seneschal

I always figured they were all relatives in the same way that eagles, ostriches and chickens are all birds. Maybe adapted to fill different ecological niches, with slightly different lifestyles and food preferences.

There also has to be a reason why the body was found in the PC's home ... right before the Police Commissioner arrives for a swanky dinner party!

I've never read Moorcock, but from a customer perspective it's always good to have something in print. I'm sure old copies of Elric material will be floating around on Amazon, Ebay, etc., for years but the prices will gradually become ridiculous.

"Native American" covers a lot of territory. What sort of adventures did you have in mind? Something set in the Aztec Empire could be very cosmopolitan, with lots of political intrigue and espionage. On the other hand, an adventure set in the Deep Woods in the Northeast could have political ramifications, but it'd be much more rural and outdoorsy. Also, those Caribbean headhunters and cannibals are technically Native Americans, too. What sort of flavor are you looking for?

Don't neglect the free scenario "Murder in the Footlights," downloadable from Chaosium's web site. It's an abbreviated mystery with good villains and maps. Nothing icky for your newbie players, although the villain's scheme could be a lead-in to more Lovecraftian things. I fleshed out the scenario by adding clues and NPCs (available in the Downloads section of this site). Not a haunted house but a haunted vaudeville theater. It could be very Scooby Doo-ish or genuinely creepy depending on what sort of tone you set.

I'm glad things went well. Sounds like you guys had fun. Good creative GM-ing, too, in letting the character the players suspected turn out to be the culprit, regardless of the "facts" of your scenario. Makes them feel good and you look like a mystery-writing maven. So ... what do you have in mind for the haunted house? My local paper publishes floor plans for upscale homes for sale in a weekly Sunday real estate section. They're often places built in the 1930s or '40s, which is a bonus. If your hometown newspaper does the same, you've got the house to haunt already. If not, look for model home floor plans online or at the office of the nearest housing development being built nearby. Or nab an architecture book from your local library. As with the Clue board, the players don't need to know the source of your map. And you can add secret passages, etc., to suit. As for the ghost ... it could be the real thing. Or it could be nefarious persons trying to scare folks away because the house and/or grounds are being used for illegal purposes. Or it could be some other unnatural (but not necessarily spiritual) threat causing the goings on. I once took a haunted house scenario written for my favorite pulp game and replaced the vengeful ghost with invading robots from another dimension (my players were Doctor Who fans before being a DW fan was cool). Many of the scary events and NPCs were the same, but something different was causing those bumps in the night. If you don't want it too scary, check out the movies Hold That Ghost (Abbott and Costello) or The Ghost Breakers (Bob Hope) or The Cat and the Canary (again, Bob Hope). The serious version of The Cat and the Canary (1927) and Old Dark House (1932) are good to crib for ideas and atmosphere. One interesting take on a non-supernatural "haunted" house was the Hardy Boys mystery The Disappearing Floor (1940). The house in question was a prototype of one of those automated homes speculated about in the 1930s and '40s and lampooned in assorted Looney Tunes cartoons. Rooms seemed to change around the teen sleuths because the home's controls were out of whack and the floor plan really was shifting as the boys explored.

