My Metal Lore is only 12%, but.......

From: Erik Sieurin <BV9521_at_utb.hb.se>
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 13:43:42 +0100


Jorganos:
> Since the Glorantha descriptions in RQ3 supplements described these
> circumstances, the importance of Rune metals (other than iron) has shifted.
> Pure metals no longer are special, and only iron requires enchantments to
> avoid magic inhibition.

"Enchantment" COULD be seen as "purification" of the metal. Enchant (Metal) still brings out mystical capabilities of common junk, you know.

> It is well possible that the shift away from the hermetic pure metals has
> removed the Bronze Age feeling of large parts of the world. A lot of people
> I have talked to treat bronze like real earth iron, both in general
> durability and production, and reserve superior steel properties (or
> something like Tolkien's "mithril") for enchanted Gloranthan iron.
> (Actually, most don't do so expressis verbis, but imply this.)
I do something very similar. As stated in the subject name, I know precious little about the exact capabilities of Earthly bronze. One old prejudice (probably) of school history is my idea that bronze was more rare than iron was to become, and that most people used stone and bone. Another is that there are a lot of things who are not that easy to make out of bronze (chainmail? spurs?) or that will be of considerable lower quality. I get the impression from published scenarios etc (which mostly are RQ2 translations, mind you) that bronze is used exactly as iron was in the ancient world in Glorantha.

And about "bronze age feel"... well, I think that with so many cultures which are STONE AGE, I see no real need to press this.

Erik Sieurin


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