1974 is an important year for the gaming hobby. It is the year that Dungeons & Dragons was introduced, the original RPG from which all other RPGs would ultimately be derived and the original RPG from which so many computer games would draw for their inspiration. It is fitting that the current owner of the game, Wizards of the Coast, released the new version, Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition, in the year of the game’s fortieth anniversary. To celebrate this, Reviews from R’lyeh will be running a series of reviews from the hobby’s anniversary years, thus there will be reviews from 1974, from 1984, from 1994, and from 2004—the thirtieth, twentieth, and tenth anniversaries of the titles. These will be retrospectives, in each case an opportunity to re-appraise interesting titles and true classics decades on from the year of their original release.

—oOo—
In 1982, TSR, Inc. published its first Science Fiction roleplaying game, Star Frontiers. Now TSR, Inc. as stated in ‘The SF ‘universe’’ (Dragon #74, June 1983), “TSR had previously published SF-oriented role-playing games, most notably the GAMMA WORLD® game and METAMORPHOSIS ALPHA game, but these two games are post-apocalyptic visions of the future.” and “While they are certainly interesting and undoubtedly SF in nature, neither of these games fully realizes the potential of a science-fiction setting. A star-spanning civilization, interstellar spacecraft, strange aliens, and adventures on a myriad of bizarre and challenging new worlds are the elements of a classic SF framework. The possibilities for adventure in such a “universe” are nearly limitless. The STAR FRONTIERS game, unlike its predecessor SF titles from TSR, is able to appreciate these possibilities.” So as the very first actual Science Fiction roleplaying game from TSR, Inc., Star Frontiers was very much intended to play off the boom in Science Fiction and space adventure which followed in the wake of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, for example on the big, as well as Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on the small screen. It would take a full year before it reached that potential with the Knight Hawks boxed supplement which added spaceships and spaceship combat to the roleplaying game, but in the meantime, Star Frontiers offered planetside adventure with stripped down, straightforward set of mechanics and rules designed to introduce new players to the hobby and Science Fiction roleplaying to more experienced players—especially if their only experience was Dungeons & Dragons.
Coming as a boxed set, Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn, the roleplaying game was designed for players aged ten and up and came filled with high quality components. This included the sixteen-page Basic Game Rules, the sixty-page Expanded Game Rules, the thirty-page Adventure Module, SF-0: Crash on Volturnus, a large map, a sheet of two-hundred-and-eighty-five counters, and two ten-sided dice—one dark blue, one light blue. Everything is very nicely presented, starting with the superb cover artwork for both the box and the Basic Game Rules and the Expanded Game Rules. The internal artwork is also good, with lots and lots of action scenes, Jim Holloway’s illustrations prefiguring some of his work on Paranoia. The large, full-colour poster map depicts a city centre on the one side with numerous buildings, roads, and monorails, whilst on the other are depicted craters, mountains, deserts, forts, towns, ruins, and more. These are all designed to use with the counters, for at its most basic, Star Frontiers is a roleplaying game played out as a square-and-a-counter combat game.
The setting for Star Frontiers is lightly drawn, an area of space near the centre of a great spiral galaxy where the stars are closer together, known as the Frontier. Here Humans—though not the Humans of Earth—made contact with the insectoid Vrusk and the ameboid Dralasites and developed interstellar spaceships, and together discovered the Yazirians, tall leonine humanoids with patagiums and thus capable of gliding. They settled the twenty or so worlds of the Frontier (including the unfortunately named ‘Gollywog’) and to supply their needs, the Pan-Galactic Corporation (or PGC), the first interstellar company, was formed. It conducted scientific research as well as manufacturing everything from foodstuffs to spaceships, and even developed Pan-Galactic, a language which became the lingua franca for the Frontier.
However, the melting pot of the Frontier was upset by a series of attacks by the Sathar. This previously unknown worm-like species attacked isolated outposts and frontier worlds, but would kill themselves to avoid being captured. Together the Humans, the Vrusk, the Dralasites, and the Yazirians formed the United Planetary Federation (UPF) to defend the Frontier and forced the Sathar out of the Frontier. More recently, attacks by the Sathar have begun again, but more surreptitiously and sly, often using Human, Vrusk, Dralasite, and Yazirian agents to sabotage and undermine trade and government. The UPF has formed the Star Law Rangers to investigate and stop these activities, and both the Star Law Rangers and the Pan-Galactic Corporation often employ freelancers for a variety of tasks. These freelancers are, of course, the Player Characters.
Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn offers a choice of four playable races—Humans, Vrusk, Dralasites, and Yazirians. Dralasites are short, grey amoeboid-like creatures, notable for being able to change form by extending and retracting pseudopods and possessing a quirky, pun-based sense of humour; Humans are like those of Earth, but have a two-hundred-year lifespan; the insectoid Vrusk have eight walking legs and two manipulating arms, and are known for their logical minds and their business sense; and the Yazirians are an arboreal-like species with excellent grip for both hands and feet, patagiums for gliding, and known to pushy, even aggressive, and potentially, capable of battle rages. The mysterious Sathar, wormlike with pairs of tentacles which could be used as legs and to hold and manipulate objects are the villains of the Star Frontiers setting and thus not available to play. A character has eight abilities, arranged into four pairs—Strength/Stamina, Dexterity/Reaction Speed, Intuition/Logic, and Personality/Leadership. The rating for each ability is a percentile, ranging between thirty and seventy for starting Player Characters and serving as the base rating for all actions in the roleplaying game. 
Character creation in Star Frontiers differs—though only slightly—depending upon whether the Basic Game Rules or the Expanded Game Rules are being used. In both, a player selects a race and rolls percentile dice for each pair of Abilities on the given table, applies the species modifiers, and derives a couple of factors, and that is it for the Basic Game Rules. It is quick and easy, and in the Basic Game Rules, barely takes up a page.
Name: Korung Speetrasser Race: DralasiteHandedness: – Gender: –Walking: 1 Running: 4
Strength/Stamina 70/70Dexterity/Reaction Speed 60/60Intuition/Logic 35/35Personality/Leadership 40/40Initiative Modifier: 6
Current Stamina: 70
Laser Pistol (2) 60% Damage: 1d10
The remainder of the Basic Game Rules is devoted to the core rules and some adventures. From the outset, Star Frontiers is designed to be played on a map, using the maps and counters included in the box. Later, it would move on to more ‘theatre of the mind’ style of traditional roleplaying, but in the Basic Game Rules, the Player Characters and their opponents are moving—in squares, not metres (Star Frontiers uses the metric system)—across a great cityscape, from building to building, jumping onto skimmers or aboard the monorail, and chasing each other across the city. The base value to undertake any action is the appropriate Ability, rolled against the percentile dice, using the dark blue die as the tens die and the light blue die as the ones die, as the Basic Game Rules explain it. In the Basic Game Rules, the emphasis is on combat, so modifiers are applied for movement and range, and if the roll is successful, the attack hits, and damage is rolled and deducted from the target’s Stamina Ability. Typically damage is rolled on just the one ten-sided die and an opponent would have to lose all of his Stamina to be knocked out. Consequently, combat can take a bit of time and options such as the Doze Grenade, which knocks out opponents are more than viable options, and rules for throwing grenades are included.
After a nicely illustrated introduction, the Basic Game Rules quickly cover the basics of character generation and combat before a short list of equipment (mostly weapons) and some adventures are presented. Some rules are given for other actions too, essentially a player rolls against the appropriate Ability and depending upon the difficulty, applies a five, ten, or fifteen percent modifier, either positive or negative. ‘Adventure 1: Pan-Galactic Security Breach’ sees the Player Characters investigate a series of breaches at various research centres. It is not designed as a standard adventure, but rather a programmed adventure with options like a ‘Choose Your Own Path’ solo adventure. One player serves as the Reader—rather than as a Referee, and reads out the entries and gives the options, whilst the players decide which of the options to choose. Since this is a programmed adventure, they all have to agree. It is a simple action-packed affair, more of a couple of scenes than a full adventure, with the perpetrators quickly revealed and making a run for the spaceport with the Player Characters on their heels. This is played out on the main map as is ‘Adventure 2: Alien Creature on the Loose’, in which a dangerous alien creature has escaped its confinement at the Zoological Park and the Player Characters have to capture it. The Hydra—nothing to do with the mythological and Dungeons & Dragons creature of the same name—is hunting for its handler and the Player Characters must stop it before the thing finds him. It is a big creature and tough to stop. There are guidelines for playing both adventures again. ‘Adventure 1: Pan-Galactic Security Breach’ this is as teams, one team controlling the perpetrators trying to get away, the other the Player Character types trying to stop them. For ‘Adventure 2: Alien Creature on the Loose’, this is the Referee creating her own creatures. There is advice too, for the Referee to create her own adventures, and like the two adventures these are quite basic. The focus of the advice is on a ‘crash on a desert planet adventure’ essentially preparing the Referee for running Adventure Module, SF-0: Crash on Volturnus and pointing towards the greater complexity and comparative sophistication in the Expanded Game Rules. The rules are what they say they are—basic—and come across not so much as a roleplaying game as a board game. For the experienced role-player they are probably too basic and even for players new to roleplaying, they do not offer a great deal of play.
The Expanded Game Rules, of course, greatly broaden and develop the rules given in the Basic Game Rules. It highlights the differences between the two, noting the expanded options, extra rules, and the fact that the roleplaying game can be played without maps, whether using miniatures or simply the imagination. The expanded rules for character creation add a five-point bonus to any Ability score for Humans, enable players to swap points between pairs during character creation, and Dralasities, Vrusk, and Yazirians have special abilities, such as Lie Detection and Elasticity for the Dralasities and Battle Rage, Gliding, and Night Vision for the Yazirians. All five Races, including the Sathar, are given a nicely done, detailed, one-page write-up. The Expanded Game Rules also add skills. There are thirteen of these, all fairly broad and divided into three Primary Skill Areas or PSAs. These are Military, Technological and Biosocial. Each skill has several subskills it covers and which a character automatically knows, and each subskill having its own base rating. Skills go from Level 1 to Level 6, each Level typically adding ten present to a roll. So the Biosocial Medical skill also covers Administering Drugs (100%), Diagnosis (60% + skill level), First Aid (100%), Minor Surgery (40% + skill level), Major Surgery (20% + skill level), Controlling Infection (50% + skill level), Curing Diseases (40% + skill level), Neutralizing Poisons (30% + skill level), and Activating Freeze Fields (30% + skill level), the latter the skill of putting a body in stasis until it can be revived and repaired. A Player Character has one PSA, and although he can have Levels in skills in the other PSAs, they are always more expensive. A Player Character starts play with a level in one skill from his actual PSA and one from the two others. Overall, the expanded rules for character creation do add more to a character, but without adding that much more complexity or even time to the process. 
Name: Korung Speetrasser Race: DralasiteHandedness: – Gender: –Walking: 1 Running: 4
Strength/Stamina 70/70Dexterity/Reaction Speed 70/50Intuition/Logic 35/35Personality/Leadership 40/40Initiative Modifier: 5
PSA – Military Skills: Beam Weapons (1)Biosocial Skills: Environmental Skills (1)
Current Stamina: 70
Laser Pistol (2) 45% Damage: 1d10
