Original Roleplaying Concepts
Artist unknown, wood engraving attributed to the British style. Artwork found at The British Museum. 
Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module is a scenario for Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game. Designed for Player Characters of Second Level, as well as being a Halloween scenario for the popular retroclone, it is a sequel to the author’s earlier Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red—of a sort. In Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red, the Player Characters—all Zero Level and all members of the major families in the village of Portnelle were at the wedding of a young couple whose marriage might have healed a long running rift between two of the families. Of course, it was not to be, as wedding guests were decapitated and stolen away by strange creatures which erupted from beneath the ground. Eventually, after a weirdly crunchy encounter at the nearby abandoned vineyard and a delve underground, they revealed both the culprit behind the attacks at the wedding and darker family secrets. These darker family secrets play out in the events of Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module—sort of.Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module opens with the inhabitants of Portnelle and the Player Characters in the local church. Recently, the townsfolk have suffered a rash of abductions and mutilations, and as a fierce lightning storm rages outside, the senile Father Giralt cries out that he has been granted a vision identifying the person responsible for both. None other than Doctor Lotrin von Weißgras-Geisterblut, a local Elf who resides in a strange castle down by the coast and a recluse who has long been estranged from his family. Of course, as the local priest makes his declaration, there is a crash of lightning, the doors get knocked down, and the congregation is attacked by strangely earthy golems! Who could have ordered such an attack, could it have been Doctor Lotrin von Weißgras-Geisterblut?
Armed with the few rumours they know about the reclusive Elf—the adventure comes with an extensive rumour table—the Player Characters proceed to Castle von Weißgras-Geisterblut! Behind its high walls, they will find all manner of strangeness. First is that the tower keep has been transformed into the head and torso of a woman reaching up out of the earth and into the sky. Second, there is all manner of odd constructed creatures. They include things like ‘Crude Fleshy-Contraption Archers’, collections of gears and levers, powered by enchanted sinews; ‘Weredoggins’, a combination of were-hound and scorpion, whose traditional curse is more spiritual than medical in nature; and the ‘Halfling-Hand Luck-Sucking Lizard’, which is as weird and as nasty as it sounds. There is some enjoyably inventive monster creations here, so it is a pity that so few of them are illustrated in the module. However, the signs of Doctor Lotrin von Weißgras-Geisterblut’s research can be found throughout the tower and together with the constructs, they add to the sense that a mad scientist is at work, which pervades the scenario.
Ultimately, signs point to the top and bottom of the tower. At the top of the staircase which climbs all the way up the arm can be found a local woman, imprisoned and at the mercy of the lightning storm, whilst at the bottom is Doctor Lotrin von Weißgras-Geisterblut’s laboratory. Between the two runs a lengthy coil of mithril. Could the mad doctor be seeking to harness the lightning for a purpose of his own? To which, of course, the answer is ‘yes’, and it is one that the Player Characters will confront—as depicted in the scenario’s centrefold of the Bride Giant, an obvious homage to Bride of Frankenstein!
There are one or two issues with Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module. One is that the dungeon, essentially, the inside of the tower, is small, just nine locations. It does not feel like somewhere that Doctor Lotrin von Weißgras-Geisterblut lives and perhaps another level, one in the ‘head’ of the tower, could have been included to flesh it out a little. Another is that although Exact Spirit Animal, the spell that works in conjunction with the effect of the bite of the ‘Weredoggins’, is included in the scenario, another spell, Geisterblut’s Squirming Flesh, is not. And there is also the matter of the scenario’s centrefold of the Bride Giant. It is not titillating as such, but there is plenty of ‘flesh’ on show, and it may not be to everyone’s taste.
If the horror in Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red is gothic, its inspiration that of Edgar Allen Poe, then the horror of Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module is that of Universal Monsters—in particular, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, as well as Hammer Horror. The scenario is horrifying, challenging, nasty, and in the right hands, campy fun too. That though is Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module as a standalone scenario.
As a sequel to Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red, this scenario is disappointing. Not just the fact that Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red is a Character Funnel for Zero Level Player Characters and Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module is designed for Second Level, meaning that the Judge will need to run a scenario or two to get the Player Characters who survived Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red up to the required Level to player this scenario, but that there are so few links between the two. Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red ended by indicating that Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module is a sequel, but as written, the links between the two are underwritten. The villain of this scenario, Doctor Lotrin von Weißgras-Geisterblut, is a nod at least to Lotrin Whitegrass, husband of the betrayed Brandolyn from Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red—and besides the fact that the two scenarios are set in the same location, Portnelle (whether town or village), that is really all there is in terms of links. There is no family set-up as there is in Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red, there is no advice to link the two, which is both frustrating and disappointing. It just means that the Judge will have to create some of his own.
Ultimately, as a standalone horror scenario, Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror: The Corpse That Love Built – 2018 Halloween Module is entertaining, being a fan and campy challenge. As a sequel to Dungeon Crawl Classics Horror #1: They Served Brandolyn Red, it is very much a missed opportunity.
Dobrynya Nikitich's Battle with the Seven-Headed Zmey, 1913-1918
Prince Ivan's Battle with the Three-Headed Serpent, 1910–1912
Archangel Michael, 1914–1915
Poster for charity bazaar to support war victims
Baba Yaga, 1917
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1887
Sirin and Alkonost, The Birds of Joy and Sorrow, 1896
Kashchei the Immortal, 1917–1919
Knight at the Crossroads, 1882
Last Judgement, 1904
Sleeping Princess, 1913-17.
I stated in my post about the Yaoguai that I am by no stretch of the imagination an expert on Chinese mythology. But even I know there is no way for the Deities & Demigods to cover all the mythological figures, gods, demigods, heroes, and monsters of Chinese myth. The editors of the D&DG agree.Instead what we have here are a few select gods and monsters for D&D fare. I am quite certain that anyone that knows more about this than I do will notice some glaring issue, but for the moment let's look at it for what it is rather than what we wish it to be. This is good because "what it is" is a fascinating, if sometimes problematic, read.
There are a few gods and creatures here that not only would make for great demons (in the Demon category of the Monster Manual) they are creatures that made many appearances in my games. Again this is taking them "as is", not "as they should be" but I will detail that in a bit.
An issue I should address is spelling. Translating between Chinese and English is often half linguistics and half art. Even when the spelling is agreed on it can change later, "D" and "T" are notorious. What does that mean to us? Well, it makes the research a bit harder on some creatures. To get into the myths and stories behind these creatures would take a lot longer than this post and outside of the scope of One Man's God, but as always I will try to pull in the research when I can.
