White Dwarf 90 by chilledmonkeybrains

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I ~ I fLJl =II oTI7:J ISSUE 90 JUNE 1987

Open Box

Warhammer 88ftle. Call of Cthulhu. Powel 88lOns and a couple of adventure •...

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Awesome Lies

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Not a single word can be believed

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H ack! Slay! Rendl Carl Critchlowl

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J"f?l.S£TfWG: "-"I Cockburn. 0 ..1 G,anlhlm. LIndley" Oou. ~ PI'lII G.uovt>o'. GII~ Morvan

Green & Pleasant Language

fUlUSHER, Gimes v.brUt>op limkod

Marcus Rowlend offers e few choice words for Call of Cthulhu

~noNS MAHAIlER: All n M."",n PI'IOOUCTION ASSISTAN"r. Anlllon'! 8.,ton MANAOER, 'lkK;I.' Richart! Ellard READ PREFEct Bryan AnMII

len Livingston. used to dream of living in a corridor...

WVAU.IA8U TYPING; Marv Anne Hill_Itt>

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Ten Years On

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Off.. ~ Bailldon, UK.

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CONTENTS

BIOtlIlIAD\I£ImS..O: Mike s.untorl ~ • PE.4&O'I, l'Ioui CodbUm. Gr.""", 0.,.;. auaoHEliot! UJ EDn'OfI: .John BloncM MOOUCTlON: C..-. Rum Jeff""" David 011 ... " NIck Otd, .-.... P<>doskl M s.dge.. ~k. Fllcha'" Wright, PouI F",..,..., c::oYBI: ~ WhIt. 0-" I!:l JolIn Sibbick 1.J,,1.IST1tAT1: CIIfl C.!toNow. NIck WI";" .... Paul 8onnt<, Cr.-is - . . Suo,*,-" Tapp", Elliot, 0 - C",,,,,,, P'MCITOQRAf'IO':

Critical Mass

, . ~ ....... IXC8I>l lUba<:ripdono oI>ouId be ..:IdN.-:I to: ~ OW"", G....... ~ o..oivn Stud;o. EnfIeld Cha/Tlbets. '...,11 low Pov.meffl. Nottin9hom NGl 70L

Books. with an appreciative Dave l.8ngford

The Magard Scrolls Jon Oueife offers a few fragments of knowledge for RuneOuest III

Fear & Ignorance. Ignorance & Fear

'Happy Birthday to Dwarf, H8PPY Birthday to Dwarf, Happy Birrhd8Y DeSf DW8f.. : Ahmmm. Sorry. Ten years ago White Dwarf 1 arrived in my lener box. It was, quite simply. amazing. For the princely sum of 50p I got 24 black and white pages 8bout these marvellous games that I ' wasted' my time on. This was not, I hasten to add. my term. Issue 1 was graat. It covered all two roleplaying gcllnes that I (and virtually everybody else) owned: D&D and Metamorphosis Alpha(l) ... There w as even the infemous Pervert 0&0 c haracter class. Then came the problem of waiting for two months until White Dwarf 2 turned up. Whila waiting It was possible ijustl to find the othar games player within 100 miles and compare notes on how good. bad. indifferent andlor utterly appalling White Dwarfhad been. There might be more garners now. but some old habits don' t change. you know. Other things have changed. There's the obvious stuff like the size of the magazine. the number of people who play games and read lMtire Dwarf and the sheer number of games available. Tne choice has become staggering in under ten years. Roleplaying games - indeed. the whole games hobby - was assumed to be a cult that would explode and then die aw;sy again just as quickly. It hasn't quite behaved In the way that it should and. ten yeats aher the stan of the best (OK. a touch of immodesty never hurt anybody) rolepl;sying magazine. games are still going strong. Right. 20 years here we cornel 'So, what do we do for WD100 then?'

John Saundels brings new joys into the lives of Pafflnoia player.

Gobbledigook Goblins and Games Worltshop. by Bil

Practice Makes Perfect

Acquiring skills in Warhammer Fantasy Ro/aplay by Jim 8ambre and Phil Gallagher

Killing In Silk

Not all is as it seems. in this AD&D adventure by Matt Connell

You'll Never Take Me A live, Cop . Aarrgh l Why play Judges when perps are so much fun Judge Dleddl Carl Sargent elucidates .. and gets five years for Elucidating in Public!!

'Eavy Metal John Blanche elO:plains the new Citedel Alcane Armorials

Ravening Hordes Revlsted £2000 in Citadel Minietures still to be wonl1l

The Difference Women and Roleplaying (1), by Erice Lidman

A Monstrous Regiment Alison Brooks on Roleplaying and Women (2)

illuminations The binh of a cover. with Peter Jones

The Lay Of The Land

Standing stones. mystery and eanh power by Graham Staplahurst

Tales From Mega-City One Hugh Tynan, Judge Dredd and three whole adventuresl Well, son of...

Lattars

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Graeme DBVis sawa a fffW mailbags...

M;ke Swnton

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We Gotte Traitor To Find ...

New ca rd s for Rogue Trooper by Gffleme Devi. and Jervis Johnson

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RaHming Hordes an idea had thought about for awas long time.which but '::'~~~~:

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put off while something more urgent doing. A set of army lists would be bul who had the tillE:1 Enter Richard H,il;,."" a returnee 10 the Warhammer writers'

POWER BARONS

wa~:"::t"'~~~~~~:~; I Boardgame

From the beginning we for Hordes to be the basis Warhammer gaming. The competition gaming would

Milton Bradley £24.95

themselves: the lists of uoopp ~~~:.~::~ wizards, C~, allies and ~ the nature of Dwarf, EIr, or Chaos armies (and Orcs, Goblins. Undead, Dark. Elves. Skaven, Nippon, Norse, and Empire forces). There is an additional section dealing with allies which adds Giants, Gnomes, Halflings. Lizardmen.

Sea Eives, Treemen and loots,

not

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mercenary annies, which add Hobgoblins. Ogres and human Kislevites.

New rules were also needed to cover aspects of the game thai had been left to the players and OM to work out for themselves. lbcre are now rules for generating scenery, deploying trOOpS, advancing fOrces prior to the game and ofT-table unit:;. There are also new fonnations and manoeuvre rules. Alterations \\ere made to some ex..isting rules (such as personal combat),

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The first manuscrip( made it obvious that what had begun as a slim volume was going to be slightly bigger than anticipated. The finished softcover book is 80 pages long. and the first edition includes an extra A3 sheet describing five sample annies! The sections on tactics add even funher detail.

Warhammer Battle Game Supplement Games Workshop £4.95

:~~~~~~

Rick Pri,,,,O'

Hordes is packed forRavening Ubrhammer &ttl~ - more:;;' than i source other than the rules. Ifs ooc but a scenario construction kit. There an: of clear diagrams and illU5lrntiOns. m:I at there's an awful lot for the morcy...

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TERROR AUSTRALIS Call of Cthulhu Supplement Chaosium £14.95

THE SHATfEREI) ISLE Stormbringer/Hawkmoon Supplement Chaosium £5.95

fm sure you know, theTe are some "'-rdgames that have a SlI'aDge quality that makes you wam them, desire them, do ~ 10 own them. With some games • OtaillSaw Hbrrior for example· it's the the idea of actually running about York with a chainsaw simply appeals. nco there are lhose games which just have _ most incredibly lavish playing pieces. ... these are the games which appeal to . . Out of all of the many games, for me _ MB Games' Adult range are the oncs ... ~;

f\rwer Barons is their latest release, . : just the description of it was ellOllgh to ..a me sl!rYer for It copy, II's rather 6appointing. then, to repon that unlike :ulier re.leases (such as A..tis & Alli,s and • awesome Conquest oj Empt'rt!) dtis game ., rather lackluSlre. Of coune, the compo. m:J1s are gross in every W<l'j. Tlt:ke the !IDiUd: it measures almost a metre square that's two Blood &wI pilChes stucK tJgether!), yet comes as a one·piece fold·up "1ftiUr. It depicts a map of the world. divided

G'day, Well stiffen the lizards, this new mlduct for Call oj Ohulhu will make any !ligger IS happy as Larry. Yes this is it, the .:JWcebook: for life Dawn Under, complete .. 1tb a guide 10 Australian slang. Set in 1920s Australia, TerTDf' Australis cavers JCO&f8phicai information, likstyles. trans~ port and aD Australian timeline.

The most interesting pari is the section the aborigines. This covers their origins .md way of life and draws attention to the .sheer size of the country and numerous the tribes that inhabit it. The section on A1cherlnga (the Dreamtime or Dreaming) makes compulSive mtding. Alcberioga exists invisibly along side of the real world, and while usually disassociated from it, it meets the real world at certain spiritually impor. WIt points. It is the sacred duty of the aborigines to maintain these sites and feed energy into them. For as loog as they do so Akheringa will exist and so will the world . With the coming or the white man. many of these sites were destroyed and the aborigines 011.

The Shattered Isle is the fim suppleruenl and adventure for the Hawlanoon game and as an added bonus it can be used with Stonnbringer as weU . This supplement provides much needed backgroullCl to Hawk.· moon, as it includes extensive illfonnation 1m over 50 of Granbretan's Beast Orders and an insight 10 life in Londra. While this may DOt be of much use 10 Stonnbringer GMs. die information on interdimensional uavel w-ill pf(We invaluable if your player.; ever express a desire to leave the Young Kingdoms for other planes. The main bulk of the book: is taken up with 1\\00 scenarios set in the oppressed island of Eire. Lyi ng so close to Granbretan it Ilas prt]\lided nobles of the Dark Empire: with an ideal hunting ground, particularly as DO one is bothered what happens to the peasants there, and to make matters worse the isle has also been used as a weapons u:sting ground. Still nothing too unusual for a land under the sway of Granbretan. ~r. there is something happening 10

up inlO four specific rerritories based around the major condnenlS. Dotlt!d about these territories are wbat the rules call 'power bases' • areas devored 10 transponation. communicatiOlls, finance and energy. The

basic object at the game iii 10 manoeuvre and weedle your W1f'j around the board's outer track until you h8\le managed to build 3 different pcM'Cr bw;es in each opponenl's territory. All that is quite simple, and indeed in basic play this is indeed the case. Using a gigantic pawn which features (for no apparenl reason) a slOl· in l)'COOfl's head, you hop about the track acquiring and losing assets (represenltd as cards detailing the four power bases together with a fifth • political innuence) via a variety of (air and foul means. All this is a bit abstract and doesn't realistic:aJly simulate the cut·and· thrust of high liinance to any great extent. When you thin..k you have enough assets, however, you may make a challenge for another player's power base, as if you were driven from their tribal homes. disease took a terrible toU and the aboriginal population decreased alarmingly. The Dmuning was inrerrupted and the people SU(Ered acwrd~ ingly. A1cheringa is described in detail along with all its stnlnge inhabitantS. While it bean some similarity 10 Lavecraft·s Dreamlands it 15 different in many ways and the two are efkctively distinct. Austr:dia i§ now white man's land and the aborigines );urvive as beSt they can. Alcheringa still exists and occasionally intrudes into the Europeans lives. The Pride oj Yirrimburru and Old Fellow T1uJf Burr)ip draw adventurers into the Strange world of Australian myth. Both adve~ures build steadily in atmosphere: and act as eACClIcot intnxluctions to Australian life. These. are. ideal for any investigator visiting Down Under who enjoys a good my~tery and especially recommended for keepen who cannot resist l\amming up NPCs, Both adventures will keep players in suspense and superbly capture the navour 0( their subject_

Eire which thre.aIens to disrupt the Cosmic Balance, and so cnter the adw:nture:rs. Unlike olhl!r ad,·enru res. Shattt."d Isle. does not rely on a single entry point for die players. No less than 7 possible introductions are providl!d. These ccwer enough different opcni[lgs that any group of players can be successfUlly drawn into this adventure. Wh~'tber playen are motivated by self~interest, greed. a desire to do good OT are JUSt dov.'n right chaotic, a hook for them is prt]\lided. These hoob are not just for Tragic Millennium adventurers. bUI for Stormbn'ngtr characrers as well. Travel across the plaJ1l!S to the Shattued Isle and face new dangers in a world where Law holds sway.

The adventure is fast paced, and porentially deadly jn places. Adventurers would be advised 10 tread catdully in some areas, but in other.; violence is the only solution open to them and deatll may claim a few characters before the adventure ends.

ma.king a ~ bid, The challenge is quite conYOluted, and works by using the asset cards in a face to race duel, comparing monetary values and power base types through a series or rounds. U you win you get to place a large power base marker (a plane on a stand, a radar dish, a giant doUar sign or a huge oil derrick) in your opponent's country. This requires some thought and skill; sKill, l.might add, which is soon acquired in repeated games. The basic tactic seems to be to acquire I healthy range of I!&CIS so you are prepared for any challenge which comes your way. All in all J found the game initially attractive · bctllUSC or the out-and-out grossness of the compollCnts, and in play rather disappointing. Expecting something like Dallas didn't prepare me for what was an abstract and rather simplistic game which didn't deserve quite such a lavisb production job. I guess thl.')' just make everything bigger in the USA. Marc Gascoignt! The third adve ntu re: is City Bent!61h the Sands, the "missing' pIll1 of Mash of NyarollJlhoup. Although pan. of MoN. this can easily be played on ilS 0Yrn and ample uoormarion is pf(Wided to allow a keeper to do so. Of the three adventures, it is the weakesl, as it calls for a \Joell anned and equipped party to survive all of ilS rigouJ1l. Even so it docs h8\le a brooding feel about it and surviving investigators can congrat· ulltte themsel~ on a job well done.

Terror Austroli.r is a real beaut of a pnxluct an' thai. Ideal for perusing beside a billybong as your billy boils 01"" while having a spell in the locaJ giggle house. This bonzu boo.. will keep ya playeIS as busy as a one·armed bill posrer in a high wind and enjoying every minute of it. Fair Dinkum.

Jim &mbro AI. an added bonus there is another

adventure set in Eire whicb, while more mundane in ilS consequences than the earlier one, is just as good. This 100 has numerous entry poinlS for the players and these play a big pan in sl\aping the subsequent adven~ lure. This is also open ended allowing the OM 10 base an exteDded campaign in Eire. Botb adventures successfuly caprure the flavour of the Hawbnoon ~ls. They are very Moorcockian, containing those weird and baroque elements whicb make Michael Moorcock such a disl:inctive writer, Chaosium have done a good job with lM Eternal Champion line. It should appeal to both Ha ....*mOOrJ and SrormiJringer players,

OPEN BOX

WIZARD'S REVENGE BENEATH TWO SUNS PINNACLE CRYSTAL BARRIER Fantasy Roleplaying Adventures (AD&D) Mayfair Games £4.95 each lbese four ad\ol:otures, like everything else Mayfair publish under the Role Aids logo. are designed for used with AD&D, but nO( approved by TSR. Each of these is a 32 page book with a colour cover (except Crystal &rrier. which is 40 pages long).

WIzard's Revenge is for level 3-8 characters, and in fact it would be difficult to play it with any characters other than those provided. A party of four Elves aDd a party of four Dwarves are provided, and the first 15 pages of the advenrure are merely by way of setting things up; there are extensive and very atmospheric introductions for both Elves and Dwarves, a lot of historical background, and a few preliminaries before the two groups meet up and decide that they must combine forces. All of this is fairly well done - the insights into Elven and Dwarven society and culture are particularly interesting - but from here things go downhill. After all the inuoductions and preliminaries have been dealt with , there are only 16 pages or so for the adventure ilc;elf, and as might be expected it has turned out very light on detail and very sketchily wrinen little more than a series of one-paragraphper-room map keys, in fact.

Wizard's Re~'enge is the fourth Role Aids advenrure to fearure Fez. the wizard of time travel, who must be important because he gets a TM all to himself, as well as a selection of time-based spells that will have hardware buffs twitching, J haven't seen the previous three Fez adventures, bUI il seems that they all sumd alone, rather than being connected in a campaign series, When he firsl appears, he has been accidentally summoned from the nUnois-Ohio football game, is dressed in a sweatshirt, jeans and a baseball cap and clutching a can of cold beer. All very well if you like this sort of whimsy. The dungeons themselves (there are seve ral) are small, mostly sketchily written,

and favour traps and riddles. There is a lot which can only be described as corny 'Penultimate Mountain' nexi to 'Last Mountain', for example - and the whole thing was very reminiscent of the kind of AD&D adventure that White Dwarf was publishing seven or eight yt"Jin ago. It has its good moments, but it also has its bad half hoUJ'5. Beneath Two Suns is, 10 qUOte the cover, 'The authorized and approved module based on Dray Prescot, created by Alan Burt Akers'. II is for 4-6 characters of levels 6-8, I'ye read a couple of the Prescot books, and wasn't particularly struck by them; bardened fans may well get more out of this adventure than I did, As with Wizard's Ri!venge, player characters are supplied. from a variety of backgrounds including Victorian London, and the adventure starts when they are all flung into a kind of limbo and wake up in chains breaking rocks in a quarry on the 'Mlrld of Kregen. There are some notes on local cuilure and wildlife, taken from the books, but nO( a greal deal. The adventure itself is a complicated piece of skullduggery, as can be seen from the daunting-looking flowchart at the fronl . Much of il is laid OU I in the manner of a gamebook., and the fonnal may restrict the party's possible actions uncomfortably. Having said that, though , there is a nice balance between fighting and role-piaying, and this is a far betlcr proposilion than Wizard 's Revenge, especially if the OM is prepared to pul in a bit of preparation "WOrk and wing il if the part)' get fM'ay from the expected plot, Pinnacle has an interesting coyer, with Ihree practicaUy-naked people attempting 10 die of frostbite up a mountain, Designed for 4-6 characters of levels 4-5, and concerns a race to the top of a Illountain organised by the Gentlemen's Adventuring Society. a kind of safari club for aristocrats. A<; with the other adyenlures, player characters are supplied, bUI do nol appear to be necessary, A mystery hangs over the society, and the charactel1i will need investigative sk.i.lls as well as climbing and fighting ability 10 deal with a couple of quite nasty new monstel1i. The climb itself talres up nearly a third of the 32 pages, and is entertaining as well as challenging. The whole adventure will appeal to a group who prefer investigation and role-playing 10 simple dungeon bashes. and with a GM who is good at colourful NPCs, it could be a real delight.

Crystal Barrier is 1I!'I:JiIc:a Olaberson, the author or l~ supplement, and draws inIiLN...... that work, although it is [0 ....... • ±= ~n it. The Dragons of the DrligOllladl; lIE split by civil war, and the playc~r cta.~ (again, these are supplied) ~ ~ mID the thick of ii, being magically roped III by one side to destroy a drug; which ccdd swing the balance of the \var. The daf;ons are DO( the standard AD&D variely. baI CiIJl still put up a respectable fight, and _ party is well advised 10 co-operate, at least aI

fll"St. The party is flung inlo another dimension through the crystal barrier of the title, and there are some interesting effects and monsters around , as well as some hard fights if the random encoun!e11i go against the po.my, 60 Ghouls could give even a quite well-equipped 6th"8th levd party a fair amount of trouble. The main villain is a very nasty piece of work, and has II range of new spells and special powers which will appeal to hardware buffs once again. The showdown in his castle is a standard dungeon bash, and so, reatlly, is the whole adventure, but the special effects of this alternate dimension make it more interesting than the geneml run of hack and slay adventures. It's quite heavy going, and I trunk it might give a part)' of up to 10th level a good run for their money. There are powerful monsters, less powerful ones in great numbers (in some ellCounters, it may be easier to use Bartlesysr,em if you have it, rather than the standard AD&D rules), and a couple of whimsical touches that you will either ICI'Ie or loathe, like zombies wearing magical sunglasses which allow them to see through fog, and a gnoll with a pump-action shotgun. There is a very interesting twist 10 Ihe [mal encOllnteT. too. w hich may lead 10 a dilemma for at least OIK~ member of the party, If you' re looking for an old-fashioned mid-level dungeon bash with some interesting twists, this one is for you . Overall, these adventures reminded ~ of the kind of think that Jl11dges' Guild were producing five or six years ago; great diversity, variable quality, but mostl y rooted in the original all-action, monster-stomping spirit of AD&D. Certain1r they shouldn"1 be despised just because they don't have 'official' status. and provided you're prepared to look before you buy, tben' could be some real finds here.

Groeme Davis

=50 L

Games Fair '87

Work in Progress New arrival Stephen HOttd, the brain, (Il()( 10 mention the lartered flesh) bebind Chalnsaw Warrior, is cumntly worlting OD Cha()5 Marauders, 3 quic:k-and-easy rwo-playcr board game. A Chaos army splits IDtO two lactlOns Dn the IOI3y to a bailie, and each side must try to build up a strong line or battle berore the other, Rot!;ue 'fiooper and Warbammer author Richard H.a1liwclJ has jUst finished the design of Block Mania. the s«ond of GW's Judge Drtdd boardgames, A &$t-TllClVing blend of board wargame and structural demolition, Block Mania has a unique c:ommand points system to ensure JUSt the right level of chaos 85 counten change sides and lots and lQU of things catch fire.. Du"ltoO lairs will be me nelI:l floor plans product, along the lines d Dungoon Rooms with complete monsler lairs including sewers, goblin tunnels, a web-filled spider lair and a magma pit for those high-level encounters, As well as twelve sheetS d floorplans. the box will include a booklet of room descriptions. with Stats and special rules for Warhammer FantllSy Roleplay enabling you to statt playing straight lJWd)',

Beccon '87 \Vas apparently a great success, with 800 pe0ple attending, and the games room, which c:ouJd accomodate fifty people. overilowintl into the corridors. There was also a live- roleplaying event called 'Alien Encounter', scripted by. among others, Ian Watson and Dave Langford , Nellt Easter-s British Science Fiction Convention will be 1(011)'0011, to be held in Liverpool. All enquiries to mllyoon , 104 Pretoria Road, Palc:hway, Bristol.

Was a quiet but not unp leasanl affai{, .ccor· ding to TSR's Rik Ros~, The' UK AD.tD Open Championship was .....on by Phil Chappell, with Mike lDNery and Sharon Springel Wln& the runnen·up prizes, The team competition "''as won ~ John %tson's &ror,1 KlDp/ropp 1'011 St:hpillubtanz and lh~ J,flrJing~r MePuJces Gro5SenbDng~n lWpUtl<ogtn IV. who should also have won some kind of prim for the name. Incidentally, the Open competition adventure, 1M Chos~n nw, used the new IiJrgortm Realnu campaign :5Clting. Next year's event is already being planno:.d, and we arc. in-formed thai it will be even bigger beller and probably still in Reading,

More Marathons Vitally Important Announcement Allenlion, friend citizen. II has come to the Computer's Bllcolion thai the traitorous BobaV-ERY-6, woo has pmriously disclosed restricted information in /1 S a long ImY 10 TIP/Nr-R-ARJ' (WD83), has been touring the shop sectort ~ the outlawed commie mutanl Games If6rishop organisation conducting demonstrations d a treasonable game entitled Paranoia. Conscieotious cili1~ns have reported four sightings so mr, each of wruch has led to the IermilUltion d large numbers of [milOT'S. 1lle Computer urges all ciliuns 10 SUI)' alen and repon all fuMer sightings. Failure to

comply with Ihis diLUtive col\Slilule!i treason. as indeed does reading Ihis restricted informa-

lion. Please repon for termination, friend citizen. Have a nice day.

Did You Know... ?

A Stirring in the Colonies Baltimore seems to be the pillee to be at the moment - we received the following tv.o items in I'1lpid succes.sion: The first Baltimore OragolU'DCd will take place at the Marrion Inner Harbor between lOam on Friday November 27th and 6pm on Sunday November 29th. Our Man in America, Tim Olsen, promises 24-hour-a-duy gaming, official toumamenl!i, • dealers' room, guest panels, a slide show • even • swimming: pool. ror heaven's sake. TIckets cost $15,00 for the whole weekend i()'OIl regiSteT berore August lst, 520.00 ir)'Oll register .fier AugUSl lq, or $7,50 for one day. Auendance is limilCd to 150 places. so don't delayl And then there's the Armory Military History Museum, which has just opened at 4149 Amos Avenue, with memorabilia ronn aU of the "''liB fought by the U.S. So why arc we mentioning it heri? Because the press release mentions .. comprehensive collection or military miniature fljures ... from ancient Egyptian through Mediaeval to modem times, plus examples of the military of the fUlure', as well all 'miniature figures (rom mythology and history',

Joe Thomas of Sheffield has diSCOYe~ an interesting fact. Did you know that the llugest recorded litter of hamste rs - 26 of the small furry things - was born in 1974 to a golden hamster owned by L and S Miller of Balon Rouge, Louisiana. Not the almost-!ege.ndary

LaurielJe Miller.

b)'

any cbanct'J

Paint Yer Dragon .•• You may remember thaI Oame5 Workshop ran an advert fur fjgu~ painten a few i!.5ues back.. The end result w.lS that 'Sid' (his n:aI name is a complete and utte r secrel) and MiU Mt*y DOW bave a comer each in the hamster ~ sorry, Anists' - run, .. room. Room. Even with Sid, Mike and Coli" DUon (who was offered a job after wiMing the [)ailn D ChaDs &lI!Ier COmpelition in the Citadel Journal), GW ~ still likely to want more figure painlen. U )'OtI're in the East Midlands area and think thai )'OIJ could be

anolher Colin Dixon (you mean, there's more than one?), Ihen perhaps you should try send· ing a sample of your work to Bryan Ansell at Citadel MinialUm;, although you mighl have 10 wail 4-6 weeks ror a reply, You can find the address on any of Citadel's adverts.

Aftu the two charity maouhnns ~tioned lut month, we hear that another will take place on Jul y 24th-26th in St Albans. with proceeds going 10 Cancer Research and the Heart foundation, They are aiming for 43 hours, and will be playing almost C\ltry game you've C\ler heard of, Contact address is Mr 0 Van-Cauter. 5 Penn Rood, Part.: Street, S1I Albans, HeN All lOS. This group has p;rcviously ntised uiJQ!Us of £600 for various charities, and seem to be regular news in the local paperthey're going for the magic thousand this time, 50 give them )UUr SlIpport if you're in the

.=.

A Look Ahead ICE Mve unveiled Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries, a scriC$ of pmd:lQOks, and dlle for release in Sepclember • the fi~t two tliles are Murder at flu Diog~nu Club and The Black Rl\-rr Em~rold_ We may not sec them over hefC_ though - I seem 10 recall that there v.u JOmC problem with ICE's TOolkien Qu~St pmcbooks thai led 10 them being withdnIWII from the UK market. Battl~m m4rches 011, with HJ Bloodstone wars due for US release in JlI1y. Let's hope it's belief than H2, reviewed lD WD88. Also out in July is OM BkMMI 01 the lllkuza, and August shouJd ~IC:C ~U 1lw Best of rnkDtions lOr the D&D lllllDOfUia r-.. which is described as It 'light-hearted adventure'. After the mention of New lnfuUba- Cord Ule Rogue books last month, it scc:na ~ TSR arc continuing 10 produce GI-eyhaw'k ~ the founh one, The PrIce of' IVwft.. • __ ID July, writlen by Rose Estu, ,JDC l'Il • ~ behind lhc. catly Endless Quest £ • rb You may think that solo ~ ••• ~ exhausted all the P055ibilities~ but ~ Publishing, puhlishen of the N:e Sf ~ launched a series of tactical :~ ~ books, SCI in the worlds of ~~ "'--: SF authors', which apply the garndxd. ~ to wargaming inslead of rolepJa:yg&. n.: ..... tie, Cut by Emerald, is based c. , . . thony', BiD of a Spac~ 1}mnt• .., the role of Lt Col Emerald SIJdIer • Utsk force Ilgainst a pirulC fleet. ~ will draw upon Hcinlien's Slu:.... !'......." Dntke's Hamm~r 's S~'" :z...,

AmMr.

by Marcus Rowland Just before Green & Pleasant umd, theGames Phrkshop Call ojClhulhu

supplement, went to the printer, something decided to-remove one O/IM sections. Most odd. Still, one man's toys is a White Dwarfs gain ... Sohere il is - the sectionlhey tried to ban - Languages in Green &: Pleasant uUld.

