jajagappa
-
Posts
7,219 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
204
Content Type
Forums
Blogs
Gallery
Downloads
Profiles
Events
Posts posted by jajagappa
-
-
These two examples of old college yearbooks are available as Google eBooks and provide a lot of interesting examples (not to mention pictures) of clubs, fraternities, sports, and other activities (e.g. dramatic productions, band, glee club) that would engage some of a student's time in a college setting.
From University of Chicago 1920 (has some nice descriptions of the purposes of various clubs starting around pg.282): https://books.google.com/books?id=XDU6AQAAMAAJ
From University of the South 1925 (partial preview only): https://books.google.com/books?id=OWkJAwAAQBAJ
I'm sure other examples can be found as well.
-
2
-
-
18 hours ago, Joerg said:
it appears possible to perform just part of a heroquest for its reward, and be done with it
Yes, agree, particularly where it's an extended heroquest.
-
Quote
This raises another question. How do questers know when they've reached the Challenge? Is there a mystical sense that "this is the moment'? Do they just guess which station is the Challenge and hope they get it right? ("Crap, I thought the Dark Woman was going to be the Challenge, but it's actually Aroka! I declared the Challenge too soon.") Can they make a particular station the Challenge?
You 'know' because it's the point in the myth/story where the hero So-and-So won their great victory and brought back a great reward. This is what your hero has prepared for and expects to happen.
Now, is it possible to get it wrong? Definitely! And this may be because of HeroQuest Surprises or changes in the Gods World due to chaotic influences or Lunar heroquesters or something else.
There's some useful additional text in SKoH that's not included in HQG. "Before the quest starts the challenger must declare the ability he will stake, and prepare the invocation ahead of time. At the moment of the heroquest challenge, the hero must pay 1 Hero Point and name the ability that he declared before the quest. His opponent (another heroquester) does the same, (although as a Narrator entity, the opponent obviously does not have to pay a hero point). Each risks a portion of his very being in the challenge by wagering his entire rating in that ability, which can be anything on his character sheet with its own rating. The actual stake of the challenge is equal to the lower rating of either the ability wagered by the hero or the resistance rating of the contest. The hero must face the Heroquest Challenge alone, without aid even from the companions who accompanied him on the quest. If he has not called upon the community wyter, he can still use it here. The two opponents face each other in an Extended Contest using the abilities wagered."
This helps emphasize the fact that the person who is performing the HeroQuest Challenge is making the decision of when/where to perform it based on their instinct as to when the time is right. As a GM I would go with that decision - and the results should reflect that, including the possible realization that they made the decision too early or too late. -
Responses so far.
By Martin Hawley:
Quotesure, a HQ challenge can be at other phases or parts of a myth,not just as the culmination indeed I would argue some myths have multiple ones as cisis moments or pounts where you reach an exhange site ...just imagine how many you would face in experimental HQing!
By Charles Corrigan:
QuoteI'd look for credible challenges where another questor would want to perform the opposing role, placing a piece of their soul at risk for some benefit. The Dark Woman challenge would require careful design to avoid it being a co-operative event rather than a challenging event. But otherwise, yes, I'd agree that a challenge does not have to the climatic culmination of the quest.
By Herve Carteau:
QuoteSpring the Challenge on players whenever they don't expect it. If it's Dark Woman, so be it. Next time it'll be... a chaos invasion before reaching Aroka itself. Whatever destabilizes players and makes them improvise, adapt, overcome.
By myself:
QuoteYes, it could be potentially at any station. However, if the Challenge is between Orlanth and Aroka, then expect that to be at the culmination of the Quest.
I think other stations offer good opportunity for other players to engage in a Heroquest Challenge. -
This question was raised on the G+ forum but I thought worthwhile to add in here for future reference.
QuoteI have a question about heroquesting Challenges. Are they always the culmination of the quest, or can an earlier station contain the Challenge? For example, in Orlantha and Aroka, is it possible that the contest with the Dark Woman could be the Challenge on some performances, instead of Aroka?
-
On 5/28/2016 at 3:52 PM, Matt Ryan said:
Out of curiosity, when did you pre-order? I ordered mine on April 6, and still no word and no books.
Ordered Keepers/Investigators Guides and Petersen Guide on April 7. Got shipping notice on May 27. Books arrived late on June 2 (I'm in Mass.). Well packed, (box in box with lots of cardboard corners) all arrived in excellent condition.