One of the better sources for these myths is E. T. C. Werner's "The Myths and Legends of China" whose earliest publication date appears to be in 1940. The book is in the public domain and would have been available to the authors of the D&DG. While there are other books, I am going to go to this one for confirmation on what is here. Now Werner could have a bunch of issues all on his own. I am not qualified to judge those either.
Finally, I want to give credit to the artist of this section of myths, Darlene. I don't think she gets the credit she deserves half the time (outside of her FANTASTIC map of Greyhawk). Her art really captures the feel of these myths for me.
Chih-Chiang Fyu-Ya
This guy typifies the problem I speak of. A search for him online reveals only sources that were obviously taken from the D&DG. The only other mentions are people asking where he is from. Now I have no issue with making something up whole cloth for a game (I do it every day) but does that make him a part of Chinese myth? In any case, Chih-Chiang Fyu-Ya looks and acts more like a Monster Manual devil than he does a demon. My feeling is this guy was made up for the D&DG.
He does not appear in Werner's book.
Ma Yuan
So Chih-Chiang Fyu-Ya is the punisher of the gods, that is someone the gods send out to punish, much like Erinyes. Ma Yuan is the Killer of the Gods. He kills the gods. He is also a unique beast and fits our definition of a demon well. He is Chaotic Evil, 70's tall, and has 300 hp. He could mop the floor with Demogorgon! Well...maybe not mop. Ma Yuan also appeared in many of my games back in the day as a giant monster of destruction (and ignoring his "High" intelligence rating), his sword is one of just a few fabled weapons in my world that can kill a god. In Gods, Demigods, and Heroes for 0e he is called Ma Yuan Shuai. This is very interesting since Tian Du Yuan Shuai is a figure of Taoist myth (though he could have been a real person) and he is associated with Okinawan Gojū-ryū karate. This was interesting to me because I studied Isshin-ryū karate in college and grad school, they are similar in many of their katas. But going done that rabbit hole was a dead end despite how interesting I found it.
"Yuan Shuai" is also a rank in the Chinese military rank that is equivalent to Marshall in other militaries. Ma Yuan Shuai could mean something like "Horse Marshall."
Going with this name I head back to Werner's book, I find this:
Ma Yüan-shuai is a three-eyed monster condemned by Ju Lai to reincarnation for excessive cruelty in the extermination of evil spirits. In order to obey this command he entered the womb of Ma Chin-mu in the form of five globes of fire. Being a precocious youth, he could fight when only three days old, and killed the Dragon-king of the Eastern Sea. From his instructor he received a spiritual work dealing with wind, thunder, snakes, etc., and a triangular piece of stone which he could at will change into anything he liked. By order of Yü Ti he subdued the Spirits of the Wind and Fire, the Blue Dragon, the King of the Five Dragons, and the Spirit of the Five Hundred Fire Ducks, all without injury to himself. For these and many other enterprises he was rewarded by Yü Ti with various magic articles and with the title of Generalissimo of the West, and is regarded as so successful an interceder with Yü Ti that he is prayed to for all sorts of benefits.Doing research on this guy reveals that I was not the only one taken with this character (not a surprise really). Here Spes Magna Games updated his stats to 5e D&D.
Ma Yuan though is a great being. I would say that he is a great sleeping demon (though his "in lair 10%" seems to preclude this) that is only roused when needed. Werner's description seems to favor demon really.
Lu Yueh
Some success? Lu Yueh appears as a figure using a magic umbrella to spreading plague in a 1922 painting by an unknown artist.
He also appears in Werner's The Myths and Legends of China. Called Lü Yüeh here he seems to be more of a hermit than a demonic god. Also, he only has one head. He still causes plagues though.
Tou Mu
Yikes.
I am prone to be forgiving in cases like Chih-Chian Fyu-Ya; creatures made up to serve a purpose or a niche for a game. Or even Lu Yueh and Ma Yuan; myths extended and/or changed to fit into D&D a little better. But what they did to Tou Mu? No. This is just terrible research at this point. I have avoided being too critical of the D&DG because I know the authors did not have the same access to materials I have now and, not to be a dick about it, but I have been trained to do Ph.D. level research. I have had 30+ years of professional research to draw on. They did not. But this case really goes to the critics of the D&DG.
Background. Tou Mu was something of a celebrity back in Junior High among the people I played D&D with. First she looks way freaking cool, secondly, she had a Charisma of 5! She had a ton of great and unique magic items and some DMs even gave her the dancing sword of lightning (as if she didn't already have enough). She was an Endgame Boss.
In actual Taoist mythology, she is Dǒumǔ (斗母) the 'Mother of the Great Chariot' or the Big Dipper. she would not be a "Chaotic Evil Lesser Goddess" but most likely be a Lawful Good Greater Goddess, though a Lesser (but powerful) Goddess would also be acceptable. Though I am not sure what I find worse, the evil alignment, the 5 Charisma or the 3 in Wisdom.
Here is how she looks in the D&DG,
versus how she is depicted in the real world,
Seriously, how could they have messed this one up so bad? Turn a beloved goddess into a monster?
Again, let's see what Werner has to say about her:
Goddess of the North StarWell, in many ways I supposed that is what OMG is kinda based on; One Man's God is another man's demon. Still, it doesn't feel right to turn Dǒumǔ into Tou Mou. I also suppose this also is part of the criticism landed at TSR/WotC's feet back in July of 2020 about the Oriental Adventures book. which, by the way, despite what all the Chicken Littles were saying back then you CAN still buy it in it's unedited form.
I said at the outset I know far less about Chinese myths than I like and far less than I do about other mythologies. What I do know there are SO MANY great stories about gods, demigods, monsters, and human heroes that doing this one right would fantastic.
My first Bard for B/X, LarsI'll point out that is a continuation of my Class Struggles: The Bard from all the way back in 2015.
The Basic Bard, Review
Basic-era D&D never had a proper Bard. The version in the AD&D Player's Handbook was difficult to get into and harder still to get DM's will to allow it. Second Edition AD&D had a Bard that was part of the Rouge Class, but it felt bland for lack of a better word. I enjoyed playing Bards when I could and I considered doing my own Bard Class to go along with the witch. Thankfully others have stepped in and up to do all that work for me.
Before I get into my new entries, I want to recap the Basic-era or even Basic-like versions of the Bard from my previous post. More details can be read in that post.
Richard LeBlanc, over at Save vs. Dragon
http://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2015/08/new-bx-character-class-bard-version-i.html
http://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2015/08/new-bx-character-class-bard-version-ii.html
http://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/search/label/bard
and to be featured in the Character Class Codex.
http://savevsdragon.blogspot.com/2015/08/cx1-character-class-codex-update.html
Richard LeBlanc has given this class a lot of thought and energy. His Version I has more thief skills, his version II has more magic. I think in the end I prefer his version II Bard. I tend to like a magical flair in my Bards.