Whilst the dictum "Britain and America are tWO COUr1lriesseparated by a common language" is fairly accurate, it is even more correct to say thai Britain ilSelf is a collection of several countries. In the time before radio and television beCIlUle wide-spread, the regional variation in language was vast. The difference in laoguage between classes could be almost as large. It is beyond the scope of this artcile to give detailed infonIllltion about Welsh , Cornis.h, Gaelic and other non-English languages. which were widely spoken in the more remote comers of the country. Instead what follows is a collection of common slang words oflhe period. together with a brief glossary for Mummersel. a fictional but fairly representative country dialect.

Slinging The Bat The following is a shon list of common slang words and phrases used during the period in question. By no means would every word be used by everyone. Many words are keyed by origin, and should only be used by the appropriate classes. For example, an aristocrat would not understand cockney or criminal slang, bUI would probably be fumiJiar witb military terms, and 'W"Ould cenainly know words corrupled from native languages around lIle Empire. Some entries are also dated to indicate lhe period of useage. The symbols used to indicate origin are: " - Cockney Rhyming Slang; %- Criminal; £ - Upper class; t -

Military: and $ - American. Adam &: Eve (") - Believe; eg, "Don't you Adam & Eve it". A/gy (£) - Any }{lung male aristocrat.

Blono - Drunk. Bobby - Policeman, after Sir Roben Peel. founder of the Police.

Boehe (t) - A German.

&g-rrouer - Irishman (abusive). Ally Pally - Alc.xandrn. Palace. the sIte of the first BBC TV studios. .

&odIe (5) - Money.

Atmospheric.f - Radio statk.

Bounder - Term of mild abuse often used to indicate breaches of social protocol ; eg, "The chap's a complete bounder~~

Away (% ) - In prison.

Bradshaw - The railway timetable.

Back number ($) - A has-been.

Brick (£) - A loyal, dependable fellow.

Bags - Trouserli. after fashion fpt baggy trousers, first developed at Oxford University.

Cnd (£) - A cheat or otherwise lhoroughly dishonourable fellow.

Apples (and pears) (") - Stairs.

Bee's knees (1930-) - Beautiful , perfect, eg, ~Sbe's the bee's knees". Beetle-crosher (t) - A heavy boot. Bim (t) - Woman, especially a prostirute. from the Arabic for 'daughter'.

Char - Tea, cockney corruption of the Chinese "ch'a". Chump (£) - Idiot; eg, "We've been rigbt chumps, Algy".

Civilian (%) - Anyone who isn't acrinnnai. Clink (%) - Any small prison.

Bird (% ) - A period in prison, eg, "He's

done bird".

Conchie (or Conchy) - A conscientious objcclor (to conscription). Abusive..

Blag (%) - Steal, especially pocket watches and chains.

Cracksman (%). Burglar.

Blighty (t) - England, from the Hindi for 'European'.

Dago - A person of Latin taC"e, oormally Spanish. A corruption of !he oame 'D~'.

Denwb - Leave the services.

Mummerset

Dickty - A deuuchable stiff shin front.

The word 'Mummersef is used to describe a composite regiona1 dialect used by authors who can', be bothered to research the comet vocabulary for the area in question. This

Dip (%) - A pick-pocket.

-bad egg".

makes il ideal for quickl y adding some atmosphere to a country setting. The basic rules are very simple:-

F14pper· Fashionable young 'Mlman .

1. Slur words wherever possible.

FJya kite (%). Cash a bad cheque.

2. Use Marr" and "Ihey do say~ a lot.

FOOVe· A mistake, especially in spon .

3. AJways use the wrong pronoun; eg, "they" for "those" as in "they there cows" ("those cows over there-).

Egg . A person, normally a "good egg" or a

Frog al/d 100d(·) - Road . Frost - A fiasco: eg,

~ It

was a complete

frosr'. Funic - Avoid out or rear; eg, "He's funked it':.

Gasper - A cigarette, origina11y a cheap brand.

4. Mix. singular and plural; ego "They was", "II

Gollg (t) - Medal.

8. For added regional definition there arc a few local terms with which you can puncruate the conversation. Scots add "och a~", "hootS, moo" and -the 000". and usea slightly high-

pitched voice. Irish variants add "begorrah" and "saints preserve us". The Welsh add "Soyo" and "Look YOtj". 9. 'nlere is a 50 % chance that the flJSt person that an outsider talks to will be the village idioc..

were".

10, AIl country folk are intensely superstitious.

5. Use "sir" (pronounced "sorr") or "Ma'am" (-Mamn") when talking 10 any apparent social superior.

U. AIl country folk have an immense capacity for ale.

6. Everyone from any other area is a foreigner

Some typical Mummerset words and phrases follow. The translations are not always accurate, but r.tther illuSlrale the son of thing the speaker might be trying to say:

(pronounced "fucriner with the possible exception of villages within a five-mile radius. There is no distinction as 10 degree of foreign-ness . M

Gay - Slightly drunk.

7. Use rambling and totally irrelevant digressions as often as possible to convey the minimum of information in the l1lAJtimum number of\mrds.

The Governor - Father. The Grear Kar - World War 1.

Halfinch (.%) .. Sleal, from pinch. Hash - Spoil; eg, "He's made a right hash of IC.

Juggins - Fool. Xi.bosh - S~il , rui n: ego "That's put the

Mumnu:rset

Engllsh

Arr. il be wann weather

I'd like you to buy m~ a drink

As what I seed

That I know of- Ijterally "that I saw"

Come Michaelmas fonnighl Nat Sunday

Gaffer

kibosh on It". Pronounced "ky-bosh".

Gammer

Nabob (t) - Any rich and influential man.

He be II furrine-r

He 'tfroHI Cui/dforrl / Lon.don / Scotland / Frum:t I R'/),eh I Mars

He's not from these pilns

See "He be aforriner "

Hom

I b'aint deaf

1am d~af andlor s~nj{e bw , won', admit it

It's a good way

11:S bet~en 500 yards and 10 miles

Aoout a mile or so

At least two miles

It's a toidy Slep

More than twO mild

Nice weather, me old beaulY

I'd liu yOIl /0 buy flU' a drink (to afriend Dfthe sam~ socialll!'l'el)

Oop

Cop a packet .. Get wounded.

Play the giddy goot - Play the foo l. Plug - Punch; eg, "The cad plugged me and

ran off".

Puklw. (t) - Real, genuine. &Q(/ies .. Bank IlOtes.

Rum -Odd; eg, "It's a rum do alright",

Skin and blister (*) - Sister. Skh-vy- Female servant oflow rank.

OUI

on thee!

Grandnwthu

Gel0ul!

There's lroubleoop at t'mill

The Kuptr is tryin.g fora cheap laugh

Sling the bat - Speak the (fOreign) language. Slush (%) - Coumerfeit money.

They do say

A prelude to supemitious rubbish

Strike a light! - Expression of surprise.

Thirsty son of day, SOfT

I 'd like a drink, sjr (to a social superiQr)

TIp-Top - Excellent. splendid.

Twer the day the cow calved It was last

10mmy (t) - British soldier, "1bmmy

Hjm I us I ,htm

Atkins" was the typical soldier used in

..-artime propaganda, What hot (£) - Greeting.

,*dn~sday

Author - Marcus RowltJlld

of O&W to th~ subscribers of (then) n:c~ntly ddunct ' zin~ Albion , which had b«:n admir:ibly produc~d by Don Thmbull , OO~ of th~ ~dpi~nts of Owl & Weasel W25 Brian Blum~ in a place call~d l2ke Genev2, Wisconsin. (Where?) Brian wrote to us with glowing pr:aise for O&W, which didn't come 25 much of 2 surprise at the lime since we believed we des("lTed glowing pr:aise. With the hendit of hindSight, I would .$2y thaI O&W could have been improved hen: and there... Brian :tIso lold us that his company tud just published 2 fanttsy role playing game (a what?) and that it had been turned down by major US games manufactun:rs. Brian and a certain Gary G)'gllX had gone into business and a review copy of [his 'fantasy roleplaying game' was o n the way to us for comm~nt . Th~ three of us w~re puzzled but expectantly waited for th~ package - after :til , a review copy is a review copy. Two weeks later a p:m:d 2ITived from the States and we opcn~d if to find 2 grubby brown box holding three unint~lliglble rules bookletS c:alled Dungeons & Dragons.

A Decade of White Dwarf 1977-1987 by Ian Livingstone co-found~r of Gamel! Workshop and editor of While Dwarf 1977·1986 Nothing much was h-appening in J:anuary 1975. It was COld , of course, and I was sharing a flat in a grotty part of Sbepherd's Bush with twO old school friends , Steve Jackson and John Peake.. Playing boardgames was alW2YS prefer· able to television , and eating bAked beans on toast on our bps was more economically realistic than dinner at The Rit~. Marathon games of Diplomacy, Stallngrad and The Warlord took pi2.ce, and rows of Macedonian figures lined the mantlepiece waiting for th~ c:tll of battle. late on~ evt:ning, [he idea of starting a g2.mes company popped up. Why not? After 211, JUSt abOut every Brilish games company made unim:lgln' ative games: M on opoly vari:um at best . The three o f us were wildly enthusiastic witham a clue or a care about what o r how we were going to manufactu~, ~11 or pay fo r gam~s. But, assuming that someth ing ~"Ou.ld rum up, we thought we would at le:ast think of a name for our comp:my. Games Garage an.d Galactic Games wen=. proposed. ridiculed and discarded . We had dedded to go to the convenTional route 21ld make a r.llIge of classic g2.mes, SO we concluded that Steve's suggestion of Games \furksbop wouJd be most appropriate. conjuring up iouges of wood chJppings and fine craftSmanship.

John was [be craftsman and, having been inspired by the backg2.l1lmon boards th.at he'd seen in Greece whilst on holiday. he set about the daunting task of inla)'ing mahogany and cherry veneers with consumate ease. However, a tiny third-fl oor fJaI is not designed for light Industrial use . in the end there's only so much sawdust a man C2n take! Everything turned brown, including our food, until e\~ryth ing resembled brown bread and HP sauce. Our face masks made us look like bandits, bur anything was betU',r tban brearhing the air. Friends had to be warned before they Cant~ up to visit us; :1 girlfriend who fOOlishly decided to VArnish her 02i1S complalned that they had a finish like sandpaper. Undaunted by all this we quickly broadened the rAnge to include solitaire boards (conv, erted bread boards from the Reject Shop) and Go boards (ven«red chip· board boxes). I went out and sold them to unsuspecting shops and Steve happily .sent OUi the im'Olces. Flushed with our success, we detided to go into publishing, and February 1975 saw the birth of Owl & treasel , a magnioe that would rock the games world. O&W was published by games players for games p layers, all 60 or them. This 4,p:lge inst:lnt print r:ag was going to inspire Waddingtons to make a range of adventure games, or so we believed ... Needless to say at this point we all had regulu jobs as Games Workshop was h2rdly a multJ-runional. Mine h2ppened to be in muketing and I suggested that we mail Out a free issu~

We played i[ and were hooked. We knew then :and there that this was for Games Workshop, and the c125Sic games went out of the window. A125, John did nOl like the ch:mge 2nd he left Steve and I to it . SteVe w rote to what was to become TSR and 25ked if we could import D&D setS into the UK . Brian Blume wrote back asking how many copies we were gOing to order. This was a lOugh question. Steve and I discussed the mau~r [hal evening in the pub and we fmall)' decided on ... six! This was the big time. ~ typed out our massive order :and sem il off the no;! day, and sat back to W2.it for the shipmen.1. They say thai you need a bit of luck in businw, -and then you have to make the most of the opportunities that co m~ your way. Well, we were lucky that the original copy of 0&0 appe2~d through our letterbox. We were even lucltier that TSR was :tIsa in i~ formative stage: it was two guys in a flat (like ~) , They thought our order was pretty hefty, and rcw-arded us with 2 thr« yeu UK agreement. SIeve turned issue 6 of Owl 6 weasel into a D&D special and the orders started to roll in. ~ople even turned up at the flat, expecting to nnd a shop, but inslead received the full wrath of our landlady before we could whisk them upStllrs to the top floor dungeon . The number of parcels arriving on our doorstep inctt2Sed n.pidly, and VIo"e knew our days were numbered as far as our tenancy was concerned . Gary Gygax wrote and [old us about GenCon, the gaming convention in Lake G~nev-a . The next one was to be in August 1976, and Steve and I dedded to go to the Stites, h;:lVe a holiday and end up at ~nCon . Games Wor.kshop was to go into summer recess for three months as we drove from New York to Los Angcles and back to CWcago. We were naturally accllm21ising ourselves [0

t11~ American way of lif~ to enabk us 10 negotiat~ big dtlIs :n GenCon! Th~ conv~Qtion gre:at and we picked up ~ number o f exclusIve agencies which

Gam~s Workshop a manufacturing force, rU'St with Citadcl Miniatu~ and was more re«.ntly with games productio n . Under Bry:an's leade£ship. I think it made th~ trip ~ry worthwhile. This won't be tOO long before Games Workwas juSt as well, as both of us had now slhop becomes the number one adventgiv~n up our full-time Jobs back home. un: games company in th~ world . II 's We flew back to Britain wit11 big a.lrcady number two. bo~ , ahead o f tbe gam~ we lud Rolepl2;ylng games were once an ord~m;l_ Tb~re W1l.5 just one tiny obscu~ cult hobby and now thq cut problem : we had nowhere to Ji\Te. This be found on most high streets. Are minor problem was not allowed to people pleased that RPGs have h«ome inhibit us, as Srnre had a van .. . Sleeping more high profLIc. or do they resent 11 in a van is mostly OK; washing facilltl« sfince the elilism of playing such games are somewhat lacldng, and storage has, to a cert'.tin atent, been lost? I could be better. Undaunted, we joined a believe that the continued success of squasb club so that we could use the c-ompanies like Games \1brksho p is a sbowers every morning, and rented a good thing. They arc puning effort, room about the size of a breadbin at tbe passion and risk into producing games back of an Estate Agency as our office.. that we a.ll Wolnt to play. The selection Games Works bo p w:lS back in business. of good games in the e2;rly '70s could And at last we got aootber flat , albeit a be counted on one band. II gives us rundown Victorbn slum! great pleasure and satisfaction to receive Mail order sales grew, but shops ktters of pnise about White Dwarf, were still rcluct:lnl to stock these w~ird Ci12deJ o r Games Workshop. It helps to role playing games. What we n~eded make It all worthwhile.. was a Vl!bide to promQ(e th~ games Originally I was askc:d to write an (nOl the van). The writing was o n tb~ a:rtide to review White Dwarf over its wall for O&w, After 25 glo rio us issues fi rst len yu£s. I felt readers would be of f.tnzin~ fun , It was IUM to call it a m o re interested to learn about tbe day and put o ur savings and energies o rigins of White Dwarf and Its relatInto a new publicat io n . It was April '77 ionship with Its parent, Carnes Workand we had to think of a name for o ur shop. Whilst Dwarf has always bt'en the new mag:tzine. ,"oice o f Britisb role playing garners, it's beco no secret tbat the games featured Over the years, o ne of the were linked to Games Workshop. But questio ns I ha\'t' most often been asked then. those games nO{ a5sodated with is: why is White Dwarf called White Games Workshop a.re nOI likely to bt' of Dwarf! We W:lOted the m2g2Zinc 10 mucb interest anyway... feature both I'2ntasy and sdence fiction OVer the years, ·1 have ntllde many gaming and so dedded o n a name that d ecisions o n Wh ite Dwarf, but thl! CO\'ered both of these genres. A dwarf obviously is a stocky Iiule W"UTior In hardest dc:clslon I ever made was to fantasy terms, but a white dwarf Is also hand over lhe poSition o f editor to my sllccessor tn 1986, Ian ~h . In fact , an Qrremely de~ Star in [be sky. The prior to Ian Marsh hc:coming editor, name's sort o( logical when you think JM1ie Thomson h2d effectively hem abo ut it. editOr for neuly a year, but never got Purling the first Issue of 'glossy' credit . 1 was too busy for anything magaZine together i.s a nightmare. O'Iher than editorial policy but couldn't Where do you go fo r typesetting? How b:ring myself to hand ov~r the edltorsbJp do you commission professional artists? oJficia.lly to Jamie. Anyway Jamie left to How do you scll advertising space? jlltmp on the gamebook bandwagon and Which printers do you usc? How many bin gOt the job. After Jan left, hul copies do you print? And how do )'Ou surprising. In the vtty early days when Cockburn was caretaker edit01' for a sell them? I was editor, for a:.l.mple, there was blrief period until the curtenl editor After writing most of the articles cenainly no mone)' for the luxury of Milke Brunton was appointed. o urselves, our flat was also the venue colour. Even if there had beeo, we (or design and pasle-up. The whole When I was editor, I was always couldn't have afforded 10 pay for f:lllatical about the Stancl:lrd of art in place reeked of Cow Gun, and headach- profession:lJ artists. O r photographs tJhe m2;gaz.ine. I always waDted the t5 were th~ o rder of the day. BUI at last (whal were they?). The whole magazine Standard to rise. and include colour and White Dwarf was ready fo r the printers, W2S put together by enthusiasm and a titleD mo re colour wbenever and we decided to print 4.000 copies, belid in what we were doing. We paid economlca.lly possible. I also believed whicb was the OllRlba we pulled out contributors 2; pittance, the), seldom tlnat n=aders didn't want w.tll to wall complained, and they should gt:1 a vote of a bat . Somehow we sold them. In Olain siream RPG :utlcles, and for light of tbank5 for their work. As the yean retrospect this is quite surprising, if fldief I broughl in Thrud and Gobblerolled o n , White Dwarf became 2. only because there were certlinly less digook. Most people couldn't palnt professional magazine - over 50,000 than 4,000 D&D owner!; in the UK at miniatures well, so I thought a colour people now buy it every month . Games the time. Maybt' It was the wizard being Worksbop also grew up to become 2; p2;ge devoted 10 miniatures would be dacapitated on th~ cover... Or maybe it \VeIl received. E\"Co now, when Wbite professional games company, and now "'2$ tbe b~breasted warrior wo man Dwa'f comes through my It:ttr:rbox ~ploys over t80 full time sufi. 0 0 page 11.. . It mlght have e\~n hc:en each montb , tbe fmt thing I look at Is In 1 98~ , ~ decided 10 appoint the qUallty of the :Ulicl~ ... But the staodard of production, I am Bryan Ansell as Managing Director of whoever bought issue I , thank you very G:unes Workshop. A ship salls a truer pleased to say that this. and the qua.llty of the articles, happily continue:' to much indeed. course under one captain, not to And here we are, t~n yean later: mention the fact that writing Ffgbtlng improve. Well done Mike lUld all the White Dwar[has evolved with the Fantasy Gamebooks and running Games Wbite Dtva'f staff and contributors, But Workshop was beginning to take: its to U n=membcr - I'm still w.nchlng.. . growth o f the hobby and this tenth birthday l5!lue b«rs little ~mblance on Steve's and my sanil}'! Bryan has /,'111 Livingstone to lssue I, although that's hardly done 2; wonderful job, and h2s made

Out of the Closet A famous couplet by Roben Conquest goes: 'SF's no good!' they bellow till we're cUm/! 'But tbis looks good... • ' \f-tll Ibm, it's not SF.' !n C:lS(' thissecms lUre: men= satire, here's Anlhony Burgess reviewing :l Bri:m Wiss novel : ·... r1ch, allusive, full of rc:d palplc and unfailingly interesting. It ill not, then, re:!.! SF: When on the Booker Prize committee, Aldiss himself reponed that severa] novels with SF and f.mt.lsy clemems were con sIdered , but th2t for literil

CRITICAL

I ~'J , S~ I

A regular book review column, written by Dave Langrord

respectability you had to ca ll them something dse: ' met2phoric:d-strul-ruraJ' o r 'magic:u rt:aJism' _

The hot new nonlist lain Banks has been prowling on the borders of SF for three nifty books, The Wasp Factory, Willklng on Glass :md The Bridge. Now, under the transparent pseudonym lain MBank.$, he's burst OUI of the doset with

Consider Phlcbas (Macmillan 471pp .£9.95), whjch is unashamed space opera . Walch fo r th~ chorus of 'RubbishI' from crilics who gave Banks Ihe thumbs-up 50 long as hb SF images were a bll ambiguous.. , Pblebas is manic. high-energy adventure of the sort they don't wrile -any more, II opens wllh space-skinnishiog il ia Star lri'lrs. CUt!; to torture, lasl-minute rescue, unlikely ambush ('So the Culture ships could hide:: in Ihe pbOtosphe~ of surs, could they! '), unanned duel 10 Ihe death , a pirate raid o n a booby-trapped temple, disaster -aboard a city-sized ocean 'meg:uhip-, revolling ca nnibalism , des tru ction of a mini-Rlngwo rld by 'novalevel hypergridlntrusion', erc, Banks pumps In enough high spirits to kec:p this Duling 3.loog to his slam-bang finale in the bowels of 2n andenl deepsheller system whose nudCl.r-powCR<! high-spee::d U2.ios are used for_, _ well, not commuting, Such seriousness as there is concerns the pointlessness or the galaxywide dash between fundamentalist alien Idiraos and the socialist human Culturt'. Little SUbtlety, lots of fun : recommended, bOl read his other books tOO, Keith Robert's Gdlnne (Ke.rosina 175pp .£t2.5U) takes more of a 'discreer cough' approach to itS skulkr SF content , Roberts always writes beautifully, bUI twOthirds of this book are de\'oted to the fairly mund:.IOe biography of one Alastair Bevan (edllori3.lizing in a r.u:her affected 'way from his deathbed), Very late in the day, his ooedme lovcr Gdinne aehiC\·es TV fame in an apos~ series; uses the: levtnge to found a cult aboul which we're told not quite enough (fuelled apparently by h er radical theory about Ccitie origins, whJcb likewise never comes into clear focus); and takes the time-honoured route to mythic immortality by dying. The final , haunting images effectively combine fairy mounds and \'C:'orld War UI , but didn't overcome my frustr-..uJon: Gdinne's barely-glimpsed Story Fails ro conquer t.be dead weight of Bevan's autobiographical longueurs. Another discreet way 10 disgu.iseSF is as fUlurology, like Arthur C.Clark's )uly 20, 2019: A Day tn the Life of the 21st Ccotury (Grafton 28 1pp .£14.9S), This re minded me of 19505 k.iddy-science works; ' In the exciting futurt' of 1987, nuc\e:lr piles will have made power so

cheap and plentiful that melers will have been forgotten I' It 's optimistic, .American, and bard to believe: futurologists who portray a 21st-century Utopi a need to consider bow toeby's Intracuble problems (overpopulalion , hunger, recess io n , dwindling fuel reserves) are to be solved . Clarke's book simply ignores them, World W,lf III happens, but In line with the dafter school of US military thought is confined solely to Gernlany, thanks to precision weapons which pinpoint and destroy only mili12ry largetS, (Such as Libya?) Compare this with one in~ting ClUKSUggested for the ",-ar: NATO tank sqillldrons accideotalJ y straying across the East Gttman border owing to foggy weamer... Now Clark's a good non-fiction writer, and I was surprised by the mediocrity of these ess:.tys o n 20 19's bospiuls, roads, schools, tra.nsporl , etc, It turns OUI that 'Ego' (as fans o nce called him) provided o nly tbe imrodul..,ion and epilogue: thc 14 people. who wrote the rest are named on the baclt flap of the jacket , in Clark's small-print acknowledgements, and nowbere else. Good grief. Recenrl y I reviewed an Asimov collection from Gr..uIOtl; here's another fro m Gollancz, Robot Dreams (349pp '£10.95), one-third of which has just appeared in Gnfton's Collection ... The title story is new and quite good; the rest is familiar Asimovian reprint material . Anne McCaffrey's NerUka's Story a: The Coclura (Bantam 192pp .£8.95) comprises twO mini-novels. Ncriik.a , a spinoff from Morela ; Dragolllady OfPenl , exists to tie up a loose tbread - the need for the late Moretfs lover Alessan to bt' tidily married off, which would have been a bit insensitive' in the book where Moreta aClUally snuffs it. Lady Nerilka's rise from poor little titled girl to Mrs Elessan makes a skimpy story overwhelmed by the vastness of More/a 's plot , aU of which has to be remorsclly summari7.ed for Nerllka to make sense. The Codura has the opposite problem, an alien Maeguffin (flying blohs who spin sentient fabriC which makes

terrific clothes) which Is onlr JUSt barel} glimpsed: we need a bit mort lyricism :.tbout the wonderfulness of theK 'coelura before accepting the way the he::roine becomes - literally overnight - ohscssed with coeIura-prescrvation, There's the seed of something interesting here, but the shon formal allows only a s~ndard c:.tndyO~ ending (the coclura were never in <boger at all) and a nice double wedding to fjrWh HCl.r those violins? John Bruoner's The Compleat 'Ir2veUer in Black (Methuen 233pp'£2 50 1 is mott my kind of fantasy. Thest' lh't' sto ries began with a pastiche of J~ Branch CabeU's oblique manner: 'The altemion it underwent WAS 001 aJtogether pleasant to witness: But the traveiJtI', 2 demiurge entrusted with the task of I..-onfining chaos and bringing stiliillty to lhc world, had a wit and personality of hJs own , and persevert:d tbrough further wet. to the completion o f his task, dealing OUt justice by the wish-gnruing which Sttm:!i to be his o nl y oyert power; Very re:uhbk and re-readable. Wizard of the Pigeons (Corgi 2S4pp £2,50) by Megan Lindholm is another unusual fantasy, based on a cunning insight Where today would one find w izards who'ye renounced worldly advancemoulO pursue magic? On the stn:ct5: not time )'OU see that grimy lady who scavenges Iintl'bins and kec:ps her possessions in bam:rt"d carrier bags, watch o ut - she's prob2bl! one of Undholnl's wizards. The slOry ~ place in Se-.tttle and on the poverr)' line. :.\j something nasty from rhe hero's past Ihttate::os bim and the city. His impulse is to run: but eveo if his arcane powers cOlli.ist only of truth-seeing and an inabaustiblc= ability to feed pigeons, he;s still a wiurd .. Fresh, originaJ , ad t.ing. The bulkJesl of the: reiSSues is Hetbn1 s The Second Great Dune Trilogy (Gollancz Illipp .£10.95, less than Ip ;I page), compriSing God-Emperor (mildl,ho ring), Hereffcs (in which the series lh-en.s up) and Chapter House (now fom'C'f poi~ on ule brink o f a ncveNo-be-mllen sequel). c.]. Cherryh's Faded Sun ailog}' (Methuen 756pp .£3 .9S) is fin e. poetic SF adve::nture. with interesting aliens..M John Harrison's The Pastel City (Un'w in 1.. 2pp £2.50) is sword and sorcery ",'ith a difference: brooding, atmospheric, po!'technological , inlensdy liltrale And Gollancz "Classic SF' reprinU four more goodies: in my perso021 ord" of prefettnce::, Clarke's A Fall of Moondu.51 (224 pp£3 ,50), exciring but datrd f'Vsodon Adventure stuffin a lunardust-bo;u; Pohls Man Plus (215pp .£3 ,50). an -adult., W2rU' :md-alJ look" at SF's fanwy of bcroOlinil a cyborg superman; Shaw's A Wreath of Stan (189pp .£2.95) with ilS MUnniog. ttnt' vision of a neutrino-mauer planet ~.ithin our own, seen hut nC\'"tt touched; 2nd Bud!)'!!'s Rogue Moon (1- 3pp .u 9S). possibly the SF novel )'\~ musl ohm ~ it still makes my hai r S12nd o n end .nth us story of men dying 2g2in and again as they challtnge something inconceh'2bl,~ , uncaring and leth:ll , Nat month I shalJ once again ch2UeQgc tbe inco n cC'inbl y alien lelh2licr of countJess uncaring fantasy trilO§ies.. Da,:-e Langfonl

, H E ScI {(JLLS Ramblings On Jack O'Bears in Rutu!Quest

Through 1ÂŤ Intervention of Lbankor Mb)\ So that the gift ofknowledgesbould be

passed on,

1b those u)bo wish to sample it$ bounty.

