MOB

RPG Historian Shannon Appelcline writes: Not every company in the industry works regularly with others. ICE is an example of a company that largely went their own way, focused on their Middle-earth license and their Rolemaster system, while Hero Games regularly teamed up with other companies in the '80s (and even joined ICE!). But it's possible that Chaosium may be the company in the industry with the most personal connections, thanks to its generous licensing in the early days, and due to a variety of factors since... ...Though Chaosium has at times been small, their effect on the industry as a whole is quite large (and that surely misses dozens of more distant connections).It's quite possible that only TSR (through its creation of the industry) and Wizards of the Coast (through the OGL) have interacted with more companies. And with Chaosium newly revived and producing more and better material than they have in decades, and with almost all of their properties returned home for the first time since 1984, it's quite possible that they may have a new golden age of connections before it. For a detailed explanation of the chart and an outline of major trends in the roleplaying industry over the decades, head over to Shannon's Advanced Designers and Dragons column at RPGNet: https://www.rpg.net/columns/advanced-designers-and-dragons/advanced-designers-and-dragons34.phtml

In this Dice Geeks interview, TV writer and novelist Robert Hewitt Wolfe cites his lifelong playing tabletop RPGs as a great inspiration for his Hollywood career, which includes such shows as Star Trek DS9, Elementary, and The Dresden Files. And of those ttrpgs, RuneQuest was particularly influential!

Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu associate line editor Lynne Hardy worked on the English language version of Does Love Forgive?, our new collection of one-to-one scenarios that were originally published in Polish by our friends Black Monk Games. Here we talk to Lynne about the creative process of bringing the work of the Polish authors, Anna Maria Mazur and Airis Kamińska, to a new audience in English: https://www.chaosium.com/blogdoes-love-forgive-interview-with-lynne-hardy-

Here we speak with co-authors Anna Maria Mazur and Airis Kamińska. They wrote the original scenarios in Polish, which were originally published by our friends Black Monk Games. Lynne Hardy, Chaosium's associate editor for Call of Cthulhu, worked with Anna Maria and Airis on the English language version. https://www.chaosium.com/blogdoes-love-forgive-interview-with-the-authors

Other than the content must be Gloranthan, and set in Glorantha, Jonstown Compendium creators have been given carte blanche as to where their Jonstown Compendium creations can be set.

This is what we say in the Jonstown Compendium Guidelines on the subject: YGWV (“Your Glorantha Will Vary”) and how this applies to the Jonstown Compendium “Your Glorantha Will Vary” is long-established principle in Gloranthan fandom. First espoused by the creator of the setting himself, Greg Stafford, in a nutshell what it means is you are free and welcome to take what you want from the incredibly rich tapestry of myth, magic, history and wonder of Glorantha for use in your own creations. The “official” canon for the world is found in material published by Chaosium/Moon Design Publications, with what is presented in The Guide to Glorantha and The Glorantha Sourcebook as definitive. However, canon only matters for official publications – for that which published by Chaosium Inc and its licensees. For your Jonstown Compendium creations, Your Glorantha Will Vary. We strive to ensure that official publications stick to canon: however, that is a restriction on our interpretations of Glorantha, not yours. Your Glorantha can vary as much or as little as you want for what you create for the Jonstown Compendium.

Moderator Hat: @redmoongoddess your comments were flagged to the moderators by a number of members. They have been deleted. What you said about Jonathan Tweet was both offensive and erroneous.

The plot thickens. Raus would swear by his ancestors that the valuables he deposited at the Sun Dome Temple did not include trade junk. Someone, somewhere along the line, has done the old switcheroo!

