Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Chaosium Digest Volume 04 Number 10
Chaosium Digest Volume 4, Number 10
Date: Monday, November 1, 1993
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Strange Eons (Alquier Laurent) CALL OF CTHULHU
Music Suggestions for CoC (Jason Corley) CALL OF CTHULHU
More Music Suggestions for CoC (Alan Glover) CALL OF CTHULHU
Index: Different Worlds (Shannon Appel) MISC
Editor's Note:
Well, a power outage prevented me from finishing this yesterday
evening. Hopefully I'll be able to get things completed this time.
Fans of Chaosium games will probably be interested in the newly
created Chaosium Information List. It's meant to be a distribution
point for press releases, promotional mailings and other information,
and is maintained by chaosium@netcom.com.
If you'd like to be added to the list, send the command
'subscribe chaos-info' to majordomo@erzo.berkeley.edu
Recent Sightings:
Thanks again to Frederic Moll for passing along a number of Recent
Sightings from French magazines. If anyone else would like to
contribute information on European Magazine Sightings, it would be
much appreciated. The following articles are all French:
* Call of Cthulhu - "L'appel de Cthulhu", a four page consumer's guide
on the range of supplements available for Call of Cthulhu, Caus Belli
#77 [Sept/Oct, 1993] ; "L'atelier des Arts Appliques", a five page
adventure, Caus Belli Hors Sorie #6
* Pendragon - "Le Chevalier a la Tete Tranchee (The Knight of the
Severed Head), a ten page adventure, Tatou #15
* Stormbringer - "Le Sang de Grome" (Grome's Blood), a six page
adventure that includes a play aid on the Magic of the Elementals,
Casus Belli Hors Serie #6 ; "Affaires de Familie" (Family Affairs), a
six page adventure, Tatou #15 ; "Le Tour de Marche" (Tour of the
Market), a four page description of Cadsandria Market, and a few items
that can be found there, Tatou #15
--------------------
From: alquier@eerie.fr (Alquier Laurent)
Subject: Strange Aeons
System: Call of Cthulhu
DIES IRAE...
The time has come...
'That's not dead,
Which can eternal lie,
Yet with strange eons,
Even Death may die.'
"Necronomicon", Abdul-al'Hazred
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| WARNING: The following article is NOT a scenario or a campaign. It |
| represents only a collection of ideas, guidelines and scenes which may |
| lead to a story or a campaign. These notes are for the use of keepers |
| only. |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Introduction
------------
Did any of you ever think about what could happen if Those Who Are
Dreaming got out of their sleep to stay? Impossible! you might say.
An event of this importance would be the end of all stories. It would
be an apocalyptic death for the hopes of humanity.
Perhaps, but maybe not...
Could we imagine for a while that this event might happen in a story?
This story can exist. I think it could be one of the greatest
adventures for investigators. (If this story doesn't exist
already...)
The stranges eons are coming...
-------------------------------
This summer is a very strange one in California.
The temperature breaks all the records all over the world. Water
becomes scarce. The sun makes people become crazy. Something is
floating in the air, something to come... soon. The international
news reflect this atmosphere: in the Middle East, a strange man named
Anouar-al-Obed is about to reconciliate the Muslim contries using the
fear of God. In the ex-USSR, local fights for power are turning into
a civil war. Moscow asks the help of the United Nations. Terrorists
multiply their attacks everywhere in the world...
Suddenly, without any warning, the order comes from Anouar-al-Obed: a
new Jihad is called, for the conquest of the world. This sounds the
beginning of the end, a signal that adepts were waiting for.
You may have guessed: this Jihad is not the Holy War of Allah. The
God of Anouar-al-Obed is not One but Multiple, and Obed is their
servant (for Anouar-al-Obed is of course Nyar-la-thotep).
The night after, everything has changed.
A major earthquake strikes the planet itself. Somewhere in the
Pacific, a continent is being reborn, and the consequences of this
event are terrible. Volcanoes, earthquakes, fires, floods and
destruction are everywhere.
And then, among the survivors of the destruction, stranges stories
spread like disease, stories of weird and terrible creatures, lights
in the sky and shadows in the heavens. The Great Old Ones and their
servants are coming. And with them, the dark ages...
Investigators
-------------
After a beginning of that scale, one might ask, what's the use of a
story if humanity has come to its end? Of course, to make a story,
the investigators should have a reason to act as a group and,
moreover, a certain hope to succeed.
The power of this story lies in the ambience of apocalypse. It's an
opportunity for the keeper to use, in plain view, situations or
creatures unusual for investigators. The surprise should be total.
No investigator can expect to start an adventure with the End of the
World! In a new world with nothing 'normal' to rely on, the keeper
will be able to prepare the most strange and exciting story.
This is only a vision of what can become a great story. The following
notes are an example of a development I imagined to justify the
existence of investigators in this dying world. (One more time, these
are only guidelines, but I'll be able to mail the details if anybody
wants them.)
