:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: : Earth's Dreamlands : Info on: RPG's, :(313)558-5024 : area code : :RPGNet World HQ & Archive: Drugs, Industrial :(313)558-5517 : changes to : : 1000's of text files : music, Fiction, :InterNet : (810) after : : No Elite / No porn : HomeBrew Beer. :rpgnet@aol.com: Dec 1,1993 : :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.: Chaosium Digest Volume 1, Number 7 Date: Sunday, February 28, 1993 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: Comments on the Elric! Preview (Tom Zunder) ELRIC! Alternate Backgrounds for Stomp! (Eric Rowe) STOMP! The Adventure of the Hungry Tower (Dave Sweet) PENDRAGON -------------------- From: Tom Zunder Subject: Comments on the Elric! Preview System: Elric! Thanks for the note on Elric! Sounds like Chaosium is trying to make what I thought was a good recreation of the early Elric books into something playable. To give Ken St Andre his due, his version does reflect the sheer chaos and slaughter of the original books. Of course the new Elric that Moorcock is writing is far more considered, and Elric becomes ever nicer in each one, so maybe the game should change too. BUT. I guess this sounds like a differently angled RQ. Do Stormbringer players want people to have little RQ like magics? Many people I know don't like RQ access to magic and play Stormbringer because it's different. I won't dismiss this game without seeing it and I'd guess it'll be a good game, which I might well buy for another angle on Basic Role Playing, but will it be the Young Kingdoms as I want them? Questions questions... I felt Stormbringer was mad, dangerous, unstable and lethal. Lunatic Melniboneans rubbed out PCs and NPCs like flies with horrendous magic that no one else had. No one quite knew if they would survive the evening and all feared the b**t**d who had rolled the sorcerer. This was GOOD and HOLY for it accurately reflected Moorcock's books. Nowhere in the Moorcock books do people have little RQ type spells, it has no precedence in the literature. Can you still play a Melnibonean? Are the demon and sorcery rules still there? I don't mind some character stability, but not at the loss of the world! -------------------------------------------------------------------- tzunder@cix.compulink.com.uk "May the Red Moon Illuminate You All! -------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------- From: Eric Rowe Subject: Alternate Backgrounds for Stomp! System: Stomp! The following are a collection of rules for changing the background of STOMP! to various other Chaosium games. In all cases, the base rules remain the same, but a few are added to adapt it a bit to the listed game system. For those who don't know the game, the basic idea is that a bunch of elves got into Lord Darn's garden and Thunderpumper the giant is hired to get rid of them. He locks the gate and starts squishing. The elves attempt to spear his sandals to the ground to immobilize him until they can lasso him and pull him to the ground. His fall will break the wall and the remaining elves will be able to escape. Call of Cthulhu: The elves are now investigators. Thunderpumper is now Cthulhu. Placement and movement remain the same. Go ahead and add the extra three investigators, like it will help. Stomping remains the same, but Cthulhu needs no club. Instead, in the club phase, he hands a copy of the Necronomicon to any nearby investigator who must read it. The investigator must then do a two finger resolution to remain sane. Failure indicates insanity; the investigator must wander randomly while gibbering until Cthulhu finally decides to squish him. The elf spear phase is not needed, but should be done anyways. Speared sandals do not affect Cthulhu or his movement. The two ropes are now shotguns and the investigators are encouraged to shoot them at Cthuhlu every turn. Unfortunately, they have no effect on Cthulhu. When the investigators are finally all squished, the world will end. The elf player is considered to have done well if this happens after turn 25. Elfquest: By marking the backs of the counters, group six of the elves into three pairs. These are recognized pairs. If one of them is squashed the other in the pair will be emotionally stunned for two rounds and unable to move. On three different elves add a W. These elves have wolves and their move is increased by 2 hexes. Make sure you name all the elves so that you feel bad when they get squished. While playing, comment frequently about the fact that there are two moons. Thunderpumper the giant is now officially a really, really big Troll. Panzer Pranks: Movement may now be saved from turn to turn. Feel free to discuss which other rules to ignore, then do so. Add things like off-board artillery fire and a spear-in-sandal remover to the garden. Pendragon: The elves must now be called knights. The extra three counters should be marked as Arthur, Merlin and Guenever. A knight on a hex adjacent to one of these counters counts as two knights for spear (now lance) resolution. However, if any of these counters are squished, then all the knights will be too depressed to lance or rope that turn. The extra counters may not aid in the battle. Prince Valiant: As with Pendragon, the elves are now knights. When completing any action you must describe it to the other player (like, "I squash the knight between my big toe and its neighbor, enjoying the sound of the gentle crackling of its bones."). If the description is not