|From: Mikko Rintasaari [mailto:mikrin_at_...]
|The problem is that a Gloranthan practising the "Leaping Sword" feat
|would have to know what he is practising. Othervice how the
|heck does he
|practise it?? He can't be practising "leaping sword" without knowing
|what it means, and rather specifically too, presumably with somebody
|instructing him.
| So a Gloranthan would know what "Leaping Sword" refers to, but if we
|only have those two words in a HW supplement, then we wont have a clue.
Sure, and a Gloranthan carpenter would have to know more about carpentry than I do, and so would a brewer, an herbalist...
I can see this question about what "Leaping Sword" does mattering a whole lot more in other games (such as Champions or AD&D or RQ) than it does in HW. In HW, the designers give us the broad strokes of a world and expect us to fill in the details to suit ourselves. There are several problems with the game's creators filling in every little detail about something:
Less is often better than more, at least for me. Most game modules are worth a only a couple of good ideas; a rare one is good for a half dozen or so ideas. There are some modules I've run as is, but the ones I truly like are the 1 or 2 paragraph adventure seeds in many GURPS sourcebooks; they're worth their weight in gold, and they're not packed with needless detail and filler.
|
|> This is one aspect of HW that I like very much; I don't see
|it as a drawback
|> at all. Slow? Maybe I am.
|>
|> Guy
|
|One last try above, after this I give up. Parhaps you just don't feel
|any need for coherense and consistensy in our Gloranthas.
I think Glorantha stands as a great touchstone for us all. I think we do need common ground. I just don't expect you to run Glorantha the same way I do, or Nick Brooke does, or Sandy Petersen does; we have different styles, different interests, and so do our players. If I run the Giant's Cradle scenario and it comes out differently than when you play it, am I right? Are you? If I decide that the Lunar Empire eventually absorbs and crushes Sartar, what does that matter to you? Your Glorantha May Vary. If I say the Leaping Sword feat can be used to disarm opponents, it won't make any difference to your game unless some of your players try it, too.
Consistency and coherence DO have a place in HW: as in any other RPG, you should attempt to be consistent in your rulings. However, I've played in games where the gamemaster encourages players to innovate, and it's the style I prefer to all others. Nobody can think of every single situation that players might eventually be confronted by; why not build a set of rules that attempts to use that as a strength?
Let me also admit that I HAVEN'T yet run a game of HW, or played in one. I'm waiting until more sourcebooks like TR come out before I even begin to plan it.
Sorry this has been so frustrating, but I really think that the two of us have vastly different gaming philosophies, and we probably just won't ever agree.
Guy
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