[Glorantha] SWAT team problems and knowing too much

[Light Castle]

Donald Oddy

> I think that "SWAT Team" approach is a bit gamist particularly if
> different cults are involved. Would an Uroxi really cast Berserk
> on an Elmali? or a Vangarthi make a Humatki fly?

I think it depends on the players involved. It certainly wouldn't be
considered normal to have a cross-cult strike force like that. (Isn't
that the kind of innovation the Hero Wars bring about?)

As far as being gamist, I think it has been mentioned that it is
explicitly so.

> It's the same with wyters, they're often going to be augmenting
> someone.

I've wondered a bit about wyters and guardians. What are the limits of
when they can help you? Many of the Hero Bands in MoLaD have guardians
but the band itself is often split up into smaller pieces. Do you get
the bonus, can it augment, in situations where it isn't physically
present?

> From: Kevin McDonald <kpmcdona at mindspring.com>

> 
> I agree, but feel the need to plug something that I would like to see more of in the series. 
> Namely, information that one can apply to games set outside of Dragon Pass. 

> This would be a lost opportunity, since it will be a long, long, long time before the events of this series 
> (Windstop, Ship Raising, Dragonrise) get told from other points of view. 

> If ever.

I'd have to agree, but I think this kind of thing would probably be best
handled by a sourcebook. Having at least some acknowledgement that
things affect the area outside the immediate point of events is great,
but going into too much detail is probably a bit besides the point in
the context of a story arc like Sartar Rising. I'd love more, but I
think more should properly show up in a sourcebook. (For instance, I
thought Men of the Sea should have definitely commented on the Shiprise
more, and possibly the Windstop.)

> Robert Davis <lamorak33 at yahoo.co.uk> 

> I think the key here Jane is that, and here I am merely postulating a theory, 
> Greg has a grasp on where he wants the story to go, but other people write it.  
> To have put it all down first would constrain those wonderful creative writers 
> like Merlin Cox, Mark Galeotti, Chris Lemens, Martin Hawley, you!, etc etc etc.
> etc....

I'm not sure if I buy that. We're discussing key plot elements of
importance. The kind of thing these people know in order to develop the
story. As Jane mentioned, she's known this in one form or another since
1999. Hardly constraining. 

> Also, the whole Danar thing;  I'd love it if my players think they are lovers.
> Think how great it is when they find out the difference.  
> The only problem being if the GM had Kallyr tell the players he was her lover.  

Or have the players walk in on the two of them in bed. 

> But if so, change it!  YGWV is liberating, use it.  
> I know its frustrating for you writers, but I contend not so acute for us GM's and players.  

> I stand to be corrected of course.

It is liberating. I suspect it's why virtually no one on the list (as
far as I can recall) is actually playing the Sartar Rising! arc. We are
busy playing around in other parts of Time and Space. But presumably if
we WERE playing this arc, we would be wanting to play the story
presented here.

> -----------------------------
> (Donald R. Oddy)
> ------------------------------
> So no pro-Lunar PCs although they would have exactly the same
> background, or even pro-Rebellion PCs in a pro-Lunar clan. That's
> before you get fun ideas like pro-Rebellion PCs from a Lunar
> background. 

Which is what my most recent player has done. She's a devotee of Natha.
And still is, despite having decided the Empire is wrong in what it is
doing in Sartar.

> Maybe I've been infected by too many modern RPG ideas
> from the Forge but this narrow sort of scenario seems rather
> dated.

Yeah, I blame the Forge, too. :)

> I don't think where two NPCs met is necessarily important, what's
> important here is their relationship. I'd say if you introduce a
> NPC who's important enough to be named then significant relationships
> to other NPCs should be described at that time. I'm really struggling
> with the idea that a relationship should only be revealed to the
> narrator when one of the NPCs is dead. Makes me wonder if the
> relationship should be permanently left open.

As I mentioned in another post, my friend's reaction (similar to mine)
was that his death meant he wasn't important to the rest of the arc and
his background, real relationships, siblings, etc, could be played with
madly. (Unlike some of the other NPCs, who are supposedly supposed to do
things in the future.)

> Me too. In fact it makes me inclined to put the whole lot on one
> side until I've got the whole story. 

Which is how most people I know run series that are known to have set
endings. (Orpheus, Dragon Lance, etc.) They collect enough to have a
good idea of the overall story (if not all) and then run them. If the
release schedule is regular enough, they might just make sure they are 1
or 2 behind, since it does take time to run, and this way they are
always a few ahead.

LC