>IMO, there are far stricter definitions of being a
Hero in Glorantha
>than elsewhere. It is an actual status that is
achieved in some way.
IIRC RQII suggested that to be a hero you needed 'possession' of the mastery rune (hence the HW notation), and to be a superhero you needed possession of the infinity rune (implying a total control of the magic flow around you).
However I have noticed that heroes and superheroes (apart from in the boardgames) tend to be dead; it could be inferred that it is a posthumous title you get once people try to emulate your actions to gain magical or mundane benefit. Living people tend to be referred to as 'heroquesters' (KoDP uses this terminology for instance), including IIRC some references to jar-Eel as a 'lunar heroquester'. The advantage of this is that it is obvious who is a heroquester or not (they have undertaken a heroquest).
To me, the titles hero and superhero sound like something later generations apply to their dead ancestors, heroquester to the living (though Harrek can be called whatever he asks to be called).
Lunar Engineers
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It is old, but Fazzur's Summer campaign in Wyrm's Footprints (Starbrow's rebellion)both Lunar engineers and maigicians are deployed (they construct siege equipment - which the Sartarites are puzzled by, never having seen its like before). The engineering and magicians detachment appear to be regular lunar troops not Tarsh native forces, implying the Tarshites rely on regulars for these troops. They don't seem to be an exact equivalent of Roman engineers,there is little mention of legionnary syle forts or roads. Instead they seem to be 'mixed-in' with the magicians in providing specialist combat support. IMG they are 'combat engineers' more likely to run you up a catapult firing 'greek fire' (those first few minutes of Gladiator are too good an inspiration not to have this) than a road or fort.
Ian Cooper
End of The Glorantha Digest V8 #142
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