The Quest
---------
The investigators are strangers to each other at the beginning. The
same night, they were caught, one by one, by the police, and they are
waiting in the same jail somewhere in the suburbs of L.A. They are
all in this jail for the same reason: a strange little man, looking
like an asian, manipulated them. This strange man acts on behalf of a
great Endless Power. They have already fought the Great Old Ones,
hundreds of thousands years ago. Afterwards, they retired into other
realms, somewhere in the dreamlands of humans.
>From these realms, The Endless have witnessed the preparations for the
Great Old One's return and they want to avoid it. If the return of
the Great Old Ones is completed, humanity will be lost forever and
with it, the dreams of humans. To protect themselves from this fate,
they selected a group of humans, their servants...
After a long, peaceful life in the Dreamlands, the Endless have lost
both the ability to act directly in the 'real' world and the memory of
their power. This memory exists somewhere, written on the walls of a
Palace Out of Time. The passage to this site is described in the
original version of the Necronomicon.
In summary, the investigators have to find the Necronomicon, get to
the Palace Out of Time and return the memory of the Endless Power.
You can imagine the scale and scope of the campaign (or should I say
"saga"). You can also see why a single keeper can't write that story
alone from the beginning to the end!
Afterwords
----------
There are many things to think about before completing a version of
this story that a keeper could propose to his investigators. That's
why I didn't want to detail the story too much. I'm waiting for your
first reactions concerning that story. I have already thought about a
lot of details, too numerous to write down at this time. But, if
someone among the keepers of the Digest wants to try this challenge,
I'm ready to share what I have...
Sources :
---------
The character of Anouar-al-Obed:
Nyarlathotep (Poem and short story by HPL)
The idea of a story beginning with the end of the world:
The Stand (novel by Stephen King)
The Mist (short story by Stephen King)
The Return of the Great Old Ones:
Return to Arkham (novel by Robert Bloch, especially Part III)
The scale of a saga in a strange & mystic world:
Weave World, Cabal, The Great & Secret Show and Imajica (Novels
by Clive Barker)
Randolf Carter and his Quest for Kadath (stories and poems by HPL)
--------------------
From: corleyj@GAS.uug.Arizona.EDU (Jason D Corley)
Subject: Music Suggestions for CoC
System: Call of Cthulhu
It was rumoured a few months ago that the Kronos Quartet would be
recording a musical interpretation of "The Music of Erich Zann". At
the time, I thought it was fortunate that it fell through. I didn't
think that anyone could do it. Now, after having heard only ONE album
of theirs, "Short Stories," I am convinced that they could have done
it, and that they could have done it well.
They are the epitome of classical music gone horribly wrong. Their
music tears out a little chunk of your mind, and nests there. My
favorite music for CoC before was the "Twin Peaks" soundtrack (don't
laugh... it's very eerie and simple). Now, it's "Short Stories"
(although some of the pieces are a little fast for my taste).
As for period music, I suggest digging out a record player and getting
some old vinyl. Particularly if it is scratched, and skips a lot.
Turn it way down low. It works great.
--------------------
From: Alan Glover <alan@pinesoft.demon.co.uk>
Subject: More Music Suggestions for CoC
System: Call of Cthulhu
Some more ideas for music.
Setting the scene: The first minute or so of Eve of the War from the
musical version of War of the Worlds.
Instilling false optimism before a fight: Survivor: Eye of the Tiger.
The wind-pipes of large creatures: I'm drawn back to War of the Worlds
again. There's a piece on it called "The Fighting Machine" which is
written to suggest large creatures (using metallic tripod shaped
bodies) devastating their surrounding.
During a fight: Frankie goes to Hollywood: Two Tribes (some of the
12in versions have up to two minutes of instrumental plus useful
"bites" such as "Mine is the last voice that you will ever hear").
A successful conclusion: Epilogue from the musical version of War of
the Worlds.
[About the musical version of War of the Worlds: In fact I mean the
Jeff Wayne audio version. It has Richard Burton narrating, and the
piece I was thinking of goes (from memory): "No one would have
believed, in the final years of the 19th century, that human affairs
were being watched from the timeless worlds of space. Few men even
considered the possibility of life on other worlds. But, slowly and
surely, they drew their plans against us." The music takes over there
with a piece called Eve of the War.]
I haven't used music yet, but I may try it soon, having started
thinking about choices. Usually I just rely on my narrative skills
and don't use fx of any sort.
regards
Alan
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Index: Different Worlds
System: Misc
This is a fragment from the Different Worlds Index that I recently
prepared. If you'd like to get the whole index, either ftp to
soda.berkeley.edu (where it's available in the /pub/rpg-index
directory), or send mail to almanac@erzo.berkeley.edu with the command
'send rpg-index different-worlds'.
