Re: Digest Number 23 from Roderick and Ellen Robertson on 2000-04-20 (HeroQuest-Rules)

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 08:43:23 -0700

> >That's your perogative, of course, but in Glorantha lone heroes *can*
> >stomp through masses of troops (hell, in stories from the real world they
> >do, too - look at the Song of Roland or Lancelot's rescue of Guenever for
> >examples).
>
> To paraphrase Greg's answer to the question of why heroes are so hard in
> Dragon Pass
>
> a. 'Cos they're hard
> b. 'Cos they've got their mates with them
>
> I really don't like the idea of superhard lone heroes and I
> don't see much indication that this is established Gloranthan fact. Sure
> lots of heroes AND THEIR FRIENDS can mow down armies, but the companions
> are an important part of this. I really want the rule system to reflect
> this, and I think it would be a shame if hero wars doesn't.

Followers *are* important. No-one is saying that *by himself* Harrek will take out a regiment of troops (1000 men to the regiment). Harrek *has* done some amazing things all by himself, but the number of men he faced was smaller, and their skill was higher.

Followers in HW do the following things for you -

Lend APs.
Keep multiple attackers off your back
Allow you to attack multiple people with no penalty Can be sent on missions, make camp, cook, and all that other non-heroic stuff. If your hero has any pretension to herodom, he should at least have a faithful companion, if not a dozen bully-boys!

However, if a person is listed as a "follower", he is usually as faceless as the thousand troops Roland had at Roncevalles (go ahead, name one of them that *isn't* a paladin). Does this mean you can't name your followers? No, you can detail them as much as you want.

> Roland and various others that have been quoted here are a case in point -
> they had their companions with them.

But do you know their names?

Followers in HW are about that detailed, and about that obvious to the story-telling audience. I can't think of any canonical Gloranthan character that is a loner with *no* followers (Onslaught not being canonical). When we talk about Harrek vrs a regiment, you can probably figure that he's got his mates with him. In a Harrek-vrs-Jar-eel matchup, the two protagonists are going at it, while the followers of each either watch the matchless display of swordplay, or are beating the crap out of each other and staying out of the way of the two main characters.