>Please remember the root cause of my peeve: players using their
>real-world knowledge to influence their characters actions. I don't
>want players thinking about stuff like the science of how the world
>works, because their characters don't think that way.
True, but this is mildly dangerous from a player experience point of view. In most games, there will be only one or two glorantha experts - usually the guy running the game. The rest will be players just along for the fun of it (especially if Hero Wars takes off). Little things should be used to remind the players that their characters are not in the 'real world'. Too much of this undermines their feeling of connection to their character and causes some players to get frustrated. A player needs to have faith that he knows how cause-and-effect works in order to plan with confidence. The character has a deep understanding of the world and its myths (locally) - the player does not.
As for God-Learner backlash against experiments, this is quite true! However, periods at the end of most ages are marked by people breaking traditions - usually in a big way. Many players will eventually want their characters to participate. I don't see a Lhankor Mhy Priest shying away from dabbling in natural science here and there. Done with respect for the Gods, it is sometimes the only way to settle the kinds of arguments that no doubt crop up from time to time. Of course the furor over the experiment might be more trouble than the argument that prompted it... ;)
I have no desire to undermine the mythic feel of Glorantha. That is what makes Glorantha special, as opposed to other environments. I simply feel that attention needs to be paid to the MGF factor when we start wandering off into the esoteric.
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Greed is envy with its sleeves rolled up
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #367
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