Chaosium Digest Volume 28, Number 9 Date: Monday, September 13, 1999 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: A letter to the Editor and some announcements. That's all folks. Editor's Note: It seems that submissions have dried up. Come on guys, give me something! Ah well, maybe next time... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: * RE : Call of Something Else Remember that the system has been used in a number of other games (indeed CoC was not the first) e.g. Runequest, Ringworld, Basic Role-playing. Each added something to the basic system (e.g. Runequest had a more detailed combat system). As an aside one of the best games I have ever seen was when a friend ran a Vietnam scenario for new wargamers (who were converting from RPGs) using the CoC rules for familiarity. When the Deep One rose from the swamp and took the point man's head off the effect was terrific. James Langham ANNOUNCEMENTS: * Pagan Publishing Purchases Hasbro! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 10, 1999 (SEATTLE) Pagan Publishing today confirmed a long-standing rumor: at various points in their lives, various Pagan staffers have, indeed, purchased products made by Hasbro. "Heck, we buy Hasbro all the time!" commented Pagan president Scott Glancy. "Brian Appleton alone has purchased enough Kenner Star Wars toys to finance Hasbro's recent $325 million acquisition of WotC." Art director Dennis Detwiller concurred. "When I was eight, I bought--well, actually, my parents bought--a copy of MONOPOLY." The surprise revelation leaves the future of Hasbro purchases by Pagan staffers an open question. The recent division of the staffers into pro-Jar Jar/anti-Jar Jar camps has left some observers wondering if the new toy lines will find their way into the Pagan office. "The heck with Star Wars," Pagan editor John Tynes noted. "I'm just pleased as punch that now Hasbro will be my source for Pokemon. Gotta catch 'em all!" Pagan author and editor John H. Crowe, III, was not available for comment. Sources suggest he was disgusted with the whole damn thing. Pagan Publishing (http://www.tccorp.com/) is a Seattle-based publisher of licensed role-playing game products for Chaosium's CALL OF CTHULHU RPG. Among their many beloved titles are DELTA GREEN, THE REALM OF SHADOWS, MORTAL COILS, and the forthcoming PIKACHU FOREVER. <- John Tynes - rev@tccorp.com - http://www.John.Tynes.com/ -> Our fate is told in the stars themselves. Our lives have no meaning, our world has no hope. Nothing lies before us but death and coleopterans. * Reader's Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos, Update # 26B, Presents Nightscapes # 11, featuring: Fiction by Tom Liberman, Joseph A. McCullough V, Adrian Kleinbergen, J.R. Boos and Graeme Stevens, Michael Minnis, J.B. Lee, Brendan Carson, William Meikle, and David C. Kopaska-Merkel. Nonfiction by Jeff VanderMeer (interview with Brian McNaughton), Don Webb, and G.W. Thomas (interview with Simon Barber). Parodies by Daniel William Gonzales, David Kopaska-Merkel, and Doyle Netzly. Poetry by Franklyn Searight, k=E5ren, Ron Shiflet, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Roy Corey, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., and Michael Fantina. Artwork by Nicole Morris, Mike Stagg, Alan M. Clark, and Simon Barber. Reviews of CODEX ARCANA, STRANGE AEONS #'s 1 - 5, CULTS ACROSS AMERICA, THE EARLY CANNON, CORRELATED CONTENTS, SPAWN OF THE OLD ONES #'s 1 - 3, AVATARS OF THE OLD ONES, STRANGE REVELATIONS, NIGHTMARE'S DISCIPLE, and A CTHULHU MYTHOS BIBLIOGRAPHY & CONCORDANCE. Drop in and spend some time and enjoy yourself at http://www.toddalan.com/~berglund/contents.htm#scapes Edward P. Berglund http://www.toddalan.com/~berglund/ **JUST RELEASED!** >Beyond The Mountains of Madness >Epic Campaign and Antarctic Sourcebook for Call of Cthulhu. 2380 $39.95 ISBN1-56882-138-7 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! >Miskatonic University Antarctic Expedition Pack Expedition Accessories and Player Aids for Beyond the Mountains of Madness. 2381 $19.95 ISBN 1-56882-145-X 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. >The Antarktos Cycle The Mountains of Madness and other chilling tales of terror. 6031 $19.95 ISBN 1-56882-146-8 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. ** UPCOMING CHAOSIUM RELEASES** All books are expected to print in the month listed... (But we all know Chaos Happens) >>>SEPTEMBER >The Elder Party Y2K Nomination kit: Y2K - The Stars Are Right! 2383 $14.95 Everything the Informed Cultist needs to choose the Elder Party Y2K presidential candidate. The Presidential Campaign season is heating up and the Elder Party is marshaling it's forces to ensure that the year 2000 election will be the last election! This kit includes everything a minion of Eldritch powers needs to choose the last presidential candidate. Find out where the Elder party lurks on important issues of the day. The Elder party Y2K nomination kit includes an Elder Party Platform booklet, an Elder Party Bumper Sticker, an Elder party membership card, and more! Each kit Also includes a secret ballot with which discerning disciples can cast their vote to decide which candidate will lead the Elder Party to victory in 2000, and beyond! This product will be extremely limited! Go ask your local retailer to order yours as soon as possible. For Call of Cthulhu Fiction: >Tales Out of Innsmouth 6024 $13.95 ISBN 1-56882-127-1 A shadow hangs over Innsmouth, home of the mysterious deep ones, and the secretive Esoteric Order of Dagon. An air of mystery and fear looms... Waiting. Now you can return to Innsmouth in this second collection of short stories set in that decadent town. Visit the undersea city of Y'ha-nthlei and discover the secrets of Father Dagon in this collection of stories by Peter Cannon, C.J. Henderson, H.P. Lovecraft, Brian McNaughton, Stanley C. Sargent, Franklyn Searight, and other talented webbed hands. Two stories are reprints, while the rest are all new tales of terror! For Call of Cthulhu >Last Rites 2379 $14.95 ISBN 1-56882-137-9 Four new challenging horrors for today. A book of wretched poetry, an incautious summoning, a Satanic coven, and a house where bad things keep happening are the basic ingredients. Useful as stand-alone adventures, or as changes of paces for insertion into an ongoing campaign. Though suitable for beginning player characters, these adventures are dangerous, and incautious beginners will regret rash decisions. RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE: by Shannon Appel * Call of Cthulhu - _James van Hise Presents The Fantastic Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft_ (James van Hise, 192 pgs., $17.95) is a collection of essays on Lovecraft and his works. They've been drawn from a number of sources: _Crypt of Cthulhu_, _Lovecraft Studies_, and numerous other small horror and science fiction mags. Essays are by Will Murray, August Durleth, Peter Cannon, S.T. Joshi, and other notables. The copyright says January 1999, but it just showed up in my local comic shop recently --don't know how long it's actually been out. If you can't find this book locally, and you might not be able to, as there's no ISBN, you can apparently order it straight from the source: James van Hise, 57754 Onaga Trail, Yucca Valley, CA 92284; $17.95 + $4.00 shipping. I haven't read it yet, but it looks good; recommended. ----------------------------- --