QABAL – The essential nature of spirits
"Firm, constant faith works wonders even in the course of a flawed operation, whereas mistrust and hesitation in the soul of the worker, who holds himself aloof from all excess, leads to dissipated effort and ruin"
Spirits are constructed of matter. The matter that forms their bodies is not immutable and often depends on where they are. Often a spirit will clothe itself in more visible matter or more tangible material in order to better interact with the world.
Spirits are usually invisible but if moving in a smoky atmosphere they can be seen by the whorls and eddies they create when they move. As they can be touched, though it be light as a feather, it indicates that they have form and substance. This might also mean that they can use their teeth, claws, limbs and body to attack.
Spirits can pierce materials. Perhaps on the most base level they interleave their bodily atoms with the obstacle. Most will prefer to go around walls and through doors. Some may be able to take the aspect of liquids or gases and pass through tiny cracks in walls and doors.
"You call us monsters...but when you dream it is flying and changing and living without death" - Rachel (Cabal, by Clive Barker)
These beings, essentially of spirit, have deigned to clothe themselves in flesh. Their differences to terran forms can often be seen and it is easy to see how much of our mythology is populated with these creatures.
Sometimes the beasts do not survive the transformation unscathed. Some are broken and twisted by the experience. These creatures become our demons (Peloric Fragments...Terata) - twisted in mind and body.
The laws of summoning are clear - A creature must follow the terms of its binding which defines its shape, behaviour and loyalty.
-The Circles-
May just be simply of chalk upon the maiden ground but can be elaborate with attendant pentagrams and symbols. It may be drawn in paint, blood, coal or set permanently into the floor with stones, wooden tiles or inlaid silver.
"According to the Cabala, the dybbuk is a spirit that takes possession of a living person. A famous legend tells of how a young Cabalist was in love with a certain girl. He died and subsequently took possession of her body" - The dibbuk, by Charles Anski
-Performing a Summons-
A Circle must be drawn in which the caster remains until the binding is complete. This can take time so he should be well-prepared for his ordeal. A pentacle should also be drawn and ringed with significant symbols (such as the names of the Archangels).
It is into the pentacle that the beast will form. It will be made visible through the burning of incense using the heady scented smoke to form a representation of its body. As long as the pentacle is unbroken it will remain there. It can be given a single instruction in return for release or forced into a Vessel which should be present in a circle attached to the pentacle. Once inside the Vessel, which is naturally marked with the appropriate sigils, the caster may leave his circle.
If the Pentacle is broken (or worse yet, not present) before the completion of the ritual the caster must not leave the circle. At this point the beast is free to roam about the room and immediate area but may not be seen and cannot enter the casters circle.
Such beasts are difficult to detect and capture and they possess considerable tangible and magical power with which they may assault unprotected targets. Even those protected by a magicians circle may find themselves the victims of missiles, mundane in nature, which have been hurled by the beast whose claws and magic cannot penetrate the circle.
Truly the safest place is within that circle though remaining there may result in injury and possible loss of life. Should anyone leave the circle they immediately open themselves to the creatures claws and magic and attempts at posession.
-Binding-
Once binding has begun, the smoke appears to pour into the Vessel until the beast is wholly consumed. Its appearance returns to normal though some report a vessel becomes heavier after binding.
Almost anything is suitable for binding though what is suitable for the required task may differ. Objects (rings, doors, statues, gems), Animals (cats, toads, newts, ravens, dogs), humans (alive or dead), and Materia (blood etc for a homunculus, clay for a golem) are all suitable.
QABAL – Wandering Mystic
It came to me while I was out shopping. The voice said “You are the chosen one”. I had always known I was special. It went on “You must dedicate your life to contemplation and gather others who wish to share in sublime glory”. I knew then that this was no mere flight of fancy so I went home, quit my job, sold my house and told my wife I was leaving Sheffield for greater things. She didn’t understand at first but now I think she accepts it. She and my children now live in Newcastle with her sister.
- Father Lemuel, The Brotherhood of the Glad.
The Wandering Mystic is a strange beast. At first he makes you think of an esoteric holyman making his was across continents dispensing wisdom in return for a crust of bread. He walks barefoot and shaves his head, his clothing is coarse and plain and signifies his humility. Some may see him as a beggar or a lunatic but most regard him with awe as he flouts modern conventions.
The reality is much less romantic. He still shaves his head and walks around barefoot but he is much more likely to own several cars and his bare feet seldom touch the cold ground and are cared for by expensive manicurists. His followers work hard in their respective careers and give their worldly belongings gladly. He might be targetted by one of those documentary investigators for his new television series but every member of his collective interviewed will talk at length about how his teachings have enriched their lives
Darren Mitchell was an unemployed factory worker before his Shining Moment. His wife Sharon wasn't quite as enthusiastic when he announced he was going to become a preacher. She was more interested in when he was going to go down the Jobmarket and get a job. This preacher malarkey was just another grand scheme. "The way I'm playing it" he would rhyme off as he was about to elaborate on the next great scheme. They were going to get rich two years ago with his chip-van sideline and last year he managed to get his hands on a load of computer games which he was going to sell down the market and make a killing. Neither made him any money so now they had a greasy smelly health risk filled with obselete computer programs occupying the front lawn. And to top it it all he wants to be a preacher.
Sharon did what any responsible mother would. She packed up her bags and moved herself and the children to her mothers house. Darren didn't really mind. He sold the house and disappeared.
Six months later The Brotherhood of the Glad appeared on television. The documentary that featured them interviewed a few members who spoke volumes about how fulfilled they were and arranged a meeting with their spiritual leader, Father Lemuel. You can imagine the look on Sharon Mitchell’s face when she recognised her husband under the bushy beard and voluminous robes.
The Brotherhood of the Glad has been accused of brainwashing and kidnapping but nothing like that actually goes on. The acolytes wake at five in the morning and begin their chores. After that (usually at about noon, some say when Lemuel wakes up) gather into the Hall for a sermon. The sermon is mostly the usual new-age feel-good nonsense but normally sensible people attend and afterwards speak volumes of well-being and confidence they have received as a result.
Darren takes his new life quite seriously. He honestly believes that he is enriching lives when he speaks. The fact that others more successful than him agree with him provides him with more proof. He sees his relaxed lifestyle, collection of soft furnishings and numerous sexual partners as his legitimate payment for his services. He doesn't believe in magic but has a strong belief in fate, luck and destiny, People who he perceives as lucky instantly earn his friendship as part of his personal philosophy is to surround himself with positive influences. This means lucky people, wondrous examples of art and craft and beautiful women.
In Qabal:
Though not a magician, this character wields considerable power. He may have a touch of magic that has been realised through this vocation. He would not be a suitable as a player character unless the other players were also important members of the same cult. He coould be a powerful ally and a powerful enemy as his disciples include city lawyers and brokers and family members of other influential people.
