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From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Wed, 05 May 1993, part 1
Precedence: junk
Status: OR

This is the automated Daily RuneQuest Digest.

Send submissions only to "RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM", they
will automatically be included in a next issue.  Try to change the
Subject: line from the default Re: RuneQuest Daily...  on replying.

Selected articles may also appear in a regular Digest.  If you 
want to submit articles to the Digest only,  contact the editor at
RuneQuest-Digest-Editor@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM.

						-Henk Langeveld
--
Send Submissions to: 		    	
Enquiries to:		  
The RuneQuest Daily is a spin-off of the RuneQuest Digest and deals
with the subjects of Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's world of
Glorantha.  			 Maintainer: Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM

---------------------

From: rog@insignia.co.uk (Roger Nolan)
Subject: Hype!
Message-ID: <467.9305041542@incautius.insignia.co.uk>
Date: 4 May 93 17:42:14 GMT



Ade writes:

>There is a way to raise the level of awareness of glorantha which was used to
>hype D&D that is to write fantasy novels about it.

Am I mistaken but in the good old RQ2 days of yore, wasn't there a rumor about
RuneQuest the movie? Oh, the thought of a stop motion scorpion man....

Rog

---------------------

From: carlf@Panix.Com (Carl Fink)
Subject: Humakt, Yanafal, and a practical joke
Message-ID: <199305041609.AA19631@sun.Panix.Com>
Date: 4 May 93 08:09:20 GMT

100270.337@CompuServe.COM (Nick Brooke) writes: 
 
>On the subject of Yanafal Tarnils, scimitars and other swords:
>Duke Yanafal  Tarnils, the cult founder, was a renegade
>Carmanian Humakti.  We can assume  that at some point (during
>the Seven Mothers' Resurrection ritual??) he  incurred the wrath
>of Swordbreaker, the Humakti spirit of retribution.   This
>explains why the preferred weapon of the Lunar wargod is the
>scimitar:  Humakt cannot shatter scimitars, only straight-bladed
>swords.  The scimitar  is the "bent Death" -- not the straight-
>sided, two-edged Death of the True  Humakti Way.
 
>This tells us something about Humakti (who must *hate*
>scimitars: no  Humakti could take one as a cult weapon without
>real trouble explaining it  away; Humakti Truesword wouldn't
>work on a curved blade; etc.), and  something about the Yanafal
>Tarnils cult's choice of weapons.  They usually  behave like
>good Humakti, so perhaps it's only when they repeat their 
>Founder's "sin" that the Wrath of God hits them. I'd say a
>Yanafali  swordsman was OK (no problems using straight-bladed
>swords) until he was  first Resurrected: thereafter he would be
>plagued by the Swordbreaker and  have no choice but to "switch
>blades" in time-honoured fashion.  Allows any  PC Yanafali still
>using old-fashioned weapons to hang onto them for a time,  but
>the Lunar Way (as always) will triumph in the end.
>
 
 
  Um, no.  Yanafal being illuminated, he was immune to all spirits
of retribution, including Humakt in the aspect of Swordbreaker. 
Humakt can break *any* weapon - see Gods of Glorantha.  YT's
use scimitars entirely because they are shaped like the crescent
moon.
 
  Oops, I told you cult secrets - now I have to kill you.
 
                                   Pharinor Arguentes
                                   Seventh Punishment Legion
 
 
===================
 
  Another topic:  how to annoy Yelmalio Light Sons.  Wait until
they cast Bladesharp 7 on their iron-tipped pike with the armoring
enchantments...and cast Fireblade on it.  No Yelmalion may fight
with a Firebladed weapon - he'll have to throw it down.  Also, it
would be sacrilegious for a Solar type to Dispel this sort of thing,
especially someone who daily has to live with the loss of the Fire
power.
 
