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Chaosium Digest Volume 28 Number 07
Chaosium Digest Volume 28, Number 7
Date: Sunday, August 1, 1999
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
* Ethical Dilemmas in Call Of Cthulhu (CTHULHU) by
Michael Schwartz mschwartz@mindspring.com
Editor's Note:
This issue, Michael Schwartz gives us a way to use CoC's
Sanity mechanic to handle ethical dilemmas. We need more
submissions as I am officially out once again. We've had a
request for some Victorian era articles, so I'd be
especially interested in some of those. We've also been
notably lacking in Nephilim articles. I know that there's a
couple of Neph fans out there still, let's hear from you.
Until next time, keep looking over your shoulder...
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
July 23, 1999
PAGAN PUBLISHING TO DESTROY EARTH
(also seeks to recruit gaming retailers for new web site
section)
If you're a gaming retailer, Pagan Publishing wants you!
We're setting up a section on our web site where we'll list
stores who carry our products. Just fill out the form and
we'll sign you up. You'll also get retailer-only emails when
products are about to ship and so forth. Plus, you can
download and print out a DELTA GREEN sign for your window!
>From time to time we'll also do free giveaways and other
goodies. If you've got a store, sign up today:
<http://www.tccorp.com/retail.html>
Thanks!
John Tynes
Pagan Publishing
http://www.tccorp.com/
p.s. Oh, yeah. We're going to destroy the Earth. Sorry. Not
anytime soon or anything.
NEW RELEASES (as reported in Chaosium's R'lyeh Report)
>> AUGUST Releases
Beyond The Mountains of Madness
2380, $39.95
Epic Campaign and Antarctic Sourcebook for Call of Cthulhu.
The scientific world was amazed by reports from the 1931
Miskatonic University expedition into uncharted Antarctica.
The entire world was shocked by the tragedy which followed.
Now a new larger expedition will brave the mysteries of the
icy continent. How credible were Miskatonic University
reports of fossilized remains of ancient life forms
pre-dating all known terrestrial life? Will your expedition
return in glory or tragedy? This massive book includes
considerable source material on the Frozen Continent, the
equipment of the time, and even expedition planning. This is
a role-playing sequel to Lovecraft's classic tale, "At the
Mountains of Madness", of unimaginable scale. Over 400
pages of pure adventure! ISBN 1-56882-138-7
Miskatonic University Antarctic Expedition Pack
2381 $19.95
Expedition Accessories and Player Aids for Beyond the
Mountains of Madness.
Here we present a deluxe assembly of handouts used in Beyond
the Mountains of Madness plus a few exclusive items. In
addition to pages of letters, newspaper clippings, and
important documents this pack provides the long-missing
10,000 word conclusion to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Narrative
of Arthur Gordon Pym", here printed as the last signature of
the never-published book. This kit also provides a special
Keeper's Screen including special rules for extreme cold,
arctic weather, aircraft operations, and more. There is
also a special 16 x 20 inch Keeper's map of Antarctica, an
embroidered expedition patch, & a boarding pass for
expedition vessel Gabrielle.
ISBN 1-56882-145-X
The Antarktos Cycle 6031 $19.95
The Mountains of Madness and other chilling tales of terror
fiction anthology.
The frozen wastes of Antarctica hold many secrets mankind is
not meant to discover. This Cyclopean Call of Cthulhu
fiction anthology includes "The Mountains of Madness" by
H.P. Lovecraft as well as works by Jules Verne, Edgar Allan
Poe, John W. Campbell JR., Arthur C. Clarke, John Taine, and
other bold explorers. About 300,00 words. Edited by Robert
M. Price.
ISBN 1-56882-146-8
-----------------------------
Ethical Dilemmas in Call Of Cthulhu
A recent thread on the DELTA GREEN mailing list concerned
the resolution of ethical dilemmas and matters of conscience
in CALL OF CTHULHU campaigns. Without delving too deep into
the so-called "angsty" White Wolf style of play which many
DGML subscribers seem to abhor, I would like to offer this
quick-and-easy mechanic, based around pre-existing CALL OF
CTHULHU rules, with which gamemasters may adjudicate the
psychological consequences of characters' actions.
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE: A BRIEF RECAP OF SANITY MECHANICS
CALL OF CTHULHU uses Sanity as a gauge of the character's
absolute psychological health. As part of the mechanic, a
character who loses sufficient Sanity to warrant Temporary
Insanity must then make an Idea Roll to determine if he or
she, in fact, is aware of the implications of whatever
events caused the Sanity loss. A successful roll reflects
the character's sudden recognition of the inherent
"wrongness" in that which occurred, with a corresponding
retreat into blissful insanity. A failed Idea Roll reflects
the character's incomprehension of that wrongness, although
Sanity still decreases. The character does not lose control
of his or her faculties, even though he or she is rather
unsettled by the situation.
AN YE HARM NONE: CONSCIENCE IN THEORY AND PRACTICE
The mechanics for resolving ethical dilemmas and matters of
conscience are more-or-less the reverse of the Sanity
mechanics. The character first must make an Idea Roll.
Failure implies that the character is unable to separate
right from wrong *for the moment*, and can proceed as he or
she chooses. The truly fiendish gamemaster will bring the
matter up again, once the character has opportunity to
reflect on his or her actions. Success means that the
character recognizes the morally dubious nature of his or
her behavior, either intended or acted-upon.
If the Idea Roll succeeded, a Sanity Roll becomes required.
Success on this roll indicates that the character
experiences a crisis of conscience and is wracked with
guilt. The rules effect of this anguish is a variable loss
of Sanity, the amount lost being dependent on the severity
of the moral lapse. Failure indicates that the character
feels little or no remorse for his or her actions,
representing a sort of "depraved indifference" toward
morality like that displayed by psychopathic or sociopathic
individuals. Only the minimum Sanity is lost.
Witnessing a friend or relative's violent death costs 0/1d6
Sanity, but inflicting a friend or relative's violent death
personally might cost 1/1d8 or 1/1d6+2 depending on how
close a tie the character felt toward the victim. A sense of
proportion is vital, as penalizing the character too much or
too little will ultimately undermine the delicate balance of
fairness vs. responsibility which these rules required.
I recommend using the "Sanity Loss Guide" from page 78 of
CALL OF CTHULHU 5th Edition for inspiration, but be prepared
to fudge when necessary. These guidelines comment that "few
experiences other than Resurrection should so mangle the
Sanity of any investigator" as to inflict a 1d20, 2d10 or
3d6 Sanity loss, while "single-handedly and willingly
causing the destruction of the entire human race" *might*
qualify for a Sanity loss of 3d10.
I found the Madness rules from John Tynes' and Greg Stolze's
splendid game, UNKNOWN ARMIES, to be very inspirational in
the writing of this piece, and would recommend it to those
who may be interested in an alternative mechanism for
Sanity. The rules presented therein could be fairly easily
adapted for use with CALL OF CTHULHU.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Michael Schwartz mschwartz@mindspring.com
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