How Glorantha works, explained better (?)

From: Jane Williams <jane_at_williams.nildram.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 3 May 1998 21:19:47 +0000

Looking through the comments I got back, both on the Digest and by private email, I can see I didn't explain that too well. (Sleep; I remember that: must try it before writing, next time.)

I see Mundane Law and Mythic Law as, more often than not, agreeing about the results (though not the reasons) for most things. The measurement of the Sky Dome is an exception, and one that we've discussed recently. To a very large extent, whether you use Mythic Law or Mundane Law to describe events is like the wave/particle debate; you can still see, and mirrors still work. But if your theory for some really obscure bit of optics/Quantum Mechanics requires one or the other, that's what you use for the sums.

I also very much doubt if anyone in Glorantha would ever try to use one system or the other exclusively for their lives (at least, if they do, they're Wrong). The exception to this would be things where Gloranthans, not having C20 knowledge of Mundane Law, can only find the Mythic Law reasons (Coriolis Force v. resemblance to Movement Rune, for instance).

We can add to the richness of Glorantha by coming up with Mythic Law reasons for as much as possible, while (preferably) not contradicting Mundane Law. And coming up with multiple contradictory reasons is a Good Thing.

In a very few cases, Mundane Law and Mythic Law disagree. Mundane Law says that if you drop an apple, it falls. Mythic Law says "not if you cast the right spell on it". Mundane Law says "do what?". Mythic Law then starts arguing over whether you use Sorcery, Spirit Magic or Divine Magic, and how those work in any case, but we still have a flying apple where Mundane Law says it should have hit the ground. If we define Magic as "things Mundane Law says are impossible", then we're getting somewhere. Remembering of course the limitations of Gloranthan knowledge of Mundane Law: some things they think are magic may not be. (My 13-year-old Pentan PC thinks locks and boats are magic: she may be wrong.)

There are just a few really big things that Mundane Law says are impossible. One of them is the existance of Glorantha.

I wonder: should I define Chaos as a third alternative?

Jane Williams jane_at_williams.nildram.co.uk http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~janewill/gloranth/

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