First of all, I don't want to give the impression I propose that you roll a lot of traits, or to make the HQ just a bunch of die rolls. A normal HQ would perhaps have one (and sometimes none, or some other thing), although usually there would be "Minimum traits". So when you face the Beast of the Thousand Eyes, all those questers whose Courage is less than 25 will run away. Just as long as somebody remains and uses the right mythical method, the others will rejoin him later, and continue on their way. No roll. Anybody who knows the myth knows the Beast is pretty horrible, although easy to kill if you remain steady, so the trouble is finding someone courageous enough who is also capable enough to play his/her role.
I don't believe you need something as Influence or Free Will.
Influence: The effect of the Heroquest is tied to its depth, wich controls the difficulty. So where in the Stationary LBQ "Orlanth" just greets "Rausa", in a deep one you have to use the Right Words with the Right State of Mind (In the first case, no roll needed, in the second, research or a previous HQ, tied with an appropiate Remorseful state).
Free Will: In my (hardly tested) view, the Traits needed for "deep" HQ will eventually force the Hero to leave the dull and unforgiving Inner World, specially when the character begins to go in "automatic" (Traits so high you don't have to make decisions). You can set your arbitrary limits on the number of 20+ traits needed. So a Hero with many helpers, who "share" the burdens of Herodom will last much longer than a Lone hero.
With respect to Harrek, he just HQ enough to be the meanest killing machine in Glorantha, and stopped. I think most of his later HQs are just reenactments, nothing new (so he does not take the last step to herodom), and that is why he does nothing of importance (besides killing and destroying) in history. Argrath, who knows him well, can manipulate him almost at will. Argrath is a shining example of Hero with helpers.
Support however is trickier, and I like the way it is handled in YAHQS, even if I usually just use RQ in the HQ. My idea, which I see is not widespread, is that a well known myth, or a well prepared one, will succeed always in simple cases, and will become harder the more complex it becomes. Support just allows you to go deeper (and to have a stronger effect) or to go wider (and to affect much more people).
BTW the traits I use are those in the John Sapienza Mk: III sheet, that appeared in a Heroes issue. They are not perfect, and some pairs are never used, but it is complete enough for my purposes.
I use (as a GM) quite a lot of trait rolls, but that is a peculiarity of PBEM, where you can't afford to contact the player for every little action. However they almost always have the choice of reversing their character action, if appropiate.
In a way, HQ is almost diceless, except for certain tests. If a certain enemy is better that you (Beat you in the myth, Elmal vs Zorak Zoran), he will always be better than you, no matter if you are a young boy at initiation or Harvast Ironfist with your 250% Spear. The only way to win this "fixed" episodies is to change the rules: Run away (and change the myth and make Elmal a coward, at least for you) or bring a friend (some Vingan myths lying around) or change myths in half track (I am not Elmal, I am Humakt, and I want Death back). That is not a test. The test is later to avoid dying when beat up, and to have enough resolve to continue, even if you know that it is Inora who comes.
I suspect that puts me in the "Roll something and Handwave" school of Heroquesting.
Jose
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