RPG Bloggers » Call of Cthulhu

Adventure Review: Death Frost Doom from HeroPress

HeroPress — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Death Frost Doom is a low-level old school Dungeons & Dragons crawl filtered through Sam Raimi's Evil Dead, George Romero and the works of HP Lovecraft courtesy of James Raggi IV, the outspoken auteur behind the popular Lamentations Of The Flame Pr...

Call of Cthulhu Friday: Boss Cthulhu from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:22:00 +0000

Phew! What a week! Work work work. Made it hard to post! Looking forward the the long Labor Day weekend. Actually grabbing me a couple of days worth of Super 8 motel near Disneyland, and running some OD&D sessions at a game convention. I'm hoping it'll...

My Gamer ADD from Akratic Wizardry

Akratic Wizardry — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:13:00 +0000

These days, typically in snippets of 5-10 minutes, I find myself reading the following RPG materials:

· Various Call of Cthulhu materials (parts of the core book, various adventures, bits from the Dreamlands).

· The OpenQuest core book and OQ’s Savage North adventure pack.

· Various RuneQuest items (parts of the MRQII corebook, parts of MRQII Monster Coliseum, RQ3 Griffin Island).

· Various Rolemaster things (parts of the RM Classic corebooks, Rolemaster Express, some of my old Middle-earth and Jaiman campaign modules, etc.).

· Various Stormbringer and Elric! (Chaosium’s ‘BRP’ version) items (parts of the core books, the amazing Corum supplement, various adventures); etc.

· Recent issues of Fight On! and Knockspell.

Ever since my last S&W campaign wrapped up I’ve been somewhat ‘at sea’. I’m not sure what to focus on next. Most likely I’ll be running Call of Cthulhu for my Toronto group when I return in late December, so that has provided some structure to my procrastination sessions. But I also cannot help thinking about how to tweak and improve my Ilmahal fantasy setting, including thinking about running something set in Ilmahal using a different system (say, OpenQuest, Elric!, MRQII, or RMC).

At least I have a few months to ‘read around’ before making a decision…

1 Spell 3 Systems: Decompose from KORE rpg » rpg

KORE rpg — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:17:47 +0000

The cultist grabbed a handful of the strange yellow-gray dust and cast it into the air above the body of Sir Reginold of Larksley. To the horror of those still in the right frame of mind, the body immediately decomposed into a pile of greenish bones and a purplish stain. As the wave of a [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

1 Spell 3 Systems: Hasted Decomposition from KORE rpg » rpg

KORE rpg — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:57:36 +0000

As the zombie shambled about the grounds below the tower, Thomas realized the divine power his goddess had granted could save them again. Summoning his faith he strode to the bottom level of the turret, preparing to step into harm’s way. His faith rewarded, time would be his minion once again. Soon the zombie would [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

Lovecraft’s Philosophy from Akratic Wizardry

Akratic Wizardry — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:23:00 +0000

Today is the birthday of H. P. Lovecraft (20 August 1890).

To commemorate this day, I thought that I would quote a passage from S. T. Joshi’s “Introduction” to one of the many collections of Lovecraft stories that he has edited (The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories, Penguin Classics, 1999). The passage describes Lovecraft’s metaphysical views (“mechanistic materialism”), and their connection to his fiction.

Lovecraft’s fiction must be understood in the context of the philosophical thought that he evolved over a lifetime of study and observation. The core of that thought – derived from readings of such ancient Geek philosophers as Democritus and Epicurus as well as from absorption of the discoveries of nineteenth-century physics, chemistry, and biology – is mechanistic materialism. This is the belief that the universe is a “mechanism” operating according to fixed laws (although these may not all be known to human beings), and that there can be no immaterial substance such as a soul or spirit. Such a view necessarily necessitates agnosticism or actual atheism, and Lovecraft was not slow in expressing his adherence to the latter:

“I certainly can’t see any sensible position to assume aside from that of complete scepticism tempered by a leaning toward that which existing evidence makes most probable. All I say is that I think it is damned unlikely that anything like a central cosmic will, a spirit world, or an eternal survival of personality exist. They are the most preposterous and unjustified of all the guesses which can be made about the universe, and I am not enough of a hair-splitter to pretend that I don’t regard them as arrant and negligible moonshine. In theory I am an agnostic, but pending the appearance of rational evidence I must be classed, practically and provisionally, as an atheist. The chances of theism’s truth being to my mind so microscopically small, I would be a pendant and a hypocrite to call myself anything else.” (SL IV.57)

In the mid-1920s Lovecraft was momentarily disturbed by the implications of Einstein’s relativity theory and Planck’s quantum theory, both of which were hailed by many as spelling the downfall of mechanistic materialism; but his later adherence to the materialism of Bertrand Russell, George Santayana, and others allowed him to reconcile the findings of modern astrophysics with his fundamental views.

However, does not Lovecraft’s philosophy contradict his stated motives for writing weird fiction, as enunciated in his essay “Notes on Writing Weird Fiction” (1933)?

“I choose weird stories because they suit my inclinations best – one of my strongest and most persistent wishes being to achieve, momentarily, the illusion of some strange suspension or violation of the galling limitations of time, space, and natural law which for ever imprison us and frustrate our curiosity about the infinite cosmic spaces beyond the radius of our sight and analysis.” (MW 113)

It is important not to be led astray here. Lovecraft is not renouncing his materialism by seeking an imaginative escape from it; indeed, it is precisely because he believes that “time, space, and natural law” are uniform, and that the human mind cannot defeat or confound them, that he seeks an imaginative escape from them.

Lovecraft’s philosophical position virtually necessitated the central conception in his aesthetic of the weird – the notion of cosmicism, or the suggestion of the vast gulfs of space and time and the resultant inconsequence of the human species.

(S.T. Joshi, “Introduction,” pp. xiv-xv)

I am not surprised at all that Lovecraft was influenced by Epicurean philosophy. The Epicureans thought that the universe was composed ultimately only of ‘atoms’. The gods were made of atoms like everything else (thus essentially ‘super aliens’, and not ‘supernatural’ creatures at all). Neither willing nor able to prevent evil or suffering, the gods dwelt in the vast empty spaces between worlds. Sounds rather Lovecraftian, no?

Of course, there are some important differences between the Epicureans’ conception of the gods and Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones. The gods lived in a perfect state of complete tranquillity and happiness (ataraxiai) according to the Epicureans, a state that they thought that humans should strive to emulate. Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones and Outer Gods … do not (or rather, whatever state they exist in is completely incomprehensible to us). And striving to emulate them invariably would render one mad, not tranquil!

Call of Cthulhu Fridays: Time Periods from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:38:00 +0000

Happy 120th birthday HPL! You sick bastiche.It has been around 10 years since my last Call of Cthulhu game, and now that my group seems to be getting more open to lots of non-D&D alternatives to our regular game, I figure next year might be a good time...

The Stars Are Right… from HeroPress

HeroPress — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, HPL!Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) - the finest and most inspirational horror writer of the 20th Century.To learn more about one of my favourite authors check out his Wikipedia entry or The HP Lovecraft A...