QABAL – The Orthodox Sorcerer
I've seen things you wouldn't believe. I've touched the Hand of God, I've
watched Angels feasting on the entrails of Devils, witnessed the seven
headed dragon and yes it burned me. Yes it burned me. And tonight, when
the stars are right, you too shall be burned. More tea, Vicar?
- Henry Olcott, Grand Magister
The Orthodox Sorcerer is perhaps the most familiar to the scholar.
Commonly recognised by a long robe, also seen with a flambuoyant headdress
and a penchant for much ritual and pomp. While some will dress casually
with shirt and trenchcoat, most take their costume seriously and keep
special robes for the purpose of performing magic.
It is also common for the Sorcerer to maintain a room in his house
specially consecrated for ritual magic. This sanctum will contain the
necessary paraphernalia for the magic - chalice, sword, cord and candle
will be evident. Sorcerers commonly have assistants, plucked from a wider
group of adherents because of one or two special qualities. These
qualities could be an aptitude for magic, a special trust between sorcerer
and assistant, a merely sexual relationship or something else.
Orthodox Sorcerers predominantly come from religious backgrounds either
from the clergy itself or from a particularly devout upbringing. This may
influence their later predilection for dressing up and performing grand
ceremonies.
A classical education is also a prerequisite in order to help them cope
with the esoteric literature and occult blinds so prevalent in the
subject. A background in psychology, egyptology or archaeology would be
obviously an advantage.
Olcott has been a member of the Aegyptian Order of the Everlasting Way for
the last twenty-five years. His official title is Grand Magister which
belies his actual status. He may not be a member of the inner circle but
his importance to the organisation is much greater than his apparently
lowly station. The AOEW pay him a monthly salary as a retainer for
consultancy work in addition to his other work as a touring authority on
egyptology.
In 1965 Olcott was an avid student of the occult and attended many of the
lectures around the country and on the continent in relation to this
subject. As he had few friends and his only real relationship had ended
several years before he fit right into a new more liberal culture proposed
by the pagan revivalists.
After a few years living in such a group, having taken his fill of
indulgence and nonsensical ritual, Olcott left the group and bought a
house in Ealing. He invited some of the more learned of his brethren to
live with him and create a college of learning in his cramped townhouse.
After a decade of honest research punctuated by behaviour reminiscent of
his youth, Olcott kicked the remainder of his colleagues out of his house
and initiated a vendetta that eventually caught the eye of the newspapers.
Olcott managed to distance himself from the fracas and from then on
cultivated the image of the beleaguered academic. From here, after his
fill of indulgence, things began to get interesting for him.
In truth he fell in with another cult. Olcott had always been
spectacularly bad at magical effects. He never seemed to achieve the right
state of mind that the others slipped into easily. Then again, the others
success was always measured in the most subtle of ways while Olcott placed
much higher demands upon himself. Magical expermentation within the new
group was much more structured. There were rules about what could be
called in and what could be cast out. There were regulations on binding
and prophecy. Because every night did not start out with attempts at magic
(usually followed by either a drugged orgy or a drunken depression), the
rituals began to have more meaning and correspondingly, an effect.
It was a frosty Thursday night when Olcott saw his first spirit.
Even he would admit that his faith in the process had been faltering
before he joined the AOEW. Their honest and open ways and utter dedication
to the study of magic inspired him and reaffirmed his flaccid faith. He
had settled into his seat (he was never comfortable in the lotus position
which may have contributed to his earlier failures) while his assistant
completed to preparations. Aftter two hours of feverish chanting nothing
seemed to have happened. Olcott lifted himself from his chair and only the
surprised gasp from his assistant alerted him. Inside the circle, where
the smoke from the incense brazier had drifted, was a churning smoky
zephyr. His assistant spoke in what seemed like a whisper. Perhaps a quiet
prayer. The spirit remained within the circle for the next few days as the
AOEW filed in and made their observations. At that time they had no way to
communicate with it and Olcott dedicated his time to researching how to
dismiss the presence.
The AOEW has reorganised. Rather than being an occult group trying to
contact "those-in-the-know" they have become an esoteric group who give
the impression they are in the know. They hold rituals no more than once a
week to a select group of initiates. Olcott has deliberately distanced
himself. Previously he was clinging to the ceremonial robes of those
within the AOEW but now he finds himself the advisor and realises he will
never again have to kowtow to a middle-class accountant in a
stars-and-moons bathrobe.
In Qabal:
This sort of character would be a magician with a fairly important
lineage. He will gather acolytes or a circle whom he treats as equals in
order to perform his magic. His predilection for pomp and requirement for
ceremony will mean that his magic will be quite specific to him and his
lineage. It also means that a considerable amount of preparation is
required for any magic to take place.
The Books again
Orders for the books have been trickling through which means that people are getting them into their hands. The Paypal links are working well and the post office is just round the corner from my work so I pop out and do the postage at lunch time and everyone is happy. We're down to about 15 copies of Zombi already and I'm working hard on prepping a PDF for sale as well as getting a second printing done - the news about Key20 really threw a spanner in the works there.
It feels good to be getting the stuff out there however - not quite as good as getting someone else to handle the US distribution but good enough nonetheless.
I'm still wondering what to do about Key20 and the non-payment of money from books sold. I have a feeling that's going to stick in my craw for a while yet.
The Books
A few days ago I received some chilling and frankly angering news.
We'd been distributed through Key20 for the last 18 months (and previous to that as well) and we'd sent them the vast majority of our stock. As of last week, they couldn't pay so they're sending back the remaining books and the only money we're getting is likely going to be paying for shipping back to us.
This is angering me because they received nearly all of our copies of Zombi, for which we're getting diddlysquat - and that leaves us up the creek without the proverbial paddle.
To this end, we're just going to offer fulfillment directly through Paypal and work on getting the PDFs done. It'd hard to find the time to do all of this especially when you consider that we're out a lot of money.
We've got a few books of each variety and we'll be receiving the shipping of the remainders coming soon and aiming for a second printing as soon as we can afford it.
SpaceNinjaCyberCrisis XDO
A self contained game set in a world filled with beautiful cyborgs, cute robots, superfast cyberbikes, powered exoskeletons, giant mechanoids, speed lines, comical pets, strange aliens, maniacal villains and demons with amazing groinal powers. The perfect bound A5 book is introduced by a four page comic drawn by the artist is P.J.Holden, known for professional comics work (DNA Swamp, Caliber Comics, 200AD, Judge Dredd Megazine, Fearless).
