svensson

I shared this in the Glorantha forum so this is something of a cut and paste. I've been working on the intricacies of Heroforge and I think I've gotten the decals and posing almost figured out. Sort of. Kinda. Maybe. In any event, tell me what you think. All suggestions gratefully received. In my head, I've titled this one 'A Wind Lord Proves His Kingship'

I've been messing around with Heroforge lately. I think I've almost got the decals function half-assed figured out. Tell me what you think. I've mentally titled this one 'A Wind Lord Proves His Kingship'

Emus? Well, they taste kinda like chicken....

We use Casey's Tactics here, but it's just an abridged and clarified Hardee's. At least we're not using Gilliam's and firing in three ranks... 😁

Initiation establishes a personal link to one's deity. Because of this, the initiate must not only make the god/dess happy, but the cult hierarchy as well. This is an exercise of both divine faith and human politics. There's a lot of devout worshipers in Glorantha that pissed off their cult leadership and don't get cult benefits they're clearly entitled to. For example, if you're an Orlanth worshiper and you're playing patty-cake with the Cult of the Seven Mothers while your Orlanth cult is being actively suppressed, it doesn't matter how many Rune Points you have or what other qualifications you have... you will NOT advance in that cult so long as the Chief Priest is pissed off at you. Also remember that many cults are clan affairs. The above Orlanthi initiate who was denied elevation in one temple would have to start all over socially speaking to gain enough status in another temple to elevate to Rune status. The point is that a worshiper must not only do the right things, they must be seen doing the right things, and they must do those things to the satisfaction of their superiors. This is what that whole 'convince the examiners' thing is about. But it will still take multiple seasons of consistent residency, worship attendance, and loyalty [that is, actually taking an appropriate Passion] to even get to the point of being examined in the first place. Rune Status isn't like shopping for the best price of a pair of sandals. Loyalty and service to the temple and the clan that runs it counts for at least as much as any other qualification.

Were it my table and this came up, my ruling on transferring from one cult to another would probably look like this: -- The two deities have to be within the same pantheon -- The two deities must share a Rune -- The character who is making a hierarchical transition [say, an Ernalda Earth Temple Queen 'retiring' to Ty Kora Tek or Asrelia] should initiate into the associated cult prior to the transition, meet the skill requirements [Cult Lore, Worship of the associated deity, etc.], and meet any special Spirit Magic requirements[for example, a Yelm worshiper 'transferring' to Yelmalio would have to forget any spell with Fire] If those requirements are met, then I would agree to the transfer of Rune Point pools, with the proviso that any special cult Rune spells become one-use and the new transferee would have to then sacrifice for the special Rune spells of the new cult as normal. For example, the transferring Yelmite's Sureshot would become one-use and he would have to sacrifice anew for Sunbright.

You know, the part I love the most is the teaching aspect. It's an amazing feeling to connect to that one kid in the back of the room who hates memorizing dates. When the kid realizes that history is about people just like them, it's kind of magical. Oh, chasing Johnny Reb back to Richmond is fun and all, but it's the camaraderie and the teaching I love.

This is appropos of NOTHING to do with Chaosium or RQ. It's just a personal observation about Life n' Stuff. With the loosening of COVID restrictions, has anyone experienced a bit of personal growth or a newer outlook as we all reconnect with friends and outside hobbies? I ask because I sure did. I'm a Civil War reenactor and my state-wide association went from zero [no events at all] to full speed [a full calendar] in the time it takes to flip a coin. What's more, about a week and a half ago, my club /unit elected me [ME!?!] as the company commander. This is a whole 'nuther level of responsibility, paperwork, and worry. Over the middle weekend of July, I attended my first reenactment in nearly 3 years... and my first as an officer. It was a surreal experience to say the least. I came away from it exhausted and in pain because I'd been sitting on my butt and stress eating, but my outlook on life, my insides, felt rejuvenated in a way that I'm having a hard time explaining. It's not just seeing old friends, it's realizing just how much I missed them and how much I needed that people contact. I really feel it's more than that, but that's as much as I've figured out so far. Anyway, for those who are the least bit interested, here's a pic of me mid-battle with my first 'command' on 'The Second Day of the Battle Honeybucket Hill' 😆 Yes, I'm the tubby guy in back shouting at someone..... Respectfully Submitted, -- /s CR Hicks Jr. -- 1st Lieutenant, Infantry -- Co. C, 4th Infantry Regiment, United States Army -- Commanding [photo credit to the Lewis County Chronicle]

OK, my 'head-canon' has now labelled the requested Tarsh campaign 'Fazzur, Maran Gor, Lunars', or 'FML' 😁 Oh quit it! Just cuz it's a little juvenile doesn't make it not funny....

