> the Orionela
> campaign by Dave Dunham (can't remember the exact name, sorry) -- all
> immense fun but requiring that everyone have a comprehensive knowledge of
> Glorantha.
The exact name is David. And I don't *think* my Oroninela game (just a one-shot, alas) required a comprehensive knowledge -- I told everyone it was Neolithic-era and gave them the one-page handout <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha/oroninela.html>. (I admit I haven't tried this with non-Gloranthaphiles, though in two sessions, only one player had read the Entekosiad, on which the game is based.)
Obviously, a campaign can founder on too much exposition, just like a science fiction novel can have expository lumps which render it boring. But I think there's much value in having a rich background (those are the sorts of novels I like). The important thing is to introduce it as you go, as much as possible, and try to make it relevant to or at least supportive of the plot. Not always easy.
Jane Williams asks
> does each tribe of
> Sartar have their own dialect? Are they mutually comprehensible?
Given the fluidity of the Sartarite tribes, I suspect each *clan* (rather than each tribe) has its own dialect. I suspect they are mutually comprehensible, otherwise Sartar would have had a hard time welding them into a kingdom. Also note that the Orlanthi Greeting is supposed to be understandable everywhere (though a recent game at Glorantha-Con IV suggests it might be something incredibly simple like "Ahoy!").
Of course, the fact that there's a "Speak Sartarite" skill may color my thinking.
On an MGF note, I don't think there's any single answer on languages. In our Post Dragonkill game, almost every character spoke a different language. This got really tedious after a while. And it didn't seem fair to exclude one player from everything just because his cruel (but lovable) Pentan could barely communicate in anything except his own language. On the other hand, occasional miscommunications due to language problems seem like a great way to spice up the game.
Michael Raaterova's explanation of godi (part-time priest) is exactly why we use the term for what RQ3 calls acolyte. You've got most of the powers and responsibilities of a full-time priest, but also a life to live.
David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_pensee.com> Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #154
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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