Re: Magic in Glorantha/Moral Conduct

From: Ian Cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 13:53:01 -0000

>> If my chief is always using his command followers to get me and
>> others to do things isn't he doing something wrong? Shouldn't
>> he be able to persuade us without using magic?
I expect in this case he might not bother, but I also suspect that in HeroQuest this is a 'task at which no self-respecting hero would fail' and so unrolled. If there is the element of doubt in the outcome, and the result is important (i.e. in HQ terms a contest) why would he not use his leadership magic?

Magic is sufficently common in Glorantha that its usage resembles any other tool. Think of perhaps like a computer. Sometimes I want to show somebody my idea and I just scratch it out on paper (no contest) but sometimes I want to convince the board of my case so I cruft up a presentation in Powerpoint. I doubt that the folk of the clan consider it any more cheating to use magic than my boss considers it cheating to use powerpoint. Indeed the opposite is almost true. My boss's reaction would be 'why did you not use powerpoint so I could clearly understand what you wanted' and I can imagine the clan thinking 'why is Oskarl not using his Dar magic? He's obviously not taking the job of being our chief seriously'.