ISBN: 1-901042-02-2
Stock currently 100+
Reviews:
SpaceNinjaCyberCrisis XDO - Review
Its not often that we do role-playing reviews in the SF&F newsletter but since this game was right up our street we thought what the hell!. SNCC XDO is the new game from Crucible Design, the same team that brought us The 23rd Letter last year (which, incidentally, has just gone into its 2nd edition and is well worth a look), and the standard of this game is at least as high. Like its predecessor, it is designed for the more mature gamer (although there is nothing preventing a beginner from enjoying the game at least as much) and is geared more towards storyline and character than rules. This is not to detract from the system in either game, since both work very smoothly. The point is that the game is left more in the hands of the GM to do with as he sees fit.
The background to SNCC XDO is one immediately familiar to fans of the anime/ manga genre. For the uninitiated, these are Japanese animations and comics dealing with frankly bizarre subjects (and Im a fan!). However, whilst it helps if one has seen at least one or two of the items on the recommended list at the back of the book, it is not necessary. The world is complete in itself and further reading/ viewing only adds flavour. Briefly, the game is set in the year 2019 after humanity has discovered MekaTek, advanced technology allowing mankind to do cool stuff like design whopping great suits of powered armour, space craft and so on. The setting concentrates on San Metro, immediately recognisable to fans of the genre. The citys main landmarks are described as well as a clever section about what Joe Average does in San Metro (a favourite of mine because it proves that they have football in the future). The different power groups in San Metro are described in some detail (handily giving plot hooks to the GM and showing how they fit into the scheme of things) and a brief history is also given. The background is very entertaining and there is plenty for characters to do. There are demons, aliens, cops, robbers, vigilantes, religious whackos, prophesies and too many other things to mention. Suffice it to say, you wont get bored.
Moving back to the system briefly, I have to say it is very, very quick indeed. Characters have ten traits which all start at 3 and are then added to with starting points. MekaTek is also a statistic which begins at 0 - players must spend points to increase it if they want to start out with mad techno gear. Some people might moan about the fact that they cant flesh out the charcter because of the limited skill list; I went through it as an experiment and I could not find anything theyd left out. If a character vitally needs to have a skill in Aardvark Tickling then he can bloody well talk to the GM about it. There is more than enough breadth and depth to allow such variation in the game. The point is that characters are about exactly that - character. Your history and personality should mean a lot more than numbers on a page. Besides which, the game has its tongue very much in its cheek. This is why I like the idea of the Life Notes. Apart from being very funny and setting the tone of the game nicely, they do give players a nice framework to build around. To add to the fun, there are both positive and negative notes which have to balance - for each roll on the positive table, you must also roll on ther negative table. The system itself is devastatingly simple. Roll 2d6 and try to get under your trait. I mean, the old Fighting Fantasy books were harder to suss than that! In short, the system is designed to be simple and quick, and it achieves this very well.
To finish up, you may have guessed that I am quite impressed with this game. Guilty as charged, Im afraid. What can I say? I mean, Im a fan of manga, I like the sense of humour that the game has (I challenge anyone to find a better tag line for a game than one that includes ... demons with amazing groinal powers...), I was very impressed with the system and background detail... suffice it to say, you get the picture. As if all of this wasnt enough, the new Crucible Design format of perfect-binding their games is very nice, and theyve even thrown in some art work. This is of a very high standard (I dont know much about art, but I know what I like) and includes a 4-page comic at the start of the book. Were there any faults with the game? Not really. More extensive playing might reveal a few hiccups, but I would be very surprised if there are any. It is designed to be a very fun game so my advice would be that if you like manga or you want to get a game that you can enjoy rather than endure, you should seriously think about buying SNCC XDO.
QR codes for games
Following my last QR test, I got an email from Roger Smolski who runs the 2D Code web site. He had previously posted about the iPhone being an unsuitable device for QR codes due to the poor quality of the camera and this has resulted in several perfectly good QR decoding apps getting a poor rating on the AppStore due to the fuzzy quality of the camera. I've had good experiences mostly with QR codes on the iPhone as long as the URI is short but once the information gets much longer, the iPhone is unable to recognise a snapshot of it.
So, what's the solution?
A clear still of a QR code will work - even a complex one so I reckon the alternative might be to find another way of getting them into the phone. Loading a URL or receiving them in email both work fine.
Why is this important?
Anyone who has read my earlier posts on Alternate Reality Games would realise that I think QR codes are an excellent way of distributing clues to a game where you want to hide it a little but not make it too hard for people to find. The poor quality of the camera in the iPhone just really means the QR code display has to be big enough or they have to get the information from another source.
Anyone who has seen Serenity would realise the relevance and importance of this (2d Code link).
•REC (spoilers! beware!)
Last night, due to the absence of Jim, we watched movies up at Graham's rather than gaming. When I arrived (a little late due to teleconferences with NBC), they were just finishing off Dead Set. Michael's opinion was that it didn't add anything to the genre and although I think it was excellent, I am inclined to agree.
Afterwards we settled down to watch •REC. And there are spoilers ahead.
Our First Glimpse of an Alien World
Discover Magazine writes about our first glimpse of an alien world.
Achieving a feat that seemed impossible not so long ago, a team of scientists working with the Hubble Space Telescope captured the first visible-light image of a planet orbiting another star.
This stuff inspires me. It makes me wonder about what's out there - other worlds, other suns, other houses, other dinner plates. We'll never know, of course, because Fomalhaut b is 25 light years away and that means flying for 25 years at light speed just to get there - and maybe to find nothing. Any transmission we make will take 50 years minimum to get a reply. And as we all know, long distance relationships never work.
But still. Somewhere out there....beneath the pale moonlight....
Oh. That's a lyric. Sorry.
Boom!
Via @hitman2victor:
Using the High Yield Detonation Effects Simulator:
Be a terrible shame, eh?
Last Night’s Game
I've been in a gaming group for nearly three years now and l ran my first game for them (or more properly two of the usual three). I've been echoing about it for a while and they know I was keen on Godlike, then Wildtalents, then Jorune and half a dozen other games.
So, last night we started.
After a brief handout explaining the political situation in 1949 (the game setting), the state of the world, the state of technology and the popular movies and music that year, the players received a letter that they were being co-opted into the Peacetime Draft. After a journey to Virginia, the players were introduced to the characters who would be in the game.
Jim was playing Charlie Roper. An enlisted African-American who never saw action in World War 2 (probably due to issues with authority). He lives in a dingy apartment in LA and has a job keeping the books for local shops. Charlie has the ability to induce siezures in living systems.
Graham was playing Drew Fraser. A college professor who also had a decorated career during World War 2. He has a fiancée, a tenure at the University of Chicago and a good life. He also has the ability to 'play' with vectors of invisible force (essentially similar to a telekinetic).
There were three other characters.
Sergeant Roger Stevens - a career Marine with an impressive build and a raft of military related skills. He also has the ability to vocally command others to perform tasks in a form of mental domination. It's not dependent on language but does require that the target hear him.
