> Trotsky:
> > It may well be that 'many' do... but a cultural
> > keyword (at least, as I
> > use and understand them) is about what 'almost
> > everyone' does, which isn't quite the same thing.
>
> And also about skills which are regarded as normal for
> that group. Those women learn to use a dagger
> *despite* being "Dara Happan female", not because of
> it. It's off their "sane human with self-preservation
> instincts" keyword :)
That's exactly what I was trying to say, yes :)
Donald:
> The proportion of women who have that ability depends on
> just how far down the social scale the Dara Happen ethos
> is reflected in practice. We know there is an underworld
> in the DH cities where anyone who can't protect themselves
> ends up dead.
Oh, I'm sure that's the case. And that's where Mike's social
class/subculture keywords would come in, for those as wanted them.
> While we don't want to make it a rule that everyone has
> some combat skills, equally if someone needs those skills
> it makes no sense to deny them because the religious
> theory says they shouldn't have them.
Sure; not putting Dagger skill in the cultural keyword means that not 'everyone' has the ability, but it doesn't deny the ability to those for whom it would make sense. Indeed, I don't think there is a formal mechanism in HQ for saying 'this culture never teaches this skill'. (Although, clearly, there are possible examples - hsunchen and Ploughing, for instance). So, I certainly wouldn't forbid a Dara Happan woman to have Knife skill - especially if she's joined a Lunar cult!
OTOH, of course, just because it 'makes no sense' to follow a particular religious theory doesn't mean that there aren't several people who do exactly that! Whether in Glorantha or the real world...
-- Trotsky Gamer and Skeptic ------------------------------------------------------ Trotsky's RPG website: http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
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