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, 06 Aug 1994, part 1
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
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: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Thu, 04 Aug 1994
Message-ID: <9408050753.AA00901@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 5 Aug 94 08:53:35 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5468
Sandy Petersen writes:
>>How long has Issaries been universally accepted? Weren't the God
>>Learners instrumental in spreading Issaries (and Lhankor Mhy and
>>Wachaza) far beyond the original region?
> Certainly. But the spread started in the First Age, with the
>Theyalan Councils. The God Learners simply accelerated a process
>already begun. I'm sure Issaries was highly disappointed when the God
>Learners were wiped out. Lhankor Mhy, too, since they were so big on
>knowledge.
What was the origin of the God Learners? I feel uncomfortable
about them being sorcerors (a.k.a. non-polytheists).
How did they know about the gods if they did not recognise
them in the first place...
--
Henk | Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM - Disclaimer: I don't speak for Sun.
oK[] | Single Point of Change, Multiple Points of Reference
---------------------
From: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: revelations etc
Message-ID: <9408050800.AA00965@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 5 Aug 94 09:00:13 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5469
Harald Smith:
> A Pig style sounds rather amusing.
I'd like to hear what a Pig style sounds like...
--
Henk | Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM - Disclaimer: I don't speak for Sun.
oK[] | Single Point of Change, Multiple Points of Reference
---------------------
From: klaus@diku.dk
Subject: Cruelty and tapping
Message-ID: <199408050815.AA11962@rimfaxe.diku.dk>
Date: 5 Aug 94 12:15:51 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5470
From: CHEN190@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Peter Metcalfe, CAPE Canty) writes
Klaus writes
> But cruelty to animals is a modern concept.
Really I think you are confusing the formulation of a philosopy with the
natural long standing sentiments. I know the concept had its roots in
victorian times but I feel that it codified already existing abhorrence of
sadistic treatment of animals. I mean the romans were appalled by the
Carthagian practice of ritual infanticide long before rights of a child were
even thought of. Besides the procuration of vellum (which was rare), and the
burning of animals at the stake for criminal offenses (which arose from
theological reasons, I can't think of a middle ages society which thought the
a person who skinned animals alive openly was ok. Thus I think that Tapping
animals would be viewed in the same light as people viewed the eithiopan
practice of carving meat from a cow while it was still alive.
And Sandy cited st. Francis and hunter societies.
St. Francis is famous because he was unusual. (He is also much later than
Nikolos.) Hunter societies are hardly relevant to Byzantium or western
Glorantha. The Romans killed animals as entertainment, this continues in
some countries even today as bullfighting, where several bulls are tortured
and then killed.
And about those hunter societies: there was a tradition in Greenland of
hanging dogs in such a way that they would strangle slowly. This would
make them raise their hairs, making better furs. This was stopped some
time ago (15 years, or something like that) when a Danish court ruled
that this was "causing an animal unnecessary suffering", which is a
criminal offence in Denmark.
Note the word unnecessary. It is, or was until very recently, considered
quite ok to cause any amount of suffering to an animal to gain some greater
benefit. Lab animals are a case in point.
Even by todays morals, I would say that tapping an animal to refill your
power crystal faster might be frowned on, but tapping an animal when you
really need those point is different.
Several sorcery spells must be manipulated above anyones free int
to be really useful. When you are sinking a large part of your POW
into an enchantment, you want to add your full ceremony skill to
your enchant skill. For this you need fatigue points, and there is
only one way for a sorceror to get them.
Klaus O K
---------------------
From: MAB@SAVAX750.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK (Mystic Musk Ox)
Subject: Random beer comments
Message-ID: <9408050923.AA12901@Sun.COM>
Date: 5 Aug 94 09:23:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5471
Random Beer Comments:
---------------------
>Jon Quaife came up with a good point the other day and that was that most
>Gloranthan Beer contains no hops and so is lacking the preservative to allow
>it to travel any distance or keep for any length of time. Most beer is brewed
>on the day it is drunk. He claims that the Greydog clan have discovered the
Beer will usually take more than 1 day to ferment - about 1-2 weeks I've found.
