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Chaosium Digest Volume 02 Number 05
Chaosium Digest Volume 2, Number 5
Date: Sunday, May 1, 1993
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Review: Escape from Innsmouth (Jason Corley) CALL OF CTHULHU
Comments on Grace Under Pressure (John Tynes) CALL OF CTHULHU
Sanity and Spells (Liam Routt) CALL OF CTHULHU
The Adventure of the Golden Fountain (Eric Rowe) PENDRAGON
Editor's Note:
Castle of Eyes, Chaosium's newest work of fiction is now out. It
isn't tied to any particular world or anything, but looks ok. I can't
really say much more right now since I haven't had time to get past
the first few chapters.
Shannon
--------------------
From: corleyj@GAS.uug.Arizona.EDU (Jason D Corley )
Subject: Review: Escape from Innsmouth
System: Call of Cthulhu
[WARNING: Spoilers for Escape from Innsmouth below]
There comes a time in every CoC player's life when they just get
frustrated. They missed a clue somewhere, or there is a time period
involved where they don't know what they're supposed to do. The GM
has given all the hints he can, but the players still are tearing
their hair out, _knowing_ that THEY are out there somewhere...but not
knowing where or why. Sometimes this feeling can last for several
game sessions and leave a horrible feeling in the stomach even when
it's all over. The players are so fed up, so frustrated, so filled
with tension, that they want just to go and kill something.
Enter _Escape From Innsmouth_.
The book is divided into three sections: The first is a city guide
much like that of Arkham or Kingsport, except much, much nastier and
shorter. It is, after all, a nearly deserted, almost totally inbred
town. Fairly good, easily up to snuff.
The second is a preliminary scenario, introducing the investigators to
Innsmouth. It's pretty easy as investigation goes, but one part
confuses me... Back at the end of the book, there are about 20 small
Innsmouth Ideas (or something like that), which are hooks for
adventures in and around Innsmouth, easily enough to stage an entire
Innsmouth campaign. They say you are supposed to run these
immediately after the first scenario in the book. But, at the end of
the first scenario, the investigators are fleeing Innsmouth in a car,
shooting at pursuing Deep Ones who are storming them with pitchforks
and muskets!
I would say to switch these two around...use the mini-plots in the
back (or ones of your own devising) to get the investigators involved
in Innsmouth. THEN do the first one in the book to get them out.
By far the largest section in the book is the third: the story of the
assault on Innsmouth in 1928 by combined US forces. This is
_violent_. This is _fast_. This is _tense_. This is everything the
"real" raid would have been, and then some. You got your Marine
assault on the Esoteric Order, you got your Marine extraction team on
the mayor's house, you got your Navy infiltration of the tunnels
underneath the city, you got your Coast Guard cutters offshore making
sure nobody flees by boat, and you got your Navy _submarine_ headed
downward to torpedo the underground city. Just level the place. Boom
boom boom.
I like their idea that investigators get to play secondary characters
(like the young Marine punk, or the grizzled WWI vet) on the side,
mainly because I don't have enough investigators in the campaign to
put one in every mission, and I don't want them to miss out.
This adventure is off-beat...but it's just the thing for players
suffering from "He's got that one last handout sitting back there,
what do I have to do to get it from him?" disease. However, it's not
for everyone....and it's certainly not from anyone who wants their
campaign to visit Innsmouth ever again...
PS The book says that by the mid-thirties, Innsmouth lies deserted
again. Yeah, sure, whatever. I said that in my campaign, the fishing
industry picked back up again in the fifties and by the nineties it
was a bustling little town. No, not many people live there, and it's
very quiet, very nice...hm...well, she doesn't blink a lot, but she
looks like a very pleasant lady nonetheless...;-)
--------------------
From: John Tynes <paganpub@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Review of Grace Under Pressure
System: Call of Cthulhu
In-Reply-To: V2.4 Review: Grace Under Pressure
I enjoyed reading the review of "GUP," and I'm glad the writer took
the time to describe his experience. I know the same game doesn't
come off the same way with all groups, and I'm sorry it didn't work
out well for you.
We've run "GUP" almost a dozen times at conventions. Having two
keepers works *very* well, since as mentioned it's next to impossible
not to split the party.
Not having any investigator-types on board worked well in the games we
ran. We approached the whole thing like it was a grown-up version of
playing "star wars" or something. The players really got into
organizing their work, messing around with the equipment and, of
course, helping each other out when they screwed up. They made
careful plans and worked together as a team to accomplish the goals.
As things got weird, they coped the best they could. The idea was to
take normal people with advanced skills and intelligence and throw
them into a horrific situation to see how they can beat it. (Besides,
can you imagine the reaction of a trained investigator when someone
says "hey, how'd you like to spend two weeks in a deep, unexplored
part of the ocean?")