Barrel Rider Games
James over at BRG has given us a number of Bard-like classes.
Running Beagle Games, B/X Blackrazor
The Complete B/X Adventurer from Jonathan Becker has a "Loremaster" style Bard.
Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
While not "Basic" the Bard from AS&SH 2nd Edition would fit well into a Basic-era game.
The New Bards On the Block
When the Advanced edition of Labyrinth Lord was released I was hoping for a Bard class, but not unduly surprised when it was not there. No problem I think, plenty of others (see above) to choose from. But in the last few years, a bunch of new, Basic-specific Bards have come out.
Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy
One of my favorites is the BX style Bard from Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy. Part of the Old-School Essentials line delves into the more "Advanced" features and in particular classes. This is a single class bard as expected and redesigned to fit more with BX D&D than Advanced. It uses Druid spells and is sometimes known as a "Divine" Bard for reasons I'll detail in a bit. It has language skills like I like and lore and charm abilities, but no thieves skills. Since this Bard uses Druid spells I like to refer to it in my games as an Ovate.
With the recent OSE Advanced Kickstarter there was an exclusive "Inaugural Issue" of Carcass Crawler a Zine for OSE. This zine included a new Bard. This Bard uses Magic-user spells and has some thieves skills but no charm powers or languages. Called an Arcane Bard in the zine I tend to call this one a Skald. Both work great in a game.
This is not my first time with this particular version of the Companion Rules for B/X, nor is it likely to be my last. Like Advanced-OSE above this set gives us a Bard, an Illusionist, a Druid, and Gnomes. The Bard in this expansion also has the Bard casting Illusionist spells which I rather like to be honest. Something that Gnomes (races as class) also get. The Bard has some nice features, but what I think I would do is redo the Arcane Bard/Skald from above and have it cast Illusionist spells as per this Bard.
Bard Class from James Mishler Games
Likely the most complete Bard class this is a separate PDF from James Mishler. This one is so new that the post he announced it in is still fresh! This Bard has all the skills I want and like. The spells list is a combination of both Divine and Arcane (Cleric and Magic-User) spells, likely as it should be really. But what REALLY makes this bard a great class are the renaming of the spells. Each spell is named like a song or a piece of music. Really gives this Bard a different feel. If I were to import say some more Illusionist and/or Druid spells to this one I'd have to come up with some new names for the spells.
All three (or four) are really great and I can see each one fitting into the game.
A final Bard would be the semi-official Bard from Vol.2 Issue 1 of The Strategic Review from February 1976. This Bard is for OD&D and there are 25 total levels for it. It can charm and has Bardic Lore. It also casts Magic-user spells. I use this as my basis of comparison for Bards going forward.
The proof they say is in the playing. So despite all the warnings, the Internet seems to want to share, I think a party of Basic Bards might be in order just to see how they all work out. While none are great combatants they all would bring various magical and thief skills to the mix. Oh! I can see it now. A D&D version of the Beatles OR better still, The Monkees! I'd use my Hex Girls, but I need four, unless I ignore the Arcane Bard.
Hmm.
It could work.
Pieter van der Heyden, After Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Pride, 1558
Pieter van der Heyden, After Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Gluttony, 1558
Pieter van der Heyden, After Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Envy, 1558
No names or dates are attributed to these four paintings, all variations of Bruegel's engraved series "The Seven Deadly Sins."
Additional engravings based on the works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder were previously shared here.
Richard McKenna / February 9, 2021
Hawkwind: Days of the UndergroundDisclosure: Joe Banks is a We Are the Mutants contributor.
I don’t really remember anybody actually mentioning Hawkwind in my youth. You just seemed to absorb an awareness of them from the landscape by osmosis, the same way you absorbed knowledge of the locations of short-cuts, haunted houses, and the more dangerous potholes. Cognizance of these archetypes stalking out from the mists—lead singer and guitarist Brock the stroppy-looking, vaguely Asterix-ey Celt chieftain, even his name sounding like something out of the pulps; Stacia, mad-eyed unafraid galactic goddess; Calvert the seer, consumed by the voltage of his visions; Nik Turner, crazed sax druid; Lemmy the pagan barbarian; and all the other assorted weirdos, bruisers and flakes, equal parts disconcertingly familiar and reassuringly alien—somehow assembled itself in your brain of its own accord from fragmentary exposure like a sub-language. Shards of an aesthetic, like the weird Art Nouveau-ish t-shirt worn by the girl at the youth club, the truncated roar of “Silver Machine” coming from the open door of a pub, a friend’s older brother’s odd-smelling bedroom, all pointing to the existence of this thing: Hawkwind.
For a period, I didn’t even realize that Hawkwind was a band, having intuited that it was a TV program along the lines of Catweazle, and by the time I was a teen in the mid-’80s, Hawkwind were so violently out of fashion in the milieus I frequented that it wasn’t even necessary to choose not to like them—not liking them was the default position. Perhaps, along with a widespread post-’77 mistrust of hippies (ironic, seeing as it was often hippies-turned-punks who were punk’s most dedicated propagators), it was this sense of them more as an aspect of the environment than a rock revelation that contributed to the relative neglect the band long enjoyed in their native island. And yet they remained eerily omnipresent and potential, like a seam of strange metal running through everything that you did like, and biding their time until the moment you noticed them and the electricity started to flow.
For those that have managed to avoid the knowledge, Hawkwind are a British band who played—and in fact continue to play—an unappetizing-sounding cocktail of hard rock, hippy sludge, psychedelic rock, prog, and a kind of Ur-punk. Over the top of the chippy rhythms, DIY electronics, and gloomy melodies sits the crazed lyrical world the band have gradually accreted around themselves over the years, where genuinely inspired SF poetics collide with off-their-face ramblings pulled from the last SF pulp someone read. All this somehow coalesces into what’s often seen as the UK’s equivalent of Krautrock. It’s often referred to as “space rock,” a concoction they’ve stuck with for decades. See? You’re already sneering. But that’s only going to make you feel even more of a tit several years down the line when you feel compelled to play “Orgone Accumulator” five times in a row every time you’ve had a drink. Because Hawkwind technology works, and when that electricity starts to flow, you will feel the irresistible cosmic boogie blasting through your body.
