seneschal

The Legends of the Ancient World core rules are only 4 pages long, the magic system stretches it to 7. The free scenarios available add a bestiary. There are also free downloadable terrain maps and paper miniatures. I long ago parted with my copies of Melee and Wizard, but Legends is a pretty reasonable facsimile as far as I can tell. "Sorry I guess really didn't get the point. It seemed like a complaint that BRP et al had no presense on the shelves." That was the point. Of course, I know where to find out about the latest D100 products and how to order them. But potential new players wouldn't have a clue. No matter how venerable RuneQuest or Call of Cthulhu have become, younger generations of gamers could very easily have never heard of or actually seen them. As a new gamer, I'd possibly have played Pokemon or Savage Worlds or The Board Game Formerly Known as Prince, er, D&D with my buds. Collectible card games I might even be able to pick up at Walmart. But without shelf presence at a local game shop or some sort of advertising in a venue I frequent, I'll never know that D100 games of any stripe exist, much less that they might actually be fun to play.

"HERO again has a $39 players guide with additional books required by the GM" That's part of the reason I stopped with 5th edition (which was $40 for a single volume). And it really did stop small caliber bullets. With 6th edtion, you'd be invulnerable! The Big Gold Book and Call of Cthulhu are both still in the $30-$40 range, less if you hit Chaosium's boo-boo books section. The extra $15-$20 for RuneQuest 6, however, gives those of us with kids, a mortgage, and a skeptical non-gamer spouse pause. It wouldn't be quite the same as going out and buying a bass boat on the sly, but the reaction of significant others might be similar. On the affordable gaming front (this offer not often seen in stores) ... Mini Six was $8 including shipping, still free as PDF (the current print run has sold out). A quick, fun distillation of the D6 System rules, complete with multiple sample settings. Classic Traveller is a bargain, with Books 0-8 selling for slightly less than the $40 Mongoose core book. Labyrinth Lord, $22 for retro-clone dungeon-crawling goodness. (Although Mazes and Minotaurs is easier to digest and is free, but consists of three volumes that you have to print and bind yourself for about $30). But my original point was that I was delighted to see RuneQuest 6, about which I'd read so much, actually on a local store shelf. But only one copy, and a tad pricey for those not already RQ fanatics. In general, Basic Roleplaying and its variants are under-represented on store shelves, based on my admittedly provincial and non-scientific research.

At $36-$45, Mouse Guard sort of falls into that category, especially if you go for the boxed set rather than the hardback book. A gorgeous book, written with newbies in mind, but after several months I'm still trying to wade through it. I like the setting but I don't fully grasp the system yet, despite the endless repetition. I splurged on vacation. Actually, I was attracted by the much cheaper Atomic Highway, but my wife indicated that Mouse Guard was something she might actually play with me. She then gave only a cursory glance at the Mouse Guard graphic novels that I got from the library. (To be fair, she read the much shorter Black Axe installment I got at the game shop mentioned above.) But yeah, $15-$25, take a chance. $30-$40, an established line you already enjoy or a product you've thoroughly researched. $40+, birthday or Christmas present only, if you can get a relative to buy it for you. By the way, Dark City Games' Legends of the Ancient World, a re-creation of The Fantasy Trip, is free, and its modules are relatively cheap. But a similarly inexpensive "action pack" for BRP might be a useful entry level product -- the Quick-Start Edition plus a sample setting and a brief adventure or two. Put out an "action pack" for several genres. If you could price them at $8-$16 and still make money it might be a way to draw new players.

The title has possibilities, though. Imagine a Mythos-haunted shopping emporium. A vast modern complex, not easy to leave (even without supernatural interference), where there's just something not right about many of the shops or the personnel running them. And there are always those delightful sub-basements and back passages in malls for the utilities and delivery of freight. If you wanted to recruit cultists, fund your international occult research, or simply gather mass sacrifices, controlling a popular and financially successful mall could be useful.

I posted a few proposed verses for Cthulhu: The Musical a few years back but unfortunately the response was underwhelming. But why else would the rules include things such as Perform (Singing) if they weren't meant to be used? If Buffy the Vampire Slayer rates a musical, why not our tireless Mythos investigators?