A G,VJI Sage From The City Of Refuge This artIck contains excerptS from selected documenr5 by theJrusteU zoologist M:tg:U'd the Learned . Notes bave been added to the scrolls by their They.a.bn transl:uor, and th~ h:;we bttn dearly marked within the quoutions thermcl\"cs. Of cou.tK. 2.11 me quOtU here deal with a common them~

and involve M:lJP.fd'li lomed wrilings on tht- subject of the peculiar creuure th:;n we know as the Jack O'8tlL AU the~ quotes are assembled with the kind coruw=:nt of the: Noehel City Central Library. The first Is II shon quote from his writing Tbe Orlgi"s Of tbe Yulan/ugoml. It Is p:lrticuiarly Interesting for obvio us

reasons. The Red flves of the Pama1telan swamps teD a rare and consistent tale of the origins of the j1ck 0 'lkar. They say that during the Time or 'TUrmoil (wltich we Jrusleli know to be The Great Darkness), when chaos stalked the world, a horrible beast came to their domain, This many legged beast was such thar it would gnaw into a plant, and in dolng so deslTOY its soul, which it would feo:I upon and ~ the sustenance of. The Elves caD litis crearurt: 'lShbamop lID Bunwee', or 'The SOul-DeYowing Crearure'. The ravaging of the beast was impossible to stop, and the a1dryami ar thai lime were set upon by many other enemles also. So it was that the the creature came upon AdraffI, a great pumpkin deity who the eJves probably IoYOI'Shfpped In the manner of a great tree. The creature ate into MIaffi,

'The jack 0 'Bear features in a particularly Interesting elf legend . interesting because me line of me hero rrecurs in his every incarnation . One of Lhe offspring of Adraffi-AndThe-Beast was a creature caUed Ggynt, a prince among !:he Yaiarvagxm. The realm of Ggynl was in the far north, where he would roam freely, desUoying all he came upon, and empladng his offspring in many WJCId planlS. Note â&#x20AC;˘ jaCk a 'Bears reproduce /{y gruwing offspring in the sromach until matun elWugh to surviYl." parasiticalfy in a large plant. When nothing remains oJ the plant spirituallY and pl?Ysicalfy except totalfy rotren dem'tus the jack o 'Bear arises. fit (o.fu(ftll its destn/.ctive rok in the oorld.

by JOII Quaife

11/

History bas preserved these writings,

are causing plllnts to rot :md wither.

and he began devouring her sow, but Adraffl's will was strong, and die chaos monster was never fully able to destroy her, and so they were united fora.er in perpetual ~ny. The Elves claim that somewhere Adraffi still battles the chaos beast to this day, and all her offspring are tainted, being part plant, and part beast, and always touched by chaos, although they will never lell us where mese deltys lie entangling melt Ufeforces. Modem day exp/orm speculal~ chat (/Ie Garden of dlaos in the Homt1io swamps sul7'PlllUls this spot of eternal conflict. CUllIinfy the area is famed for chaocic piant/ife, and the local Hispwasp is a chaotic combination of animal and vegetab/~. Hence me jack a 'Bears were spawned, called 'Yalarvapm' by the elves (meaning 'Plant-Beast'). Omer monsters are said to have come from this foul union, although not: the Great Eaters. thai look like huge pumpkins and thai pull an into their a.'ef-hWlgry gullet he" wt' ~ Magani reJers to monsters akin trJ Hungry jack Jrom the tales oJ Sir Elhtw. These were sown by Modm The ThTtUrer of Plants, either a Mistress Trail or chaos god, who, In any case, was destroyed in the Great Darkness.

Note . The TlIJ;yalan term 'jack o 'Bear' is a reflection on the monsters illusive half-planr natu", hence 'jack-ass ' (a mule). or 'jackrabbit ' (actuallY a hare). Our second qUOte from the works of Mligud i$ from his book Zoological Fauna I" Mytbs And Legent/s. AS the eod of (he Third Age approaches. and the wo rtd creaks at its edges, we l1l;!.y well wonder

what goes on in the secretive domains of the aidryami,:md if their reim.":lm aled hero has riscn again, ~'C:ntuli l ly to combllt the chaos III he is fated to die bv, II is SlIid that Ihe Lunar Empire harboul'!i :in;umy of )lIck O'Bears, :md mal U'()II d rums in P:.unahela

It came upon an elf named Darklhistle, for he was a.er cold and sullen , 10 destroy this bUghl. And with him went !:he blessings of Barbeester Gar Q war-.godtJess of the elves. And when he came upon Ggynt, Darkthistle was possessed by a rage, and he dealt him many blows until the monster was dead. Alas, for in his fury, Darkthistle did not notice iliat one of Ggynt's foul spawn had eaten inside him, concealed by Ggynt's cunning speOs and spirilS. Thus Darkthistle triwnphed and died, and each lime he is reborn he fated 10 die after triumph 0'Jer the kin of Ggynt.

A veUow Elf called \\eavingShadow-In-Thc-Brlghl-Ught--Of-Yelm was said to be Oarkthistle's next incarnation , Vokaving Shadow was sent to investigate a rot in her ]WlgIe of which nobody knew !:he cause. She went into a grove so sacred that no living soul was allowed into it except once in eYe!')' thousand years, Here she fOWld the foul chaos offsprtng at work and ~ it, only to be executed by her Emperor thereafter_ This tale is sung in a tIagic elf ballad called 'A Shadow's Victory'.

The mOSI recent incarnation was In Peloria, where the great elf forest was troubled by dire troD magicks that cracked elf-seeds and turned runners blue. An elf called Ivychild travelled to the Blue Moon Plaleau where he slew himself in order 10 drivt forth die spirit of Ggynt from a troll baule-standard . Noce - This incamation in foCl occurred not long beJore the Second ~ drew to a

close.

Our last qUOte CDmes from a thesis by Magard , entitled A Justificatio1l For rbe Preservation 01 Ancient Myrbs And Unusual Species. Thjs documen t is interesting beCllUS<: il shows first hand the dilemma th:lr eventually destroyed the Jrustdi naval empire. The effons of men

like j\bgud did nothing to change.- Jrustcli 2buse of the laws of nature and the w orld, which led to tbe downfall of the Godk arner Empire at

me end

previously warded7

of the

Second Age. In addition Magard mentions the heroquesl of the Green Danddion, a quest pervened by thcJrusteli. Ever since the end of the Second Age no :lidrY'.aml ha\'c ever returned from tb:H quest except :l dryad named Eldrissa, who C2me back 11 broo. The document also rcv~ some interesting Jrustdi eating habil5. I can

Rathori now has the candle of Burning Ught that the HWlgf)' caner

quote a number of instances

where meddling with the fabric of myth in order to adue\\' an end has done our empire no pxI whatsoe\.tt. T.lke, for example, the case of the son of the senator Ifrid and his companions. who decided to furnish a banquet with no normal pumpkin. but the flesh of the Hungry caller instead, who sits in the CUrsed Halls of Gold. and who tempts questers away from their Runequest undertaking. They slew this divinely placed entity and ate it garnished with slivtt juice! It is said that the magical meal made lhe diners most appealing to those about them. and as a result the party attendants tyowlg hotheads and base harlots the lot) were soon unanimously voted imo the senate of T1mris state! I need not remind anybody of the anarchy there now, or of the ~ dtizens being slaughtered by barbarian raiders. And need I remind anybody of the reverberations this will cause on the god-planes? That Ibiun the

Another case Is how the bungled attempt to force the jaC~ 0 'Bear of the Green Dandelion heroqucst to betray its divine limitations and devow- the bodies of the elf questers, has gained us the enmity of the mountain folk for an eternity. And, I ask )Ull, what ~ can or could possibly have come of thiS? The same people that came to our aid in times past are now our enemies. and througb no deliberate imention of our own, but through a foolish ruse made on a heroquesu We finish then with :I. quote from the gre:l.t Theyabn philosopher 12neyn Of Dngons Eye, who wrole: The mark of sentience Is the: ability to communicate, for what good Is reason if one can reason with only oneself1 Thke the feU jaCk O'Bear, whose thoughts are smaD and of desllUCtion. WJuld he: nor die sooner II he: Uved by his own cunning rather than the collective cunning of he and his fellows? Does a man who lives by himself from birth unto death act like an animal or like an emperor?

jon Quaife

Jadl O'l!ear (Joannursus paralysIs)

,."•

,u.. :Jhaggy, wi/')' mQMIcn. with

~ Of..".. m-~ rat'mbling; pump_

ktm.. lad.. n'buN normally inhabit {nOOl'lIAins and toretl They oIrt rlt,amk C'ilrni"u~

Wllh iU1 tlIOhC: takml rnlilu

-..d .. Each me..... round, m addtmm to it. nOc' malllttadu. I"" l.c\c ODrilr can marm lis \11;, thosl'- of,J (or,ll the vichm is ~colJ\t, hI! ~ h;lrr~u)fliDl.d_tn.'lUn jn pla«.mJ ¥lpJn:. untilthc /lld O~'H dif5 Of 01, '/(1/'(.1 is dispetkd, T~hllr· ",01:\1:«' .eli.$ oil I pninl Difine ma~~sprll

rMgicpolrn,

fUl PUfpott$ 01 dispelling I)r blockulg.

ThJ$ exotic I.~I doos nt:It Co.M the: l.-ck o'bN.r oIny m.agtc points, though 11 Qft br

~. which does COSI r"r\agIc p:oinf$.

100+106 100+ 1m. reNt MP ..,;n.t MI' or

The -c;!'Utu .. un k~. lIumbo.>r ol nOll'victims: ~1J.lto l\aJf It$ POW ronlrQ/led.1 ('ncr, The I~~ OOrOIr can not volunl1lrily ~.lI victi""

wen. ~trikl' WI'" Its claws. It raw

iIt~ ..

thnIt Ittike .".art, I ..... the Mdt ,,"'rboost, ir

fn:~hid~

""""'_,.,....JbIIIi ..........

~ChMlkHibua ....

"jade d'-rcod&d t&Sl' othe! ~ if a,..yOM would IrolCh II,

~ •• H¥rplrUftt'dtlnclr"'.;.ct o·bir.r wltl ftavt'li chaotic luturr

.........

adJit!on to itll

•

A ~ Int~~on Technique Goes a long Way

Play around a table and monopolize all the avaitable space. Use lots of GM's screens Ifrom any game system). Have lots of papers and files Isee below," Use a low ambient lighting level, and illuminate your face with a soft, white light from below leg using a small torch clamped to the edge of the table). In other circumstances tHis might be reassuring. However, for the players use 200 watt spot lamps focussed at face level (or directly over the tops of their pointy little headsl.

Never. never sit on the same son of chair as the players. Always sit on a higher chair than the players. The ideal combination, after carefully removing all cushions and similar potential sources of comfon for players. is a comfy swivel chair for you and very small wooden stools for them. Try to get ones so small that sining on them causes leg cramps and the like after an hour or so. Alternatively, cinema seats work just as well. Have a tape of Ravel's

Bolero to grate on thel"r nerves.

AQutring a sense of style 85 a ParillnOia Gamemaster

by John Saunders

Heilo, Friend Citizen. If your security is VIOLET or below, please report for termination now. Special Dispensation has been granted by The Computer, and no Termination Voucher is required. Have a nice day. There you sit, about to gently assist your players in the appreciation of that subtlest of roleplaying games. PBranois. This is going to be so much fun you'll probably need special underwear to get through it. But there can be so much more to a good session of pgumois - the little extras that make it all so evocative. ..

and a tape of Russian m ilitary music for later, If you have the skill. splice in fragments of Radio MQSCOW programmes into the music, but keep these short to maximize uncenainty and anxiety. The best programmes to record are the hourly news bulletins, Russian by Radio. Focus on Asia and the remarkable concerts from the Ochestra of the Soviet Ministry of Defence. Excellent reception can be obtained on the 19, 31 and 41 metre bands shon wave, or 227m medium wave. Note that knowledge of these wavelengths is a treasonable act and that if you re ad the previous sentence you should report for termination immediately. A high Security Clearance is no excuse, Friend Citizen. Wear black and nothing else. If anybody Queries why you are wearing an Infrared uniform, shoot them. Don't allow the players any food, tea, coffee, alcohol, cigarenes or other substances

during a geme sessioh. You might make an exception for glue sniffing since disorientated people are more easily driven into a frenzy of anxiety. Please note that The Computer does not approve of glue-sniffing anyway. If ,(ou really want to put the linle darlings under the hammer (and If you don't, why are you reading this7). don' t let them go to the toilet either. Padlock the door and tell them they can't leave until the mission is accomplished. There's More To Life Than A 10lb Lump Hammer

Have at least one microcomputer handy on a side table, with the screen facing away hom the players. This should not be a weedy ZX machine or something similar, which will merely elicit expressions of derision from intelligent players, but a DEC or Data General machine Is ideal. Failing that, something very hi-tech and stylish like 8 Dynamac, a snip at [6000+ . Look at the screen and key in stuff at tense moments. Make sure the thing beeps freQuently. Always have several timepieces available. Hold a stopwatch and look expectant at odd times. An electronic stopwatch at alarm clock, programmed to bleep at random times fand as loudly as possible) is an essential possession for the serious Paranoia GM. Alternatively, you can give the players a clock that doesn't work, or stOps if it isn' t continually shaken. Time is 01 the essence on this mission, Friend Troubleshooters. Make sure the players are physically smaller than you are, but If this isn't possible (because they were given too much red meat as children) wear built up shoes, and an American football helmet or visored cricket helmet. Have 8 baseball bat to hand at all times. Own, train and have handy a large and savage-looking dog. litter your home lor games room or wherever) with books on mental health - stuff like Bleuler's Ths Schizophrenic Disorders (Yale, 1978; very big and impressive), Levine's The

His t ory snd Politics of Community Mental Heslth (Oxford, 19BO) and the 19B3 UK Mental Health Act (HMSQ) ... On a message pad by the phone write 'Call the hospital about Dad', and leave a book on the genetics of psychopathy beside It to get players really WOrried. If any of them happen to know anYthing about the UK mental health system change the reference to 'the hospital ' to one about 'the secure unit '. This will really do the trick. Lastly, pamphlets from selfhelp groups etc about looking after schizophrenia at home should be prominently disÂˇ played. Special kudos goes to the GM with a shaven forehead and the FreemanÂˇWatts classic Prefrontal Lobotomy, but it goes withou t saying that this must be the 1942 first edition. And ... They're Off...

OK, so the runners and riders are at the starting line and the Troubleshooters are in the Briefi ng Room. Already somebody has pushed his luck and the neurowhips have been used in modest chastisement. Oh dear, time for clones. In Paranoia, above all other RPGs, roll lots of dice, especially when nothing Is happening. You do t hat anyway with other games. don't you. Shouldn't be too difficult with this one then,

,hi Leave the room at one or two atmospheric moments to 'check the expansion file'. Take all relevant material with you, but accidentaUy leave something behind in a non-obvious but discoverable location. Something harmless, that the players won't really want to read, stuff that will screw them up totally if they do read it. Mutter to yourself now and then. Try to effect strange compulsive body movements, especially a facial tic. One that gets worse when the players ask too many questions - is one Question too many? - used In conjunction with soft, reasoned and yet menacing tones will do the Job nicely. And have fun, Fear and Ignorance. Ignorance and Fear. Make them sweat! John Saunders

• -"'

CAREER GUIDANCE FOR WARHAMMER FANTASY ROLEPLAY

Jim

Dambra and Phil GaJJagher

L2st month , Onwards and Upwards looked at and clarified the rule mechanisms for career changes and advances In Warbammer Fantasy Roleplay. This month , ~ concentrate o n hints and lips ~peC'ts of career development by

fo r implementing these roleplaying [hem

within a c;lmp:dgn.

BASIC CAREERS .0\11 characters sun thdr :tdvenruring lives by following a basic career. This 'pre-adventuring' C:l.rttr provides characters wHh their initbl skills and a Hrst, 'free' advance. This is lhe career which the char:lcter W2S following Immediately prior 10 taking up the life of an :.JdvenlUrer, and so :Ill tbe skills listed under the C2reer are assumed to have been learnt before play starts.

An exception to this are those skills marked as ~i ng gained on a percentlge chance. For example, a newlygener-ned Boatman automatic:dly gains Fish, Orientation, River Lore, and Row. The character also has a 50% chance of being Wry Strong, a 25 % cbance of having Consume Alcobol, and a 25 % chan<x of Boat-building. Some Boatmen will be lud.-y and have picked up these ttm:e skills before commencing play, others will not have done so. Note, however, that most of these ~ddlls may still be 2cqul red 2t a cost of 100 Expt:rience Poims each · ic, they can he picked up in exactly the same way as skills of later careers. In this case, it is assumed tb:l.t the character llln:ady has some rudiment.l.ry knowledge of lhest skills, a nd only needs a bit of practice (reflected by the gaining and spending of Experience Points) before becoming fuUy skilled in them. The exceplion is very strong - an Innate skill, which the ch2racters either acquire In thelt first C2lttr, o r nOt at all. A complete list of Innate skills may be fou nd below.

Of course, some players may decide that mey would rather spend their hard-eamed Experience Points o n fulflJling thelr advance scheme, or moving to a new

=,.

. CHANGING CAREER · Although cha.nglng careers In game terms is relatively simple, attempts to rationalise what is actually happening in a roleplaying game may prove somewhat more difficult . Our BO:l.tman , according to the rula, may adopt any of the foUowrng career exits - Outlaw, SCaman, or Smuggler, alternatively, she may opt fo r a random roU on one of the Academics'. Warriors', or Rogues" career chans (see WFRP, p17), o r she can actually choose another Bask Ranger areet In other words, the rules make JUSt about every career open [0 every character. In an abstract game, of course, this poses no problems - the GM simply :1pplles the rules, the character expends the requisite number of Expt:rience PointS, and the game continues. However, there will inevll2bly ~ those who wam to know the answers to q uestions such as, how

4Dts the character actually begin a new c:ueer? Does he

« she need specialist training? U so, where does one

iDd a teacher?Are there any openings into this career, .zJd does it fit in with the over:all development of the campaign?

Depending on yo ur sryle of pby, some of these questions ..w be lesS" impOrtant than others, In our own games, we ~ found that changing careers - when roleplayed - can pro"l"ide a great deal of fun _ h gives characters a whole lC:rks of motivations 2nd goals other th:m those 8)f'lIlally associated with adventuring, Characters h:l.ve to ktp their eyes open for a teacher or employer to give mn a start tn a new career, they can't simply become a $""uard's Apprentic~ for example, just because it's one of tbt listed career exits and they h:l.ve 100 EPs to spare. Ihr character must first find a Wizard who is looking far at apprentice and then convince the NPC that be or she a sUitable (or rich enough) candidate for training, After Wt, :I. period of study and practice is requi.red to allow h basic assimilation of the skills and to learn one or two spells. Only at the end of this period will the dDr.Icter be in a position to exchange EPs for skills and .ad\~ces.

~ly,

becoming a mercenary, soldier, or gunner is without £irst entering military service, oneself to be a gunner allows you to X'qIIirc: neither the skills nor the associated advance 1Cbc=me. These things haY(: to be taught to you fust, and "6n:I you need a short period to practice them , ~ not possible ~ y declaring

iDding teachers can involve characters in interesting .ae-adventures as they try to locate a teacher or employer for a career that they an: particularly keen to Dlr up. It's no good declaring oneself to be a Aladwardcn if the Roadwardens won't accept you, :rnd ~rsonating an officer of the law COoln get a character .-0 big trouble! However, once fouod, a prospective ClpIoyer or tutor is not necessarily goiog to accept 5tlmtone just because the character wishes to foUow a -ar.; career, Often the teacher or employer will have their ....-a reasons for taking on a new pupil or employee -

maybe they bave lots of menial work for an :l.pprentice, or perh:l.ps they want to hire some muscle for military service. A cantpaign will also benefit if some careers remain closed to cbaracters until certain poims In the plot or adventure have been reached. You may decide that your adventures are going to be set in :I. number of towns in which your characters spend their time as normal cilizens rooting out Chaos cults that hlj.ve wormed their way into positions of influence. Adventures of this sort work best with small numbers of characters, who also have lirlks with a town's organisations - guilds, trade associations, and so on. A Mercenary Captain leading a force of 20 battle-hardened veterans is not really suited to such adventures. Later, howeve£, the campaign may involve the characters in the defence of a barony against rampaging mutants and Beastmen, and here characters with military experience and tnining would undoubtedly come into their own. A Physician's Student , on the other hand , is likely either to meet a horrible death, or to get bored very quickly. As GM, you could introduce the player characters to such :10 adventure by having them see notices proclaiming 'Recruits - Officers, NCOs, and Regulars - wanted for Baron Otto's Company of Foot', or by having an agent of the Baron's approach a PC Mercenary Captain . By not making every single career option available to the PCs at all times, it is possible to gear changes to developments within the campaign itseU.

l In The Enemy Within campaijPl, we have provided details of prospective employers and teachers for careers appropriate to the stage re:l.ched by tbe campaign. These :lfe meant to be fully detailed NPCs wIth petSonalides, and believable motives for training or employing the player characters. In this W2y, we have tried to create a campaign when: the action and the characters develop in parallel. Inevitably, however, some characters will want fO follow a career thaI is nOt made available in the c:unpaign. For some c:ueers, this should not be tOO difficult to cope

•

with. II is :I simple nutter to b«ome a Bodyguard, for • 0"'t* - aU thlJ is ntt'Ckd are the required trappings .mel mmeoot (n-m anOther PC) to guard, This change is CIddt ~bbk: 10 \ll:mer ' Pick-Axe' Murmann in The Eoemy 907hhln C'Illlpaign, simply bC'cauS(' o ne of the otba pes is bc:ing hunled by a person or persons ~"n " 'bose imentions are definitely "iolent! Smlihrlr. it is b irl}' easy 10 become a Protago nist, prvriding you CU'I find someone to employ you in your or-- rok. Of some cause people will p:ly for you to dcf.cnd' 10 bOth C25eS, no sped:llist knowledge is ~. and there i~ noth.ing to stud y - ii 's just :I case of@:OiDg o ut then: and doing it. 8<alming a C01cbm:lJl , however, requires that characters should 1Ctu:LIly sign up with a coaching company, or 1t k:a!l b2\'r the means 10 buy a coach and horses lO SCI tbemseh't"5 up In business. Being a coachm1n whhoUi a coxh is obviousl y ludkrous. CbUl~rs may also decide to seek out employers within the coma:t or the campaign . Havi ng decided to become :I Ph}'Sicia.n , for example, 1 character may either approach the! local Physician's GUild , or a practising Physician. In thls ~ the character should have to m2ke 2 successful hlwwsblp test to get on friendly tenns with the guUd or me NPC Ph}'liician, and then make an Employment test to be taken on, o r perh2ps the character may even have to carry o ut some sm:dl rask first. Before the Physician lIccq>ts a student , he o r she ll12y require the prospective C2nditble to go and flnd some ingredients for the m:.tnufactun: o f a ce rtllo d rug, o r m2y send him o r her into plague areas to test their commitmem to healing Otbers. Any number of adventures could spring OUI of this Aitem2tively. the GM may decide th21 it isn't lIppropriate for the ch2raCter to become a PhySician at thl5 s12ge of the campaign , and rna)' rule that there are no openings in the guild - ' We h2ve the required number o f practitioners and students as specified by the Guild, but thank you for your interest' ; or, ' I'm sorry, I already h :l\'e three apprcmiccs I just don·t have the tlroe (0 tr.Lin anyone dse at preseot .' Whenever possible, it is in the: interests of the game to let playm follow career p2tbs of t h eir choice, but if this im"oln:s some effort on w e pm of th e characte:r. it makes gaining II even more +

fC'Vt~ing .

mentio ned 200ve, finding a ~r palh can generate 1ny number of adventu res - 2 Wizard m:ty require certain books o r spell Ingredients [0 be locate.:d for her; characters entcrlng military service can be sent o n missions such :IS t:lking a patrol to check o n 2 remote \'i112ge, o r delivering 2 message to an o fficer some miles 1w:iy. These and similar adventu res co uld involve the players in fighdng their "''2y through hostile territory o r d isco\'rring that one of their party Is a spy or liSsassin fOr the opposition. AS

. TEACHERS AS NPC, '

LEARNING NEW SKILLS Fint of all, by way of cl2rific2tion , you should nOte that ch2r2cters enll~ring 2 b2sic career which bas o ne or mon: skills pn=ceded by the phrase ' XX% chance of.. : may buy any or thl!SC skills as no rmal, unless the skill is an Innule one. ,Tbe 'percenuge chance' onl y applies to characters fo r whom this is the first career. But w hat happens later, if a char.cter ch2nges careers 2nd then decides that he o r she wants to learn one Ot mon: o f the sld lls tb:1I were previously a\--ajlable under a fo rmer c2rttr, but not bought :u the time? Obviously, if the skills in question art' listed under the new career. then they can be acquired in the normal manner. If the skiUs are not listed, then the character has to decide to p ut In some spec!21, C'Xlra practice in order to gain them. Similarl y, a character may wish to acquire a particular 5kUJ th2t Is nOI part o f his o r her current o r paSt career. The rules o utlined here explain how this C2n be done. The basic premiss o f this system is th2t when 1 character changes careeJ·, if he o r she unde rgoes some {!".lining, then the chaJ'2.cter 2cquires a rudimentary knowledge of all the ski.lls Ii.sted under Ih:1I career. This does not mean that tbe char.u::ter acqui rell the.: skiUs, but tather th21 he o r she is tlIught wh2t to do in order to develop the.: skills over time. This is reflected by the gaining 2JJd spending of experience points. When the character has 2cqulred 100 EPs. he 0" she is deemed to be experie.nced enough so that the rudimentary knowledge of anyone skill can ~ converted into full knowledge, and the player m2y add thai skjJI 1:0 his o r her character sheet. Those care«'S th:u don't n=quire an initial period of mioing, 0 0 the.: other hand , 2re 2Ssumed to be so well-known to 21\ inhabiranls of The Empire, th at the chaJ'2ctcr need onI}' pr2ctice on hi:;/her own in order to develop the skills listed under the C2reer description.