The reprint of "GUP" will include more information on staging the
scenario. When we run it, it's in a dark room lit only by green
glowsticks and penlights. Two tape decks run in the background; one
has a long tape of whalesong, the other a short endless loop tape of
sonar pings. A pair of walkie-talkies is used to keep the two groups
in touch when they split up (and of course, someone always ends up
screaming maniacally into the microphone). A third cassette tape is
used twice in the game: once at the start (containing a message from
the surface about the day's goals) and once later on (when there's
trouble on the surface). We use a separate room for the minisub,
often a bathroom (to be cramped and uncomfortable).
As the saying goes, Your Mileage May Vary. One reader wrote, "well,
it's a good description of a submarine." Others have recounted
wonderful experiences (especially when they use special lighting &
sound effects). In the end, I guess it's the luck of the draw.
John Tynes
Pagan Publishing
--------------------
From: lro@melb.bull.oz.au (Liam Routt)
Subject: Sanity and Spells : An A
Sytem: Call of Cthulhu
Sanity and Spells in Call of Cthulhu : An Alternative Approach
Premise: It is not possible to project a sufficient force of will to
make a spell actually work when you are thinking rationally.
Therefore, a sane person cannot adequately control a spell to cast it
effectively (altough some result may occur). Rather, one must be
suffering from some form of insanity to cast a spell. Sucessfully
casting a spell does decrease one's sanity, though, adding to a
downward spiral into maddness.
Notes: Many people claim to, and attempt to, cast spells. Belief is a
central factor in the success or failure of a spell. Without a true
belief in what you are doing, you are unable to focus your energies
enough to control whatever forces you call upon. Indeed such forces
often will not respond unless the caster is properly focused.
The necessary focus can be attained in a number of ways:
1. The most common, amongst those who work frequently in the field of
occult magic, is to place one's self in a very focused trace. Such a
trance requires a significant amount of specialized training, however,
and is not really an option for the amatuer.
2. In many situations a group can be worked into a trace-like frenzy,
with similar results. The conscious inhibitions in the mind are
bypassed, and the controlling occultist can focus the attentions and
energies of such frenzied people fairly easily. The people themselves
do not usually posses enough conscious control to direct their own
actions, however.
3. Finally, in situations of stress and pressure, even a novice might
be able to transcend the conscious control of their inhibitions, and
focus themselves upon a spell. In situations where one is losing a
grip on reality, the mind can be fooled into trying almost anything
that might provide a way out of a difficult situation. In such a
situation a normally rational person, who would normally be unable to
allow themselves to focus their energies upon something as irrational
as a magic spell, is able to apply themselves to such a venture. Such
is the gift of impending insanity.
>From the point of view of Call of Cthulhu, this calls for a slight
restructuring of the rules surrounding magic and sanity.
The most significant change is the requirement that most characters be
suffering from some sort of insanity (however minor or brief) to be
able to cast a spell properly. This might be best extended to include
any character who has suffered a SAN loss that required a further roll
(an INT roll, or an insanity roll), regardless what the outcome of the
roll was. Some may even be willing to extend the concept further, to
encompass all those characters who have suffered a recent SAN loss,
regardless of the severity of the loss.
The outcome of a spell that is cast without the requisite insanity
should depend upon the nature of the spell, the situation and possibly
some random factor (or the whim of the keeper). In some situations
the spell might simply fail (for example, the Space Mead does not do
its stuff - too bad); in other situations, however, the spell might
function in an uncontrolled manner (the most obvious example being
that of a Contact Deity spell that does not work quite right - it
might alert the deity anyway, but its reaction might be both
unpredictable and fatal). Keeper's wishing to use a roll to determine
the outcome of such a spell might like to use MP x 5% (similar to
Luck, but not always the same): a sucessful roll indicates that the
spell had some minor, uncontrolled effect, with a low roll indicating
a more pronounced (ie dangerous) effect. A failure might indicate
that the spell simply did not function at all.
In a situation where a group is being worked into a trace-like frenzy,
there are two possible choices for keepers who feel that they need
mechanics to support this concept:
* All particpants must roll over their MP x 5% to sucessfully
sublimate themselves to the group. If the leader of the ritual can
make a sucessful Oratory (or equivalent non-reason based communication
skill), then the roll might reduced to MP x 3%, or less (keeper
discretion, but it should never be automatic). Those who make the
roll are unable to release themselves completely, and their MP and POW
cannot be used in the ritual.
* The other option is almost identical. Each participant makes a
roll. They are able to contribute up to 1/5 of what they roll in MP
or POW to the ritual. The effects of a successful communication skill
(as above) should be to allow them to contribute up to 1/3 of the MP
or POW. In this way all participants will be able to contribute
something to the ritual, but some will be able to contribute only part
of themselves, while others will be fully participating. Personally, I
think that this method is not as clean as the previous one, but it
does allow people to partially contribute, which may be useful.
