(Message rqd:83)
Return-Path:
Received: from Holland.Sun.COM (sunnl) by homeland.Holland.Sun.COM (4.1/SMI-4.1)
id AA08692; Mon, 24 May 93 17:16:07 +0200
Received: from glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM by Holland.Sun.COM (4.1/SMI-4.1e)
id AA19927; Mon, 24 May 93 17:16:05 +0200
Received: by glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (4.1/SMI-4.1)
id AA13971; Mon, 24 May 93 17:15:23 +0200
Date: Mon, 24 May 93 17:15:23 +0200
Message-Id: <9305241515.AA13971@glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM>
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, Mon, 24 May 1993, part 1
Precedence: junk
Status: OR
The RuneQuest Daily and RuneQuest Digest deal with the subjects of
Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha.
Send submissions and followup 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.
Send enquiries and Subscription Requests to the editor:
RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Henk Langeveld)
---------------------
From: kokko@eemeli.enet.dec.com (The Stars Are Right)
Subject: RE: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 22 May 1993, part 3
Message-ID: <9305221543.AA13350@vbormc.vbo.dec.com>
Date: 22 May 93 19:43:38 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 852
Joerg asks:
Finnish mag exists. Color cover, was it something like 48 pages. comes out
something like bimonthly and regularly ;-). Has stuff for RQ, MERP, Twilight
2000. Very good articles on Gamemastering and general magic. Competent
editorship. Published Hut of Darkness before it was published in Tales ;-)
Mag's name is Magus and it is entirely in Finnish. It has had also
fantasy tales of varying quality. Some of the better ones were set in
Glorantha (Dorastor, Prax) and involved a reformed broo. Over 10
issues published.
Hannu, who speaks finnish and is not affiliated with the magazine
---------------------
From: wroberts@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (William C Robertson)
Subject: Wargame request.
Message-ID:
Date: 22 May 93 12:44:28 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 853
Last night I had a few problems with my hard drive. Could whoever
posted the miniature combat rules resend those to me at
wroberts@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
if you still have them laying around? I'd really appreciate it.
thanks in advance
-Bill
---------------------
From: f6ri@midway.uchicago.edu (charles gregory fried)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 22 May 1993, part 3
Message-ID:
Date: 23 May 93 01:32:41 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 854
Terrible news of Steve Thomas. COurage, Steve!
Graem: Some shaman who got hold of all the spirits of the culled descendants
of the Red Goddess could probably cook up a VERY interesting spititual stew!
Is the the path to an anti-hero to fight the Lunars?! SOme sort of infra-Red
Goddess?! Just some very wild speculations....
-- Greg Fried
---------------------
From: MOBTOTRM@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Subject: Runic Concordances...
Message-ID: <01GYIL9Y0DJY95P8JW@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au>
Date: 24 May 93 00:18:39 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 855
RE: paul@phyast.pitt.edu's Runic CONCORDANCES:
>Moon Scimitar Red Silver Intuition INT
Isn't the Sense associated with the Moon or Lunar rune "balance", rather
than "intuition"? I'm sure I remember reading this somewhere, but
buggered if I know where. Balance somehow seems more appropriate to
me, given the Red Goddess's ambivalence or accomodation of both
Law and Chaos.
---------------------
From: timp@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU (Tim Posney)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 22 May 1993, part 3
Message-ID: <199305230425.AA25568@extra.ucc.su.OZ.AU>
Date: 24 May 93 00:25:45 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 856
---------------------
From: tzunder@cix.compulink.co.uk (Tom Zunder)
Subject: games
Message-ID:
Date: 23 May 93 18:01:42 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 857
Anyone in the UK want to source Shadows on the Borderlands?
I have a trade account with a distributor and can beat any shop price.
