Chaosium Digest Volume 20, Number 11 Date: Sunday, August 3, 1997 Number: 1 of 2 Contents: New Mythos FAQs & Errata (Shannon Appel) MYTHOS Four Mythos Decks: Cemetaries of the Empire (Guy Hail) MYTHOS The Serpent People are Everywhere!! (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS Dunwich Deck, Theron-Marks Version (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS Innsmouth Weapons Deck (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS Editor's Note: Two long digests this week: a slew of Mythos articles in V20.11, and a Call of Cthulhu scenario in V20.12--it's called "The Return to the Past", and is a sequel to "A Hole in Time" from V20.1. Send in submissions for the next issue! Shannon NEW RELEASES: * Glorantha - _The Book of Drastic Resolutions, Volume Prax_ (Stephen Martin, $13.00) is the second issue of the Drastic fanzine, all about Prax. It makes a great supplement to the recent ToTRM #14 & 15, and covers the Beast Riders of the Wastelands, the Cults of Prax, the Nomad Gods boardgame, and Monsters and Treasure of Prax. _Enclosure_ (Soapy Frog, $15.00) is the GloranthaCon V book. It's jammed packed with useful information, divided into sections on Orlanthi Lore, PenDragon Pass, and Alkoth and the Empire. Both of these products should be available from Wizard's Attic and Reaching Moon Megacorp in the very near future. NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: The Eldritch Dark http://crash.ihug.co.nz/~boyd/ A web site dedictated to the works of Clark Ashton Smith. -------------------- From: Shannon Appel Subject: New Mythos FAQS & Errata System: Mythos ** NEW MYTHOS ERRATA ** 07/30/97 MYTHOS: THE DREAMLANDS Card Errata * Phobophobia - The Affects line should read "Affects Your Own Investigator". MYTHOS LIMITED Card Errata * Astrophobia - There should be an Affects line which reads "Affects Opponent's Investigator". ** NEW MYTHOS FAQS ** 07/30/97 GENERAL QUESTIONS Miscellanea: Q: Can I examine the Spells in my Opponent's Tomes? Can I examine my Story Deck? Can I examine my opponent's Story Deck? A: Yes in all cases. If a card is face-up on the table, any player can examine it at any time. This includes the investigator, tomes, spells, allies, adventure cards, the story deck, and the discard pile. Q: What foreign editions has Mythos been printed in? A: As of late 1997, German (Pegasus Spiele: MSGS), French (Jeux de Cartes: Limited), and Spanish (Joc Internacional: Limited). Chaosium does not have any of these editions available, though a European distributor theoretically should. Combat: Q: If I use Create Gate during the combat phase can I create a new directed threat? Can I form a new directed threat when I add an Ally to the Threat with an Enchanted Weapon? A: Yes. Yes. Q: Does this mean that my opponent gets a new opportunity to block against that threat with Allies? A: No. The Allies defending phase is already past. However, you can use your Allies to block against an opponent even if he does not have Monsters directed against you. This is a good idea if you think he will later attack you with enchanted weapon-bearing Allies, or a Monster brought through a created gate. Q: Is there a Spell/Artifact phase at the end of the round even if there are no Monsters? A: Yes. Artifacts: Q: Can I use the powers of cards like Crawford Tilinghast or Miss Anna Tilton to play Exotic Location Artifacts? A: No. These powers simply allow you to play an Artifact somewhere without the Artifact attribute. Events: Q: Can I play an event even if I don't have a legitimate target? That is: can I play Thieves in the Attic even if my opponent doesn't have Artifacts; can I play Governmental Coverup even if my opponent doesn't have an Event in his Story Deck; and can I play Rude Awakening even if my opponent isn't in the Dreamlands? A: In all cases, no. Events that have instant effects must always have a legitimate target. Locations: Q. Can I go from the same Location right back to itself? Does this allow me to use the gate again? A: Yes. Yes. It works just as if you were playing any other Location card. In the city, play it right-side-up. In the country, walk