"Only slightly more old-school than seeing a copy of RQ. Did you also see the AD&D reprints?" No need for reprints. They have a whole section of "obsolete" D&D materials for sale at 50% off. What they did have was lots of D&D and Pathfinder (including Goodman Games' Dungeon Crawl Classics), a surprising amount of Palladium stuff, some World of Darkness, two Doctor Who sets (different editions) and the aliens supplement, some Hero System, GURPS, and Savage Worlds materials (GURPS core books only, others supplements only). In the odds and ends department there was the aforementioned T&T, a lone copy of the Mongoose Traveller core book, Marvel Superhero Roleplaying, Supers!, Mutants & Masterminds, and probably some stray supplements for other games that escaped my notice. As I may have mentioned before, the other game store closer to my home carries some Call of Cthulhu supplements but not the Big Gold Book (since the initial release) or the core book since it sold out. Again, mostly D&D, Pathfinder, and World of Darkness, with a smattering of Mongoose titles, Hero and Savage Worlds supplements, and a bunch of odds and ends, many of which are really old (dusty but not discounted). Their main focus is collectible card games and miniatures wargaming, and I've noticed that their RPG shelves have thinned out considerably over the past couple years and have never been completely refilled. When a new RPG title comes out, game or supplement, they carry it for a while but probably won't restock it once it sells out. It's got a couple months to prove itself, or its history. They periodically have a clearance table for onesy-twosey books or boxed games (including board games and tactical war games). If a product appears there, it's unlikely to be ordered ever again.

Well, I was considering a write-up of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Well, it seemed a good idea at the time. Perhaps if I added a tap-dancing extravaganza at the bridge ...

Hook 'em with BRP Quick-Start Edition and the Mongoose RQ I SRD, then sloooooowly convert to VI? Mechanically it would work, but the entry level materials lack the visual color pop and sizzle that attracts today's younger gamers. I have to say that RQ 6's color cover was a lot more attractive than the plain blue covers of the Mongoose RQ II material I've spotted in the last several months. The Mongoose RQ I covers were certainly colorful, but they didn't really indicate what the game was about. If I'd purchased RQ 6 I'd have ended up in a Call of Cthulhu campaign, because my wife would have killed me.

Today, at the local game shop furthest from my house, I saw a lone, softbound copy of RuneQuest 6. Gorgeous. But $62? Scary! Of course, the current Doctor Who game ran about the same price. But most other RPG titles were $20-$30. No other D100 games seen, not even supplements, but I did spot a single copy of Tunnels & Trolls, a slim softback for $20. How old school is that? Oh, I also saw Vikings for Mongoose RuneQuest II.

Source: The Fly, 20th Century Fox, 1958; Return of the Fly, 20th Century Fox, 1959 The Fly It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Montreal industrialist and physicist Andre Delambre intended his matter disintegrator/re-integrator to revolutionize global transportation, reduce pollution and end world hunger. His bulky 1950s equipment proved able to teleport both inanimate objects and living creatures successfully, three centuries ahead of Star Trek. Unfortunately, during his second attempt to transport a human being (himself), a fly made its way into the disintegrator chamber. Both creatures which materialized in the reception chamber displayed a combination of human and insect anatomy. Delambre acquired a bug’s head and claw while the arthropod received a human head and arm. To his horror and despair, he felt both his reason and his humanity slipping away daily, and his insect claw seemingly had a mind of its own. Delambre’s young son, Philippe, grew up to become an electronics genius in his own right, determined to reconstruct his father’s research and prove that teleportation was a viable technology. It was a matter of honor; his success would be a memorial to the elder Delambre. Although Philippe avoided his father’s technical mistakes, he proved a poor judge of character. His trusted lab assistant was eager to steal the disintegrator/re-integrator. When Delambre discovered what he was up to, the villain knocked him unconscious and stuffed him into the disintegrator. Knowing of Philippe’s phobia of flies, the thief spitefully captured one and put it in the machine before teleporting his former boss and fleeing. The result was predictable. Before his transformation, Andre Delambre is a dark, handsome, athletic man in his late 30s. He is outgoing and enthusiastic, devoted to his wife and son but apt to become aloof and distracted when confronted with a science puzzle that needs solving. Delambre will gladly meet with player-characters, particularly if they are potential investors, but will decline to discuss his latest project in detail pending further tests. After the change, he will refuse to admit anyone into his presence except his wife. If adventurers manage to get past her, Andre has concealed his inhuman features beneath a cloth. He is unable to speak but can write or wave the PCs away with his remaining hand. If they refuse to leave, and particularly if they shove around his wife, Delambre may be unable to restrain his animalistic impulses. Philippe Delambre is a slim, earnest man in his late 20s. He has his father’s dark hair and his mother’s delicate features. He’s good-natured but grimly determined to fulfill what he sees as his life’s mission. Like his father, Philippe will welcome PC investors; he will also accept proffered assistance from adventurers who have demonstrated their trustworthiness and technical expertise. His transformation is more “buggy,” if possible, than his father’s. The younger Delambre is also less able to control his violent tendencies. Both men, when mutated, possess inhuman strength and vicious knife-like claws. They are unable to speak or eat solid food. They gain an enhanced sense of smell and 360-degree vision but the input from their multiple eye facets can disorient them. Philippe’s insect arm and leg enable him to climb sheer walls, something his father is unable to do, but he walks with a limping shuffle. A particularly vindictive Game Master might also give them the ability to vomit acid. Both Delambres have the ability to reason, at least at first, but their thinking and desires will become more monstrous as time progresses. Assuming the PCs are able to find a way to restore them, it is uncertain what the long-term effects of their transformation will be. STR 4d6+6 (20) CON 2d6+6 (13) SIZ 2d6+6 (13) INT 2d6+6 (13) POW 3d6 (11) DEX 3d6 (11) APP 1d6 (4) Move: 8 Hit Points: 13 Damage Bonus: +1d4 Armor: Chitin AP 2-3 (head and limbs only) Attacks: Claw 50%, 1d6+1d4; Vomit 25%, 1d4 acid attack Skills: Climb 45%, Technical (Computer Use) 35%, Dodge 51%, Repair (Electrical) 35%, Science (Electronics) 35%, Listen 30%, Hide 25%, Jump 30%, Sense 45%, Stealth 25%, Spot 50%, Research 50%. Science (Physics) 35%, Mutations: Enhanced Sense (360-degree Vision), Natural Weapon (Claw), Wall-Crawling

