Chaosium Digest Volume 4, Number 5 Date: Sunday, October 10, 1993 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: Update: RQ-Con (David Cheng) MISC Two Enchanted Items for Elric! (Jason Cubas) ELRIC! A Patron of Law (Shannon Appel) ELRIC! More Occult Tomes for CoC (Kaid Ramdani) CALL OF CTHULHU 'Zines of Interest (Shannon Appel) MISC Editor's Note: A few additional things have been added to the Chaosium FTP site recently. A brand new catalog for Pagan Publishing is now available in the /pub/chaosium/paganpub. There are a few new items as well as some updated release dates. Check it out. Also newly available for FTP are a pair of programs for Call of Cthulhu: a character generator and a monster generator. The source code and msdos executables are all in the directory /pub/chaosium/programs. Shannon -------------------- From: David Cheng Subject: Update: RQ-Con System: Misc Update-To: V2.10 Announcment: RQ-Con "There's more than just RQ at RuneQuest-Con" Admittedly, RQ-Con will be about 80% RuneQuest. However, I'd like to point out that there will be some other events that should appeal to the readers of the Chaosium Digest. Sandy Petersen, father of _Call of Cthulhu_, is one of our featured Guests of Honour. He will be running a Cthulhu game Saturday night, and a RQ-Tekumel game on Sunday Afternoon. He will also be sitting in on the panels of the Cthulhu and LARP seminars. Let's not forget that Stafford is also an Arthurian nut. He will be chairing the panel of the Arthurian Britain seminar. (Insider tip: there will be a little something special to see at this seminar; well worth it I'm sure...) *New Event* Mike Young will be running a 25-player Live-Action game, "Miskatonic Class Reunion," to be scheduled either Friday night or Sunday afternoon. If demand is really high, we'll do it twice! Mike has run this several times, and I've heard very positive reviews. Tim Beecher, a recent contributor to the Chaosium Digest, will be running a CoC game, "Breakdown." It involves 8 characters currently residing in the Potsdam Facility for the Treatment of the Mentally Ill. I've gamed with Tim for years, and I know that he is uniquely qualified to give the players true insight into madness. Trust me! Charles Morehouse is authoring a Pendragon tournament, "Bonifacius Manor," which involves events at a Roman-style tournament. Charles is one of the best GMs I've had the pleasure of playing with over my 16 years of gaming. Chaosium will be sponsoring a CREDO! tournament. The way things look, the game might even debut at RQ-Con!... We've also received offers of volunteerism from several others, including some readers of this group. Look for some more Chaosium-based events as things solidify. Anyone got an _Elric!_ scenario they'd like to run? I notice this is a glaring omission in our current schedule... For registration info, please contact: David Cheng drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu 313 East 85th Street, Apt 2C New York, NY 10028 (212) 472-7752 RuneQuest-Con will be held in the Baltimore, Maryland area, January 14-16, 1994. That's MLK weekend, for those of you who have the holiday. *David Cheng drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu / d.cheng@genie.geis.com Ask me about RuneQuest-Con! (212) 472-7752 [before midnight] -------------------- From: Jason Cubas Subject: Two Enchanted Items for Elric! System: Elric! [The enchanted items in this articles are meant to supplement those given on pages 107-108 of Elric!] A RING of shiny black metal, with the chaos star inscribed. The first person to wear it has his magic points drained into it. The second person to wear it may then use those magic points as if they were his own (they do not regenerate though). This cycle goes on 4 times (a total of 8 times worn) after which the ring disappears into a puff of acrid smoke (when all MPs are used after the 8th wearing of the ring, it disappears). A CLOCKWORK SONGBIRD, of silver and gold, with emeralds for eyes. To those of Lawful allegiance the song is beautiful and allows full (3 pts) healing for each week of rest. It also aids in concentration when performing an extended skill action (research, orate, etc), although it is not applicable to things Chaotic (such as Magic). To a Champion of Law, the bird will speak on his/her behalf, increasing the chance of successful invocation from POWx3% to POWx4%. The bird has 20 hp, and falls apart into rusty parts when they are depleted. (Bonus to extended action is +20%). Jason R. Cubas Miami -------------------- From: Shannon Appel Subject: A Patron of Law System: Elric! In V3.2 of the Digest, I presented Jormen Clearthough, a patron of the Balance for use with Elric! Just to be fair, here's another patron for your use, this one a follower of the White Lords. The final member of this trio, a patron of Chaos will be presented in a future issue of the digest. Alondra Whiterobe, Agent of Donblas Originally, Alondra was the wife of Moritoff Goldenteeth, a very prosperous merchant of the Purple Towns. Together, they lived in decadent luxury, a vast financial empire speading out before them. Moritoff, however, grew too greedy, and in the pursuit of profit, he allowed his mercantile activities to interfere with the plots of Hartut Ghaz, a sorcerer of Pan Tang. The sorcerer was most displeased, for a very costly enchantment was upset by the greedy merchant. On one dark morning, Moritoff met an end more gruesome than any seen upon the