given, the other player may complain and dissallow the last move. If the description is particularly good, the player should give his opponent some sort of bonus in the next round (like extra movement). Ringworld: The Kzinti are hunting Bandersnatchi and have managed to corner one! Now they must move and spear fast before the beserk Bandersnatchi smushes them or smacks them with its artificial prosthetic limb. The Kzinti do not use any of the available technology as it would lessen the challenge of the hunt. When attempting to spear down the feet of the giant food source the Kzinti player must always remember to scream as he pounds his fist for the finger resolution. The Bandersnatchi should occasionally think of the taste of yeast. Stormbringer: The elves are all now eternal champions and Thunderpumper is Agak. The ropes are now both black swords (Stormbringer and Mournblade), but still must have an immobile Agak to be used effectively. During the game the eternal champions should be referred to as the eighteen who are one, then the seventeen who are one, then the sixteen who are one, etc... Other rules remain the same. Superworld: Thunderpumper is now an evil mad scientist who has drunk a growth potion and the player must insist upon being called Doctor Thunderpumper. The elves are all super-heroes. They should each be given nifty names like Starburst and Firewalker. The whole group is considered a super-team and should also be named. Detailed powers and weaknesses should be given to each one, then ignored as the mad doctor has placed a power draining device in his evil garden hide-out. The heroes must use their wits, a bunch of sticks and a pair of ropes someone left lying around to take down the bad guy. They should continually remark how they could have just wasted the mad scientist if they just had use of their special powers. Troy: Thunderpumper is now an angered Zeus who feels like squishing some Trojans or Achaeans. Pick a side and name all your elves after heroes from that culture. If two heroes both spend three turns in woods next to each other they may build a giant horse. If it is made, Zeus must head for it during his turn. When he reaches it, he must spend a turn examining it, ignoring the heroes for that turn. During the game, Zeus may throw one lighning bolt which will automatically kill the poor hero so targeted. Three heros should be given chariots which add two to their move, but they may not enter woods or marsh. -------------------- From: dsweet@soda.berkeley.edu Subect: The Adventure of the Hungry Tower System: Pendragon [This is an adventure that Dave Sweet ran for our Pendragon game last week. Despite being insulted, eaten and almost digested, I quite enjoyed it. So, I insisted he write it up for me for the Digest. Enjoy. -sda] And now for something completely different. INTRODUCTION This adventure should start off at some point when the player knights are erranting about the countryside. To begin the adventure, have the characters make an awareness check. Anyone character who makes it will hear the cries of a woman far off from the road. If the knights ride towards the source of the screams, a small tower will shortly come into view. If the wind had not been blowing from the direction of the tower, the troupe would not have ever been able to hear the lady. ENCOUNTER AT THE TOWER The tower has a single window twenty-five feet off the ground. Inside is the figure of a frantic lady, screaming continually. At the tower's base, stands a fully armored knight. When the knights near the tower, the lady will be discovered to be gorgeous, rivaling even Gwenivere. Since first heard, the lady has not stopped yelling. Once the troupe is close enough to hear individual words, things like, "Help!", "Save me!", "Quickly now, do not hesitate, my life is in danger!", "Your honor for my safety!", and "Oh God, help!" will be heard. The knight is clad from head to foot in the finest armour. He bears the shield of a black knight. Upon close approximation, he will greet the players, raising his right hand in salute. No amount of coaxing will get him to speak. Meanwhile, the fair maiden is making up for his silence. Certainly the troupe will try to speak to the knight. However, if at any point a member of the troupe should come into striking distance of the knight, he will attack. If communication is preferred over action, the troupe member who is the most vocal will be challenged. The knight will draw his sword, rise it high, and then point at the troupe member in question. The knight will then stand at the ready, until the challenge is accepted. The Knight will attack at 10, and do 5d6 damage. He will apparently die from the first successful blow against him. If examined the knight will in fact be dead. Though he will, of course, have fallen over, his feet will be firmly attached to the ground. This is not so terribly strange to mention unless he is moved. The maiden will not stop asking for assistance. The hope is that a Knight will climb up. A rope and grappling hook would work, but the stone work is rough enough to be without rope though. A climber will notice that the bricks are a little warm. If asked, the stone work will be described as unusual. It seems to be hollow or plastic. Insistence by the maiden will hopefully get the knight inside, however. Once the knight is inside, the tower window will close. At this time, the dead knight will jump up and grab a troupe member (randomly from those closest). At