The Expanded Game Rules also add further details and options for combat, such as careful aim and telescopic sights, firing two weapons, and even weightless combat. Alongside this is an expanded list of weapons and their descriptions of both them and other equipment. This includes armour, which is most ablative in nature, and also screens, portable force fields which react to hits and drain Standard Energy Units from their power packs when hit. Robots and computers are detailed too, with computers being easily upgraded, and options given for simple robot design or off-the-shelf purchase. Extra vehicles are added too, although notably, not spaceships. Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn is not a roleplaying game of spaceship travel or combat, but of adventures once you get there. Some notes on space travel are included in the Frontier Societies section, primarily the various classes of travel, travel times, layovers, and potential customs entanglements. Expanded also are the rules for creating creatures, as well as a bestiary. The bestiary itself is fairly short and backed up further entries in Adventure Module, SF-0: Crash on Volturnus, and do feel influenced by Dungeons & Dragons creatures, especially the Sand Shark, a creature which would also turn up in Gamma World. The rules for creature creation really consist of a series of questions about what the creature does and what its habitat is, and in comparison to other Science fiction roleplaying games, do feel underwritten, but they are serviceable enough for a Pulp Sci-Fi roleplaying game like Star Frontiers. The section on Frontier Societies provides some basic details of the Frontier sector setting and thumbnail descriptions of a handful of worlds. Lastly, there is advice for the Referee and a guide to creating adventures, which includes a short sample, search and rescue mission. It is a one-page affair, straightforward and easy to drop into a campaign or run after the two sample adventures in the Basic Game Rules. The Expanded Game Rules also has the equivalent of its own ‘Appendix N’ on the inside back page, and it is a good selection of Science Fiction further reading, though much of it falls outside of the Pulp Sci-Fi tone that Star Frontiers is aiming for. In the middle of this—and the Expanded Game Rules—is a two-page spread collating all of the useful tables for running Star Frontiers and effectively serving as the reference section of the screen if not as a screen itself.
Once the Player Characters have completed an adventure or a task, they earn both Experience Points and Credits. If injured, the Player Characters do have to spend Credits to purchase healing—one Credit per point of Stamina healed, so very American. None of that Socialist health service for you! Experience Points can not only be spent to purchase new Skills and new Levels in existing skills, but also on increasing Ability values, again on an Experience Point per Ability point cost.
The included full adventure in Star Frontiers is SF-0: Crash on Volturnus. The first part of a trilogy which would be completed with the sperate adventures, SF-1: Volturnus, Planet of Mystery and SF-2: Starspawn of Volturnus, this adventure begins with Player Characters aboard the Serena Dawn, bound for the world of Volturnus (oddly named for the Greek god of the southwest wind, which assumes that the Humans of the Frontier, who are not from Earth, also had Ancient Greeks and Greek myths) in the Zebulon system to conduct a planetary survey and perhaps locate the previous mission. Unfortunately, the Serena Dawn is hijacked, and the Player Characters must fight pirates to both get what equipment they can and escape the ship before it is destroyed. The adventure consists of a mixture of random and pre-planned encounters and once on the surface will begin with the former and evolve into the latter. This will see the Player Characters encounter a strange race of octopoidal telepaths who practice mind-to-mind communication who will offer to adopt them into the tribe in order to help them survive. If they accept—and to be honest, the scenario will not go very far if they refuse—the Player Characters will be borne out of the desert that their escape pod crashed down in and through some caverns. After being separated due to a cave-in, resulting in a mini-dungeon crawl for the Player Characters, they can reunite with the tribe and undergo the rituals of adulthood and become officially part of the tribe and thus set up for the sequels. Alternative endings are given if the Referee is not going to run SF-1: Volturnus, Planet of Mystery and SF-2: Starspawn of Volturnus. Perhaps the best aspect of SF-0: Crash on Volturnus is the description of the Ul-Mor and their culture, which is fairly unforgiving and likely force the Player Characters to act with due consideration rather than selfishly. Sadly the Ul-Mor are not particularly well illustrated in the module, and as to SF-0: Crash on Volturnus itself, it feels as if it is really only setting up the subsequent two modules rather than being a standalone affair itself.
Physically, Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn is very well produced and is an attractive, engaging product. In 1982, this was a relatively inexpensive boxed set and certainly in terms of the quality and quantity of components, the purchaser got his money’s worth.
—oOo—
Star Frontiers was first reviewed in The Polyhedron No. 9 (December 1982) by Steve Winter. Since this is the same Steve Winter who edited Star Frontiers, it is fair to say that this is not actually a review. It started out with a dig at not one, but three other Science Fiction roleplaying games of the period, with “Hey science fiction fans! Tired of travelling? Sick of the opera? Looking for a game that doesn’t require the patience of the universe to play? Have I got a deal for you!” before going to highlight in particular the fact that, “The game was designed to be played by people who had no experience with roleplaying games.”
Star Frontiers was reviewed by Andy Slack in the Open Box department of White Dwarf No 37 (January 1983), who said of the roleplaying game that, “A major drawback is space travel. This is virtually ignored. No-one can learn how to do anything useful aboard ship, which is perhaps as well since there are no guidelines for designing or using ships. There is much to be said for the point of view that ships are merely a delivery service to get you from one adventure setting to the next, but I disapprove of the lack of them. No doubt a future supplement will handle them if enough people share my view.”  He concluded that, “Unfortunately, I can't say the system struck me as especially realistic; but if you like action adventure, thinking with your fists, and Star Wars (and who doesn’t from time to time) you can have a lot of fun with this game.” before awarding Star Frontiers a score of seven out of ten.
Star Frontiers was given a ‘Featured Review’ by William Barton in The Space Gamer Number 60 (February 1983). He wrote, “To start with my overall reaction: I don’t much like Star Frontiers. But then I don’t much dislike it either. I don’t really have a lot of strong feeling about the game at all. That’s not to say that Star Frontiers is a bad game; it’s not. Neither is it exceptionally good. It has some very good features, and a few really bad ones, too. And they balance out into a game that, two years ago, might have had a fair impact on the SFRPG filed, but which now is merely another face in the crowd.” In his conclusion, he asked, “What will be the fate of Star Frontiers? If the game were by any other company than TSR, I’d predict it would quietly fade away, like Star Rovers, and a few other less-than-spectacular systems. Since Star Frontiers is a TSR product, I don’t think that will happen. TSR, unlike many companies, has an “in” to the various nonspecialty stores. For a lot of potential gamers, Star Frontiers is likely to be the first SFRPG they encounter. TSR also has a large share of the younger market, which Star Frontiers seems to be aimed at. So, yes. Though it may not really deserve it when compared to other, better systems, I think TSR’s entry into the SFRPG field will prove to have staying power, as the loyal D&Ders turn to it as their first SFRPG. For myself, I’d have preferred to see TSR back and expand Universe, which it acquired with SPI’s assets. Maybe it will yet. In the meantime, Star Frontiers probably isn’t going top lose TSR any money. But I wish there were a lot more to commend it than that.”
Jim Bambra reviewed Star Frontiers in Imagine No 1 (April 1983). He was also of the opinion that “It is also a pity that there are no rules for designing starships or space combat; though these are due for release later this year. Even without starship rules, the STARFRONTIERS™ game is one of the best available. It has been designed with an emphasis on playability and here it succeeds admirably. Its inspiration comes more from pulp fiction than the ‘believable’ SciFi on which Traveller is based. Whether this style of play appeals is a matter of personal taste. Players of the D&D® game will certainly enjoy it, for in many ways this game is a kind of D&D in space.” Finally, he said, “In summary, the STARFRONTIERS game is an excellent introduction to Sci Fi gaming, a game I heartily recommend to beginners and experienced gamers, A lot of expertise has gone into the designing of this product and the result is a very enjoyable and easy to learn game.”
Ian R. Beste reviewed Star Frontiers in Different Worlds Issue 29 (June 1983) and was upfront about his disappointment, stating that, “Star Frontiers is by no stretch of the imagination a step forward in the state of the art. There just isn’t a whole lot to the game.” At the end of a detailed review, he concluded, “It would be easy to say that Star Frontiers is just D&D with lasers. It isn’t exactly, but it’s unlikely to make anyone drop their existing campaign to set up one for Star Frontiers. This game just doesn’t have a solid science fiction feel to it. I shudder to think of articles in The Dragon on “Converting D&D Monsters to Star Frontiers Creatures.” (Doing so would not be hard.) I also shudder when thinking of the possibility of the expensive hardbound Advanced Star Frontiers Player’s handbook, a Referee’s Guide, etc. True, the game could uses them. But why? TSR has a lot of money, talent, and resources with which to make a good game. Why did it disappoint us with Star Frontiers?”
Star Frontiers was also subject to a lengthy review by Tony Watson in Dragon #74 (June 1983). After a thorough examination which included a comparison to GDW’s Traveller, he wrote, “A final question remains: Is the STAR FRONTIERS game just a D&D game in space? The pedigree is evident, but I think TSR has managed to avoid trading magic for technology, swords for lasers, and orcs for aliens. The emphasis on action and some of the design philosophy belies the kinship of STAR FRONTIERS to the D&D game, but it is innovative and original in its own right. The similarities will make it easy for D&D players to shift over to STAR FRONTIERS as their first science-fiction role-playing game. This may be the largest single body of STAR FRONTIERS buyers. One very important advantage in the TSR connection is that players can count on the company to support the game with accessories, and TSR’s wide distribution network should make these products easy to find.” Before concluding that, “The STAR FRONTIERS game is fast paced, accessible, and playable. The design shows thought and imagination, and the product is quite a bargain. While not without its weaknesses, it’s certainly a contender in a competitive market and probably a good choice for newcomers to this facet of role-playing.”
—oOo—
Even with the combination of the Basic Game Rules and the Expanded Game Rules, Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn feels basic and lacking in game play. Remember though, Star Frontiers was designed for players aged ten and up, and so was not necessarily going to offer the depth, detail, or sophistication found in other Science Fiction roleplaying games, notably Traveller and its Third Imperium setting. That depth, detail, or sophistication would appear with later expansions and supplements, even though there would only be a handful of them. In the meantime, with a combination of interesting races, the Frontier setting, and the presence of the Sathar, Star Frontiers is not only potentially interesting, but also offers scope for the Referee’s own content and adventures, plus that scope is made easier by the straightforward nature of the mechanics. In fact, it is a pity that the mechanics of Star Frontiers could not have been reused in the Buck Rogers XXVC roleplaying game instead of it being hamstrung by the unwieldy chimera it got based on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Second Edition.
What is evident from the contemporary reviews is that Star Frontiers was not seen as different enough or sophisticated enough from the other Science Fiction roleplaying games available. Yet Star Frontiers was not aimed at those reviewers, who of course, would have been an audience older than the roleplaying game was intended for, and to be fair Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn does serve its intended age group reasonably well. Undeniably though, for older audiences, even those coming to Star Frontiers as their first Science Fiction roleplaying game after Dungeons & Dragons, it is underwhelming. For them, Star Frontiers is at best a toolkit for running Pulp Sci-Fi or basic roleplaying game awaiting the arrival of more sophisticated support, most obviously Knight Hawks. Consider what it was and who it was aimed at, as a first step into Science Fiction roleplaying, especially Pulp Sci-Fi roleplaying, and especially for a younger audience, Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn is a very serviceable starting point. 