Well, I see the inclusion of Vostor as a pregen PC as almost an invitation to do a campaign in Tarsh... it's got more conflict than Esrolia does, after all. Between the Lunar loyalists, the Old Traditionalists [and those folks are NOT you grandpa's Orlanthi, young initiate], the political hassles within the empire, and the epic defeats of the Dragonrise and Dangerford, it's absolutely screaming 'adventure'...

That's pretty much what I said... many if not most of the published RQG adventures can be 'Lunar friendly' in one aspect or another.

Yeah, a Tarshite campaign focusing on the 'Two F's War' (Fazzur v. Phargenetes) [😁] would be a worthwhile addition, I think.

Well, first off, welcome to the game and the board. AFAIK, the vast majority of adventures are pretty standard... the characters dealing with physical and magical challenges that have little to do with politics. After all, when you've got a Broo in your face, who cares what side you're rooting for, right? Of those that have a distinct political or theological leaning, the vast majority are pro-Orlanthi. Most are written in such a way so that it's relatively easy to convert to a pro-Lunar stance by changing the patrons and allies. We should also note the difference between 'Lunar-religious' and 'Lunar-political'. Even adventures set in post-Dragonrise Sartar can be pro-Lunar-religion to an extent. Sartar has a fair percentage of people and clans that converted to the Lunar Way during the Occupation, and adventures where some kind of accommodation can be reached where those people can worship without being harassed is certainly possible. One adventure in the Starter Set, 'A Fire In The Darkness', offers a great opportunity for adventurers to do just that.

What is so 'astounding' about it? I'm an amateur historian. As such, I've trained myself to NOT cherry pick information that supports an argument for this or against that, but to look at the historical record as a whole and try to perceive societal trends. That record includes laws, newspapers, letters and diaries, and every other form of written record. Ask any cultural anthropologist or sociologist, and they'll tell you that social progress is a spectrum of achievement just like technological advancement is. There is a good deal of step one leading to step two leading to step three. And then there are the outliers where step three leads to step seven. Using a modern example, gay rights in the US was encouraged by the allowance of gay marriage, but I was VERY surprised when BOTH the Chief of Staff of the US Army AND the Chief of Naval Operations of the Navy asked Congress to pass a law allowing homosexuals to serve in the military without let, bar, or hindrance. AND that Congress not only did so, but did so on the first try. And they did this in wartime, while troops were active engaged in combat. This was the moral and ethical equivalent of Pres. Truman's Executive Order 9981 which desegregated the military. I honest to God didn't think they [either the military establishment or Congress] would go so far so quickly. I'm glad they did, and it was about time, but I admit to being very surprised. As for the Phoenicians, well you got me. They propagated their alphabet from Britain to India. Nice comment.

Gonna respond by paragraph here. Hope it isn't confusing. 1. I knew the quote, but had forgotten it. +1 Internet to Darius 😁 2. We have solid historical information about societal attitudes [laws, military regulations, letters, graffiti] going all the way back to the Roman Empire. Less so in the East, where many laws were couched in allegory or euphemism, but still a good foundation of information going back to Han China and to Heian Japan. And we know precisely what the attitudes are in Glorantha as Greg imagined it. YOUR Glorantha will vary, of course. 3. The 'ten year old with a binding contract' comment was meant in a modern context, but I do see your point. 4. Excellent point, but I still like the 'experience the world /Mundane Plane from a woman's viewpoint' aspect. YGMV, I guess.

