either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." H.P. Lovecraft, opening lines to "The Call of Cthulhu".
RPG REVIEW Issue #18, December 2012
The Cthulhu Mythos and Gaming Three Cthulhu Mythos System Reviews … Cthulhu in Variant Settings … Call of Cthulhu House Rules and Situational Modifiers … EPOCH: Horror Gaming … Dirty Secrets … T&T Monster Compilation … V/H/S Review … Industry News
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TableofContents AdministriviaandEditorial ValedictionsLynnWillis HotGossip:IndustryNews ThreeCthulhuMythosSystemReviews VariantCthulhuSettings CallofCthulhuDifficultyModifiers CallofCthulhuHouseRules CthulhuMetropolis Epoch:HorrorGaming GammaGobblers ATasteforDirtySecrets Tunnels&TrollsBestiary:AE ConsoleGamesReview:Dwarfs MovieReview:V/H/S NextIssue
manycontributors byTheChaosium byWuMingshi byLevLafayette byLevLafayette byAllanGoodall byMattPuccio byChrisTamm byDaleElvy byChrisTamm byAlasdairSinclair byKarlDavidBrown byMattLindus byAndrewMoshos bymanypeople
p23 p4 p5 p617 p1830 p3135 p3638 p3944 p4546 p4748 p4952 p5359 p60 p6163 p64
ADMINISTRIVIA RPGReviewisaquarterlyonlinemagazinewhichisavailableinprintversioneveryeightissues.Noreally,it'scomingoutRealSoonNow.All materialremainscopyrighttotheauthorsexceptforthereprintingasnotedinthefirstsentence.Varioustrademarksandimageshavebeenusedin thismagazineofreviewandcriticism.ThisincludesCallofCthulhu(ArkhamHouse,licensedtoTheChaosium,WizardsoftheCoastet.al), EPOCHbyImaginaryEmpire,Tunnels&TrollsbyFlyingBuffalo,etc.Anyuseofimages,materialetc,isnottobeconstruedasachallengetoany intellectualpropertyandisunder"fairuse".Anyuseofimages,materialetc,isnottobeconstruedasachallengetoanyintellectualpropertyandis usedunder"fairuse".TextisinNimbusRoman,headingsinNimbusSans,frontpageinUtopia.Anyerrorsoromissionsareunintentional. Thecoveristhemainillustrationforthestory"BeyondtheWallofSleep".InternalillustrationfromthepulpmagazineWeirdTales(March1938, vol.31,no.3,page331).
EDITORIAL TheinfluenceofHowardPhillipsLovecraftandtheCthulhumythoshedevelopedaresecondonlytotheworksof J.R.R.Tolkien'sMiddleEarthintermsoftheirinfluenceontheroleplayinggamehobby.Beingsecond,ofcourse,in literaryexpressiondoesnotmean'worse',butrather'different'.Afterall,theCthulhumythosisnotelves,dwarves, hobbitsandmagicalringsofpower.It'saboutmadnessandterror,aliensmonsterswhoareeithermalevolentor completelyinconsideratetohumans,andauniversethatismeaningless. "Themostmercifulthingintheworld,Ithink,istheinabilityofthehumanmindtocorrelateallitscontents.Welive onaplacidislandofignoranceinthemidstofblackseasofinfinity,anditwasnotmeantthatweshouldvoyagefar. Thesciences,eachstraininginitsowndirection,havehithertoharmeduslittle;butsomedaythepiecingtogetherof dissociatedknowledgewillopenupsuchterrifyingvistasofreality,andofourfrightfulpositiontherein,thatweshall eithergomadfromtherevelationorfleefromthedeadlylightintothepeaceandsafetyofanewdarkage." H.P.Lovecraft,openinglinesto"TheCallofCthulhu" WhilstitisclearthatitisnotMiddleEarth,interestinglythereareacoupleofsimilaritiesbetweentheauthor's respectivenarratives.Thestoriesincludeagreatevilthatthreatenshuman(etal.,)existencewhichcanonlybe preventedbytheactionsofanoblefewwhobreakfromtheirnormallivesandrisetotheoccassion.Itisthislevelof
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heroismfromnormalpeoplethatprovidesgamesrelatedtothemythostheirappeal.Itisnotsomethingthatappealsto everyoneofcourse;many,andindeed,probablythemajority,ofgameplayersprefertheincrementalimprovement "fromzerotohero",characterswhobuildtheirwayupfrombeingchallengedbyalargeratorkobold,tobeingof superheroicabilitywhereevendragonsanddemonsarebutamodicumofachallenge.IntheCthulhumythos,abandof DeepOnesisasthreateningfromthebeginningasitisintheend,atleastphysically.Itissmartsthatwillalwayscount inthisgenre. ThechoiceoftheCthulhumythosasthecorethemeofRPGReviewissue18wasnotonemadewithoutsome consideration.Afterall,thereareothergamegenresandgameworldsthatcouldhavebeenchoseninpreferenceandwe have,afterallpublishedafairnumberofarticlesrelatedtothissetting.Butgiventherangeofgamesthathavebeen producedinthissettingandthecontinuinginterestinthislongrunningsetting,itseemedappropriate.Itisalsowith somesadnessthatthisissuehasalsocoincidedwiththerecentdemiseofcodesignerofCallofCthulhu,LynnWillis. Thefirstarticleofthis'zinethereforeofferssomecommentaryonthecontributionofthisfinedesignerandauthorover thedecades. TheCthulhumythoshasprovidedagreatnumberofgamesystemsovertheyears;threeofthemostsignificantare reviewedherebyyoureditor(CallofCthulhu,CallofCthulhuD20,TrailofCthulhu)whichrepresentquitedifferent approachestothesetting.Inaddition,areviewoffourofthemoreunusualsettings(DarkAges,Dreamlands,Delta Green,Cybercthulhu)showsthescopeofsettingsthatcanbecarriedoutwiththesamethematicconsiderations.For rulescraftingAllanGoodallprovidessomeskilldifficultylevelsforCallofCthulhu,oneofthemoresurprising omissionsfromthatgamesystem,whereasMattPuccioprovidesarangeofhouserulesincorporatinginhisgames.In moreCthulhurelatedmaterial,ChrisTammmprovidesanelaborationonaninterestingalternatesetting,beingtheuse oftheCthulhumythoswithMetropolis. Ofcourse,everyissueofRPGReviewisnotentirelydevotedtoitsmainfeaturetopic.Thisisnoexception.Ona relatedissueDaleElvyprovidesdesigner'snotesforEPOCH:HorrorGaming,andfellowNewZealanderAlasdair Sinclair,putstheissueofinvestigativegamingrulesupfrontinadeeptheoryarticle.Onamorecomicline,Chris Tammreturnsforanotherroundwith'GammaGobblers',afeaturecreaturethatprovidesalightheartedbutpossibly frightening(intherightcontext)mutantturkey,whilstKarlBrownprovidesacollectionofappropriatecreaturesstats forTunnels&Trolls.AlsocontributingtotheissueareourregularfeaturesofindustrynewsbyWuMingshi,console gamereviewsbyMattLindus,andahorrormoviereviewbyAndrewMoshos(hereallydoesn'tlikeeverythingyou know).Finally,greatgratitudemustalsobeexpressedtoDanielHealdforhisartisticcontributionswhicharescattered throughoutthisentireissue;thisistrulythesortofartworkthatemphasizesthealienandhidden. ThereisanissuewhicheverydiscussionofH.P.Lovecraftshouldraise(andsometimesisunfortunatelyoverlooked), andthatwashisracism.Ofcourseitwasnotatalluncommonatthetimetobelievethattherewassuchathingasrace, asvarioussubspeciesofhomosapiensapiens,indeedthebestscientificmindsatthetimeconsidereditfairlyobvious. ButH.P.Lovecraftwentmuchfurtherthanthat,expressingsignificantdisdaintowardsthosewhomheconsideredtobe of"lesser"races.Theyareofsufficientlypoortastethatthereislittledesiretoreprintexampleshere. Onamatterofpurepsychoanalyticspeculationhowever,itisnotimpossibletosuggesthoweverthatLovecraft'sracism wasprojectedintothemonstersoftheCthulhumythos.JustasLovecrafthimselfexpresseddisdainoreven malevolencetowardsparticularhumans,itisperhapsunsurprisingtodiscoverthat,inavastlyenlargedmanner,thathe imaginedanalienspeciesthatthoughtofallhumansinthesamemanner. "Hewhofightswithmonstersshouldlooktoitthathehimselfdoesnotbecomeamonster.Andwhenyougazelonginto anabysstheabyssalsogazesintoyou." Pleasantreadingvictims, Lev[emailprotected]
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VALEDICTIONS,LYNNWILLIS byTheChaosium AsRPGReviewwasundergoingeditingitsfinalarticles,areportwasreceivedofthepassingofLynnWilliswho,for manyyears,havebeenthemaineditoranddeveloperofCallofCthulhu.ThefollowingobituarywaspostedbyThe Chaosium,andisreprintedhereinrespectofagreatcontributortothehobby. WearesadtoannouncethepassingofLynnWillis,apillarofChaosium,CallofCthulhu,andoftheroleplaying community.Lynnhadbeencombatingagingandillnessforseveralyears,andpassedwhileinahospitalfortreatment. HeissurvivedbyhispartnerMarcia,andacommunityoffriendsandadmirers. Lynnbeganingamingasaboardgamedesigner,andenteredChaosiumwithLordsoftheMiddleSea.Hewasthethird employeeofChaosium,firstasaneditorandthenasthemastermindbehindtheentireCallofCthulhuline,aswellas otherprojects,forthedecadesthathewaswithus.Helovedhisworkandbroughtallhisabilitiestothejob.Hewas incrediblysmart,astonishinglywidelyread,detailoriented,andcapable.Heislargelyresponsibleforthehighquality, playability,andpopularityoftheleadinghorrorRPGinourfield. CREDITS:ChaosiumDudesince1978;cocreatorofCallofCthulhu.OthercreditsincludeBOARDGAMES:Dragon Pass,LordsoftheMiddleSea,Stomp,Reich,RaidersandTraders,PanzerPranks,ArkhamHorror.ROLEPLAYING GAMES:BasicRoleplaying,M.U.GraduateKit,Keeper'sKit1,2,Engage&Destroy,Vivel'Empreur,Thieves' World,Thieves'WorldCompanion,WorldsofWonder,Ringworld,RingworldCompanion,KingArthurCompanion1, 2,3,RuneQuest1,2,3,etc.,AppleLane1,2,etc.,SnakepipeHollow1,2,etc.,CultsofPrax1,2,etc.,CultsofTerror, Borderlands,Pavis,TheBigRubble,Questworld,StormbringerCompanion,DemonMagic,Cities,Carse,Tulanofthe Isles,Elric,Melnibone,FateofFools,BronzeGrimoire,AtlasoftheYoungKingdoms,SeasofFate,TheUnknown East,CthulhuLive,CallofCthulhu1,2,3,4,5,5.5,6,ShadowsofYogSothoth,TheAsylum,CthulhuCompanion, FragmentsofFear,MasksofNyarlathotep,AloneagainsttheWendigo,AloneagainsttheDark,CthulhubyGaslight, Dreamlands,SpawnofAzathoth,TerrorAustralis,GreatOldOnes,CthulhuNow,ArkhamUnveiled,AtYourDoor, FatalExperiments,BloodBrothers,BloodBrothersII,HorrorontheOrientExpress,CairoGuidebook,DarkDesigns, FearfulPassagesLondonGuidebook,KingofChicago,MiskatonicUniversity,TaintofMadness,CompactArkham Unveiled,BookeofMonstres1and2,NoMan'sLand,Horror'sHeart,CompleteMasksofNyarlathotep,Resectionof Time,Secrets,DreamingStone,BeforetheFall,LastRites,BeyondtheMountainsofMadness,M.U.Antarctic ExpeditionPack,UnseenMasters,Keeper'sCompanion1.FICTION:CastleofEyes,HasturCycle,SingersofStrange Songs,CompletePegana,Nightmare'sDisciple,Percival,BearofBritain,BookofDzyan,S.Petersen'sFieldGuideto CthulhuMonsters,S.Petersen'sFieldGuidetoCreaturesoftheDreamlands. Hewillbemissed.Wetrustthatheisatpeace.WegiveMarciaourthanksandblessingsforherdevotedloveand supportforLynn,andwishherjoy,happiness,andsuccessinherfutureendeavorsandmemoriesofthepast. CharlieKrank,PresidentChaosiumInc. GregStafford,FounderChaosiumInc. http://www.chaosium.com/article.php?story_id=530
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HOTGOSSIP:INDUSTRYNEWS HoseiboMr.Lev,
byWuMingshi
Mykaki,youverylateagain!Younotlobo,Iarrowyoutoreleaseontime,nexttime!Chopchopkalipok!Formonths twoIhavebeensittingonthisarticle,youthinkitiseggIwanttohatch?PerhapsyouthinkMinsghilittlechicken,lah? FinishRPGReviewontime,excusesnomore![Ed:I'vebeentold] Thisquarteringquietonnews.Perhapswinterincountrythathaswinter.First,bignews,MinshihearthatFantasy FlightGameshavelicensefornewStarWarsroleplayinggameandplanreleaseoffirstbigbook,StarWars:Edgeof EmpireCoreRulebook,alongwithspecialkitforGamemasters,andthenfourteenspecialdice.Newgamesystemvery muchlikeWarhammerFantasyRPG,sweesweebozaozwee! Incomicbookland,HeroGamesgoingtoreleaseneweditionofChampions,whichincludesbitsandpiecesofHero6 th editionrulebooksandsupplements.Itlikevegetablesinnoodle dish,selectfrommanybowls. BecauseitCthulhuedition,MingshidecidesheneedCthulhu carpetinherapartment.Notnews,butnewsforher.Kirill RozhkovmakeDarkWaterforDanishcarpetinspiredby Cthulhu,verychoi! KennethHitewritenewGumshoesystemgame,combinespies withhorror,calledNight'sBlackAgents.Goodcombination (Mingshistillthinknoodle,mustbelunchtime). Mingshi'snewreadingbookcollectionofshortstoriescalled WeAreDust,fromRPGcalledOurBestLastHopefrom MagpieGames.Youknow,endofworld,canhumanssurvive, sibehtokkonglah! Also,bigwavetoProtodimensionMagazine,newhorror conspiracyweirdnessPDFmagazine,youcomeatrighttime forCthulhuMythosandGamingeditionofRPGReview.Don't takeoursales,lah! Enoughfrommethisquartering!Gohead!
Mingshi!xx[emailprotected]
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THREECTHULHUMYTHOSSYSTEMREVIEWS byLevLafayette CallofCthulhu(5thedition) IntroductionandProduct Withthenotoriouscalendarchange,thestarsarerightfor anotherreviewofCallofCthulhu.Thisclassicofhorror roleplayinggameshasgonethrougharoundadozen editions,albeitspreadoutthroughversionsonetosix, alongwithseveralothernewsystems(TrailofCthulhu, D20CallofCthulhuetc).Theeditionbeingreviewedhere howeveris5thedition,bywhichImean5,5.1,or5.2for thesakeofargument.AnyonewouldthinkthatChaosium isplayingwithourhead,buttheywouldn'tdothatwould they?Inanycase,we'rereferringtoagamethathaswonat leastthreeOriginsawards,soweknowwherewe'reat. Thefiftheditionconsistsof240pages,twocolumn justifiedwithaseriffontandseveralstylesofboxedand highlightedsection. Pagenumbersandchaptertitlesareclear,thereisanideal amountofwhitespacetoseparatethetextwithoutlosing density.Thewritingstyleismostlyverygood,although therearesomesectionswhereitbecomesannoyingly chatty.Thereisahandysectiontabfor"Rules"onthe margin,butoddlynotforanythingelse.Thecoverart"The EyeofCthulhu"byLeeGibons,illustratestheGreatOldOnegazinguponsomehaplessinvestigators;itisfairgoodin termsofcreativityandtechnique.Theinternalartisacombinationofblackandwhitesketchesfrompreviouseditions andsomeexcellentnewerlinedrawingswithaslightlycubistandpopinfluence.Manyofthelatterareusedforchapter titlepagesandfillers.TheportraitsintheLovecraftpersonalitiessectionhoweverleavesalittletotobedesired.The artworkismostlyappropriatetocontext,especially(thankfully)inthe"CreaturesoftheCthulhuMythos"section. Thereisatableofcontentsandindex,butbotharesomewhatshort,howeverthereisanexcellentselectionoftables andexamplecharactersintheappendix.Asasoftbackbook,thebookisverywellgluedandseemstobeabletotakea fairbitofusage. Thereisanintroductorychapterentitled"Orientation",whichestablishesthesourcematerialforthegame(themythos generatedbyhorrorwriterH.P.Lovecraft),recommendedcharacters(investigative),annonsystematicencouragement toroleplay("Aplayerhasadutytoroleplayaninvestigator"),adistinctionbetweenInvestigators(theCthulhuwordfor "playercharacters")andtheKeeper(theCthulhuwordfor"gamemaster"),andrecognitionofthethreepotential settingsofthegame(1890s,1920s,and1990s).Averysensiblesetofgeneralhintsisrecommendedforplayer characters("useyourhead","avoidgunfights"),concludingwithuseoffigures,sourcematerial,andanextremely handytwopagegraphicsummaryofcharactergeneration.
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CharacterGenerationandGameSystem AsanumberofotherBRPderivedgamesCoChassevenmaincharacteristicsusedtogenerateanInvestigator; STRength,DEXterity,CONstitution,POWer,APPearanceallrolledon3d6andINTelligenceandSIZerolledon 2d6+6.Thereisanimplicationthatthesearerolledinorder,butititisnotexactlyclear.Inadditionthesethereisan EDUcationcharacteristic,rolledon3d6+3.Thesecharacteristicsgeneratedcharacteristicrolls,percentile,rollunder checks,expressedinmultiples,andtypicallyof5x.Ofsufficientimportancetomaketheirpresenceonthecharacter sheetareIdearolls(INT*5),Luck(POW*5),andKnowledge(EDU*5).Hitpointsarederivedfromtheaverageof CONandSIZ,MagicPointsaredirectlyderivedfromPOW,andDamageBonusfromcrossreferencingatablefrom SIZ+STR.CharacteristicsalsoreceiveaguernseyfortheResistanceTable,whichcrossreferenceequivalentvaluesto deriveapercentagechangeofsuccess.Essentiallytheformulais(CHAR*5)(CHAR*5)=percentagechanceof success.SoaSTR14characterhasa60%chanceofliftingaSIZ12rocketc. ThereisalsoaveryinterestingcharacteristiccalledaSANity,whichstartsatPOW*5,butcanneverbemorethan99 minusthecharacter'sCthulhuMythosskillroll.InthissinglebrilliantdesigndecisionthecentralthemeofCallof Cthulhuthatcertainknowledgeisdangeroustoone'smentalhealthwasincorporatedintothegamesystem. CharacterssimplycannothaveknowledgeoftheCthulhumythoswithouttragicallyeverincreasingtheirriskof madness.Andwhatgloriousmadnessitis!Frombeingsurprisedbyamutilatedcorpsetoencounteringagibbering OuterGodvariouslevelsofSANareblownawayfromthecharacter'smind;somecausingshorttermshock(afailed SANcheckresultinginmorethan5pointslost),toindeterminate(morethan20%ofSANlostinashortperiod),to permanent(characterreducedto0SAN).IfaKeeperdoesn'thaveDSMVreadilyavailable,thereisahandysetof typicallyinsanitiesandassociatedbehaviourinashortchapterdedicatedtothesubject.Itshouldbementionedthatit's possibletoimproveSAN,throughpsychotherapy,mythosmonstersandplots,andeventhroughskillimprovement. Characterstartingwealthisdeterminedwithaflatprobabilitydistribution,aparticularlyunrealisticdesign.Also,the wealthchartsfor1920sand1890sareconfusedduetoaneditorialomission.Appropriateoccupationsareselected whichprovideasetofseveralskillsthatbackgroundexperiencecanbeaddedintobasedonEDU*20skillpoints. Charactersalsoreceivepersonalinterestasbackgroundexperienceaswell,atavalueofINT*10.Inadditiontothese skillpoints,manyskillsalsohaveabasechance(e.g.,Climb40%).Skillsarealmostinvariablyutterlyindependent fromcharacteristics(withtheexceptionofDodgeandOwnLanguage).Acharactercanbe,forexample,acomplete dullardwiththecharismaticempathyofaslugandsuffernopenaltytoFastTalk. CallofCthulhuusesapercentilerollunderskillsystem.Remarkablyhoweverandprobablyduetoadesignand editorialoversightspanningseveraleditionstherearenorulesforskillrollmodificationsinstandarduse.Rulesas writ(andparaphrasingcommentsbyothersIhavediscussedthiswith),performingtonsillectomyinawellequipped hospitalisthesamedifficultyasperformingbrainsurgeryinaremotelogcabin.Thisissobad,IlostapointofSANas Isearcheddesperatelysearchedthroughtheeldritchtomes(i.e.,therulebooksofmultipleeditions)prayingthatIcould possiblybewrong;Iwasn't.Suchadecisionhasveryrealeffects.Ratherthanbeingamoredifficultimplementation, MedicineisaseparateskilltoFirstAid,PsychoanalysisisseparatetoPsychologyandespeciallyoddgiventhatthe monstersarerealOccultismisseparatetoCthulhuMythos.Despiteclaimstobeaninvestigativegame,combatskills aregivenparticularvariation:ratherthan"Brawling"thereareseparateskillsforPunch,Kick,HeadButt,Grapple,and evenMartialArts,ratherthan"Firearms"thereareseparateskillsforHandgun,Rifle,MachineGun,andShotgun. Indeed,combatisoneareawherespecialattentionispaid.ActionsareinorderofDEXwithphasesforfirearms,
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movement,melee,andthenmultishotfirearms.Asuccessfulmodified"tohit"rollcanbechallengedbyparry(lotsof breakages)ordodge,butifitgetsthroughtheattackerrollsdamage,subtractingthedefender'sarmour(rarein1890s and1920ssettings).Effectivelyacharactercandotwoofthethreeperroundofattack,dodge,orparry.Notethatthere areincombataloneskillrollmodifiers(e.g.,inrangedweapons,partialcover,andenvironment).Thisistheonlyplace inthecoreruleswhere"degreeofsuccess"hasinfluenceaswell(thereisanoptionalruleaswell);bulletsandpointy meleeattacksdodoubledamageonarollof20%orlessofthemodifiedchance.Damagethatreducesacharacterto twooronehitpointscausesunconsciousness,andat0orlessthecharacterwilldiethefollowinground(whichmeans themaximumpossiblelossis2,ashealingwillfix1d3).Appropriately,characterscandropprettyfast,especially whengunsarepulledout.Howeverthethresholdforunconsciousnessseemstooslim. MonstersandMagic TheKeeper'sSectionisasurprisinglywordyandsometimesrepetitivechapterwhichalsocontainssomesome excellentsubstance.ItisherethatbothdescriptionsandmechanicsforthetomesoftheCthulhumythosareprovided, anoverviewofthemythositself(especiallythedistinctionbetweentheotherworldlyOuterGods,themalevolentand localGreatOldOnes,andtheServitorandIndependentraces).Theactualadviceonrunningthegameisalsoplacedin thissection,especiallygoodfortermsofpacing,narrativestructure,roleplaying,andInvestigatormortality.Thereisa selectionforoptionalruleswhichinclude"special"skillsuccesses,probablythemostusefulsuggestion.Finallythereis ashortsetofnotesonthecivilauthoritiesthatPCsaremostlikelytoencounterthepoliceandmentalhealth authorities. Ahugesectionofthebookisentitled"ReferenceSection",whichcanbesummarisedas'MonstersandMagic'.Thereis approximatelyeightyofsocrittersofthemythosdescribedandprovidedstatblocks.Eachareprovidedashort paragraphfromtheliterature,afewtoseveralparagraphsofthecreatureincontext,followingbycharacteristics, weapons,skills(ifappropriate),andtheSanitylossessaidbeingscause.EventhegreatOuterGodsareprovidedstats, andasaweinspiringastheymayseemtobesingleinvestigator,inamorecontemporarycontextateamofstrong willedindividualspackingseriousheatcouldmakeevendestroyAzathoth,albeitforseveralhours.Inmostsituations however,agoodhalfofthemythoscreaturesarenotthesortthatanygroupofInvestigatorsshouldengageina straightoutconflict.AsapersonalpreferenceIhavealwayshadasoftspotfortheGreatRaceofYith,andthemore alienofthemythoscreaturessuchas(Daoloth,YogSothoth,andtheColoursOutOfSpace)incontrasttothe"giant carnivorewithbigteeth"varietyofhorrors,evenifthelatterareprobablymorefrightening. InadditiontotheMythoscreaturesthereisalsoachapteronnormalandoccultanimals;soonewillfindBatsand BunyipstoWolvesandWraiths.It'saslightlyweirdcombination,butsomewhatnecessaryinagamewhichhasan overridingmythoswhichisthenseparatefromworldmythologies.Ashortselectionofaroundadozenpersonalities fromH.P.Lovecraft'stalesisprovided,includingquiteanumberintherealmofpermanentinsanity.Eachcharacteris providedaquotefromarelevantstory,aparagraphontheirappearanceoractivities,andastatblock. Thevariouscreaturesandpeoplearefollowedbyachapterofspells,"TheGreaterGrimoire".MostmagicinCallof Cthulhuinvolvescontactingthevariouscreaturesofthemythos,summoningsuchcreatures,andbindingthem.Itis usuallyagoodideatobeawareoftheneedtohaveabindingspellbeforecastingthesummoningspell.Thereisalsoa smallsetofspellsforcreatinggates,enchantingitemsandthelike,alongwithsomesamplemagicartifacts.Thereis alsoacollectionofsomeeighty"LesserGrimoire"spellsofamoreutilitarianvariety.Magictypicallycostsmagic points,Sanity,andsometimesevenPOWtocast;somespellscanberesisted,magicpointsofthecasterversusmagic pointsofthevictim.Spellrangesaredeliberatelyvague,withagreatdealofKeeperinterpretationeffectshoweverare clearlystated.
