He reply was, "Hell, I'd call you an ass, a troll, and a lot worse."
"What!?" was my reply, thinking I would receive some sympathy, or at least
agreement.
"Yeah," he went on, "I mean, it looked like you really didn't explain why
you thought more rules were a crutch, you just asserted that everyone but
you was crippled. Any you expected them to throw away their crutches and
yell Halleluia?"
"Uh, well,..."
"Hurry up and finish the scenario for the con." Click.
After that dressing down, I have decided to try to explain myself a little better. Many among may still find it a bullshit explanation, but at least it's honest.
Let's pretend for a moment that the only Gloranthan material you had was the Player's and Narrator's book, and that you knew nothing else about Glorantha.
One of you players decides to become a devotee of Mastakos. She wants to know what Sunset Leap does.
"Gee, I don't know. It's probably some sort of super leap, like in martial
arts movies, I guess."
"Do I get a bonus if a sunset is somehow involved?"
"Sure."
And merrily they play and play in their campaign. The player occasionally uses Sunset leap in combat, as well as in time where they need to climb over something, like a bridge or wall.
Are they using it correctly?
Yes.
Are they using it the way they use it in Glorantha?
Well, that depends. Which Glorantha?
That last question is central issue, as I see it. Why is your experience in playing in Glorantha diminished by making something up yourself? Because such a question means that you accept the idea that there is some sort of ideal, platonic Glorantha, that it is important to adhere to. There isn't, except in Greg's head.
The Glorantha that I hold my campaign in is not the true Glorantha, but that does not make it any less valid in my personal experience. It was still fun, at least to me and my players. And as long as the broad brush strokes are filled in, (details of culture, myth and some geography) I won't know what I am missing.
As for the economic argument that you didn't get what you paid for, I reject this utterly. You are not consumers. When you play a role playing game, you are participating in performing a unique art form, not purchasing a Nintendo or a brand of catsup.
Greg, Robin, et al, are not performing for you, they are giving you tools and training that allow to perform this unique form with your friends.
I don't go to Picasso and ask "Hey, what the hell did you mean by that brush stroke?" I instead interpret the individual element, decides what it means to me, and then incorporate that particular brush stroke into my own internal toolkit.
We live in a capitalist world, and that sometimes means making compromises. Lots of them. In a perfect world, Greg would be getting a yearly stipend from the NEA and a Guggenheim grant, and all this material would be on the internet or in a book published by a University and distributed to Libraries world wide. But in this world, we have to go along with the sham that this is an industry, etc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
The last argument that I want to address is the lack of rules for situations like missile fire, etc. that crop up. In my experience, most gamers don't even use all the rules in even the most rules-light system, Like Pendragon or CoC, much less a game like Rolemaster, where gamers routinely ditch half the rules.
Most people, being practical sorts of creatures, make up a spot rule as they go along. Hero Wars is a least honest about this approach, and tries to encourage/facilitate this sort of play style.
Finally, in the interests of making nice, anyone who feels insulted or annoyed by me can claim a free drink from me at the next con I attend. But that also means you have to play in a game that I run.
Doyle Wayne Ramos-Tavener
281-342-4372 (H) dmtavener_at_...
281-275-7389 (W) Doyle.Tavener_at_...
It is not reasonable to suppose that Aristotle knew the number of the Elect... - Albertus Magnus
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