this point, it will be revealed that the knight is attacked to the tower by a strange flesh-like appendage, which was concealed beneath the ground before the knight grabbed the troupe member. Via this appendage, the tower will list the knight to its mouth (the window). The knight will then pop the troupe member in, like popcorn. Either the grab or the subsequent pop into the mouth might be unsuccessful. Creativity by a player character, not long after the announcement should be rewarded, by a chance for the tower to fail its hold or the following swallow. The tower, with the knight attached will then run off to a nearby menacing forest at a horrendous speed. INSIDE THE TOWER While the majority of the troupe is figuring out what to do, a quick description should be given to any knights trapped in the tower. They will find themselves in a square rooms. The walls will be slick and membrane like. The floor is littered with armor and other knightly equipment. Most of it is scarred and pitted, as if it were burned by acid. We'll return to our trapped knights shortly. TRACKING THE TOWER The tower is easy to track, as it will have gorged huge chunks out of the ground. Near the edge of the forest a nasty smelly mess will be found in the middle of the tower's path. In the mess is a skeleton of the same size as the first abducted troupe member. Before the end of the day, any knight making another awareness roll will hear a woman yelling in distress. When the troupe approaches the screams, they will see the same scene as before. INSIDE THE TOWER II Before the second encounter with the tower is played, the several hours inside the tower's stomach should be taken care of. To heighten suspense, allow the troupe to believe the first abducted member is dead as long as possible. If the room is searched, the remains of up to two people will be found. On and around then will be typical armaments and d6 librums. Everything will be dissolving and discolored. The librum is tenderable, and the weapons wieldable (though they are in embarassingly poor shape), but the armor is useless (since the straps went first). Another search will find d3 more librum in even worse shape but still tenderable. The knights will be able to damage the tower from the inside Damage done inside counts, but forty points of damage done will cause enough flooding to drown an occupant. The only way out for a party member is to hack his way out either up (thru the mouth) or down (the other end), but to even get started one would kill oneself. As the walls of the stomach are wounded, fluids will gush out. If forty points of damage are done, the fluids will have risen to the top of the stomach, and the knights will be drowning. Once the stomach is flooded successful energetic rolls will represent the occupant holding his breath. As long as he holds his breath, he may still attack, one energetic roll per attack. The stomach bears no armour. It will take a total of 110 points of damage to kill the beast. This includes damage to the stomach, the maiden's room and the knight. Theoretically, the people stuck in the beast's stomach could kill the beast, but their best hope is to wait for help to arrive. The stomach will absorb fluid at the same rate as it heals itself. Therefore, if 10 pts is done to the wall then the occupants will be about 1/4 of the way to killing themselves. After a very long time all of this fluid should be reabsorbed, but the wall will no longer have a wound. The stomach will take weeks to digest an occupant. A good day will pass before any damage is done, but any exposed skin will receive a rash. Enough of a rash in the right places will effect appearance. Armour will be tarnished. An occupant can avoid real damage a very long time if he sacrificed some armour so that contact with the floor is avoided. SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH THE TOWER Meanwhile, the rest of the troupe will be again interacting with the tower beast. If they try and speak with the beast, they will find that neither the knight nor the lady are able to truly communicate. Likewise, if the tower is attacked, it will prove ineffective. Doing so is like hitting a brick wall. The beast will not remember the last encounter, but once it sees that it old ploy is not working, it will run away, only to repeat the same process if it lives. Before it can run though, it must expose its unprotected armour on its base. If damage is done here, these wounds must be summed with all others, internal and external. If more than 110 points of damage are done, the beast will die. When the beast is slain it will fall over. A particularly cruel story guide could give it chance to land on and kill a troupe member. Once the tower is on its side, a troupe member could cut his way through either end. When the stomach is reach the occupants will pour out. The troupe member cutting will, of course, be effected by the stomachs acidity. TELLING THE TALE If the story of the tower beast is told in court then any armour will be replaced, but Arthur will insist that the old armour is kept and put on display as proof of the amazing tale. The slaying of the Tower beast will be extraordinarily glorious (100 pts), and being swallowed or just watching is ordinary (10 pts). -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is a Discussion Forum for Chaosium Games which do not have another specific area for discussion. To submit an article, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu