From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Tue, 27 Sep 1994, part 1
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
Content-Return: Prohibited
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.
More details on the RuneQuest Daily and Digest can be found
after the last message in this digest.
X-RQ-ID: index
6369: alex = (Alex Ferguson)
- Gustbran shrines
6370: alex = (Alex Ferguson)
- Minis, to Abstract, or to Explicitly Represent?
6371: alex = (Alex Ferguson)
- Pamaltela'n'stuff.
6372: alex = (Alex Ferguson)
- Yelorna in Sun City.
6375: henkl = (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
- Messages 6373 and 6374 were removed, as requested by the author.
6376: appel = (Shannon Appel)
- Cults of Prax (x2)
6377: Michelle_Ringo = (Michelle Ringo)
- Yelornan Templars & Restore Health -- The Cost
6378: drcheng = (David Cheng)
- RQ on r.g.frp.misc, & RQ4 Distribution
6379: loren = (Loren Miller)
- Re: RuneQuest Daily, Mon, 26 Sep 1994, part 1
6380: sandyp = (Sandy Petersen)
- Re: RuneQuest Daily, Fri, 23 Sep 1994
6381: faber = (Chris Faber)
- Enchantments, Templars, & Sun County
6382: Argrath = Argrath@aol.com
- Crossposting; Porthomeka
6383: dave_cordes = (Dave Cordes)
- Orlanth and Eurmal
6384: hebert = (Brian Paul Hebert)
- I *like* the daily on frp.misc!
6385: 100270.337 = (Nick Brooke)
- Death in Prax
---------------------
From: alex@dcs.gla.ac.uk (Alex Ferguson)
Subject: Gustbran shrines
Message-ID: <9409251925.AA23245@hawaii.dcs.gla.ac.uk>
Date: 25 Sep 94 19:25:49 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6369
David Dunham on the Mean Redsmith Distribution:
> It seems unlikely you could get 150 initiates of Gustbran together in one
> place to form even a Minor Temple.
For such specialised cults, I think it's reasonable to postulate somewhat
modified temple rules. Also, not just each clan or village's One True
Smith will worship, but his family and apprentices too, and any number
of associate cultists.
> And if you
> can only get a shrine together once a year at a fair, priests are seriously
> limited as to rune magic reusability...
By the RQ3/4 rules, if you get them together once a year (assuming it's the
HHD), the shrine/temple continues to "work" even if it doesn't have the same
numbers of worshippers the rest of the year.
Alex.
---------------------
From: alex@dcs.gla.ac.uk (Alex Ferguson)
Subject: Minis, to Abstract, or to Explicitly Represent?
Message-ID: <9409252228.AA23455@hawaii.dcs.gla.ac.uk>
Date: 25 Sep 94 22:28:26 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6370
Devin strikes again in response to M. Crim's CF Fudge Factors:
> Well, first, shouldn't those tactics you are talking about be representied by
> the miniatures themsleves and not in the CF? In other words, if the Hoplite
> tactics are so great, then the Sun Domers should use them by keeping their
> minis in formation et al. [...]
> Second, morale is a big factor in most battles, and well organized troops
> generally have better morale. Simply give hoplites and their ilk morale
> bonuses while in formation.
I agree with Devin again! My ghod, that makes twice in a mere month. Of
course Warhamster doesn't have rules for unit cohesion and formations, but
I'm sure one could nick (not Nick) them from someplace. Doesn't the
Unspeakable Game Upon Which Warhamster Is A Pun have such, in fact? I'm
not too familiar with them, so I'll refrain from predicting that they're
a lot of GWish drek.
Alex.
---------------------
From: alex@dcs.gla.ac.uk (Alex Ferguson)
Subject: Yelorna in Sun City.
Message-ID: <9409252243.AA23476@hawaii.dcs.gla.ac.uk>
Date: 25 Sep 94 22:43:53 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6372
Michelle Ringo:
> Question for those familiar with Sun County. Do you think
> that Yelorans can join the Sun County militia and work
> themselves into a position to become Templars?