Deride the system in a sentence from KORE rpg

KORE rpg — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:53:34 +0000

There’s been a lot of horror on this blog of late and I thought it time to counter the terrors with some comedy. In that light I submit a list made to make you laugh. Disclaimer: This post made of 100% Total tongue in cheek. I am not, I repeat NOT, trying to annoy anyone [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

Pre-American Gothic from Reviews from R'lyeh

Reviews From R'lyeh — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:03:00 +0000

I owe an apology to Richard Iorio II and James Maliszewski at Rogue Games. I have had a copy of their Colonial Gothic: A historical supernatural role-playing game for far too long and not reviewed it. There is no excuse, but the sad thing is that this happens. Trying to keep up with the flood of releases while not letting books slip you by is not as easy as it should be. I could complain about having to fit a real job around writing these reviews and there not being enough time, and while I might think there to be some truth in both of those excuses, this misses the point. Sorry Richard and James (and Monica and Matt, the other authors of the game), I should have reviewed this sooner. I let you down. Sorry.

So to the review itself, which is of Colonial Gothic: A historical supernatural role-playing game published by Rogue Games, an RPG set in the new world during the eighteenth century on the eve of the American Revolution. Although this game is strong in terms of pre revolutionary history, it is not a wholly historical game. True the cries from the colonists for liberty grow in volume, but the future of America and her independence are threatened by something much, much darker and more secret, and as the colonists move against their British masters, other forces are at work. Cabals, cultists, and sects seek to aid these forces, some from the old world, others native to the new, while others attempt to stop them. This then, is a game about two conflicts. The second to decide the future of the Thirteen Colonies, but the first to determine the course of the Secret History that will affect outcome of the first...

Originally published in 2007, but revised in 2009, Colonial Gothic is a cinematic horror inspired by Rip van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow as much as Last of the Mohicans, that pitches a new Age of Science and Reason against the insidious influence of the supernatural, various mysteries, and the occult. Magic is real, but a barely understood mysterious force, more likely to be commanded by cultists, occultists, and witches. Meanwhile creatures out of folklore and legend stalk the shadows, ghosts, spirits, and vampires being familiar to the colonists while the natives will know more of the capricious, but informative Chepi, and the feared Wendigo. The setting is a combination of the historical and the fantastical, with both supported by lots of history and plenty of background, and all supported by a light, quick rules system.

Character creation is a point buy system that requires a little thought. First, a player selects a Background – Colonist, Freeman, Immigrant, Military, or Native American. It should be noted that the Freeman Background covers both the Freed Slave and the Former Indentured, and the Native American Background covers several different tribes. Each one indicates a character's past and provides two free skills and a language. He assigns forty five points between five attributes – Might, Nimble, Vigor, Reason, and Resolution, and then spends another fifty five points on skills. Skills are relatively expensive, the first Rank for any skill costing the same as its associated attribute, with further ranks costing half the value of the associated attribute. Thus Robert Webster, a militiaman with a Nimble score of 12, must spend twelve points to get the Shoot skill at Base Rank of 1, and then a further six points to raise it to 2, and again to rank 3. In general most characters will start off with relatively few skills.

In addition a character has five Hook or Fate Cards. On each of these a player writes an interesting fact about the character whether that be a quality or aspect about the character, or a link to a noteworthy person, event, location, or object. For example, "I possess the claw from a gigantic bear that I hunted, but did not kill. He left me scarred and wants his claw back" or "My Mother was driven to drown herself by secret voices. The spirits that spoke to her were evil." In the original version of Colonial Gothic, Fate Cards were revealed at an appropriate moment during the game to “edit” events, to add a new plot element or aid the current plot, but did not grant any sort of mechanical benefit. In the revised edition, Fate Cards are more flexible. Their use allows a player to spend Faith Points, of which a character has five. Normally, spending a Faith Point grants the character a +1 bonus to a roll, but that becomes +2 when used in conjunction with a Fate Card. They can also be used “edit” the game as before, but the big change is that Fate Cards can be tagged or compelled by the GM to bring an adverse element into the game. When this happen to a character, he receives a Faith Point. This is a nice addition, allowing Fate Cards to be brought more readily into play and the elements that a player describes for his character to be added to the game.

For example, Enola is a Native American, a Tribe Adopted member of the Shawnee tribe. She regularly joins trading between the tribe and the colonists.

Enola, Tribe Adopted Native American.
Might 8 Nimble 10 Vigor 9 Reason 8 Resolution 10
Vitality 40 Resolve 45 Sanity 50
Languages: English (Fluent), Wakashan Algonquin (Fluent)
Skills: Archery [12], Bargain [12], Observe [10], Stealth [11], Tracking [10]
Fate Cards: My fair hair marks me as different; The colony’s merchants will not cheat the tribe because we are natives; I cannot recall what happened to my parents, but I know that it ended in fire; I will be worthy of this bow, a gift from my foster father; Silence is golden, use it to your advantage.

For its rules, Colonial Gothic employs the 12° system. It requires two twelve-sided dice rolled under an attribute or a skill rank plus attribute with critical successes and failures possible. Dramatic successes are possible on a roll of two, while a roll of twenty four indicates a Dramatic Failure. The degree by which a character succeeds or fails – hence the name for the mechanics – is also important, determining the outcome in an opposed roll for example, or working as the multiplier for determining damage in combat. For example, our militiaman, Robert Webster with his skill of Shoot 14 responds to attack on his parents’ farm and opens fire at a fleeing target. He hits with a roll of six, indicating that he has scored eight degrees of success. This is multiplied by the Damage Value of his Pennsylvania Long Rifle, which is 7 (75), to give a result of fifty six damage. Whatever the degree of successes rolled, a character cannot inflict more damage than any weapon’s maximum, which in the case of Robert’s rifle, is 75, the number in the bracket. On the whole, combat can be deadly, a person able to withstand at best a couple of shots from a "Brown Bess" musket, or even one when a Critical Success is rolled and the damage doubled.

One set of rules imported from Thousand Suns, Rogue Games’ RPG of Imperial Science Fiction, is for social interaction. Where physical damage reduces a character’s Vitality, in social contests a character’s Resolve is reduced. Instead of the results of a weapon attack determining damage, in Social Contests, social skills such as Bargain, Diplomacy, and Intimidation are used instead. Reducing a character’s Resolve and his attitude towards you will change, the aim usually being to reduce to make the character friendlier towards you. In most games these rules would work against just the NPCs, but under the 12° system an NPC can affect a player character in the same way. This can be a problem for the player who does not like to lose control of how his character feels, but these rules actually makes social interaction more combative, strengthen the role of NPCs, and presents a player with more of a challenge in roleplaying his character, because the character is being influenced rather than the player.

Since Colonial Gothic is a horror game, it needs a sanity mechanic. A Fear Test requires an opposed Resolution Test, one by the character and the other by the cause. If the player fails this test, he loses a point of Sanity and suffers a penalty on his actions for a day. Lose ten points of Sanity and a character might gain a permanent Disorder. Sanity can also be lost for casting spells. The problem here is that it is incredibly difficult to lose enough points to gain a Disorder as a character regains Sanity equal to half his Resolution per day.

