From: Loren J. Miller (MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu)
Date: Wed 23 Feb 1994 - 02:45:40 EET
jacobus@sonata.cc.purdue.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
| In the Beginning, the Introduction sent me straight to nappy-land. Zing
| that sucker up and SHORTEN it. It's too darn long and it all of what you
I agree. The intro was good for Gloranthan historians but
of little to no use for people who want to ROLEPLAY there. RQ is a
ROLEPLAY game, not a historical treatise on Glorantha. Luckily, OJ
agrees that the intro is intimidating to anyone not already a RQ fan.
| Play Aids needs some work. The FIRST thing you need to do is point out
| that these supplements are for the THIRD edition of RQ and some adaptation
| may be necessary. Second, and extremely important, you MUST emphasize that
| these supplements may contradict each other and that these contradictions
| and inconsistencies are NOT accidents.
This is very true. Most other games and world histories are written with
| Renown: Well, I'm a LITTLE less hostile to it than before, now that I've
the assumption that published sources are infallible, and that they
supercede individual campaigns. This is a *HUGE* difference in RQ and
you should point it out when you introduce the world. Of course,
carrying this out in practice is a *bit* of a trick (understatement
alert).
| read its explanation, but I still think it's a bad idea, especially since
| the implementation is pretty much crap. The greatest weakness: It is not
| possible to gain or lose Renown during play. Guess what folks, the
| notoriety of a person CAN CHANGE OVER TIME!!!!!!
Further ranting deleted. I agree. That's why I proposed that Renown
(Aspect/Area) be scored as a percentile ability and increased by
experience (and political campaigning) just as if it were a skill... not
that it *is* a skill proper... but if the easiest and most consistent
way to use it is to treat it as a skill then I say "do it."
| Experience. I must state that EVERY method given for handing out
| I prefer the 1d3/1d6/2d4 differentiation. I challenge ANYONE to prove to
I prefer 1d3/1d6/2d6 to all the other choices. It's a LOT easier to
| POW gain rolls: I don't think there's any way to do this so that all will
remember. That's enough of a reason to get my vote.
It would be a good trick to model them so that everybody likes them. If
While I like the implications of this sort of mechanic for POW increase,
"worship" is the way that people get more POW then you might get POW
checks at several types of situations. After a period of contemplation,
vaguely a week in which you can do your ordinary work, you get to make a
roll for POW increase and any POW checks you earned during that time are
wiped from the slate. Time to earn some more.
1. You successfully led a dangerous expedition. People are likely to
offer hero-worship to someone who accomplishes daring feats.
2. N people (where N is your current POW) came to you with requests for
aid and you satisfied their requests, without any payment being offered
or given. Note the aid could be "smite my enemies" as easily as "heal
me" and "instruct me" so this isn't a goody-two-shoes rule. People will
offer hero-worship to someone who helps them and their community.
3. A descendant is born. Successful Ceremony roll needed, by the
birth-parents or someone else in attendance. Note that adoptees would
count as descendants, so their children would count as your descendants.
People will offer worship to ancestors.
4. You preside over a public or private gathering as the primary
performer, where there are at least as many people present as POW**2.
Successful Ceremony roll needed. Note this is the genericized version of
priestly POW gain.
it trespasses on the territory of APP and Renown. I still prefer the
model that "Defeating tough enemies with magic makes you more POWerful."
| Fatigue: Put me down in the minority. I like the fatigue rules and find
| them a damned sight better than what has gone before. I also like the
| straight skill penalty. Why? It seems to reflect the effects I've noticed
| on myself of fatigue. I am MUCH more likely to do a stupid thing when I'm
| tired than when I'm alert. This applies to mental as well as physical
| skills. As for master fighters supposedly not having this effect--the 10th
| Dan teachers I've had don't believe that at all. They all taught to "fight
| smarter, not harder". In fact, it is a sign of great skill to derive
| greater and greater effects from less and less exertion.
This is where I'm going to re-launch my idea that you only check for
fatigue when you botch (or fumble). This allows high skill fighters to
"fight smart instead of hard" and not tire themselves.
| Religions, Cults, etc. You are still making the same silly mistake made
| in the first three editions of RQ. You are forgetting to EXPLICITLY state
| that the "Cults" of individual deities are PARTS of a RELIGION, and it is
| the RELIGION that provides the underlying definition of things NOT the
| damned cults! You need to completely re-write the too-short paragraph on
| "Religions" to reflect this. Talk to Loren Miller if you need specific
| advice.
I can send a pretty lengthy rant on the subject, in fact. RAG needs to
cover the difference between Religion and Cult in the rules. Lay
membership or Low Initiate status is a start. Unfortunately they aren't
well described in the rules.
| Also, whoever told you that "civilized" cultures have more leisure was
| pissing down his own leg. This is exactly OPPOSITE the truth. Civilized
| cultures may have a leisure CLASS, but leisure time in general is more
Agreed.
I'm not, at least with Range. I think that Range should be exponential
As for duration, I like the idea of the Maintain skill, but I don't
as in RQ3, and it could easily be restricted by certain sorcerous
colleges in the east islands campaigns, et al. In every fantasy world
that I have read in which long-range magic worked it was true that a
ship with a wizard would always beat one without a wizard. This is true
from the Worm Ourouborous to Earthsea to the Black Company to the Wheel
of Time. I don't think that a good magic system should produce any other
result. Besides, if you don't allow sorcerous spells long range then
they'll get whipped by priests and shamans and dwarves (not to mention
waertagi).
think it should be rare. Without Maintain or something like it the
Regeneration spell is utterly worthless, and so are other spells that
require duration for any effect (like Immortality, a great carrot for PC
sorcerors to quest after). I have an idea. Make Maintain work just like
all the other sorcerous manipulations. You can have as many points of
spell Maintained as your Maintain/10. It doesn't reduce your MP or MP
regeneration. The trick to maintaining more spells is to get a huge
Maintain skill, and that's a tough job if you aren't Brithini or
otherwise immune to age.
| Schools of Sorcery: I would like to see a general Mostali school among
| the atheists. What do the Flintnailers use? They certainly aren't
| Carmanians, Lunars, Malkioni, or Arkati. If you're going to list the cult,
| then supply an appropriate school of sorcery.
Agreed. You *have* to list the sorcerous schools in/around Dragon Pass.
whoah,
+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
"Enough sound bites. Let's get to work." -- Ross Perot sound bite
0,,
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