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Evilroddy

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Evilroddy last won the day on April 2 2018

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  • RPG Biography
    Played D&D since 1976, EPT since 1979, RuneQuest since 1980 and many other RPG's since then. RuneQuest 2/3 was my favorite system and Glorantha is my favorite setting to referee and to play in. I was not a fan of HeroWars/HeroQuest as I like crunchy, mechanistic rule sets.
  • Current games
    Not too much, playing some D&D 5e set in Faerun. I mostly play tabletop historical miniature war-games now.
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    London, Ontario, Canada
  • Blurb
    Miniature gamer since the late 1960's and an avid RPG player since the mid-1970's.

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  1. To the historians and oracles of BRP Central: Was/will the fighting mentioned in the "Events of My Life" be an intertribal conflict between the Colymar and the Dinacoli or was it/will it be a part of a bigger war between the Kingdom of Sartar and its less than cooperative Dinacoli Tribe? Looking at a map indicates the the Colymar and Dinacoli would have great difficulty conducting such a tribal war on their own because there is no real common tribal border and it is unlikely that other non-participating tribes would allow large tribal forces permission to cross their territory peaceably. Going through Draconic territory might trigger a larger war and thus seems unlikely without the blessing of the Prince/King of Sartar. Finally what was/will be the fighting all about? Ghoul related tensions or more mundane matters of social friction? Enquiring Lhankor Mhy minds want to know! Cheers and good gaming. Evilroddy.
  2. Jajagappa: It's a God Learner thing. Temporal mapping of the multiverse. it's a hard bad-habit to break! Cheers and good gaming. Evilroddy.
  3. Metcalph: Yes, but the year is shorter and so the effective age is lower. I know it might seem light spooky God Learner maths, but the numbers don't lie! Cheers and good gaming. Evilroddy.
  4. I spit on the ossified Brithini and their alien ways. Let the winds of change sweep them away! 😉 Cheers and good gaming. Evilroddy.
  5. Qizilbashwoman: Good point about ignoring the time differential. So are you really an Iranian/Persian Qizilbashi with the red turban and all? Cheers and good gaming. Evilroddy.
  6. metcalph: Yeah, but the idea of people being the equivalent age of 12 years old who are fighting and making families is a bit off-putting to me. Also the idea that people who are the equivalent of terrestrial 17 year olds having skills at such high levels is a bit odd too. An accelerated rate of aging should not accelerate the rate of learning and skill uptake. Cheers and good gaming. Evilroddy.
  7. To the wise Magi of BRP Central: A few questions about time and pre-generated character-age in Glorantha. A Gloranthan year is 294 days. A terrestrial year is 365.25 days. Thus a conversion factor of 294/365.25 can perhaps be used to convert Gloranthan character ages to their terrestrial equivalents. Thus a 15 year old new adult in Glorantha is about 12 year old in terrestrial terms and a 21 pre-generated character is about 17 years in age in terrestrial terms. The above assumes that Gloranthan seconds, minutes, hours and days are the same as their terrestrial counterparts. Assuming that is true for a moment, then Gloranthan pre-generated characters seem awfully skilled and experiences for 17 year old teenagers in my humble opinion. So are Gloranthan seconds, minutes, hours and days equivalent to their terrestrial counterparts? What accounts for the high skill levels of such young pre-generated characters? What is a natural life span barring death by violence for a normal, mundane human being? Cheers and good gaming! Evilroddy.
  8. Shimozakura: First of all, hello and welcome to the forum. Welcome aboard! You pose some very interesting questions. As Joerg and others will no doubt cover Gloranthan illumination far better than I could hpoe to, I will limit myself to a more general comment. You mention real-world illumination as a foil against which you will juxtapose varieties of Gloranthan illumination, presumably for the purposes of comparison and contrast. But is there just one kind of real world illumination? Are there many types of terrestrial humanocentric illumination or are there perhaps none, all illumination being an illusion and a self-justifying feed-back loop between our limited perceptions and minds on the one hand and an unknowable, non-causal and thoroughly alien universe on the other? These are highly abstract, ephemeral metaphysical concepts and they may be shaped as much by the organic "us" as occluded humans as by the rest of the physical and metaphysical forces which may be at work in "our" perceived universe. Thus there seems to be a need to first make a case for the existence of any kind of illumination, real-world or Gloranthan, before defining its various iterations in both realms and then comparing and contrasting them. So how do you propose to make a persuasive argument that there is real-world illumination? The case for Gloranthan illumination is easier to make as you can point to the sole prime-mover of the Gloranthan cosmos, Greg Stafford, and say illumination exists because he willed it so. But in our world, barring the possible influence of the divine for a moment, billions of humans have pondered and millions have willed it over millennia. If illumination exists, then it does so in millions or perhaps billions of different flavours and iterations, since we have billions of tiny, nodal, prime-movers scattered through history and prehistory and the present, all puzzling out the perceived universe around them and trying to proclaim their version of it as "real". This multi-nodal and on-going metaphysical Genesis produces intellectual and spiritual interference patterns which tend to interact with each other and either cancel out some claims about ultimate truth and illumination which may be quite valid or tend to amplify other interpretations beyond their true value and "truthiness". Thus you have a nebulous metaphysical field in reality and a much clearer and, by Staffordian fiat, more concrete one in Glorantha. Can you really compare an indivisible and fixed-form Greek-Greg atom of metaphysics to a mutable and ever changing probability wave/cloud of our own biocentric quantum versions of reality and illumination? I better stop now, Wakboth is stirring and could threaten both universes. If you stare too hard and too long at the universe (or into the Abyss) you might just destroy it (and possibly remake it your own image!). Cheers. Evilroddy.
