Essentials of Glorantha

[kpmcdona]

I did the Westerners as sort of christianish and the Carmanians as more muslimish (very very very VERY loosely in both cases!)

I used Hellenistic Persia as a main inspiration for Carmanians, with a bunch of other influences tossed in here and there. Interestingly, in the real world the Greeks (Pelandans) conquored the Persians (Carmanians) while in Glorantha it was the other way around. Either way, though, you have the two cultures/religions influencing each other.

 

[Darran]

Plus there's never been a caravan guard mission that hasn't been ambushed. It's in The Rules...

Ah, sure there have been. It's just never the One That The Adventurers Are Guarding. Why, everyone knows trouble follows adventurers around like a problematic shadow.

Heck, if adventurers were really clever, they'd start extorting towns and villages so as to ensure that they don't visit them. As soon as adventurers hit any sort of organized community whatsoever, suddenly there are mysterious murders that need solving, strange cults kidnapping innocents, corrupt politicians that overstep their bounds, etc.

Kinda how like how in "Murder, she wrote," whenever there was a murder Angela Lansbury always managed to be nearby, ready to 'solve' it. I mean, c'mon, didn't anybody start suspecting things when a murder-mystery writer suddenly starts showing up every time someone in the town is killed, and she's the only one who can solve it (and then goes on to wroite a book about it and make millions)...!? :twisted:

Too true.

My PCs would always burn the place down when they left too.
You could follow them across the countryside from one burnt out village to the other! :lol:

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

I've always played third age Glorantha as more post apocalypse than anything else.

The point of the Western Genertela is monotheistic feodalism. That doesn't need high medieval technology. Instead of knights and the catholic church I've taken muslims as the primary inspiration for the monotheism, and cataphracts for the heavy cavalry elites.

Nice idea. I did the Westerners as sort of christianish and the Carmanians as more muslimish (very very very VERY loosely in both cases!)

I never even went near the west. The whole Malkioni thing freaked me pretty badly, it just did not fit in with the rest of the continent.

 

[homerjsinnott]

I've always played third age Glorantha as more post apocalypse than anything else.

The point of the Western Genertela is monotheistic feodalism. That doesn't need high medieval technology. Instead of knights and the catholic church I've taken muslims as the primary inspiration for the monotheism, and cataphracts for the heavy cavalry elites.

Nice idea. I did the Westerners as sort of christianish and the Carmanians as more muslimish (very very very VERY loosely in both cases!)

I never even went near the west. The whole Malkioni thing freaked me pretty badly, it just did not fit in with the rest of the continent.

I'm not sure but I think feudalism was never an aspect of Islamic culture(huge generalisation I know), not that that's Glorantha or anything.

 

[SteveMND]

I never even went near the west. The whole Malkioni thing freaked me pretty badly, it just did not fit in with the rest of the continent.

Oddly enough, the east bothered me more than the west. Central Genertela, while clearly based on several different cultures, was nonetheless blended together to present a unique whole, IMHO. Eastern Genertela, however, was far too blatant of a Chinese analogue for me; it just never seemed to fit in at all.

 

[Adept]

I'm not sure but I think feudalism was never an aspect of Islamic culture(huge generalisation I know), not that that's Glorantha or anything.

I'm using "feodalism" in a very broad sense here, and not referring to the european middle ages.

If the society is divided into Nobility (warrior elite), Clergy, and peasants, and the power of the rulers is distributed in tiers (king, duke, earl, baron, knight) then it's a useful quickhand to name it feodalism.

Of course I use arabic terms instead of the english ones. Like Mushir (duke), Faris (knight) and (Sayiida) Lady.

 

[Adept]

I never even went near the west. The whole Malkioni thing freaked me pretty badly, it just did not fit in with the rest of the continent.

Oddly enough, the east bothered me more than the west. Central Genertela, while clearly based on several different cultures, was nonetheless blended together to present a unique whole, IMHO. Eastern Genertela, however, was far too blatant of a Chinese analogue for me; it just never seemed to fit in at all.

I find it interesting as long as one uses an early enough (warring states era) china as the model, at least as far as technology is concerned. Kralorela is so traditionalist there's no way it can be high-tech.