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ScenariosandSetting Thefinalsectionisentitled"Resources"whichbeginsbyprovidingthreeexcellentscenarios,albeitallnominallysetin the1920speriod."TheEdgeofDarkness"inparticularmakesagreatintroductiontoasmallgroup.Thisisfollowedby aliterarybiographyofH.P.Lovecraft,andthenanexceptionallinguisticessayinanacademicstylewhicharguesthe theworldwideexposureofthemythosinvariouslanguages,comingtotheconvincingconclusion"Tracesofancient CthulhuworshipexistintherecordsofallmajorOldWorldcivilizations".Ifthreetimeperiodsarenotsufficient,a shortchapterontheDreamlandsisalsoprovided,aweirdalternaterealityaccessibleonlywhenoneisasleep.An handyessayofsomelengthonforensicpathologyfollowsforthethreetimeperiods,thenatimelineofeventscovering theperiodfrom1890to1992,alongwithanothertimelineofdisasters,"naturalandmanmade",andthen"events occult,criminal,andfuturist".Themaintextconcludeswithaveryhandysetofequipmentandservicetablesforacross thethreetimeperiodswithanemphasisonthesortofthingsthatInvestigatorsarelikelytopurchaseandthedistances theyarelikelytotravel. Conclusion InthepastnumerousreviewershavedeclaredthatCallofCthulhuisthegreatestroleplayinggameofalltime.Thisis true,butonlyinaparticularlynarrowbandofgreatness.ItisarguablythecoolestRPGofalltime,andcertainlyisvery highonthefunquotient(playingtheoddsofalmostcertainmadnessandalmostcertaindeathisfun!).Thepagecount tocontentisexcellent,andtherangeofcontentisextremelygoodaswell.Thebookitselfhasexcellentlayout,is readable,solid,andsomedecentartworkaswell.Perhapsmostimportantly,CallofCthulhuestablishedathematic orientationtowardsroleplayinggames;itwasnotagameofkillingfantasticmonstersandtakingtheirstuffitwasa gameofkillingfantasticmonstersthatweresoaweinspiringtheycouldeasilydestroydozensofpeople,andtaking theirstuffbecauseitcontainedtheonlypossiblewayofstoppingthehorrorsfromdestroyingalllifeonearth. WhereCallofCthulhudoesslipisinthegamesystem;it'snotthecoresystemhasamajorproblem,afteritit'stheBRP engine,wellknownforbeingflexible,easytopickup,andhavingagooddegreeofrealism.Themainissueisthe implementation,whereentirelythewrongissuesareimplemeted(e.g.,combatoverinvestigation),wherethereisalack ofbelievability(e.g.,skillimplementation),andevenwiththestatisticsforthemajorcreaturesofthemythoswhichare presentedmoreofawhimsythanseriousconsideration.Itisfortunateinmostcontextstherules"fadeinthe background"inactualplay,butoftenalltoooftenthereisajarringreminderoftheirlessthanoptimalworkmanship. ItisthisissuethatcausesCallofCthulhuasomewhatlowersubstancevaluethanitcouldachieve.Willtheseissuesbe resolvedinanupcomingseventhedition?Onecanhope;butitdoesseemratherlonginthetoothtogetthesematters right.Despitethesecriticisms,CallofCthulhuremainsatrulyexcellentgame,stronglyencapsulatingafascinating settingandthemeinanaccessiblemanner. Style:1+0.7(layout)+0.7(art)+1.0(coolness)+0.7(readability)+0.7(product)=4.8 Substance:1+0.8(content)+0.7(text)+0.9(fun)+0.3(workmanship)+0.6(system)=4.3
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CallofCthulhud20 AbouttheGameandTheProduct Inapreviousreviewthatweremorecontemporarytotherelease,theD20linewasdescribedas"unstoppableasa Shoggothinheat",whichofcourseisaverydisturbingmentalimage,andevenmoresowhenconsideringtelepathic abilities.ThereleaseofCallofCthulhuD20generatedagreatdealofdebateatthetime,especiallyoverthe applicabilityofalevelbasedsystemtothisspecifichorrorgenre,andwhetheritwasanecessarycontributiontoan existingCthulhumythosingaming.Boththoseissueswillbeaddressedinthisreview. CallofCthulhu(D20)comesasa319phardbackbook.Thecoverart,byAnnKoiandJasonSoles,suggestsaold leathertomethathasdistortedintoademonicface,isquiteevocative.Thebookitselfiswellbound,withglosspaper andfullcolourthroughout.Thecontentisinadenseslantedtwocolumnjustifiedseriffontthroughoutwithapage marginthatclearlyprovidespagenumberandchapterheading.Thereisatwopagetableofcontentsandatwopage index,whichispossiblealittleshort.Therearetwelvechapterstothegame,alongwithtwoadventures,and appendicies,andasinglepagecharactersheet.Theartwork,amixtureofblackandwhiteandcolour,istypicallyvery goodintermsoftechnique(Ithaquaonpage306isanunfortunateexception),showscreativity,andismostly contextuallyappropriate. CharacterGeneration,Skills,Feats,Sanity Thefirstfourchapters,takingupamodestfiftyonepages,areessentiallyaboutcharactergeneration.ThisisaD20so mostgamerswillbeinfamiliarterritoryhere.Thewellknowncharacterabilities(Strength,Dexterity,Constitution, Intelligence,Wisdom,Charisma)arebasedon4d6,droplowest,andassignaccordingtoplayer'schoice.Abilitieshave positiveandnegativemodifierstotheubiquitousd20checkswithaconsistentscale(1011nodifference,everyplusor minustwopointsisaplusorminusonemodifier).Ifageeverbecomesanissue,there'snotablebreakpointsat50,65, and80.Foreveryfourlevelsacharactergains+1totheanabilityscore. Yes,levelsandexperiencepoints,andhitpoints,andbaseattackbonuses,ohmy.Theyareslightlydifferenthowever. Inasensethere'stwobroadclasses(orclassesofclasses,goodness,it'slikeanobjectorientatedprogrammerhasbeen letintotheroom);offensiveordefensive.Anoffensivecharacterstartsoffwithonegoodprogressionofsavingthrows (fromWill,Reflex,andFortitude)andagoodprogressioninbaseattackbonus.Thedefensivecharacterreceivestwo goodprogressionsinsavingthrows.Bothclasseshavethesameexperiencepointrequirementsforlevelprogression, thesamenumberofskillranks,feats,andabilityincreases.Regardlessofwhatclassistaken,charactersarealso differentiatedbytheirselectionofprofessionwhichdeterminestheircoreskills.Characterclassdoesnotdetermine profession;acharactercanbeanoffensiveclergymanandadefensivesoldier,iftheplayersodesires.Professionsalso modifysavingsandincome,basedon1d6rollmultipliedbythe20thcenturyerathattheindividualgameissetin.An optional,more"pulpera",rulegivesoffensiveclassesafreeweaponproficiencyandalevelbasedbonustoACfor defensivecharacters. Charactersstartwithfourtimestheirusuallevelofskillsranksatfirstlevel.Ranksarecappedbylevelandwhetherthe skillinprofessioniscoreornoncoretothecharacterprofession.Noncoreskillsalsocostdoubtle,sothecharacter reallyisheavilybiasedtowardstheircoreprofessionalskills,whichcannotbechanged(thereisnomulticlassoptionas
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such).Skillmodifiersarethesumoftheskillandanrelevantabilitymodifier,withskilltestsbasedonad20rollover DifficultyClass(5foreasy,upto30forheroic).Certainskillschecksarebasedonopposedrolls(e.g.,MoveSilently vsListen)withtheDifficultyClassequaltoopposedroll.Thereisjustunderfiftycoreskills,alongwithavarietyof specialisationsforKnow,SpeakOtherLanguage,Craft,andPerformance.Thetimetakenforaskillvaries,withthe gamenotingsixactiontimesrangingfromautomaticreactionstogreaterthanfullroundactions;andactionrepresents sixsecondsoftime.Charactersmaytake10(i.e.,automaticallyhavearesultof10plusmodifiersinsteadofrolling d20)ifnotsubjecttodistraction,oreventake20,althoughthiswilltake20timesaslongasthestandardtest. Charactersmaysometimescooperateinskilluse,anduseskillssynergisticallyforfurtherbonuses(e.g.,Animal EmpathytoHandleAnimal). Eachskillisprovidedafewparagraphsofdescriptionalongwithnotesforcircumstances,DifficultyClasses,special options,andsynergy.OfparticularnoteistheCthulhuMythosskill,whichcanonlybegainedbystudyingtomesof saidinformation.EachrankinCthulhuMythosskillreducesthecharacter'sSanitybyanequivalentnumber.Thereis alsoaPsychicFocusskillwhichhallowsfortheperformanceofpsychicfeats,ifallowedinthecampaign.Thereisalso aPsychoanalysisskillwhichallowsforthecuringoftheeffectsofshock;incontrastpsychologyistreatedasanKnow specialisation.Asawhole,theskilldescriptionsareheavilyderivedfromearlyversionsofD20Dungeons&Dragons andwiththeissues,positive(e.g.,consistentsystem)andnegative(e.g.,thepowerofDiplomacy),thatthisgamehas. Thereareapproximatelyfiftygeneralfeats,mostofwhicharecombatoractionorientated.Theyareprimarilyusedto groupedskillbonuses(e.g.,Acrobaticgives+2toJumpandTumble),forcombatactions(e.g.,BlindFight,Dodge, QuickDrawetc).AgaintheseareheavilyD&Dderived,whichisperhapsnotentirelyappropriatetotheCthulhu mythos,orimplyingastylisticchangetothesetting.ThereisalsotenPsychicFeats,hithertonotreallyapartofCallof Cthulhu(exceptforthosewhohavecastasufficientnumberofSanityblastingspells),againimplyingamore cinematicchange. TheSanitysystemisprettymuchtakendirectlyfromtheBRPCallofCthulhu,butwithascalingissue.Aswiththe originalgame,charactersmustmakeaSanitycheckwhenencounteringagruesomeorsupernaturaleventandrollunder theSanityforaminoreffect(ornoneatall),withamajoreffectifthecharacterfails.StartingSanityisbasedonfive timethecharacter'sWisdomscore,andmaximumSanityis99minusthecharacter'sCthulhuMythosrank.Notethat thisistheranknottheranktimesfive.CharacterscannowacquiresignificantlevelsofMythosknowledgewithout thethreatofinsanity;theknowledgeof"thingsthanManwasnotmeanttoknow"isnotsomuchatall.Sanitychecks aremadeonad100,rollundermechanic,thesameasBRP.NotethatthisisabreakfromtheusualD20mechanic,of rolld20,rollhigh.IfacharacterlosesmoreSanitypointsthanhalftheirWisdominasingleroll,theysufferan temporaryinsanity(lastingroundstohours),iftheysuffermorethan20%oftheircurrentscoretheybecome IndefinitelyInsane,lasting1d6monthswithanactiveinfliction.Iftheyreach10Sanity,theybecomePermanently Insane.Sanityimprovementsoccurthroughtherapy,medications,andlevelimprovements.Thereisanexcellent descriptionandgameeffectsofvariousdisorders,alongwithhistoricalinformationontreatments. Combat,Equipment,andMagic CallofCthulhuD20usesahitpointsmethodforcharacterwounds,basedon1d6perlevel,with6forthefirstlevel. ThecombatsystemisalsoheavilyderivedfromD&D3e.Withvariousperceptionskillchecksdeterminingactivity duringasurpriseround,initiativeisbasedonD20plusmodifiersdeterminingorder.Anattackrollis1d20plus modifiersversustheArmorClassoftheopponent,whichincorporatestheirphysicalarmour,Dexteritybonus,and otherdefensivebonuses,withafairlycleardistinctionbetween"touchonly"attacksand"flatfooted"situationswhere Dexterityisn'tcounted.Ineachroundacharactermaymaketwomoveactions,amoveandattackcombination,ora
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fullroundaction. Asuccessfulhitresultsindamage,basedontheweapon.BywayofexampleaSpideofLengdoes2d6+6damage(plus poison),anAK47does2d6(withautofire),andacombatknife1d4(plusStrengthbonus).Acharacterisdisabledat0 hitpoints,anddeadat10.Ifacharactertakesmorethan10hitpointsinasingleround,a"massivedamagethreshold" theymustmakeaFortitudesavingcheckwithaDCof15,ordieimmediately."Creatures"(everythingfromaaninsect fromShaggaiupwards?)haveathresholdoffiftyhitpoints,andfailurecausesunconsciousnessratherthandeath. Overall,thisislessthanoptimalmethod.Indeed,callitakludge.Whilstthemassivedamagethresholddoesreducethe heroicfantasytropewhereacharacterreceivesenormousdamage(whetherabstractedordirect)andshurgsitoff,itstill existstoapoint;experiencedcharacterseventhosewithsedentaryprofessionswillhavemorehitpointsthanlow levelprofessionalsoldiers,alongwithbetteroverallcombatabilities(BABetc).Assumingthattheyhavetakenthe samebroadclass,a10thleveltechnicianis,ceterisparibus,farmoredangerousthanafifthlevelsoldierandthat certainlyshouldnotbethecase.Ingeneral,lowerlevelcharactersaremuchweakerincombatsituationsthanstandard BRPbasedCoCcharactersandhigherlevelD20CoCcharactersarestronger. Asawholehowever,thecombatsystemisquitesophisticatedanddetailed.Thereisvariousmodifiersandspecific rulesforsize,flanking,coordinatedattacks,creaturesize,concealment,criticalhits,subdualdamage,attackingand breakingobjects,strikingweapons,disarmingandgrappling,trips,andsoforth.Ofparticularimportanceofcourseis firecombat,especiallywhenconsidersthattheequipmentchapter,sometwentypages,isalmostentirelydedicatedto firearms,meleeweapons,andarmour(there'sasmallpricelistforlodging,entertainment,communications,clothing etc). Firearms,dependingontheweapon,cancomewithautofire,multifire,orstandard.Asstandardweaponiscapableof oneextrashotperround,amultifireweaponwithanextraattackbutabetterchancetohit,andanautofireattackwith twoextraattacksperround(albeitwitheachattackusingthreebullets).Allthreeoptionscomewithsomefairly punishingpenalties.Bywayofexample,acharacterwithaBaseAttackBonusof+5will,ofcourse,averagearound15 persingleshot.Withanautofireweapontheycanfireoffninebulletsandhavethreeattackrollsat1each,averaging9 pershot.Ratherunusuallyforacombatchapter,variousenvironmentaldamagesareincludedaswellinthissection; suchasdiseases,poisons,starvation,extremeheatandcold,drowningandfalling,etc. Themagicsystembeginswith"strangeevents"ontomesandartifacts,butwithanoverallsimilarsystemtothatinBRP CoC.Essentiallythereisalistofmythostomeswhichtakealongtotimetoproperlystudy,butwhichgrantbonusesto theCthulhuMythosskill,containanumberofspells,andreduceSanity.Thenumberofspellsisnotablyhigherthan BRPCoC,andthenumberofbooksandartifactsdescribedisnotablyfewer.Thespellsystemisaninteresting amalgamationoftheBRPapproachandthatoftheD20line.Theformat(savingthrow,duration,components)etcare derivedfromtheD20line,asaresomeoftherequirements(e.g.,concentration,casterlevel).Buttheeffectsandcosts areverymuchinthestyleofBRPCoC,withbothSanitylossandtemporaryAbilityscoreloses,especiallyforInt,as thecharacterallowsforalienknowledgewithrealeffectstotaketheirmind.ArguablythiscouldalsoimproveInt.In actualplay,theabilitylosssignificantlyreducesthenumberofspellsthatcanbecastinsuccessionspellcastingis,and should,bequiterare.Someonehundredandtwentyspellsaredescribed,mostofwhicharelessorientatedtowardsthe ritualisticsummoningsandbindingsandmoreorientatedtowardsimmediateeffects. Creatures,Setting,GM,Stories,andMore
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Thefirstthingthatisnotableforthevariouscreaturesisthattheyaregiventhesamesortofbroadclassifications presentinD&D'sMonsterManual;thatis,creaturesareclassifiedasAberration,Animal,Beast,Dragon(e.g.,Hunting Horror,whoknew?),Giant,Humanoid,etc.withvariouspresentabilitiesaccordingtothistaxonomy.Strongdefinition isgiventothevariousabilitiesandattributesofcreatures,asisexpectedwiththatgamesystem,including modificationsduetoSize,challengerating,advancementand,ofcourse,Sanitylosses.Aroundfourtycreaturesare describedwithtemplatesforcreatingdifferentbeastiesofvarioussorts,witheachreceivingaroundaboutapageeach withanemphasisonthecombativeabilities,butwithintroductoryquotesfromtherelevelantliterature. SomesixtypagestakeupinformationontheCthulhumythos,GMadvice,andsettings.Themythosinformationistrue tothecentralthemesofLovecraftandpresentedinanevocativefashion.Thechecklistapproachforcults,tomes,gods andmonsters(thereisnodifference),secrets,etc.,arehandyfortheexperiencedgamemasterandalmostessentialfor thenovice.SimilarutilitycontinuesintheGMchapterwhichgivesemphasistogradualrevelation,pacing,and atmospherics,althoughthisisalittlemorewordy,andtothetheStorieschapterwhichprovidesavarietyofbasic adventureseeds,andsomesuggestionsofnarrativeflow. TheSettingschapterdistinguishesalongamatrixofhere/nowandthen/farindidcatingthechallengesofhavingsettings outsideaGM'sframeofreference.Briefsettinginformationisgivenonthedecade'sfollowingthe1890s,withinitially anoverviewfollowedbysomeappropriatemythosrelatedfeedsbasedonliteraryreconstruction.Someofthisis handy,butasawholethesectionseemstobealittletooscattered. Twoadventuresareprovdiedwiththebook,"TheEndofParadise"and"LittleSlicesofDeath".Bothareintroductory inpresentation,givingasolidexperienceininvestigativegaming.Thefirstscenario,unfortunately,requiressignificant failureonthepartofthePCstoactuallygeneratethebesthorror.Thesecondscenariocertainlyhaveastrongerfeelofa creepinghorrorandincludesmuchofthedelightfuldissociationexperiencesthatcanreallybringaLovecraftstoryinto asimilarrealmtothatofPhillipK.Dick. ThefinalchaptersdiscussthepossibilityofusingtheCthulhumythosinD&Dgames,aconceptwhichreturnsusback tothedaysofthefirstprintingsofDieties&Demigods.Weeven,again,receivestatsfortheGreatOldOnes,although theyaresubstantiallyimprovedasonewouldexpectforD&D3e,andonejusthastocacklemadlytodiscoverthatthey haveaTreasurevaluetoonow(evenourdearAzathothcomeswithax5ratingforthatstatistic).Abriefsetof conversionnotesandrecommendedreadingconcludestherules. Conclusion AsameanstointroducenewD&D/D20playerstotheCthulhumythosandthecentralthemesofthatliterature,CofC D20mustbecountedasasuccess.Inthisveryattractivebook,isagamethatworks,andworksquitewell,withagood expositionofthesettingandthemes,andarulessystemwhichallowsforvariationsofdifficultyanddegreesof success.The'coolness'ratinghoweverisslightlyreducedfromtheoriginalbecauseitissuchahighlyderiviativework, althoughittoofartotodescribeitasredundant.Inadditionthereisacoupleofnotablebugsplusanintrinsicissue whichisdifficulttoextractfromtheentiresystem. Thefirst,andsubjecttoarelativelyeasyfix,istheissuewithmaximumSanityandCthulhumythos.Rulesaswrit,this
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reducesthecorethemeof"knowledgebeingdangerous";fortunatelythefixisrelativelyeasysimplymultiplythe MythosmodifierbyfivewhencalculatingmaximumSanity. Themostproblematicissuehoweveristheassociationwithlevelswithcombatitiveability.ItisunavoidableinaD20 gamethat"level"hasacorrelationwithBasicAttackBonus,HitPoints,SavingThrowsetc,whichsimplydoesn'twork wellwiththerealistandthematicconsiderationsofCallofCthulhu.Hitpointtoofallintothiscategory,evenwhen consideredintheirmostabstractmeasure.Iflevelswereanabstractmeaureofthecharacter'sabilityinaparticular profession(orprofessions,itmustbeemphasised),thenmuchofthiscouldberesolved. Asanunusualsituation,thesubstanceratingsforCallofCthulhuD20arehigherthantheBRPversion,althoughthe latterispreferredforplay.ThereasonforcomesfromthefactthatalthoughtheBRPversionhasmoreandsignificant flawsinthegamesystemandtheworkmanshipofthatgamesystem,theproblemsthatithasaresignificantlyeasierto fixthanthosethatarepartofCofCD20.Nevertheless,thisremainsanexcellentgameandonewhichisawelcome additiontothecollectionofanyfanofthisgenre. Style:1+0.7(layout)+0.8(art)+0.7(coolness)+0.7(readability)+0.9(product)=5.0 Substance:1+0.7(content)+0.6(text)+0.7(fun)+0.5(workmanship)+0.8(system)=4.4
TrailofCthulhu TheProduct TrailofCthulhuexplicitlyexiststocombinethe"greatestRPG ofalltime"(CallofCthulhu)withRobinD.Laws'sGumshoe system,designedforinvestigategame.Thesolidlybound 248pphardbackispresentedwithaconsistentmurkygreen artworkbyJérômeHugueninthroughoutthetext,reminiscent ofold,washedout,photographs.Myfeelingsontheartwork, bothintermsoftechniqueandcreativity,ismixed;thereis someexcellentpieceswhichworkparticularlywellinthat style;theimageoftheGreatRaceofYithonp136is particularlytasty.Othersincludingthecover!arebarely passable.Thelayout,alsobyHuguenin,isthreecolumn raggedrightwithaseriffont,andsansserifheadings,with decostyledborders.Itisextremelypleasingtotheeyeand showssomeknowledgeinthesetechniques,exceptinacouple ofinstanceswheretheprimaryheadingsarelessobviousthan elementsofthetext(e.g.,spelldescriptions). Thereisanverygoodtableofcontents,indexandafine collectionofappendices.Themainchaptersare"The Investigator","Clues,TestsandContests","TheCthulhu Mythos","TheThirties"(thesetting,contrastwithCallofCthulhu's1920sdefault),"PuttingItAllTogether",
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"CampaignFrames",and"TheKingsburyHorror".Inactualplay,Ifoundmomentswheretheorganisationofthetext couldhavebeenimproved,especiallywithsomejumpingbetweendescriptionsofinvestigatorabilitiesandtheiractual useinplay.Thegameisdesignedtoberunaspuristorpulpmodes,notingthatH.P.Lovecraftwrotewithboth orientations.TheruleshavespeciallymarkedsectionsdependingonwhichmethodtheKeeperwishestouse(thegame usestheoldCallofCthulhuterms'Keeper'and'Investigator'todescribetheGMandPCs).Finally,thetextincludesa lotofappropriatequotesfromthefamousauthorinanillustrativemanner. InvestigatorsandSystem Thefirsttwochaptersprovidethecoreofthegamesystem.Descriptionsofsomeeighteensettingandgenre appropriateoccupationsareprovided,alongwithoccupationalabilities,creditratingbandandanyspecialabilities. OccupationalabilitiesarethosethattheInvestigatorcanpurchaseathalfcostinthispointbuildsystem.Adefaultof65 pointsisprovidedtopurchasefromthe65abilities,withcharactersstartwithSanityof4,StabilityandHealthat1and thelowerendoftheirCreditRatingbad.Notethereisnogeneric'statistics'assuchwhichaddto'skills';thetwo componentsarecollapsedintoonebroadcategoryabilitieswhichisalsobroadenoughtoincludefairlyparticular valuessuchasSanityandStability.Alloccupationshaveaspecialabilitywhichoftenareframedinanarrative orientation(e.g.,anAntiquitarian"onceperadventure"mayhaveasuitableorinformativeitem"backattheshop". Finally,InvestigatorsalsocomewithDrives,"acoredesirethatimpelshimtoseekstrange,fartruthsatthecostof everythingthatheoncehelddear".Somefourteenaredescribed,suchasAntiquitarianism,Curiosity,Revenge Scholarshipetc.Asadirectinfluenceonplay,refusingaDrivecostsStability. Investigatorabilitiesaredescribedinroughlyaquarterofapageeachwithabriefdefinitionandsomeexamples.More detailisenteredforsomeofthecoreabilitiesofthegame,suchasCreditRating(whichcomeswithaannualincome andlifestylesignifierschart),CthulhuMythos,SanityandStability.TheCthulhuMythosabilityallowsInvestigatorsto "piecetogetherthesecretrulesoftherealworld",costingSanityandStabilityintheprocess.Sanityistheabilityto sustainfundamentalhumanconcerns;foreverythreefullpointsofSanityacharacteralsoassociatesaPillarofSanity, onehumanconcern(ideology,religion,socialinstitution)thatgivesthecharactermeaning.LikewiseforStability,the resistancetomentaltrauma,acharactermustchooseaSourceofStabilityforeverythreepoints,beingapersonwho theyemotionallyrelyupon.AnInvestigatorcanhavealowSanity,buthighStability(inwardlymadbutapparently unfazable)orviceversa(highlydedicatedandconnected,butofnervousdisposition). Thecore,investigative,systemruleisthatifInvestigatorsturnuptoascenetheywilldiscoverthecoreclues.The emphasisofthestoryisnotsomuchfindingtheclues(althoughfindingadditionalcluescanbeanissue,ifyoudon't havetherightability),butratherinterpretationthecluesthattheyfind.Thisistoensurethatstorylinesarenotwrecked by(say)afailed"LibraryUse"rollorequivalent.Fortests,simplyrollad6,addanumberofpointsfromthe Investigator'spoolintheirability(therating)andtrytodefeatthetargetnumber.Whilstthisaddsanotherelementof resourcemanagementinthegame,andthetensionthatarisesfromthat,Iamnotsureitaddedmuchinagenrespecific sense.Thepoolscanbeoccasionallyrefreshed,althoughatdifferentrates;investigativeabilitypoolsarerefreshedonly attheendofeachcase,whereasthreegeneralabilitypools(exceptHealth,SanityandStability)canberefreshedwhen theInvestigatorsareindependentofadangerarea.Healthcanberefreshedat2pointsperdayof'restfulactivity', whereasSanityandStabilitymayberefreshedbetweenadventures. Contestsaredefinedascompetitivetests.Thiscanbeusedforchases,combatetc.Inturn,eachcharacterinvolved attemptsatest,andcontinuestodoiftheysucceed;thosethatfailhavelostthecontest.Incombatcontests,thetestis basedona'hitthreshold'(3or4ifAthletics8+,otherconditionalmodifiers)anddamageisbasedonasingledie, modifiedbyweapontype,andissubtractedfromtheHealthpool(amour,althoughrare,ispossible).Physicalinjuryis
