A spell is not a spell is not a spell

From: James Frusetta <gerakkag_at_wam.umd.edu>
Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 19:06:39 -0400 (EDT)


An opening disclaimer: this is a topic where using RQ game rules to discuss Glorantha can get awkward. But what can you do?

Trotsky wrote:
> The point I was making was that the magic of all cultures is inherently
> equal.

Why inherently equal? As presented in RQ, the magic of all cultures is _not_ inherently equal. Some cultures have access to _better_ magics than others, or a better variety.

Is non-resuable resurrection (say, as Daka Fal or Kyger Litor get) equal to Chalanna Arroy reusable resurrection? Bah. Is the vast panoply of magic that a Lunar or an Orlanthi can sacrifice for equal to the crud that a starving band of feral Broo get in the Wastes of Prax? Fooey.

I suppose you could make the argument that there are cultural "intangibles" that make that 1-use KL resurrection equal to CA's resuable. But that seems to be like arguing that a Yugo is equal to a Rolls Royce based on cultural relativism...

> No matter who you are, one point of magic is one point of magic.
But I'd think 1 pt. battle magic /= 1 pt. rune magic (/= 1 pt. sorcery). I think most people would probably agree that a rune magic is generally superior to a battle magic of the same type (say, 1 pt. Crush vs. 1 pt. Bludgeon). If Lunar/Dara Happan "mass use" magic is of a greater order of magnitude, then it's "better" magic. If they have regular access to it and other cultures don't, then they've got a big advantage.

Yah, 1 mp = 1 mp (or 1 POW = 1 POW). But that doesn't mean that the way the power is used is equal -- a more feul-efficient car goes farther on a liter of gas. A "better" spell goes farther on 1 mp.

And of course RQ assumes that a Orlanthi Bladesharp = a Pentian Bladesharp = a Lunar Bladesharp, etc. But that might just be game convention -- who's to say that there aren't fractional differences that RQ simply ignores (for the sake of simplicity)?


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