Re: Clarity from Andreas Mueller on 2000-04-27 (Glorantha Digest Vol 07)

From: Andreas Mueller <mueller_at_faw.uni-ulm.de>
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2000 14:18:22 +0200

> Benedict asks:
> >Perhaps Martin could clarify. Will SGU describe the Lunar Empire, its
> >cults and the Red Emperor as they REALLY ARE, or will it be in the
> >form of descriptions or beliefs held by Gloranthans themselves?
And Martin answers:
[snip: Sections on Government, Cults, military, economy are objective and hard facts, Sections of Lunar self-belief and culture are subjective]
This is _really_ the way I wished it to happen. Naturally enough should the cultural section be subjective, but the rest is better off objective. And also if it would be ambigous, you had to decide what's the truth in your game. It's better to get the official truth and _then_ you can deliberately ignore it. IMO the speculative stuff was a fannish surrogate for lacking official facts. The ambigious way is very efficient to avoid official contradiction and in fact, if they are ambigious enough, they could be reengineered to fit into the official "truth".

> >My understanding was that Glorantha has moved from the first mode to
> >the second mode.
>
> Not really. Gregs volumes did, but as MOB pointed out, they are largely
> unplayable because they are Gloranthan documents, not game suppliments.
> We're doing a suppliment.

- -..
> >However, if SGU is in the first mode, we seem to be regressing to RQ2
> >God Learner stuff. Strange.
>
> Monomyth you mean? I think published sources should attempt to steer a path
> between the two.

And once again: Official facts in official supplements are bitterly needed. The reader has always the option to skip parts he doesn't like and make it up on his own. But if you don't know what to choose, you have no choice!
I will personally stick with the RM-stuff, if official supplements in the future will contradict, since I can't change deliberately my campaign who's running for quite a time. And one final word: Did I interpret the statements of MOB right: Sun County is discarded as not true? If this is true, that's a shame (without wanting to stir up the feelings of the RM-supporters further)

Andreas