Re: Recent Digests

From: Nick_Brooke_at_deloitte.touche.co.uk
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 96 10:00:02 PST



David B. writes:

> I am I stupid or did I miss something from Sandy's post. Sandy send
> me any Cat. 'A' stuff ya got and I'll scan it and email free
> ofcharge. Actually bugger the categories I'll scan anything and email
> it.

Perhaps using someone with more of a feel for spelling and grammar would be a better idea? I know that I'm prejudiced (being chief proofreader for the Megacorp), but I also know from personal experience how tricky it is to get scanned-in material to look good. And this "NO BUTS!" package would be meant to appeal to newbies, not to us fanatics who can be bothered to see the virtues which shine through a slipshod production.

Can I also suggest formally coordinating with the Megacorp, so's to avoid driving a coach and horses through our forthcoming publications schedule? (If Waha and Eiritha had been distributed in photocopy three months ago, I doubt we'd be seeing three issues of Tales this year!).



Mark S. writes:

> Nick Brooke noted that for all their anti-Lunarism, the Sartarites only
> seem to mount rebellions, half-hearted or otherwise, about once every ten
> years or so.

Really "for all their *alleged* anti-Lunarism" -- I was taking the low incidence of civil unrest as an argument against the "You hold her down, I'll slash her throat" attitude to Lunar priestesses, charity workers, etc. which some posters have posited is held by all Sartarite Good Ol' Boys.

> It could be argued that this is because that's how long it takes for a
> generation of orphans to reach adulthood and thus, presumably, fighting
> age...

Or if we assume, reasonably enough from the evidence, that not *every* Rebel is caught, blinded, gelded, tortured to death and/or fed to the Chaos Demons from the Pit, that that's how long it takes for a new generation of silly young hotheads to decide that rebellion against the Empire is a Good Idea, whatever their older and wiser relatives may tell them.

> ... it takes about a decade for the right numbers to be reached as the
> descendants of the guys that failed the first time around grow up to take
> their place.

I agree completely with the sentiment, but disagree that we're looking only at "descendents of the dead heroes of the rebellion". Older tribesmen will remember the vast amount of SHIT that was dropped on them as a result of their own (or their kin's) participation in the rebellion: taxes up, lands forfeit, clans split, embarrassing indignities inflicted on their leaders by the Lunars. Sure and I agree that these could be seen as "casus belli" by the up'n'coming youngsters, but perhaps it's also the reason why the old folks at home vote *against* rebellion, while the young 'uns who can't remember what was lost last time vote in favour. Cf. the women of the Varmandi clan in PB:G for more.



Roderick, Alex, et al:

Why not call the Sartarite hard stuff "whisky" or "whiskey", depending on your local preference? All this visge, uisge, oo-ish-ke-ba, stuff is hard on the brain. We've survived for years with arguments about "armor" vs. "armour", "Pharaoh" vs. "Pharoah", etc., so I'm not sure the bandwidth to invent an unusual way of writing "whisky" (and/or "whiskey") is necessary!



Jim:

> The Lunar parallel is obvious -- I find it hard to believe in ruling
> classes that will for long permit the evolution of societies in which
> their kids don't have a better shot at being rulers than anyone else.
> I still have trouble picturing the way illumination works in the Empire.

Although state scholarships are available to deserving candidates, most students at the Lunar College of Magic (the best source of Illumination in the Empire) have places which were bought by their parents. That's how the kids of rulers get a better shot. Remember, Illumination *isn't* an "either you're born with it or else you have no hope" thing (like Gnosis): it can be taught, studied, acquired. Sure there are some dense kids who can't quite hack it, or who drop out of the College into Chaotic drug-fuelled decadence and debauchery, but the ones who stay (and who can be bothered to learn) are in with a chance.

FWIW, I think having some Yelmies be poor peasants makes for more MGF, and therefore it could happen IMG.



Nick

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