Hawkwind: Days of the Underground takes upon itself the task of lasering away the galactic cobwebs obscuring the sleek form of starship Hawkwind, waking its crew from suspended animation and firing up its thrusters. In it, author Joe Banks shows how transformative Hawkwind were from a musical, political, and maybe even sociological standpoint, their stubborn refusal to become part of the machine hardwired into the instruments of their mission. He contextualizes them in the various musical scenes they warped through and reminds us of their DIY vocation, highlighting how much more they perhaps have in common with an entity like CRASS than they do with their nominal peers. It’s in their shared aggro-hippie roots in free festivals and pagan whatnots, artwork-as-intrinsic-part-of-the-package philosophy, quasi-military collective presentation, relentless beat, guitar rhythms that feel like they’re hacking away at something, and even in the prole-patrician tensions implicit in the contrasting vocal stylings of Hawkwind’s Brock and Calvert and CRASS’s Eve Libertine and Steve Ignorant.
Like the idiot I am, I avoided Hawkwind like a time-plague for much of my youth, so the revelation when it came that they were not in fact some embarrassing 12-bar club band but a paradigm-blasting mindfuck was even more shocking, and this is the feeling that Days of the Underground captures: that moment of protracted excitement when you realize something is great. It’s also the perfect book for anyone like me who has a dread of books about bands and the deadening effect too much information can have (at least for me) on the daft power of rock ‘n’ roll. Practically every time I’ve read a book about a band it’s felt a bit like watching a beautiful stage set be dismantled by well-meaning yet stolid roadies whose main interest is in the kinds of screws holding the props together, or what’s going to be on the catering table.
Days of the Underground isn’t like that. It’s a book written by a fan in the best possible meaning of that phrase, in the sense that it communicates its author’s deep passion about and desire to share something transformative and, in its way, profound. The book is rammed with insightful commentary, informed analysis, and detailed information about every aspect of the band (and their endless internal crew disputes), but despite that it somehow never lets the momentum slack or allows fannery to drown out the driving Cosmic rhythm. I came away from it feeling excited and galvanized—not just wanting to re-listen to every Hawkwind LP (though I definitely did) but also wanting to actually do things: not read another rock book but pick up a guitar, draw a picture, write a story, go into suspended animation and let the automind pilot me outside of time. It’s a read that feels more like an actual exciting thing than it does a book about an exciting thing, if that makes any sense. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no greater compliment.
Richard McKenna grew up in the visionary utopia of 1970s South Yorkshire and now ekes out a living among the crumbling ruins of Rome, from whence he dreams of being rescued by the Terran Trade Authority.
The weekend before last I was at my FLGS and in their "glass case" there was a game that I have been wanting since I opened my first "Gateway to Adventure." That game is Warlocks & Warriors.While the game has some serious nostalgia value to it (details in a bit) the game itself is so simple it makes Dungeon! look like RuneQuest or Champions.
Choose to be a warrior or a warlock and move your pawn on the board. Run into another player? Duel, which has the effect of pushing them back.
The goal is to get the blonde princess back to her castle so her daddy the King can give you half his kingdom and supposedly the princess too. Hey, it was 1977. Given the cover, I thought maybe the blonde was also a playable character. I really should have known better, but I had hoped.
But there are a few things going for it. First and foremost this game was designed by Gardner Fox. Yes THAT Gardner Fox. So I was hoping for a little more to be honest. The guy that gave us Zatanna and Doctor Fate (among others) should have had cooler warlocks.
It is also an "Introductory Fantasy Game" so it would be fun as an introduction to old-school D&D tropes for younger kids. Though the lack of anything like fantasy monsters (as moving pieces) or treasure limit the use of this for that. The playing pieces are basic, but not really for 1977 standards.
The cover similarities between this and Holmes Basic can't be ignored.
It really seems to be the same "Warlock" and "Warrior" on both covers. Both were done by David Sutherland and both boxed sets came out the same year.
This is also not the only time we see the "Princess" we next see her in the AD&D Player's Handbook looking over the collected treasure loot.
Maybe she told the Warrior and the Warlock (and her dad) to go get bent and she became an adventurer herself. I mean she is eyeing that magic sword.
Zenopus Archives (the authority on all things Holmes) comments on how the map from this game would make for a good Holmes Basic "Hex Crawl".
The box itself is surprisingly light. But I am judging it by today's standards.
Would this game satisfy my "Traveller Envy?" I am not sure. I think I could work it into a game somehow. Maybe as the previously mentioned Hex Crawl for Holmes (or Basic Era between levels 1 and 3). I could come up with a whole adventure for it to be honest. Warlock holding a princess captive, hex crawl to find her. But that is WAY too clichéd.
Still. I can't help think there is a way to add this to the Holmes Experience. Potentially add it to the Monster Manual for the full 1977 experience! Or maybe the Ancient Ruins on the map are the dungeon from the Dungeon! board game.
The game itself is really just a larger "mini-game" not much more complex than the mini-games that TSR would later release in 1981. I'll even go on a limb here and say the relationship between Warlocks & Warriors to Holmes is not significantly different than the relationship between the 1981 mini-games and Moldvay Basic.
More on these mini-games at a future date!
Reviews
The Descent Into Limbo, 1559-63
The Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1556
The Last Judgement, 1558
Saint James and the Magician Hermogenes, 1565
The Fall of the Magician, 1565
The Witch of Malleghem, 1559
The Fight of the Money Bags and Strong Boxes, 1570-1601
Pride, 1558
Lechery, 1558
Envy, 1558
Avarice, 1558
Sloth, 1558
Anger, 1558
Gluttony, 1558
Patience, 1557
Big Fish Eats Little Fish, 1557
The Peddler Pillaged by Apes, 1562
Fortitude, 1560-62
All artworks attributed to Pieter van der Heyden except for "Fortitude" which is attributed to Philips Galle. Engravings published by Hieronymus Cock.
All artworks found at Rijksmuseum.
Well, January was used up and Monday, February 1st was also taken, so that makes today the first free Monday in 2021 for Monstrous Mondays! Let's get to it.
First I want to talk a little bit about my two monster books, the Basic Bestiaries. I am far behind my original and revised, release dates. Not that this is a big deal really save that I wanted to something more done. I mentioned a while back that I began with one book and I am now splitting it up into two books, one for witch and witchcraft associated monsters and another for various demons and devils. Work has continued on both books, but I might get to a point where I need to split them up yet again. No big details yet, but I have an overabundance of the undead, in particular, vampires. Still, my choice is two books and I am extremely happy with my Fuseli and Goya covers.
This brings me to today's post. The Yaoguai and Chinese demons.
My demons are now over 500 individual monsters and I am just getting started. I have talked a lot about demons here.
What I know about Chinese Mythology could fill a book. A very small, poorly edited book.
Here is what I have learned over the last few months.
