> Greg ... wants the Emperor to be less "uncertain" because if he were to
> be replacable in the manner that Nick plumbs for, the collapse crisis would
> be _less_ of a major HW thread/threat. Perhaps the amount is debatable, but
> Greg percieves this as being important. I happen to agree with his logic.
I don't see the incompatibility. In the past, no matter what bastard rigs the tests, he ends up with the Mantle of the Moon (to appropriate the LARP term). In the future, it's clear to everyone that either no one can pass the tests, or if they do, they don't become Moonson.
It doesn't matter that Greg didn't come out and write that the different masks were different bastards seizing the position of Emperor -- it was a pretty clear implication, and I'd be shocked if it wasn't a possible interpretation he was aware of. Heck, it's probably one of the mysteries of the Goddess that *both* interpretations are true.
I'm convinced that Moonson is capable of incorporating, and that some post-Sheng Red Emperors are just that. But I also think that in the name of expediency, some post-Sheng Red Emperors are bastards who clawed their way to the top, and then became 1/7 of Moonson. (Which is quite different from competing to become the husk of the Pharaoh.) This helps keep peace in the Empire (Moonson doesn't have to put down a nasty rebellion), and it helps Moonson return quicker.
Trotsky wrote
> In what way (if any) does Martin's model provide for any interesting
> gaming possibilities that the other *doesn't*?
It's Greg's model, not Martin's (which I think Martin has made clear from the beginning), and it could be argued that it's more interesting IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE HERO WARS. (Which I'll bet none of us on the Digest have been.) It means that at the moment of his disappearance, the Empire is plunged into turmoil. Nobody knows what to do, and many keep hoping for his return as usual. This might be more interesting than a "routine" succession problem.
While I admit that Greg's grand Hero Wars plot is cool, I'm not yet convinced that this is the most interesting time to play in Glorantha... And I think if you are playing pre-Hero Wars, the guaranteed re-incorporation ex nihilo of the Red Emperor is less interesting.
While I may not completely approve of the Hero Wars focus on a personal level, I can't complain on a business level. Greg's done pre-Hero Wars before, and it didn't work. To keep creating works for the smallish fan base is a bad investment.
And I do think what Greg's doing is consistent with the letter (if not the spirit) of what he's written before...
David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_pensee.com> Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein
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