Am I one of the few people here who actually likes the linear progression of abilities? A hero point lets me increase one ability by one. Period. I like that. I also think that 3 to raise an affinity makes the it superior to abilities - most affinities have more than 3 feats (cheaper by the dozen) and remember the rule about augmentation by one mundane ability but any number of feats?
As to the question of why learn both the skill and feat. Well, you simply wouldn't. Why would an Issaries worshipper develop a detect ambush ability when he/she can develop his/her travel affinity and get five feats for the price of three abilities? And be a good follower of his/her god at the same time?
Magic is tightly interwoven in to the fabric of Glorantha. Which to me means that trying to make a hard distinction between the magical and the mundane is the wrong approach. People can develop 'magical' abilities. Just by doing it (in game terms, spending the HPs). At a certain point it may be detectably magic, but that's the only enhancement I'd make to the rules.
So yes, sprint and burst of speed may well produce the same effects. But is this a problem? No. The god given ability taken as a package is easier to raise and comes with things that can't be duplicated by an ability, eg., Sunset Leap.
A pig headed person could try to do everything with abilities but
1. It's more expensive in HPs 2. You can duplicate many feats through abilities but a lot you can't 3. You can augment with multiple feats
Michael
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