JRE

There are differing opinions on this, as the surviving instructions for pikemen do not include setting the pikes in that way, and it increases the risk of breakage, both by enemies impaling themselves and by deliberate attacks on the wooden hafts. It could help to keep the pikes up while stationary, and we know how much waiting there is in a soldier's life, and that both halves of the sarissa have some combat potential. Finally, if it breaks, the back part is the portion you will keep in hand, so you still have a weapon that is useful in a close formation, even if it is short.

What matters is not the name I hear, as I know who I am, but the name I use to call my beloved, the name she answers to.

A small nitpick. Although we disagree somewhat on what Solace is, I expect we all agree that it was Malkion and not ZZabur who discovered / created / opened access to Solace. Doing that got him and the former logicians that sided with him expelled from Brithos by Zzabur. As I said, for me the key part of Solace for the Malkioni was that you, or a part of you that is considered the quintessential you, would survive the body's death. So besides a potential or real location, it really is a promise of an afterlife, and that is the break with the Brithini and the Vadeli.

Maybe I am a bit obsessed in avoiding my monomythical youthful excesses, but for me names matter. I would have no problem with meeting Orogeria in Balazar. But Velhara, daughter of Kero Fin, sister of Orlanth and Yinkin, lover of both? No.

Maybe it is my age and that of the people I game with, but the rules system does not really matter much to me anymore, except in those parts that really interact with the setting, which for me in this case are Runes and the Magic System(s). The rest is a simulation, and we will change whatever we do not like. We have have been playing Heroquests since the 90s, and I will not wait for a rulebook to keep playing. The big change, and that was intellectual and not mechanistic, came with King of Dragon Pass, changing from an abstract set of challenges to a story with several inflection points. So I will check the rules Chaosium brings, and discuss them with the players, and decide. As we have done with all the other components of the rules. Right now our big debate is how much of WFRP4 to adapt for combat resolution, and that is a slight modification from a 1989 game as well. I suppose it shows our age. We have explored Glorantha through RQ, MRQ, GURPS, BRP, and a failed attempt with HW, and that kept us also from HQG, so we will probably not use a HQG analogue. But it is ok, we are grown ups, at least one of us will buy them, and I am sure Chaosium makes much more money from middle aged people with nostalgia (and disposable income) than from new players with access to Trove-like sites and little concern about IP piracy. And I at least would like for Chaosium to be financially healthy and good JC writers to make enough to continue creating content.

Balazar is on the other side of the mountains, and difficult to reach from Kerofinela, which is another reason why I do not see Velhara there, and also why it is difficult to place Vingkotlings there. Difficult but not impossible, as we are talking about pre-Dawn.

You are openly invited to chuck away the parts you do not like from Chaosium's work. Even more easily you should chuck away anything I write you do not like. I just try to use common sense, a half remembered mastery of the old sources, and interest in how things work behind the curtain to propose ideas. Some changes. You could place some Vinkogtling clans in the Elder Wilds, now disappeared, and Velhara arrived with them and stayed. Or you can consider that she is not a cultural goddess of some orlanthi but an older, deeper goddess, probably descendant from Gata rather than Kero Fin (which is a minor aspect of Gata after all). You could change her name to Tara and probably most nitpickers will shake their heads but say nothing. Or you can decide Velhara is cool and she is perfectly at home in Balazar, and if you make a good history, nothing else matters.

Thanks for the clarification. My messiness (as a good thing*, if it was not clear from my West interest) came from a Lore auction (I think it was Sandy) claiming that Western souls did not go to the same place as Theists, and I actually think it ia a bonus if it cannot be proved whether the souls disappear, go to Solace or reincarnate. Ambiguity explains the many Malkioni sects. That would also make the Orlanthi concern about Meldeks more real, as if you convert your soul will be lost to your family forever. *Fake religions and bad fantasy are neat and ordered. The real things are messy. confusing for outsiders and evolve to adapt to changing circumstances.

