> 1. What do people think of the Homelands approach? Is there enough
> of a basis there to start you off?
I think it's a terrific way to showcase the diversity of the Gloranthan setting. Now if there was only a full range of player's handbooks sitting next to HQ on the store shelf: "Oh, I like these Grazers. Where's *their* book?" I know that isn't practical now, but I can certainly see the two-page homelands whetting people's appetites for more information -- which probably is the point. In the meantime, they do communicate the look and feel of the culture quite well (as do the illustrations, which are incredible!). I think they are greatly preferable to the initial chapter pages in the old Genertela book. The religion keywords concisely establish the flavor and parameters for the different magical systems, without taking much space at all. (I liked this about ILH-1, and it's effective here, too.)
If there is anything I would add to the homeland descriptions, it would be to add another page or two with an overview map of the region and a gazetteer of the most important locations. If carefully written, the gazetteer locations could suggest adventure seeds. This approach would vary in usefulness: it would be useless for Puma People, a potential space-waster for all the neighboring Dragon Pass cultures (especially with the DP gazetteer forthcoming), and most helpful for people who wanted to play Seshnegi or Teshnans.
Nick Eden said:
> Teshnos is given more focus here than ever
> before, but realistically we know perfectly well that there's not
> going to be a Teshnos sourcebook for 5 years - and perhaps that space
> could have allowed write ups ...
> ... which would be of more direct use to
> 'Orlanthi-All' people running an initially Dragon Pass game.
I think there are advantages in having "edge-of-the-map" homelands that are less likely to be covered in detail anytime soon. These are the "almost-Blank Lands" of HQ -- if I want to do more with the Grazers, Teshnans, or Puma People, there are web and non-Issaries resources, or I can just create things with a freer rein and not feel the presence of "Forthcoming Release X" looming behind me. (That said, I'd jump to buy these player's handbooks, should they appear.)
> 2. Do the changes in animism and wizardry make these characters more
> interesting and playable? Are they clear and comprehensible?
*Much* improved over HW, both in presentation and playability. There is enough layered detail ("If I start as *this*, do I also get *that*?") that I found building a few characters helped my comprehension. But I love how these chapters turned out, and am more likely to choose a Western or animist background as a result.
> 3. The original sample adventures in HW came in for a degree of
> criticism -- what do you think of the ones in HQ?
Haven't had a chance to read all these thoroughly yet, but they look promising. I like the fact that they were written to illustrate different aspects of play (social interaction, heroquesting, etc.).
> 4. Treat the current book size as a constant: who else would you
> have wanted to have seen included, and what would ou have sacrificed
> to make way for it? The answer 'nothing, it's great as is' is an
> acceptable one, BTW!
It might have been nice to include a homeland for one of the Elder Races -- maybe uz? (I am unclear on whether the HQ Voices PDF will have two-page homelands for the outland and nonhuman cultures, or just "What My Father Told Me"/"What the Priest Said"-style writeups. The press release mentions "double-page spreads," but I saw a comment elsewhere that suggested otherwise. If it does have homeland keywords, ignore this.) Glorantha has an array of well-developed nonhuman species, and it would be nice to showcase at least one as being different from the standard Tolkien clone.
What to cut? Argh.... it's all so good!
5. What else is really terrific?
I am immensely proud to own a rulebook that lacks a dedicated "Combat" chapter.
The different character creation methods and examples are *wonderful*, especially the ongoing development of the create-a-character-as-you-go origami girl. I tend to run setting-heavy games, with consequent uptightness, so this is a much-needed corrective. It goes a long way to avoid a "prescriptive Glorantha" feel, without getting in the way of the old hands who know what's what.
I return to heroforming the archetypal Happy Camper.
James
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