Nevermet

I slapped together a draft of a character. I wasn't trying to make a "weird" character in the sense of him not fitting into the clan, but he came out a bit more in that direction than intended. He's a loyal, proud member of the clan, though there's some tension in the clan. I'd imagine such a new clan would have some divisions that haven't been completely worked out. Anyhow, here is Josvil, made with the HQG Prose Method: I am Josvil Koldorson of the Glimmerstone Clan, and Fire calls me. My father was a shepherd, but after a violent raid from Rival Clan left him crippled, I became an initiate of Elmal and Rigsdal to protect people as a warrior. I care for the Helering Darala, but their parents do not like Fire. I feel I must prove myself to the clan. I wield the Steam Spear, an ancestral weapon given to me by an elder with no children. I am infamous for being slow-witted in conversation, but I make up for it with my dancing. I prefer having time to plan over spontaneity.

I want ... well, I want a lot of things. But one thing I think would be fun and that QW could do well is a game that leans heavily into social mechanics & interaction. Gormenghast, Jane Austin, about a quarter of the Game of Thrones TV show... I think that would be cool.

Yeah, I really hope QW doesn't mean the death of HQG. Even more than the epic element, I love the flexibility and idiosyncrasies PCs can develop by creating abilities that don't come from a pre-existing list. I'm not saying it's better than RQG, but it's a qualitatively different style of play that leans into different elements of Glorantha.

I'm very interested in QW-based games.

Mechanically, there are two things: My players really are in a frame of mind where they ask, "Can I roll X?" There's a few issues there. First, it flips Vincent Baker's maxim of "say yes or roll the dice." on its head to become, "Say no or roll the dice." I'm working through that. I also realize I need to be more assertive (and to a lesser extent consistent) in my rulings. I was expecting this to be a combat of some kind, and it was. However, from my POV, it was slightly anti-climactic. I think I did a few things wrong. I let the merchant be too creative with the "forget orders" spell. It's not a general amnesia, its a "What did the Boss want again?" Instead, it was a general confusion, which worked well for the PCs and was entertaining, so... eh. The fight between the 2 PCs and the 2 ogres was an extended group contest. However, it turns out I'm completely confused how to do that when the 2 PCs gang up on 1 opponent. Fortunately, they rolled so well they got 5 RPs in 1 round, so it was sort of moot. I'm also not sure what I should have done with the other ogre mechanically. Narratively, I guess it worked for him to flee after seeing his boss get stomped. In short, I'm not confident in my knowledge of the rules, but my players are enjoying outsourcing all rulings to me. Which feels... odd?

The story that unfolded Wednesday night continues to be a relatively light adventuring romp as 3 characters not min-maxed for combat attempt to unravel a conspiracy of ogres operating in the Trader Prince city of Selgos and beyond. Last game ended with them in a barn, trying to usher villagers to safety as dark riders at the edge of town began chanting for the PCs to come out. Here's the game in summary: The Villagers went one way, the healer sent his dog to find the local shaman, and the PCs devised a plan. The merchant PC (who is also the least combat-ready of the 3 PCs) snuck out the back with the villagers, and then snuck around several buildings to flank the riders. Meanwhile, the warrior-turned-healer and bard with a magic axe flung open the barndoors to chat with the riders There were 3 riders. The leader introduced himself as the cousin of the Ogre the PCs killed in the 1st scenario. However, they are not here to kill the PCs, they are here to take the PCs back to Selgos to meet someone. The players have taken to heart my description of Chaos as a force that wishes to unmake the world, and so they have no interest in going with the ogres. Instead, they try to lure the riders off their horses and into the barn. They do this by... coming up with a patently ridiculous story about having a very large amount of luggage which they need the ogres to help them carry. At this point, the merchant uses two of her more dangerous spells to good effect: "Curse with Aphasia," and "Forget Orders." She's a merchant from Jubal, and specializes in communication sorcery. In either case, she utterly befuddles one of the riders. Meanwhile, the other two PCs have decided to continue heckling the riders by insisting on the luggage story, despite the fact nobody believes them. Eventually, the leader ("Jim the Ogre") loses his temper. The idea that he had to safely escort humans back to a patriarch is bad enough, but the fact these humans killed his cousin, and are now trying to make him look like a fool... it was too much. So, he and the other rider engage combat. The Ditali healer and Nimistori skald bum-rush Jim, ignoring the 3rd ogre. The merchant, meanwhile, has charged the befuddled ogre and forced him into a bizarre, rambling conversation to keep him out of combat. A moment later, Jim gets crunched by the two PCs, collapsing in a dying heap. The skald looks to the ogre taht was with Jim and says, "You can flee now." The ogre feels this is a good idea, and does so. On his way out, he grabs the attention of the befuddled ogre, who realizes he should go too. The party then heals Jim enough that he isn't dying, tie him up, and interrogate him. They decide to do full-on psychological warfare on him, with sleep deprivation, healing, music, and the hyper-likable merchant being the good cop. The result is that Jim utterly breaks, willing to tell them anything to try to save himself. The PCs get the name of the Ogre patriarch of Selgos: Cauv. They discover the ogres are in fact trying to summon the Cacodemon to destroy Selgos A Human Cacodemon cult helping the Ogres are called the Holy Survivors, as they have been promised the Cacodemon will spare them. The Ogres have seen the Skald's super magic axe, and they want it, but for reasons that Jim the Ogre does not know, Cauv wanted her to give it to him (coercion ok, kiling her and taking it not ok). The PCs, Jim tied and in tow, are returning to Selgos now. They are unsure how much of the city's rulers are compromised, but things are going to get messier, one way or another.