there. If it's an island, take a boat. Spells: Q: Can I cast a spell even if I don't have a legitimate target? That is: can I cast Wave of Oblivion even if my opponent doesn't have a Location; can I cast Petrify even if my opponent doesn't have an Ally; and can I cast Deflection even if my opponent hasn't cast a Spell? A: In all cases, no. Spells that have instant effects must always have a legitimate target. Q: Can I use a Summon/Control spell to Summon Joined Monsters? A: No. You can only Summon/Control one card. Tomes: Q: Can I use the powers of cards like Tukor or Laban Shrewsbury to play Exotic Location Tomes? How about Tomes in languages I don't know? A: No. These powers simply allow you to play a Tome somewhere without the Tome attribute. MYTHOS DREAMLANDS SPECIFIC QUESTIONS Allies: Q: Can I bury Tukor, and at the same time use one of his languages to bring out a Tome? A: Yes. MYTHOS LIMITED SPECIFIC QUESTIONS Artifacts: Q: How exactly does the Lamp of Alhazred work? A: This was explained in the original Limited edition of the rules, but has been omitted from more recent versions (since it's the only Artifact that works this way). In short: to turn on the Artifact rotate it sideways and spend a point of Sanity. This takes a turn. To turn off the Artifact flip it face-down. This takes a turn. When the Artifact is on, you are in the Past and may not play new Locations or Travel Events. If you lose the Lamp while you are in the past, you revert to being in the present. Events: Q: How exactly does the "Protection from Police Investigation" that some Police Detectives and other Allies offer work? What happens if I play such an Ally after Police Investigation is played on me but before it takes effect? A: If you have an Ally that offers "Protection from Police Investigation", the Police Investigation Event may not be played against you. Police Investigation has an instant effect that occurs the moment it is put down; afterward it is kept out till the end of the round only as a reminder. That means that Police Detectives later played have no effect (nor does Aldebaran, or any other card which clears the table of Events). -------------------- From: Guy Hail Subject: Cemetaries of the Empire: A Mythos Deck System: Mythos Cemeteries of the Empire A CYOA Deck for the CCG Mythos Cemeteries of the Empire requires four CYO Adventure cards. The entire deck requires cards from the Limited Edition Starter, and the boosters Expeditions of Miskatonic University and Legends of the Necronomicon. It requires travel between the Middle East and Europe. Together the four adventures tell the story of an Archaeologist (hint!) who travels to the Middle East, is seduced by intercontinental conspiracy, and then survives only by learning knowledge that has a terrible cost. Because this deck cannot be played in a tournament, I have not attempted to minimize the number of cards or to require powerful cards that violated the sense of place and the drama of the story. As written, the deck requires an Investigator who can translate Greek, either the Brilliant Egyptian Archaeologist or the Lyric Poet. Both have advantages. In one game with an opponent who passed frequently, I wished I'd played the Archaeologist, because that Investigator has a higher maximum than the Lyric Poet. For both offense and defense, the deck uses Allies, not Monsters. Where an adventure requires a Steadfast Soldier, one each of Capt. Edward Norrys and Capt. Karl Heinrich, have been placed in the deck. Use of different Allies to fulfill one requirement permits both Allies to be in play at the same time. When Call Power of Nyambe and Enchanted Weapons are added to deck, Allies may be sacrificed for Sanity or moved to the Threat. ADVENTURES Written in Grave Dust Corrupt Adventure, +6/+2 Seeking to add an ancient papyri (a TOME) to the Nilotic collection of your LIBRARY, you travel to the VALLEY OF THE KINGS. You approach a CORRUPT UNDERTAKER, broaching a scheme to rob graves of the Middle Kingdom. Your pilot, a STEADFAST SOLDIER, refuses to smuggle the artifacts to Europe. Instead, he cooperates with a POLICE INVESTIGATION that exposes