Wrapping up my tour of the Victorian era with the original dynamic duo of Holmes and Watson.  Today I focus my sights on the good Dr. John Watson.

John Watson is an interesting character.  By all rights, he would have been the star of his own serials; British Army officer, Doctor, not a bad detective in his own right and good with a service pistol.  He was also smart, just not as smart as Holmes.

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Dr. John Watson

6th level Veteran (Human)
Archetype: Chronicler and sidekick

Strength: 13 (+1) S
Dexterity: 14 (+1) S
Constitution: 13 (+1) 
Intelligence: 14 (+3) P
Wisdom: 16 (+2)  
Charisma: 14 (+1)  

HP: 33
Alignment: Light
AC: 8
Attack: +3 

Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +4/+2/+1Melee bonus: +1 Ranged bonus: +1Saves: +2 to all saves
Veteran Abilities
Combat Expertise, Improved damage, improved defense, Supernatural Attack, tracking

Skills
Medicine x2, Science, Insight, Notice

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Dr. Watson is a veteran with a lot of training in medicine. This covers his character rather well. 

I hope this gets me motivated for some more Sherlock Holmes posts. 

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Salo’s Glory is a near future Science Fiction scenario for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. The eleventh title from publisher Stygian Fox, it is a one-shot designed for three to six players and be played in a session or two. Mankind has expanded and explored to the furthest reaches of the Solar System, and begun to go beyond. One such exploratory vessel is the Galilee Heavy Industries I.E.V. Tryphena. Here on the edge of interstellar space, the crew of the Tryphena make not one, but four astounding mysteries. First is the presence of a ship identical to their own, also named the Tryphena, but powered down, seemingly abandoned, orbiting a cold planetoid. The second, third, and fourth consist of signals. One signal is the distress signal coming from the abandoned ship’s shuttle, the other two come from stone structures at the north and south poles of the planetoid. The question, what happened to the crew of the other Tryphena? Why did they abandon their ship? What exactly lies on the surface of the planetoid?

The plot of Salo’s Glory is all about the uncovering of its four mysteries. This is driven by two factors. First, by the curiosity of the players and their characters. Second by the directives of Galilee Heavy Industries which address the actions to be taken by crews under certain circumstances, many of which will occur during the scenarios. These will push the Player Characters to explore further, uncover first clues, then truths, and perhaps reveal what is going on. The plot is actually fairly simple and straightforward, though the Player Characters may not necessarily come to fully understand what is going on. The horror should build and build as the Player Characters push deeper into the mysteries, bolstered by the dark, the sense of isolation, and the alien nature of the situation.