Email me for a quote on any RQ or other products.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
tzunder@cix.compulink.com.uk
How Illuminating!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
From: paul@phyast.pitt.edu
Subject: Re: Shoes, ships, sealing wax, cabbages, kings
Message-ID: <9305231844.AA04112@bondi.phyast.pitt.edu>
Date: 23 May 93 18:44:03 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 858
Paul Reilly here.
Very interesting RQ Daily, I will try to reply to some of the points
but may not get to everything today.
I agree with Graeme Lindsell that Western Culture seems contradictory,
but to me this is OK> I see the same sorts of contradictions when studying
(e.g.) medieval Western European culture. For almost any general statement
one tries to make you can find a counterexample from some place or time.
Thus some Western philosophers may take the "impersonal forces" approach
while others are more mystical or believe in the direct intervention of the
Invisible God.
Among the heresies of Ralios is there anything like Bogomilism?
Graeme also writes about Jar-Eel. We also think that the 'culls'
from the breeding program are interesting and one of our major characters
(played by Finula McCaul) was such a cull: Arafel. (Araf-el; the "-els"
are culls from the "-eels". We decided this after rolling up the
character (on the 4d6-worst method): 18 POW, high INT, 18 APP, and SIZ 6!
She looks a bit like a miniature version of Jar-Eel. She is also
extremely loyal to the Empire and the Lunar Way rather than resentful.
We think that if the 'culls' are raised properly they will be quite loyal.
Arafel was also a bit cold and emotionless, lacking the Balance found
in Jar-Eel.
Sometime I should give a list of several 'culls' including White Lunies,
etc.
_______________________
POW gains and regaining Rune Spells:
Someone out there must have a good idea for POW gains which we will all
recognize as 'correct' when we see it. It should resonate with myths
and folktales. It should be simple and playable. So if you have a good
idea, post it, and if it gets enough Net support it could get into
RQ IV.
We toyed with the idea of enacting minor heroquests as the method of
regaining Rune Spells. Normally this is done with much assistance in
an organized way at an established temple (and not played through) but
characters off in the wild could try it themselves in an emergency. Some
cults like Trickster would almost always use this method. The demands
placed on a Trickster wishing to use a spell are actually guidance for
this quest. Once the initial task is done it is easier to regain the
spell on your own with a similar quest.
For example, a Eurmal holy spot exists in a city with Yelm worshippers;
according to legend Eurmal stopped at the site in Godtime and lit
a fire there with the fire he had got from the Sun. Now a Trickster,
let's call him Hairy, goes to the acolyte at the site, Old Tom,
wishing to learn Hide Fire.
Old Tom sends Hairy to steal a golden ring from the local Yelm priest.
This ring is his Ignite matrix and represents Fire, while the priest is a
stand-in for Yelm. If Hairy can bring back the ring and light a fire at
the holy site, he "passes the test" and is granted the magic. Actually,
the test itself is the method of gaining the magic.
When Hairy wishes to regain Hide Fire he must find a person
representing Yelm. This person should have some Fire powers. Any Initiate
of a fire cult will do. He should steal something which represents Fire
from this person - anything Gold would do, or a hot coal, or their tinderbox.
Now he must bring it back to the shrine. This is his "worship service".
This method is dangerous out in the wild because it may attract ritual
enemies.
This method copuld be appropriate for such cases as an Orlanthi wanting
to learn Sandals of Darkness, a 'stolen' spell.
This is not meant to replace the existing system but to supplement it.
_________________
Shoes,Sealing wax, ships and cabbages: Thanks to Bryan Maloney for
the price-list
_________________
Bill Robertson asks about Deezola's healing magic:
> What do you mean? I'm curious, if you could explain what you mean by
>"different" I'd be happy.
I started top write a rather long post on Deezola, but decided instead
to give a very short answer. If there is a demand I will post more but
otherwise I will wait until I have a cult writeup in hand.
