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Chaosium Digest Volume 19 Number 10
Chaosium Digest Volume 19, Number 10
Date: Monday, June 2, 1997
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Deckbuilding: A Points System (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS
CF: Serpent People (Shannon Appel) MYTHOS
Editor's Note:
Running a day late this week, but here it is. I've got some other
stuff in the queue, but wanted to make sure something went out this
week. Send in those submissions, especially for Nephilim and Elric!
which have been quiet of late.
Shannon
RECENT RELEASES
Both these products shipped last week and should begin showing up in
shops at the end of this week.
* Call of Cthulhu - _Arkham Sanitarium_ (Chaosium, $14.95), by Drashi
Khendup, contains a bunch of loose-leaf ready to use player aids.
From a 25-page prescription pad to a set of inkblots to certificates
of death and insanity, it's all in here.
* Pendragon - _The Arthurian Companion_ (Chaosium, 576 pg., $14.95),
by Phyllis Ann Karr, is the trade paperback second edition of the
_King Arthur Companion_. Vastly expanded, this book is a definitive
encyclopedia detailing the Legends of the Knights of the Round
Table. From Abblasoure to Zelegbres.
--------------------
From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin)
Subject: Deckbuilding: A Points System
System: Mythos
INTRODUCTION
Few CCGs have perfectly balanced cards, and Mythos is no exception.
Mythos also has the not-so-unique CCG syndrome that "only one person
in the group is willing to buy it". (Remember the old days when only
one person had to buy the game, and it was called a "boardgame"?)
Thus, a point system.
This point system is designed for someone who wishes to build several
"separate but equal" decks for his or her gaming group. I put more of
an emphasis on simplicity than accuracy, and also explain the point
values at the end of this article. As a rule of thumb, the more likely
I'd put the card into a tournament deck, the more points it got.
There were a few cards that are still more powerful than others, but
weren't included. (For example, The Interesting Shop is easier to
fulfill than some Dreamland 5-point Adventures, but nowhere as easy as
Seeking Everlasting Life I.)
Basically, all you need to do is assign a maximum point value to your
decks and work from there. Certain types of decks also have point
values, and receive *free* cards as well.
POINT VALUES
+1 Point
* Aldeberan Moves in the Sky
* An Unexpected Calamity
* Chant of Thoth
* Chime of Tezchaptl
* In the Nick of Time
* Seeking Everlasting Life I
* Star Stone of Mnar
* Yithian Mental Contact
* Any City Deck taking place in one Sub-Region
* Any Investigator allowing you to discard and draw two cards as a
turn
* Any Travels allowing "immediate" movement (Car, Camel, Zebra,
Closed-cockpit Monoplane, Ship of Clouds)
+0 Points
* Deck above 60 cards: Also receives "free" Chant of Thoth or
Investigator allowing you to discard and draw
* "Travel by Sea" Deck: Also receives "free" Aldeberan Moves in the
Sky or Yithian Mental Contact
-1 Points
* Deck with Unique Cards Required for an Adventure: Also receives
"free" Chant of Thoth or Investigator allowing you to discard and
draw
* Country Deck: Also receives two "free" Cars, Camels, Zebras, etc.
* Multi-Region (not Dimension) Deck: Also receives up to four "free"
Cockpit Monoplanes, Ship of Clouds, etc.
* Multi-Region (not Dimension) Deck w/ Allies in different Regions:
Also receives a "free" Surprise Meeting, or Chant of Thoth, or
Investigator allowing you to discard and draw
THE EXPLANATIONS
+1 Points
Aldeberan Moves in the Sky: A subtle card, Aldeberan removes Storm
events preventing Travel, Phobias requiring a several-turn trip to the
Sanitarium, and other miscellaneous turn-costing annoyances.
Chant of Thoth: Discarding and drawing in the middle of a round allows
you to sometimes draw a card that lets you play several cards you
began the round with. For example, if you have a Tome and Spells but
no Location with the Tome attribute, drawing such a Location in the
middle of the round allows you to play cards you would have otherwise
been forced to discard.