·GAINING SKILLS FROM OLD CAiREERS · However, it is 2Ssumc:d that , haviog entered a new career, the Ch2r2cter Is nor In a position to build on the rudimentary knowledge acqui n:d during the o ld «reer. 2nd thus C2nnot no rmall y gain previously availm le skills. Having moved on rrom the o ld career, the character ha.s forfeited the OlC':l.nS of g2ining them easily. However, if chancters are able to devott: 2 few hours e:lch week to the practice o f such skills, they m:ll' still gain the skill by expending lOCI EPs (as nonnal) and then making an lntellfgence test. If the Icst is failed , the character loses the 100 EPs and falls to learn the skill. This docs not prevent the character from ha\'ing another go later. hut the 100 EPs are irr'e\"0C2bly lost, The amount of lime to be: spent in pr.lctlsing such skills, 2nd the period over which the pra,"tise muSt be condueted, will v2ry from skill 10 skilL Hlowever, as 2 rough guide. we have divided 111 the skills into the four categories as listed below;

Dr making each prospective employer or trainer an NPC In their own rigbt. you will soon build up 2 number of colourful and interesling chlU'2cters fo r your players to inter.i.ct with . These NPCs can then provide 2Ssisrance later in the advelturc 2JJd can be used to introduce new 2d\'entun:s :aJong the way. As cbancteC'$ grow more c.-xperienced, they will h:lve a much gre:uer pool of friends and comact.S to dJ'2w on in their 2dventure5. Chancters coulli :LIso be Set up by such NPCs. By pretending to o ffC'. r them (raining. an NPC could dupe 1dventurers intO carr-}'ing OUI illegal ta.sks for Ihem for nothingl ' S-but, yOur honour! How was I to know be W2S a Fence? I thOUght he was 20 ho nest merchant. I swe u , I h2d no ide-a wh at was In the box .. :

Pr:actJcal Acrob2tics t Ambidextrous An

Carpentry t Concealment Ru r. 1 & U rball Consume Alcohol Contortionist " Dance DiS'2rm Dodge Slow Dri ~ Cart

lnteIJectual AnumJ Training p AK'2ne L:utguage Astro no my Boat-building p Brewingp Cartography C"St Spells m Chemistry p CookP Cryptography Cure Disease p Demon lore m

~----------------------------------------~ . ~ Hypnotise tip Divining p

Escapology Fire E2ting Fish Fke! Follow Tr.dl

Dowsingp

Frenzied Attack

EV:l.iu2(C

Game Huming

Gem Cutling p

Embo:zHngp

Engineer p

Juggle

Helll Wounds p

Lip Reading Marksmanship Mime Mimic

Heraldry

~tining I

Qrienu tio n Palm Object Pick Lock Pick Pocket Ride Row Sailing t Scale Sheer Surface Set fup Sh2dowlng SileO! Move · Rural & Urban Smithing t Specialist We:.lpon

SpO! Traps Stonewo rking I Street Fighler Strike Mighty Blow Strike to Injure Strike 10 Stun Swim t lbrture t Trick RJding I ventriloquism I Wrestling I

Herb Lore p HiStory

ID MagioJ Artefact m 10 Plan! lD Unde2d l,w Magical Aw:areness m Magical Sense m Manuf2ctur~ Drugs p Manuf2cture Magic Items mlp Manufacture Potions m/p Manufacture Scrolls m/p Meditation m Metallurgy p Musicianship p Numismatics Palmistry p Prepare Poisons p Re2d/" .. rite River Lore Rune Lore m Rune Mastery m Scroll lore m SeCret language p Secret Sign Speak Additional Language p Super Numer.lte Surgery p 1llilor p Theology

Personal

lnruue

Acting tIp Begging p 81ather p Bribery p Charm p Charm Anim:!.I p Clown rip Comedian p

Acute HC2ring EJ!:cellem Vision Fleet Footed Immunity to Disease: Immunity to Polso n Lightning Reflexes LinguisticS Luck Night Vision Sixth Sense: Strongman Very Resitiem Very Strong

Disgui~

tip

Eliquelte l ip GambJep Haggle p

Jnt tip Public Speaking p

Seduction p Sing tip Story lldling p "'it p

EXPLANATION OF CATEGORIES Pr:actical : those skills in which it's nOI 50 much the tbeo ry that counts as the practice. These skllls may be acqu ired by hard-work, self-discipline, and dcdiC2tion . Tbose skills followed bv 'f cannot be learned without [Uition from :In expert. Intellectual: those skills wbere theory and booklearning:u-e :Iii imporunr. [0 ge:nenl, these skills c:mnot bt self-l:lught . In 2ddition, some also require :I fair :amount of pr:lctical work - it's:lll "'cry well knOWing tbe tIwory of anim:tl training, but unless you've pr:lctised on

a few beaslies, you can't caU yourself skilled_ Th~ skills an:: fo llowed by 'p'. There :u-e :lIsa 50rne skills which ClIl only be learnt by following a nugical c:lreer - tbese will never be taught to someone who has nOi compkted o oe or more of the following careers: Druid, Initiate, Wizard's Apprentice, Alchemist's Apprentice (these are followed by m ). Personal: t.hose skills where h's not so much what you do lh:lt counts, as bow you do it. Many of these C211 be self-l:lught (those: th:lt require tuition :Ire sufflXed 't'), and :til require practice (suffixed 'p ').

Innate ; these are skills that , by and large. you 're tither born with o r can only :lcqu.ire by long service in a p'J.nlcular career. There is no other way to g:lin these skills· no :unount of pracdce or study is going to allow a character to se:e in the dark , for CXllmple.

\'~

. tTl

·TRAINING TIMES · The amo unt of time which must ~ spent in pr'J.cticchi'tudy depends on which category the skill falls into: Practical skills require 2 ho urs ' practice och <by for

306 weeks before the char.tctCf can make an Int test to

9·....,

gain t.h em . Moreo\'Cr, if a skill requires tuitio n , the char.toer mUSt be supervised for :u least tulf the time.

"llellectlla/ skills require 2 hours' study per day, plus 2 hours per week with a roto r, for 6+20 6 weeks, before an Int test may be m:lde to g:lln them. Skills which call for addition:tl practic21 work wUl require the student to spend a further 2 hours per week on this.

PPrsonal skills arc much harder to pin down in terms of the amo unt o f pn.cticdsrudy required. Given a particul:ir skill some people will be able to pick it up quickly, others can Struggle in V2in for ages. Basical ly, cbaracters :lltempting to acquire any of these skills must practice fo r 2 hours per day fo r a number of days equal to 100 minus the ch:lracler's Fellowship score. At the ~d of this period :m Int test is tak~n to sec if the character bas gained the skill. If a skill is listed as requiring tuition , the character needs to be supervised for a miolmum of 2 hours per week.

Tuition Fees These wiIJ obviously vary according 10 the NPC (and may well be influenced by such f:lctors as whether you fC:llly want a certain character to acquire :I certain sklll, o r not). As :I rough guide, however, you should consider that tutors of physical :lnd penotlal skills will charge 106 GCs per hOUf, while tutors of intellectual skills wUl ch:lrge 1010+ I GCs per ho ur. Compressing Training A chuactcr m:ly prefer to take ':I. crash cou~ rathe r than trying to learn a skill in his or her spare time. Tltis is perfectly acceptable, provided th:lt i) the ch:ltacler does not Iry 10 work [or longer than 10 hours per day; iI) the supervising tutor (if :my) is ':I.greeablci and iii) the tot:ll number of hours spent equ:tls the required number.

·A SAMPLE TUTOR· Presented below is a detailed NPC fo r use In any warh:lmmer c:lmpaign. Although designed to fit smoothly into the Altdorf seoion of Death on The Reik , Heinz von Naprump cm easily be used in other locations, simply by ch:mging obvious details. Heinz shows how interesting NPCs can be used to provide pl:lyers with skills, cueer chmges and as a source of information :lOd future NPC contactS.

----------------------------------------------~~ 1lC:JWJ'IJ\ii~. 29~

HEINZ VON NAPRUMP Human. Male. Scholar (exStudent/Noble) Heinz is the younger son of :l v.~thy Alrdorf (:un;I)', onc of the m7Jly noble families that g2ther at Altdorf to be ncar the lm~rial bmily. At an e'.lrly :lgc, Heinz showed :t great interest in the WSIOry and the geography of The F.mpire. so his parents enrolled him at the University of

Ahdorf where he:: has followed a successful academic C'.lreer. Heinz is a quiet bookish man. Be is softly spoken , bUI h:lS :m :mooying lisp, a ch:u"Aclcr fe:uun:: common 10 many nobles. Heinz drcSRS in ex~nsive. though seryiceable dark brown clothes which cover his blo:.ned

overweight fn.me. His appeannce is spoilt. however, by the traces of dried food that cover Ihe" from of his waistcoat and crAvat. His thick , almost opaque glasses make him look dim-witted, bUI there is a keen mind :u work underneath his mild exterior. He is always concerned as 10 the time, 2S if be were constmtly afraid of missing an importmt appointment. He appc2rs nervous, particularly with strangers. but soon warms 10 anyone who b:a.s academic leanings or pretensions. Although greatly inlCrested in The Empire, Heinl. has not travelled very widely in it . He is far more interested in poring over other people's written experiences that in gaining any first hand knowledge. StUl , he is an erudite scholar, with an excellent knowledge of The Empire's ge0gr2phy and history. A University man for :dl of his adult life, Heinz Ih'es in rooms cluttered with charts :.nd rubbish within the University grounds where he is looked after by his overworl.:ed ho usekeeper. Heinz teaches geography and history. As an established academic he is able to pass most of the boring work onro his subordinates, and cbncerns himself w ith making accurate m:lps of The Empire's watel'W2)'S. He is currently compiUng darn on the Rdk between Altdorf and Nuln . MWS8SS

}

}6 32

A De..: Ld lot CI WP Fcl

34 ;0 6a 36 50 29

Age; 42

Skills An:ane Language. Magick; AstrononlY ; Canogr,lphy; Charn); Etiquette: Heraldry : History: NumismaLics j ReadfWrite j Ride; Secret LanguagC' . CI:a.ssical; Speak BretonnJan Dialect Possesslons Dagger, writing equipment , tricome hat , powdered white wig, thick pebble glasses, brown foodstained suit. Heinz can be int roduced to the ad \'enturers in a number of ways. He could simpl y be encountered in a riversidC' inn or strolling along the docks. If he sees the adventurers, he may attempt to sUike up a conversation about ~he Rivt:r Reik, one of the gre:lI loves of his life. Or they could rescue him fro m muggers one dark and foggy night. Alternatively, the adventurers could hear of him from a pub landlord. 'There's this educated geezer who often comes in here, always asking questions of folk about the ri~r. writes a lot of it down, he does, and alw:lYS pays for information: The adventurers could either seek him out or wait until he arrives. Another W2y to introduce him is for the adventurers to see a notice asking for 'Honest riverfou.:: to map the Reik, good money paid for important scientifi c work: No matter how the adventurers encounter him , Heinz is interested in finding a team of people to make maps of the Reik for him. He is willing to pay 25 GC for accurate maps and will leach :my cbaracter the Cartography skill for free. A Int tcst is n:quin:':d to learn it from him .

In addition to teaching Cartogmpby, Heinz can be a very useful source of information on The Empire's geography and histor}'. Once the advenlUrers return with their charts, he will act :a.s a patron to any character wishing to become a srudent or scholar at the University, and he provide letters of introduction to other academics and universities in The Empire. In addition , He inz is willing to give priv:ue tuition in Numismatics and His/Dry. He refuses to teach Read/Write, however, as he considers it to be beneath his dignity. Heinz's family and university connections can come in usefull as well, since he will be able to intervene on the adventurers behalf if they get into any trouble with the authclrities. How successful his intervention Is, depends on the extent of the adventurers' crimes, but he should be able to deal with minor u. . msgressÂˇ ions easily. Jim Bambra &- Pbil Gallagher

- -- - -An AD&D mini-adventure set in a dry for a party of 4Âˇ8 player characters. of mixed classes levels 4-7, by Matt

COnnell

Gamemaster's Background The party should 001 contain too many Lawful charncters, as they will find the task they are required to complete is of dubious legality!

The adveOlure takes place in the City of Rushfurd, a large town renowned for its thriving markel-place and its efficient. if heavy-handed. militia. Rushford has a

""""'-

ful Merchants' Guild. which, through agreements with the Lady of Rushford, keeps profiteering to a minimum and ensum its members are 'well treated by too tuman, Ih~ militia and any other lawn authorities. This situation pleases all bUI a few of the mo~ unscrupulous merchants, who view the Guild as placing unnecessary constraints on their profits. Of these dissatisfied merchants. one - Bram Veesh - has detided to remedy the silualion. He is embarking on a campaign 10 weaken the Guild, until its power has dwindled enough 10 allow him full scope for his illegal and UI1SlI\'OOry pl'llCtices.. As one part of his plan. Bram has paid an llIusionisl. Alogoid. a oonsiderable sum of money to find ways of reducing people's faith in the Guild . Alogoid. possessed of a sharp and devious mind, reasoned that the best v.yY to antagonize a merchant was to cheal him in some way. So he sat down, lit some incense 10 focus his mind , perused his Tomes of Enchantment and came up wilh the following plan.

Alogoid used the speU Minor CreariOf! to produce a bale of finest quality silk, Then, using the speU Change &f/ 10 pose as a well-known merchant , be went to the: market and sold the 'sill( to a member of the Mcrehant'l Guild, After a few hours, the 'silk' disappeared, leaving oothing but an angry merchant who immediately registered a complaint with the Guild. Alogoid repeated this several times, posing as 8 different merchant on each occasion. This hid the desired effect: memben of the Guild to accused each othe.r of dishonest tnading, The Guild authorities have been trying to solve the disputes through ttieir normal channels, but - liS might be expected - these attempts have been unsuccessful. There is a build-up of tension within the Guild, and although this could lead to major problems. the Guild doesn't want to call on tQe City Militia . This would demonstrate their inability to keep thei r own house in order. Hearing about the recent arrival in Rushford of a pliny of adventurers (the player charucters), the Guild High Committee bave decided to hire them to sort out the problem as discreetly as possible. hopefully without the Imowledge of the city authorities.

;Âˇ=:-----;=========::..::..====:::;-;C~""':~R;."~b:ia:n is a wealthy and successful

l' layers' Intro ductlon

man. He lives in a large (own house with his current mistress and his retinue of servants. One of the servants will let the pany inlo the hall, where they will have to wail for twenty minutes before Cova wiU see them. The characters will be able 10 hear sounds of decadent revelry from another

GM should read the followiog to Ihe at the beginning of the adventure:

Otte thing ,hat ;sn', difficult to jiluJ in dry of RJ~'hJortJ ;s a decem drop of ale. Aar about anyone will reconunend a tDl'em p . The ale is cool and flavoursome , \"l!ry relaTing. As you while au'Q)' the ~n. a smn.1l boy. dressed ;/1 the garb Q merchom's page, squeezes his way h the crowded bar to your table. He s inside the leather wallet he carrie$ , . "mQ1.'e.~ a piece of parchment uith an rate seal. which he hands to ),(JI4. /t 's ifIiI!Q'Uting enough to put drun your drink$

part of lhe house. When a slightly dishevelled Cova finally appears he will explain that he was auend-

iog

becoming involved . Before I reveal the nature of our requirements, I must ask you to agree to keep silence on what I am to tell you. It is to be discussed only with Guild members. You can rest assured that the reward is suitable:

1M note contajfl$ the jollm'l'ing ~e:

~red

worthies

)bur esteemed presence in ollr ~/e city IuzJ bem noticed. and ~ os silch a dme witen we feel

t:-. prOl'tde employment suiled to

oj)'Our undoubted discretion If)'OII are interested e OCCOlllpatly ti,e page, who has 'CS/TUclions 10 bn'ng you /0 us.

J!lIIi!I"..StWS

.wi obi/ides.

}burs ill foi/h Jlercho/lfs' Guild High Comminee

Assuming lIlat the PCs are IElgUed. enough by this document 10 !Xber their equipment and follow the ;.e.. they will be led through winding tIftds- to the imposing Merchants' CeJJd buildin~. The page takes them to nchIy-appOlnled chamber, wh~re a p:!Qp of men and women weanng the _ clothes of wealthy merchants await .-n arrival. The merchant's ~rson , a tall , imposing woman, .a.1druses them: "Welcome. So as not to waste Ie time, r will come directly to ~ point. As you are DO doubt aw.tre, Guild is famed for its f.tirness, .-.:pendence and unity. All three of ~ values are being threatened. "-Ormally, of course, we like to solve problems without resorting to IIIIIIiide help, but we fee l thai employing ..oependent .. . urn ... adventurers, such 'lIOLlrselves, will solve our problem ~y, without other authorities

some important business. CO\IlI is a

rather fat !llan, with many rings on his pudgy fmgers He is dressed in the the nearest thing to fashionable garb for a rather fat merchant: flowing red and purple silk pyjama type clothes. Cova's manner is distinctly superior, particularly with

An abrupt introduction, but a seemingly businesslike one. If the party agrees to this condition, she continues: 'Over the past few weeks, several complaints have been lodged by members of the Guild against other Guild members, accusing them of dealing in false and substandard goods: bales of silk with the unfortunate characteristic of disappearing a few hours after purchase. We investigated these claims, but could find no evidence to confirm either the guilt or innocence of the accused parties. lndeed , as we continued the investigation, more ctisputes of this nature were reported almost every day. The price of silk began to plummet, and open bickering between respectable merchants has become commonplace. Whatever the nature of the mystery, all attempts to solve it have drawn a blank. Your task is to seek out the root of the problem and remove it . restoring the public's confidence in the silk market and the honourable Mere.hants' Guild. You must act with discretion at all times, and keep us informed of any developments: 30<m> will be offered to each party

member~but hard bargaining could

raise this to a maximum of 550gp. No mention is made of the ownership of any booty they may come across during their mission. If the party accept the task, they will be given the names and addresses of five mercbant~ involved in the disputes, and will be advised to begin their investigations with these people. They are Cava Rubian. Yu Sen. Undeen Brugo, Zagire Doman and Pollinex Bencard.

The Silk Trail The adventuren;' only opportunity to meet the five merchants is to call at their houses. No map is provided for the town so you must 'ad lib' any activity you wish !O occur while the PCs interview the various merchants.

adventuring types who carn their money largely by manual labour, and who have probably trooped into his house armed 10 the teeth and brandishing Bags of Holding. Cova has registered complaints against

Undeen Brugo and Pollinex Bencard. whom he believes sold OGe of his minions a bale of the 'disappearing silk'. The transactions are aJleged to have taken place in the marketplace some three weeks ago. He vigorously denies aoy accusations made against him by Yu Sen. and becomes angry if the characters push the point. Under no circumstances will COV'.d aJlow detective magic to be used on him (eg, lHtect lie). and he will have the characters thrown out If he suspects the iJse of magic. Yu Sen is a moderately siJccessful silk dealer who lives on the oUlslcins of Ru!Jlford in a small, pleasant bouse. She will answer the door berself, offer me PCs refresbmeot if dley behave themselves in a couneous manner. and seem genuinely concerned !lbom the situation. Yu is slim, with a dark complexion and a friendly manner - she realises that il is in her own interest to assist the PCs in their enquiry. She explains, over lea, ho\>.t she was emlmrntssed to discover that the silk she had purchased from Cava Rubian was of the 'disappearing~ variety, and registered a complaint with the Guild over the matter. Yu can vouch Ihal the silk was genume aDd of the highest quality when she purchased it, aod bemoans the whole Slate of affairs; the falling. price of silk threatens 10 ruin her. if asked 10 submit to a Deteci lie spell, Yu will politely refuse, explaining thaI she

'Don't mind my mother: he explains hastily, 'Ever sillCe'. father died she's been a little - )'Otl ~: If the PC. insist on rescuing the ooman or berate Zagire for his w;r; of living, the merchanl will scream abuse and call for his eunuch bOOyguards (AC8 (leather armour); HD4; 25hp each; MV 6"; AT I; D 1·8; AL N). who wick! scimitar!l and don't talk: to Zagire's enemies. Zagire will ~ ....-ell out of any fight. U the pany defeat his eunuchs. he allows thcm 10 take his mother a.....ay. but then hires an assassin (level 4-7), who will attack a member of the pany at some time C7>'1Cr the next two weeks, if they are still in Rushford .

The old lady really is senile and will dribble a lot in response to direct questions. If the party are gentle with her, she will eventually remember that she h3s relations in a village a few miles away, where she can be dumped by do-gooder pCs.

~1Ongs to a sect that believes it is important to accept the spoken word as binding truth.

She: will be most unhappy if she suspects this or similar magic is being used without ber pennission. Ulldeed Brugo is not a very successful merchant . He lives with his wife and children in 8 run-down house near the cc:ntre of Rushford. He is a plain-looking man. straightfOrward and Donut in nature. and gives the impression of being somewhat stupid. Hc denies any accusations made by CoYlI. swearing that he wouldn't do such a thing, If asKed, he will submit to II Detect Ue spell to prove his innocence, Tell any player whose I:haracter looks around that there are unpaid bills everywhere.

login! Domon is a thin. angular man who wears block silk robes and lives in II mean lOWn house with his aged mother. Zagi~ is a nasty piece of work. who forces the old dear to do all the cooking, washing and cleaning despite her age and infirmity. AJI this will become apparent to the characters when I snivelling old woman opens the door and begs 10 be rescued from her life of virrual slavery. Zagire will rush up and bustle her away.

U the party ignore the old woman, Zagire will explain that he was sold dud silk by an unknown merchant. accompanied by a servant, in the mark:et two weeks 3go. The 'interview' will IllS! no longer than it takes him to say thls. and he will refuse to submit 10 a ~tect u~ spell.

PvUinu Ihncordli...es in a neal cottage Dear the marketplace. He is a jovial man , who insists on telling old and desperately unfunny joJces al any opportunity. II is impossible to offend the old fool. F\l((inelt uses this jolly front to cover the fact thai he is a coward. He is visibly nervous at the presence of weapons, though. and appean; 'M)rried if questioned harshly concerning any accusations made by Cova. F\lllinex is of course· innocent of thl! crime he stands accused of and will say as much. but he has 00 proof of any nature to hack up his claim th3t he wasn't present at the market Of! the day concerned. He will happily submit to a De/~cl u~ spell . A!. you may have gathered, questioning the merchants wiIJ gain the PC$. \'Cry little. They will discover that all the transactions in bogus silk have taken place in the marketplace on the weekly market day, and this is the only lead that will lead them anywhere.

The Market The market is situated in the centre of Rllshford. in a large cobbled square surrounded by inns, shops and boarding houses of all descriptions.

The market itself, bustling with hundreds of people of all types. is a large collection of staJJ.s with brightly coloured awnings which sell all manner of wares. Everything listed in the AD&D PJaye./'Y Handbook is available, together with a variery of fine clothes, livestock. food and drink. etc. If the characters try 10 buy anything,

L':~~=~==~~==~~~~~~~th~e~,,:ony:~':Ia!~1 holders will usually stan

their prices v.?j above those listed in the PHB, and hard bargaining will be required to obtain anything like a reasonable deaL As the party wander through the market, they will probabJy have an encounter of some kind , Roll a d6 once every I,,", turns; a roll of 1-2 indicates an eocounter, Th detennine the l)'pe of encounter, roll a d6:

I: /.J Drunks (ACID; FO; 3hp; MV 4"; AT I; 0 1·3; AL N). The drunks will stagger up I:\nd embrace the characters as long lost friends. If the PCs bumour them, they will offer their bottle of rotgut around, chat in a slurred fashion for a while and then move on. However, they are easily angered, launChing inlo the fmy wielding bottles. fists. pieces of nearby stalls, etc. The Market Patrol of the City Militia (Four Militiamen, AC6j A; Shp; MY 9"; AT I ; D 1·8; AL LN) will be called by a nearby stall holder. and will break up the fray after 2d6 rounds, Unless the PCs offer bribes or do some fast talking, they will spend the rest the day in the City lockup. 2: /-/0 Brggan (ACID; FO; 2hp: MV 6"; AT 1: D 1-4; AL Various). The beggars will accost the PCs. display ing deformities, sores, open 'M)Unds, etc, and keeping up a Sleady stream of whining. sobbing and moaning. If given some coppers they will bless the charnclCrs in the name of various. gods. If given nothi ng, the beggars wiU follow the characters around. making it impossible to conduct business or enter shops. If the players dish out anything more valuable than a few copJI!i:rs. 1-6 more beggars will be attracted. 3: / Thief (AC 7; 1'5: 2lhp: MY 12" ; AT I; o 1·4; AL ~E; Pick Pockets 55%) . A human thief will attempt to pick the pockets of the richest-looking character. If discovered , he wiU run ~y into the cJ"O\\/d, with II 50';\ chance per round of (osing any pursuen.

is rolled.). Eventually, the char3Cten will see a merchant (a soon , rorund man, dressed in voluminous purple robes) attempting to sell a trader a bale of silk. The trader is relueiant to buy (having heard of the disappearing silk) but the price is scandalously low. Fin.al1y, the merchant - accomp' anied. by his servant - gives up and makcs his Wirj towards a side alley. A. lhlect Magic will revea.I that both the 'merchant' and the 'silk' possess a dweomcr, for this is AJogoKJ attempting to sell another balCh of 'silk'. If the party follow Alogoid at a discreet distance, they will witness him change form into a gaunt, red robed man as his Change Self expires. The two meD will cross Rushford to Alogoid's house, where the Illusionist will pause and use his RflnJ of Enemy lhtection , If he detects a poIential enemy (such as the Pes), he will enter his house calmly, and prepare for attack (see below) .

t: 1 Mad Dog (Ae 6; HD 2+2

(attacks at

.,.) due 10 rabics); 14hp; MV 9"; iJ I: D : +25% chance of infection; AL N). A aibid dog, barking and foaming al the 2llIth. will attack a cha.nK:tcr at random. \uybody injected with rabies will be ~'are of il until eight hours later, when .:lie) will start to feel sick and weak (no 61JOflS save drinking and slocping possible) . ~ another eight hours, they will stan \0 ~ at the mouth and bite nearby peoplc ..m +3 \0 hit, infticting 1-2 points of ..2nage (with a 2:5% chance of infecting the .wm). After Il1IOther 2·8 hours the victim . 111 die. The only way 10 cure rabies i! to asl cure disease on the victim some time lcrJ,.u.n infection and death. J-4 Hold 7buu (ACIO; FO; 3hp; MV

..::!-; AT I; 0 1-4; AL Various). The lOuts ~

hired by boarding houses and inns 10 get Each wiU be most insistent lhat ~. arc offering the best at the cheapest price. They won't be put off ulllil one of Sfte things happens . they art' accompanied die. hostel; they are threatened with ~ca1 violence; or they are paid a few Pi pieces to go 8Wcly. If the characters go ~s one hotel, the other lOuts will ~ and drop their prices. Needlcss to , !he inn rooms never come up 10 the ~rds promised. although it is possible 6nd acceptable rooms in this manner. mskIm .

U Chllrelr Collectors (AC4 (chain + iiidd); CI; 6hp; MV 9"; AT I; 02-7 .-.u); At LG; Spells: Cure Light Hbunds, r-.-..vnand). The acolytes are collecting for am church roof fund and will ask for a ion. Generou5 charaeters will receive a 'CCbal bleSSing (not the speU). If the c.racters do not make a donation, they will 'etelve a short lecture on the benerl\s of ~ and any nearby traders woo't bargain them (almsgiving is highly respected in nI) ,

If the Pes are foolish enough 10 attack" Alogoid on the sueet. he will 5hout for the City Militia (same statistics as the Market Patrol above) , who will arrive in 2-8 rounds and arrest the characters for assault or nltemp(ed murder.

Aiogold's House Alogoid lives in a largely unpopulated area of !.he city. His house is a one-stOrey StOne building with a Oat slone roof. The windows 01 the house have strong oak shutters, which Elte closed if A10g0id expects trouble. boll· ing them from the inside. The front door is always kePI locked and bolted . If a character knocks at the door, a henchman will politely refuse them entrance, explaining that 'the Master' is engaged in imponant research and can't be disturbed . The henchmen have strict instructions DOl to ans~r any questions and to lock the door after passing on this message. If Alogoid suspects an attack, no amount of knocking will raise any response.