  The only real danger to this is the occasional Rune Lord who has
undergone the Hill of Gold quest and regained the Fire power. 
He'll punch several holes in you if you play this trick.  Don't use
it in Bikhy.`
-- 
Carl Fink          carlf@panix.com       C.FINK4 (GEnie)
"If you can't laugh at yourself, then you can bet that everyone else is doing
so." - Ed Johnston

---------------------

From: brandon@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (Brandon Brylawski)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 04 May 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <9305041618.AA26324@caldonia.nlm.nih.gov>
Date: 4 May 93 16:18:49 GMT


Nick Brooke writes:

>This explains why the preferred weapon of the Lunar wargod is the scimitar: 
>Humakt cannot shatter scimitars, only straight-bladed swords.  The scimitar 
>is the "bent Death" -- not the straight-sided, two-edged Death of the True 
>Humakti Way.

Naturally, the shape of their preferred blades also permeates the philosophy
of devout Humakti and Yanafal Tarnili. Humakti use the straight sword as a 
metaphor for their way of life, which might be rendered thus:

 -The best path toward a goal is straight, cutting through such obstacles 
as may present themselves; There is one best solution to any problem.
- flexibility beyond a certain point is bad, as it invites deviation from the 
correct path.
- Just as there is one line between two objectives, there is one absolute truth.
Truth is the same however you look at it, just as a straight sword is the same
from either side.

Lord Frederick of Heortland said that the first thing all Humakti initiates
learn to do is to march in a straight line. Indeed, in certain areas of the
world I played in, part of the test for Rune Lord rank in Humakt was as follows:
Two poles are placed 50-100 yards apart on a flat field. The candidate is taken
to one pole and blindfolded. he must then walk across the field and touch the
other pole to pass the test. 

The scimitar, on the other hand, is a curved path, and there are infinitely many
curved paths between two places, therefore many correct ways to solve any 
problem. Truth is situational, depending on your viewpoint.

The really devout Humakti I knew got even more technical and philosophical
about the characteristics of straight swords as they pertain to life.
They were 100% straight (as it were) :-) .

Brandon Brylawski


---------------------

From: paul@phyast.pitt.edu
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 04 May 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <9305041624.AA05986@bondi.phyast.pitt.edu>
Date: 4 May 93 16:24:01 GMT


  Reply to Mike Dawson's reply to my article on Etyries:

  First, I'd like to thank Mike for the well-thought-out reply.  While
we are in disagreement on several points, he caught the true underlying
significance of many of my points.  At a fundamental level, we agree on 
the profound effect that certain financial practices would have on 
Gloranthan Society.  I want to incorporate these effects into my version 
of Glorantha as part of the revolutionary changes leading up to the 
Hero Wars; he wants them kept out of his Glorantha.

  Now to address individual points:

  Mike writes:
>  Now, I am no accountant, but I do know that double entry bookkeeping
>  is a lot more complex and significant thna just keeping two copies of
>  everything.

>  Double entry bookkeeping is the BIG STATE SECRET that allowed the
>  Hanseatic League of the late medieveal period to dominate european
>  trade with tremendous monopolies.

   Exactly right!  I am a big fan of the history of the Hanse.  This is
where I got the idea!  Etyries magic weak compared to Issaries...  I see this
accounting advantage as a MAJOR source of the economic strength of the
Lunar Empire!  I'm glad that someone realized the importance of the practice.
I envisioned the accounting system as Etyries' BIG CULT SECRET!

>  Double Entry bookkeeping is a major tool in a government's ability to
>  control trade, money, and people. Without it, exchequers must relyu

  Again, exactly what I had in mind for the Lunars.  What is the point of
all those forms that Chaosium implies the Lunars having if they don't
have the ability to keep track of the paperwork? 

>   I STRENUOUSLY object to the idea that ANY organization in Glorantha
>  currently uses double entry bookkeeping. Reread the Glorantha Book

  Well, it's just a suggestion!  In any case we see MANY examples of 
technologies (and accounting is a technology) in Glorantha that were
NOT developed until the late middle ages (the period of the Hanse):

  (Fronelan) Full plate armor - developed here only in the late 15th century.
  (Fronelan) Fantastically organized army structure - Renaissance level at least
  (Lunar)  Bureaucratic form in triplicate with a CODED FILING SCHEME!
  (Lhankor Mhy)  Information filing system equivalent to NINETEENTH CENTURY
  (Mostali) Cannon, guns, etc. - fourteenth century and later here
  (Kralorelan) Empire-wide magic-funneling system with universal membership
  (Dormal) Deep Ocean-going vessel technology, like 14th century China or
		15th century Europe
  (GOD LEARNER) Practically everything.

