Re: Make up new Gods, dang it!

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_C9bCNbGtPJvYXJuyRRVBDYrhums2BamHeAbsjBDXOioCM_uSbUOzILyMxemQqKRWk6m4l>
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:54:28 -0700

>> I have difficulty with the idea that a pre-industrial society
>> should have anything like 10% of the adult population being
>> specialists.
>
> I'll readily admit that my argument comes not from economics or
> demography, but from what I find interesting in game. Much below 10% of
> Heortlings being devotees, and its not really a place I have much
> interest in gaming in/telling stories about. I guess I'm not alone, as a
> couple of people have posted that they feel 15% should be closer to the
> mark! Which proves nothing, of course, because YGWV and I don't think
> there's a single 'right' answer. Although I do suspect that your
> Glorantha is closer to Greg's than mine is.

I think you're actually *both* right, and here's why:

There's a basic disconnect going on here - most devotees in Heortling (or most other) societies aren't going to be non-producers - a Devotee of Barntar will be farming and producing food as part of his Religious duties. Devotees of Chalana Arroy are going to be healing people, and (more importantly, in some respects) keeping Malia at bay. Even devotees of the (many!) warrior gods will earn their mead when the Black Foxes come raiding, or when we go cattle-raiding against the Broken Rocks. These people will be bringing in (or saving) more than their numbers would indicate.

The heortling "nonproducing" specialists are people like lawspeakers and musicians - these guys *must* be supported by the community, as their job produces no material benefit.

So the number of "non-producing" specialists is actually much lower than the number of Devotees. So "less than 10% specialists" is right and so is "15% Devotees". "Devotee" /= "Nonproducer" even though both might be called "Specialists".

In Dara Happa, Kralorela, and similar cultures, you get far more "nonproducers" (Buserian, Bureaucrats, etc), but you also have the benefits of civilization.

RR
He was born with the gift of laughter and the sense that the world was mad R. Sabatini, Scaramouche