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Chaosium Digest Volume 35 Number 09
Chaosium Digest Volume 35, Number 09
Date: Saturday, March 16, 2002
Number: 1 of 2
Contents
* Godlike: Mechanics for Call of Cthulhu (CTHULHU)
by Cedric Chin
Editor's Note:
My thanks go out to everyone who has submitted articles since last issue.
Due to the large number of Announcements in this issue one of the smaller
submissions is being used this issue. Cedric Chin presents a possible new
game mechanic for Call of Cthulhu. The others will get their turn in the
near future. Also, since there were such a small number of submissions for
last quarter, those entries have been rolled over for the first quarter 2002
contest which ends March 31, 2002. Keep those submissions coming!
Enjoy.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* From Issaries, Inc.
AND OUR LUCKY WINNERS ARE ...
The winners of the second general GTA Observers drawing were Shawn Wilson
and Janice Sellers. They each won a copy of the fabulous Lunar Map by Wesley
Quadros and Martin Laurie. If you don't remember the map or want to gaze
longingly upon the map, perhaps with an eye toward buying a copy, go to
<www.herowars.com/new/maps_lunar.html>.
The next drawing starts ... NOW! This time around, we will be giving away a
set of the first 11 Gloranthan Classics miniatures produced by Dark Ages
Miniatures. These miniatures, described elsewhere in this newsletter, are
being cast from the original Archive molds in lead-free white metal. They
are among the first Gloranthan miniatures ever produced, and are truly
wonderful to see again or behold for the first time. Enliven your game
(Gloranthan or otherwise) by throwing in the White Princess, Harrek the
Berserk, the Master of Fire, or Cragspider the Firewitch!
On March 1st, Issaries will select two non-paid GTA members at random to
receive a full set of these eleven miniatures. To be eligible for this
drawing, we must receive an email message from you by midnight PST February
1st to <gta@glorantha.com>. To ensure that we do not overlook your message,
please put GTA ARCHIVE MINIATURES DRAWING in the subject line of the
message. If you have other correspondence for us, you must send it in a
separate message to help avoid any confusion.
SANDY PETERSEN APOTHEOSIZED
After a time of great devastation, beneficent darkness descended upon the
realm. Panic, depression, and despair receded, vanishing like the last
embers of a fire as the shadows engulf it. Glorantha was saved.
A god living among mortals, a mortal living among gods, Ezkankekko, the Only
Old One, strode forward to bring unity once more to the shattered world. Uz,
aldryami, mostali, humans, dragonewts, gold wheel dancers, and many others
came together, and Ezkankekko was among them, healing ancient scars,
settling ancient feuds, and showing similarities where people could see only
differences. When Chaos came he was there, and the Unity People became one.
When Gbaji came he was there, and the Unity People triumphed. When the
dragons betrayed the world he was there, and the Unity People survived. He
is with us even now, one among many, a bastion of strength at the Gray
Shores of Despair. He will always be with us.
No amount of thanks can be great enough for the many gifts Sandy Petersen
has given to the Glorantha Tribe. From a fan hoping to have his submissions
looked at by the High Ones, to one of the Gods of Glorantha creating the
world, to a respected elder and an expert on all things ever present, his
thoughts and beliefs have shaped all aspects of Glorantha, and always will.
I fervently hope that he will always be with us.
I am happy to have this opportunity to thank Sandy for the friendship,
creativity, and support you have given to Glorantha and me. In recognition
of this service, which truly cannot be measured, Issaries is honored to
grant to you the most esteemed status in our Glorantha Tribe. I, Greg
Stafford, am proud to announce this here, for all of the best to see:
Sandy Petersen is a Demi-God of the Glorantha Trading Association
With all honors and privileges granted thereto.
GTA OBSERVER BENEFITS
Although Observers are not paid members of the GTA, you are important
members of the Glorantha Tribe. In addition to receiving a regular
newsletter similar to
this one, we send you most announcements that go to members. And, you have
one benefit that paid members do not -- every few months, when we send out
the
Observers newsletter, we hold a drawing and give away a prize to one or two
people.
If you know someone who would like to keep up on all happenings Gloranthan,
and maybe score a free prize sometime, have them contact us at
<gta@glorantha.com> with the message "Add Observer" in the subject line so
that we can add them to the list of almost 1000 addresses.
A NEW HOME FOR THE GTA
After some constructive criticism, we have done some construction of our own
on the Glorantha web site to better accommodate and recognize the members of
the
GTA, without whom there would be no Hero Wars. Now, getting access to GTA
information and documents is easier than ever!