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markedaseitherhurt(Health0to5,SeriouslyWounded6to11,orDead12ormore),withgraduatedeffectsand healingdifficulty.Thischartissomewhatreplicatedwhenpsychicdamageisdescribed,andtheappropriatetestsare calledfor,againwithvariablethresholdsanddamagevalues(e.g.,freshcorpseis1stabilitypointloss,killingone's spouseis8).Itispossible,underdesperatecircumstances,forthecharactertospendthemselvesnegativee.g.,theyjust havetocastthatStabilityblastingspell.Negativestabilityisratedfrom0to5(shaken),6to11(blasted)and12 (incurablyinsane).UnlikeStability,whenSanityreaches0,thecharacterispermanentlyinsane.Sanityislostthrough Mythosshockswhichdropthecharacter'sStabilitybelow0,orusingtheMythosability.Ifsomehowaninvestigation comestoaconclusionandthereisabsolutelynoproofofanyMythosactivitySanitycanberecoveredby1point.Short descriptionsofseveralcommoninsanitiesareprovided. Mythos,SettingandStory ThechapterontheCthulhuMythosbeginswith"GodsandTitans",thebigentities,suchasAzathoth,Cthulhu,Hastur, YogSothothandsoforth.EachoftheseentitiescomeswithextradamagevaluesforStabilityandSanitypoollosses. EachbeingisintroducedwithadescriptionfromLovecraftthenseveraldotpointparagraphsdescribingtheentityand theircoreinterests.Noabilityratingsareprovidedforthesebeings,whichImustconfessImissedsomewhat,butrather moreeffortisplacedintogivingtantalisingindirectsuggestionsonhowtheycouldbeincludedintoaninvestigation. ThiscontrastssomewhatwiththeAlienRacesdescribedlater,whereeachspeciesisgivenathoroughphysicaland sometimespsychicdescription,alongwitharangeofappropriate(i.e.,usuallycombatbased)coreabilitiesare provided,alongwithhitthreshold,armor,weapons,andstabilityloss.AninterestingcomponentisInvestigatorability deriveddescriptionsofcluesthatarelinkedwiththealiens.Finally,BeastsandMonstersarealsodescribedwith statisticalcomponentsbutfarlessadventuredrivenaspects. Quiteconfusingly,thesectionon'TomesandMagic'isthrowninbetweenthe'GodsandTitans'and'AlienRaces' sections.Tomesaredefinedaseithercluesorresources.Cluetomescanskim0read,whereasaresourcetomemustbe poredoverinanindeterminateperiodoftime.Tomescan,ofcourse,bebothandprovidevariousbenefitsand problems.TheEltdownShards,forexample,provide1dedicatedOccultpoolpointbyskimming,but+1Cthulhu Mythosbyporingoverit,or+2iftheInvestigatorhasalreadyencounteredtheGreatRaceofYithorElderThings. TomescanalsoincludeSpellswhichcantakebutafewdaystolearnwithtrainingandappropriateabilities.Spells comewithadescriptionofcasting,effectsandcomponents,alongwithStabilityTestdifficultyvalues,Stabilitycosts, andcastingtime,whichcanvaryfromseveralsecondstomultiplehoursforsummoningrituals.Aroundtwentyfour spellsandtwelveritualsaredescribed. Severalsamplecultsaredescribedwithdistribution,plothooksandresponsesprovided,alongwithnotesforKeeper's creatingtheirowncult,precedingthechapteronthe1930swhichisaccuratelydefinedas'adesperatedecade',where poverty,racismandwarwerethenorm.Headlinenewsitemsareprovided,alongwithasignificantsectionontherise oftotalitarianism.'Nightmarecountries'(Abyssinia,BelgianCongo,Egypt,Germany,SovietUnion,Thibit)are providedsomemundaneandCthulhurelatedinformation,althoughImustprotesttheexclusionoftheAustralian continent,NewGuineaandtheMalayarchipelagofromdiscussion!Thechapterconcludeswithanobligatory equipmentlistwhichincludesapageandahalf(althoughwithlargerfontandspacing)ofvehiclestats,apagefor weapons,andtwopagesofsundries. StorytellingandScenario Twochapters("PuttingItAllTogether","CampaignFrames")areInvestigatorandKeeperadvicepages.Theyarequite
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goodforthemodelof"storylike"tempowhichtheauthor,andgamesystemdesigner,bothaspiretowards.Keepingthe storymoving,keepingtheresponsesinteresting,providinghooks,breadcrumbs,revealingtheawfultruth,taking historicalsourcesandaddingaCthulhuflavour,engagingincliffhangerscenes,andkeepingthesenseofmenaceisall describedinthefirstchapter.Thesecondismoreorientatedtowardsdealingwiththelargercampaignstoryand enframingthoseinconsistentmanner,especiallywithregardstosetting,style,appropriateinvestigatorsandvariant rules.Threeexamplecampaignsareprovidedinsomedetailwiththesecampaignframes. Thesamplescenario,theKingsburyHorror,isderivedfromarealworld,unsolved,serialkillereventsonClevelandin the1930s.Actualplayfoundthatthetempocouldbemaintainedquitewell,andtheissueofresourcemanagementdid addtensiontothestorydevelopment.ButinordertodosotheKeepermustbeconstantlyawareoftheplotspeed,and introducethenumerousfloatingcluestoensurethenarrativemovesforwardscenebysceneandkeepstheplayerson theirtoes.ThereareacoupleofredherringsinthestorylinewhichIwouldpreferwereintegrated,albeitinan unexpectedway,giventhatthescenesotherwisehangalittleoddlytothetale.Nevertheless,itdidprovideand interestingandchallengingscenariospreadoverseveralsessionswithsomegreatroleplayingencounters,plentyof opportunitiesforinvestigationandachallengingclimax. Overall TrailofCthulhuisasolidproductwhichachievesitsstatedaims.Intermsofstyle,thelayoutwasverygood,the artworkfairgood,itisfairlywellwritten,solidlyproduced,andyes,it'sCthulhuandthereforeitdoesprettywellon the'cool'stakes.Intermsofsubstance,thisbookprovidesprettymuchwhatisneededforagoodgameinvestigators, entities,.Theefficiencyofthiswritingisonlyfairaswell.Thegamesystemlargelycomestogetherquitenicely,even ifthe1d6coremechanicfortestsdoesseemalittleinvariableandevenmoresowhendealingwithparticularlylarge andpowerfulentitiesitdoesn'tscaleverywell.Thetensionoverresourcemanagementcanwork,alongwiththe sourcesofstabilityandpillarsofsanity,aslongastheKeeperpaysattentiontoitandintegratesitwiththegeneralplot. TrailofCthulhuisagoodgameand partoftherunoflicensesonCthulhu, includingShadowsofCthulhy (True20),RealmsofCthulhu(Savage Worlds),D20CallofCthulhu.Asa gameserieshowever,itsbiggest challengewillbethedevelopmentof epicstorylinesthataresimilarquality asMasksofNyarlathotep,Horroron theOrientExpress,ShadowsofYog Sothothetc. Style:1+.8(layout)+.6(art)+.8 (coolness)+.7(readability)+.9 (product)=4.6 Substance:1+.6(content)+.6(text) +.7(fun)+.7(workmanship)+.7 (system)=4.3
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VARIANTCTHULHUMYTHOSSETTINGSS byLevLafayette CthulhuDarkAges ProductandAbout CallofCthulhuDarkAgesisa173pagesoftbackthat hasthatcompany'susualgoodstandardsinbinding. FrancoisLaunetattractivecoverofaNormaninvestigator withtorchlighthassomeparticularniceshadesofred, black,andgoldandgivesthesenseofunearthingand illuminationthatshouldbepartofanydungeoncrawl. Thetextistwocolumn,serif,raggedrightwithagutter suggestingafadedmanuscript,althoughthisisnotused forpageandchapterinformationwhichisfoundonthe bottomofthepage.Spaceisalsowastedoneachpage havingdifferentheaderartaccordingtochapter.The originalinternalartworkvariesinquality,withmanyof thepiecesintheBestiarychapterparticularlygood,and withagoodcollectionofappropriatepublicdomain historicalpiences,andisusuallyincontext.Thereisa singlepageforthetableofcontentsandindexforthesix chapters.Particulartext(e.g.,tables,spotrules)areboxed andhighlighted.StéphaneGesbert'swritingisformal,but light,withagreatdealofevocativequotesfromin supplement. Therearetwoitemsofnoteforanypotentialpurchaser.Thefirstisthatthesettingis9501050A.D.,whichwhilstisan excellenttimeforMillenarianism,maynotbewhatsomereadersexpectfromthetheterm'darkages'.Theissueis mootinacademia,andcertainlyhistoricallytheoriginaluseofthe"saeculumobscurum"doesfallwithinthattime.But justincaseonethoughtthattheyweregettingabookforroleplayingjustafterthefalloftheRomanEmpire,this explanationisprovided.Thesecondismoresignificant;thisisnotasupplementforCallofCthulhu,butratheran entireindependentgameinitself,althoughusingthesamecoresystem,modifiedforthesetting. CharacterGenerationandSkills Thetextlaunchesintothethematicconsiderationsofthesettingrightaway,alongwithsomemetagame recommendations(i.e.,scaretheplayers).Thereisalsoashortcollectionofsourcematerial,whichreallyisquite limitedinrangeandquality.Followingthisisthegamesystem,takingupabut44pages.CharacteristicsareAPP (Appearance),CON(Constitution),DEX(Dexterity),EDU(Education),INT(Intelligence),POW(Power),SIZ(Size), andSTR(Strength).Thisisapointbuysystem,with100pointsallocated,averaging12.5.Derivedcharacteristics includeSAN(Sanity)fromPOW*5,DamageBonus(fromSTR+SIZ),HitPoints((CON+SIZ)/2)),andwith
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characteristicrollsbasedonthecorevaluetimesfive. AsmallselectionofAngloSaxon,OldFrench,andOldHighGermannamesisprovidedassuggestions,withcharacter startinglanguagesinfluencedbyregionaldialect.Charactersbeginatage15,withanoptionofincremensof+10years providing20occupationpointsand1toacharacteristic.Charactershave20*EDUtodistributepointsaccordingto theirprofession,and10*INTaccordingtopersonalinterest.Professionsalsoprovidestartingmonies,andayearly income.Twentyappropriateandnormalprofessionsaredescribed. Aroundfiftycoreskillsaredescribedinaroundaparagraphalongwiththeirbasechance.Thesecanbetranslatedto morecontemporaryCoCskilltitles,withsomeminormodifications(e.g.,ageneric"Science"takestheplaceofthe specialistdisciplines).WiththeexceptionofDodge,LibraryUse,andOwnLanguage,characteristicsdonotmodify skills.Someskillsrequirespecialisations(e.g.,Craft,OtherLanguages),andotherswhicharespecialisedshouldbe amalgamated(e.g.,HeadButt,Grapple,Kick,Punch,individualweapons).ThereisnoPsychoanalysisskill,which certainlyshouldbeincludedifunderadifferentname,andPsychologyisincludedasInsight.Deceptionalsousesthe Insightskillwithcompetitionthrougtheresistancetable,whichissomewhatinappropriate. AsperothereditionsofCallofCthulhu,skilltestsareastraightd100rollwithoutmodifiers(howeverthescenario belowdoesincludemultipliers),andasuccessfultestunderstressresultsinanimmediateskillcheck(rollundercurrent value,gain1d10percentiles).Notablyskillchecksareonlytakenwhenthesituationisdangerous,althoughsomeskills (e.g.,Pilot,Boat,Climb,Swordetc)areconsidred"inherentlydramaticordangerous".Whenacharacterreceives90% ormoreinaskilltheygain2d6SAN.Forcharacteristicvscharacteristicchecksaresistancetableisprovidedwhich canbeexpressedbytheforumula:(activeCHAR*5resistingCHAR*5)+50%. TheEnvironmentandCombat Environmentalfactors,astheyshouldbe,areanimportantpartofCthulhuDarkAges.Allcharactershavethesame movementrate(40mperround,running),althoughtherearerulesforchases.Wildernesssurvivalandtheeffectsof hunger,exposureandaphixiationareprovided,alongwithfireandlight.Theissuestraversinghumanandnatural obstaclesreceivessimilarprominience.Physicaldamagethroughcombatsituationsare,ofcourse,notforgotten.Whilst theeffectsofpoisonarecarriedoutasresistancerollattacksfortheireffect,orcharacteristictestsfordisease,most damageoccursoccursasareductioninhitpoints.Spotrulesareprovidedforacid,drowning,falling,fire,andhealing (1d3pointsperweek,1d3pointsforfirstaid,c1d3perweekforhospitalisation).Individualwoundshaveclassification levels(10%ofhitpoints,50%ofhitpoint,100%ofhitpointsetc)whichindicate,forexample,ashockthreshold (50%)whichcancauseunconsciousness. Combatroundsareanelasticmeasureoftimefromseveraltoadozenseconds.Armourreducesdamage(e.g.,quilted leather1,chaimail7,kiteshieldwithironstraps,30).Thereisrulesforimpalingdamage,dodgesandparries,surprise, knockoutattacks(damageasanattackontheresistancetable),weaponlengthandclosing.Thelatterrules,less commoninBRPgames,statesthatlongerweaponsalwaysstrikefirst,regardlessofDEX(theusualdetermninantof initiative),andthatasuccessfuldodgeisrequiredtocloseforastrike(andasuccessfuldodgeforthelongerarmed opponenttoreestablishoptimaldistance).Missileweaponshavethreeranges,base,double,andpointblank;atdouble theskillishalvedatpointblank(theattacker'sDEXinyards)itisdoubled.Thrownweaponsapplyhalfofanydamage bonus.Thereisalsoacollectionofweaponstatisticsforwarengines;theyarenotveryaccurate(atall),butasone couldimagineveryhandyagainstlarge,statictargetslikebuildings.
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AsperotherversionsofCallofCthulhu,Sanityisdistinguishedbetweentemporary,indefinite,andpermanent. Temporaryinsanitylastsfrom1d10+4roundsto1d10*10hours,andisexpressedastheresultsofshockthelossof5 ormoreSANpoints.IncreasingskillinCthulhuMythoscorrelateswithareductionofmaximumSAN.Indefinite insanityresultsfromthelossof20%ofSANpointswithinonegamehour;itcausestheusualeffectsthatone recognisesinthederanged(amnesia,hallucinations,paraphilias,paranoia,obsessivecompulsivebehaviour,etc).This typicallyremovesacharacterfromplayfor1D6gamemonths.Permanentinsanityoccurswherethecharacter'sSAN reacheszeroorless,whichputsthecharacteroutofplayfromanywherefromayeartotherestoftheirlife. Setting TheconclusionoftheSystemchapterhasashortcollectionofcommonequipmentpurchases,uptoboatsandhouses. Thispreviousapreludetothesettingchapterentitled"Utilities".Thisbeginswithaverygoodintroductioncommon knowledgeandexperienceoftheworld,withanemphasisonthemonasticandfarminglives(whichisprettymuch everybody).Intermsoflanguages,thegamereallyonlyconcentratesonRomanticandGermaniclanguages;thisis verymuchawesternEuropeansetting,andasaresultaCatholicone,tothepointofemphasisingCatholicheresiesof thetime(e.g.,Manicheans)andtheremainsofpaganism.Ontheotherhand,wegetagoodsenseofthevarious religiousandseculardutiesandresponsibilities,homelife,clothing,anddiet.Warlordsandprincesreceivetheir necessaryrecognition,fortheirmilitarystrengthandtheirenforcementofsecularorder,alongwithadescriptionof theirexperience,inincreasingrelativeopulanceandonemovesupthesocialladdertocastlemanagement. Whilsttheoverwhelmingpercentageofthepopulationengagedinagrarianactivitytosupportcitypopulations,citiesdo receivetheirownsectionprimarilyascentresoftrade,andthereforeofmilitaryconcentration,aswellasbeingcentres ofreligiouscommunities.Thereisemphasisontheuseofrivercoursesasthemaincommunicationsroute,andthe locationofmosttownsnotjustfortheirreadysupplyofwater(asnecessaryasthatis),butforthespeedandrelative safetyoftransport.ThereissomementionoftheroleofJewsinwesternEuropeancitiesaswellassidebarreferences totheparticularorganisationofRussiancities.Asectionontechnologydiscussesmedicine,horsetechnologies, milling,oreandsalts,textilesandglassware. Thisservesasanintroductiontotheworldatlarge;worldmeaninginthiscontexttheArabicandEurope.Theseare extremelybrief;theKingdomofBurgundyandtheKingdomofItaly,forexample,areeachdescribedinasingle sentence.Thelargestandmostimportantcities(Baghdad,Cordoba,Constantinople,Kiev,Prague,Rome,Veniceetc) receiveaparagraph.Someareasaredescribedinaggregate(e.g.,,"SlavonicStates").Asawhole,thesectionprovides one,perhapstwo,itemsofinteresttoeachcityorregion.Thisisprobablyinsufficient,andcertainlymakesagreatdeal ofassumptionsoftheGM'sknowledgeoftheregion(e.g.,language,religion,ethnicgroups,technologylevel,etc). Thereisamap,butitiscertainlysuggestedthatoneseekasecondopinion(atleast)tothelocationandnumberofthe sovereignstatesmentioned.Incontrasthoweverthethreepagedarkagesglossary,thefourpagesofnatural,political, andocculthistory,andthepageof"who'swho"doesgiveacertainlevelofdensity.Theglossaryisparticularlyuseful, althoughonedoesn'tgetasenseofthehistoricalmovementsfromreadingthehistorytimelinesomeextraadjectives couldhaveassistedagreatdeal. MythosandGrimoire TheMythosandGrimoirecanbeconsideredtogther,eveniftheyarepresentedinseparatechapters.Thefirstpartis,
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afterall,isamerethreepages.ThisbriefexplanationoftheCthulhuMythoswhichthestandardandfamiliarthemes, alongwiththecontent(OuterGods,GreatOldOnes,ServitorRaces,IndependentRacesetc).Anopportunitywaslost heretostronglytieencounterswiththemythosrationalisedintothetraditionalreligiousworldviewofthesetting.Itis abouttheCthulhuMythos,butitisnotabouttheCthulhuMythosintheDarkAges. Magicusers,ofvarioustypes,liveonthefringesoftheCthulhuDarkAgessociety.CastingspellstypicallycostsSAN, andifthatisn'tenoughsomecolourfulexamplesareprovidedformakingspellcastinglessencouraging.Spellsare learnedfromaspiritormythosentity,fromanotherperson,orfromabookwhichare,asexpected,quiterare.Eachare providedashortandadequatedescription;fromaspiritit'susuallyautomatically(ingrainedinthebrain!),froma persontakesatleastaweek,andfromabooktakes2D6weeks.SpellcastingcanleadtoPOWimprovements,which alsoincreasesmaximumSAN. Spellsaredescribedaccordingtoaccordingtoname,withcategorisations,range(touch,sight,indefinite),duration (instant,oneround,oneday,permanentarestandard),magicpointorPOWcost,SANcost,resistancetable modifications(manyspellscanberesisted,magicpointsvsmagicpoints),andwithadescriptionincluding components.Ritulmagicoccurswhenthemagicpointcostsexceedsthatthecasterhasavailable,andasaresult typicallytakinghoursderivedfromallthosewhoknowthespellwithsupporterscontributingthebesttheycanthrough protection(theycan'tsurprisinglycontributeinanymeaningfulwaydirectlytothecasting). Aboutfiftycorespellsaredescribed.TheseareacombinationofsomeageoldfavouritesfromCallofCthulhu,plus somenewintroductionswhichcomewithadistinctlydarkagesfeel.Forexample,"BecomeSpectral"operatesby shiftingthecaster'sbodytoLimbo,characteristicsandskillclassescanbeBlessed,Devil'scanbecastout,Demonic perceptioncanbegranted,andsoforth.OnespellwhichwillbeinevitablypopularisExaltionwhichcanprovidea bonusof1d6toSANfor12MP(veryimpressive!)orremoveanindefiniteinsanityforacostof1POW.Itisalittle overpoweredtoputitmildly.IncontrasttheHealspellonlymaximisesacharacter'shealingrateevenamodest improvementwouldhavebeenpreferable. EvenmoredeeplyingrainedintheJudeoChristianmythos(andmore)isLimbo,theequivalentoftheSpiritPlanefor RuneQuestafficiandos.BeyondthatistheUltimateAbyss;"[t]heUltimateAbyssishellinthestrictestsenseofthe word:YogSothoth’sholeorhiddenplace.Thesedescriptionsprovidethepreludetothedescriptionofspiritcombat, whichinvolvesthetypicalcontestofmagicpoints,butwithsomeneatfeatures,suchasthelossofSANandthe descriptionofthepsychologicaleffectsofthelossofmagicpoints.Thechapterconcludeswithadescriptionofthe variousbooksofthemythos.UnlikeotherversionsofCoC,thispresentationisveryclearinexactlyhowmanyweeks eachtometakestoreadandexactlywhatspellsareincluded;asothersitincludesthebonustotheCthulhumythos skills,SANcosts,andthelanguageofthebook. TheBestiarychaptertakesupjustovertwentypagesandcoversaroundfortyorsobeingsfromanimals,tomonsters,to creaturesofgodlikepowers,spanningbothmedievalfantasyandtraditionalCthulhumythosbeings,withthelatter oftenreinterpretedintotherepresentationoftheformer(e.g.,thedarkyoungasgoblins,gugsasuncleangiants). Likelytocausesomeconfusionisthe"OldOnes",aspiritual(i.e.,INTandPOWonly)greaterservitorraceofYog Sothoth.Satanreceivesabriefdescription,butnostatisticsbutthepowerfulLilithdoes.Cthulhu,sleepinginthe SouthPacific,isn'tmentionedatallexceptindirectlythroughhisservitor'stheStarSpawnofCthulhu.Thereisa simpleencountertablecertainlyneedinggreaterdevelopmentdifferentiatedintowilderness,gate,andlimboareas. SampleScenario:TheTomb
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Takinguparoundathirdofthebook(butcertainlynotathirdofthisreview)isthesamplescenario,TheTomb.The settingisaforestedregionofeasternmarchofGermany,northofVienna,whichisimmediatelynotableforbeingan areathatisnotaswellservedbythecharactergenerationsystemaswesternEurope.TheopeningsettlementofLaais inhabitedbylocalSlavsandcolonistGermans,inallianceagainsttheeasternMagyars.Thescenariobeginswiththe investigatorsjoiningtoseniorBrothers(importantNPCs)andsomewarriormonks(redshirts)inamissionaryquestto convertorotherwisepacifytheheathernMagyars. ThereisanexcellenthistoricalsummaryoftheregioninthetwopageKeeperPlayAids,althoughtheforestnarrative informationshouldhavebeenincludedinthemaintext.Thescenariostartswithquiteakicker,althoughPCsarelikely onceagaintosufferbythedifferentfocusofthescenarioandthecharactergenerationassumptions.Asisnotunusual foraCallofCthulhuplottherewillbethediscoveryofbodies,hideouslymutilated,andasubsequentinvestigation. Theinvestigation,alsounsurprisingly,involveslocalswhoaredistantandsuspiciousexceptfortheinnkeeper's daughter(oh,tobeslainbythesetropes),theacquisitionofrumours,andevenastudyofwrittenrecords. Thenarrativecontinueswithsuspicionsandbodiespilingup,leadingtoaneventualencounterwithvariousmythos beings,consistingofafairlyimprobablealliance,andaseriouscaseofmisjudgment.Anopportunityarisestohavea changeofpacefromaninvestigativescenariotosomethingnotunlikealiens,whichisasmuchofaspoilerthatone shouldgive;itisquiteagoodchancemidscenario. Overallhoweverthescenariowasfartoowordyandtookuptoomuchspaceinthebook.It'sgoodforacoupleof sessionsifyoustretchitout;whichisreallyinsufficientandalotlessfromthematerialfromotherCoCbooks.It wouldhavebeenbettertowriteanumberofdenserscenariosorevenprovidebetterelaborationofthebackground. Overall CallofCthulhuDarkAgeswassuchagoodopportunitythereadegreeofinevitablythatitwasgoingtobea worthwhileproduct.Physicallyitisjustfine,andwhilstthewritingstyleisgoodinreadibilitylevels,itlosessomewhat indensity.Thereareanumberoftimeswhentheproductcombinesboththefeelofthemythoswiththefeelofthedark agesworldviewverywell.Butequallythereisalargenumberofmissedopportunitiesandmaterialthatsimplycould dowithabettersignaltonoiseratio.Overallthebookisgood,butwithalittlemoreeditorialandauthorcareitcould havebeenalotbetter. Style:1+0.3(layout)+0.5(art)+0.7(coolness)+0.7(readability)+0.8(product)=3.7 Substance:1+0.6(content)+0.5(text)+0.7(fun)+0.4(workmanship)+0.6(system)=3.9
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H.P.Lovecraft'sDreamlands IntroductionandProduct H.P.Lovecraft'sDreamlandsisasupplementforCallofCthulhucoveringasharedlocationwithsurrealandoften horrifyingqualitiesaccessiblefromsleep.Fromapersonalcollectiontherearethreeeditionstochoosethisreview from,the1986boxedset,the1988book,andthe1992book,althoughdamnedifthethirdcanbeunearthedatthe momentforcomparativepurposes.Inanycasethereiscertainlyextremelylittledifferencebetweenthefirsttwo editions(eventheerrorsarethesame),andtheretherehavebeenthreeothereditionssince.Simplyasacaseof personalpreference,thisreviewcoversthefirsteditionboxedset. Thecoverisan"ApproachtoSarrub"byTomSullivan,acolourfulandexoticpieceofaVictorianeragentleman explorerridingazebratowardsatown.Afurrylookinglizardcreaturelooksonwithisalmostasmile.Insideisthree saddlestapledbooklets,"TheDreamlands",40pageswithadisturbingGugandvictim,"DreamJourneys",72pages (heavy,handlewithcare)withaNashandKamanThah,thetwopriestswhoguardtheDreamlands,and"Handouts", 32pageswithcharactersheets.ThereisalsoanimpressivelylargemapoftheDreamlands.Theblackandwhiteshaded internalartbyKevinRamosisreallyquiteexcellent,contextuallyright,creative,andwellexecuted,asarethemaps anddiagramsbyCarolynSchultz.Thetextwithinistwocolumn,justified,withclear"sidebar"regions.Thetextis wellwritten,clear,quitedense,andwithonlyanoccassionaltypographicerror("threeloavesofbred"ispersonal favourite). TheDreamlands ThefirstbookbeginswithanintroductionbySandyPetersen, emphasisingtheatmosphericsoftheDreamlands,alongwitha selectionofrecommendedreadingmaterialfromLovecraft,whichis elaboratedseveralpagespageslatterwithapleasingcolourscheme. ThisisfollowedbyfourknownmethodsofenteringtheDreamlands; spellorartifact,findingapointofintersection,throughsome particulardreaming,andpotentiallybydying.Dreamingis,ofcourse, oneofthepreferredmethods,butthisknownentrancedoescomewith atestbyNashtandKamanThat,whoensurethatthosewhoenter havethesufficientcombinationofSANandMythosskill. CharactersmayremainintheDreamlandsforaperiodoftimeequal totheirPOWinhours.CharacterswhosucceedanIdearollwhen leavingretaintheskillsandknowledgesacquired.WhilstSANgains canoccurintheDreamlands,SANlossesof20%ormoreinasingle encountercauseNightmareeffects,andthosethatlosealltheirSAN aretransformed.CharacterswhodieintheDreamlandsareawakened fromthispsychologicaldeathexperience,losingsingnificantSAN andcanneverentertheDreamlandsagain.
