Temporal Paradoxes

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 15:24:59 +1200


Simon D. Hibbs:

>Peter is trying hard to avoid the possibility of temporal paradoxes in
>Glorantha, but I think it is a losing battle. Apparent paradoxes are an
>inevitable consequence of heroquesting. For example - Joe Heroquester dies
>and goes to Hell, finds the secret exit (which he learned about in a
>previous quest) and comes back, meanwhile his family bury the body. Now
>Joe has two bodies, the one that is dead and buried and the one he came
>back in.
 

But this is *not* a _temporal_ paradox! A Temporal Paradox is Joe Hero going back in time and killing his grandfather before he has a chance to begat Joe Hero's father. The 'paradox' you have cited has two solutions:

  1. Most backdoor escapees from Hell (ie resurrection) use the original body. They don't bury him straight off but wait for Joe Hero to come back.
  2. When Elementals reform their physical bodies by being resummoned after being destroyed in a previous fight, I do not believe they are time travelling. A similar process occurs for Joe Hero when his body has been destroyed and or eaten IMO.

As for Belintar, I already discussed him in v02.660 along with the Nights of Horrors. These are the only two examples where 'time-travellers' are _said_ to physically change the past. So far from fighting a loosing battle, I think victory is in sight.

End of Glorantha Digest V3 #36

WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html

Powered by hypermail