Instead of having to locate files in different directories by following many
links, beginning today you can access all GTA information from a single
page. You can access this page in two ways:
1. Enter the GTA site URL: <www.glorantha.com/gta/index.html>
2. Click on the new GTA Link from the main page, marked appropriately enough
with the Recreation/Resurrection rune.
This new link goes to a GTA Gateway page that allows you access to all
things GTA. Links now take you directly to the Membership Info page,
Restricted Library (for paid members), We Are the Tribe member listing, and
more.
In addition, we will soon give the Glorantha links page
<www.glorantha.com/tribes/links.html> an overhaul. Among other changes, the
personal sites of paid GTA members will be found under a separate heading,
closer to the top of the page than they are now. In this way, we recognize
and reward those members who have
dedicated themselves (and their money) to Glorantha and the GTA. We want to
make the GTA more than just an organization to help Glorantha: a true
community. Visit the sites of these members, and take a look at their great
ideas. And let us know if there is anything else you think we should be
doing for the tribe!
MAILING LIST BLUES: Because of the difficulties of sending out the
newsletter via traditional email, Issaries, Inc. is considering moving the
GTA Observers list to YahooGroups. Issaries would still maintain the
database in-house, but would keep the mailing list on YahooGroups. This will
enable me, your GTA Czar, to actually send out the newsletter and
announcements myself, thus freeing up Stephen Martin of Issaries, Inc. for
other tasks. It will also make maintaining the list simpler.
Issaries and I would maintain the list directly, and would restrict mailing
privileges only to a few people, so there is no fear of suddenly getting
unsolicited emails. Only Issaries and Mark Leymaster would have access to
the list, so the anonymity of GTA Observers would be ensured (we do not even
maintain names in-house for Observers, only email addresses). But despite
all these assurances, we understand that people will have questions and
concerns about the move, so we want to hear from you. Email us at
<gta@glorantha.com> with "YahooGroups" in the Subject Line to express your
opinion on the matter. It is your tribe, and you have a say in how it is
run!
TOP 20 GLORANTHA SITES
Nominations are open now for all paid GTA members for the Top 20 Glorantha
Web Sites. Issaries, Inc. and the GTA think it is time to recognize the best
Glorantha web sites out there (whether or not they belong to GTA members or
observers). Is there a site with great content? Amazing maps or artwork?
More
stuff than you can shake a trollkin at? We want to know which sites deserve
special merit. Nominations will be listed on
<www.herowars.com/gta/top20.html>, and see voting mechanics for this posted
at <www.herowars.com/gta/top20vote.html>. Votes will be accepted by email
from all GTA members AND OBSERVERS from March 16 to March 31, 2002, with the
winners announced as soon afterwards as possible, both on the Glorantha web
site and also on the RPGNetwork's Top Web Sites listings.
BARBARIANS RELEASED
Issaries, Inc. has releases of Barbarian Adventures, the first book in the
Sartar Rising campaign series. This scenario book for Hero Wars details
typical activities and unusual adventures for Heortling heroes. Seek the
clan Lawspeaker's advice, fight Chaos monstrosities, become embroiled in a
blood feud because of a horse, and escort a group of friendly (perhaps more
than friendly) healers around the countryside. (The Clan Questionnaire
originally planned for this book will appear in Orlanth is Dead!, due out
soon.)
Barbarian Adventures began shipping on Tuesday, January 22. GTA members who
selected it as their patronage choice should already have received their
copy.
If you think you should have received a copy, but have not, please contact
Stephen Martin at <administrator@glorantha.com> so that he can check on it
for you.
(This might be a good time for everyone to think about contacting us to
update or confirm their address.)
ISS 1401 Barbarian Adventures ISBN 1-929052-05-7, 72 pg. 8 1/2" x 11"
paperback, US$ 14.95.
For more information, see <www.herowars.com/products/1401.html>.
MYTHOLOGIES REVEALED AND PREFINISHED WORKS CHANGED
Issaries, Inc. has also released a new Prefinished Work: Revealed
Mythologies, a 110 page sourcebook detailing the core mythologies of the
Malkioni (Westerners), Vithelans (Easterners), and Doraddi (Pamaltelans) of
Glorantha, which previously have been obscured by the mythology of Central
Genertela. Also included are an index, Godtime maps from each culture's
point of view, and separate glossaries of important divinities, places,
events, and philosophies.