Oh, fun! I'll make a character by the end of the weekend.

I'm reading through you Google Docs finally. I love the sheep herding and breeding element, and I can think of a few storylines just about that (under what condition are we willing to trade Kozka to other clans?). Also, the question of Who Calls To You is an evocative one. I would totally make a PC who makes constant reference to being called by one mythical group or another

I really like this. Thanks for the analysis of military logistics. It's extremely informative. One question that it doesn't quite focus on is a potential conflict with the Aldryami. There are a lot of details about what exactly the Reforestation entails that are undefined, but as you've said above, it is at least plausible that the Pralori and the Aldryami will not exist in perfect unison after a magical primeval forest suddenly appears out of nowhere. I'd imagine the main saving grace of the Pralori is that the Elves will be trying to pacify all of Maniria North of the New Coast, which is a lot of territory. ...Does this mean it's time to start an Arstola Forest thread?

I really like the idea of thinking about the specific biome, with the balance of different tree species, rather than the green / brown / yellow distinction.

Another question about the Pralori: What are their interactions with the southern Safelster city states? There's of course trade,with the Pralori taking their toll to allow caravans into Maniria. I could imagine the Ancient Beast Society being interested in a strong Hsunchen society like the Pralori, but I don't know enough about the Ancient Beast Society to know how that would go. I suppose some city states would want elk-riding mercenaries, but that is made a little more complicated by the fact that their closest neighbours are mostly Galanini, who are arguably the least interested in mercenary cavalry, given their own tradition of horse-riding. But at Seshnela marches into Safelster, I could imagine the Pralori being a group that could be convined to help oppose Tanisor. One fun possibility is that the Reforestation completely dislodges the Pralori. Maniria, save for the most staunch of cities, will get blanketed with a thick, primeval forest. The Pralori don't like that, try to fight the Aldryami. The Aldryami, recognizing the Pralori are a major threat, actively turn to crush them, and succeed. The Pralori then flee en masse into Ralios and the Safelster city states. ...That seems like a gloriously messy scenario

I really like that as a mythical core to Heler. It makes for a good distinction between Heler and Orlanth, and it allows for Helerings to be kin to the Vingkotlings, but qualitatively different.

After its been beaten against a wall for a few years.

All I'm saying is that if you haven't tried Kaxtor's Fried Chicken, you haven't lived.

That is a very valid point, but sadly not the only one. I need to consistently have a handle to use the rules to facilitate play and resolve points were the outcome is important but uncertain. Will write more later.

I'm now imagining a bunch of Mostali wheeling up with their artillery as the Cannon Police.

Also, the Aldryami deserve their own thread, but one thing that this thread has hit home is that they are not "Eco-Warriors / Terrorists" in the sense that those terms are used in the late 20th Century & Early 21st Century. They dream of a Forest, no other ecosystem, and the question is not just whether they are anti-"civilization", but how anti-animal life they are in general.

More seriously, could you talk about their shapechanging?

Ah. .... I am having horrible ideas now. 😇

I'll write more tomorrow or Friday, but the short version is that I screwed up combat, but my players had a blast

There's a lot intriguing in that short post! If I want t read up on Helerings, where would I go?

Yes, Lunar super spies vs. the evil organization STORM - Southern Tribespeople Opposed to Real Morality? ...I'll get my coat.

I'm a big fan of how much you cannot treat Maniria as a self-contained bubble, where the core changes are all endogenous.

🤣

I knew that about Ryzel, but I did not know that about Slime Deer. Thanks!