Yaoguai are a class of mostly evil (but not always so) spirits. The name is used for the collection of all such spirits and for a group of specific animal spirits. The name comes from the characters 妖怪 which translate into "strange ghost." They are related to yaomo (妖魔 yāomó, lit. "strange devil") or yaojing (妖精 yāojīng, lit. "sprite" or "seductive") all start with the same character 妖. This (typically) refers to an awakened spirit.
And as expected it also far more complicated than that. Though as I have mentioned before, I can't serve two masters, in this case, Chinese mythology and good Game Design.
Yaoguai
Lesser Yaoguai are all animal spirits that were normally benign but have sought out immortality by becoming demons. While they can generally be described as evil, they are often more selfish and amoral. The ones most encountered are evil since they tend to work against mortals.
All lesser yaoguai can be recognized by their glowing eyes, preternatural strength, and enlarged teeth and claws. All yaoguai can speak common and any other local languages.
As a spirit creature, a lesser yaoguai can be "Turned" by a cleric as if they were undead. They do need to know their proper name. So "begone rat demon" will not work, but "begone shǔ yaoguai" will. A result of "T" will cause the creature to run away. A "D" result will force the spirit out of the animal in question, often killing the host animal.
Lesser Yaoguai also all have the following powers.
Shǔ Yaoguai
Rat demon spirit
Medium Fiend (Demonic, Yaoguai)
Frequency: Uncommon
Number Appearing: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic [Chaotic Evil]
Movement: 120' (40') [12"]
Hybrid: 120' (40') [12"]
Spirit: 240' (80') [24"]
Armor Class: 6 [13]
Hit Dice: 5d8***+5 (28hp)
Attacks: claw/claw, bite
Damage: 2d4+1 x2, 1d6+1
Special: disease (demon fever), summon animals
Size: Medium
Save: Monster 5
Morale: 8 (NA)
Treasure Hoard Class: None
XP: 750 (OSE) 860 (LL)
Shǔ Yaoguai, or Rat demon spirit, is the most common of the lesser yaoguai encountered. They appear as large rats with glowing eyes and human intelligence. In fact, they are often smarter than humans. They can be found wherever large groups of rats are found. They are often mistaken for wererats or dire rats of a, particularly evil mien.
Shǔ Yaoguai can attack with claw and bite and it is by these means that they deliver their curse of Demon Fever. On a successful critical hit with a bite (a natural 20 rolled), they transmit Demon Fever.
The subject is allowed a saving throw vs poison. A fail means death, a successful save means the victim has contracted a slower version of the fever. They will not be able to do anything but require complete bed rest. They will lose one Constitution point per day unless a Cure Disease is cast on them. If they reach o Constitution they will die.
These demons can summon 10-100 normal rats, 2-40 dire rats, or 1-6 wererats in rat form.
Rat demons exist to cause chaos and suffering only. While they are intelligent their plans typically do not exist beyond this.
Niú Yaoguai
Ox demon spirit
Medium Fiend (Demonic, Yaoguai)
Frequency: Rare
Number Appearing: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic [Chaotic Evil]
Movement: 90' (30') [9"]
Hybrid: 120' (40') [12"]
Spirit: 240' (80') [24"]
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Hit Dice: 7d8**+21 (53hp)
Attacks: I headbutt
Damage: 2d8+3
Special: Trample (4d8+3)
Size: Medium
Save: Monster 7
Morale: 10 (NA)
Treasure Hoard Class: XV [H]
XP: 1,250 (OSE) 1,200 (LL)
Niú Yaoguai, or Ox demon spirit, are among the least intelligent of the yaoguai. They are also among the strongest and the greediest. In their animal form, they appear as a black and red ox with fiery eyes. Their hybrid human form appears as a minotaur.
The main attack of the ox demon is a running headbutt. On any critical hit (a natural 20) they also knock their opponent prone and trample them as an automatic attack. The prone victim needs 1 combat round to get back on their feet. The ox demon is not very dexterous and needs a full round to turn around if they wish to attack the same victim twice.
These demons are slow, dumb, and very materialistic. They can also be bribed with treasure; at least double or triple what their current treasure hoard is worth (discounting magic items which they have value for). If this offer is made even the chaotic ox demon will not attack.
Hǔ Yaoguai
Tiger demon spirit
Medium Fiend (Demonic, Yaoguai)
Frequency: Rare
Number Appearing: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic [Chaotic Evil]
Movement: 120' (40') [12"]
Hybrid: 120' (40') [12"]
Spirit: 240' (80') [24"]
Armor Class: 6[13]
Hit Dice: 9d8**+9 (50hp)
Attacks: claw/claw, bite
Damage: 1d6+2 x2, 2d8+1
Special: rake (back legs for 1d8+2 x2)
Size: Medium
Save: Monster 9
Morale: 10 (NA)
Treasure Hoard Class: XXII [A]
XP: 2,350 (OSE) 2,400 (LL)
Hǔ Yaoguai or Tiger demon spirit are among the most violent of all the yaoguai. They appear as tigers with glowing eyes. Their hybrid form reminds one of a weretiger or even a type of Rakshasa; a comparison that both types of fiends abhor.
The tiger demon gleefully attacks with its claws and bite. A critical hit on a bite attack (natural 20) will result in a pin and the demon can then attack with its hind legs for a rake. A hǔ yaoguai in hybrid form cannot rake.
This demon delights in sowing fear. Its preferred attack is to seek out remote villages and begin to kill lone travelers. It will leave the bodies where they can be found to raise the fear levels. Its ultimate goal is to not just kill as many mortals as it can, but also to get the inhabitants of a village or local so scarred that normal life stops. Fields are not attended, work ceases in other parts of the village, and so on. Killing a handful of villagers with claw and bite is satisfying. Killing dozens because there are now not enough crops to feed them is a greater evil.
Despite their propensity to violence they are a clever demon and will work towards the maximum fear they can.
Shé Yaoguai
Serpent demon spirit
Medium Fiend (Demonic, Yaoguai)
Frequency: Rare
Number Appearing: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic [Chaotic Evil]
Movement: 150' (50') [15"]
Hybrid: 120' (40') [12"]
Spirit: 240' (80') [24"]
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Hit Dice: 8d8***+16 (52hp)
Attacks: bite + poison
Damage: 1d6, save vs. poison
Special: Poison, summon normal animals
Size: Medium
Save: Monster 8
Morale: 10 (NA)
Treasure Hoard Class: XX [C]
XP: 2,300 (OSE) 2,440 (LL)
Of all the lesser yaoguai the Shé Yaoguai, or Serpent demon spirit, is the most clever. Second only to the Hóu Yaoguai; but never mention that to these evil creatures. They spend the most time in their animal form as a large constrictor snake with glowing eyes, large fangs, and strange markings on their skin. They are never confused with normal snakes. Their hybrid form is that of a large snake with a humanoid torso and arms with a snake's head.