Although fundamental to the game, Colonial Gothic keeps magic quite low key and difficult to acquire. Beyond its occult skills of Astrology, Divination, Lore, Magic, and Sense, each spell or ritual is treated as an individual skill, one that can be learnt by a shaman, a sorcerer, or a witch. Finding someone to teach you or a book to learn from is a difficult undertaking, purely because all magic is regarded as evil, whatever the caster’s intent. This is of course, less difficult for a Native American who is studying under a shaman. Numerous common spells are described as well as the more powerful arcane spells, all of them in quite a lot of detail, including a lot of background and history when compared to the original rules. Casting magic breaks natural law which has the side effect of leaving a magical trace or trail that someone with the Sense skill can detect and recognize.

The second example character reflects some of this. Thaddeus was apprenticed by his parents to a printer who also happened to be a mage. He proved to be a harsh taskmaster, Thaddeus being forced to ward blows when he did not take to his lessons as easily as his master wanted. One day his master disappeared and when inquiries were made, the authorities discovered his occult activities. At first Thaddeus was accused of murdering him, but was forced to flee after he too was accused of being a warlock.

Thaddeus Arkwright, Former Indentured Freed Slave.
Might 7 Nimble 8 Vigor 9 Reason 10 Resolution 11
Vitality 40 Resolve 50 Sanity 55
Languages: English (Fluent)
Skills: Defend 8, Divination 11, Magic 13, Profession (Printing) 11, Spell (Guidance) 12, Study (Optics) 11
Fate Cards: I do not know where my master is; Flee before facing a fight; Magic is dangerous, knowledge is not; Make yourself useful, but not noticed; Without my glasses...

The bulk of the background details the historical elements of the setting, primarily the Thirteen Colonies and the Native American tribes. All of which is particularly helpful if you happen not to have the grounding in early American history that the authors do. This though is information for both the players and the GM, whereas the game’s Secret History is the subject of the Game Master Advice, which is much expanded in this Revised Edition. Its focus is how a GM needs to weave his campaign between a Secret History game where the characters can affect, but not alter history, and an Alternate History game, where change can be made. In intent though, Colonial Gothic steers towards the former rather than the latter. The GM is also supported with good advice on running the game, an explanation of its secret history, and new for the Revised Edition, an expanded chapter devoted to the game’s monsters. In the previous edition, there were few if any full write-ups for monsters in the setting. Instead there was simply advice on designing them with the traits listed. The Revised Edition includes this advice and the traits still, but includes a full bestiary that covers unnatural creatures native to both the new and the old worlds. This has come at the loss of an adventure, but the expanded information more than makes up for that loss.

Physically, Colonial Gothic is a little bland looking by contemporary standards, yet the choice of buff coloured paper and lots and lots of suitable clip art lends it a certain charm and enforces the period feel. The writing is good too, and if the book lacks an index, it is at least well organised and everything is easy to find.

Where Colonial Gothic is flexible is in how it is played. It can be in a High Action Style, like Last of the Mohicans; in an Occult & Mystery Style akin to Call of Cthulhu; or in a Supernatural Style much like Brotherhood of the Wolf or Pirates of the Caribbean. The choice is up to the GM and his group to decide, the first style downplaying the outré elements of the occult and emphasising the action, the third downplaying the physical elements in favour of high magic. The default setting is that of the middle option, Occult & Mystery, and the GM will need to decide if the other styles change any of the game’s rules.

Whatever the style of play, Colonial Gothic brings a pleasing degree of grittiness to a slightly cinematic game. It is strong on its period and history (a good thing given this reviewer’s nationality), but keeps its more fantastical elements quite restrained, emphasizing the dangers represented by not just the creatures and cultists, but also in learning and knowing magic, particularly if known to society at large. The Revised Edition expands greatly upon those fantastical elements, adding details to the spells and adding actual monsters along with more advice. It is thus a more rounded core rulebook with everything that the GM needs bar a scenario. In achieving a fine balance between the history and the supernatural, Colonial Gothic: A historical supernatural role-playing game brings reason to play that history.

1 Spell 4 Systems: Terrain of Terror from KORE rpg

KORE rpg — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 05:53:30 +0000

Next up in our Trilogy of Terror is the spell Terrain of Terror… fear for your sanity as your worst nightmares are made manifest! “The spell is an outrage! An abomination!” yelled Kalek as he slammed his fist on the table. “I refuse to teach it to you or to anyone. Perhaps its knowledge will die [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

Mythos Tome: Eruditio de Sodalitas des Occultus Aranea from KORE rpg

KORE rpg — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:49:26 +0000

A bonus post born of the Ol’ Cob’s Webs work of fiction. Like all good Mythos stuff, this blends some fiction wtih reality and history. Blurring the lines is a well practiced art in Lovecraftean inspired works.- KO The spidery work Eruditio de Sodalitas des Occultus Aranea (transliterated as Mysteries of the Secret Society of [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

1 Spell 3 Systems: Ol’ Cob’s Webs from KORE rpg » rpg

KORE rpg — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:29:57 +0000

This post is part two of a three part series. This spell Ol’ Cob’s Webs and the creatures it summons inspired by the fictional horror story of the same name. Creature description and statistics to follow in a later post. – KO This terrible spell is taught from individual to individual as it is was only known to be [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

1 Spell 3 Systems: Spiderfall from KORE rpg » rpg

KORE rpg — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:53:49 +0000

Mealdor opened the scroll and began to read the spidery script. The dark elven priestess who they defeated had tried to do the same before the rogue’s arrow pierced her heart through. As he finished the incantation, a snowflake-like chill covered the area. Slowly, as if gently gliding down from far, far above, small spiders [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

Arkham Country Six, Sanity Zero from Reviews from R'lyeh

Reviews From R'lyeh — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 08:29:00 +0000

One of the strongest of debut books for Call of Cthulhu since Chaosium, Inc. began letting others publish for the game was New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley from Miskatonic River Press. Conceived the late and much missed Keith “Doc” Herber, this anthology took us back to Lovecraft Country for the first time in a decade with six enjoyably callous scenarios for Call of Cthulhu’s classic period of the 1920s. For its third release – following on from Our Ladies of Sorrow, a classic in the making for Cthulhu Now – Miskatonic River Press goes back to draw from the same source as its debut. As its title suggests, More Adventures in Arkham Country provides further adventures for Call of Cthulhu’s only campaign setting, itself the creation of Keith “Doc” Herber back in 1993. It contains six more scenarios, some authored by Miskatonic River Press stalwarts such as Tom Lynch and Oscar Rios, but perhaps the most notable of contributors in this volume is Scott David Aniolowski. “Shades of Tomorrow Lost” is his first published scenario in fifteen years and comes seventeen years after his contribution to that first Lovecraft Country volume, Adventures in Arkham Country.

Now with just three titles under the Miskatonic River Press belt, it is easy to track the improvements made to the style and look of the publisher’s books. The internal illustrations have been consistently good across the three books – my favourite here being best described as “Bonnie & Clyde & Deep Ones” – but with More Adventures in Arkham Country, the layout has been tightened up and although still kept relatively clean and simple, feels that little more assured. This shows in the use of the illustrations, the maps, and the plentiful handouts to break up the text and so all but avoid the solid pages of text that might have made the book harder to digest. As an editor, I would have liked the book to have been given one more pass, but those issues are unlikely to get in the way of running its contents

The book also highlights Miskatonic River Press’ ties with other publishers. First in the inclusion of a twenty page appendix that provides conversion notes by Christopher Smith Adair for each of the six scenarios for Pelgrane Press’ Trail of Cthulhu, and second, in the twenty four pages of fine handouts once again done by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, which has also made them available separately and in colour. In addition, the book includes another six pages of nicely done maps by Steff Worthington.

