
> of Gloranthan sorcery are that it is skill based, and potentially
> soul destroying.
I agree with the skill based bit, but where does the soul-destroying
bit come from? I think that you hve been listening to priestly propaganda.
Sorcery is potentially soul-destroying - but so are divine and spirit magic,
they just won't admit it. Just ask the Malkioni -'No, sorcery is the only
magic that is inherently soul-preserving, stressing self-reliance and
independance. What a strange question, have you been listening to barbarian
heathens again?'
NB. my comments are based on RQ4d2.0, and the RQ4 sorcery draft 1.0, as I have
not seen RQ:AiG yet, but comments by those who have seem to indivate that the
system has changed little.
Sorcery in Glorantha does not consist of sorcerers,
> even master sorcerers, that can maintain dozens of small spells, or
> easily cast spells at great ranges, and the mechanics intentionally
> reflect this.
Well, I am not convinced. The only sorcery we have is the sorcery that
does allow this. WHile I agree that it needs to be toned down, it does not
need to be as completely destroyed as you version does
Personally, I think that skilled sorcerers can maintain many small
spells or cast long ones if they put their mind to it (though they probably
do not do so all the time), and I have only Olivers word that they don't :-)
Gregs comments that I have here not as cut and dried on the subject as
Olivers either, I seem to recall.
Unlike divine magic, the expenditure of POW is not
> a requirement to be a successful sorcerer. Sorcerers can cast and
> maintain spells without ever resorting to the use of POW. However,
> much as with DI, sorcerers have the ability to create extraordinary
> effects in desperate situations by expending POW. That's more the
> flavor we're looking for, namely that there exists this temptation
> to partially destroy one's soul in exchange for great, if transient
> power.
Well, I am sorry to tell you, but it is not much of a temptation.
Very few people are likely to even bother putting much effort into building
up range and duration to a high level under the current rules, when they can
spend their time much more profitably on Intensity and Multispell. And unless
their Duration is ridiculously high, it is unlikely that they would bother
using the extended tables, when they can just go and enchant something that
is going to be far more useful generally.
Sorry, but this is one thing about RQ4/AIG that I just hate - the
desire to completely remove the extended range/duration as a viable option.
(and I am sorry, but permanent POW for very dull and difficult 1-use effects
is not a viable option)
> We're also very interested in any comments we get from people
> actually running the rules as to balance, playability, ease of use,
> etc. Part of our goal is to allow schools to differentiate themselves
> by the use of unusual maniplations, which may have very different
> effects than the manipulations and basic mechanics described, but we
> would like to at least present a consistent system of basic sorcery
> mechanics.
> Thanks again for all your comments and input,
>
> Oliver Jovanovic
> jovanovic@cuccfa.ccc.columbia.edu
>
>
>
Cheers
Dave Cake
0,,
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