isles of the Purple Towns in a decade. Shattered, Alondra floated listlessly through life for several months, until the priests of Goldar pointed her towards the worship of Donblas, the God of Righteous Vengeance. She took up the religion with a great fervor, and soon became one of Donblas' most devoted followers. Since then, she has used her late husband's financial resources to raise a small shrine to Donblas in Menii, the capital of the Purple Towns. Alondra is utterly devoted to her deity. Currently, she has two goals: final vengeance against the sorcerer Hartut, and the ascendance of Law in the Young Kingdoms. She is very dedicated, and, unlike many weaker followers of the White Lords, would never use the sorcerous and demonic weapons of the enemy. However, in other ways, she may be just as bad as the foes that she fights. She is cruel and uncaring. The destruction of hundreds would mean little to her if it brought the world closer to law, or if it moved her along the path of vengeance. The players will probably first meet Alondra when they hear of the great rewards that she offers to those who advance her cause. However, as the players move through her service, they might find her means somewhat distasteful, and perhaps even question the gods of Law who would permit such atrocities. Chaos 15, Balance 21, Law 87 STR 11 CON 12 SIZ 11 INT 18 POW 18 DEX 14 APP 12 HP 12 Damage Bonus: none Weapons: Dagger 48%, damage 1d4+2 Armor: none Spells: none Skills: Bargain 131%, Common Tongue 141%, Evaluate 119%, Fast Talk 127%, Insight 102%, Million Spheres 01%, Natural World 82%, Oratory 113%, Unknown Kingdoms 29%, Young Kingdoms 82% Appearance: Alondra is a middle-aged woman who might once have been a striking beauty. Now, her appearance is a reflection of her interal austerity. Her black hair is usually cropped very short, while her dress is rarely more luxurious than a simple white robe. Alondra's sole ornament is a golden amulet about her neck, which bears the symbol of Law, a single white arrow. Demeanor: A woman of fiery passions, Alondra too often allows her emotions to escape her control. It is a need for vengeance which obsesses Alondra, and this is what governs her action. When she is temporarily distracted from her goals, Alondra can be a quite pleasant person, but the majority of the time, she is a driven tyrant who will stop at nothing to increase the power of Law within the Young Kingdoms. Alondra has been named cruel and heartless by those who have opposed her, and they are not entirely incorrect in that assessment. Story Ideas for Alondra's Agents: * (campaign idea) An interesting campaign could be built about Alondra's need for vengeance. This might involve infiltrating organizations in Pan Tang, in order to get closer to Hartut, finding a way to wreak vengeance upon him, and, afterwards, exploring the intrigues of the country, trying to discover if anyone other than Hartut was involved in the murder. * It is discovered that a famous priest of law has been imprisoned deep in a church of chaos, within the evil land of Pan Tang. There, the sorcerers of that land are extracting the inner secrets of Law from him. The players are assigned to find a way either to rescue the priest, or to kill him (the STORMBRINGER supplement, WHITE WOLF, gives an excellent description of a Temple of Chaos). * It is the Time of the Conjunction of the Million Spheres, and thus it is easier to travel between the worlds than it will be until another cycle of the universe has passed. In her recent studies, Alondra has realized this, and thus she has hatched a daring plan. She will use the greatest secrets of the White Lords in order to thrust the adventurers into a world of law. She hopes that they can find great artifacts of law there, and then return to the Young Kingdoms with them. However, the world of law which Alondra sends the adventurers to is also one of utter stagnation. In it, the adventurers will see law ascendent, the ultimate result of the war that they fight. Shannon -------------------- From: Kaid Ramdani Subject: More Occult Tomes in CoC System: Call of Cthulhu In-Reply-To: V2.12 "Occult Tomes in CoC" In V2.12, Jason Corley published a list of Occult Tomes in CoC. Here, I have added some tomes and manuscripts. A fine source for everybody who doesn't dare a high loss of SAN-points are the books of Peter Haining. I have already read _The Necromancers_ and _The Magicians Occult_. These are mixtures of clippings out of real occult tomes and horror stories (by R.Bloch and A.Blackwood). The authors of these clips are also biographed, and can be a nice addition to the Real NPC Gallery. From Haining's books, I got lots of the mythos-based manuscripts, which spice up my CoC campaign. Here are some out of _The Necromancers_: THE GOD OF THE WITCHES, by Dr. Margaret Murray, in English, 19??. Sanity Gain 1D4/0???, Occult +1. Is held by numerous experts to present many of the most logical and convincing explanations about witchcraft. LIVES OF THE NECROMANCERS, by William Godwin, in English, 1834. Occult +2, (English) History +2. Godwin did not claim to have personally investigated witchcraft, but collected contemporary accounts and records and added them to a report on the black arts in the UK. WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD, by Cotton Mather, in English, 1693. Sanity Loss 0/1D4, Occult +1. Deals with his observations in the salem withcraft trials. Everybody who has the astronomy