Eschewing the need for a formal introduction, the book is instead topped and tailed with a pair of short vignettes that echoes both Lovecraftian fiction and the play of Call of Cthulhu in portraying the high regard with which those at Miskatonic River Press hold their founder and their determination to do as good as if he were still here. After that the book wastes no time at all in moving on to the scenarios themselves. They include Scott David Aniolowski’s “Shades of Tomorrow Lost,” which takes us back to Kingsport and a plan to spread its dreaming; “Ghosts of the Florentina,” a ghost tale in an old theatre by Bret Kramer, also set in Kingsport; and the hunting of strange beasts in Foxfield in Brian Courtemanche’s “The Crystal Cav-ern.” Meanwhile, Tom Lynch turns a bad trip into the drive from hell in “Engine Trouble;” Adam Gauntlett makes the children suffer in Arkham in “Spare the Rod;”and lastly, in “The Hopeful,” Oscar Rios reveals the true nature of a young man’s benefactor.

Each of the six scenarios is roughly twenty or so pages long and comes complete with its own excellent handouts. It should be noted that whilst some of the scenarios refer to various sourcebooks in the “Lovecraft Country” line, including H.P. Lovecraft’s Kingsport: The City in the Mists, H.P. Lovecraft’s Arkham, Escape from Innsmouth, and Miskatonic University, none of them are essential for running any of the scenarios they can be used to add detail as required.

“Shades of Tomorrow Lost” opens the collection. This Kingsport set scenario by Scott David Aniolowski sees the town beset by an outbreak of narcolepsy, with at least one of the investigators being amongst the afflicted. Quarantined at the local hospital in a group that becomes known as the “Kingsport Sleepers,” this investigator has the opportunity to interview his fellow sufferers whilst the other investigators search for a cause elsewhere. The scenario contains sinister, though much underplayed Pulp elements including masked figures and strange Asians both reminiscent of the Sandman and The Shadow. Despite potential staging issues in having the investigators divided, “Shades of Tomorrow Lost” is relatively straightforward affair, lethal in places, but with some high rewards. It is also well supported with background information and a handy list of mental illnesses that an investigator might suffer from after its play through.

We remain in fog-bound Kingsport for Bret Kramer’s “Ghosts of the Florentina,” a ghost tale that hides strange things behind more mundane goings on. The owner of the dilapidated Florentina Theatre wants to renovate the building and turn it into a modern picture house, but there are rumours that it is haunted. Finding themselves attending a séance at the theatre, a town landmark, the strange events that bring it to an end should be enough to peak the interest of any red blooded investigator. Any player with a penchant for investigative research will relish the opportunities afforded him here, the clues eventually revealing the presence of creatures from one of Lovecraft’s most well known stories. For a Mythos threat they prove to be very knowable, enabling the investigators numerous options in terms of dealing with them and the danger that they represent, all of which are supported and detailed by the author. This is a more free-form scenario, its events primarily led by the investigators’ actions.

Brian Courtemanche’s “The Crystal Cavern” takes us to Foxfield, a town invented by Lovecraft, but never the setting for one of his stories. An out of town developer recently bought land outside of the town and wants to mine the extensive quartz deposit located there, but progress has been halted after a spate of vandalised machinery and a death at the hands of a large bear or wolf. Wanting work at the site to continue apace, he hires the investigators to determine the cause of both. Their efforts though will be hampered by the scared and jumpy townsfolk, furtive locals, and a pompous big game hunter wanting to bag the “Beast of Foxfield.” Again, this is a straight forward, uncomplicated adventure, but one who’s ending is not actually determined by the investigators, which some players may be adverse to...

“Engine Trouble” by Tom Lynch is designed to run between other adventures in Lovecraft Country, beginning in media res with the investigators having got lost and discovering their way blocked by a crashed truck. With the driver and one passenger dead at the scene, and their cargo missing, where exactly do the tracks lead to in the surrounding woods? All too quickly the investigators will find themselves facing the Mythos equivalent of velociraptors, and what is the likelihood that the investigators are travelling armed for bear, let alone velociraptor? The shortest scenario of the six, this has the potential to get very, very bloody... It is stated that the author channelled his “inner slasher-film monster” to create “Engine Trouble,” and this shows. The scenario feels at odds with the bulk of the others in this collection, and despite the strong set up, it will only find favour with those who prefer their adventures Pulpy

Adam Gauntlett brings us home to Arkham itself for another ghost story in “Spare the Rod.” A New York author of supernatural fiction – the author giving one Eric Adams, but suggesting that he could be replaced another, including our good friend Jackson Elias of Masks of Nyarlathotep fame – to conduct some research on New England folklore. At the height of heat wave, the investigators are tasked with following down the author’s leads and in doing so, determine that there might more than a grain of truth to one of them. Has a vengeful ghost returned to exact bloody revenge, or is it a simple case of children having run away? If there is an issue with “Spare the Rod,” it is that it involves a nearly unstoppable foe, but there is at least more than a single solution to this problem if the investigators look hard enough. Otherwise, this makes excellent use of its source material to present a chance for the investigators to explore Arkham.

Rounding out the collection is Oscar Rios’ “The Hopeful,” a scenario that will take the investigators from Arkham to shunned Innsmouth in search of a young man’s benefactor. Andrew Fisher is a swimming sensation, certain to represent the USA at the Amsterdam Olympics, but a background check might reveal the unknown source of his trust fund, and so jeopardise his chances of making the team. With clues pointing towards Innsmouth, “The Hopeful” serves as an excellent means to introduce the investigators to the town and its batrachian inhabitants, giving them a crash course in its secrets via a well realised set of mundane clues that point the investigators in the direction that they need to go rather than simply informing them. Once in Innsmouth there are opportunities aplenty for the Keeper to roleplay some of its inhabitants and thus make it a worthy prequel to the events described in Escape from Innsmouth. In comparison to the other scenarios in the collection, the Sanity rewards for successfully completing “The Hopeful” feel a bit light, but this is another fine piece of work from the prolific Rios.

When Miskatonic River Press’ first book, New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, was released, it was an impressive debut. As follow up to that anthology, the truth is that More Adventures in Arkham Country does not quite match its standards, the book lacking just a little of that debut’s drive and energy. This does not mean though, that any one of the six scenarios can be considered as bad, the least interesting being merely average. They are all at least, solid affairs, with “Shades of Tomorrow Lost” marking the welcome return of Scott David Aniolowski to the Call of Cthulhu fold with an eerie visit to Kingsport and Bret Kramer providing a pleasingly low key investigation in “Ghosts of the Florentina.” The stand out scenarios both come at the end. Adam Gauntlett’s “Spare the Rod” would stand out in any collection, being an excellent introduction to Arkham and exploration of its history, but it is eclipsed by “The Hopeful.” Oscar Rios’ scenario is a delight, edging us ever closer to Innsmouth, but without revealing its full horrors. Despite reservations about some of the scenarios herein, More Adventures in Arkham Country is a decent collection and solid support for Lovecraft Country.

