tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913319789564397699.post4247593365187160910..comments2024-03-28T08:17:07.009-05:00Comments on The Other Side blog: Review: Trollpak (Troll Week)Timothy S. Brannanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02923526503305233715noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913319789564397699.post-55438423888512260792020-07-29T10:39:04.873-05:002020-07-29T10:39:04.873-05:00@Dick, bringing up "tainted by chaos" is...@Dick, bringing up "tainted by chaos" is a good motivation for a "stock evil race". For those that object to evil drow, for instance, simply making Menzoberranzen a hive of chaos keeps its traditional role in continuity while allowing more options for other members of that race.Cross Planeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258583245202567276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913319789564397699.post-28522413571902479252020-07-29T10:17:39.537-05:002020-07-29T10:17:39.537-05:00First gaming supplement I know of that really exam...First gaming supplement I know of that really examined how alien a nonhuman fantasy species should be, and how their culture, mythology, beliefs, and personalities should be wholly their own - and all that without falling into the tropes of them being "evil because they're evil" or "noble misunderstood foes" too. Uz are uz, and are no more good or bad than humans are. Heck, of all teh Elder Races in Glorantha they're by far the most like humanity is. Nowhere near as hard to get along with as fanatical xenophobic plant-based elves, isolationist Dwarves obsessed with their narrow caste-based tasks, or the almost incomprehensibly weird dragonewts. Great stuff all the way through.<br /><br />I do think the Dark Trolls are mischaracterized as "stock evil trolls" though. They're the type of Uz most commonly encountered by adventures (well, outside of the shrimpy trollkin) but they're generally more obstacles than villains or monsters. Cave trolls fit the "evil" label better - bigger, dumb as rocks, regenerating, tainted by Chaos, and wholly uncivilized. Closest thing in Trollpak to a D&D troll, really.Dick McGeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14521293874696659063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913319789564397699.post-71244454929940766472020-07-28T15:50:20.972-05:002020-07-28T15:50:20.972-05:00Greg Stafford really did do everything first. Chao...Greg Stafford really did do everything first. Chaosium products, often, are still revolutionary compared to the rest of the industry even today.<br /><br />I know RuneQuest 3 from Avalon Hill is not generally held in high favor, but reading through it a decade ago you could see how it inspired designers like Jonathan Tweet and Rob Heinsoo as they worked on D&D.Cross Planeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258583245202567276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913319789564397699.post-52578847489282299072020-07-28T14:08:49.148-05:002020-07-28T14:08:49.148-05:00This was the product that broke me free of Glorant...This was the product that broke me free of Glorantha. Before I read this Trolls were equal to Orcs in my brain, after they were too different. That plus Bronze age and I just migrated the RuneQuest system over to Harn and was happy for years.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.com