Well, the best way to demonstrate the difference between HW and something else is to concentrate on the little things for a bit. Have the PC deal with the clan ring, their families, a wedding party, spirits spoiling the milk, maybe a broo in the cattlefields. Take a look at the Chasing Kites adv. on the HW website and see if that fits in with your game. My last game, I based the session around the demon in the red grove adv. in the Narrator's Book. It has a very simple skeleton and most of the night turned into a debate contest between the carmanian sorceror (npc) and the player-character initiates of Argan Argar and Lhankor Mhy (the adventure calls for a magical duel, but the PCs cunningly convinced the sorceror to a duel of ideas). The humakti and the vangaranthi were dutifully quiet during the debate so Argan and Lhankor could work their magic.
The thing was, one of my players last night was a complete Glorantha newbie. He was absolutely fascinated that the other players would decide to engage in a long political and theological debate rather than a physical or magical duel. Other things that occured later (trying to get into the grove, finding the demon, talking to the meadowlark) just struck him as things uniquely Gloranthan.
As far as fearing contradiction, that's the Gloranthan Bitter Pill. You can't avoid it, it seems. My game is based in the Torkani tribe, which is hardly detailed at all. This gives me freedom to create without fear of *immediate* contradiction, but also burdens me with that process, as well -- what is the (HW version, human version) cult of Xiola Umbar like, for example. Fortunately, the key to success here for me is concentrating on how the Torkani are similar to the rest of the tribes and noting where they differ for development later. And since I'm pretty certain that Issaries will take a loooong time to getting round to explaining the Torkani (Oh yeah, we have these darkness worshipping Orlanthi stuck in the corner here...), I have free reign for some time.
I guess my advice is select carefully. If you want a fully rendered tribe/clan, look to someone like the Greydogs. If you want to avoid contradiction, pick somebody nobody knows anything about yet, but steel yourself for that day when you'll be gregged.
Clay
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