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>Come on you guys! You can do it!!
Yay Greg. I certainly agree about the relative energies being expended on quibbling versus creativity. Sadly, it is often a sign of an enterprise in decline.
For my own part, having dropped out of active participation in most of the Gloranthan lists recently because they are no longer fun (which really, is what this is all about), I've found a real sense of creative peace and inspiration in writing again: a scenario pack. (More details once I've cleared the bits and pieces with Rick. Are you out there Rick?)
I think its fair to say that Glorantha is in a bit of a crisis. We've lost the Digest, fan sites, magazine interest. Our publisher heroes are struggling through difficult times. Numbers seem to be dropping even further. The lists are full of nascent my-true-gloranthaisms, personal hurt, defensiveness, attacks, militant quibbling. Where once they were full of creative contributions, bold strokes, humour and mutual support, they seem of late to be more about 'official' writ, reinventing old wheels, genuflecting in the direction of the Prime Mover (and Subprime Mover) and endlessly asking about other peoples projects. Much of the creative spark has died. The exhortations to creativity and personal vision have largely been replaced by a drab, authoritarian one-true-gloranthaism, increasing inwardness, and tweakings of a master plot that have been known for over thirty years. Glorantha seems to be turning away from being a vibrant roleplaying vehicle for personal creativity and storytelling into a Lozenge of lists and background essays of interest largely to collectors and completists.
And everyone seems very tired, and more than a little frustrated, angry and pissed off.
There are lots of reasons for this, and it may or may not be worth talking about them publicly.
I have been affected by this as much as anyone, and am as guilty as anyone of being caught up in the defensive hostility.
But let me offer two recent lights in the great darkness.
Blood over Gold. BOG returns us to campaigning. Clear ideas, unified story, new territories. A Griffin Mountain for the new millenium.
Champions of the Red Moon. Machiavellian, subtle, ambitious: The Lunar Empire in all its complexity and richness. While perhaps a little too diffuse for an introductory campaign, CotRM is bristling with new ideas and new approaches.
Just before I signed off from the Immod list, Mark G. posted a very thoughtful piece on maintaining a thoughtful, positive, creative list. Perhaps he'd like to repost it here.
Or maybe we all just need to go away for three months and come back refreshed and positive. :)
Cheers
John
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