Call of Cthulhu Friday: Princess Tasha from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:57:00 +0000

During the 90’s I had a long running CoC campaign that I called “Canal House.” The character home base was in a small, two story house on the newly built Canals of America in Venice Beach, California. The house was owned by a mysterious, well-tra...

In praise of a player: Terry from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:37:00 +0000

This coming weekend my friend Terry is taking me to Las Vegas again. She took me for a weekend earlier this year not long after an immediate member of my family had passed away, and I can’t tell you how much I needed an excessive party weekend out of...

Cthulhu Who? from Reviews from R'lyeh

Reviews From R'lyeh — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:19:00 +0000

Ken Hite is Call of Cthulhu’s number one fan. He might not own the number one copy of Call of Cthulhu, but is more than qualified to write what is essentially an initiate’s guide to Cthulhu and the Cthulhu Mythos. His Cthulhu 101: A Beginner’s Guide to the Dreamer in the Deep is that guide, a pocket-sized book from Atomic Overmind Press that explains who Cthulhu is, where he is from – both in and out of the fiction, what he does and does not do; who H.P. Lovecraft was, what he wrote, and what were his inspirations; discusses the good and the bad of August Derleth – kept Lovecraft’s writings in print, but wrote bad stories and claimed too much when it came to copyrights; all before suggesting an awful lot of bests and not-so bests. The best and not-so best stories, comics, movies, television, music, games, and toys, plus suggested next steps.

In places it gets as basic as, “How do you pronounce Cthulhu, exactly?” In others, its gets a little more complex, such as in the discussions of Lovecraft’s inspiration for his creation, and what exactly, Cthulhu might symbolise. For the most part Hite gives us just the facts, but Derleth does not come out of this in a wholly favourable light.

Much of Cthulhu 101 will be familiar, being too basic for some. Basic can still be useful though, a handy reference. It is easy to imagine Hite delivering this as the Power Point presentation from R’lyeh, so worth having.

My Late Introduction to H.P. Lovecraft from A Rust Monster Ate My Sword...

A Rust Monster Ate My Sword — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:08:00 +0000

As I've mentioned before, I didn't discover the joy of H.P. Lovecraft's works until sometime in the mid-80's. I'm pretty sure it was in the summer of '85, but it may have been '86. I may not be able to accurately recall the date, but I recall the circu...

1 Spell 3 Systems: Rain of Brains from KORE rpg » rpg

KORE rpg — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:19:36 +0000

This had to be what his grandfather had warned him about. But Baxter was undeterred by the old man’s pleas for caution. How now he wished it were not so. Baxter watched in horror as the strange beings began to writhe and sway outside the cabin window to some unheard music. Throwing what he assumed [...] Up to 1d4-1 Related posts:

Call of Cthulhu Fridays: The Sundered Veil from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:27:00 +0000

(above image is fan art for this story found online)OK, with scheduling conflicts and so much going on right now, I won’t be running any of my game stuff for the group for a few weeks (I don’t do my main 1st edition campaign if anyone is missing, a...

The stars are right… For a winner! The results of the Realms of Cthulhu Giveaway Contest from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:00:46 +0000

Following the post for the Realms of Cthulhu giveaway, many of our loyal readers sent in their submissions and once the contest closed we sat down to give each one good read. After much consideration and difficult deliberation, Michael and I have agreed on a winner. All entries were excellent, making the deliberation process an [...]

Origins 2010 Expanded Coverage – Delta Green from Troll in the Corner » Role Playing Games

Troll In The Corner — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:30:45 +0000

My session of Delta Green from Origins 2010 Related posts:

Review: End Time from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:00:27 +0000

Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere’s End Time is a dark vision of the future, a world where the stars where right and humanity had to abandon Earth. The book itself also had a quite tumultuous past. The basic idea came from LaBossiere’s own adventure Blood Moon which has been published in Chaosium’s Strange Aeons. Then “End [...]

Review: End Time from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:00:27 +0000

The ol’ Bait and Switch from KORE rpg » rpg

KORE rpg — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:44:12 +0000

So I’m looking for some insight from a player’s perspective. Here’s the (completely hypothetical) situation: Let’s say you are invited to play a rpg. For the purpose of our discussion let’s presume that game is Top Secret. Somewhere along the way you realize you’re no longer really playing TS:SI, but instead have been shifted into [...]

Origins 2010 Expanded Coverage – Call of Cthulhu from Troll in the Corner » Role Playing Games

Troll In The Corner — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:30:46 +0000

My session of Call of Cthulhu from Origins 2010 Related posts:

Review: Cthulhu Rising from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:00:46 +0000

Usually Call of Cthulhu games are set into the 1920s, the Victorian age or modern times. But there are some exceptions. This week I want to have a look at two books that help Keepers running Call of Cthulhu games in the future. Cthulhu Rising starts off as a classic SF setting. Humanity has reached [...]

Review: Cthulhu Rising from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:00:46 +0000

Ladies & Gentlemen, We Will See You All Again Soon… from HeroPress

HeroPress — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Although I am now - to quote Ross from Friends - "on a break", it's great to still see new faces joining the HeroPress superteam. I intend to keep a tag of all new recruits between now and when we return and celebrate their arrival in one big announcem...

Origins Game Fair – Day 2.57893 +3 from Troll in the Corner » Role Playing Games

Troll In The Corner — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:44:02 +0000

A long night of gaming bleeds into a longer day of the same; and it is good. Related posts:

A Picture of a Dungeon Room With Cthulhu in it… from PLANET ALGOL

Planet Algol — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:50:03 +0000

Also, in the theme of the above, here's some concept art for ALIEN...

100 Posts, ya’ll! from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Holy cow, I only noticed this weekend that I hit 100 posts! Hurray for me!Really, no big deal. Anybody can do a bunch of posts. But in the last several months or so I have tried only to post when I actually had something to say or get off my chest (bes...

Tell Us About The Freebies from Reviews from R'lyeh

Reviews From R'lyeh — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:35:00 +0000

If you have been wondering why there has been no review this week, it is because I have been busy writing reviews for elsewhere. As many of you know, yesterday was Free RPG Day, an annual event that works to bring gamers new QuickStart Rules and other support for their favourite RPGs and forthcoming RPGs to their local gaming stores. I managed to get hold of many of the titles available a little early this year with the view to reviewing many of them ahead of time. Which I managed to do, just.

If you check out RPG.net this last week you will find reviews of several of the titles that were available yesterday. These include Deathwatch: Final Sanction, Legends of the Five Rings: Legacy of Disaster, and Dark Sun: Bloodsand Arena amongst various others.

Of course, the one title that I could not review is Age of Cthulhu: Abominations of the Amazon, seeing as how I edited this booklet. This is my first piece of editing to see actual publication in print.

I hope that you managed to get out and pick up something nice yesterday. If you did, let me know. If you picked up a copy of Age of Cthulhu: Abominations of the Amazon, then let me know about that too. Tell me what you think.

