Re: Horses, jousting, magical awe.

From: Jane Williams <janewill_at_mail.nildram.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 21:45:56 +0000

Erik suggested:
> As a face-save, one could always say that the need for a heavy
> warhorse comes from carrying all that armor. Now, with Damage
> Resistance and Treat Wounds, Western knights might well joust with
> padded ringmail.

I'm by no means an expert in this field, but from what I remember full plate weighs about the same as a full mail hauberk. About 70-80 pounds. The strength required of the horse may be to carry its *own* armour, which would presumably be a larger size and hence heavier. I can see that the horse armour would be needed for battle, but for a sporting joust, perhaps not? Your opponent isn't trying to kill your horse, after all.

And he also made good points about the Gloranthan attitude to magic:
> IMG, most people hide in the bushes, scream and take cover or attack
> fervently praying for RuneSpells when confronted with Stuff They
> Don't Know. ...
> Although magic IS a part of daily life in Glorantha, it is often
> secret, always culturally limited, and doesn't stop to fill people
> with marvel.

I try to see magic in Glorantha as taking the place (very approx.!) of electricity and other tech. in the RW. The basic everyday charms that you don't mention, like lightswitches. The more technical stuff that you discuss when it goes wrong, like email and cars and Worship ceremonies. The things you treat with caution, like powerlines and other people's temples. Things you recognise but run away from, like tanks and guns and Berserk ZZs with Fireblade on their Great Big Axe (just after the Treechopping Song...)
And things you Don't Understand, like that same tank, but levitating and glowing blue, or a user-friendly IBM manual. Or Chaos. Or Lunars.

Jane Williams                     jane_at_williams.nildram.co.uk

http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~janewill/gloranth/index.shtml

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