-
In my Orlmarth campaign, the PC's never saw Joseph's fetch, though it guarded over their and Joseph's bodies while Joseph led the discorporate party into the Spirit World.
Joseph had no attendant spirits at that point, though, as they had been destroyed saving Joseph from an attack by the Lunar witch Oheha.
I'm thinking, though, that by the time the PC's encounter him again, that Joseph will have gathered new ones such as Slim and Pidgeon and Slippery Sam to help him!
-
1
-
-
4 hours ago, g33k said:
Or is it more a "quarrelsome" than a "happy" family?
I'd say 'It depends'! I think it really comes down to whatever makes MGF in the context of the game you're running.
In my old Imther campaign, each clan had specific seasonal spirits which they honored. These were not static and unmutable, but depended on the needs of the community. It was not uncommon for a community to shift their spirits, much like they might change who's on the clan ring. And many spirits became unhappy with such choices as when the Woman of the Long Reeds was offended and cursed a village with disease. These spirits were often associated with specific locations, had relationships with other nearby spirits, etc.
In my current Orlmarth campaign, my PC's ventured into the Spirit World and encountered the Assembly of Small Spirits - many spirits that once inhabited a small grove in the material world, but had been lost and forgotten. Though they all honored Little Rock, their ostensible leader, they were typically quarrelsome, jealous, or envious - petty in their demands and needs. Yet in other places, the spirits were well-ordered and well-behaved.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, Joerg said:
Nochet is one of several such cities, and probably the one most likely to have a durulz population of several hundred.
Yes, there are some ducks in Nochet. There's a clan (or family) of Ducks who live at the Palace of Desaranis. They are prominent among the merchants of Imarja's Plaza and have some protection there.
There are more in the Marshes south of the city than in the city itself though. From the Index: "The Eye Ring clan of Ducks arrived here shortly after Starbrow’s Rebellion and the start of the first Duck Hunt. They and their newtling allies have nestled in near the edges of the Marshes." Many aid Stumptail, the "Talar" of Baurvo Sump on Duckprint Isle, "a horribly scarred and disfigured newtling who hates all Lunars with a burning passion."
-
1 hour ago, g33k said:
.. maybe the Gargoyles ARE the carvers!
Now that I like!
Hmm, seems like that has to work into a good mythic story. Perhaps they were a gift to Ernalda when she went to Yelm sent by Genert (or similar). She set them to their task of carving the Garden walls so that the stone walls reflected the beauty of the life within. Of course, the Storm gods (and others) eventually broke the walls after Yelm fell, but there are still some gargoyles who know, or remember, or perhaps quest for such skill. Or perhaps there are Earth priestesses, particularly in Esrolia, who know the myth and know how to quest to the Garden, with a lifeless statue in hand, and imbue the statue with the powers of a living gargoyle. Of course, they are then set to work carving great works in places like Ezel or the Necropolis or the Sacred City within Nochet.
-
3
-
-
-
Before venturing down to Nochet, I was working on material for Saird and the Lunar provinces. This is what I sketched out for exports/tribute and imports by province.
Region
Major Exports (including Tribute)
Major Imports
Holay (excluding Saird)
Cider, Fruit (dried), Herbs, Maize, Salt, Slaves (Balazarings), Wheat, Wine
Bronze, Cloth, Copper, Horses, Marble, Metalwork, Stone
Imther
Bronze, Cheese, Copper, Firewine, Furs, Marble, Stone, Wool
Cloth, Metalwork, Pottery, Slaves, Spices, Weapons, Wine
Saird
Cloth, Dogs, Fish (salted), Maize, Metalwork, Pottery, Weapons, Wheat, Wine
Bronze, Copper, Horses, Marble, Slaves, Stone, Vellum
Sylila
Cloth, Horses, Leather, Metalwork, Pottery, Vellum, Weapons, Wool
Bronze, Copper, Marble, Slaves, Stone
Vanch
Artifacts, Gems, Herbs, Leather, Stone, Wool
Cloth, Metalwork, Pottery, Spices, Weapons, Wine
-
5 hours ago, Joerg said:
I wonder what exactly would be the role of smugglers. I think that there have always been people moving goods illicitely past prohibitions.
My original Imther campaign started with this theme. The King of Imther had imposed a tax on all cider to punish those who had opposed him. The players got involved unwittingly in a smuggling operation, and then got pulled into other shady deals.