Why thanks. I left out the final section of that campaign hook - here it is: Onward to Prax! What happens to our heroes after Raus lands them in Prax? Does Ronegarth still stand? Are there any Grantlands settlers left, or was the whole valley overrun by nomads? Where is his daughter, the Lady Jezra? What kind of reception will Raus receive at the Sun Dome Temple? Do they still have the Duke’s deeds and treasures, and recognize him for who he says he is? And then what happens when Raus gets to Pavis? – Lunar Prax is no more; there is a new power in land. Can Raus convince the White Bull of his claims, and can the heroes help him win back and hold his domain? All this (and more) must unfold in a later volume… You know, it occurs to me that - just like how The Force Awakens shamelessly matches Star Wars: A New Hope beat-to-beat, having a band of mercenaries help Raus return to re-establish himself in Weis Domain is pretty much a reprise of RQ Classic's Borderlands. Not that this is a bad thing. I would love to. In the meantime there's more snippets from that document in the Casino Town Rumours [WIP] thread.

Yes. The river all but stops flowing. Parched fields that were once thick with golden corn lay dry and hard, and withered corpses of farm animals lay clustered around empty canals and wells, etc. Yes, Yes, but no. After the great inundation subsides, the Pavis County and Sun County sections of the river valley are left covered with a thick layer of fertile silt. Next year's harvest is a bumper one for the farmers there, especially in Sun County because the entire population gets mobilized into a Great Corvée to fix all the irrigation channels etc. The 1623-24 growing seasons are good in the Grantlands too, but they do not share the blessing of the silt from Zola Fel. The Grantlands also has the problems of a declining security situation with emboldened nomads, and the increasingly rapacious greed of Governor Halycon. Although he has covetous eyes on the Lands of the Sun too, Halcyon's tax-gatherers and enforcers are politely but firmly escorted through Sun County by the count's Templars. The Grantlands is not a happy place to be.

Even with Bless Maize, you're hardy likely to get a successful crop in what is, effectively, an endless winter. And even if you do: And then after that, Governor Halcyon's soldiers will come and requisition anything edible anyway... Meanwhile, in Pavis, there are scores of starving refugees congregating around the city's locked gates: Commonplace rune magic is just not going to be enough save the Grantlanders - or anyone else - in this crisis.

So this is the rumour: 34. Don Duras is actually Duke Raus of Rone, an exiled Lunar nobleman. (R) Here's some more about "Don Duras" from my as-yet-to-be-released (or even finished) Casino Town document: From the "Interesting inhabitants" section Don Duras – said to be a displaced nobleman (exactly where from is unclear), Don Duras arrived on a du Tumerine transport several seasons ago with little more than an aristocratic bearing, an aged retainer, and some portable wealth. After a run of luck on the Faro Wheel, the Don is seeking to hire mercenaries to help him retake his lost lands, which many people assume to be somewhere along the New Coast. And this is the scenario hook: THE DON The nobleman “Don Duras” is indeed Duke Raus of Rone, latterly of the Lunar Grantlands on the River of Cradles in Prax. After the Second Battle of Moonbroth, Raus narrowly escaped Argrath’s nomad onslaught by fleeing downriver. In Corflu he took ship with a Seshnelan trader, ending up in distant Nolos. Since then his return to this part of the world has been in stages. Along the way he learned that Lunar fortunes are currently on the wane, that Argrath White Bull is now King of Pavis, that the Sun Folk who lived upriver from him in Prax somehow managed to change sides, and that he is still forbidden to return to the Heartlands. With the Holy Country at war with the Empire, Raus has elected to remain incognito in Casino Town. His aged retainer is his actually his god-talker Daryli, the last and most faithful of his followers. The Duke’s daughter, the Lady Jezra, was not with him in Ronegarth the day it fell, but from his ancestor spirits he knows that she is at least still alive. First and foremost, the Duke is desperate to find his daughter. He also dreams of returning to the River of Cradles and taking back the Weis Domain, which was hard-won in the first place. To these ends, Raus seeks to recruit a force of small band of mercenaries. He is tightlipped about their real destination, lest Lunar spies learn of his intentions. For Raus believes he can come to some sort of accommodation with Argrath White Bull. The Sun Domers there were once allies of the Lunars and did so, so why can’t he? Although he is from the Lunar Empire, Duke Raus and his family do not belong to the Lunar religion (they are ancestor worshippers). While this was certainly a factor in his original downfall and banishment, he believes such status will help him in his dealings with King Argrath. This scenario hook presents an opportunity to take the heroes away from their adventures in the Holy County. “Don Duras” is deliberately vague about where his lost lands are, implying they lie somewhere back along the New Coast towards Seshnela. He is reasonably familiar with this area, having recently travelled some distance overland along the Manirian Road, but his story would not hold up to scrutiny from anyone native to that region. Raus offers the heroes his standard mercenary contract (see Moon Design’s Borderlands & Beyond), plus the promise of generous land grants if and when his cause is successful. Furthermore, he is prepared to advance sums of cash to anyone who needs to repay gambling debts, if necessary. He is keen to leave soon, but would like to get his hands on several of the local put-put barges: he thinks such craft would be incredibly useful on the journey against the current upriver to his lands. Unfortunately, no Ingareen can be convinced to sell him one, let alone take on employment themselves as a boatman beyond God Forgot… perhaps the newly-hired heroes could demonstrate their resourcefulness here? Now they are drawing ever closer to Prax, Daryli will be able to learn more about Jezra’s fate. The heroes should be present when, with aid of the shaman Silvermane (see Rumour #20), he makes contact with the spirit of Raus’s dear departed wife Varna during a game of betting sticks. She tells him she knows her daughter still dwells near to where she was buried (Ronegarth), though Jezra has not visited her mother’s grave since the time the barbarians came. This news troubles Raus greatly – is Jezra a slave of the nomads, or worse? Raus’s plan is sail with his force from Casino Town, and only reveal his true purpose once well on the way to Corflu. From there, he intends to travel upriver to Ronegarth, scoping out the lie of the land. If possible, he wants to leave a small force occupying Ronegarth while he travels on to Sun County. The deeds to Weis Domain are deposited at the Sun Dome Temple, along with his most valuable remaining family treasures, including the fabled Wand of the Seven Phases. He hopes to use this wealth as leverage to gain the support of the Yelmalio Count for his rights, hire more of the famous Sun Dome Templars as mercenaries, and then press his claims with Argrath White Bull or his representatives in Pavis from a position of strength.

