From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Wed, 13 Oct 1993, part 1
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Sender: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM
Precedence: junk
The RuneQuest Daily and RuneQuest Digest deal with the subjects of
Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha.
Send submissions and followup to "RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM",
they will automatically be included in a next issue. Try to change the
Subject: line from the default Re: RuneQuest Daily... on replying.
Selected articles may also appear in a regular Digest. If you
want to submit articles to the Digest only, contact the editor at
RuneQuest-Digest-Editor@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM.
Send enquiries and Subscription Requests to the editor:
RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Henk Langeveld)
---------------------
From: watson@computing-science.aberdeen.ac.uk (Colin Watson)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 12 Oct 1993, part 2
Message-ID: <9310121408.AA22815@condor>
Date: 12 Oct 93 14:08:58 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1972
___________
Simon Hibbs (Spirit Plane stuff):
>Although the discussions on the nature of the spirit plane, it's relationship
>to the mundane and hero planes, etc have been quite interesting, there have
>also been some very large chunks of irrelevant musings on stuff which is
>realy just pointless to contemplate.
I sympathise. Re-reading my questions about spirit instincts brought this home.
The thread is getting rather esoteric, but the original thoughts were noble
enough, way back when:
- Some folks (Greg Fried & others) wanted a more "Stick & Shamanism" approach
to RQ.
- No-one complained.
- We tried to think up ways to add spice to spirit combat.
- We decided that, in order to do this, we needed a better idea of what the
spirit plane is all about.
- Various ideas about spirit plane geography & ecology followed...
I don't think any of the discussion has been pointless. I, for one, now have
clearer views about the spirit-plane/god-plane than I had a month ago.
>What the spirit combat and POW gain rules were NOT designed to do, is provide
>and accurate and extensible, robust simulation of the daily goings on
>in the spirit plane.
Agreed. Perhaps it would have been better if they *had* been designed that way.
>When my players start regularly interfering in the affairs of 1000 POW spirits,
>then I will start worrying about it.
By then, I fear, it will be way too late. :-)
>RQ does not have
>game mechanics for the effects of eating crunchy nut cornflakes with added
>vitamins and minerals every breakfast on my character's fatigue, so why should
>it have long term detailed rules on the metabolisms of spirits.
True about the cornflakes, but the RQ rules do have a lot to say about the
physical and little to say about the spiritual: a whole chapter on physical
combat; only a couple of paragraphs about spirit combat. Look at the stats
of your PC (a whole character sheet full) compared to the stats of a spirit
(POW; INT probably; spell list maybe; no skills).
The problem is, we all have a fair idea of how the physical world works,
so we shouldn't need much background. Few people have a clue about how the
spirit world works, so some rules (or at least background) would be useful.
The fact is that the "sword & sorcery" rules of RQ are fairly adequate,
whereas the "sticks & shamanism" rules are sadly lacking.
Fair enough, most people want to play "sword & sorcery".
But some people want to play a bit of "sticks & shamanism" too.
>RQ is only a very rough simulation of the real Gloranthan world.
Too true. Glorantha has to stand up as a classic work of fiction.
RQ has to stand up as a game system. The two ideas are often at odds with
each other.
>I use the rules to adjudicate situations where
>the PCs are directly affected. If I have a duel going on between two foreign
>sorcerers, in which the PCs are not directly participating, anything goes.
This is admirable if your players put up with it. I tend to find:
1/ My players get pissed-off if the NPCs cheat by doing things that PCs
can't do. (Even when it doesn't affect them in the slightest).
2/ The players get bored as spectators. Events not related to the PCs are
best skipped over as quickly as possible. If the players wanted to
spectate I assume they'd read a book or watch a movie, not play an RPG.
[...sensible advice about gamespeak deleted. I agree wholeheartedly...]
>I am fully in favour of good ideas about what the spirit plane is like,
>and some good material has come from this discussion thread. But try
>thinking about what you want the spirit plane to be like, then propose
>rules for it. Extrapolating solely from the current rules is futile.