Salo’s Glory is supported by extensive deck plans for both the old Tryphena and its shuttle, plus numerous handouts. The deck plans are done in a style similar to that of Traveller and are accompanied by good illustration of the ship which puts the deck plans in context. The handouts, consisting mostly of crew logs and Galilee Heavy Industries directives are disappointingly plain in comparison. The navigation readout for the planetoid is nicely done. The six pre-generated Player Characters which make up the crew of I.E.V. Tryphena nicely reflect a diverse range of backgrounds and genders, although there are similarities in their descriptions and the fact that they all talk with an accent, usually slight. The background for one or two of them is rather underwhelming, and perhaps the relationships and attitudes between the crew could have been developed a little further. The scenario also includes a list of the skills used throughout the scenario.

Physically, Salo’s Glory is generally well-presented. The artwork is good, the deck plans clear, with perhaps the only elements to really disappoint are the aforementioned handouts and the maps of the areas on the moon at the North and South Poles, which are plain in comparison to the rest of the book.

As a Science Fiction one-shot scenario for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, what Salo’s Glory does not have is Sanity rewards, although it does have suggestions as possible subsequent adventures depending upon the actions of the surviving Player Characters. Salo’s Glory is for the most part straight forward, easy to run, and player driven, and would make for a decent convention scenario if its pacing was sped up. Ultimately, Salo’s Glory is a short Science Fiction take upon At the Mountains of Madness which dials up its Cosmic Horror and sense of isolation against otherwise pedestrian horror elements.

Today I want to wrap up my tour of the Victorian era with two of my favorite characters of the time, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. 

I have, sitting on my hard drive or a flash drive somewhere the stats for Holmes for every Victorian-era game I have ever played.   I keep meaning to post them and never get around to it.  So of course today is a set of stats I am coming up with now.

The issue with doing Holmes in many games, but modern occult ones, in particular, is that Holmes does not live in a magical world.  He lives in a world with predictable laws of science that follow predictable patterns.  This is what makes him so good at what he does, he can see these patterns and connections. Holmes works because the world is mundane and what he does looks like magic.

For NIGHT SHIFT there is no one class that would do him justice.  While I could get away with making him a 10th level Survivor (and I feel 10 levels is right) he is missing a couple of key ingredients. So time to try another multiclass.

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes
6th level Survivor / 4th level Sage (Human)
Archetype: Consulting Detective

Strength: 16 (+2) 
Dexterity: 16 (+2) S
Constitution: 14 (+1) 
Intelligence: 18 (+3) P
Wisdom: 16 (+2) S 
Charisma: 10 (0) 

HP: 35
Alignment: Light
AC: 8
Attack: +3 

Fate Points: 1d10

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +5/+3/+2Melee bonus: +2 Ranged bonus: +2Saves: +4 to death saves. +2 to all others.
Survivor Abilities
Stealth skills; Climbing; Danger Sense (1-4); Sneak Attack +2, x3; Read Languages 80%

Stealth Skills (8th level)

• Open Locks: 85%
• Bypass Traps: 80%
• Sleight of Hand: 90%
• Move Silently: 90%
• Hide in Shadows: 80%
• Perception: 90%

Sage Abilities
Survivor Skills (factored in above); Mesmerize Others; Lore; Languages (18); Spells* (to Holmes they are not "spells" merely "advanced techniques.")

Spells
First level: Command, Detect Snares & Pits
Second level: Find Traps

Skills
Athletics (Bartitsu), Sleight of Hand, Research, Science, Insight, Notice

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Holmes combines a variety of class abilities and skills to create one investigator.  Would an "Investigator" class have been better?  Not really.  In this case, I feel the mix of classes and skills point to obscure training and thus a unique character.  Holmes is certainly that.

If you are interested in playing Sherlock Holmes in a game system more suited to the world he lived in then might I suggest both Victoria and Baker Street: Roleplaying in the world of Sherlock Holmes.  Both are very fine games.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Published by Lantern’s Faun, Into the Bronze: Sword & Sorcery RPG in Bronze Age Mesopotamia is a minimalist roleplaying game built on the architecture of Into the Odd. As the title suggests, it is set in the Bronze Age in Mesopotamia on the plains between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Here the first city states were founded, here the first men and the women strode forth to explore the lands between the first two great rivers known to mankind, to enter the silent, gloomy valleys where demons and their acolytes hid and devised their evil plans, here they would encounter the very gods of Sumeria, and here they would build the first great civilisations. As those first men and women to stride the land, the Player Characters are Sumerian ‘Bounty Hunters’ those willing to go forth and undertake dangerous tasks—explore the unknown, hunt down criminals, kill monsters, and more… In return, their wicker baskets will be filled with great wealth—treasures, secrets, and favours. With their treasures, their wealth, and their secrets, they not only have the potential to make their mark on the world, but go onto to stamp on the world by building and constructing civilisation around them.

Into the Bronze: Sword & Sorcery RPG in Bronze Age Mesopotamia includes thirty-six backgrounds, a flexible narrative system for enchantments, a simple system for building and construction, exploration, encounter creation, god creation, and a bestiary. A Player Character or Sumerian in Into the Bronze is lightly defined—and needs to be! A Sumerian is a fragile thing, weapons and monsters both being deadly, so a Sumerian can be quickly and easily replaced. Sumerian has three Ability scores—Strength, Dexterity, and Willpower, his Hit Protection, some Obsidian (the currency), a Background which provides two Items of Equipment. Depending on the Background, a Sumerian may have Magic Words, though they count as an Item. To create a Sumerian, a player rolls three six-sided dice for each Ability and keeps the highest two, a six-sided die each for his Hit Protection and Obsidian, and then cross references the values of his Hit Protection and Obsidian to determine his Background. A Sumerian also has a weapon of his choice, a single torch, and his Omens. Garments and physical features can also be rolled for. Rolling up a Sumerian takes minutes at most.

Harran
Background: Beer Brewer
Omens: In the night Harran was born, they saw sandstorms (Reckless/Sanguine)
Physical Feature: Has a falcon
Strength 6
Dexterity 11
Will 9
Hit Points: 3
Obsidian: 3
Item: stone spoon (1.5 m), torch, yeast, spear
Garment: Black Linen

Mechanically, Into the Bronze is simple. To undertake an action, a Sumerian player rolls a twenty-sided die, attempting to roll equal to or less than an ability. When it comes to combat, Initiative is handled narratively, with the Game Master foreshadowing events around the Sumerians to both engage them and determine when they act. Otherwise, mechanically, combat involves rolling for damage rather than to hit. Every attack hits and does damage, rolled on a six-sided die. All weapons ‘explode’ and allow an extra die to be rolled and added to the total if a six is rolled. Heavier weapons explode on a four, five, or six. Damage is inflicted on a Sumerian’s Hit Protection and then his Strength. Any time a Sumerian suffers Strength damage, his player must make a test against his Strength, failure indicating that he has suffered a critical hit. The effects of this are determined by a roll of an eight-sided die on the Critical Hit Table, and can be anything from a scar, teeth being knocked out, loss of a limb, all the way up to death. The life of the average Sumerian who ventures out from the safety of the city is likely to be nasty, brutish, and short.

Another effect of combat and other situations is that a Sumerian may suffer Conditions. Unfortunately, these are not given in ‘Annex 1’ as Into the Bronze states, but are attached to the character sheet for the game. Many of these Conditions also cause a player to roll with Disadvantage. This is not explained in Into the Bronze either, but essentially this should be taken to refer to the Advantage/Disadvantage mechanics common to other roleplaying games, first seen in Dunegons & Dragons, Fifth Edition. In play, Conditions also take up slots in a Sumerian’s Inventory, much like Mausritter. Lastly, items such as torches, lanterns, and the like all have a Usage die, which is rolled on six-sided die, one use being marked each time a player rolls four, five, or six.

Some Backgrounds such as Archivist, Astrologer, Enuuch, Scribe, Mathematician, and Tapestry Weaver have access to Magic Words, and so through Divine Intonation, the Language of the Sacred. At the start of play, a Sumerian with such knowledge knows two words, such as Treason, Clay, Bones, or Steps, but can learn more. The player of such a Sumerian describes the effect he wants using the Words his Sumerian knows and casts the combination automatically as an enchantment. However, the Game Master determines the cost of casting the enchantment in terms of Hit Protection, or Strength if the caster has no Hit Protection. For example, Gizzal the Enuuch knows the Words Treason and Shadow. Chased by some bandits, he calls upon the gods to direct the bandits’ shadows to betray them and so confuse them as to the direction they are heading in. The Game Master decides that since this is affecting several bandits, Gizzal will lose two points of Hit Protection, but he will get away from the bandits. The Enchantments rules are simple and engaging to use, encouraging player inventiveness, whilst at the same time being far more narrativist than a roleplaying like Into the Bronze usually would be.