However, all Prefinished Works are produced on demand, so Issaries has sadly
announced that the value of your copies of The Entekosiad, Glorious ReAscent
of Yelm, Fortunate Succession, Missing Lands, & Revealed Mythologies are now
worth/cost US $30 each.
The good news for overseas Glorantha watchers is that Unspoken Word is able
to ship Prefinished Works from the UK, much reducing shipment cost to many
places. Check <www.celtic-webs.com/theunspokenword> for details.
GLORANTHAN LICENSES: BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY
Issaries, Inc. has announced its license to Edge Entertainment of Spain to
produce the Spanish edition of Hero Wars. Edge Entertainment will release
their
translation of Hero Wars 2nd edition later this year. Watch this space for
details to come.
Atelier THIRD of Japan released the Japanese edition of Hero Wars in Tokyo
last November at SupplementCon, at which Greg Stafford was the Guest of
Honor.
The Japanese book combines Hero Wars and Narrator's Book, with added
information from Thunder Rebels, Anaxial's Roster, and Glorantha:
Introduction to the Hero Wars. Samples are available at
<www.a-third.com/hw/sample.html>.
They May Be Miniatures, But They're Big News
Issaries, Inc. has proudly licensed not just one, but two companies to
produce Gloranthan miniatures. Long-lived addicts of everything Gloranthan
may recall the splendid figures Archive Miniatures produced between 1976 and
1980. Now, just like Glorantha, they are back and better than ever!
Dark Ages Miniatures and Issaries, Inc. just announced the 25th anniversary
re-casting of the first-licensed Gloranthan figures, now in a lead-free
white metal. Over the next two years, Dark Ages Miniatures will release 3
sets of 10 figures each. This is a very limited run, which will last from
February 1st, 2002 to December 31st, 2003, after which the molds will be
destroyed. The first set is available now; see
<www.herowars.com/news/pr02_01.html> for details (including pictures of the
miniatures). As an added bonus, anyone who buys all 10 miniatures at once
will receive an 11th figure free. These additional miniatures will not be
available separately. The second and third groups will be released in April
and June of 2002. (Two sets of the first group of miniatures will be given
to two lucky observers; see "And Our Lucky Winners Are ...", above.)
At the same time, Issaries has also licensed Lance & Laser's completely NEW
series of Gloranthan miniatures for game use. Lance & Laser is well-known
for
their other lines, including the authorized Pendragon figures, and this
Gloranthan line continues their high quality. Issaries has samples on
display and is excited at the prospect of their first release in next March.
Again, more information will be available soon.
GLORANTHAN PRIDE: SOON TO BE SPOTTED AT A CON NEAR YOU
Do clothes make the gamer? Have you ever wanted to show your allegiance to
the Storm Tribe? Ever wanted to get drunk with Orlanth? Have the entire
Lunar
Empire on your desktop?
Now you can! Issaries, Inc. has a partnership for on-line sales of t-shirts,
caps, mugs, mousemats, and other products featuring splendid art and slogans
from
Glorantha. The merchandise is from the CafePress.com on-line store, who
print to order using good quality materials. You can buy safely with credit
card, check, or
money order and have your purchases shipped anywhere in the world.
(Shipping costs within the US and Canada are $4.30 for the first item, then
$1.65 for each
additional item; outside North America shipping costs $7.00 for the first
item and $4.00 for each additional item. So, if you want to show your pride,
it is cheaper to
buy multiple items at once!)
Find full details at <www.herowars.com/products/cafepress.html>, but the
main store is at <www.cafepress.com/glorantha>, with links to other stores.
Note that
some items will change over time, so that some mugs and shirts will feature
different images each month or quarter. Don't miss out on capturing your
favorite deity when his or her turn comes around. Most sites will be updated
at the start of each month. Under normal circumstances, at least one month's
notice will be given before a line is withdrawn from sale, but now Issaries
Goldentongue waits to tempt you with his wares!
More stores will be opened in time as the Goldentongue returns from his
travels with new wares. Coming soon is UZ: The Trolls of Glorantha, a joint
venture with
The Unspoken Word featuring artwork from that book as well as the Dark Troll
Joke of the Month series of mugs (featuring classic Gloranthan artwork by
William
Church). We would like to open stores offering goods for other cultures of
Glorantha; let us know what you would like to see!
