>>> In Runequest, there was no problem >> > at all with kids knowing battle magic so why the need to prevent >> > them knowing common magic in heroquest?
Joerg:
>>I think it's more a problem that in RuneQuest times nobody bothered to >>think about who has to pay the weregild for kids' magical practical >> jokes.
Peter:
> What magical practical jokes can the kids play with common magic? It's
> can't be used actively but only as an augment for mundane abilities.
Finally having the rules at my hands (German retail wouldn't deliver within a year :-( ), I find that Common Magic and old RQ "common spirit magic" differ somewhat in details like active spells as "Disruption" or "Multimissile" being non-existent, "Light", "Lightwall", "Darkwall", "Repair" and "Heal" pushed into Affinities or active spirits in fetishes. Many other oldtime favourites like "Bladesharp", "Protection" etc. work just fine as either common magic or use of affinities.
> The magical practical jokes the kids can play are hence ordinary
> practical jokes which the Orlanthi have no problems with.
No troubles beyond the usual anger about kid-induced weregeld or sacrifice expenses, then.
>>Kids and magic is like kids and sharp weapons.
> You asserted that kids can't use weapons before.
Haven't. I said kids aren't expected to use weapons in earnest in ordinary situations, but are well expected to be able to defend themselves against lesser dangers (like wild wolves, dogs, trollkin) they might encounter herding sheep, gathering herbs or similar out-of-stead activities. Against serious threats, kids are expected to behave much as non-combatant women are expected to behave. Having ordinary kids trained as killers is a sign of desperation.
The same goes for powerful magic, and this would include strong "Bladesharp" or "Speedart" magics (augments > +3).
> There's no support for this in the literature
I agree that there is no support for "can't" - which isn't what I said.
> and as a result, I refuse to accept it as evidence
Unsurprisingly, given the source...
> that kids can't use common magic.
Which is not what I advocated, either. I said kids should be banned from making their own Common Magic charms etc., to avoid events similar to the "Feet" trollkin with the Earth Axe in Munchrooms, i.e. the magical item taking over an unprepared wielder.
> More to the point, common magic is not a sharp weapon.
Common magic derived from e.g. the Stream is anything but a blunt weapon. Lesser embodied otherworld entities like Firshala and their magical gifts can be sharp weapons.
>> > Kids can't learn specialized magic because they haven't >> > been initiated.
>>Kids could learn animist magic without being initiated.
> No, they can't. They have to become a spiritist which requires
> animist initiation.
Which does not require any adult intervention if they happen to meet an embodied spirit helping them through for its own purposes.
>> > And where is the danger in learning common magic?
>>Learning to use a charm is no danger. Learning how to interact with >>natural entities to gain magic is, and would be avoided.
> There's nothing dangerous about talking to natural entities. It's
> like talking to pillars of your community for useful stuff.
Provided these entities are benevolent ones, or at least sufficiently propitiated ones. Herdboys and Oreads is an entirely different story.
>>And you wouldn't want a concentrated self rock bully kid in the tula...
> Take his rock away or smash it (which breaks his concentration).
Which is expressing your "don't want in the tula" quite openly. Concentrated Self Rock kids are not wanted, and even less expected...
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