Greetings to Heroes of the Glorantha Trading Association. In the hot days=20
of summer, all
recall the rivalry between Elmal and Heler for the affections of Esrola.=20
Gather 'round the feast
& hearken to the word on Glorantha, Issaries Inc., its partner publishers,=
=20
and GTA activity.
Welcome new members in from afar; thanks again to those who contribute that=
=20
the Tribe
may work towards a bountiful harvest.
You receive this newsletter as a member of the GTA, and you manage how you=
=20
receive GTA
messages. Set a password, enter your email address for GTA mailings, and=20
set or reset your
mailing preferences at=20
<http://www.rpglist.org/mailman/listinfo/gta-observer>. For instructions
on changing your email address and detail, see
<http://www.HeroQuest-rpg.com/gta/manage_email.html>. On upgrading your GTA=
=20
membership,
check <www.HeroQuest-rpg.com/gta>. The GTA and Issaries Inc. will never=20
sell or give away
your email address or personal information.
In this newsletter you'll find:
An Apology from Issaries
Gathering Thunder is Here
More to Come
Contests
Summer Conventions
Short Takes and Quick Plugs
Calling All Examples
GTA Membership Update
Parting Shot
AN APOLOGY FROM ISSARIES
Delivered by Stephen Martin
Greetings to the tribe!
As you may note, this newsletter is a bit shorter than usual, and is=20
definitely missing
several important sections. I and Issaries apologize for this. At the best=
=20
of times, the
GTA Newsletter suffers from delays caused by production and business=20
issues, but this
time the delays have been particularly harmful. Rather than delay the=20
newsletter, we have
decided to send it out with less information than normal, so that the tribe=
=20
does not have to
wait even longer for news.
Several particular events have consumed much of our time, and I would like=
=20
to mention
those briefly. We hope to have more information on several of these=20
subjects in the near future.
First, we have had a very busy time preparing for the summer conventions,=20
particularly
Origins and Continuum. (In fact, my presence at Continuum is one reason the=
=20
newsletter
is going out now, rather than waiting.) Additionally, Mark Galeotti,=20
Issaries' Acquisitions
Editor, resigned and Nils Weinander, our primary webmaster, has been=20
experiencing some
medical problems that have limited the amount of time he can spend on the=20
web site. Both
of these events have required that Greg and I take over some functions we=20
normally rely on
these loyal people do.
Also, as many of you may have heard, we are also in the process of updating=
=20
and formalizing
our Fan Publication Policy. This has required both Greg and I to spend much=
=20
time in discussion
with each other, performing research, consulting with lawyers, and=20
communicating with the
many fan publishers who seek to support Glorantha and HeroQuest. All of=20
these tasks have
taken up far more time than most people realize. Nonetheless, we are making=
=20
progress despite
the delays of having to schedule meetings with lawyers who stubbornly=20
refuse to cater only to
us. We appreciate the patience and support we have received and beg your=20
continued patience.
Finally, various production and editing issues have consumed more time than=
=20
Greg or I had
planned on at the beginning of the year. While these issues are mostly=20
sorted out now, they
took much of our energy and attention, at the expense of other projects.=20
Such as the newsletter.
So, please read this newsletter with these issues in mind. We will continue=
=20
to report information
to you when it is available, and again I apologize for any questions or=20
concerns caused by our
lack of communication or ommissions from this newsletter. As always, if you=
=20
have any questions
or concerns about Issaries, submissions, or other topics, we urge you to=20
contact us directly.
GATHERING THUNDER IS HERE
The post brought my copy of Gathering Thunder this week. More than delight=
=20
... I am beginning to
understand the Hero Wars. As the time line expands (and the authors tell=20
more), it is easier to
see some of the wherefore of developments to date. The Empire has been=20
hurt, but not defeated.
Now the rebels must find new allies and magics to stand any chance of=20
defeating the Empire's
latest scheme: the construction of a new Temple of the Reaching Moon to=20
subjugate all of Dragon
Pass to the Glowline. This book culminates in the epic Boatraising, as=20
heroes accompany Kallyr
herself on a mighty heroquest to reshape the skies.
