Submitted by BlindGuyNW on Tue, 20/11/2012 – 00:50
Hi All,
In reading over some of the various Gloranthan products I’ve obtained recently, I’ve begun to wonder a little about the metaplot aspect to the setting. In particular, I’m noticing the timeline of the Hero Wars. It seems as though that will be developed further in supplements, and I’m wondering if there will be a stopping point?I guess what I’m most curious about is the tension between the idea that players can change what will happen or has already happened, in some cases, via HeroQuesting, and the idea that canonical time will keep moving forward with specified events.Can any more experienced heads fill me in on this? I’m just contrasting this approach with, say, Harn, where time is frozen at a specific point and no official canon will be established beyond it.Thanks much,Zack.There is a metaplot for
Submitted by soltakss on Sat, 24/11/2012 – 14:48.
There is a metaplot for Glorantha. As people have mentioned, King of Sartar covers it in some detail, but other supplements cover parts of it. The future events are planned out over a hundred years or so. The Third Age ends, and ends badly. Many people die. Gods are defeated. Hevenly bodies are destroyed. The seas boil dry. The trolls are destroyed. Many more people die. The Lunars get a kicking. Ditto the Pentans. Ditto the trolls. Ditto reading. Ditto most of the Gods. What does this mean for you (or for me)? If you want to run events relating to the Hero Wars then you will soon be able to, as more and more information seems to be coming out.If you want yopur campaigns to touch on events in the Hero Wars then you can use them.However, if you don’t like the way things are heading then don’t use them. You don’t have to use the metaplot. Glorantha has had a roleplaying game associated with it for over 30 years and only one series of books (Sartar Rising) has touched on the Hero Wars, and even then only on the very early stages. Almost all of Gloranthan roleplaying material has ignored the Hero Wars completely. Ojne of the key things about the Hero Wars is the role of Argrath. In the stories he is one man (although many people will disagree and say he is a number of people) but under the terms of YGMV, he is specifically said to probably be a player character or Hero. This means that the actions of the characters in your campaigns will affect the future of your Glorantha. So, yes, there is a metaplot, but your characters can influence and change it significantly.
Simon Phipp.
King of Sartar
Submitted by Charles on Tue, 20/11/2012 – 21:12.
A new edition of King of Sartar is in the publication pipeline. This book gives several very biased future versions of history of the Hero Wars period.
Thanks, Charles
Submitted by BlindGuyNW on Wed, 21/11/2012 – 17:23.
I actually have a first edition copy, and am wondering how extensive the revisions will be. Some of the more obvious ones would involve changing deity names and so on, but is there more fundamental stuff? I really like the book, even if it is quite dense reading.
An end to the Metaplot
Submitted by Herve on Thu, 22/11/2012 – 14:08.
I have seen the Future, an impossible thing in Glorantha, and I can tell you this : there is a metaplot. The world is going to end. Millions will perish. The seas will rise again and cover (almost) the whole world. Then they will retire, and the world will start anew with the few survivors.
Oh yes, a few details : the red moon will crash down on Glamour, Zzabur will wake up and work up a New Great Blast, the mostali will try to dry up the seas… among other things.
The end is nigh. Praying to your Gods won’t help.
It’s the Herowars.