seneschal

I didn't see the Buddhist angle previously but I did run into a seemingly Lovecraftian influence in an unexpected place. I'd never read any of E.E. "Doc" Smith's pulp science fiction tales, so picked up Gray Lensman (1951, 4th in a series, only book by him my library had) and encountered this description of an alien boss who is apparently pulling the strings of a human bad guy from the previous novel: "... there crouched or huddled or lay at ease a many-tentacled creature indescribable to man. It was not like an octopus. Though spiny, it did not resemble at all closely a sea-cucumber. Nor, although it was scaly and toothy and wingy, was it save in the vaguest possible way, similar to a lizard, a sea-serpant, or a vulture. Such a description by negatives is, of course, pitifully inadequate; but, unfortunately, it is the best that can be done." Sounds an awful lot like Lovecraft's not-description of the creatures from The Festival. Like H.G. Wells' Martians, the creature above possesses a vast, emotionless intellect unsympathetic to man, although it doesn't mind using human stooges to work its will.

Actually, you're getting a whiff of Acturus IV, where it was printed ...

One thing I like about the Big Gold Book is the multiple powers sets: Magic, Mutations, Super Powers. They enable me to craft the critters, monsters, and aliens I think up. CoC has monsters, but a lot of their powers and abilities are sort of hand-waved. With the BGB you've got the tools to create your monster and understand how it works. For example, if you want to create antediluvian telepathic, far-leaping grasshopper men from Mars (Quartermass and the Pit), you've got many of those abilities already laid out for you.

Another thing worth mentioning is what you don't get with the CoC core rulebook: a setting. You'll have to purchase The 1920s Investigator's Companion and/or one of the many (thick, well-done) location sourcebooks to get that. So while you can use the core rulebook to create a Lovecraftian mystery campaign, you'll have to get additional tomes to play in the bona fide Lovecraftian world. That disappointed me a bit as I skimmed CoC. It mentions playing in the 1920s, the 1800s, or the modern era but provides no guidance on doing so.

The rules make up only a fraction of the CoC book (which I personally think is a bit bloated at this point). The rest is background info, gamemaster advice, monster stats, the short story Call of Cthulhu, enough blather on Mythos tomes to choke a shuggoth, and three starting adventures, including an expanded version of the one you got in the Quick-Start rules. After warning you that using alien "magic" is a Really Bad and Foolish Idea, the book spends an inordinate amount of space on spells; strange, since the existing Mythos tomes listed so laboriously have had actual working spells removed from them (so how do evil wizards and misguided investigators learn them, anyhow?). Now, if you don't mind making up your own critters, you could certainly run an eldritch horror campaign using the Big Gold Book and the Cthulhu Quick-Start rules. After all, it isn't about game mechanics or Lovecraft-specific names and locations. It's about creating the mood and an intriguing mystery that will entice your player-characters into learning more than they want to about the Unknown.

Isaac Asimov is said to have joked that payment to authors during the early days of science fiction (1930s) was "upon lawsuit." Somehow he made a successful career of it anyway.

How long would it take to travel from India to London by ship 15 days Remember, one if by land, two if by sea. Also, 19th C Ships

Still, a two sentence e-mail (to authors) or web site blurb (to customers and contestants) would be courteous, no matter how busy they are.

I had to ask because the only Bacharach I'm familiar with is "Burt."

I take it this isn't happening in the New World.

No communication and delayed payment. Good way to scare off potential free-lance writers. I've e-mailed different Chaosium members about the results of the assorted writing contests with no answer. No sure if that's worth a toll call, though. Collecting payment would be.

They could be the same. Mongoose published the first while it had the RuneQuest license, then reissued the book for its renamed Legend system after the RuneQuest 6 guys got the contract. (See numerous other threads on these boards for RuneQuest's convoluted pedigree.)

Hardy makes you harder to hurt, at least by certain things. Regeneration helps you heal up faster, no matter what damaged you. So a Hardy character is tougher, but a Renerative character bounces back faster.

Much as I want to see Captain Hook paste Smaug with a good (and well-deserved) broadside, I cringe at the thought of dragon fire hitting the Jolly Roger's powder magazine.

"Next week will see the last teaser before pre-order is launched. What mecha would you like to see?" Turtle King (Gatchaman) Voltron (Voltron) ATAT (Star Wars) -- just to show off your flexibility

Where is Peter Cushing now that we need him???? Sadly, I have yet to run a BRP-based game. I managed to run one session of my proposed Narnia game using Mini Six. It was about as much system as my wife and kids could handle. My kids have drawn up prospective characters for BRP Eternal Rome (old fan-made game) and Call of Cthulhu but we haven't gotten to try it out. I tried statting up my wife's centaur shield maiden character in BRP, Hero System and Mini Six but the crunchier systems were just too much for her (non-gamer).

Thanks for the update!

Both are international terrorist organizations funded by crime. Both garb their fanatically loyal troops in colorful (garish?) uniforms and arm them with advanced weaponry. Both have a liking for exotic military vehicles: COBRA seems to have a mobile weapons platform for every possible battlefield while the Galactor Group favors massive animal-shaped robots. Both armies are led by a hierarchy of increasingly outrageous bosses with varied areas of expertise. Both organizations are opposed by an elite team of special soldiers. Both evil groups apparently have deep pockets since they can lose battle after battle with the good guys yet still fund their next scheme. So, in a bad guy smack down, who triumphs: COBRA (G.I. Joe) or The Galactor Group (Gatchaman)? May the best, er, worst group of malefactors win!

The problem is, the stuff I really, really want to buy (Interplanetary, Astounding Adventures, BRP Mecha) hasn't been published yet!

Which would be a problem for the Terrans since their force field packs defend against physical and physics-based energy attacks but not necessarily against magical ones (and they have no knowledge or memory of real magic -- Age of Reason and all that). The Magic Worlders might fare worse if they reached Outpost 19's Gate Warden universe, since instant transport there is possible via apparently mystical means. I mean, you've got a coven of masked, hooded dudes (we assume they are dudes, they could be anything under those costumes) that do their version of the Hokey Pokey before the away team can get away. Stargate's Val Kilmer would have really freaked out if he'd had to endure that!

It's obvious that some of those old tombs in the Southern Reaches simply must contain ancient mecha and their freeze-dried pilots. Unfortunately, the PCs' defeat of a great wyrm by dumping it down an equally ancient well have cracked the water table and reconstituted said pilots. (Hey, we gotta get science fiction in there somehow!)

Just curious ... among all the robot previews have we had a "definitely not-Voltron" yet?

Thanks for the update, ORtrail. I'm enjoyed hearing about how you guys are enjoying yourselves.

Interesting as usual. Thanks!

After perusing this website and these threads in particular, I get the impression that very little of Glorantha has actually been described and detailed over the years -- mainly a few key locations on one continent. If so, there are whole New Worlds out there on the other continents. And what traditional Rune- and Hero Quest characters think they know about the world could be challenged by what they find ... out there. Those other continents and islands could contain almost anything.