The first new site is Gultha's Trade Tent <www.cafepress.com/issaries> to
showcase art from the "Book of the Moment," whichever is the latest book
released by
Issaries, Inc. At present, it is Barbarian Adventures, so go and take a look
at Gultha's goods. But Be Warned: once a new book is released and new
products are in this store, the old ones will no longer be available. So if
you buy, buy early, buy often!
Also available for a very limited time is a hooded sweatshirt featuring the
cover art from Hero Wars 2nd edition. This item will not be available after
March 31st, so get one at <www.cafepress.com/glorantha> while you can!
Issaries, Inc. would like to thank Mark Galeotti of the Unspoken Word for
designing, setting up, and maintaining these Glorantha stores.
JOIN THE TRADE CLAN: More Glorantha from CafePress.com Issaries, Inc. is
happy to see others establish CafePress.com sites to support the Hero Wars
game and the world of Glorantha. Obviously, though, Issaries must also
protect its trademarks and intellectual property rights. As such, Issaries
will permit and encourage others to establish online sites selling
Glorantha-related goods, so long as they meet a series of simple conditions
intended both to protect these rights and also to ensure that CafePress.com
sites selling items with Glorantha as their main or partial inspiration do
so openly, fairly and within the bounds of appropriate taste. These
conditions are posted at <www.herowars.com/inc/cafepress-policy.html>.
Two approved Gloranthan stores are already open:
King of Dragon Pass <www.cafepress.com/asharp>, featuring artwork from that
award-winning computer game.
The Unspoken Word <www.cafepress.com/unspokenword>, with artwork and logos
from an outstanding Gloranthan fanzine.
We hope to see more CafePress Glorantha on-line soon!
THE LATEST ON CONVENTIONS
Convulsion C02 is a UK games convention taking place from July 19th to July
22nd 2002 at Digby Hall in Leicester, England. There is a heavy bias toward
Glorantha and Hero Wars, with guests such as Greg Stafford, John Hughes,
Roderick Robertson, and Michael O'Brien. In addition look for staff of Tales
of the Reaching Moon, Unspoken Word and Tradetalk. Expect organised Hero
Wars tournaments, Gloranthan freeforms, Trollball, a Gloranthan games
auction (the best in the "real-world"), GlorWar miniatures, and numerous
Gloranthan seminars and panels. Join the mailing list at
<groups.yahoo.com/group/convulsionUK> or email David Hall at
<glorantha@compuserve.com>. See the website <www.glorantha.co.uk> for more
detail.
Tentacles 2002 is coming (slurp). Hero Wars, Elric! and Cthulhu Game Fest on
17th-20th May 2002 at Castle Stahleck, Germany, see
<www.Tentacles-Convention.de>. Guests of honor include Greg Stafford and
Lawrence Whitaker (Sandy Petersen has a scheduling conflict, and will be
unable to attend this year). You can register there for 85 euros for 4 days
and 3 nights with breakfast and dinner before the March 31 deadline.
Credit cards (but no cash payment) accepted at the door.
Canada Glorantha Con, in 2003, is doing a fundraiser book, like most of the
Gloranthacons of old. If you want to contribute, write to Jeff Kyer
<jakyer@sympatico.ca>.
BUT WE NEED EVERYONE: Are you going to another local convention? If so,
consider running a Hero Wars game or two. Along with a prize,Issaries can
also
provide a scenario for you to run: just contact Stephen Martin at
<administrator@glorantha.com> for assistance. If the convention is a large
one, we might want to deal directly with the convention staff to give prizes
in exchange for advertising space, but even small cons can benefit from the
presence of one or two dedicated Glorantha fans.
If you plan to go to a convention, whether or not you plan to run a game,
tell us! Local cons are a great place to meet each other as well as
non-member fans of Glorantha. A little word of mouth is all it takes to help
keep the tribe growing. Contact us at <gta@glorantha.com> with your name and
the convention name, dates, and location, and we'll do what we can to make
it a great experience for you. When possible, we will put an announcement on
the Issaries Conventions page
<www.herowars.com/tribes/events.html>, so that other fans can find you.
WORDS NOT ENTIRELY UNSPOKEN
UZ: the Trolls of Glorantha is out! This full-sized 64-page book features a
full-color cover and more new material from James Frusetta than you can
shake a value
trollkin at. Get histories; racial, occupational, and magical keywords; a
wonderful new map of Dagori Inkarth by Darran Sims; players' & narrators'
notes; lavish
illustrations; and everything else you need to start running games among the
irrepressible (and hungry) Uz.
UZ is available from the Wizard's Attic <www.wizards-attic.com/index.html>
and also directly from the Unspoken Word
<www.celtic-webs.com/theunspokenword>.
