I still think that 'supported' inidividuals account for no more than 10% of the clan and include thanes, warriors, crafters, priests and godis, experts etc. Devotion is, mostly, for 'supported' individuals. But YGMV, I repeat that, YGMV.
> Here is somewhat how I viewed it. A Barntar initiate spends ten
percent of his time and resources supporting the storm tribe...
Another 20% of time and resources goes into being a Barntar
initiate.<
TR says it is only an average but: 10% is the big public ceremonies everyone goes to (28 days a year). Of an initiate's extra 20%: half is sacrifice and worship, half is supporting the priests and temple.
> Now with a devotee this goes to another level.<
TR notes that a devotee spend his additional 30% in personal
communication with the god, concentrating 'the worshipper's time and
attention upon their deity'. Personal communication.
In return for forging this strong link the devotee is more able to draw the Other Side into this world i.e work magic.
> Note that much of the commited time and resources specifically to
Barntar are things that a farmer who earns his living from his fields
would be doing anyway.<
I have a problem with this. Theism revolves around the notion of sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice then there is no exchange between deity and inidividual. TR states 'Some things can be generated or experienced only by human beings, including time, attention, and consciousness. In a sacrificial ritual, people give these things to the deities. '
To be a devotee requires you focusing your attention on the god, not on the mundane. To be a devotee requires you to sacrifice something to the god, to give it up. The extra time is lost to you, and given to the god, that is the notion of sacrifice. Sure in times of trouble or hardship the god may cut you some slack, but the sacrifice is fundamental. otherwise we are venerating instead.
Alex Ferguson pointed out me that if this were true, he as a warband leader would rather have more initiates and less devotees because the devotees are only marginally better in game terms but are less available. My response would be 1:) as Greg would say 'Gloranthans don't know the numbers' 2:) Yes, that is my point, a devotee is a burden. That is why TR says:
"To be able to spend so much time at worship, a person must have some outside source of support or income. This level of support is typically given by a clan to its thanes and god-talkers."
IMG devotion requires sacrifice, not just doing your job. As I have said before Glorantha has deites for most jobs, if all that were required was to do your job, devotion would not be a sacrifice.
IMG nothng is free, everything comes at a price. TANSTAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As a Free Lunch). To think otherwise is to be a God Learner.
>So running a Barntari hero becomes difficult (beyond the limited
ability of his magic to help in adventurous situations)
I would avoid penalizing players becuase they game to have fun, and feats are great (Robin Laws term) crunchy bits. They are members of a hero band, which are exceptional just because they include many such individuals. There is a difference between wanting to understand how magically powerful a clan is, how significant devotees are, and restricting players enjoyment of the game.
As always YGMV.
Ian Cooper
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