Since they keep coming back, no matter how many times they die in the movies ... Source: Frankenstein, Universal Pictures, 1931 Henry Frankenstein “It’s alive! It’s alive! Alive! Ahahahaha!” Son of a Swiss nobleman, Henry Frankenstein left medical school when his unorthodox theories about biological rejuvenation and requests for more and more cadavers for research alarmed his professors. Using his personal wealth, he established a private laboratory in an ancient abandoned watchtower. Obsessed with completing his experiments, he isolated himself from family and friends, even putting off marriage to his fiancé Elizabeth. Unable to procure human bodies legally, Frankenstein and his assistant, Fritz, have been scouring the countryside for fresh graves and recently hung criminals. Frankenstein is a tall, thin man in his late 20s or early30s with large, serious dark eyes and a grim, determined manner. Without loved ones to constrain him, he has neglected sleep and meals until his already thin frame is gaunt and starved. Frankenstein is fanatically set on confirming his theories and will brusquely push aside anyone or anything that threatens to interrupt him, such as the player-characters. He can be charming and reasonable when he needs to be. His monomania and physical exhaustion have brought him close to being unable to tell the difference between right and wrong. STR 8 CON 6 SIZ 12 INT 15 POW 12 DEX 13 APP 10 SAN 60 Move: 10 Hit Points: 10 Damage Bonus: None Armor: None Attacks: Brawl 25%, 1d4; Pistol 20%, 1d6 Profession: Scientist Skills: Biology 31%, Chemistry 31%, Craft (Scientific Instruments) 35%, Electronics 31%, First Aid 50%, Language (German) 55%, Medicine 35%, Persuade 25%, Physics 31%, Research 55%, Status 25% Fritz the Hunchback “Don’t touch that!” A dark, twitchy little man, Fritz seems even shorter than he is because of his spinal deformity. He’s much stronger than he looks, however, and despite needing a cane to traverse stairs he can climb and jump like a monkey when he needs to. Frankenstein used his influence to free Fritz when the latter would have gone to prison for burglary. Fritz is utterly devoted to his benefactor and obeys him implicitly, even when the task fills him with dread. Fritz’ harsh underclass upbringing gave him little opportunity for education but he’s a quick learner and has picked up the ability to build and adjust the electronic equipment Frankenstein plans to use in his great experiment. Unlike his boss, Fritz has hardly any social graces at all and possesses a cruel streak as a result of his own suffering. He will be generally hostile and sullen toward adventurers unless Frankenstein indicates that he will tolerate them. STR 18 CON 11 SIZ 10 INT 15 POW 10 DEX 15 APP 6 SAN 50 Move: 10 Hit Points: 14 Damage Bonus: +1d4 Armor: None Attacks: Brawl 45%, 1d4 + 1d4; Dagger 35%, 1d6 + 1d4 Profession: Criminal Skills: Bargain 20%, Climb 55%, Drive 25%, Fine Manipulation 35%, Heavy Machine 36%, Hide 45%, Jump 55%, Language (German) 55%, Spot 45%, Stealth 45%

[singing] I've got algorithm! I've got mooood-ules! I've got my dice! Who could ask for anything more?

