Not dying and MGF:Misery in Glorantha

From: Paul Snow <pyspas_at_bath.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 1994 14:28:37 +0000 (GMT)


Sandy
- -----
> What benefits are derived (in game terms) from having a high
> infant mortality rate? None as far as I can see, so the hell with it.
  

        Going for MGF is fine but I think it is also worth at some level considering the workings of Glorantha in which the Game Fun is being Maxed.

        I believe that historically speaking the net population growth rate was set by the infant mortality rate as the birth rate was fairly constant set by natural urges and a lack of birth control. If there is a minimal infant mortality rate then the population growth rate in Glorantha should be unusually high compared to the historical cultures with which we draw parallels unless there is a control of the birth rate. So here are three possible options

  1. Glorathans are habitually more continent than Terrans
  2. Contraception, probably magical, is widely practiced. (Was this discussed a while ago - it seems familiar or am I just thinking about the Bless crops thread)
  3. Another form of disease/spirit that adds a control here is the infertility spirit. Can this be incorporated into the standard model which you have already discussed? I also think this could give some intersting in-culture effects for generating those who stand outside society (and adventure?) because they cannot help continue society.

> If one of my PCs has a kid, it would be cruel and unusual to force
> the kid to roll percentile dice at the age of 2 to see if it caught
> measles and perished.

        Ah but Nature, unlike some manisfestations of human justice, has no proscription against cruel and unusual punishments. Wouldn't another view be to say that by facing these forms of tragedy in the game we can better cope with them in life?

> Not much more interesting than having the PC do
> the same at the age of 22.

        But the PCs have been selected to stand apart from outrageous fortune already haven't they? Their destiny it to interact with the normal life of the community and world and then be the interface to the super-normal for that society.

PAS

End of Glorantha Digest V1 #12

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