Date: Wed, 31 Mar 93 17:15:07 +0200
From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Subject: The RuneQuest Daily, Wed, 31 Mar 1993
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From: staats@MIT.EDU (Richard C. Staats)
Subject: Humans Place in Glorantha
Message-ID: <9303301628.AA05096@MIT.EDU>
Date: 30 Mar 93 06:41:32 GMT
Greetings!
I agree with the comments that humans are at a somewhat (large?)
disadvantage to other races when it comes to amassing experience both
because of better bonuses and longer lifespans of other races. But,
the other races have disadvantages as well. In my campaigns, I still
use the rule that you must belong to a cult and attain "rune status"
before going above 100% in a skill; that means that there are cults
for common crafts, etc. Trolls have the trollkin curse. Elves are
tied to their specific vegetation. Dragon-newts have restrictions
upon restrictions.
In the campaigns I've run humans make up the bulk of the world's
population. (Humans breed true faster than the other races.) Also,
humans are more in control of their own "fate" (pun -- unintentional).
The RQ world is a place where the gods/desses still put on displays
during the Sacred Time and are more than in evidence by the Runemagics
they bestow upon their followers. It is the rare PC who is an Aldrami
on a quest far outside the bounds of the homeland. Humans are more
free-wheeling and tend to be the bulk of the adventurers.
Does anyone else handle this in a similar way?
In service,
Rich
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From: okamoto@hpcc90.corp.hp.com (Jeff Okamoto)
Subject: Re: The RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 30 Mar 1993
Message-ID: <9303301640.AA23512@hpcc90.corp.hp.com>
Date: 30 Mar 93 16:40:37 GMT
> From: marks@slough.mit.edu (Mark S. c/o Tom Yates)
> Subject: Learning by Experience
>
> On the whole humans seem to be a rather pathetic race in Glorantha.
Please don't forget that humans *did* take part in the I Fought We
Won, thus earning themselves a right to inhabit Glorantha.
Your other points are relevant: hubris lead to Gbaji, greed to the God
Learners, fear to the Dragonkill War. Perhaps if humans could leave
those emotions on the road behind them, their future could be less
tragic.
> What does any of us have in common with Jar-Eel, the illuminated immortal
> daughter of the immortal son of a goddess?
The first and obvious answer is nothing. On second glance, though,
the purpose of mythology is to instruct and inspire. The inhabitants
of Glorantha are luckier than us in this respect, because their heroes
and gods are immanent.
Nevertheless, we can learn from them. If you are inspired by the
story of Argrath, fighting (from his point of view) an evil and
corrupt Empire in order to restore his homeland, or inspired by Hwarin
Dalthippa, who (in her point of view) tamed the savage nomads and gave
her people years of peace, and you desire to be like them, then *that*
is what you have in common with the heros of Glorantha.
Jeff
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From: eco0kkn@cabell.vcu.edu (Kirsten K. Niemann)
Subject: Hypercard RQ characters
Message-ID: <9303310409.AA04145@cabell.vcu.edu>
Date: 31 Mar 93 04:09:40 GMT
Last chance for the Hypercard RQ character generator. I'll be mailing
it in a few days (probably Sunday) and would like to get all
interested parties in one mailing.
Also still loooking for people who have run or designed Fronelan and
or Sog City settings, adventures, or other info.
Mike
M >|<
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From: trystro!rune@Think.COM (Peter Maranci)
Subject: The Kartorak Cult
Message-ID: <9303310600.AA02715@Early-Bird.Think.COM>
Date: 31 Mar 93 03:39:09 GMT
The Kartorak Dragon God Cult writeup is interesting and detailed. But
it does seem rather...sane for a dragonewt cult. In fact, I have a
hard time believing that Dragonewts would use cult structures at all.
Alliances with human cults, too, are just too mundane and
comprehensible for me to accept. And I'm the guy who advocates
Dragonewt PCs!
Actually, that's not a contradiction. I've always maintained that when
run as PCs, Dragonewts should be played for fun, not profit. The
Kartorak Cult implies an orderly and acquisitive maind-set on the part
of dragonewts, and to my mind makes them much like scaly humans.
Not that the detail on the cult itself isn't impressive -- it is. But
it just doesn't seem to jibe with everything I've ever heard or played
about Dragonewts.
RQIV 2.??
When's the next version of the RQ playest rules going to be
distributed? I'm eager to see what changes have been made...
One thing that I and others have remarked on is a possible need to
increase the impact of damage to a character. PCs have arms and legs
hacked off, or nearly off...Their heads and chests are smashed until
they fall helpless to the ground...and with the application of a
simple Spirit Magic spell they are up and about within *seconds*.
Apart from disease, there is almost no long-lasting diability in
Glorantha (I realize that maiming is possible, but the widespread
availability of spirit magic healing makes this unlikely for most
parties of PCs). Where's the danger? Where's the risk? And shouldn't
there be *some* psychological reaction to being seriously damaged,
even if you heal up immediately? What about shock, for example?
When a PC in a game has been injured, I recommend that the GM take the
requisite hit location of the player and slam it in the nearest door.
Just kidding! But it does seem that there should be some sort of
*variable* mechanic to deal with shock...something involving a
resistance roll. As for the details, I'd say that the chance of
avoiding shock should increase as the character becomes more and more
used to being injured...a means of educating the body to the idea that
damage will be immediately healed. This would mean effectively
incorporating a learned reaction into the body's natural behavior. I
believe this is possible, but that's not my field of study -- does
anyone out there have any additional information?