My guess is that Deezola, land-ruler and Priestess of Arachne Solara,
was an ancestor worshipper and possessed great power on the spirit
plane. As such I think that her magics are often spiritual in nature
and her healing sometimes resembles shamanic healing. Here is one
example spell from my version of Deezola, the Binder Within:
LAYING ON OF HANDS - 3 pt. spell
During this spell the caster may spirit combat any covertly possessing
spirit that inhabits the body of a person with whom she is in physical
contact. This includes the nascent spirits of disease found in people
infected through normal contagion or transmission rather than cursed with
a spirit of disease. If a person is suffering from a normal disease, then
treat it as a spirit of disease with power equal to the amount of
characteristics stolen from the victim. This includes strike ranks stolen
in Joint Rot, etc. If the disease does not steal characteristics, class it as
mild, severe, or critical and give it 5, 10, or 15 points of power
accordingly.
A caster who breaks off combat without driving out the disease is
exposed to it and may resist as per normal disease rules. A caster who is
reduced to zero magic points during the combat automatically contracts
the disease at the chronic level and must resist increasing severity as per
normal rules.
If the spirit is reduced to zero magic points it can be controlled as
usual by Control spells, etc.
_______________________________
The intent of this spell is to model the ancient magics which lie
dormant in the hands of nobles and poets, i.e., "The hands of the King
are the hands of a healer" as Ioreth said.
More on Deezola later.
__________________________
Joerg's "Spiritual Reenactment" spell also provides a mechanism for those
wonderful cult cermeonies seen by Biturian Varosh among others, where the
cultists seem to enter into the realm of myth. We see this also in the
Troll Cults writeup by the Lhankor Mhy sage in the employ of the Only Old One.
It was kind of annoying to have no game mechanism to model these things.
_____________
Carl Fink comments on my comments on the Chaos Rune:
> I do believe you're confusing the Chaos and Disorder runes. Disorder
>would promote unlawful activities, not Chaos. Chaos is the opposite of
>lawbreaking, as well as of law. Ompalam worshippers, for instance,
>would NOT break laws, nor would Gark worshippers.
I think it's in Cults of Terror that a little write-up is given on how
Chaotics feel compelled to break laws. I'm really talking about LAW here,
not human law.
Thus, the nature of Glorantha is violated by the UnLife of Vivamort. Gark
the Calm is the owner of the Undead Rune, and he does violate an important
Law: thee one which dictates that dead people don't get up and walk around!
Similarly, it seems to me that one of the Laws of Glorantha is that the
will of a free entity cannot be controlled. Even the Gods have to have
spirits of retribution - if they could use 'mind control' on their
worshippers this would be unnecessary. Thus Ompalam is breaking a natural
rather than an artificial law.
Note that Laws can be bent in Glorantha, it's a floppy Universe.
The children of the Devil break moral laws like those forbidding cannibalism
and incest because "Wakboth is the moral evil of the world." (Prosopaedia)
Gods like Pocharngo break Laws like "Rock doesn't dissolve into living
goo" or "People have an underlying stable form."
Bagog is a special case. As an arthropod, I think she was just a
Darkness creature with the basic Darkness power of incorporating what
she eats into herself, and she ate too much Chaos in the God's War.
I don't think Krarsht is really Chaotic at all (going by the Runes in
Cults of Terror rather than GoG) but rather alien. More on Krarsht
another time.
Glorantha is made possible by its Laws, order imposed on Chaos. If
these laws are relaxed then Glorantha will dissolve back into the Void.
Rather like our own universe - relax baryon conservation, for example,
and matter as we know it will cease to exist.
- Paul Reilly
---------------------
From: "cbr::cbr::mrgate::"A1::LANGSFORD ALISTAIR""@cnb07v.hhcs.gov.au
Subject: Cultist Behaviour
Message-ID: <0096CFE0.CF5CFC80.801@cnb07v.hhcs.gov.au>
Date: 24 May 93 21:24:56 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 859
From: NAME: Alistair Langsford
FUNC: Information Services
TEL: 289 7870
To: uucp%"runequest@glorantha.holland.sun.com"@cnb07v@mrgate
Humakti Behaviour
-----------------
To those who asked about other codes of Humakti behaviour:
I'm no expert, just being a Donandari with tricksterish tendancies
chronicling the deeds of our Humakti and Orlanthi Rune levels as we/they
spread disorder through Sartar and surrounds.
