Here's a little:
>MAXIMUM LOCAL DIVERSITY - MLD
Shouldn't it rather be Sufficient Local Diversity? Calling it Maximum
might encourage too much variation. After all, plants and animals can
find their way to the next valley. I see a very real danger in making
every single place too unique, too different from the rest. Or was this
part of
>I'm exaggerating and distorting to make a point, of course
An example of what I mean:
>East Isles MLD 60
...
>East Isles culture can vary enormously from island to island.
Most definitely, but there is common cultural ground: they all speak basically the same language, and they all worship Thella, the goddess of Dawn in addition to their local god(s). If every island was unique and completely different from the next, the East Isles would be too incomprehensible and no fun.
Hmm, this sounds too much like criticism. I agree with the idea, I just want to point out that there is a balance between too little and too much.
>MAXIMUM CREATIVE INPUT - MCI
>
>There is an awfully lot that's good about Glorantha, but in some areas it
>is very predictable and even severely lacking in imagination. By quirks of
>history and design, much of Glorantha seems developed for the sole purpose
>of hitting things over the head.
Very true, and probably the hardest thing to do anything about. From my own experience, my games always boil down to high adventure and action. I try hard to incorporate more "mundane" stuff (i.e. cultural, social and non-action activities) but the efforts always fall flat because I never succeed in making them interesting enough. Given the choice between an exciting action adventure (probably including some combat) and an excruciatingly boring session of intra-clan interaction I know what both I and my players prefer.
So, how do you infuse mystery and excitement in the non-action parts?
>All of this mean-hearted pseudo ranting and raving is meant to introduce
>the concept of MCI - Maximum Creative Input. Its simply a plea that when
>writing or designing something for Glorantha, try to rise above the
>predictability and limitations of the male fantasy genre to create
>something fresh.
Creating something fresh is hard, using it in an actual game is even harder. I hope other people on the list have more success than me in doing it, and are able to convey how they do it.
Nils W | Here we are! Office: niwe_at_einku.ericsson.se | We sail on a ship made of dreams.Home: nilsw_at_ibm.net
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