Unending Winter When the Lunar Governor Sor Eel was recalled to Dragon Pass most of the hungry army went with him, having requisitioned all the food they could lay their hands on. Count Solanthos rebuffed Sor Eel’s attempts at a levy in Sun County, but most of Pavis County and virtually all of the Grantlands were picked clean, causing great suffering. Refugees from the countryside fled to the towns, compounding the problems for the authorities. The Sun Dome Temple was inundated with hungry Grantlanders seeking sanctuary, who by custom could not be turned away. In Pavis, whereas before the Teelo Norri kitchen welcomed all comers, the new Lunar governor Halcyon Var Enkorth insisted those seeking food relief must prove their names were recorded in the Paper Lists. Even then they only received a tiny millet cake that seemed to be mostly sawdust and ash, though it was said the governor had brought tremendous quantities of food with him from the Heartlands. Certainly Halcyon and his entourage never stopped looking sleek and satisfied. Those refugees who made it to Corflu were bluntly informed by the Lunar garrison that they had no food to spare, forcing many in desperation to take passage with the Vadeli, the only seafarers to visit the port during the Windstop. Fortunately, by now the nomad allies of Pavis and the Sun Dome were bringing in some provisions from the Wastes, though they refused to bring their herds back within reach of the dead air. But this was still not enough food to stave off impending mass starvation. [Quick Summary: Here in Prax, the Great Winter is broken by the Last Light HeroQuest in the Devil's Playground, and Count Solanthos's brave sacrifice atop Temple Hill in the Rubble. Later that same day (Clay/Disorder/Earth 1622), in far distant Sartar the Battle of Iceland reached its triumphant conclusion. Locally, Orlanthi heroquesters at the Pairing Stones also returned victorious. The first wisps of wind were felt since the crisis began...] The Great Corvée [More Summary...the end of the Windstop causes a great flood. Lhankor Mhy scholars later concurred with Hector the Wise that the ice and snow in the Rockwoods never had a chance to melt in the Great Winter, and the Zola Fel and its mountain streams and tributaries must have frozen over. This all changed when the Windstop suddenly ended, sending the entire spring melt downstream in a vast flood, wreaking destruction from Boathouse Ruins as far as the Great Bog.] For several weeks, a great sheet of water spread far over the flatlands of Pavis County and the breadbasket of Sun County, causing further misery for the people. But when the floodwaters finally receded, they saw that Zola Fel had left them with a gift: the fields were now covered in a thick layer of fertile silt. It was too late in the year for planting, so the hungry times continued, though the farmers all agreed that the next planting season offered incredible promise. When the waters abated, there was much to be done to take advantage of the precious soil deposited by the flood. Vega Goldbreath as Guardian led the efforts to repair the damage in the Lands of the Sun. Using an ancient tattered scroll from the temple archives depicting the fabled Gods Wall in distant Dara Happa, Vega evoked the story of the Ten Sons and Servants. The entire population was mobilized into a Great Corvée, with even Light Sons and priests putting their hands to mattock and spade. Although initially scandalized to see the Light Lady taking on the role of Morkatos the Foreman, clad only in a kilt, in a remarkably short time the people cleared away tremendous quantities of debris, dug out irrigation channels and repaired the riverbanks. In the meantime, famine was kept at bay by the grateful elves, who shared the miraculous bounty from the Garden with the people of Pavis and the Sun Dome. Only in the distant Grantlands was there true starvation in the River of Cradles valley after that. Simmering Tensions in Lunar Prax While momentous events wracked Dragon Pass and the Holy County throughout 1623-4, tensions continued to simmer in Lunar Prax. The farmers of the Cradle Valley once again enjoyed a bumper harvest, but Governor Halcyon’s insatiable appetite to enrich himself was continually vexed by his superiors’ relentless demands for men, beasts, equipment and slaves, all needed for the Reaching Moon Temple project in Dragon