Re: Hero Cults was RE: Re: Jumping off Cliffs

From: Pete Darby <pete.darby_at_...>
Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 16:25:40 +0100


{puts on nitpickers hat....}

On 6/8/05, Tony Davis <gallows_brother_at_...> wrote:
>
>
> I can see where this is important. The HeroQuest
> rules, however, make it seem like Gloranthan magic is,
> indeed, a game of 'well, what capabilities do i need?'
> That the gods are worshiped, not because they are
> super-worthy, but because 'that's what people do to
> have the magic they need to survive.'

 Well... isn't that a fairly accurate portrayal of the relationship of folks at this level of civilization with their religions? Yes, Orlanth is an exemplar in many ways of "The perfect king", or "The best man", but he's worshipped because he grants the power to rule, or be a better person, or defeat your foes in battle. If he was just "super-worthy", the Orlanthi would go somewhere else for magic (but still send him cards at sacred time. They're not heartless).
 Oh yeah, and the Orlanthi worship Orlanth because "He was good enough for your father, and his father, and his father, he's good enough for you, lad."  

Perhaps that's a flaw in the HQ book, but that's sort
> of where I was coming from. I mean, gamewise, isn't
> the 'time requirement' supposed to be the abstract of
> all of that stuff you are talking about?
>
> if i join a hero cult for a Flight Affinity, that's an
> extra 10% time and XP committment to a cult that only
> has one thing i need. my Flight Affinity gets high,
> and so does my Rash skill/flaw or my Loves Birds or
> something like that... the cost is there. if it
> becomes too much of a pain in the butt to buy
> skills/feats/affinities, you might as well not give
> out HP at all and only give out 'rewards.' Not a bad
> way to play, but certainly not in the scope of the HQ
> rules.

  Well, since the HQ rules are about facilitating storymaking, and specifically a cinematic style of storymaking, I guess it depends on what sort of story / film you want.
 Spending a heap of HP on "Fast track" devotion can mean "cinematic fast track" if you want to narrate it that way. Cue up the standard Hollywood training montage, sweeping strings / drum and bass (depending on your cinematic tastes, caption fades in "two seasons later..."  Or you can narrate it in terms of the high priest has a vision from the gods, or finds the new guy fits an old prophecy. Or the tribe needs a Humakti Death Lord right now (boy, is THAT tribe in trouble...)  All the system means is that, where the setting says "It usually takes x amount of time to gain this level of devotion for this feat", you're not bound by it unless it fits your game... as opposed to certain rules systems I know.

-- 
_______________________________
Pete Darby
www.livejournal.com/users/pete_darby<http://www.livejournal.com/users/pete_darby>


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