Background v�s Stories
As I see it potential and active Gloranthan can be divided into four
schools:
The Infants � Newbies, who know nothing of the game or its setting.
They need clear simple rules and ready to play adventures that show
them how to play the game with little or no background material
The High Schoolers - Casual Gloranthan, who like the game world, but
arent interested in learning its intricrarcies. They want material
directly relevant to playing in Glorantha, such as more intricate
adventure modules and the cult books like Cults of Prax.
The College boys (and girls) � Committed Gloranthans and experienced
narrators, who want to learn the history, myths and cultures relating
to the �real� Glorantha. These people want the detailed books on the
cultures, otherworlds, and historical eras to simply read and then to
flesh out their campaigns with greater detail. Their adventures
involve actual events in the Hero Wars
The Graduates - Those that want to know every obscure bit of non-game
related data they can find about Glorantha. They read the unfinshed
works such as GroY.
Some people may fall into two schools depending on what region of glorantha is being written about. I am completely nuts about the Orlanthi and Sartar and so would consider myself a graduate of the Dragon Pass region, but only have a college boy interest in Prax and a High schoolers interest in the West.
Similarly. You can distinguish between the different types of supplements. These are Rules and Magic books, Regional books, Cultural and Cults Books, and Adventure and Location Books.
Rules and Magic Books: The Core rule book should be targetted solely
at �infants�, all the rules needed to play should in one book, with
clear examples, and just enough background to whet the appetite. It
should be kept as simple as possible, with only one or two magic
systems explained in detail to allow them to play. Also I�ve seen
comments that there will be ten homelands in the core rules, isnt this
going to overload new players. What happens if they choose to play in
a homeland that isnt going to be supported with supplements in the
near future.
Surely its better to concentrate on one or two homelands that will get
immediate support than blow their minds with options that will not get
developed. If you want to publish the other magic systems or the extra
homelands then put them in their own supplements, have a sorcery book,
mystic book and a homelands book.
Culture and Cult Books: These should be separate but complimentary
entities. The cultural books detailing the history, living habits, and
customs of particular people. Culture books can range from childrens
�How the Romans lived� and �What have the Lunars done for us� type
books (with lots of pictures) for those who want only a rudimentary
understanding, through books with the more detailed descriptions given
in TR and KoS, to the unfinished works.
The Cults books for casual players should give basic information for
all the gods within a pantheon, with no detailed myths and few
subcults. There could then be a more detailed supplement, one for each
of the major gods within a pantheon, which includes the myths and
subcults, for the more committed Gloranthans.
Regional: A series of books should be written for one area, using a top-down approach. You start with a broad sweeping lightly detailed world book, then in the next book focus on specific region, then a tribe and so on, finally focusing a book at clan level or its equivalent.
Adventure and Location Books: For beginners adventure books must be self-contained, totally encapsulated scenarios for beginning heroes with tips for the novice narrators and little in the way of external references or world shaking actions. Definite locations need to be detailed, they don�t need to be vast cities an out of the way shrine or stead is sufficient, just something to show how all the cultural stuff works in a game setting. Hero Wars is crying out for another Apple Lane to show people to how design their own settlements, and have the adventures go on around them. Players want to be the centre of attention, they don�t want to be lackeys of someone else, to be that they have to be the main protagonists and lead from the front, so the scenarios need to be writeen at that level. For the more experienced narrators the scenarios can be more complex, referencing the main history and cultural books, and involve the actions of the Hero Wars.
The arrival of Hero Wars was both good and bad. On the good side, there was a new rules system to play higher level characters, something RQ never did well; new background for me to read, and develop adventures; new magic and cults for players. On the down side, poor layout and editing masked the game in waffle, a few unusable rules meant what is essentially simple and fluent game was hidden in a mire of complexity and confusion. Similarly the cults writeups, so loved by RQ players, were hidden behind a treatise on the Orlanthi culture, which baffled them.
I don�t advocate that Issaries or anyone just do background. I believe that there needs to be a balance. A balance between �Show� and �Tell�, a balance between background and adventure, a balance between detailed supplements and newbie supplements, a balance between catering for players and narrators.
What I will argue for is that books should have defined limits, this is a background book, that�s a scenario book, some are for players, others are for narrators. Before any supplement is begun decide which school it is being targetted at and what type of book its going to be, such as a regional book for high schoolers, then when its published state it on the front cover, so the casual gamer doesn�t get put off by spending his limited budget on unfinshed works. Also whats the point in a player shelling out his money to find half the book is an adventure he cant read because his narrator may want to run it one day. Most players want books directly related to play, books about what type of hero they can play and who their enemies are. Because of this the players I know don�t buy the supplements, yet they did buy the old RQ cults books, even Cults of Terror, although it made them wet their pants.
Cheers,
Mick
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