Pass. The nomad incursions grew ever more bold. Late in Sea season 1624, Duke Raus sought an audience with the Count of the Sun Dome on his way back from Pavis. He bitterly recounted that when he told the Governor that nomads were now riding with impunity through his lands, Halcyon var Enkorth said he no longer had any troops to spare for such an unimportant, far-flung outpost, suggesting if Raus was unhappy he should go hire mercenaries of his own! In frustration, the Duke dispatched a delegation of landholders led by his daughter Lady Jezra to Furthest to beg for relief from Tatius the Bright. His family fortune all but gone, in the meantime Raus had no choice but to offer the deeds to Ronegarth as collateral for Yelmalio Templar mercenaries, and place several treasured items in the Sun Dome vaults as further surety. By this time, frictions among the nomads were at a boiling point. Governor Halcyon resolved to march out in support of Inire the Red and the Sables. A tribune was dispatched to the Sun Dome Temple, requiring the Templars to join the Lunar forces assembling at the Oasis at Moonbroth. The Fate of the Grantlands Although Nomad outriders swept through the Grantlands on their way to Moonbroth in 1624, Raus of Rone, Duke of Weis Domain, prayed the Lunar forces would be able to defeat them as soundly as they had done fourteen years earlier. These hopes were soundly shattered on news of the Lunar rout. Many of his settlers began fleeing – either upriver to Sun County or downriver to the port of Corflu – even before they had heard that Pavis too had fallen. With the Armistice of Prax now broken, the Duke was realistic enough to know that without the Lunar army the Grantlands were completely defenseless. Raus gathered as many of his remaining people together as he could to make their escape before the nomad onslaught. He quickly assembled together a large flotilla, comprising riverboats, barges, newtling rafts (and just about anything else that could float) and set off for Corflu and safety. Behind them, his proud little capital of Ronegarth and the settlements around it burned. Many times the nomads sorely harassed the convoy, but mercifully the river was high and fast at that time of the year. The adroit water skills of their newtling river guides also aided the passage; Raus’ patient fostering of cordial relations with the formerly-hostile Five Eyes Temple proved worthwhile in the end. With better hope of plunder back upriver, the nomad pursuit gradually tapered off. After a final failed assault near Bilos Gap, the flotilla was unmolested for the remainder of the journey. From Corflu, most of the refugees quickly dispersed. Raus presumably also took ship for parts unknown (he was certainly not there when the port was sacked by the Wolf Pirates later that year). In mid-1626, Count-in-Exile Belvani sent his Light Captain Dignan Yellowscale to occupy and hold Duke Raus’ former domain. He planned to use the stronghold of Ronegarth as a staging post for retaking Sun County from the south. This scheme went awry when Dignan found the fortifications there had been razed by powerful magic. Any settlers had already either fled with Raus, been carried off by the nomads, or were dead. Soon afterwards, Belvani was obliged to recall most of this force back for Argrath’s new march into Dragon Pass, under the command of Rurik. Dignan and his remaining comrades have instead occupied the old Stone Tower above Five Eyes Rise, and are now little better than the marauding nomads themselves. Present Whereabouts (1627) Raus of Rone, Duke of Weis Domain – made his escape downriver to Corflu as the Grantlands were being overrun after the Lunar defeat. Current whereabouts unknown*, but the terms of his exile preclude him from ever returning to the Lunar Heartlands. Lady Jezra, daughter of Duke Raus – not present when Ronegarth was evacuated; believed to have taken refuge with the White Healers at the Horngate Oasis. (Jezra was en route from Furthest, having gone there leading a delegation of Grantlanders to complain about Governor Halcyon.) Grantlands Settlers – Fled with Raus to Corflu (and then dispersed: the Vadeli were only too happy to welcome refugees on board their ships🤨 ); sought refuge in Sun County; carried off by the nomads, or dead. Abridged from The Great Winter and Time of Two Counts document. * but see Casino Town Rumour #35!