I can see using one of those methods to determine how effectively a
group of PCs can cast a critical spell at the climax of a dangerous
scenario. Insane PCS would not have to make the roll, and could
contribute all of their magical ability automatically, and others
would have to attempt to ignore their inner reason by making a MP x 5%
roll, as described. That seems to make more sense than simply
allowing them all to place their souls in the hands of a series of
words on a sheet of paper without even thinking twice...
I'd be hesitant about using any hard and fast rules for more
professional spell users. By and large I think that traditional
occult skills could be seen to include the trance-like meditation
required, and a simple skill could be added to other spell users if
required (something like Ritual Magic, or Magic Focus, or something).
A lot of the spell users would be insane, anyway. At least the
cultist NPCs usually are. And I am cynical enough to make the
assumption that most other occultists are fakes, and really have no
true magical skills. But, I think that such things are left to the
individual writers and keepers to sort out for themselves.
It is worth noting that I still consider that spells should often
cause a SAN loss for the caster, at least if they succeed: having it
demonstrated that chanting a sequence of words can call up horrible
creatures or cause tables to levitate is the sort of thing that does
eat away at the sanity. Indeed it should be quite possible to fail an
attempt to cast a spell (because of a lack of insanity), and find
oneself deranged enough to try it again for better effect.
I feel that the current rules for magic in Call of Cthulhu do not
properly take into account the inherently irrational nature of magic:
it is crazy stuff that no one would expect to work unless they were
seriously unbalanced. As it stands, though, it becomes a tool which
perfectly rational characters can wield, like a flame-thrower; it
should not be so widely accessible.
In effect, what I am saying is that a belief in magic (ie that it will
actually function) is contrary to our standard belief structure, and
for that reason, anyone who really believes a spell will work must be
at least a little insane. Continuing on from that, I am asserting
that to some extent you must believe in the magic you are trying to
cast for it to take full effect. I don't think either claim is all
that wild.
I guess the most controversial statement I am making, actually, might
be that SAN is a reflection, on some level, of a person's belief
structure. I am saying, in effect, that if you believe in magic then
you are insane, which might not seem, at first, to be neccesarily
true. Look at the link between Cthulhu Mythos and SAN, though. The
more you know, and one must suppose, believe, about the Mythos, the
less SAN you can have. That indicates to me that just subscribing to
the Mythos belief structure limits your ability to think in what we
classify as a rational manner: that understanding the Mythos beliefs
(and believing that they are true) actually makes it increasingly
difficult for you to remain clasically sane.
But this is just my opinion. Anyone have any comments or suggestions?
Liam Routt
Darcsyde Productions
--------------------
From: Eric Rowe <rowe@soda.berkeley.edu>
Subject: The Adventure of the Golden Fountain
System: Pendragon
Introduction:
This adventure begins with the player knights being summoned before
their lord to escort someone for him. This person is Gwrfelling the
Druid. He has come to the lord to collect a favor owed to him for
past deeds. The favor he needs is aid in safely taking him to a
sacred golden fountain in a magical glade in his forest. Recently, a
wicked witch has taken over the forest that he has sworn to protect
and is menacing the inhabitants. Gwrfelling is sure he can destroy
the witch's power, but only with the aid of the fountain, and this is
surely guarded by her evil minions.
The basic plot of the adventure is simply to escort the Druid to and
through the forest to the magic glade without being stopped or
distracted by the witch and her allies. The lord will place the
knight with the highest glory in charge, but will not be clear on
whether or not the Druid has absolute say over the knights. The Druid
himself will be part of the problem as he is reknowned for being Proud
and Lustful. He has no respect for knights unless the obey him
without question.
The Unicorn:
Once the knights have their affairs in order, they begin their trek to
the druid's forest. The first encounter along the way is the sighting
of a Greater Unicorn grazing in the forest. Awareness rolls will spot
the Unicorn and criticals will note the presence of a woman hiding in
the shadows near the beast.
The head of a Unicorn is a priceless wall trophy and the GM should
tell the knights of the great glory that can be had by tracking and
slaying such a creature. The players will either choose to attack the
beast or continue on and ignore its presence. The Druid will insist
(correctly) that this is just a ploy of the witch to delay and mislead
the knights and will try to continue on his way. If the knights
hesitate in their decision, Gwrfelling will not fail to insult them.
The knights who decide to follow the Druid may receive checks in
either Prudent or Loyalty(Lord) while those that chase the Unicorn may
take Reckless or Proud.
If the Unicorn hunt does occur, the Druid will follow along angrily,
deriding the knights whenever given the opportunity. The mysterious
woman will have disappeared, but the Unicorn will be quite easy to
follow (Hunting +10). The Unicorn will try to lead the knights deep
into the woods and then get them lost. If the players successfully
catch up to the Unicorn (Crited Hunting) it has the standard stats for
a Greater Unicorn from Pendragon page 204. Slaying this Unicorn
however, is only worth 25 glory, for it is not real. When it is
killed it will fade away, for it was only a Glamour. Injuries and
even deaths sustained during the fight will also magically go away.