Additional support materials, including a sample uz clan and cave complex,
will very soon be available on the Unspoken Word website.
Unspoken Word #2 is coming soon, a bandits and outlaws issue. It contains an
optional story arc set in Dragon Pass, linking the different groups, cults,
adventures, and locations together, culminating in a mob war in Furthest
that could leave half the city in ruins. This issue also includes Greg's
Secret Lowdown on Lanbril -- don't miss the official word on everyone's
favorite Thief God! UW3 will focus on Aldachur and the Far Place.
Meanwhile, more regional books are in the works. Also coming is at least one
book on Imther by Harald Smith and Martin Crim, adventures among the Exiles
'In
Wintertop's Shadow' by Ian Cooper, the CharUn nomad book 'Sons of Kargzant'
by Wesley Quadros and Martin Laurie, and a Dragon Pass scenario book.
GLORANTHAN SHORT TAKES
King of Dragon Pass, the Best of the Best of Glorantha 2001, and a nifty and
award-winning computer game, is now just $19.95, if ordered from the
publisher's
website <www.a-sharp.com/kodp/> or select retailers (such as Wizards Attic).
It runs on a Macintosh or under Windows, so my niece can run it just like
me.
If you want to keep up with Tradetalk subscriptions or back issues, visit
Tradetalk's wonderful site <www.Tradetalk.de> which sprachen English as well
as Deutsch. Snappy mail service to the U.S. and personal attention if your
order needs it.
Kalikos, the North Star, is on the rise in Finland. We have heard that a
group of Finnish fans have started a Finnish-language association called
Kalikos, which
among other things plans to publish a Gloranthan fanzine. For more
information, email them at <info@kalikos.org> or visit them at
<www.kalikos.org>.
ORLANTH WANTS YOU ... TO CALL HOME
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Issaries, but they sometimes go missing. If
you know how to contact Geoffrey McVey, Darrell Jay Cook, or Joe Lannom,
would
you let us know or ask them to email us <volunteers@glorantha.com>?
If you want to volunteer, let us know what you'd like to contribute, or just
ask and we'll find something for you to do.
PARTING SHOT
The more I do in Glorantha, the more I find that kinship and family matter,
much as they do in the real world. Getting the detail for this is not always
easy, but I've found a nifty website that helps: the Pendragon Family
Generator <www.jdrpg.com/family.cgi>, which produces custom family trees on
demand.
The author of this marvel is quite willing to add Heortling names to the
culture options. Can someone mail a good list to Mark Cummins
<macummins@bigfoot.com>? (Great first name.) More ambitious help with this
marvelous tool: anyone care to explain to him how mixed maternal-paternal
clan inheritance works? Anyone care to explain it to me?
Mark Leymaster
aka Hawkbear
* AND OUR LUCKY WINNERS ARE ...
"...the Observations email said I have to enter by Feb. 1, but the email
didn't go out until Feb. 22..."
The actual final date for entries was supposed to be March 7th, and the
drawing on March 8th. Mea culpa!
Also, Shannon Wright was the second winner of the Lunar Map Drawing, not
Shawn Wilson. Sorry Shannon!
Stephen Martin
* To All:
Because the GTA-Czar and I will both be out of town until near the end of
the month, we have made the decision to extend both the Best of Glorantha
2001
and the Top 20 Glorantha site nomination deadlines.
Nominations for Best of Glorantha 2001 will be accepted from GTA Heroes and
Runemasters to <Best2001@glorantha.com> through midnight March 31st, Pacific
Standard Time. Voting will begin immediately after. Votes will be accepted
from any GTA Hero, Runemaster, or Initiate through midnight PST, Thursday
April 18th. For more details, see <www.glorantha.com/gta/Best2001.html>.
Nominations for Top 20 Glorantha sites will be accepted from GTA Heroes,
Runemasters, and Initiates to <Top20@glorantha.com> through midnight March
31st, Pacific Standard Time. Voting will begin immediately after. Votes will
be accepted from any GTA Hero, Runemaster, Initiate, or Observer through
midnight
PST, Thursday April 18th. For more details, see
<www.glorantha.com/gta/Top20.html>.
So, those of you who have been meaning to make a nomination and despaired of
getting it in by the deadline, take a look at the current nominations and
then send us your nominations!
Cheers and Happy Voting!
GTA-Boyer Stephen Martin
<administrator@glorantha.com>
(continued)
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