I've made ale (ie no hops) from apples or honey, with water and a few spices,
and it has kept in bottles/stone jars for a few months, although it usually gets
drunk before then! All these drinks tend not to taste particularly alcoholic,
but I assure you that they are! I guess that there must be other things
apart from hops that will keep the beer for longer, something similar
to putting pine sap in Greek Retsina wine perhaps?
There is some Russian ale, called kvass I think, that is made from black
(rye?) bread. It is fairly weak.
Mead (wine) is best left for a year before drinking.
Cider would be about the easiest thing to make I should think, basically
just squash some apples and leave the juice uncovered for a week.
Mark Buckley
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From: DevinC@aol.com
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Fri, 05 Aug 1994, part 3
Message-ID: <9408050523.tn663890@aol.com>
Date: 5 Aug 94 09:23:56 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5472
Devin Cutler here:
David Blizzard proposes a who's who for Glorantha. Just awarning Dave, much
of this was done by someone else recently and posted.
Regarding adventurers:
Frankly, I think both the heroic and the man in society approach have merit.
My current campaign is extremely heroic (i.e. we tend to not roleplay HHD)
but my next one will be extremely man of society.
But while the majority of this list seems to be man-of-society oriented, let
me point out that a good heroic (cape n tights) campaign, if paced well,
reads and plays like a good fantasy novel (or trilogy, etc.). I see nothing
wrong with "skipping" several seasons of downtime (with some die rolls for
training)...as I can imagine a novel doing the same thing:
"...and Jorjarr and his minions abided for a time a Crimson stead, through
the cold of winter and the storms of spring, until one day....."
And Loren, yes to a RQ newsgroup.
Regards,
Devin Cutler
devinc@aol.com
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From: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu (Shannon Appel)
Subject: Re: soda.berkeley.edu downtime
Message-ID: <199408050957.CAA20683@erzo.berkeley.edu>
Date: 4 Aug 94 19:57:55 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5473
>I was warned of a temporary time out, but I don't remember the dates
>expected (which kept being postponed anyway). I was told that they are
>moving hardware to a new building, so maybe out of service for a week (?).
>esoteric@teleport.com
soda was down from Thursday, July 30th, to Tuesday, August 2nd,
because of the move. Some hard drive troubles resulted from that
move, and thus the machine has been up and down a lot since then (more
down than up). It _should_ be more stable now and is available at the
time I'm writing this. Cross your fingers.
As a side note, since Wyrm's Footnotes is under discussion, let me
mention that my index of Wyrm's Footnotes is available for FTP from
soda. Just check the /pub/rpg-index directory. That should give you
a real good indication of what was in the magazine, and what has thus
far been reprinted.
Shannon
---------------------
From: CHEN190@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Peter Metcalfe, CAPE Canty)
Subject: Thus spake the Blue Wizard of Nikosdros
Message-ID: <01HFKCQU9NWIE48K9P@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: 6 Aug 94 10:50:46 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5474
On Creepy things that should be squahed underfoot.
==================================================
Joerg writes an interesting speculative article about insects and their
darkness connections. This brings to mind a essay stephen jay gould wrote
about some partciular insects whose larval stage is so long compared to the
lifespan of the imago that the larval stage should be considered the
definitive version of the insect (sort of like saying a caterpillar is the
real version and not the butterfly). I know i'm garbling his point somewhat
coz i don't have the book right now. My idea is that tinimits might be a
larval form of the species which hatch into a spiritual imagoe before dying.
This would account for the lack of observable priests among the tinimits but I
would like to know about spiritual sightings in Jrustela and Umathela. (not
that any of you can give me an answer)
Re: Kralori Nitpick
===================
I agree with Nils. The only ancestors floating around Kralorela in my view are
the unfortunates who committed suicide after the untimely passing on of the
Saintly Yanoor. Since Shang Hsa did not give a whit for these miserables they
floated off unhappily terrorizing Kralorela instead of waiting at the palace of
excellent reward. This is may be the Curse of the Ancestors mentioned in
G:CotHW. The Cannibal Cult (ToTRM #9) was imported from the wastelands to
provide an acceptable means of satiating these ghosts. If this is true than
the Kralori hours which lists Cannibal Time (G:CotHW) cannot be the same as was
in the First Age.