My RPG DNA, Part 2: The Early Memphis Years from Geek Related » RPG

Geek Related — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 02:06:17 +0000

Last time, I talked about my early gaming experiences in junior high/high school in Texas in the ’80s. Star Frontiers, Red Box D&D, and AD&D, almost always DM, with some diceless, PvP, and single player action mixed in there. College, nothing except about two nights of a Basic game (oh, and one visit to OwlCon, [...]

Dungeon Master as Civil Servant from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:31:00 +0000

Am I too easy as a DM? Is this really a low paying (read: non-paying) job that forgoes my fun or frivolity for the service to others? I started as much an adversarial DM as anybody from my time. That’s how D&D games were generally approached back the...

Do I like Champions more than D&D? from TEMPLE OF DEMOGORGON

Temple of Demogorgon — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 00:26:00 +0000

D&D is my first and always will be my best love. I think. I’ve been running my 1st ed. (started out as OD&D) game world for over 30 years, and it would be hard not to look at it as a favorite son. And jeez, I can run it in my sleep. I practically ph...

The Week In Geek (third course)… from HeroPress

HeroPress — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

A final round-up for the day of geeky news you might have otherwise missed...(1) Star Wars Zombie Bust: Gentle Giant has produced its first zombie storm trooper mini-bust to tie in to the Star Wars horror tale Death Troopers.(2) Duty Now For The Futura...

Two Cthulhu-themed ‘Jack Chick’ Tracts from Akratic Wizardry

Akratic Wizardry — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:53:00 +0000

In my last blog post I mentioned Jack Chick's amusing and absurd cautionary tale concerning the devilish dangers of 'Dungeons and Dragons' entitled 'Dark Dungeons' (now the title of a retro-clone of the D&D Rules Cyclopedia).

That post reminded me of two hilarious parodies of Jack Chick's tracts, both of which replace (Chick's extreme fundamentalist version of) Christianity with H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

The first faux Chick tract is called 'Why We're Here'. The second one is entitled 'Who Will Be Eaten First?'.

Enjoy!

The Haunter of the Ring from Ruminations of a Canadian Geek » RPG

canageek — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:38:00 +0000

I've been working on an adventure but it is taking longer then I thought. I'm mostly done the statblocks & body of the adventure but still need to write up the finale and locations for when the players inevitable break into places. However it has been a month since my last update and well, that one was pretty light to say the least. So here is a preview: The Haunter of the Ring is the main threat in the finale, so I'd like some feedback on him. He is stated out from the Call of Cthulhu, which is about 90% compatible with BRP. If you are familiar with either of those systems let me know.

Three by Three from Reviews from R'lyeh

Reviews From R'lyeh — Sun, 30 May 2010 12:06:00 +0000

While the bulk of campaigns and scenarios published for Call of Cthulhu are set during its Classic period of the 1920s – and to a lesser extent in the contemporary period of Cthulhu Now, the growing number of scenarios set outside of those two periods are indicative of both the malleability of the Mythos and the ability of authors to set it elsewhere and else when. The first scenario anthology to showcase the possibilities of both was Strange Aeons, a trilogy that explored the Mythos in Elizabethan London, Inquisition era Spain, and on a United Nations Moon base in the near future, but it has been followed by numerous MULA monographs doing the same thing, and now, it has a sequel. As its subtitle suggests, Strange Aeons II: Nine Forays into Unusual Times & Places ups the ante by three. With Chaosium’s newest anthology, the Keeper and his players get to experience the Mythos in the prehistoric past, the Far East, the Classical World, both the English and the American Civil Wars, plus the far future. And after all of that, everyone gets to go to Woodstock.

This is another anthology of one-shots then, but the theme connecting all of them is that they are all set in different eras. All can be played in about an evening or in one good session, perhaps two at the very most. Each one comes with not only six ready to play pre-generated investigators, but the rules to create more and an introduction to the setting itself. Thus with some effort upon the part of the Keeper, the players could continue playing within the setting described in any one of the scenarios given in Strange Aeons II, either with the pre-generated investigators or newly generated characters. The quality of the pre-generated investigators varies from scenario to scenario with the best having characters who are just slightly at odds with each other.
One issue with the collection is that few if any of the scenarios come with female investigators, but this is more a reflection upon the attitudes of the periods portrayed than those of the authors. The scenarios vary in structure between traditional linear affairs and more freeform affairs that provide a set up, various locations and events, and advice on how the scenario can be concluded. In general, the more linear scenarios will easier to run than those with more open structures. Another issue is some of the scenarios can involve massed combat and no rules are given to allow the Keeper to handle such a situation.

The nine scenarios in Strange Aeons II are not presented in chronological order, so while the last scenario is set in the 1950s, the first is actually set in Ancient China, not the prehistoric past. That first scenario is “Master Wu’s Marriage” by Alessandro Mana, in which the characters have been sent by Master Wu to escort his bride to his home. Nothing can go wrong of course, but when the party is forced to take shelter in an ancient monastery, people start disappearing. In tone, this has the feel of the film Alien, but with a hint of the Wuxia genre. It does not help that some of the skills necessary to complete the scenario are misspelled and misnamed – “natural philosophy” versus “philosophy” – but this gets the anthology off to an entertaining start.

This is followed by Christopher Smith Adair’s “Children of a Starry Heaven,” which is set in the Ancient Greek world and involves the characters being initiated into a Mystery Cult. Of course, there is much more to the cult’s mysteries than the mere esoteric, and there is something horribly inevitable about the final initiation rites. The initiates must brave the cult’s inner secrets ahead of time if they are to avoid these rites, but there is a danger that they will fail in this and bring the scenario to a hurried close. Apart from this, “Children of a Starry Heaven” is a good investigative scenario with an interesting background.

Cursed Be The City” by Davide Mana is described as “cavemen versus Cthulhu,” but this is something of a simplification. Yes, it does involve the players taking the roles of cavemen, but not against Cthulhu, but another Mythos entity. It drifts back into the very ancient past and into the future, and in doing asks the players to roleplay against their own knowledge as their tribesmen characters must first find their lost tribe and then bring their strange behaviour to a stop. “Cursed Be The City” nicely asks for some clever roleplaying upon the part of both the Keeper and his players and is probably the most challenging scenario in the book because of that.

With “To Hell Or Connaught,” Eckhard Huelshoff takes us to the Ireland of 1649, just after the end of the English Civil War and during Cromwell’s invasion. This pitches the Protestants against the Catholics, the English against the Irish, and Christianity against the old ways, and so is perhaps the most controversial scenario in the book. That it also frames a murder mystery against this backdrop and adds in legends of both Saint Patrick and “Little People” and it all feels as if the author has over egged the pudding. Likewise, the plotting of the scenario feels heavy handed and overall, “To Hell Or Connaught” is just a little too rich for my tastes.

Adam Crossingham’s “They Did Not Think It Too Many” is not set in Ancient Rome, but in the Roman province of Britannia with the players cast as Roman envoys negotiating the entry of a minor into the Empire. The talks do not go well though, as not everyone in the tribe wants join the Empire under the current king and the players could be allies with either side... This nicely portrays the clash of two cultures with not just the fate of the characters being at stake, but also the future of the Empire. Make the wrong choice and the Empire might adopt a terrible goddess... There are no character rules or campaign guidelines included with this scenario, so a Keeper will need to refer to Cthulhu Invictus. This is the one scenario that could be easily be worked into an existing campaign world.