More than half of Into the Bronze is about building the world around the Sumerians. This includes elements such as weather and travel, but much is devoted to creating the terrain nearby for the Sumerians to explore and then populating these hexes with encounters across steppes, swamps, deserts, and mountains, and adventure sites. These are backed up with a lengthy table of adventure hooks, a table for creating the gods who walk among men, and a bestiary of classic creatures, such as Ghouls, Griffins, and Minotaurs. These are joined by monsters and creatures out of Sumerian myth, such as the Ekkimu, unburied bodies who have returned as demons and hunt in packs of seven to hunt for human flesh.

Physically, Into the Bronze is decently presented with a range of Public Domain Artwork and laid out in an exciting style. In places, the artwork is poorly handled though, and worse, the roleplaying game is underdeveloped. For example, the lack of explanation of for the Disadvantage mechanic, whether or not there is a corresponding Advantage mechanic, and the missing Conditions. An experienced Game Master will be able to address this issue, but having to do so, adds more effort than is necessary in running the game—if only little. In terms of running Into the Bronze, the Game Master will need a fair bit of effort with Into the Bronze given the brevity of the rules, but at least a bibliography is included for further research. Certainly, the Game Master will need a few more monsters and threats to throw at her players. As a framework, it is potentially too sparse, but that does mean there is room aplenty for input by both the Game Master and her players.

Despite its flaws, Into the Bronze is a fantastic little toolkit for running games in a version of ancient Mesopotamia that the roleplaying game provides a means to create and the Player Characters to then explore and go onto building civilisation. Simple and easy to play, Into the Bronze: Sword & Sorcery RPG in Bronze Age Mesopotamia is an enjoyably nasty, brutish, and short roleplaying game set at the dawn of civilisation.

After a short but much-needed hiatus, the Texas Triffid Ranch open houses are starting back up again, with the first of 2022 running this Saturday from noon until 5:00 pm. Keep checking back, too, because the plan is to have … Continue reading →

Mouth Brood is an exploratory horror scenario set in the wilds of Canada in the Yukon on the Kaskwulsh Glacier. Here a strange discovery has been made—a great biodome jutting out of the ice, revealed no doubt due to the effects of global warming and the melting of the glacier. Buried here for millennia, the biodome has clear walls, but what is inside is hidden by leaves and mist and smears of algae. There is though, something moving inside. Clicking and humming and crying. Thousands of things. Millions of things. Are they alien? Are they vestiges of a prior epoch? Are they the results of an abandoned biological project—corporate or governmental? With the discovery of the biodome, Astralem Biotech has been sent a biologists to enter the structure, investigate and catalogue its contents, and above all, return with five live specimens with promises of a bonus for each extra one brought back. What will the team discover? Is it safe? Is it dangerous? Will the team survive?

As with other scenarios from Games Omnivorous, Mouth Brood is a system agnostic scenario, but unlike previous scenarios—The Feast on Titanhead, and The Seed, but like Cabin Risotto Fever before it, this scenario takes place in the modern world rather than a fantasy one. Where Cabin Risotto Fever was set in northern Canada in 1949, the setting for Mouth Brood is the Canada of the here and now—although it does not have to be. As a module, Mouth Brood combines Science Fiction and Horror in its investigation, and like the other titles in the ‘Manifestus Omnivorous’ series is systems-agnostic. Although a modicum of stats is provided to suit a Dungeons & Dragons-style roleplaying game, Mouth Brood would work with, and be easy to adapt to any number of modern or Science Fiction roleplaying games. These include Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition or Chill, third Edition, as well as Alien: The Roleplaying Game, Traveller, and MOTHERSHIP Sci-Fi Horror Roleplaying Game. The point is, Mouth Brood need not be set in Canada, it could be shifted to the Antarctic or the Himalayas, or it could even shifted off world entirely, say to Mars or even to a planet in a different system (although that would break one of its rules listed below, but nevertheless, the possibility is there). Its set-up is simple, flexible, and easy for the Game Master to adjust as necessary. However, just like The Feast on Titanhead, The Seed, and Cabin Risotto Fever before it, Mouth Brood adheres to the Manifestus Omnivorous, the ten points of which are:

1. All books are adventures.
2. The adventures must be system agnostic.
3. The adventures must take place on Earth.
4. The adventures can only have one location.
5. The adventures can only have one monster.
6. The adventures must include saprophagy or osteophagy.
7. The adventures must include a voracious eater.
8. The adventures must have less than 6,666 words.
9. The adventures can only be in two colours.
10. The adventures cannot have good taste. (This is the lost rule.)

As we have come to expect for scenarios from Games Omnivorous, Mouth Brood adheres to all ten rules. It is an adventure, it is system agnostic, it takes place on Earth, it has one location, it has the one monster (though like the older scenarios, those others that appear are extensions of it), it includes both Saprophagy—the obtaining of nutrients through the consumption of decomposing dead plant or animal biomass—and Osteophagy—the practice of animals, usually herbivores, consuming bones, it involves a voracious eater, the word count is not high—the scenario only runs to twenty-eight pages, and it is presented in two colours—in this case, a dark green and greenish-blue over snowy white. Lastly, where previous entries in the series have exhibited Rule #10, it is debatable whether or or not Mouth Brood fails to exhibit good taste—though perhaps that may ultimately be up to how the players and their characters react to it.

The scenario is self-contained detailing a biodome and its almost fizzing, swarming ecology filled with strange creatures that the intruding Player Characters—or indeed anyone—will have seen before. It consists of the outer cover with a map of the biodome on the inside, descriptions of its locations layered out over three levels, from the Undergrowth up through the Canopy to the Emergent, plus a lengthy Bestiary of some eighteen creatures and species. Like all Manifestus Omnivorous titles, it is bound with an elastic band and thus all of the pages can be separated. The advice for the Game Master is to use the Undergrowth, Canopy, and Emergent pages as a screen, and refer to the pages of the Bestiary during play. There is a set-up too, that of Astralem Biotech team, and there are notes on the roles, gear, and advantages of the Expedition Leader, Ecologist, Micro-biologist, and the Bio-Mathematician. These can be copied and given to the players, but the Game Master can also use them as prompts to create pre-generated Player Characters for the roleplaying game of her choice.

Mouth Brood is also a hex-crawl—though very much a mini-hex-crawl, there being seven locations for each of the biodome’s three levels (Undergrowth, Canopy, and Emergent). Each of the hexes is given a thumbnail description, but the bulk of Mouth Brood, twenty-four pages out of its thirty-six, is devoted to its Bestiary. Each entry is accorded a fantastic illustration, a description, a table of things it is doing or is being done to it, and details of what it is doing when observed. They lifeforms of all sorts, such as Acris Motorium, a semi-mobile plant with acrid acid for its sap; the similarly motile Cryptostoma Dilitatus, a swarm-like organism which can contract and spread, and stings in proportional response to contact with it; and the Velox Sanguinus, the brachial apex predator with two sets of jaws, one in its swiveling head, the other in its belly. There is something quite verdant, fetid, and even feverish about the inventiveness of all of these creatures, which could be taken from the pages of Mouth Brood and used elsewhere if the Game Master so desired.

Mouth Brood is primarily a setting, a small environment awaiting the intrusion of the Player Characters, the creatures and species in the biodome reacting to their invasive presence. There is a slight here, that of the biological team collecting samples (and a bit more), but as an exploratory scenario and a hexcrawl scenario, Mouth Brood is very much player driven, the Game Master having to the extensive ecology react to them for much their Player Characters’ explorations. In some ways, this does require a fair bit of preparation upon the part of the Game Master, who has to understand how each of the different species will react to the Player Characters’ presence and actions. In terms of play, there will be a lot of movement and then just being still and observing, such there is almost something sedentary to the scenario. That will probably change once the Player Characters come to the notice of the biodome’s predators. If using pre-generated Player Characters, the Game Master might also want to add some storyhooks and relationships to them, not only to encourage interaction, but also to ramp up the tension when the dangers of the ecology within the biodome become apparent.

Physically, as with the other titles in the  Manifestus Omnivorous series, Mouth Brood is very nicely presented. The cover is sturdy card, whilst the pages are of a thick paper stock, giving the book a lovely feel in the hand. The scenario is decently written, if a little spare in places, but the artwork is excellent and when shown to the players, should have them exclaiming, Ugh what’s that?”, at just about every entry in the Bestiary. 

