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Chaosium Digest Volume 17 Number 04
Chaosium Digest Volume 17, Number 4
Date: Sunday, November 24, 1996
Number: 1 of 2
Contents:
The Hellfire Club: A Tale of Terror (Andrew Behan) CALL OF CTHULHU
Going from AD&D to CoC (Ricardo J. Mendez) CALL OF CTHULHU
RQ Con Down Under: Survey Results (MOB) MISC
Editor's Note:
This week, a Digest in two parts. V17.4 starts off with a short Tale
of Terror, and a Gamemaster's article on the trials and tribulations
of converting from AD&D to Call of Cthulhu.
The series of RQ-Con and Glorantha Con conventions continue to be a
great haven for gaming in not only Glorantha, but also the myriad of
other Chaosium worlds. Michael O'Brien has submitted a RQ Con Down
Under wrap-up, which is also included in this Digest. Make sure to
keep an eye out for Glorantha Con IV and V, both in 1997. See V14.7
and V16.4 for more info on Glorantha Con IV, to be held in Chicago in
January.
Over in V17.5 you'll find a neat article by Timothy Ferguson on using
Saracens in a Pendragon campaign.
See you next week.
Shannon
NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES:
King Arthur Pendragon
http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~lwl/pendragon/
A terrific page all about the Pendragon RPG, with links to lots of
other useful resources, some specific to the RPG, others useful to all
Arthurian scholars. Not necessarily a new site, but it hasn't been
mentioned here before, and is a great Pendragon starting place.
--------------------
From: Andrew Behan <ajbehan@tcd.ie>
Subject: The Hellfire Club: A Tale of Terror
System: Call of Cthulhu
The Hellfire Club: A Tale of Terror
The Hellfire Club dominates the summit of Montpelier Hill ten miles
south of Dublin city. This substantial ruin was originally built in
1720 as a hunting lodge by William Conolly, the speaker of the Irish
parliament. After his death it passed into the hands of the eponymous
"Hellfire Club". The club, based on a suppressed English antecedent,
was founded in Athy, Co. Kildare, in the 1730s by Richard Parsons
(a.k.a. Jack St Leger), the first Earl of Rosse, and a humorous
painter called Worsdale. The members of the Hellfire Club were rakes
and rowdy fops. They met in the Eagle Tavern on Dames Street in the
city centre. As their name suggests they were rumoured to practice
black magic. Reputable historians acknowledge that these stories have
a basis in fact.
Possibilities:
1) The Hellfire Club did indeed carry out black masses and orgies on
Montpelier Hill. However they had no mythos knowledge and merely used
satanic regalia to spice up their bawdy drinking sessions.
2) The Hellfire Club worshiped ancient Cthugha. When Conolly built the
lodge a 'fairy cairn' was broken. It was actually a huge Elder Sign
placed there thousands of years before to trap a swarm of Fire
Vampires. When the Hellfire Club (which was at that time a bunch of
drunken fakers) encountered these horrific beings they were seduced to
the worship of Cthugha.
On one famous visit to Montpelier Hill the clubsmen set fire to the
lodge whilst carousing within! Tradition claims that this was a wager
to see who could survive the flames of Hell longest. This is incorrect.
The fire occured when the cult summoned their master inside the
stone-vaulted lodge.
Though the club disappeared in the 1740s the Fire Vampires are still
alive, and hungry.
3) The club was a branch of a suppressed English Nyarlathotep cult.
Several times, locals gained small hints of the club's dark deeds. On
one occasion, a wandering priest stumbled upon the Club during a
macabre Bacchanalia and was forced to look on. The centre of attention
was a huge black cat. Breaking free from his captors the cleric
grabbed the cat and uttered an exorcism which tore the beast apart. A
demon shot up from its corpse. Hurtling through the roof it brought
down the ceiling and scattered the assembly. On another occasion, Tom
Conolly of Castletown is said to have met the devil in the form of a
'black man' in the lodge's dinning room.
After the death of its founder in 1741 the club became inactive but
the cult continued, with the 2nd Earl of Rosse as its leader. It was
with Nyarlathotep's help that William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse built
'the Parsonstown Leviathan' in 1845. This huge telescope (which was
dismantled in 1908) was the largest of its kind until 1917. Though the
Irish climate is completely unsuitable for serious astronomy Rosse
discovered the spiral nature of other galaxies, the Crab Nebula and
the greater nebula in Orion with this miraculous instrument. It's
unknown whether his sons: Laurence, the 4th Earl (an astronomer) and
Charles (a British inventor who died in 1931) were involved in the
cult, which has today spread throughout the English speaking world.
