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MOB

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Everything posted by MOB

  1. A new "Middle Ages" Call of Cthulhu setting is currently in development, and broadens the Medieval scope significantly.
  2. In a new RPGNet review, Runeblogger says, "The RUNEQUEST GLORANTHA BESTIARY is "a must for playing games in Glorantha… The interior art is as awesome as the cover. …It is no wonder that this book, together with the two others in the RQ slipcase, won an ENnie award for Best Interior Art in 2019." https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/17/17808.phtml
  3. The second of three articles exploring the world of 'Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace', Critical Role's recent cosmic horror one-shot. Here Keeper Taliesin Jaffe looks at the fascinating setting itself - a prequel of sorts to the “Edge of Darkness” scenario in the CALL OF CTHULHU STARTER SET, taking place some 30 years or so prior to those events. https://critrole.com/shadow-of-the-crystal-palace-the-setting
  4. In the wake of Critical Role's 'Shadow of the Crystal Palace' airing on Twitch and YouTube our fulfilment warehouses have been pummelled with orders for the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set. Which is great! But it seems our overwhelmed US warehouse has goofed somewhere along the way: we're helping our friends at Nocturnal Media out with distribution, and a handful of Starter Set customers were sent a copy of their game 'Aquelarre' by mistake. Don't worry if this happens to you, we'll send you the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set replacement right away! And you can just keep and enjoy 'Aquelarre' too.
  5. In the first of three articles exploring the lore and legerdemain behind The Shadow of the Crystal Palace, Keeper Taliesin Jaffe talks about the memorable assortment of player characters created for the one-shot: https://critrole.com/shadow-of-the-crystal-palace-the-investigators
  6. CALL OF CTHULHU the Official Video Game is up to 73% off at the PlayStation Store until September 4. 66% off in the United Kingdom and Sweden. 65% off in Poland. 63% off in Eurozone. 20% off in Japan. 73% off in Australia. (No news on discounts for USA or Canada). Call of Cthulhu the Official video game was recently described as "…hands-down, is one of the most atmospheric Lovecraft-inspired video games ever developed."(Dragonblogger). Some more reviews we like of the game here, here, here, and here.
  7. There's 20% off the range of Call of Cthulhu dice and related stuff over at Q-Workshop:http://bit.ly/2z9eCVE
  8. Wow CritRoleStats kept track of literally everything that happened during Critical Role's 'The Shadow of the Crystal Palace'. Even the puns: https://www.critrolestats.com/blog/2019/7/31/call-of-cthulhu-shadow-of-the-crystal-palace-masterpost
  9. GREG STAFFORD was featured in the "In Memorium" list shown at the Hugo Award ceremony at World Con in Dublin, Ireland last weekend, honouring those lost in the last year: "Game Designer Greg Stafford (b.1948) died on October 11*. Stafford created the Glorantha setting for his game White Bear and Red Moon and later it was used for the game Runequest, published by Chaosium, the gaming company Stafford co-founded. Stafford also designed the Arthurian RPG Pendragon and Elric, based on Michael Moorcock’s fiction. He was inducted into the Origins Award Hall of Fame in 1987." https://dublin2019.com/in-memoriam *Greg passed away on Oct 10
  10. Well, a certain poster's "welcome" to me on The RPG Site was to call my mother a whore and wish me dead at the hands of Islamic terrorists. All because we announced we weren't continuing with RQ6, and it was my role to communicate that news (lucky me). I don't have an issue with robust discussion, but nerd-rage abuse like that seems to be pretty much textbook cyberbullying, yet the moderators there let that stand, so that was enough for me. Likewise at The RPGPub: there seem to be a handful of long-standing and inveterate Chaosium detractors on that site (for reasons that are obscure to us), and as it's my current responsibility to speak for the company, I guess I am a visible target. However, that's another forum I do not frequent. Here's something we've found: since the return of Greg and Sandy, and Moon Design joining the company, there are some people who it seems don't want to cope with the whole Chaosium ecosystem changing. You'd think they'd be happy that instead of withering and dying, the games they love are coming back stronger than ever. Instead of celebrating it and wanting to be