I feel they can. However, this essentially involves becoming (respectively)
a lay member, and then an initiate of Yelmalio, (without necessarily leaving
Yelorna in either case), so it's not going to be a popular option from
either "side's" perspective. For the Yelornans, it involves having
Yelmalio's self-proclaimed primacy over them shoved in their faces, while
for the Sun County squarebeards, it means having a woman trundling around
with weapons, giving orders to (male!) civilians. Mildly galling for all
concerned. Hence, probably lots of fun to roleplay. ;-)
> My experience when the CA
> priestess had resurrection and it was renewable (aside: I do
> not feel that CA initiates should have renewable divine
> magic) ran into about 3 scenarios.
I do Believe In Nick's reusable RM idea, but I don't think that this means
that it should ever be available on a similar basis to initiates as to
priests. If Resurrection were restricted in its reusability to priests,
one could make it entirely unavailable to initiates, which might not be a
bad idea, anyway.
Alex.
---------------------
From: henkl@aft-ms (Henk Langeveld - Sun Nederland)
Subject: Messages 6373 and 6374 were removed, as requested by the author.
Message-ID: <9409260912.AA23116@yelm.Holland.Sun.COM>
Date: 26 Sep 94 09:12:05 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6375
Message 6373 should have been sent by private mail.
Message 6374 was an apology, and is not needed anymore.
Name withheld to protect the offender.
---------------------
From: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu (Shannon Appel)
Subject: Cults of Prax (x2)
Message-ID: <199409260901.CAA05964@erzo.berkeley.edu>
Date: 25 Sep 94 19:01:48 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6376
> After having paid many clams for a copy of Cults of Prax
>at the Origins '94 auction, I recently found (and bought) a
>different copy at Wargames West.
>
> The difference between the two versions is minor...
You've gotten ahold of the first and second printings of Cults of
Prax. The first edition is the one with baboons on the cover,
labelled 'SP7'. The second edition has the map of Prax on the cover.
I'm pretty sure that they're otherwise identical, probably printed
from the same plates and everything.
As a side note, there was also one other printing of Cults of Prax, a
square-bound edition made by Games Workshop. It's nearly identical to
the second US edition, except Appendix L was put last in the
Gamesworkshop edition (and M and N thus moved up appropriately).
Shannon
---------------------
From: Michelle_Ringo@ed.gov (Michelle Ringo)
Subject: Yelornan Templars & Restore Health -- The Cost
Message-ID: <9408267805.AA780598272@ed.gov>
Date: 26 Sep 94 14:45:17 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6377
YELORNA
1) A reason a Yelornan might be an ideal Templar is that
she is sworn (according to Sun County) never to attack a Sun
Dome Temple. A geas that does not affect the initiates of
Yelmalio.
2) I was thinking that my Yelornans should probably become
Yelmalian initiates before they became Templars. I ask
because the six Yelmalians that I am working with are all
bucking to become Templars.
3) Finally, the crystal was an 11 point crystal, at the
time it was the only one in the party. In addition, I
thought that it took 11 points of power to create such a
crystal. My Yelornans Health (Stats) were restored 8
points, which would have cost 8000 stars cash if she had it.
---------------------
From: drcheng@stern.nyu.edu (David Cheng)
Subject: RQ on r.g.frp.misc, & RQ4 Distribution
Message-ID:
Date: 26 Sep 94 13:56:49 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6378
I would like to take the counterpoint of Nick Eden's proposal to not
crosspost the Daily to rec.games.frp.misc (X-RQ-ID: 6364).
I think it is too easy for us to forget what it was like before we had the
RQ Daily (at it's current overwhelming volume), and even Usenet news at
all.
I don't know about all of you, but I didn't really discover the benefits of
email until my Junior year at college. Then, it took me two more years
until I even knew what a newsgroup was, let alone how to access, read &
post to one.
I can only think about the literally thousands of gamers who browse
the r.g.frp.* boards each day. The heyday of RQ is long past, and
it's only us diehards that keep the game alive at all. There is
no cachet to the name RuneQuest any more. If I were a younger/newer
gamer browsing the board, and came across the simple three-line messge
Mr Eden suggests, I doubt I'd subscribe to the Daily. Why should I;
there are 150 other messages to read each day, all right there for
me...