This yaoguai prefers to attack with its bite only. A critical hit (natural 20) means they have injected a paralytic poison into their victim. The victim needs to save vs. poison or die. A successful save still infects the victim and they lose 1 point of Dexterity per round. This will affect any attack or armor class of the victim. When they reach 0 Dexterity they are paralyzed permanently unless a Remove or Neutralize Poison spell is cast. If all their victims are defeated then the serpent demon will feast on the corpses and the paralyzed.
Shé yaogaui demons can also summon 10-100 normal snakes, 1-10 poisonous vipers, and 1-10 constrictor snakes.
Among the most evil of these types of demons the Serpent Yaoguai attempt to tempt humans into hedonistic lifestyles where only their own pleasures matter. To this end, they work through others to provide decadent parties, banquets, and houses of pleasure.
Hóu Yaoguai
Monkey demon spirit
Medium Fiend (Demonic, Yaoguai)
Frequency: Very Rare
Number Appearing: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic [Chaotic Evil]
Movement: 120' (40') [12"]
Hybrid: 120' (40') [12"]
Spirit: 240' (80') [24"]
Armor Class: 6 [13]
Hit Dice: 10d8***+10 (55hp)
Attacks: claw/claw, bite
Damage: 1d4+1 x2, 1d6+1
Special: Yaoguai abilities
Size: Medium
Save: Monster 10
Morale: 10 (NA)
Treasure Hoard Class: XXI [B]
XP: 3,000 (OSE) 3,100 (LL)
Hóu Yaoguai, or Monkey demon spirit, are among the most powerful, smartest, and evil of the lesser Yaoguai. Their animal form is that of a particularly evil-looking monkey looking like a macaque combined with a chimpanzee. In their hybrid form, they can pass for a hairy human. Given the proper clothing, they can be 90% indistinguishable.
Like all yaoguai, these creatures prefer to attack with their natural weapons. In this case two claws and a bite. Unlike others, there is no special attack by this demon.
These demons are more subtle than their kindred. There are no summonings of creatures or deadly diseases. What they can do is summon 2-20 thralls; mercenary humans they have brought over to their causes. This suits the Hóu Yaoguai well in its chosen area of interest. The breakup of human-run governments.
The Hóu Yaoguai will insert itself into a government as a low-level official and work its way up to power where it can influence governors, princes, or even the Emporer. Its goal is always the same bring as much chaos as it can. The ultimate goal for any Monkey demon is civil war.
--
Not too bad for a start.
Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, the Jonstown Compendium is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s mythic universe of Glorantha. It enables creators to sell their own original content for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, 13th Age Glorantha, and HeroQuest Glorantha (Questworlds). This can include original scenarios, background material, cults, mythology, details of NPCs and monsters, and so on, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Glorantha Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Glorantha-set campaigns.
—oOo—
What is it?Who do you play?
No specific character types are required to encounter Shaivalla, Well-Loved.
Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors is an anthology of five scenarios for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. Published by Chaosium, Inc., the anthology is an update and reimplementation of two previously published anthologies. The original Mansions of Madness: Five Frightening Adventures in Dark and Deserted Places was published in 1990, with a second edition, Mansions of Madness: Six Classic Explorations of the Unknown, the Deserted, and the Insane, following in 2007 and adding a sixth scenario. Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors reduces the number of scenarios back to five, keeps two of the entries from the previous editions of the supplement, and adds three new scenarios. Whether or not the other three (or four) scenarios from the previous editions will return is another matter, although with one, ‘The Plantation’, its treatment of its subject matter may not be as socially acceptable today as it was in 1990. In reimplementing the title, Chaosium, Inc. also turns it into a series, so that further volumes will follow on from Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors. Lastly, although the scenarios in this reimplementation can be played by Call of Cthulhu veterans and neophytes alike, Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors is designed as the next step up from the anthology, Doors to Darkness: Five Scenarios for Beginning Keepers and to be played using the contents of the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, its scenarios being intermediate affairs rather than scenarios for beginner or experienced players of Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition.Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors opens with a little bit history and explanation before diving straight into a classic scenario. Shawn De Wolfe’s ‘Mister Corbitt’ takes place in the well-to-do neighbourhood where one of the Investigators, or his family live. One Sunday afternoon, this Investigator sees his neighbour, the eponymous Mister Corbitt, drop something as he returns home—something ghoulishly unpleasant and disturbing. The question is, where did it come from and what is the mild-mannered, well-regarded, and indeed, neighbourly man going to do with it? Suitable for one or two Investigators, as well as larger groups, ‘Mister Corbitt’ will probably see the Investigators following the neighbour, looking into his backstory, and ultimately breaking into his house. What they find inside is truly disturbing and weird, setting up some entertaining set pieces within the Corbitt residence. There is a pleasing sense of self-containment to ‘Mister Corbitt’. This is a small scenario, but it has everything that the Keeper needs, whether that is advice on how to run Mister Corbitt—typically to nudge the Investigators into action, involving the Police, or what happens if things break loose. The scenario’s scale also makes it easy to use as a side-scenario or expand it out into a series of scenarios if the Keeper so desires. The scenario is also easy to adjust to other countries or time frames. Lastly, should the Investigators delve deeply into the scenario, they will discover that there is more going on, and that perhaps the villain of the piece may not necessarily be who they think it is. Overall, ‘Mister Corbitt’ is a straightforward scenario, but very much a classic which deserved to be updated to Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition.
‘The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse’ is the second scenario to be included in Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors from previous editions of the anthology. Originally written by the author, Mark Morrison, for a convention in 1984, the scenario is set in 1925 and has the Investigators hired by a small-town firm of lawyers to investigate a property in out-of-way Gamwell belonging to one of their clients. This is the explorer and archaeologist, Arthur Cornthwaite, who is also missing. There is some history to the house to be discovered, much of which will add to the creepy, damp sense of desolation which permeates throughout its walls and halls. Although the Investigators will have to deal with the insular nature of some of Gamwell’s inhabitants, they will spend most of their time examining and exploring the house, trying to work out what happened to Arthur Cornthwaite. The scenario includes solid advice for the Keeper, some fun events for her to throw at the Investigators, and overall, is an entertaining twist upon both the haunted house genre and the Mythos—veteran players of the game who have not played ‘The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse’ may quickly deduce the Mythos threat, but the likelihood is that they would be wrong.
