Re: Re: Enemies in a heroquest

From: Andrew Dawson <asmpd_at_...>
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 00:44:34 -0400

At 01:39 AM 9/20/2002 +0000, Philipp Grawe wrote:
> > Most people will (when they are at a HQ-ing level) have personal enemies
> > that will show up at the most inopportune times - Call it fate, or the
> > Cruelty of the universe, or whatever.
>
>I'm not entirely happy with the perversity of the universe being the
>reason that personal enemies meet in a Heroquest.
>
>Surely there has to be some heroquesting ambush mechanism / ritual /
>method of entering a heroquest that allows you to target a particular
>enemy on a particular quest. The sort of thing that Arkat discovered, the
>God Learners pioneered and Lunars are currently perfecting.
>
>Not something that everyone knows, but incredibly powerful when used
>correctly. If nothing else, it happens too often and too conveniently for
>it to be fate / destiny / the above mentioned perversity of the universe.

In my game/Glorantha, there are rituals to target someone as the opposition in a HQ. One of the drawbacks to these rituals is that once you succeed in targeting someone as your mythic opposition, you will be drawn into their HQs as their opposition. I'm sure there are rituals to deflect or lessen this "backlash" and I'm sure that certain powerful HQers (probably experienced Lunar HQers and such) know how. I don't see this "backlash" as just "perversity of the universe"; sometimes it's the price you pay to target someone with your rituals.

I also think that the Other Side responds to the HQer's desires, conscious and unconscious, so that the HQer may draw in someone who they *even subconsciously* associate with their mythic opposition (no deliberate ritual involved, though this could be strengthened by ritual--for example, making an effigy of the mythic opposition figure for use in the ritual to cross over to the Other Side, but using some hair removed from the comb of a mortal foe). All IMG, of course. I'd be interested in any confirmation/denial of the "official" truth of this, but my HW/HQ game has gone on too long to change its fundamental nature. In my game, the Other Side responds to a character's "runes," emotions, desires, etc.

Thanks,
Andy