Chime of Tezchaptl: A "free" play during the combat phase, the Chime
prevents others from playing spells, which can make a difference
during Combat. The Chime's Sanity Cost is not a disadvantage, since
many Adventures require an Artifact with a Sanity Cost.
In the Nick of Time: Nick's ability to let you play another card makes
this a "free" play, which also causes an opponent (the one who passed)
to essentially lose his turn.
Seeking Everlasting Life I: The most broken Adventure in Mythos,
SELI's lack of location requirements, and broad Ally requirements,
make it an easy Adventure to satisfy.
Star Stone of Mnar: Also a "free" play, the Stone lessens the damage
certain Monsters create. In a multiplayer game, the Stone dissuades
attack entirely, since an opponent will sometimes point a Monster
where it can do the most damage. Like the Chime, the Stone's Sanity
Cost is not a disadvantage.
An Unexpected Calamity: Number one on the least-balanced card
hit-list, Unexpected Calamity not only denies your opponents the turn
they would have if you had passed, but it forces them ALL to
discard. Forcing a card into the discard is the best way to set back
another player: Not only does he have to spend a Sanity point to
reshuffle his discard, he must also wait several rounds until he draws
it again.
Yithian Mental Contact: Yithian's versatility and minor cost (of one
Sanity) make it a card that should be placed in all decks.
Any Investigator allowing you to discard and draw two cards in a turn:
See Chant of Thoth.
Any City Deck taking place in one Sub-Region: A deck that does not
need Walking plays much faster than one that does.
+0 Points
Deck above 60 cards: Such a deck is typically a "fun" deck, rather
than a tournament one, and needs all the help it can get! Cycling
through the deck quickly will be necessary just to keep up with a
smaller deck, so the Investigator allowing you to discard and draw two
cards in a turn becomes a "free" card.
"Travel by Sea" Deck: Such a deck will be shut down completely by
either a Drought or certain Storms. Placing a card in a deck
specifically to cancel a card that may not show in play is, in my
opinion, a waste of card "slots", so the more useful Aldeberan Moves
in the Sky (or Yithian Mental Contact) is a "free" card in this deck.
-1 Points
Deck with Unique Cards Required for an Adventure: Such a deck will
take longer to fulfill its Adventures than a deck with non-Unique
cards. It will need to cycle cards faster to keep up with another
deck, and thus the Investigator allowing you to discard and draw two
cards in a turn becomes a "free" card.
Country Deck: Such a deck will play much slower than a City deck. The
two "free" Cars, et al. are a sop to this deck.
Multi-Region (not Dimension) Deck: Such a deck will play much slower
than a single-Region deck. The two "free" Cockpit Monoplanes, et al.,
are also a sop. Interestingly, since Dimension-travel uses a reusable
Artifact, Dimension-travel is easier than inter-Regional travel.
Multi-Region (not Dimension) Deck with Allies: This deck plays even
slower than a Multi-Region Deck. If you are in Region A, and have an
Ally from Region B you must play, you will need two other cards to
play the Ally! (One card to arrive at the Ally's Location, and the
Ally's Location.)
--------------------
From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel)
Subject: CF: Serpent People
System: Mythos
** THE CARD FILES: SERPENT PEOPLE **
THE CARD
--------
Name: Serpent People
Set: Mythos Limited
Type: Monster
Value: 3
Subtype: Lesser Independent
San: -1
Special Effect Box: Joins with other Serpent People, and with Weapons.
THE SOURCE
----------
"The serpent-men were busying themselves with a multitude of
tasks. They walked lithely and sinuously erect on pre-mammmmalian
members, their pied, hairless bodies bending with great suppleness.
There was a loud and constant hissing of formulaes as they went to and
fro. Some were smelting the black nether ores; some were blowing
molten obsidian into forms of flask and urn; somee were measuring
chemicals; others were decanting strange liquids and curious
colloids."