  
>  D.E.B. is another example of things from the modern world that
					     	^^^^^^
The Hanse are less modern than MANY other features of Glorantha.
It all depends on what you want the level of organization in your
Glorantha to be - the 'official' sources are quite inconsistent.
I picture the Lunars as innovators - and innovators are often squashed by the
traditionalists throughout Gloranthan history (Nysalor, EWF, Jrusteli, etc.)

>I suppose the Jrusteli might have had D.E. Bookkeeping.
  Quite probably.  And the Lunars are SPECIFICALLY condemned (I can quote
'official' sources if anyone wants me to look it up) for embracing
God Learner practices.

  The Carmanians always struck me as STRONGLY influenced by the God Learners -
they use all types of magic, have 'engineered' the Aspects of traditional
gods (like Humakt), etc.  I believe that Carmania (due to G.L. influence)
will have actually banking practices.
In our campaign there is a revolution going on in Carmanian banking, equivalent
to that sparked in early Renaissance Italy by Cosimo de Medici.  Remember
that this is the prophesied time of the Hero Wars - and some of those heroes
could be of the 'merchant' cults.  We also have an insurance industry 
developing in Carmania - out of gambling rings!  This does not parallel
Earth history, where insurance grew out of shipowners associations.  Instead,
some individual in the Dart Wars thought of placing a bet - that he would
die.  His heirs collected, and others copied the practice.  Soon merchants
were betting that their caravans would be lost in the desert, etc.  Again, this
is revving up for the financial side of the Hero Wars - many revolutionary
things are happening.

>  Reread the Glorantha Book
>  intro about levels of organization--the societies are not taht
>  developed, not that capable of controlling the flow of resources.

  I posited that WITHIN the Etyries cult they are that capable - but
their system is far from universal even within the Lunar Empire.  Will the
Yelmic Theocracies (Raibanth, Yuthuppa, and ?) on the Oslir willingly reform
their accounting system (dating back to Yelm's reign) on the say-so of
some upstart cult less than 400 years old?  The Glorantha Book is one source
but other sources contradict it to some extent - look at Loskalm's level
of organization described in the Genertela Book.  And Carmania is an
offshoot of Loskalm.


>Do you think that Malkion prohibits the lending of money at interest?

  What an interesting question.  It's plausible, given the origins of 
Malkionism among the Brithini - they value stability above all else and
interest is 'unstable'.  Perhaps they outlaw compound interest only.
It would be fun if the different sects had different rules, and priests
railed against evil heretic banking practices.  I'd say the Brithini and
Hrestoli would be most restrictive, Rokari would make rules favoring the
nobles, anything goes in Carmania, and the many sects of Ralios would
have violent differences of opinion.

  Well, Thanks for the interesting discussion!

 - Paul Reilly

---------------------

From: paul@phyast.pitt.edu
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 04 May 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <9305041658.AA05992@bondi.phyast.pitt.edu>
Date: 4 May 93 16:58:34 GMT


  Reply to Nick Brooke:

  Nick writes:
>I was amused by Paul (?)'s suggestions for the Etyries Exchequer, and the 
>reversal of black and red ink in Lunar merchants' accounts.  But the author 
>seems to be missing out on something when he lays down the law about how 
>Etyries merchants must behave.  See, one of the "advantages" the Lunars get 
>from Illumination (and which is thus present in all their cults) is the 
>possibility of cynically debasing their ostensible morals for personal 

  Good point!  Some source says (my boss would disapprove of a stack of RQ
books in my office, so I can't quote) that the Lunar Way is quite aware of
the dangers of corruption among the Illuminated, and will hold them to
very strict standards of behavior!  It's my belief that this is one of the
main functions of the examiners.

  Certainly corruption (if not Corruption) is rampant in the densely populated
central empire.  Just because a cult has a rule doesn't mean that it is 
universally followed!  I should have said that I see the cult as having 
devout members who follow the rules of fair trade and cynical members who
laugh at these moralists.

  I'm certainly pleased to have excited so much comment!


