I know you're not, and thank you for saying so. I'm sorry if I've been coming across a bit harshly. I'm just frustrated.
> You'd better be proficient at reading not only Greg's, but mine,
Robin
> Laws', Nick Brooke's, David Dunham's, Ttrotsky's, Alex Ferguson's,
David
> Hall's, and everybody else who has contributed - directly or in- -
to
> Glorantha.
I kinda meant that.
> Some abilities are direct steals from RQ or fan publications with
> serial numbers filed off and a new name. Others are simply
whimsical phrases
> that sounded cool. Some seem to be absolutely worthless even after
three
> years of play by hundreds of people, some seem to be uber-abilities.
> I'm sorry that the decision to not provide rules for every feat,
spell,
> spirit and ability isn't to your taste.
I'm not so much looking for rules for everything. I'm looking for something more than "whimsical phrases". I'm not looking for being told "Sunset Leap allows the character to leap x meters per y Ability Rating." I'm looking for "Sunset Leap allows the character to leap towards the sun," or something. I'm looking for more description. Currently, the only way I see of deciding this is to know the prosaic origin of this ability of Orlanth.
> Besides the amount of verbiage that
> doing so would require, it was against the design intent of the
game. It was
> a conscious decision on the part of the design team *not* to do so,
but to
> instead allow (or force) the narrators and players to decide for
themselves
> what "Sunset Leap" or "Death Song Berserk" means.
The place this falls down for me is that it makes it difficult to make reasonable decisions. For example, in real life, I have a decent idea how far I can jump, and when faced with something I need to jump, I can make a fairly good estimation of my chances of success. In order for me to make the same decision for my character, I need to either have a) a game mechanical model on which to base my decision (i.e. the traditional RPG method), or b) an intimate understanding of how such a thing works in the game world's reality. With mundane abilities, those things for which there are real world equivalents, relying on (b) isn't a problem. This is why I haven't been using mundane abilities as examples. I don't have any personal experience with magical abilities. So, I need to rely on what the game setting material tells me. Unfortunately, in Hero Wars/Quest, that material is not only growing in volume, but exists as dispirate tidbits, and is all embedded in prose. I have no problem with the idea that thesistic worshipers' Feats are based on mythic actions of their god. The problem is that I have no idea what Orlanth did so that this was a mythic feat; therefore, I have no idea what that ability entails.
> Let me state that again: The intent is to allow *you* to decide
what a feat,
> spell, spirit or ability can be used for, or not, and if there
should be a
> penalty applied to the target number.
That's fine, but without any guidance other than a nifty name, I don't have a whole lot to base that decision on. I might as well not be spending money on Glorantha and make up my own setting.
> Glorantha is too big a place to shackle down with detailed rules on
how far
> and in what direction you can "Sunset Leap".
I've not used the term "detailed rules", nor is that what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something a bit more explanatory than a "whimsical phrase". Nor do I find it satisfactory to have to rely on the fact that I have a stack of Runequest material or attendance of conventions or reading of fiction in order to understand what a standard character's abilities are.
> Gloranthans, as well as us
> real-life humans, are still discovering things about their land,
their magic
> and their cultures.
I was raised in the Christian faith, so I would know what the implications of an ability called "Body of Christ" or "Rooster Crows Thrice." I'm not a Gloranthan, so I need a proxy so I understand what "Sunset Leap" means.
> And the Hero Wars are a time of accelerated change.
> Everyday rules are being broken right and left by Gloranthans. Greg
no
> longer expects (never has, really) to be the sole voice of
Gloranthan
> discovery and creation. Every player is allowed, no, *expected* to
add to
> the communal knowledge - if only in his own group.
The problem with communal knowledge is that it is decentralized, scattered, and inaccessible. Hero Wars/Quest is starting to feel more and more like it's only really intended for people who are willing to make Glorantha their entire hobby. Barring, of course, the willingness to create things from whole cloth. But then, as I said above, what's the point in my investing in the game then if I have to make up most of it, anyway. This might be exaggerated, but it's a feeling that has been building up.
To be fair, though, this isn't something that I feel started with Hero Wars. It started with Runequest. My first awareness of Storm Bull being called "Urox" was a reference to Urox in Cults of Terror, and the reference was as if the reader already knew of this.
Thank you, Roderick, for taking the time to explain. I understand what you're saying, and it's a valid decision. It's just that I don't feel that it's compatible, in practice, with HeroQuest being "beginner friendly". And I'm someone that has a 2nd edition RQ book from back when it was in print (although I really didn't get into it until 3rd edition).
Mike Ryan
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