Elijah Zaida is a young kid who encountered some sort of energy parasite that the Office of Special Projects believes is extraterrestrial. As a side effect, he's apparently invulnerable.
Doctor Ian Parker, MD is an unwell man who insists on wearing a thick coat. We don't know any more about him.
The Players were introduced to Senator Joe McCarthy who ranted for a couple of minutes on the dangers of letting down our guard. After he left, the briefing was continued by two CIA agents, Remsing and Dean. Remsing is relatively sympathetic to the PCs, Dean is from the southern states and refers to God in his speeches.
They were then told that Roper and Fraser would be accompanying Stevens to a small island off the coast of Alaska. Contested territory - to see what was going on there. Something large was moving around. This starter was inspired by Issue 2 of Warren Ellis' Planetary comic book and I used a couple of scenes from the comic to illustrate some scenes.
They take a long flight to some godforsaken airfield in Alaska, then a helicopter onwards. The island is 20 miles long and 8 miles wide and consists of snow covered mountains, dense forests and permafrost. They set the helicopter down at the only flat plain, a short stretch of ground leading to the only beach.
After camouflaging the helicopter, they hike to the foot of one of the mountains and are faintly disturbed to find a footprint - a booted footprint. They set a watch and camp for the night - during the night Fraser is disturbed to hear the sound of giant leathery wings....
Next day, they hike to the top of the mountain and as they reach the top, the wind carries the stench of decay. Over the ridge of the hill, protected by dense trees and snowfall is a massive corpse.
What creeps them out more is that they find a Japanese soldier in the bowels of the beast, eating the flesh. The soldier is unable to speak english and the PCs are unable to speak Japanese but they managed to force him to draw in the dirt - how he got there...
He claims he was flying a plane and was attacked by a giant pteranodon-type creature which forced him to bail out. He had been surviving by eating the flesh of this giant lizard.
They took him as a prisoner and returned to the helicopter. As they took off, they noticed another giant object...
...which caused them to land and take more pictures. Finally able to leave, they take off...
...and return to Alaska, then take a military transport back to Langley for debriefing.
Dean and Remsing provide a short debrief - they're pleased with the outcome, very pleased that the things out there are dead and explain that the pictures were blank, possibly due to high levels of radiation on the island...
More to come....next session.
The System I was using was a very cut down version of Humanydyne, which I've mentioned before. The PCs were pre-generated, there was no combat and there were only really a couple of power rolls and perception rolls. Next time we play this I'll actually have translated the combat section from the French...
Surviving the Z-Apocalypse
Paul Anthony sent me this:
Click through and have a full read. It's Zombtastic!
Artistic Proofs
Thing I appreciate: Self-deprecating humour
Thing I don't: Humour that deprecates others.
Self-deprecating humour is related to Ethos, one of the "artistic proofs" in rhetoric. Ethos is an appeal to the honesty, authority or qualifications of the individual. In humour this would be an attempt to identify with the audience by describing what a terrible state the comedian is in.
The other artistic proofs are Pathos (an appeal to sympathy or emotion or a need for justice) and Logos (appealing to the audience through facts and figures).
A compelling argument should touch on all three. To argue the point, you have to be clear that you are being an honest broker and there is no ulterior motive or that you are uniquely qualified to make the point - this is your Ethos. This will the lend authority to your Logos - the facts and figures which will help the audience make a decision based entirely on rationality. Lastly - Pathos - especially if the audience can relate to a miscarriage of justice or how life has been unfair to someone - will drive the point home and silence anyone. Taken in any order they work fine - appealing to those who need authority, those who need facts and figures and those who are controlled by their emotions.
e.g.
- I've been working with these people for five years and I think this should be done for them.
- Based on the costs, it's extremely affordable at only a pound a week. That's less than 15p a day.
- They need this to live, it'll keep a roof over their heads. Isn't that a basic human right?
The arguments above can obviously be recycled. These could be applied to starving families in drought-plagued Ethiopia or the recent government bailout of our banks and financial institutions.
Apologies for the odd segway into artistic proofs but I had something to say and it seemed a little whiny without a little more meat.
Humanydyne – the system
Also posted here
Cubicle 7, those cheeky London chappies (see the entry for 23rd August 2007 ) are meant to be releasing a translation of Humanydyne, a somewhat-post-apocalyptic superhero game originally from 7éme cercle (you know them, they originally did Qin).
Yes, it's superheroes, very flexible, and it is post-apocalyptic - the moon broke up and rained hell on more than one place (London is ****ed for instance). And the city of San Sepluchro is surrounded by radiated areas (those damned superhumans).
It's been a while and I've had the French version of the game and supplements for a while. It's slow reading because I'm busy and my french is 'poor'.
The system is called XdX and is declarative (listing only what is remarkable) and pretty freeform. To resolve an action, you roll a number of dice - seemingly any number you want between 1 and 10. To succeed in an action, you need to end up with at least one "positive" though the more you get, the better the quality of success. The system seems to say that d6 dice are standard but any can be used.
Positives - your skill levels, any pairs you roll on the dice you take
Negatives - any non-pairs, resistance from enemies skill levels.
Difficulties are also assigned by adding additional negatives. So, the more dice you roll, the greater the possible result but the increased risk of failure. The more dice you declare to roll, the faster you act in combat - your initiative score is the minimum number of dice you will roll. And rolling a 1 or 6 on a d6 counts double - not sure if that's for both positives and negatives.
So, my query is whether or not you'd fancy the odds here? I mean, the searching for pairs smacks of ORE which is fine, but the number of negatives that might result, could easily turn success to failure.
Star of the Commonwealth
Great Britain was, at the time, in the throes of a terrible war, a world war, which assailed them from without as well as within. While bombs rained upon London and young men lost their lives overseas in the pursuit of freedom, a frontier was breached. On a private estate in the English countryside, a connection was made, perhaps even re-opened, by a small party.
The incursion took place on the 9th February 1946. A battalion of rag-tag troops, hastily constructed from a score of regiments established a beachhead and within three hours (by our reckoning) had successfully conquered the land beyond.
During the next four weeks, rationing was abolished and the United Kingdom ushered in a new wealth and independence which changed the face of the world. The curious artifact of the new conquered land which permitted this was the difference in time flow. Years could pass in the conquered land and only hours would pass on Earth. The Government wasted no time in relocating farmers and their families and inviting captains of industry to build great factories. The country focussed their efforts on manufacture and export and quickly rebuilt the failing British Empire.
And of the conquered land?
HRH Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Narnia, sported a fetching maned cloak that following Winter
Zombi: spitballing a ‘lookout’ mechanic
After playing Left4Dead probably a little too much, I'm left with the interesting problem of wanting to emulate a little of the in-game mechanic in my (and your) favourite RPG about Zombies.
I'm also somewhat inspired by the Trust mechanics from "The Mountain Witch".