>   Take Yanafal Tarnils, whose Humakti-style Oath spells can in fact be 
> broken safely through a ceremony known to high-ranking Scimitars of the 
> cult. 

  Is there a source on this, or is it your idea?  Interesting either way.

> I'd say a Yanafali 
> swordsman was OK (no problems using straight-bladed swords) until he was 
> first Resurrected: thereafter he would be plagued by the Swordbreaker and 
> have no choice but to "switch blades" in time-honoured fashion.

  Good 'point'!  I like this type of detail.

  I am thinking of working on a Yanafil Tarnils write-up, perhaps the Net
should work on something together.  You seem to have put a lot of thought
into the Lunar cults.



Reply to David Ingram:
>  editors but reflect the point that if five people witness a given event then
>  in the end their will be five (or six) conflicting views on what actually
>  happened.
  Amazingly true.  Read Macauley's (sp?) History of England for a wonderful
set of eyewitness accounts of the death scene of Charles II written down 
within a few days of the event - and all substantially different!


Reply to Ade:

> There is a way to raise the level of awarness of glorantha which was used to
> hype D&D that is to write fantasy novels about it. Look how much interest the

  Does anyone know if there would be a venue for such books?  Would AH &
Chaosium (the copyright holders) cooperate with such a plan?

>  How do elves reproduce?

  I'll try to write up something on this...

 - Paul

---------------------

From: bell@cs.unc.edu (Andrew Bell)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Fri, 30 Apr 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <9305041701.AA16985@beethoven.cs.unc.edu>
Date: 4 May 93 09:01:45 GMT

> Probably the best way to present rules is like that done in another AH
> product - Squad Leader. The rules there come in a ring binder and are
> easily ammended by snapping in a replacment page (it is bloody expensive
> though).

You could do what GW has done with some of their stuff; bind it in a normal
magazine, but print it with markers for (and sufficient margins for) putting
the pages into a binder.  You need to have good tear-resistant pages for
a binder format, though.

I like the idea of shrink-wrapping a separate cults book; it *will* raise
the price though, for more color artwork and another color cover.  Anyone
know how much?  I've heard a box adds about $4 to the cost of an item.
The only place I'd ever suggest having a box is the rules themselves, and
in that case make it a deep enough one so there's room for supplements.

Andrew Bell
bell@cs.unc.edu

---------------------

From: staats@MIT.EDU (Richard C. Staats)
Subject: Silly Question
Message-ID: <9305041828.AA02087@MIT.EDU>
Date: 4 May 93 09:29:38 GMT

I just got a catalog from Avalon Hill and King of Sartar was not 
mentioned. Who is distributing it?

Thank you in advance,

Rich

--------------------

From: henkl@holland.sun.com (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: Silly Question
Message-ID: <1993May5.080416.6038@holland.sun.com>
Date: Wed, 5 May 1993 08:04:16 GMT

It is published by Chaosium, as it is NOT a RuneQuest product.

--
Henk

---------------------

From: f6ri@midway.uchicago.edu (charles gregory fried)
Subject: Connecting
Message-ID: 
Date: 4 May 93 18:36:15 GMT

Dear Henk,

I am hoping to connect to the RQ Digest, and I have your email address from
issue #9 of 'Tales of the Reaching Moon'.  I have never seen the Digest, so I
don't know what it involves exactly.  Please let me know if I must do anything
for connection.  Thanks!
-- Greg
email: f6ri@midway.uchicago.edu

--------------------

From: henkl@holland.sun.com (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: Connecting
Message-ID: <1993May5.080707.6280@holland.sun.com>
Date: Wed, 5 May 1993 08:07:07 GMT

David, MOB,

Please be sure to mention the RuneQuest-Request address in issue #10.
(Just a reminder...)

BTW: How is issue 10 coming along?

---------------------

From: awr0@aberystwyth.ac.uk
Subject: Distribution
Message-ID: <9305041902.AA24278@deca.aber.ac.uk>
Date: 4 May 93 21:02:38 GMT

I think AH has the distribution business wrong. I would like to have a place
I could call up (within the country I live in) and know that they will be able
to send me a module/pack at a reasonable price and not the price quoted in 
the AH catalogue.