Also, keep in mind The Three-Clue Rule: http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1118/roleplaying-games/three-clue-rule Basically, for every essential conclusion the PCs must make to solve your mystery, provide at least three clues (and more is better) so that they won't be stumped and stopped. Also, consider the type of mystery you want to run. The “noir” mystery sub-genre and conspiracy adventures tie directly into one another. And they definitely provide a different experience than Agatha Christie-style mysteries. Film noir derived from the hard-boiled detective stories of authors such as Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Earlier detectives like Philo Vance and Lord Peter Wimsey operated among the rich upper-class and were frequently wealthy and influential themselves. Society was assumed to be essentially good; the detective’s job was to root out the bounders trying to spoil things for everyone else. Sleuths of the hard-boiled school lived in a whole other world. They were blue-collar types who dealt with the scum of the earth. Society was inherently corrupt; a detective examining a crime among wretched slum dwellers would inevitably unearth a series of outrages leading to a rich and politically powerful villain who masked his misdeeds beneath a veneer of respectability. Everything was a conspiracy; the rich and poor were tied together with webs of lust, murder, greed, and secrecy. In Red Harvest Hammet’s Continental Op exposed civic corruption – not because he was a Holmesian genius but because his mere nosey presence caused the conspirators to question and mistrust each other to the point of violence. In genteel murder mysteries there was usually one culprit, who followed his original crime with additional killings to attempt to cover his tracks. In hard-boiled mysteries, there might be multiple culprits, each removing someone who knew too much about their activities, and each villain’s felonious deeds were somehow linked to the others’. In genteel murder mysteries, violence usually occurred “off camera” and the detective solved the crime by being brilliantly clever. Typically the genteel detective was a superior being who stooped to fight crime because it amused him. In hard-boiled mysteries, violence was an ever-present fact of life. Characters could die simply because they had the wrong friends or bought a raffle ticket at the wrong place. Giving a punk a beating to gain information (or getting beaten up by thugs for being too inquisitive) was par for the course. The detective, while street smart, tended to solve the crime by dogged persistence in the face of opposition from both criminals and the authorities. The gumshoe prevailed because he had the time and stubbornness (and his client’s fee) to stay on the case when the overburdened police couldn’t or wouldn’t. He generally tried to do the right thing (according to his personal code) but was willing to break or bend the law to protect his client and could be tempted by the promises of treasure or a beautiful woman. So how does all this translate into role-playing? Hard-boiled mysteries are easier on the players for several reasons. Investigation is more action-oriented, with combat and car chases taking equal time with comparing stories and sizing up suspects. Instead of gathering the servants into the drawing room and politely questioning them (“Did you make your Know/Deduction/Fast-Talk roll?”), the player-characters get to stalk the mean streets to follow up on leads and hunt down colorful (and sinister) NPCs. Adventure will tend to come to them in the form of dishonest clients, hired thugs sent to shut them up, and resentful police officials wanting to know what the PCs have found out while complaining about their “interference in police business.” The player-characters don’t necessarily have to make amazing logical deductions; they just have to keep plugging away until their actions causes the whole corrupt deception to collapse and expose itself.

http://www.iias.nl/nl/34/IIAS_NL34_21.pdf The "religious fanatics" are, in fact, Indonesian tribesmen, devout Moslems, members of a religious and political group that has been giving Dutch authorities trouble for some time. International news reports indicate that native unrest has escalated since Tanhill returned from negotiating an exploration and mining agreement with the colonial government, outbidding a Japanese competitor. What Tanhill hasn't told the press, but which he may tell the player-characters if they succeed in rescuing him, is that he brought something else back in addition to a valise filled with contracts: a softball-sized ruby inscribed with Islamic devotional verses -- and with older characters and glyphs that don't look like Arabic or any other alphabet the PCs are familiar with. Hence the need to consult an expert. The would-be kidnappers were attempting to retrieve the gem.

And you'll be ready to submit the monograph when?

You could do an abbreviated, updated version of Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone mixed with Clue: Priceless missing jewel, creaky old mansion staffed with suspicious characters, old-money family with gruff patriarch, eligible bachelor son, wild daughters. Use the Clue game board as a map, complete with secret passages, and stat up Colonel Mustard, et. al., as NPC suspects. You needn't use the same character names or have the map where the players can see what you're drawing from. Be sure to include mysterious foreigners lurking about the grounds (Hindu priests seeking to recover the jewel, which was the eye of an idol).

For Christmas my wife got me one of those "Man of Steel" 31-inch tall Superman action figures with 7 points of articulation. She said it was for my role-playing games and was so proud of herself that I grinned and thanked her profusely. I'm trying to figure out where to put it other than in the middle of the kitchen table. Now, given that the average 25-30mm or 1/72 scale role-playing miniature representing a hero 6 feet tall is about 1-inch tall, that makes Superman approximately 186 feet tall, on par with Godzilla. This leads me to the conclusion that a) my wife is woefully ignorant of my hobby and, my Zerboz 1/72 scale Lex Luthor is in real trouble. It also leads to two questions: 1) At 186 feet tall, what is Supes' approximate SIZ? And, 2) How long does it take the effects of Red Kryptonite to wear off?

