Re: Glorantha digest, Vol 10 #187 - 1 msg

From: Light Castle <light_castle_at_sympatico.ca>
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2004 18:02:58 -0400


On 17 Jul 2004 at 7:02, glorantha-request_at_rpglist.org wrote:

> > Hello, oh sage one.
>
> Or parsley or thyme?

Depends on what I'm cooking. :)  

> Very little. Nick nicely summed up Genertela Book, and in addition there
> is a single paragraph in King of Sartar.
>
> IMO, the exact course of the siege depends much on the kind of
> fortifications Fazzur has to face.
>
> My version of Karse has several districts loosely connected -

[snip]

Seems a reasonable lay out. I don't have much interest in designing the city from scratch in terms of physical lay out since that probably isn't important to my game.  

> > Any accepted info on the Guardian of Karse?
>
> None whatsoever. It is a mostly unpublished but confirmed Gloranthan fact
> that Old Karse was on the opposite bank of the river, had cyclopean walls
> and was one of two major centers of Pelaskite survival during the Greater
> Darkness. (The other appears to have been Seapolis, sheltered by the
> Ludoch.)
>
> My current thoughts make the guardian a "city god" along old RuneQuest
> guidelines, with powers to aid a fortification against assaults and
> boosting morale.

I guess that works well enough. Basicially a guardian in the new HQ rules. (albeit a powerful one)  

> In addition to Genertela Book, King of Sartar has a few snippets of
> official information:
>

<snip>

> Fazzur's being welcomed probably was for sparing the non-fighting citizens
> and leaving the remaining economy intact. IMG the Baron was a fairly
> popular ruler. I've not quite decided how he and his family fared in the
> siege.

Yeah, I've been trying to decide what I want to do with that in terms of my game. I'm currently leaning to him surviving. Basically striking a deal to maintain some independence once he saw the defense was lost. Maybe the people see that he and Fazzur reached a "reasonable compromise" and thus spared the city.

I'm not convinced of this. I think the Lunars like to have "acceptable" proxy rulers, though, and so if the Baron could be convinced then that's better than a direct, heavyhanded  military occupation.

> Those raiders from Hendrikiland cannot have targeted the city of Karse,
> but rather the trade route through Suchara Vale to Smithstone.

Makes sense.  

> As far as Fazzur is concerned, Whitewall is not a problem. From a military
> POV, having Broyan bottled up without any great losses is the next best
> solution over a quick decisive victory in a field battle. It is a place to
> dump Imperial observers (and tabloid poets) while retaining a free hand in
> the conquest of Heortland.

Very true. I think in general, there's something to be said for a seige. You pin the opponent down, you don't have constant jostling for position, and you can wait them out while bringing in your superior troops.  

As it is now, the players mostly
> > think of Rikard as a crusader who is stifling the Aeolians and their
> > "pagan heresy".
>
> IMG, this is how the situation would appear from Karse. If they made their
> way into Esvular, they might well be surprised.

Exactly.  

> My website has a few People of Note and their role in the timeline.
> Replace Mularik with William the Bloody of Jansholm, though.

Duly noted.  

> Apart from a few other minor sources and KoS, most of the details are from
> my campaign layout. As unofficial as you can get while using the existing
> sources.

Well, that's pretty much what I intend to do: take the existing sources, and then shape my version around it. I don't want to worry too much about the physical layout of the city and such and so may will pirate some of that off of yours. My population, obviously, will be fairly different, depending on my game's needs.

Thanks a lot,
LC

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