Chaosium Digest Volume 28, Number 7 Date: Sunday, August 1, 1999 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: * Ethical Dilemmas in Call Of Cthulhu (CTHULHU) by Michael Schwartz mschwartz@mindspring.com Editor's Note: This issue, Michael Schwartz gives us a way to use CoC's Sanity mechanic to handle ethical dilemmas. We need more submissions as I am officially out once again. We've had a request for some Victorian era articles, so I'd be especially interested in some of those. We've also been notably lacking in Nephilim articles. I know that there's a couple of Neph fans out there still, let's hear from you. Until next time, keep looking over your shoulder... ANNOUNCEMENTS: July 23, 1999 PAGAN PUBLISHING TO DESTROY EARTH (also seeks to recruit gaming retailers for new web site section) If you're a gaming retailer, Pagan Publishing wants you! We're setting up a section on our web site where we'll list stores who carry our products. Just fill out the form and we'll sign you up. You'll also get retailer-only emails when products are about to ship and so forth. Plus, you can download and print out a DELTA GREEN sign for your window! >From time to time we'll also do free giveaways and other goodies. If you've got a store, sign up today: Thanks! John Tynes Pagan Publishing http://www.tccorp.com/ p.s. Oh, yeah. We're going to destroy the Earth. Sorry. Not anytime soon or anything. NEW RELEASES (as reported in Chaosium's R'lyeh Report) >> AUGUST Releases Beyond The Mountains of Madness 2380, $39.95 Epic Campaign and Antarctic Sourcebook for Call of Cthulhu. The scientific world was amazed by reports from the 1931 Miskatonic University expedition into uncharted Antarctica. The entire world was shocked by the tragedy which followed. Now a new larger expedition will brave the mysteries of the icy continent. How credible were Miskatonic University reports of fossilized remains of ancient life forms pre-dating all known terrestrial life? Will your expedition return in glory or tragedy? This massive book includes considerable source material on the Frozen Continent, the equipment of the time, and even expedition planning. This is a role-playing sequel to Lovecraft's classic tale, "At the Mountains of Madness", of unimaginable scale. Over 400 pages of pure adventure! ISBN 1-56882-138-7 Miskatonic University Antarctic Expedition Pack 2381 $19.95 Expedition Accessories and Player Aids for Beyond the Mountains of Madness. Here we present a deluxe assembly of handouts used in Beyond the Mountains of Madness plus a few exclusive items. In addition to pages of letters, newspaper clippings, and important documents this pack provides the long-missing 10,000 word conclusion to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym", here printed as the last signature of the never-published book. This kit also provides a special Keeper's Screen including special rules for extreme cold, arctic weather, aircraft operations, and more. There is also a special 16 x 20 inch Keeper's map of Antarctica, an embroidered expedition patch, & a boarding pass for expedition vessel Gabrielle. ISBN 1-56882-145-X The Antarktos Cycle 6031 $19.95 The Mountains of Madness and other chilling tales of terror fiction anthology. The frozen wastes of Antarctica hold many secrets mankind is not meant to discover. This Cyclopean Call of Cthulhu fiction anthology includes "The Mountains of Madness" by H.P. Lovecraft as well as works by Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe, John W. Campbell JR., Arthur C. Clarke, John Taine, and other bold explorers. About 300,00 words. Edited by Robert M. Price. ISBN 1-56882-146-8 ----------------------------- Ethical Dilemmas in Call Of Cthulhu A recent thread on the DELTA GREEN mailing list concerned the resolution of ethical dilemmas and matters of conscience in CALL OF CTHULHU campaigns. Without delving too deep into the so-called "angsty" White Wolf style of play which many DGML subscribers seem to abhor, I would like to offer this quick-and-easy mechanic, based around pre-existing CALL OF CTHULHU rules, with which gamemasters may adjudicate the psychological consequences of characters' actions. WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE: A BRIEF RECAP OF SANITY MECHANICS CALL OF CTHULHU uses Sanity as a gauge of the character's absolute psychological health. As part of the mechanic, a character who loses sufficient Sanity to warrant Temporary Insanity must then make an Idea Roll to determine if he or she, in fact, is aware of the implications of whatever events caused the Sanity loss. A successful roll reflects the character's sudden recognition of the inherent "wrongness" in that which occurred, with a corresponding retreat into blissful insanity. A failed Idea Roll reflects the character's incomprehension of that wrongness, although Sanity still decreases. The character does not lose control of his or her faculties, even though he or she is rather unsettled by the situation. AN YE HARM NONE: CONSCIENCE IN THEORY AND PRACTICE The mechanics for resolving ethical dilemmas and matters of conscience are more-or-less the reverse of the Sanity mechanics. The character first must make an Idea Roll. Failure implies that the character is unable to separate right from wrong *for the moment*, and can proceed as he or she chooses. The truly fiendish gamemaster will bring the matter up again, once the character has opportunity to reflect on his or her actions. Success means that the character recognizes the morally dubious nature of his or her behavior, either intended or acted-upon. If the Idea Roll succeeded, a Sanity Roll becomes required. Success on this roll indicates that the character experiences a crisis of conscience and is wracked with guilt. The rules effect of this anguish is a variable loss of Sanity, the amount lost being dependent on the severity of the moral lapse. Failure indicates that the character feels little or no remorse for his or her actions, representing a sort of "depraved indifference" toward morality like that displayed by psychopathic or sociopathic individuals. Only the minimum Sanity is lost. Witnessing a friend or relative's violent death costs 0/1d6 Sanity, but inflicting a friend or relative's violent death personally might cost 1/1d8 or 1/1d6+2 depending on how close a tie the character felt toward the victim. A sense of proportion is vital, as penalizing the character too much or too little will ultimately undermine the delicate balance of fairness vs. responsibility which these rules required. I recommend using the "Sanity Loss Guide" from page 78 of CALL OF CTHULHU 5th Edition for inspiration, but be prepared to fudge when necessary. These guidelines comment that "few experiences other than Resurrection should so mangle the Sanity of any investigator" as to inflict a 1d20, 2d10 or 3d6 Sanity loss, while "single-handedly and willingly causing the destruction of the entire human race" *might* qualify for a Sanity loss of 3d10. I found the Madness rules from John Tynes' and Greg Stolze's splendid game, UNKNOWN ARMIES, to be very inspirational in the writing of this piece, and would recommend it to those who may be interested in an alternative mechanism for Sanity. The rules presented therein could be fairly easily adapted for use with CALL OF CTHULHU. Thoughts? Opinions? Michael Schwartz mschwartz@mindspring.com --