MORE TO COME
Provided by Stephen Martin
Unfortunately, our publication schedule for the rest of the year is still=20
in flux. We have several
unfinished manuscripts in the process of being completed, including UNDER=20
THE RED MOON,
the second volume of the Imperial Lunar Handbook; MEN OF THE SEA, the=20
Player's Book for
Sailors; BLOOD OVER GOLD, Adventures Among the Trader Princes; and HEIRS OF=
=20
MALKION,
an overview of the West of Glorantha. Work also continues on DRAGONRISE,=20
Volume 4 of Sartar
Rising, being worked on by Merlin Cox; SUN SON CITY, a book of adventures=20
set in the city of
Raibanth, helmed by James Maliszewski; and OAK AND PINE, the Elf Player's=20
Book being written
by Shannon Appelcline.
As soon as we have more details on the publication schedule, we will let=20
you know. In the
meantime, go to <http://www.HeroQuest-rpg.com/products/> for information on=
=20
these and other
upcoming products.
CONTESTS
Sadly, Issaries did not receive enough entries for The World of Glorantha=20
Art Contest to judge
the contest and award the prize. Thanks to those who did submit.
The winners of the latest GTA Observers drawing are Hans Torstensson and=20
Darin Christensen.
Each received a copy of Masters of Luck and Death. Luck indeed!
This time around, the Observer contest is for a copy of whatever book comes=
=20
out next! This could
be Blood Over Gold (the Trader Princes book), Heirs of Malkion, Men of the=
=20
Sea, Under the Red
Moon (Imperial Lunar Handbook, Volume 2), so if you are interested in any=20
of those books, send
an email to <contest_at_glorantha.com> with OBSERVER CONTEST - GRAB BAG in the=
=20
subject
line. As always, please do not send other correspondence in the message,=20
but make sure to
include your full name and your physical mailing address so that we can=20
send you your prize. Two
copies of the book will be awarded from all entries received by midnight=20
August 15, Pacific Time.
If you know someone who would like to keep up on all happenings Gloranthan,=
=20
and maybe score
a free prize sometime, have them contact us at <gta_at_glorantha.com> so that=
=20
we can add them
to the list of Observers. Or just send them to=20
<http://www.rpglist.org/mailman/listinfo/gta-observer>
to add themselves!
SUMMER CONVENTIONS
From Stephen Martin and various Convention Coordinators
Greg was at ORIGINS 2004, in Columbus, OH, June 23 - June 27. Greg was a=20
Guest of Honor
and held forth in several seminars, on both Arthurian subjects and=20
Pendragon as well as
HeroQuest and other matters Gloranthan. He ran several gaming events. In=20
addition, Jeff Kyer ran
a massive tournament: a multi-session first round for "Distant Thunder"=20
(which follows "Sheep,
Clouds, Thunder") followed by a final round for "Black Cloud Castle," a=20
heroquest in the Sky World
to gain an ally for the Storm Pantheon. (Both of these scenarios are slated=
=20
to appear in Dragonrise.)
CONTIUUM, the successor to Convulsions, is booked for 23-26 July, in=20
Leicester, UK. Glorantha
and HeroQuest will be at the heart of the event, which includes tabletop=20
games, freeforms, seminars,
and displays. Stephen Martin of Issaries, Charlie Krank of Chaosium, and=20
Mark Gaelotti and Simon
Bray of the Unspoken Word are among the guests.
The Con book looks impressive: MAGNUS LIBER RERUM includes many articles=20
for RuneQuest,
HeroQuest, and Glorantha, and will be available at the convention. There=20
will also be a HeroQuest
tournament, 'The Dark Heart of the Dragon Lands' by Darran Sims; a massive=
=20
convention-long
miniatures game; and more. Check out the Continuum website at=20
<http://www.continuum.uk.net/>
for more information.