It has nothing to do with Waha, but you should know most pikes have a spike on the other business end, and it can be used in case of need, or if you cannot turn the pike around. It is also good to finish off prone foes after you push them down and trample them, or if they try smart tactics like tumbling under the pikeheads. So the pikes stay more or less in place and the wielders change sides. Longspears do, too, and dueling tactics with spears use both points in some quarterstaff like moves, but that would never work in a battle formation.

That is why I do not feel her right for Balazar and the Elder Wilds, because she was a deity of the Vigkotlings, important at Dawn when so much of the land was wild, but losing importance as the "empty spaces" became less empty. She found a second role (she helped them, but they also helped her stay relevant) with Ironhoof and the beasts. And she will always remain relevant for Yinkini and Odaylans, though they may be losing importance in Third Age Dragon Pass. And I forgot to add you can meet her in Kero Fin slopes, visiting dear mother. Sometimes myths are straightforward, but you may have to cope with the Mountain and the Storms if you try to catch her there.

I was thinking of a High King Elf, as suggested in the adventure hook, but your ideas could work too, and the setting and the potential donors would be different.

Although that was long ago, the Penentelli in Aggar were among her worshippers. She is Kerofin's daughter, so although she will be easier to find in Dragon Pass, I would expect most of the old Vingkotling area, from Aggar to Esrolia, but only in wild areas, so Esrolia will be a no right now. I do not see her in Balazar. No mythical resonance and the hsunchen do not need her. Although I would allow her in Tarsh, I would keep her away of the Glowline. Too tame for her, and under other's control. Best place would be Beast Valley, of course. And I would skip Elf Forests. She is mistress of Beasts, not Plants. I would make it easiest for a Yinkini in the Yinkin hills, or an Odaylan in bear shape with no other human in several kilometers/miles, or a Centaur trying to follow Ironhoof's quest. Prax is forbidden.

I suppose the main problem with the bound spirit casting the spell is targeting. If I have a spirit in a crystal in a sword pommel, it would be relatively easy to have it cast a spell on the sword, or, if you are in contact with the crystal, on you. But if the spirit is on a crystal on a necklace, it probably can cast on you (you can be a bit retentive and require the crystal is in skin contact), but it cannot cast fireblade on the sword because it has no idea where is the sword. That makes spirits with INT very valuable, though you need a 3 point spirit binding enchantment, and one with knowledge of Second Sight extremely valuable, as they can target spells outside physical contact. Rather than tons of random encounters I would develop cult spirits that the cult "loans" with desirable spells or attributes, or that you can research and investigate in the case of sorcerers, or you can search for in the Spirit Plane in the case of shamans. That should require an investment of time and or goodwill, and that is good. Just looking for random spirits will probably just bring up animal spirits (without INT) or with spells of limited usefulness. Getting a spirit with INT 14, POW 14, Multimissile 4, Speedart and Heal 6 to place in your bow would require a pilgrimage either physical or spiritual to an Elf forest, and some kind of payment or agreement, or alternately a loan of the Church or Temple of an enemy spirit from the vaults, made only for a promising member. Not a random roll but an adventure hook.

Afterlife for the West is a mess, as how can you differentiate whether your soul disappears (Brithini) or goes to Solace in Grace and cannot be detected or interacted with (classic Malkioni)? Brithini practise a kind of Ressurrection, though limited in time, so the spirit can be rejoined with the body some time after death. But after that time, it is gone. You will not find it in Daka Fal's court, you cannot ressurrect the body because the spirit is gone, and the descendants cannot contact it through ancestor magics. Gone forever. It does not go to Hell like most theists do, even if only for a short while. Most Malkioni believe in reincarnation if you do not achieve Solace, so their souls are not lost, and actually that is one of Malkion's promises, that your soul will persist after your death, rejected by the Brithini. I am not sure how you can prove whether you have a reincarnated soul or a new one, but I am sure there are people making a living by "awakening" your past lives and "proving" you were Bailiffes the Hammer in a previous life, or someone similar.

My mistake. I suppose for Zzabur it was: Strange solar event, but there is an error in all my timepieces. They all show different times. New god in the Sunlands, probably related. I will check when I have some free time, as I am busy recalculating what is the correct time. Talar sent the Fourth army to protect Rational colony from some primitive natives. The colony was saved but as usual some Horali went native and lost. Before I could really focus on the new god in the Sunlands someone devoted to Death removed it from the world, again. It must be a competent hero, but fortunately they is now in a new star, out of my hair. Should update the stellar chart, it is getting obsolete.

