RE: (TFT) TFT, numbers and crunchy bits. What a campaign says.

[raito@raito.com]

Quoting David Michael Grouchy II <david_michael_grouchy_ii@hotmail.com>:
> Neil,
> Your knowledge in this exceeds mine.  Where I would see pretty straight
> forward cases of the god of weaponsmiths, I have to slow down and reconsider. 
> I originally meant all weaponry in the sense of each weapon being an entire
> culture unto itself.  Thus by very definition being from different cultures,
> like boomerang, naginata, or bola, they could not be from the same mythos. 

All I do is take wisps of things I barely remember, then go find 
references so I know I'm not talking out my butt. 

If you're looking for weapons-as-culture, you don't have to go any 
further than Western Europe. The famous cases being lance and sword 
culture vs. longbow culture vs. (late) polearm culture vs. pike 
culture. Admittedly, a couple of these examples need squinting, because 
they do not occur at the same time. 

The Japanese had it to some degree, too. Way of the Horse and Bow (+ 
sword), vs. spear (though used by all classes) vs. firearms. 

There are definitely cults that focus on specific weapons. 

> As to the cultural exception of gods of theivery, during my years in the east
> I found that deception is highly valued, and what would be narrowly 
> defined as
> theft in the west would be given much more lattitude as just being more wise
> than one's target.  And that, yes, tricksters were highly respected, even
> worshipped.  Even Kung-fu itself is considered one of the arts of deception. 
> It was in that sense that I meant theft.  As a talent availiable in TFT.  To
> use a purely western renaissance figure to illustrate I quote Picasso.  "Good
> artists borrow, great artists steal."

But when you sat Thief here, it has a particular meaning. That being 
the D&D character class, or the TFT Talents. 

> "See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and
> forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer
> to work havoc;
> no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue
> that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this
> is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. 
> -Isaiah 54:16 - 17

OK, but I don't think it applies. God isn't saying that he's 
(specifically) the god of weaponry, but rather that since he's firmly 
in control of the entire process, he's also in control of the results. 

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com
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