-->Pete
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Maranci
trystro!rune@think.com or rune@trystro.uucp
"Hey! Your Tien fell in my Atyar!" "Well, your Atyar got in my Tien!"
Thanatar -- two great Chaos Gods that go great together!
---------------------
From: MAB@SAVAX750.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK (Mystic Musk Ox)
Subject: RE: The RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 30 Mar 1993
Message-ID: <9303310745.AA08060@Sun.COM>
Date: 31 Mar 93 07:44:00 GMT
>From: MAB@SAVAX750.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK (Mystic Musk Ox)
>> Firing into a melee: This is difficult to resolve. I don't really
>> like the old method of +5% to hit per figure in the melee and then
>> roll randomly to see who is hit, the person firing the missile ought
>> to have the chance to use skill to hit their target (How about add
>> +5% per figure, as above, firing character then rolls to hit. If they
>> score 50% or less of their modified skill, they hit their target, if
>> they score 51-100% of their skill, they hit someone else, otherwise
>> they miss the whole melee?).
>
>Hmm - so if I have a basic 25% skill & there are 8 people in melee, then I get
>+40%, making 65%, and hit my target in the lower half of my skill range - 32.5%
>-- oops! this is better than my basic skill!
>Also, which half of the modified skill range gets the increased special &
>critical hit%s?
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ B-)
oops! Sorry, this was a cock up! I realised this was a dozy thing to
say shortly after I posted it. What I'm thinking is 2 rolls, 1 to
determine whether a hit (on someone) occurs, and another to see who
gets hit. The 'to hit' roll is modified UP by +5% per target, as
before. The 'who' roll is based on the skill, modified DOWN by the
same amount, but never below (100/number in melee)%. Thus higher
skills can increase their chance to hit a target from many to above
average. Criticals and Specials occur on the 'to hit' roll as normal.
Thus for your example:
25% skill, 8 people = +40% = 65% to hit.
25% - 40% = -15%, but adjusted to a minimum of (100/8) = 13% chance to hit
your target.
with 80% skill, +40% = 120% to hit
80% - 40% = 40% chance to hit your target.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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From: STEVEG@ARC.UG.EDS.COM (Entropy needs no maintenance)
Subject: Re: The RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 30 Mar 1993
Message-ID: <01GWFQY6SDB6000LNW@UG.EDS.COM>
Date: 30 Mar 93 16:31:08 GMT
Deadly dandelion eaters:-
marks@slough.mit.edu writes
>> You also ignore the slightly significant fact that as an elf she
>> has to hibernate each winter!
Don't forget that pine elves stay awake, keeping darkness pests at
bay, all winter, so could well get MORE checks then than during the
rest of the year.
The point still stands that she is getting skill improvements about
three times as fast as a human of the same skill, whichever way you
look at it. But this has been true to some extent in all versions of
the system; but is amplified at RQ3. At RQ2 the INT% chance of
getting a gain for skills > 5% would have reduced the advantage to
about 1.5fold.
So fas as the abolition of normal humans goes, I though the sub-text
of Argrath's achievements as chronicled in KoS - especially the
heroquest of the spider's net - was the abolition of all these pesky
supernatural influences leaving the world safe for normal people.
ccwf@ugcs.caltech.edu (Charles C. Fu) asks
>> Also, has anyone else noticed that Glorantha's underlying metaphysical
>> principles seem to be getting closer to those in Michael Moorcock's Eternal
>> Champion novels?
The views expressed in King of Sartar certainly indicate that Greg has
had a serious attack of revisionist impulses; Argrath's god-slaying is
certainly reminiscent of the same sort of things in the final chapters
of many of the Eternal Champion incarnations (_King of Swords_, _the
Dragon in the Sword_ and _The Quest for Tanelorn_ all have this motif)
---------------------
From: S.Phillips@vme.glasgow.uk.ac
Subject: Hello, Spell cost, RQIV.
Message-ID: <31_Mar_93_14:41:21_A10452@UK.AC.GLA.VME>
Date: 31 Mar 93 13:41:21 GMT
Howdy RuneQuest Fans,
I`m new at this - so please excuse any first time folly.
I have a few questions you may help me clear up..
1) Does anyone know if Alarums & Excursions is still going?..
- I am suddenly and nostalgically reminded of it.
2) RQIII spell cost. We have never seemed to work out whether
spell cost is cumulative or linear. ie having to pay again
for your first point when buying your second. It has caused
some argument within our group. If it is pennies stated
per point of spell (linear) then it seems awfy cheap.
3) RQIV - I hear this is being distributed. electronically?
I would love a copy. If it costs in time, money or hassle
please don`t hesitate to send a bill. We are not rich
but some things are worth it.
- I agree with whoever it was who said that all the different
types of spirit seemed an unneccessary and ugly form of
"well it makes the rules easier so what if its stupid".
-- I`m sorry I can`t address you by name but I can`t get a printout
at the moment and I have the memory of a gorp.
4) Incidently, I once travelled prax by caravan. It took an
awfy long time. On arrival in Sartar it was calculated by
a knowlegable Llankor Mhy (now how do you spell that - there
is never one around when you need one) that our movement
rate was less than a gorp`s. Come to think of it i thought
i saw the odd blancmange fly past...
Hmmm! I`m rambling. Cheers!
Sam Phillips.
Glasgow. Scotland. (reality).
Sartar. (alternatively).