However, if the Daily is there for casual browsing, we just might
catch the interest of a new person once in a while.
Also, I see the Usenet newsgroups analogous to virtual newspapers.
Every mention of RuneQuest is like free Public Relations. Every RQ in
a message header is a sign that the game is not dead. That's why I
give poor Henk such a hard time when I don't see the Daily on
r.g.f.misc.
RuneQuest 4/AiG Distribution
I am confident that I speak for Oliver in saying that there are no
more copies of RQ4/AiG available for distribution. When I speak to
him these days I usually summarize what's been discussed here lately.
He usually doesn't read the Daily any more.
My advice is to try and find someone who was lucky enough to
get one already, and borrow it.
* David Cheng drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu cheng@io.com
(212) 472-7752 [before midnight] GEnie: D.CHENG
---------------------
From: loren@hops.wharton.upenn.edu (Loren Miller)
Subject: Re: RuneQuest Daily, Mon, 26 Sep 1994, part 1
Message-ID: <9409261515.AA07180@Sun.COM>
Date: 26 Sep 94 07:15:31 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6379
In article pheasant@cix.compulink.co.uk (Nick Eden) wrote:
: Could we not take the Daily off the usenet and simply post a message
: along the lines of
: 'The RuneQuest Daily is available from....
: The Sunday 25 September 1994 mailing included articles on.....'
: that would alert all the punters without wasting our phone bills and BBS
: charages?
Personally I prefer to get the RQ daily on News. News propogates
faster to my site than does mail, so the news version gets here before
the mail version does. It's also more reliable. On those weekends when
the daily didn't arrive for 72 hours I could read it in news the same
day it was sent out. My newsreader can back up screens. My mail reader
can't. If I get it on News it doesn't sit on a local disk on my
computer system. If it I get it in mail it does sit on a local
disk. Additionally, I know one person who tells me he would not
subscribe to the mailing list because he doesn't want to be deluged
with 50KB or so of mail messages a week, but who reads it in news when
he has a chance. I'd be willing to be there are a lot more like him
out there.
--
Loren Miller
I can tell by your shoes that you are a lover of liberty
---------------------
From: faber@apollo.umuc.edu (Chris Faber)
Subject: Enchantments, Templars, & Sun County
Message-ID: <199409261640.MAA24433@apollo.umuc.edu>
Date: 26 Sep 94 08:39:59 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6381
Lewis
Your mistaken about the cost of creating a Power Storage Enchantment.
In the Magic Book you will find that each point of POW used in the
enchantment allowes for the storage of one point of POW, therefore an 8pt
POW Storage Enchantment will cost 8pts of permanment POW. Now, depending
on how you read the Gamemaster's Book, each point of a non-resuseable divine
spell for a non-initate of the cult will cost 1000 lunars per point, but
if read on, each point of an enchantment will run you 1500 lunars per point.
To me this seems to suggest that divine enchantment are cheaper then those
enchantments made by shamans and sorcerers. (any opinions?) As a side
question does any one play crystals as being almost indestructible and more
valuable the power storage enchantment?
My wife has corrected me about the crystal it was 11pts. She was not
happy to find out that the Chalana Arroy are not a trade cult and therefore
don't make change, but not being totally heartless, as an assiocated cult
member they taught her shimmer 4 in lou of the 3000 lunars.
I very much liked the idea of the Chalana Arroy being top-notch physical
therapist. I will add this to my world view as an alternative for PCs.
My current campaign includes 6 male Yelmalian and 2 female Yelorian in
Sun County. I have seen some comments on the Sun County militia being
for males only, but Vega is a Light Daughter and I very much doubt that
she has that belief. My current players hang around at the Sun Dome hoping
to get a seasonal contract in the militia from someone who has money and
no desire to service their time in the militia. When no contract appears
they head off for random adventuring to improve their skills so that one day
they might become templars. I do not subscribe to the theory that the
templars are male only, if this was the case I would suggest that the templar
commanders are smoking to much hazia. To waste such a vaulable resource as
the Yelorian cultist is not only a crime, but denial of the truth, Yelorian
cultist can kick as much ass as any Yelmalian cultist. The Yelorian cultist
provide an important addition to their Yelmalian counterpart. Ever try to
light a torch with flint & steel in a melee, ignite work much better.