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AstheDreamlandsaregraduallycreatedoveraprocessofsomefivehundredyears,contemporarytechnologiessimple cannotbecreatedortransported.Fromthenewskill,Dreaming,acharactercanaltertherealitythattheyarein.The skillisreallywelldone,abeautifulintegrationofthegamesystemwherethevalueoftheskillequateswiththedegree thattherealitycanbealtered.Asecondskill,DreamLore,isasitiswrittenonthebox;itisthecharacter'srecognition ofcreatures,people,andlandsoftheDreamlands.Inadditiontotheseskills,descriptionsofanartifactsandaspellare providedthatallowforpotentialdreamjourneys. AdozenpagesprovidesabriefsummaryofmajorlocationswithintheDreamlandsandtheUnderworld,including cities,geographicallandscapesandthelike,includingliteraryreferences.Thisisfollowedbyalmostfiftynewspells; theDreamlandsareconsideredamoremagicalplacethanthewakingworld,andthespellsthereareparticulartothat reality.SomepersonalfavouritesincludeAnathema,acountermagicspell,Mandrake,tocreateasimulacrum,andthe VortexofFarJourneying,aratherevildjinnistylemethodoftransportation. Thebookconcludeswithaselectionofstatisticsfornotablepersonsandcreaturesofthemythos,aroundfiftyinall. TheCloudbeasts,SpidersofLeng,andMoonBeasts,arewellknownchallenges.Catsreceivespecialprominenceon thegroundsthattheyareexpertsindreaming.ThecatsizedZoog,essentiallyratswithtentacles,areintelligentand opportunisticspellcastingomnivores.ItishardtojustifypotentialSANlosstoacreaturethat'ssocute. DreamJourneys TheheftybookofDreamJourneysisacollectionofseveralscenariosfortheDreamlands.Thefirst,"ToSleep, PerchancetoDream",isaverygentleintroductiontothesetting,exoticbutnotthreatening.Incontrast"Captivesof TwoWorlds"isverythreateningindeed,butgivestheopportunitytoillustratetoplayershowtheircharacterscanmake useoftheDreamlandstosolveMythosrelatedcultistproblemsinthewakingworld. "Pickman'sStudent"isanotablylongerscenariowherethewallsbetweenthedreamworldandthewakingworldarenot quiteathickastheyshouldbe,andtheinterestoftheformerinthelattercanbejustasstrongasthereverse.This border,somewhatunsurprisingly(atleasttoanyonewithatasteforsurrealism),findsitsexpressionthroughworksof art.Althoughthereisn'tmuchguessinginvolvedwhenoneoftheworksisentitled"R'lyehAtDawn".Arather charmingsorceresshasacollectionoflovelyspellsthatdestroybodiescreativelyand,ifledtoherdevices,willallow thescenariototranformintoyourfavouritezombiefilm,butinthewrongway.Thisisfollowedbyashorterscenarioin asimilartheme,"SeasonoftheWitch",whichbringstogethersomefavouritemythosrelatedwakingworldlocations withtheDreamlands. Thefifthscenario,"LemonSails"isentirelybasedintheDreamlands,withtheopportunitytojourneytoseveralgreat locationsinthatenvironmentsanddealwithanumberofexoticNPCsontheway.Thefinalscenario,"TheLandof LostDreams",byMarkMorrison,isexplicitlystatedtobeforexperiencedCallofCthulhu/DreamlandsKeepersand Investigators,apositionfirstexpressedbySandyPetersenintheintroductiontothebook.Thisisaparticularlydensely writtentext,anditisrecommendedthattheKeepermakecopiousnotesbeforerunning. Overall Thisisanexcellentproduct,enjoyabletoplayandwellpresented.TheDreamlandsareamoreexoticsettingfromthe
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Cthulhumythosandatleastintheliterarysense,werepreviouslyconsideredsomewhatseparate,moreorientated towardssurrealfantasythanhorror.TheywaythattheDreamlandssupplementhaskeptthisfeelbutalsointroducedthe horrorelementsistobecongratulated,andtheintegrationwiththecoreCoreofCthulhurulesetispainless.The scenariosprovidedarealsoofanexcellentqualityandshouldprovidemanyhoursofentertainment.Theonlycauseof concernistherelativeflimsinessoftheJourneysbook,aproblemlargelyresolvedbythesecondedition. Style:1+0.7(layout)+0.8(art)+0.8(coolness)+0.8(readability)+0.8(product)=4.9 Substance:1+0.6(content)+0.8(text)+0.8(fun)+0.5(workmanship)+0.7(system)=4.4
DeltaGreen ProductandAbout Spoilersmayfollow. DeltaGreenisaproductofsomesignificantpopularity, anelaborationofthesettingoriginallypublishedas "CthulhuNow!"withtheconspiracytheorygaming thatgainedsignificantpopularityinthe1990s.The wellboundandgluedsoftbackbookisalmost300 pages,ofwhichoverhalfisappendices.Thecoverart byBlairReynoldsdepictssomethingveryclosetothe finalsceneofHorrorontheOrientExpress,except withmorecontemporaryvictims.Theinternalartis equallysettothethemeandincontext,andasathe wholeartworkdefinitelyindicatestechnicalabilityand imaginativecapacity;thechoiceofanewhostonp175 wasparticularlydelightful.Thetextisintwocolumn justifiedseriffont,withchapterandpagenumbers clearlymarked.Thetextitselfisalittleontheverbose side;there'salotofcontent,andwhilstveryinteresting, itdoesn'tcomeacrosswithaparticularlycreativeflair. Thesixchapterscover"TheBigPicture"(anoverview),"DeltaGreen"(thegoodguys,adefundedanddisbanded paranormalparamilitaryunitthatstillexiststhroughpersonalnetworks),"Majestic12"(agovernmentsponsoredUFO investigationgroup),"Karotechia"(Nazioccultists),"Saucerwatch"(aprivateUFOinvestigationgroup),and"The Fate"(apowerfulmythosworshippingcrimesyndicate).Theappendiciesincludeabibliography,glossary,andsecurity classifications,mysteriousmanuscripts,threefulllengthadventures,investigatorcreationrules,federalagencies,new skills,andmodernfirearms.Thereisasinglepagetableofcontentsandathreepageindex.Thegamearguesacore themein"TheBigPicture";thatCallofCthulhustorieshavegreaterfamiliarityifsetincontemporarytimesand locations,andthatcharactersneedadefiningassociationplusauthorityinordertocarryouttheirinvestigationswith theplotmakingsense.
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TheOrganisations Alittleunderhalfthebookisdedicatedtotheaforementionedorganisations.Eachoftheseconsistsofaroundtwenty pagespagesofhistoryforthetwomajorgroups(DeltaGreenandMajestic12),downtoaminimumofameresixfor theKarotechia.DeltaGreenandMajestic12alsoreceiveatimeline,suchistheirrelativeimportanceandcomplexity. EachgroupalsocomeswithanumberofsampleNPCs,ofvaryingability,rank,andbackground.Somearefairly pedestrian,asmuchasanycharacterinvolvedinsuchanenvironmentcanbe,othersarequitecolourfulLt.Col.Emil Furststandsoutasoneparticularexample,acharacterwhoseprofessionislistedas"warriorshaman",dressedina combinationofarmyfatigues,andcentralAfricantrinkets,standing6'9",weighing"250lbsofmuscle,bone,andscar tissue". Thereisanicetouchinthethematicconsiderationsofthevariousorganisationsasrevealedbytheirhistoryand practise.Withanexplorationofconspiritorialthemes,itisanicetouchtomakethegroupthatthePCsaremostlikely tobelongtoaconspiracyinthemselves.Thereisanadditionalimpetustotheconspiracy,giventhatthesemilegitimate (atleastamongRepublicanadministrations,what?)Majestic12considersDeltaGreenathreatofsomeseriousness, althoughtheirassociationandindeed,indirectcontrol,byaliensalsocreatesaconspiracyaroundthem.TheKarotechia aredeliberatelyevilincarnatewitha"BoysFromBrazil"or"ForgottenFatherland"feeltothem;theyarecomplete thugs,theyhaveaveryhighopinionofthemselvesandtheyarearerelativelyineffective.Theymakeagood introductorytargetforPCgroups. Withamorecivilianorientation,Saucerwatch,areobviouscandidatesasalliestotheDeltaGreenoperativesand indeed,evenaplausiblesourceforalternativePCs.Theyarealsosetupasfallguysforasuggestednarrative development,thecloserthePCsaretotheorganisationthemorepainfultheirdestruction.Asanalternativecivilian organisationwhichwouldnominallybesetupagainstthePCs,TheFatewereanextremelyinterestinganddisturbing group;they"extorttheextorionists,andthesyndicatespayupwithoutasecondthought",andtheydosothrough magicalabilities,whichtheyhavenotacquiredthroughfriendlymeans. Overalltheorganisationsprovidethefoundationoftheinterleavedconspiracieswithadeepintegrationwithcreatures fromtheCthulhumythos,yetonthesurface,theyseemmoreremotethaninothercampaignpacks.Insomewaythe competingorganisationsarereminiscentofthevariousWhiteWolfandArsMagicaproducts,withsignificantdetail thatcombinesbothrealworldhistory,realworldconspiracies,andgameworldadditions. SupportingMaterialandAdventures Thefirstappendixconsistsofafairlygoodbibliographythatincludesvariousspyagencies,conspiracies,ufology,and thevariousstrangeplacesthatDeltaGreenimplies.Itisnot,ofcourse,acomprehensivereviewofsuchthings;the Illuminati,forexample,don'treallyfeatureinDeltaGreen.Thebibliographyisnicelysupplementedbyasubcultural glossaryofterms,locations,operations,organisations,procedures,etc.,commonfromU.S.intelligenceagencies,along withgamespecificinclusionsclearlymarked.Alsoaddingtothematerialisanaccuratelistofsecurityclassifications, andacollectionof"MysteriousManuscripts",againbothfictionalandrealworldconspiritorial(e.g.,Jessup's"The CasefortheUFO"). Thethreeadventuresincludedwiththesupplementareofincreasinglycomplexity.Thefirst,"PuppetShowsand ShadowPlays",isdeliberatelydesignedasanintroductoryscenariowhichintroducesthePCstotheconspiracies,
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supernaturalinvolvement,andDeltaGreenthestatrtingassumptionisthatthePCsarenotmembersofDG.Inthe secondscenario,"Convergence",nowasfullyfledgedmembersofDG,thePCsencounterthefirsttantalisinghintsof theinfluenceofthosethatcomefrombeyondthestarsandtheirplansforthehumanspecies,alongwiththecompetitor organisations.Thisisalsoafarmoredeadlyscenarioandcarelessplayersmayfindtheircharactersontheverywrong endofaninfectionofsorts.Thethirdscenario,"TheNewAge",isadoublelengthfeaturethatincludesevenmoreof ourfriendsfromthestars,anewagecult,andanOuterGod.It'sanicewaytoprovideasenseofthescaleoftheissue. Followingtheadventures,ratherunusually,theappendiciesreturntothesupportingmaterial,specificallyhowtocreate aDeltaGreeninvestigator(templates,cellstructure),followedbyadescriptivelistingoffederalagencies,occupation templates,andsamplecharacters.Thelayoutoftheselatterpagesisparticularlyannoying,withanadditionalmargin placedaroundanalreadygenerousmargin.TherealsoacollectionofnewskillsforCallofCthulhu,includingsome generaltaskslikelyinmilitaryfocussedoperations(e.g.,Parachuting),aswellasthosequitegeneral(e.g., Mathematics).Notablythegamedoesacknowledgethepossibilityofnegativemodifiers(e.g.,usingneurosurgeryfrom thesurgeryskill).Anappendixonmodernfirearmsworksonathreesecondcombatround,damagebasedoncalibre, andanfairlyextensivesummaryofweaponsfromaroundtheworld. Overall OverallDeltaGreenisanexcellentcontemporaryconspiracygamethatiswellintegratedwiththeCthulhumythos.A senseoffamiliarityispresentwiththesetting,thecharactershavetheauthoritytoengageintheinvestigations,asense ofimpendingdoomisalsopresent.Allthesenarrativecontributionsaddsignificantlytotheenjoymentoftheproduct. ItisnotunlikepopularTVshowsofthetime,suchastheXfiles,ithasatouchoftheweirdnessofgameslike UnknownArmies,andit'sallwrappedupwithmythosstories.Overall,intermsofcontent,story'coolness',and'fun', it'shardtogowrongwithDeltaGreen. Style:1+0.6(layout)+0.6(art)+1.0(coolness)+0.5(readability)+0.7(product)=4.4 Substance:1+0.8(content)+0.4(text)+0.8(fun)+0.7(workmanship)+0.6(system)=4.3
GURPSCthulhuPunk IntroductionandProduct AsastandardGURPSsupplement,CthulhuPunkcomesasa128pagesoftboundbookwithgoodbinding.Theexcellent coverartbyChristopherShyhasalowlightcyborgsoldierwithalargeHoundofTindalosbehindthem,prettymuch capturingtheportmanteautitleofcyberpunkplustheCthulhumythos.TheinternalartbyDanSmithisquitevariable; therearesomeexcellentpiecesinaccordtohishighcontrast,sharplinedrawnstylewiththedetailandevenhumour thatheisknownfor.Otherworkscomeacrossashalffinishedpieces.Theyoften,butbynomeansalways,havea degreeofcontextualappropriateness.Thetextismostlysinglecolimn,serif,andjustified,withaheftysidebarregion. Chaptermarkingsarewellmarked,moresothanpagenumbers.Thereisagoodtwopagetableofcontentsandathree pageindex.Thewritingstyleissemiformalandsomewhatunfocussed,anissuewhichbecomesmoreapparentasone continuesthroughthetext.ThefirsttwochapterscovertheCthulhumythosandasampleCyberpunkworld.Thisis
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followedbycharactergenerationnotesinthesetting,runningaCthulhupunkcampaign,achaptereachonInvestigators, Cultists,Bestiary,andfinallyAdventureSeedsandConversions. TheMythosandTheWorld Theopeningchapterproper,followingtheobligatory'what isGURPS','whoistheauthor',etc,explainstheCthulhu mythos.Thisagoodsummary,coveringallthemajorbases; whoaretheGreatOldOnesandthetaxonomicorderof theseandothermythosbeings,theexistentialpositionof humanityvisavissuchbeings,theliteraryhistoryofthe mythoscreation,etc.Thereisacollectionof"Blashemous Tomes"wherethefirstpieceofsystemintegrationisfound; twoFrightchecks,oneforskimmingthebook,andanother forreadingitindetail,andamaximumincreasetothe MythosLoreskill;notimeperiodisspecified.Fright checks,itmustalsobesaid,areaverypoorrepresentation oftheeffectsofMythosloreacquisition.Thechapteralso containsdescriptionsofaselectionofthemajorgeographic andastronomicalfeaturesoftheCthulhumythos,including atheDreamlands,beforeprovidingathreepagetimelineof prehistoricalandhistoricalevents,withtheadditionofthe influenceofmythosrelatedactivities.Thereisnotablyno attempt(suchasfoundinDeltaGreen,forexample)to discusswhytheearthlygeographicalfeatureswouldnotor havenotbeendiscoveredgiventhemappingand visualisationtechnologiesofthecyberpunkera. Thesecondchaptergivesadescriptionofacyberpunkworld.Thisisnotthethematicconsiderationsorotherkey elementsoftheliterarygenre,butratheraparticularexample,withtwomajorcontributions;adevastatingdiseasethat wipesout52.5%oftheworld'spopulation(vaguelyplausiblegivenHPAIAH5N1),aworldwidestockmarketcrash thatleadstodeglobalisationofthefinancialsystem(considerablylesslikely),thedisappearanceofeveryonefrom continentalAustralia,andtheformationofsomeveryunprobablegeopoliticalalliances.TheTechnologyLevelison thecuspofTL7and8,althoughcontemporaryGURPSexpertssuggestwe'reinthemidstofTL8.Thereisalsoan overviewofcrimesyndicates(moresothatcorporations!),andpopularculture("loud,vulgar,andexcessive"),anda littlebitonspacetravelandunderseaexploration.Overall,thismaterialisisprettymuchliftedstraightfromGURPS Cyberworld,afairlypoorchoice,andthusrepeatstheproblemsinthatbook.Whatisparticularlysurprisingishow littleintegrationwiththeCthulhumythosisevenattempted. Characters TheCharacterschapterbeginswiththerecognitionthatpointtotalsdon'treallymatterinaCthuluPunkgame,andthen goesontoexplainhowtheywillmatter.Aroundtwentycharacterconceptsaredescribed,whichismainlyaskillset andadvantagessuggestion.AdistinctionisdrawnbetweenFrightChecksandMythosFrightChecks;essentiallythe latterisathalfvalue.Mythosacquiredquirksanddisadvantagescannotsimplybeboughtoff,buthaveatime requirementof1weekperpoint.TherearenewadvantagesincludingMythosAwareness,asortofspecialisedDanger
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Sense,andUnfazeable,whichmadeitintosubsequenteditionsofthecorerules.Anewdisadvantage"TheInnsmouth Look",referstothatfamousfishyapperanceofthoseinfectedbytheDeepOnes,andthereisanelaborationofanew skill"MythosLore",whicheachimprovementrequiringasemiMythosFrightCheckwiththenewvalueasanegative tothecheck.Thiswillmeansomestrangeshockeffectsatinitiallevels,thennewPhobiaorDelusionandincreasing severityandincidencefromthenon. (e.g.,acharacterwithWill12readsa+4Mythosbook,fairlymildontheschemeofthings.AlthoughitisaMythos Checkitisnothalvedforthisbooklearningactivity.TheirFrightCheckisat9,becausethatwouldbethelevelthey'll attainfollowingthecheck.Rollinga10,theyfailby7.Rollingan11fortheirFrightCheckeffects,atotalof18is rolled.Theyfaintandtakeapointofdamageastheyfinishthefinalpage.) InadditionthereisaPsiSkillcalledDreamTravel,whichdoesasitsays,althoughwithoutthedreamchangingability. AnumberofMythosrelatedspellsareprovidedoftheSummon,Bind,Contact,Call,andDismissvariety.Thereisa fewexamplesofofweirdcrossoversciencepieces,whicharerelativelyunexcitingingameterms,butthematically appropriateindeedtheyrepresentthesortofcrossoverthatthebookshouldhavebeenabout. Setting Thechapteron"TheCthulhuPunkCampaign"isalmostentirelydescriptive.UsingStephenKing,threekindsoffear aredescribed;revulsion,horror,thenterror.ItisrecommendedthatallthreeareusedinaCthulhuPunkcampaign;it wouldhavebeenbetterstilltodescribehow,ingamingterms,thesecouldbeincorporated.CthulhuPunkcampaignsare differntiatedaseitherbeinginvestigativeandscholarly,comparedtocampaignsthatareactivistand(although unstated)withamoremilitaryfocus.Thetwoorientationsarenotmutuallyexclusive,andasanalternativeasection alsodescribes"splatterpunk",anactivistorientationfocussedonrevulsion.Itisastyleundeservingoftheattention providedconsideringthegenre.Oneofthemoreinterestingdiscussionsinvolvestheincorporationofonlinegamingfor CthulhuPunk,toadegreeinnovativeatthetime.Thechapterconcludeswithausefuldiscussionofseveralthematic orientationsforaCthulhuPunkcampaign,named"AdventureArchetypes". ThesecondsettingbasedchapterreferstoInvestigators.ThisisessentiallyacompilationofsampleNPCsand organisations.TheNPCsareremarkablydetailed,andsurprisinglyuninteresting.Organisationsincludesthose associatedwiththeacademicjournalParapsychologicalReview(whichisactuallythenameofanAustralianjournal), theHomoSapiensLeague,MiskatonicUniversity,variousgovernments,corporations,criminalgroups,andreligions. Associationwiththeoccultinallcasestendstobeperipheralevenforthosewhohaveastronginterestandhistorywith theoccult. TheCultistschapterissortofthesameastheInvestigatorchapter,exceptforthebadguys.Thereislessemphasison organisationsandmoreoncharacterarchetypes;TrueBelievers,MadScientists,Nihilists,Revolutionaries(?!),and RogueInvestigators.Thereissomementionoforganisations,i.e.,cults,distinguishedbetweentheinhuman(Deep Ones,Ghouls,etc),andNativecults(e.g.,TchoTcho).AgainthereissomeNPCsdescribedinnotabledetail. ThefourthsettingbasedchapterisaMythosBestiary.Althoughamereseventeenpages,itpacksalotofinformation in,providingdescriptionsandstatisticsfortheGreatOldOnes,LesserCreatures,andNPCraces(thestandard taxonomyoftheMythosisnotappliedhere).Unfortunatelyheretootheopportunitytoseriouslydiscussthecrossover potentialoftheCthulhuMythosandCyberpunkissurprisinglylargelyabsent,withtheexceptionofadiscussiononthe
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readyavailabilityofhighpoweredweaponryamongcyberpunkcharactersandsomeratherhorriblekludgesto overcometheissue. Followingthisaretwoshortchapters,oneprovidingadventureseedsandtheotherconversionnotes.Theseedsare quiteliterallythat,andaresufficientlyinterestingthattheyshouldgetthecreativejuicesflowingforanenthusiastic GM.TheConversionchapterforCallofCthulhuandGURPSisshortandfairlysensible;themethodofconverting skillsispossiblythemostcontroversial,butthemethoddescribed(correlatefromskilllevels,ratherthanadirect translationofrawskillvalues)isthebestwayofgettingaroundthedifferencesbetweenthetwosystems. Overall WhilstprovidingafairintroductiontoacyberpunksettingandanfairgoodtranslationoftheCthulhumythosintoa GURPScontext,thereisanotablelackofmaterialthatcombinesthegenresofcyberpunkandtheCthulhumythos together.Thisisquitesurprisinganddisappointing.IfthesuggestedcyberpunkworldisnottotheGMspleasing,the valueofthistextisevenless. Despitethesecriticisms,thisremainsagoodproduct.Ofcourse,designingagoodsupplementfromtheCthulhu mythosandcyberpunkisratherlikeshootingfishinabarrel,insofaritisdifficulttoimaginehowonecanfailwith evenamodicumofcare.Itisjustthatthereareanumberofmissedopportunitiesheretoproducesomethingthatreally wasCthulhupunk. Style:1+0.7(layout)+0.4(art)+ 0.8(coolness)+0.6(readability)+ 0.7(product)=4.2 Substance:1+0.4(content)+0.6 (text)+0.7(fun)+0.3 (workmanship)+0.7(system)=3.7