"APP can be measured - I did put a sample table up but it was withdrawn for some "taste" reasons, can't understand why." Because political correctness is the enemy of all rational discussion, even discussion of something as obscure, silly, and harmless as tabletop role-playing. Anything, no matter how mild and inane, that could possibly be construed as potentially offensive must be interpreted in the harshest possible light. Someone might join these boards who happens to be a left-handed height-, weight-, beauty-, educationally-challenged Muslim of color and Polish descent with a disability who happens to prefer alternate lifestyles (other than, of course, ones embracing traditional Judeo-Christian morals), and they might choose to allow their feelings to be hurt. Of course, if no such person is available, one of our existing posters might one day meet such a person, or meet someone who claims to have met such a person, and thus must choose to be offended for the potentially injured party.

Just saw "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug." What would you say the SIZ/mass of that lizard was? Interestingly enough, the dragonocentric movie was preceded by a trailer for the 2014 version of "Godzilla." What a rumble that would be!

A blessed and merry Christmas to all. To enliven your Christmas Day, here are a selection of traditional English carols and a production of the Nutcracker Suite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HItFqKBAQE Bonus points to anyone who stats out the Mouse King from Nutcracker Suite in his or her favorite D100 variant. He'd be the equivalent of at least 7 feet tall compared to his human opponents (regardless of actual scale), has seven heads, is a deadly and agile swordsman, and is backed by a horde of rodent soldiers. If not for the timely arrival of Clara's hurled shoe, his forces would have overwhelmed the Nutcracker and the toy soldiers defending the Christmas tree and its associated gifts and goodies. http://roseandthorn.deviantart.com/art/AC-Final-The-Nutcracker-and-the-Mouse-King-275820678 http://roseandthorn.deviantart.com/art/The-Nutcracker-Mouse-King-90408295

Someone did do a Solomon Kane adaptation, but not for BRP. http://www.peginc.com/store/solomon-kane-the-savage-world-of-solomon-kane-pdf/ Another non-Conan barbarian worth adapting is Charles Saunders' Imaro. http://www.amazon.com/Imaro-Charles-Saunders/dp/1597800368 Although, like the superheroes Black Lightning and Luke Cage from the comics, Imaro is clearly a child of the 1970s with his angry black man/all whites are evil attitudes. As with Conan and Cthulhu, magic is mysterious and corrupting, ultimately morphing spell-casters into monsters.

On the other hand, the mythological, literary and cinematic scope of vampirism is broad. Science fiction (or at least television/movie science fiction) is rife with creatures that drain psychic, bio-electrical or other types of energy without having to remove bodily fluids. The one in Star Trek's "Man Trap" episode removed bodily salts instead of fluids. In a story I read (can't remember author), the alien creature absorbed phosphorous from the victim's bones, causing all sorts of nasty side effects. Of course, if the vampire in your campaign is an NPC you can have him drink like a fish (the lush!) regardless of the game mechanics. Your PCs will be too busy trying to stop him to worry about how he allocates his points.

Tut, tut. You mean the universe revolves around them like Bilbo Baggins. We are discussing fantasy, after all.

Welcome. I agree. It is frustrating when your RPG collection outstrips your opportunities to actually play. Here, you'll find enthusiastic folks, many of whom have been playing BRP and related games for decades. They are friendly and eager to answer any questions you have.

The critter and airplane stats could be useful even if you don't speak French. Unfortunately, the rest I'll have to run through Babelfish to understand. On the other hand, the downloadable BASIC character sheet might make things a little easier, since you can compare it to the English BRP version. Ironically, the site features illustrations from the English language manga, so I can read the dialogue.

