Bell Digest v931230p1

From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
Sender: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
Organization: Lankhor Mhy and Associates
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Thu, 30 Dec 1993, part 1
Message-ID: 
Precedence: junk

X-RQ-ID: Intro

This is the RuneQuest Daily Bulletin, a mailing list on
the subjects of Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's 
world of Glorantha.  It is sent out once per day in digest
format.

Note:
	During holiday season, the Daily will only appear
	on Monday and Thursday (i.e: Dec 23, 27, and 30).
	Normal distribution should resume on Jan 3, 1994.
	
More details on the RuneQuest Daily and Digest can be found
after the last message in this digest.


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From: jla@cs.tut.fi (Laajam{ki Jorma)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Mon, 27 Dec 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <199312271316.AA03742@hakki.cs.tut.fi>
Date: 27 Dec 93 17:16:35 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 2703

I need information about HeroQuesting.
Mail me Please jla@cs.tut.fi

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From: okamoto@hpcc90.corp.hp.com (Jeff Okamoto)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Mon, 27 Dec 1993, part 1
Message-ID: <9312280018.AA29482@hpcc90.corp.hp.com>
Date: 28 Dec 93 00:18:52 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 2704

> From: stormbull@cix.compulink.co.uk (Tim Westlake)
> Subject: Cult write-up for Yanafal Tarnils?
> 
> In fact does anyone have write-ups of any of the cults for the 7 mothers gods!

The old book Cults of Prax has a small write-up of the Seven Mothers.
I don't know if this information has been reprinted or rewritten.

Jeff

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From: fkiesche3@aol.com
Subject: RQ IV????, RQ-Con, New Releases, Mass Confusion
Message-ID: <9312271254.tn07943@aol.com>
Date: 27 Dec 93 17:54:01 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 2705

Greetings All:

Alpha:

Is there any way to obtain a draft copy of RQ IV? (If you want to avoid
discussion on this list of something that may be obvious to all but me,
please feel free to e-mail.) I would be interested in seeing this, even if it
is never destined to see the light of day through Avalon Hill.

Beta:

Unfortunately, I have other committments (as silly as it sounds, I have to
work and will also be cooking a "Sherlock Holmes Birthday Dinner") the
weekend of RQ-Con. If anybody can pick up spare handouts and such like,
please do so. Also, maybe folks that attend can post recollections and
reflections on the digest for those of us who also stand and wait. Maybe next
year, although it kills me to miss this (just the stuff being auctioned would
be worth it, let alone the talks by the Great Luminaries).

Delta:

Anybody know what the next Avalon Hill release will be? Cults of D? Glorantha
overvew? RQ IV (ha!)

Gamma:

Can anybody tell me how to access archives of the Digest? I have them back to
January 1993, then lost contact in July, July and part of August of 1993.
America Online claims that they are going to be giving us beter Internet
access (and 9600 baud capability) "real soon now". So, I hope I will be able
to access stored stuff and delve even deeper into these arcane items...

Not to get too far of the subject, but is there an active Tekumel/Empire of
the Petal Throne/Swords and Glory mailing list? I've tried a few addresses
that have been mentioned on this digest in the past, with no luck at all. 
Thanks.

Happy holidays to all. May your lives be less confusing than mine have been
for the past several months...

Fred Kiesche
(FKiesche3@aol.com)




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From: nh0g+@andrew.cmu.edu (Nils Hammer)
Subject: Illumination
Message-ID: 
Date: 28 Dec 93 14:05:23 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 2706

I feel that the comment about "everyone knows" that Nysalor Illumination is
fundamentally related to chaos shouldn't go without challenge. I agree that the
propaganda broadsheet distributed by lunars, claiming that illumination "cures"
chaos is questionable, if not silly. That was part of the struggle
between cultures
in Glorantha, not a game master proclamation. 

One of the best things about RQ is the variety of cultures, and the ambiguity 
about who is in the right in any given situation. This leads to better
role-play 
and potential excitement. If we say that Illumination is deeply disturbing to
traditional cult-based gloranthans, of course that makes sense. To attempt to
philosophize about the fundamentals of Illumination, I would say that the state
of Illumination is a step away from reality, whether for good or bad. 

Now, for opinions about who is really what in secret, I suggest that anyone who
has read thoroughly "knows" somewhere in the dark parts of their heart that
ARKAT is actually Gbaji in disguise. How many guys came out of that fight
anyway?

Nils K. Hammer
nh0g@andrew.cmu.edu

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From: john.hughes@anu.edu.au (John P Hughes)
Subject: Trollball at RQCON
Message-ID: <9312290053.AA18583@cscgpo.anu.edu.au>
Date: 29 Dec 93 16:55:59 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 2707

LIVE ACTION TROLLBALL AT RQ CON, AND OTHER SEASONAL SILLINESS

Howdy folks,

I've been receiving some e-mail about the up and coming live-action
trollball at RQ Con. Remember, its a rolesport - silly chants
and uzish manners are just as important as scoring goals.

To help you prepare (and in the spirit of the season), I'd like to
present Bhagwhan's Broobashers team chant, sung(?) to the tune of the twelve
days of Christmas.