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CALLOFCTHULHUDIFFICULTYMODIFIERS byAlanGoodall ThisruleisinspiredbyRuneQuest,3rdEdition,©1984byChaosium,Inc.,andpublishedbyAvalonHill. GeneralRule Acharacter'sskilllevelrepresentsthechanceofthecharactersucceedinginaskillunder"normal"stresslevels.The Keepercanalterthispercentagebyaddingorsubtractingpercentilesfromacharacter'sskill.Forinstance,ifacharacter isclimbinganincline,thecharacter'sClimbskillmaybemodifiedby20%iftheinclineisparticularlysteeporthe footingiscrumbly.AMechanicalRepair(orLocksmith,ifusingtheoptionalPaganPublishingrules)skillmaybe modifiedby25%ifthelockisparticularlydifficultorifthelocksmithdoesn'thavehistools. Likewise,skillscanbemodifiedbyaddingskillpercentages.Ifacharacterhaspitonstohelpclimbing,a+20% modifiermaybeappropriate.Ifalockischeapandfairlyeasytopick,aKeepermayassigna+30%chancetoopenit. Aplayermayalsodecidethataskillcanbemodifiedbydoublingtheskillpercentage,orbyreducingitbyhalforbya quarter.Thisishowweaponskillsarealteredduetorange.Askillcheckisallowedforallskillsthatsucceed,even thosewithpositivemodifiers. SpecificSkillModifiers Thefollowingmodifiersaresuggestedforusewithspecific skills. HideSkill TheHideskillismodifiedasfollows: Scrubiswaisthighgrassorsuchgrassmixedwithbrush. Ifhidinginscrubthemodifiersare: +5%forlightscrub +10%formediumscrub +15%forheavyscrub Bushiswaisthightoheadhighbrush.Ifhidinginbushes themodifiersare: +10%forlightbushes +20%formediumbushes +30%forheavybushes Forestiswoodsmadeupofbrushand/ortreesthatare headheightortaller.Ifhidinginaforest,themodifiersare: +10%forlightforest
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+20%formediumforest +50%forheavyforest. SneakSkill TheSneakskillismodifiedasfollows: Scrubiswaisthighgrassorsuchgrassmixedwithbrush.Ifsneakinginscrubthemodifiersare: 5%forlightscrub 10%formediumscrub 15%forheavyscrub Bushiswaisthightoheadhighbrush.Ifsneakinginbushesthemodifiersare: 10%forlightbushes 20%formediumbushes 30%forheavybushes Forestiswoodsmadeupofbrushand/ortreesthatareheadheightortaller.Ifsneakinginaforest,themodifiersare: 10%forlightforest 20%formediumforest 50%forheavyforest SpotHiddenSkill TheSpotHiddenskillismodifiedasfollows: Camouflagemodifiesthespothiddenrollby20%aslongasthecharacterisn'tmovingorismovingslowly.Aghillie suitmodifiesthespothiddenrollby40%aslongasthecharacterisn'tmovingorismovingslowlyandthesuitisworn inanareawithbushesorothersuitableterrain. Darknessmodifiesthespothiddenrollasfollows: 15%fordeepshadows(e.g.nighttimewithafullmoonand/ornearbystreetlights) 30%fornormalnighttimedarkness(e.g.nighttimewithapartialmoonshowingand/orlightfromdistantstreet lights) 50%forneartotaldarkness(e.g.nighttimewithnomoonandnoterrestriallightsource) Scrubiswaisthighgrassorsuchgrassmixedwithbrush.Ifspottingsomethinginscrubthemodifiersare: 5%forlightscrub 10%formediumscrub 15%forheavyscrub
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Bushiswaisthightoheadhighbrush.Ifspottingsomethinginbushesthemodifiersare: 10%forlightbushes 20%formediumbushes 30%forheavybushes Forestiswoodsmadeupofbrushand/ortreesthatareheadheightortaller.Ifspottingsomethinginaforest,the modifiersare: 10%forlightforest 20%formediumforest 50%forheavyforest TrackSkill TheTrackskillismodifiedasfollows: Scrubiswaisthighgrassorsuchgrassmixedwithbrush.If trackingsomethinginscrubthemodifiersare: 5%forlightscrub 10%formediumscrub 15%forheavyscrub Bushiswaisthightoheadhighbrush.Iftrackingsomethingin bushesthemodifiersare: 10%forlightbushes 20%formediumbushes 30%forheavybushes Forestiswoodsmadeupofbrushand/ortreesthatareheadheightor taller.Iftrackingsomethinginaforest,themodifiersare: 10%forlightforest 20%formediumforest 50%forheavyforest WeaponSkills Thefollowingareadditionalmodifiersforshooting,inadditiontothoseintheCallofCthulhurulebook. Someofthesemodifierscamefrom,orwereinspiredby,TheWeaponsCompendium,©1993byJohnH.Crowe,III, andpublishedbyPaganPublishing. Aiming OnlyapplythePrecisionAim,TelescopicSightsruleintheCallofCthulhurulebooktorifleswithtelescopicsights.
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Anycharacterfiringanyweaponmayspendadditionaltimeaiming.IfacharacterfireshisfirstshotinthesecondDEX cycleofacombatround,hegetstoadd10%tohischancetohit.Anyadditionalshotsinthesamecombatrounddonot getthismodifier.Thismodifieronlyappliestothefirsttargetifacharacterisfiringaburstofbulletsatmultiple targets. Bracing Ifacharacterbraceshimselfagainstsomeobject(wall,sofa,log,etc.)orusesabipod,increasehischancetohitby 10%. Firing Through Glass Iffiringthroughregularglass,subtract20%offthechancetohit.Iffiringthroughacarwindshield,subtract30%off thechancetohit,andtreattheglassas2pointsofarmour. Moving Shooter Acharactercanmoveandfireatthesametime.Characterscanstillfireduringthevariousphasesofthecombatround, buttheyareconsideredtobemovingthroughoutthecombatroundandtheMovingShootermodifierappliestoall gunshotstakenbythecharacterthatturn. Whilethecharacterisclassedasmovingthroughoutthecombatround,thecharacterdoesn'tphysicallybegintomove untilthesecondphaseofthecombatround.Thismeansthatallaimedshotsatthecharacterapplytowherethe characterwasstandingatthebeginningofthecombatround.Forinstance,acharacterdeclaresthatheisducking behindawall.Allaimedshotsatthatcharacteroccurasifhehadnotyetduckedbehindthewall.Ifthecharacterlater declaresthatheisjumpingupfrombehindthewall,hecannotfireafirst,aimedshotbecausehewouldstillbe consideredbehindthewallforthefirstpartofthecombatround. Characterscanmoveupto1/4theirmovementinagameturnwithoutadverselyaffectingtheirchancetohit(this representstheshufflingwalkwhileaimingaweaponpracticedbySpecialForcesteams). Acharactercanpopupfrombehindconcealingcoverandthenfire.Allshotsthatroundhavea20%modifierapplied tothem.Ifthecharactermovesmorethanaquarterbutupto1/2theirmovementrate,thecharacter'schancetohitis 50%ofnormal. Ifthecharactermovesmorethanhalftheirrate,anyfireisconsideredtobeBlindFire(seetheCallofCthulhu rulebook. Applyallpositiveandnegativemodifierstoacharacter'sskillbeforeapplyinganypercentagemodifiers.Thisincludes percentagemodifiersforEasyorHardtasks,asoutlinedinKeeper'sCompanion1. Moving Target IfusingtheKeeper'sCompanion1,allowamovingtargettorolltheirDodgeskill.Ifsuccessful,treattheshotagainst thetargetas"difficult".IftheDodgerollisfailed,don'tmodifythethefirearmroll(or,optionally,subtract10%from theweaponskill).
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Precision Shooting Ifplayersinsistonprecisionshootingatspecificpartsofatarget'sbody,suchasaimingforthehead,ortryingtofireat anarm,IsuggestusingBiohazardGames'KillerCrosshairsproduct. Ifyoucan't,ordon'twantto,useKillerCrosshairs,thenusethisruleinstead.Allowthecharactertofireataspecific aimpoint.Halfthechancetohitafterallpositivemodifiershavebeenapplied,butbeforeanynegativemodifiershave beenapplied. Shotguns ShotgunsarefiredusingtheRifleskill.Ashotgunfiringshota5%bonustohit.Asawnoffshotgunfiringshothasa 10%bonustohit.Theshotgunbonusisnotappliedwhentheweaponfiressolidslugs. DesignNotes Theruleforaddingorsubtractingpercentagesistakenfrom3rdEditionRuneQuest,whichusesthesamesystemas CallofCthulhu(theChaosiumBasicRolePlaysystem).WhileneverformallymentionedintheCallofCthulhurules, theyarethereinspirit.InCallofCthulhu5.5Editionthechaseruleshavesituationalmodifiersthataddorsubtract percentagesfromacharacter'sdriveskill.ModifiersarealsofoundinsomeCallofCthulhuscenarioandcampaign packs. TheKeeperisgivenalotoflatitudeindecidingthepenaltyorbonustoaspecificskill.Thisishowit'sdonein RuneQuestaswellasotherroleplayinggamesthatallowskillmodifiersduetodifficulty.Ingeneral,onlyexceptional circumstancesshouldhaveaskillmodifier.
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CALLOFCTHULHUHOUSERULES byMattPuccio 1)CharacterGenerationApointbuysystemwherestatsstartat10asabase.Youhave36creationpointstospend toraisestats.Seethe“cost”columnbelowassomestatscostmorethanotherstoraise.Ifyouwanttoloweracertain statbelowthebase,youcandosoandgetarefundofthecreationpointstouseonotherstats. STAT COSTMAXMIN BASE STRENGTH 1 18 3 10 CONSTITUTION 1 18 3 10 SIZE 1 18 8 10 DEXTERITY 3 18 3 10 APPEARANCE 1 18 3 10 INTELLIGENCE 3 18 3 10 POWER 3 18 3 10 EDUCATION 3 21 3 10 SkillPoints:EDUx25pointsforOccupationSkills(determinedbytheoccupationyouchoose);INTx15pointsfor PersonalInterestSkills 2)OccupationsGenerallyIallowplayerstocomeupwithwhateveroccupationtheywishthatmakessense,andlet themputpointsintoOccupationskillsthatmakesense. 3)InitiativeRolld6andaddtoyourDEX;readiedfirearmsrolld10instead 4)CombatDeclarationsDon'trequireplayerstodeclaretheiractionsatthebeginningoftheround;theycanchoose whattodowhentheirturncomesup 5)DODGEAcharactercanDodgeifhe’salreadyusedhisactionthisround,buthesacrificeshisnextaction 6)CombatActionsDuringcombat,allowplayerstotakeanaction(likeattacking,dodging,usingaskill,reloading, etc.)ANDmove(thestandard8”)inthesameround.Theycanconvertthestandardactionintoamoveinorderto “run.” 7)SkillsAsingleskill"Awareness"inplaceofthetwoskills"SpotHidden"and"Listen.”Default25%. 8)SkillsAsingleskill"Stealth"inplaceofthetwoskills"Hide"and"Sneak."Default10%. 9)SkillsAsingleskill"PersonalAttack"inplaceofallthevariouspunch/kick/headbuttskills.Defaultis25%.The basedamagethisskilldoesincreasesasyourskill%increases: Skill% DamageDie 125% (d2)+damagebonus 26%50% (d3)+damagebonus 51%75% (d4)+damagebonus 76%95% (d6)+damagebonus 10)SkillsAmodifiedMartialArtsskill.OnceyourMAskill%exceedsyourPersonalAttack,itincreasesthePA damage(tothenexthighestDietypeinthePAskill,withthehighestDiebeingaD8).Youonlyhavetomakeoneroll whenattackingifyouhavethisskill.Default0%.
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11)StatsAnew"Preparedness"attributethatistheaverageofLUCKandKNOW.Idon'tliketospendalotoftime havingmyplayerslisteverythingtheyhaveontheircharactersheets,ordealwithalotofroleplayingofbuying mundaneitems,soinsteadofthemlistingeverydictionary,flashlight,magnifyingglass,50'rope,etc.,atthestartofan adventureIask"isthereanythingspecialyou'rebringingwithyou?"Iflaterontheysay"Iwouldhavethoughttobring my'microscope'(orwhatever)withme"IhavethemrollPreparednesstoseeiftheythoughtofit.Sometimestheyask forsomethingridiculousandIjustflatoutdeclineit. 12)SkillsModifiersI’vegiveBonus/Penalty10sDiemodifersincertaincases.Forexample,ifyou’reknockeddown andyoutrytododge,ImaygiveyouaPenaltyDie(rollanextra10sdie,youmusttaketheworst/highestofthedice yourolled).Ifyouhaveanunawareopponent,ImaygiveyouaBonusDie(rollanextra10sdieandtakethe best/lowestofthediceyourolled).IfyouroleplayyourPersuadeargumentparticularlywellImaygiveyouaBonus Die,etc. SkillDifficultyI’veadoptedtheconceptofaSuccess/HalfSuccess/FifthSuccessforskillrolls.Imay,forexample, askforaHalfAwarenessrolltoseeifyounoticethatstealthycultistthatisfollowingyou. 13)SkillsIReduceFirstAidskilltod2healing;Medicinestillprovidesd3,butyouneedanoccupationaljustification totakeMedicineandtherightequipmenttouseit. 14)SkillsOnlyallowFirstAidskilltobeusedonacharacteronceforacombat,insteadofonceforeverywound (whichIbelieveishow6edescribesit,whichseemscontrarytothepurported"lethalness"ofthesystem) 15)CombatAllweaponscandocriticaldamageonacriticalattackroll,notjustpiercingweapons.Rollanadditional damagediejustaswithImpales. 16)SkillProgressionWhenrollingtoraiseyourskillsattheendofachapter/adventure,thehigheryourskillis, insteadofrollstraightd10toincreasetheskill,it'saprogression: CurrentSkill RaiseDie 1%59%+d10 60%75% +d6 76%90% +d4 91%99% +1 17)BurdenSinceI'vebeenrunninganInvictusgame,I'veintroducedsomeburdenrules,becausetheplayersallwant toweararmor,andsoI'vecomeupwithalistofpenaltiesthatapplythemorearmoryouhaveon.Helmetsreduce Awarenessby20%. ● LightBurdenReduceMoveby1.Noothereffects. ● MediumBurdenReduceMoveby2.ReduceDEXbasedskillsby10%(e.g.,2pointsofDEX).Thisincludes initiative. ● HeavyBurdenReduceMoveby3.ReduceDEXbasedskillsby20%(e.g.,4pointsofDEX).Thisincludes initiative. ● GreatBurdenReduceMoveby4.ReduceDEXbasedskillsby35%(e.g.,7pointsofDEX).Thisincludes initiative. ● CrushingBurdenReduceMoveby5.ReduceDEXbasedskillsby50%(e.g.,10pointsofDEX). TypicalRomaneraleatherarmorusuallygivesaLightburdenlevel;heavierarmorlikeLoricaSegmentatagivesa Mediumburden.Thiscanbeincreasedifthecharacterwanttowearahelmet,useashield,carryalotofequipment, etc.Crushingburdenwouldbeaheavilyarmoredmancarryinganotherheavilyarmoredbody,etc. 18)ConnectionsIusetheconceptofConnectionsfromTrailofCthulhuandnowinthe7edraftrules.Iallowplayers tocallupontheirConnectionstorestored4SANperconnection,onceper"chapter"ofthestory.Notethatasaresultof this,IrarelygiveoutSANrewardsattheendofascenario.
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19)TemporaryInsanityInsteadofrollingonthetemporaryinsanitytable,IhaveadeckofcardsthatI'vemadeup withmuchmoreelaboratedescriptionsoftheshortandlongtermsanityeffects.Thefirsttimeaplayergoes temporarilyinsanetheydrawacard,fromwhichtheysuffertheimmediateshorttermeffectonthatcard.Thelongterm effectonthatcard“setstheircourseofinsanity”thatis,itdescribesthepsychologicalproblemthatwillplaguethem inthelongterm.Thenexttimetheygoinsane,theyagaindrawacardandsuffertheimmediateeffect,butalsodeepen theirlongterm“courseofinsanity”fromthefirstcard.Thismainlygivesthemaguideoranideaofhowtheircharacter isafflicted.Whenthishappens,oneoftheirConnectionsalsogetscorruptedtheycannolongeruseittorestoreSAN. WhenIwanttorunamorepulpygame: 20)CombatPlayersdieat(startingHP/2)belowzero;theygounconsciousat0unlesstheycanmakeaCONx5check eachround;theygetonePenaltyDieforeachHPbelow0foranyrollstheymakewhilebelowzeroHP.Incombat, theyalsoloseoneaction(e.g.,theycaneitherMoveortakeanAction,butnotboth)andthereisableedingoutrule. 21a)SkillRollsIgivemyplayersa"reroll"tokentheycanuseonceperstory.Iftheydon'tuseit,itgoesaway.They canuseittorerollanyonerolltheywant,atanytimeduringascenario.IrecentlyreplacedthiswiththeSANspend, below. 21b)SkillRollsSpendingSANtomodifyrollsthiscamefroma7ethreadonYSDCabouttheuseofLUCKspends tomodifyrolls.SomeonehadtheideatospendSANinstead,andasktheplayertojustifyhow/whytheywerestressing themselvestodothis.Inpractice,myplayersrarelydoitastheyrealizehowimportantSANis,unlesstheyreallywant tomakearollandtheyareonly1or2pointsoff.ThisfollowsalltheSANlossrules(e.g.,youcanmakeyourself insanetryingreallyhardtomakethatobscureReadSanskritrollalthoughI'veyettohaveaplayerdothis).I'mnot entirelysoldonthisoneyet,butIamcurrentlyusingit.
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CTHULHUMETROPOLIS byChrisTamm Itistheyear2026andthecityofmetropolisdominatedtheworldeconomyandhouses52millionpersons.Fortherich –adesignerdecoparadiseofurbanengineering.Wheretherichlivelivesofpleasuretheworkersdwellinsqualid subterraneanfactories.AtitscenterisnewBabylon–thecontrolcenterwheretheheadofthemetropolisbank monitorseverythingfromglobalmoneymarketstothethunderousworkfloorsofthegreatmachinebeneaththecity. Somethingsarelessvisible–likethearmyofservantswhoservetherich,orthedilapidatedcathedralhauntedbythe spectreofoldreligion.Similarlyinarundownsectionofthecityistheancienthouseofthescientistmagician Rotwang–themasterbrainbehindMetropolis,hismechanicalhandandotherforbiddensecrets.Thentherearethe cavernsbeneaththecitysaidtobeover2000yearsold,whererebelworkersmeetinsecretandwhoknowswhatelse dwells. ThisisasetofnotesforsettingthehorrorsofHPLovecraftinafantasyworldofthefutureimaginedbythesilent cinemafilmMetropolisandthenovelbyTheaVonHarbauofthesamename.Iwasinspiredinpartbywatchingthe filmwiththemorerecentCallofCthulhusilentfilmtogether–wheretheideaofeditingthetwotogetheroccurredto me.KimNumansfamousmonstersoffilmlandalsoinspiredthiswithhisshortstorywhereSupermanandmetropolis convergewithothersilentmoviecharacterslikeDrCaligari,Nosferatuandothers. 1.Concepts usingnarrativeoffilmasbackgroundactivity exploreasadecopunkscifihorrorpulpsetting NoNazis,HitlerandWW2neverhappened,obscure politicalcult Metropolisandcapitalisticmonopolieshavecrushed theworld Manycyberpunkideasareinmetropolislike machineconsciousness Therearevideophonesbutgunsandcarshavenot changedsinceWW1 Firearmsareusedbysomeagentsbutareveryrare 2.LocationsinCityofmetropolis NewBabylon Yoshiwara PleasureHives Cathedral Catacombs SubterraneanChurch PrivatelibraryoftheElite WorkersCity FactoryFloor Drainnetwork MasterMachine WizardHouse RoadsAndTransport(aircraft,autogiros,rail, elevators,automobiles)
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DreamlandsofMetropolis(AncientBabylon) 3.Organizations BankofMetropolis NWINewWorldIndustriesBuilding PlutoMiningCorporation Church Silvertwilight MetropolisAstronomersSociety(AstronomersClub) Looktothefuture OceanicInc 4.Characters CreditRatingdeterminessocialclassunder30subteraneanlabour,3159servant,50+rulingclass 5.TheMythosinMetropolisAdventureSeeds
IndependentRaces DeepOnes–Thesprawlingdrainsandwaterworksandsubterraneanreservoirsofwaterareconnecteddistantlytofar offseas.WithitsawesomepopulationandindustrialcapacityMetropolisrequireshugecapacitiesofwater–foruseof humansbutalsoforindustrialuse(whichmaybehighlypolluted).Someofthesesectionshavetheirownworkers accommodationforthosedoomedtocrawlthroughmilesofdamppipes.ADeepOnecolonyhascometooccupyone ofthemostisolatedworkercolonies–whointurninfiltrateandinfectothersimilaroutpostsandcommunicateviatheir secretnetworksofglobetravelingsailors.Someofthecatacombsconnecttowatersourcesalsomakingtheodddeep oneorhybridagentencounter,especiallyinthedankestparts. GreatRaceofYith–Multiplecitizens ofMetropolis(amongthemoremobile wealthyclasses)arecurrentlypossessed andseveralagentcellsexisttoserve themSomeuseYithiancommunicators andhavelightninggunswhichcanbe usedtodisintegrateevidenceif necessary.SomeseekFlyingpolyps vaultsinthecatacombs.Othersjust interestedingatheringinformation.A charactercouldaccidentallycomeinto conflictwithacultgathering informationorartifacts. Ghouls–Thecitywithallits efficienciesdoesnottoleratethe wastefulpracticeofburielswhere possiblebutancientgravesremainbuiltoverbythesprawlingcity.Someusepartsofthecatacombsthecityunderas secretburiels.Thecathedralhousesavaultofancientcorpsesaddedtooccasionallyonthedeathofanimportant religiousperson.Someoftherichburytheirdeadinmausoleumsskyscrapers.Withthelowerlevelsforcremated remainsandceremonies.