Since the characters may attemp( to gain entrance to the house in many ways, the exact locations of AJogoid and his henchmen are left up to the GM , although guidelines are given after the NPC statistics (see below). Remember that Alogoid is highly intelligent. and plan the defence of the house accordingly. If Alogoid has been forewarned by his wand, an effective ambush with spells and henchmen should be prepared. If the characters attack the house as if it were a besieged castle there is a S% chance per round (cumulativc) that a passer·by will rush off to alert the Militia, who will arrive in 2·6 tums: 10 Men At Arms (A.C4 (chain + shieltl) ; PO; Shp; MV 9"; ATi; 0 1·8 (Iongsword) ; AL LN);

+ shield); F2; 16hp; MV 9"; AT I; D 1·8 (+1 strength bonus); AL LN); and I Strgeanl (AC4 (chain

EKh encounter will onl y occur once ~tute an alternative if a duplicate result

1 Officer (AC2 (plate + srueld); F4; 35hp; MV 6"; AT I; 0 1·8 (+3 Strength bonus); AL tN). The officer carries a born to bring R:inforcements if the PCs resist arrest. There will always be more than enough men available 10 drag the PCs down (eventually) .

Key 10 House Plan All the ground floor rooms are lit by 5gp gems with cominuollight cast on them, The gt..~ arc held in small containers, which enn be adjusted 10 vary the amount of lighC IN oue .

J.. Hall : The hall has a polished WOOden floor and three oriental rugs (35Ogp each. 01:>1 obviously valuable). The walls have some pictures hanging on them, none of which is valuable. 2~ Dining Room: This fincly-appoiDtcd and carpeted room is where Alogaid entertains guests. There is a large, polished oak table with twelve matching chairs in the middle of the room, and against the south wall slltnds a large. finely·worked ro5e'M)Od cabinet , which is locked. It contains a china dinnersf:rvice, and teak box which holds a sel of

silk waH-bangings. embroidered with mythological scenes (100gp each), Around the edge of the room are several large cushions and in the centre of the room is II large, soft bed with II vernIillion silk CQ'ler (l5Ogp) and three. fine furs (50gp tla..:h). There is also a large wardrobe full of Alogoid's clothes. [n the floor of the wardrobe is II secret compartment. It contains a letter to Alogoid from Brum Veesb. promising 2.500gp if Alogoid will help Yeesh ruin the Guild . Only Alogoid has the keys asso-ciated with th is room.

10. Meditation Room : This room has an austere look. and the walls are painted With various stl1lI1gc symbols: any musionlst or Magic-User will recognise them as aids to tranquillity of mind for meditation and spell learning purposes. The air is filled with exotic incense, drifting from a small silver censer (50gp) on a low table of finelylacquered wood (15Ogp). Stairs lead down to the cellar (U) .

ten exquIsite crystal goblets. The goblets are 'NOnb 600gp as a set, bUl only 30gp individually. There is a serving-hatch in the wall with the kitchen (5).

J. Lounge/Smoking Room : This room is furnished with five padded annehairs. which are arranged llCar the fireplace. There is also a low table, on which stands an ornale ebony box containing expensive lobacco (box: 75gp. tobacco: IOgp). Bookcases stand around the walls, and most of the 100 books would fetch 5-2Ogp from 3n illusionist. 4. Closet : Tbe closet contains food of 'IIlriOus types (enough 10 last a week) together wilh as~oned miscellaneous items string. brushes, and so on. S. Kitchen: Over a roaring fire hangs a cauldron of stew, whose delicious smell fill s the air. Under the window is a wash-basin . and store cupboard containing a variety of pots, pans and other cooking utensils. The stairs lead down 10 the wine ceU:.r (11).

6. Scullery: This stone-flagged room hilS pegs around the walls for ouldoor clothes. In one corner is a pile of adventuring equipment , consisting of ropes, iron spikes, oil. lanterns and several backpacks. The outs ide door is kept locked. 7, Henchmen's Quarlers: Mo re plainly furnished than the rest of this floor. th is room contains five beds and five locked footlockers (the keys are carried by the henchmen). The lockers contain assoned clothes and personal effects. mostly of little or no value.

S. Privy : Toe door from the privy to AJogoid's room (9) is locked; Alogoid carries the only key. 9. A1ogoid's Bedroom : This sumptuouslyfurnished room has a th ick carpet and cunains of rich cloth. On the walls are five 38

11. Wine Cellar: The walls are lined with laden wine racks; much of the wine is fine v intage. (30 bottle s at IOgp eadl). Against the west wall stand tWO large barrels. The northernmost barnl is empCy: its front is a Sttrct door. and there is anothe r secret door in the wall behind it. On the floor beside Ihe barrels is a dish of melll. used to feed the snakes in the pit (12). U . Concealed Snake Pit: If a secret button concealed in the oonh w-J.!.l (at A on the map) is not pressed . the pil door in the floor opens when there are three people on iL There is a 25 % chance of finding the pit by tapping and listening for a hollow sound. The. pit is leD feel deep. Characters fulling In will be surprised by three poisonous snakes (AC 5 ; HD 4 + 2; HP 25. 24. IS ; MV 15"; Size L; AT I; D JÂˇ3. save vs Poison or take 3-18 additional damage; AL N) which slilher from holes in the walls of the pit. Once the pit has been opened,

pressing the secret bunon will reset the trap door. and pressing it again will make it safe to cross.

D. Corridor: The floor of this corridor is packed with dear glass globes about Dine inches in diameter. The globes are fastened to the floor, and anempting to pull them up will break them, as will standing on them. Most are clear. but close. inspection will reveal that one line of globes - stretching from door to door - have a faint pink tinge in.'Iide them. If the pink globes are broken. they will release a gas which causes all characters within five feet to collapse choking and coughing unless a successful saving throw vs Poison is made. Collapsing charaders have a 25 % chance of breaking another pink globe. and will take I point of damage from shards of glass if unannoured. The effects of the gas lasl for 2-8 rounds, and for every round the choking victim(s) take Id6 points of damage; a Poison saving throw" may be attempted every round to throw off the effects of the gas. The cleM glass globes are safe to walk on and will nOI break unless hammered.

14. Capth'e Basidirond : There is no light in this cbamber. Chained up in the middle of the room is a Basidirond (AC 4: HD 5 +5: HP 31; MV 0" (chained up) 6" (unchained); AT t D 2-8 (plus smothering); AL NE; Size M; MMJI) . the object of Alogoid's studies into natuml hallucinogens and their use.$. When the characters enter. it will quietly begin to emit ilS hallucinatory spores. which will fill the entire room. The GM should roll the characters' SlNing throws against the spores secretly and inform each player privately of the type of hallucination that his/her charaeter is experiencing. Encourage the playen> to roleplay the PCs' reactions 10 their hallucinations.Alogoid has developed an antidote to the effects of the spores (see 16), and be and his henchmen are immune this makes thjs room one of the best places for him and his henchmen to finish off any intruders. If anyone ventures within five feet of the basidirond. they will discover that there is enough slack in its chains to allow it to attack them. lashing forward to strike with its cap. Hidden under a concealed hinged slab in the SOlJth-wcst corner of the floor is Alogoid's treaSure: lhe slab is locked and protected by a poison needle trap (save vs Poison or be paralysed for 2-8 turns) . There is 2000gp. 2000gp in assoned gems, 500pp, an ornamental platinum filigree vase (2000gp) and a bone scroll case. In the case is a scroU with the following Magic User spells, inscribed al lhh level : Burning

Hands. Magic Missile, ~iefd, ESP, Knock. ExpJosive Runes. Only Alogoid has the key to the slab, and his henchmen don't even know it exists. 15. flidden Chamber: The archway that leads to this empty chamber from the corridor is bidden by a Pemumenr IIlusioll of a wall . Alogoid will , if possible, stand in

~111:~==~~~~~~~~~h~':':'~':"~d~.~t~~'k~th:,~pany

with spells as they

cellar, intending to lure the characters into room 14. and to make use of the ambush potentiru of room 15. If reduced to 5hp (with no more Porions of Healing available), he will attempt to escape. If at all possible he will take his spell books, and 2000gp in gemQ with him. Alogoid has five henchmen in his pay: Toby: (AC -1 (Plate Mail +l.Shield +1) ; F4: HP 29; MV 6"; AT 1; D 1-8+1 (longsword + strength); 517; 19; WIO: Dl6: C15 : Ch14: AL N).

Toby wears a blue doublet over his ar· mour. He has 200gp in a pouch inside his shirt. He IS \lery loyal, and will deferw:l Alogoid to the end. robes of deep vennil1ion hue. He carries a Ring of Protecrion +2. a Dagger +1, a ~nd of Enemy Detection , Potions of Healing and Fire Resistance, a Ring of Spell Storing (lm'isibilit)' 10' Radius), and a scroll with the spells Jfu:ancy and Non-detection , inscribed at 12th level. In a pouch al his waist are 250gp. He also carrie! a bunch of keys to all the locks in the house, except the henchmen's private lockers in room 7. Alogoid's available spells (including those from devices) and their possible uses are: Change Self: combined with Fascinate dupe a member of the city Wl:Itch iDlo arresting the pany after Alogoid has escaped from the house or with Delude (see below) . Chromatic Orb: Sapphire Orb version. Colour Spray. in melee or to gain time for retreat.

Ublf of Feg: to provide cover for his attacking henchmen. Fascinate: see Change Self above. ImpIVVed Phant05mal Mrce: to create the illusion of a secret door opening beside the characters with GnoUs attacking from it. This is a good one for Alogoid to cast when hidden in room 15. Mirror Image: in its normal defensive manner. Delude; with Change Self to appear as a duplicate of a character (cf doppleganger), to cause confusion etc. In~'jsibi/iry 10' &dius; to create an ambush o r for escape purposes. Non-Detection: to evade magical detection if AlogoK! is forced to flee. PuralYJJtion: centered on the most jXl"o'o'C rful·looking character. Phantosmal Killer : on the most powerful-looking fighter-type . Jf2CQJIc'j': cast in the laboratory 06) to conceal its contents. AJogoid will take the Polion of Fire & sin ance as soon as he is in direct danger, being careful not to leave it tOO late. He will not use his Healing potion on his henchmen. When playing Alogoid remember his high intelligence and play him as you would a character of your own. If unaware of an impeoding anack., he will be in his bedroom o r laboratory. As a fight proceeds, Alogoid will retreat behind his henchmen to the

BluJgf!on: (AC 4 (chain mail

+ shield);

F2;

HP 16; MY 9"; AT 1; D 1·8+1 (baule axe + strength); 516: 19; W12; D13; C14; Ch6; AL NE). Bludgeon treats his employment purely as a source of money. Thus, he will deferw:l Alogoid for a while, but will le;Ne his employer and comrades without a moment's hesitalion if the situation looks hopeless. In a pouch al his belt are 37gp. Ranciduous: (AC 9 (robes + dexterity bonus) ; MU2 ; HP 7; MV 12"; AT 11 : D 1-4; S9; 116; WlO; 015; C15 ; Ch1J; AL NE).

Ranciduous dresses in rather billowing blue robes and carries his spell book in a backpack. It contains Read Magic, Magic Missile, Hold Porto.l. Spider Climb and Dancing LigJus. He has memorised Magic Missile and Dancing lights. He is loyal to A1ogoid, but not to the point of selfsacrifice. Branthon : (AC 3 (plate mail); FI; HP 12; MV 6" : AT I: D 1-10+4 (two-handed sword strength); S18177; 15; Wi Ot3 ; C17; Ch14; AL N) .

Bronthon is not subtle by nature, and will simply attempt 10 c~nte as much mayhem as possible. He is too stupid to run away, and has to be told what 10 do by one of the others if it involves anything Ofher than simple 'hack and slay'. Bronthon has three gems worth 80gp each . Anura: (AC 6 (leather + dexterity bonus; '1'2; HP 10: MV 12" ; AT 1; D 1-8 (long sword); S12; 114; WIO; DI7; Cl5; Ch17; AL

N"). AnufQ carries a Potion of Extro Healing, which he will only use on himself, Alogoid or Bronthon, together with a purse containing 398gp in gems. He will attempl to harry the characters, backsLD.bbing wherever possible. and avoiding direct combat if given the cboice. Arturo is loyal to Alogoid, and will defend him to the end.

Al! the henchmen (even Bronthon has had it drilled jnto him!) have instructions to lure the intruders into the room with the

basidirond , as they will fight there al a considerable advantage. The henchmen all carry keys to the house, but not for Alogoid's rooms. If no attack is expected, Arturo and Bronthon will be cooking (5) and the other henchmen wiJI be. playing dice in their quarters (7).

Ending The Adventure If the players play well, the adventure should end with Alogoid dead or captured, arw:l the letter from Bmm ~h 10 Alogoid in the characters' hands. All Ihat remains is for the characters to repon back to the Guild, who will pay them before taking action against Veesh. However, the ad\lenture could take a different course, ending with the characters' IIrrest, especiruly if they anack AJogoid in Ihe streets, storm his hOlJse in 'gung ho' fashion, or if Alogoid escapes and brings in the Militia. This will result in a coun lippearance for the characters. In order to obtain their release, they will hffVe to come up with a good story or, if they have Bmm Veesh's letter, make a clean breast of things. This will result in the Guild being brought in - providing the publiCity the High Guild Committee were so amtiolJs to ;Noid. The Guild Lawyers will gel the party off the hook, but the characters will recei\le no payment for the bungled job. Run any trial fo r maximum effect, Irying to instil a suitable fear in your players, and if they don't come up with a convincing story, h;Ne them sentenced. The sentence could vary from penal servitude to death iI's up to you! If the party completes the job 10 the Guild's satisfaction, the characters could be employed to bring in Bram Vcesh for trial by the Guild's Higb Committee. This would invol\le getting into Dram's well-guarded mansion and taking him alive. The Guild wants justice to be seen 10 be done, so Bram's corpse would be no good to them.

Matt Connell

Dredd the Roleplaying Game

Who'd be a perp? You, spug, If you think about the challenges of it. There are more opportunities for roleplaying being a perp. Judges tend to be slightly stereotyped after a while; they have to be highlY predic table and somewhat rigid by definition Âˇ they are The Lew, after all. And perps don' t have the logistical support of Judges; no MAC to interrogate, no special back-up sQuads to get you out of trouble. Indeed, on this score. Gamemasters might prefer to have players role-playing perps, because this solves the perennial problem of player-character Judges relying on these external sources of help instead of racking their own brains when the going gets weird, Finally, roleplaying perps can be fun for a change; get some extra variety into your Judge Dredd gaming I So let's see how the Perp Game In JD can be run for fun,

Creating the Player Perp I suggest generating the statistics for player character perps in the same way as for a Judge, with one modification Istick to the d4 determination for Strength; don't use the official method for determining Judge S scores given In the forthcoming Judge Dredd Companion In the case of perps, because the logiC of that method

applies only to Judges). The modification is this: you may allow the perp PC to advance his highest skill score (but not PS) 10 40 if he does not have a 40 skill score to begin with, The reason for this is simple. It's going to be very tough for perps out there, and to have a chance of staying alive the PC perp should start off wi th one special ability, To begin with, it will be a big advantage to create a parp gang, Later on, a GM can devise :solitaire adventures for expert catburglars (01 bat-burglars - latter-day Bennies), but there is safety in numbers and gang members with different special abilities will be able to complement each other. And they will be differentiated; the budding heavy, the canny thief, the forger, the extortionist, the cracker of security systems, the crack getaway driver. We might take a closer look at special abilities here, because they Will be important to beginning perps and again later, when expBfience and further abilities can be gained (more on that later)_In the existing game, most abilities available to Judges are available to perps (see GameMaster's Book, p49) with one odd exception - of the Street Skill ISS) abilities, only Keen Observation and Sector Knowledge are available to NPCs. Yet one

might reasonably expect thet S5 based abilities would be particularly easy fOI parps to aCQuire. since they don' t seem to be likely to be learned through training tas, say, TS special abilities might be), but rathel through general experienca and observation. I suggest that Sense Crime and Spot Hidden Weapon should be available for PC perps, and also Interrogate for those difficult times whan It isn't possible, sadly, to get the particular piece of information you want by pointing out that kneecaps do not tend to fare too well in traumatic encounters with a well-aImed sledgehamme l~

The GM should consider developing some new special abilities to balance the fact that perps won't have the resources, in most cases, to use some of the ones in the rule books. Here are some examples; if Judges can Sense Perps, why shouldn't perps be able to Sense Judges Inot as dumb as it sounds - their uniforms do tend to give it aw1!l'( - but haven' t you heard of the Wally Squadll The Acting ability from the Judgement Day adventure is another obvious possibility, and one can readily imagine 8 TS Forgery ability which would enable a perp to forge 10, credits, credit cards, maybe even security passes and auto-keys lof course. some of these forgeries would need expensive equip-

mem; cheaper eq;ipment would lead to an

incteased tis*: of casual detection). Special TS and OS skills for Modifying MechÂˇ sPisms (not }ust repairing or disabling coldd be important in souping-up

mern.

weaDOf\S and vehic les, enabling a perp gang 10 m ake the most of limited fesoun:es in h ard t imes. One can imagine a special skill for cracking automated security systems (Hacking?) and even a Street Skill Intimidate ability, useful for extortionists and heavies. This could affect a citizen's willingness to talk to the Law, ewn under direct interrogation. There are ctearty many possibifities.

HB'Vlng ~nerated the basic stats of the

perp and d etermined a special ability, we need to c reate some kind of role within

societY for this person. If players are going to have t heir perp pes form a gang, they won't need to know each other to start with. but they shouldn't come from totally different backgrounds, with nothing in common at all (but they can be friends of friends of friends ... ). Obviously, our perp is certainly no master criminal and no way is he a member of a feared gang (yet) . But is he an outlaw hiding in a n..iined sector biock? Or a teacher running a kiddie Umpty Candy ring? Or is he a whizz kid creaming off the odd credit off accounts at the bank? He could even be new to the world of crime, with no criminal record or history of criminal involvement (this is most likel y with white-collar and very young PCs ). Tile player should decide the general kind of background he favours for his chara cter, since this will be determined to som e extent by the best skill scores and special ability of his character. The GM can t hen determine specifics as he sees fit some suggestions follow. Incidentally, we might note at this time that having a family Is unfortunata, since they can be held hostage or interrogated by perps who you 've crossed, and children are notorious for careless talk, especially when nailed to the floor. Cruel GMs should give PC perps large families of brainless individuals who w ill, of course, be totally indifferent to their fate and cost the PC criminal social status - more on that important theme below. After all, evan Judge Death loved his Mum (w ell... no, actually, he didn' t ..â&#x20AC;˘ but you know what I mean) . The thing to remember is never to be too generous, and this w ill become clearar as we review the key needs of perps: problems Judges never have to worry about.

More Fear and Loathing The first thing a perp must have is a safe base. Sure, you have your hab or your ruined sector block or maybe the GM was a genarous fool and allowed you a run down shuggy hall or munska bar. But when the heat is on, from the Law or other criminals, you need somewhere elsa to go, and not to the homes of other gang members either lIeading trackers to your friends, perhaps). Here is one banefit of being a gang member - there will be a gang hideout, the location of which should be

detarmined by t he GM to be initially known only to gang members. Any gang which is hoping to survive will take considerabla trouble to locate and maintain sevaral boltholes, each with key supplies (sea below). Always have somewhere to hide, perps, you never know when someone will be aftar you with a stub gun or a Lawgiver. A second essential is the ability to move fast. Never underastimate the value to the gang of a good mechanic and getaway driver - fast wheels are always useful. Powerboards and jet packs are for latar they cost plenty. Some people have claimed that laser power has been utilized for personal travel, and if that's t rue. .. Perps should not be given superfast t ransport to begin with by t he GM, but they must have something. Don't forget that manouaverability can be as important as speed tool Third, perps need weapons. The GM should probably rula that any perp must have a weapon of some kind, but obviously this will depand on the nature of the persona the player has created for his perp. A bodyguard will have a stump or spit gun, a club or knuckledusters, a knife, and maybe a miscellaneous weapon as well; a computer criminal will probably only hava a knife. Don't give 'em anything silly like a flesh disintegrator or a sonic weapon. Such things are only dreams for now, and for some time in the future too, Even things up here by determining that white-collar perps (who will hava very little weaponry) will have miscellaneous usaful items - maybe a Med-pack, a pollution meter, an auto-key or two, some plans or blueprints, tools and software for repairing bats, and so on (exact datails depand on their backgroundsl. Parp gangs' needs for such items are almost infinitely flaxible, dapending on the nature of their planned crimes, although items lika Med-packs and pollution metars ara always useful. The GM can eKpfoit this fact to set up adventures, since initially what perps will try to do will be governed as much by their meagre resources as anything else. So, fead 'em the right gizmos, and this will push them gently towards what you want them to do. And be stingyl Also, get into the habit of making the players think hard about what thay need - which widgets does my perp naed and why? How do I get them? Almost any 'how do I get.. : question leads us straight to a key element of the Perp Gama - the crucial need for contacts and information. How do I get plans for the security systams at Crook, Crook and Cockburn? How many watchmen are there on patrol at different times of night? We'll need a soupad-up getaway car - who can do the conversion job? Can wa get Stumm gas or sniper fire to protect and cover our getaway? Information and contacts; this is where rolaplaying comes in with a vengeance. You simply must know who knows what, whare to find the paople you need. and how to get what you want from them. Threats are not a smart idaa ... not to start with certainly. Instead, use

persuasion and bargaining, and suitable toadying to those more powarful than yourself ~which doesn' t mean you don' t plan to boil them in their own body fluids latar). Imagine the scene as you sit in tha dimly-lit room, blue clouds of cigar smoka billowing across the air from the corpulent form of Mad Dog Poindexter. He speaks slowly: 'So ya did the Boyson job last month. No great shakes, a bit small beer for my outfit, but not bad. Clean job, Now ya wanna gat a keyman, get into the sacurity business. Well, I got the best. Maybe I put you in touch after you pay a little introduction fae. Maybe we do a little business somatime.' You visibly relax - just a feel Too lata you realize that it was a softening-up act. The baady eyes have homed in on your moment of vulnerability, and Poindexter tells you there's just a litle something extra; he'd just like you to wipe out the last pathetic remnants of the megalomaniacal Bullturn gang, who are trying to muscle in on one of his minor operations. You curse and agree... you need thosa keys badly. A few weeks later, when it's all over, it was wonh it. The keym an was good, and Poindaxter really is putting some business your w ay... This is roleplaying, good and seedy but testing you out too. However, issues of resources usually boil down to money in the and. Startingout perps would have more than just the price of the next meal. but the GM shouldn't allow any of them to be rich (although possessing a decent auto would mean having a fair sum in propertyl. I won't suggast precise sums here. because the JD game system doesn' t document prices for key items, typical incomes for professions (and the large majority of unemployad) and the like, and starting funds will depend on the perp's background and on the GM's scale of cost for items. Certainly, GMs will need some such scale, because it 's going t o be used a lot - for an outlawed perp in Mega-City One. everything has to be bought in secrat, and hagglad over. And money is the lifeblood of c riminal transactions. How much is a spit carbine or a stump gun? Ammunition? Body armour? Phew! Make tham pay through the nose for thatl What is the percentage, and absolute, profit on a kilo of adifax bougllt in at ' wholasale' and market ed through a chain of retailers on the streets? The GM willl18ed to know!

Becoming Criminal

Master

Later, we'll look at experienca points for perps and also at sample plotlines for adventures. But the one aspect which involves the kind of rolaplaying which makes the Perp Game such a refreshing change in Judg6 Dredd is tha attempts the PCs w ill make to become a Mastar Criminal. It's true that ona roed to success is to become the Mr Big, the behind-thescenes machinating , machiaveilian manipulator. On tha other hand, criminals

usually want to be seen as prestigious by others of their ilk, even by the public tn some cases (these latter don't usually last too long). The GM and players can have fUn playing around with what we can term 'criminal social status'.

Oldest trick in the book (and not likely to work more than once at best) but make the players think [t up - and better ones!

Criminal social status can be gained by wiping out an enemy gang (but the maximum gain is only obtained if this is done with real style and panache). but also in other ways. One can gain it from a famous coup against Sly Gonzo Flush at the poker table, by stealing the favourite flOOlY of a competing gang leader lor his 'creative accountsnt'), or by calmly walking into an illegal smokatorium owned by a rival (and notably psychopathic) gang leader with a huge havana and swanning around with an enormous munska cocktail (and with his floozy as well, if you wish). Naturally, the place is full of your stoolpigeons and flunkies who will only be too ready to perform inst ant neurosurgery on anyone giving you any bother. To become a true blgshot should involve not only having pulled off some audacious crimes (maybe ENen topped a Judge or two), but also being socially visible and fearless in criminal circles. You got to get respect, know what I mean, John?

Experience point acquisition is notoriously vague in JD \there seems to be a vogue for the 'give 'em whatever keeps 'em happy' cop-out these d ays). However you decide to award EPs, they should certainly reflect the calibre of roleplaying. Intelligent problem solving, tactical and strategic awareness in combat land especially in planning it), and sudden inspiration. These factors are at least as important in the Perp Game and in some cases (roleplaying) demonstrably more so. Something well worth watching for is when pleyers start dreaming up their own little schemes, asking sly linle Questions about times of Judge patrols and distances between rooftops and the like. This is worth an EP or two. ..

The point about respect is that you will get more positive reactions from other criminals, and since resources and contacts are the name of the ?arp Game this is extremely important- If a PC perp has gone out of his way to earn respect, incurring some risks to do so, the GM should reward him by applying positive modifiers to any check he makes regarding the helpfu)ness and willingness to provide assistance of other criminals. Jimmy the Fence might have weapons for sale at It lower price, if his customer commands respect, Adopt the only good idea in Another Game here; reward flamboyant play. But penalize recklessness and stupidity. Becoming a bigshot takes careful planning and intimidation and arrogance only work if one demonstrably has the force to carry out threats and protect oneself against worthless guttersnipes. A highly important consequence of gaining criminal social status - which the GM should again reward good role-playing with - is the lackey-pulling power it confers. Day-to-day, street·level pongos, taps and other riff-rafl will be attracted to membership of an organization which is manifestly doing well and w hose leaders get respect. As these flunkeys accumulate. you can delegate the tiresome everyday bread -and·butter crime to them, paying them a commmission on extorted monies, while you sit back and prepare Big Crime, the interesting stuff. The GM should make the playars continue to work for this money, however, organizing their lackeys. For example, Lackey Group A plants timed smoke bombs and a Stunvn gas canister to explode In a shopping plaza at a set time. Judges roar up, and try to help the disabled, also trying to figure out what's going on, In the next plaza, lackey Group B has Just robbed three shops and mugged a few old ladies before doing a runner.

Experience for Perps

So far as skill gains go, a standard Conversion of 2d3 .. 100 EPs skill points will do for perps as well as for Judges. If you wish, a perp may nominate a 'prime skill' at the stert of his career and get 3d3 -'" 100 EPs for an ad ....ance for this stat, (but only ld3 .. 100 EPs for others). This .should be different for different types of character - for Dave ' The Doc' Owen, a perp we'll meet later, it would be MS, for a blitzer it would be CS Of I lonly one of the two), for if driver it would be OS, for a blackmailer it would probably be SS. Don't let the players all get away with claiming CS Is their prime skilt Iso many naive and hack-and-slay players want CS advances as their first ones) - it must be the one they originally advanced to 40. With special ability acquisilion, It is best to allow only one special ability every 15 skill points gained above 40, not one per 10 as holds for Judges. Judges have more resources, more tutors, archives, training, and so on. However, for the perp's prime ski1l you might allow one special ability gain per 10 skill points above 40: this will still leave Judges stronger on all·round abilities and on their average Strength score (see the JD Companion).