In “The Iron-Banded Box,” Michael Dziesinski -- the author of Secrets of Japan – attempts to show what would have happened if Akira Kurosawa had directed an adaptation of a H.P. Lovecraft story. Despite being set in the Sengoku “warring states” Period, the scenario makes repeated reference to Secrets of Japan, which given that enough necessary information is included and that Secrets of Japan is really for Cthulhu Now, such references seem like advertising. Anyway, in “The Iron-Banded Box,” the players are ronin who come to the aid of a town threatened by more than gangsters... Since the release of Secrets of Japan, the concept of a Call of Cthulhu campaign set in Feudal Japan has remained a fascinating possibility, but the scenario does not live up to the opportunities that such a possibility suggest. More Chambara or “Samurai Cinema” an exploration of the Mythos, this is the least interesting scenario in the collection.

Despite its excellent title, “Three Days Of Peace, Music, And Tentacle Love,” Shannon M. Bell’s scenario does not have any tentacle love on offer, or indeed much in the way of the promised sex either. Set at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, it instead offers drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, and black magic with the players as Miskatonic University students trying to track down both a bad batch of drugs and a missing friend. Given as a framework with the characters free to roam the festival over the whole three days, their failure at Woodstock to prevent a very dangerous performance could derail history... Although the threat is in keeping with the setting, it never quite feels real or demands all that much of the players. Perhaps I am influenced by my lack of interest of Woodstock, but this is the scenario I would be least likely to run.

Set during the American Civil War, the characters are Union cavalrymen sent to round up deserters in “A Hard Road to Travel.” Gary Sumpter’s scenario takes the player characters into a blighted Arkansas valley where they must face a foe that has sadly been used in a similar fashion in other scenarios, most notably in the excellent monograph, Machine Tractor Station Kharkov-37.

The last scenario in the book is “Time After Time” by the collection’s editor, Brian M Sammons. It opens in splendid fashion, with the players as FBI agents in 1954 sent in to a seaside town to deal with a Communist plot, before everything takes a turn for the weird. It is a pity that the paranoid muscularity of the opening scenes had to be ditched for the turn to take effect, but the characters have plenty of potential still as they explore their strange new environment. This scenario also provides a potential framework for all nine scenarios.

Strange Aeons II is a decently presented book. It needs an edit here and there, but the layout is clean and unfussy. David Lee Ingersoll’s cover is eye catching as is some of the internal artwork, though some of it is a little too dark and inconsistent in terms of tone and feel. That said, a thumbnail portrait of each of the pre-generated investigators in all nine scenarios would have been both useful too. The cartography also suffers from being too dark in places, but is otherwise well done, the best of it having an architectural feel.

Of course, the scenarios given in this collection need not quite be standalone affairs. There are Mythos entities aplenty who could pitch the investigators through time in space, having them bounce from scenario to scenario. Indeed, one of the scenarios actually hints at such a possibility. If the collection has a theme beyond that of “the Mythos through time on Earth,” it is “Melee versus the Mythos,” since few of the scenarios include the use of firearms, and where they do, such firearms are not capable of automatic or even semi-automatic fire.

All right, so Strange Aeons II is yet another collection and I have said in the past that something with more meat and depth to its bones is wanted, but in truth the diverse nature and the short length of the scenarios in Strange Aeons II means that it is relatively easy for a Keeper to pick one its nine to run. Quality varies between the scenarios and some are probably too obvious in their plotting and choice of Mythos threat for Call of Cthulhu veterans, but the better adventures are at their best when in exploring a well realised historical period they make you want to play in that time again. Certainly, the scenarios “Master Wu’s Marriage,” Children of a Starry Heaven,” “Cursed Be The City,” “They Did Not Think It Too Many,” and the start of “Time After Time” make me want to do that. It would be interesting to see these periods portrayed developed into something more, or at revisited in a third volume.

Overall, the better scenarios in Strange Aeons II: Nine Forays into Unusual Times & Places far outweigh the less interesting ones making this a worthwhile addition to your Call of Cthulhu library.

Nuff Said: The Stars Are Right — CthuLegos from Christian Lindke's Cinerati

Cinerati — Tue, 25 May 2010 21:42:00 +0000

Who knew that you could use Legos in your regular Call of Cthulhu rpg sessions?

Mini-Campaigns I’m Looking Forward to Running from Dice Monkey

Dice Monkey — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:00:04 +0000

I’ve been blabbering on and on about Mini-Campaigns and their benefits. I know, I know. “Move on!” you say, “we get it.” But I thought I’d share some mini-campaigns I’m looking forward to running in the future. 1. Mouse Guard: Naturally. Probably run the game over the course of a full game year, adding a lot of [...]

Thoughts on Dehydration and Starvation from Mediocre Tales

Mediocre Tales of the Fair to Middling Game Master — Sat, 22 May 2010 14:51:06 +0000

I did a precursory scan (read: “I googled it”) and did not find any gritty, simulationist rules of dehydration or starvation. I’m looking for something that is not too complicated to keep track of on the side, but realistic enough to motivate the players to pay attention. What I have come up with should fit [...]

The Sleep of Akrasia… from Akratic Wizardry

Akratic Wizardry — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:03:00 +0000

... breeds 5 HD monsters ...

As some gentle readers may have noticed, I haven't had time to write any posts over the past month. Frustratingly, I likely will not have any time for blogging over the next few weeks as well. There simply are too many 'real life' issues that I have to deal with right now (mainly work-related, as term is winding up over the next few weeks and I'll have a crushing load of grading to do, but some other matters as well).

On a more positive note, it looks like I will be back in Toronto for the summer, and my old group seems eager to experience some Call of Cthulhu goodness!

Lovecraftian Week: Roundup post from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Mon, 03 May 2010 07:11:37 +0000

Last week we brought you several post on gaming inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. But all good things have to come to an end, and so the “Lovecraftian Week” concluded with a Lazy Friday Video Post featuring Lil Cthulhu. The success of the event was overwhelming. We had 6,298 page views last [...]

An Update to my BRP Advantages from Ruminations of a Canadian Geek » RPG

canageek — Sat, 01 May 2010 12:53:35 +0000

Just a short post today, updating one of my old posts. Sorry my adventure isn’t done, I’ve been being social and moving way up north. I’m on the final encounter and then the statblocks. The original advantage as written: Drop the fracking hammer. (Pedal to the goddamn metal?) “Great, more speedholes” Benefit: add 10kph to [...]

Five by Five from Reviews from R'lyeh

Reviews From R'lyeh — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 23:54:00 +0000

To date, the third party supplements published for Call of Cthulhu have been scenario or scenario anthologies, but the latest from Super Genius Games is actually a sourcebook. In fact, A Peculiar Pentad is only a mini sourcebook, but one whose contents can be used not only in the game’s classic period of the 1920s, but also in the 1890s of Cthulhu by Gaslight and in the 21st century of Cthulhu Now. It is a collection – five in number as the title suggests – of weird establishments. Not so weird that they stand out, but weird enough that the services that these establishments offer are spoken of in hushed tones. That is, if they are known about, for while each outlet outwardly offers a specialised if mundane service, they also offer something more outré. Of course, learning about this outré knowledge or facility will prove to be something of a challenge for the investigators. It is all a matter of gaining the proprietors’ trust, which means that A Peculiar Pentad is anything other than a supplement to take down off the shelf, read, run, and put back on the shelf. Thus, each of the places described in this supplement is intended primarily for campaign use, but that is not the only thing that sets A Peculiar Pentad apart from its ilk. That is the fact that each of the establishments described within its pages has been created and written up by a different author.

