RE: Initiation - Contests and Failure

From: Matthew Cole <matthew.cole_at_NJ78Pocy3amiOe1si2ShIo72WdfhP5Fv8EHt9SIC_efgXI9j88Ghq95sQCW6L_K>
Date: Tue, 5 May 2009 15:07:13 +0100

I am in complete agreement with John here. It's all about what you want your story to be about in my games. I had a Babeester Gor hero played by someone whose intent was to keep playing her as a BG after the first year of initiation (after one year they are expected to devote or leave). I realised that he would not get satisfaction after that time unless she succeeded devotion. I planned a devotion scenario that was much more about finding out about the hero and her 'friends' (who would be friends with a Babs looney, I mean, really?) and how they got through the ordeal.

On the subject of 'do Sartarites fail initiation?' I read an early draft of the Rune Magic chapter of the coming Sartar book and there was a paragraph that might be helpful (of course, it's subject to change but we can see the authors' thought processes here):

Joining the Religion section, near the start: "... Your adulthood rites included a preparatory period of guidance and education, a period of time spent away from mundane society, a solemn test of you as an individual, and a final ceremony which transformed you into a full member of society and a worshipper of the Orlanthi gods. The climax of the ritual involved your trip to the Gods World. This was dangerous. You have heard stories that children or even elders die or are lost during the initiation process..."

A later paragraph gives further perspective. It's entitled "Your initiation":
"Your initiation was deeply personal, and defines your conflicts, goals and fears. The initiation likely introduced magical enemies and allies. The themes experienced during your initiation will be repeated many times during your life. You and your narrator are encouraged to use those themes during your campaign. You do not need to determine what occurred during your initiation when you make your character; indeed, it may only become clear later during the game."

-----Original Message-----
From: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com [mailto:WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of John Machin Sent: 05 May 2009 01:23
To: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Initiation - Contests and Failure

2009/5/5 <donald_at_LlKQlxUUFr0hlvGFCrb4YAPzVXkn4Kg9dw3r0bb3_nLKvVPr93WKRgTaeqfy57k7wAJQrAYon5Kkt7UYZhoXqCRO.yahoo.invalid>
> People who aren't ready or try and initiate to the wrong god. They
> generally fail without significant damage but get an odd quirk and
> try again.

I used this as a background for a fellow who tried to initiate into Humakt but found that Hevduran found him instead.

He was a bit bitter with his godtalkers and took to trudging about as a result.

> Whether it should be a contest or not really depends on the story.
> In most stories it is a distraction and a potentially derailing
> one.

I agree.
If you want your hero to have a flawed initiation because that drives your idea of the character's story then that is cool, but having to make it a test can almost be like backsliding into TRAVELLER-like "your PC dies in character generation" stuff.

That being said, in HQ1 I tell players to think about the resistances for further initiation, although I have yet to require an actual test I like it that they run about trying to get community support for their attempts to become preceptors (or whatever). If they do enough prep narratively then I am well-satisfied; if they just want to *ding!* up their "magic level" then I might encourage them to make a story out of it, or wheel in the mechanical systems.

--
John Machin
"Nothing is more beautiful than to know the All."
- Athanasius Kircher, 'The Great Art of Knowledge'.