Lantern is a cool spell for Yelmalian cultist, but a dispel magic 1
takes it out. Much better to have both spells in the party. And how
about that morale factor provided by hot-looking unicorn-riding babies,
they can bring a smile to any templar's face. And those unicorns rule.
As to Balastor's Axe the party got hosed on that one. Their first try
fail with the death of a PC. On second mission the party had the assistance
of an Elf Rune Lord. The axe was in the cage with the basilisk, while the
party fought with the vampires the Rune Lord recovered the axe only the lose
in spirit combat to Balastor. So, at the moment the Champion of Pavis is
an Elf. Question, if a character is possessed can a DI still be made?
Chris
---------------------
From: Argrath@aol.com
Subject: Crossposting; Porthomeka
Message-ID: <9409261245.tn143216@aol.com>
Date: 26 Sep 94 16:45:30 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6382
Subject: Posting the Daily
In X-RQ-ID: 6364, Nick Eden remarks on the availability of this
fine Daily on rec.games.frp.misc, and remarks that its presence
there, "a few days old this time, mak[es] me pay to download it
twice. Why?" He then suggests discontinuing the crossposting to
the Usenet.
I have several good reasons for crossposting to the Usenet.
1. It's a constant advertisement for RQ, and rather than
being just a "hey, you, sign up for this mailing list" it gives
people a chance to sample what the Daily is about.
2. I can get on AOL and get the Daily in the morning or at
lunch (as I'm did today), rather than waiting for after 6:00 so I
don't pay the extra charges which Delphi places on connections
during peak use hours. I'm probably not the only one. I don't
know what's wrong with your Usenet access, but obviously the
Daily is _not_ a few days old when I'm using r.g.f.misc.
Incidentally, I get a much cleaner download that way than through
the Delphi interface.
3. It serves to archive the Daily in an accessible place
without making people bother with FTP fuss.
So, Nick, why don't you get a threaded newsreader? There must be
some software way you can avoid reading through the Daily twice.
And hey, can we talk about Gloranthan issues? Sunday's and
Monday's Dailies have been right thin on substance.
I've got one: Porthomeka. On page 23 of the RQ Companion, it is
stated that "history has left Caladraland holding the lowland
area called Porthomeka, a place of foreign culture." This is the
sum total of published information. I think it's populated with
Westerners who came with Arkat and settled there when Arkat
betrayed them. They were mostly men, so they took native brides
who brought in a rich strain of Esrolian (or just possibly
Caladralander) culture.
When they came under Caladraland's control, they began
absorbing Caladralander culture, too. But they preserve some
ancient aspects of their western culture, including a Seshnegi
dialect. They speak Caladran as their second language. Another
expression of their roots is their resistance to the
Caladralander rule of matrilineage. For example, men often give
their sons land and other possessions while alive, to prevent the
property from going to their sisters' sons when they die.
Major cults are Orlanth, Ernalda, and Orlanth's stead, plus
Humakt. However, the Porthomekans also acknowledge the existence and
supremacy of the Invisible God and Malkion, his prophet. They have a very
few sorcerers without much power. It is hard to be an isolated Malkioni.
--Martin
---------------------
From: dave_cordes@cl_63smtp_gw.chinalake.navy.mil (Dave Cordes)
Subject: Orlanth and Eurmal
Message-ID: <9409261727.AA02105@Sun.COM>
Date: 26 Sep 94 01:33:19 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6383
CL QM-SMTP gw Orlanth and Eurmal
Harald Smith X-RQ-ID: 6168
------------------
>>(In Norse myth, Loki is always hanging around with Odin or Thor--they must
>>have some reason why they want him around.) It is my belief that Orlanth
>>likes Eurmal far more than he is willing to admit.