-"The Seven Geases", Clark Ashton Smith
The serpent people are ubiquitous, perhaps appearing more frequently
than any other Mythos creature. Robert E. Howard's heroes, Conan and
Kull, both fought them. They dwelled below the ground in Clark Ashton
Smith's Hyperborea. Howard Lovecraft mentioned them peripherally. We
met their god, Yig, in "The Mound", and we saw their beastly
descendents in "The Nameless City". In more recent years, they have
continued to appear, as the dragon kings of Lin Carter's Thongor
novels, and elsewhere.
What we know of their history is this: sometime after the earliest
alien invasions by the mi-go, star spawn, elder things, and others,
the serpent people rose to prominance. They ruled much of the world
from ancient Valusia for a time. In various periods, they were
sorcerers and scientists, but, in the end, their civilization fell. By
the times of Hyperborea and Hyboria, they were scattered wanderers. In
the present day, they exist in only the tiniest conclaves, hidden from
those who would destroy them. Some serpent people have migrated to the
Dreamlands, where they hide deep in the Vaults of Zin, but these
serpent people are little better off than their Waking World
counterparts.
CLARIFICATIONS
--------------
The three words "Joins... with Weapons" unfortunately cause a lot of
confusion, and don't work too well with the Mythos mechanics. Here are
a few clarifications for that triad of words.
The first thing to note is the definition of Joining. According to
page 67 of the Dreamlands rulebook, "Cards that Join can be played
together, as one play during one Turn. You must still meet all the
normal conditions for playing these cards." This means, that if you
want to play Serpent People and a Weapon at the same time, you must
meet the conditions for playing Serpent People (ie, be at an unused
gate), and you must meet the conditions for playing a Weapon (ie, be
at an Artifact Location).
The definition of Joining causes another quirk in the way that Serpent
People work. Also on page 67, the rules state "Two cards may Join as
long as one of them allows this in its Special Effects box. More than
two cards may Join as long as every combination of two cards in the
group Joins." The first sentence means that you can put down a Serpent
People card and a Weapon, even though the Weapon doesn't say it Joins
with Serpent People. Which is good. The second sentence causes some
problems though. Consider two cases where you put down multiple
cards. In the first case, you want to play two Serpent People and a
Weapon. This works because every set of two cards in the group
Joins. That is, the two Serpent People can Join, and each Serpent
People can Join with the Weapon. Thus, this is a legal play. In the
second case, you want to play two Serpent People and two Weapons. The
two Serpent People can Join. Each Serpent People can Join with a
Weapon. Unfortunately, the two Weapons can't Join with each other,
because neither of them allows is in its Special Effect box. Thus,
this is not a legal play.
There's one more quirk in the way that Serpent People work, and that's
due to the definition of Weapons. According to page 20 of the
Dreamlands rules, "The two cards, Weapon and Ally... function as one
card." This means that when you Join a Weapon and a Serpent People to
your Threat, you need to declare they're one card, ie "This is one
card I'm playing, and it cost me -2 Sanity". This kind of gives away
the game, but people need to know the actual number of cards you have
in your Threat for Instability in the Mythos and other such cards.
In summary: Join Serpent People with Weapons at Artifact/Gate
Locations. You may play only one Weapon, no matter how many Serpent
People you play. You must declare the combined Serpent People/Weapon
as one card when they're played.
QUESTIONS
Q: Can I play Serpent People Joined with War Horse and some other
weapon?
A: No. The two weapons don't Join, and thus you can't legally play
them together. However, if you played Serpent People as an Ally
Joined with a War Horse, you could later add another Weapon, as
normal.
Q: If I give my Serpent People a Cast-Iron Skillet can I save it at
the end of combat?
A: Yes. Provided you have at least one Ally in play you can transfer
the Skillet to that Ally when the Serpent People card is Buried.
Q: If I play a Serpent People card as an Ally using the Kitab Al-Azif,
can I Join a Weapon with him?
A: As long as you're at an Artifact Location, yes. All the Kitab does
is change where you play your cards to, not how you play them.
Q: Can I Summon a Serpent People, and Join a Weapon to him as he
attacks?
