boztakang

It is worth remembering, that the biggest draw of HQ is that the rules get out of the way, and don't need to be worried about much. Consequently, a few imperfect examples should have little or no effect on anyone's actual gameplay. In actual play, I generally end up just picking a target number out of thin air that seems reasonable, given the skill levels of the Heroes, the nature of the situation and the dramatic tension of the moment. Then we resolve a simple contest to see how it turns out. The fun comes from describing how that result came about, and working out exactly what the consequences of each [brilliant success/hardfought struggle/abject failure] actually are. Once you understand the basics of Staging a Conflict, and Describing the Results, the rest is entirely up to personal (or table) preference. Sure, the forum thread looks intimidating, but the "Errata" as stands would consist of one reworked example, and a few messed up numbers. IMHO, it just isn't worth the time and effort to crack open the sources, make the changes, re-proof the whole thing to ensure that the changes didn't cause worse problems, and re-publish the book, given how minor the existing errors are. Chaosium is a Very small company, with a Very big pipeline of products in the works. Having someone spend a week or so re-publishing a book that is perfectly functional as-is means a week or so of work that is not getting done on RQ, or another upcoming project. HQ is by far my favorite RP system, but I still think it would be a huge mistake for Chaosium to let a few scuffs in it's paint-job distract them from getting the new RQ out asap.

Fermenting is extremely important for Uz, as it provides ways to "cook" without tainting your food with excessive heat. Their enhanced digestive system also permits them to enjoy many varieties of food that humans do not. Maggots and putrescence are delightful flavor enhancers, to the trollish palate. Mee Vorala and Gorakiki are important goddesses who each provide their own special food and beverage transformation magic, but shamanic insight is equally important - intoxicating beverages aren't call "Spirits" for nothing. Each clan and region has its own specialized flavors and techniques, and trolls will gleefully obsess over the fine distinctions between different varieties of "spoiled meat" in the same way that human enthusiasts do over wine and cheeses. Spirits are important both to attract the right varieties of insects and fungi, as well as for direct effects. I believe that in Glorantha, spirits replace the effects of microscopic beasties like yeast or bacteria, but the observable effects are mostly similar, despite the well documented more extreme effects available to troll mixologists. (mmmmm, Powzie!)

Trolls, in general, ARE much more variable in appearance than humans... but this fellow would still be a bit of an outlier. The Curse of Kin is not good about respecting symmetry, so to have both thighs reduced and both arms grown by the same amount on each side would be highly unlikely (though not impossible, of course). While I will NOT be including a "Holy Maul of the Dark Mother" to permit over-sized weapon use by Uz in any supplement I have creative control over (grr! bad!! we hates it), I could possibly get behind a "Warhammer of Warhammer(tm)" sorcery spell to allow Iron Mostali to be represented by more commonly available minis. (well, not really, but it's funny enough to me that I'm willing to propose the idea)

in addition, that mace falls badly afoul of my personal distaste for grossly oversized weapons... I can accept that some exaggeration in minis and such is unavoidable, but just think for a second how much a metal ball that size would weigh - yikes! The haft is about the right length for a Maul, but even then the head is silly huge. A weapon half that size would still be a Very big, heavy one-handed mace. The body does seem to be upright and squished downwards, with most of the thighs missing, rather than crouching properly, which would bring everything much closer to correct proportions. I do like his face quite well, though. And hooray for Uz!

The distinction between Dark Troll and Darkness Spirit, particularly in the underworld, is not always as concrete as humans naturally think it should be. To further cloud things, Cragspider may be the only being in existence that actually knows her true origins, and she's under no obligation to tell the same tale about it twice. For my part, I don't believe that she is a Heroquestor posing as herself, but I have no plans to publish anything that would directly contradict that possibility.

But then, what do folk in the underworld walk on? Until you reach the Primal Darkness, there is always Earth underfoot. In the Primal Darkness, there is no 'you' to be Loved, and no Earth to do the loving, so things get all floaty there in all sorts of terrifying ways.

Ernalda is Love, and wants to keep things close.

