Hero Quest comments (praise/unhappiness)

From: Mikko Rintasaari <rintasaa_at_mail.student.oulu.fi>
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2003 20:44:23 +0200 (EET)

Finally got the book and god to read it. Some feedback follows:

The lay-out is nice and pleasant to read. I don't much approve of using the art from Hero Wars though (most of it of terrible quality), but some of the new stuff is good. Even the HW art benefits from being shrunk somewhat. Not so painful that way. Still, all in all just a passing grade for the art. I hope this won't hurt the sales too much. Good looks sell books.

The HW mechanics have been polished well. Now this is something I can honestly recommend for people with little or no experience of roleplaying, and to critical old hands too. I don't like Robin Laws'es "lowest common denominator" style though. TV series aren't a quality inspiration for RPG and all the examples seem to be written with the assumption that the players are empty headed surf-dudes or something like that.

The same goes with some of the other material. The Narrator (in the example) seems quite happy about a player generating a wizardly order from what is basically a silly joke. Starting Origami indeed. At least in Finland Glorantha is appreaciated and respected as a deep and rich setting, not a silly one.

This apparent focus on the beer & prezels school of RPG, I think, is going to turn a lot of people off. I'm reminded of Unknown Armies, unfortunately.

The handling of magic, combat and equipment, on the other hand, is excellent. Things have really been clarified and polished. Go Issaries!

But what the heck are the Puma people? I mean why a puma? Are we supposed to take it, that there is this new-world cat wondergin all over Genertela? Is it really so that american gamers can't relate to the game unless they have their "mountain lions" climbing the foothills of Kero Fin?   Not in my game. The bunch is fairly well written, but I don't see any way for it to fit in the established setting. Fine for Pamaltela though.

And of course we have yet another stab at the elemental metals relation. At least silver got linked to moon as it should be, but Tin is, yet again another sky metal and we have the _alloy_ brass for Air.

For the love of god... even Bronze was less silly.

Are we supposed to see Orlanthi with sacred brazz swords and the like? Gah... Tin would have made the schema so neat.

Many of us will continue to use tin for air/storm, as in the past, but the newcomers will be royally baffled.

All in all though, good show Issaries!

        -Adept

I think I think... Therefore I think I am.

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