Re: Thunderstone

From: RoySubs_at_...
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 13:29:30 -0000

>
> >- Son: "Daddy, what is a Thunderstone?", Dad: "Well, son, I canot
> >tell you as I will be tried for heresy and hung!"
> >
> >This is past silly, no?
>
>>>>> Yes, it is, but how does it relate to our rules discussion? I could make up any old gibberish, describe it as "past silly", and it wouldn't prove anything. What's your point? Nobody is suggesting that ambiguous rules represent forbidden knowledge in Glorantha. In my interpretation, different clans and tribes have different feats, some of which are called by similar or the same names, some of thich are the same feat under a different name. Having a definitive list that says "Orlanth warriors all across Glorantha all have these four strictly defined abilities: ...." severely detracts from Glorantha, IMO. I was never happy with the RuneQuest portrayal of armies clashing with half of the warriors on each side casting identical Bladesharp spells, and the other half all casting identical Fireblade spells, either. Those days are over, and good riddance.

But I was *told* by Tim Ellis just the other day that I am not allowed to make up feats! and now you are telling me that you are making up feats for different clans. You two should have a chat. You tellin' me one thing i'm not allowed to do and him tellin me the opposite and both ag'in me! (as I'd say in Scotland).

ok. i was being sarcastic, but the POINT is this. It relates to the rules discussion because when a new player reads the rules and scratches their head, they will ask the question, again, and again, and again... until it's just written down somewhere "a Sunset Leap is a <blah de blah>, and a Broo is <rump-te-tee>" I think the Gloranthan term 'Broo' has now been covered by Anaxial's Roster, so nobody need ask THAT particular question again...

on the RuneQuest portrayal, just STOP IT ok. I never said "RQ is better", so please stop putting words in my mouth! It's funny that you bring up that particular example which was a specific favourite of our group many years ago when someone (I think in White Dwarf) did a statistical analysis of 2x 1000 troop armies facing each other and the results were farcical. We laughed about that. We still do. I think that HW gets around all the problems of having mechanics defining everything which inevitably lead to stupid situations like this, but saying what a broo or a Sunset Leap or a Thunderstone is has got NOTHING to do with the mechanics! Stop with the RuneQuest MECHANICS thing already!

Of course a statement like "Orlanth warriors all across Glorantha all have these four strictly defined abilities: ...." would be stupid. Did *I* suggest that? No (word-in-mouth-disease yet again). I agree that would be silly, but giving GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS of what an Orlanthi warrior could be like then gives a Narrator a good basis to develop his own campaign. And guess what, the rule book covers that!!!