It's really more about what it hints at... why HAVE tens of thousands of Uz uprooted themselves from their comfortable caverns and decided to march most of the way across a continent? Seeing ONE Uzuz on the surface is cause for major concern... here we have a dozen or more. If Kyger Litor really IS pregnant, what does that mean for the Compromise?? What sort of new god will she give birth to? From that standpoint, tiny things like moving some earth around or growing a bunch of trees seem a bit inconsequential, no?

One recurring theme of Uz quests is the pattern of "Things were great! Then Big Evil came and ruined everything. But we survive." vastly simplified examples: Boztakang - I'm crawling around in the dark, hooray! Hey, what's going on in that pit/crack/whatever??? ogod chaos eww! But I beat it, and tell my friends in case it comes back. Three spirits in darkness - We's chillin in the dark, hooray! Hey, what's this new thing? ogod Aether, eww! But I (bit it in the fase/turned my back/snuck a peak) so I can deal with it now. Battle of Hanroo field- Wonderhome, hooray! OGOD IT BURNS, IT BURRRNS!! but we snuck away via the backhill path, and komor is better than oblivion, I guess... In many situations, Uz turn the Heroes Journey on it's head - they are the "unknown" violated by outsiders, and have to find a way to muddle through afterwards. They are also the Ravenous Monsters who seem to be conquering all until something small and bright and apparently harmless undoes them against all odds. (Nysalor/pretty much any human adventuring party ever) I know that's not the specifics you are looking for, but It might help in winging HQs from the Uz point of view.

The char with skill over 100% does not HAVE to split their attack. It is just an option. So, the master here could attack once at full 120% v 60%, -20% to both for the skill over 100, giving a single attack of 100% v 40% with 6% to crit, 30%special, OR they could choose to make the two attacks as you describe. They could also make the attacks 70v60, 50v40 or 50v60, 70v40 or anywhere between.

come now, I can personally swing a sword 20+ times in 12 seconds... the "one" parry is the one that matters, just like the "one" attack is the one that matters. Spells take some time, so we don't have to compress that, but we do abstract a lot of chanting, calling names, and adjustment of mental state into a single "spell" roll. Yeah, realistically, sometimes 3 or four melee rounds will pass in a second or two, while in other cases, opponents will spend a minute or more waiting for a chance to take a telling blow. RQ abstracts that down to a relatively reasonable 12 seconds per meaningful exchange. I'm afraid I really just don't understand your objection here...

High skill allows you to make 2 blows out of the series "count". The abstraction is that a normal fighter is only going to get one "good opening" to attack per round. A weapon master is skilled enough to spot additional chances that someone less skilled may not. In a fight, a novice might swing their sword 20 times in a round to the master's 2, but the master will make those two swings count, while the novice is unlikely to connect at all (gets one "attack" at low percentage) You could even imagine the 3 attacks of a master with 150% or better skill as a single sweeping blow that takes out multiple locations - cause she's just that good.

The lack of Trollball updates is largely my fault - i've been neglecting it a bit, sadly. Fortunately, I'll be meeting with Jeff a few times over the next couple of weeks, and that should get the wee trollkin of inspiration running around in my head again. I will have a playable version with me at GenCon, and will be glad to demo for folks able to attend, schedule permitting. How polished/complete/official it is will depend a lot on my personal ability to focus on it between now and then. There really is quite a bit of uzly goodnis taking form in the shadows, preparing to burst forth into the world of light and pain... it's just that, well, trolls (and troll authors) make poor Mostali, so the schedule is not all it could be.

you are forgetting the SR used to fire the weapon the first time: SR 1 - fire first shot SR 2-6 - +5 to Ready next shot SR 7 - +1 to fire second shot able to ready, but not fire a third shot this round. 7+5+1 = 13

The entire work is profoundly inspired by the original Trollpak, obviously, and nearly all of the original material will appear in to the new version. Book 1 has by far the majority of the previously-existing material. Even so, more than half of book 1 is brand new, containing detailed advice and hooks for using Uz in your regular campaigns, two well-detailed troll Clans, and six all-new adventures (with a couple nods to old favorites) suitable for a typical adventuring party (heheh - "typical" adventurers). Book 2 then deep dives into Uz culture, religion, and everything you need to know to play troll Uz characters from the Uz point of view. Big Clan and Char creation sections, with detailed Job descriptions, and cult write-ups for the Seven Sacred Ancestors, and other important troll gods and ancestors. It has a series of adventures for a party of young trolls, set in the Great Caves region, focussing on clan life and Uz culture. Book 3 gives a broader description of Dagori Inkarth, with encounters and a massively expanded description of the Redstone Caverns, detailing the seven major clans, Cult writeups that didn't fit in book 2, and even several of the Uzuz residents of the deepest caves. It then takes the campaign from Book 2 in several unexpected new directions, culminating in one of the definitive events of the Hero Wars. Work continues, with a few exciting developments that I am not certain are meant to be public just yet.