Beer
====
The Kralori and other Vithealans would now of a tradition to fortify beer.
Sake is japanese for Strong Beer. This method was imported from China and is
capable of exceeding the normal limits on alcohol content for fermentation.
The Fonritians in my campaign know how to distill alcohol to make spirits in
line with ancient artmali traditions of perfecting a substance ices but I am
still sussing this out.
Sandy flames: 200 missing
=========================
As I explained to Sandy, I do not doubt the efficiency of Human Wave tactics
but was commenting about the human cost in that you can opt for less bloody
ways (in terms of your own casualties) and still win your wars. Having said
that I heartily endorse his comments about no perfect road to warfare.
Altruism
========
Eurmal is altruistic. he tries to make people laugh!!
Awful relevations
=================
Thanks harald. Glad I could be of help. I am trying to think of a worship of
Tolat in his love aspect. All I can come up with is dominatrixes and agressive
intercourse (not rape - more like B&D). This is very silly as 90% of the
spells would be of little use. Protection: enables you to be thrashed with
wicked whips without bodily damage etc etc. Has anybody got a better idea?
Caution: Filthy talk follows
=============================
Some more talk you shouldn't use in fron of your mother.
The Lunars use Orlanth to describe a bad smell.
Issaries is used colloqually for a certain practice performed with the tongue
but I have no idea what it is so I cannot elucidate further. ;-) It seems it
makes the other person feel good.
Uleria and Umatum are used by Dara happans as slang for sex organs.
The Kralori use Hsunchen to describe any sort of depraved sex act in much the
same way as sodomy is used in some US states. purely as a matter of trivia the
kralori belive that the term Hsunchen is a term by the Hsunchen themselves to
say Hykim and so they believe that the difference between a human and a
hsunchen is that a hsunchen can't say the K sound. Thus when a kralori says
'say K for us' he is calling your humanity into question and you should hit
him.
Arinsor is used by the Yelmalions of Sun Country in a derogatory way about
someone who acts with excessive zeal. Arinsor was so holy that as one vulgar
wag puts it 'when ever he bent over, light shown out of his arse'. It is most
commonly encountered in the phrase 'bend over arinsor, it is dark in here' when
someone acts in the aforementioned manner.
The loskalmi use 'Rokari' to denote someone who earned a position through
nepotism or more commonly to someone who is seemingly unfit for that position
with the implication that he was born into it.
A new slang recently encountered in the Lunar Empire refers to a woman as a
Krjalki. This arises from a recent case in which a noblewoman wandered around
the streets without bodyguard protection seemingly helpless. When she was
cornered by a potential rapist or dart thrower, she then revealed her
connections to Krjalk and promptly devoured him in a grusesome manner. Thus it
refers misogynistically to a woman who may be nice on the outside but has a
hidden side to her personality that you do not want to discover.
Well thats enough from me now.
Till next time The Blue Wizard of Nikosdros
P.Metcalfe@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
---------------------
From: Michelle_Ringo@ed.gov (Michelle Ringo)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Thu, 04 Aug 1994, part 4
Message-ID: <9407047760.AA776027569@ed.gov>
Date: 4 Aug 94 17:12:49 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5475
Chalana Arroy
About two years ago (calendar) when my CA was going to Rune
level, I felt that butterflies were "lame". Not dark, not
light -- lame. I too put forth the hummingbird, but my GM
said hummingbirds are not vegetarians/herbavores -- no go.
He saids bees would be okay. I saw their squash factor to
be even higher than butterflies and let it go. (Why did we
both think of hummingbirds? Does Glorantha have
hummingbirds? What birds besides hawks does Glorantha
support? Are they able to coexist with the other Gloranthan
fauna?)
