I think once I realized that the "30% commitment level" was not the "minor magic" that the naming of initiate to devotee inadvertently led me to, it struck me that this meant every Orlanthi adult is basically equivalent to a wizard.
That seemed crazy to me.
I somewhat got around it in my head by making it that most adults initiate, get one affinity they never raise and basically become lay members.
It still seemed strange to me, since it also means that every character basically goes on HeroQuests, which makes them seem.... too mundane to me. Of course, I later found out that Orlanthi go on HeroQuests every holy day, during sacred time, every time they learn a feat, the two initiations they go through, becoming an adult, etc. So really, HeroQuests are banal and everyday for Orlanthi.
That never sat well with me, as I thought HeroQuests were supposed to be dangerous and special. I guess the answer is that "well known" heroquests are very safe. Or, that a part of Orlanthi fatalism is that in order to be a culture with more magicians than anyone else on Glorantha, they sacrifice a large proportion of their children who never come back from the adulthood rites.
Now, to get back to the original question, I also think putting fixed numbers on it seems out of whack with the HQ2 design. I haven't seen how it is actually implemented, though, so I can't say for sure. I agree with those who have said that whether or not it is a story point has a lot to do with the nature of the story you are telling. That is certainly how I would do it.
Best,
L. Castellucci
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