I've just run a demo of HW in 'Dragon & George' in Glasgow. As a demo it was a mild failure, as a game it was pretty much a complete success. Unfortunately, due to the footie Cup Final, people stayed away in droves, and the 5 players who actually played the game were all members of my own group, who'll be playing HW anyway (whether they like it or not...). We were a bit nervous playing a scenario about sheep with so many Aberdeen fans in the city, but we should have worried more about the players!
Nonetheless, we stormed into it, starting with a good hour discussing & describing the rules mechanics in detail, the magic system, the combat, the AP bidding. Everyone was sick of hearing about Glorantha from me anyway, so we skipped the world description :) The lack of definition of Feats was noted as a nuisance, but passed over.
I ran the Hounds Tower scenario, despite criticism of it on the lists,
with the Orlanthi band. The first battle went really well, with one
character using nothing but magic, and coming up with some good
effects ('I'll use Call Wind to blast grit in his eyes! 7 AP'), but a
lack of variety due to the lack of Feat description... Result was one
PC, and 2 doggie-boys down, dazed. The remaining Sedrali legged it,
followed by the Yinkinite, who Crit his Stalk ability, and followed
them through the wood to their tower, reporting it back to the Clan,
where the 2 captives were taken. The captives were interrogated, but
treated kindly. As everyone was from my group, and our Clan will be
friendly with Telmori, the connection there was dropped, but no-one
could speak Sedrali.
Come the morning, the players went to the tower, and watched for a
time. Seeing the quadrupeds, one player, without prompting, suggested
they might be females. I rolled his 'Know all about Sedrali' skill,
which, as it didn't exist, I took as default 6. He got a 6... So I
asked for a 'Geography of Ralios', which was '...of Dragon Pass' with
a -12 Improv. Mod, and he got a 1! Evidently he was a Ralios fan...
>From that point, no-one even suggested attacking them, we had a
pacifistic approach... Seeing one female leaving the tower for the
wood, the Yinkinite, augmented with all his catty Feats, followed.
After many comments about the Womaniser off in the woods alone with a
defenceless female, and intending to make friends anyway, he rolled
his Flirt ability, and got a 2... she resisted with something or
another, but rolled 20! Waves crashing on the shore... He rolled his
'Feel no Guilt' Feat successfully...
So, eventually, the doggie-boys (and girls) were persuaded to inflict
themselves on a nearby unfriendly Tula, with their freed friends.
Everyone liked it, especially the AP bidding system, the free and easy use of magic, and the simple task resolution system.
Wulf
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