There's obviously a lot in common between heroic Greece and Glorantha - esp. RQ II - the hero thing, the big quest bit, and the fact that both Glorantha and Homer have bronze and iron cultures happily coexisting.
The key difference from the mythic-magic side seems to be that in Greek myth the gods themselves are the prime actors and initiators, and this is what I'd be tempted to concentrate on. PCs would begin by seeking the (favourable) attention of a deity, do things to assist their deity in his or her amorous or martial pursuits, and concentrate on avoiding the wrath and animosity of rival deities.
Your positive or negative 'points' towards a particular deity might be a suitable game focus, with magical gifts and favours dependant on these (with sacrifice and sibylic prophesy the main vehicles).
The other big thing is the quest motif - *the* supreme vehicle for generating both magic items and plotlines, not on some supernatural plain but midst wonders and terrors at the fringes of the known world.
Another key motif of the Greek myths is metamorphosis - changes from one form to another, and picking up a copy of Ovid (or Ted Hughes' 'Tales from Ovid') is perhaps the easiest way of generating ideas for this.
The main religions of ancient Greece were ancestor veneration based around
citystate cults (and the city's protective deities), and philosophy,
punctuated by holy days celebrating the agricultural year. Character
'classes of Cynic, Epicurean, Stoic might be fun set against Dionysian
ecstatics and stern city-state priestesses. (Cynics get HPs for *not*
accumulating equipment and wealth).
Depending on your time period (or lack thereof) you could focus on the Heroic Age, Troy, rival city states, the clash of Empires, or journeys to India with Little Alex. Perhaps even a 'Great Pan is dead' campaigns, where the old gods and the great learning are fading before the onslaughts of barbarous, bloodthirsty, unlettered Christians (Gore Vidal's 'Julian').
Victor has already mentioned 'Cadmus and Harmony'. (I'm more a 'Ka' guy, but
both books are excellent). I'll also put in a plug for Christopher Logue's
'War Music', a 'reading' of the Iliad much quoted by me in .sigs over the
years.
It all sounds fun. Please keep us informed. :)
Cheers
John
nysalor_at_... John HughesQuestlines: http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/
"We are your heroes.
Audacious fameseekers who relish close combat.
Mad to be first among the blades,
Now wounded 50 times, stone sane.
And we will burn Greece out."
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