My biggest disappointment with the 2nd Age so far was that I really felt
> that player characters as God Learners was an ideal proposition that never
> seemed to me to be carried through in the Mongoose products.
>
What do you base this view on? The Glorantha; The Second Age book gives
copious examples of God Learner endeavours that pretty-much match how you'd
see playing them. To date, there have only been two campaign books for G:tSA
and GLs only figure in one of them - Blood of Orlanth. There will be more,
though, once work starts on 'The Abiding Book', which will be a cultural
deep-dive into God Learners and getting the most out of them.
>
> Let's face it the God Learners have a built in reason to adventure -
> military and spiritual conquest of the world - that can justify both normal
> and other world scenarios. My mental analogue for the God Learners has
> always been Victorian explorers 'discovering' Africa, Rider Haggard novels,
> or British Museum's agents looting Egyptian treasures. Frankly if I run a
> 2nd age game I want the Orlanthi to be native bearers who run for the hills
> when they see the dreaded clan boundary stones of the Black Pines clan.
> Throw in the SteamPunk elements of Machine City and the whole thing has
> quite gothic tones. Anyone for a God Learner van Helsing hunting down
> vampires?
>
I completely agree. Indiana Jones as a God Learner, plundering not just
tombs and temples, but also the myths that created them or they are tied to,
is a superb way of portraying God Learnerism. A think one problem has been
with the handling of sorcery in MRQ. In RQII its now bloody formidable, and
any competent God Learner sorcerer is going to offer a serious challenge to
the Orlanthi Traditionalists.
>
> I understand that there is a fondness for playing Orlanthi that tends to
> make the default position in the 2nd age that the traditionalists are the
> good guys (and the fact that well they probably are<g>). But considering we
> have ended up in the 3rd age with the Lunars being the 'also rans' in game
> terms it would have been nice to reverse this in the 2nd age.
>
I think that fondness is hereditary rather than any overt desire to paint
the Orlanthi as White Hats and the GLs and EWF as Black Hats. To be honest,
Orlanthi are right-old stick in the muds whereas both GLs and EWF represent
progression (albeit misguided, in both cases). What's probably needed are
some more campaign and scenarios from both GL and EWF perspectives that show
just how short-sighted the Traditionalists are. I tried doing that with
Fronela: the Orlanthi there are just as confused an irritating as the
remnants of the GLs in the Janube Valley, and the Eternal Dragon Ring
worshipping weirdoes of some of the city states. Makes for a nice,
contrasting picture of clashing cultures - none of them being 'right' and
none of them being 'wrong'. In fact, I think the Carmanians come out of it
the best...
>
>
>
--
One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel
And the next its rolling over me...
Rush - 'Far Cry'
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