First off, the word everyone is looking for is 'eunuch' or 'gelded'. People were not 'stupid back then'. Society had not progressed to the point of complete acceptance of those whose sexuality was not mainstream. Social progress is just that: PROGRESS. Just because a society has not progressed to the point gender fluidity and the Alphabet Mafia does not mean that they are cruel, or unjust, or stupid. Just as their government is more primitive or their technology is more primitive, their society is not as advanced as ours is trying to be. Holding a culture accountable for strides and growth that it has not had a chance to make yet is like allowing a 10 year old to sign a binding legal contract today. The child can't be held liable for the contract because they don't have the maturity to understand the full ramifications of such a thing. Another thing to remember is that Glorantha is a primal environment much like our own Bronze Age was. In Glorantha, the Male and Female Imperatives actually have the mystical power ascribed to them by our ancestral worship of Frey/Freya, Bel /Ishtar, Osiris /Isis, etc. Then you get into 'who is the child of who' when speaking of inheritance, lineage, rights, and a host of other issues. Non-mainstream gender roles or identities are made allowance for, but the mainstream expectations of the words 'family', 'inheritance', 'lineage', and so forth still hold sway.

I think I like @Rob Darvall's explanation of 'experiencing the Mundane Plane as a woman' for those who are drawn to Babeester Gor. And I think that applies to most, if not all, the other cults with gender restrictions [Ernalda, Vinga, Yelorna, etc.]. In the first place, there are plenty of cults that allow gendered males to shine, whatever their societal role. A couple of war cults [or more] for gendered women is not only reasonable, but necessary in Glorantha for inclusion's sake if nothing else. For those who identify as alternate gender identifiers, if you're looking for a war cult Humakt doesn't care who or what you are provided you're not Chaotic or Undead. If you want to play the 'gender bender' role, there are a bunch of trickster cults or other cults that don't have specific gender rules. And lastly, as a general rule, other than the Fertility Rune propagation of the species aspect of things, almost all Gloranthan deities don't care who you love, so long as your oaths are kept. Two women, a Vingan and an Ernaldan, may marry in Orlanthi society, but if one has an affair on the other, it still breaks whatever oaths of fidelity they may have made to each other, just as it would with a man and woman [or any other combination]. What matters is the oath-breaking, not the gender identity.

I would LOVE to pick this up. But I'm a Civil War reenactor and I just got promoted to officer. Officer gear is expensive. PROTIP: If momma's not happy, NOBODY'S happy. Avoid WAGgro.

That seems like a solid use for the skill if no one in the party knows what to do. I can see a situation where the party has one professional warrior type in it, everybody else being hunters, crafters, merchants, whatever else, and he has to use his Battle skill to quickly devise a tactic and get the 'part-timers' into a situation where they'll have the opportunity to survive. Even if that situation is 'run like Hell' 😆

Yeah, I can see that. A kopis /falcata uses the same basic technique as the broadsword [although the balance points are decidedly different... a kopis has more in common with the later medieval falchion that way]. But a scimitar is lighter [as much as a quarter-pound /0.12 kg], curves the opposite direction, and uses a very different technique to wield.

And she demands that she be given dominion over the Middle Air... which is entirely unacceptable to Orlanthi generally. I stipulated that my 'replace' comment is stated from an admittedly Orlanthi point of view, but given how many Old Gods the Lunar Way DOES wish to replace it's not an entirely invalid viewpoint.

Well, that's not a jab at you, man. Personally, given that choice, I honest to God would pick carrying it. I've never had a 'rollaway' bag that I've liked very much and most of the time I find them more trouble than they're worth. Obviously, you mileage will vary... literally!... so do what's best for you.

It took some color blending to get the Humakt Sword on the shield, let me tell ya....

Oh, I never said that a YT couldn't be a good Humakti or vice versa. I just think they're separate deities and therefore separate cults, that's all. And as @MOB and @Nick Brooke have said, YGMV. Weez Iz Allz Uz 🤣 [OK, I'm gonna have to get a tee-shirt that says 'Weez Iz Allz Uz' and wear it to a con]

Well, as you say MOB, YGMV. IMG, YT and Humakt are completely separate organizations, just as Humakt and Zorak Zoran are separate, just Humakt and Babeester Gor is separate, just as Humakt and any other Death or Truth rune cult is separate. The Lunar Way attempts to replace EVERY non-Lunar deity with a Red Moon counterpart, not 'co-exist'... replace. In their world view all shall be subsumed by the Light of Sedenya or it will be conquered. The Scarlet Harlot would replace Aldrya or Kyger Litor if she could and she's got whole schools of mages doing God Learner type investigations trying to figure out how. With that in mind, no, I don't see YT and Humakt as being interchangeable. As to @Joerg's question, certainly, there's nothing preventing a YT from initiating into Humakt. For double the time, double the tithe, double the sacrifices, etc. They receive a new gift and appropriate geasa as well.