GENCON INDY (formerly known as just GenCon) will be held August 19-22 in=20
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Issaries invites individuals to run events there. Issaries can provide=20
scenarios and prizes, but needs
reliable narrators to help bring the Word to those lost in the Darkness=20
that is d20. Email
<events_at_glorantha.com> if you are going and can run one of our events (or=20
plan to run one of your own).
Check out the Issaries conventions pages for officially sponsored events at <http://www.glorantha.com/tribes/schedule.html> and also=20 <http://www.glorantha.com/tribes/events.html> (for other conventions).
SHORT TAKES AND QUICK PLUGS
HeroQuest En Espanol -- The licensed Spanish translation of HeroQuest is=20
out! We've seen it, and
although it looks eerily familiar to us, we're still ecstatic that it is=20
now available! Greg says he isn't
able to read it all as of yet, but he's working on it! The cover art by=20
Alejandro Ter=E1nis is first rate, and
I also like the duck. Start at <http://www.edgeent.com/heroquest/>. For=20
even more stuff, check out
Vision Runica, a Spanish fanzine that includes scenarios, a color map of=20
Ralios, and articles on Lalia,
Arkat & Eurmal at <http://www.edgeent.com/hero/fanzine/index.htm>.
Lokarnos has moved his wagon! Lokarnos.com has moved to a new server. To=20
reach it reliably, type
<http://lokarnos.com> (not http://www.lokarnos.com, which goes astray).
From Charles Corrigan: Do you want to know how to kill the Bat? Are you=20
more ambitious? Do you
want to know how to kill Orlanth? The Whitewall project at=20
<http://www.eparsnip.f2s.com/phpwiki/index.php>
and <http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/whitewall/> can show you how to=20
achieve both of these and
much, much more.
The online 'zine Sequential Tart <http://www.sequentialtart.com/home.shtml>=
=20
is looking for
women gamers familiar with comic books as well to be reviewers. If you are=
=20
a woman, are
familiar with comic books, and want to get some free games to review=20
(including HeroQuest books),
or know a woman who meets these requirements, please contact=20
editor-in-chief Marcia Allass at
<britchick_at_sequentialtart.com>.
And check out HeroWars.pdf, a combined Contest Results grid that shows=20
Simple and Extended
Contest Results along with Recovery:=
<couroberon.free.fr/fiches/herowars.pdf>.
If you like mapping as much as I, do not miss the marvels at <http://nysalor.daug.net/runequest/kartat/indexeng.html>.
SONS OF KARGZANT is out, fun from Unspoken Word: 64 pages of nomad=20
nastiness and fun,
subtitles 'the bloody saga of the Char-Un warlords of the savage steppe.'=20
Says it all, really!
TRADETALK #14 "Outside Genertela: The Southern Continent" is the latest=20
offering from the
Chaos Society. David Dunham does a short overview of "Umathela",=20
accompanied by an
Umathean Myth; Simon Bray describes the "Kumanku Islands" (includeing a=20
HOMELAND
spread), and the narrator character of "Red Ravaal"; "Golden Kareeshtu" is=
=20
an article written
by Martin Hawley & Peter Metcalfe; "The War beneath the Waves" by Andr=E9=20
Jarosch gives an
overwiew of the Marthino Sea, plus scenario ideas for land dwelling=20
characters, a plunder item,
and two new creatures; Martin Hawley's "Laskal" shows us Harreks future=20
Kingdom before the
Hero Wars or Harrek himself have reached this region. "Legends of the=20
Embyli" tell myths of
the yellow elves and "Homeland: Errinoru Jungle" is the first HOMELAND=20
spread for an Aldryami
area, both by Shannon Applecline. Artists include Simon Bray, Dario=20
Corallo, and Sarah Evans.
Path of the Dammed #3, the Glorantha comic, will be available very soon.
A new PBeM has just launched, thanks to Rich Willard. Details are at
<http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Unified_Children>. If you've not got=20
enough players in
Adelaide, reach out.
