Re: Changed magic in 2nd and 3rd Age from donald_at_vuDz_DF34uR8ptZITuShUUNcZH01s_6ZYPelbTGD0cyLSFJSO4CqtBCqNqek4epvbQ11K on 2009-06-22 (World of Glorantha)

From: donald_at_vuDz_DF34uR8ptZITuShUUNcZH01s_6ZYPelbTGD0cyLSFJSO4CqtBCqNqek4epvbQ11K
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:25:09 GMT

In message <p06240801c66462fb9ac6_at_[10.0.1.94]> David Dunham writes:
>Donald
>
>>Not clearly explained. It is however implicit in the community support
>>bonus. Your Heortling hero gets their clan to support them just as your
>>Rokari hero gets their church to support them. Organised communities
>>like the monotheistic churches will provide bigger bonuses than
>>theistic clans and animist groups will be smaller still.
>
>If you're referring to HeroQuest 2nd edition community rules, that's
>not true.

Not having seen them, I'm referring to HQ1.

>The size of the organization doesn't matter -- the church
>may indeed have more worshippers than the clan, but they have more
>people to look out after. Think of their larger blessing being spread
>more thinly, if you will.

This model only works if you assume the larger organisation spreads its magic evenly. I would contend that in general it won't and that community magical resources will be concentrated in fewer, more powerful individuals. This is particularly true given the nature of a feudal society compared with a clan basied one.

>Or look at it from a narrative viewpoint: when the civilized
>westerner calls on his community, he doesn't automatically beat the
>barbarian who also calls on his community. The game mechanical bonus
>is the same.

>From a narrative viewpoint the situation is going to determine what
community bonus is applicable. Generally the bigger the community the more magical support is available but the more difficult it is to get and the social structure of the community will affect how easy it is for a particular character to gain that support.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/