The first of the three new scenarios in Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors is Chris Lackey’s ‘The Code’. If the first two scenarios in the collection are intended to be intermediate scenarios for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, it is fair to say that ‘The Code’ is a step up in terms of complexity. This is because it is a Science Fiction horror scenario and because it involves time travel. The Investigators are summoned by a former colleague or teacher, the physics professor, Doctor Kenneth Connelly, to his home because he has made a scientific breakthrough. By the time they arrive at his home, the Investigators will already have been warned that something is amiss, but exactly what is another matter. What they discover is that Doctor Connelly has invented a ‘time suit’, but it is not functioning. There are Mythos elements to ‘The Code’, but the scenario mostly focuses on NPC interaction with the Investigators and there is quite a varied cast the Keeper has to portray. A couple of them do feel extraneous and do add to the Keeper’s workload during play, though there is good advice on how to portray the antagonists. This is in addition to the time travel elements which the Keeper has to handle, and this is where the scenario becomes complex. Along with numerous time-related encounters, the Keeper has to cope with the potential consequences of the Investigators’ actions once the scenario’s time travel comes into play, and adjust the narrative as necessary. There is some advice to that end and beyond the limits of the story, ‘The Code’ could take a Call of Cthulhu campaign in a very odd direction.
‘The Code’ is followed by ‘The House of Memphis’ by Gavin Iglis. The Investigators are hired by lawyers to look into the disappearance of their client, the noted stage magician, Memphis the Great, who has not been seen at his house for over a month, and into the strange deaths of three burglars in the weeks since. Alternatively, for Investigators with criminal connections, a local crime boss will ask them to look into the latter. There is a minor tradition of stage magicians and the Mythos and of strangely inexplicable stage performances (though mostly connected to the Yellow Sign, but not here) in Call of Cthulhu, and ‘The House of Memphis’ is no exception to that tradition. The scenario even adds a new Occupation, that of Stage Magician, as well as a lengthy description of the new skill, Art/Craft (Stage Magic), which the Investigators are likely to need a little of, since they will need to enter the world of stage magicians—though only as amateurs—to learn some of the background to the mystery. The Keeper will also need to understand how the skill works and will probably want to learn how a few card tricks and the like work to give some colour and detail to the Investigators’ interactions with the actual stage magicians they will meet—amateur and professional.
The scenario’s initial investigation is primarily interpersonal in nature and that does mean that the scenario has a large cast for the Keeper to portray, and again, not all of them are truly necessary to the plot. With its plot of protegee-turned rival and devoted magician’s assistant, ‘The House of Memphis’ does feel a little familiar in places, but the scenario is decently put together and there are plenty of opportunities for roleplaying and investigation before the horror really kicks in. Overall, ‘The House of Memphis’ is a solid scenario, especially if the Investigators include a stage magician amongst their number.
The last scenario in the anthology is ‘The Nineteenth Hole’ and is the only scenario set outside of the USA. As its title suggests, it takes place on a golf course and being set in Scotland, it seems only appropriate that it should be by Stuart Boon, the author of Shadows Over Scotland: Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying in 1920s’ Scotland. The investigators are hired by Crystal Macmillan, whose husband, Arthur, a retired publisher, has not been since he visited the golf course he was having restored. The police have shown little interest in his disappearance and the workers at the golf course, many of whom complained of suffering headaches and feeling sick during the restoration work, have little to say either. Again, the scenario involves a lot of interpersonal investigation, first at the Macmillan residence, then in the village and perhaps elsewhere, before proceeding onto the grounds of the golf course and into the club house itself. Here it continues the exploration theme which has been running through all of the scenarios in Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors, though of course, specifically exploration of a house, but the change of venue is refreshing. In comparison to the description given to some of the houses in earlier scenarios there is more detail to the clubhouse in ‘The Nineteenth Hole’ and it very much benefits from it. ‘The Nineteenth Hole’ does come with a sizeable cast, but unlike some of the other scenarios, does not overburden the Keeper with them. These NPCs are all nicely done though, as is the advice for the Keeper, which includes a few red herrings and nasty encounters to throw at the Investigators. The scenario also includes some entertaining, almost Inception-like encounters which are likely to surprise and confound both players and their Investigators. The second Science Fiction horror scenario in the anthology, with a fairly obvious inspiration in the form of H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘From Beyond’, ‘The Nineteenth Hole’ presents another entertaining twist upon the haunted house (haunted clubhouse?) genre, one that is nicely constructed and feels weird and unsettling rather out and out scary. Of the three new additions in Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors, ‘The Nineteenth Hole’ is the most satisfying.
Physically, Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors is as well presented as has become standard for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. The artwork is not always as good as it could be though, and it does not always match the descriptions in the text. One consequence of the switch to full colour is that some of the really great black and white artwork has been left behind in previous editions. The maps are clear, but many feel as if they could do with more detail, especially the contents, which are often left up to the Keeper to describe. One nice touch is that every scenario includes suggestions as to which skills might be useful if the players are creating their Investigators specifically for the scenario and notes towards potential sequels depending upon how the events of each scenario played out.
Chaosium, Inc. could have simply reprinted Mansions of Madness: Five Frightening Adventures in Dark and Deserted Places or Mansions of Madness: Six Classic Explorations of the Unknown, the Deserted, and the Insane, and with some adjustments, that would have been fine. It would not though, have been interesting. With Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors, the publishers provide Keepers and players of Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition with something old, scenarios which very much deserved to be updated and showcase those new to the game why they have always been regarded as classics, and something new, for veteran Keepers and players and those new to the roleplaying game. The choices are all good in either case, and they also lay the groundwork for further volumes in the series, each bringing back classics from editions past alongside the new. Overall, Mansions of Madness – Vol. 1: Behind Closed Doors is a solidly scary set of scenarios, showing off the new, whilst remembering the past.
It's D&D, not pie. You can have as much as you want and there is still more.
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—
Land of the Rising Sun: Role Playing game of myths and legends in the age of Samurai was published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1980. For the publisher, it predates Bushido, although that was previously published by two other publishers. Designed by Lee Gold, the editor of the long running monthly amateur press association, Alarums and Excursions, Land of the Rising Sun began life as a supplement for Chivalry & Sorcery dedicated to the samurai system of feudal Japan, but ultimately became a roleplaying game of its own. This gives Land of the Rising Sun the distinction of being first roleplaying game to be designed by a woman. It is a Class and Level system, in which samurai and nobles conduct themselves honourably; clerics—Buddhist and Shinto dispense blessings, write scrolls, conduct exorcisms, and more; merchants trade and make themselves richer than the nobility; mages of all types seek to perfect their art and studies; craftsmen make and sell their goods; bureaucrats keep the wheels of government running; and thieves, bandits, and ninja steal, rob, sabotage, and assassinate… This is a roleplaying game set in feudal Japan in which a wide array of character types can be played, including gamblers and geisha, and earn Experience Points for doing so. It presents a rich array of magical traditions, as well as extensive notes on religion and a bestiary of spirits, bakemono, demons, gaki, goblins, kami, and more. However, Land of the Rising Sun: Role Playing game of myths and legends in the age of Samurai does use the Chivalry & Sorcery mechanics, and together with a layout and organisation which is ponderous at best, does make this roleplaying game very much of a challenge to learn and play. One of the things I loved about small cons in the 80s (and really, those were the only ones I went too then) was the little indie Zines. Small, cheap (a bonus for a broke high school student) and packed with all sorts of strangeness, they had all sorts of appeal to me.