If you want to pursue HQ rules and context, visit the HQ forum on Forge=20
<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/>,
which contains informative and helpful posts on a variey of subjects.
CALLING ALL EXAMPLES
Greg has asked tribe members for more HeroQuest examples, to spread the=20
word of Heroquest.
Here is a chance for you to contribute to the Greater Good!:
Just as the rules book has limited space to include things, so we at=20
Issaries have limited time to
put these together. So, please allow me to solicit examples from all of=20
you, so that we can expand
our on-line examples to infinite size. OK, not really infinite. But I would=
=20
like to solicit YOUR input
for the site.
Please write up examples of what you think ought to have been given. If we=
=20
get umpty-ump
combat examples, we will just select some of them to use. So be creative=20
and give us examples
to help those new players! (If you have rules questions, please ask them=20
before sending us an
example illustrating one interpretation.)
Send examples to <examples_at_glorantha.com>. We will sort them out, make sure=
=20
they are
correct, and post those which we feel will do the most good. Please, NO=20
RULES VARIANTS. We
know you have them, we know you use them, but for the official site, plese=
=20
keep within the
published rules. Thanks!
GTA MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
From Stephen Martin
The GTA Tribe welcomes new members. Currently the GTA has 2 Demi-Gods, 36=20
Heroes,
47 Runemasters, and 178 Initiates, for a total of 263 members. There are=20
also over 800 Observers.
If you know anyone else who might want to join the Glorantha Tribe, have=20
them contact us at
<gta_at_glorantha.com>.
New Initiate: Eric Vanel
New Runemaster: Terra Incognita
The legions and missionaries have gathered to spread the Way by sword and=20
word, and they
are dedicated individuals all. We especially welcome back members once lost=
=20
who have returned
to us. We are sure their presence back in the fold will enrich us all. But=
=20
some Travelers and
Journeyers have been long lost in the alien Otherworlds, and we fear that,=
=20
like the Goddess before
them, their path through hostile realms and ages has become difficult to=20
follow home. If, like brave
Yanafal Tarnils, any of you can embark on your own journey to find and=20
rescue them, please inform
us of any result, either by emailing contacting information to=20
<gta_at_glorantha.com> or by asking them
to contact us once they have recovered from their quest:
Michael Abbott Chris Bell Michael Hill Hugh McVicker Al Petterson Michael Pose Phil Posehn Andrew Reichart Dom Twist Anthony Utano Don Walli David Weihe Peter J. Whitelaw Michael Zaitz
However, additional T&Jers have been so far lost that even their names are=
=20
in danger of
disappearing from the tribe. Unless you keep your contact information=20
current, you will
regularly miss out on special offers and all sorts of insider stuff.
PARTING SHOT
Everybody likes to manipulate stuff when they game. Watch the hands of those
in poker tournaments ... constantly fussing with their chips. They teach us=
=20
from an
early age to count and sort things but it's a deeply human trait to fiddle.
Like mine, your players might like to use something physical to realize=20
Action/Advantage
Points or Hero Points as they are wagered, lost and won. I've printed up=20
Hero Point
currency on business card stock (with a Extended Contest grid on the back)=
in
different colors for different denominations. And I've been experimenting=20
with plastic chips
in gold, silver and bronze for AP bidding. They mimic the Heortling=20
valuation from
_Thunder Rebels_, as if they were Issaries-blessed trade tokens: gold is=20
worth 20, marked
with a cow; silver is worth 4, marked with a boar, and bronze is worth 1,=20
marked with a
barley sheaf and MinLister's basket. The gold trade token is a Mastery; the=
=20
others
"make change." What do you think?
Hawkbear a.k.a. Mark Leymaster
<gta_at_glorantha.com>
P.O. Box 272914 Concord, CA 94527
Phone: (925) 680-8897
Interested in the Glorantha Trading Association? Find out more at=20
<www.HeroQuest-rpg.com/gta>
--__--__--
End of Glorantha Digest
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