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ARPIA 2021 Awards Night - Celebrating the diversity and wonder of Australian TTRPG community! In the Tavern at Fortress Melbourne, Melbourne CBD, Sunday 17th April at 7pm. Featuring ARPIA Game of the Year and 6 other award categories. Light meal and drinks provided. Keynote speaker: To be announced. Ticket prices: Light meal & soft drinks $25, Light meal & alcohol $40. Eventbrite - Private Event Link ARPIA Awards Night sponsored by Chaosium, The Quest Suppliers, The Tray Tinker.

And so the inaugural Chaosium Con in Ann Arbor has come to its close. By all accounts the event was a critical success — a wonderful gathering of the Chaosium tribe, from near and far, with old friends and new. Thank you to all who attended, to the GMs who ran games, and everyone who helped make our first convention such a memorable occasion. We're keen to do Chaosium Con again, and hope to see you next year! —from all the team at Chaosium #weareallus

Some more sights and scenes at Chaosium Con...

People have made their* points clear. In the interests of keeping the discourse on this site friendly and positive, this topic is now closed. *heh

Chaosium Con's Great Market — offering all manner of choice items produced by Chaosium and our licensee friends!

Coming Chaosium releases, revealed at Chaosium Con... Magic has returned to our world. The London Metropolitan Police Service’s special magic branch take to the streets to come to grips with the “demi-monde”—those who have been irreversibly changed by magic. Welcome to Rivers of London. Based on the novels by Ben Aaronovitch. Coming soon. The Prosopaedia: An Encyclopedia of the Gods of RuneQuest! An essential reference for all Glorantha fans. Discover the deities of RuneQuest and inspire your adventures and characters for years to come. Coming soon! A time of social niceties, grand balls, romantic intrigues and disappointments. Twisted horrors Have lain dormant for centuries now seek to burst forth into England. Welcome to Regency Cthulhu. Coming soon! What Kind of Knight Are You? The Pendragon Starter Set contains everything you need to step into Arthurian Legend. Begin with a solo scenario to learn the core rules, and then enjoy 5 in-game years of group play in King Arthur's Britain! Coming soon! Plus, Mike showing off advance copies of these imminent Call of Cthulhu releases...

Lots and lots of gaming going on at Chaosium Con — Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, Pendragon, 7th Sea, and more!!

So, tonight here in Melbourne those of us of the Australian Chaosium team who couldn't make it to Ann Arbor had our own mini Chaosium banquet. As Chaosium Con gets underway on the other side of the world we drank a toast to its success! #weareallus

Tonight, the first-ever Chaosium Con kicked off with a banquet — Chaosium president Rick Meints is welcoming friends old and new to a weekend dripping with cosmic horror, essential runes, swashbuckling adventure, and chivalrous quests!

Ours is only a distribution agreement of the existing English language product. We don't have the rights to make a new translation.

Only a true Scotsman Orlanthi could say. Heh, see what you did there.

From across the globe, members of the Chaosium team have gathered in Ann Arbor, ready to welcome the tribe to the first-ever Chaosium Con! We've also wrapped up several days of team meetings, making all manner of exciting plans. We look forward to sharing them with you! From Left to Right: Ian Cooper, Jaye Kovach, Michal Lisowski, Jeff Richard, David Larkins, James Lowder, Nick Nacario, Brian Holland, Dustin Wright, Rick Meints, Matt Ryan, Nick Brooke, Andrew Bean, Jason Durall, Lynne Hardy, Neil Robinson, John Wick, Bridgett Jeffries, Simeon Cogswell, Todd Gardiner, Daria Pilarczyk, Mike Mason #weareallus

Masks of Nyarlathotep, the epic Call of Cthulhu campaign critics have described as "the holy grail of horror" and one of the greatest ttrpg campaigns ever made, is now available on Fantasy Grounds VTT. Playable with either standard Call of Cthulhu or Pulp Cthulhu, this Massive Package includes: Masks of Nyarlathotep Book - Omnibus of both volumes (666 pages) Keeper Screen you can print out to fit over your existing Call of Cthulhu Keeper's Screen NPC Portraits pack with 105 portraits Keeper Reference Booklet Handout Booklet with Maps and Pre-generated Characters High-resolution images of the amazing covers by Sam Lamont and Rhys Pugh 10 Pre-Generated Characters with Character and Background Sheets What are you waiting for? Go Save the World! Available from direct from Fantasy Grounds and Steam for $59.95. Check out the full range of Call of Cthulhu titles on Fantasy Grounds here.

