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Chaosium Digest Volume 19 Number 01
Chaosium Digest Volume 19, Number 1
Date: Sunday, April 20, 1997
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Great Corporate Ones (Arthur Boff) CYBERCTHULHU
The Necronomicons: Tales of Terror (Arthur Boff) CALL OF CTHULHU
The Paper Man: A 1990s Tale of Terror (Arthur Boff) CTHULHU NOW
Editor's Note:
This week, a trio of Cthulhu articles by Arthur Boff, all set in
different times.
Shannon
NEW RELEASES:
* Call of Cthulhu - _Cthulhu Live_ (Chaosium, 160 pg., $16.95), by
Robert MacLaughlin, is the long awaited set of Live Action Role
Playing rules for Call of Cthulhu. Check out V17.9 for a full
preview of the system.
NEW (SPANISH) RELEASES:
* Call of Cthulhu - _Piel de Toro_, "Bull's Skin" (Joc Internacional),
by Ricard Ibanez explores Spain in the 1920s. It touches on social
issues, everyday life, politices, prices, and the judicial
system. Cities explored in detail include Madrid, Seville,
Barcelona, and San Sebastion. Also included are a Spanish bestiary,
notes on Spanish Mythos Tomes, and three adventures.
RECENT SIGHTINGS:
* Call of Cthulhu - "The Sleep of Death, What Dreams May Come", by
Shannon Appel, a 4 page 1920s British Call of Cthulhu adventure.
This is actually the first installment of my "Chaos Theory" column,
which should be appearing every issue, Valkyrie #13.
"Delta Green - CoC Sourcebook Preview", by John Tynes & Adam Scott
Glancy. Haven't picked up Delta Green yet? This 5-page article
explains what it's all about, Valkyrie #13.
--------------------
Sender: theboffs@dircon.co.uk (Arthur Boff)
Subject: Great Corporate Ones
System: Call of Cyberthulhu
GREAT CORPORATE ONES
A Few Corps for Cyberthulhu
This is a short list of corps for use with the Call of Cyberthulhu
setting, that appeared in V2.10 and V2.11 and was mentioned in
V18.1. Two of them are future version of companies and cults mentioned
in Mythos stories. One is my own invention. First, a brief
explanation of the layout of the corp descriptions.
Public Face: This is the image the corp wants the public to believe.
Secret Agenda: What the corp is really doing. This is split into two
sections, mythos and non-mythos.
Controlled Areas: Any areas that the corp controls.
THE EXCHANGE LIFE AND PENSIONS CORPORATION
Public Face: This corp deals with life insurance and pensions, selling
cheap, affordable insurance packages.
Mythos Secret Agenda: Their name, "Exchange Life" is a clue to their
true nature. The top executives are actually Yithian time-travellers
who are experts in 21st century corporate practices. Using the corp's
profits, they are funding a project to genetically engineer the insect
species that will become the new Great Race. At the moment, a likely
set of genes have been found, and a few Great Race members have
entered their bodies for a "test run".
Non-Mythos Secret Agenda: The life insurance part is a protection
racket, and the pensions part is bribing people to "forget" pieces of
information.
Controlled Areas: The Australian deserts.
INNSMOUTH GROUP (INC.)
Public Face: Innsmouth Group (Inc.) is made up of the Marsh Refinery
Company, the Marsh Shipping Company and the Innsmouth Fishing
Company. It also owns a registered charity, the Esoteric Order of
Dagon.
Mythos Secret Agenda: Guess. The Deep Ones have been fairly efficient
in their attempts to make Deep One-human hybrids. Innsmouth Group
(Inc.) serves as an employer of these hybrids and also helps keep them
in touch.
Non-Mythos Secret Agenda: The Innsmouth Group has a large network of
pipes under certain Pacific islands. These pipes are rented out by
other corporations for waste disposal purposes. Due to the cost of
connecting these pipes to their customer's pipes, the prices of rental
are very large. It is worth it though, since the Innsmouth Group
(Inc.) guard the pipes from environmental terrorists with... military
efficiency.
Controlled Areas: Innsmouth, an unknown number of Pacific islands.
THE STARRY WISDOM CORPORATION
Public Face: The Starry Wisdom Corporation is the world's
leading manufacturer of space exploration products.
Mythos Secret Agenda: The Starry Wisdom Cult has reformed and expanded
since the events described in "The Haunter of the Dark", and now
worships many Mythos deities. The originally went into space, to
Yuggoth, for the purpose of getting a replacement for the Shining
Trapezohedron, which was thrown into the sea at the end of "The
Haunter of the Dark". They were able to do this by using the profits
they reaped from being a corporation. They and the Mi-Go are
researching ways to make Shining Trapezohedrons for all the Mythos
deities. So far they have made one for Cthugha, which summons an
avatar of him when the crystal is placed in fire, and one for Hastur,
which summons the King in Yellow when lines from the play bearing his
name are read to it.
Non-Mythos Secret Agenda: The "space exploration products" the Starry
Wisdom Corp makes are dangerously defective. The odds are that any
space shuttle the PCs get on is made from Starry Wisdom parts.
Controlled Areas: Providence, several asteroids.
Copyright Arthur Boff 1997
Written Beyond Ye Spheres
--------------------
Sender: theboffs@dircon.co.uk (Arthur Boff)
Subject: The Necronomicons: Tales of Terror
System: Call of Cthulhu
Tales of Terror for the NecronomiCONs
If you have read "The Necronomicon" Cthulhu Cycle book or have glanced
over the Occult section of any large bookstore you will know that
there are many fake versions of the Necronomicon out there. These are
probably the coolest props ever made for a Cthulhu game, second only
to a real life human sacrifice. Unfortunatly, human sacrifice is
slightly illegal, so getting one of the Necronomicons is generally
considered to be a good idea.