Two Special Cases Almost anything is possible with the Parp Game, but two particular unusual cases are worth a closer look. The fIrst of these is The Doc, the gang member wi th Mad Skill abilities. He's Invaluable. You're going to get wounded in shootoutS, you may pick up diseases if you have to hide out in unpleasant parts of the city, you can even pick up radiation sickness if you go the the w rong place. Only The Doc stands between you and death. If your gang has one such character. don' t forget that making his services available to another gang at 8 time of crisis Ifor a fat fee and with suitable security precautional is going to generate a lot of good will. The Doc is also likely to be skilled with poisons, especially those nasty hard -to-trace

insinuative jobs (the GM will have to be very careful with this). And The Doc has several other obvious skills. With a rueful smile, a thermometer in one hand end a blue~tinged aqueous solution in the other, he informs you that the edifax which Narco Priestley is trying 10 sell you is badly aduherated and largely worthless. Giving the shaking perp a quick once-over, the Doc tells you not to be too enthusiastic about eMpresslng your conside rable dIspleasure at this turn of events. livers are fetching a good price on the organlegging market these days... The second case Is much rarer, but uniquely eMciting; the Psyker criminal. Having abilities like Levitate, Jinx Mechanism and (Super-l re/ekinesis is obviously useful to criminals, but the obvious major role for a Psyker would be in gathering information with Detect Intent which could be used for extortion, blackmail, etc. Also, just having information about planned raids would be very helpful to planning. Industriel ESPionage Is another possibility. This ability is very vaguely defined in the rulebooks and will call for a lot of work from the GM. AQain, consider the possibility of perps reading off information from non-mental sources such as files and machines with 8 new Clairvoyance special ability (as opposed to the telepathic nature of Derect Intent), and even involuntarily precognizing future events. The GM needs to make the information picked up accurate enough to keep the players interested, but without giving awfIY too much - information should be partial, incomplete andlor somewhat vague. Finally, players should keep in mind that over 90% of PC Psyker perps will have 5 ... 1 if the dice are unbiased and their rolls were honestly recorded, so they have a very healthy respect for their own survivell They' ll be cowardly, and so they should be.

Plotlines for Perps Obviously, there are very meny possibilities; I' ll Just detail a few to stimulate the your Imaginations.

Getting Hardware ?arps ne....er have enough weapons and tools, so raids and robberies aimed at getting them will always be an attractive proposition. The good thing about this from the GM 's point of view is that hardware will always be a lure for the PCs, end you can make the lure stronger lbener weapons, body armour, etcl 8S they gain In experience. You can also change the nature of item locations to make sure that no two heists are ever the same - warehouses, shuggy hall basements where another gang caches the stuff, supplies left behind in a disease-infested sector block well away from the Law, and for the highly-skilled expert, there' s the ultimate challenge of a crack at Justice Department stocks (of course they're heavily guarded: it just needs lots of decoys and hoax calls at exactly the right time and an elite squad of fanatical blitzers, that's all). This type of scenario can make a good introduction

to further adventures. The Fowler-Currie Headbanger Gang do indeed have a stash of weapons in their shuggy hall basement, but they also have security rotas and vehicle arrival times at a local warehouse known to store a naw, possibly very valuable, experimental form of Boing~ This entices the PCs to have a crack at that

too.._

Judge Hunt A particular Judge has been notably successful in blowing away your minions and now he's got one of your friendsl The word is you can't take care of your own anymorel What are you going to do about it? Flunkeys are already beginning to desert... Smart players will try to set up the Judge with either a 'poisoned nark' (good stuff at first, to gain confidence, and then a lure to a sad death in an isolated place). a corrUPtion bust or narcotics (hide some in his Lawmaster when he's off pursuing some perps on foot). It' s best to just throw everything at him - every strategy you can think of, This is a good test of player creativity, so I won't give away any more than the elementary suggestions above,

Cleaning Up the Neighbourhood You have a nice little number in your patch. Nothing too heavy, just tapping and a small line In insurance policies. Nobody gets hurt, right? But now a vicious little gang of punks with a huge, manic, vicious leader sporting a nasty line in dogs with filed teeth and huge jaws has been operating on the edge of your territory, making furtive forays. If you don't act, the Law will surely take an interest and start checking around. and they need not necessarily go

when the punks do. Of course, the Law doesn't approve of vigilantes, so you might be in trouble if the actions are traced to you. Unless you've got a pet. ..

Bent Judge This is a scenario the players will need to work at, but it opens up many possibilities. It becomes known that a nark (maybe even a PC who plays both ends against the middle - a dangerous game indeedl) has told Judge James that the Fowler-Currie Headbangers are soon to pull a big job at a local bot repair unit. And so they do - and they get away with itl This, and similar, evidence shows the PCs that James must be a bent Judge. Very careful and diplomatic questioning, involving no mora compound fractures than was absolutely necessary, reveals that James never takes money but accepts payment in bot units and parts and ina variety of weird instrumentation. In return, he makes sure that the crimes he has been forewarned of aren't apprehended. Because he is otherWise efficient, his overall detection rate doesn't differ too much from any other Judge with a similar job. Now it's up to the PCs to exploit this. Perhaps James would do more than turn a blind eye to a crime by them. Perhaps he would bring them information, something from the Justice Department's own files ... The possibilities are awesome. This will call for very careful roleplaying from the players and considerable care. The GM can open up some very dramatic adventure possibilities this way. Why does Judge James collect these instruments and bot parts and the like? Because God told him to do It, that's why; he's stark, staring mad, and is building

himself an interface to the Eternal Executive through which he can deliver mega-amplified addresses to the people.. A fruitcake - but it's nice that the PC's possible hotline to the secrets of Justice Department should be like that. They can never be sure if they get to know him ..

Mob War For the real enthusiast, and only possible for criminal Bigshots (unless the players want to roleplay being cannon fodder). This can be developed by the GM through a series of lead-up, bruising encounters, to an apocalyptic shoot-out in some ruined area of the city. It can involve aerial combats, attacks through the Undercity ~or, more likely. in passages and tunnels leading to itl and the like in addition to groundÂˇlevel shooting, brawling and general mayhem. Obviously the Law is likely to turn up at some stage and you should be prepared for this (eg, they'll obviously try the use of Stumm gas and lor riot foam, so be prepared for these contingencies). Players may also need to hire mercenaries. try to buy (or even hirel) area-attack blitzing weapons. and the like; a great deal of tactical awareness can be expended on this one. Great fun, though . Being a Judge is fun - part of the time. But so is being a perp, having fUn committIng all those unspeakable crimes. Even if you get arrested, you may get liberated from jail, if you have enough powerful allies. You can dream of vast wealth and innumerable flunkeys. So get started now. Mug that old ladY today!

Carl SBrgent

limitations to what the Real Female can achieve given the right opportunities, which are ohen denied because of traditional misconceptions.

What 010 You Think I Am?!

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DIFFERENCE The feJnale persona in role-playing by Erica Udman

I'm Only Human You Know The Real Female has an origin, a background, and a reason for being. To realistically playa female role the player must be female, think like a female. or have an insight into the female mind. No model exists of what constitu tes 'typical female behaviour' so the male gamemaster is out on a limb. Women are as different from other women as men are as different from other men. There are really no

One of the best-known character types from fanwy literature has been the subject of II great deal of controVersy in fantasy roleplaying, Some roleplaying games actively d iscourage the type. others ignore it. Meanwhile, in magazines such as Whire Dwarf, there are always the critics who say that the rype is 'unrealistic' and should not exist. The rype I refer to is the \\Oman warrior. From Howard's Red Sonja and !hUt, and C L Moore's jirel of 10i'1 onwards, women warriors have stalked through the pages of fantasy literature. Their mythological counterpartS are known from almost every culture: the Greek Amazons, the Norse Valkyries, the Celtic warrior queens and goddesses - all are among the best known. Nonetheless, the argument is put forward that : 'Women were not warriors in the eras which we are simulating, and therefore should not be warriors in games'. Funnily enough. the physical impossibilities of magic. flying horses, giants and

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AMONSTROUS

REGI~~~E=N;...;.,;;;;.T

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thE l=anale ~RIOR In ~oI€plaYln4

By altson Bl200ks

The Fantasy Female has no limitations except those of the human imagination. Her frequent depiction as a subordinate sex-object is a natural extension of Bayman's Dream - if boy-man can have a + 1 sword that talks why can't he have a +3, female that doesn't? The idea owes its existence to male selfindulgence and the voluntary co operation Df females in popular media, for exampl e in mens' magazines. Low fantasy is necessarily sensational in order to conceal its shallowness. High fantasy, on the other hand, has never needed seJ(ual sensationalism to win hearts and minds: Tolkien, Garner, C S lewis. etc.

That's Just Typical... The Femall:! Stereotype is a popular image reduced to a cliche - banal. predictable., often derogatory and, because of its popularity, selfperpetuating. It sometimes makes life easier to categorise people int o collective urOUps, but when that happens t he individual is lost (espec ially true of dictatorships where the Real Famale is relegated to the role of victim) . Careful use of the cliche can be used to great effect in comedy and

the like are overlooked. Tbese rhings exist. in fiction and legend, and that is sufficient justification fur their existence in roleplaying. games. Women warriors do exist in fiction and legend . but this is nOL sufficient j ustification for their existence in games. Women warriors have e~sted throughout history and in all pans of the ~rld, then for a camplI:;gn to be 'realistic: women warriors mllst exist in it. In societies for which written records are not available, the only evidence which we are likely to find of women warriors is in legends and stories. These may "''ell be foUi: memories of real ~men. In some cases, independent evidence is available to CQnfirm this theory; in other cases it must remain conjecturaL Let us, instead, consider the direct evidence for women warriors. ] will discuss this under three headings.

Wom€n C>ISCjUIS€O

m€n

It is difficul t to know how many women have gone to war disguised as men , since successful di.sguise is invisible to history ! Nonetheless. a suprising number of disguised women are known. especially from the 17th century onw-.m:Is (probably due to the increase in writlen records).

In the 17th century. a Captain Bodeaus, killed at the Battle of the Boyne, was discovered tt) be II woman. Another woman who joined the army was Kit Cavanagh, who followed her conscripted husband, and

satire but the s implistic stereot ype has no place in role-playing where each female has her own individual identity, no matter how quiet or hidden. In gaming she emerges as the dumb blonde, witch on broomstick. busty barbarian, wicked lady, damsel in distress, perfect angel, et c.

He Made Me Do It The Female Villain is often a creature of circumstance. The moral depravitY and corruption of which some men are capable is alien to most women. In Britain the present ratio of male/female prisoners is 45:1. Powerful female criminals are rare because most female offenders are led int o c rime by men and tend to playa lesser role as part of a group; consequen tly their crimes are minor by comparison, The motivation of most female fe lons seems to be love, money, idealism 0 1 poetic justice. In role-playing she appears as thief, kidnapper, consort, moll, victim, assassin, political agent, or 'groupie'. She may be a sympathetic figure and is very often redeemable. In fantasy gaming she becomes a wicked lady who can reach any position of power denied her in reali stic role -playing.

Deadlier Than The Male ... The Femme Fatale represents Woman at her most desirable/undesirable. She is the most femin ine of females (utilising talents no man can possess)

served for more thlln a decade. Her true sex wa!l discovered when she was wounded, and she \.\-'85 discharged. Elsewhere, Catalina de Erauso, a Spanish woman, emigrated to Chile disguised as a boy, and eventually became a soldier. She gained a reputation for hot-blooded audacity, and took pan in TIUlJD' duels. Her sex, too. I'o'3S only revealed when she was injured.

Moving into the 18th centu ry, a case panicularly adaptable to II roleplaying situation arises. Anne Bonney was the illegitimate daughter of an Irish lawyer. The family moved to South Carolina, and her father prospered in trode. After adventures including thrashing a man who attempted to rape her, Anne joined forces with II pirate by the name of Calico Jack Rackam. They ran away to sea together, Anne disguised as a man, and became pirates. After a while, Anne made advances to a handsome young sailor in the crew, only to discover that this wa!l another disguised woman, Mary ReacL In tum , Mary Read fell in love with one of the pirates, and fought II duel on his behalf, killing her opponent. Their good life came to an end in October 1720, when a British Navy sloop attacked their ship while most of the pirates, including Calico Jad:, were drunk. The men hid in the hold . while the wo men put up II spirited defence, shouting at the OOW'drdS to 'come up and fight like men'. Captured , and brought to trial, they were sentenced to death. but the order was stayed because they were pregnant. Mary died in prison, but Anne is thought to have been released through her Elther's influence,

and also the least representative (her moral deceit is rare). Her deadly attraction is comparable to that of a web-spinning spider, praying mantis, or poisonous plant. The myth of the maneating she-devil is misleading as many femmes fatale are reasonably normal females driven to commit some act of aggression against the opposite sex. In some cases sexual manipulation of men is the only way the female can achieve her ends, making her a favourite fantasy figure and a maligned character in reality. In role-playing she's a destroyer: wittingly or not she traps, uses, and ruins men, though she herself may originally have been a victim; her background motivations are all-important. In fantasy gaming she becomes an exotic creature capable of anything, and probably achieving power through her seductions.

Stand By Your Man The Female Fighter is rare because no society can aHord to lose its women in warfare if it is to survive: a few men can fertilize a lot of women who can bear a lot of children, but a lot of men can't fertilize a lesser number of women and still prodUce the same number of children. Most females avoid combat unless threatened with some deep personal loss. Those women who adopt the fighting role usually do so out of necessity or circumstance. Notable examples of female fighters are the Celtic women of Ancient Briton and

In the 19th century, improved medical care and hygiene made it more difficult lor women to pass successfully as men in the anned forces. Despite this, it has been estimated that of 300,000 buried in Union graves in the American Civil War, 'hundreds' are women. Still Olhen musl have survived the war, or served for a while before being discovered aDd discharged. It seems reasonable to suppose that thousands of disguised women fought in this war. That thousands of women took up arms in only one war during the century in which the steneotype of the weak woman was strongest, seems to indicate that women warriors are possible, indeed likely.

Women as Women In a great many historical societies. women warriors have been acceptable, even expected. The ancient Celts, the mediaeval Japanese, and various Nonh American Indian tribes, accepfed that women could be every bit as martial as their menfolk. In 19th century Dahomey, two thirds of the army consisted of women. These Amazons were theoretically the king's wives, and owed their origin to an unorthodox solution 10 the problems of boredom in lin overlarge harem. They were commaDded by women officers who were responsible only 10 the king. Individual women have also fought

Gaul who fought beside men in battle, the Norse shield-maidens who gave as good as they got, and the 'Amazons' of South America. In role-playing the Female Fighter appears as warriorqueen, sword-mistress, shield-maiden, gu.errilla, terrorist, barbarian, ranger, etc. In fantasy gaming her only restrictions are age and strength.

She's Heavenly,., The Female Paladin is a selfcontradiction, hypocrite, or enigma because lawful good females create, preserve and save life, never take it in battle. History's prime example of the paladiness, St Joan, is an exception which tends to prove the rule. In realistic role-playing she's one-in-amillion: restrict her to the rarest appearance in any campaign. She almost certainly has a divine mission. She's unattainable, she's sexually inaccessible, and she's a natural target for The Bad Guys. In fantasy-gaming she becomes the angel of god with a special place in Paradise.

He Was Her Man, But He Done Her Wrong ... The Female Avenger combines elements of the fighter, villain and femme fatale. In role-playing her credibility depends upon her motivation. She must have experienced some deep loss or outrage as most women

openly in societies where women warriors were less acceptable. Artemisia was a seacaptain who took pan in Xerxes' war against the Greeks. In the battles which accompanied the early s~ad of lslam, women took part on both SideS. 'I'wo examples are Nessiba Bim Kaab, who fought beside Mahomet at the Battle of Ahad. aod Hind Bint Rabia, who fought on the other side in the same battle.

Women as LeaOeJ:!s So much fur women as warriors. Would men accept command from v.umen? Again, the evidence tends to be affirmative. Women as leaders crop up through history. Where one woman leader is known. very often funher research reveals that others ~isted at about the .same time.

Name a woman leader. Right . loan of Arc. Joan who demanded, and was eventually given, command, won battles largely through her ignorance of conventional factics. was deserted by the Dauphin., and eventually burned as a witch. Not a very good example of a woman leader, you might think.. The evidence, however, is that Joan had difficulty in being accepted because of ber peasant background , rather than because of her sex, and it is far from unknown for princes to desert their generals when it becomes convenient. Other women leaders are known from the Middle Ages. largely because when the local lord is

would rather forgive, forget or avoid. The role would usually bEl temporary as few females would acknClw ledge a chaotic god. Even fewer, the psychotics, would be chaotic evil. In fantasy-gaming she is transformed into a fury, avenging angel, arid instrument of poetic justice.

She Who Must Be, Obeyed The Female laader is usually civil or military. The civil leader includes the female administrator, head of state, and tribal matriarch. She is bnsically static as the feminine temperament is bettersuited to protective diplomaCies and preservations of state th.eln to active participation in military affairs. In some tribal societies the power of the matriarch is hidden, concealed behind a male figurehead or chief. In those matriarchal societies where Woman has precedence over the Man , the matriarch is chief and is elect,!!d by tribal vote or selected by line8"le. Most representative examples (If the civil leader are Elizabeth I, Catherine The Great, Cleopatra, Catherine de Medici. etc. The military leader is rarer and usually a feature of ancient or savage societies. She is often a fierce character, physically and mentally as tough as a man: Boudicca.

Anything A Man Can Do.. _, The Strong Woman is no ionger an impossibility. With the right physique

and body-building techniques the highpowered woman with Strength 18 is a perfect possibility. The classes most likely to achieve ogress-power ere tAD&D) half-orc, dwarf, barbarian, and human fighter. Most females would rely on other characteristics to act'lieve their ends.

a time when the self-reproducing female/male becomes an evolutionary fact. In role-playing the all-female institution will always appear freakish and is probably a 'one-otf'.

Moonlight Becomes You ...

Let Me Go! The subjugation of men, woman, and children is still a reality In both the old world and the new, A female allowed no power, seKusi will, or socisl status Is open to abuse and Woman has been victimized throughout history. In reality some well-treated slaves prefer the security and lack of responsibility which slavery offers, to the uncenainties of "eedom. In realistic role-playing treat slaves as potential NPCs as many rose to poshions of trust and power in Medieval Asia. Otherwise treat them as dehumanized objects (which is what they really are.)

We Shall Not Be Moved The All-Female Society is a rejection of and reaction against the 'standard ' social system as we know it, 8 system in which the female is often relegated to the role of ' The Second Sex'. A purely feminine community seems to lack long-term viability because, in real life, Nature always prevails; but, except dUring the mating season, women don't need men to survive. So there may be

away fighting, who is in charge of the caslle? Very often his wife. In an era in which nmlc and the like were inherited. sex could be a 1e$S import3nt characteristic than binb . Women could and did inherit cllStles, and held them on the same terms as men. The other well-mown woman leader is Boudica. the wife of th;:. lcenian chieflain Prasutagus. When he died in 61 AD, he bequeathed his propeny jointly to his tWO daughters and to the Roman Emporer Nero. This flattery seems to have been an attempt w ensure that the tribe retained some autonomy. and his family some of its .....ealth. Nero. as was his habir, decided that he was insulted by this 'meanness', and IUs underlings in Britajn were ordeml to seize Prasutugus' propeny and annex the kingdom. This they did with sadistic relish_ and the injured Boudica led a revoh which nearly drove the Romans imo the sea. The Celts worshipped battle goddesses. and Thcirus states that 'the Britons do not distinguish between the sexes when it comes 10 military command'. Besides Boudica, other ~meo leaders of the Celts are known: some years earlier. the ovcrnll ruler of the confederalion of non hem English tribes known as Brigantes was a woman, Canimaodua. In a later era, the Dark Ages, Aeihelflaed , Lady of Mercia, was one of the most pov.terful people in England prior to her death in 918 AD. She led 'Mlmors against the Viking invaders. and buill fonresscs

Most were-creatures are depicted as male because no female is capable of the bestiality which lies dormant in the psyches of some men. The most suitable creatures for the female lycanthrope are those species in which the female is physically and socially dominant:: felines, arachnids, etc.

Begone Foul Dwimmerlaik ... The Hero.ine is among the finest of creatures . Her mettle is as great as any man' s, bl!ing often hidden until it emerges surprisingly where least expected. She occurs more freQuently than the female villain because fair deeds are closer to the female soul than foul. In rote-playing, as in fantasygaming, the heroine is distlnguished by her wilfUl confrontation with danger and by the perils that her adventures bring lEowyn in Lord of the Rings). A feature of Real Ute heroines is the courage and strength of character they display in critical situations, eg Grace Darling, or Florence Nightingale.

Isn' t She Love ... The Female Adventurer is coming into her own at last. After centuries of denial in a male-dominated society the adventu ress is now a credible character. She can do anything a man can do and challenges men in their own areas of achievement, for example exploration, mountaineering. In realistic role-playing the liberated adventuress Is a feature of the 19th Century onwards, probably finding total liberation sometime In the future. In fantasy-gaming she has the advantage of complete suffrage, even in a pseudo-medieval society ~unless that society happens to be historically accurate]. The natural role of Woman is homemaking, child-bearing, and nursing (somebody has to look after the children). The natural role of Man is hunting, providing , and protecting. The common denominator is survival of the species through mutual support. Sex is a serious subject: in role-playing and fantasy-gaming, as in Ufe, the accent should be on sincerity, tenderness, and humour. Erica Lidmsn

against the-m. The Vikings of Jorvik (York) e:venrually pledged a1leigaoce to her. The records of her actions in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are accompanied by lillIe astonislunt:nt at her achievmenrs, but later Norman ....'1"iters expressed suprise at her 'unwomanly' activities.

held from 1336 to 1362 by Mary, Countess Marshal. widow of the late Earl. In illS. the castle came to Margaret, styled Countas of Norfolk and Countess Marsh.al. Chepstow Custle WaS held from 1245 io 1248 by Maud Marshal, after the deaths of her brothCrN.

In me Medieval era, on which much of roleplaying is supposedly based, are there any signs of 'M)fUen leaders? No prizes for guessing that the answer is yes. If 1 may be permitted 'to quote from a historical novel, Sir Anhur Conan Doyle's The White Company: 'It was the age of mania! women. The deeds of Black Agoc:s of Dunbar, of Lady Salisbury and the Countess of MODtfon, were still fresh in the public mind. With such examples before them , the wives of the English captains had become a.~ warlike as their IlliItes, and ordeml their their castles in their absence with the prudeocc and discipline of veteran seneschals'. Kaililecn Casey. an academic writer, states that the eumples of manial women are 'far too nWllCrous to llsf.

In the Scottish Wars of Independence. Christian Bruce defended Kildnunmy Castle against David of Srrathbogie; soon after'Mirds, David's widow was left to defend Lochinorb against the Scots.

Black Agnes was left in 1338 to defend the fonress of Dunbar by her husband, the Earl of March. She personally p~sided over the resistance. and the English commander complained that came he early or came he late, Black Agnes was always at her gate.. Similarly, Perren de la Riviere held Roche~ Guyon agaInst the invading Henry V of England . The English castle of Frnmlingham was

During the Rennaissance. women leaders still occurred: in Italy in 1484, Catarina Sfons led a successful cavalry charge while 7 months pregnant. In the English Civil War, Lady Bankes held Corte Castle for 3 years against the Parliamentarians. Nor ~re ~men leaders restricted to Europe. Many ~men leaders are known in African history. Because. of the nature of the records, most of these: were war leaders against the colonial powers: Amina of Hausland. Nzinga of Angola. Mmanthatisi of the Sotho, Yea Assntwa of Asante, Nehanda of Zimbabwe, the list could go on. Elsewhere in the .....-arid, women warriors and leaders were also known. and there are few eras of history in which they do not appear. Why should it be different in roleplaying games?

Alison Brooks

boardgarne, Games Wlrksbop

commissioned Peter

worlq on the cover (or Stormbrlnger. this ChaosiUm roleplaying g;.unel. Is based on \ Michael MoOn:oCk's 10