I must admit that I tend to work from the existing rules when I think up
new ideas. My reasoning is that ideas based on the existing rules have a 50-50
chance of fitting in with other peoples' campaigns, whereas ideas derived
solely from my twisted imagination are unlikely to fit. (They might make
mildly interesting fiction, but they'd be pretty useless for the RQ RPG).
Perhaps my consideration is futile.
Personally, I'd only use other peoples ideas if they didn't conflict radically
with the existing game mechanics. I feel the integrity of our long-running
campaign would be undermined if the rules changed on a weekly basis.
-
BTW, I tried thinking up a New Topic for discussion which didn't involve
Spirits, Gods or Magic but I failed dismally. I'd like to see more discussion
about Gloranthan (especially Lunar) society, but I feel unqualified to comment.
_________________________
Nils Hammer & Paul Reilly:
Exellent ideas about the spirit plane as a hypertext of different paths, and
Glorantha modelled as a bundle of fibres. These two ideas seem closely linked.
I'd like to hear more.
(I was beginning to tire of the spirit plane thread until I read these two:-)
___
CW.
---------------------
From: nrobinso@sirius.UVic.CA (Neil Robinson)
Subject: Kargan Tor and power
Message-ID: <38153.nrobinso@sirius.uvic.ca>
Date: 12 Oct 93 18:35:51 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1973
First off, I'm looking for ANY information on Kargan Tor. I know
he was a member of the Celestial Court as the god of Conflict (or
War). If I remember rightly, he fled his post and allowed Chaos
to destroy the Spire (or was somehow responsible).
One of my characters has run into some information on him, and my
GM quickly realized that we had basically NO information on him.
I vaguely remember someone having a campaign based on trying to
recover the God's honour. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Secondly, regarding Power
I do NOT believe that POW, as it is implemented, uses a log scale.
The problem is not with the resistance rolls, but with the use of
magic points. If a spirit with a 60 POW is twice as tough as one
with a 50 POW, then the larger spirit should be able to cast twice
as many spells. This is not the case. You would have to fix the
spell system to use a log scale for POW.
Neil Robinson | "Never underestimate the power of human
nrobinso@sirius.uvic.ca | stupidity." - L. Long
2996 Dysart Rd. Victoria B.C. V9A 2K2 (604) 385-1642
---------------------
From: clay@cool.vortech.com (Clay Luther)
Subject: Wyrm's Footnotes
Message-ID: <199310121940.AA04853@cool.vortech.com>
Date: 12 Oct 93 09:40:12 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1974
Well, I'm excited. Egor's just sent me a note saying they've found one copy
of Wyrm's Footnotes #8 for me. My very first WF! Happy happy happy joy joy
joy.
Does anyone have any information on the Paps or the Block that they could
share with us? Some of my players have expressed the desire to eventually make
a pilgrimage to these places. I can find very little reference to the Paps
(a few in G:CotHW, RoC and KoS) and only a little more about the Block.
Additional information would be nice.
Thanks.
--
Clay Luther clay@cool.vortech.com
Macintosh Software Engineer Kodak Health Imaging Systems
Bloodletter methodically slew every tainted child in the village, shutting out
the screams of their mothers. He told himself "I am saving all creation today."
---------------------
From: ddunham@radiomail.net (David Dunham , via RadioMail)
Subject: Griffin Island; Honey
Message-ID: <199310122104.AA04651@radiomail.net>
Date: 12 Oct 93 21:04:46 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1975
Has anyone out there used the RQ3 supplement Griffin Island? Please email
(at least one of my players reads the Digest).
>From: clay@cool.vortech.com (Clay Luther)
>Subject: Storm Bull Anecdote Number 1
I'm not really convinced it's a _Storm Bull_ tale, but this was a classic
and delightful Trickster story.
---------------------
From: MAB@SAVAX750.RUTHERFORD.AC.UK (Paul Honigmann, Oxford, UK c/o Mystic Musk Ox)
Subject: Elves; new spells; Request for info on Red Emperor, Lunar religious knowledge test
Message-ID: <9310122114.AA18788@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 12 Oct 93 23:14:50 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 1976
> From: Mystic Musk Ox
> To: RUNEQUEST
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Hi, Paul asked me to send this stuff into the digest. If you have any
> comments, flames etc, please send them to me and I will pass them on.