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Cthonians–Thetunnelsaremorethanthousandsofyearsoldandnewsectionsaresometimesdiscovered–whichare actuallydugbythechildrenofShuddeMyell.Cultistscrawlbeneaththecatacombsandexpandtheirinfluenceover newterritoriesbycommissioningnewtunnels.TheCthonianslikesomeotherspeciescraverareearthsandusecultists toobtainthem.TheysometimescomeintoconflictwithMigo. MiGo–FromthesprawlingPlutoTowersadecrepitsprawlingofficeblock,staffedbywizenedoldmenembroiledin incomprehensibleesoterictasksofatediousbureaucracy.ActuallytheyareMiGowithbioengineeredsynthetichuman skins.TheyrunPlutoMiningCorporationandhavehumansfromacrosstheworlddeliveringthemtherareearthsthey cravesomuch.Theiragentsservethemasbutlers,drivers,clerks,messengersandotherduties.Severalfloorsofthe buildingarededicatedtohumanbraincanistersnetworkedseriallytoactasupercomputerbytheMigotomanagetheir businessandforeignmoneymarkets. SerpentMen–Severalserpentmensorcerersdwellinhumanformrepresentingdifferentfactionsofancientserpent manculture.Whileseveralroguewizardshavebeenactiveformillennia(atleastonesitsontheboardofmetropolis bank)twomaincoloniesdwellbeneathMetropolis.Oneofdegeneratealbinocavedwellerswhichhasbeenadoptedby abachelorsorcererwhostumbledacrossthem.Planstobreedthemintoanewserpentmasterrace.Thesecondclantoo proudtoconsortwithdegeneratesawakeperiodicallytomonitorhumanity–currentlytheyareinfiltratingmetropolis andtryingtofindandeliminateotherrogueserpentmen.Theyawaitatimetheycanrevivetheirwholecityandwalk onthesurface. Shoggoth–Somewhereinthesubterraneandepthsashoggothmayoccasionallydwell–usuallyactingonamissionfor thedeeponecult. FlyingPolyps–Somewheresealedinabasicvault–severalFlyingPolypshavebeensealed.Iffreedtheywould slaughteralltheycouldfindinthetunnelsthenonenightlaunchintothesky,murderafewdozencitizensthenfleeto somesecretplacetheycanplottofreemoreoftheirkind. InsectFromShaggai–AfewInsectsfromtheircolonyinthebrittishisleshaveinfiltratedMetropolis.Amore restrainedInsectdwellsinNewBabylon–plunderinginformationitcanuseforinsidertradingfortheInsects corporation.Severalothersroamthesublevelsfindingisolatedindividualstosadisticallytorture StarVampires–Mostlysummonedbyrooftopsorcerersfortravelormurder.Onelefttoitsowndeviceswouldstay andhorriblykillahighrisedwellereverynight. DimensionalShamblers–Mostlysummonedbywizardstokillotherswithoutevidence.Aterrifyingprospectwiththe citiesconfinedspacesandmazelikecorridors.Awizardmightalsobeuseonefortransporttoanotherdimension. ServitorRaces SpawnofTsathogua–Aworndownchamberonceahyperboreantemplecontainsavaultwereaguardianspawn dwells.Defilerswillbeslainiftheycannotmakethesignoftsathoguaorusehisname. Byakee–UsedbysorcerorsespeciallyHasturcultistsorthosewishingtotraversethestars. RatThings–possiblythefamiliarsofawitchorwizardorjustinhabithauntedoldhouses.Rundownoldhouseswalls vibratewithrats.Andoccasionallya“ball”ofratswithfusedtailsisdiscovered. DarkSpawn–Thecityismostlytreelessotherthanthegardensoftherich.Aprivategardenonarooftopcouldhouse severalforrichcultists.Triffidsmightbemoreconvenientsize.
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FireVampires–severalCthugacultsexistandthereareseverallonerarsonistshaveappearedfromtimetotime.The cityobservatoryhasseveralcultists. Theykeeptheiractivitiesfairly secret–evenhuntingtheirrogue brethrenwhoindiscriminatelystart firesandsummonfirevampires. Deities ChaugnarFaun–Hisstatueis housedinaprivatecultmuseum wherehiscultsacrificeinnocentsto him.Hisbrothersstatueshave gatheredinMetropolisandhold corporateoffices.Theyarefairly discreet.
brethrenwhoindiscriminatelystartfiresandsummonfirevampires.
Cthuga severalCthugacultsexistandthere areseverallonerarsonistshave appearedfromtimetotime.The cityobservatoryhasseveralcultists. Theykeeptheiractivitiesfairly secret–evenhuntingtheirrogue
Cthulhu–VariousCthulhucultsfromacrossmeetviathewaterwaysofmetropolis. Deeponeshavesettledcoloniesandhybridagentsinthedampestbowlsofthemachine.Whilelandlockedithas millionsofmilesofpipesandhascontrollinginterestinmanyEuropeanportcities.Ariverisusedtoproducehydro electricpower,flowsinandoutofthecitywithmultiplecanals.Allthisallowscultists,deeponesandevenshoggoths toenterthebowelsofthecityandthedamperpartsofthecatacombs.Somemoreaffluentcultistsareinvolvedin globaltradewithcorporationssuchasOceanic(atradeandseaminingcorporation).Cthulhualsoinfluencesmanywith hisdreams–somewitnessorhearhimfirst,ortoucharelicorishexedbyacultistorhybrid.Dagon,Hydraand Starspawnmayalsohavetelepathicinfluence. EihortGoodsfromacrosstheworldgettoMetropolismarketsandlabsandmuseums.Onedayasicklytruckdriver parkshiscabandlookedforsomewherequiethecouldbesick.Tofindhewasvomitingcreaturesintothefactorydrain butthesickneverstoppedleavingthedriverhostasackofburstskin.Charactersinvestigatethenewspeciestillthey findaninfectedvictimexplodesbeforethemprovingitisapotentiallydangerousplague.Theytrackitbacktothecult whohelpingEihortbybringinghimvictimsthroughagatewayinthecultbasenearatruckstop.Prostitutecultists kidnapdrivers. HasturandTheKingInYellow–MostofchambersmythosfictioncouldbetranslatedhereespeciallytheRepairerof Reputations–whichisinanalreadyalternatefuturewouldfitinwell–orcouldevenbeusedasabasisforUSA. TryingtofindanheirtoHasturonearthwhooncecrownedworkstoruintheworldandruletheremnantswouldmake afinepulpvillain.Moremainstream(orthodox)HasturcultistscalldirectlytothehorrorinthelakeofHalihimselfon Carcosa.InwiththeAstronomersClub.SomewizardsdealwithHasturtocontrolByakeeandtravelthestars.Afew rooftopshaveVshapedpillarsconcealedtosummonHasturdirectly. Nyagthoa–Indeepestreachesofthecavernsisadanksootstainedchamberwithblackhandprintsandmarkswhich couldbewritingorrandomsootymarks.Inthemiddleisasealedstonewell,withcarvedmarksaroundtheedges.
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SometimeshuddledrobedcultsmeedheretosummonNyagthoa. Tsathogua–RemnantsofHyperboreancivilizationisburiedbeneathmetropolisandmanywizardssealedfoulthings beneathit.Tsathoguahasoneancienttempleandguardianbeneathmetropolis(seeunderdarkspawn).Alsofoundare severaldreaminducingblackmonolithsandahandfulofartifacts.Otherhiddentemplesorworsethingswereburied. PossiblyagatetoSaturn'sdreamlandsoraartifactofEibon. OuterGods Azathoth–Whilenotoftendirectlyworshipped,manycultistsareconcernedtofindthelocationofazathothandhis myriadspawnwhichcausedimensionaldistortions.Anumberoftheastronomersofmetropolisworshipazathoth. ShubNiggurath–Acultthriveintheoutlayingagricultureregionsbutafewwealthyoperaterooftopgreenhouse temples.Someofthemedical,farmingandfoodcompanieshaveshrinesinmetropolis.Somegreenhousesactually houseadarkspawn. NylarthotepMultiplecultsofNyarlothotepdwellhere.Nyalathotephasappearedtohelpplanthelastdaysanddirect hisculttohidemythosactivity.Hedoesnotappearopenlyinpublic.Curiousinvestigatorswhoriskpublicexposure arelistedaspawnstobedestroyedorsenttobesacrificedtoaspecificgodwithatrailofclues.Variousbusinesses, labs,smallchurchesandothersmallesotericordersallactforNyarlothotep.. YogSothoth–Anumberofwizardsandcultsexistespeciallyamongtheastronomers.Severalsummoningtowersexist inthecityrooftops. Molochmymythosaddition Agodwhominhabitantsmegamachinesandalterstheirpurposetoenslavemankindandbefedsacrifices.Molochmay inhabitadangerousfactory,afoulpowerplant,adecrepitcoalminewherechildminersdieenmassorcertainlya wholecity.Themachinecouldincludeprimitivetemplecitycomplex,theBabylonianlibrary,romanfactorymillor anycomplexhumanbuiltsystem.Evenmonolithsarrangedasacalenderscouldformacultandbeuninhabitedbyhim. Hemayusepartsofthemachinetokillorevenformacyberneticbody. OtherSilentEraAdventures TheCabinetofDrCaligari.–DrCaligarirunsMetropolisAsylum.Heisafiendishhypnotistandmindcontrolling wizard,exertinghisinfluenceoverpersonsofallwalksoflifefrombankerstocriminalstocarnivalfolktoother cultists.Healsohascontrolledagentswhoprowlbynightkillingandkidnappingvictims.Ideallythoseinvestigating himdiscoverhiminsomeotheridentitybeforewakingupthemselvesinMetropolisAsylum. DerGolemOutsidethecoreofMetropolisaresprawlingslumsandfactoriesinconstantprocessofchange.One includesaJewishworkerghettosettobedemolished.Theauthoritieswouldliketodevelopintoamore“modern” metropolisfactoryzonebuthavebeenactingslowlyInfearofapopularpeoplemovement.Apartmentsforbureaucrats alreadyontopmostpartofcity.FromacrumblingoldSynagogueaRabbisendsforthhisgolemtowaylaythe development.Charactersintercedebeforesituationgetsworse. Nosferatu–AcharacterisinvitedtoTransylvaniatoactasalegalagent…. FrauInDerMonde–AtriptothemooniswithinMetropolisreachandinvestigatorsareprobablygeneratedforthe mission.Investigatorscanexplorelunarruinsofancientcivilizations,battlecultistcrewinfiltrators,anddiscoverthe wholemissionwasfundedbycultistsandevenreturntoearthwithanunwelcomeentity.Moonheroesarewelcomed bytickertapeparade–withhungrylookingworkerschildrenwavingflags. DiaryofalostGirl–Workhouseforgirlswhohavechildrenoutofwedlockisrunbyacult.Thebestareselectedas
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sacrificesandtobebridesofcultmembers.Investigatorsfindlinksinseveraloftheircases. Pandora'sBox–ThefemmefataleLuLuentersthecharacterslives,causingsuicide,duelsandmultipledeathsamong theirfriendsfamilyandpeers.EventuallyInvestigatorsinvestigateonlytohaveseveraloftheirmadsuitorsharmthem whomayabusetheirpowersorjustattack.Finallytrackinghertodistantpartstheyfendoffawantedserialkiller beforecorneringher.SheisalamiawithacasketthatopenstoAbhoth–usingittocreatesmallerabhothspawnor floodingabuildingwithAbhoth'slakesizedbodyofbioplasmicviscousfluid.SheisspawnofaSuccubusfromthe dawnofcivilization.WhomenacedBabylonforyears.Allowedtocontinueshewilldestroythecity. Olympia–Annualgamesforthechildrenoftheelitearebeingusedtoselectsacrificesandhostbodiesthancults.Date setatanauspiciousseasonforwizards.Charactersinvestigateseveralhorridmurderswhereprospectivewinning youthswerekilled.Cultsfeudoverwhohasbrokentheirdeal.Encountermultiplecultistgroupsoutforblood. Powerfuloldlechersmaypersuingathletesmaybeviableredherrings.Provideademoofmanycultsactive.Partly inspiredbynotoriousOlympicdocumentary. OtherPulpandHeroicAdventures Anyotherpulpadventurescouldappearjustmoremultilingual Usenovel1984fortheUK. RobertWChambersfutureforNorthAmericaFilm"DarkCity"worthalook IuseamythiclookingancientBabylonforthedreamlandsofmetropolis.Notunlikeintheunfinishedepic "deliverance".Lilith,Molochandotherancientforceshavebeendrawnhere.
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EPOCH:ANEXPERIMENTINHORRORGAMING byDaleElvy IhaverecentlypublishedEPOCHonDriveThruRPGandRPGNow.IthoughtI’dpauseforamomenttoreflectonthe journeythatledtothispoint(imaginesomewavylinesoneithersideofthescreen). ItallbeganinFebruary2010whenIdivedintoadiscussiononhorrorgamesonthevenerableGametimewebsite.In myrighteouspassionIsaid: “Myownphilosophyisthatifitistobedonesuccessfully,we musttakeapagefromhorrormovies,andtryandemploysimilar techniques.WithoutgoingintotoomuchdetailIbreakthese downinto: Playerbuyinandempathy(throughadegreeofshared narration) Visualandaudioaids(notinamajorwayjusttocover learningbases) GMgroundrulesandtimeoutzones Tablediscipline Systemreduction SharedCharacterdevelopment Identifiablesetting Identifiablesituationsandchoices Distanceclosingtechniques Disruptiveplayertechniques Increasingthestakeswith(almost)everysuccessivescene” ThislistbecamethecoreofmyHorrorManifesto,thetechniques whichIbelieved,ifdoneproperly,coulddeliveragenuinelytense suspensefulhorrorgameinasinglesession‘conenvironment. So,whythendidittakemenearly3yearstodrawthistogether intoEPOCH?Wellbesidesallthereallifeconsiderations,Ineededtotestmyideas.Usingdifferentgamesand settingsIstartedtoexperimentwithavarietyoftechniques. Istartedwithcharactercreation.Irealisedaround2010thatmanyofmypregeneratedcharactersthatIwassovery proudof,usedsimilarelementstostimulateconflictanddrama.Therefore,Iwondered,couldthoseelementsbe isolated,andassignedrandomlytocharacters?Itestedthiswiththesuperherogenrefirst,andfoundthatpeoplereadily graspedtheelements,andwovethemintoclevercombinationsI’dneveranticipated,butIalsonotedthattheinitial establishmentofthecharacterwasparticularlychallengingforsomeplayers.Playersneededtoeaseintotheir characters,andallowedthespacetoweavetheelementstogether.Sothat’swhat'sinEPOCH Mysuperherogamesalsohelpedmetorealisethatastorybuiltaroundthecharactersismuchstrongerthanastory whichthecharactersencounter.IvanhadpreviouslyhelpedmewiththisconclusionwithmyWFRPgame,butseeing theeleganceofconcentratingaoneshotgamearoundthewaythecharactersdevelopandinteractwithoneanother,and thegameenvironmenthelpedmeseetheoftencompetingagendawrittenintomanyscenarios.Ratherthanhavethe playerstakeresponsibilityforthestory(asmanyindiegamesdo)Iwantedtobringthestorytothecharactersasmuch
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aspossibleinatraditionalformat(withouthavingpregeneratedcharacters).Itestedthistoo,andwhilealittlebumpy, itconvincedmethiswasaviablepropositionifthecharactersandplayerswereonboard. NextIwonderedjusthowmuchmoreimmersionagamecouldhaveifIexplicitlystatedmyaimstotheplayersbefore thegame,andsoughttheiragreementtochallengeeachothertomakeforamoreimmersivegame.Again,I experimentedandfoundthatplayerswerewillingtoembracethisconcept,andwhentheydidso,thegamegotthat muchbetter.ButIalsofoundthatitwasveryhardtosustainthisconcentrationforprolongedperiods.Justaswitha movieaudience,concentrationisoftenfragmentaryandshouldbe managedtoallownaturalrelaxation.SoIaddedthattoEPOCHas well. Ialsoponderedwhether‘combat’reallyservedmuchpurposeina ‘congame.AsGMIwasusuallymuchmoreinterestedinwhatthe costofacombatwastothecharacters,howtheyreconciled violence,orrespondedtoinjuries.Themechanicalresolutionstole toomuchtimefrommyoneshotsessions,andeventhemostbasic systemoftenservedasadistractionfromthegameimmersion.SoI decidedI’dpredeterminetheoutcomesofcombat,butlettheplayers determinewhatkindofinjuriesorpsychologicaltraumatheir characterssustained,andwhen. Ihadthoughtthisalonewasenough,buttalkingwithpeopleover theyears,Idiscoveredmanyplayers(althoughnotall)reallyliketo knowduringascenariohowtheiractionsmighthaveplayedout differently.Playersliketocomparenotesabouthowdifferent groupshadactedduringascenario–theylikedtofeelliketherewas meaningtotheircharactersactionsbeyondtheimpacttotheir characters.Iwasn’twillingtowalktoofardownthepathof investigativegames–GumshoeandCallofCthulhuhavetrodthis pathenough–andina‘conenvironmentinvestigativegamescango verybadlywrong.SoIusedasimplemechanicwhichwoulddictatehowhappy,orotherwisethefinalscenesofa gamewereforthesurvivingcharacters.Notallmyearlyreaderslikethis,butIwasverytakenwiththesymbolismofa GMliterallylayingalltheircardsonthetableatthebeginningofagame. ThenofcourseIhadtowritesomescenariostoillustratehowallthesethingswouldactuallyworkinpractise… Sothat’sanoverviewofsomeofthemajorelementsofEPOCH,andhowtheycametobeincluded.Itisagamewitha specificpurpose.It’snotagameforeveryone.Itisanexperimentinhorrorgaming.
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GAMMAGOBBLERS byChrisTamm AsmostofmyreadersareAmericanIvebeenbombedwiththanksgivingcheerbutluckilythankstoAmericanTVlots ofAustraliansknowmoreaboutUStraditionsandhistorythanourown.Butloveturkeysandhadsomeasmybest palsgrowingup.Untilweatethem. IgotMutantEpochbundlefromrpgdrivethroughandhavebeedigestingit.Ithasvariationtableforeachspeciesand lotsagoodies.Lotsofreallyhorriblemutantsincludingbugsizecritters.Itprobablyinfluencedmeabitfromheresay beforeIsawit.Probablywilldosoagain.Goodtoseeareallydensewellillustratedgamebookafterseeingtoomany overdesignedhardcoverswithlittlecontent. IhopetodosomemoreDnDstuffbutmyplayersenjoyinggammagamingatthemoment.Imtemptedtodomyown d1000mutationtablewithideasfromMutantepoch,1sted40k,gammaworldandothers.Stilllookingformyfantasy gamemapsfrom80s90s.SohereissomeGammaGobblergoodnessfornowasimfeelinglazy.
Name:RidingGobblers Number:Wild2d6+5flock Morale:6(8male) HD:8d8+4 Armour:7 LandSpeed:12/900/18 MS2d6+2IN1d4+2 DX3d6+3CH2d4+1 CN3d6+2PS4d4+10(4d4+20male) Attacks:Peckorwingbuffet2d6orMalescan makeJumpingSpurCharge2d4+6whenclosing Mutations:seebelow Description:Ridinggobblersarestupidbut domesticatedridingbirdsmutatedfromturkeys usuallywhite,ginger,greyorwildhaveblack brownbrindlepatterned.Theyarealsodelicious buteatinglotsissleepinducing.Theyalsolay tastyeggs.Wildonestendtohangabouthuman settlementsanddon'tresistbeingfencedoffand tamedlikemanyothercreatures.Differentstrains withvariouscoloursandmutationsaboundwith localbreednames.Mostaretoofattoflybutthey canhopupto30mandliketorestintrees.Witha riderthisisonly10m.Maydonotoriouslystupidthingslikejumpinabarreltokeepoutofrainanddrown.Seekers oftenrideandfarmthemasdomanynewtribes.
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d50Commonvariantsusuallywholegrouphassameandcolours
1Intelligent+2d6Int,33%chancecantalk 2ShockProneiffailmoralerollfreezestillsourceoffeargone+1d20minutes 3Gasgenerationifscaredproduce2d6+3teargasitisimmune 4Antlers2d8extrahornattack 5GammaEyecanKOenemies 6RadiationEyeszapfoeswithradiation 7Explodesondeathlikeachemaxgrenadier(seekerscankillthemwithoutthiseffect) 8ContagiousWattlescloseprolongedcontactdevelopswattledredfleshbubblesonrider 9Teleportwhenfailedmoraleteleporttosafetywithrider 10SonicBlastsuperdestructivegobblernoises 11Flyfullwings 12ExtraLegs1d4+1extralegs+10%speedperleggrowbackifamputated(yummy) 13MetallicFeathersAC4 14Cyborgthermagraphicvision,eyeviewradiouplink,2weaponmounts 15BeserkerIfthreatenedattacks+4hittillfoeorselfdead 16Laughterinducingpoisonlasts1d4hoursaftereating2d6+6intensity 17Unigobblerasinglehornextraattack+1d10,poopcures1d3dam,lastsonly1day(d6/day) 18SenseMetalgobblesandstrutsifwalksoverburiedmetal 19Altereddieteats1d61=plastic,2=metal,3=fleshonly,4=concrete,56=contaminatedwaste 20Inflatablegobblerifenragedinflatesto4timessizeandfloatsawayasgasbagmutation 21Extraheads1d3extraalertheadssleepinshifts,sometimestryrundifferentdirections 22Luminousglowvariouscoloursatnightdependingonstrain 23Tentacles1d4+2wattlecoveredpsuedopodsusedtofeedandgrappleattack 24Clusterbombletsshoot1d6explosive2d6dampelletsfromwattlesaheadifsurprised 25Firebreather10mconeof4d6fireonceadayifdisturbed 26Sawwingslikebiologicalchainsaws3d6dam 27Formstelepathicbondswithkinorriders 28Dangersensestarttocluckwarningsifambushordangernear 29Turninvisibleiffailmoraleroll 30Poisonbeakintensity13paralysisvenomonbeak 31Wingswithfunctionalhandstoolusers 32Buildmoundsorrottingvegetationtohatchyoung(Australianbushturkeysdothis) 33Chameleonfeathersaidsinhidingandcommunication 34Spitsgobsofacid2d6rangedattack25mrange 35Growsbigger,redder,beakglowswithheatifmad+2d6peck 36Shootsblackspinesfrombristlybeard,1d4shotsof1d6perround18mrange 37PrehensileSnood(danglythingonbeak)usesasahandreachto6m 38Xrayvisioncanseehiddenweaponsorenamies 39Razorspursspurattackwoundsbleed1hpperroundtilltreated 40Elongatingneckcanstretchto5mtofeedorspotdanger 41Hasabulgysingleeye 42Wattlecoveredredfleshylumpsalloverhideous 43Silencefield10mradiuswhennervousorcanbetrainedtoraise 44Aquaticwebbedfeetandcanswimlikeaduck 45Nolegs,floatsbyselfinflationwithgas,multipleselfhealinggaschambers 46Larger+1d6PS,CNand+4HD 47Radiationresistantbutmildlyradioactivepoop1d4intensity 48Fearauraifstartlesactivatesfearcloakintensity2d4+6mentalattackonceperencounter 49Extradeliciousaddictiveintensity2d6+6toresistlifelongcravings 50Regenerates1hpperround,maysurgicallyremovemeatandwillrecover
Gammagobblerstaketountrainedriderswellbutlooktoeachotherformoraleallrollingasagroup.Themayattack withmutationsifsurprisedorspooked.Atrainedridercanmakehisgobblersjump,attack,besilent,sitandcanuse theirweaponsunhinderedfromturkeyback.Atrainedridermakeshisgobblerfollowhisleadnotthegroup.Atrained gobblerridercanmakeaCHAchecktoswayallsurroundinggobblersinthecaravantonotpanic.Wildgobblers sometimesfollowpeoplehomeandhangabouttilltrapped.Tamedgobblerswithmissingridersheadtoanybeingsthat don'tlookscaryforhelp. MrGobblestheBonapartistambassadorisinvitedtodinnerwiththeseekersasguestofhonour.Hewillbesuretotell hiskinofthefriendlygreetinghereceived.