ElJic.nookls. Pelet'S strqng ~ign

seli:se-. aJ,Id diiimatic,. 'choi~

"'''''''........ ''',tnbU-«f.. ~ the ,defb;titive Ima~ of Elric, as

lite ~ battle-Ci"azed ~ albino. dOminated by his demon sword. Stannb!" r... '

~~~IJe~~;rt~Je~

for the game.,1n ~the end, a Melnlbontan caVaIJ'y chilJ"ge. led by Elrlc himself, into the ranks of the Pan Thng army was chosen.

wiili Flric himself - of course - as thai Elric is an albino with a the centtal feature of the painting... P.enchant for black armour, Peter Material on fJric had to be dedded 10 restrict the colours of collated from any references in me the painting around black. white game and the original.-l:.sour~ and red 'th some ~11ow. The Moorcock's books. tlric as main areas il shade3iilf1ight portrayed by other artists and were concmtmed around Ellie's coneepl sketches from C1t:add head and this. contMed wttJ? th~ designers (who will be making dramatic. pose. would draw: the figures 10 ~ with the gamt) were eye to the figure and up to the also added 10 the file. 108;>.

AU this material was then sent

The painting was completed on

to Peter, who produced a rough version for GW. He chose to portray Elric and his charwr

emulsion primed hardboard, lIghtly dlLSted with fine Plftste~ when wet and sealed with '¥I 'Oil wastl.. Completed in ('NO weeks?

leaping sualght out at ttk viewer. The tonal qualities of the picture 'Nere also considered and, given

executed in a mix[Ur~ of alternating layers Of acrylic and oil, lightly airbrushed in places. During the final painting. Peter sen! daily Poiaroids of the painting 10 ensure £hat details of the armour kept to the original concept. The finishe4 anwdrk is the end of one story, but it is the beginning of another: that of the design process that rums It Into a cover for a ~e., ExplainIng that lot would J need at least another fIluminado'JS.. .

the nnlshed work measured' 430mm x 600mm. It

W~5

john Blanche

wholehtant:dly iOlo the producing a fusion of Idt:as 1bt third 'timt' is Now, the M Age. WIIh Ihe degt:ntration of all f.l.jth5:an t: abandonmt:nt of 'ttaJ ' rt:Hgiow an maglC21 praaises, tbt: monumtnlS start to lose: lheir :Iura :and :and reven to slmplt: stones and about which cute.' taks art' f~ unh:appy Individuals, aga.i nu Ihe jU$1

obsased

History, stan they imagine e:ulkr cuilUJ'CS did at thesr: sit(.'$,

Strangt: groups of bankers, tt::lcht:n. dropours and writt:B don robt:s and pr:tnce aboUl pretending 10 be: 'druids ' or ·wltches'. Su1t:ly. ~ter aU this time, wt:re: is bOoOne: left w ho truly ruoembeB tht proper use to which tht Slond are 10 be put .. ,

Adventures On Ancient Sites

I An Investigation o'f Ancient Monuments by Graham Sraplehurst • •t • Ley-lIne.: mystic power sou rca Crisscrossing Ih country o r just 50 mucb codsw:aUop? For some timc, people havC' been putting forward theories mout the origin and ~ of many of our aRekn! monuMenls, bting all rn2Mcr of evidence.

though IInie demonstrable hel h2S emerged . 14'5 loosen our minds and

speculatC' :I. "'hile on the nature of stone ci.tdcs, mcg:atiths and banow-mounds. and how tbey h2~ ~a1 used in £:lousy litcl"luUI't', Aftef :.11 , they are surely onc o f

thl! most ~C'nl im2ges in the re:llm of fanwy, wI! 2 dwwmer of :lrC:lnC m:lgic :lI1d ! 1(wlIer, ~n makvolttll , spiritual POWtt.

I h2Ve: al1eady divldb1 the soru o f

monumrnu kft behind 10 puzzk Wi inlo three C2tcgories; stone docks o r rings, Induding henge!: mcg:lllths, also calkd mo nolJrtu of\ sundlog Stones; and barrowmounds, v:ariously mimed and aho including cromlechs, do lmrns and alms. I stull 10;:- ~ of tmx In tum, bul finl I~ url.l . OUrllutnllorrTolbe Ih:rt 'times' :01.1 which such monuments can bc= Imroductd Into a roleplaying g:amt. TIltse limes are not ntcess:ltily aduslvt of one another, and art more a function of the ptrctptlons of tht local Inhabitants and how they react to tht' (ratun: concerned.

't' I

The RBI is the construction ptwC, when the m uments wett built , and the local people ew what they wqC'\lSed fOf'. During the Bfonu ~din , barrowmounds were const / ' or the burll.l of

dead chidtlI.i.~ and other Imporuru peoplt in tbeir d:ln·b~d socitly. These lOmbs were in use ovt.r :I long time-span: some. il is estim2tcd. for ntarly a thow.and ye:&B. The: 10<:2.1 folk wouJd know lhis and would respect the barrow as a house of the dead in tht same WAy we respect grAveyards and mausoleums; the barrow was nOI a fearfu l plact intrinsically. In the same way, pe:rhaps, htnges and SI01lt drcles \\'t"re used as crude indicalors of the phases of tbe: hovtDs, or more Iikdy as g2lhtring points for mt'tting.s and rituals. Other uses to which such placn were put. evm If myslica.l or ouglca1, wen: no more: alarm· ing than tbt pe:oplt th:u pDCt.iscd thtre. Tht .s«ond 'dmc' is equlva.lmt to the Mtditn1 period . By this timt, the monuments ha",~ h.lkn out of regular u :and h:avt :acqulrt.d :I suptrfidal ftntef" o f mysticism. Many becomt as!OCi:ued wilh new myths and Itgtnds. esped.ally whm new rrligious biths arrive in :In ate2 :and ccpWn ~ aw:ay wttb~ own cre:W0fl myths: MbUtKf$'b:t(:&arathe homeJ of'the little prople, or tombs of sletping knights who will onc day rise up 10 save the countqr from attack. Stones an: men turned to stooe ~ter suffering some cum; ringS"'and dtcles art tht v.'Ork of demons pr" giants. Although the use of the monuments has fallt:n OUI of gener.ll knowledge, then: may still be::I few Initi:lleS into lheir se<'ret.s. Additionally, new poweB may bt: :1ttributed to them , associated with the influences of me new gods. SometImes tht: mOllwnents an: incorpor:lled more

Using lhesc:: ideas, I'm sure: d12t :ldvtnt\l~ :and Olcountenl are aln:ady bumng around your mind. There :are few rolt:piaying gatDe$ which do not fall into ont: of tht:5t' ' timr:s' (some incorporating more th:an :and enmplcs of lk adting use to ~>ci" nt monuments h:lve been

"",ct,

Adventures Involving ttfe...t!rst 'time' are/ suited to games like R,meQuest...:andM.E"!ft In regions with a more primiti~cu»-Utt', or wht:re: a 'prlmith'e' system of bpkf b.ti continued to the present day (~~a'ef that may mran in the conlext/ of the game). 'THbes, such as the Wo5C8 in lbtldtn. have nOl:lble connections with the power of stone:; and tht:re:,..may also be resldenu In the far t2Stpd south who stUl follow biths <ksca'kkd from those that ptrSuadtd men of~ iht Second Age to entomb tht:ir dea.d'6n tht Barrow-downs of C2rdo l:an in ri:ldor. In Warbammer, thtre: art tht: pr:aClises of tht: Old faith (discussed more: fully belOW). Advtntures using tht:K ideas c:an :llso be suited to SF rokplaying games such as 7mveller. when: :ld~turers louchlng down b:ac.Jcward pland might find all m . 51rangt beUds CO"nnectt.'d wIth- ' "StlilWOi"". X - ' Significant part of th lure: might be tht: Idt:ological conflict betwt:en tht: ancient culture: and tht: spaccf:a.rers.

ffi4] ...

The second 'time' wiIJ probably be tht setting most :lpproprlatt for most fantasy rolegames, particularly Warbammer; Du"geons & Dragons :and MBRP. Where a nt:wer culture: overlays an oldtt one - but has not lotally repl:lctd it or forgollea aU Its lore: - rclk:s of tht: fonner age :and liS lnhabitants may bt accllent b2$C5 for

-- --...---

adventures. lYpicaUy, I~;~~;;;:~~:~

~~.:'3~~~~~.:::rocks (such 25 gr:mJtes) were their supposed1y magical pii~!"''';;;'' or because: they we2the~d 'power ' OU:: lOt in the monument for , . M2f1Y rings a~ nOt true circle:s, but bendit of the charactC'r5 o r their alli9' ova.! o r ho rseshoe-shaped : they [0 destroy a malefic power centred-on the usWllly cont2in perhaps six 10 Iwenty monuman. Perh2ps the ~dweuers in stand.... roughly shaped . Some may have a burial mo und walk ..gal wights and a.l.t:.tr Ston,.es al the a:m.re or whe~ 2n wr:a.itbs; o r a sect o f ev ' druid·sorcerers :ilvenue or lin.:: of stones Joins the circle. and looting ex~ditions, might be a desire fa either Cip

,~-

of 56 pits 2nd just one stone:, the Heel Stone. Other impomlll cirdes include Avebu ry,~ ArbQr low in Derbyshire, long Meg 2nd H~ OaughleB in Cumbri.:l. 2Ild the RoUrigbt Sto n e:!; in Oxfordshi re. Thae lut IWO arc born of

b:n~ bttn pc:rfomUng-finspokablt: rites on the alar sto ne 9""" circle... rites •

connections

worship of o ur ancestors and the OUiside. Perhaps some of mese eniJlllatic monuments come from a greater antiquity than :,lOy dare to irn:.r.gine. erected by nonhuman r:.Jces not wholly extirkl , but lingering In fOtgOlten com e rs o f the world. Who knows wh:.it might then bctome o f

the ' innocem ' :ut:haeologist or play-acting c(Wen memlxr dISturbing the SIOnes? What ties buried bene:uh the mo no liths of the moors and mounttins? Similar scpur!os of oom being i nvoked by the accidental etians of others are also sUitable to s rhero roleplayi ng, whe~ rven mo~ fun ~an be had with mus/ve energy vonic~lumbering beUts of enormous size 2nd sh-on.

Stone

connected with clrdes - . Sometimes IhreC:-ring mo nument on in mound of Siones, Thc actU2J Sh2pe of the Cornw-.tII . O f Ihe Hurler.! it Is said 'A redoubled numbering never eveneth with matter in some rings. In the avenue of Avebury in Wiltshire, P~,::::~:";h~el;n:IJ:"I ' (Richard Carew, 1602), 2nd even no-one knows ex:actly how M2n)' sh:lped stones ahernate wilh ones ." intO:il diamond-shape, said 10 represent SIDQa thc:re ·2ft:. Thls IdC::l makes 2fl male 2nd female principles. Another r:ue exc~m ~ ting for an adventure using the but distinctive forure:lre trilithons (Greek: standi as,. 'something else:' - perhaps even three-stones). These arches of 5"lo ne a~ monsters )~clves! fonned by twO uprightS w ith tenons (projections) holding the m ortises on Ihe undcrside of :l lintel·stone. Sta!lding SW.p.es "[be environs of the stone circle may 2150 be nouble. Many :lrt raised above the surrounding ground on :lrtificial platforms or moundi, and this is sometimes exp2f1ded into a bank and ditch . Circles of this type are known as '~nges ', and also include rings encircled by a fence of wooden posts. Altho ugh such fences were strictly speaking l1denslve in served as a barrier

Megaliths (Latin; big st

e) o r monoliths built for a variety o f n:"2S0OS , md 'ety of forms. M2flY that C2f1 be se:en are nOI rea Uy standing stones erected x...p~ Roman cuhures but the remains o~l1 f..'TOSses erected by the Celts and Saxons UnfQrtunately. the arms and hods of such a re easily dislodged thC5(' stones are up to 25' or , I

(Latin: Single stone) mve

,I-

::}~~~~~I~:;;:;~~:t, ;<

on ils side. Some are deposits of dJe b,st Ice Age, left strJ.nded by melting . retreating glaciers. L:lter connections with an event or a mo nument and; perKIn are handed down in folklore as tales <nllrely mythical started in 1833 of their erection. Some of the most interesting stones are when (as far shaped in speci~ ways. Often thry are said I wert to bear a Similarity to the sh2pe of 2 and groves. of landmark on the ho rizon. Perbap5 these 10c2800bc were used 25lndi~rs for 2Suonomicai or ditch, a ri ng navig2lional purposes, sbowing whe~ the

~~~~~~~~~~~"h~e~~I~deas of a

~!!'5!!,,~, leader of Stoo~ or BroOZl." Age barrows are 2Ssociated with tht

~"n~:~~('-;~::'; and smaller round~b..arrows S with thl." laner, They were constrt~~d by

means of digging a Irmch o r jl!t and tipping tbl." stones into it so Ihey isi"umed an upright positio n , Then a wood~n roof might be buUI ov~r II , or large capstones some=.how rolled o n top of the ' w;a.Ils '. Sometimes it is h:lrd to imagine these fe:us : the capstone of cromlech in

Mo~ advanced fe:atures of b:mows suet

with the incorporation of an t:ntr-;mce [unnel, w:illed with sm:.tlkr Stones M:t into e:uth . A 1.arge Stone slab ~rved as a door

which could ~ removed (with elfort)

when there was another

~fSOn

to be

..,.., Ih~

bones Ca~1 Garmon near with its h.l~ entnnc~; wd chambered lo ng barrow - 100' a 50' pass:age, three" pairs of ',~,~:~:~, leading of( it , :and a stone with a fin~ ammonite used to the" enlnanc~, made ;J.S when all structuR:S are

known as "'~I~~n,,'~~n~ Ih~ Fl'f!nch Brenonic words for (dol, taol) and stone (men). In some pbttts they are abo c211ed cromlechs but this is incorrect , as

croml et:h Is WC'lsh for 'circui2.r stones' (cmm-Ilecb). OflOl 2. dolmen is surrounded

by other, fall en stones, or has itself

Scot land , where :I '" burled. O,ften the dead wert cremated collapsr:d to ronn a cairn (Gaelic carn), in [be rock for the '"b!;forc buna!, and gifts were left with them, Such sites can Ix mis12ken fo r ItHithons ~1~,:~;~;~~~;~':Ston~ Another 'dedJc::ned ' su'c~as food and drink, wt:apoos to hunt raised to appear as they do now, and have near Tid~nham in with , and offerings of ~ads, shells, their own set of traditions and bdids, on the banks of m~ ~~~rs,le~ld5 or findy crailc=d items, Som~ of th~ ~st a:.unplc:s are: h'nl~ If;J.n m e sh~ of a Ce=.itic W O~Ot m0f\.ulmnls, such as m e bunal in Oyfed; Trevethy Quoit in Cornwall; and l""~" and a ~rmon in mounds of Satipn timc:s, contlin c:vtn the Kilcooney Mort' porul-tombs of of Wlnfonon Is greater treasures; n:{,ics of gold and silver, Count" Doni"O':Jl in lreland , Some aims, _,. Mi'• .. • .. 'I-"',. -".... ..""" f!kcau~ of the neeo''O protect the gr.t\'es such as1 thOS(: at Nether Largie at Kilmartin one of rom robbers and dese"t~cp.rs, they were taken built as solidly as POSSib'S",Od som~ had in Scotland, wen: a stooy equivalent of the of bl~ entrances, such as a p.s'age leading barrow, Rocks were piled o\.'er a chamlxred down to a blind chambt-r where ~ actual slructure rathe=.r than earth, and [he bodies burial cist was reached ... 12 a concc::alalside placed, within CiSIS or slones 'boxes', passage. The tOmbs could be' seal~d Wlt.h Sometimes, a~ at Clav1 near Inverness, the great slabs o r rubble, or both , in an :attempt " c:aJms wert: rIDged with sundlog stones, to k«p o ut intrud~rs. Sometimes:a barrow could bt- snkd and yet still be in use: a

u:ss

~;~:;'::;:~~-1~~~~~~~~~ through-th~ False-Monuments

A more «',,,,,,on a plwatlon o f th~ siting o f stOotS they m:ay hav~ ~~n U.5~d as landmarlu!, Such nones could be ~~n In th lei ~ prominent positions fro m long dlsbncas and perh:aps also s~rved as meetlng.PI:a~S and boundary m arkers. Close to Harl ch in Gwynedd u [h~ Carteg sunding stO e, o n~ of thine~n simil:ar .Slones whie arc: thought to have:: marked a s:;arl." route across th~ mountlinous co unlr ysld~ fro m Llanbedr to Moel Goedog. Modern beliefs also hold 10 the idea WI sundl ng stones fonn~d an important t'rmem in thl." construction of point~rs to I , Th(:S(' an' discus~d below,

new remains and making sure thallhese led to phs within the mound , the us~rs knew [hat tho~ resting could do so in pe:ac~.

It is not ~:asy~diStinguish true and~nI

monumenrs su standing stones wd b:urow mound 'o l andsca~ c1ultered witb naruna) features 2ll..d other WOdUi or man, The habit that our aQccstors had of However, some of th~ holes ;J.nd gaps I~ft making up spurious storieS. ~bou! such in the CIltr.mCCW':lYS of barrows were more featun:s obscures me truth even.;,(urtber, significant and had a mYStical purpose. II Where a ring ofsto n~s Ii~s on. tb~ .PQund, has been shown for sever:aJ tombs I~ft ll5 plaJn a.s th~ day, II is obviousJy :a stQn~ moslly undisturbed until to<b.y that o n circle - or is it the remains of'a primitive. certain days of th~ y~ar the sun or moon dwe:lIlng, a rude hut ,of cobbl~s and rising throws :a ~ of Light down through boulders let f.l1I :rnd d«ay sJowly, h alfIhe hol ~ OntO an aJ Ur o r, as in th~ C2~ at covered by cruping earth? The l arg~. N~wgnange, a basin holding the remains of circular moundrfsing from:a flat field Is no the de:;ad. Newgr.ange is :a pa.ssag~ tomb in n2tural hm.. but a tumulus - unless, o f th ~ barrow cemetery of the !knd of th~ course, lt15 on~ of the many hundn:ds of Boyne. in County Me:ath , Ireland, A similar mo tU< r.lis~d by William me Conqu~ror, J. construction can be found at th~ Maes on(~ surmounll."d by a wooden castle to Barrow liowe tomb on Orkney, These remarkabl pacify the English and provide a rciuge fo r • fcats of astrQnomJcaJ engineenng (di~ his hated NOrtDW ImopS. The lo ng, low Thmps, IUmu~, barrow-mounds, call th~m accuracy of Newgrange Is such that' th~ barrow thatloc:lls wUl sw~ar is a nc.o lithlc wh:;at you will. Tb~ raised mounds of earth light enters only on th~ wiDl~r soiStic~ and grave m ight acruaUy be:;a 'pillow mound' concroing th,c. burial placc:s of our ancient is carried do~'Il 80 feet 10 theJ:IU in), added o r artificial r:abbit w~_ A cairn might be ancestonl wlthin rock-slabbed to mbs are to th~ ~pl~ndid art~~ (he=. decor.ltions just th~ result of 5CJ£Y~ting; a sunding ~rlf:ips ih ~f fasclMfiiig monum~nts -embc:ltishingmany' mounds'ancl1:he---S tone deposited b)';a::..Mi~f'2ther--l hllD~ fOf' ad,,-enrureB to aplo~ ~~ in the ~ffon ntt:ded to ,V2ospon and rai~ such S2\':lg~S puUing on ~d I'QU~rs. For world, mondn~nlS to the dead (:ar more hug~ blocks of stone, show that ancie=.nl the canny GM , were arc: pleOly of impressive miy be fo und: the Pyr:unids of cultures wen(quite sophiStlo ted, even by opportunities to confuse player ch:ar.lctt'rs Egyp t , Ih~ fw:au of Cambodia , the our own standards. and mak~ Ih~m unsure! ~peu,orol<"um8U" ", o~"cp·l,ln'''<d ,nd, .Ind,,·'." 0/ . __________________ es 0 no ave e I ~r Double sites of barrows include simple=. mystetiY 2nd dangerous charm of an Bryn·C~IJj-Ddu ,:a chambered cairn on Lines of Earthpower English long l:ianow; something homc:l ~bY Anglesq' buUt on top of a hengl." .and still d2Y and sinister by night . ./ surrounded by a stone (:aced ditch; West Alignm~ntS o f aoci~nt sites are held by Kalon long barrow, 320' Iong and 8 ' IUgh some to bt- the cunningly-hidden trac~s of Such mouQds usuaJ.I y co ' 0 one=. or with at least 46 burials (it Is known tbat :a nC'tWOrk of Iq'S which onct: spanned the more chambeh ukd in tttmc:nl of an many more n:m:;ains were remov~d in the country (pet'baps the whole world),

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uoder pressure, and vibrating tn an electric field. The seriousness '~t/:;t:;:':w~hich this study is is ~strated by the setting-up in 1978 of th ~~ragon Project al RoUright to monitor p~l!istoric structures and lcys in ttie:4' most sophistj~ted manner possible. That the energy is able to affect prople (and perhaps be utilised by them) is shown by this quote