> cheers, Mark.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Paul Honigmann, Oxford, UK
Subjects: Elves; new spells; Request for info on Red Emperor, Lunar religious
knowledge test.
Date: 29-9-93
ELF PSYCHOLOGY
Have you ever thought about what it must be like to be a sentient
plant? I've been trying to differentiate them from humans as much as possible
and playing them as follows.
Consider how Aldryami have an Earthsense that lets them tune in to
how those around them, particularly plants, feel. This is a curse as well as
a blessing - ears are useful, but can be a source of pain near a jet engine.
When they enter an area cultivated by humans, they feel the Unnaturalness of
it all: the monotonous monoculture of a crop in a field, the creepy deadness
of the area (humans don't understand how to maintain its fertility), the
painful feeling of plants being forced to grow in stupid positions and the
hideous unbalanced feeling of crops planted in Straight Lines.
Straight Lines are a major neurosis for elves. Having them around
is like hearing fingernails down a blackboard. As soon as they walk into a
human-controlled area, they feel disorientated and worried by the background
'distress' feeling of surrounding plants, and as they enter a village -
constructed from houses with walls of murdered plants, full of Straight
Edges such as barns' and houses' corners, and the smell of burning wood, like
some Mostali hell - they feel frightened and nauseous. Young elves (under 35)
can't enter villages, they are terrified by their grotesque alieness. Only the
bravest Aldryan can enter a major town, full of packs of insane humans
radiating stress, fear, hunger and hate. If the humans find life difficult in
cities, why do they live there? Then there's the towering buildings on either
side, giving a semi-underground feeling of claustrophobia and unnatural
Straightness. Not many elves can nerve themselves to enter houses.
Q. Why *didn't* the elf cross the road?
A. 'cos it was straight.
The following is bound to be controversial as it Defies the Holy
Script of Chaosium ('normal elves get on OK with dark elves') - Dark Elves
follow the goddess Mee Vorala. They cultivate fungi, rots and other forms of
life that parasitise plants. Now how do humans behave towards Malians? What's
more, dark elves associate with trolls. There's nothing so despicable as
traitors.
The stench of burning fires must be like smelling rotting corpses to
a human (though rotting corpses probably smell pretty good to elves).
Elves are used to living without houses or other permanent structures
so they find it difficult to grasp the idea of permanence, such as the human
obsession to order everything politically, categorically, and aesthetically
into some final Absolute Eternal Empire or scheme. They live in a world of
Change and Cycles, where everything dies and is reborn, where struggling to
maintain the status quo is seen as a juvenile Dwarvish trait. And when you
live hundreds of years, there never seems to be any urgency, so unless there's
a threat to their forest, elves seem very laid-back to humans (except in
towns!).
All this implies that the renegades humans tend to meet, who *can*
enter towns, are a bit strange by the standards of their kin. Instead of going
hysterical, they accept the human surroundings. Presumably, like PC
dragonewts, they are clinically insane. So I suggest you give any renegades
who operate freely in towns an insanity, like Call of Cthulhu: for example,
paranoia about other elves; burying themselves each night; elaborate
neurotic rituals such as compulsive washing, counting or arranging of objects;
liberating flowers from gardens; self-destructive habits reflecting their
deeply disturbed psyches; etc.
A final thought on Aldryami world views. They were the foremost
supporters of Nysalor in the First Age. The Arkati wiped out all other
organised illuminated groups, but they never eradicated the Aldryami. Even
now, no elf would consider joining a Darkness cult such as Arkat. What
terrible plots are these animated vegetables nurturing even as you read?
ELF PHYSIOLOGY
Ever considered how plants are much more resilient to damage than
animals? Chop a branch off and they don't care much. So what about elves not
being affected by shock if a limb's lopped off, or even saying that they're a
bit zombielike and if you destroy a location, it doesn't count against total
hit points. If you want to be really nasty, you could say that they've got no
vital hit locations at all - a distributed nervous system, perhaps - and
chopping their head off simply removes most sensory input, except Earthsense.
I'm not a pro-elf fanatic, by the way, in fact I dislike them intensely!