A great unboxing video of Devil's Gulch by Max Writer here:

Over the past month, with the help of volunteer gamemasters we've run more than 300 gaming sessions at conventions, both online (Gen Con Online, Nexus Con Online) and even face-to-face (Armageddon Tauranga and Armageddon Wellington, both in Covid-19 free New Zealand). We couldn't have done so without the help of volunteer Keepers and Gamemasters from the Cult of Chaos, and for that we're sincerely grateful. As are the players – here are some of the appreciative comments we've received from people playing in these Chaosium gaming sessions: "We played 'The Last Will and Testament' demo game. It was excellent. The end results were an Elder god (small G) ate the surviving investigators, the city, university and the Eastern coast of the US." "Personally it was the best ending I could have hoped for – loved being eaten by Nyarlathotep! 10/10. Would be an Elder god hors d'oeuvre again! (Thank you again for the game!)" "Call of Cthulhu is a fun game! Me and my mum had some streaks of genius, not gonna give too much away but I recommend it." "Just finished playing 'The Last Will and Testament of Professor McTavish' ...first time playing rpg dice games and had a blast. Played as an antiques dealer and managed to steal two items for resale (the other character was temporarily insane at time of swipe). We both had fun." "Played a superb Gen Con RuneQuest game titled 'Mad Prax' which featured a finale involving rescuing several priestesses while riding a brontosaurus and fighting gold Mostali chasing us on two other brontosauruses and four velociraptors. Had a great time." "Thank you all, that was fun. I ended up buying the RuneQuest slipcase set, just need to find players!" "Love the game, used the code and bought the Starter Set. Can't wait to run this for my friends." "I thought it was fantastic. First time getting to play Call of Cthulhu and so glad I ignored the late-night timeframe for a chance to play it." "I just had an amazing time playing Call of Cthulhu! A great beginner game and enjoyable for me as someone who’s played CoC a few times before. Also we all got out alive! WTF – our rolls were ridiculously good, we had a player roll two Nat 01s! Okay, we also had a Nat 100 on a sanity roll so not all rolls were good..." "Never realised a Lhankor Mhy temple was so much like Alpha Complex from Paranoia... A great game and loads of fun!" "Thank you again for a very enjoyable game. Made this last day of Gen Con end on a high note." Over the next week we'll be featuring some of the recorded sessions from Gen Con Online and Nexus Con Online on the Chaosium YouTube channel. This includes: Call of Cthulhu - 'Bits & Pieces' with Keeper Mike Mason Call of Cthulhu - 'Black as Coal' with Keeper Mark Morrison and the Ain't Slayed Nobody crew as players Call of Cthulhu - 'The Necropolis' with Keeper Jamie Coquillant (screenshot of the final pulse-racing moments of that adventure shown above) RuneQuest - 'The Forest on the Waves' with GM Jason Durall RuneQuest - 'For Getting of Wisdom' with GM MOB King Arthur Pendragon - 'The Adventure of the Great Hunt' with GM David Larkins 7th Sea - 'Lifting the Veil' with GM John Wick Horror on the Tabletop Panel with Moderator Brian Holland, and Mike Mason (Chaosium), Crystal Mazur (Onyx Path Publishing), Amanda Hamon (Kobold Press), Tomas Härenstam (Free League) PAX ONLINE - 12th-20th September We're also looking for volunteer GMs to help run games for PAX Online, coming up next month. If you'd like to take part, please get in touch with our director of organised play, Todd! And if you'd like to learn more about playing tabletop RPGs online (which is how most cons are going to be run, for the foreseeable future), check out our handy Getting Started with Online Gaming guide. https://www.chaosium.com/blogfab-feedback-from-players-at-recent-cons-grateful-thanks-to-our-volunteer-gms

