Jeff

Gang - let's lay off the discussion of modern politics here. Jeff

We give out dates when we are ready to give out dates. Not before.

Actually that was a typo which has now been fixed. Thanks!

Imarja is not mysticism. She is the divine feminine creator, acknowledged by the Esrolians but not directly worshiped. The God Learners identified her with Glorantha or the Invisible God.

Or as Robin Laws pointed out, D&D Pathfinder HQ 13A is like Marvel movies. Your characters are the protagonists and they should be able to overcome the foes with a modicum of luck and sense. RQ on the other hand is like Game of Thrones. You might make it all the way through Season Three if only by your teeth, only to die at the Red Wedding and discover you aren't the protagonist of the main story after all.

Balance guidelines? In the end it comes down to this - there should be always be a way for the players to get around most of an adventure's obstacle by means other than combat. That can be run away, talk to the monster, or find some allies. Jason is working on some more nuanced guidance than that, but at the end of the day, BRP balance is setting based not mechanically balanced - if your plucky but outnumbered band of rebels decide to take on that patrol of professional soldiers who are nearly as competent as them, you have a good chance of having a TPK. Just like common sense would suggest. And also keep in mind, one critical or one fumble can be a complete game changer - and how do you balance for that? But balance like D&D or Pathfinder does it? That’s just not how we roll. Not in Call of Cthulhu, not in Pendragon, and not in RuneQuest. A big monster with a descent chance of hitting is going to be really tough. Might wipe out the whole party. Same thing with a Rune Lord more skilled in combat than any member of the party. That’s just how it is with BRP. If you want nicely balanced attritional adventures where the scenario is designed that the party should be able to fight their way to success against a series of level and class appropriate foes, then maybe Pathfinder or 13th Age is better for you. But me - I have always loved the danger of BRP. I've loved it in Call of Cthulhu, in Pendragon, and in RuneQuest. To each their own.

Last time I checked, RPG books are not on general television either.

Rejoice because you actually are wrong. RQG is not intended to go out to kids under 13. In this age of games like Witcher III, Dragon Age Inquisition and Mass Effect, television series like Game of Thrones and Westworld, the US market is not particularly troubled by nudity. Some folk won't go for it, but they are unlikely going to buy a lot of copies of a fantasy RPG where polytheistic cult membership and religious magic are a significant part of gameplay. As we've said before, we've never had a problem with the US market. The Spanish on the other hand..... Jeff

I'm thinking a glossy art book. With Runic chakras, tantric union of the polarities, subtle variations of myths as experienced through heroquests into the same event from different vantages, and cosmic awakening through understanding that every light has its shadow. That sort of thing.

Well I guess it just goes to show that there are lots of different subcultures out there with very different standards of what is acceptable and what is not. I guess you won’t be preordering my illustrated work on Arkati tantric Illumination rites then?

When I was a kid, our Methodist minister encouraged us to play D&D and other roleplaying games. He figured it was creative, got kids interested in mythology, and had kids think about "being in the shoes of another".

And in the defence of Americans, the few complaints we have gotten about artistic nudity have not been from the US. They've always been from the UK or Australia.

For what it is worth, public art in Indianapolis and Oklahoma City (and many smaller towns) includes statues with both bare-breasts and nipples. The OP I believe is in Canberra Australia, not the US.

I am sorry that you work in a workplace where pictures based on classical art might be considered pornographic. That is really awful - how does this person survive going to a museum or seeing civic statuary?

Imarja is not an "archetype of ruthless authoritarian rule" - she's the Gloranthan Shakti, the feminine Creatrix. She doesn't even have a cult, but is revered by many Esrolians as the distant Universal Mother. The God Learners identified her with Glorantha.

Hardly. Like all writers I look at old material of mine and about half the time wonder "what the hell was I thinking?"

Maybe at the time, I got the Making Gods essay wrong. Which is precisely the case.

Greenstone is not independent.

Almost all temples are connected to a clan, tribe, or under the patronage of the Prince of Sartar (or their equivalent).

If a clan can't support a full-time priest-chieftain, it isn't struggling - it is doomed.

Vinga is a subcult of Orlanth, and so a Vinga cultist is an Orlanth cultist.

That's not quite right. Orlanth Rex is a TRIBAL cult. The chief priest of the clan Orlanth temple serves as the chieftain of that clan (think village and its surroundings). The tribal Orlanth Rex is a special figure - he (or she) needs to be approved by all the tribal priests and that individual serves as the head (high priest) of the Orlanth cult (and binds all of the tribal Rune Masters to his Command Priests spell). The Orlanth Rex of a tribe is the tribal king. The systems are not exactly parallel.

A tenant is free to pack up and leave, at least in theory. But since much of what they "own" belongs to someone else, they likely don't have much. Not sure what you are basing the rest of that on. And yes, in most clans, the chief priest of Orlanth is the clan chieftain. That's no disservice - just that there is no distinction between political authority and religious authority. Again, this is in both RQ and in the forthcoming Gods and Goddesses of Glorantha.

The biggest controller of land and wealth in any Orlanthi settlement are the twinned temples of Ernalda and Orlanth. Remember these cults are usually synonymous with the clan - the chief priest is the chieftain. Individual farmers with the ability and resources to farm enough land/herd enough animals to support themselves without being the dependent of another are considered "free" - as are their immediate family. If the other free members of the clan accept their claims to land/livestock, then they enjoy the protection of the full clan and enjoy the status of a fully free clan member. If however, the farmer has claimed land that other farmers are thought to have a better claim to, or took it from another, or is working land outside the perceived ambit of the clan, then their claims aren't recognised and they don't get the status. The temple land is allocated to support the temple and its priests, but is usually worked by tenants who are the dependents of the temple. Similarly most nobles have land that belongs to them but is worked by tenants. Even free farmers make use of tenants or other dependents. The tenants are entitled to a percentage of the crop, but are not considered fully free. I think all of this is in the Wealth Chapter of RQ.

King of Sartar.