> If a PC goes as far as creating a named sword
> and putting lots of HPs into it then it becomes a heroic item like
> Balastor's Axe. I'd suggest the player ought to write up some of the
> history that justifies that level of power. In truth I'd much rather
> a player did that than just goes digging in the Rubble for a
> predefined object.
Certainly, if a hero creates such an item himself, that's the way to go. But that doesn't mean that players digging in the Rubble for predefined objects isn't a type of story we can tell in Glorantha. And the question of whether we'd want to tell that story is a separate one from whether it's *possible* to tell it. Personally, I think it is, and can't see any obvious reason why it shouldn't be. It might, however, only make sense within the context of wizardry, and not the theist or animist magic that empowers Balastor's Axe, so the specific example may not hold.
> The other alternative is to allow such super-weapons to be
> acquired by anyone. So that instead of it being the PCs' story
> it becomes the story of the collection of objects the PCs have
> acquired. There's also the risk of unbalancing the game between
> players because some have a super-weapon while others haven't.
> Then the story concentrates on those who have one and turns the
> rest into supporting characters.
But, again, just because some GMs wouldn't want to run that story isn't a reason why it shouldn't be possible for those that do. Without changing the setting too radically, I mean: YGWV, and all that.
> Even in RQII the idea of
> magic items having personalities and agendas was present even
> though the rules didn't favour that style of game. As one
> example you've got Nose Biter the Babeester Gori Axe currently
> being carried by a trollkin known only as Nose Biter's Feet.
> If a PC acquires Nose Biter you've got a problem in RQ because
> there's no way of representing any conflict between the PC's
> wishes and those of the Axe.
But are *all* powerful items necessarily like this? Certainly, HeroQuest is more flexible in making it easier to tell stories about conflict between the PCs and this sort of item, but I'm not sure that 'you can't do this in RQ' necessarily equates to 'this is the only way it works in Glorantha'.
In the case of Balastor's Axe, though, Balastor is a daimone or spirit (I'm not sure which) that, in HQ terms, the heroes would need a Relationship to if they want to convince him to do stuff on their behalf. Once they do so, though, I assume we're all in agreement that Balastor's own power levels are independent of the PC's; he is what he is. But I feel there should be a fair degree of latitude in how often a GM should make the players roll against that relationship - and with wizardry items, I'm not even sure you'd always need to go even that far.
-- Trotsky Gamer and Skeptic ------------------------------------------------------ Trotsky's RPG website: http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
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