--------------------
From: "Ricardo J. Mendez" <ricardo@tecapro.com>
Subject: Going from AD&D to CoC
System: Call of Cthulhu
For almost a year, I've been trying to reconcile an old group of AD&D
players with Call of Cthulhu, which I love, but they seem to just
partially like. I never thought that the transition would be so
difficult for them, so I started looking for what might be wrong.
Like the proberbial investigator, I came up with more than I had
bargained for, and I thought I'd share it with other unwary ex-DMs.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, JUST 8 HIT POINTS?
One of the things that struck the ex-AD&D players the most was their
own vulnerability. AD&D players are used to getting tougher as they
grow more experienced, which just doesn't happen either in real life
or in Call of Cthulhu.
In Call of Cthulhu, a well placed blow can send you to bed for weeks,
if not kill you. The characters regenerate something on the order of 3
hit points for a full week's rest, while that was the hit points
gained with one day's rest in AD&D. Also, gunfights in Call of Cthulhu
were deadlier than any AD&D encounter.
For the first time in the player's gaming experience, combat was
something to be avoided as a rule, not sought after. That was somewhat
tough to swallow. They just couldn't go around free of worries, since
a simple mugger could kill them.
And, that was before they even got to the monsters. Those they
couldn't even look upon without having a chance of going insane.
They accepted their fraility after realising that in Call of Cthulhu
you're more or less a real-life average Joe/Jane, not some kind of
Miskatonic paratrooper. The problem was that afterwards they became
overly cautious, and lost some opportunities because of that.
GONE? GONE WERE?
The real time aspect of some Call of Cthulhu campaigns was something
that made the players crazy. In AD&D, you usually have some time to do
your stuff. Well, not always, since I've run campaigns were a lot of
stuff is happening in real time. But in CoC, the world goes around its
business, whether you get the bad guy or not.
That was also tough for me, since I was used to being a little lax
with the players. The first time we played we ran into the problem.
It was with "Dead Man Stomp". I assume all of you have played it
already. Near the end, when all hell breaks loose, the players were
something like a block and a half from the house, debating about
whether to go in or not. They didn't see the end.
The timing aspect of most campaigns is something that will haunt an
ex-DM, at least for the start of his transition. If the players are
there or not to stop evil from happening, the stars will be right all
the same.
PLEASE BOSS, I HAVE TO GO SAVE THE WORLD
As if that wasn't enough, there are a plethora of possible occupations
to choose from. How does each affect the investigator? Unfortunately,
it isn't specified in the 5th Edition Rulebook. It wasn't until later
that I learned that it was specified elsewhere.
But hey, that's not even the start. For our first CoC adventure, we
asked someone I knew to do the Keeping. When we started playing, he
insisted that we were investigators and not, for example, an English
Literature Professor, as was my case. Why, I asked. Well, you are a
RETIRED professor that now investigates. And you are a RETIRED
reporter, and you...
That approach took most of the fun out of the game. Not as much for
me, but it really bothered a friend who was playing a gangster. What
the hell does a retired gangster do, anyway? Investigate, he answered.
Next session, I was the Keeper. That time the players didn't have that
much trouble with the jobs getting in the way, since it was a small
adventure ("Dead Man Stomp") but some time after we played "Horror on
the Orient Express" we ran against the job wall. How do the characters
convince their bosses to let them go? For the gangster that was an
especially tough one. The problem is: how will the players go about it
in the future? I hope that wasn't their last campaign, since some of
them survived, and perhaps one of the trickiest things here is to get
a bunch of dissimilar characters to meet with each other, but that
will be a point we'll have to go over. By popular demand, I'm now
running a Dark Sun campaign, so it can wait until February.
WHY IN HELL WOULD I LIKE TO SAVE THE WORLD AGAIN?
Another gripe is the whole "saving the world" approach. I especially
liked the way characters are handled in "Horror on the Orient
Express", and think that's an approach that should be used more often:
get the players in with a small thing, and don't present something
that might look like even half a chance to retreat. The future of the
world shouldn't matter as much as the players' own selfish hides.
I've decided that the best thing I can do to sucker the investigators
in is to design an eternal campaign, made up of small, similar,
disconnected stories. I'll use something small to sucker them in
(well, the survivors have their reasons already) and keep them going
weekend after weekend.
That will solve another of my player's complaints, which was that in
CoC things are just too slow at the start. It will help because we
wouldn't have to start over with each campaign or adventure. The
problem is that I don't wan't the adventures to become a 1920's
Ghostbusters or X-Files, so I will have to space the campaigns.
But my job is beckoning me, so that will have to wait for the next time.