To keep from re-inventing the wheel, consider this former discussion: http://basicroleplaying.com/basic-roleplaying/basic-brp-what-am-i-missing-2341/

New to Cthulhu, which one? FYI, there is an ongoing discussion at rpg.net on the "best" Lovecraftian RPG. Some heat, but many posters have suggested raiding all three of the major contenders for material and running with whatever system tickles the GM's fancy most.

I like that the Penanggalan doesn't have the limitations of the European vampire. The PCs and their significant others could meet the monster by day, maybe even hire her as a housekeeper, nanny, or aerobics instructor -- or ask her out on a date! Then, once she's firmly established in their circle of friends and associates, the night monster comes calling, with a full knowledge of her potential victims' habits, schedules, the layout of their homes or businesses, etc. Eek! Because the creature is so bizarre in its monster form, PCs and NPCs will be less likely to associate the attacker with their "friend" than they would if she were the Dracula "pale girl" variety. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penanggalan Vulnerabilities: The Penanggalan stores its unused body in a vat of vinegar (to preserve it) while the head is flying around. Even in human form, she always smells like vinegar, although a clever monster could come up with reasonable excuses for this (i.e., she's treating a bad sunburn). Mess with the body or its vinegar soak while Miss Monster is busy elsewhere, and she's in trouble. The vinegar helps her bloated organs shrink back down to a size capable of fitting into the body. Also, those exposed organs are sensitive despite their ability to be used as weapons. Malays put thorny leaves and branches around their doors and windows in the same way Westerners put garlic around theirs. The thorns tend to snag painfully on the monster's innards and discourage entry. However, in some variations of the legend, the monster can avoid this unpleasantness by oozing through the walls or floor of a dwelling.

Mechanically, Call of Cthulhu or OpenQuest may be the simplest. But it really depends on what genre and what type of game you want to run. What sort of adventure did you have in mind for your new player?

But aren't those files still available from the Basic Roleplaying website's Downloads section? MRQ1 SRD - Monsters - Downloads - Basic Roleplaying Central Mongoose RuneQuest - Downloads - Basic Roleplaying Central

For stats I suggest CoCCG - Call of Cthulhu Creature Generator The rat things sound like what you have described: Rat thing #1 #2 STR (1D3) 3 2 CON (2D6) 8 8 SIZ (-) 1 1 INT (3D6) 14 9 POW (2D6) 8 6 DEX (4D6+4) 18 14 Move (-) 9 9 HP (-) 5 5 db (-) -1D6 -1D6

Of course, your dastardly villain needs his own theme song, like Darth Vader ... sort of ... Home on the Range - Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo - YouTube

I don't know about the punch-out cars, but yes. It's been a big deal on Chaosium's site, and they've met and exceeded their pledge goal. So it looks like a new version of the boxed module is in the process. Just wish we knew the status on those contests.

I don't know. Haven't heard anything about the 2011 contest entries other than "A Nation Ransomed," which apparently was long enough for its own book. No acknowledgement yet from the editors on sci-fi and kids' adventures submitted. I guess they're busy with the Orient Express kickstarter.

Vincent Source: Beauty and the Beast (1987), CBS The urban legend named Vincent is a contemplative, sensitive soul and a lover of the fine arts despite his fierce appearance. Adopted as an infant by a secretive society of outcasts, he grew up in the labyrinthine tunnels deep beneath the streets of Manhattan. No vigilante, the mutant risks exposure and personal harm to protect people being preyed upon by thugs that he encounters during his nighttime rambles on the surface. Although the people he helps are grateful, the bad guys sometimes don’t survive. One person to receive his aid was a young attorney, Catherine Chandler, who had been mistaken for another woman by hit men and knifed. Vincent took her into the tunnels to save her life and nursed her back to health. The two developed an intense emotional bond that persisted despite Chandler’s initial horror at beholding her rescuer. The ordeal caused her to switch her career to criminal law once she fully recovered from her injuries. As an investigator for the District Attorney’s office, she continues to run afoul of New York City’s rougher elements, and Vincent (who can feel when she is afraid) continues to arrive in the nick of time to save her from harm. Vincent is a tall, furry humanoid with (literally) leonine features, an unruly mane, and functional fangs and claws. He speaks in a deep, quiet, cultured voice but roars when angered. Like other members of his alternate civilization, he tends to dress in fashions that recall 17th Century Europe, including a great hooded black cloak that helps conceal his features in shadowy alleyways. STR 23 CON 13 SIZ 16 INT 16 POW 14 DEX 20 APP 9 Move: 12 Hit Points: 15 (29 SIZ + CON) Damage Bonus: +1D6 Armor: 2 (furry hide) Attacks: Bite 35%, 1D4+1/2D6; Brawl 45%, 1D3+1D6; Claw 55%, 1D6+1D6, Grapple 50%, 1D3+1D6 Skills: Art (Poetry) 45%, Climb 55%, Dodge 50%, First Aid 35%, Hide 65%, Insight 50%, Jump 60%, Knowledge (Classical Music) 40%, Knowledge (English Literature) 55%, Knowledge (NYC Tunnel System) 75%, Language (English) 80%, Listen 50%, Persuade 50%, Sense 50%, Spot 55%, Stealth 70%, Track 70% Psychic Powers: Empathy Mutations: Hybrid, Increased Characteristics, Natural Weaponry