On a related (to my Chalana Arroy) point. I loooove Sandy's
method for regaining rune magic, because my Chalana Arroy
has approximately 40 (or 50) points of divine magic which
she has gained over time. It is barely worth it to regain
it all under the current system. The last two game years
she has been working pretty steadily providing medical
support to the Balazarins and has trained 4 initiates. One
day (when the other people in my gaming group actually have
characters that make it to rune level) she hopes to be part
of some anti chaos or other lightbringer style quest.
Also I have also found that characters are fairly reluctant
to use their rune spells when they are only initiates due to
the power sacrifice and the need to accrue 10 points of
divine magic to get to runepriest level. Additionally, the
gamers always try and pursuade initiates not to use their
divine spells unless it is a "real" emergency.
Back to my Yelornans. Currently, I am playing that these
two women have liked each other due to cult affiliation.
But in the way of most women over time they will begin to
notice their differences and will probably have a lot more
contempt for each other (familiarity breeds . . . ). I
think that the prediction that they will view each other as
1. Stuck Up/Prissy/Conservative and 2. Man
Wannabe/Domineering/Always pushing the envelope will prove
ultimately accurate.
Finally,
Tapping animals. I think that Klaus OK's comment that it
would be okay to "skin animals alive" and that caring for
animals is not typical of the Gloranthan world is further
disproved by spells such as Peaceful Cut, which indicate an
understanding of the cycle of nature and a respect for
nature. Of course those Malkioni godless scum probably have
no respect for nature particularly if they would consider
using tap in the first place.
---------------------
From: Urox@aol.com
Subject: Intro to Glorantha
Message-ID: <9408050938.tn667996@aol.com>
Date: 5 Aug 94 13:38:21 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5476
Sam Sez:
My current experiment is starting everyone as children and working them
gradually to heroes. So far they are still children and .: are not initiates
of any cult
That's exactly what I'm about to try. I'm starting my players in Garhound in
around 1610. I'd like to hear more about how this has worked for you.
Mark Foster
---------------------
From: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Re: HlHelp a poor newbie!
Message-ID: <9408051357.AA02835@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 5 Aug 94 14:57:42 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5477
"Mr. Ennui" writes:
> I'm a newcomer to RQ and the world of Glorantha. The first
>product I bought aside from the rulesbook is River of Cradles.
>Unfortunately, this has left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Well, ducks... are just there... I can imagine some people preferring
to downplay (or even ignore) their existence in Glorantha.
The mindless human herds... are just different...
You are not the only one to complain about the scenarios in
River of Cradles; RoC was basically the condensed background
from Pavis and Big Rubble with a couple of linear scenarios
thrown in. It might be considered the least of the RQ renaissance
products.
> The question I really want answered is: do other products (namely
>Glorantha: Genertela and Gods of Glorantha) have the same tone, mood,
>feel, flavor, etc of the majority of the RoC book? By far, the best part
>of the book is, IMHO, the Cult descriptions, and this "feel" is more of
>what I'm looking for.
Have a look at Sun County, as an example of a setting based
around a single cult (Yelmalio). For more (but terse) background
on Glorantha I *do* recommend Gods of Glorantha and Glorantha: Genertela.
Dorastor, land of Doom consists of gross background stuff, unsuited
for establishing a normal campaign other than a guided tour; and a
nice 'anywhere' Risklands campaign, which IMO could be used as a
reference for Barbarian Town in Prax...
> I hope I don't come across as an arrogant newbie: all I'm saying
>is that what I've seen of Glorantha so far is not my cup of tea.
> Thanks in advance!
You're welcome!
I appreciate the comments, as we Gloranthan RuneQuestors have
come far away from mainstream frp... A fresh look can put our
feet back on the ground...
--
Henk | Henk.Langeveld@Sun.COM - Disclaimer: I don't speak for Sun.
oK[] | Single Point of Change, Multiple Points of Reference