Inspired by films such as Annihilation and Roadside Picnic, Mouth Brood presents a hellishly febrile ecological unknown, its self-contained nature suggesting that its horror is all inside, when ultimately, the true horror is realising the consequences of what would happen if it were outside…

It’s not the greatest photo (if anything, it reveals the limitations of an iPhone camera in low-light conditions), but those familiar with the Nepenthes rajah pitcher plant in the gallery enclosure Gyre might be intrigued to discover that its pitchers … Continue reading →

Sticking with my Victorian-era and moving south from Lincoln's ghost to New Orleans and her voodoo queen.  

But "Wait," you say. "Marie Laveau died in 1881. Long before your 1890s game." True. That's what people believe. There is a lot of confusion about her exact date of death. There is even doubt as to where she is actually buried.   So for my purpose, this works for her faking her death so she could go on do her thing.  Besides there have been rumors that she survived her own death for years.

Marie Laveau is not just synonymous with Voodoo she is very much part of New Orleans herself.  No New Orleans. No Marie Laveau.  Also, what was she exactly?  She was the self-proclaimed Voodoo queen of New Orleans sure, but what *is* that in terms of NIGHT SHIFT? A Witch? A Theosophist? Sage?

No Marie is something special and in NIGHT SHIFT terms she is something from the new Night Companion book.  She is an immortal Spirit Rider.

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Marie Laveau

6th level Spirit Rider (Supernatural, Immortal)
Archetype: Voodoo Queen

Strength: 10 (0) 
Dexterity: 16 (+2) 
Constitution: 14 (+1) S
Intelligence: 13 (+1) Wisdom: 15 (0) SCharisma: 17 (+2) P
HP: 33
Alignment: Neutral
AC: 9 
Attack: +1

Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +4/+2/+1Melee bonus: +0 Ranged bonus: +2; Wisdom is added to Spell attacks (+6)Saves: +3 Death Saves and area effects, +2 to Wisdom and Charisma-based saves
Immortal PowersUnique Kill: She has to be removed from New Orleans and killed with a ceremonial knife.
Spirit Rider SkillsInnate Magic (6 spells up to 3rd level); Arcana (100%); Arcane Powers (4); Commune with Spirit (Loa); Limited Power (New Orleans); Magical BatteryArcane Powers: Charm Person, Detect Thoughts, Suggestion, Telepathic Transmission
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As the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau is tied to the city. This includes the City of New Orleans and the combined Orelans Parish.  She can leave, but her power and her immortality is threatened.
She is a Spirit Rider instead of a witch because I really wanted to try something different.  Plus in voodoo, it is said that the "Loa rides you" when you are communicating with them. This is a description of her powers. Much like Nellie in London, Marie Laveau is someone the characters might have to seek out for information.  

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

How do you like your GM Screen?

The GM Screen is essentially a reference sheet, comprised of several card sheets that fold out and can be stood up to serve another purpose, that is, to hide the GM’s notes and dice rolls. On the inside, the side facing the GM are listed all of the tables that the GM might want or need at a glance without the need to have to leaf quickly through the core rulebook. On the outside, facing the players, is either more tables for their benefit or representative artwork for the game itself. This is both the basic function and the basic format of the screen, neither of which has changed very much over the years. Beyond the basic format, much has changed though.

To begin with the general format has split, between portrait and landscape formats. The result of the landscape format is a lower screen, and if not a sturdier screen, than at least one that is less prone to being knocked over. Another change has been in the weight of card used to construct the screen. Exile Studios pioneered a new sturdier and durable screen when its printers took two covers from the Hollow Earth Expedition core rule book and literally turned them into the game's screen. This marked a change from the earlier and flimsier screens that had been done in too light a cardstock, and many publishers have followed suit.

Once you have decided upon your screen format, the next question is what you have put with it. Do you include a poster or poster map, such as Chaosium, Inc.’s last screen for Call of Cthulhu, Sixth Edition?  Or a reference work like the GM Resource Book for Pelgrane Press’ Trail of Cthulhu? Or scenarios such as ‘Blackwater Creek’ and ‘Missed Dues’ from the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Screen for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition? Or even better, a book of background and scenarios as well as the screen, maps, and forms, like that of the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack published by Chaosium, Inc. In general, the heavier and sturdier the screen, the more likely it is that the screen will be sold unaccompanied, such as those published by Cubicle Seven Entertainment for the Starblazer Adventures: The Rock & Roll Space Opera Adventure Game  and Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space RPG.
So how do I like my GM Screen?
The Mörk Borg GM Screen comes as a five-panel screen, very sturdy, in portrait format. The outside of the screen is perhaps anything unlike which has been seen before for Mörk Borg, the pitch-black pre-apocalyptic fantasy roleplaying game which brings a Nordic death metal sensibility to the Old School Renaissance. Instead of the riotous assault of electrically vibrant yellow and pink highlights on swathes of black, abrupt font changes, and metallic embellishments. Instead, we have a polyptych of images in white and red on black depicting scenes from the last days of Tveland’s pre-apocalypse. Bloodied demonic skulls, ominously dark towers in the distance, a cultist with sacrifice, a headless statue—or is it?—of angel in a graveyard, and great beasts scrapping over a mound of corpses. The end is nigh and the Mörk Borg GM Screen lest you know it…
The inside of the Mörk Borg GM Screen reverts to its traditional vibrant yellow and with various tables laid out across the inner panels. Working from the left, the first panel provides the means for the Game Master to create NPCs on the fly, including name (both male and female) and trade, along with a concern, a want, what he or she thinks of the forthcoming apocalypse, and lastly a trait to help make him or her memorable. Thus, Urkin the Shitshoveller, who walks with a limp, is concerned because she has kidnapped kin and wants bloodshed in response, but ultimately believes that mankind is doomed. Should the Game Master want it, an optional table can add a twist like Urkin actually being the head of a murder cult or an inquisitor! The next panel—‘Prices May Vary’—covers just about everything that the Player Characters might want to purchase, from chalk and chewing tobacco to scissors and scrolls, as well as weapons, services, armour repairs, and beasts.
The middle panel is the meat of the game and comes with the admonition that the Game Master ‘Only ever roll when failure is interesting’. So here the Game Master can see the Difficulty Ratings, rules for Violence—who Goes First?, Attack, and Defence—and tables for ‘Where Does it Hurt?’ and when an NPC, or probably a Player Character, is ‘Broken’, all at a glance. The next panel provides the stats for Sword Fodder, Worthy Foes, and The Big Bad, whether that is an Underpaid, tired guard, something all Claws, eyes, spidery legs, or The Demon Appears! Beneath this is pair of tables, one for ‘Unclean Powers’ and one ‘Sacred Powers’. All together—and in some cases combined with the NPC creation tables on the first panel—the Game Master can quickly pick and modify an opponent without the need to refer to the rulebook. The last panel is more perfunctory, proving a big table of ‘Items and Trinkets’ and another for the weather, but the entries on the former can be quite intriguing.
Across the top of the panels are pointers for the Game Master. For example, ‘Stores might be understocked’ and ‘Some will try to scam the PCs’ on the prices panel, which add just a little extra. Now initially, it does look as if the Mörk Borg GM Screen does not come with anything extra. This is in part because the extras it does come with are slim, the same shade of yellow as the inside of the screen, and are actually attached to the screen by means of corner pockets that the sheets neatly slip into—perhaps a little too neatly as they are slightly awkward to slot back in. On the front of the first sheet is devoted to Traps—how Player Character triggered the trap, what the trap is, who or what built it. On the reverse, is ‘Somewhere to Drink’ with a select menu, a menu for those who lack funds, patron traits, and answers to the question, ‘Why is the Innkeeper Twitching?’, all of which goes to creating an encounter or even an adventure in itself should the Game Minister want it. On the other separate sheet on the one side is ‘The Tablets of Ochre Obscurity’ is a set of random spell effects worked into tablets, whilst on the other, is a big table of ‘Forty City Events’.
Physically, the Mörk Borg GM Screen is a sturdy game aid. It feels solid in the hands and should withstand reasonable handling, as well as stand up on the table. Everything on the inside of the screen is easy to read—the black on yellow is very clear—including the cursive founts used. If there is an issue with the durability of the Mörk Borg GM Screen, it is that two separate sheets, as cleverly stored with the actual screen as they are, are not as solid and are likely to get separated and lost.
As a roleplaying game, Mörk Borg is mechanically light enough that the Game Master can get away without needing to resort to a screen. However, the Mörk Borg GM Screen is useful in both providing the tables routinely referenced during play and tables of prompts and ideas that the Game Master can very quickly pick or roll up—even at the table if necessary. Ultimately, the Mörk Borg GM Screen is not a necessity, but if you have one, it is perfectly functional and serviceable.

