I also called right at 9am Central and ended up on the waiting list.  GCXII is going to be really big.  

To all the Hyperboreans attending Gary Con next month!  If you're still looking for a game on Thursday from 10 till 4, there are seats available for Event #55 - The Orichalcum Vault

 https://tabletop.events/conventions/gary-con-xi/schedule/55

Looking forward to meeting some of you in Lake Geneva!

Using Attribute-Based roles as the sole determinant of success or failure of a puzzle is a bit simplistic for my tastes.  However, player knowledge and ingenuity can threaten to make their character's attributes less of a value of how the character actually is in game play.  Not all of us are experienced enough actors or role-players to play down to an attribute below the gifts they naturally possess, and it is a feat in and of itself to play up to an attribute beyond the player's capacity.  Very few of us can make the type of connections and leaps of brilliance that would come from a character with a mental attribute at the highest ends of the scale.  Having a scaled chance can reflect that even is one, as a player, doesn't have the persona that can inspire legions, or charm the coldest heart, their Bard with an 18 CHA does, and there is a "chance in six" that reflects that ability.  For those attempts that fall far beyond mortal ken, The extraordinary Feat % provides a very handy gauge of what a high ability score means.

This, of course doesn't and shouldn't preclude good roleplaying and good game mastering.   The goal is to have fun, feel awesome, and overcome challenges.  The less often the dice are needed as a randomizer helps to maintain immersion.  Still, with the Physical Attributes it is, correctly I might add, considered impractical to measure a character's success or failure based on the player's ability.

I'm not arguing that the RAW be changed, the game is lovely as it stands. 

I've been gaming long enough to recognize in some of the responses to this thread, the echoes of bad experiences.  Games and nights where less experienced players or GMs have allowed the dice to dictate rather than inspire the action of the adventure.  I may have rambled too long, but I'll finish by saying Thank You to everyone for your responses and Insights, they are indeed much appreciated.

I wrote a follow-up

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KeithPhemister/posts/CK9jvpZdw6P
 

Ghul wrote:

Well, tastes vary, of course. Personally, I'm afraid I must count myself among those who enjoy the original 6 (collected) Elric books best, the collection with the Robert Gould covers. I finished Dream Thief's Daughter, gave it some thought, and decided I cared for it about as much as I cared for Fortress of the Pearl and Revenge of the Rose. I didn't hate it. It was just . . . okay. Too much dialog, too much philosophizing, not enough blood and souls for my Lord Arioch. It had its moments, certainly, which is why I kept reading. Hey, I understand and appreciate that the writer is older, has matured, and his tastes and outlook for the Eternal Champion have changed with the passage of decades. For me, I prefer Michael Moorcock's writing when it was less polished, full of energy, and punched you in the gut. 

​I very much agree there.  His early work reflects his creative energy at that time in his life.  Touring with Rock Bands, thumbing his nose at the Establishment, giving the finger to straights and squares alike.  Elric was a Force in those books.  There wasn't any time for deep philosophical dives.  Michael was writing a blood-feuled action-adventure with drugs and sex and a Metal soundtrack.

In the latter books, the reflection that he adds slow Elric down, and it doesn't feel consistent.  I think that's why we see a rise of another aspect of the Eternal Champion in Ulrich Von Beck and Ravensbrand.  There is a strong parallel (and whether that parallel is intentional or not, is unclear to me) between Ulrich and Ravensbrand, Elric and Stormbringer and their rivalry/enmity with Gaynor and the runeswords he covets and Yyrkoon and Mournblade.   

​Still, and keeping with the spirit of the forums, and most importantly how this all relates to AS&SoH, there remains a mountain of inspiration in Mike's work.  I'd argue that the deeper, more philosophical stories that he's written since the late 90s, would be a grea

Ghul wrote:

Very nice! I'm reading The Dreamthief's Daughter for the first time, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It's been a slow read, because I've been reading two other books at the same time, but I'm at the climax of the story now. I'd like to hear more about how you plan to include the Eternal Champion in your Hyperborea. Because I've considered the same in my own campaign a few times before, but ultimately I felt that if he is 1) a PC, he steals the show, and the rest of the PCs are relegated to less meaningful roles, or 2) as an NPC, the same problem, except now the entire PC party is insignificant as compared to the NPC who does all the most important / pivotal things. 

My answer turned into a bloghttps://plus.google.com/u/0/+KeithPhemister/posts/HBmRpGQmV8w ​I hope it answers your question.  My point is that as the GM, you have the authority to regulate how important the characters are to your story.  And yes, it is very easy to let the Eternal Champion dominate the story.  But it's not an insurmountable problem.  After all, while Elric is carving Stormbringer through the Beggar Horde from Nadsokor, Moonglum is right there at his back, and When Hawkmoon leads the charge against Huon and the hosts of Londra, D'Averc breaks away to find Countess Flana during the battle.  
 

I got my room booked and will be running a session or two over the weekend. For those of you who have run Hyperborea at conventions in the past.  Is it a practical option to let players generate their characters at the table?  So far my test runs with vic.. err.. "volunteers" have averaged 45 minutes or so using a printout of Book 1.