Romans 8:25

In his latest 'Out of the Suitcase' post, Chaosium president Rick Meints shares a small example of how Chaosium earned its "quirky game company" reputation back in the 1980s. Plus, Rick speaks to the God Learners podcast about his lifelong passion of collecting Gloranthan books, his work on the Meints Index to Glorantha, ChaosiumCon 2022, and much more. https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-of-the-suitcase-32-a-quirky-game-company-indeed-plus-rick-talks-to-the-god-learners

Chaosium's Jeff Richard talks to James Coquillat about talks about the complexities of writing new content for the RuneQuest RPG while still being respectful and cognisant of older source material. Part of our 'Chaosium Interviews' series on YouTube.

For Immediate Release Free "PDF" announced for Chaosium's clay tablet cuneiform edition of RuneQuest Ypsilanti, MI. April 1, 2022 Last April, Chaosium took Bronze Age authenticity to the next level by announcing the cuneiform edition of RuneQuest, their popular heroic fantasy tabletop RPG. Consisting of 360 individual clay tablets, the edition instantly won over core fans of the game, who loved its Ancient World verisimilitude but decried its cumbersome weight (a substantial 10.08 kilograms). "We've received a lot of complaints about hernias, stress fractures, and broken gaming tables," said Ea-nasir, Chaosium's hardworking customer service representative in Ur. "To address these concerns, we've come up with an innovation we're calling a PDF — short for Papyrus Delivery Format." Customers who buy the PDF first will get the price of the PDF off the cuneiform edition, costs redeemable through a clay tablet coupon created by our highly trained scribes at the time of your order. With the current global supply chain issues and ongoing invasion of the Sea Peoples, customers should be aware the system may have its teething problems, but we are certain RuneQuest fans will enjoy this more portable PDF edition as much as they enjoyed its heftier predecessor. As always, please direct all comments, complaints, and concerns to Ea-nasir. (He's used to it.)

Announcing the Call of Cthulhu Wiki: an excellent companion for those who are just starting out, and contains all the rules references and information to go along with the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set. It contains info on Sanity, Skill rolls, magic, and much more. We also have a RuneQuest Wiki! More details about both here:

We now have a Call of Cthulhu wiki too:

Chaosium is pleased to announce the launch of two new tools for both our Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha fans. The Call of Cthulhu Wiki and the RuneQuest Wiki are live now, and contain a wellspring of information on both rules and lore for both tabletop roleplaying systems. New players interested in either system will find the wikis one of the best ways to take a look at the base rules and settings for both Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest. The Call of Cthulhu Wiki is an excellent companion for those who are just starting out, and contains all the rules references and information to go along with the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set. It contains info on Sanity, Skill rolls, magic, and much more. The RuneQuest Wiki has expansive information on runes, passions, combat, and spells, allowing players and GMs alike to keep the game moving even through the most involved and exciting quests the adventurers have found themselves on! It is an ideal companion to the RuneQuest Starter Set. Whether you’re playing online with one of our VTT partners, or like to look up the answers to burning questions on the fly at the tabletop, these wikis are about to be your new best friend!

