I've only recently gotten into Glorantha (read: earlier this year), so I'm mostly just passively absorbing. The digest is certainly a good place for that. Take what you want, discard the rest.
Anyway.
Master Teen Storyteller John Hughes wrote:
>
> Heys folks
>
> Pastoral poetry aside, most herding is dull and boring, interspersed with
> short periods of intense terror. (Bit like modern warfare in that sense).
> Sheep herding involves summer grazing in isolated upland pastures. I don't
> think Heortlings practice substantial transhumanance of cattle, and most
> cattle will be kept fairly close to the steads. (Water meadows are both
> prime land and prime cattle country, and would feature heavily in choosing a
> site for a stead.)
*snip*
I'd certainly agree with everything here. Makes sense that shepherds are the young, and only a very few others (say, I suppose, initiates of sheep-deities.
As for other animal-related tasks, it definitely seems to me that there'd be a (mostly) clear gender division of labour. Doing it through the gods seems to make sense. Women tend cows (Uralda), while men plough fields with oxen (Barntar). Men break the earth (Barntar again, or Orlanth the Farmer), while women sow seed (Ernalda). In my experience, not all tasks are clearly divided by gender, and there are complications. Sowing seed is one which could probably be done by men or women - Ernalda devotees may just do the most special plantings (such as the first barley crop).
As for complications, who herds the cattle around, for instance moving them into pens? Presumably, if you have a skilled Uraldan, she just leads the cattle about (as in Uralda's heroquest in KoDP). But if you don't, you may have to herd them like they do in the real world - which would probably be a man's job. Especially as there aren't any dogs to aid in the herding, and alynxes don't really strike me as the kind of things that would help in herding cattle.
Andrew Larsen wrote:
> > What other forms do you suggest? poetry? plays? films? novels? opera???
>
> Definitely Opera. Glorantha has all the elements of a tragic opera. I
> can see it now. Our lovers (the tenor and the soprano) are trying to
> persuade their clans to allow them to marry. He attempts a Ulerian
> heroquest to win her hand, but fails when the evil Lunar Empire invades
> Sartar, led by a villainous baritone, who takes the soprano prisoner,
> intending to send her off to the harem of the lecherous Red Emperor. The
> tenor strives mightily to rescue her, only to finally see her consumed by
> the foul Crimson Bat. A heroic combat between the tenor and the baritone
> ensues, in which the tenor signs the rousing aria "Oh Perfidious Moon!", at
> the climax of which he strikes down the baritone, but is driven mad by the
> powers of the wicked alto Moon Priestess. Strangling her with her own
> topknot braid, he weeps for his lost love and flings himself off the cliffs
> of Boldhome. The standing ovation will last for days!
I'd definitely agree with opera. I'd lean towards music by Wagner, myself. Ride of the Valkyries would seem to be extremely appropriate for the Vingan horde descending upon the enemy.
Richard Meints wrote:
>
> John Hughes ponders an epic topic: The future of Glorantha...
>
> >Who is going to organise the next generation of Gloranthacons? How can we
> >recruit, and widen Glorantha's appeal? How can we sell the dream?>>
>
> These core questions are something that I have also pondered on many
> occasions. Here's my opinion:
>
*snip*
>
> 3. Publications - Tales 19 goes to the printers next week. After that there
> is only Issue 20 and then that's it for Tales. That basically leaves
> Tradetalk.
> I'm all for way cool web based stuff, but that doesn't put anything into
> game shops or trade stands at conventions. I'm still formulating my opinion
> on the best way to tackle Hero Wars magazines/fanzines.
>
Okay, all I've got to say here can be summed up in one acronym: KoDP. It's what got me into Glorantha, and it got a fair few of my friends interested, too. It gave an excellent overview of the region and culture, introductions to the gods, rituals, the personality of the society, the things the society holds as virtues (tribe-building, generosity, etc), and how gods relate to the people (quite closely). One of the things I hear over and over again from people bemoaning the fact that young people are deserting (role-playing, comics, books, insert other thing here) is that television and computer games are easier and, to them, more fun. Solution would seem to be to create computer games that get them into roleplaying.
Naturally, this is a somewhat more expensive option, and one not all of us can do. But I would urge anyone with the resources and ability to get as many Glorantha games out there. However, /good/ games is the key. A half-baked game that doesn't really give insight to the culture won't recruit players. Something like KoDP will, especially with Hero Wars out now, as opposed to in development when KoDP came out.
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