the machinations of a CORRUPT ALLY working for THE AUCTION HOUSE. Tombs of Europe and the Nile Corrupt Adventure, +7/+3 You are stranded in Egypt, penniless. Help arrives when FARAZ NAJIR hires you to find an ancient artifact, which his backer seeks at all costs. That it may be hidden in a UNDERGROUND CEMETERY in EUROPE or the MIDDLE EAST (2 cards, one in each region) is your only clue. After a lengthy search, you discover the LAMP OF ALHAZRAD and deliver it to your true employer, SIMON ORNE. Errors of the Past Corrupt Adventure, +6/+2 When a CORRUPT ALLY makes a subtle mistake summoning an ALLY FROM THE PAST, you flee the SITE, pursued by a MONSTER and suffering the DREAD CURSE OF AZATHOTH. Tipped by unknown observers, a STEADFAST AUTHOR or REPORTER from IL MONDO OCCULTO follows you across Europe (2 EUROPE LOCATIONS) as you struggle to lose the HOUND OF TINDALOS that stalks you across time and space. In Darkness, Power Corrupt Adventure, +6/+2 Espying an TOME of forbidden lore at GRIVAS OLD AND NEW BOOKS, you conceive a desperate gamble. You hire AHMED to guide you through the labyrinth within THE SPHINX. Hidden in the heart of the great monument perfecting your SPELL, you wait until the stars are right to call upon the power of a GREAT OLD ONE or OUTER GOD to break the curse pursuing you. CARDS The minimum number of cards required to complete the four adventures is 46, but because this is an multi-region deck, several means of travel between the regions are recommended. When the recommended cards are included, the deck rises to 58 cards. My actual playing deck was 67 cards, after including some of the recommended cards. Written in Grave Dust 17 Cards Necronomicon (Greek) Seven Cryptical Books of H'San (English) Bibliotheque Nationale Al-Azhar University Valley of the Kings (x2) George Birch (x2) Capt. Edward Norrys Capt. Karl Heinrich Police Investigation (x2) Simon Orne (unique) Faraz Najir (unique) The Auction House (x2) To make full use of the numerous Allies in this deck, the Call Power of Nyambe Spell must have a home in a Tome bearing the Yellow Sign. I choose the Necronomicon (Greek), because of its special power of drawing an extra card each round, then carried two copies in the deck. I don't like doubling cards unless I have to, though, and the Seven Cryptical Books of H'San (English) costs less Sanity and holds the same spells (as does Cultus Maleficarum). Why isn't the Kitab-al-Azif used instead of the Seven Cryptical Books of H'San (English)? Because the Kitab-al-Azif costs four Sanity. Tombs of Europe and the Nile 5 Additional Cards The Catacombs of Paris The Necropolis Lamp of Alhazrad (x2) Errors of the Past 13 Additional Cards Olaus Wormius (unique) Abdul Alhazrad (unique) The Sphinx (x2) Dread Curse of Azathoth (x2) Arthur Monroe Robert W. Chambers Il Mondo Occulto (x2) Hound of Tindalos (x2) In Darkness, Power 11 Additional Cards Grivas Old and New Books (x2) Ahmed (x2) Call Power of Nyambe Hastur Aldebaran Moves in the Sky Tulzscha Dawn of the Solstice The Shining Trapezohedron The indented three cards are not mentioned in the Adventure's text, but are required to summon the Great Old One or Outer God. Recommended Cards 13 Additional Cards. To transfer Allies to the threat: The Enchanted Knife Lightning Gun Mist Projector When all three Enchanted Weapons are in play and assigned to George Birch, Capt. Edward Norrys, and Ahmed, 13 points may be moved to the threat. To Travel or to Discover Allies by Travelling: Train (x2) Closed Cockpit Monoplane (x3) Car To cure what ails an Investigator: Huntingdon Asylum for Lunatics (unique) Mosque of Iban Tulan (unique) Hospital for the Insane (unique) To provide an additional Site to summon Hastur: The Highland Loch OTHER CARDS These cards have not been included in the deck total. An additional copy of Hastur, the Great Old One of trans-region movement; an additional copy of Aldebaran Moves in the Sky, required to summon Hastur and to cure phobias; Surprise Meeting; Dirigible; Dholes (x2); and Chant of Thoth, because it is important to proceed through this deck quickly. Note that the Chant of Thoth, a folk Spell, must