Re: Pregnancy

From: Kevin Rose <vladt_at_interaccess.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 00:52:54 -0600 (CST)


The only published note (that I can thing of offhand) on how long the gestation period in Glorantha was in the Runequest Companion, in "The Smell of a Rat." In it Zero, asks the rhetorical question of his superior "What is it that people take a year to do?" This is part of the process of explaining that the father of her secret child is an ogre.

As a normal pregancy on earth takes about 40 weeks this would be about 1 year on Glorantha. However this is supposedly not the case, as 1 year is no longer equal to 42 weeks on earth, now being equal to 52 weeks. (Or so the statement I saw implied.)

My opinion is that, like curving light, this is unnecessarily complex and will cause more problems than it fixes. I it is easier to assume that it works 42 weeks on Glorantha=42 weeks on earth (multiply ages by 4/5) than it is to try to rethink all the things that take a given time. For example, menstral cycle on earth is roughly 28 days. How long is it on Glorantha? How far can a man march in a day, as obviously the day is 20% longer? Or are Glorantha Humans "Startrek" aliens? (They look exactly like humans in cheap makeup, but really, they are different. . .)

In response to the comment that crop yields should be lower, I have two responses. First, they are lower, that's why fertility spells are so important. Second, how much of the year in temperate climates are crops really growing? Perhaps April through September? If winter is milder and shorter the crop season could be the same length.

This is all hand waving anyway, why not keep it simple except where it really matters? Throwing in weird physics and funny day lengths "just because" is pointless complexity.

But whatever works for you. . .

Kevin Rose

The thing I like about Greg Stafford's statements on Glorantha is the same thing that I like about ISO/ANSI/IEEE/IETF standards. There is almost one that allows you to claim that you are in compliance with Greg.


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