Tending your shop as cult duty

[Puckohue]

Should a trade cultist be able to tend their shop when doing cult duties?

Glorantha-wise there's definately arguments to be made in favor of it. It's a balance issue, I guess. Should a warrior cultist be able to train their weapon when doing cult duties? Would that be comparable? What about non-trade and non-warrior cults?

[Elisia]

You'd need each type of cult to have a duty crossed with a benefit to make it work, maybe the warriors can do Str training. Trade mind the shop, and the other cults train power?

[Fionn]

It seems to me (with a possible bias) that shopkeeping has to count as cult business, if only for playability. Otherwise the owner of a large shop who wants to spend 2 weeks in it (the middle of the table in the rules) and has to spend 2 weeks at ceremonies (since initiate status is compulsory) has literally no time for anything else, even if the Merchants Guild) also compulsory) make no demands on his time.

I think 'Cult business' needs to be more widely defined, and also useful to some degree. Warrior cults could have a sacred weapon, practising which counts as duty but which will probably not be your regimental weapon. Other cults could give a small bonus for serving the god (e.g. Ernalda gives 1 CP for tending the sick, while Lhankor Mhy pays a few Lunars for copying and translating scrolls). It could be that Toadying to the officiant (which currently is a no-brainer) is only permitted at the second ceremony you attend each month. A week in prayer could give a +1 (or+0.5) the next time you apply for cult promotion. Etc.

[Elisia]

If you raise your cult rank you need to spend less time at the cult, that was the plan for Eodal so he could be both a warrior cultist and a warrior but he died before he got that far

So say you got to be a god talker and had to only spend a week culting about, that could work.

[Fionn]

But you are unlikely to make it to god-talker before you reach CHA 11, which means nobody can ever (practically) possess either a Small or a Large Shop. Rules interact in unexpected ways...

(I think the Cult Ranks table also needs overhaul, but there is only so much that can be done in a month. Thanks goodness I am 'safe' at the frontier )

[Erinestra]

It seems to me (with a possible bias) that shopkeeping has to count as cult business, if only for playability. Otherwise the owner of a large shop who wants to spend 2 weeks in it (the middle of the table in the rules) and has to spend 2 weeks at ceremonies (since initiate status is compulsory) has literally no time for anything else, even if the Merchants Guild) also compulsory) make no demands on his time.

I think 'Cult business' needs to be more widely defined, and also useful to some degree. Warrior cults could have a sacred weapon, practising which counts as duty but which will probably not be your regimental weapon. Other cults could give a small bonus for serving the god (e.g. Ernalda gives 1 CP for tending the sick, while Lhankor Mhy pays a few Lunars for copying and translating scrolls). It could be that Toadying to the officiant (which currently is a no-brainer) is only permitted at the second ceremony you attend each month. A week in prayer could give a +1 (or+0.5) the next time you apply for cult promotion. Etc.

That first paragraph was exactly my issue, I was hoping to make initiate next month and then spend some time in the shop, but it looks like that's the whole season taken care of. I understand the game balance problem though and don't really have a clever response other than perhaps regimental duties work for the martial cults and err some other activities for the other cults.

[Afur]

I tend to agree that for a trade guild member - serving in the shop has to be Cult duty, otherwise a shop keep has no time for anything else, not even companionship. Unless, that is, being a Trader is being actively discouraged - which makes sense in a game of Heroes - though then why have them at all.

So for a Trade Cult - serving in shop is Cult duty.

For a Warrior Cult, by the same logic, weapons practice - or training MA?

For other types of Cults - some leeway might be considered. There does not seem to be any way to increase Power - so the suggestion above to allow such training might be a good idea.

I've assumed that attending a related Cult's ceremony also counts. Though perhaps not the one for companionship (unless listed as a related cult lol).

[Puckohue]

In general I'm more of an enthusiast and doer than an analyst, and the rules I've come up with reflect that. I'm happy to amend them if there are problems. And this seems to be one.

Btw, the Cult Studies rules allow for POW training.

So, the suggested rules change/addition/correction:

When doing cult duties, a member of a

• Trade cult: can tend their shop.
• Warrior cult: can practice the cult weapon (to be detailed, but Babeester Gor would be Battle Axe, Yelmalio would be spear, and Humakt would be broadsword. Perhaps Orlanth and Storm Bull is free choice?).
• Eurmal: secret options. Stuff like gives influence.
• Lhankor Mhy: maybe: Study Homeland Lore. Each week gives 0,25. Every point can buy +1 when applying for civilian appointments.
• Chalana Arroy: maybe: Study Healing. Each week gives 0,25. New military appointment: Regiment healer. Every point Healing can buy -1 to the death roll for the regiment members. Would need more career opportunities, like City Healer, Royal Healer, etc.
• Ernalda: maybe: Study Harmony. Each week gives 0,25. Each point can buy +1 or -1 to other characters' applications only. This would give other characters a motive to bargain with the Ernaldan for influence.

I think making the influence permanent would make it too powerful, so the suggestion is you buy a +1 (or -1) for 1 point in Homeland Lore, Healing, or Harmony.

Any thoughts?

[Fionn]

These seem very sensible expansions, , with two minor caveats.

Allowing Warrior cultists to choose a weapon that they can practise on cult duty is somehat overvalued, and might lead to them bullying other characters even more than the present rules. If anything, I would go the other way, and say that the sacred weapon for Orlanth/Storm Bull is something like a feathered staff or coup stick, which helps with gaining STR but cannot be used in duelling.

And though Healing sounds definitely cool, I worry that the rules are expanding faster than the number of characters using them. Every addition is a chance for bugs, exploits and misunderstandings to creep in, and the problems grow at a geeometrical rate. But if you are happy to write and debug a rule, go for it.

[Elisia]

To be fair this game isn't really meant to be balanced anyway.