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, Sat, 15 Jan 1994, part 1 Content-Return: Prohibited Precedence: junk X-RQ-ID: Intro This is the RuneQuest Daily Bulletin, a mailing list on the subjects of Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha. It is sent out once per day in digest format. More details on the RuneQuest Daily and Digest can be found after the last message in this digest. --------------------- From: scuw5@central.sussex.ac.uk (Jonathan Eyre) Subject: Re: R Message-ID: <12593.199401141122@solx1> Date: 14 Jan 94 11:22:05 GMT X-RQ-ID: 2800 Re: David Gibbs' comments... GONN ORTA vs. THE CRIMSON BAT Yeah, kinda like the old Hulk vs. The Thing issues of Fantastic 4! Gonn Orta Strides up with a bagfull of rocks, and starts heaving them at the Bat (no doubt wiping one or two lunars out in the process), while the Bat wheels and dives around. Hmm. Jon Eyre (scuw5@central.susx.ac.uk) --------------------- From: niwe@ppvku.ericsson.se (Nils Weinander) Subject: Glorantha's far east + some other Message-ID: <9401141710.AA21051@ppvku.ericsson.se> Date: 14 Jan 94 19:10:42 GMT X-RQ-ID: 2801 I am planning a campaign set in the far east of Glorantha, mainly the East Isles, with excursions to Kralorela and Teshnos. There is comparatively little information on the east so I would very much appreciate ideas and stuff from others who have run campaigns there. If you have something that doesn't seem to be of general interest for the readers of the Daily I would appreciate email to me as well. I do have some specific questions too: 1. Golden Mokato is specified as the centre of the second age Eastern Sea Empire which 'ruled half the seas', but according to various accounts of the world history the God Learners ruled the seas and coastal areas. In the east they even overthrew the Dragon Emperor of Kralorela for a while. I can't figure a good compromise for this. Suggestions? 2. Does anyone have any information/ideas on Vormainian colour magic? Some of the Vormain gods are mentioned in the Proso- paedia in GoG, but what the colour magic is about is not explained. 3. I didn't plan on using the island of Teleos, but I'm curious about the almost total lack of information. Is it a blank land? Now for some other things: Sandy Petersen's Tekumel/RQ: Looks very 'Tekumelish' with the extravagant magic with florid names. I wouldn't expect character's to live long in a campaign with all that magic around though. Arkat/Gbaji dispute: I'm definitely on the 'Arkat = good guy' side, but Gbaji at least did one good thing: the trollkin curse (yes I am a fundamentalistic troll hater :-)). Yara Aranis' anti-archery magic: I agree with whoever it was who suggested a warping of vision to destroy the archers' aim. This is entirely in line with the lunar way (curved lines, distortion of other philosophies). /Nils W --------------------- From: eosgg@raesp-farn.mod.uk (Geoff Gunner) Subject: Anti-archer spell Message-ID: <9401141806.AA26339@raesp-farn.mod.uk> Date: 14 Jan 94 18:06:42 GMT X-RQ-ID: 2802 That anti-archer spell seems a bit serious - bung it on the enemy captain, get your greenhorn militia to let off a really weedy volley and - wham -, human pincushion time. How about instead a +5% to hit per intensity ? Geoff --------------------- From: ABEAN@GEEL.DWT.CSIRO.AU (Andrew Bean) Subject: Using Horse archery to kill Message-ID: <940115173157.2060232a@GEEL.DWT.CSIRO.AU> Date: 16 Jan 94 04:31:57 GMT X-RQ-ID: 2803 As some one commented on earlier but I would like to reinforce in primitive socities staying at a distance and peppering your opponents with bow fire is the work of cowards or elves. Speaking from my experience as a Pentan youth in a campaign I am playing part of my growing-up process is going out and slaying a number of my tribe's enemies to prove I am worthy of adulthood (I bring back their jawbones as proof). We have left as a group and although I am the best rider and archer in the party everyone one of us knows that only cowards do not rush forward and fight their opponents person to person. We found a Red Tribes wagon train (although it took us a while to work out what the hell was going on since we had never seen such things before, we only found out their name by chance as it was) and after circling it for a couple of rounds I ended up being dared by the older tribes member who was leading us at the time (NPC) to see if I could get their first. So you had this charge of young tribesmen and women racing their horses to get at the wagons and beat the other members of their groups so that they could slay more of the enemy themselves (overconfidence has been a bit of a problem so far) [My horse did get there first]. We were too busy urging our horses to waste time firing bows. The only people who practice horse archery as a specific skill are Yelmalion Kuschile Horse Archers and they are only a minor hero cult of that lot anyway. My Pentan would certainly regard Horse archery for more than one round, as you close, to be cowardice. I think this would be true for a lot of Gloranthan cultures and will be a big advantage to whatever culture eventually shrugs off the cowardice view. Perhaps the Yelm cultures were the only ones who became sufficiently advanced to do this and they still prefer massed hoplite slug it out fests anyway. As for Yara Aranis she is feared because she is the daughter of the demoness Eater of Horses, one of Pents worse nightmares. The Lunars would not be afraid of Mongol horse archery tactics so much as a huge massed charge by mounted cavalrymen. [If the Lunars used hoplite squares to try and stop this then they probably would be showered by arrows until the square broke and the charge would have a chance to get in to allow close quarters combat]. Anyway I think Yara Aranis spells should frighten horses by putting images in the horses minds of their ancient fear of her mother. Bit like a befuddle in its ability to affect the mind but causing fear. If it is a Rune spell have it area affecting; if a spirit magic spell then have it work on one horse at a time POW vs POW. It would be used to break up the charge and throw the warriors into confusion allowing a disciplined unit of spearmen or even ragged militia a chance at cleaning up the disorganised Pent line. Perhaps the Yara Aranis worshippers do have a role in defending the Lunar Settler and educating their militia but considering they are worshipper of a demi-demoness I think they would be more likely to be a mob of feared (by your average Lunar peasant) loonies into much bloody sacrifice of their enemies and their horses. Remember First Slave was bound by Yara Aranis as she was still a new-born babe. I can't see her ever being viewed as anything other than a necessary evil. Fear the return of the Teetons to our lands in the Dara Happan valleys! Sheng Seleris will live again!! Andrew ---------------------