Childquest- Yes, I am using a RQ hybrid instead of HQ2 as the underlying bones of the game. The way I GM tends to obscure the mechanics as much as the players will allow. With newbies this isn't hard. And the point is this should be even easier with HQ. Anyway the idea is you start the players off as children around 10 years of age. Without going into the exact mechanics I use and with regard to your query, I have found that there is a unique charm to approaching Glorantha in this way and there are many interesting and exciting novel adventures within the world of children. I am making use of this opportunity to write background in the form of folktales that explains Glorantha. Rather than explain anything exhaustively, may tidbits and hooks allow the players to fill in the gaps with their own imaginations. Later, within the campaign as they age, their natural childish misconceptions can be cleared up within the plot line as necessary. This type of game has the added benefit of allowing the cultural lives of characters to be detailed giving a lot more depth to the game. My group background is poor and shamanic living on the skirts of the more mainstream settlements in the area. They are a mixture of lodrili, odaylan, oranthi and a few other exotic tidbits added in. I have also found that starting characters off as children is an absolute goldmine in terms of developing the players more magical Gloranthan world view. The whole thing has been more immersive than what I have normally experianced in roleplaying. So, start the players off as kids and tell them whatever tales you want to in order to vaguely fill in their world view. Never more than is necessary.
I would say that there is no need for new players to understand very much about Glorantha. Just explain to them what they need to know for the current hook or scene. This makes the world seem even vaster than it is and adds mystery. It is actually a huge advantage to have all this background material because it buoys the GM in his efforts at creating an authentic experience. The GM almost always has solid sources to go to when asked some question out of the blue. This add to the astonished pleasure of the newbie players! Later, they may have enough interest to start reading on their own.
Finally, I would say that it is incombant upon all us oldtimers to bring in new and younger players. We should all of us, who love this strange subculture of Glorantha, consider ourselves responsible for 100 newbie scalps!
And Gregg wants his scalps! ;)
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