Thanks for venting. With mild trepidation, let me stumble into the consequent clouds of steam, smoke and miscellaneous gaseous compounds.
First of all, on the core 'Vinga is a lesbian' issue. I must say I agree. I can't see the point and to a large extent this came across as shooting from the hip (or a little further down and round) either out of random impulse or to reassert a little sens of control as Glorantha slips into other, more numerous hands. As a veteran of the embittering debacle that was the making of ILH-2, I'm no partisan of either tendency.
As you say, if you are going to introduce dramatic changes to core elements of canon, then either do it sensitively or else be sure that it is some stonkingly excellent change. This hardly ticks either box.
All that said, let me use this an an opportunity to say what I don't like about Vinga. Or rather, let you say it:
> Historically Vinga came along early 90s to rescue Glorantha from its
> growing reputation as a boys-own bastion of masculinist
conservatism. And
> ducks. Roleplaying was pushing all sorts of new frontiers,
Glorantha was
> treading water at best. In this, Vinga is up there with Humakt and
Orlanth
> and the Red Goddess and KOS as one of Greg's most successful
creations. At
> a time when the initial feminist promise of the Lunar Way was being
clawed
> back into some sort of quasi-Darra Happan nightmare, Vinga was a
way for
> women to enjoy roleplaying in Glorantha without being forced into
the
> roles many men wished to confine them to in real life. Her presence
as a
> character option saved more than a few campaigns. She was a vehicle
for
> different values, other ways.
To me, Vinga comes across precisely as a 'vehicle for different values', a way for sensitive, contemporary creators to inject sensitive, contemporary values into the Orlanthi. However, why should the Orlanthi be so sensitive? The whole elaboration of Ernalda and the creation of a Vinga certainly gives a much greater, more interesting and empowered female voice. Vinga is especially multipurpose, spearing enemies, rescuing orphans, saving the day when those silly men screw up. It feels like mythic positive discrimination; it may well have its place, but I would rather a more 'warts and all' female deity as standard bearer, one who has trouble asserting her place in Orlanthi society, one who screws up as often as everyone else.
Please don't take this as a personal attack, but for me, Vinga is a little too shiny, a little too self-consciously written to redress a (real) imbalance.
> How correct is my suspicion that over the last ten years Glorantha
has
> become an increasingly masculinist, conservative, essentialist and
lets
> face it sexist place to roleplay? And if Glorantha has become such a
> realm, what is our part in making it so?
I'm curious -- could you expand on this? I'm wondering what makes you say this.
> Out of interest, where are the good bits for women in Glorantha?
Are there
> any?
I would have thought that the Lunar Way does offer such, and now explicitly with ILH-2 where iot has largely been implicit before. Sure, the Dara Happans are a rigid bunch of sexist wankers, but one of the fascinating aspects of the Lunar story is precisely how their Way becomes a battleground with the 'host' culture, as DH influences seek to rehape the Lunar faith and different Lunar strands begin to undermine DH certitudes. And while the Lunar Way has its share of 'boy's own' fantasies (I've never liked HonEel), it also offers wise rulers such as Deezola and Hwarin Dalthippa, fearless wanderers like Borovich and thinkers like Erana...
All the best
Mark
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