Granted they were not all good, but they had a sense of, I don't know, love about them. This was before Desk Top Publishing was even taking off yet so often these were Xeroxed, hand stapled affairs.
While it might be easier to get Zines out to the masses, the sense of love is still there.
This is why Zine Quest was made and now we are at the beginning of Zine Quest #3 over on Kickstarter and the choices are overwhelming.
There are plenty of OSR and D&D 5 choices as well as plenty of other indie games in the truest sense.
Trying to track them all is a bit more than I want to take on by myself. Thankfully there are good resources to help us all.
Hero Press / I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters
If you come here then you know "the other Tim" from across the pond. Hero Press is my go-to entertainment blog for all things RPG, Superhero, and more. Go there. No qualifiers, just go there. But he is also covering the Zine Quest projects he likes. You can also follow his Zine Quest tags.
Over on the Facebook side of things his group, I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters will be featuring even more Zines and project owners are encouraged to post links to theirs.
Gothridge Manor / RPG Zines
Tim Shorts (yes another Tim!) is also keeping everyone posted on Zines. He has been talking about them on his blog Gothridge Manor (also a great blog!) and his Facebook group RPG Zines. This is pretty much Zine central and worth your time to check out. Like Tim, Tim has a Zine tag for his blog as well.
But where Tim Shorts rises above the other Tims is his own contribution to the Zine project.
Be sure to back The Many Crypts of Lady Ingrade on Kickstarter.
Tenkar's Tavern
If you have been in the OSR any amount of time you likely know about Tenkar's Tavern blog/podcast/Facebook group. Tenkar is also covering Zine Quest with a lean to the OSR zines coming out.
You can also follow the #Zinequest3 hashtag on Twitter.
There are more launching every day in February, in fact, one launched while I was writing this post that I want to back. So expect a Part 2 next week!
Unspeakable Words — The Call of Cthulhu Word Game is a word game with difference. Most word games require each player to spell out words and then score points based on things like their frequency of use or complexity of use. This game—originally published by Playroom Entertainment in 2007, and given a ‘Deluxe Edition’ in 2015 following a successful Kickstarter campaign, gives the word a Lovecraftian twist. In Unspeakable Words a player spells out words, perfectly ordinary and not at all Eldritch, but scores points based on the number of angles in the letters in the word so spelled. The first player to score a total of one hundred points wins. However, there is a catch. The more angles there are in a word spelled, the greater the likelihood of the Hounds of Tindalos using the angles to ease themselves out of time and so drive a player insane. Fortunately, this is only temporary, and a player can still continue spelling out words in an effort to win the game. If it happens five times though, a player is driven permanently insane and is out of the game.And that pretty much sums up Unspeakable Words — The Call of Cthulhu Word Game, a card game designed for between two and eight players, for ages ten and up. Unspeakable Words — The Call of Cthulhu Word Game Deluxe Edition comes with one-hundred-and-forty-eight Letter Cards, a glow-in-the-dark twenty-sided die, forty Cthulhu Pawns in eight colours, a dice bag, and a four-page rules leaflet. The Cthulhu Pawns are cute, and serve as each player’s Sanity Points; the art is drawn by John Kovalic throughout, giving the game a consistently cute look; and every Letter Card is accorded a score for the number of angles in the letter and illustrated with a creature or entity of the Mythos. So ‘S is for Shub-Niggurath’ and scores no points because it has no angles, but ‘A is for Azathoth’ and scores a player five points because it has lots of angles!
On a turn, a player has seven cards with which to spell out a word. He cannot spell out proper nouns or abbreviations or acronyms, but he can spell out multiples. Once every player has accepted the word, the spelling player totals the value of its angles and attempts to save against their sanity-draining effect. This requires a roll equal to or over the value of angles on the game’s die. If the player succeeds, the word is accepted and its score added to the player’s running total. The player then refreshes his hand. Once a word has been accepted, it cannot be spelt out again by another player, though if it has a multiple, that could. Once used, that word cannot be spelled out again during the rest of the game.
If the spelling player fails his roll by rolling under the value of angles, the word is still kept, but the player loses a Cthulhu Pawn. Once he runs out of pawns, he is out of the game. At just one Cthulhu Pawn, a player can use his Letter Cards to spell out any word, no matter how weird or Eldritch it might be. The point is, is that with just the one Cthulhu Pawn, the player is disturbed enough to find any word acceptable even if others cannot.
And that really is it to Unspeakable Words — The Call of Cthulhu Word Game.
There are a couple of small quirks, though. The first is that the ‘Push Your Luck’ element of a player testing his Sanity means that a player must balance the need to gain the points from his word against the likelihood of failing the Sanity check! The second is that this balance will tip towards lower and lower word values as a player’s Sanity drops lower and lower. Then there is fun of being insane and being able to spell of almost any meaning the player wants from the Letter Cards in his hand. Which is even more fun if the player can define what the word actually means! Lastly, it is clear that the designers and artist John Kovalic have delved deep into the Lovecraftian mythos, for some of the cards are obscure, such as ‘Kaajh’Kaalbh’ and ‘R is for Rlim Shaikorth’, alongside the more obvious ‘C is for Cthulhu’ and ‘N is for Nyarlathotep’. The most knowing card is ‘H is for _____’. Or should that be ‘H is for _____’, ‘H is for _____’, ‘H is for _____’?
There are two downsides to Unspeakable Words — The Call of Cthulhu Word Game. One is player elimination, but fortunately, the game is short enough and since player elimination is likely to happen towards the end of the game, that no player is going to be out of the game for very long. The other is the price. Unspeakable Words — The Call of Cthulhu Word Game is relatively expensive for what is a short filler. That said, this is the deluxe version of the game and it looks very nice.
Unspeakable Words — The Call of Cthulhu Word Game Deluxe Edition is a solid, fun filler. Amusingly illustrated, it presents an entertaining, eldritch twist upon the spelling game that will be enjoyed by family and hobby gamers.