part of it, they resent that Chaosium's revival has somehow diminished their own relevance and importance, or somehow invalidated their previous experiences (it hasn't). But it's like they preferred it back when they could feel they were the noble and stoic keepers of the flame, knowingly tut-tutting at Chaosium's incompetence: sadly Chaosium, during its low point, created a very bad cycle of codependence and enabling (and that low point was the better part of 20 years). Fortunately, although we are by no means perfect and have made plenty of missteps along the way, we reckon we've managed to bring 99.9% of people along with us who are happy to see Chaosium successful and starting to prosper again. We've expanded our social media audience more than 2000% in the process, and are building up the audiences for our games by reconnecting with old fans and attracting newcomers (the recent Critical Role game being an example). We want those newcomers to feel welcome too, and we are fortunate we have Trif's BRP Central as the key discussion forum to help facilitate this; a site for friendly and civilized discussion about Chaosium (and related d100) games with a very light hand of moderation and an expectation of mature self-moderation. It's a shame some folks don't seem to want to be a positive part of it all now that Chaosium is vibrant and successful again. Because they could be if they really wanted. We are a very welcoming tribe.
  11. Now over 700K views! Pick up the CALL OF CTHULHU STARTER SET for a cosmic horror adventure of your own and use the code CriticalRole at check out for 10% off your entire order: http://bit.ly/2HcE9BY The cast - players and Keeper Taliesen - are all cheerfully new to Call of Cthulhu and still very much getting a handle on the rules. They were up front about that at the beginning of this session. That's part of the charm of it we think. The cast members (Taliesen, Erika, Liam, Marisha) my colleague Neil and I met at the Critical Role Party at Gen Con were certainly very pleased with the reaction to it, and said how much they enjoyed the experience. Everyone involved in making this happen - which took nearly two years - hopes this will be more than just a one-off, but we shall see.
  12. The view of the (Brithini) Amoral Majority, if I recall correctly. And they are still around - though no longer a majority - so in their minds at least this is so.
  13. I think that interplay is exactly where is the MGF derives. And of course formed the basis of the wonderful LARP, 'How the West was One'. One of my favourite parts of that was the theological disputation mechanic (rock-paper-scissors). If you lost bad enough, you had a "Crisis of Faith' and got to open your special sealed envelope that every character had. It explained the revelation you now had about your beliefs, and how to act going forward. Hopefully not too late 😄
  14. Someone who would agree with you: https://www.chaosium.com/blogsteve-perrin-returns-to-chaosium-as-a-creative-consultant
  15. And all 29 of our Chaosium mythos fiction titles are 20% off in DriveThruFiction's Cthulhu Mythos Sale too: for the next six days, ends August 22nd!
  16. The 2019 ENnies award ceremony is now available on YouTube. Chaosium had a great night, picking up awards in all the categories it was nominated in, along with winning Fan's Choice Best Publisher. Chaosium President Rick on accepting that award (2:10.35) said it was a hard one to talk about because last year Greg Stafford accepted the award [for Silver Fan Favourite Publisher] and said the thanks go to the fans - "and it is very hard to find better words than that". The 2018 ENnies turned out to be Greg's final public engagement, but we know, looking down, Greg believed in us, and this award is for him too. #weareallus
  17. Yes. For example, the masts of a ship would be visible before the hull, etc. My contention is that conceptually, in Greg and other American creators' heads as they were mapping this out, 1 KM (key mile) was actually 1 Mile all along. So in effect, nothing changes on the ground in Glorantha. There is no change to population densities, city sizes or whatever.
  18. There are 175 Call of Cthulhu titles at 20% off in DriveThruRPG's Cthulhu Mythos Sale! Sale ends in seven days!
  19. I am convinced that despite RQ officially using the metric system, when devising stuff Greg et al being Americans still thought in miles, and this is reflected in some of scales and distances being off. A quick and easy solution is to simply assume the Glorantha "key mile" km does not in fact equal 1000 meters but instead equals a mile (1600 meters).