It is my understanding that in the early days of dragoon and musket combat, musketeers didn't pick targets (a useless gesture given the accuracy of their weapons) but fired into the mass of the enemy, figuring they'd surely hit somebody as long as they didn't shoot over the opponents' heads or so low that their bullets would plow into the ground. Is this accurate? If so, how do the rules apply to the situation?

There isn't an official section. Folks just post a request in the appropriate sub-section, depending on which BRP game they're playing.

Va-voom! When the newspaper strip began in the 1930s, Dragon Lady attempted to seduce Pat Ryan, Terry's adult protector. In the late '40s or early '50s -- when Terry was now old enough to serve in the U.S. Army at the close of World War II -- she went after Terry himself.

To me, the setting seems as if it could be a real downer unless the players (and their characters) are given a clear win strategy. That doesn't mean the opposition has to be wimpy or the quest easy. But there has to be a way to beat the Dark Ones, or your campaign will be survival horror rather than heroic fantasy. Lord of the Rings: Drop the ring in the volcano. Wizard of Oz: Get the witch's broomstick. The Book of Three: Keep the magic pig away from the bad guys. The Princess and the Goblin: Rescue said princess. So far, you haven't given prospective players any hope. If the the primary god of goodness and light says the world is going down the toilet and there's nothing he can do about it, what are the player-characters supposed to do? They're being overrun by formerly elusive and remote "normal" monsters, and the Dark Ones sound the equivalent of the Titans in Disney's Hercules. Only Herc ain't around to save the day this time.

Dr. Fu Manchu likewise sent an expensive gift and congratulations when Dr. Petrie (sidekick to foe Nayland Smith) married Karamaneh, Fu Manchu's former slave and agent. At the same time, he sent an indication to Smith that he'd swapped the fake archeological artifact that the policeman had tried to pawn off on him for the real thing, foiling Smith's novel-length attempt to foil him. You ain't been gotcha'd until you've been gotcha'd by Mister Insidious Himself.

Dr. Fu Manchu, Fantomas, and the Grand Vampire (movie serial Les Vampires) are all circa 1911. Dr. Nikola, Professor Moriarty and Varney the Vampire are from the 1890s. Count Fosco is from the 1850s (Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White). Fu Manchu, Fantomas and Nikola each had a series of novels about them, the first two with movie and radio serials and films to follow. The great thing about classic villains is that, like Dracula and the Frankenstein monster in the movies and Doctor Doom and Lex Luthor in the comics, they keep coming back after repeated "deaths" -- even after their original opponents aren't around. Dr. Fu Manchu's career in prose continued into the 1950s and in the comics into the 1980s. Dr. Nikola made cameos in Sherlock Holmes pastiche anthologies and Doc Savage comics. Dr. Mabuse -- A German arch-criminal, Mabuse combined elements of Fantomas and Fu Manchu. He was a master of disguise, a telepathic hypnotist, but above all, a master manipulator. He operated from behind the scenes, carrying out his complex schemes with the aid of an army of lesser crooks, dupes, blackmail victims, and hypnotized subjects who didn't realize they were doing his bidding. His hideout was the lunatic asylum in which he was incarcerated. Debuting in the popular novel Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1921), the evil one continued his career on film rather than in print, appearing in 1922, 1933, six movies between 1960 and '63, 1972, 1990, 2013, and with another coming next year. Each time he was killed or confined, another "Doctor Mabuse" arose with a different physical appearance but with the same intelligence, methods, and powers. Ming the Merciless (Flash Gordon, 1934) began as sort of Fu Manchu in space but quickly developed a personality and style of his own depicted in films by Charles Middleton (and much later, by Max von Sydow). Although he declared himself Emperor, Ming's control of the wandering planet Mongo was never complete. There was always another exotic kingdom around the corner or beneath one's feet with a ruler willing to ally with Flash Gordon once the irrepressible Earthman had won his or her respect. And even his subjugated vassals had certain rights under Mongo's high-tech feudal system. Ming maintained his power with his armada of space battleships and with a well-funded corps of unscrupulous inventors always ready to present him with another gadget, weapon, or drug.