FROM
THE DIFFERENT WORLDS INDEX
VERSION 1.01
[issues 1-47]
AUTHENTIC THAUMATURGY [Chaosium]
Misc:
The Quest for the Sacred Melita, by PEI Bonewits and Larry Press #1 pg 42-47
CALL OF CTHULHU [Chaosium]
Adventures, 1920s:
The Crystal of Chaos, by Peter Gilham #34 pg M1-M7
The Eye of Sitar, by Darren Tschida #38 pg M1-M7
The Lights of Madness, by Richard Launius #45 pg M1-M7
The Shadow on the Sea, by Richard Launius #47 pg M1-M8
Thoth's Dagger, by William Hamblin #27 pg 23-34
Underground Menace, by Sandy Petersen #19 pg 18-21
The Wail of the Witch, by Keith Herber #30 pg M1-M7
Background, Misc:
Archaeological Expeditions, by Thomas Holsinger #42 pg 24-25
Background, 1920s:
Mob Leaders, by Glenn Rahman #27 pg 16-21
Occult Organizations, by Richard Kaczynski #45 pg 14-16
An Occult Who's Who, by Richard Kaczynski #43 pg 34-38
Background, Now:
CoC in the Eighties, by Michael Szymanski #45 pg 8-9
Campaign Design, Adventures:
Blame it on Cthulhu, by Larry DiTillio #35 pg 10-13
Death Scenes, by Sandy Petersen #35 pg 14-15
Campaign Design, Adventuring in the Worlds of HP Lovecraft:
Part I: The Cthulhu Mythos, by Keith Herber #40 pg 10-12
Part II: Dreamworld, by Keith Herber #41 pg 16-18
Campaign Design, Variant:
Scary Monsters, Super Creeps, by Marcus Rowland #44 pg 18-22
Creatures:
More Mythos Madness, by Michael Szymanski & Peter Gilham #40 pg 20-22
Equipment, Magic Items:
More Magic, by Randy McCall #35 pg 6
Fiction:
Dagon Manor, by Robert E. Howard & CJ Henderson #42 pg 16-22
Magic:
Divination Skills, by Randy McCall #25 pg 8-11
Egyptian Magic, by Jonathan Tweet #47 pg 34-37
More Magic, by Randy McCall #35 pg 6
Psychic Power, by Randy McCall #26 pg 8-12
Meta:
Contemporary Ideas about the Necronomicon, by Richard Kaczynski #44 pg 14-16
Lovecraft and the Necronomicon, by Peter Larsen #47 pg 16-19
NPCs:
Archaeological Expeditions, by Thomas Holsinger #42 pg 24-25
HP Lovecraft in CoC, by Ed Gore #28 pg 24-25
Rules, Misc:
Doing it with Class, by Paul Crabaugh #36 pg 36
Losing your Marbles, by Thomas Holsinger #41 pg 20-22
Rules, Combat:
Guns Against Cthulhu, by Dick Wagenet #19 pg 14-16
Variant Combat Rules, by Paul Crabaugh #29 pg 32-33
Rules, Official Questions & Answers:
Designer's Notes, by Sandy Petersen & Lynn Willis #19 pg 8-13
Errata and Second Thoughts #19 pg 23
ELFQUEST [Chaosium]
Background, Introduction:
Adventuring in the World of Elfquest, by Michael Szymanski #45 pg 18-21
RINGWORLD [Chaosium]
Adventures:
Louis Wu & His Motley Crew, by Ed Gore #37 pg M1-M7
Rules, Official Questions & Answers:
Errata #36 pg 15
Previews:
Ringworld Preview, by John Hewitt (1) #29 pg 4-9
(1) Largely composed of text from RINGWORLD (Chaosium 2501-X)
STORMBRINGER [Chaosium]
Adventure, Misc:
Bastions of Balo, by Ken St. Andre #31 pg M1-M7
Adventure, Solo:
Sea Battle at Melnibone, by Ken St Andre (1) #21 pg 24-29
Rules, Official Questions & Answers:
Errata #21 pg 29
(1) Reprinted in STORMBRINGER COMPANION (Chaosium 2102)
SUPERWORLD [Chaosium]
Adventures:
The Star-Devourer, by Steve Perrin #35 pg M1-M7
Threat of the Nighthaunt, by Jon Mattson #32 pg M1-M7
NPCs:
DNAgents, by Steve Perrin #34 pg 8-9
The New Teen Titans, by Steve Perrin #30 pg 12-16
The X-Men, by Steve Perrin & Karl Maurer #23 pg 37-39
Rules, Official Questions & Answers:
Designer's Notes, by Steve Perrin #23 pg 34-35
Errata, by Steve Perrin #23 pg 35-36
Errata, by Steve Perrin #32 pg 39-38
Errata 2, by Steve Perrin #34 pg 14-15
WORLDS OF WONDER [Chaosium]
Background, Magic World:
Zarzeena's World, by Steve Perrin #20 pg 8-9
[Also See SUPERWORLD]
--------------------
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.