However, our Humakti, a Poljoni tribesman, behaves as follows:
.. almost always tells the truth - 95% truthfulness makes his occasional
omissions and favourable 'alternative' interpretations very hard to pick
up. Of course he always tells the truth to other Humakti etc as required.
.. uses stealth, but doesn't assassinate, attack from behind/with surprise
etc.
.. He does consider use of the bow honourable.
.. Once battle is joined I -think- he has been known to cut/shoot foes down
when they try to run: I don't think this has been seen as being against the
code, but I don't know why (I'm only a lay humakt - what would I know). A
suggested reason is the implication in many of our battles that unless you
ask for your surrender to be taken ( a perfectly honourable thing to do)
running away is dishonourable and so you deserve to be cut down.
.. He doesn't kill indiscriminately - but he does like a good fight, and
tends to fight to the death. Prisoners are taken if there is a good
reason, such as
(a) his mates ask him too, especially if they are notionally employing him
(b) the ransom looks good
(c) we need info - ie a prisoner to interrogate.
.. Doesn't like Lunars, as he doesn't like Chaos and he sees the Lunars as
being soft on Chaos and therefore just as bad. Doesn't pass this on as a
Humakti behaviour, just a personal one. However, our party is basically
anti-lunar, so this fits in ok. His initiates and lay members have picked
up a certain anti lunar bias as well, not surprisingly.
.. Allows people reasonably fair warning they are pushing their luck if they
insult him, the party, his employer, Humakt. When they persist he kills
them. Simple as that.
.. scares sh*t out of the rest of the party when he occasionally comes out
with such gems as 'its a good day to die' in the middle of a crisis
situation, reminding the rest of us that -he- won't mind shuffling off this
mortal coil.
.. Eats Zorak Zorani for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
.. Probably has a poster of Clint Eastwood in his bedroll as part of his
portable shrine.
Questions on Orlanthi Behaviour
--------------------------------
How do Orlanthi cope with wandering through areas where there are large
numbers of Lunars - do they have to challenge them as creatures of chaos as
the cults of prax writeup implies, or what?
How have people handled this in their own campaigns? We are heading in to
parts of holy country where there are lots of lunars and our group is
unsure whether we have to avoid settlements, sneak about, or whether the
Orlanthi rune levels etc can exercise some restraint.
Alistair,
langsl@hhcs.gov.au
---------------------
From: henkl@holland.sun.com (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: games
Message-ID: <1993May24.083735.8694@holland.sun.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 1993 08:37:35 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 860
tzunder@cix.compulink.co.uk (Tom Zunder) writes:
>Anyone in the UK want to source Shadows on the Borderlands?
>I have a trade account with a distributor and can beat any shop price.
>Email me for a quote on any RQ or other products.
I'd better stop running this list, or else RuneQuest will really
die after all. If all the RQ players will buy direct, no shops will
stock RQ any more. :-)( [Disorder smiley]
--
Henk oK []
Send your Gloranthan smileys to
RuneQuest-Digest-Editor@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM
---------------------
From: davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au (David Cake)
Subject: Re: Lhankor Mhy filing systems
Message-ID: <9305241000.AA02793@cs.uwa.edu.au>
Date: 25 May 93 02:00:34 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 861
All those strange little indexing notations do mean
something, they tell you exactly how to find it, and
usually some valuable cross-referencing and indexing
notation - as long as you understand that filing
system, which is, of course, used only by its owner,
who is probably dead, or if alive, likely only to
explain it to you if he likes you, and belongs to the
same temple political faction, and isn't busy right
now.