The norse mythology I was taught, in junior high school, said that Ragnarok
(the final destruction of the world)(also called the twilight of the gods)
would be a final battle between Odin and the gods, and an army of giants led
by Loki. The Norse gods know that this is going to happen. Yet they took no
steps to get rid of Loki before he could rebel against them. They believed
that the final battle was inevitable and that after the destruction a new
earth would appear and the creative process would begin anew.
Maybe Orlanth puts up with Eurmal because he knows that he is destined to
play an important role in some future event. Like the destruction of
Glorantha.
Maybe his nature as a trickster dooms him to eventually cause the destruction
of the world. Orlanth knows this and accepts it. And so accepts Eurmal for
what he is because he can't stop or change him.
Question: Since Eurmal is the trickster and according to everything I've
read his followers are not bound to any laws. Nor are they protected by any
laws. Is Eurmal then bound by the great comprimise? or can he just ignore
it as he seems to ignore any other constraits placed on him?
Or maybe Orlanth puts up with Eurmal because he doesn't know what else to do
with him. He can't destroy him. He can't get rid of him. So he just
tolerates him. To attempt to fight him would only encourage him. Tolerance
and acceptance might tend to mellow Eurmals trickster instincts. Or at least
cause him to not get as much pleasure from his pranks. It's not much fun to
pull pranks on people who don't react to them.
DC
---------------------
From: hebert@uclink.berkeley.edu (Brian Paul Hebert)
Subject: I *like* the daily on frp.misc!
Message-ID: <199409270104.SAA20840@uclink.berkeley.edu>
Date: 26 Sep 94 11:04:56 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6384
Nick Eden suggested taking the daily off of rec.games.frp.misc, saying
"Just about anyone capable of reading the daily on usenet can get the
daily mailed to them, and I assume those that can be bothered will - that
way they can contribute to the discussions without having all their
postings appear several days old."
Wrong. I have a 500k storage limit on my university mail account. With
the daily on usenet, I can go a week without reading, then drop in and
catch up. If I got a week's worth of dailies in my mail, I'd exceed my
limit. As for reading it twice, do you *have* to download everything
from the newsgroup? Most news reader software will let you skip things
with a keystroke. Anyway, I vote to keep it on frp.misc.
YO!
--Brian
---------------------
From: 100270.337@compuserve.com (Nick Brooke)
Subject: Death in Prax
Message-ID: <940927070852_100270.337_BHL54-2@CompuServe.COM>
Date: 27 Sep 94 07:08:52 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6385
Robert asks:
> The first paragraph of the Nomad Gods rules (after the intro) says that
> Prax was the first place death was [used or known] in the world. Any-
> one's thoughts on the matter?
That's rubbish. It was in Carmania, of course.
Nomad Gods is written by Praxians, for Praxians. I don't think anything as
indeterminate as "where death first came into the world" will have one
single definitive answer, any more than "where the first man was born".
Everyone will have their own local myths about it. This is like the way we
think all Storm Bulls worship the Block 'cos we've seen the ones who live
near to it. I'm pretty sure that as you trek westwards around the Barbarian
Belt, this particular myth dies out and is replaced by more important local
variations on the same theme.
As Godtime is "non-sequential" and "simultaneous" and so on, I don't think
you'll get a useful answer through HeroQuesting, Divination or whatever.
When I'm in Glorantha, I always know that my people are Right and these
foolish foreigners are Wrong if ever a problem like this arises.
Example: I once played a Yelmalion character who had the "Cannot lie" geas.
So I was able to spout the most chauvinistic Yelmalion cultic propaganda
imaginable, prefacing every statement with "I cannot tell a lie". I mean,
will Yelmalio deny that his way is the best, truest, most righteous in the
world of Glorantha? He's a Truth god, right? So zap me, God!
"I cannot tell a lie: that storm god Orlanth is a filthy barbarian outlaw
who knows nothing of cleanliness and righteousness. Orlanthi eat stinking,
vile foods, and their women are unchaste."
Absolute Mythical Truth and Proof are hard things to find.
====
Nick
====