Normal hunting rolls will be required for the knights to find their
way out of the woods. Gwrfelling will continue to deride the knights
for falling for the witch's trick.
The Ogre:
The next encounter occurs when the knights come across a crying woman
running towards them. When she sees the knights, she will tell them
how a giant ogre has eaten her child and will continue to become more
and more hysterical. Again the knights will be given the choice
between continuing to escort the Druid or being lured aside by the
woman's plight, for she fears for the lives of her other children. As
before, Gwrfelling will insist it is a trick and the knights should
just continue to escort him to the fountain. This time however the
appropriate personality traits are Valorous and Merciful while
ignoring the plea is Cruel or Loyal(Lord).
The woman can easily lead the players to the Ogre. He will be gnawing
on the leg of a young child. When the Ogre spots the knights, he will
get a surprised look upon his face and drop the child. If the knights
attack, he will scream at them while leaping up and down and waving
his arms about. He will not defend himself. Use stats for Small
Giant from Pendragon page 203 to represent him.
If the ogre is quickly slain the killer will be in for quite a shock.
The Ogre will shrink to the size of a small child while the child seen
earlier will metomorph into an even smaller rag-doll. The mother, who
mistakenly assumed the Ogre had eaten her child when she found it
instead of him, will faint upon recognising the dead child as hers.
Players will discover a strange amulet around the next of the child.
When placed on a live person it tranforms them into a hideous Ogre.
Religious or superstitious knights should probably try to destroy it,
which can be done simply by crushing the ruby center piece. It is
worth 50 glory to slay the child, but this is not good glory.
Gwrfelling is not above an 'I told you so' even at this sad time. (On
the off chance the knights act Prudently and try to talk to the Ogre,
it is possible to resolve this encounter without violence and death,
assuming the players continue to behave reasonably.)
The Goblin:
After another week of travel, the knights will be within two days of
the Golden Fountain. At this point, their camp will be disturbed by a
small goblin at night. The goblin will be very friendly and offer
whomever is on watch a huge golden coin (worth 15L) to make sure the
Druid does not wake up. If there are no takers, he will also try to
offer a smaller (5L) gold coin for them not to participate in an
attack upon his 'friend' who guards the Golden Fountain. The goblin
will magically disappear if physically threatened, but will return
whenever someone else is put on watch for this night and the next
night. If questioned about his 'friend' he will eventually reveal it
to be a mighty serpent who has eaten many knights and that he wouldn't
want such nice knights as these to be eaten as well.
The Serpent and the Fountain:
Finally, the knights will reach the glen with the Golden Fountain
spraying its magical waters gleefully into the air. Pacing menacingly
around the Fountain is a large serpent. Use the stats of a wyrm from
page 204 of Pendragon. At this point, Gwrfelling will tell the
knights to slay the beast while he runs off to deal with some other
business. He will not reveal his plans, and will demand the players
slay the serpent immediately if they hesitate.
Players will need Valorous rolls at -5 to approach the serpent. If
and when they slay it, the Druid will return to the Fountain dragging
a comely woman by the hair. He has captured the witch and demands
that a knight hold her down while he deals with her. She will plead
with the knight for release, swearing to end her evil ways, promising
the womanly arts or begging not to let the Druid slay her; whatever
she thinks may work. As part of the ritual involves the Druid taking
some of her blood with a dagger, her pleas may carry some weight while
he approaches her with it. He will not deign to explain his actions
to the players. In the end, he will finish his ritual by dripping
water from the Fountain on her head, destroying her magical powers.
After this, Gwrfelling will then state that the magic he has just
worked has greatly taxed him and that he needs to renew his magical
energy. He requests to be allowed to be alone with the now helpless
witch in the woods for a short bit of time. If the knights refuse, he
will get very angry and tell them the lord will punish them for their
disobedience. Given his way with the witch, he will be smug the rest
of the trip home. If he is not, the next day he will collapse and
have to be placed upon a horse for the return trip.
Conclusion:
The Lord will see the players in his court when they return. If they
followed the Druid without straying and allowed him all his whims,
they will be thanked and invited to the Lord's table for dinner that
night. If anything else occurred, then the reaction of the Lord will
depend upon who the Lord is and what his religion is. Tailor his
reactions to this as well as his Just personality. In any case, if
the Druid is returned unconscious, the Lord will not be very pleased
and will let the knights know that. Punishments may be appropriate
depending upon the actions of the players. General glory for
completing the mission is 50 per knight. Double that if the mission
was a complete success. The witch will be burned for her crimes and
the Druid will eventually recover if he became unconscious.
--------------------
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