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Chaosium Digest Volume 04 Number 05
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 <drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu>
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 <JCUBAS@umiami.ir.miami.edu>
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 <appel@erzo.berkeley.edu>
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 <NUMERIK1@ze8.rz.uni-duesseldorf.de>
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 <appel@erzo.berkeley.edu>
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.