I'm looking to emulate the advantages of sticking together, of taking a risk when you know there are others looking out for you and the ability to 'summon a saviour' which, in Left4Dead, is handled in music, dialogue, and video graphics.
Zombi: resurfacing on RPG.net
ZOMBI got mentioned on RPG.net tonight.
Originally Posted by CHARLIBANANAS
I'd also say ZOMBI The earth won't hold the dead...I was surprised to see mentioned so quickly, I have AFMBE and Savage Worlds but zombi does exactly what I want from a Zombie game, and it was cheap...Other than that WoD.
Originally Posted by BigJackBrass
Zombi is a great little game and rarely seems to get mentioned. Since I'm pushed for time I'll just direct you to Jeff's gameblog and his description of it as one of Five Overlooked RPGs.
Excellent. Special thanks to CHARLIBANANAS and BigJackBrass.
SinglePlayer AI vs MultiPlayer
Scott Anguish writes about Left4Dead:
The other game I just tried out today was Left 4 Dead. This is one hardcore shooter that really ramps up the 'fast zombie' genre. Again, you come away feeling like you've been immersed in the game. I'm hoping the single player mode is long lasting (I hate playing online. I think in many cases it's a cop-out for the developer to limit the AI that they have to write. ...
I guess this is a worry - single player longevity.
For me, the Single Player Game is just a training mission for the online play/multiplayer modes. In the Single Player (as with Bots on your team in the multiplayer), you lose a little of the "stupid mistake" that makes the zombie genre so appealing. Like tonight - a reasonably seasoned group took 24 seconds to die (or so it seemed) because one guy went off by himself, got immobilised quickly and while the rest were coming for him, they got picked off by the admittedly well-timed attacks of the Infected team. Hint: you need all four people.
I enjoy the stupid mistakes that humans make. I laugh out loud when we make dumb mistakes. I howl in mock pain as my survivor is dragged by the Smoker's tongue. And I laugh when my brother (@savage_mf) blows my Hunter to bits with two shotgun blasts! It's just good fun.
I've been really enjoying Left4Dead. Scott now has me looking at Mirror's Edge to see what all the fuss is about!
Get Carter
I started this evening sitting down to watch The Bourne Identity on ITV2 but as it happens they run ad breaks every 18 minutes and I'm reminded why I hate linear television. The content is either shit or broken up by advertising breaks.
I attempted to remedy my ennui by putting on "The Descent" though I figured it might be better for another night and I opted to go for a film I've not seen in years, 'Get Carter' starring Michael Caine. I only just found out they remade it in 2000 with Sylvester Stallone. Sounds like a sick joke.
Carter is a hard nut though it's kinda tender when he first faces his brothers corpse. Everything is so run down, raining, allpaper peeling, paint layered upon paint upon paint. His niece is working at Woolworths, a bastion of sixties Britain (which just went into administration). Everyone looks pasty, malnourished and it's amazing when you see some of the actors we take for granted in their youth. Britt Ekland, on the other hand, looks radiant.
I'm watching it now for inspiration for CONTROL. Makes me want an electric shaver and a kipper tie 
Left4Dead, on Expert
"It's a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, I can't be held accountable for my actions!!!!"
Some of us (me, Savage_MF, kinnygraham and Pulse4333) have been playing this in the evenings and I must say it's probably the best FPS I've played in a while due to the need to be co-operative rather than selfish.
And it has Zombies. So it's win-win as far as I'm concerned.
Jorune Revisited
After a long hiatus, I've decided to revisit Jorune.
From Wikipedia
"Skyrealms of Jorune was based on a science-fantasy background (of the planetary romance subtype) created by Andrew Leker, initially for a school writing assignment. The setting was somewhat comparable to the Barsoom of the John Carter novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, in that it was a barbaric fantasy world populated by sword-wielding heroes who encountered strange alien beings and technologies."
Jorune, first edition was published in 1984 (which means that next year it will celebrate it's 25th Anniversary). I was first introduced to the game by John (a friend who has moved on) and from then I developed a deep and long-lasting love for the game. It inspired me more than Tekumel, left me hungering for more and irked me when I discovered that due to personalities and high claims on the value of the intellectual property, Jorune would never again be printed in another edition. (Reviews on RPG.net)
Second edition boxed sets still show up every now and then and Chessex still have a stock of the books they published:
SRP 02000 Skyrealms of Jorune™ RPG $20.00
SRP 02001 Sholari Pack™ (Jorune™ GM Screen & Modules) $16.00
SRP 02010 The Sobayid Atlas™ (for Jorune™) $16.00
SRP 02100 Innocents of Gauss™ (Jorune™ Module) $10.00
SRP 02101 The Gire of Sillipus™ (Jorune™ Module) $12.00
Call 888-243-7739 if you want to order any.
For my weekly group I've been toying with many ideas what to run. First of all a GODLIKE game seemed right as it would give me my superhero fix. Secondly I considered a 1950s era superhero game inspired partly by Warren Ellis' Planetary. But at the moment my heart is set on running Jorune - converting the system to BRP (using Nick Middleton's BRP rules as a basis and Cthulhu Dark Ages as the medium). It's similar enough, and yet different to, the other games we have been playing. (The group is heavily slanted towards BRP-based games - we've played RuneQuest, Delta Green and Gaslight so far over the last two and a half years).
Jorune never really caught on though it seemed more popular than some culture games insofar as it managed to have an entire computer game created for it.
So, what have I done?
Firstly I've created a Jorune character sheet, (front and back) which is in PDF format and can be downloaded. I'm not challenging copyrights here - just enabling some gamers. While a character sheet is only a start and not a destination by any means, it's going to be the first thing that my players experience - other than the Tauther guide - that is!
And where can you find more information?
I'd start with the Jorune Yahoo Group. Move quickly on to Jorune.org. And the have a look at Robert Dushay's and SholariJames' pages.
I'm going to give it a go. I need to do more work on Jorune BRP I think but it's a starter for 10.
23rd Letter RPG
The time is now.
Psychics exist, not many, but enough - enough to worry those in power, and interest those who seek power. Governments and Corporations fight over them. The Network provides an imperfect refuge for those that escape the clutches of those who would abuse them or their powers.Thousands are maimed and killed each year by the Corporations and Governments. Some do this for power, some for defence, but they all do it, - for the next war will be fought with the mind - and the victor will control the destiny of the human race.
Stock currently 100+
Downloads:
- 23rdLetter character sheet
- Projects SourceBook - raw and unfinished but useful!
Not the first time I’ve been Left4Dead
From the Wikipedia page for Left4Dead
Left 4 Dead is a co-operative, survival horror, first-person shooter game by Turtle Rock Studios.