I've always detested them because back in my AD&D days, Rule Players went for
half-elves because they got loads of advantages, then played them like Super
Humans. I've simply had to think about the horrible little weeds recently
because my players are beginning to interact with them.
Back to the subject in hand: I've been trying to emphasize the alien
Plantness of the Aldryami, and describe them as distinctly unhuman. They
generally have barky skin, leavy hair etc and aren't as symmetric as humans.
I've got one related to nettles (seems to have a furry skin, but touch it and
ow!), one with four spindly arms of which one is one long spearlike 'jabber',
ones with symbiotic moss covering them, a thorny warrior type, etc.
That's enough on motile plants, now I'd like to go on to some other
subjects:
NEW SPELLS
Loudmouth / Amplify / Echo: Spirit magic, variable, passive, duration
special.
This spell is only available to Donander and Kyger Litor cultists. It
can be cast on yourself or another, or an instrument. One point doubles the
volume of the target, two points trebles it, four points quadruples it, eight
points quintuples it (geometric progression: you're unlikely to find anyone
with more than eight points.) The spell lasts until the end of the song or
tune, so a concert might take several castings.
Some cults have specialised versions that work only on the cult
instrument, for example Yelm cultists can Amplify harps. It is rumoured
Orlanthis have a version which can amplify belches. Which reminds me of:
Fart: Divine, 1 point, reusable.
This Eurmal spell allows the caster to emit a dreadful stench for 5
rounds which does not affect them, but all others within 20 metres must make
a CON*3 roll or vomit, pass out or be otherwise incapacitated, which is
usually enough time to make a getaway. Eurmal originally used this spell
to escape his father Ratslaff (having just stolen this spell from him), and if
the caster should abuse the spell in order to harm the targets, he must make
a CON*1 roll himself.
Mask Scent: spirit magic, passive, 1 point.
This is only available to shamen (and thus their tribesmen) and the
Hunter cults. Its use is obvious.
Dead Mens' Tales: Divine, reusable, 1 point
Available to Irippi Ontor and Tien priests, (Tien is a subcult of
Thanatar), this ritual allows the caster to look into a corpse's eyes and
see an image of the last thing they saw. The caster needs Light (or in the
case of Tien, Darklight) to illuminate the subject's retina.
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON THE CULT OF THE RED EMPEROR
I've seen this mentioned in the Digest from time to time, but never seen
a description of the cult itself. Can anyone send me details on the 'net,
care of Mark Buckley?
INITIATION TEST FOR LUNARS
So your players have finally qualified for Initiateship / Priesthood in
Seven Mothers. They assume that just because they've read the rules, got the
paper qualifications and served their time, they're automatically accepted.
Seeing as most players cheat and read extensive Glorantha material to help
them survive, - sorry, to help them role play their characters better -try
this little test to see how much cult lore they've really learnt. (If they've
already qualified, maybe their High Priest could give them a spot check...)
RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE TEST
Time allowed: 30 minutes
No Divinations allowed
i. Your name: (1 point)
ii. Date: (1 point)
iii. What is your favourite colour? (1)
iv. Name the Seven Mothers. (7)
v. Which of the Seven's priestesses are called Priestesses of the Full
Half? (2)
vi. Who is the Conquering Daughter? (1)
vii. What are the 7M cult runes? (2)
viii. In which city was the Red Goddess born? (1)
ix. What is the blood of the Goddess? (1)
x. Who is the most famous son of the Goddess? (1)
xi. Who are the parents of the Goddess of the Reaching Moon? (3)
xii. What happened at Castle Blue? (2)
xiii. Name the phases of the moon. (7)
xiv. What Solar year is the date of the birth of the Red Goddess? (1)
xv. How long is a Wane? (1)
xvi. Which day of the week is the 7M holy day? (1)
xvii. Which Lunar deities have 3 eyes?
xviii. What is the 7M cult colour? (1)
xix. How do you see yourself fulfilling the aims of 7M in your daily life?
