In RuneQuest Glorantha does everyone now use Praxian animals instead of horses.

[Richard S.]

2 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

In this post from 2020, you say there are only a few hundred Eiritha initiates in all of Sartar, a fraction of a percent.

https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/cult-membership-in-sartar/

 

Eiritha could be more common if many Earth Cultists are dual initiates, e.g. of Ernalda and Eiritha.  Is that the intent?

While there might not be many initiates she's probably got plenty of lay members. All you need to support a shrine is a god talker and a couple dozen worshipers.

[Rodney Dangerduck]

4 hours ago, Joerg said:

Harmast's Zebras combine rather high status import beasts

which aren't trained for riding - basically pack beasts.  Less relevant to much of this discussion.

[Ian Absentia]

So I realise MGF and IMG and YGMV and all, but the notion that Praxian riding beasts are "just another riding animal" rubs the wrong way.  In all my years of Gloranthasising, part of the joy of playing a member of, say, the Rhino tribe is that you get to ride a rhinoceros.  And perhaps as importantly, that you're unique in your tribe's ability to do so.  And furthermore that it's a very Praxian thing to do, due to niche environments and divine pacts and traditional exclusion of (possibly/probably) more versatile mounts.

For some reason it's only just registered with me that Vasana rides a bison, even though I've read the description and seen the images for years.  I guess I've always assumed that she's special that way for expositional purposes.  You know, like being a puma-person. 😇

I definitely roll to disbelieve that any ol' person with Ride skill could mount and manage a high llama, an impala, or even an ostrich.  I'm more flexible where Praxian zebras are concerned.

Getting back to the question of economics posed in the original post, I maintain that a simple horse is more expensive because it's inherently more versatile and manageable in more environments than any of the Praxian riding beasts.

!i!

[David Scott]

10 hours ago, Rodney Dangerduck said:

which aren't trained for riding - basically pack beasts.  Less relevant to much of this discussion.

Harmast does ride his zebras. See the chapter plate on page 98 of the Core Rules.

[ChrisWentWhere]

I don't know if I should start a new thread for this or not, but does the SIZ of an adventurer have any bearing on the availability of riding animals. One PC in my group is a monstrous SIZ 19. Would he be ok on the back of a dainty Sered or would he really need to ride a Bison or a Daron or something? I can't see a mechanic that reflects this as I see it the Maximum ENC of the riding animals only relates to their use as Pack animals. Is there one somewhere?