contracycle Wars [from HeroWars]

From: Julian Lord <julian.lord_at_wanadoo.fr>
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 14:06:22 +0100


contracycle :

> > publications who have done and continue to do their best to satisfy
> > people's perceived needs, and especially everyone who has ever
> > sted a message to this list to actually help other people resolve
> > any difficulties they have with the material or help adapt it to

> I'm afraid this is NOT true.

Oh yes it is : all of these people "give a shit" about both imaginary and real problems with HW. Real problems because they exist ; imaginary ones because they imply that non-problem design has been published with problem presentation, or that they are inherently interesting as _Features_ , Not Bugs.

> Yes, [the HeroWars] list is helpful and proactive
> in many ways, but it will NOT accept criticism of HW as valid;

Criticism of HW is a topic for the GD or hw-rules list, depending on whether it's rules criticism or background/world criticism. You're mistaken (understandably so) in thinking that people don't want to listen to or discuss the issues. It's simply that HeroWars is the wrong place for them.

One core difference between HeroWars and the Glorantha Digest lists is that HeroWars is a place for positive contributions, and the GD is more geared to negative ones. Whether or not this is the ideal structure for the Mailing Lists, I've no idea. Probably not.

But as things presently stand, "in-depth" criticism of HW should be posted to the Glorantha Digest, where it is a generally acceptable topic.

Generally speaking, non-superficial threads belong here and not there (in-depth roolzware has its own special place).

> the only way that conversation is permitted to go is off list as the
> problem is reified and reinterpreted as a problem IN glorantha rather
> than a problem WITH glorantha.

Reinterpretation is inherent to fan lists in general, RPG ones in particular.

You've a point here, but a blunter one than you think. Many _features_ of Glorantha (and therefore HW) are _deliberately_designed_ to look like bugs, to provoke the natural response among players and GMs that "here's something that needs fixing". This is Greg Stafford's single best game design technique, and no-one else that I'm aware of uses it as subtly and skilfully as he does.

It's * because * there are problems IN Glorantha that Glorantha is so fascinating for so many of us. IN not WITH. Feature not Bug.

I agree that, occasionally, presentations of the internal crises of Hero Wars period Glorantha have been published in a rough state where they should have had superficial resemblance to the smooth deterministic patterns of inferior game designs. Such imperfections are inevitable.

> Its happened to me and I have seen it
> happen to others; if it did not happen I would not be getting emails
> encouraging me to keept up with the issue.

So ? I received emails encouraging me to shoot it down.

Important issues : wrong forum.

> Not only is the [HeroWars] list not,
> IMO, interested in making HW a functional product, but I am hardly
> alone in that perception.

The purpose of HeroWars is to help its subscribers make use of published HW material ; not to design future HW publications. Your perception is therefore correct.

Of course, the occasional critique or suggestion for "Greg and Friends" is fair use of the HeroWars forum, but not the kind of all-out assault that the "Re: Barbarian Adventures" thread is turning into.

Julian Lord

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