and it's Gor again!

Awwww! I'm sorry... my non-Gorean readers (the 2 of 5?) will be bored by all my entries about Gor and Gorean RP. But I'm doing not much else these days, so I got nothing else to talk about....

However, was again busy following that storyline, but do have to say some things about "Disney Gor" and such. Sweet Misha wrote an article in his blog about it last week; wanted to leave a comment, but then there's so much to say about it, that I better write here. I think there's so much more in between "By the Books" (BTB) and so-called "Disney Gor". And even BTB is not like BTB. It's like with the bible - there are some extremists who take it literally... and then there are the others.

True is, that SL is not and never CAN BE like Gor in the books. True is also, that even the Gor in the books can't be like the Gor in the books, cause - let's be honest - John Norman isn't the brightest light. There are so many errors in his logic... I wonder how a guy like him could ever become a Doctor and Professor in Philosophy!? And he's definitely one of the worst writers in the history of fiction. He not only contradicts himself from one book to the other, but often within the same book, sometimes even on the same page.

However, I agree with Misha: SL can't just be like the books. (Uhm... be like the books? Means... aweful conversations and such? Well, maybe it can! *grins*) You have always to draw a logical line - the things that WOULD be, and the things how they ARE in SL-Gor.

Example: A big city WOULD BE crowded with citizens, warriors, merchants, guards etc etc etc. A panther WOULD never DARE to walk right into the city and set houses on fire. - But in SL of course it often happens that a city is empty of players. So those panthers - with just a look on the map of SL, seeing no dots there - can happily run around and burn the whole city down.

That's just one of many examples. But the point is: You don't have to know the exact size of a ko-ro-ba sword, but you can try to play in the SPIRIT OF THE BOOKS. Be logical, rational and always think "Would I..." and not "I do, cause I can!"

So, yesterday I took three thralls with me on a travel. I was about to visit the kurii of the six claws clan. We RPed, that I provided the boys with bows and arrows. It's logical, it's rational - I was going to meet the kurii, so hey! I won't meet those beasts with unarmed thralls. They were not meant as traveling fare! (And if you really NEED a quota: "And among them stood, too, thralls. Their heads were not lower than those with whom they stood. Among them was the lad called Tarsk, formerly Wulfstan of Kassau, to whom Thyri had once been given for the night. In the night of the at­tack he, at the Forkbeard’s encampment near the thing field, with an ax, had slain a Kur. I remembered finding the carcass of the animal beneath the fallen, half-burned can­vas of the Forkbeard’s tent. Thralls are not permitted to touch the war arrow, but they are permitted to kneel to those who have. Wulfstan had handed the Forkbeard the ax, dis­arming himself, and had then knelt before him, putting his head to his feet. Thralls may be slain for so much as touch­ing a weapon. He had taken dirt from beneath the feet of the Forkbeard and, kneeling, had poured it on his head. “Rise, Thrall,” had said the Forkbeard. The young man had then stood, and straightly, head high, before the Forkbeard. The Forkbeard threw him back the ax. “Carry it,” said the Forkbeard."~ Marauders of Gor) - In the books of course a Jarl (= Master, Free Man)  would be accompanied by other jarls; not so many online at that time. So, had to rely only on the boys. That's one of the concessions we have to make to SL-Gor.

But now comes Disney-Gor, although the SIM claimed to be "BTB". One of the SIM-laws: "Slaves may only use weapons doing 11% damage or less." - Now, this is the most ridiculous thing ever. Why should a male slave's arrow do less damage then a male Free's arrow - especially when the slaves are trained in bows? A difference between male and female - maybe (depends on the bow. a woman - and most males - wouldn't be able to even string a longbow), but a difference between a (male) slave and (male) free arrow? A male slave with a weapon should be even superiour to a Free Woman, because it's mentioned again and again in the books: Male = strong, Female = Weak. (To be clear: This doesn't justify slaves running around heavily armed and threatening every Free they meet.)

After a few steps into the land we met a bond-maid... a slave... or better: A pet of the kurii. So: She was throaning on a kaiila (=carnivour horselike animal from the south) and insolent like hell. I think this was the most ridiculous, un-Gorean, Disney-Gor thing I ever met! First: A kaiila is an animal of the south, not the northern lands where the kurii live. Second: Neverever would a slavegirl be able to ride such a dangerous beast (In the books only one woman I remember to ever ride on a kaiila. She was an outlaw in the Tahari). And then a kur-pet... she's meant to be food for them. She would be frightend, chained, always having the thought to escape the beasts (the pet of mentioned Krael plays this role excellen!)... anything else but riding on a damn kaiila in the Northern Hills and eye-rolling and backmouthing at Free Men. --- But I don't waste my time with such people anymore; I just ignore them as good as I can. 

However, the RP with the kur there was not bad although we been on the wrong place. So we returned pretty soon.

After we returned to Hrimgar... lots of traffic on the docks. It took hours until it got a bit quiet. I have to say, I'm a bit proud as I think a good part of the increasing traffic of Hrimgar and the reputation for good RP is to my and River's benefit. I just wished there were more active Jarls present who take part in the RP, so it's not always up to me to care for visitors.

So I was just about to close the doors of the storagehall, the thralls already warming my furs, as another ship arrived and the kurii I sought for came for a visit. Another nice RP with them, though I wasn't - due to late night (around 5 am) - to my best. But the storyline continues... Yay!

Okay, bored you enough with Gor-stories! But as I said - atm nothing else to tell....