> I am involved in sorting out a few HeroQuests and am wondering how
much
> the Quester knows before they begin?
For one quest I wrote up two versions of the myth, the Initiate's version and the Devotee's version. One of the questors in this Elmal HQ was actually an Issaries trader, so all he was allowed was the Initiate version (a few paragraphs - the 'How Elmal brought Horse to the Storm Tribe' bit from the Elmal writeup. The Redaldan got the Devotee version, which detailed every action, in a narrative fashion, but still didn't break it into stations, and of course only showed one way to solve each challenge. So I allow questors to know what faces them (barring surprises), but I don't show them the Narrator's list of applicable abilities.
> It seems to me that a detailed knowledge of the Quest (coupled with
> community support) means almost guaranteed success
>
> Is this how it should be?
Well, I know how to drive a car, and I know the route to work better than any other road, but that doesn't mean there can't be surprises. And even if nothing untoward happens, knowing exactly how Orlanth beat Aroka doesn't mean your freshly Initiated fyrdman can equal it! You do need the prerequisite skills. And then, lastly, there's the opportunity of 'finding another way' - you don't have to solve a problem EXACTLY as the myth states, and any variation can have consequences. Do you own the computer game King of Dragon Pass? You should do, it's a perfect primer for HQs...
> Otherwise it'd be more of a 'Sunday Afternoon Picniquest' rather
than a
> HeroQuest?
There ARE such HQs, those are the ones you don't bother playing out.
Wulf
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