>I did not kill Rupert out of malice
>(didn't he get killed by a zombie in Al Dewey's campaign in 1980 or
>so? must have been another duck...)
You are confusing Rupert the Avenger with Alfonso the Avenger, his predecessor (or maybe I am. You always had a better memory than me). Sargareth Sureblade, my Sword of Humakt, used to carrying a rapier with a fireblade matrix which he would loan to any Humakti duck who had the balls to hang around with him. The mortality rate of such sidekicks was extremely high, and he eventually had to give up on the whole duck-as-hero-helper thing. Sax Strangerfoe, hero trollkin, now has the job (but not the rapier).
Brian goes on to protest:
>Seriously, I do not take
>out vendettas on PCs; they are not responsible for their actions...
But you have to admit, you were glad Rupert bit the dust. Come on, 'fess up.
>The real reason I don't allow ducks anymore comes from the example of
>another duck that I allowed in later. This duck caused so much
>annoyance and grief for myself and the party that I decided I had
>enough with ducks... I had never been happy with a race that I felt
>was created for mere comic relief. The fact that some players choose
>to play ducks so that they can make a mockery of more serious
>characters/players just sealed their fate.
Look, just because Rupert wore a black mask, a cape, and a hat with dingle balls on it, and liked carving flaming "R"s into Lunar soldiers didn't make him comic relief.
Errr... okay, maybe it did. But is that so wrong?
>I have, to a lesser degree, the same view on Tricksters:
>"Hey, let's loosen Gronk the Troll's armor straps while he's not
>paying attention...ha, ha, look his leg got chopped off! What a riot!
That's because you forget the two built-in Gloranthan dynamics for keeping a Trickster in line...
>My feeling has always been that the comedy comes from the players
>themselves and should not intrude into the actual actions of
>characters in ways that would never happen in a
>realistic-fantasy-world.
Which is essentially the root of Brian's and my duck/trickster schism. Brian's campaign (one of the best I've ever played in, by the way) emphasizes grand heroism, noble deeds, and dastardly villians. Ducks just don't fit the mood. My campaigns tend to be a little goofier. If Brian's Glorantha is a Disney cartoon, mine leans a little more towards Warner Brothers. Which means the more outragous/comic aspects of Glorantha fit in just fine. Personally, both genres are great fun. I'm not sure which I liked better, cowering in fear from Brian's infamous eight-armed Doomed One Scorpionbroo or battling Zorak Zoran Loons and the Lower Intestine of the Devil in Frank Giles' chaos infested Upper Bog. And I've laughed my ass off at stuff in Brian's campaign and quaked in my boots at unmentionable horrors in Frank's. One of Glorantha's strengths is it's richness, allowing GMs to emphasize aspects that they and their players enjoy most.
Brian concludes:
>yes, it's unfair for me to dislike ducks and tricksters based on the
>actions of only some players/characters, but, hey, there's always
>other RQ campaigns to go to, right? Whoops, wait, there aren't
>anymore...hmmm... :)
Too true. And too sad.
On Brian's Dragonnewts:
>> The DNewt was a monstrousity, balance-wise. But we were young and
>> foolish (and I played one too).
>
>I actually forgot about him...I was talking about Lashout Longtail, a
>renegade beaked dragonewt, not Saraksan the Flame of Truth, a Full
>Priest who sits in my binder unplayed like my 40th level wizard from
>my early D&D days (that's what happens when you're 13...these old
>monstrousities are great NPCs though). So anyway, I have 2 Dragonewt
>PCs, I guess; it's just that one of them has Firebreath 12... :).
Actually, I _was_ thinking of Lashout. PC beaked DNewts are gross. PC beaked DNewts who are Rune Lords of Humakt are even worse. But I'll grant you, not nearly as bad as Saraksan. I'd blocked him out of my mind completely. Firebreath 12. Shudder.
Hey, has anyone ever thought of running a game at one of the cons for all those really horrific characters sitting at the back of everyone's binders? I'd love to play Sargareth again. And I'm sure Brian would get a fiendish delight from inflicting Kroll the Uber-Baboon on an unsuspecting world. Any takers?
Robert
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