The quintet opens with a Call of Cthulhu standby, a rare book dealer. “The Biblioporium” by Thomas M. Reid sells exactly what you would expect, books old and valuable, but it also sells fine stationery. The proprietor, Doctor Alfred Granger, is a true bibliophile and likes to preserve and repair the tomes that pass through his hands. His interest extends into the esoteric and the occult, though this is not something that he likes to advertise. Eventually the investigators will learn of this interest, probably after making inquiries about certain obscure tomes themselves, which if Granger can obtain them, will probably cost the investigators thousands of dollars. Continued custom in this fashion might result in Granger employing the investigators and eventually in finding who he really works with. “The Biblioporium” is one of the more low key establishments described in A Peculiar Pentad and as such will have relatively little impact upon a campaign.

“The Biblioporium” is followed by Jeff Grubb’s “Fixx’s Fixxit,” a veritable cornucopia of mechanical knickknacks and gewgaws owned and run by Simon Fixx, a dwarf with a flair for mechanical repair. Beyond his ability to repair various items, Fixx might be able to sell black market items – including reconditioned weaponry – and just like Doctor Alfred Granger, Fixx has his own fascination, though with the mechanical rather the bibliographical. Given that Fixx is a fine mechanic, it is no surprise that this entry veers just a little into Science Fiction.

The third entry is “Healing Herbs” by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel. While most customers will be purchasing culinary ingredients or medicinal remedies, the Chinese and Italian married couple that own “Healing Herbs” are capable of mixing some very interesting concoctions. These are as a result of their combined knowledge of herbs and the Mythos, resulting in elixirs that heal the body and the mind; that provide a defence against certain creatures – such as vampires, werewolves, and zombies; and even replicate the effects of certain Mythos spells. This replication of Mythos spell effects is an interesting idea, but this is tempered by the inclusion of potions that effect non-Mythos creatures. For the Purist Keeper this is likely to be at odds with his game, and the likelihood is that the Keeper will need to prune some of the entries accordingly.

John D. Rateliff’s “Húbert’s Fine Arts” is the penultimate establishment described in A Peculiar Pentad. This art gallery sells and showcases both sculpture and paintings, with a sideline speciality in outré object d’art, including the works of Richard Upton Pickman. “Húbert’s Fine Arts” is even more low key than “The Biblioporium” and suffers for it. In comparison with the other entries the Keeper is given little in the way of advice on how to use “Húbert’s Fine Arts” and he will probably have to work hard to bring it into his game.

The supplement is rounded out with “The Sleipnir Club” by Jeff Quick, a old fashioned European style gentleman’s club. There is almost nothing out of the ordinary about the “The Sleipnir Club,” and if its members know anything more about the occult or cults in the city at large, they do not bring this knowledge or any associated practices to the Club. In fact, technically no-one at the Club knows anything about the occult and that is a problem because one major NPC happens to know an incredible amount about the Mythos. In fact, he knows more Mythos than he has Sanity and more Mythos than he had Sanity to begin with, both near impossible feats for an investigator to achieve and survive. When the improbability of this Mythos-Sanity perfect balance is combined with the NPC’s complete lack of the Occult skill the result is incongruous at best, preposterous at worst. What “The Sleipnir Club” is meant to do is provide a place of rest for the investigators, but it is too quiet and thus too uninteresting.

The supplement comes with decent general advice on using each location, on how the investigators might learn of each establishment; place their custom there, from first time shopper to regular customer and beyond; and eventually, gain the trust of the proprietor in question. All five entries are primarily written for the game’s Classic period of the 1920s, but each comes with advice on how to set the store in either the modern period of Cthulhu Now or in the 1890s of Cthulhu by Gaslight. Lastly, the description of each business is rounded out with several adventure seeds.

In addition to discussing where any one of these businesses might be located, A Peculiar Pentad also provides a single location where all five emporia described can be found together. Continuing the pentamerous nature of the book, this is a cul-de-sac of canting buildings known as Pentagon Place, once the home of the well to do, but now forgotten and ignored by the urban decay beyond its dimly lit recesses... In addition to the businesses described, there is room enough for the Keeper to add others to Pentagon Place, and so make it not just the city’s occult quarter, but also its esoteric quarter too. The exact nature of Pentagon Place is up to the Keeper to decide, whether that be mostly retailers of the esoteric with one or two places run by persons with actual knowledge of the Mythos, or the Mythos equivalent of “Diagon Alley.”

A Peculiar Pentad needs a little editing here and there, but in terms of production, the book is very readable. Unfortunately, in terms of presentation, it suffers from the problem that has blighted previous products from Super Genius Games – a lack of maps. The issue here is that the book presents five different places intended to be used by a Keeper again and again, who will have his player characters visit the place over and over. This makes the book almost a reference work, and if a Keeper is going to be referring to it with any regularity, he will want plans of each building not just for easy reference, but also to help him visualise the inside of each establishment and so convey this information to his players. The lack of maps does anything other than make this easy.

This lack of maps is compounded by the book’s poor handling of its interior art. Only one illustration is given per location, each a black and white reproduction of each establishment’s owner or owners which has been reproduced from Aaron Acevedo’s full colour cover. In colour each piece is dark and moody, but in black and white, they are dark, muddy, and a waste of space – space that of course, could have been devoted instead to providing useful items such as maps.

Despite its cartographic inadequacies – and how often am I going to have keep mentioning such inadequacies when it comes to books from Super Genius Games? -- A Peculiar Pentad is actually a decent sourcebook. It tends towards the Pulp in tone, a that tone is understandably uneven given its quintet of authors, but which means that the likelihood is that a Keeper will not find every entry to be to his liking. Certainly one of the entries happens to be preposterous in terms of Call of Cthulhu, let alone in terms of game tone, and suspect that it like several of the other entries will be modified by a Keeper to fit his campaign. This is no bad thing, as the contents of this supplement are geared towards the Keeper building a world, an aim that is rarely addressed in Call of Cthulhu, but is possible for example, in a Lovecraft Country or Miskatonic University based campaign. Uneven, but still interesting, A Peculiar Pentad is something for the Keeper and his players to invest in if they are to get the fullest out of its pages.

Have Cultists, Will Travel… from HeroPress

HeroPress — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:00:00 +0000

My latest batch of figures has arrived from my painter-of-choice, Neil Wilson. This collection was mainly the multi-purpose pulp cultists I've had cluttering up my 'unpainted figures drawers' for several years.I was supposed to pick these up at Salute ...

Lovecraft, how do I love thee? Let me count with my tentacles… – My Top 5 Favorite Lovecraftian Stories from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:03 +0000

I’ve gushed about Lovecraft on my previous post for Stargazer’s World Lovecraftian Week. Through my love for role-playing I discovered one of the masters of the genre and have enjoyed his work and that of others inspired by him for many years. Some may say it’s a man crush, but I say thee nay! H. P. [...]