RE: Re: Gloranthan Reality & Hero Wars

From: Jeff Johnson <jsjohnso_at_...>
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 21:24:32 -0700


> That is how we do it sir, and not by bitching about something
> that will not ever, ever change.

Looks to me like your idea of how to do things is acting like an ass.

I never much liked the Runequest rules. I like rules-light, freeform games. Fudge and the Window are two of my favourites. I'd think I was one of the type of gamers that hero Wars wanted to capture.

But there is an entire world of difference between having simple rules that allow much interpretation and creativity and having no rules at all. I think the magic rules in Hero Wars are much closer to the latter, and useless as written.

Completely useless.

If you're going to have freeform magic, it is absolutely essential that people have some idea of what it's possible to do in general, in order to ajudicate what might happen when a character does such-and-such right now. It doesn't have to be _rules_, just plain description is fine. But saying 'this character has a feat called Sunset Leap', and nothing more, doesn't help me at all.

My first reading of the Hero Wars book gave me no insight into what was possible. Now I'm informed that that's because I'm not imaginative enough? Give me a break.

I've been playing in Glorantha for nearly two decades, have read most of the published material, and I still don't know what Gloranthan magic can do. Someone with less exposure to Glorantha is sure to be more lost than me. I'm stuck with inventing virtually every magic principle myself if I want to use this game - and that's not something I want to do or expected to have to do.

If further setting books don't improve the situation, as you claim they will not, then Issaries has lost me as a customer. And I don't think I'm one of the '25%' that Robin expected to lose - I anticipated liking the game, and couldn't care less that it was a complete break from Runequest.

--
Jeff Johnson
jsjohnso_at_...

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