taken

(Bard 1986, p1l 3): •.. .in the Norman

Conclusions There is much that I have been cover in this brief article. If interested in using some monuments more fully in your roleplaying game campaign hope these notes are of want to find two books

~~~~~ll~~~~-i~~~~::~;;~·iw~e~1",~"~ '~'~h~,;v~e~~~:~;~~~ ~ :~;,~~\~;'~~~:~n:~~;~;~; energy inside cycle, our which of the explosion hel.ds.

were Alfred of note Cthulhuists) in 1925. leys as ancient trJckway/l, sighted lllong natonl fe2tures. It has more recently becil suggested that leys are Dot confined to Europe. In Peru they are known as cegues; fony-one of them radiate our from [h ~' Sun Temple In Cuzco 2CroSS the countrJ1ide, their routes marked by huacas or flo ly shrines in the form of springs, hills, caves, bridges, houses. battlefieldS!d IOmbs. The n:ltu of rhe energy channelled hy leys is unkn~wn , although it is postulated thai it migt;lt ~ related to Ihe earth's magnetic fie~. The use of quanz (.bearing) stones in ny ancient constructions suggests I e builders knew of its properties : producing a piezoelectric

These sortS of experiences can be intriguing when introduced inlO roleplay· ing games. WFRP's Old Faith has already been equipped. with the wherewithal to tap the Earthpower and regain magic points , and to prOiect the scared sites which lie along the leys of the Old World. In a 'modern' roleplaying game such as Call of Ctbulbu.. or Doctor Who, it may be discovered that the energy lines are being drained by sOms;hing old by our standards, bUl which arriV&\,after the building of the ley·sires and took "O:(er the channels for itself. The energy brought to the focu~ of leys could also serve ~~rotect them, fuelling the 'magic' needed:lo sustain the various cUl1Ies and threats not 1Q tamper with the place that accompanies s-o..many of the legends of ancient sites. Anyo,re disturbing a slone or circle may suddenly find themselves afflicted by anything from ill·fortune to"warts!

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I ,h,· nk yO'"' will 2gree there are many ideas for potemial adventures incorporating them. A good example of this is Haunted Ruins of the Dunlendlngs. :m adventure module for MERP published by ICE. Of particular DOIC also is the use of these settings in lfurhammer Fantmy Roleplay c:unpalgns. Not only worshippers of the Old Faith are involved: there may ~ lonely rrillthons in ~

bleak places dedicated as shrines to Morr; standing stones engraved and wre:nhed in honour of "faal; wd, most dangerousl y of all, the corruption of such sites and their use by the worshippers of Chaos Gods, of whom it is written (see WFRP p195) that 'they use makeshift sites such as forest clearings and ruins.' You may also wish to have very ancient monuments erected by the Elves or even the Old Siann , which should not ~ confused with Mannish ones. "Graham Stapleburst

- ~

-.~--

acters are being used to test a cadet's knowledge of street procedure. DUring the test a Spy-In.:rhe-Sky camera follows the Judges around; it is specially fitted with a microphone, and sounds and pictures are transmitted back to the cadet, who then tells the Judges vocally what to do. addressing them individually or as a group.

Adventure Outlines for the Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game by Hugh Tynan One of the most interesting jobs for the Judge Oredd RPG GM is to come up with new adventures. Obviously, 2000AD is always going to be your best source for ideas, but the following ate some additional suggestions and outlines fOf simple Judge Dredd scenarios. They can be dropped into any campaign. at any point,

without dIsrupting it. and are great fun to play. Be warned, the way t play it, Mega-City One is a crazy place. and the ideas that

The PCs afe informed of all this in the morning, and are filled in on what exactly to dQ They are also told a little about the cadets who are 'directing' them; there are two. The first, Koskin, is expected to be a little nervous, as this is his third attempt at the assessment. 'Just be patient: says the Judge funning the briefing . ' Don' t let yourselves get flustered, and there's no way we'll have a repeat of the silly accidents that ruined his last two attempts: Other senior Judges present shake their heads sadly, and the pes will hear them mutter about 'poor old McEnroe'. In the brief time they have, all the PCs will be able to discover is that Judga McEnroe suffered from a 'terminal shortage of confidence' when sent in to deal with the Flamethrow er gang at the refinery••. The other cadet, Dried, is respected by his tutors and referred to as 'dedicated'. This time the PCs will feel their colleagues find the situation more amusing. One of the briefers will let slip the word ' zealous' - Dried Is a man who doesn' t let go.

cadetship. The assessment takes the form of an On-Slreel-

The test begins. Koskin, the first up, soon has the Judges helping OACs across the road and checking parking meters to see if the time paid for has expired I later he tells them to question w itnesses to incidents which they all saw in full; take the registration number of a bank-heister's van when it is only twenty metres away, easily within shooting range; and call an H-Wagon to get a Roba-Cat out of a tree. He lets a juve scrawler go free because he said he was sorry, and when the Judges are asked to help free a fatty stuck in a door, he suggests tying one end of a rope onto the back of a lawmaster and the other end around the unfortunate citizens necklll Finally, another citizen asks the Judges what kind of weather the sectOl" can expect in the evening and he tells the Judges to radio Weather Control via MAC and find out, When the first anempt to get through on the radio fails. Koskin says 'Hold on ... I' ll, er, go and find out myself'. The Judges then hear the sound of running feet moving away from the cadet's microphone and a door closing. Koskin doesn't return, and the Judges will have to fail him.

Investigation in which the cadet directs the actions of senior J udges, via a camera hook-up. Sometimes one very senior Judge is used - Dredd himself even has to put up with it - but on other occasions a group of less remarkable Judges is under the cadet's control. This adventure is based on that scenario: the player char-

Cadet Dried Is late for his test, but the tutors eventually find him down at the shooting rang e blowing synthiboard targets t o pieces with HIgh Explosive bullets. Senior Judges will pass this onto the PCs with glee.

follow reflect this fairly. at, realistically.

•••••

CADET IN CONTROL In their thirteenth year, Cadets in the Academy Of law undergo a practical assessment to determine their fitness to continue

As soon as he assumes control, Dried is on the ball. He sees a man spit 0f1 the pedway, and the first thing the Judges hear from the Spy In the Sky is: 'You men - quick - the perp on the cornerl Get a lawgiver against his headl' Even though they may not know what is going on, the PCs ought to comply. Dried isn't going to waste time dealing through middle men, however, and he runs the interrogation himself. ' Good. Now creep, we're gonna playa little game. It's like twenty questions, except I ask as many questions as I Gruddman feel like, and if you give the wrong answer you get a General Purpose bullet in your stinkin' head. Ready?' He then goes on to scream ridiculous questions at the perp. Was it the East Meggers who put him up to spitting? Was he ever in the Cursed Earth before (implying that he is about to be exiled from the cityl)? At one stage, he says to the PCs: 'Hold on for a second while I wipe this foam from my mouth:

•••••

This is just the beginning. later, during a demonstration, the Judges arrest a demagogue who was trying to get the crowd to take off all their clothes outside the Sector House. Dried warns him tha t 'Any trousers that get taken down will be used against you '. When the citizen laughs, he tells a PC to 'slap him about a bit'l As the day goes on, he tells the Judges to shoot at a leaper with High Explosive before he hits the ground: 'Don't let the sucker mess up the pavement: Finally he tries to get the squad leader to walk, unarmed, into a house where a futsie with a stub gun is waiting, so that the fu tsie won't carry out his threat of destroying the vidphone (which is on loan and City Property ). Even if the PCs haven't had enough, Dried's tutors decide they have, and drag him away from the console. The Judges are then asked if they would pass or fail him, and if they answer that he deserves to pass they w ill be lectured on the stupidity of passing people like him and also punished by being used as a puppet for two more Cadets the next day l

FROM EAST-MEG WITH HATE or THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TAD A Total Annihilation Device crashes into Sector 301 , and - by a one-in·a-million chance (or so everybody thinks) - it doesn'l explode. The reason why is revealed when the following nOle is discovered in the warhead: 'Stinking Mega City ci tizens ano Judges, your end is nearl Prepare for deathl ' The curious thing is, the missile came from space; but there are no armed satellites belonging to MC-1 up there at this time, and East Meg denies all knowledge of the incident (healthy paranoia is OK at this point. but sensible Mega City Judges should know that there are no armed East Meg satellites up there either - in fact, there are no armed satellites up there at ailIJ. Space has been used fOf peaceful purposes only since the Apocalypse War, and - apart from the wrecks of that war's battleships - there are only communication and exploratory, laboratory satellites in or arauno the earth's atmosphere. But a clever Tech..Judge has developed a technique of follow ing a trail of bumt space-fuel and is confident the TAD came from the wreck of an old Me-' war cruiser that was used in the Apocalypse War. If another attack is planned by the person or persons who fi red the first missile, it is imperative that a team of Judges be sent up to neutralise all the wrecked cruisels offensive capabilities. The PCs {of coursel are selected.

On the wreck lives &n incredibly skilled East Meg Tech Judge,

who was part of the 18am that captured and destroyed It during

the Apocalvpse Waf. Despit e strenuous efforts to recover the wounded (somebody kicked him while he was Iving there). he was lett behind for dead when the war ended. Waking, he discovered that parts of the ship were airtight and supported a breathable atmosphere plus en air recycling system, so he could breathe freely forever. There were plenty of food supplies, etc, on the ship for him to live oH, but - oh, happy day - the best find of all was discovered in the missile bay: two TAOs, still intact and ready to be launchedl

Further research showed that one of the TAOs (the one he has not yet fired) was a big golden one with ten times the speed of any other; the Mega City Judges during the war thought that a missile with more driving power (such as this one) might be able to penetrate the Apocalypse Warp that prevented the des路 tructlon of East Meg One. It was never used, as Oredd eventually managed to turn the East Megger' s missiles against the City (besides, to obtain the necessary speed for this Golden TAO, some of the explosive power had to be sacrificed. and it wouldn't have done as good a job as Oredd did in the end). Now, the Judge in the wreck knew that the war had been lost. but he wasn't the sort to let peace get in the way of some honest vengeance, and he reelised that he could probably destroy a large part of the Mega City with the Golden TAO. So, he launched the other as a warning - making sure to remove the detonation charge first, of course. He plans to launch the Golden TAD very soon, but what he doesn't know is that the part of the Mega City that he has the TAD aimed at doesn' t exist any more (the south sectors which were destroyed in the Apocalypse War, and he is aiming roughly at where Florida used to be). He will of course detect the PCs shunle long before it arrives, but he cannot do anything about it until it reaches him. as none of the Warship's defence systems remain operational. He has. however, made extensive preparations for when they do arrive: being a Tech Judge, he has completely reprogrammed aU the robots (of which there are over 50) on the ship to fight on his side, and riddled the corridors with all sorts of traps and pitfalls. In addition, a huge. powerful space monster has recently made its home in the wreck. and it will resent the PCs' intrusion into its privacy I Hopefully, the PCs will eventually find the East Meg Judge in a locked control room from where he has been observing their progress (or some of it) through cameras hidden in the passagaways and rooms. He will have tha door booby路trapped and wlll kill himself rather than be captured, although he may elect to fight to the death. If possible. Ha will almost certainly launch the Golden TAD if the Judges look like reeching his hiding place. but . as it is aimed at the south sectors 路 not much damage will ensue from that, although it is an extremely undesirable thing to happen anyway. The scenario will probably end with the PCs breathing a sigh of relief when they return to earth to find Mega City One still intact (elthough it is possible that the Golden TAD may never have been fi red at all; see below).

So that's the storyline. how about some details? Well here you go, spug, I'll try to COvel most of what you'lI need to know. The PCs wilt be flown up to the satellite by another highly skilled (at piloting spacecraft) Judge. When they reach the wrecked banlecruiser, she will fly the shuttle Into a docking bey (there is one that is st1ll intact) and stay on board, keeping the anginas warm in case the PCs need to make a quick getaway.

The fi rst few yards of their journey will be In an ail less vacuum lind in zero gravity, so they will have to wear suits (which are

provided, with spares in the shuttle) . The shunle also contains a Street Scanner and a machine for testing the air to see If it is breathable) . Once through the airlock, they are in a breathable atmosphere with artificial gravity. There is, unfortunately, a weI路 coming committee of some modified Robodocs (all warships had to have plenty of medical back-up!) with laser Riflesl There will be one Robodoc for each two Judges, with a minimum of one; their weapons are as normal but the East-Meg Judge has managed to raise their CS to 38.

Once past the Robodocs, the PCs will find themselves lost in a mala of corridors leading to now-uselass gun turrets, external airlocks and destroyed docking bays. Somewhere in here is an elevator, which presents the Judges with a choice of four different floors (not counting the one they're ani which they can explore. On the first is a host of empty rooms, some of which support breathable air, some of which are airless, and all of which contain modified Oemolition Droids, External Repair Droids, Servo-Oroids, etc. armed with weak lasers and modified to fight reasonably well. Remember, any hit on II Spacesuited Judge in an airless environment almost certainly means death for him or her, so your Judges w ill probably want to leave this floor as 800n 3S possible. In fact, the only thing of interest here is the Captain's Log and Computer Records of the banle in which the ship was destroyed - these are atl in the bridge. along with plans of the whole ship (which would be useful).

•

On the next floor (which is completely airlessl. are the Crew Querters and Officers' Messes, etc. The whole area is littered with corpses of people woo died from asphyxiation and explosive decompression when a laser bolt burst through one small unarmoured spot, so it Is quite a disturbing scene. There is nothing useful here - except the hole made by the laser bolt; PCs could use this to gain access to the outside of the ship, and there are a reasonable amount of hand holds on the surface which would make circumventing the ship fairly straightforward, should the PCs wish to try and find the East Meg Judga by looking in various portholes (or re-enterlng the ship through other holes made in the battle). The next floor is the main Combat Control and EngIne area, and it is in a small comp!Jter room here where the East Meg Judge will make his last stand. Using the computers, he will launch the Golden TAO when he hears the sound of battle outside his door - he has posted two Fighting/War Droids outside when taking over an enemy ship and attempting to board it. but in this case they failed to stop the East Meggers boarding their shipl However, he may not be able to launch the Golden TAO If the PCs have already visited the last floor, which has just a few small storerooms and the missile bay. If they reach the bay, they wilt find it fairly simple to Immobilise the TAO · at least temporarily; simply pushing it otf the tracks that it slides along when launched would probably be adequatel Howevtlr, It will not be that easy to get to it, as the Space Monstar mentioned earlier is living nearby and must be passed to reach the bay. I suggest you just create a monster with a lot of tentacles and perhaps One Big Eye - but make sure he doesn't eat or klU 8/1 the PCsl You could always use something similar to the Netherworld Mega·pede. But even before they reach the Space Monster's room. they will have to get past a locked door that works on the palm print principle Isee p3B, Judge's Manus/). A Judge with the appropriate Special Ability (see 'fbu Can Do Whst? in the forthcoming Judge Dredd Companion) will be able to open It, otherwise the PCs might try sticking their hand(s) in and hoping for the best. or blasting It down. If they try to open it the proper way - ie, by submitting their palms to be examined - an alarm will go off immediately, and this will be followed in 06 turns by 75% of the remaining robots. There were originally 53 of assorted types and sizes; you have been keeping track of how many the PCs destroyed before they reached here, haven' t you? A High Explosive bullet will get them through the door no problem, but the Judge who shoots must foil under one·tenth of his TS to stop the alarm going off, with results as described just above (if he makes the roll, he is presumed to have shot the door In a place where the alarm is ineffective. .. If the alarm does go off, the Judges will doubtlessly have to blast their way out of the wreck, get back to the docking bay where their fellow Judge waits in the shuttle, and start agsinl ThIs scenario works very well and, if the Golden TAD is launched ~ and it will be unless the Judges manage to do something spectacular before t hey confront the East Megger in his hidey hole), your Judges will certainly never forget thair retum 10 earth, wondering how much remains of Justice Central · and if the Chief Judge is still alive!

AN EXERCISE IN PUBLIC RELATIONS

This scenario takes place after a fairly major disaster or period of public unrest. You could, for example, use the last visit of the Dark Judgas, although this is likely to be rather disruptive to the campaign. A better alternative is to have the Rad-Aeas infest a whole quarter of the city (not the quarter the PCs are in) or use some other disease. You get the idea. Anvway, after this little problem has been resolved, there is much Public unease and a marked lack of faith in the Judges.

DIOk, haven't these citizens got no trust no more7 There are demonstrations, protests, strikes, huge rumbles and the amount of Judge killings - or attempted Judge killings - rockets, knifes and stub guns up! You probably ought to have the pes dodge a few inarticulate attempts to express grievances... The Council of Five decide that something must be done to calm the citizens down. Riot foam? Nah... Forty days continuous rain? Maybe... Then, 8 Sector Chief comes up With the bright idea of having the boys in blue appearing frequently on the Vid, maybe even on a special Justice Department programme, Crime watch MC, where people ask them questions about organisation. equipment, past cases, sentencing and all aspects of a Judge's life. This idea is applauded; as well as cementing relations with the citizens the Judges were pledged to serve, it would also provide an ideal opportunity to feed the public false information should the need arise (there have been thousands of Incidents in the past when such a facility could have proved extremely useful). The plans get grander; perhaps people would eventually get to look on the Judges as friends and help stamp out crime, and particular Judges could become 'personalities'... This could be the greatest thing for the Justice Dapartment since the invention of the Manta Tankl

'Couldn'r we just use them insteadr 7hanks, Dredd, we'll keep you informed of our decision: The Judges get to work immediately. A new section of Justice Department is instigated - the PR Department - and arrangements are made for the first, experimental broadcast. It will take place in the PCs' sector (of coursell and a squad of intelligent. interesting Judges are needed to appear on it. So. when the usual witty comments the PCs make are aired during the next morning briefing (well, I know my players can't shuddup. .. ), they 'volunteer'. They are told this is of the utmost importance. .. eICercise in diplomacy.... why, there cO\Jld be a rebellion any day.... that kind of boss-talk. And thus it comes to pass that the PCs are the first Judges featured as special Vid Guests. I suggest you get a tape recorder with a condenser microphone and record the actual game while the Vid appearance is taking place. You can go back over it later, perhaps as the Chief Judge, giving the players grief about certain things their PCs saidl Don't allow any ' I was only jokin', I didn't really say that' from your players. They have to do their utmost to roleplay their Judges exactly - no cursing, no unpleasant behaviour and lots of interesting conversation. If they perform well, the public response is good (and the crime wave subsides!), and they might even receive a commandationl 70 ~~

Plenty of other scenarios could spring from this one, especially if the Judges Vid-Show becomes en accepted fact of life in MC-t For example, instead of people attacking the Judges, they might start pestering them for autographs! Citizens will want to be seen always to be trying to help the Judges, reporting imaginary crimes and making extravagant guesses that could confuse an investigation. All sorts of things are possible, right down to an attempted assassination in the Vid Studiol Or corrupt Judges becoming public heroes. even sex symbolsl Life in the Mega City will never be the same again. Suggested Questions: Remember Judges Bre under no pressure to give truthful answers; in many CBses, may be far better off lying. How long have you been a Judge? Do you enjoy it? Have you ever been badly injured ? How many people have yO\J killed? Do you have any friends? Have you ever experienced terror? Have you ever had to arrest a fellow-Judge? Do you ever feel any sympathy? How is your life organised (sleeping, eating, etell Was the Academy training hard ? (Pretty dumb quest ion, huh?) Did you ever feel disenchanted and fed up with the whole thing? Have you to answer to anybody for your actions? Have you ever been in the Cursed Earth, or out in space? Can you give us a rundown of a typical case. any average everyday incident that has happened to you? How about something major? Some tough assignment? Have you any funny stories? Do you ever feel like 'kicking yourself'? What would you sentence me to, if I, say, spat on the ground ? Isn't that a bit much? Wouldn't you feel a bit guilty for giving me that? Have you ever wounded or killed an innocent person? Would you risk your life to save anybody, even a mutie or alien, or even a psrp from crime? What is the worst sentence you have ever given anyone? You say you can't feel emotion. Does that include hate or disgust? When writing adventures for your Judges, keep them clear and easy to follow, but add in any embellishments you like, including perhaps a few minor, trivial and completely unconnected incidents. Try to involve your players in a bit of excitement before the actual plotted storyline comes into play. And finaUy, don't miss any opportunities for adventure: you can manage all of this in The Man Wirh The Golden TAD, for example, by having the Judges actually in Sector 301 when the first missile arrives ...

Hugh Tynan

LETTERS

Mr C L Cresswell, Catford: Women aren'l ..... the only people being degraded by .,... fantasy artists. Men have to put up with views of almost naked, heavily muscled, blade-wielding men who walk around killing 811 their enemies aod raping hundreds of helpless ~men. I find this image of men disru rbing.

I admit, though, that there is more exploitation of oomen than men but most RPGers are male and the fantasy artists are trying to make a living. I'm sure that if male players went into the minority there would be a rapid increase in degrading pictures of men.

letters Page, White Dwarf, Enfield Chambers, 16/18 low Pavement., Nottingham NG1 7Dl

An interesting view. lwas told once that sexism, by definition, was only discriminarion against women and not discrimination against men. Att)body I!L~e ouJ there feel degraded by the image lhat fOJltasy presents of men as musclebowuJ mindless hooligans? Over to the intellectuals for (J fined word on this topic:

'*11, here we are at another letters pflge,

Thrud and Gook got when they firsr stoned.

ut'S stan with one of the most crucial Issues f'VI!r to divide the gaming hobby,.,

By the way, tlrere was nt!Vt!r any intention of dropping Cook (or anything else) in favour of Derek - the two will jusr be alternating.

Adam Preston, Clevedou: Derek the Troll ~ is not as good as Thrud or Gook, ..,... and r hope you don't drop either in favour of him.

foir enough 10 me - ","'at does anyone else tllink?

SUttU

Peter Blancbard, Woking: I like Derek the ...... Troll, I laughed at it, which is ~ more than I've ever done readi ng Thrud and something Gobbledigook hasn't dOne to me in ages,

Ian Willingham, Moulton: I think I'd

...l. rather .see a canoon from a Jackie .,... magazme. mere's a simple solurion to that...

P Daniels, Kettering: Derek the Troll ... is ~ pathetic, and its rightful place is in "JIll the Beano, not in WD. Jonathan Williams. Wimborne: I am one ...l. of a setect bunch who like Derek "'JIf the Troll. I think he is funny and a wonhwhile addition to White Dwarf. And sometimes he is even bener than Oook, So there!

R Carter, St. Albans : Derek the Troll is

~ pathetic!!

Two exclamation marks, eh? Strong stuff. Peter Bousfield, Keighley: Derek the Troll ....&. struck me as being brilliant. The 'Pl artwork is attractive, and he is basically very funny. A passing maniac, Derby: Anywan hoo ~ kan kall Derek the Troll anyfmg "" bUI brill, hilarious and well drawn must bea half blind ,

Hmm .. , ahow an even split, Which, interestingly, i.f ahout the same rt!action as

Sean Danforth, Galosborough: Whether ...... the people who wrole the letters ' " against PoF Sleer clear of other forms of 'Commie-bashing' (films, books, compuler games) is 00( known to me, but I doum it! Another thing that puzzles me is whether these people roleplay other offensive acts in other games, Drug-running for patrons, Mutant Commie bashing, Dragon slaying, hack and slay, etc. etc.

%uld it be fair 10 say tMl PoF's being set uncOlTifonably close to home in a possiblt' near-Juturl' calls our own political prejudices into play? Is pw)ing a redneck Rmnho cMmeter in PoF any different from pla)'ing a CMmctl'r in wry other rpg Moho.se attitudes differ wichly from your own? Any thoughts on that angle? It seems mnre fruit/ul than simply conducting arguments about American attitudes and foreign policy. Another debole crops up every once in a while:

Richard Adsmead, Stockport: Could

\\Ie

........ have letlen other than whinging 'JIf notes about chauvinistic attitudes thai supposedl y exist in every male roleplayer, Could the 'Voice of Doom' use her real name, or would thaI be too sexist? John Hawkins. Roniton: Some advice on ....&. your 'Help' colwnn, Due to the ~ upsurge in ' man wants American woman' notices I sugge.'lt }QU sian up a 'Lonely Heans' colwnn , ~/l , it 's not ","'inging, but it sounds sexisl to me. John didn'l actually use the term 'lonely hear1S : but we know what he meum.

Malcolm Coles, Harpenden: Why did the ...... woman on the cover of WD88 "PI' have so much armour on?

To stop the dragon. slicing her to ribbons.

Simon A Watts, Wigan : When will there ..A be a Mills &: Boon rpg - perhaps "JI( that WOllld even it out a bit?

l'es , Simon, I'm sure it wouM. 8uI onward. from sex discn'mination to game discrimination:

Mike Reed, Hoo, Kent: Here's some free ...... infonnation, A review is not II 'JIf means of showing whai makes a game good and what makes it different. That is the job of an adwn. Are you sure you aren't getting the two mixed up? I suppose this one will nt!'>'er be resolved, Saying nice things about GW products in GW's house magazine seems 10 be unforgivable in some eyes, t!Vt!n if.mu genuinely mean them. Shifting the point slightly. Niall Chenvood 's plea in WD89 for mnre AD&D met with 0 mnre mixed reaction than I expected: Mattbew Searle, North wood: Over these ......6. past 9 or 10 years AD&D has had 'JIll( its fair share of WD space. 8U1 now GW has broughl OUI a new game. One that beats the rest by miles. Long live ~rhammer and let these hallowed pages of WD carry on publisbing Hfu'hommer material!

Thanks, Matthew - the cheque's in the post. Joe Williams, Haddington: What is Niall ....&. Chetwood on about? OK, so '7'1 AD&D is a popular game. Because of this, TSR have released millions of modules, supplements, elc. Isn't this enough for you? James Glover, Isle of Lewis : I open my ........ WD89 with more than a slight "JIll' sense of anticipation, thinking 'There just has to be an AD&:D adventure this month! After all , it is by fur the most popular, most widespread and most developed rpg on the planet.' But what I gel is Warhammer, Chainsaw Warrior, Warluunmer, WFRP, Rogue Trooper, aod Warhrunmer,

Don 't forget the litIrMmmer.

Ramsay Knigbt, Lerwkk; The recent polls ....&. you ran showed that AD&D is still 7If the most popular rpg sys1em. BUl AD&:D has taken a pl"O"eroi81 back seat in your magazine, Steve Dodds, Devb:es: What about AD&D, ..& 7'raW!lIer and some of the not-so~ popuJars - Pent/rogon, Dr, W'ho, Bushido, and Legendes Cdtiques (hal got

you with that one), ~1I, we'W! colltred off of those in the last )'ear, excepllAgendu CelJiques - anybody else ~m molerial for that? A~ writing

i, ?

AruI now somethillg else. Like what is roleplaying and what isn't. P,J, 8rook·Woodcock, Manchester: [ can _...&. say that, playing three different ~ board wargames regularly, 1 have not slaughtered a single person in years. A few counten were removed from the board, a few were j umped on by depletion marken, and a few ran away from the enemy. 'All very well: you might 5a)'. 'But it's what it represents that's important'. What does wargaming represent? Arry answer to thai question lies finnly in the bounds of personal taste, At one extreme are people who want to bounce hardware around, going all out for a win, in some cases at the expense of historical accuracy and generally beiDg a pain in the bun , On the other hand we have the historical simulationist who wants to create the borron of \WJ, the suffering, the beroics, not just shooting everything that 1IlO\"eS.

LETTERS I cooltin't agru mD". And on the subjea dnif wonhip, this roJher disturbing note:

Simon A Watts. (a reprise): When will it ...&. get through to the mtdia that we .,... are not a bunch of Demonic Satanists! Recently, while at University (Manchester) , I was asked to do an interview for a late-night prog. on Radio Manchester. The interview itself was OK· ish, but the wmouncer insisted that it was from/aboul Devil worshippen - befure and after the article, This attitude has in the past caused some clubs around our area to lose premises - imagine a group of Itids whose avemge age musl have been about 13 being accused of being Satanists, and being kicked out of the local church hall where they had been playing quite happily for several months. It just never seems to stop. does it? 1 suppose that people a" a/I\tl)lS prepared to attack things they ,wn 't understand, because it inl'fJMs less effort tMn jituling out the rruth , ANJ, of course, a ...;hiJl of Satanism almrys makes a better story than uny amoUlll of chan"ry morothons or tf,tuJJ-hal'f~ you, Faced with this kitul of altitude, which I'm afroid is 1101 goillg to go a-..uy, it 's up to US to try and present the best image we can of ourselves and our hobby, and to take the trouble to complain when Wf' feel Wt! have been s/muJered or misrepreunted, &ck to what is and isn't roieplilying.

John Buckworth, Ware: I am writing 10 ....... )UUr rng in my capacity as Senior .,... Aardvark d the East Herts brancb of the 'Dressing Up And Waving Rubbe r Do these two types sound Swords Around Association', FJBIlkIy we are familiar? Roleplayer.; the v,odd over have sick of the continuing association wimin heard of both , The first is the Big Head your letters page of our organisation aod the his plan is right , his Paladin has six ISs, so-called 'Live-Action Role-Playing' element those peasants don't matter, hack a way of the hobby. We have 110 connection through them, am so on , Our second type whatsoever with these 'LRPGers', who in is the realist rpger - why fight when you our opinion diffuse the tenets of Dressing can talk your Wfrj out of a problem, play the Up And Waving Rubber Sv.ords Around, role to the exclusion of everything else. corrupting our ideals wim their heretical ideas of 1liling It Seriously, All wargamen and all roIcplayers go for one thing . /tin. If games weren't 1*-11, thor sounds like a per/ealy reasonable fun, nobody \\OUId play them, Whether the position fa me. Wh~hu or 1'IOl WD should opponent is a GM and his NPCs or another cuver LRPGs Is anOlher 1i~/y issue: regular player IICroSS the wargames board Chris Nix, Nottingham: Now, LRP, let's seems irrelevant. .....& end the debate, T have oothing P J "'em (}I I to say a lot m£Jff! about 'JIIf against them. WD is for 's;t around me table' (SATT) roleplayen. lei anificial dh'isions between roleplaying and II'Grgoming. but I'm ofroid rhat's all we LRPen stan Iheir own magazine, have roomfor. WhaI do you soy? Is Q wargamer roleplaying 'Kohen he trits to Ihink Ian Sturrock, WUTIII : Your coYetage of .& live role-playing has always left what Napa/t OIl , A/OilntiU or Rommel would .... something 10 be desired, and now have d~ in a cU10in situation? Is Q Mike Brunton makes an arbitrary decision roleplayer wa'8oming with a sing!l' that 'the two hobbies shoold be seen as eMmettr ratMr tho.n a unM Both types of sepal1lte entities', The hobby encourages g~ are simulations. so theft! are bound 10 role-playing much more than any tabletop ~ similaritiu. Why, then, ,,,,- divisions and game does, so it is nonsense to sepanite the bod feeling? LRPGs from role-playing. It's high time you Rlchard Adsmead, Stockport; As a sent a reponer along to see what these ....&. roleplayer and a wargamer I resent games are really like; in fact I think you .,... remarks widely used by both sides should be re\'iewing them in Open Box . 10 insult each other. Roleplaying is not devil Certainly the majority of the letters worshipping and wargaming is no( wholesale appearing in WD on the subject have been slaughter. Garners of both types should pro-LRPGs. and in general the only people spend their lime promoting the enlire image tJying to promote a division betWl!C:n two or gaming instead of squabbling amongst slightly different fonns of role-playmg have themsdves. been letter.; page editors,

Ktll , I don 't agFTe ...ith your lim ~flt , lan , bur I dOfl" suppose you upect~d me to. Certainly I wotdd agree thai lRPGs orr as much roiepkl)ing as SAlT fPgs - although I've. n~r played a LRPG, J came to roleplaying via acting ra1her than wargamlng , and thai element has alwtl)if illurested ~ personally. But, I think thal SA.TT' ganten sometimes get fed up with people who aren't familiar with the hobby (or hobbies) concluding thai all rol~playen dress up Uttd 1W111t rubber Sl'o'Ords, I'm sure they get equally fed up when these uni,gonned people decitk thai people with rubber swords are frothing maniacs and m end this misCOllctption to all rol~players. It 's akin to the devil-worship problem and the IUly outsiders see us, As for Open Box reviews 0/ LRPGs, nobody 's ever asked us to send a reviewer, I can 't promise cut)1hin8, bw if 11'#! were to gel an imitation or f\.I.'o, ",,-ho knows? On

10 yet

another form of roleplaying;

Marcns Manllow, Leeds: I am a keen play...&. b)'-mail gamer, an elite group of ..... postal role-players. Have you ever heard of uS! Rick Lockwood, Huddersfield: ['\Ie been ...t.. reading the Dwarf since issue 15, '.Pf and in 811 that time, have only C\'er seen one article and one small review of a game in one rI: the fustest-growing fields 10 gaming - Play by Mail. As the IllJECst (and still the best) gamins magazine in 8ritain, I feel you should ~ giving at leas! some attention to it. Is it something 10 do with the fact that Games Workshop don't run a PBM of their own? 1 d(HI 't know. Certainly I don't think there 's any anti-PBM prejUth·ce jn GW - at least four people at the Design Studio alone (myself Included) play PBM3 - but there iSI! 'f an awful/at to write about them, Arguably they Mve their /JIol-n hobby press in the form of their nnvsktters, and we doll't hear from PBM reforeu wanting their games rell'ewed. Also, I'm afroid, the bulk 0/ WD readen are SA1T roleplayers (useful abbmiaIion. thaJJ. and gi~1I the choice of an article 011 PBMs (or lRPGs, for that matter) or, say, DIIOlher odveIVure, would almost certainly go for the fairer. Unlu s , of coune, all you peopl~ out there know different.. , And jinolly:

Marcus Rowland, London: Due to the ....... strange activities of the White ~ Dwarf editorial cock-up department, my recent article on Zombies lacked any references to the marry sources used. My apologies to all those concerned. Also, Do Troubleshooters Dream of Electf'Ollic Kiffer Sheep? sbould have been subtitled 'With apologies to the late Phillip K. Dick'. I hope that these: ommissions haven't spoiled anyone's enjoyment of me anicles. So do we, Marcus. One day we 'll get things so sputacularly right that everyone will be

happy. wlen nJi"d tJJ reasonnb/y as he knows how by Graeme Davis

New cards for the ROGUE TROOPER boardgame

Neuropa, you may meet him in the war zone. Fort Neuropa, or Fort Nel!ro as It is sometimes called, has been In the front line for longer than anyone wants by Graeme Davis and Jervis Johnson to remember, end most of the Heads up, Troopers! This is personnel of Rom Sector have gone combat-happy. spending most of their Swamp Mut ants an addi tional item to your time arranging discos and chasing after mission briefing_ Nu-Earth is not quite dead_ Some of its the female personnel from Scan Sector, rather than adding anything noticabla wildlife has managed to survive the There are nine new cards for Rogue nuclear, chemical and biological pound- to the South's war effort, He can be a Trooper, the new boardgame by Games ing that the planet has taken, and are useful companion, but you can never Workshop, on the back cover of this busily carving out new ecological rely on him - he's just as likely to start issue of White Dwarf. Simply cut out niches for themselves. And if you mova worrying about his hairstyle as to the Rogue, Encounter and Su pply cards into their ecological niche, they'll have actually pull a trigger in a fight. and shuffle them ~nto the appropriate a good go at carving you .., Watch your decks before starting play. back whenever you're in a Scum Filth Column

I , j~elrail'ed Brief ing Now Follows

Dream Weavers

I I;~:~;~~, tonew latest reports, Norty I a psychogen gas, has

I of penetrating the standard issue Souther chern-suit. Discharge apparatus Is fitted to some Nort " ."mo'.""~.d unitS, and the gas causes il hallucination and panic among conventional Souther personnel, breaking up infantry resistence to the armoured spearhead, Now you Gis don't need to worry about this - you're ali engineered to resist the effects of chemical weapons, and although you may start to see things after a prolonged 8J(posure, your engineering also stops you feeling fear. The Genies have been real good to you. However, any conventional personnel accompany'ing you when Dream Weavers attack will almost certainly panic and run off. Don't rely on their extra firepower.

Bland and Brass Keep a look-out for these two jackals. They follow the battles right across the war zone, robbing the dead of both sides and making a killing selling off any useable equipment. They don't have much fight themselves, but they have a little posse of droids following them which can provide a respectable amount of firepower. You'd be doing everyone a favour if you wiped them out. On the other hand, they do have their uses - as well as equipment, they manage to pick up a fa ir amount of information, mainly by illicit monitoring of military transmissions from both sides. So thev may be able to provide you with data which can help you in your mission ~ at a price.

Major M agnam The good major is, like yourselves, 8 survivor of the Quartz Zone Massacre. Unlike you, however, he made his way

back to Milli-com, and now he is back on Nu-Earth, hunting down and killing Rogue Troopers. Watch out for him, and remember - he's at least as good 8S you are.

Swamp.

Colonel Casanova We all know this crackpot. The commander of Rom Sector, Fort

---

The Filth Column, as they are generally known, are Nort infiltrators who work their way into Souther cities with the purpose of polluting the air or water supplies. So when you arrive at a city, there's always the chance that you will find no-one ative in It. If the city happens to be your mission destination, your mission felts - after all, dead men lell no tales. In these circumstances, you should report for a new mission immediately.

Jellyf ish M ines Jellyfish Mines have been developed to be dispensed onto water from the GI backpack. They are small, high-exploÂˇ sive contact mines engineered to have neutral bouyancy - that is, they neither float nor sink in water. You may find them useful in deeling with Nort patrol boats and other Coastal encounters.

Pocket Scanner This is your own personalised early warning system â&#x20AC;˘ even bener than a Helm Bio-chip. Apologies to the Helm Bio-chips in the audience, but remem~ ber, you have far greater uses in other directions. The pocket scanner will detect and identify any hostiles in your sector, leaving you forewarned and bener able to react to their presence, G ~ Ra t ion s

An ermy marches on its stomach, and you Gis are no exception. Even a Gt needs food, and G-Rations have been developed by the Genies to provide the GI metabolism with all the necessary nutrients to keep it going. They're nothing fancy, and they certainly wouldn't win any Nu-Cuisine awards, but they' ll keep you sharp and keep you gOing. Good luck, Rogue. '!bu'li need it.

Grsems Davis & Jervis Johnson