But what do you do with one once you get it? The "Simon Necronomicon"
does not seem to be very useful as it is not very faithful to the
Lovecraft mythos, and the "Hay Necronomicon" seems to conform to the
Derleth Mythos, with the Elder Gods being supreme, which is different
from the CoC mythos. (I won't even mention the version which is just
page after page of repeated text.) These Tales of Terror give possible
answers. Since they are closer to the CoC mythos, I have left out the
ones included in the "Necronomicon" Cthulhu Cycle Book.
A TALE OF TERROR FOR THE SIMON NECRONOMICON
"Simon" was once a student at Miskatonic University who had heard
about the Necronomicon. He was never allowed to even look at the
restricted access books, so as an immature form of revenge he made a
fake Necronomicon, with the Mythos references being constructed from
phrases the head librarian was often heard muttering under his breath.
He told a white lie about the source of the book.
Possibilities:
1.) An enemy of the Investigators sends a copy of this Necronomicon to
them. He then waits, knowing that sooner or later they will try to use
one of the exorcisms in it to defeat a monster (which won't work).
2.) Nyarlathotep likes Simon's plagiaristic traits, and tries to
recruit him into a cult of the Outer Gods. He offers him a real
Necronomicon, written and signed by the ghost of Abd al-Azred. What
bibliophile could refuse?
3.) Simon actually believes what he has written is real, and thinks
that he has been possessed by the Mad Arab.
A TALE OF TERROR FOR THE HAY NECRONOMICON
This book's origins is actually explained in it. It is a decoded part
of a manuscript by Dr. John Dee, called "Liber Logaeth". In it are the
descriptions for these spells:
Call/Dismiss Shub-Niggurath
Call/Dismiss Yog-Sothoth
Elder Sign
Powder of Ibn-Ghazi
Voorish Sign
Enchant Stone Tablet
What seems to be Journey to the Other Side
There are also a few things that have no CoC equivalent (or none that
I can find). These are: two new Signs (Kish and Koth); instructions
for making the Incense of Zkauba, the Talisman of Yhe, and the
Scimitar of Barzai; the Unction of Khephnes; notes on the Alphabet of
Nug-Soth; and a spell to control spirits ("Globes") of Yog- Sothoth.
A sequel has been released, the R'lyeh Text (not related to the Mythos
book of the same name). This claims to contain extra parts of the
Necronomicon. The only game spell contained in the R'lyeh Text is
Command Ghost. These non-defined spells are also contained:
* A spell for preparing a dead body to contain the mind of a Great
Old One.
* Instructions for making the Vessel of Balon, the Ring of Hypnos,
and the Amulet of Nodens.
* A spell to transform the caster into a Great Old One (probably
only a _very_ minor one).
Possibilities:
The Necronomicon:
1.) The listing for Enchant Stone Tablet is incomplete. It does not
mention that the stone must be from R'lyeh, or that the spell requires
a sacrifice. A few high-school kids, not cool enough to sneak into
nightclubs to get drugs, and unknowing of how good Chaosium games are,
try the spell anyway, attracting the anger of Cthulhu.
2.) For a time the Mad Arab was fooled into thinking that the Elder
Gods were supreme, and the parts of "Liber Logaeth" that have been
deciphered were written around this time (hence the Derlethian bias of
the Hay Necronomicon). Of course, we needn't let the Investigators
know that.
3.) In the Hay Necronomicon is the technique for controlling some
spirits under the control of Yog-Sothoth. One of them has the power to
bring you money. An especially greedy sorceror has been asking this
spirit for loads of money, whilst his country's economy goes to pot,
with the vaults of all the major banks being emptied after a series of
impossible robberies.
The R'lyeh Text:
1.) This book has great potential for confusing the players. ("I
thought the R'lyeh Text was Chinese!")
2.) A cult decides to make a lovely corpse for their favourite Great
Old One or Outer God to live in. They could already have done this, or
they may have their eye on one of the Investigator's bodies.
3.) A sorcerer uses the spell that makes you a Great Old One. And,
guess what: he's not sleepy. Maybe a bedtime snack will do the
trick...
Copyright Arthur Boff 1997
You don't want to know where.
--------------------
Sender: theboffs@dircon.co.uk (Arthur Boff)
Subject: The Paper Man
System: Call of Cthulhu
The Paper Man: A 1990s Tale of Terror
Mindful of modern concerns about the environment, the investigators'
local authority has started a magazine recycling scheme. The residents
each get a blue bag, which they leave outside, and wait for them to be
collected on Tuesday. However, people start noticing a man going up to
the bags whilst they are left in the street, rummaging through them,
and taking some of the newspapers.
Possibilities:
1.) The man is (or at least was) an investigator, like the players. He
used the money he got from his stock market deals to fund his
investigating. However, he made a major error, with the result that he
has now lost all his money and his possession. He is collecting
newspapers to find cases he might investigate, so that he may start
his career again.
2.) The man is a local fireman. In one blazing inferno, he and some of
his colleagues were caught in a chemical explosion and were sent into
comas. In the hospital, Cthugha came to them in their dreams and asked
them to become his priests and start his first major Earth cult. Those
that agreed soon got better, while those that refused never woke up.
After a while, the people whose papers were stolen become involved in
odd fires, and the fire brigade fails to turn up in time.
3.) There is an old belief that if a wizard gets ahold of one of your
possessions, such as one of your hairs or something you've thrown
away, that wizard can make a doll shaped like you, which can be used
to hurt or control you. The truth behind the legend, of course, is
entirely up to the Keeper.
Copyright Arthur Boff 1997
Somewhere near N'kai
--------------------
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