(3)
xx. What do you think the purposes of the 7M are? (7)
xxi. How do you reconcile the use of chaos (such as the Crimson Bat) with
the professed cult aims of spreading peace, understanding and
prosperity? (2)
xxii. Describe the relationship between Anilla and She Who Waits. (1)
xxiii. Which of the following cults are friendly?: Orlanth, Gbaji, Yelorna,
Humakt, Pelora, Issaries, Primal Chaos, Yelm, Anilla. (9)
xxiv. Why is the scimitar superior to the straight sword? (2)
xxv. What is the place of Yelm in the Universe? (1)
xxvi. What is a Selene? (1)
xxvii. You are an initiate of 7M and a priest of 7M tells you to kill someone.
A Priestess of the Red Goddess tells you not to. What do you do? (1)
ANSWERS
ii. This should be in Lunar nomenclature, ie, 1620 S.T. = 7/49.
iii. Red, Crimson, Scarlet etc - all other colours are Incorrect.
iv. Jalakeel, Teelo Norri, Dee'Zola, Yanafil Tarnils, Irippi Ontor, Danfive
Xaron and She Who Waits (NOT Anilla, the Blue Moon).
v. Yanafil Tarnils.
vi. Hwarin Dalthippa.
vii. Moon, Fertility and Death. Yes, it's only 2 points - trick question!
viii. Torang, in Rinliddi, Peloria
ix. The seas
x. The Red Emperor
xi. The Red Emperor and Gorgorma (the Goddess of the Reaching Moon is
Yara Aranis - 1 of the 3 points for remembering that)
xii. The Goddess fought her enemies, won, and thus earned her place as a
full deity in the universe.
xiii. Black; Dark; Dying; Crescent-Come; Crescent-Go; Empty Half;
Full Half; and Full Moon.
xiv. 1220 ST
xv. 54 years
xvi. Wildday
xvii. Hwarin Dalthippa and Yara Aranis (2 points)
xviii. Red, of course
xix. GM's should listen to the player's rationalisation and mark them on
role-playing ability.
xx. See xix.
xxi. See xx.
xxii. She Who Waits is one of the Seven Mothers, unlike Anilla, but SWW may
have been a priestess of Anilla. However, her subcult is shrouded in
mystery: those who know for sure aren't telling. If the PC flatly
states facts about Anilla, have them checked out by the Inquisition -
how do they know this?
xxiii. Orlanth: No. Gbaji: No (but Nysalor yes!). Yelorna, Humakt: their
official cult line is Neutral to Lunars, ie No, though there is an
ongoing rivalry. Pelora: Yes. Issaries: Yes to non-chaotic Etyries,
but Neutral (No) to other Lunars. Chaos: Neutral, so No (one could
argue that individual chaots vary so much the question is inapplicable
for this cult). Yelm: Yes. Anilla: Yes.
xxiv. See xxi. This was discussed at length in the RQ Digest. Suitable
answers might be: it represents the crescent of the Goddess so it is
like carrying her with you; it represents the multitude of paths
(curves) to the Truth, whereas barbarians only understand / believe in
one; or mundanely, 'cos you can reach 'round peoples' sheilds with it.
xxv. He is the eyes and mind of the Goddess. Praise him!
xxvi. An elemental summoned by a priest of the Blue Moon. Let the PC burble
on, noting down all they know of these innermost secrets of the Lunar
faith, and then turn the report over to the Inquisition.
xxvii. You do what your priest of 7M tells you to do. In a cult heirarchy,
discipline is important. If the 7M priest chooses to ignore the Red
Goddess' priestess' advice, that's his look out; you can always cover
your back by reporting him to his superiors later. The relationship
between cults (like Yelm priests being superior to Yelmalion ones) only
affects rune levels or higher - if the 'higher' cult continually
meddled in the lesser one's affairs, sometimes without knowing the full
facts, nothing would ever get done.
SCORING:
00-04: Crucifixion
05-14: Candidate for Danfive Xaron prison legion
15-26: OK for Lay Members
27-34: Acceptable for Initiates
35-50: Rune level standard
51-63: Ever thought about trying for the Red Goddess' cult?
64+: Must be FGS himself.
If anyone particularly liked that quiz, I've got a Fire/Sky version
suitable for Yelmalio, etc too - contact me via Mark Buckley.
Paul Honigmann.