"Left 4 Dead puts four human playable or AI-controlled Survivors of an apocalyptic pandemic against hordes of aggressive "Infected" (zombies). These Infected are controlled by an AI that dynamically balances difficulty and mood depending on the players' progress and situation. In an alternate game mode, human players can control up to four different monsters with special abilities and cooperate to stop the Survivor players.
...
The common infected encountered during the game are fast and agile, weak individually but overpowering the survivors with numbers. Besides common infected there are five boss infected, whose mutations grant them special abilities that make them much more dangerous."
I've thoroughly enjoyed playing Left4Dead over the last couple of days - there's something really satisfying in playing one of the 'boss infected' and stopping the PCs from reaching their safehouse. The music is excellent and really adds to the atmosphere. I've written up some statistics and additional rules for running a Left4Dead game using the Zombi rules and I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.
The stats for a basic zombi are:
| GunPlay:0 | CloseCombat : 5 |
| B&E Action: 3 | Stealthing: 3 |
| Movement: 5 | Awareness: 5 |
| Scrounging: 0 | Persuasion: 3 |
| Survival: 3 | Medical: 0 |
Modified Rules for Left4Dead:
Fast Zombis:
Rule: When someone comes within sight or hearing range of a Zombi it will run at the source of the noise and climb over objects to reach the source. This is especially dangerous where car or building alarms are concerned - the Zombi is especially attracted to these sources of noise, something that can be taken advantage of when a grenade is retrofitted with sound and light emitters. Zombis move at normal humans speeds.
Ganging Up:
Rule: When large numbers of zombis gang up, they will attempt to beat, hit or bite the survivor. Zombi attacks are simple closecombat attacks but if a PC is attacked by more than 4 zombis, then they have their panic rating reduced by two for every 4 zombis present - this can be very serious if attacked by 10+ zombis. A GM will roll the attack once for four zombis involved in the attack and if the result is a hit, add one point to the damage score. e.g Four Zombis attack a Player. They score a hit and roll once for damage, (1d6/3)+1 giving a result between 2 and 3 points of damage. If eight zombis make the same attack, it is treated as two groups of four. The only defense against this is a Shove which is a CloseCombat attack made by the survivor against the group. Only one group of four can be shoved at any one time and this requires that the Survivor make a successful CloseCombat attack taking into account his reduced Panic rating. There's an advantage to keeping your back to a wall.
Fire Damage:
Rule: All zombis are severely affected by fire and even a small blaze will cause 1d6 damage per turn.
The most common boss infected is the Hunter, who has a pounce attack that pins survivors to the ground and renders them unable to defend themselves while the Hunter attacks.
Rule: The Hunter can leap up to sixty feet ( 20 metres ) in any direction. If it makes a successful Movement, then it will land on a Survivor within range and pin them. The only defense on this is assistance from other Survivors (or shooting the Hunter first by winning initiative). Once pinned, the Hunter does not need to make CloseCombat rolls to successfully hurt the Survivor but inflicts 1d6/3 every turn.
The Smoker has a long, grasping tongue which can capture survivors and drag them away from their teammates.
Rule: The Smoker may make an Awareness roll to ensnare and drag a Survivor up to thirty feet (10 metres). The survivor may again only be released through the intervention of another Survivor. Once ensnared, the Survivor is helpless against other attacks (from other Zombies) and after 1 turn of dragging, will also be attacked by the Smoker itself for 1d6/3 per turn.
The Boomer, a bloated infected whose vomit and bile attract the common infected and temporarily blinds the player.
Rule: A successful Movement roll means the Boomer has successfully vomited over every Survivor within 10 feet (3 metres). If shot, the Boomer will explode and coat everyone within the same range in his foul-smelling bile. The Boomer only has 5 hit points so this can happen easily. Once covered in the bile, the Survivor's panic rating drops by a full five points for two turns as the liquid distorts vision. The bile will also attract every Zombi within a kilometre (half mile) to the Survivors (GMs will likely roll 2d6+6 to see how many show up.
The Tank is a huge, muscular infected and the most difficult to kill. The Tanks can knock the survivors back a distance and throw objects in the environment or large pieces of earth.
Rule: The Tank's CloseCombat Score increases to 10. It may also pick up rocks and anything to hand and throw them using it's Movement score with a range of 100 feet (30 metres) doing up to 1d6 damage. This may be dodged. The Tank has thirty hit points and will therefore take a lot of gunfire to take down.
The Witch is not aggressive, unlike the other boss infected. She will not attack the player unless provoked; by loud noises, lights or being near her. However her attack is the most damaging, on all difficulties her attack will knock down a player in one hit and on the expert difficulty is instantly fatal.
Rule: The Witch has Movement 10 and CloseCombat 10. She also has 30 hit points. But she will not move unless there is loud noise within 10 feet (3 metres). She will then attack doing 1d6 damage per successful hit.
Terms (Left4Dead, Hunter, Smoker, Boomer, Tank and Witch) and contexts used in this post are likely trademarks of Valve Software and is not meant to infringe. The game is $49 on Steam and also available in good games stores worldwide.
Solipsist RPG Review
I ordered Solipsist yesterday, paper and PDF, and spent a bit of last night poring over the PDF version. I'll start out this potted review by saying that it's shockingly good, easily one of the best Indie games I've read. Ever.
What is it about?
There are people who think so strongly and individually, that they can literally change reality, teasing out the fabric of the consensus and changing it. They are called Solipsists.
In this game you and your friends play a group of balanced Solipsists, struggling to fulfill your grandiose dreams, retain your desperate grip on reality, and fight the un-making of the Shadows before they can end the world for good.
A role-playing game about bending reality
The comparisons to MAGE: The Ascension will be obvious though as the author says elsewhere, the game is less weighed down by the paradigms of the common man and Solipsists spend more time fighting with their own Obsessions and Limitations than they do combatting the collective beliefs of the rank and file of the world. And that's something to like.
It also smacks a little of the Shadow worlds of AMBER, noting that I never read the novels and base all of my AMBER knowledge on the great Diceless RPG.
The march of a reality-changing protagonist, barred only by their own minds and the conscious minds of other Solipsists (and the mysterious Shadow) is pure gaming gold. While it seems to add some structure and sense to the Amberite shadow wanderings, it also strips away the tiresome paradox mechanic from Mage leaving only a story-driven conflict mechanic that allows the players to control the story and, crucially, lose control of the story.
The writing is clear, the art sparse and the concepts clear. Thoroughly recommended.
What’s an ARG?
The Technology column in the Guardian writes:
An ARG is an interactive narrative in which players work together to solve puzzles and co-ordinate activities in the real world and online, using websites, GPS tracking devices, telephone lines, newspaper adverts and more. All of which sounds like it must require even more effort and resolve than a bank holiday gym session, but ARGs employ media - text messages, blogs, social networking sites, video-sharing - that many people already use on a daily basis.
I also explained it today as...
