Herowars system (was RE: Pirates and Musketeers)

From: Grawe, Philipp <pgrawe_at_...>
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2001 14:42:07 +1000

> From: Graham Spearing [mailto:graham_at_...]
> The key criticism from a couple in my gaming group is this:
>
> HW is too detailed and clunky for a freeform game and insufficiently detailed
> to be a 'proper' roleplaying game. Woa - I know - what do I mean by proper here?
> When pressed it was retranslated to 'traditional' - but I think the slip
> revealed something.

I guess it's one of those topics that comes up every now and then - don't get me wrong, it's an important one because I know I found Hero Wars a little heavy when I first read it. It's kind of reassuring to find people that agree with you (or don't as the case may be)

I guess it fits my narrating style is what it boils down to. I play in two games, one narrator dislikes the whole AP system and find it klunky. In that game we use a different combat system based on simple contests. The other games is more straight out of the book hero wars (with a couple of house rules) with APs and bidding wars.

The point is that both work, both tell the story in an effective an entertaining way. The differences in the two games is more due to the style of the narrator and how the narrator is trying to tell a story than due to the gaming system. In this case it's a Pavic RQ2 reminiscent game versus a Sartar based game embroiled in Lunar / Orlanthi sympathies, so there are going to be clear differences regardless of system.

> Tom has the advantage on me. He's really played the game. I'm playing an
> introductory game where the Narrator is new to it and is still finding his
> feet. We're also all playing Mostali and busy being mechanistic and
> assimilationist. So maybe he's right?

Well, personally I don't think he is, but like I said above, it depends on what you're trying to do.

As an RQ GM I found myself largely ignoring the underlying system to the point where players complained it was all narrative and they weren't getting their ticks (not that the narrative style wasn't enjoyable, just that their characters weren't advancing). The free flowing style suits me just fine.

> I'll also admit to being a bit overwhelmed by Glorantha, a world I thought I
> understood in 1983, but now don't recognise.

Two takes on this. The first is as others said. Just concentrate on the bits you need and let the rest fill itsself in as you go.

The second is that essentially all you're doing is pinching ideas from Greg and others, anyway, so pinch the ones you like, ignore the ones you don't and make your own Glorantha.

Harry.