Re: Canon

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_cs.ucc.ie>
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 00:10:31 +0100 (BST)


This debate is in danger of getting personalised to the point of off- tppicness, I fear, but like a rabbit in headlight, I can't quite drag myself away...

Martin:
> Some people love Onslaught and write to me asking for more

Let's not go there...

> If I think it is okay for you and any other player to bin my work for their
> own game and view, why do you find it so hard to accept that I can do the
> same for your work yet have no malice or "beastliness of forethought"
> attached?

I think ypu're not exactly comparing like with like here; there's something of a difference between 'IMG' (especially as what you think is OK here is pretty immaterial, other than perhaps for your own blood pressure) and 'Glorantha in Print', and the perceived utility, not to say the perceived annoyance value, of published (one way or another) material contradicting other such. Which is not to say that one should never do this, but let's not try to 'pass it off lightly' if it's to be done, and let's not do it at all unless it's (time to make up your own meaning for the following word...) necessary.

> I supsect that you think that because I'm disagreeing with you, I'm being
> "violent"? Is that right?

Now, this could be totally off-beam, of course, but I'm guessing it wasn't so much the 'disagreeing' part as the 'ice pick in head' part...

To attempt desparately to drag this back to The Issues:

Firstly, is it possible that reasonably 'informed sources' can find themselves backing the 'wrong' candidate to be Red Emperor, or being uncertain as to whom to back, or is this practically impossible or unlikely?

Second, is the new Mask necessarily and always born/created _after_ the death of the previous one?

Third, and I suspect most crucially (or at least, about which I 'know' the least) what's the state of the RE (or the portions thereof, as the case may be) before, and after the ritual of the Egi? Where does this fit into the usual 'timeline' for the death, rebirth, testing, and (re-)enthronement of the RE? How much 'input' is there from mortal sources (to wit, those that can be threatened, blackmailed, bribed, or otherwise 'influenced') in this part of the process, and how does it effect the 'final product' of the new Mask?

If we stick to material considerations like the above for a while, doubtless we still won't agree, but at least there may be flaming to some purpose (perhaps).

Cheers,
Alex.
Cheers,
Alex.


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