I hear they are touring with Yinkin Riot

Because Dragonewts are the only Gloranthans known for regularly coming back from "death" in a new body. Also, they are clearly the most wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey of the elder races.

"For the Queen!!!"

It might be a very disappointing "petrified tree" - maybe just a hole in the ground, where the tree used to be, or a few bits of stone with tree-rings barely visible in them. Aldryami could sense the residual power, but anyone else would think they are nuts... (hehe pun only half intended) Remember that trolls have been there all along, and any obvious or easily removed source of "elf power" would have been stolen or desecrated by now.

For Uz it is the "good eating" and "great hunger" - the transition triggered more by Zorak Zoran killing Flamal than the advent of chaos, but close enough to be synonymous.

Slander and Lies!! The darkness was just fine and non-chaotic until Sky and Storm started squabbling and broke the world. Sure, Boztakang mighta spotted a few dodgy things here and there, but he smarshed 'em good and proper, and they kept outside like they was meant to be. It was dumb ol' orlanth tossing the burner down out of the sky at us what made everything bad. harumph. on a more on-topic note - what are the runes of the Feathered Horse Queen? She seems a pretty clear example of "Earth Mastery" and is certainly worth a look in that respect. (I imagine the info is in the Guide or such, but don't have time to go searching just now)

he enjoys stealing, it's simple as that.

1: the current designations are "Trollpak" for the old material, and "Trollpack" for the new. Though each book has it's own subtitle. The new version gets an extra letter because there is more of it (and Jeff isn't super fond of deliberate misspellings). I suspect the individual book titles will be more prominent for the new material than the trollpack part, but will be happy with whatever chaosium decides to do. 2: the scenarios are very much designed with HeroQuest in mind, and may be a bit tricky to translate to RQ or 13G - there just isn't that much plain old fighting in most of them, which is where those systems really shine. Just guesstimating, maybe a third can translate quite well by creating appropriate stat blocks, another third could be used with some more creative re-imagining, and the last third will have to be treated as back-story or played out free-form in some fashion. 3: I honestly have no idea. As far as I know, there is no KS actually "planned" at this point, but I would not be hugely surprised if they didn't end up taking that route. I suspect a lot will depend on available funds and perceived demand and other things I don't have a lot of insight into.

At this point, books one and two are "text-complete" and 3 nearly so. Approximately one third of the first book is material from the original trollpak, and the rest is almost all new material.

One of the fundamental traits of Darkness is that it hides things and makes them difficult to know. No human can ever really know just exactly which underworld demon they are dealing with, because it's dark down there, and your eyes are going to lie to you. Trolls understand this intimately, and don't make a huge distinction between a God, a Spirit with some or all of the powers of that god, or even a troll devotee of a god. If it is powerful, and acts like they expect that god to act, what difference does it make? Any sufficiently angry and violent spirit is Zorak Zoran, and my Mom is Kyger Litor, as are troll Mothers, along with all the various maternal ancestor spirits we summon on holy days to give us strength and wisdom. Even for the Uz, what "really" happens in the Dark is mostly unknowable. The best you can do is put a name on something, tell a story about it, and hope you are strong or influential enough to make your version stick. And the further you go back into the Dark, the less distinct and recognizable things become. All the various Dehori become Dehore, vast and singular. Each and every troll is Kyger Litor, as are all trolls together, plus the parts of her from before trolls. The twin Gods of Rage and Compassion become closer and less distinct, and ultimately, Subere engulfs and conceals all. Finally, there is just Darkness itself, hungry, cold and unknowable, consuming whatever dares approach it too closely. exactly!