My Amber Fort campaign was also trade based - speculative venture by an Etyries merchant to make good on amber found along the Elf Sea. But while the merchant was busy working on that, my players came up with a scheme to cut and haul timber from the Elf Sea shores to Hortugarth and sell it there.
-
1
-
1
-
-
9 hours ago, Joerg said:
Barntar fights a draught-bringing dragon
Is this the beer-bringing dragon or the wind-bringing dragon?
Given its Barntar, I favor the former - perhaps he releases Minlister from the belly of the dragon?
-
1
-
-
Hwarin Dalthippa the Conquering Daughter in the Lunar Empire is certainly a patron and inspiration for artists as with the many statues, etc. that decorate and adorn Jillaro.
The Esrolian heroes of the Silver Age were already noted, but certainly were inspired by the goddesses or gods there.
While religious art is certainly important, there's clearly statues of important heroes, leaders, and military figures around.
And decorative arts whether of Esrolian houses, Lunar pottery, carved chairs, jewelry, etc. could have any number of forms. Religious forms may be required by the temples, but I'm sure non-religious forms will be popular in daily life and trade.
-
1
-
-
And there's also a lot of repetition and overlap, e.g. stories of Asrelia and Ernalda as Earthmothers, the stories of the battles of Umath with the Sun and Orlanth with the Emperor, the raids of Orlanth and Vingkot.
-
There will be a number of Glorantha specific miniatures coming out eventually with Sandy Petersen's Gods War.
You can see some examples here: Gods War miniature examples
Also some examples at the Kraken facebook page: the Kraken (look for entries around April 8-19)
-
My Orlmarth campaign set below the Starfire Ridges started with Sartar Kingdom of Heroes (good for establishing Orlmarth clan background) and Sartar Companion (fleshing out areas such as Clearwine, the Starfire Ridges, and Colymar Wilds. As corvantir suggested, I also draw on the Sartar Rising: Barbarian Adventures book and the Dragon Pass gazeteer book that came out with HW/HQ1. There's also background material that I draw on from old Wyrms Footprints, and I transposed a scenario from the old RQ3 Sun County book that fit well.
I tend to put together a lot of background material for my players. As it's a PbF campaign, you can find online here: HQG Orlmarth background
Feel free to borrow if it suits you.
-
4 hours ago, Byll said:
Can anybody refer me to where there is a good RG / HQ write up of the Polaris or Polestar cult / tradition? I have a reference in Trade Talk 14 that mentions Fire (light?) and Mastery runes and a 'Captain Souls' spell and the Rigsdal template in the non-canon HW1 Storm Tribe source book, but nothing more recent.
No long version to my knowledge.
Rigsdal is presented as a subcult of Orlanth in SKoH p. 153. Truth is the noted rune. Expect that to be paired with Fire/Light for Polaris.
-
1
-
-
Correct, there is no Hippodrome in Nochet.
-
22 hours ago, creativehum said:
All I was talking about is how the Character Creation rules dictate choosing three runes out of the gate that determine the character.
Given that HQG focuses on a quickstart approach to character creation, yes, it does gear you to making those three rune choices.
-
Quote
- "reflects the dominant aspect of your soul"
- "defines your dominant temperament"
- "your magical temperament"
On these points:
3. Yes, it definitely provides frames the magical focus/temperament. My players typically create/define abilities to fit with the runes. Sometimes those are the same as feats, sometimes not. I encourage them to be somewhat specific on these to align to how they view their characters.
1. and 2. There's really a lot of range here. In my current Nochet campaign, there are two PC's with dominant Earth Runes. One, Serenalda, is a hazia-befuddled seer and former low-life street hustler. Her Earth Rune primarily provides her with True Visions and a relationship with snakes. The other, Maranis, is a tumultuous Axe Maiden follower of Babeester Gor. She can track kinslayers, sense enemies nearby, and draw on the earth's power to wield a mighty axe. Neither is what you'd describe as having a "pragmatic" or "prudent" personality.
Overall, use them as framing ideas and let your players run with them.
-
1
-
-
8 hours ago, creativehum said:
I understand this will be the way Runes are introduced to new Players (via Character Creation). I just think
- It's too heavy a burden for some players to have to decide everything about their characters at the start (some players aren't like that)
- I think it robs the sense of discovery and drama in terms of choices for their characters. With Runes stamped upon a PCs soul like that, one is told, "This is who you are," which precludes the discovery of "Who will this character become?"
I've been running one HQG campaign for almost 2 years, and a second for about 6 months. I've yet to see either of these occur based on use of Runes.