On the first day of trollball, the giant referee, kicked a berserk
zorak zorani.
On the second day of trollball, the giant referee, kicked two scrawny
Enlo, and a berserk zorak zorani.

And on... the entire song is

twelve Sons of Karg,
'leven 'Umber Mindlinks,
ten giant maggots
nine Spi-der Masters
eight jars of POWZIE,
seven trollkin burgers,
six Homboboboms...

I Fought We Won...

Four Gor-a-ki-ki
three Uzko blockers
two scrawny Enlo
and a berserk Zorak Zorani.

Each player takes a line. If they forget, they substitute something like
"I can't remember", "Pansy Cha-os Elves", "Blunt Wea-pons only", or the
immortal "Blad-ger, My Axe".

In trollball, it is a matter of honour that each team has a ritual chant, as
well as play chants and threats. Team mascots are also important, but
since they are eaten by the winning team, this does not translate well into
live action rolesport.

Back to the serious discussion...

Can anyone help me with MOB's new phone number?

Nysalor.


John Hughes                            "The essence of character role-playing
john.hughes@anu.edu.au                  is sincerity. Once you can fake that
Archaeology & Anthropology              you're home and hose."
Australian National University.


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From: "PTD::PTDCS2::MAILER-DAEMON@ptdcs2.intel.com"@PTD.intel.com
Subject: Returned mail: Cannot send message for 3 days
Message-ID: <9312291043.utk3616@PTD.intel.com>
Date: 29 Dec 93 10:43:20 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 2708

	[This message looks unsuitable for forwarding.
	 The list maintainer has been warned.]


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From: tiphareth@aol.com
Subject: Plot Idea
Message-ID: <9312291356.tn12532@aol.com>
Date: 29 Dec 93 18:56:33 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 2709

I have been reading the daily for a while now and would like to congratulate
everybody on wonderful input.  I have seen a ton of cult write-ups and RQ
marketing stratagies but no sample plots or other seeds for plot creativity. 
Hopefully, to get the ball rolling, here is one of my better ideas.

This plot line primarily involves three cults (choose your own) and can span
from one to many sessions.  This is a vague idea that can be changed to fit
many circumstances and places.  For the example I have chose the cults of
Orlanth, Strom Bull (SB), and some Lunar Trickster.  It is important that two
of the cults be allied with the other being enemy.  The setting is in some
Orlanth held town in Dragon Pass, with at least one of the characters being
SB (or pick your  own cult) and none being Orlanth.

This is what the characters see...
The SB cultist is contacted by one of his informants, contacts, or even
captures a chaos creature (agent). From this individual, the SB cultist
learns of a small caravan sent by the loacl Orlanth temple with weapons,
food, and other supplies as payment to a Broo mercenary unit.  The caravan is
on it's way and close to it's rendezvous.  Inflamed by the chaos sympathizing
Orlanth templey, and the proximity of the payment, the SB and other
associated characters rush out to destroy the caravan.  The rush through
miles of harsh landscape (use harsh terrain rules) find the caravan, and
destroy it.

What they DIDN'T know:
The caravan is actually taking supplies to a beleaguered Orlanth troop in a
fort, to help them defend against a Lunar attack.  It is important that the
characters rush to destroy the caravan without consulting anyone at the SB
Temple or the Orlanth Temple, so they need to be convinced of the urgency of
the matter.  The informant, or person they captured is actually a Lunar
Trisckster cultist and working for the Lunar Empire.  (S)he heard of the
supplies and had no way to destroy it him(her)self, so (s)he cooked up this
story to convince the PC's to do it.

The result:
-Upon returning to town, the SB temple summons the characters and says that a
group of SB imposters attacked an Orlanth caravan going to support a needy
fort.  The temple assigns the characters (as well as some other SB cultists)
to find these imposter and kill them, to appease the leaders of the Orlanth
temple and keep the peace.
-The Orlanth temple is looking for the people who destroyed the caravan.
(Maybe someone survived the attack on the caravan and can finger the PC's?)
-The Lunar attack will succed on the fort, imperiling the town. Perhaps the
characters are assigned to hassle the lunar attack force or join a force that
is going to retake the fort.
-The Lunar Trickster threatens to reveal the PC's to blackmail the characters
into doing things.  Or, (s)he may just hide because the PC's will probably
want to kill him/her

To make it all work:
-The informant/contact must be believable.  (S)he could even be a 'captured'
(planted) enemy who "revealed" the plot.
-The PC's need to beleive the Caravan is bad and must be destroyed.
-They must hurry and destroy it before it reaches the enemy.
-They can't have any contact with the Temples before leaving.
-They must be able to attack/destroy the caravan without talking to the
drivers and learning the truth.
-At no point should it feel suspicious.

As one can see this little plot can put the characters in quite a sticky
situation without any place to turn.  Once the caravan is destroyed is when
all the fun really begins, because everybody wants to kill them How do they
extricate themselves from such a mess?  It's is quite different every time I
play it.  Try to dissuade the characters from simply running away and instead
to find some clever way to solve the problem.

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