Re: Detail with magic & rules for the same

From: simon_hibbs2 <simon.hibbs_at_VD279e1LJA-Ne6duxprNyamEScpFg7A_puJLFUnrMB0URIF8UE6uulebEdRN9Rvp>
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:29:15 -0000

> Rules and guidelines for combat, social interaction and sailing don't
> have to necessarily be very detailed, because people know quite a bit
> about such things from other sources. What magic is like on Glorantha
> is a key attraction of the setting (this includes heroquesting
> naturally), and here us narrators need a lot of tools and information.

I absolutely agree we need help with how magic works in the game. I'd like advice about the mythic origins of magical effects and how they have been historically used. What are the differences between how a theist magician operates compared to an animist or a Lunar, how do they present different threats. The key is that this needs to be useful while playing the game. Less complex rules about how to construct and optimize the character to get abilities with one-word descriptions we then have little or no idea how to consistently apply in play.

You're right, we know what people can do in play with their close combat or horse riding ability. We don't know what they can do with most of the magic spells, spirits and feats. There's a reason why spells used to have detailed, unambiguous descriptions back in the old days.

However I don't believe that this necessarily requires special rules for magic. If we have a flexible enough system for handling physical or psychological effects and contests, I think these can be adapted to different types of magical effects and contests. We have mundane abilities that have mental, emotional and physical effects. We also have magic that has mental, emotional and physical effects. As you say we know what the effects are of mundane abilities, but we also need to understand what those effects are for magical abilities.

Simon Hibbs            

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