I know what a HeroQuest is. I've read the Campbell stuff and I've attended one of Greg's heroquesting seminars and I have every issue of TotRM.
What I have a problem with is the object of the game as Mr. Hughes sees it. If I'm correct, Mr. Hughes sees the actual object of HQ is for the Hero (PC) and the Player to set out on an HQ to gain some new insight about their own personalities and/or to consciously overcome some prejudice, and/or have some other cathartic experience.
Well, I as a person don't go and do something to gain insight about my personality unless I go see a therapist. I'm sure that a PC in the game also doesn't go on an HQ to have some cathartic experience or gain some insight into his own personality. A hero goes on an HQ to get something (for himself or his people) or to find out something (like who is Yelmalio?). A hero does not go on an HQ to find out that the reason he can't trust women is because he hated his mother.
Introspection and overcoming of prejudice may come as a result of heroquesting but it is not the object of the heroquest.
It sounds like that Mr. Hughes would like the idea of having several couches at the place where we would play HeroQuest. That way we could all lie down and psychoanalyze each other and cure ourselves of problems like prejudices both in the game and in our RW lives.
Remember, RQ and HQ should be fun. If something beneficial is gained by the player as a result of this, fine. I, for one, don't see pschoanalysis as fun and I won't play HQ as described by Mr. Hughes.
In the immortal words of our GM:
Sometimes a broo is just a broo.
John Brown
Arkat_at_aol.com
Powered by hypermail