>I just re-read Men of the Sea and realised that it doesn't contain
>anything one could describe as a scenario. I don't look for them,
>myself, (they need so much work to adapt them for a particular party,
>I'd rather have background) but it was a bit of a surprise.
Because it's a background book. To be quite honest I'm not sure about the policy of separating background and scenario books although given the size of each publication I can understand it.
>But to be fair to Gathering Thunder, it wouldn't take much to convert
>the first scenario (rescue the princess) for a party who *weren't* at
>Iceland.
[snip]
>I do have a nasty suspicion, though, that the amount of background
>knowledge assumed for the earlier books would prove to be offputting.
>Since I've read them, I'm not sure how much of a problem it would be,
>but just the references to major NPCs only described in earlier (OOP)
>books isn't a good start.
The problem starts on the first page - "this book assumes access to..." listing not only the previous two scenario books but the Orlanthi background books as well. OK they are still available but that's a lot of stuff to buy for a starting narrator.
>From both that page and the next it's clear you're starting in the
middle of a story. I've no doubt the scenarios can be used/modified
but without a background in Glorantha that's going to be difficult.
Certainly not something to attract people to HQ.
>> the game shop ...
>> have to refer customers to fan publications to get them started.
>
>Which wouldn't be a problem, as long as the scenarios were available
>*somewhere*, but since the Fan Publication Policy fiasco has more or
>less stopped fan publication for what must be nearly a year now.... oh
>dear :(
It is unless the FLGS knows the publications well and what to recommend, there's quite a bit of esoterica among those books. The lack of a FPP didn't stop "Wintertop Fair" which is actually usable with nothing more than the HQ book although the previous Tarsh books are helpful.
Certainly it's time the lawyers got off their backsides - it's over six months since Issaries were going to make an announcement.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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