Well, I don't like PERL. The "there is no right way" philosophy is part of the reason, but that's neither here nor there.
Having more than one way to do things in a game is fine, but that's not the problem. I'd like to know, before setting out to decide these things, what was intended in the first place. The only way that I see of determining that is by either reading Greg's mind or reading every single scrap about Glorantha.
> Yes, it is more of a toolkit than a complete nailed-down system -
like, say,
> U*x vrs. Windows (or MacOs X.X, for you Apple fans).
I don't have a problem with Hero Wars the system. My problem is with the connection between Glorantha the world and Hero Wars the game system. I like the flexible abilities, but you know what? I want to know what a Sunset Leap is, and I don't find having to dig through prosaic myths and stories to be a real answer. And "it does what you think it should do" isn't answer either. I might as well be making up my own setting, then.
> I *like* to be able to make on-the-fly decisions. I have a fast-and-
loose
> GMing style, and the system suits me. It's the system I wanted back
when I
> was using RQ for Pirate and English Civil War swashbuckling games.
I *want*
> to have people swing on chandeliers without worrying too much about
the
> exact ability needed (Acrobatics? Jump? Climb? Agility*5? Ah screw
it, just
> roll something).
That's the system, which I don't have a problem with. That still doesn't help me know what exactly Death Song Berserk is supposed to be doing in terms of the game system.
> HeroWars is a hacker's system - modifying code, thinking up new
applications
> on the spur of the moment, etc. If that is not to your liking, then
> HeroQuest will probably not suit your needs either. If you've
played HW
> since its release and you don't like it, don't punish yourself any
more. Use
> RQ, or any other system that you feel comfortable with.
Once again, my problem isn't with the system, unless you want to count my problem with nothing ever being described. It's one thing to leave skills and other things that have real world equivalents open to interpretation; people have real world experience to draw on. It's completely different to not offer any explanation on what a fictitious magical ability is supposed to do.
Mike Ryan
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