RE: Gloranthan magic

From: Jeff Johnson <jsjohnso_at_...>
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 05:20:05 -0700


> The overview is good for those not familiar with Glorantha, and the
> supplements allow them to get just the in-depth material they need.

Previous notes suggested that - at least when it came to Gloranthan magic - there would be nothing more in-depth than what we have now. At the least, it means I will have to carefully read reviews before buying any of the player supplements, because I don't want them if a more coherent explanation of Gloranthan magic isn't forthcoming. More likely, it means I'll never buy anything more for this game than what I already have.

I'm not talking about rules; it irks me to have people keep saying 'use Runequest then' when I didn't care for Runequest.

The things I want to know aren't rules at all. They're the things I thought this damn game was supposed to be about - the "dramatic realism of a magical world". Hell, it's written under the aegis of a fellow who claims to be into real-world shamanism.

I didn't want dozens of pages of details on the structure of magic powers, and what 'misapplied' worship was.

I wanted descriptions of what sorts of things Gloranthan magic could do, and how it operated.

I'll say it again : I'm not talking about rules.

I'm talking about things like whether some of the 'laws' people have postulated about magic in our world - similarity, contagion, and the like - are the principles that Gloranthan magic operates under.

Like whether Gloranthan magic can create real, permanent, physical objects; or can create living and/or sentient things out of nothing.

Material like the background info on Illusion magic that was in one of the old publications (RQ Companion, I think).

What little material there is in Hero Wars, strangely enough for a game that's supposed to be not about numbers, _is_ in the form of numbers, like that table on sample difficulties. But that's never really explained, and such material is scattered in several places.

What I would really like is an essay on Gloranthan magic. I think it's pretty much required for a game where players and referees are both supposed to improvise the use of magical powers on a routine basis.

--
Jeff Johnson
jsjohnso_at_...

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