A: No, you can only Summon a single non-Joined Monster.
Q: What happens when I try to Control a card from a Threat containing
a Weapon?
A: Remove the Weapon from the randomization. If the Monster wielding
the weapon is chosen, the Weapon is automatically chosen as
well.
STRATEGIES
This particular card file was written primarily to document some
clarifications. But, here are a few neat Serpent People strategies.
* Get Your Weapons Out - Sometimes, it's hard to play Weapons
necessary for Adventures because you don't have Allies out. Serpent
People can be used as alternatives. Consider this for Adventures
like Arkham Horror and The Unspeakable Oath, which both require
multiple weapons. Don't do this with Dynamite you need for an
Adventure, since it'll go from the Threat to the Discard pile, and
can thus never be used for Adventures.
* Get Your Weapons Out Fast - Even better, by playing a Weapon with
Serpent People, you save a valuble Turn. For Adventures like Arkham
Horror and Theron-Marks Society which require Monsters and Weapons,
this is a particular boon. You get to meet two requirements with one
play.
* Keep Your Weapons Out - It's a little trickier to use Serpent People
to set up future Adventures, since they typically go from the Threat
to the Story Deck. However, if you want to try this strategy, put
the Kitab Al-Azif in your Deck. You'll be able to play Serpent
People complete with Weapons straight to your Ally area, ready for
future adventures.
Serpent People work particularly well with certain weapons:
* Serpent People + Cast-Iron Skillet - If you've got a Skillet in your
hand, you might as well give it to Serpent People. When the combat
ends, and the Serpent People card is buried, you get to hand the
Skillet off to someone else, meaning you got a totally free point of
damage.
* Serpent People + Crystal Sword - Usually it's not that great of an
idea to give Serpent People Enchanted Weapons (as noted below). The
Crystal Sword is a possible exception though. If you think an
opponent is going to defend with a Corrupt Ally, you can suprise
them and sneak a few extra points of damage through, since they
won't see the Sword coming.
* Serpent People + Dynamite - 2 Sanity. 9 Damage. Boom! The Serpent
People and Dynamite are discarded, but so what. In a 2-play game,
this combo can be deadly. With more players, it's a real nice
defense.
* Serpent People + Lightning Gun - Another exception to the Enchanted
Weapon rule for Serpent People. If an opponent is being annoying
with his Artifacts, you can sneak the Lightning Gun through with
Serpent People gun smugglers. Your opponent never knows it's there
until it's revealed.
* Serpent People + Shot Gun - The idea here was that you get to play
two cards, totalling five damage, and it costs you a sum of zero
Sanity. Unfortunately, this doesn't really disguise anything from
the opponent since you have to point out the two cards count as one,
so it's pretty obvious you put down Serpent People with a weapon.
Still, don't discount it totally, as it allows you to offset the
Sanity Loss of your Serpent People, and still make them better.
Other +1 Sanity Weapons are the Cast-Iron Skillet and the War Horse.
See above for the Skillet. The War Horse is a waste because you
can't use its power to get another weapon down.
And, as has already been noted, Serpent People don't work well with
Enchanted Weapons. Here's why:
* Serpent People + Enchanted Weapons - Enchanted Weapons are typically
more costly than comparable unEnchanted Weapons due to the fact that
they have two special abilities: their wielders can be added to the
Threat, and their wielders can see Invisible Monsters. Unfortunately,
these abilities are totally useless to Serpent People already in the
Threat, so all you're doing is giving them a less powerful or more
costly weapon, without receiving any benefit. Save Enchanted Weapons
for Allies not in the Threat, except maybe for the exceptions noted
above.
COUNTER STRATEGIES
Serpent People are pretty easy to Counter:
* Summon/Control Lesser Independent - If your opponent is sitting at
an Artifact/Gate Location, plays two (or more cards), and points to
two in the set, and says "These count as one card", you know what's
going on. If you cast a spell to Control a Lesser Independent, it is
guaranteed to work. And, you might get lucky and get the one with
the Weapon.
--------------------
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