"It's similar to a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) and a LARP (Live Action Role Play). These are games that have existed for years separately and only now as we find ourselves with man-portable internet-connected GPS-aware devices can we attempt to add mix them. Essentially it's a puzzle game that you have to walk around to solve. I want to add actual multi-player and humanocentric role-play to the concoction. It is larp-esque. But it also allows a form of gaming when just out and about. Some games may end up being played solo and some will require interaction. And some of the puzzles can be incredibly elaborate.
i.e. a 'password' that consists of a GPS location and a photograph that must be matched in position. GPS gets you within maybe 50 metres, then you find the position to map the photo. The photo might be a silhouette of a landscape or the light through yonder window. Once the correct combination has been discovered, the application can then deliver the package - be that text, an image, a movie or an audio sequence.
i.e. a set of ten cards containing a QR code sits in a till at a local bar. From a combination of previous clues, you have been directed to ask the bartender for a card with a number on it. You take a picture of the QR Code and it reveals a clue which is relevant to your story. The wrong card will likely lead you down the wrong path or, in a good ARG, bring you down a side path of the game you are currently in.
So in effect you tie it to a location, a perspective and if natural light is needed, a time..."
I see a lot more possible.
There are video games that you can actually live inside.
The following quote is from "Cybergeneration", an RPG dating from §993 by R. Talsorian Games.
With direct visual feed, projected ICONs at will, and a way of interacting with these projections, all the pieces were now in place to create what we now call VIRTUALITY; a state where Net images and Realspace are combined in one. This is the furthest edge of Net technology; a way in which reality and the computer generated fantasy fuse into one.
...
There are now entire places, people and things that most of you have never seen in Realspace at all. You probably have friends whose real faces are unknown to you because you met them in Virtuality (and you like them that way). You shop in Virtuality-based malls where products are projected into reality and you never actually touch them. There are video games that you can actually live inside.
I first played Cyberpunk in 1988 and the game setting, 2013, seemed like the far flung future. I wasn't convinced that we'd be spending half our time with a computer plugged directly into our brains but I could believe that synthetic limbs and organs might be commonplace - again, I couldn't see them as 'fashion'. But it was a good romp :- I quickly learned that playing anything other than the NetRunner or a Solo was pretty stupid and my dreams of epitomising the Rockerboy archetype were stillborn as the GM really just wanted us to break into places, shoot people and steal their stuff. To my knowledge, none of us has gone into larceny or narcotics trafficking as a result of our game play from these tender formative years.
I think that Cybergeneration more than anything helped shape my ideas about what could be possible using portable internet-connected location-aware devices. The idea that the Internet may know your physical location is exciting to me (and doesn't scare me one whit). The concept that I can interact with products and services based on my location via the Internet is also exciting to me. The realisation that this could all be part of a game gives me a sparkly feeling in my brain stem. It's that exciting.
There is a theme of transhumanism about ARGs.
Meat humans have five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. If, by adding techology, we can add to these senses or enhance the senses we have, we are undeniably transhuman. Whether you consider the ability to see or hear 'invisible' messages left by others in certain locations to be a transhuman quality is a matter of opinion. The ability to add another layer of human interaction upon the day to day level of interaction is certainly transhuman in thought.
Transhumanism has a definition as:
physical and mental augmentations including prostheses, reconstructive surgery, intensive use of telecommunications, a cosmopolitan outlook and a globetrotting lifestyle, androgyny, mediated reproduction (such as in vitro fertilisation), absence of religious beliefs, and a rejection of traditional family values.
We're there.
So how do we apply this to the creation of an Alternate Reality Game? I think we begin by treating the internet sense as one of the five. And like the other senses, it must be used in conjunction with each of the others in order to build a true picture. We may interact with someone in a bar based on our feeds from sight, smell and hearing. Adding our internet sense may change this relationship completely. This is over and above reading their Facebook profile - it may give us insights into what role they play in which game and give us the opportunity to interact on that level.
Zombi RPG
the earth won’t hold the dead
What if the people who were dead got up one day?
What if they got up and started killing other people?
What if the people they killed just got back up and killed some more people?
What if it had already started?
What if that day was yesterday?
Stock currently <20.
Download the book in PDF form here. This version does not include art.
We've put some Zombi Ts on CafePress.
Click on the image (or here) to go through to Store. We'll be adding more Ts as time goes on.
The Great Game
Alternate Reality Games (or Layered Reality Games) are going to be big.
When someone mentions ARGs, I always think of Total Recall (the film) [thanks Eamon]. The protagonist takes a virtual holiday which interweaves the real world with a spy conspiracy in his head (or is it?). Everything in his life becomes involved in the game - a girl he picks from a menu becomes his lover, his wife (with whom he has difficulties) becomes a killer spy, his co-workers seem to be sleeper agents designed to keep him quiet and the whole movie is left for you to wonder is it real or has he been placed in a sleeper community after some deep cover espionage?
Deep Cover Espionage, of course, leads us on to The Prisoner. Progressive and not a little confusing, it's propensity for involved games and the inability of the protagonist to leave the game does indeed suggest it's an ARG gone bad. The game element can be seen every episode
Michael Douglas played "The Game" in this 1997 film where an ARG went wrong and involved all sorts of violence. I kept wondering during the movie whether or not the twist in the tail would be I expected. Would everything in the film just be part of the Game? Or did the Game start and his actions make it spiral out of control?
Hollywood loves disasters. Look at Jurassic Park. Never have I seen science maligned as much as in that movie. The same is true for ARGs. It's a new idea so while they use ARGs in their marketing, they're also happy to point out how these things can go wrong.
Why is there such a need to have ARGs go wrong? Is it because the idea of story involving us must mean action, death and violence at every turn? Why can't the fun of the game just be in the game? Possibly because most games would involve messages on a phone or computer and wouldn't really involve guns or sex - which, at the end of the day, seem to be what sells movies. And a little too much sex and violence in an ARG would probably get you in trouble with your partner.
Mission Impossible enjoyed the use of elaborate reality games when they would convince enemy agents they were in their home territory or being held far from home in order to confuse and disorientate them. Once the information had been gained, the elaborate hoax dissolved leaving the mark feeling very much in the dark.
Viral campaigns for movies such as Cloverfield and A.I. worked really well to weave a pattern around the events in the movies. This makes you wonder though - there's obviously a class of writer that is now being created in the industry - someone who's job it is to weave elaborate ARG plots which in itself is a very specialist skill. It would indeed be a challenge I would relish - a project for another day definitely.
Live Action Role Play (LARP) and Murder Mystery Parties represent a limited ARG. The environment you can move around is limited, the people you encounter will all be in on the game. There was an urban legend I was told about a LARP group that had hired a hotel ballroom and some extra rooms for a "Victoriana" game. During the evening, some guests from the hotel who were not involved in the game, wandered onto the "set". Interacting with the Victoriana gamers had the guests convinced they had walked into another world. LARP isn't all about foam boffer weapons and men with masks wandering around damp forests - it's about playing a role in a game but using the whole body.