  9. Spequlator: While at Garhound the aspiring Issaries merchant hears stories of a lost tribe of Praxian Oasis Folk sheep herders far out in the wastes to the east. The rumors include mention of the very rare "silver sheep" whose fleece are an iridescent silvery grey. Such wool is extremely rare and is highly prized and if a source of the animals could be secured a fortune could be made. But is the rumor true? Fortunately the high concentration of knowledgeable and connected people attending the fair offers the merchant a rare opportunity to research the story and maybe get some firmer confirmation of the tales being told. Meanwhile, a jaded and somewhat corrupt Lokarnos merchant is looking for a non-Sun County mercantile agent to secretly represent him in some rather iffy transactions with Orlanthi rebels. He has an array of "agricultural products" which the Orlanthi can sell on the down-low for hard cash easily but which is illegal to possess or sell in Sun County. The Orlanthi may have captured loot, weapons and armour of Lunar origin which they cannot openly sell, wear or use. The Lokarnos merchant sees this a possible trade opportunity and is looking for a partner at the Orlanthi end of the arangement. He himself will not initiate contact but his factotum, an equally bent and handsome young man, will seek out likely candidates and check them over before approaching them with an offer. The merchant hears that someone is asking people about herself and her reputation. If she approaches him he will be very circumspect and not divulge the true nature of the Sun County products on offer and if caught by Garhound or Lunar authorities he will protect his employer claiming he was acting alone. His employer has promised to protect him should things go wrong. If the offer is made and accepted then the Orlanthi get his product which they can easily sell for cash under the table and he gets weapons and armour which can be sold to either the Lunars or to his own Sun County leadership to be used as gifts to curry Lunar favour or pay tribute. Cheers. Evilroddy.
  10. Metcalph: Great picture. The Nephilim would be proud! However it makes me ask was Wakboth ever a giant humanoid? I always pictured the entity as far more alien and often shifting form and morphology but without much in the way of anthropomorphic features. Cool piccie though! Cheers. Evilroddy.
  11. RossN: Yes there are civilised shamans and spirit talkers. A Pavis Witch (shamaness) from the Big Rubble was an NPC back in the day in the Strangers in Prax supplement for Avalon Hill's version of RuneQuest (RQ3) and I remember reading somewhere that Notchet had urbanised shamans and that one had travelled to Pavis, but I can't remember clearly enough to give you a citation for that. It might have been in the Pavis Old Mint or the Zebra Fort supplements done for both RuneQuest and HeroWars/HeroQuest, but I not sure. All I remember is that the urban-shaman NPC was associated with some Esrolian mercenaries working in the Big Rubble. If an urban person from Esrolia is born into a pagan or Aeolian tradition then there is a good to reasonable chance that they would use spirit magic regularly and a small chance that they would specialise in shamanism, as shamans are rare everywhere when compared to the general population. On the other hand if an Esrolian person was born into a Western Malkioni tradition then there would be real cultural and religious barriers to adopting spirit magic or shamanism instead of sorcery and probably a real risk of ostracism or religious violence against anyone who followed such a path. So, as long as you choose your culture and city well enough, your urban spirit-talker is quite feasible and will probably be great fun to play. Best wishes for both you and your player character and may the 10,000 gods and goddesses of Esrolia gaze upon you and protect you. Cheers. Evilroddy.