At first (1984-1989) I used to let the dice decide who lived or died. though I was lax with Ressurrection if you had money, as that meant impoverished players. Then we imported Fate points from WFRP, and nobody died anymore. Most people were quite cowardly when they ran out of points, which was funny. Now I cheat all the time, and when I do not feel like cheating I let the player roll and tell me the result, so they can cheat if they feel enough about it. As a player, I am pretty sure the GM cheats, but I do not mind. I died once, by running out of Fate points and then being heroic. It was a good death so it felt right. The games have evolved from adversarial or competitive games to communal storytelling modified by chance, so it shows.

You are welcome. David has covered the specifics of the Bolo Lizard Folk. Unfortunately I only have in hand the Guide to Glorantha, so I could not quote the rulebook or the bestiary. Those are quite balanced compared to other starting players. Maran Gor gives "Command Dinosaur", if I remember right, but she is heavily skewed against males, so if you want to ride a big dinosaur it is better to be a woman. And a big dinosaur opens many problems, both in the relative power of players (most dinosaur attacks are instant kills) and by dominating many of the concerns during play (How do you feed it? Where do you keep it while visiting a town? How do you avoid it becoming food for a whole clan in lean times?).

Most sources contradict each other, or are not clear. Some are written from the point of view of a particular sect, so they are subjective. This is my personal view, heavily influenced by the Guide, rather than older documents. For me Solace is akin to Nirvana, breaking from the material world to join the creator. The main objective effect of achieving Solace is that you cannot be contacted, either through your descendants or any magic. To reach Solace you have to follow Malkion's rules to the end. Ascended Masters are those few individuals that are claimed to have reached Solace while still alive. As once you are in Solace you cannot give any magical benefit, it is not possible in a practical way to confirm if you really ascended while alive, so the list is not universally accepted, as it reflects the preferences of each sect. Many are not Hrestoli, so there is no connection between Men of all and ascension, except that many consider Hrestol himself ascended. They offer examples of good behaviour, and some sects may well offer magical benefits by living that way that they claim come from the Masters, but it cannot be confirmed as the masters are unreachable. Some sects even reject the Ascended Master idea, such as the Rokari, so I expect nobody considers Rokar an ascended master. Joy, which is the core Hrestoli concept, for me is what you feel when you break the rules because it is the right action. It is a personal experience, and the right reasons vary from one sect to another. Joy breaks also the material world chains on your soul, and take you closer to Solace. Breaking caste law is probably the easiest way to experience Joy, and it has become the basis of Loskalm's New Hrestolism, but Old Hrestoli will claim that just breaking the laws is not the point, it has to be at the right time and for the right reasons. My Old Hrestoli Men-of-All are those who have experienced Joy and now are working to experience it again, which includes breaking the caste laws. The New Hrestoli sistematize the experience of Joy through organized caste law breaki, and (IMO) do not necessarily experience Joy as much as they should. One is a personal ascension path, while the other is a sistematized meritocratic state religion. In a way, After experiencing Joy the Hrestoli, having broken Malkion's Laws, can no longer achieve Solace in the old way, so now they must follow Hrestol's path as their only choice. This dual path, reach Solace either by strict adherence to the laws of Malkion, or reach Solace through breaking the laws at appropiate points, drives the dynamic of Western religion and internal conflicts. To make it more complicated, some sects consider you only have one shot at Solace, while Hrestoli and some others believe in reincarnation, so you have many tries till you do it right. How convenient. It also helps to justify any break of the laws of Malkion, because it gives me Joy. Now to answer your questions. Hrestol did not set up to achieve Joy, he experienced it, and at the same time got his revelation from Malkion. After this revelation he embarked on his quest, and it has become an alternate way to Solace. That also means that for Old Hrestoli the path usually starts as "knight errant", so it is probably easier for Horali to start along the path. I believe that one of the Hrestoli secrets is that once you master a caste skills, it is frequent to experience Joy when you start to learn another caste. That is also the main tenet of New Hrestolism. Loskalmi expect to experience Joy when they master the first caste, usually Dronal. My own take is that many do not, but claim they do. An Ascended Master is defined above. A Man-of-all is anyone following Hrestol's path, either a personal quest or the systematic approach of Loskalm. New Hrestoli usually lack both the intrinsic knowledge of Joy of the Heart and of right action compared to the Law. So they have the skills but not the inner conviction. Any Malkioni in theory can experience Joy, though usually only Hrestoli learn how to identify it, or how to proceed to experience it again. I like it that Westerners have the most regulated culture in Glorantha, but also a baked in way to rebel and change it. Let's not forget the God Learners were Hrestoli at heart, and I am sure they experienced a lot of Joy, by breaking the rules.

It depends on what you enjoy as a game. This is my own evolution. My first character in Runequest was a power gaming monster, an Arkati ZZ sorcerer that after many efforts could kill anything with stats and regenerate most damage. But it was impossible to have fun with it. No thrill, no emotion except making up huge monsters or even more enemies at the same time. And we did trial test killing the Bat, but no player was willing to risk their player doing that. Then we played a band of misfits just travelling around and trying to keep ahead of a lot of people that wanted to kill / maim / suck their souls. They were powerful in skills just by playing a long time, and collected relics and powerful items just by robbery and straightforward looting corpses, which just brought even more people after them. And it was great fun, even if they did not really change anything in the Hero Wars. And they met many Heroes, and even killed a few (they just got back from death, as that is what happens when you kill a hero by chance). It used the rich tapestry of Glorantha to set up a Dexter like murder rampage for years. Archetypical murder hoboes as many people dislike, but a fun game. Finally in the current campaign the main characters have no skill over 90, no earth shaking magic, no powerful magic items, no godly patronage. But so far they have met Zistor and many Named Hero level people (this is Second Age, so not so many known Heroes), have delayed the fall of Zistor for 5-6 years by disrupting the orlanthi EWF alliance, have destroyed a proto dragon, saved an Arkat's fragment from the GLs, and are on their way to meet Yanas Kyrem (too late to meet Joraz as was the initial plan), Lord Lybragon and Pavis apotheosized. Directly they have killed a couple of Broos, some GL constructs, four Delecti zombies and one bandit. Most of what they have achieved has been by talking with people, making them do things, stealing some ritual items, and joining heroquests and taking them in their own direction. And running away many times, avoiding some people, Lying (capitalized Lie here) to them, or simply surrendering and grovelling. Meeting Heroes, manipulating them, or even finding a weak spot and using it is a role playing thing, not roll playing, as we roll very few dice in hero quests or high stakes meetings. The broos were probably the most dangerous encounter in the whole campaign, and it was because they went looking for an Uroxi they wanted to befriend, who was hunting broos at the time. The main thing, as Mr. Brooke does in Black Spear and other works, is not to be afraid to use the big names, make them human and easy to interact, and what for many people is the hardest part, to be willing to depart from the so called canon if the players do something unexpected, because it is their game after all. That is why I do not like so much Dragon Pass 1600-1627, because through the years it has become more of a TV series script than a game, with lots of events already fixed. I prefer to explore the Second Age, or Western Genertela Hero Wars, because there are some guidelines and big events, but also a lot of space for the players to become the main characters. And if the players want, we can always go to Nochet and enjoy the atmosphere. It is a matter of attitude, just forget the rat race of increasing personal power, because there will always be someone more powerful, and instead find a different way, more human, of dealing with other humans. Violence is a tool, but a quite limited one.

Maybe the firebergs sink Brithos and burn Zzabur, off the screen. Or we just have little information on Western Hero Wars. We have more information on the Waertagi, and their alliance with Brithos is back in force, My own take is that the Talar that unifies the three Western kingdoms, tangles with Phargentes and almost conquers Ralios has support from Brithos and the Waertagi, but the Brithini are more focused in their own aeons old war against the Vadeli than in Central Genertela. Zzabur will claim that it is his spells what turns the moon white, and that was the plan all along. I also expect that Brithos disappears into the otherworld again once the conflict with the Vadeli winds down, as that is the only way to keep immortality.

There is a lesser tribe in Prax that ride Bolo Lizards, but they are not too big, average SIZ 19. Those are two legged vegetarians, so no big human devouring lizards here, but well known and established. The Old Tarsh exiles have a weird relationship with dinosaurs through the goddess Maran Gor in Earthshaker temple, and some of them ride dinosaurs up to Brontosaur or possibly even T. Rex size, but they are not nomads but bloodthirsty earth cultists. Both are with some changes among the initial cultures for Dragon Pass. Maran Gor is the mother of dinosaurs, so a good starting point. Dinosaurs are a bit over the top in RQ, as big size means huge damage and lots of hit points. The real primitive Dino riders, fighting against machine advanced dwarves and enslaved humans are in Slon, in Western Pamaltela, the other side of the world. Difficult to get one to Dragon Pass, and even harder with a dinosaur. You can find more in the Guide To Glorantha Vol. 2. There are also Dinosaurs in some Eastern islands and lands, but as far as I know there are not Dinosaur riders, rather monsters in Godzilla / Gojira scale.

IMG every morning Zzabur checks his apotheosis notes, knowing that it would be enough that a pea-brained overpowered brute like that Harrek (that he spends so much time watching in a crystal ball that it seems improper) lands in Brithos to put everything at risk. Every morning he caresses Malkion's skull on the mantelpiece and decides that today is not the day.

There are (as always) many different interpretations. Mine is that the Compromise exchanges freedom for survival of the world, and also of the Deities that joined it. Those that did not join will benefit in that the world is not breaking up fast anymore, but they are not protected from death, no matter their apparent power. That allows Zzabur to act within time, but also means he could be obliterated too, edwhile for a deity in the compromise you can decrease their influence, as Orlanth during the Windstop, but with effort you can still get through and access them in the Godtime. That is the defining factor of the West. When they visit the Godtime they do not see their fundational heroes / gods performing their myths and showing the right way of living. They see their enemies, and only partial echoes of their own myths, because their founders did not join the compromise because for Zzabur being frozen in Godtime was worst than dying, and I suppose Malkion did too, and that is why he stayed dead and unreachable, when so many dead deities returned at Dawn. That also explains why Western heroquesters adopt an exploitative approach to heroquests, something you do to get power, not because it is the way to be close to your deity and right living. Unfortunately their perspective has been adopted by many others in Glorantha and this approach is behind many of the heroes of the Hero Wars. In my opinion the difference between pre-Dawn mortals that continue within Time, such as Zzabur or The Only Old One, and gods and goddesses within time, such as Nysalor, Sedenya and most of the Lunar pantheon, is that those so called deities either identify themselves with a deity from before time, so they are already in the compromise, though the mortal part could act in time before being subsumed in the deity, or they accepted compromise afterwards, and that is what apotheosis is, make someone a god, which in Glorantha means joining the Compromise loss of freedom, but also the protection from destruction. Sartar apotheosized, so the Lunars cannot destroy him, though they can try to suppress his cult, murder his family and limit his influence, but he will be there yet for those who know where to look. It also means the immutable Godtime is quite mutable. Welcome to Glorantha!

I would add that what the player feels is right is surely wrong for a Glorantha character, so I am happy with Honor being an absolute, as it is the character, not the player who decides. As we cannot ask they, Honor goes down.

In my opinion the use of passions as inspiration is a carrot to make players take passions, but their main purpose is to give GMs a tool to direct the players to the game they want to play. Do you want to make them visit the Zola Fel valley? Have someone they respect (loyalty) send them there, or have someone they love be at risk. Having similar loyalties helps with this, which is why many parties are from the same clan or tribe, as a single leader can command all of them. Boldhome could work similarly, though for a good part of the period Boldhome is an occuppied city, without an unified leadership to direct the players, if you do not count the Lunars, so it will be less useful as a play aid than, for instance, Loyalty (Colymar). Once they get stronger, the players can be more proactive, with their loyalty making players take self imposed missions because they consider it will be good for their city, without the need of a guiding hand except in special cases.