What they have been generally driven by is the Distinguishing Characteristic and whatever Flaws that they decide on when creating their character. Whether these are in tune with their Runes and their Gods is a completely different story. Nor have these choices precluded character development.
Do my players use the Runes as personality traits? Not often. Mostly they are the foundations of their magical affinities.
Have my players changed Runes? Two have during game play and these were conscious and directed choices by them. One effectively transformed from a Yinkin to an Odayla initiate as a result (and since those gods are both aspects of the Hunter in Orlanthi culture and the PC was a Hunter this seemed totally reasonable) - the character went off into the Wilds to meditate upon this transformation. In the other case, the character increasingly showed affinity to the Darkness rune though they had the Storm rune. The player pursued this connection, even though the PC was initiated into Orlanth. After the change was affected, the next time that PC engaged in a contest, Orlanth's spirits of reprisal (flint slingers) appeared and their flints removed the PC's Storm rune related magic with their attacks. Entirely reasonable and fit the PC.
Has there been any impact on sense of discovery/drama about who they are? Not in the least that I've seen. If anything it's been even better than what I saw over 10 years running RQ3 campaigns.
I think the best thing is to simply treat the Runes and their 'personalities' as suggestions, not absolutes. There are many ways to look at Fire, Storm, etc. - players are quite good at figuring out how they want to interpret such. If a player interprets the Fire rune to mean their PC is volatile, angry, and explosive, that works for me. May not fit the dour and conservative Yelmalions, but I agree that does create dramatic tension.
-
1
-
One challenge is how you'd approach this as a group, or if you would.
It may be that sorcery is inherently an individual quest. The sorcerer confronts the Laws required to open the pathway through the Essence of the Runes and achieve their goal. It may be dream-like, or meditative with a focus on the targeted runes, or a ritualized 'ceremony' using rune sticks or rune stones, or something similar.
One option to engage a group would be for the sorcerer to lead a ceremony that puts the group into a dream state, then he enters the same shared dream-state and leads them towards the goal. The tests may well challenge each within the group in different ways (could be Group Simple or Extended Group contests) and those who fail immediately wake from the dream-state. A good chance to apply a Flaw for whatever the failing was (Fear of X, etc.).
-
A post in the Glorantha G+ group asked:
QuoteHeroquest Glorantha says the following about learning new sorcery spells:
You may have the rote formulae
for a spell already in your book, but until you can
interact directly with the forces you’re harnessing,
you lack the understanding to use them.
This sounds intriguing. Is this process anything like heroquesting? Has anyone played through it or something like it with sorcerous characters?The following was my response/'example' of trying such a quest.In my HQG Orlmarth campaign, I ran a 'dream' for my LM sage which was something of an experiment to run a quest in the Essence plane. This was the basic structure I used:
1) He 'awoke' into a world where runes and symbols swirled around like leaves in a breeze, but eventually those blew away and left him on a grey, barren plain looking at 3 'tiny' runes. As he approached he found they were doorways made of three runes: Luck, Force (the Shargash rune), and Law. Being a good LM, he went through the Law rune. (Possibly this might be described as the Law of Openings or the Law of Beginnings - you must start somewhere)
2) He found himself in a large room and in the middle of the room was a stand and on the stand was a book whose cover was Blue. He approached the book and as he approached the Book, he realized that this was the One Book, the Book of Everything, the Book of All Law. When he looks back at the walls of the room, he first sees a writhing mass of chaos (tentacles, eyes, typical Cthulhu-esque view) and then it transforms into the body of an immense dragon completely encircling and enclosing the space. Being too curious, of course, he tries to take the book. The pages fly out, transform into more runes and symbols, and he's left with the cover of the book and the walls now have 8 doors. (And I'm sure you can guess what each door represents.) He has reached the Law of Duality or Opposing Pairs.
3) Being a good LM, he chooses to try the Door/Gate of Truth. He enters and finds himself in a long, seemingly unending hall and the door has closed behind him. It is an Empty Hall and he is truly alone within it. As he walks forward, for there is only one way to go, he finds that the walls are like polished bronze and he has entered the Hall of Mirrors which conveys reflections of the True Self. He sees other figures in the mirrors looking back at him. They look like him, but are not (e.g. one is beardless; another has dark black hair and curled and oiled beard, etc.) Which is Truth and which Illusion, or are they all Truth? He's still too curious and finds himself trapped in the Mirror and the dark black bearded self is now in the Hallway heading off where he once was walking. (Might be described as the Law of the Power)
4) The mirrored hallway reaches a fork (it is the Truth rune after all). The LM sage still has the cover of the Blue Book in hand, so he opens it. He finds there is a map of a big square lozenge inside. Go to GtG p.681, and reverse the image as if looked at within a mirror. He doesn't do anything with it at this point, but tries to continue down the hallway. Being trapped in leftside Mirror, at the fork he is forced to follow the left-hand path and after a bit finds himself in a completely Dark hallway. He has started his descent into the 5 Elements and the Law of Affinity.
