Obscurity in RuneQuest

From: David Ford <diadochi_at_...>
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 12:24:09 +0000

The fact that people keep harping back to the "good old days" of RuneQuest 2 should be recognized by HeroWars moderators/players. You can use all the arguments that you like, but trying to force everyone into accepting your views is just intellectual bullying. Looking for obscure references in rules books and
magazines won't work, because they were obscure references, they weren't the meat of the game, they were the extras.

The strength of RuneQuest 2 was the complexity of the myths was always very optional, the players and referees could choose how deep they wanted to go, the enjoyment was the freedom to choose, and if need be hunt for more details. I never had a problem with Orlanth having different aspects or worshipped
in different ways by different people, but why so many aspects, if not 10, why not 100
or one million. There seems no sense or reason to what has happened to Glorantha.
Its like you are children and you don't know when to stop.

You think HeroWars and modern Glorantha is wonderful, but I know many people who disagree. They felt the RuneQuest was fun, sharp, and fascinating. The action
point system, the billion gods, the strict 4 ways of magic, in RQ2 Storm Bull didn't
need special rules to cover both animist and thestist tradition. I think the Heroquesting
examples giving in the HeroWars boxed set are lame.

Glorantha has been fucked with, many people think you, you don't because you've always wanted it to be a imcomprensible mess with all the fun taken out. Seems you
got your desires.

David

At 10:43 25/02/01 +0000, you wrote:
>Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 11:09:11 -0000
> From: "Nick Brooke" <Nick_Brooke_at_...>
>Subject: Obscurity in RuneQuest
>
>Jeffrey Zahari writes:
>
> > But the idea of different aspects goes back to at least Wyrm's Fotnotes
>#13
> > (I think), where we were told that Orlanth had various aspects and were
>even
> > given rudimentary spell lists. It has also been long-standing that there
>are
> > many specialised deities. We just never got the details.
>
>See also "Whatever Happened to the One True Glorantha?" on my website:
> http://www.btinternet.com/~Nick_Brooke/one-true.htm
>
>Though I think this kind of discussion belongs on the Glorantha Digest
>rather than any HW-related list, and (speaking as a moderator) I suggest
>taking it there if anyone *really* wants to continue covering this old
>ground. How interesting can it *possibly* be for the Glorantha-newbie
>HW-players who are the target audience of HeroWars_at_yahoogroups.com?
>
>:::: Email: <mailto:Nick_Brooke_at_...>
>Nick
>:::: Website: <http://www.etyries.com>