Re: Erich Schmidts post

From: Martin Laurie <MLaurie_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 1997 20:23:22 -0400


Me:
>>the actual Orlanth was probably a
>>famous tribal leader who used his Kolating powers to free
>>his people from the rule of som oppressers - hence the
>>Evil Emperor myth.

Erich
>This is the problem, I am not interested in playing a sociologist. =

There are no sociologists in Glorantha as we would define them, =

and I sure as hell have never played one. Why do you think you have to? Just because I know the underlying mutability of myth in Glorantha doesn't mean that any of the characters I play do!

>"In a fantasy game, the gods are real." =

This is a somewhat limited view and one supplied copiously by TSR so why bother with Glorantha if you want things to be so cut and dry - one of the great things about Glorantha is its depth and such depth comes from a real attempt to make the world consistent and realistic within its own context. As human beings are involved this means much RW activity will be mirrored in Glorantha with some differences but largely the same.

>I don't want to run a game in the real world with a little magic =

>added either. =

Thats the whole point, its not the real world, its Glorantha which has a wealth of myth, legend and magic but I like my worlds to function within their idiom with realism and consistency. The Gods are Real argument is unable to supply that consistency given what we know of historical patterns, myth and human =

behaviour in the RW.

>What Martin mentioned above I have no problem with as far =

>as a hero cult goes, but it can't become a full-fledged god. I =

>guess that I am doomed "never to fully appreciate the depth =

>and richness of Glorantha" as I consider the above to be utter =

>bullshit.

Can you explain why a hero-cult cannot become a full fledged =

God? Argrath did, The Red Goddess did, Arkat did, Nysalor did - the evidence seems to be somewhat against you on that one and thats just within recorded history. Lokamayadon actually placed himself in the role of Orlanth and recieved =

worship as Orlanth. He wasn't even dead, still creeping =

around living his life.

If this happened in recorded history, who knows what happened before it!

I cannot see why you are so resistant to this as it doesn't appear =

to be based on the evidence, rather your own desire to see the world as you believed it to be. Nothing wrong with that but isn't it good to debate and examine other perspectives? I mean if you think I'm talking bullshit, as you do, then tell me logically, with evidence, as to why you think I'm talking bullshit and we can progress from there.

>Yes, I am aware that this is how Greg is writing his myths, and =

>I'll deal with it. I will rewrite some and wedge together the others =

>until I find a crisp underlying structure to it all.

Why do you need to find an underlying structure to it all? Who cares? It certainly doesn't affect game play or the interaction of the PCs/NPCs or it doesn't in any game I run or play in.

Martin Laurie


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