	This number could be added to the bottom of advertisement. In some 
ways, it would be a nice idea to coordinate this via ToRM, but that is probably
overburdening an already stretched David Hall.

	The whole philosophy of such a distribution service, would be to provide
products delivered to the front doorstep at the price for which you would buy
them in the shops (or even slightly less). If this was directly tied to 
AH in someway, then costs would be minimal. 

	AH would then have to look at the distribution figures for particular 
magazines and try and aim advertisements at the people who normally skim 
RQ advertisements. 

	EG:
		Advert for Dragon Magazine

Do you feel tied down by your system, do you want a system where your 
character develops in the way you want him to develop? Not by the class 
he chose to start with. Do you want a world where even the weakest 
dwarf can have you fearing for your life? Try RuneQuest.

If your local games shop doesn't stock it, call

	America :
	Australia:
	Europe  :

For your free catalogue and free adventure (SELL SELL SELL!). 
All goods at rrp with free delivery.

--------------
The point is, having the bog standard RQ3 advert isn't going to attract anybody
new. Selling the virtues of the system, compared to the system that the readers
play( without being detrimental to the system the readers use), is going to pull
in the punters. The other thing is, that there has to be some cheap way of 
getting them to get interested, including a small but FUN/AMAZING/CRAZY/UNUSUAL
adventure with the catlogue as well as an advert for ToRM and any other 
fanzine that covers the country is going to get loads of people interested.

Ok what else? Keep other AH material seperate. People are calling up these 
various numbers because they are interested in RQ. Include the standard 
AH catalogue, but give them supply lines within the same country.

One other thing to consider, is to put quotes from various reviews into the 
advert. (Bit like the software industry.) Makes the product better at 
selling, but not quotes like "Voted best game at ... in 1985". People 
laugh at that. It's out of date, and it implies a complete lack of 
quality within the last 7 years.


The major reason I never buy anything through mail order is the extra cost 
they charge, oh, and the fact they don't take the currency I deal in. It 
puts a lot of people off. I refuse point blank to pay for shipping charges.

Ok, you may put some suppliers noses out of joint, but hey, they haven't
exactly supported you. You could also supply a list of RQ supporting shops
in the country. Remember, that each catalogue can be made up of a4 sheets
that can be updated as is needed. It may not be glossy, but it gives people
a source of material. 

	AH could even consider supplying event lists with the catalogue...
although this is prbably the job of ToRM and other Mags.

BTW, while on the subject of ToRM, why is it that for 2 quid you get such 
a brilliant quality production which surpasses the quality of professional 
magazines? You lot are doing a brilliant job !

One thing about the above strategy. Wait until RQ4 is ready. In that way 
you get people who know RQ3 to be crap to re-evaluate their opinion. It might 
be an idea to also wait until RQ4 is reviewed or something. I never usually
buy something without finding out what the professionals thought of it first
except for shadows, which should hopefully be in my hands by the end of the 
week. 

OK enough rambling. If I came across all shouting and screaming about 
facts I know little about, then I admit, I know very little about 
marketing, but I do know what I would like to see happening. 

Adam
"Sometimes it's difficult to see the forest for all the trees."

---------------------

From: okamoto@hpcc90.corp.hp.com (Jeff Okamoto)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 04 May 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <9305041636.AA23875@hpcc90.corp.hp.com>
Date: 4 May 93 16:36:38 GMT

> From: 100270.337@CompuServe.COM (Nick Brooke)
> Subject: Etyries Feedback, and Yanafal too

I enjoyed the speculation about YT and his relationship with Humakt.
I think I will incorporate this into my next campaign.

> *(+1% to Nysalor Illumination chance for comprehension)

No problem, I'm already Illuminated (and a Trickster to boot!).

> From: ade@insignia.co.uk (Adrian Brownlow)
> Subject: Elf Reproduction
> 
> How do elves reproduce?

The male elf inserts his stamen into the female elf's pistle (hope I got
that right, it's been years since Botany 1) and she produces a (large)
seed.  It's rumored that there are thousands of Aldryami seeds that can
be planted and sprouted within weeks (or even days!).

Jeff