By David Larkins, Pendragon line editor. A new edition of the Pendragon RPG is coming! The intention of this series of design journals by Pendragon line editor David Larkins is to trace the path of development, starting in the early 1980s and culminating with the forthcoming new edition of the Pendragon RPG, which will be first to be wholly published by Chaosium in a quarter-century. Pendragon Design Journal #1: Where It All Began Pendragon Design Journal #2: Bringing the Light Pendragon Design Journal #3: A Modular Approach Pendragon Design Journal #4: Refining Traits and Passions Pendragon Design Journal #5: Honor and Glory Pendragon Design Journal #6: Combat! Pendragon Design Journal #7: The Social Game As we’ve discussed before in this series, a knight’s primary duty is fighting for their lord. The ultimate expression of this comes in the clash of massed formations of warriors on the field of battle. Every edition of Pendragon has featured a system for resolving mass battles, though this system changed and evolved over time. The new edition is no exception. In the month’s journal entry, we’re taking a look at how the new Battle System came together, and what players old and new can expect from the game experience. The new Battle System was actually the first thing Greg Stafford handed to me for feedback and development after he brought me on board as Line Editor. We agreed that the new system needed a play experience that flowed smoothly while also centering the experience of the Player-knights in the larger context of battle. A personal goal of mine was to combine the Skirmish and Battle rules of earlier editions, so that the same system would suffice for clashes of a couple dozen all the way up to huge engagements like Badon Hill or Camlann. In terms of rules design, the Battle System (and its cousin, the Siege Assault System) easily took up the majority of my personal writing and development time as I worked on the core rules manuscripts. It was play-tested extensively, both with my own groups as well as groups around the world. The end result, I feel, is the best iteration of the Pendragon Battle System to date. As with personal combat, battles now move quickly—it’s quite possible to run a large battle and still have time left for the rest of the year’s events in a typical 3-4 hour session. Every Player-knight’s Battle Skill now matters. Conflicts have a natural ebb and flow to them, interspersed with explosions of unexpected activity. Most importantly (to me, personally) is the shift of earning Glory in battle: merely showing up to a battle earns you a nominal amount (it is what’s expected of knights, after all); it is in the command of troops and the defeat of worthy foes that a knight truly rakes in Glory, just as it should be! As with previous iterations, the 6th edition Battle System keeps overall events largely abstracted, and makes no attempt at reflecting the true realities of medieval warfare. This is battle as knights of the Middle Ages wished it could be: they are the stars, and all others tremble before their might! Archers? Peasants with long sticks? Pshaw, sir! Merely chaff to be swept aside as we ride for Glory, fighting corps-a-corps against our brother knights! (Of course, this being Pendragon, there’s no guarantee against an upstart peasant scoring a lucky hit and severely hampering your knight’s day, but we’ll move swiftly on from that unpleasant thought…) And it is in Encounters and Opportunities, the heart of the new Battle System, where the Glory of the fight lies. These are set-piece fights against selected groups of opponents (Elite Knights on Horseback, Saxon Berserkers, etc.), fought in a variable number of Combat Rounds. At the start of a battle, the Gamemaster assembles a list of Encounters and Opportunities appropriate to the makeup of the enemy force. A small skirmish might have just one or two possible Encounters, while a larger battle likely boasts a half-dozen or more. (Gamemasters may write out these options as a literal list. I’ve also made Encounter and Opportunity cards which I’ve used in my own games, and we will be offering these for sale in themed decks, as well as a selection to be included in the Pendragon Starter Set.) Each Battle Turn, the Gamemaster selects an Encounter from the list and presents it to the players. Each Player-knight then rolls their Battle Skill. If they succeed, they may add another Encounter from the list; a critical success generates an Opportunity instead—think of things like trying to capture the enemy battle standard, or raiding their baggage train. If an Opportunity was generated, that’s what happens this Battle Turn. Otherwise, the Gamemaster rolls against the battle’s Intensity (generated at the beginning of the fight); they get to choose the Encounter if they succeed, otherwise leaving it up to the players to pick. For example, in a fight against Saxons, the Gamemaster might select (or the scenario might dictate) a Saxon Berserker Encounter this Battle Turn. The Player-knights no doubt wish to avoid that particular meat grinder, and (thanks to three successful Battle rolls from the group) instead choose Saxon Huscarls, Saxon Ceorls, and Mercenary Knights. The Gamemaster fails the Intensity roll, so the players now have four Encounters to choose amongst. Reasoning that the Mercenary Knights offer the best odds for good ransom and the highest potential Glory awards, they select this Encounter. (Had the Gamemaster succeeded, they could choose from among the four Encounters as well—they are not necessarily bound to go with their initial selection if they like one of the players’ picks better.) At this point, each individual Player-knight selects their posture for the Turn: Prudent, Valorous, or Reckless. (There is a Cowardly posture as well, but no self-respecting knight would choose this—rather it is imposed on them under certain conditions.) The posture commits the knight to fighting a certain number of Combat Rounds against the chosen opponent. Being Prudent means only one round of fighting, but it reduces the group’s Morale (more on this in a moment); Reckless knights must fight three rounds, but not only boost their unit’s Morale but have the best shot at downing more than one opponent! Morale is the crucial counterbalance in the new system. It is generated from the values of the Passions that most motivate each knight (one may be fighting for an amor, another for their lord, etc.) and all but guarantees that the Player-knights will not be constantly engaged in fighting. Rather, they will fight for two or three Battle Turns, then “retire to the rear” to regain their wind and have wounds bandaged up before once again hurling themselves into the breach. Encounters cause Morale loss—the tougher the fight, the greater the loss. As mentioned above, this may be counteracted by Reckless attacks, but unless everyone is acting Recklessly, eventually the Morale loss becomes too much. (And a whole unit of Reckless knights is not long for the world anyway…) Thus we have the core of the Battle System experience: a balancing act between prudence and recklessness, always striving for Glory when not otherwise forced back, bloody and battered, anxious to rejoin the fight and start the cycle again. Even in the biggest battles, the focus remains on the exploits of the individual Player-knights, and the consequences of their choices on how and whom they fight as the battle progresses. There are, of course, many other aspects to the battle system, such as mechanics for preparing for the battle, determining who won after a battle if the outcome was in doubt, how to handle Player-knight unit (or army) commanders, madness and cowardice on the field, and so forth, but I’ve gone on enough for one journal entry already. Hopefully you’ve seen enough to get you excited for the new system! Next time: horses, of course! Art: by Mark Smylie

Our friends at Syrinscape released the Soundpack for the Calcutta chapter of The Two Headed Serpent, our epic action-packed and globe-spanning campaign for Pulp Cthulhu. From all the luxurious and not so luxurious hotels around this part of India to the tearooms and temples. A hit and run incident and chases on foot throughout the city occupy this sandbox chapter of the adventure. Everything is here to immerse you with background sound and music that matches the story, scene by scene. See also the Soundpacks for the Bolivia, New York, North Borneo, Oklahoma, Iceland, and Belgian Congo chapters!

Our friends Chris and Rita Birch, co-founders of Modiphius, have launched a not-for-profit called RollVsEvil which aims to bring the tabletop gaming community together to fight real world evils. RollVsEvil’s first campaign is in support of people suffering from the invasion of Ukraine: this Saturday, play a game, donate, fight real evil! RollVsEvil is supporting frontline groups working to help the people of Ukraine, medical aid, evacuation of the vulnerable, places to stay, and combating the human trafficking at the border. The first event aims to keep it simple, asking interested gamers to “‘Just play a game” online or in-person on Saturday, March 26, and donate to the RollVsEvil fundraising page. As part of this, Roll20 is also launching a special free bundle to get you playing and supporting RollVsEvil. This features content from Chaosium and many other TTRPG publishers: you'll find our Roll20 version The Dead Boarder there, an ideal adventure to give a taste of Call of Cthulhu's core motifs of mystery, investigation, and horror, and suitable for beginning and experienced players and Keepers alike. For more details and get the download link, check out: www.rollvsevil.com

Chaosium President Rick Meints imagines what Chaosium Con 10 might be like, and reflects on his past and on the future of Chaosium. He's talking to James Coquillat for our 'Chaosium Interviews' series. There's still time to attend the inaugural Chaosium Con in Ann Arbor next month: get your con badge here!

Yes, as outlined in the other thread. 'The Fate of the Coders': Julan, Eslas, Maculus, and a new member, Anderida's daughter Johana, continue in their Coder service on missions throughout the Lunar periphery for a couple of years. It is after Eslas is left behind - or chooses to remain behind - on a disastrous mission beyond the Redlands that the group disbands: this is around the time of the Dragonrise. And then we get The New Coders, with Johana as the leader and a new crew of heroes