Ian -
> I expect it helps that your player role-plays herding as a sacred
> activity.
Yep. If he didn't, I wouldn't let him be a devotee.
> So what do I think Wilms should be doing with those 3 1/3 days a
week
> he is supposed to commit to Orlanth the Herder:
>[Good observations snipped]
>The important point here is though that Wilms
> makes a genuine sacrifice of his time to the god.
Absolutely. Heck, Wilms even performed the Stormwalk Path heroquest for his tribe - spending tremendous amounts of time and resources in preparation. All part of being a devotee of Orlanth the Herder.
> So I suspect the distance between us is not great. You're notion
that
> it is a sacred activity is close to mine. My objection is to the
> notion that you can meet the time requirement just by having an
> appropriate profession and thinking about the god while you do it.
> There is no sacrifice there, just expediency.
Agreed. There is also no roleplaying there.
> Of course player characters are likely to represent these
exceptional
> people, but I just want them to play them as people with strong
> religious commitment if they do, and not play devotees if they
don't
> want to be religious. I think it is hard to do right.
My own experience is that most players I've had end up playing their Gloranthan characters as somewhere between very and extremely religiously devoted. Especially when they are playing Heortlings. Maybe that's not true with other groups, but that's certainly been my experience.
Jeff
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