One of the things I feel is my privilege is the ability to share with you my readers and friends all the new and wonderful artists I can find.  I love getting art and if I can help out an artist on the way, well that is even better. 

But when the artist shares something with me?  That is the best of all!

So imagine my delight when the postman rings my doorbell today to have me sign for a package from Italy!

And what a package it is!

I had just featured some art from Djinn in the Shade this morning on my Dirty Nellie write-up.  She was the first artist I have ever had make some art for Nell.

And here is what I got!

This one is one of my favorites and it is based on Witches going to their Sabbath (1878), by Luis Ricardo Falero.  It features her OC sorceress Solaine (who is her Pathfinder/D&D character and star of her own comic strip) and my witch Larina.  There is an uncensored one as well. 
Halloween

Stickers!

Djinn also featured our witches in jail in a new bit of art this week to mark her "shadow ban" from Instagram for having "inappropriate art."  

So I am thrilled to death with these!

You can find Djinn on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (for now!), and most of all on her Pateron site. She was also one of my first Featured Artists here.

Thank you my friend for such wonderful art!

So far my dive into Dracula and then Victorian characters for NIGHT SHIFT has been a lot of fun.  Also, my characters have largely been based on other people's characters or, in the case of Lincoln, real people. 

Today I want to do one of my original characters (OCs for the kids online). She is also one of the characters I had in mind for the Supernatural character rules.

I had introduced you all to Dirty Nellie a few years back (2009!) for various Victorian-era games including Ghosts of Albion, Savage Worlds, and Victoriana 2nd Edition.

Briefly, she is a Street Faerie. These are members of the Fae that have chosen to live in cities.  They are like pixies, complete with wings, but are more human-sized, if a bit shorter.  Their wings look like those of the Peppered Moth.   The obvious reason why is due to the case of the evolution of the peppered moth due to the Industrial Revolution.  Just like the moth, these fae have adapted to the grim, gaslit streets of London.

Nell herself is a central figure in my Victorian games.  She begins as a streetwalker but soon works her way up to running the notorious Gentleman's Club (in the Victorian sense of the term) "Mayfairs" in the late Victorian age.  She is an occult information broker and nearly anyone who is anyone in the occult underworld owes her a favor. Knowledge is power and Nell knows everyone and knows what they know.

Here she is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Nellie by Djinn in the ShadeDirty Nellie

10th level Survivor (Supernatural, Faerie)
Archetype: Party girl Information broker
Strength: 10 (0) 
Dexterity: 14 (+1)
Constitution: 13 (+1) 
Intelligence: 15 (+2) SWisdom: 17 (+2) SCharisma: 20 (+4) P
HP: 55
Alignment: Neutral 
AC: 6
Attack: 3

Fate Points: 1d10

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +5/+3/+2Melee bonus: +1 Ranged bonus: +2Saves: +6 against magic and supernatural attacks
Feed: Nell must engage in some revelry to feed.  
Faerie PowersInnate Magic (Every 3 levels: Magic Missile, Charm Person, Produce Flame, Teleport), Double Damage from Iron weapons, +2 to Dexterity or Charisma, Glamour
Survivor SkillsDanger Sense, Sneak Attack +4 (x4 damage), Ritual MagicOpen Locks: 105%Bypass Traps: 100%Sleight of Hand: 110%Move Silently: 110%Hide in Shadows: 100%Climb: 95%Perception: 85%Read Language: 80%
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Nell is a great character and I have loved using her in many games. By the 1890s she is quite rich, very powerful, and someone that the PCs will run into at some point. 

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

A break from combined househunting and enclosure construction: the first Texas Triffid Ranch open house of 2022 goes live at noon on Saturday, January 15 and runs until 5:00. Expect lots of weirdness, as well as king cake and an … Continue reading →

You can't grow up in Central Illinois and not know something about Abraham Lincoln.  I have been to Lincoln's tomb many times, the old Illinois State Capital, I have been to all the places he debated with Stephen Douglas, memorized many of his important speeches, and went on the Lincoln Pilgrimage a few times. 

While I would categorize myself as merely an armchair Lincoln Scholar (I know two bonafide Lincoln Scholars) I would also say I am a bit more than an amateur, but certainly a fan.

Lincoln has, no surprise really, featured in a few of my games.  His ghost is part of both my Ghosts of Albion games and my AD&D 2nd Ed Masque of the Red Death games.  He was part of my Haunted Illinois for both games, and that material is seeing new life in the NIGHT SHIFT Night Companion.  The Order of Lincoln was a secret society in my Leagues of Adventures games as well. 

In the 1890s though, Lincoln is dead.  But that is not stopping him from fighting the forces of evil and darkness.  Lincoln still walks at midnight. 

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Abraham Lincoln

5th level Chosen One (Supernatural, Ghost*)
Archetype: Supernatural fighter of injustice
Strength: 16 (+2) S
Dexterity: 17 (+2)
Constitution: 13 (+1) 
Intelligence: 17 (+2) SWisdom: 15 (+1)Charisma: 17 (+2) P
HP: 28
Alignment: Lawful
AC: 6
Attack: 4 (Damage bonus +2)

Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/+1Melee bonus: +8 Ranged bonus: +7Saves: +3 to supernatural attack saves, +2 to all Saves
Feed: Lincoln must destroy other supernatural creatures to sustain his existence. 
Ghost PowersIntangible. Can only be hit by magic or supernatural attacks. Unique Kill (same gun that John Wilkes Booth used). Can't leave their place of haunting, Supernatural Attack, Invisible. Supernatural Power: Manifest Weapon (Rail Splitter Axe).  Drawback: Cannot Lie.(Ghosts are not defined as a character race yet.) 
Chosen One SkillsBrutal Warrior, Stunning Blow, Killing Blow, Difficult to Surprise, Supernatural Attack, Improved Defense, Survivor Skills (2nd level)
--
So there are no Ghosts as a playable race in NIGHT SHIFT.  At least not yet.  I have been playing around with some ideas.  One idea is that every ghost will be able to choose a supernatural power like a Witch does.  In Abe's case here he can manifest a spectral axe like the one he used in his "rail-splitter" days to fight evil supernatural creatures. This replaces the "scare" and "age 10 years" powers monster ghosts have.
Additionally, all Ghosts will have some sort of drawback relating to their life or death.  Abe here can't willingly tell a lie.  All those years of being called "Honest Abe" have put something akin to geas on him.  For his "feed" he must defeat a supernatural creature every night.  With nearby Jackson (see the Night Companion for more on that!) and ghosts from the Civil War, to ghosts dating back to the Ice Age (Ghost Mammoths!), to strange hominids and ghost panthers, there is plenty to keep Abe busy every night. (And plenty for me to think about when I used to go to the Illinois State Museum as a kid.)
Lincoln here is also a Chosen One.  He was supposed to do more in his life and defeat more evil until he was prematurely assassinated.   He continues his quest after death. 
Lincoln haunts the Illinois State Capitol building and his tomb in Springfield IL.  The first sighting was reported by a night guard in 1876.  There are rumors he is also haunting the White House in Washington DC (hey maybe Nixon wasn't crazy!) as well. 
I will be posting a lot more about Jackson, IL here as a "Blog exclusive."
Spirit of '76:  Lincoln's ghost can also be used in my Spirit of '76 games.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Ask any old school gamer to name four classic D&D artists you are likely to get some combination of Elmore, Easley, Caldwell, or Parkinson.  

Ask the REALLY old gamers and they are likely to include Otus, Dee, Tramp, and Willingham to that list.  Sadly, though this has been changing, one of the artist generally not mentioned despite her work is Darlene.

It has taken a long time, but within the last decade or so Darlene is finally getting to accolades and respect she should have been getting since the dawn of D&D.  Her name may not jump out at you, but her art certainly does.

She is foremost the creator of the full-color map of the Flanaess that came with the World of Greyhawk folio and then again with the boxed set.

She did the cover art for Mike Carr's module B1 In Search of the Unknown.

Art in the Dungeon Master's Guide,

Many of the logos from the classic days of D&D,

Jasmine (and This Old Dragon Retrospective)

But her most personal, and certainly longest lived, project was her comic strip Jasmine.  Jasmine appeared in the pages of Dragon Magazine from issues #37 to #48 and no continues on her Patreon site. Darlene retained the copyright to Jasmine.

The Dragon kicked off her debut in style with Darlene's art on the cover.

