> Elements are there of course - we know that 10w-10w2 is the best
ability for 'clan level' characters and 10w2-10w3 is the best
ability for 'tribe/nation level' characters and so on - but that's
at best a partial picture, since the final effectiveness of a
character is hugely dependant upon how many augmentations they can
bring to bear on a contest and, as was demonstrated in my recent
exchange with David Dunham, assumptions about the typical number and
scale of augmentations can vary a lot.
Rob:
And in our group we have both creatures:
The solution I have found is to limit it to kit plus 2 or 3 augments. I routinely suggest a further augment to narrative gal.
The reason for this is that it can be difficult to design challenges when you are not sure who will be dealing with it. Therfore it can be too hard or too easy. Of course you can alter it without the players knowledge but I like to set things down and the challenge is there for the characters to find the best solution, not any solution and the Narrator will fudge the numbers. I enjoy the gamist element of RPG's as well as prefering the narrative flow of a Heroquest game.
Luke:
We could use the HP total required to build a character from scratch
per the rules as a meter-stick I suppose, but again there are some
assumptions that you need to make and in any case it rather goes
against the idea of HP as a flexible tool of narrative control in
the meta-game, rather than a tangible in-game resource.
Rob:
Spot on IMO Luke.
Luke:
I am working my way through a bunch of setting material (just finishing the P&BR V supplement about Pavis County at present) which helps to fill this stuff in but I can't chomp through settings books the way I did when I was young and footloose, so its a slow process for me these days.
Rob:
A fine setting, but a bit old school with adventurer bars and treasure hunting in ruins. I'd be interested how you use it. Will you be posting notes on the web anywhere?
Luke:
Possibly the issues I have with the HQ rules stem from my general approach when learning how to apply a new system, which is to use the character generation mechanics as a route-map into what is plausible for the world (if somewhat remarkable, since PCs are regarded as 'a cut above' in most games). Unfortunately the chargen mechanics, whilst admirable in the way they focus on fostering an agenda of player empowerment and 'PCs are heroes in potentia and therefore extraordinary', are less than ideal for me in this endeavour.
Rob:
I sympathise. This the problem that I had with Heroquest at first. I must say that I persevered because I was so looking forward to running the Sartar Rising campaign. I started with the begining adventures and found that a lot of concerns melted away once I started playing.
Luke:
For example I know that Orlanthi frequently have Flesh Man talents for their CM, but the chargen mechanics don't enforce this in any way or even give an ignorable guideline as to the sort of mix that is typical for the 'Orlanthi All'.
Rob:
Which was one of the reasons I left it out and insisted all my players were devotee's!
I would suggest you enforce a house rule that means that theist characters with common magic cannot take their common magic as feats which means that when they concentrate on theist magic they lose their common magic. This rule breaks down in Teshnos however!!
Luke:
...a spiritist practitioner PC who opts to take the five starting
spirits they get at the maximum rating given in the write-up for
their practise - as a GM I have a strong suspicion that such a
powerful array is unusual to say the least and so I'd probably want
to 'Yes but' to a player wanting such a thing, but I have zero
guidance in the core rules as to *how* unusual it is (or even that
my suspicion is incorrect and in fact it's not unusual at all),
which makes it very hard for me to gauge how much of a 'But' to
attach to my 'Yes'.
Rob:
Again I agree that their is a void in the guidance here. I have
asked this question and have decided that a player will get spirits
at a rating that is exactly in the middle of the spirits rating. I
say that the bigger spirits have to be gained through play. My
players have been happy with this rule, but of cours, its a house
rule and is not in Heroquest.
Luke:
Now of course I can (and will and do) just make it up, but a couple
of my players are very much into plausible verisimilitude and
a 'being there' vibe in their gaming - they *want* the GM, playing
the world, to push-back and they find the prospect of the GM
conjuring stuff up as and when it is required as unsatisfying-
-upon-worrisome (since it raises the spectre of GM-fiat
tipping into anti-PC hose-jobs).
Rob:
I quite agree. I would not like to play a game where I thought the
Narrator was 'making it up' as he went along!!
Luke:
For me to be able to satisfy these guys I need to be able to
present, via my GM rulings, a deep understanding of the way
Glorantha works. Since the HQ core rules aren't great at giving me a
shortcut to faking it, I feel I have to get it the hard, slow way
and that's a large part of why I've held off running a HQ Glorantha
game thus far.
Rob:
I think you need to insert some house rules of your owns to give yourself a feeling of taken back ownership of the system. Its not major surgery, just a few adjustments IMO.
I hope you get playing in Glorantha soon.
Regards
Rob
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