Help with Glorantha Fractions and campaigns...

[sidkfjjteidlkkf]

And not mathematical...

OK, I was look and glancing at all the Glornantha books.

Just how many fractions are there in the world. Just how may ways are there to run a campaign? I know the EWF, God-Learner's etc... What other groups and fractions are there?

It is very hard to determine that.

Since most of the non-human races do not intermingel, just how many are there?

 

[Rurik]

That is like asking how many factions there are in our world - it is not easy to answer. Do you count Muslims as a faction? Arabs? Most Arabs are Muslims, but you cannot say most Muslims are Arabs, then there are Sunni and Shia Muslims for example. The point I am making is that there are not clear lines, and how you divide factions is subjective. Many Americans may simply see all Muslims as one faction - I'm sure the view from Morocco, for example, is quite different.

Really, to most Gloranthans, there are two factions: Us, and Them.

Orlanthi is used a faction in most books, as is EWF, but the EWF was started by, and is pretty much run by, Orlanthi who converted to the Draconic Way.

That all being said here is a (subjective) list, focused on Genertela (the Northern Continent):

Orlanthi (the Traditionalists that have not embraced the draconic way)
Darra Happans (Sun God worshippers from Darra Happa, again this represents the 'rebels' who have not embraced the Draconic Way).
God Learners/Malkioni (The Western Sorcerers from or conquered by the Middle Sea Empire/God Learners).
EWF (Those who have embraced or been forced to embrace the Draconic Way - not a culture in itself, made up primarily of Orlanthi and Darra Happans, with some Praxians and Pentans if I recall right).
Carmanians (Sorcerers but not God Learners)
Praxians (Beast riding Nomads of Prax)
Pentans (Horse Riding Nomads of Pent)
Kraloreli (Roughly a China analogous culture, practice a form of draconic mysticism but not part of the EWF - they have no illusions about humans actually attaining dragonhood - Emperor is a Middle Sea Empire puppet).
Teshnans (Kind of like India)
Trolls/Uz
Dwarves/Mostali
Elves/Aldryami
Dragonewts (whereas the EWF is humans who desire to become draconic - to outsiders the Dragonewts and EWF probably seem indistinguishable in 908, but they will have their falling out soon enough).
Chaos

Then there are smaller races/cultures that don't really fit into the above factions, but are unique into themselves, such as Ducks, Newtlings, and Tusk Riders for example.

Of course, any one of the above factions can be broken down. God learners have many internal factions based on different religeous and political beliefs for example.

 

[sidkfjjteidlkkf]

Thanks, I know it was a compicated question but THAT HELPS.

Now, out of those factions, how many will work together as one, in peacefull way? Not just to accompish one goal, but for a campaign full of goals.

 

[RosenMcStern]

First of all, keep in mind that the whole subject of "factions" is a semplification introduced in the basic books to help new players understand Glorantha. Like it happens in the HeroQuest player's book, which describes Glorantha as a matter of Orlanthi vs. Lunars only (a la Braveheart) and leaves deeper exploration to other supplements. Speaking about "the big sea empire" and "the big dragon empire" can help players grasp the big picture in a pinch. The point is that only the GL and the EWF are "factions", in fact. The Lion Hsunchen do not get along very well with the deer Hsunchen, of course, and all Orlanthi clans raid other clans for cattle on a regular basis, so I would not define the Orlanthi or the Hsunchen as a faction, let alone the nonhumans.

But Glorantha gives its best, at the level depicted in RuneQuest (HeroQuest allows a slightly larger scale) if you concentrate on the small picture rather than the very big one. Rather than concentrating on how many world-spanning empires are there, try and discover how many Hsunchen tribes live in Vesmonstran, or how many conflicting wizardly orders have a chapter in Segurane. It will provide a much easier way to manage an adventure at first, and by the time you have mastered your area of interest you will find plenty of reasons to interact with the world-spanning factions.

Oh, and if you still want a list, I would say (for second age Genertela): Elfs (with subfactions), Dwarfs, Trolls (with subfactions), Dragonewts, Rathori, Hrestoli, Brithini, Traditionalist Orlanthi, Praxians (with subfactions), Pentans, Kralori, Vithelans, God learners, EWF and I have surely forgotten someone (Carmanians, etc.). The rest is too small to be regarded as a faction.

 

[Rurik]

The big divide is EWF and God Learners. They are the big opposing factions in the Second Age. Most of the other factions can (and some do) ally with either faction.

God Learners will hire mercenary questing groups from just about any culture.

Orlanthi and Darra Happans have throughout history been opposed factions, but since the EWF has absorbed much of the homelands of both, EWF Darra Happans and Orlanthi will work together, just as Old Ways Traditionalist Orlanthi and Darra Happans will work together against the EWF.

