LE analogues

From: Loren Miller <loren_at_ioxy.com>
Date: Mon, 1 May 2000 23:06:13 -0500


No matter how useful it might be for each of us as creative forces in Glorantha to use the SU and the US as analogues for the Lunar Empire, it's important for game purposes that details of the Lunar Empire not interrupt the process of immersion in the fantasy world. If there are obvious, cosmetic soviet or american influences on the LE (red square, comrades, five year plans, gulags, rolls royce brand carriages, boss hawg, count "fox mulder" julan) then the setting becomes less plausible and less playable. Likewise, the same cosmetic things will make the necessary suspension of disbelief difficult for those who write or read about Glorantha. This is the reason I have never been fond of the TotRM crew's Soviet analogies for the Lunar Empire. They turned the Lunar Empire into a satire of the USSR rather than a vast, mysterious, fantasy empire. There's nothing wrong with satire, but I prefer not to mix a mythically resonant world like Glorantha with too much satire. Ducks, nasobemes, gulpers and frumious bandersnatches are quite enough. There is no need for internecine battle between the Free Sartarite People's Front and the People's Front to Free Sartar. Not because Sartar is united, but because Monty Python references don't enhance my roleplaying or fantasy writing/reading experience in Glorantha.

YGMV. Cheers,
Loren


Powered by hypermail