more details here:

DEVIL'S GULCH might be a BRP supplement, but lends itself seamlessly for Call of Cthulhu's Down Darker Trails setting. You get a complete town and cast of characters, ideal as a base of operations for your Wild or Weird West campaign. And now it's only $7.99 (53% off) in our 'Stay at Home' spring-cleaning sale. US and UK warehouse only. Includes PDF. While stocks last. https://www.chaosium.com/devils-gulch

28% off – NAMELESS HORRORS - Six Reasons to Fear the Unknown is on special, part of our 'Stay at Home' spring-cleaning sale. Your players will not have encountered their like before, and no one will be on safe, comfortable ground... Available from our UK, EU and Australian warehouses only. While stocks last. https://www.chaosium.com/nameless-horrors

Today Chaosium's MOB (me) and Lynne met with Ben Aaronovitch and Genn, who manages Ben's newsletter (among many other things). Despite Ben's wonky internet's best efforts to derail everything, a great discussion was had about timelines, art briefs, and ideas for the Rivers of London RPG, which we have in development. This is an exciting project!

Voting is live for the UK Games Expo 'Peoples Choice' Awards and Chaosium has three titles in contention! Please vote for them at the link:– BEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME: RuneQuest Slipcase Set, Paladin - Warriors of Charlemagne– BEST ROLE-PLAYING EXPANSION: Berlin The Wicked City https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/whats-on/show/awards-shortlist

Voting is live for the UK Games Expo 'Peoples Choice' Awards and Chaosium has three titles in contention! Please vote for them at the link:– BEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME: RuneQuest Slipcase Set, Paladin - Warriors of Charlemagne– BEST ROLE-PLAYING EXPANSION: Berlin The Wicked City https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/whats-on/show/awards-shortlist

Voting is live for the UK Games Expo 'Peoples Choice' Awards and Chaosium has three titles in contention! Please vote for them at the link:– BEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME: RuneQuest Slipcase Set, Paladin - Warriors of Charlemagne– BEST ROLE-PLAYING EXPANSION: Berlin The Wicked City https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/whats-on/show/awards-shortlist

And now the Rivers of London RPG creative team has been assembled! They'll be working closely with Ben Aaronovitch on the game's development and presentation. They are, in alphabetical order, Paul Fricker, Adam Gauntlett, Lloyd Gyan, Lynne Hardy, Gavin Inglis, Keris McDonald, Helena Nash, and Lucya Szachnowski. More details here: https://www.chaosium.com/blogrivers-of-london-rpg-the-creative-team-is-assembled

This thread continues to be my favourite thread on BRP like... ever!

Later this month