  20. Here is the FAQ about our new Flotsam and Jetsam Organised Play Campaign FAQ Q: What is the "Flotsam and Jetsam," Organized Play Campaign? A: Flotsam and Jetsam is a Call of Cthulhu campaign presented as four separate and loosely linked scenarios. Each scenario offers one or more sessions of play and is essentially, stand-alone. They do not require the same players to take part, although returning players will, of course, enjoy a deeper level of fun by the fact they are engaging with a wider story. Each episode will be released on a monthly basis to Keepers in the Cult of Chaos, Chaosium’s volunteer network of gamemasters. Q: What edition of Call of Cthulhu is the campaign written for? A: Call of Cthulhu 7th edition. Call of Cthulhu is available from direct from Chaosium.com. If you order the physical books, you will receive the PDFs immediately. Call of Cthulhu is also available from DriveThruRPG, and from Friendly Local Games Stores all over. Q: What is the launch date? A: The campaign officially kicks off on Sunday September 15th 2019. You can start running the campaign any time after that, once you’ve had a chance to read it through. We'll be sending out the remaining three parts each following month (October 15th, November 15th, December 15th 2019). Q: If I want to take part, what do I need to do before then? A: Anyone who wishes to be a Keeper (Game Master) in the campaign needs to join the Cult of Chaos, Chaosium’s Organized Play and Game Master program. Joining up is simple and free, just go here. Q: If I’m already member of the Cult of Chaos, do I need to do anything to register? A: If you're in the Cult already, you don't need to do anything further at this stage. All registered members of the Cult of Chaos will be invited to sign up to run the OP Campaign before the commencement date. Q: If I’m going to be a Keeper, how will I receive updates and instructions? A: Each month a new episode of the OP campaign is released, which we’ll send you by email. We’ll also host discussions about the campaign for Keepers and players in the Call of Cthulhu area of BRP Central – The Chaosium Forums. This will be the place to share experiences of running the campaign, pose questions, give feedback, and share fan-created resources. Q: How does the Campaign unfold? A: Flotsam and Jetsam uses the investigator organization called Strange But True! (as detailed in the Investigator Handbook) as the glue holding the campaign together. For those without access to the Investigator Handbook, particulars about the organization are included in Part One. Each scenario in Flotsam and Jetsam is, essentially, standalone, and does not require the same players to take part, although returning players will, of course, enjoy a deeper level of fun by the fact they are engaging with a wider story. As to frequency of play, that's up to you as the Keeper. Ideally, you will run one episode per month (either weekly, fortnightly, or monthly), but obviously some groups may take longer or shorter. Each episode contains what's needed for that month - preparing an episode is basically down to how long it takes you to read it through and make whatever notes you require. Month One provides episode one but also general campaign information of use throughout the campaign, thus you’ll have a lot of key info upfront. Q: What is the minimum age for participants? A: Keepers/GMs in the Cult of Chaos must be eighteen years and over. For players, Flotsam and Jetsam should be fine for most teenagers - if necessary, the Keeper can of course tone things down according to their play group (equally, ramp things up for older and "hardened" gamers). Q: Where can I play this? Is playing at home acceptable, or does it have to be in a game store or at a convention? A: Playing at home is perfectly acceptable! Your friendly local game store is an ideal place to help spread Call of Cthulhu to new players, so also highly recommended! We will even be providing sign-up flyers and posters to help you recruit players. The stand-alone nature of the scenarios means you could even play an individual episode at a convention. Q: Can I play in the campaign online? A: Absolutely! Virtual Tabletops like Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, and Astral are great places to play Call of Cthulhu with people from all over the world. Some groups may even stream their play through TwitchTV. Q: How many people does the campaign accommodate? A: The campaign will work best for groups of 4 to 6 players, plus a Keeper. Q: What does it cost to participate? A: Participation is completely free, for both Keepers and players. Q: Who has written the campaign? A: The original concept for Flotsam and Jetsam was by Mike Mason and Scott Dorward. The writers involved are Brian Courtemanche, Matthew Dawkins, Anthony Lee-Dudley, Glyn White, and Scott Dorward. Editorial work for the project is by Mike Mason, Lynne Hardy, and Scott Dorward. Other people directly involved in the OP program at Chaosium are Todd Gardiner, Dustin Wright, and Michael ‘MOB’ O’Brien. Q: Will there be a book release of Flotsam and Jetsam at some stage? A: Yes, Chaosium will publish the whole campaign as a full color supplement down the line, after the OP campaign has concluded. We’d love to incorporate feedback from the Organised Play run in the book version. Our previous Organised Play campaign, A Time to Harvest (2016) is currently in the art commissioning stage. Q: Err… is organized play possible for a game where characters can easily die or go insane? A: A set of pre-generated investigators is provided with the first scenario, and these may be reused in the follow-up scenarios (if they survive!); however, there is nothing to stop Keepers creating their own set of investigators, or for players to bring their own investigators to the game. Ultimately, the decision is yours as the Keeper of the campaign.
