Re: (TFT) Cult of the Bloodrunners

["David Michael Grouchy II" <david_michael_grouchy_ii@hotmail.com>]

> From: Thorn <edt@dopey.ne.mediaone.net>
>
> I ain't no body, but it seems to me that Talents ought not have >magickal 
> effects.

    "Any resemblance between the characters listed below and any living or 
dead creature (including those both living and dead or in between) is purely 
accidental.  If any such creature is known to exist to you then I would 
suggest a revival of the old fashioned witch hunt.  If you believe that you 
match the description of any creature listed below, you need help bad but 
don't come to me for it, I like witch hunts."
	"The First Fantasy Campaign" - D Arneson


    Now TFT has the priest and theologian talents, we all know that, and it 
has literacy.  It even has a blurb in the guild section on Religions of 
Cidri.  The written recommendation is that if the GM wishes to make any of 
the religions "effective" it should be kept to a low level, even going so 
far as to say "...keep the players in the dark about weather priests are 
really getting any advantage at all!  That will test their faith..."  This 
has been less than satisfactory.  It lacks conclusion.
    I submit that in order to run a faith in TFT one has to design a 
specific church, temple, or cult for it.  As Melee alone is fine, but 
talents and languages require something of a specific world, so does faith 
require a more specific social setting.  The Star Dragon Cult developed by a 
friend was a loyalty cult designed to increase the loyalty and 
trustworthiness of hirelings and followers.  Islam was represented by having 
any member of a Ji-had (holy war, where those who die go straight to heaven) 
be able to berserk at will.  I, myself, even thought of a demi-god who was 
an ancient wizard with over a thousand proxies, so he could see everything.  
Then someone said "why not just get a crystal ball?  Is that all it takes to 
start a cult?"
    It seems that more often than not when GMs try to inject more religion 
into TFT they use a rule that is neither talent nor magic, like going 
berserk, or loyalty, and expand on it.   They build it on some social 
characteristic of the game world.  In this vein I made a renegade band of 
Buddhist called "The screaming Buddhist".  Like most Buddhist they believed 
that "existence is suffering", so they got one experience point per point of 
damage they took in combat.  This last one got a lot of play in my campaign.
    In the line of clerical type abilities, or their lack, in TFT the 
following comes to mind.  Melee and Wizard were released without a campaign 
setting.  With the release of  ITL a world was created.  When comparing ITL 
as separate from Melee, Wizard, and Death Test we have this.

    "This game, though, required background.  IN THE LABRINTH is a complete 
"campaign" game, in which characters live out their lives - learning, 
growing, finding jobs and having adventures.  A world had to be created.  
That world is Cidri..."
	ITL page 4

    Any work on a religion or cult must be specific to the GM's campaign.  
For instance the cult of the blood god would not work in my campaign.  Well, 
maybe once.  The second time, players would cast illusion on the bleeding 
guy that he wasn't bleeding anymore and expect the miracle to stop.  That is 
just the result of the traditions that have built up between my players and 
I.
    The little quote below is from the oldest gaming source I could find.  
In that system characters could get experience points for gold if they spent 
that gold in certain areas.  Religion was one of the areas.

    "Religion or Spiritualism:  awarded when the player gains experience 
points while engaged on a quest or otherwise co-operating with a Cleric (may 
be himself ) on a task.  Funds are given to the local Religious denomination 
(up to Player) where upon he will gain the points.  Real Player Clerics may 
refuse to accept the offering and the Player will get no points."
	"The First Fantasy Campaign" - D Arneson

    Another issue is giving divine powers to players, and letting them lord 
it over the other players.  If donations to the church of 10% are required 
(I believe this was true of most medieval towns) and one of the characters 
hold money back, the high priest character may be required to excommunicate 
the other character.  His lands and property may become the property of the 
church.  One player may find himself in the position of presiding over the 
burning of another.
    Another religion I toyed with was a variant on the Inquisition.  
Characters get experience points for damage done, and the victims DX for a 
killing blow.   This is standard to the TFT rules.  With the inquisition a 
character could get a witches IQ in experience by having them burned at the 
stake.  In fact if the witch was brought to town, everyone who witnessed the 
burning, and was a member of the religion, would get IQ in experience.  Just 
like Monty Python said "She's a witch!  Burn her!"  High IQ enemy wizards 
would be brought to the largest cities, and burned before hundreds of the 
faithful.

    David Michael Grouchy II




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