The seige of Zistorwal (see the Clanking City supplement) has Trolls, Dwarves, and the EWF working together to wipe out the Clanking City, though each for their own reason.

So most factions can be mixed to some extent, but the EWF and God Learners will not. Trolls and Elves and Dwarves will rarely mix, but can get along with most human factions under the right circumstances.

 

[RosenMcStern]

Argh! Rurik beat me in a Fast Reply opposed test

Now, out of those factions, how many will work together as one, in peacefull way? Not just to accompish one goal, but for a campaign full of goals.

Ah, I get the picture. You want to know how many of them you can throw in in a campaign. Well, almost all. In Ruriks' pbem we have GL, Orlanthi, Uz and a Minotaur. But we are working for one faction only, the GL, and the other characters act as mercenaries.

Basically, just avoid conflicting pairs of cultures/races (GL and EWF, Elfs and Trolls, Trolls and Dwarfs, Elfs and Dwarfs, Praxians and Pentans). The rest is fine. An Orlanthi might well be in a bloodfeud against another Orlanthi from a different clan but get along well with an Uz.

But hear an experienced GM's advice: start with one culture, two at most, for your first Gloranthan game. Study all the subtleties of that culture and you will be able to create a variegated group. My first Gloranthan campaign was Troll only. We started with a group of three hunters who worshiped Kyger Litor and a nurse (yes, trolls have nurses) who worshipped Xiola Umbar, and in a few months the group had evolved into :

- a Shaman of Kyger Litor, who also worshipped Jeset the Ferryman
- a Berserker of Storm Bull
- an Initiate of both Gorakiki and Aranea, travelling with a half dozen spiders and beetles
- an initiate of Zorak Zoran (candidate for Death Lord) with a small band of wasp-mounted trollkin

 

[zozotroll]

Hey, Trolls can get along fine with elfs, you just need a really big jar of salad dressing.

 

[GianniVacca]

Hmmm... As a GM, I would certainly not allow God Learners with nonhumans. God Learners view all nonhumans as krjalki, corrupted demon worshipping humans. For a Westerner, a good krjalki is a dead krjalki.

 

[soltakss]

Not all Malkioni view non-humans as Krjalki.

Arkat was raised by Aldryami on Brithos and was accepted by the Brithini, Hrestoli and trolls, although the Arkati have fallen out with the Jrusteli.

Waertagi are semi-inhuman and were accepted by most Malkioni, although they have fallen out with the Jrusteli.

The Jrusteli have a cordial relationship with Timinits on Jrustela. They also deal with the trolls of the Shadowlands.

So, not all Malkioni dislike non-humans. They dislike heretics more.

 

[Rurik]

God Learners in the true sense - that is the movement within the Middle Sea Empire and Malkioni Church that embraces the study and manipulation of the otherworldly entities worshipped by Pagans, would certainly have some orders and schools that would study trolls and other krjalki. There is a bit in G:tSA about an intereaction between trolls and a God Learner study group trying to learn about Kygor Litor.

That all being said, more conservative Malkioni consider the God Learner ways as at best suspect and at worst directly heretical. The most extreme among the conservatives beleive that the God Learners acts of heresy will bring ruin upon them (and are of course ultimately right). The fact is the God Learners action have brought great power, and hence wealth, to the Empire and so they are tolerated or even embraced despite the fact that some of their methods are suspect at best to devout Malkioni.

At least that is my take - YGWV.

Also, for the PBP game I made a concious decision NOT to set limits on what people wanted to play (I had strongly considered doing so), so the party does read like one of those "A God Learner, a Troll, an Orlanthi and a Minotuar walk into a bar" jokes, and I have no regrets so far. I think I've done a decent job coming up for a reason to keep the party together, and hopefully they won't kill eachother anytime soon. Now all we need is a punchline.

 

[RosenMcStern]

I think I've done a decent job coming up for a reason to keep the party together, and hopefully they won't kill eachother anytime soon.

Though there were some recent attempts at negating your last statement

In any case, there is no real limit to interaction between Jrusteli and nonhumans. Juliano's initial resistance to hiring nonhumans PCs as comrades is more an heritage of his pre-God Learner experience than a teaching of the Hwarosian School of Mistery, I think.

The point is that GLs regard anyone who is not a Malkioni (and possibly anyone who is not a GL) as a potential target for exploitation, so there is no problem on the part of GL PCs in interacting with nonhumans - they'll just take advanteage of them. Experience has shown that this might not be true of the nonhumans, who feel treated as an inferior species or culture. Especially if they worship single-minded deities like Storm Bull (you'll have to wait till Rurik makes our campaign log public to learn what I mean).

 

[GianniVacca]

Not all Malkioni view non-humans as Krjalki.

Maybe not (as shown in your examples) but I would say that the average Malkioni does. I think I've read that in The Middle Sea Empire (http://www.heroquest-rpg.com/products/3008.html).