The Dragon #37

In addition to that wonderfully lovey cover, we are introduced to the tale of Jasmine as "a princess marching cheerfully to her doom."  This is one of the very first color comic strips (though "illustrated adventure story" might be better) I remember seeing in the pages of Dragon.  Darlene's style is watercolor dreamlike.  We are viewing this tale through the mists of time.  They are beautiful to behold but sadly too far away to interact with.  

The Dragon #38

The Princess is ambushed and captured by a rider in all black.

Dragon #39

The magazine is now just called "Dragon" but Jasmine continues. With none of her guards perusing the cloaked the rider the Princess begins to realize that help is not coming.

Dragon #40

A bit of recap, and extended to three pages, we learn that Princess Flavia had been placed under a spell and sent to this land because she had refused all other suitors.  After two day straight of riding with her captor, the hooded man in black from #38, they enter a grove.  Their horse rears up throwing them both off. The hooded man is knocked unconscious.  Flavia then meets up with two gnome-like men who introduce themselves as The Guardians and say they are here to help her.  Flavia says she does not need their help. They reply back that she says that because she has no idea what sort of danger she is in.

Dragon #41

We learn that Princess Flavia is destined to become the next Thaumaturgist!  And it appears she already has a mystic ring of some sort on her hand.

Dragon #42

Flavia recounts to Brother Ethelred how the Ring of Emeth came to her possession. We learn of the peril her father the King is now in. We also learn that another seeks this ring.

Dragon #43

(Ah, the Witch Issue!) Here we get more background on the Guardians and the ring.  There are two who seek it, archenemies Bardulf and Thorgall the Ice King.  Only they can remove it from her finger. 

Dragon #44

Flavia spends a few days considering the Guardians' advice.  She feels trapped in destiny and soon wanders off to a bridge to be confronted by bandits!

Dragon #45

The bandits attack and attempt to rape her until they see her ring and their greed overtakes them.  She is "saved" by a Dwarf warrior who kills both bandits, but the bodies already appear to be burned and withered. When he asks her for her name she replies "Jasmine."

Dragon #46

The dwarf warrior, Glynn Kedaroakenheart has also been drawn up in a prophecy about someone named Jasmine.  Meanwhile Jasmines growing enemies plan and plot.

Dragon #47

Glynn discovers more about Jasmine and encounters others hunting for Princess Flavia.

Dragon #48

Jasmine continues her way up the temple. She is pursued by soldiers who try to attack.  When she is discovered by Glynn the soldiers have all been blinded by a powerful light. 

Sadly here ends our tale of Jasmine in the pages of classic Dragon.  Though her tale continues on Darlene's website and on her Patereon.

Links

• Her website, Darlene the Artist
• The Story of Jasmine
• Storefront
• Her Patreon Site
• Facebook Fan Page
• Discussion about the Fan Page on The Piazza, with postings from Darlene herself.
• Darlene's Transformational Art Store
• Powerful Maidens Coloring books
• Darlene and saying "No" to NotTSR. (Facebook)
• On her site

One of the nice things about having absolutely no natural light in the back area of the gallery, and having all of the lights on timers to encourage winter growth patterns and spring blooming, is that it gets DARK back … Continue reading →

The book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" certainly fits well with my Victorian theme.  The movie, and my first experience with this tale, belongs to a later time (1945) but it still works.

I am not sure when I first saw the 1945 movie starring Hurd Hatfield and a young Angela Lansbury, but it left a mark on me.  That picture! Only hinted at and eluded too through most of the film was bright and vivid in its final reveal. 

Dorian Gray can be seen in the NIGHT SHIFT game as an Immortal. His unique kill would be to destroy the painting.  

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Dorian Gray

2nd level Survivor (Supernatural, Immortal)
Archetype: Immortal Amoral Libertine 

Strength: 10 (0) 
Dexterity: 11 (0)
Constitution: 14 (+1) S
Intelligence: 15 (+1) SWisdom: 11 (0)Charisma: 17 (+2) P
HP: 7
Alignment: Dark
AC: 9 
Attack: +1

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0Melee bonus: +0 Ranged bonus: 0Saves: +3 Death Saves and area effects
Immortal PowersUnique Kill: Destroy painting, Immortals regenerate 1d8 hit points every minute. +3 to Intelligence
Survivor SkillsOpen Locks: 25%Bypass Traps: 20%Sleight of Hand: 30%Move Silently: 30%Hide in Shadows: 20%Perception 45%Danger SenseSneak attack +4, 2x damage--
Dorian here is a different sort of immortal. There is a tendency to make immortals all sword-wielding warriors out for each other's head (Highlander, The Old Guard) but not Dorian. He is a lover, not a fighter.  Ok, he is an amoral lover and wicked man, but he is not going to go off to battle. 
In some other ways, he is much like a successful lich, with his painting as his Soul Cage. 
Dorian is described as a lot of things, but an RPG character is usually not one of them.  He is, by all accounts, a normal human.  I made him a 2nd level Survivor because I am sure he picked up a thing or two in his "adventures." 

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Since things are a bit slow at the gallery due to the end of the growing season, now is a perfect time to discuss winter carnivore cleanups. This time, the subject is one that keeps coming up concerning Nepenthes pitcher … Continue reading →

My week of doing the characters from Dracula has been an absolute blast. Can't wait to go reread the novel again.  It got me thinking about others from this time period that might work out well and there are dozens. More than I will do for this challenge for sure, but enough to keep my busy.

One such character is Dr. Henry Jekyll and his evil counterpart Mr. Edward Hyde.

This also gives me a chance to try out something different with the new Lycanthrope rules.  

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde

4th level Inventor (Supernatural, Lycanthrope)
Archetype: Disturbed Scientist/Human madman

Strength: 13 (+1) [16 (+2) p]
Dexterity: 11 (0) S [14 (0) s]
Constitution: 11 (0) [11 (0) s]
Intelligence: 16 (+2) P [16 (+2)]Wisdom: 12 (0) S [12 (0)]Charisma: 15 (+2) [15 (+2)]
HP: 18
Alignment: Light/Dark
AC: 9 [7]
Attack: +2 

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/+0Melee bonus: +1 [+2] Ranged bonus: 0Saves: +3 to Inteligence and Wisdom saves   
Powers (Jekyll): Danger Sense,  Stressful Transformation, Gadgets (Hyde serum, delivery system, antiserum). 
Powers (Hyde): Danger Sense, Regenerate 1d6 hp, Natural Weapons, Rip and Tear, +3 to wisdom saves.Feed: Must commit an act of violence every night.
Skills:Medicine, Science, Knowledge (Chemistry), Research
Madness: On a roll of 1 or 2 on a d6 Jekyll will transform into Hyde.--
I opted to make Dr. Jekyll an Inventor rather than a sage because that seems to work out the best.  His inventions are his serum and the means to deliver it.  There was a great scene in the otherwise forgettable Edge of Sanity (1989) starring Anthony Perkins as both Jekyll and Hyde.  Basically, Hyde is walking around London, killing prostitutes and hitting on, for all purposes, a crack pipe. The movie was not good, but Perkins was and the scene stuck with me. 
Also the Jekyll/Hyde transformation can be used as a special type of Lycanthrope, or more generally, a "science" based Therianthrope.  This would be the same thing we would use for the Hulk and Cú Chulainn.
There are some more tweaks I can do to this character, but this is a good place to start.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was a Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

—oOo—
Name: The Catcott CollectionPublisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Peter Willington

Setting: Jazz Age Bristol, United Kingdom
Product: Scenario
What You Get: Fifteen page, 1.96 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: “Mirrors don’t lie. They only show a part of truth.”Plot Hook: Getting lost in your studies may cost you more than your Sanity...Plot Support: Detailed plot, staging advice for the Keeper, one floorplan, two handouts, and one NPC (sort of).Production Values: Excellent.
Pros# One-to-one format more engaging# Good staging advice for the Keeper
# Short, one-session, one-to-one scenario# Strong sense of personal horror# Strong sense of isolation# Nicely done feel of decay and dream-like uncertainty# Would work as an introduction for any Academic Investigator# Easy to adjust to Cthulhu by Gaslight or Cthulhu Now
Cons
# Requires a slight edit# Tome at the heart of the scenario not written up# One-to-one format more demanding than traditional scenario# Pre-generated Investigator not given as an Investigator sheet# The intimacy of the personal horror may not suit all players
Conclusion
# Isolated, intimate horror one-shot# Nicely done feel of decay and dream-like uncertainty# Demanding horror scenario for both player and Keeper