The Golem Source: The Golem (1920) Historically, there have been four golems, artificial men of clay, created by various Jewish rabbis between the Middle Ages and the 18th Century, an indication of their piety and great learning. However, Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel constructed “the” Golem in 16th-Century Prague to protect Jewish believers from anti-Semitism. During a kabalistic ceremony, the Rabbi succeeded in learning the secret name of God. When The Name, written on parchment and inserted into a Star of David emblem, was placed on the clay giant’s chest, the Golem came to life, acting as Rabbi Loew’s personal servant and as a neighborhood patrolman to protect the Prague ghetto from the Jews’ unsympathetic Christian neighbors. The Emperor Luhois had planned to expel the Jews from his capital city but rescinded the order after the super-strong Golem saved him and his retainers from the collapsing roof of his throne room during an earthquake. All seemed well for the Jewish community. More trouble was brewing, though. The Rabbi’s sexy daughter, Miriam, was having a secret affair with one of the Emperor’s cynical knights, Florian, while her father was busy negotiating with the king. The Golem proved to be no mere robot but an intelligent being with an eye for the ladies and a growing pride in its strength. It resented having what amounted to an “off” switch; Rabbi Loew was able to remove the Star of David after the earthquake rescue only by tricking the creature. Unfortunately, Loew’s young assistant, in love with his daughter, discovered what Miriam was up to and reactivated the Golem, sending it in pursuit of the lecherous Florian. The construct didn’t mind throwing the knight off the roof but then refused to submit to either the young assistant or to the Rabbi himself, escaping into the ghetto. It briefly kidnapped Miriam but abandoned her to rampage through the neighborhood, causing great property damage but fortunately few deaths. It then forced the ghetto gates to enter the city of Prague proper. The Golem picked up a child playing near the gates. The little girl, unafraid and curious, plucked off the Star of David to examine it, causing the Golem to revert to a mere clay statue. Despite legends to the contrary, the Prague Golem did not collapse into dust. Instead, the Rabbi disassembled it and stored it secretly in an attic, “just in case.” Unfortunately, when the Jews’ hour of need again arrived – in the 1930s – no one remained with the knowledge to bring the Golem to life. Courageous believers managed to reassemble the body and smuggle it out of the country in a coffin, supposedly en route to its “funeral” in the United States. Whether it arrived intact or what happened to it afterward is unknown. Standing more than 7 feet tall and weighing between 800 and 900 pounds, the Golem has a pageboy haircut and the massive physique of a bodybuilder. Forgive us, but it resembles He-Man from Masters of the Universe, dressed in a waist-length, long-sleeved tunic and hose. It is aware of its surroundings, capable of leering at pretty women and smirking when bystanders gasp in awe at its abilities. It cannot speak. Its eyes and mouth emit an eerie glow when it is angry. Its hard ceramic body is impervious to the physical damage most Medieval hand weapons are capable of dishing out as well as to fire and electricity (clay is a good insulator). Water – torrential rain or immersion in a lake or river – could soak into its porous form and weaken it, however. The Golem walks with ponderous deliberation; it isn’t necessarily clumsy but its heavy limbs don’t lend themselves to fast movement. Despite its mass, the Golem can move quietly when it wants to, the better to catch Gentile malefactors (or pretty maidens) unawares. STR 70 CON 30 SIZ 32 INT 10 POW 8 DEX 10 APP 15 Move: 6 Hit Points: 62 (CON + SIZ) or 31 Damage Bonus: +5D6 Armor: 12 (kinetic, heat, electricity) ceramic body Attacks: Brawl 45%, 1D3+DB; Grapple 40%, 1D3+DB Skills: Climb 40%, Dodge 30%, Hide 45%, Listen 50%, Spot 50%, Stealth 50%, Throw 35%, Track 45% Notes: Pictures: Gary Lucas :: the golem