I can entirely understand why, in light of the development of contests and assigning resistances in HQ2, numeric ratings in published supplements might fall by the wayside. Like Jamie, I might not necessarily like this trend, and would not be put off by a greater level of information in this regard--pursuant to our views on how we like HQ and its supplements to interface with Glorantha. But plucking numbers from my backside is not necessarily an issue. (It's what I do when writing, anyhow...)
Bizarrely, the main reason I'll miss numbers is not necessarily because of what they represent, but because... they are numbers.
We all appreciate language, signs, symbols, what have you, in different ways. It's difficult to explore this further without getting into a Derridan cat-fight and/or plunging into semiotic hell.
I tried to allude to this in my post over on WoG, and John chipped in to provide helpful consolidation. As may be readily apparent, I'm a fan of style over substance. In short, I can react very differently to information, depending on its form.
Some folks may hate that little wibbly 'W' for mastery. I positively love it. And the use of the runes for a guardian's Awareness, Blessing and Defence functions? Or blessings and curses? Or to highlight narrator information or other stuff? Genius. It may seem simple, but in my mind it's genius.
That tri-partite mix of words, numbers and runes that HQ currently favours in its abilities and keywords--its basic, central elements-- just works for me. The mix of differing vocabularies catches my eye and attracts my interest in a way that text alone would not.
Powered by hypermail