5) In fact, he is now confronted by the rustling, skittering Fears of Darkness. He tries to flee in panic and eventually falls into icy, cold water. He finds a dark cup in the water, picks it up, and realizes that he is standing inside the cup/bowl and it is in fact a boat. He travels in the boat until it comes aground on a small island. At the peak of the island, he finds a large, square stone slab on which there are four mounds of clay. He opens up and looks inside the book covers again and finds a new map. However, he doesn't do anything with that. Instead, he rolls the clay into long thin strips and places them next to each other until they form a door. While he rolls the clay, the area about has visibly brightened. He tries to use the clay 'door' and yes it works and opens to reveal a stone staircase descending into the island. He becomes aware of scents in the Air but eventually reaches the bottom of the stair in a great cavern. There's another stone slab here and on it sits a red-skinned woman in meditative pose. She suggests that she's met him before but last time he held a sceptre of fire. He has reached the threshold of the 5 Worlds - the Law of Refinement or Dissociation.
6) The woman indicates he must choose a door: they are in the cardinal directions and are gates of White, Gold, Red, and Black. He chooses the White gate. She indicates that whichever gate/camp he goes to he must confront his predecessor. Passing through this gate he comes to the Keeper of Innocence and Wisdom. To enter the White Camp and partake of the Baths of Healing he is instructed that he must fulfill the Three Tasks of Wisdom.
7) The first task is that of Judgment. He must judge the 3 fruits of the goddesses: the Fruit of Peace, the Fruit of Life, and the Fruit of Power. He chooses the Fruit of Life.
He gains the Truth of Life in doing so and is immediately cursed/set upon by the Arrows of Discord and the Naked Truth of Power. He puts the book cover over his head to try to protect himself and... Fumbles... major defeat. His magic fails, the book falls from his hands, open, and from the book steps a giant minotaur. Voices say that he has unleashed the Destroyer and the Storm. He has learned the Truth of Unleashing Raw Power Unchained.
8) The gateway to the White Camp is shattered, the gatekeeper dead. And a large white raven, hungry for some food, is there.
He feeds the raven some bites, learns some truths, raises the gatekeeper, and our sage is revealed to be marked by the Cruel God, so is forbidden to enter what remains of the White Camp after all. But he eventually enters anyway and sees the minotaur battle the red man. And while they battle, the sage confronts and fights his mirror self. (This might be the Law of Confrontation or the Law of Recognition or something similar.)
9) He at last wakes, and carries the Truth/Gift of Life with him.Since 'dreams' fade quickly, we actually concluded with an extended contest of the sage's Memorize Details ability at a hard difficulty to see what he'd actually be able to subsequently recall (or what details might be remembered 'wrong' if it would be put into something like a grimoire). The sage achieved a complete victory in that, getting a critical vs. a fumble at the final stage.This would be the Law of Return or Endings.
Overall, the approach went well, and I think I'd play other aspects of learning spells or creating a grimoire along this line.-
4
-
Sun Dome Temples
in Glorantha
Posted · Edited by jajagappa
Btw, these are the names that Jeff and I identified as associated with a number of the Great Temples:
1. Peralam (Vanch, near the Hill of Gold)
2. White Rock (Holay, beside the Daughter’s Road)
3. Domanand (Saird, within Mirin’s Cross)
4. Vanntar (Sartar)
5. True Sky (Sylila, at Little Cafol)
6. Kareiston’s Temple (Imther, in the Laramite Hills)
7. Last Light (?) (Lakrene, in Linstingland)
8. Zalan’s Dome (Holay, in the Zalador Hills)
9. Cold Sun (Aggar, in Orenair near Burnt Hill)
10. Crystal Point (Aggar, Upper Forantin River near Diamond Hills)
11. Ever-Victorious Glory (Tarsh)
12. Goldedge (Tarsh)
I have some writeups for those that are situated within greater Saird.