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ATASTEFORDIRTYSECRETS
byAlasdairSinclair Oneofthethingswhichhasoftenperturbedmealittleaboutthesocalled"StoryGames"hasbeenhowtheyshyaway fromreallygettingtogripswiththemechanicsofthegenreformthey'regoingtotryandemulate. Forexample,AWildernessofMirrorsbringsontothetabletheconceptsofplanningamissionandControleliminating a"rogue"agentbutitneverevertalksaboutwhatkindsofthingshappenonaspymissionandwhythosethings happenthatway.Thismeansthatthegameistotallyflexiblebutitalsomeansthatunlessyoucanbringsubstantial genreunderstandingtothetableyourself,theresultantstorymaynotevenfallwithintherightgenre.Thegameworks bestinthehandsofpeoplewhopossiblydon'tevenreallyneedthesystemtobeginwith.Examplesaresurprisingly common,andIwouldincludetwoofmyfavouritegamesinthatset:ZombieCinemaandFiasco.Bothworkwellwith thepeopleIplaythemwithbecausewe'regenrefansfirstandforemost. Ontheotherendofthespectrum,probablythemajority,therearestorygamesthatfocusontheminutaeofprocedure. Theybreakdownthestoriestheywanttoemulateintosmallchunksandguideyoustepbystep.Theseprocessesare theresultofstructuralforcesinsidethefiction.Gameswhichfocusontheprocessesare,inessence,recipebooksrather thanamanualsofprinciples.Theyallowyoutoreplicateanexperience,butnotnecessarilyunderstandwhythe experiencewasshapedthatway.Iwanttotalkabitmoreabouttwospecificgamesthatfallintothiscategory:ATaste ForMurderandDirtySecrets. BothofthesegamesareaboutcrimesandtheirsolutionandIoffersomeperspectivesneartheendonsolvingtheir specificgenrequestionsinadifferentwaylateron.Investigationisintendedtoserveasanexampleofamoregeneral problemwheregamemechanicsarenotexplicitlytiedtofictiveoutcomes,oraretiedtothem,butnotinawaywhich explainswhythefictionisstructuredthatway.Thereisprobablynogamethatismoreriddledwiththesethanearly iterationsofDungeonsandDragons.Considersuchasthedifficultyofrationalizingweaponrestrictionsinsidethe fiction.EGaryGygaxoffersnousefuladviceonwhyaMagicUsercan'tpickupaswordinadesperatesituationand runsomeonethrough,therulessimplyconstrainthefictionandleavetheplayerstofigureoutwhy.Investigationisan easiergenretotryandtacklebecauseitismoreconsistentlyformulaic,andthereareover100yearsofliterarycriticism oftheoriginatinggenretodrawonintacklinghowthegamesshouldorcouldwork. ATasteForMurderandDirtySecretsaregamesthattryandevadethecentralquestionposedinalldetectivefiction: Whodunnit?Bothgamesexplicitlywantthistobeunresolveduntilthelastpossiblemoment,whenitisresolvedbythe mechanicsandthenpostrationalizedbytheplaygroup.Normallyindetectivefiction,"Whodunnit"isapproached through3differentandcontrabalancedquestions:Motive,Means,andOpportunity.Thesearethebasicstory mechanicalentitiesinplay,andthebasisofalmostallclassicaldetectivefictionisthatoneofthesethingsisnever directlystated,butmustberationallydeduced. Thismirrorstherevelationsinaclassicaldetectivestory,wherethemurdererisunmaskedamidstagatheringofthe suspects.Thereisanotherentiretraditioninthegenre,ofshowingtheexecutionofthecrimeandthenfocusingonthe unraveling.ThefamoususeofthistechniquebyColumbopromptedMalcomCraigtosuggestthisasapossible solutionin2007withtheworkingtitleof"Columboism"[http://gametime.livejournal.com/42287.html]Theapproach takenbythesetwogamesistheopposite.Insteadofeveryoneknowingthemurdereratthestart,nobodydoes,and indeed,everycharacterisSchroedinger'sMurderer:there'snowaytoknowuntilyoucrankallthewaythroughtothe endofthesystemandopenthebox. ATasteForMurderisstructuredintwodistinctstoryphases.Inthefirstthegroupestablishesthefamilialrelationships
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withtheinstructiontotheplayerstomaketherelationshipsdysfunctional.Avictimisthenselectedandthatplayer becomestheinspector,who"investigates"thevariousremainingcharacters,allofwhomareencouragedtorevealdeep darksecretsthatwouldmotivatethemurder.Afteracharacterhasbeen"investigated"enoughtimes,withsuccessful escalationoftheirmotivesformurder,thecriminalisrevealed. Thisevasionofthecentralquestionseemslikeaneatcircumventionofthewellknownproblemswithinvestigative games.Insteadoftediouslypiecingtogetherclues,yousimplydecidewho'sguiltyandthenreconcileeverything. However,onafundamentallevelofstorystrucutrethisevasionmeansthatthesetwogamesleaveonlythesurface appearanceofthegenreintact.Inorderforthisapproachtowork,thegamemustinherentlyviolatealmostallofthe famous"RulesofDetection"thatlurkinthestorymechanicsofmostofthe"GoldenAge"fiction. TheserulesweremostcogentlyandclearlysetoutbyRAustinFreemanandWillardWrightwritingasS.S.van Dyne's,bothinTheArtoftheDetectiveStory,editedbyHowardHaycraft.Bothadvocatestronglyforthecore principlesof"ratiocination"(i.e.logicaldeduction)andseethegenreasentirelybasedaroundtheconceptofequalizing theinformationaccessibletothedetectiveandthereader.Theseprinciplesarethrownoutonthesimplebasisthatthere isnologicalprocessfordeterminingtheguiltyparty. Whatthatmeansisthatinsidethefictioncreatedbythesegames,wenolongerneedtoreallyaddressthethree principalquestionsofdetectivefiction.Theactionofthegamecanthusbenominally"investigative"butthe investigationisactuallyirrelevant.Itcanbecompletelyimpossibletosolvethecrimeinfictionalterms:withoutthe arbitraryandirrevocableinterventionofthesystem,ambiguitycouldalwaysremain.Thatmakesthestoriesinherently unsatisfyingasmysteriesitshuntsthegamesfirmlyintoanotherinterestinggenre,themelodrama,wherethe revelationsandcounterrevelationsaregivenimpetusbyamurder. Ithinkthisisreinforcedbytheplayadviceafterthemainrules,whichisallabouttheinterpersonalrelationshipsand perioddetail.Formethough,thisbegsthequestionofthegame'sexistence.WhywouldIplayagamecalledATaste forMurderformydoseofmelodramaandinterpersonalstrife? DirtySecretstakesaquitedifferentapproach,andinalotofwaysisevenmoredifficulttousetocreateasatisfying crimestory.ThemaindifficultyisthatwhereATasteForMurdercallsforacollaborative"and"approachto improviseddetail,DirtySecretsactivelyandenthusiasticallycallsforblockingandobstructionateveryturn.Itisthe mostadversarialgameI'veeverreadandafterseveralattemptsweeventuallyhadafungamewithitbybasically disregardingalltheplaystyleadvice.Itdoesredeemitselfthoughbymentioningthekeyphrase"TheoryoftheCrime." Whatitsaysisthatineveryscene,eachplayershouldhaveatheoryofwhodidit,whyandhow,andbeworkingto insinuatefactswhichsupporttheirtheoryintothegame. Itgiveslittleguidanceonwhatthistheoryshouldlooklikewhatarethemovingparts,whataretheconstraintsbutit doesmentionit.Onceyouasagroupdecidethattheadversarialaspectisn'tnecessary,andcollaborateonthetheoryof crime,movingtheconflictsintothefictionratherthanaroundthetable,thegamedoesproduceafictionallyfunctional crime,inasmuchasyouarecapableofitbasedonyourunderstandingofgenre. Isitpracticaltodemandanygenreemulatinggametoalsofunctionasapoeticsforthatgenre?DoweneedATaste ForMurderandDirtySecretstospelloutthepossiblecrimeschemas?Wellyes.Ithinkthatthereisatendency, exemplifiedbythesetwogames,totryandtreatthegamemechanicsandthefictiontheycreateseparately.Thetwoare usuallyexplainedinparrallel,encouragingthereadertoseethepointsofequivalence,butthereisastrongcausal relationshiptostory"anomalies"fromcertainmechanics.Whatwe'relookingforhereisastatementlike"XRule impliesYplayerbehaviour." InATasteforMurderalltheplayadviceisstructuredaroundthemelodrama,butthereisnospecificdiscussionofhow theneedtohavemotivesformurderwillshapethatmelodrama.Theadviceis"investigaterelationships,don't investigateclues."Butthereisn'tadiscussiononwhatkindofrelationshipisappropriatefortheneedsofthestory,
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otherthanitshouldbedark,andeventhatismostlyimplicitfromthetextonthecharactersheet. OnegamethatdoesintegratethefictionwiththeexperienceatthetablefairlywellisEPOCH.Itisbuiltaround explicitlycallingouttheeffectofcertainmechanicsonplayerbehaviour,andhenceonfictionaloutcomes.For example,whenyoursurvivalinsidethefictionreliesonyoubeinginteresting,thenyoumakethatefforttobe interesting.Intheplayadvice,EPOCHisoneoftheclearestgamesaroundforoutliningwhatwillactuallyhappenat thetable,andhowthegamemechanicspushthegametoturnoutthatway. Formymoneythen,westillneedabettermousetrap.Forallthattherehavebeeninnovationsaroundthefield,the fundamentalproblemsthatexistwithinvestigationbasedgameshavenotbeenresolved.Themostfundamental problemistheconstructionofacrimewithsufficientcluesandsufficientrobustnesstoberesolvedadequately. ThevariousiterationsofGumshoeareoftendiscussedassolvingthisproblem,butIthinkthatwhiletheyhavesolved theproblemofinvestigationsstallingduetofaileddicerolls,noiterationthatI'vereadcutstotheheartofhowcrimes shouldbestructuredinfictionalterms. Ithinkit'sworthbeingupfrontinadmittingthatthisisaproblemwiththefictionalaswellasthegaminggenre.There aretwodifferentanswersoneinthesocalled"English"schoolAKA"FairPlayMethod"AKA"GoldenAge",and oneforthesocalled"hardboiled"detective. Thefairplaygenre,thatalmostallinvestigativegameshaveastheirimplicitmodel,isbasedaroundtheprocessof outlininganumberoffacts(akaclues)someofwhichturnouttobefalse,andbycrosscheckingallthevariousstories againsteachotheryouderivetheonetruesituation.Soinherentlythegenreisaboutpenetratinglies,anditisalltoo easyforanauthor(andhence,aGM)to"unfairly"stackthedecksuchthatthemysterymighttechnicallybesolvable, butinpracticebeimpossible.Addingsupernaturalelementsintotheequationonlycompoundstheproblem. Totryandensurethatmysterieswere"fair",yougetlistsofrulesliketheonescitedabove.VanDyne'srulesconstrain thetypeofcrimeandcriminalquiteclosely.Freemanandothersallowedmorefreedom,butatthecore,allofthem wantedthecluestobeplainlyandcompletelystatedassuch,andforthosecluestofittogetherinalogicalpatternfor thecrime.IthinkthattheGMmustatleastmanagethatmuchapuzzlewithsufficientclues,whichareapparenttothe readerasclues.Atthatpoint,asolutionisatleastpossible.Inconceptualterms,IthinkthatisasfarasGumshoe usuallytakesus.Atthispoint,itisstillveryeasyforsomethingthattheGMbelievesisobvioustobeallbut incomprehensibletohisplayers. Wemustrefinetheconceptofwhataclueactuallyisinfictionalterms.Atthemostbasiclevelyoumustdealwiththe threekeyquestions:motive,meansandopportunity.Inpracticalterms,mostGoldenAgefictionisorientedtowards untanglingtheverycomplexmeansandopportunityforthemurder,withmotivesoftenbeingfairlynominalyoucan alwaysdefaultbacktogreedasacatchallmotivation.Meansandopportunityarethetworationalpartsoftheequation they'resimplyfactualentities,andsoeasytodealwithfictively. TheGMneedstolookateveryoneoftheir"clues"andaskthemselveswhichofthesethreemajorquestionsis answeredbytheclue.Doesthecluepointtoameans?Doesitpointtoamotive?Doesitpointtoanopportunity?Ifnot thenit'snotaclue;atbestit'salinkinascavengerhuntorapointertowherearealclueishidden.Amysterythen needsaminimumof3clues,oneforeachofthebigquestions,andthatisthecriticalelementthatneedstobediscussed ingamestructuringadvice. ForRPGsthesethreethingsneedtoberelativelysimpleincomparisontothefiction.Ialmostalwaysusetelevisionas aguideforwhatcanhappeninanRPG.Fora3hoursession,Iexpecttogetaboutthesameamountofstoryand informationasina40minuteAmericanTVepisode.Orbetteryet,anepisodeofScoobyDoo.Inthatcontext,strictures likevanDyne'slimitof1killermakealotofsense.
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Lookingatthestorymechanicsinthisway,wecanseethatATasteforMurderassumesthateveryonehasameansand opportunity,andsofocusesexclusivelyonmotive.Itisthusprettymuchaninversionofthefocusofadetectivefiction. Andthatmakesalotofsensefromthepointofviewofstructuringagame,sincethatisthehumancomponent,andthe componentwearebothnaturallymostinterestedinandbestabletodealwithintermsofcreatingafiction.Asaresult ofthefocusonmotive,thetextisalmostsilentonthosetwobigquestionsofMeansandOpportunity.Thatiswhyit wantsyoutoinvestigaterelationshipsinsteadofclues,butitneedstocomerightoutandsaythat.Thisisaconstraint onthefiction:youcannotcreateanyaspectofthefictionwhicheliminatesyouastheguiltypartyonthebasisof lackingmeansorlackingopportunity.Bypresettingthose,younowatleastguaranteeafictionthatwhenitis arbitrarilyresolved,makessense.Ifyouwanttobesophisticatedaboutit,youcancreatetheappearanceoflacking meansorlackingopportunity,butyoumustalwaysacceptthatfactswillberevealedwhichdispellthismisconception. Hardboileddetectivestookanotherapproachentirely,whichwastohaveaverysimplepuzzlewhosesolutioncreateda problematicsituation.Thedramathencomesfromlivingwiththecrime,ratherthansolvingit.Thisisonereasonwhy itisclaimedtobe"morerealistic"eventhoughitispatentlynot. ThereisperhapsnoclearerfictionalexamplethanTheMalteseFalcon.SamSpadeknowsthesolutiontotheformal problemalmostimmediately,andthenspendsthebulkofthenoveltryingtodecidewhattodoaboutit.Most hardboilednovelsresolvenotthroughacarefulrecitationoffacts,buttheinherentlyunstablesituationcreatinga cascadeofscenesuntiltheguiltyareplayedout.Investigationisstillanimportantpartoftheequation,butthefictions arebuiltaroundtheconceptthathumandramaismoreimportantthanpuzzlesolving.Thisisparticularlyevidentinthe worksofDashiellHammettandRaymondChandler;laterhardboiledwritersbecamemoreandmoreadeptat integratingtheiressentiallymelodramaticstorieswithacluepuzzlecomplex.Forexample,RossMacdonaldcanbe readandenjoyedineithermode. ThisisafarbettertacktotakewithRPGs,becauseithasno"failure"mode(i.e.notsolvingthemystery)andhasthe possibilityofnumerousdifferentpossibleoutcomes.
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TUNNELS&TROLLSBESTIARYAE byKarlD.Brown Thisisthethirdofaseriesofarticlesfor5theditionTunnels&Trolls,thefirstappearedinRPGReview12andthe secondinissue15.Eachwillprovidesomehouserulesand/oraselectionofmonstersinalphabeticalorder. AirElemental MRvaries Dicevaries Addsvaries NaturalWeapons:blastsofairaretheweaponsofanairelemental.Theelementalcandivideitsdiceintoattacksasitpleases.The attacksalldophysicaldamageofbluntorrendingtypes. NaturalArmour0despitebeingmadeofairblowsdisrupttheirinternalairflowsinjuringthem.Thatthisdoeslittledamageis coveredbytheirlargeCON. SpecialAttacks:ifanelementalhassufficientstrength(STx10isgreaterthanthemassinpoundsofthevictimandhergear)tolifta characterthenitcancapturetheminturbulencepowerfulenoughtocantearsomeoneapart.Treatasanormalattackexceptshields areineffectiveandthecharactermustsaveonluckattheelementalsMR/10rounddownorbethrownprone,battered,anddizzy unabletotakeanyfurtheractionsopportunisticorinitiatedfortherestoftheround. Iftheelementalhassufficientstrength(STx5isgreaterthanthemassinpoundsofthevictimandhergear)toliftacharacterintothe airanddropthemforfallingdamage. SpecialDefences:immunetopoisons,invisible. ST12+0.25*MRIQ10(x1)LK18+0.25*MRCONequaltoMR DEX3(x0.25)theyhavesufficientcontroltohurlbluntweaponsandstones CHRequalto¼xMRSP12(x1)(constantlyflies) Size:onecubicyardperMR.Arefereeusingminiaturescanrepresentthiswithaseparate1yardsquarepieceofpaperforevery 1MR. Weightnegligible StartingAge:NA Oldat:NA AsconjuredbytheAir,Earth,FireandWaterspell.Theyareinvisiblebutifadetectmagiciscasttheyappearasa‘blob’of insubstantialmagicthatcanextendthickpseudopods(1yarddiameter).IfattackedbyanEarthelementalthereisarushofwind carryingbillowingdustandbotharedestroyed. ApeFolk MR120:30Dice7Adds60 NaturalWeapons:Twofists3deachandonebitefor1d NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST60(x6)IQ10(x1)LK25(x2.5)CON30(x3)DEX8(x0.8)CHR8(x0.8)SP10(x1) Heightx8/10Weightx1StartingAge:3d+8Oldat:60 Apefolklooklikechimpanzeesasbigasahumanthatwalkupright.Thoseunfamiliarwiththemareoftensurprisedbythestrength theypossess,theapefolkpackmuchmoremuscleandboneintotheirbodiesthanhumans.Extramuscleandbonealsoprotectsvital organsincreasingtheiralreadysubstantialtoughness.Apefolkweargarishcolouredclothing.Apefolkareastechnologically advancedashumansbutdonotminesomakelessuseofmetals(whichtheygetmostlyfrombogironandtrade).Theybuildtreetop townsinthedensestjunglesploughinguptheundergrowthandplantingcropsandgrazinggoats.Apefolkareclannish;thelargest politicalgrouptheyareabletoorganiseistownsofabout300adultsandanequalnumberofslavesofotherkin.Apefolkrespect strength;theirtownsareledbythestrongestwarriorsandtheyviewmostotherkinasinferiorweaklings.Thesesocialand technologicaldisadvantageshavepreventedthemfromexpandingtheirdomains.Apefolkarenotevilbuttheirmoodsareextreme andmercurialtheycanexhibithowlinglaughter,murderousrageandparalysinggriefwithinminutesofeachother.Apefolkspeak theirownlanguage,anadvancedversionofSimian,thoseknowingthelowtongueofSimianunderstandApeFolkaboutaswellasa
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threeyearold.Manyalsoknowcommon. Asp MR5Dice1Adds2 NaturalWeapons:achillingtouch1d. NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttackspoison4xdamagefrombitebeforeaddsbutaftervictimsarmouraspermainrulessection1.52.5 SpecialDefencesnil ST2(x1/5)IQ1(x1/10)LK30(x3)CON5(x0.5)DEX0(x0CHR4(x1/2)SP12(x1)(halfthisonland) Heightx1/3Weightx1/650StartingAge:1d/2Oldat:6 AmoretypicalsmallpoisonoussnakethanthelargerserpentssummonedbytheSerpent(MagicFangs)spell.Thepoisonis proportionallymoretoxicthanthatofmanylargersnakes.Anaspcan‘see’indarknessusingvibration,scentandheat. Asrai MR6Dice1Adds3 NaturalWeapons:achillingtouch1d. NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST10(x1)IQ16(x1.5)LK14(x1.5)CON6(x0.5)DEX13(x1.5)CHR19(x2) SP12(x1)(halfthisonland)Heightx11/10Weightx1 StartingAge:3d+50Oldat:200 Theasraiareafaeriekinnativetotheseasofcoldortemperateregions.Anasrairesemblesanelfwithwebbedhandsandfeet,and skinsocolditstouchburns.Theyareperfectlyadaptedtothecoldwaterstheycallhomeandgenerallygonaked.Asraitakedouble damagefromheatandfirebasedattacksorhostileconditions.Asraicanbreatheonlysaltwaterandsogenerallydon’tmakegood playercharacters.Mostasraispeakonlytheirownlanguage,aversionofElvish. Bear,Huge MR258Dice26Adds129 NaturalWeapons:bite10d,twoclaws8d, NaturalArmour5thickfur SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST150(x15)IQ4(x0.5)LK8(x1)CON258(x26)DEX0(x0) CHR6(x0.5).Whileanimalsandnotmonstershugebearsaresolitary,easilyenragedandhavereputationstomatch.Theyare poorleaders SP8(x1)Heightx1.5 Weightx10StartingAge:3d+4Oldat:30 Thiscategoryincludeslargebrownbears,grizzlybearsandpolarbears.‘Dancingbears’andtheliketendtobesmallervarietiesthan this.Asharpsenseofsmellenablesthemtotracklikeahound.Hugebearsareincrediblystrong:abletokillacowwithasingle blowanddragitbacktotheirlair.HugewerebearsdoexisttheycanberepresentedbyPCswhostartaspera‘largebear’andgain levelsratherthanusingthistemplate.Suchacharacterreliesonpersonaladdsratherthangainingmoredicetomatchthistemplate andshouldchooseahighstartingweightandsize. Bear,Large MR36Dice4Adds18 NaturalWeapons:bite2d,twoclaws2d, NaturalArmour5thickfur SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST40(x4)IQ4(x0.5)LK8(x1)CON36(x3.5)DEX0(x0)
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CHR6(x0.5).Whileanimalsandnotmonsters,bearsaresolitary,andcanbebadtempered. SP9(x1)Heightx1Weightx2StartingAge:3d+4Oldat:30 Thiscategoryincludessmallerbrownbearsandblackbears.‘Dancingbears’andtheliketendtobesmallervarietiesthanthisbut largebearscansometimesbeputtothisuse.Asharpsenseofsmellenablesthemtotracklikeahound.WerebearPCsusuallyuse thistemplate. Thosethatwishtobebrownbearsandaspiretobecomehugebearsastheyriseinlevelsmayhaveamax.STof4xstartingST(i.e. 16xstartinghumanST)whileinbearformonly.Whileinbearformtheymustadd5poundsofweightand1/3”ofheightforevery1 STgainedbyexperienceandperhapshaveahighstartingST,weight,andsize.Asthecharacterbulksupanyoldgearandclothing fittedtothebearformwillbecometoosmall.Youneedonlyworryaboutthefollowingifyourcharacterhassuchgear.After20ptof SThasbeenaddedtheymustadjustgearetc.forSizeandWeightmodifiersofx1.1andx3forthebearform.After40ptofSThas beenaddedtheymustadjustbeargearetc.forSizeandWeightmodifiersofx1.25andx4.After60ptofSThasbeenaddedthey mustadjustgearetc.forSizeandWeightmodifiersofx1.3andx6.After80ptofSThasbeenaddedtheymustadjustgearetc.for SizeandWeightmodifiersofx1.4andx8.After100ptofSThasbeenaddedtheymustadjustbeargearetc.forSizeandWeight modifiersofx1.5andx10. Boar MR32Dice4Adds16 NaturalWeapons:Gorewithtusks4d NaturalArmour2thickcoarsehairandhide SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST36(x3.5)IQ4(x0.5)LK11(x1)CON32(x3)DEX0(x0) CHR5(x0.5).Whileanimalsandnotmonstersboarscanbebadtempered,andhaveareputationforthis. SP14(x1.5)Lengthx1Weightx1.7StartingAge:x1/15Oldat:15 Representingwildboarsbutalsowarthogsandotherporcinebeasts.Fordomesticpigsincreasetheweighttox2andreplacethe gorewithasimplebodyslamfor4d.Wereboarsaregenerallystubborncurmudgeons,butalsoverybrave. Brute MR80Dice9Adds40 NaturalWeapons:twotoughenedfistsdominanthand5d,offhand4d NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST55(x5.5)IQ5(x0.5)LK7(x0.5)CON80(x8)DEX6(x0.5)CHR7(x0.5) SP8(x1)Heightx2Weightx10StartingAge:3d+10Oldat:50 Appearinglikeahugebulkyhumanthislessersortofgiantisnotevilbynaturebutcanbefoundworkingforalmostanyone anywherebrutestrengthwithoutfinesseisneeded. Cat MR10:5Dice2Adds5 NaturalWeapons:bite1d,claw1d NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST3(x1/2)IQ4(x½)LK32(x3)CON5(x½)DEX0(x0)CHR10(x1) SP20(x2)Lengthx2/7(notincludingtail)Weightx1/57StartingAge:x1/15Oldat:12 Thesestatisticsareforacommondomesticcatoronegoneferal.Smallwildcatspeciescouldalsousetheseattributes.Catweresare rarebutnotunknownintheWest,theyaremorecommoninorientallandswheretheyareknownasakindofhengeyokai.
