>Ok, I hope I don't get crucified for this but what in the world is Greg
>thinking???? Is he serious about the concept of HeroQuest as espoused by
>John Hughes in the "Paths of the Hero" article in TotRM #14 starting on
>pg 50?
Yes.
>I ask this because it sounds like Greg believes the characters we play in
>the game are actually the people we are in real life.
Er, pardon? Where on earth did you get that idea from?
>To me, it seems like John Hughes and Greg Stafford are advocating
>blurring the lines of distinction between the real world and fantasy.
What lines? Many people in the real world have fantastical notions of what the world is like and what is 'realy' going on and imagine that their fantasies are true. If you honestly believe that engaging in fantasy roleplaying is utterly separate from your 'real life' and does not affect it in any way, then you are just as deluded as they are.
>Role-playing a character that is nothing like us will be replaced with
>playing ourselves in the fantasy/real world.
Rubbish! The point is that roleplaying another character, quite separate from yourself, can still affect you as an individual. Think about it - If roleplaying had no beneficial effect on you whatsoever, what is the point in doing it? Nowhere do John or Greg say you have to play yourself, what they might say is that surrogate experiences you have while rolaplaying can have a beneficial effect on you. There is a connection between you and the character, not a common identity.
>I don't know about you guys but I don't believe in the real world
>existence of the Heroplane nor do I believe it possible to reach Heaven
>(the godplane if you will) without actually dying. No matter how much I'd
>like it to be possible for us to be able to acomplish a real world
>heroquest, that fact is... it's not.
Here you fundamentaly fail to grasp what the Heroplane and Heroquesting are. Heroquesting is a process of self-discovery and transformation. This is doable in the real world just as much as it is in Glorantha. Glorantha is not the real world, I can't literaly cast Spirit Magic, any more than I can literaly go on the Lightbringer's Quest. What I can do is attend the wedding of one of my best friends in a few weeks time. I will travell to the church, take part in the ceremony, give gifts and blessings and witness their marriage. In this case it is Ian that is the Hero, following an ancient quest to attain one of the greatest of all prizes. If that is not magical, what is?
Simon Hibbs
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