Originally, I was given Runequest 2 & Cults of Prax under the condition that I run Runequest. So, I did.
I enjoyed the world. It had a very different & mythical feel, but was still somewhat familiar (compared to "Empire of the Petal Throne" which seemed designed to keep casual players at a distance). The very map seemed to suggest adventure. I loved every adventure published from Apple Lane on.
However, I dislike Glorantha, as it is now. While there are several things that bother me, I can boil the major issues down to one single situation.
That situation is the fact that "Apple Lane" can't exist in Glorantha now. There has been far too much change for my tastes. The Glorantha that exists now is a far cry from the Glorantha of the 80's.
Sure, Greg will say "you can do in your world what you want." Well, if the current published sources are so far away from my campaign, why should I bother to buy them? I'm not just talking about simple differences. I'm talking about the entire philosophy at the heart of the publications.
To me, and my players, Glorantha used to be a fun, mythical fantasy world.
It's become something else. It's focused far too much on cultural issues.
"Apple Lane" can't exist because the society Greg has changed Sartar towards
in interest of "accuracy" doesn't have room for that sort of place. It
seems you need a degree in Historical and Cultural studies in order to enjoy
Glorantha now.
While it's possible to play in Glorantha without that, you might as well ignore the current supplements. I need something that is less "culturally accurate" (whether it's a fictional or real-life culture we are talking about) and more "fun." I find the "fun" is missing from current Hero Wars products.
Whenever I discuss running a Gloranthan campaign, the players aren't interested. They find Glorantha to be a place that's far too elitist. It seems to be only concerned with hard-core fans & not at all interested in putting out products for the casual gamer.
I've even tried getting players who used to love Runequest in the 80s. They don't recognize Glorantha. For example, the following is the sort of converstation I've had.
"I want to play Yelmalio."
"Sorry, he doesn't exist."
"What happened to him? Was he killed?"
"No, Greg just decided that he never really existed. It's really quite
confusing exactly where he is now."
"OK, I want to play a Humakti. I like the idea of an honorable warrior who
realizes he will die and looks forward to the reward he will have when he
does."
"That's fine. Just realize that all Humakti are now mentally disturbed.
Why else would they worship Death. That's what it's been determined that
Humakti are."
"Yuck. I don't want to play that. I'll just play an Orlanthi. Maybe I can
meet Argrath and help him against the Lunar Empire."
"Well, Argrath might not really exist. He might be several people. It
might turn out to be you."
"Ummm...you know, I think I'm too busy to play in this. Talk to you later."
David A. Blizzard
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