  12. How do people and beasts who choose to or must remain in Prax over the Windstop and the Fimbulwinter survive? Some guesses on my part. The Praxians who remain west of the Zola Fel probably slaughter most if not all of their herd and they consume and preserve meat initially by smoke, then by salt and finally by magic. Entire clans are reduced to land-bound ground-walkers with very few if any riding beasts left to them. These they will replace from stocks east of the Zola Fel in due time either by theft or trade. Many become enslaved. Some are hired to protect others who cannot protect themselves but have resources to support a small surplus population. River Folk may migrate south to the Corflu Delta and Rozgali Sea shore where sea food and plants/algae can feed them and vast frozen reed swamps can provide fuel for some warmth for a time. The insects not only provide food and are culled but many die or hibernate during the extended winter, making littoral life a little more bearable. However they also have to deal with migrating Praxians, hordes of chaos and tides of undead erupting from places like Sog Ruins and the Devil's Marsh so life is still dangerous and precarious at best. For the Oasis Folk of Prax the story is grimmer. One groups send small numbers east to escape the Fimbulwinter and drought/famine. Some rely on stores of food, hunting (badly - it's not their thing). Some find sustenance in ancient refuges or by magic and mystical means. Many migrate themselves into bondage under Lunar or Praxian masters. Some are converted into herdsmen by Morokanth and meet a bad end sustaining this nation. Some desperate few turn cannibal and shamefully eat their own or strangers. This triggers some cases of ogre-ism (is that a word?) in their midsts but many more simply die out and will be replaced by post-famine populations from the east plus the returning nuclear-seed-populations sent eastward in the diaspora as the disaster began. Gagarthi, Cannibal Cultists, Ogres and other very marginal populations manage the way they always have although clothing and fuel are big challenges for them. Baboons likewise cling on and depend on their ancestors and skills to eke out a living. Agimori and Basmoli migrate with the game and herd beasts so probably largely leave Prax for a time. Uz-kind mostly flourish despite some belt tightening as competition for wider hunting grounds diminishes, for the most part. Feral Trollkin do not fair well, however. Aldryami manically hire capable humans, Agimori and Baboons to help them protect their groves and forests (while most of their kind sleep), from flesh-wood/red-sap hunters, fuel hunters, treasure raiders and troll raiders. Of those who stay in Prax throughout the Windstop, the Fimbulwinter and subsequent drought/famine, I would guesstimate about 40-50% death rates, about 10-15% successful migration (mostly into slavery) and about 35-50% survival rates, depending on the group and their skills, resources and magic/mythic capacities. Grim and hard times for all, me thinks. Cheers? Evilroddy.
  13. Charlie D: I think the question which you must ask yourself and your players is, "How mythical do we all want to go?". But one piece of advice always is worth remembering. Start local and build out in scale and complexity from there. If you want a low mythical foot-print in your game to start with, then have your players participate in some local events which are mythically-light. A cattle raid, kin-strife, inter-clan violence, pursuing brigands, competitions at a local fair, a boar hunt, or the killing of chaos raiders like broo or a chaotic gorp infestation might be a good place to start. If you and the players all desire to get deeper into the weeds of Gloranthan mythos then make the cattle raid a minor heroquest as a ritual raid of a rival clan with different religious roots which must be ritually defeated with the victors then taking a prized and potent bull or ram to improve the players' clan's herd health and quality next year. Make the kin-strife theme rooted in different cult allegiances and sprinkle some modest mythic elements into it. Perhaps a trickster is secretly stirring things up in the players' clan as part of a ritual to honour his mischievous god, so the players have to figure out who is causing the trouble, why they are doing it, and seek counsel as to what correct mythical course the players must take to prevent further disruption and to fix the damage already done. If inter-clan violence is the path you choose, then perhaps a minor heroquest to either empower your own clan's warriors or one that weakens the foes of your clan could be undertaken. A quest to a local sacred grove, swamp, wilderness, tomb, barrow, ruin, sacred place or some such location where a ritual must be performed or a ritual item/ingredient must be collected and retrieved. The players must guard and protect a vulnerable individual or group who will actually do the ritual or gather the required materials, so they can be ignorant of the mythical nature of what's going on and just act as heavies protecting those in the know. If the players and you want to go full-on-mythical, then that will require some homework on everyone's part, but it is doable too. It just requires more preparation. And if later you find that you were mistaken about the mythos, chalk it up to a critical failure by the organisers of the ritual or to heinous heretics who momentarily deluded everybody in the mistaken ritual. Then a new scenario can be crafted to fix the mistake or to lessen the damage done by it. Just start small and limit yourselves to dealing with one or two cult mythologies at a time until you all have a better understanding of the greater mythical milieu and can complicate matters with complex inter-cult competition and rivalries later. The key is just to have fun, not to earn a PhD in Gloranthan lore from your local knowledge temple to Lhankor Mhy, Dayzatar, Irrippi Ontor or gods forbid, Thanatar! Cheers. Evilroddy.
  14. David Scott: Thank you for your input. It is much appreciated. A couple of points confuse me however. You say that the Oasis folk and healers at Horn Gate retreat through the gates and into the tunnels for refuge from the disaster, but what do they eat in order to survive the year-plus long disaster? Also many of the healers at Horn Gate are Pavic exiles and not local Oasis folk. Do they succumb to the dreadful spirits which lurk behind and below Horn Gate? My second question refers to your description of the map which you included in your above post. You write, "...brown, the morokanth ancestral grazing...". Isn't the brown region the Dead Place and given the Morokanths' heavy reliance on magic in order to survive in the Prax, is the Dead Place a sensible region to frequent for them if they can avoid it. Also given that the Winter Ruins are located there it might be one of the coldest and least hospitable places in Prax during and immediately after the Fimbulwinter. Do you perhaps mean the "rusty/burnt-orange" or "red" regions on the map or are the colours on the map as they appear to you not the same as on my I-pad, I wonder? Anways thanks for your good counsel and I am looking forward to the revised Prax book when you finish such a mammoth task. Cheers. Evilroddy.
  15. A nice show. Thank you Jeff for pulling an all-nighter to make this happen. And thanks to Encounteroleplay for hosting the session. I hope we see more on-line RuneQuest coming down the pipeline in the future. Cheers. Evilroddy.
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