Re: The Glorantha Digest V6 #221 from Brian Tickler on 1998-09-28 (Glorantha Digest Vol 06)

From: Brian Tickler <tickler_at_netcom.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 15:24:37 -0700 (PDT)

> Date: 28 Sep 1998 07:26:29 -0400
> From: Richard Meints <rmeints_at_ford.com>
> Subject: Hero Wars...
>
> As Nick Brooke said a few posts back, GM's are given some pretty clear
> guidelines as to how to deal with players who want to write up a
> character with skills that cover everything, kill anything, etc. Unless
> you have a GM who loves to give away the store (aka Monty Haul), I think
> you'll find that characters like Brian Tickler's only have entertainment
> value here on the digest and would never see play. Technically speaking,
> it would still take a half-competent GM about 2 seconds to kill him.

Just to be nitpicky:

My "proposed" character description (I would never actually write up one that way) was meant as just what you described, entertainment, with a moral to the story (kind of like a Star Trek episode).
A half-competent GM wouldn't need to kill characters as a player-controlling measure. In fact, I'd characterize any GM who even thinks about killing anybody's character on purpose during a game as an extremely poor GM. If you don't want a particular character in your game, don't let them in to begin with...if they "go bad" on you later on, force them into retirement (by telling the player they are free to play the character in other campaigns, not by maiming or killing them).

> We take a more minimal approach than Michael Schwartz's group, but that
> should never be misconstrued to mean that what my group does is right
> and/or what Michael's group does is wrong. They sound like they're
> having loads of fun, so more power to them.
>
> Most of our characters have about a dozen skills [...]

This is another problem, making movement of characters between campaigns difficult...if one GM averages 10 skills given/100 words and another gives 30...however, to be fair, there are similar problems in almost every RPG in having campaigns with totally differing philosophies/power levels.

> Mythic knowledge 6/14, Cancel any magic 6/14, detect magic 6/14, draw on
> associated deity 5/15, history 8/12, drink beer 8/12, trust everyone
> 8/12, evaluate treasure 6/14, read/write 8/12, wind staff 8/12, wise
> counsel 8/12, shield of Arran 8/12 *4.
>
> My character had the Sambari King added as his patron after the battle
> encounter I mentioned a few paragraphs earlier. Some of the skills have
> also changed as a result of experience. My allied spirit is still
> undefined; I haven't had the need to use it yet. The wind staff also has
> undefined abilities. I used it to levitate once, but that's about it.
> The shield of Arran is also still only vaguely defined. While powerful,
> my PC only succeeds in most skill rolls about 70% of the time. Lunar's
> don't like him, he's gullible, and his drinking usually leads to trouble.

"Cancel any magic" is pretty darn useful, I'd say. Also, I'm confused here, why would anyone write up a skill like "swordsmanship" when they could just write up their grandfather's secret sword hidden in the attic with cool magic powers (getting combat skills and magic abilities at the same time?). Hmmm...I see more templates coming up:

(Insert name here), a [adjective], [adjective] farmer from [location], was stunned one day to find that [a nemesis] had killed his [relative] while he was [elsewhere performing some kind of skill]. His feelings of [trait] and [trait] were overpowering, and he swore [some kind of retribution]. While going through his [relative]'s belongings, he discovered a [gross magic weapon]...the next day he set off...(insert 45 more words here)...

-- Brian T. Tickler

End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #224