Engaging players during Sacred Time (and heroquests)

[MMan]

During our next RQ session we are getting into our first sacred time. Although the game treats it as just downtime, I'd like to give it a bit more attention in the table as it is completely original concept for all of the players and me too.

The characters are of the Colymar clan (cults: Orlanth, Issaries, Yinkin and Daka-Fal). To avoid GM monologue and keep players engaged, I'd like to somehow create small encounters and adventures that the PCs must react to during sacred time. Also I would somehow like to present the Lightbringers quest in some engaging and interactive way for the players to experience, not by heroquesting, but re-enacting first part of it in the mundane world.

I'd like to have my PCs chance to act out or play the Westfaring part during the sacred time, but I'm afraid that just sticking to the script will take away the player agency and meaningful decisions. But then, giving the players the freedom to solve challenges etc. in their own way fights against the notion that the myths should be kept intact by re-enacting them as strictly as possible. Also, what is the in-game context of the ritual or re-enactment? Is it that the Glorantha itself that will throw the challenges against any group that is dressed like the Lightbringers traveling west (implicit mythic resonance), thus making the challenges real and dangerous. Or is it the other clan members acting it out in an orchestrated play keeping the act safe and controlled? How to measure success if players are given freedom to solve challenged in their own way?

Also I would like to hear ideas on how to challenge the players (see their cults above) and bring their cults alive during the sacred time: What kind of rituals and how to engage the PCs in them? What is the meaning of a specific ritual? What is the part of a just initiated cult member in it? How can the ritual be failed and what are it's repercussions? What does exceptional success bring to the clan?

Any other "adventuring" ideas concerning the sacred time are also of course welcome :)

[soltakss]

17 minutes ago, MMan said:

During our next RQ session we are getting into our first sacred time. Although the game treats it as just downtime, I'd like to give it a bit more attention in the table as it is completely original concept for all of the players and me too.

Sounds good.

17 minutes ago, MMan said:

The characters are of the Colymar clan (cults: Orlanth, Issaries, Yinkin and Daka-Fal). To avoid GM monologue and keep players engaged, I'd like to somehow create small encounters and adventures that the PCs must react to during sacred time. Also I would somehow like to present the Lightbringers quest in some engaging and interactive way for the players to experience, not by heroquesting, but re-enacting first part of it in the mundane world.

Re-enacting it in the mundane world is HeroQuesting, albeit a minor kind.

Taking part in a Sacred Time ceremony is an honor, especially for non-Rune Levels.

Imagine this as being like a Nativity Play, Thanksgiving Play, mummer Play or similar, perhaps even like a Pantomime. There is a script but it might be different each time or for each clan. "Come on in, Joseph, there's plenty of room at the inn" in a HeroQuest might have a strange effect, unless Joseph replies "Thanks, but we'd be happier in that stable".

So, although it is a HeroQuest, it is controlled and well-known. You would have scripted encounters and so on. Sure, the participants might not know that and might think they are in real peril, but they will be performing this on the clan tula, so the danger is lessened.

23 minutes ago, MMan said:

I'd like to have my PCs chance to act out or play the Westfaring part during the sacred time, but I'm afraid that just sticking to the script will take away the player agency and meaningful decisions. But then, giving the players the freedom to solve challenges etc. in their own way fights against the notion that the myths should be kept intact by re-enacting them as strictly as possible.

OK, think of it like Thanksgiving. You have a script, settlers come to America, settlers are struggling, natives come and offer help, they all sit down and have a meal together to show friendship. Those are the main scenes. The script itself can be anything, as long as it includes those scenes. Have a little beggar-child who steals bread and is punished but is forgiven at the Thanksgiving meal? That isn't in the main story, but why not? Having a native man and a settler woman meet and fall in love but driven apart by the settlers? Again, not in the story but could be in the script.

So, think of the events and not the solutions. 

On the Westfaring, what were the main events? Set each of them up and let the Adventurers find the solutions.

I try to think of the events and never think of solutions, which means that Players can approach it however they want. Sure, I can drop hints and so on, but I don't work out the only way of solving something.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

Also, what is the in-game context of the ritual or re-enactment?

This is a HeroQuest and is a ritual re-enactment.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

Is it that the Glorantha itself that will throw the challenges against any group that is dressed like the Lightbringers traveling west (implicit mythic resonance), thus making the challenges real and dangerous. Or is it the other clan members acting it out in an orchestrated play keeping the act safe and controlled?

A bit of both, really.

Normally, this would be an orchestrated play, keeping it safe and controlled. So, Mad Erik always plays the Broo and has a Broo Costume handed down to him by his father and grandfather before him, the Blue People are played by people from the Water Bloodline and so on.

However, as it is a HeroQuest, other HeroQuestors can come in and insert themselves into the HeroQuest. So, Mad Erik capers along in his Broo costume, making obscene gestures and running around, but another Broo comes along and attacks the HeroQuestors, so what do they do? Should they ignore the extra Broo, kill the extra Broo, kill both Broos, just in case, or pretend to kill Mad Erik as normal? As it is on the clan tula, any HeroQuesting incursions should be relatively minor, as the clan guards should be able to spot a party of chaos Rune Levels approaching.

There is no right way or wrong way to do this, whatever fits your gaming group in that situation is probably appropriate.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

How to measure success if players are given freedom to solve challenged in their own way?

Do they achieve the appropriate outcome for each of the Stations along the way? Do they reach the end of the Westfaring?

The details are, to a certain extent, irrelevant.

Sure, the clansfolk might tut if Orlanth gives one of the Blue Women a green cloak not a blue one, but that won't fail or change the HeroQuest.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

Also I would like to hear ideas on how to challenge the players (see their cults above) and bring their cults alive during the sacred time: What kind of rituals and how to engage the PCs in them?

For me, this is about taking part in the rituals and becoming the deity. There might be some mythic dissonance if you do things differently to how the deity did it, but most things are fine and don't result in migraines or nosebleeds. 

You could have a clan level ritual, but you could also have local, bloodline or family rituals. Lay members sit them out and watch them. Initiates might watch them but understand more about what they really mean, or they might take part in them and really get to understand and feel the inner meaning. Rune Levels normally participate and gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

What is the meaning of a specific ritual?

This could spawn pages of discussions about each ritual and what it means. For me, there are two meanings, a general cult meaning and a local clan/bloodline/family meaning. So, a clan could perform the Westfaring, but the Water bloodline might mention how their ancestor met Orlanth and then travelled to this area and joined the clan, citing their friendship with Orlanth, so the Westfaring has special significance to that Bloodline and to the Clan.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

What is the part of a just initiated cult member in it?

As above, an initiate can take part in the rituals and learn things from it. Lay members don't normally take part, as they have not yet been initiated into the mysteries of the cult.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

How can the ritual be failed and what are it's repercussions?

The ritual can be failed for many reasons:

• Bad Luck: Orlanth slips on a puddle and falls, knocking himself unconscious and allowing the Broo to hit him with a club
• Incompetence: Orlanth hits the Broo and fumbles, slicing off Lhankor Mhy's head (That might be bad luck)
• Incompetence 2: Orlanth has not bothered to learn his lines and adlibs his way through the performance
• Outside Acts: A ringer comes in and disrupts the HeroQuest, so a Broo comes along and kills Orlanth
• Deliberate Fail: Orlanth kneels before the Broo and promises that the clan will pay tribute to them during the following year

1 hour ago, MMan said:

What does exceptional success bring to the clan?

A better harvest next year, better luck, mythical boosts to other HeroQuests, fertile Spring Maidens, every woman, cow and ewe gives birth to twins or triplets that year. That kind of thing.

1 hour ago, MMan said:

Any other "adventuring" ideas concerning the sacred time are also of course welcome 🙂

Keep it structured, have the Adventurers play a part in more than one ritual, but not all of them. Allow them to intercept some invading HeroQuestors and save the ritual. have some things go in a slightly different way than normal and explore the consequences. 

So, one of the water tribe might have her eye on an Adventurer and might do something in the Westfaring HeroQuest that is unusual but designed to bind them together, that would have an effect in the mundane world afterwards.

 

Happy HeroQuesting!

[Squaredeal Sten]

21 hours ago, MMan said:

During our next RQ session we are getting into our first sacred time. ...........To avoid GM monologue and keep players engaged, I'd like to somehow create small encounters and adventures that the PCs must react to during sacred time. Also I would somehow like to present the Lightbringers quest in some engaging and interactive way ........ but I'm afraid that just sticking to the script will take away the player agency

I have not personally experienced a good role-play of Sacred Time, and this is probably a challenge to most GMs.  So I'm definitely not speaking from authority here, but-

It seems to me that how deep your players get into the Sacred time ceremonies depends on (1) How "realistic" [true to the Gloranthan background] you want to be, and (2) their status in the community.  If you really want to treat them as junior members of the community then they are not going to take the role of Orlanth.  That's for a rune level. 

The player's first Sacred Times as an initiate, they are likely to be spectators who contribute magic points.  But they might guard their own cult's ceremony -  or might guard another cult's ceremony.   

In later Sacred Times they may get to be supporting characters.  Also think about what supporting initiate functions might be: Can they be stagehands for the play in the temple?   Not all Initiates get to be performers.  It might be a step up when the priest taps them to build the fire for the sacrifice, a minor worship task, or to grill the meat and pass out skewers.  And they get a worship roll, and if they do it right then they gain because it's a stressful situation for a newbie.  

This is NOT going to engage your players for a whole play session, but why should it?  Your players mostly came to your table wanting to make their POW gain rolls for the year.   

If they fumble the worship roll they get some of the blame for whatever bad thing happens afterward - so have a bad thing in mind in case someone fumbles - maybe they are told "you broke it, you fix it" and that's an adventure hook.  

Still later in their careers, as senior initiates, they may actually get to help reenact the myth.  Maybe they are in a short-handed place, a little town like Apple Lane.  Not enough rune levels, so an initiate gets to step up and be, I don't know, Issaries while the local Wind Lord NPC is Orlanth.  This is an honor they get if they are on good terms with the priest, so their roleplaying interactions with that NPC over the past few adventures can result in a reward, maybe in game terms an extra Worship roll and a Reputation gain.

(Hm, I wonder what the Sacred Time ceremony for Uleria would be like.  Just a thought.)

In any of these steps there is a chance of disaster, the Summons of Evil just happens to bring in your real chaos creature.   Or the neighboring troll tribe decides to weaken the humans' magic for next year.  But don't make that a certainty the first time around, else your players will know that every Sacred Time they are going into a fight and it will get boring.

Just my thoughts.  And much different from actually writing the adventure.