Shiningbrow

How would Plant Lore, Mineral Lore etc affects alchemy? A single Augment roll doesn't quite seem right...

Isn't that the purpose of the roll?

You are correct.

There should be a teaching skill. Good teachers make a *significant* difference to a learner. They should also be well paid for it. Just knowing a skill well doesn't mean you have any ideas as to how best to explain it to others (and, typically, means falling back on concepts that can actually be wrong, or stunt development).

Teaching skill. Adds percent to both chance to increase, and the increase itself. Perhaps equal to crit value. The best swordswinger could be the most useless teacher (they kill, not chat), but a good teacher can interpret an explain much better, even with less knowledge and skill. I don't get why knowledge skills don't have auto-checks... When you read/write, you're seeing different styles, ways to use lexis & grammar to make meaning, etc. Other skills give you the chance to make a connection you've not realised before - or just more certain.

Body posture trance position.

You say, "well, if you do this, I have nothing ready, so we're going to waste today's session...". We've done that to a GM, who said this, so obviously playing was more important than "winning". We went the way the GM had prepared...

The examples cited have most of the elements of the first (without the strong limitations and prejudicial laws), as well as the second.

Precisely the thought I had reading the previous post!! What's a dragon? Does China have dragons (in stories, not RL)? Because, dragons have wings... Oh, wait.... What about vampires? Do all cultures have them? Yes... And no... And even in our own culture(s), have they stayed the same? So, it's foolish to put up a label to something, and expect the world to conform to it... rather than the other way around.

I have to agree with this - the idea that a matriarchy would be exactly the same as a patriarchy, except gender roles are reversed. The very same Wiki quoted above has a long section on definition, etc, that contradicts some of the ideas expressed here, and then goes on to outline a few "possible" matriarchies (depending on those definitions). Hopi are one of those. If we get away from thinking like "matriarchy is patriarchy with inverted gender roles", then obviously society would have quite different rules. Sometimes, those rules would surprise us. Maybe even allowing men to "dominate" some aspects of society. Glorantha? Is Esrolia a matriarchy? And if we say "yes", then are we automatically bound to the idea that men can't easily rise to strong power? Or, will we use a different idea, and power and decisions are more egalitarian? (Yeah, I know it's already written... )

A quick search gives numerous examples... Hopi, Iroquois, Nair, Garo,, Nakhi....

The description in the official write-up is only the one they tell people

Boobs... And wood.

Valid point... TBH, I agree anyway for various swathes of Glorantha.

This is my point... Why does it have to be? In today's society, it's increasingly common for a mother to go to work not long after having a kid. This is not seen in any way to be an indicator of gender. Thus, I see no reason for why a woman in Orlanthi culture can't have her kids and go adventuring too... Without becoming "Vingan" (as a gender).

That would be my job.... It's not the number of vowels or diphthongs... It's the lack of consistency in rules (including pronunciation). I've recently been giving my kids sheets of irregular simple past tense words... And even the irregular have irregularities! So, I'm happy to admit that English is a stupid language to be "the world language"!

One thing I've not liked/agreed with about the Vingan discussion is that the idea of protecting kith and kin, home and hearth, is seen as a "male" role. The idea that a woman has to be a different kind of woman (whether sexed, gendered, or other) to take up the fight... And not just the Ernaldan turned temporary Orlanthi... I find off-putting. It somewhat borders on early Europe and America, where being a nurse was a woman's job, and running a company a man's. I thought we could get past this stereotyping *without* it saying anything about gender, sexuality, etc. Secondly, I note Babeester Gor is there for the women who have suffered badly at the hands of men -- particularly enduring rape; and the getting of revenge. Where do men go to for a similar experience?

True. I was just clarifying the situation. Personally, I don't have a problem with cult restrictions... They all have them!

@Jeff has stated that males will be allowed to initiate into Ernalda, but not progress further.

Isn't that what you get in the UK? River Avon is like river-river... And other silliness after translation. Well, interestingly, there are some names translated, and others not. Beijing is North Capital, e.g.. No-one translates it to that. Though. However, where I am is the famous (in China) Xihu, which is usually referred to as West Lake. The Huanglong stadium is called Yellow Dragon. Etc etc. And, of course, the Summer Palace. In saying all of that, I totally get (and perhaps agree) about the language use.

What I meant was - there are 56 ethnicities that are within the land we call "China" now, that have greatly varying traditions, cultures, myths, values, histories. As has already been mentioned, shamanism. I think for some of us, (again, which has been said) the problem is that it's westerner's impression of a fantasy China. And unlike the main areas, there's not a lot (as much of) a *real historical* China.... Which is what makes the cringe. It's not unlike the expectation that I drink coke and eat KFC, so that's what hosts will order for me when I'm invited to do a lecture... (I rarely have KGC, and gave up coke decades ago!) (*as I've already said, I've been living here in China for about 10 years now)

No. I meant that I think people don't cringe with the fauxness of it as much. That is, it has been successfully ported in a way that comes across as "fair"... The mix of reality and fantasy is good. The mix in Kralorela isn't, as shown by this thread. (Of course, these are merely my opinions) I don't know if you're aware, but both Lianghe and Gongji are real places in China. Does Kralorela *need* to have something resembling Chinese language?

I think almost literally every fantasy writer ever has come up with fantasy names for places... And the better ones have done it with different linguistically diverse namings...

Ummm... There is a serious divide between the way the Indo-European inspired areas are done, and the way other cultures have been treated. That's the problem.

Trust me, modern China already has... You seem to have forgotten the 56 different ethnicities (cultures) currently in China. As has already been stated, Kralorela is currently a mix of only a couple of the predominant tropes and stereotypes. I'm not saying your additions aren't valid, just that to drop some of the problems of the stereotype, there needs to be greater research into the real history, including the peoples.