May great Cthulhu rise and eat you,
Ricardo J. Méndez
http://www.TecApro.com/ mailto: ricardo@tecapro.com
--------------------
From: MOB <MOBTOTRM@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au>
Subject: RQ Con Down Under: Survey Results
RQ CON DOWN UNDER - SURVEY RESULTS
Well, as it's now exactly 10 months since RQ Con Down Under, I thought
I'd better get round to dealing with the looming pile of con-related
stuff teetering precariously on the corner of my desk before it falls
and injures my cat.
We sent out a con survey afterwards, and Home of the Bold players were
invited to write an account of their adventures in the freeform (these
will be published in Questlines II).
The con had 131 attenders: 45% from Melbourne and the state of
Victoria, 41% from elsewhere in Australia (including a sizeable
contingent all the way over from distant WA), and 14% who made the
supreme effort and jetted in from overseas. Thanks to the nearly 40%
of you who returned the survey and congratulations to Jeffrey Cheah,
whose name was pulled out of the Reaching Moon barrel. Your "Jar Eel
Assassin" t-shirt prize is on its way!
Here, then are the results of the RQ Con Down Under Survey! In good
old-fashioned RQ2 style, I have rounded all figures to the nearest 5%.
THE CON
*The con location (Bayswater) was...
15% - inconvenient
40% - ok
45% - fine
*The con venue (Bayswater Primary School) was...
5% - unsatisfactory
50% - acceptable
45% - fine
*Was the emphasis on tournaments (14 on offer)...
5% - Not enough
95% - Just Right
0% - Too much
*Was the emphasis on seminars (13 on offer)...
20% - Not enough
75% - Just Right
5% - Too much
*Good aspects of the con were (typical responses):
"The pre-con party at MOB's place - great way for folks to meet
informally and break the ice before the madness of the con!"
"The people who went. Their attitude to fun."
"The people were great. Aussies are among the most friendly people I've
ever met, and they all were very welcoming to us foreigners."
"The conviviality and good spirits."
"Organized well - with intro, wrap up, and central food/meeting room."
"The canteen"..."vegetarian selection"..."effort at recycling (just
because we're playing in Glorantha is no need to trash Earth.)"
"The seminars were well organized and well timed. Important things
like the auction happened when people would be available and in the
main room."
"Splendid organisation"..."Patient organisers"..."Relaxed, unpretentious
atmosphere"..."Nice wrapup at the end."
"Plenty of opportunities to mix with the special guests."
"Questlines and all the other Glorantha material available."
*Ungood aspects of the con were (typical responses):
"NO BEER!"
"The trollkin-sized furniture in some rooms was too small for comfort."
"Clash of tournaments and seminars meant I couldn't get to everything
I wanted to - darn!"
"Sandy couldn't make it."
"NO BEER!"
"Hard to get to the con site without a car, especially for early morning
sessions."
"Not getting to throw Nick in a pool/pond/lake/etc.."
"The queue-jumping unpaid vultures at the Roast on Saturday night."
"NO BEER!"
"There was no convenient place nearby for people to gather, talk, and
have a few drinks each night after the con closed."
"Air conditioning wouldn't have hurt (OK, so I'm spoiled)"
"Only went for 3 days!"..."over too soon!"..."how many years do we have
to wait for the next one?" etc..
*How could we improve the convention? (typical responses):
"BEER!"
"The weather sucked."
"A slightly bigger venue, with time between things to generally
relax and jawfest - like a 15 min break between sessions."
"Perhaps have a bit more formal scheduling system, so games and seminars
don't clash in the same blocks".
"Get Sandy and Ken out next time."
"Hey, it was great, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
"I prefer having the con at a hotel with plenty of meeting rooms and
onsite facilities. (I know that is a lot more expensive though)
"Get corporate sponsorship and blow all the money on beer."
"More more more!"..."add another day"..."Hold it more frequently"..."Add
another freeform!" etc..
"Hold it at a similar (ie cheap) location, but one more central; apart
from that, seriously, it was the best con I've ever attended."
FAVORITE THINGS
*My favorite seminar at RQ Con DU was (in top three ranked order):
1. Greg Stafford on HeroQuesting
2. Nick Brooke Cultural Exchange
3. The whole Sunday Morning Show (Get your RPG Published & Meet
Tales/Nick's Cultural Exchange/Lunar Tunes)
Honourable mentions:
-John Hughes 'Hit & Myth'
-Great Southern Land.
*My favorite tournament at RQ Con DU was (in top three ranked order):
1. 'Rune Metal Jacket' (RQ) by MOB
2. 'Embarrassment of Riches' (RQ) by Mike Dawson
3. 'The Scarlet Moonflower in Pent' (RQ) by Mark Holsworth
Honourable mentions:
-'Musik of the Spears' (Glorantha Freeform)
-'The Adventure of the May Queen and the Rosebriar Knight' (Pendragon)
-'The Loyalty of Men' (Pendragon)
-'Riders of the Sun' (Pendragon Pass)
- and the Nephilim tournament whose name is lost in the mists of time.