Treasure Hunt was a Channel 4 game show which ran for nearly a decade with the winning formula of clues, a studio research team, a helicopter and a pretty girl. If the contestants managed to guide the 'runner' to the treasure using the clues, then they would win a cash prize and all of this was against the clock.
This is related to Geocaching, an outdoor treasure-hunting game where the participants use a GPS device (like a modern mobile phone) and search out hidden treasure, usually a logbook and toys or trinkets. According to wikipedia, over 800,000 geocaches, over 100 countries across seven continents are registered on various websites.
The Adventure Game was another ARG-related game show, aimed at children, from the BBC during the early-mid eighties. The story was that the contestants had travelled to the planet 'Arg' (was that prescient?) - the game seemed, from the viewer point of view, internally consistent and the contestants played along with the game format. The Vortex task at the end of every episode, also presented a unique perspective - rather than being a physical or mental task, it was a tactical task based on the presence of an invisible destructive force on the game grid - a force that could only be seen by the television viewers.
Knightmare came pretty much after the Adventure Game where a 'blindfolded' child was led around a maze by three friends and had to interact with various physical tasks and puzzles. The environment was a mix of physical sets and computer imagery (using Chromakey). Wikipedia states that Knightmare was conceived by taking the computer game "Atic Atac" from the ZX Spectrum and 'revolutionising' it using television. Somewhat ironic.
Flash Mobs would be another nod to Alternate Reality Games - when a mob of zombies descends on a mall or participants engage in a massive and worldwide pillow fight, there is a 'game' element that is being used. The activity is usually coordinated by the internet and can bring a lot of attention. The concept itself seems to have originated in a Larry Niven story "Flash Crowd" from 1973.
De Profundis is a final example of an Alternate Reality Game. It's a story-telling game involving the posting of letters from participant to participant. De Profundis has also been played using email or blog posts across the internet. It ties literary story-telling to the Lovecraftian Cthulhu Mythos - encouraging participants to describe their descent into madness and the occult in flowery prose fitting the style of the genre. Described as more of a psychodrama than a role-playing game and certainly having more in common with creative writing than table-top games:
In De Profundis we don't declare to the Game-master that we are going to do a library search. We go to a real library ourselves to look for vague comments and hints which cause shivers of cosmic terror. We have all the books of all the libraries in the world to look through and fish for secrets and hidden, disguised truths.
So what?
ARG's tie together several things. They bring the ability to source material from the Internet (giving a virtually unlimited amount of virtual scenery to the Game) and then link that to a location (hyperlocality) using a GPS and a time (temporality) in order to weave together puzzles. There's also a virtually unlimited amount of interactivity. We have to answer questions like whether 'participants' are also 'creators' within the game. That's something that really interests me with my background.
I have also been contributing to (viewing mostly) the 4IP social network (hosted on ning) called '38 minutes'. In particular the area that interests me on 38minutes most is "Alternate Reality Gaming". I'm sufficiently interested in ARGs that I
intend to start a Masters degree to study them. I just need to flesh out the concept and learn to program computers!
Over the next few blog posts I'll examining the following steps.
Step Zero: The Concept
Step One: The Engine
Step Two: The Game Rules
Step Three: The Plot
Step Four: Profit!
QABAL – a brief history of Magic
The beginning of time
In those days giants walked the earth and fought with the gods. Secrets were passed
from the gods to man through Thoth, Prometheus and Hermes Trismegistus - Secrets
of fire, science and magic.
350 BC
Plato describes Atlantis. It symbolises the origin of all knowledge. Believed to
be a myth, certain mystics claim it is a cipher for the location of the biblical
Eden. It has become apparent that there is a link between the ancient gods, Atlantis,
Eden and the biblical Flood that rid the earth of evil.
62 BC
Magi congregate at the court of Antiochus. They have foreseen a great conflict and
a divine peacemaker. The meeting is called to a sudden end after heated arguments
on how to deal with this matter. They depart undecided as to whether they should
welcome this new king or oppose him.
30 AD
Jesus of Nazareth, member of the Essene cult, is arrested and executed. Though he
was crucified by Roman hands it was the desire of his enemies, the Hebrew sorcerers,
that he die as a criminal. His chief disciple, Peter, defeats the sorcerer Simon
Magus in a magical duel and moves the cult of Christ into secrecy to avoid further
persecution.
685 AD
Khalid ibn Yazid, an arab prince, refuses his crown and leaves his court in order
to pursue his studies. He is taught by Morienus, a sorcerer and alchemist, but his
subsequent actions, purging his lands of other sects, have tainted his tradition
so that they are no longer known as holders of a secret wisdom but regarded as butchers.
930 AD
Sabbatai Donnolo unearths the hidden Sefir Yetsira or Book of Creation, a major work
of theology and also of magic and miracles. It is prolific during the Middle Ages
but later passes almost into the realm of myth. Whether or not the work is authentic,
passages from it survive and describe the magic used to create the earth.
1224 AD
A covenant is drawn up between two cults to ensure mutual protection til the end
of the millennium. In their desire to consolidate their agreement they alienate many
of the other cults extant at this time. Fortunately for them, most of these other
cults are destroyed by the fires of the Inquisition but some survive and remember
the betrayal.
1314 AD
Established in 1118 AD, the Knights Templar are destroyed on account of possessing
too much political and economic power. The charges brought upon them, however, were
idolatry and sedition.
1520 AD
In his key work De Occulta, Agrippa lays down his Unity of Traditions, a desire to
unite all religion. His intention was that his magical brethren should unite under
one purpose. His attempt fails but his works were widely distributed and have become
one of the main inspirations on magical thought.
1785 AD
Claude Louis, Count of Saint-Germain reappears to his pupil Etteila. Though his claim
that he is 325 years old is disputed, he surfaces several times in the next eighty
years. The last time he is seen is in 1875.
1850 AD
Eliphas Levi alleges Vintras and his Institute of Pity are an "absurd, anarchic
sect". This may have been true but it also has the effect of endearing Vintras
to Levi's enemies. The depravity of the time also drew attention back to occult philosophy.
This was received with mixed blessings among the Masters.
1875 AD
The Great Purge Several Masters are slain along with hundreds of their followers.
Their groups were small and their followers weak so there were no retributions. This
highlights the encroaching end of the millennium and the end of the covenant and
thus an attempt to regulate the members of the covenant is made.
1900 AD
Crowley expelled from the Golden Dawn for 'extreme practices'. He, and some of his
more loyal acolytes, form the Order of the Silver Star.
NOW
The Covenant is ending. An ancient alliance is ending. The future and untold riches
await those with knowledge and power enough to take it