  21. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM is our new Call of Cthulhu Organized Play campaign, which will be presented as four separate and loosely linked scenarios. These will be released on a monthly basis to the Keepers of the Cult of Chaos, commencing on September 15th 2019. Each scenario offers one or more sessions of play and is essentially, stand-alone. They do not require the same players to take part, although returning players will, of course, enjoy a deeper level of fun by the fact they are engaging with a wider story. A set of pre-generated investigators is provided with the first scenario, and these may be reused in the follow-up scenarios; however, there is nothing to stop Keepers creating their own set of investigators. Flotsam and Jetsam uses the investigator organization called Strange But True! (as detailed in the Investigator Handbook). STRANGE BUT TRUE! is a weekly newspaper publishing “true” accounts of the bizarre, the weird, and the frankly unbelievable. Elijah Cleaver, the chief editor and publisher, may have a taste for the outlandish, but he knows that the world is filled with darker secrets than most of his readers could care to imagine. When he can, he uses the resources of his newspaper and its loose network of investigators to uncover the truth and present it to an incredulous readership. Whether or not such investigations result in a publishable story, Cleaver hopes to, at least, make the world a safer place. The original concept for Flotsam and Jetsam was by Mike Mason and Scott Dorward. The writers involved are Brian Courtemanche, Matthew Dawkins, Anthony Lee-Dudley, Glyn White, and Scott Dorward. Editorial work for the project is by Mike Mason, Lynne Hardy, and Scott Dorward. Other people directly involved in the OP program at Chaosium are Todd Gardiner, Dustin Wright, and Michael ‘MOB’ O’Brien.
  22. Next week Chaosium will be at NecronomiCon Providence, the expansive exploration and celebration of all the greats of weird fiction, including predecessors and contemporaries of Providence’s H.P. Lovecraft, and the many authors and artists who have forged their own paths of weird. Our team members MIKE MASON, LYNNE HARDY, JAMES LOWDER, and NICK NACARIO will be in attendance, and participating in a packed program of panels and games: everything they're getting up to at the link: https://www.chaosium.com/blogchaosium-is-coming-to-necronomicon-providence-next-week-aug-2225 We'll also have the latest Call of Cthulhu releases at our booth, including 'The Shadow Over Providence', produced specially for the convention.
  23. Coming later in 2019 - FLOTSAM AND JETSAM A new Organized Play Campaign for Call of Cthulhu from Chaosium! More details at the link: https://www.chaosium.com/blogcoming-later-in-2019-flotsam-and-jetsam-organized-play-campaign-for-call-of-cthulhu
  24. The fan art from Critical Role's 'The Shadow of the Crystal Palace' continues to amaze! And total views of the Call of Cthulhu have now shot past 650k Art by @kelseyshea, depicting Hanako the Socialite, played by Erika Ishi.
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