*My favourite event (seminar/tournament/other) at RQ Con DU was (in top
three ranked order):
1. Home of the Bold
2. Live Action Trollball
3. The Lore Auction
Honourable mentions:
-Stafford's HeroQuest seminar
-Storytelling Contest
-Rune Metal Jacket
-Eat at Geos(!)
HOME OF THE BOLD
*If you played in Home of the Bold, was it:
60% - BETTER THAN I EXPECTED
40% - ABOUT WHAT I EXPECTED
00% - WORSE THAN I EXPECTED
[Thanks to the 20 HotB participants who've written and sent us write-ups
of their characters' escapades. These entertaining accounts will be
published (along with seminar transcripts and more) in Questlines II, due
out in the first half of 1997. Congratulations to Michael Hitchens
(General Lergius) whose account, a masterpiece of self-serving sophistry,
wins our HotB Character Write-up Competition: he wins one of the limited
edition Lunar gold coins, a Nephilim badge and a complete transcript of
the HotB game, all 600 pages of it!]
FUTURE RQ CON DOWN UNDER
*Would you be interested in attending a future RQ Con DU?
In Melbourne YES - 90% MAYBE - 5% NO - 5%
In Sydney YES - 55% MAYBE - 30% NO - 15%
In Canberra YES - 45% MAYBE - 40% NO - 15%
*Would you be interested in playing in another Gloranthan freeform, similar
in scope to HotB?
75% - YES
20% - MAYBE
5% - NO
*If the con didn't have such a freeform, would you still be interested in
coming?
75% - YES
20% - MAYBE
5% - NO
SPECIAL GUESTS
*Would you come to a RQ Con that didn't feature Greg Stafford as special
guest?
75% - YES
25% - NO
*Which special guests would you like to see at a future RQ Con Down
Under?
Dan Barker YES - 60% NO - 25% WHO DAT? - 15%
Nick Brooke* YES - 95% NO - 5% WHO DAT? - 00%
Mike Dawson YES - 60% NO - 10% WHO DAT? - 30%
David Dunham* YES - 60% NO - 20% WHO DAT? - 20%
David Hall* YES - 90% NO - 5% WHO DAT? - 5%
Kevin Jacklin* YES - 75% NO - 10% WHO DAT? - 15%
Steven Martin YES - 10% NO - 35% WHO DAT? - 55%
Mark Morrison* YES - 65% NO - 10% WHO DAT? - 25%
Sandy Petersen YES - 85% NO - 15% WHO DAT? - 00%
Ken Rolston YES - 80% NO - 10% WHO DAT? - 10%
Greg Stafford* YES - 95% NO - 5% WHO DAT? - 00%
*denotes actually attended RQ Con Down Under as special guest
QUESTLINES
*Do you own a copy of our fund-raiser book, Questlines?
90% - YES
10% - NO
THANKS!
These results reflect the general feeling around after the con that it
had been a good one. So, once again, I'd like to thank everyone who
worked so hard to make it so: my tireless co-organisers Andrew Bean
and John Hughes; our special guests; canteen wonder-worker Lynn James;
con gopher Leslie; my co-auctioneer Rick Meints; the writers and GMs
of the tournaments; those of you who billeted our guests and attenders
from out of town; and everyone else who pitched in to lend a hand!
Cheers
MOB
[RQ Con Down Under co-organiser]
______________________________________
An unfortunate but necessary addendum:
For the fourth time running, one Loki the Unsworn failed to turn up
and run his tournament at a convention. RQ Con Down Under was to be his big
chance to prove to everyone he wasn't a total flake. I was warned by others
who had been previously burned and I regret that I didn't heed what they
said. Now I see that Loki is not just a flake, he's a flake with chips,
dim sims, potato cakes and a side order of pickled onions*.
Despite his phone call the night before promising to be there "first thing",
after his no-show at the con Loki never even bothered to apologise, nor did
he offer an excuse, however lame. I'd understand if he'd been hit by a
truck or abducted by aliens (though I'd want to see the saucer), but
apparently he just couldn't be stuffed.
I apologise to everyone who had put their names down to play in his
Call of Cthulhu tournament, and strongly advise anyone organising a con
out there to give Loki the Still-born a clear berth.
Regards,
MOB
*for those of you perplexed by this reference, 'flake' is what shark meat
is called in Victorian Fish & Chip shops.
--------------------
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