skill might be quite interested in A. Crowley's ASTROLOGY, which I recently found in a German New Age Store. It is based on previously unpublished writings of two members of Crowley's Order, circa 1915. It deals with astronomic and astrologic techniques and their symbols. It addition, it contains references to the arcana and various myths. I have already read it and suggest a Occult+1, Astronomy+5 (Astrology+10). Now, I know when the stars are right. If you are interested, in _The Necromancers_, here's the publishing information on it: The Necromancers by Peter Haining (editor) Coronet Books Hodder Paperbacks Ltd St.Paul's House Warwick Lane London, EC4P 4AH ISBN 0340 16206 6 So long KAID -------------------- From: Shannon Appel Subject: 'Zines of Interest System: Misc There are many magazines out there which might be of interest to people who play Chaosium's games. In this article, I've included a selection of the most notable ones. If you know of any others, drop me a line, and I'll included them in a future issue of the digest. MAGAZINES ABOUT CHAOSIUM GAMES The magazines in this section are either entirely or mostly about Chaosium games. Beaumains: Cost: #1.75 + shipping This magazine has been mentioned before in the Digest (see V2.11 and V3.2 for complete notes on the first two issues), but I note it again here simply for completeness. Basically, it's a magazine all about Pendragon. Subscription Address: Gareth Jones 69 Atherley Road Shirley Southhampton SO1 5DT England As of a few months ago, back issues were available, at the cost of #1.75 times the number of issues requested. Free INT: Size: 40pg Cost: DM 4.80 + shipping Free INT is the fanzine of the German RuneQuest society. Topics of interest include RuneQuest, Glorantha, Cthulhu, Elric!, Stormbringer, ElfQuest and just about everything else covered in the Chaosium Digest (although with a lesser emphasis on Pendragon). Issue 6 of Free INT will be out this month. Subscription Address: Deutsche RuneQuest-Gesellschaft e.V. Ingo Tschinke Scheevemoorer Landstrasse 33 28325 Bremen Germany Submission Address: Joerg Baumgartner Klinkerwisch 36 24107 Kiel Germany Internet: joe@toppoint.de Tel: (49) 0431 31 41 81 The Unspeakable Oath: Cost: $4.00 The Unspeakable Oath is Pagan Publishing's Call of Cthulhu Digest. In past issues, it has had story ideas, adventures, CoC5 and a half, new background and any number of other cool things. The next issue, #10, will be the first in TUO's new format (it will be a square-bound magazine, similar to the White Wolf format of a few years ago). Subscription Address: Pagan Publishing 403A N. 8th St. Columbia, MO 65201 USA Internet: paganpub@aol.com Subscriptions cost $16 for a year in the US, and $24 dollars elsewhere. Back issues are available through Chaosium. MAGAZINES WITH CHAOSIUM CONTENT The magazines in this section are about gaming in general, although they do have some notable Chaosium content. The Green Goblin: Cost: $3.00 The Green Goblin is a fanzine which has some content of interest to Chaosium Digest readers (such as the Cthulhu Book Reviews reprinted in V3.12 of the Digest). In addition, it will probably be carrying reprints of The Chaosium Digest sometime in the future. Subscription Address: John Breakwell 3, Bodmin Road Woodley, Berkshire RG5 3RZ England Internet: johnbrea@microsoft.com Back issues are available upon request. The Wild Hunt: Cost: $4.00 US, $5.00 Overseas, Canada or First Class US One of the oldest roleplaying APAs, The Wild Hunt has been published since 1975. In the past, Greg Stafford, Steve Perrin and a few other game authors have contributed. The Wild Hunt covers most of the hobby, with the possible exception of AD&D. Chaosium does sometimes send material to TWH contributors for review, and so reviews of Horror on the Orient Express, Elric! and others have shown up in TWH as a result. The Wild hunt is a photo-copied, staple-bound 'zine that comes out nine times a year. Subscription Address: Mark Swanson 40 Bow St. Arlington, MA 02174 USA Internet: mswanson@world.std.com If you're interested in subscribing to The Wild Hunt, send a check to the above address, and an account will be set up for you. Cost per issue is $3 + shipping (which is a wildly varying amount). Pete Maranci, who sent me the info on The Wild Hunt, suggested that you mail to him rather than Mark if you want info on the APA. His address is rune@trystero.com MAGAZINES OF RELATED INTEREST The magazines in this section are not about gaming. However, they have content which may be of interest to the people who play Chaosium's games. The Index: Size: 20 pg Cost: $3.00 The Index is a publication of the Esoteric Order of Dagon focused on communication between the EOD, the Starry Wisdom Sect, the Cthulhu Cult and the occult community at large. The backbone of the 'zine is a listing of groups and orders and the last time they were observed. The flesh is Cthuliod / Magickal / Discordian / Offensive and seldom scholarly or game related. Subscription Address: The Index PO Box 450 Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0450 Trades of 'zines, information or contributions are preferred, although the issues can be purchased for $3 each of $10 for a year (4 quarterly issues) -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's Games. To submit an article, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu. The old digests are archived on soda.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.