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Carp MR4Dice1Adds2 NaturalWeapons:Biteortailslap,eitherdoes1d. NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST6(x0.5)IQ1(x1/10)LK26(x2.5)carparehardtohitandconsideredluckyinsomecultures CON4(x1/2)DEX0(x0)CHR1(x1/10) SP10(x1)Height/Lengthx2/5Weightx1/5StartingAge:x1/7Oldat:30 Thecommoncarpisaverylargefreshwaterfishthatisasuitablepreyitemforhungryadventurers.Brightlycolouredcoicanbe foundintheornamentalpondsofmanypalaces.Carphengeyokai(oriental‘weres’)areoftentheguardiansofrivers.Themain advantageofbeingashapeshifterwhobecomesafishisnotincombatbuttheabilitytoexploreunderwaterwithease. Centaur MR32Dice4Adds16 NaturalWeapons:Fourkicksfor1deach. NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST28(x3)IQ9(x1)LK10(x1)CON32(x3)DEX10(x1)CHR7(x0.5)mostareboisterousandcarousing. SP26(x2.5)Height/Lengthx1.5Weightx6.5StartingAge:3d+8Oldat:55 Thesecreaturesareparthuman,parthorse;apttocausetroubleifgivenwine. CuSidhe MR40Dice5Adds20 NaturalWeapons:bite3d,twoclaws1deach NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST20(x2)IQ6(x½)(max9)LK37(x2.5)CON20(x2)DEX0(x0)CHR10(x1)SP20(x2) Lengthx½withouttailWeightx½StartingAge:2d+10Oldat:50 Cusidhe(pronouncedcooshee)arefeyhounds.Theyarelargehoundsofhighqualitywithwhitehair.Cusidhespeakthelow tongueofcaninebutsomehavealittleunderstandingoftheelftonguethoughtheycannotshapewordsthemselves.Likethegreat apes,cusidhewalkthelinebetweenbeastandthinkingkin.Thoughcusheeattributesaresuitableforuseasawere,nowerecu sidhehaveeverbeenreported. Dog,Medium MR10Dice2Adds5 NaturalWeapons:bite2d NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST10(x1)IQ4(x½)LK25(x2.5)CON10(x1)DEX0(x0)CHR10(x1) SP20(x2)Lengthx1/3withouttailWeightx1/3StartingAge:x1/16Oldat:10 Theseattributescouldbeusedtorepresentcommondomesticdogsortypicalwilddogs. DogweresarerarebutnotunknownintheWest,theyaremorecommoninOrientallands. Dog,Large MR20Dice2Adds8
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NaturalWeapons:bite3d NaturalArmour0 SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST18(x2)IQ4(x½)LK27(x2.5)CON20(x2)DEX0(x0)CHR10(x1) SP20(x2)Lengthx½withouttailWeightx½ StartingAge:x1/16Oldat:10 DogweresarerarebutnotunknownintheWest,theyaremorecommoninOrientallands.
Dragon MR250Dice26Adds125 NaturalWeapons:bite8d,twoclaws4d,tailslap10d NaturalArmour25 SpecialAttacks:Fierybreathonceevery5combatturnsseebelowrange30’(5’widejet)doing26d+addsdamage.Theactof breathingflameisstrenuous,morelikevomitingthanbreathingout,andthedragoncaninitiatenootheractionthatcombatturn. Treatasamissileweaponagainsttheprimarytargetexceptthatsincetheblastis5’acrossthesavetohitisonelevellower(anduse LKnotDEX)andtherolltododgeonelevelhigher.Sincethedragonsneckislongandflexibletheheightandanglemeansthat secondarytargetsinthatlookliketheyareinthepathofthejetofflamemaymoreeasilyavoiditrolltohittheseatonelevelhigher andtheirdodgeatonelevellower.Ofcoarsesituationsmayalterthis,forexamplecharacterspackedintoa5’wideby6’high corridorshouldallbetreatedasprimarytargets. SpecialDefencesnil.Despitetherumoursdragonsaresusceptibletopoison. ST137(x13.5)IQ50(x5)LK10(x1)CON250(x25)DEX3(x0.5)max4.CHR65(x6.5) SP20(x2)abletofly,runandswimatthisspeed. Lengthx5.Theneckisaboutaquarterofthisandthetailaccountsforathirdoflength.Wingspanisthesameaslength.Weight x125 StartingAge:3d+100Oldat:200 Dragonvenompoisonisamisnomeritisextractedfromthetailsofwyverns.Despitetherumoursdragonsaresusceptibletopoison. Drake MR2Dice1Adds1 NaturalWeapons:bite1d,twoclaws0d,tailslap0d NaturalArmour1 SpecialAttacks:Fierybreathonceevery5combatturnsseebelowrange5’(1”widejet)doing1d+addsdamage.Theactof breathingflameisstrenuous,morelikevomitingthanbreathingout,andthedrakecaninitiatenootheractionthatcombatturn. SpecialDefencesnil. ST2(x0.25)IQ12(x1)LK24(x2.5)CON2(x0.25)DEX2(x0.25)max4.CHR1(x0.1) SP18(x2)abletofly,runandswimatthisspeed. Lengthx0.5Theneckisaboutaquarterofthisandthetailaccountsforathirdoflength.Wingspanisthesameaslength.Weight x0.125 StartingAge:3d+10(butagingbeginsat118years)Oldat:200 Adrakeisanimmaturedragonaboutthesizeofalargecat.Thereproductivestrategyofdragonsresemblesthatofcrocodiles.The motherwatchesoverthenestandtheveryyounghatchlingsbutthenloosesinterest.Thehatchlingsthemselvesarebornactiveand vigorousimmediatelyabletohuntforthemselvesandsoonafterarelivingindependently.Thoughnotfullgrownthedrakehas survivedtheperilousperiodofbeingahatchlingandhascomparablelifeexperiencetoayouthbutismoreselfreliant.After reachingdrakehooddragonsgrowsporadicallyinresponsetostress. VerydaringrefereesmayallowdrakesasPCs.Drakesbeginningadventuringhaveweakerattributesthanotherkinbutdohave naturalarmourandweapons,canbreathfire,swimandfly.Initiallydrakesarea‘specialability’kindofcharacterratherthana ‘combatmachine’thishoweverchangesathigherlevels.PCdrakesareanewtype.Theydon’tgainextraprotectionfromarmouror spells,insteadtheirnaturalabilitiesimprove.ThisisfortunatesincedrakeDEXandSTpreventsuseofmosttoolsandweapons.A drake’sforetalonsonlybarelyfunctionashands,experiencemayneverraiseadrake’sDEXover4.Dragonarmourisalsounheard of.NotedownstartingCON.ForeverytenCONaddedbyexperiencethedrakegets:oneextradietoaddtoanaturalweapon(the
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maximumnumberofdiethatcanbeaddedtoweaponsisthediceusedbydragonsforthatweapon);naturalarmouralsoimproves 1pt;similarlyfierybreathgains1d,another1’ofrangeand1”ofwidth.Whenthejetoffireis3’acrossitbecomeshardertododge asperadragon.MaximumSTforadrakeis150regardlessofstartingvalue.ExperiencemayneverraiseSTtomorethancurrent CON(notinitialCON)andCONmayneverberaisedhigherthanmorethantwicecurrentST.Onthedownsideandallincreasesin adrake’spowersarelinkedtogrowth,eventuallysizebecomesinconvenient.Thelengthofolderdrakes(atsecondlevelandhigher) andmaturedragonswillbeatleastinchesequalto(squarerootST)x30andmassatleastSTsquared.Tofindthemultiplierfor equippingthecharacterwithscaledgear(fromaftertheirfirstgrowthspurt)divideheightby66inchesandmassby170pounds(if over5xroundup).Minimumscalingmultipliersforheightandweightare0.5and0.125respectively,raiseifbelowthesevalues. However,ittakesalongtimeforadragontoreachitsfullsize(theDragonlistingaboveisroughlyequivalenttoa45thlevel character). DreadBeasts Thesewerenormalanimalsthatthemonstergodsorevilwizardsthoughthadpotential,suchaswolvesandbats,andsowerewarped intoferocious,evilandcunningversionsoftheirformerselves.Theoffspringofthesewarpedbeastshavebecomenewandterrible species.Dreadbeastsareabout3.5xthemassand1.5xthesizeoftheirnormalcounterparts,havesemiintelligence(IQ8)and2.5x thenormalMR.Anygaineddicearegenerallyaddedtothemostpowerfulattack.Whengivenfullstatisticsgenerallypriorityis giventoincreasingSTandCONthentheotherattributes.Giventheseguidelinesallmannerofdreadbeastcanbecreated.Foran exampleseedreadwolf. Duck MR2Dice1Adds1(2inflightand7onland). NaturalWeapons:peck1d,rememberminimumafter‘adds’is1pt. NaturalArmour2feathers SpecialAttacksnil. SpecialDefencesnil ST1(x0.1)IQ2(x0.2)LK31(x3)halfthisintheair(15),¼thisonland(8).CON2(x0.2)DEX0(x0)max0 CHR5(x0.5) SP20(x2)halfthisinwater,¼thisonlandLengthx1/6 Weightx5/1000StartingAge:x1/35Oldat:16 Duckshavetheadvantageofbeingabletomovethroughtheair,inthewateroronlandandenjoynaturalarmourandwaterproofing fromtheirfeathers.Theycanalsoliveoffthelandbyeatingavarietyoffoodsincludingpondweed,snails,andwormsofallkinds. Somevarietieshavedecorativeplumage,suchasthemandarin.Onthedownsideducksarebluntandtasty.Playersconsideringduck hengeyokai(oriental‘weres’)shouldweighupalltheseprosandconsbeforecommitting. Eagle,Giant MR24Dice3Adds12 NaturalWeapons:bite1d,twoclaws1deach. NaturalArmour8fromfeathers SpecialAttacks:nil SpecialDefencesnil ST26(x2.5)IQ10(x1)LK18(x2)CON24(x2.5)DEX0(x0),max.1CHR20(x2)not‘evil’butsolitaryandwithfewsocial instincts SP40(x4)abletoflyatthisspeedbutactonlandat1/16thofthis Heightx1.5(wingspanisdoubleheight)Weightx4.5 StartingAge:3d+10Oldat:80 Gianteaglesliveapartfromtheworldofhumansandotherkininthedeepestforestsandhighestmountains.Theyaresolitary creatureslivingthelifeofawildpredatorbutareasintelligentashumans.Amongthemselvestheeaglesspeakanadvancedformof Avian.ThosespeakingnormalAviancanunderstandEagleaboutaswellasathreeyearold. EarthElemental MRvariesDicevariesAddsvaries
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NaturalWeapons:attacksresembleearthquakesandrockslides.Theelementalcandivideitsdiceintoattacksasitpleases.The attacksalldophysicaldamageofblunt,crushingkind. NaturalArmour0ThatthisblowsdothemlittledamageiscoveredbytheirlargeCON. SpecialAttacks:ifanelementalhassufficientstrength(STx10isgreaterthanthemassinpoundsofthevictimandhergear)tolifta characterthenitcanengulfthemdoingcrushingdamageandpreventinganyfurtheractionbythevictimunlesstheyfirstbeatthe elementalinaconfrontationalSTRsavetobreakfree.Anengulfedcharacterbeginstosuffocate.Atacostof1CONperpoundthe earthelementalcancreatethenhurlboulders. SpecialDefences:immunetopoisons. ST130.25*MRIQ10(x1)LK12+0.25*MRCONequaltoMRDEX2(x0.25)theyhavesufficientcontroltohurlbluntweapons andstones.CHRequalto¼xMR SP8(x0.75)abletomoveoverthesurfaceoftheearthorswimthroughitenablingittopassthroughstoneandearthenwallsand floors.Size:amoundwitharadiusandhieghtofoneyardper10MR. Weight1tonperMRStartingAge:NAOldat:NA AsconjuredbytheAir,Earth,FireandWaterspell.Appearsasamoundingupoftumblingstoneandearth.Ifattackedbyanair elementalthereisarushofwindcarryingbillowingdustandbotharedestroyed. Elephant,Huge MR952Dice96Adds476 NaturalWeapons:Trunkslap3d,Tusksgoreonce13d,slamand/ortrample forfourattacksdoing20deach. NaturalArmour7toughhide SpecialAttacksnil SpecialDefencesnil ST500(x50)IQ5(x½)LK5(x0.5)CON952(x95)DEX1(x1/8max3) CHR10(x1)impressiveandintimidatingbutalso‘ornery. SP12(x1)Heightx3.5long(x1.5tall)Weightx66(about5tonnes) StartingAge:3d+10Oldat:70 AbigelephantsuchasabullAfricanSavannahelephant.Wereelephants doexistbutarewellbeyondtherealmofstartingplayercharacters.
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CONSOLEGAMEREVIEW:DWARFS byMattLindus Website:http://dwarfsgame.com/ Ihadn'theardofthisgameatalluntilitwasonaSteamadasFreetoPlay(F2P),soIgrabbeditandhadalook.WhatI foundwasawonderfullittlemininggame,withincreasingriskovertimetothesurvivaloftheDwarvernpopulation. IntheF2Pformofthegame,youarerestrictedtotheEasyandNormaldifficultyofArcademode(themaingame form),andtheTutorialandChallenges.IboughtthefullversionaftercompletingtheNormaldifficultyonthe60 minutesettingwhenIsawitaspartoftheSteamSales.$4gotmetheHardandHardcoredifficulties,andabunchof skirmishmodesandaBaseDefendgame(TowerDefense...).Moneywellspentinmyview. ThebasicArcadeversionofthegamestartswithasingleWarriorandasingleminerandabasebuilding.Asthegame goeson,yourbasebuildingcontinuestogenerateminersforyouandgenerally,they'reprettymindlessandjustwander andminethesurroundsautomatically.Theycanbecontrolledbylayingarrowsdownthattheywillfollow,butthe arrowsstayforawhileastheydegradeandcandirectmultipleminersandwarriorsiftheyhappentowanderoverthe arrow.Theywillrunacrosssomemineraldepositswhicharebetterthanjustminingthedirtarea.Theminerswillbe attractedtothissowillmineallofthemineralsbeforewanderingonwardstocontinueminingthedirt. Theywillalsofindundiscoveredcaveswhichcanbeveryrewardingtreasurecaves,empty,ordangerousanddeadly. Theycanhavewaterorlavawhichwillflowandkillanydwarvesthattheycomeacross.Theirflowcanbedelayedor stoppedbyplacingsomewallsordroppingsomedynamiteandhavingsomeonesuicideonittomakeahole.Thewater andlavacanbepreventedfrombeingrereleasedbysolidifyingthesurroundingdirt.Somewhatlesscontrollable,and varyinginlevelsofdanger,aretheminionsandbossesthatcanbefound.Thesearebesthandledwithyourwarriors, whichwhileyourbasecanprovidesomeforyou,youwillneedmore,soplacingoutpostsatappropriatelocationswill beveryhelpful.Theyalsocanprovidetrainingforsomewarriorsandsomemoreminersifyouneedorwantthem. TheSkirmishgamesvaryfromanendlessversionofthearcadegame,onewherethecavesarecompletelyhidden, ratherthanjustdarkenedareas.Thereisalsoafunlittlecarnivalgamewhereyouareadwarfthattossesaxesatmoving targetsmuchlikeatargetshootinggallery.Thetowerdefensegameisniceandsimple,butasafanoftowerdefense games,itisplayable,butnotmuchto it. Overall,theFreeversionisan absolutemustplay.Niceandlight, simplegameplay,andmostofall, fun.Canbeashort5minutegame, orawholehour.Alwaysgreatto havetheabilitytoplaythegame properlybeforebuyingitalso.Tryit, andifyoulikeit,buyyourselfacopy andhavefunwiththeharder difficulties.
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MOVIEREVIEW:VHS byAndrewMoshos dirs:MattBettinelliOlpin, DavidBruckner,TylerGillett, JustinMartinez,Glenn McQuaid,JoeSwanberg, ChadVillella,TiWest,Adam Wingard Thispromopictureis scarierthanthismovie Blah.Terrible.Ananthology ofhorrorflicksashorribleas themediastorageformatthey replaced. Thereissomethingcreepy aboutvideofootage,yes, granted.Noneofthat,noneof itimprovesanyoftheflicksor theframingdeviceusedto situatetheseshort,mostly pointlessflicks.The graininessofthefootagedoesn’taddtotheatmosphereatall,itdoesn’timprovetheterribleframingdevice,anditalso doesn’tmakethatmuchsense,honestly. Asthis‘movie’starts,abunchofcreepyfratboycriminaltypescommitvariouscrimesandfilmthemselvesasthey’re committingthem.They’rerealscumbags,which,inthecontextofthehorrorgenre,isnotabadthing,becausewe knowthatthey’llgettheirsinhell,sotospeak.Theseshitbirdsarehiredbysomeonetobreakintoahouseandsteala videotape,inordertogivecontextandmeaningtotheirconstantfilmingofeverythingtheydo. Whentheygetintothehouseandstartcreepingaround,theyfindanoldguydeadinfrontofabunchoftelevisions,and stacksoftapesaroundthehouse.OnemoronatatimepopsatapeintotheVCRandstartswatching. Thefurtherconceitisthatthemoviesonthetapesthattheshmendrickswatch,whenwe’retheonesreallywatchingthe shortmovies,are‘real’,asin,foundfootage.Ohlook,I’mnotsayingthesethingsactuallyhappened;theseindividual shortflickswere‘directed’bymostoftheguyspretendingtobescumbagsatthebeginningoftheflick.Buttheconceit isthatthemovieswere‘filmed’bythepeopletowhomtheseawfulthingshappened. Mostofthemarenotthatgood.Someofthemhavesomewhatinterestingideas,butthey’reallsodeliberatelybadly filmed(inordertoconformwiththetheme,theaesthetic,orbecausethepeopleinvolvedwerejustthatincompetent) thatwhateverinspirationtheyhadissquashedbytheproductionvalues,orlackthereof.
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Thefirstone,AmateurNight,hasabunchoffratguys,oneofwhomiswearingglasseswithatinydigitalcamerain theframe,areoutontheprowl.Theywanttomeetsomeladies,getthemdrunkandthendonastythingstothem.Being arseholesinahorrorfilm,though,guaranteesthatthehorriblestuffwillofcoursehappentotheminstead.Asrelieved asIambythat,it’sincrediblyhardtowatch,notbecauseofanyofthecontent,butbecausethecameraseemslikeit wasinaspindryerasitwasfilmingwhatwasallegedlygoingon. Theguywhowaswatchingthisfirstfoundfootagefilmintheolddeadguy’shousedisappears,andadifferentmoron comesintotheroomandpopsanothertapein,thistimebeingSecondHoneymoon.Averyboringcouple,probablythe mostboringcoupleinallofthecontinentalUnitedStates,filmthemselvesastheygoonthemostboringroadtripin Americanhistoryuntilthankfullyoneofthemgetshorriblymurdered.It’sliterally99%ofboredom,1%amusing resolution,whichdoesn’tequalinterestingviaanymathematicsIcanthinkof. Itis,comparedtotheotherones,betterfilmed,atleast,anddidn’tgivemewhiplashoftheeyes.It’saminiscule consolation. Thethirdone,Tuesdaythe17th,seemslikeit’stheonlyoneoutofthefivethatcouldexistasanythingotherthana short,crappyhorrorflickinanevenworseanthology,eventhoughit’sprobablyoneoftheworstofthelot.Abunchof collegedouchebagsgouptoasecludedlakewheremayhemensues,andyetevenwhentheseawfulthingsstart happeningtothesefratarseholesandsororitydrips,someonekeepsfilminginsteadofrunningthefuckaway.Also,and thisisonlyareferencethatcouldmakeanysensetosomeonewho’sbeeninMelbourneandseentheseparticularads thestategovernmentrantoconvincepeoplenottofareevadeonpublictransport. Thispostercampaignfeaturedanimageofaformofpublictransport,withasuperimposedscribbledoutguy,asifto saythatanawfulpersonwhodoesn’tpayforthetramsandtrainsofthisfaircityislessthanscum,they’rejusta scribble,ashittypieceofgraffiti,anonperson. Well,itappearsthatthenextpartoftheircampaign,ifIcanimagineforamomentthattheVictoriangovernment kickedafewbucksintothisanthology’sproduction,thirty,fortybucksatmost,isthattheScribbleGuyhasachieved sentience,andhe’sgoingtobekillingpeoplewhoaren’tusingtheirMykicardsproperlyorwhofareevadewithouta careintheworld. ThebiggestproblemwithTuesdaythe17thisthatit’scrap,it’spredictable,itlookslikecrap,andnoneofthesekinds ofslasherparodies/homagesareevernecessarysinceCabinintheWoodscameout.Stopmakingthem,I’mnever goingtoappreciatethemagain,onanylevel,eventheironichipsterone. TheSickThingThatHappenedtoEmilyWhenSheWasYoungerisprobablythebestofthelot,becauseitfeatures actualactors,andnotpeoplewhowouldfailasextrasinaGodzillamovie.Emily(HelenRogers)keepsskypingher boyfriend,andtheirchatssomehowhavebeenrecordedontoaVHScassettetape,butnomatter.Sheisfreakedoutby somestuffgoingoninherapartment,andenlistsherboyfriend’sdistantaidinfiguringoutwhat’sgoingon.What’s goingonisnotwhatappearstobegoingon,atall,andisfarnastierthanIcouldhavepredicted,withanastyandironic denouement,especiallyasitimpliesthatthenastinesswillcontinue.
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Sure,itdoesn’tmakesense,likeanyofthem,thatpeoplewouldberecordinganyofthisshithappening,butwe’re meanttoacceptthattheubiquityofcamerasthesedays,andourseemingobsessionwithfilmingeverygoddamnthing thatweseeinevitablyleadstosuchoutcomes.Maybethewholeenterpriseisaheartfeltcry,acridecoeuragainst filmingeverything,relyingonourmemoriesinstead. Notbloodylikely.Thelastone,10/31/98,hasthefunniestpremise,inthatthewaytheseHalloweencelebrating chumpsaccidentallyrunintomoretroublethantheydeservewasbloodyhilarious,butthewayeverythingisfilmedis nonsense,andtheendingkindofundercutsthepoint,iftherewasone. IncaseIhaven’tmadeitclear,IdidnotenjoythishorroranthologyV/H/Sverymuch,thoughIrespectwhattheywere tryingtodo.Someofthesedirectorsarepayinghomagetotheirownmemoriesofwatchingthesehorrifyingandblood drainingmoviesbackbeforethedigitalpurityofDVDsandsuch,whethertheyweretapedoffthetellyorfrom degradedcopiesofcopiesofcopies,wherethehorrorofthevisualswasslightlymorehorrifyingbecauseofthesnowy grainthatmadeitevenhardertoseewhatwasgoingon. That’sallwellandgood,buttheimmaturedouchinessoftheframingdevice,thedouchinessofthevariousdirectors actinglikeidiots,theshittinessofthecamerawork,andtheweaknessofmostofthestoriesdoesn’tgetenhancedwith thatoverallsignature,faulty,deliberatelydefectivelook.Infact,itmadesomethingfairlymediocreafairbitworse.If thesamebitshadbeenrecordedproperly,withoutthe‘foundfootage’conceit,itwouldn’thavedetractedatall,andit nevermakessenseanywaysincewhocould‘really’havefilmedthedigitalfootageonwhatevermoderndeviceand thenrecordeditontotheseshittytapesfromthe1980sevenwithinthecontextofthefilm?Noone,that’swho. ThebestexampleofwhyIdidn’tlikethisfilmisthefollowing:atthebeginningoftheflick,thecriminalaspiring filmmakersassaultarandomwomaninacarpark,raisingherjumpertoexposeherbreaststothecameraasshe screams.Sure,youcanarguethat,inthecontextofaflickwhereadozenorsocharactersarebrutallymurdered, singlingthatoutasbeingbeyondthepaleisabitrichorPC.Butthethingis,Idon’thaveaproblemwiththefactthat they’repretendingtosexuallyassaultsomeone,noramIbeingPCaboutit.They’relovelybreastsafterall,anddespite thefactthatit’sfilmedinthemiddleoftheday,andthewoman,obviouslyanactor,wasn’tintoitintheslightest, clearlyshewasaskingforit.Imean,justlookatthesensiblewayshewasdressed. Theproblemisoneofugly,dumbimmaturity,compoundedwhenthesamegoddamnfootageisrepeatedandrepeated, andthen,attheendoftheflick,incasewemissedwhatprofounddouchebagswereinvolvedinthemakingofit,they showthesamewomanbeingassaultedinrapideditssomethinglikeanotherthirtygoddamntimes!Wegetit,you fuckwads,you'reterriblepeopleandworsefilmmakers.Weunderstand,forfuck'ssake.You,sirs,aretrulyshitty people,andIlookforwardtoyournextcontributionsjustsoIcanriptheshitoutofthem. 3timessomeofthesedirectorsshouldusethisflickastheircallingcardsothattheynevergettoworkagainoutof10 “You’reallgoingtofuckingdie.”–well,aren’tweall,butyoudon’thavetocallattentiontothefact,sinceitreminds usthatweshouldn’twasteourliveswatchingshittymovies–V/H/S Originallypublishedat:http://moviereviews.com.au/content/vhs
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INTHENEXTISSUEOF RPGREVIEW Apocalypse! The End Times and After … Aftermath! … Twilight 2000 …. Shadowrun … Savage Worlds … Eclipse Phase … Legend … D20 Apocalypse … After The Bomb … GURPS Atomic Horror .. and more! 64RPGREVIEWISSUEEIGHTEENDecember2012