Re: MesoAmerica-informed Glorantha?

From: Bryan <bethexton_at_...>
Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:19:31 -0000

While I don't think any of the cultures are direct analogues, I think a lot of themes show up in various places.

The various Hsunchen tribes once ruled large areas, but as hunters who don't work metal they have been consistently squeezed out by neighbors. While the Meso-americans were farmers, the themes of rich and ancient cultures being conquered by haughty folk with better technology comes through here pretty strongly. There are various places around Glorantha where you see this.

Leaving aside the Inca, I suspect you could give strong Mayan influences to Teshnos (in a very YGWV sort of way). In the original it probably more resembles the Indian sub-continent, but it is little enough defined in Glorantha that I think making the culture more Mayan-like would not really bend anything else.

On the north shore of Pamaltea there are various cultures who have been conquered/colonized. There are the blue folk (Atmali? I'm not sure if I have the name right) who were a distinct culture long ago conquered, but never fully assimilated. Further west there are areas settled by Storm Worshippers and Book religions, where the original cultures were less developed. It would be pretty easy to choose a time and place along there akin to early spanish conquest. And again, the native cultures are lightly enough defined that you could make them more like the meso-americans without really having to change anything else in Glorantha.

The other thing is, the HQ rules are pretty adaptable. It would not be too hard to take your own roughly sketched out world, come up with a handful of cultural key words, do up some religions by taking existing Gloranthan ones and changing a bunch of nouns, and porting over professional key words almost straight up.

Best of luck, and if you do something along these lines, please let us know what you do, and how it goes!

Regards;

-Bryan

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