be assigned to an Ally. RESULTS OF PLAY Twice I've played this deck in a multi-player game and twice I've not lost--I wasn't driven insane. I placed second once, after using Allies bearing Enchanted Weapons to drive an opponent insane. First place was taken by a player who played four five-point Adventures in Dreamlands. I placed first the second time, using the large card overlap to victorious advantage. -- GRHAIL@AOL.COM -- Mythos CCG page -- http://members.aol.com/grhail/pages/mythosc.html -- (requires frames capable browser) -- -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: The Serpent People are Everywhere!!: A Mythos Deck System: Mythos Cedric's Decks: Intro: This file is part of a series of deck designs of decks I use for Mythos. Ideally, these deck designs should be less of a card list, than a starting point for a new player to modify the design to suit his or her play style and card supply. My own objective in deck design is to create at least one deck for every Adventure card I have, and balance out the decks. ** Deck Name: The Serpent People Are Everywhere!!! Intro: This was once a dreary New York deck (with Kingsport and Dreamlands), until I noticed that many Kingsport and Celephais Locations have both a Gate and Artifact attribute... Sets: MSGS, Limited Edition, Dreamlands. A second MSGS set would be handy for Two Cities and a Tale's Mrs. Sonia Lovecraft. Summary: Artifact / Tome deck. New York, Kingsport, Celephais. Munchkin cards: Chant of Thoth, Yithian Mental Contact, Surprise Meeting. Adventures: * Come Sail Away * Two Cities and a Tale * Theron Marks Society * The Interesting Shop Cards for Come Sail Away: - Kingsport Location: Any Kingsport Location - Seaman: Captain of the White Ship (x2), The Terrible Old Man - Travel by Sea: The White Ship (x2 or more) - Basil Elton: Basil Elton (x2) - Lighthouse: North Point Lighthouse of Kingsport (x2) - Port: The Harbor of Celephais (x2 or more) - Dreamlands Location: Any Celephais Locations Other cards: The Silver Key (x1), Gate of Oneirology (x2) and Chant of Thoth (Folk / Diamond spells), various Kingsport and New York Allies, including Harry Houdini. Comments: The Silver Key, the Gate of Oneirology, and the White Ship / Captain combination are used to cross dimensions. Both the Lighthouse and the Harbor have both a Gate and Artifact attribute, heheheh. Use the Chant of Thoth to discard Dreamlands cards when you're done with Come Sail Away; none of the other Adventures needs Dreamlands cards. Cards for Theron Marks Society: - Monster: Serpent People (x4) - Phobia: Any Phobias (x2) - Tome: Any Folk / Diamond Tome (x?) - Spell: [Gate of Oneirology (x2), Chant of Thoth (x1)], Dust of Suleiman (x1) - Country House: [The Strange High House in the Mist in Kingsport (x2)] - Two Steadfast Allies: [Any Allies from Come Sail Away or Two Cities] - Weapon: Any Weapon (x2 or more) Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. The Dust of Suleiman summons a Serpent People, so you can apply it towards an Adventure this Round, instead of waiting for it next Round by placing it in a Threat. Note that Harry Houdini from Come Sail Away becomes more difficult to kill with Weapons. Note that if you use a "weak" Phobia in your deck, your opponents may not bother to bury it, so you can play it during another Adventure, and it will stay in play when you play Theron Marks. Cards for Two Cities and a Tale: - Kingsport Location: [Any Kingsport Location] - Train: Train (x2) - New York Location: Any New York Location - Mrs. Sonia Lovecraft: Mrs. Sonia Lovecraft (x2, if possible) - Author: HP Loveraft, Frank Belknaft Long - Monster: [Serpent People (x4)] Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. Use the Chant of Thoth spell (from Theron Marks) to discard New York cards after you've played this Adventure; none of the other Adventures need New York cards. The Interesting Shop Comments: All of this Adventure's requirements overlap those of the other Adventures. The Tiara of Opulance might be useful for this and the other Adventures. They're everywhere... Cedric. -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: Dunwich Deck, Theron-Marks Version: A Mythos Deck System: Mythos Here's another deck design. Cedric. ** Deck Name: Dunwich Deck, TheronMarks Version Introduction: A somewhat mundane deck, providing an example of a deck using The Dunwich Horror. This deck has many extra card "slots", so you can customize it. Despite the high card overlap between its two Adventures, I've had a hard time playing this deck. If you play Locations to fulfill The Dunwich Horror, then find yourself able to play The Theron Marks Society, you've "wasted" the many turns you spent playing the Locations for The Dunwich Horror. Note that the Latin Necronomicon has the Skull icon, so it shouldn't be too difficult to add Seeking Everlasting Life I to this deck, or replace Theron-Marks with it. In addition, this deck has only two Adventures. Players typically use completed Adventures as a record to how close a player is to winning, and having only two Adventures in your deck makes this determination difficult. Sets: Limited Edition Summary: Dunwich Deck. Artifact / Tome deck. Dunwich (Country), Arkham. Munchkin cards: Yithian Mental Contact, Unexpected Calamity. Yithian prevents a card from discarding a Unique card you need. Unexpected Calamity ends a Round quickly so you can cycle through your deck faster. Investigator: Any Latin or Greek Investigator Adventures: * The Dunwich Horror * The Theron Marks Society Cards for The Dunwich Horror: - Two Miskatonic University Locations: Four such cards - Travel by Land: Car (x4, if possible) - Three different Dunwich Locations: Remote Whateley Farmhouse (x2), Any such Locations - Full Moon: Full Moon (x2) - Necronomicon: Two of any editions (Octopus and Eye icons) - Voola Ritual: Voola Ritual (Octopus icon) - Other required cards as necessary Other cards: Discover Secret Cache, Reporter Allies, Whateley Allies, Cloud Memory (Octopus icon spell), Lin Carter (from Dreamlands) Comments: The Dunwich Horror has many Unique cards, especially Allies, so you will probably exhaust your draw deck by the time you complete this Adventure. Dunwich is entirely Country and the Dunwich Horror requires SIX Locations, so play of the deck will be slow! Interestingly, with Reporters and Whateleys, you will be able to decrease your Minimum and increase your Maximum. This will allow you to control your discarding at the end of a Round. Unfortunately, no Dunwich or Miskatonic Locations have both the Artifact and Tome attributes (and many have neither), so Discover Secret Cache is a vital card in this deck. Cloud Memory buries all phobias affecting your Investigator for only one Sanity. Lin Carter, a Dreamlands card, may be found at any Site and Dunwhich has plenty. When flipped, Lin Carter allows you to draw an extra card. Cards for The Theron Marks Society - Monster: [Son of Yog-Sothoth], Any Greater Servitor - Phobia: Scotophobia (x2), or any other Phobias - Tome: [Any two Necronomicons] - Spell: [Voola Ritual (x2)] - Country House: [Remote Whateley Farmhouse (x2)] - Two Steadfast Allies: [Any such cards] - Weapon: Any two Weapons Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. Note the high card overlap with The Dunwich Horror. The Voola Ritual will allow you to summon a Greater Servitor if you need to play it in the same Round that you complete this Adventure. Scotophobia is fear of Night, and is a minor combo with Dunwich Horror's Full Moon. Many Dunwich Locations feature the Artifact Attribute, so playing the Weapons shouldn't be difficult. -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: Innsmouth Weapons Deck: A Mythos Deck System: Mythos Deck Name: Innsmouth Weapons Deck Introduction: Innsmouth is a great place to find Tomes, and a poor place to find Artifacts and Allies -- which this deck needs. It's not one of my favorite decks, especially since I dislike Weapons. When playing this, I've noticed that many of these cards cause Sanity loss, so place three Sanitariums in this deck. Sets: Limited Edition Summary: Innsmouth Deck. Weapons / Tome deck. Munchkin cards: Seeking Everlasting Life I. This deck is also a single-City deck, the fastest sort of deck to play. Investigator: Any French Investigator Adventures: * The Unspeakable Oath (+6) * Stand Against the Order (+9) * Seeking Everlasting Life I (+5) * The Interesting Shop (+5) Cards for The Unspeakable Oath: - Any Marsh Allies: Each Marsh Ally - Tome: Any Skull Icon Tomes (preferably the 1- and 2-spell Tomes, which are in English and French) - Three Weapons: Any six Weapons, including at least two Dynamite, and ideally the Warhorse (from Dreamlands) - Phobia: Any two Phobias - Catastrophic Failure: Catastrophic Failure (x2) - Children Have Nightmares: Children Have Nightmares (x2) Other cards: Jewelry of the Deep Ones, to increase Marsh values (optional). Resurrection Spell (Skull Icon) to overlap with Seeking Everlasting Life I. Comments: The problem with Weapons is that you need to play Allies first, and each Ally can only hold one Weapon. This isn't impossible, but compared to playing Tomes and Spells, Weapons are relatively more difficult, and there are more cards which bury Allies and Weapons than Tomes and Spells. In addition, because Innsmouth has so few Artifact Locations, you'll need to use duplicates. Furthermore, you can't use the "Serpent Men Joins with Weapons" trick, because few Innsmouth Artifact Locations also have a Gate. If you have any Warhorses (from Dreamlands), use them for this deck; an Ally with a Warhorse may carry one additional Weapon. Finally, if none of your opponents have Weapons, you'll need to use Catastrophic Failure on your own Allies(!); Catastrophic Failure discards the Weapon, so you can't even apply the Weapon towards the Adventure. Stand Against the Order - Two Steadfast Allies: [Any such cards] - Barnabus Marsh, Jeremiah Brewster, Robert Marsh: [One of each (Unique) card] - Innsmouth Look: Innsmouth Look (x2) - Marsh Mansion: Marsh Mansion (x2) - Marsh Refinery: Marsh Refinery (x2) - Dynamite: [Dynamite (x2)] - Esoteric Order of Dagon: Esoteric Order of Dagon (x2) Comments: None of the Locations needed for this Adventure have the Artifact Attribute needed for The Unspeakable Oath! Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. Dynamite is discarded when used in combat (so can't be used for this Adventure if used), and tends to be a target for cards which cause Allies to attack your Allies or your Investigator. One possible combo is to use the MSGS Dust of Suleiman and the Innsmouth Look together. Innsmouth Look turns your opponent's Ally (preferably one with Dynamite, of course) into a Lesser Independent in your opponent's Threat, then Dust of Suleiman allows you to control it. Another combo is that after you've scored this Adventure, you can use Become Spectral Hunter to turn your Ally with Dynamite into a Ally with an Enchanted Weapon. In either case, Boom. Finally, after using the Innsmouth Look, the MSGS Blaphemous Obeisance returns a card in a Directed Threat to a player's hand; you can potentially send back an Ally and his Weapon necessary to score an Adventure back to a player's hand, making his discarding at the end of a Round difficult. Seeking Everlasting Life I - Two Steadfast Allies: [Any such Allies] - Corrupt Ally: [Any such Ally] - Tome with the Skull Icon: [Any two Tomes with the Skull Icon] - Resurrection Spell: [Resurrection Spell (Skull Icon) (x2)] Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. All of this Adventure's requirements overlap those of the other Adventures. Seeking Everlasting Life I can also be played immediately after playing another Adventure, since all the cards required for Seeking can be in Play outside the Story Deck to score it. It is thus arguably a broken Adventure. However, it does makes up for the difficulty in playing the other two Adventures in this deck. The Interesting Shop - Four different City Locations with the Tome or Artifact Attribute: [See below] - A Tome or Artifact: [See below] - Any thing costing at least one Sanity: [See below] Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. All of this Adventure's requirements overlap those of the other Adventures. The Interesting Shop isn't necessary for this deck, but the deck requires almost no modification to include this Adventure. --